Banana Cake, Chalkboard Coasters and Birthday Fun!

I've come to love doing a special post just for Linz on her birthday. This year I decided to experiment with both a new cake recipe and a craft. For the cake I made a "To Die For" Banana Cake from Butter Yum. This proved be an interesting recipe as the cake is only slightly sweeter than banana bread would be, yet the frosting is some of the sweetest frosting I have ever had. The cake would be a handy recipe to have on hand to make for someone that was not in love with dessert (not sure who those people are). I thought the frosting was a nice pairing, but would pick a less intense variety if I was making this for the purpose of a toned down baked good. The other nice part of this recipe is the density. The banana creates a moist cake that holds well with time.


For the craft, I made Linz chalkboard paint coasters. It should be stated now and accepted by all that I am currently in love with chalkboard paint and am obsessed with painting everything with it. My parents re-modeled their bathroom recently and I was excited to take the excess tile pieces. I used the water saw(!) to cut the tile into the sizes I wanted and then painted them with chalkboard paint. I used felt circles to attach to the bottom, so as not to scratch any coffee tables.

The thing I really like about this idea is the variety it offers. Tired of your coasters? Add a new picture. Having a themed party? Add the extra detail to the coasters. Want to know what your friends really want to say when they have had one too many drinks? Give them the chalk and a blank coaster. 

 ~Jess