The Cheese Thief

DIY Extra Large Letter Stamps

2012-03-03T08:04:00.003-08:00

I made these stamps for Avery, the entire project only cost one dollar. All you need is foam letters (I purchased these letters at the dollar tree). Glue the letters (wrong side up) onto pieces of foam or wood, and easy peasy, large letter stamps for your kids.

I have old foam that I saved from packages I received. You could also use wood or cardboard.

The foam was very messy to cut! So have a vacuum handy.

Glue the right side and stick the letter onto the foam.

Extra Large Stars Party Favors

2012-02-19T18:59:00.000-08:00

Here is a twist on the origami stars, fill them with candy or small toys for party favors. I used wrapping paper that was 4 inches wide by 40 inches long. Avery loved these large stars and it wasn't too long before she shook them and realized there was a surprise inside. Here is my video on how to fold these stars.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries Recipe

2012-02-14T17:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Every Valentine's Day I make chocolate dipped strawberries for my husband. The first time I made it my husband at the entire plate, and every Valentine's Day after that he would ask me "are you going to make chocolate dipped strawberries this year?" Making chocolate dipped strawberries is one of those things that is simple I don't know why people would actually go out and buy them. Strawberries are always on sale around here during Valentine's Day also. I purchased a pound for 1.50 at Ralphs (Kroger in some parts of the country).

To melt chocolate follow the instructions here: http://www.thecheesethief.com/2011/09/chocolate-covered-gummy-bears-recipe.html but do not add butter. The basic instructions are for 1 lb of strawberries melt 6 oz of chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 40 seconds. Take out and stir with spatula for 30 seconds, reheat for 15 second intervals if chocolate is not melted enough.

Two key things you want to do are:

1. Wash the strawberries and thoroughly dry them. You do not want any moisture on the strawberries. Use a kitchen towel and go through each one to make sure they are completely dry.

2. Let the strawberries sit at room temperature for about an hour or two. This will help so you do not have to keep reheating your chocolate.

3. DO NOT burn the chocolate. Heat only as necessary.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have dry strawberries. Moisture is the enemy of chocolate.

Melt chocolate in mug.

Stir until smooth.

Dip strawberry in wiggle back and forth gently a couple of times to get a good coat.

Pull strawberry up and place on parchment paper, foil or silicone baking sheet to cool.

Let cool in fridge for 15 min or on counter top for an hour.

Chocolate Covered Jalapeno Potato Chips

2012-02-10T18:02:00.000-08:00

I love the flavor combination of sweet and salty. What I love even more is sweet, salty, and spicy. This to me is the holy trinity of flavor combinations. I decided to experiment with this flavor combination by making Chocolate Covered Jalapeno Potato Chips. I used semi sweet chocolates which added a bit of bitter to the flavor combo, but looking back I could have done without the bitter and just used milk chocolate instead. These are so simple to make, you can do it for any party or just as a fun snack. All you have to do is melt chocolate in a mug and drizzle onto the chips. Here are a couple of my posts on how to melt chocolate: white chocolate and dark chocolate. Remember the key is not to overheat the chocolate!

Clipix a New Way to Organize Your Digital Life

2012-02-09T11:00:00.001-08:00

I hate missing the boat on the next cool website. clipix is a new website that allows you to organize your life. The other day my sister asked me if I know how to make plastic custom buttons. I could have sworn I just saw a tutorial for this months ago but am unable to find the link. Don't you hate it when that happens? In this digital age where we see so many articles, images, recipes, clipix solves the problem of not having a good way to save and organize them. You can use clipix to save everything you find online, share it with friends and come back to it later.

There are different privacy settings on clipix. So you can keep some of your personal Clips to yourself.

clipix is simple to use. You simply drag a bookmark called the "Clip" button to your bookmarks bar. When you're browsing a website and see something you love you can just click on the bookmark to "Clip" it.

I have already started filling my boards with recipes and craft ideas. This is truly addicting. Here initial Clips, I know these boards will get filled up soon.

As a software developer, I can tell that the creators of clipix put a lot of thought into your interface and usability. This site is not only fast but easy to use.

I hope you guys try clipix, it will help you organize your digital life.

Promoted Post

Custom Chubby Photo Pencils

2012-02-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite blogs right now is Scissors Paper Wok by Kimanh. I found her blog when I was looking for how to make custom buttons. While looking through the rest of her blog posts I saw this post on how to make custom pencils. Her pencils are pretty cool looking and I knew I wanted to try to make some. Unfortunately, I didn't have any pencil lead, so I improvised and used regular number two yellow pencils. Avery is getting at the age where she loves to draw and is starting to write. Wrapping the number two pencils with paper not only made them cute but thicker so her little fingers have a better hold of them. I also trimmed the pencils down to make them easier for her to hold.

I printed a mosaic of pictures on regular printer paper (on a laser jet printer). Cut the pencil to about 6 inches (I don't have a saw so I used wire clippers and sanded it down).

Mod Podge the entire pencil and then roll staring from the end adding Mod Podge as you go.

Cover the outside of the pencil with Mod Podge. Hang dry for about two hours then your pencils are ready to use. To hang dry i put a rubber band around the end of the pencil. You could also put a rubber band around the tip of the pencil where you are going to sharpen it. It is easier to tie the rubber band on before you apply the final coat of Mod Podge. I used a large pencil sharpener to sharpen it.

I'm Writing for Crafts Unleashed, Come Check Me Out

2012-02-08T20:14:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, I was contacted but the ConsumerCrafts.com (an online crafts retailer) to write for their blog, CraftsUnleashed. Needless to say I was ecstatic and jumped at the opportunity. My first post for them was published today. I would love it if you checked me out over there. I wrote a tutorial on how to embellish your envelopes by using the awesome Sew Easy Piercer Tool to stitching them. Also if you have the time you can check out ConsumerCrafts.com. They have a lot of great craft supplies for excellent prices.

I will be writing two to three posts a month so stay tuned for more tutorials.

Put a Picture Surprise in Your Valentine's Box of Chocolate

2012-02-06T20:47:00.000-08:00

Avery and I made this picture surprise for my mom for Valentine's Day. She helped me pick the pictures and arrange the chocolates back into the box. I'm thinking of having her draw on the chocolate box cover too to make it special for Grandma.

I simply printed some pictures from my laser printer and cut them to the shape of the chocolate. Avery put the chocolate back in their corresponding hole (i did have to stop her from eating the chocolate herself).

Walgreens Pharmacy

2012-02-05T20:01:00.001-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love my local Walgreens for many reasons. One of the reasons is their drive thru pharmacy. Drive thru pharmacies are the best innovation since drive thru coffee. I never really realized the true convenience of drive thru a drive thru pharmacy until I had my daughter. Running into the pharmacy is not a quick and easy thing when you have to unbuckle (a sometimes sleeping) child from their car seat and run in to pick up a prescription. This task that would take me normally five minutes doubles or even triples the time once you have kids. This is why I love my Walgreens drive thru pharmacy. Without getting out of my car I can quickly and easily pick up my prescription from their friendly and helpful pharmacists.

The Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens is now offering a special discount on annual memberships. For $35 a year, a family membership covers everyone in your immediate family, including a spouse, dependents 22 and younger and pets. Join and receive discount prices on your prescriptions. $20 for individuals.

Other benefits include:

-Savings on more than 8,000 brand-name and all generic medications

-Discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic supplies

-Bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services

To support Walgreens and stay updated you can like Walgreens on Facebook and also follow Walgreens on Twitter.

Toilet Paper Origami Heart

2012-02-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

I saw this on pinterest and thought it was hilarious. But when I clicked on the link, there were no instructions, just a link for a book to buy. Some of the origami looked difficult (so I would probably need the book) but I saw that some of them were just basic origami. I decided to come up with my own basic origami heart on toilet paper. The steps to this heart are similar to the corner heart book mark. Its actually fairly simple once you get the hang of it. It would be so funny to make these randomly in friend's bathrooms or as a surprise for your kids or husband.

Direct youtube link here.

Write a Love Letter with a Hidden Message

2012-02-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

I was looking though boxes of old stuff and found this love letter I wrote my husband years ago. It was actually a book that I made him (hand bound and everything) for Valentine's Day that was filled with lyrics to our favorite songs and at the end I wrote him a love letter with a hidden message. The hidden message in the letter was "I want you for always, days, years, eternities."

To make this hidden message letter, I first came up with the message and then wrote a letter that contained those words. It wasn't that difficult because those are words I are typically written in love letters. After writing the letter I printed it on a sheet of transparency paper (blanking out the words "I want you for always, days, years, eternities - to do this in MS Word just change the words to white text color). Then I printed another copy of the letter on white paper, with only the message showing (again just changing the text of the letter to white color). It was actually a Valentine's gift that my husband was impressed with.

When looking at the letter you can't tell that there is a hidden message. Only when you flip the transparency over will it reveal the message.

I also made him a CD with our favorite songs and put our faces as the custom cover. This was super easy to do in Photoshop. Do people even listen to CD's anymore? I am so out of the loop. I still have a cassette player in my car.

Win a Yard Makeover with CurbsideChaos.com

2012-02-01T19:00:00.001-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I can't believe its February already. Where does the time go? Last year I got a late start on my garden, but this year I promised myself that I would not fall behind. I have to admit, that I do not have a green thumb, but I still love to garden. I turn to the internet a lot as a resource for gardening information.

One site that I have just been turned onto is DigDropDone.com. It is a great site where you can learn all about bulbs. I love tulips, but have always been intimated to plant them in my garden. After reading all the helpful information on this site, I have a new confidence. I love the bulb tips from Marcy, especially this one: "An easy way to remember when to plant summer-flowering bulbs is when it's time to plant tomatoes. Tender bulbs love soil that's at least 60º F (15.5º C)."

Along with DigDropDone.com, another site CurbsideChaos.com has an awesome feature that allows you to find out the best type of bulb for your area, how planting them, and the items you will need.

I played around with my area and it gave me tips on how to plant Hyacinths. Aren't they lovely?

To use this tool yourself, simply go to CurbsideChaos.com and do the following:

Click the Garden Guru Tool (bottom left of the screen)

Step 1: Select your country

Step 2: Pick your location

Step 3: Choose the type of bulb you would like to grow

Step 4: Check out the Planting Guide, it shows you how to grown your bulbs

Right now D igDropDone.com is also giving away a $5,000 yard makeover. Celebrity Taniya Nayak from HGTV to guide you through your yard makeover. All you have to do to enter is submit a picture of your yard at Curbside Chaos.

While you are entering for a chance to win that fabulous yard makeover at Curbside Chaos, remember to tweet too. For every share on Twitter, "Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done." will donate $1.00 to Rebuilding Together - the nation’s leading nonprofit, working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities.

Be sure to visit www.digdropdone.com to learn more about the bulbs. Also visit Curbside Chaos to enter the yard makeover contest.

Bulb's are great house warming or host gifts also. Instead of bring over a bouquet of flowers that will die in a week, wouldn't it be lovely to plant a bulb in a pot to give to the host of a party?

Eight Petal Flower Bead Ring Tutorial

2012-01-31T20:57:00.000-08:00

When I was in junior high, I went to the mall and saw a beaded flower bracelet that I fell in love with. It was about ten dollars, so it was out of my budget. I remember going to check it out everyday because I thought it was so cool, but knowing that I didn't have the money to buy it. I would carefully examine the bracelet, trying to figure out how it was made, then run home and try to replicate it. One day I finally prevailed and was able to figure it out. I was so excited about the bracelet I wore it to school the very next day. A girl in my gym class liked it so much she offered me five dollars for it. Being short on money at the time, and calculating it out, the bag of beads was only 50 cents, and the thread was free (from my mom) so this seemed like a good deal. I gave her the bracelet and she said she would bring me five dollars the next day. The next day came and went and she never paid me. After a week I asked her about the money and she said "what bracelet?" like the transaction never took place. I was devastated, confused, and angry. But I did nothing. I never told anyone this story because I was so embarrassed at how naive I was.

Every time I see any beaded piece of jewelry I think of this story. It makes me sad and happy at the same time. It makes me sad to think that there are mean spirited people out there and that I was so passive I never stood up for myself. It makes me happy because I know I've come a long way from then and I am no longer the passive scared little girl.

I hope you enjoy this tutorial on how to make this eight petal flower bead ring (which could be also made into a bracelet). Maybe you can make it for someone you love to give them a little happiness.

Video tutorial is at the bottom of the post or here is the direct youtube link.

Valentine's Day Hanging Decoration Kid's Craft

2012-01-29T10:47:00.000-08:00

This is a simple kid's Valentine's Day craft. Avery enjoyed taking it outside and watching the tissue paper blow in the wind. The materials required are
1 10 inch piece of yarn
2 sheets of tissue paper (about 2ft x 2ft)
1 piece of cardboard cut into a 3.5 inch circle

Take both pieces of tissue paper and line them up on top of each other. Fold the tissue paper in half, and then half again, and then on the diagonal in half (like you are folding a paper snowflake). Trim around the edge to create a circle (doesn't have to be perfect. Cut out shapes onto the tissue paper, since it's Valentine's day we cut out hearts. Cut a small hole on the tip/center of the tissue paper. Knot one end of the yarn and string the yarn through the center of the cardboard and through the tissue paper.

Cut a square from each piece of tissue paper

Fold in half and in half again width wise.

Fold in half on the diagonal,a nd then again. Trim the edges to make a more circular shape and cut out heart shapes.

String yarn through a round piece of cardboard and then through the middle of the tissue paper.

Save cut out heart shapes for a future craft project, or use as table confetti.

Origami Star Happy Birthday Bunting

2012-01-26T21:06:00.000-08:00

I think my mom loves my blog. She's never actually seen it, but I think she loves it because all of my old belongings (what she would call junk) that have been stored in her garage is slowly being transported to my house. This "junk", crafts that I made in high school and college, has found new life with my blog. She recently handed me a box filled with stars that I folded in high school. When I opened the box, I said aloud "Wow, I really had a lot of time on my hands!" My mom smiled, and said "Yes, you did" (probably implying that I had no life back then.) I snatched up the box and stowed it in my car (along with a couple of other boxes filled with "goodies"), because I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them.

Avery's birthday was earlier this month and the stars would make the perfect birthday bunting. Using a sharpie I wrote the letters happy birthday on the stars and strung them together with needle and thread. To mount it on the cake I used bamboo skewers. Easiest and cutest project ever. Everyone that came over to celebrate her birthday asked where I purchased the bunting. I could probably make fifty more signs, with all the stars that I have.

Here is a video tutorial on how to fold paper stars. I used "star paper" to fold these stars, which makes it easier to fold. Star paper is just paper that is already cut into strips. You could cut the paper yourself, or buy quilling paper from Amazon. Here is the link to quilling paper: Craft Quilling Paper 100-Pack, 25 Colors

Old Denim Corner Heart Bookmark

2012-01-25T18:25:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of old jeans and scraps from jeans that I've hemmed. Most of the old jeans go to the salvation army, but the jean scraps stay in a small pile. I usually use fabric remnants as dusting rags, but denim is too rough for dusting. Perhaps a denim quilt, or maybe headband, but both items not really within my taste or style. I love my jeans, but I think they only belong on the lower half of my body. I never really saw the appeal on the denim on denim look. Justin Timberlake (image is of Justin's denim suit) is the only one that could pull that one off.

This weekend I thought of a great way to use my jean scraps. I cut them into heart shapes and made a corner bookmark. To keep the jeans from fraying at the edges I applied a thin layer of mod podge onto the back of the hearts.

Apply mod podge to the back side of fabric and let dry. Using a needle and some thread or dmc floss sew bottom half of heart together.

How to Fold an Origami Heart Envelope

2012-01-23T21:14:00.000-08:00

This origami tutorial reminds me of the notes I use to write in school. Do you remember writing notes with loose leaf and folding them into shapes? We would pass them secretly, as they contained important secrets, such as the latest crush or who kissed who. I don't think kids in school pass notes anymore, they probably just text. Folding notes will probably become a lost art.

Video tutorial:

Whats Inside your Child's Bath Toys? (Warning: Gross Image)

2012-01-22T08:17:00.000-08:00

I was always been a little suspect of Avery's squeeze bath toys (the ones where you draw water in and push them to squirt out a stream of water), but I let her play with them because those were the ones she loved. Last night while giving her a bath I noticed that her green frog squeeze toy had black stuff all around the lips (where the water gets drawn in from). It looked like mold or mildew. I am pretty good about cleaning her bath toys, and draining as much of the water out of those squeeze toys as possible, but I guess my efforts were not enough. I decided to cut open the toy to see what my daughter has been exposing herself to each time she bathed. After cutting the frog open I was about to vomit. Every internal surface of the toy was covered in mildew. Avery takes this toy and squeezes the water on her face sometimes. I was thoroughly disgusted. All of her squeeze bath toys went into the trash.

Any other readers experience this? I'm surprised that these toys are still on the market. Thinking about it makes me sick.

How to Fold an Origami Heart With Necktie Place Card

2012-01-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

When I was a waitress in college, to pass the time away during the off peak hours, the other waitresses and I would fold our tip money into little origami figures. First it started out being simple, making hearts out of dollar bills, but then we started to get competitive and find new ways to fold these dollar bills (mind you this was before the time when the time internet was popular and you could find howto's). One of the other waitresses showed me how to fold a cute shirt and tie with a dollar bill. This origami that I am going to show you reminds me of the dollar shirt and tie, but is much easier. This heart would be great to put as a place setting for a wedding (if you are patient enough to fold all of them) or a simple dinner party.

If you want the tie to be a different color than the shirt, your paper must be a different color on each side. To make this book page heart I glued a white sheet of paper onto one side of the newspaper/book page, then cut it into a square.

To make this heart follow the video instructions below or you can go directly to the youtube link.

Book Page Corner Heart Origami Bookmark

2012-01-18T21:53:00.000-08:00

This is another heart tutorial. Is the 'book page' trend over yet? I sure hope not, because I just love the look of this corner bookmark folded from a book page. The great thing about origami is that it is cheap and anyone can do it - with the proper instructions.

When I was a kid, my parents bought me an origami book (from Thailand, all in Thai!). I was so excited to get it until I started to attempt to make the figures. Have you ever seen the diagrams in an origami book? There are a lot of arrows, some that swirl around and point back to the same spot. And my book was in Thai, so when I asked my parents to translate the words for me they would say "its says 'Fold Over'" You could imagine how frustrating this was for an eight year old. I'd like to say it was perseverance that helped me figure out most of the instructions, but I think it was just pure boredom that drove me to sit and decode it all.

I still see origami instructions out there that completely confuse me. This corner heart was from that old origami book my parents gave me. I actually lost the book, but remember making this. I hope you enjoy my video tutorial on how to create this cute book mark for someone this Valentine's Day. There are no confusing squiggly lines to follow just my hands to guide you through it.

How to Make a Puffy Origami Heart Garland

2012-01-16T22:30:00.000-08:00

This is probably going to be heart week. With Valentine's Day coming up I have so many heart tutorials I want to share. My camera is full of heart crafts! Here is a simple one and one of my favorites. It just requires some paper and yarn. Please view the video tutorial for the full instructions. I used wrapping paper to make these hearts. If your paper is thin then you want to use longer sheets of paper, or it will be difficult for you to "puff" the hearts. The proportions I uses are 1x5 (ie for 1inches by 5 inches, 1 cm by 5 cm, 2 cm by 10 cm etc). If you use thicker paper you can get away with 1x4 or maybe less.

String hearts together with yarn or bakers twine.

The basic step is to fold a triangle from a strip of 2inch x10inch paper. See video tutorial for full steps.

Woven Drinking Straw Heart

2012-01-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

If you're at your McDonald's and the kid's need some entertaining, try weaving a heart out of some straws. All you need is two straws and scissors. You could also weave this heart from paper strips. Cut the strips to about 1 cm thick and 30 cms long. Follow the video tutorial on how to weave the heart below. This would be perfect to make one our two and stick them on a home made Valentine's Day card. You could also string them together and make heart garland.

First image is two drinking straws, one bent over the other to form a V. Follow the video tutorial for further steps.

Direct youtube link to video tutorial.

How to Make Your Own Baker's Twine

2012-01-12T21:33:00.000-08:00

I needed bakers twine for the Valentine's Day Card I made, but did not have any on hand. I decided to try to make some baker's twine with some butchers twine I had at home. I want to note that if you need a lot of baker's twine then it probably makes more sense for you to buy it. But if you just need a couple of yards or live somewhere that does not sell baker's twine, then this tutorial is for you.

Use a drill to separate the butchers twine into two strands. Take one of the strands and dye it with the dye of your choice, I used food coloring which worked ok for a more light pastel color. Wait for the strand to dry and then knot together with the other strand. Attach the knotted end to your drill and spin the two strands together.

Use drill to unwind the butchers twine into "sub-strands". Dye one of the strands with the dye of your choice. I used food coloring which is on the lighter end once it dries. If you are working with string that is thin, you do not have to unwind the two strands. Simply dye one strand and wind it together with the another.

Once the dyed strand dries, knot both strands together and attach knotted end to the drill. Hold opposite end and turn on drill to wind strands together. If your strands are long you may need to have someone help you hold the other end while you operate the drill.

DIY Valentine's Day Card

2012-01-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

I love song lyrics. When I listen to a song I love it more for the lyrics than for the melody. This Valentine's Day I decided to take one of the lyrics to Katy Perry's song and put it on a DIY Valentine's Day card for my husband. I also made the card into a "notebook" because the lyrics are talk about adolescence.

Cut out the "notebook" cover from a gift box.

Line the inside of the notebook with some wrapping paper and cut notebook paper to size.

Sew the notebook paper onto the cover.

Write a little love note.

Sew a couple of buttons on the front and back. Stamp your favorite lyrics onto the front and tie with bakers twine.

Walgreens No Longer Able to Accept Express Scripts

2012-01-11T13:03:00.001-08:00

This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.
I am a creature of habit. I go to the same store to pick up my dry cleaning, I take the same route to work and order the same meal at my favorite local restaurant. I always go to the gas station down the street. I do so because I love these places, they are convenient and good to me.

If you are like me and heading to your local Walgreens to pick up a prescription, you may want to check your insurance card. If it is Express Scripts, as of Jan 1, 2012, you are no longer able to fill your prescription at Walgreens.

For the past year Express Scripts and Walgreens have been under contract negotiations. Those negotiations were unsuccessful because Express Scripts wanted complete control over the definition of the contract terms. Express Scripts’ actions are causing disruption with no significant benefit to patients or their health plan.

One of Express Scripts’ clients is Tricare, which is the health and prescription drug program for America’s military service men and women. During negotiations, Walgreens took the unprecedented step of offering Express Scripts an ironclad guarantee that Walgreens prices would match or beat the average costs per adjusted prescription of all other pharmacies in the Tricare network. Walgreens did this in an effort to prevent our country’s military personnel from being caught in the middle.

If you too are upset by this please contact your local media and voice your dissatisfaction.

Walgreens wants to help all that are affected by offering an annual membership for its Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens This club's price will be reduced to $5 for an individual and $10 for a family.

To read the press release yourself go here: Walgreens and Express Scripts

Follow Walgreens on Walgreens on Twitter or Walgreens on Facebook to support t hem.