Christy

Carter's Baptism Album

2013-05-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

I've become obsessed with board book scrapbooks. They are so much easier to put together than the traditional albums, and they make fun/colorful coffee table accessories. AKA it doesn't look like junk when your house isn't cleaned up if someone swings by and it's laying out, you can just proudly announce, 'That's my coffee table book..." as opposed to, "Housecleaning, I didn't even know that word could take the role of verb."

They sell all shapes and sizes of board books in scrapbook stores, but I've been snagging them in the Michael's dollar spot....now the Michael's 1.50 spot. Sneaky. They turn their stock over every few months, and these go on sale and become the 50 cent spot books....that will be replaced by a book of the exact same style/brand with a new seasonal sticker.

These are a great books for using up scraps b/c the photos take up so much of the page. In this case, I bought paper and a few accessories b/c I made two matching books. One for me, and one for Maurine. But...I kept the pages simple.

Maurine is a scrapbooker, but I wanted her to have 'my version' of the event. She's one of two people on planet earth that will do more than use this for a door stop. Paperweight perhaps?

I had a bazillion pictures, but I selected just a few to tell the story...and another to frame....and 300 more to carry around/hug/and cry over because I miss these boys!

Simple and fun. Anyone who has scrapbooked with me (Amber) will understand this book shows great restraint....there is only ONE button on all these pages, and you can count the number of flowers on one hand. I don't even know who I am anymore.

The ring always comes with the books as well, and I love adding ribbons and charms to the ring....it's all about the accessories. Always.

Shredded Salsa Chicken

2013-05-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

My friend Sarah told me about this recipe. I'm always asking people to share recipes they try and love because I've tried a lot of recipes I don't like. Like, a lot. This one is a keeper. It was super simple, and once the chicken cooks itself,I threw it in some soft tacos. It would have been great on salad or a sandwich as well. Bonus-it's about to be the season 'too hot for ovens,' so I stock pile these recipes for summer like a squirrel with nuts in the fall. Incidentally I also stockpile these for the other nine months of the year because the time I'm home and able to cook is limited. And even if it wasn't-I'm still all about lazy. If one of these three philosophies are yours as well-here's a recipe for you...
Shredded Salsa Chicken
Ingredients: 1 envelope of taco seasoning, 6 boneless skinless chicken breast, jar of salsa (enough to cover the chicken), toppings-lettuce, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, more salsa-whatever
Instructions: Dump the chicken into a crockpot. Cover with the seasoning and salsa and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 4-6. Shred and serve.

A Book for the Graduate

2013-05-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

I've been giving this book as a graduation gift for years, but thanks to pinterest, I added the 'have people sign the book before you pass it on' to the gift list. This is one of my 'old' sixth grade students who is graduating high school in a few weeks...

She joined the team I went with this last summer to the Amazon...at the point of this picture, we had been sweating for a week, but....what a special memory! Emily has been visiting me since she 'left' 6 years ago to find adventures in jr high and high school, and I'm not sure what I'll do without my regular updates on life, school, teachers, boys, church, or crafts. It's been so fun to watch her get into classrooms and try out her skills at teaching. She is special to quiet a few ladies she met as she went through the doors of elementary school...so...those are the ladies I had sign the inside of this book...

She's headed to Alabama to study education, so here's a little book to add to her 'someday' school library with a message I truly believe-she's off to great places....and I'm looking forward to long distance updates over the next four years as Alabama gets to see what this gal we have to offer....and beyond.

String Quilt

2013-05-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

So, a few years ago I joined a friend of mine at a quilting retreat. There were some ladies there selling fabric and patterns. One of the patterns was for this windowpane quilt using old scraps. The deal was if you bought the cake stack (the fabric cut into squares) and fabric, the lady selling the fabric brought her scraps and let us dig through to use in the little squares. Some of the fabrics were pretty terrible on their own (which is the beauty of a quilt....together some fabrics would never sell-in a pack-they are necessary for the overall picture). I don't know why this appealed to me, but I loved the idea of getting to dig through her scraps that were pieces of quilts she had made the years (she is a master quilter). It's one of the same reason I always find thrift stores so appealing-each item has a story-and I feel like I'm rescuing....incidentally the same reason I can not be allowed into animal rescue clinics.
This quilt is by far my funkiest...it goes well in my living room-which may not be saying much, but the jewel tones were fun, and it makes a great lap quilt....and look at all those little scraps I rescued?

Basically, you take squares of fabric all the same side, and you cut a triangle out of a piece of sand paper and draw the line on the back of each piece.

I bought one solid fabric, the 'frame' and those strips to the same size (1 1/2 inches). I put the fabric face to face, and pinned 1/4 inch over the triangle you drew. Sew.

Flip it over, pull it over and iron it down. The rest of the pieces don't matter far as size. I did the same thing...pinned it to the border piece (red piece) in the quilt, matching edge to edge, then sewing down the strip at 1 quarter inch. Folded the second piece back and repeated.

The red piece (or boarder piece) is the only one that needs to be 1 1/2 inch and sewed 1/4 inch and 1/4 inch b/c it's the only piece you need to matched. I trimmed it down to the square again...

Then I sewed them all together, added a boarder, and then the binding (after it was quilted) was the same fabric as the border.

Check out some of those fabrics...yellow balloons, little dutch children....fabrics only a mother could love. I had the quilter use a circle-ee design. I'm sure that is the official name.

I used scraps to make a border on the back as well.

See....it goes well with the colors in my living room. At least that was my excuse.

Chalk Building Blocks

2013-05-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

My can of chalkboard spray was feeling really lonely-it had been months since I had taken it out to play. I've been really into wood projects lately (more to post later on with some of those) but this is something I could do with minimal effort. I sprayed a bunch of little blocks with chalk spray paint....

For the builder and the artist.....
You could use little scraps of wood, but I used this little tub of blocks I had from....who knows when I acquired them, but I pull them out when small beings visit and aren't entertained by my wit or culinary skills...

Literally all I had to do was spray, flip, repeat.

Ready to color and build a little block city.

Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing

2013-05-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

My pal Sarah pinned this recipe from Team T and I had to try it out....it reminded me of one of my favorite dishes....except....way easier. It is absolutely something I'll be doing again...and again...and the best part-crockpot+summer+I hate turning on the oven in the summer=happy! If you want to find a little happiness in your life....I suggest doing it via this recipe. I'm totally getting gold stars to distinguish these recipes in my box.
Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing
Ingredients: 4 thawed chicken breast, 6 oz pkg stuffing mix (like Stove Top), 1/2 c. sour cream, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1/4 c. water
Instructions:
1. Place your chicken in the bottom of your crockpot.

2. Place your stuff on top of the chicken.

3. Mix your sour cream, soup, and 1/4 c. water in a small bowl and then place it on top of the stuffing.

4. (At this point I actually stuck it in the fridge overnight, then popped it back in the pot and turned it on in the morning before I headed to church....I'm not in love with mornings...). Cook it on low for 4 hours...mine cooked about five hours and was starting to brown a little around the edges, just sayin'-don't overcook, it tasted great).

Dig in and fluff it up. It was truly, truly scrumptious. Next time I think I'm going to add some broccoli to the bottom with the chicken to give it some green...not because it needed more, but because I try really hard to sneak in veggies so I'll eat more.

GMT: End of the Year Teacher Gifts

2013-05-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm headed to GMT this morning to share a few of my favorite school revamped school supplies. As the end of the year is approaching, why not make a few cute little gifts of appreciation for teachers to start their years with next year?
Above is my favorite from this year, gold letters. You can do this with any color spray paint, but gold is 'my color' this year. Here is the full, and super simple link to the tutorial.

I'll also be sharing yesterday's tutorial for hand gel. I buy this stuff by the gallon....literally. At the end of the year we are rationing hand gel and kleenex as the supplies and money runs low! I have a link to the innards attached to yesterday's tutorial-free to a good home.
Pending time and mood I'll also be sharing the tutorial for duct tape projects. We carry these around at my school and take our notes. I made them for some of the gals I work with because I can....

I use binder clips by the busload....

These are so simple to make and I use them a lot when we have meetings because no matter what stack of paper I'm delivering, it goes over better with a cute clip! Here is that tutorial.
Last up (I'm being ambitious) are these little magnets...you could make these with the kids in the class (that would be funny) or just cute scrapbook paper.

I'll link to today's show to my facebook page (OK, Mom?). I've already started on some super cute projects to post next August....with a few more weeks in this year.....time to redecorate my room....the important stuff I spend my evenings doing....it's gonna change lives.

Helping Hands Teacher Hand Gel

2013-05-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

I've seen versions of this around, and I've even done this a few times in the past with other little quotes and sayings. This go round I pulled the 'hands' sayings for teachers. Here is a free link if you want this version. I just added the teacher names to the top in a word document. These are super easy to put together, and as a teacher, there is never enough hand gel. Seriously.
I found this large bottle at the dollar store. The back label was a little tricky to peel off, so I rubbed a little peanut butter on it (this helps with sticky stuff and bottles....I don't know how the greasy pb works, but it does...)

I put three of these helping hands per page (I'm sure four would have fit). I've found if you use the transparency papers that go through a copier the ink stays better than those you run through a printer. If you don't have these lying around at home, you can usually get them done at office copy places around town and they can do black or white or color for a buck or less.

I cut it down...

..and slipped it into the bottle. I used the straw to push it into place.

Super cute, and it can be refilled. I made this for about 1.50 (if that)....

DIY Marble Magnets

2013-05-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

I have a thing for magnets...my fridge is a testament to this issue. I putting together some teacher gifts...these are super simple and cheap....
Grab those flat marbles and you can either cut our punch our circles from scrap scrapbook paper and glue them to the flat side with Sobo glue (this sticks well and it dries clear).

Once it's glued...

...use a glue gun to pop a magnet onto the back and you are finished. You can also do this with photos and large marbles.

Burlap Initial Wreath

2013-05-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

I made this for my pal Sarah's new house. She said for house warming gifts she wanted things with initials on them. On the side she told me she had a big glass window and wanted something to cover up the gap so peeping salesmen couldn't see in without a struggle. So....say hello to the wreath for 'the other seasons.' I went with brown and burgundy per my instructions. I've made a lot of wreaths. I've used a lot of burlap making wreaths but I'd never made one of these bubble wreath's before. I know you can do it with a coat hanger, but I went ahead and bought a frame at a craft store along with a yard and half of burlap (they sell ribbon you can use with finished edges, but it's cheaper to buy it by the yard). The only other thing to make the bubble wreath needed is some wire. I snagged an R and some pray and some other materials for flowers...

I sprayed the R with brown spray paint and then rubbed the edges and top with sand paper to make it look a little worn...just a personal preference....I like to make new things look old so I don't feel so lonely in this world.

...random picture I took during the creative process because she is so helpful.

I cut the burlap into 6 inch strips, then thread 8 inches of wire through the burlap (weaving back and forth)....

I tied it to the wire wreath and then pinch the other side and tied it to the wreath as well making a 'bubble'.

See....

I went back and forth across the 4 wires to create a bunch of little loops in all directions. Here is the back....

Halfway there. I later went and filled in any gaps with random loops. I just kept adding when I ran out of my strips until the whole thing was covered.

I'm traditionally the fan of a bow, but I found this wreath sort of makes it's own fluffy statement....so I bought a few burgundy flowers, then made a few out of felt and fabric.

To make the rolled flower I tied one end of a 1 inch wide strip I cut down the length of the fabric....

Then I twisted, rolled, and glued.

I glued the initial and flowers to the wreath....

The top two flowers.

You could add pins to the back of the flowers and change them up for each holiday with the burlap as the backdrop....but I think I'll just leave this here.

Blueberry Cake

2013-05-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

If you've been on pinterest for more than a minute, you've seen this blueberry cake recipe from Alexandra'sKitchen. Everyone seems to have in pinned, yet I'd heard no reviews, so....it was time. I halved the recipe, thus the large bread pan in the picture. It was really moist, less sweet than the traditional muffin, but refreshing. I love blueberries, and I'll take them in any form, create a cake-and it's all the best life has to offer, at least until lunch. It says it serves 6-8, but...come on, who shares cake?
Blueberry Cake
Ingredients:
½ c. butter (room temp), 3/4 c. sugar+ 2 T, 1 T sugar to sprinkle on top, 1 egg, 1 t. vanilla, 2 c. flour, 2 t. baking powder, 1 t. kosher salt, 2 c. fresh blueberries, ½ c, buttermilk
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Cream butter and 3/4 c.+2 T sugar until fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
4. Toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.p
7. Grease 9-in sq. pan. Pour in mix. Sprinkle with remaining T. of sugar.
8. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

No Sew DIY Birthday Shirt

2013-05-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

I've made birthday shirts before with cupcake designs, here is an example of that. My cousin's little boy, Jonathan, turned one a few months back, and I decided to skip my traditional cupcake and I cut out the word one from some transportation fabric I found I thought was cute. I used some double sided steam a seam paper (shown in the tutorial I attached to the word here above). You can go over the edges with thread, or puff paint, or nothing at all. It just may require a little ironing down before each wearing/washing if some of the seams start to lift up. Simple, and a lot more affordable than some of the personalized shirts online.

The Best Green Bean Casserole EVER!

2013-05-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

When I made this, I was thinking I'd wait to post about it closer to Thanksgiving-'the' time for Green Bean Casserole, but this was seriously one of the most delicious recipes I've ever tried out-I had to post it ASAP. Seriously, here is my secret-I don't even like greenbean casserole. I had one plate of fresh green beans in Italy once-it was the first and last time I ever ate a green bean I liked. I've tried. I've tried many. So, I had family in town and was preparing a big meal, and I decided to make one dish I knew wouldn't tempt me to overeat (ha). I looked up a recipe for greenbean casseroles to replace the ol' classic with the can of soup. Oops, I found one I absolutely love. I had seconds and would have had thirds if I wasn't trying to save some to have for lunch....and maybe a midnight snack-the details are foggy right now. In fact, everyone who tried it went back for more. I promise you won't regret this-try it. As the recipe promised (from all recipes)-you'll never go back to the soup version.
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients: 2 T butter, 2 T flour, 1 t. salt, 1 t. white sugar, 1/4 c. onion (diced), 1 c. sour cream, 3 cans French style green beans (drained), 2 c. cheddar cheese, 1/2 c. crumbled ritz crackers (buttery rounds was what they called for-this is what I figured it meant), 1 T. butter melted.
Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Melt 2 T butter in skillet on med heat. Stir in flour until smooth and cook for one minute. Stir in salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream. Add green beans and stir to coat.
3. Move to 2 1/2 qt casserole dish. Spread shredded cheese over the top. In a separate bowl toss crackers and remaining butter and sprinkled over the cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes until top is golden and cheese is bubbly.
5. Eat. Repeat.

Basket O' Sunshine

2013-05-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

We've been doing a Secret Sister gift exchange all year at work. It was a lot of fun to go to my mailbox every few weeks and find some fun treasure. This adorable basket was my March gift. I had to share because it totally made my day-I wish I had thought of that, but you know what-it's so much more fun that someone else though of it for me!!!

The tag said "The Weather is getting warmer, here is a basket o' sunshine...

Yellow goodness....

Fun little items to eat/play with/enjoy with the kiddos that come to visit.

This would be an adorable teacher appreciate gift....I am definitely filing it away to do for someone someday!

Pinata Gift Card Holder

2013-05-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

I recently made this baby pinata to hold a gift card to a Mexican food restaurant that I bought as a gift and wanted a clever way to present it. You could do this for a dinner parties etc. I saw a tutorial like this at HappyDay and at first I thought-no way, too much work. I went on a hunt of baby pinatas...I could find them in bulk online, but not in stores, so I decided to give it a go....these were MUCH easier than they look and made a really fun way to present a treat!
I created a little outline in the shape of the traditional donkey pinata.

Here is the link to the donkey outline (free to a good home). You could use this same strategy for any shape/design. This is what I chose. I cut it out of tagboard (you could also do this on any recycled box-cereal etc as the original tutorial suggest to be 'earth friendly). I cut out two shapes, and then a thin strip of posterboard to connect the two.
I tapped the poster board strip along the edge of the outline on one side.

I made mine just large enough to hold the gift card to the Mexican Restaurant. You could fill it with little candies or confetti just to make it fun.

Once I had the git card in place I attached the top outline to the rim with more tape. I also added a string to 'hang it' that I would cover with decorations later.

Then I cut little strips of tissue paper, folded it in half and fringed the edges...

...and attached it with a line of glue.

Orzo Salad

2013-05-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

I was looking for one of those dishes that covers the whole food pyramid and found this recipe on all recipes. It was so good I made it twice.
I'm all about a dish that pretty much covers it all, add a slab of beef to the side and everyone will be happy.
Orzo Salad
Ingredients: 16 oz pkg uncooked orzo (I found this in the pasta aisle, though it looks like a large rice), 1/2 c. olive oil, 2 T butter, 1/2 t. minced garlic, 1/2 t. dried basil, 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes (skip this if you don't like a little kick), 1 c. pine nuts, 10 oz pkg baby spinach (fresh), 1/8 c. balsamic vinegar, 8 oz pkg crumbled feta cheese, 1/2 c. tomato-chopped, salt to taste.
Instructions: Cook pasta for 8-10 minutes. Drain. In a separate skillet heat olive oil and butter. Stir in garlic, basil, and red pepper. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in pine nuts and cook until slightly brown. Add spinach, cover and cook on low for 5 minutes (until spinach is wilted...it takes up about a 6th of the space once it's done 'wilting'). Toss spinach in orzo pasta. To serve, drizzle with vinegar and sprinkle feta and tomatoes on top. Season with salt to taste.

Mexican Pizza

2013-05-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe on pillsbury. I needed an appetizer to bring to a Mexican themed dinner, and this one can be served cold, so it eliminated the 'how do I keep this hot going/waiting on a party.' So if you have one of those events in your life, here was my solution!
Ingredients: 2 cans crescent rolls, 16 oz can of refried beans, 1 c. sour cream, 2 T taco seasoning mix, 1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 c. green onions, 1/2 c. green bell peppers (I skipped this), 1 c. seeded/chopped tomatoe, 1/2 c. sliced black olives.
Instructions:
Heat oven to 375. Unroll both cands of dough and place on a cookie sheet in a large rectangle. Press seams together. Bake for 14 minute (until golden). Cool completely.

Spread the beans over the crush leaving a 1/2 inch edge for the 'crust' (to hold the pizza). Mix the sour cream and taco seasoning. Spread this over the beans. Sprinkled on the remaining ingredients evenly over the sour cream. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Cut and serve with salsa.

Soda-lighted!

2013-04-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

I know this idea has been out and about on the world wide web....I'm not sure where it originated, but....it wasn't here, simpe and fun tags to add to drinks! This past year we decided to do a secret sister exchange at work. My pal Kristine and I divided up the names of all the ladies that wanted to participate and then we filled out interested list of things we loved (from drinks, favorite breakfast, hobbies, etc). We did this from Oct-April and ended with a fun get together and reveal. Most of the gifts I'll have to post next year as the seasons roll by, but this was just a fast little gift I gave one day (we usually gave a gift every week or two, little and big and everywhere in between). As a diet coke a-holic, when I find out a persons favorite drink-I always 'say it with soda.'

Sombrero Cookies

2013-04-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

I've seen multiple versions of these all throughout the internet, so....here is my version, just in time for Cinco de Mayo. Sombrero Cookies!
I used Oreos because...hello, there is nothing better than cream filling. I've seen these made with vanilla wafers. I actually found an Oreo with sprinkles inside so they were even festive to the bite. I also used yellow melting chocolate. You could use white and dye it yellow, but.....I'll let someone else do that for me. The only other things you need are sprinkles and yellow gumdrops.

I melted the chocolate at 30 second intervals. Mine took about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir every 30 seconds and it's ready when it's smooth. The time usually depends on how much you are melting at one time, I go in small doses so it doesn't harden too quickly. Dip your Oreo. Place it on wax paper. I then dripped the gumdrop bottom.

I added sprinkles to the wet chocolate, then placed it on the still wet cookie to adhere.

I let the chocolate harden,then melted the chocolate again, rolled the edge in chocolate, then in sprinkles, and...ta da.

See, sprinkles in the middle. You could quickly twist off the top of the cookies and add your own sprinkles.

The toughest part of blogging is having to test the creations.

Book: Once Upon a Time... Lamp

2013-04-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

I saw this idea for a reading lamp at ChicaandJo and I knew I 'needed' one of these for my classroom. This was one of the easiest projects I've put together. It cost a grand total of 6 dollars for the lamp (plus more for the light bulb)....and that's a pretty sweet deal for something that'll grace my classroom for years to come. The neat thing is you could really do this with any design you want to broadcast.
I found a stand for five dollars at IKEA and a lamp shade for 99 cents. I cut out the phrase Once Upon a Time... using a cricut, BUT you can also just bring it off on cardstock with your favorite font.

You can use tape or adhesive spray to attach this to the lamp.....I decided on tape so I could reposition....the shade is just thick enough that you can't see the tape, but you see the letters dark and clear.

Taped inside.....again, you can use adhesive glue spray as well and paste it to the inside of the shade. You can also print it off on cardstock, and then adhere it with tape or spray as well and the paper shouldn't be visible, but the black letters will.

And....ta da. A fun little lamp for a reading corner.

Mini Pull Tab Pinata Palooza

2013-04-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

I saw the idea for mini pinata's over at loveandcupcakes and I knew I had to add this to this year's teacher themed testing week o' fun. This year some of the gals on the leadership team got together to try to create some fun 'snack options' during breaks from the state testing for the teachers to looking forward to/enjoy. Invites are always important, as is candy. So....we made these little pinata's for everyone administering the state test to great them the morning of testing in their office mail box.

For the pull, I attached a little piece of wrapped candy to a string with tape.

I taped it inside as well.

I covered the bottom of a toilet paper tube with tissue paper, making a small hole to pull the string through with scissors.

I cut little pieces of folded strips of tissue paper so there was a fringe...

...and (called in reinforcement) and we glued these to the body of the tube.

Fill it with candy (you can fill it before you wrap it all the way up and close the top off too, or I just left the tops open.

We added a little 'pull me in case of emergency tag' and a string (via two holes on the side) to hang these in all the boxes.

Book: Vintage Books New Stationary Envelopes

2013-04-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

I got a bunch of books from a used book sale a few years back and they've been collecting dust, which is probably what they have been doing most of their life. The only time I can actually tear up a book is when I haven't owned it since it was born. This was a withdrawn book from a library, I know because I saw the stamp inside that said so. The pictures were fun and I knew it would make the perfect set of envelopes. Any book or old paper would work. How cute would these be for teacher stationary? Add some blank cards you make with cardstock you fold over, stamp the teachers name on the front and tie them up with a cute ribbon.
I pulled out my favorite pages that were left from other projects! The neat thing is these are the innards and outers of each envelope, so a very colorful gift in a mail box.

I used a really basic template to trace out the shape of a card, cut around the edges and folded the two sides in towards the inside. Here is a link to the free template.

I added a little glue, then folded the bottom half up to create the pocket.

I'll add some stickers (I'm thinking frogs) to seal the envelopes with, but...I can hardly wait to ship these out.

Book: Vintage Book Letters

2013-04-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

I saw this idea at kellehampton, and it quickly moved it's way to the top of my to do list. As a reading teacher, I definitely needed this little prompt in my classroom. I think this would be fun for any teacher....maybe just choose a cardboard with her last initial and a favorite kids book....
I just used some old books I got at a used book sale and I cut out cute pictures. I painted the sides of the cardboard letters (you could use the wooden letters or the paper mache letters as well, but they never had the D when I was look at the craft store!). I got these for 1.50 each. I just used a glue stick to then stick down the pictures, and an exacto knife/scissors to trim up the edges. You could add a layer of mod pogo to ensure the sides don't start lifting up, but so far the glue is doing it's job.

Book: You are Sharp! Chocolate Covered Pencils

2013-04-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

These would be cute for a writer, or a teacher, or a student made to write a lot by their teacher. ;o) I made these in the fall for some of my friend's kiddos as 'first day back to school' after school snacks, BUT....with teacher appreciate coming up....and no time machine to go back and post these when I actually made these....I'm posting these now. I saw these on a baking site online...just don't know which one at the time, and I just used my limited chocolate skills to recreate them from memory. I have a label marked 'teacher gift' below with tons of ideas, add chocolate pretzel sticks to the list. I've seen these out and about, but this is my version.

I took pretzel rods and covered them with melted yellow chocolate (I like the pellets they sell at the craft store in the baking section because it's easier for me to melt than some found in the baking row). I scraped a knife along the chocolate to give it a little bit of a 'ridge' like pencils have. Once it dried (which it should do in about ten minutes). I added a drop of red to white chocolate and dipped on end in this for the eraser.

I melted some green chocoalte (again, you can die white chocolate if it's easier than buying three different colors). I melted it in the microwave in a ziplock bag for about a minute and piped on the strips and #2 after snipping the edge off. If it starts to harden, just pop it back in the microwave for a few seconds.

I've also seen this done with the same rods snapped in half and dipped in multi colors with white piped designs made to look like crayons. Maybe next year. :O)

Margarita Cake Balls

2013-04-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

I made these recently for a friend of mine's birthday who likes A) Mexican Food and B) Lemon 'Stuff.' These would be cute for a Fiesta Themed party. I made a key lime/lemon cookie/cake ball that turned out to be really delicious (said the girl who doesn't like lemon-which is how I know it's tasty).

I bought some lemon flavored cookies (you can buy the kind with the cream in the the middle, this pretty much works the same as oreo truffles). I crushed up 1 cup of the cookies using a blender (doesn't have to be totally sandy, but pretty small chunks), and then I mixed in half a thing of softened cream cheese and about 1/4 t. lime flavoring.

I mixed it all together...

Then I rolled it into balls (this made 10 balls, so use the whole bar of cream cheese would have made 20). I put these balls into the fridge to harden a bit (so it would be easy to roll in melted chocolate, I left it over night, but an hour or so would have done the trick).

I rolled these in melted white chocolate and added some 'festive' sprinkles...it would have been cut to stick with the green theme as well. One trick....I roll these in chocolate with a fork, tap the fork on the side of the dish, add the sprinkles (these harden quickly when the melted chocolate hits the cold ball), and then I scoot it off the fork with the side of a knife.

I added these to a little margarita glass I bought at the dollar store.

I printed a little tag....

....ate all the cake balls that wouldn't fit (oops) and delivered the rest. :O)