While I have been slaving away like a crazy little elf; we have also been up to a lot of fun things in these past few weeks. I figured I’d share some pics of the gingerbread houses we made last night. (Actually, there were requests to share for Grandma Lu and Harrison–2 very important people. :D) So without further ado:
Meg’s masterpiece: full of things that she didn’t really want on there. (She says as she eats them.)
Emily’s house: winner in the heavy- weight division.
Amanda’s decor was a little more spartan. She stopped decorating as soon as she realized she could eat the candy.
Mom and Dad had fun too. Check Mike’s creative roof and frosting trees. Mmmm, delicious Christmas fun.
I am over at Whatever DeeDee Wants today sharing some ideas for creating a fun and inexpensive centerpieces for your table. Check the options then come on over and see how to put it together:
(Seriously, easy and on the cheap, ladies!)
If you want to put those kiddos to work, here is a tutorial for making paper turkey place holders.
If you are looking for frightfully cute last minute treats for a party or just to give to friends; you can whip up a spider, bat, or ghost sucker so fast it’s scary. They require very few materials. If you have an art box, you’ll likely only need to buy the suckers. They also make a great project for a class Halloween party. Feel free to copy the tag images into a document and add your child’s name; then just print and cut. I posted videos tutorials for them last year, you can find them on the old post if you’d like.
spider sucker
materials:
round sucker (like a tootise or blow pops)
4 chenille stems optional:
googly eyes
tag (use the image bellow)
directions:
1. Line up 4 chenille stems so that they are even and tightly grouped.
2. Place sucker in the middle of the stems and firmly wrap around so that the stems have gone all the way around and are pointing up.
3.Bend the stems back down, halfway down the length. then bend the last 1/4 inch or so up a bit.
4. If desired, add googly eyes with white or hot glue.
bat sucker
materials:
round sucker (like a tootise or blow pops)
black construction paper
tape optional:
googly eyes
tag (use the image bellow)
ribbon
directions:
1. Fold construction paper in half and draw bat wings. (Make sure your wings are about 1 inch thick on the fold.) You can also print out and trace this template.
2. Cut out wings and make 2 small slits on the fold about 1/3 and 2/3 of the way down the paper.
3. Unfold winds and push out the strip in the center (made by the slits.)
4. Slip sucker stem into the slit and secure with tape on the back.
5. If desired, add googly eyes with white or hot glue.
6. Want a little more cuteness? Tie a bow on the sucker stem under the wings.
ghost sucker
materials:
round sucker (like a tootise or blow pops)
white table napkin
black marker
optional:
googly eyes
tag (use the image bellow)
ribbon
directions:
1. Unfold napkin and center it on top of the sucker.
2. Push the edges of the napkin down around the sucker and twist slightly at the stem.
3. Secure the back with a small piece of tape.
4. If desired, add googly eyes with white or hot glue.
5. You can also tie a ribbon at the base of the sucker. This is a great way to attach a tag.
Emily has been asking to make mosaic votives like the ones we did at Christmas time. I thought that they would be an excellent addition to our Halloween decor; and after some procrastination we finally got around to making some. The girls loved this activity and it is so easy and relatively low mess, it’s perfect for after school or for a long weekend like we are starting tomorrow. Really, I don’t know what I was waiting for.
materials
clear votive candle holder (Or re-use small canning jars as we did. We loved how the rounded 1/2 pint jars looked. I think something big like a pickle jar would also be great.)
tissue paper
mod podge ( I recommend the gloss finish) thinned white glue will also work in a pinch
scissors
paint brush
directions:
1. Lightly sketch your design onto the tissue paper if needed. Cut out the pieces, I used strips to give it a pumpkin-y feel; the girls preferred more of a mosaic technique.
3. Brush a thin coat of mod podge onto an area. It dries fairly quickly, so it is best to just coat a few inches, apply tissue, then move to the next section. It is alright if it gets a few wrinkles and uneven spots. This will give the design more character. Slick a little more mod podge over the tissue paper to adhere it to the glass.
4. Work your way around the entire exterior, covering all of the glass with a final coat to seal. If there are areas where there is a ridge or bead of mod podge, smooth out with the brush so that everything is even and flat along the glass.
Once it is completely dry, place a candle in your new holder and arrange on the table or line your spooky sidewalk with pumpkin luminaries. I recommend LCD votives – not only are they safer for little hands; but if you turned the glass upside down, you will need them as there isn’t enough O2 for a candle. Enjoy!
So I did a wedding cake last week and the super-cute bride, Sid, wanted a ruffle tier. Here is the finished wedding cake.
While I was experimenting to get the ruffle technique down, I tried it for Megan’s birthday cake. I LOVE it for a 2 or 3 layer cake. I think the ruffles on the top add a lot. It is definitely a technique I’ll use again. It is so easy to do. Here is Meg’s cake, just 2 layers and made with some strawberries blended into the buttercream frosting. The strawberry was fairly subtle and SO yummy with the chocolate cake!
You can see that the consistency of the frosting makes a big difference in the finished look of the ruffles. I think both have their charms. For a more rounded ruffle, you’ll want your frosting to be the usual thinner consistency usually used for spreading. The wedding cake frosting is a little thicker, like you would do for making flowers, etc.
This is my recipe for buttercream frosting:
1/2 c. butter at room temp.
1/2 c. shortening
2 lbs powdered sugar (about 2.3 lbs for the wedding cake consistency)
1/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. salt
Cream the butter and shortening then add about 1/4 of the bag of powdered sugar. Then mix in milk and flavorings and salt. Finish adding in remaining sugar, a bit at a time, until desired constancy is reached. Tint and readjust sugar if needed. If the frosting is too thick, add no more than a teaspoon of light corn syrup and whip for a few minutes, then add a little more if needed. Make sure to give it plenty of time to mix before adjusting.
I also tried ruffles on some cupcakes. I thought it turned out cute and decided to share a tutorial that is a little rough, but get the job done. 😀
…I mean it literally. It just tickles the girls to have a monochrome dinner and a green table for St. Patrick’s day is the perfect way to celebrate. I thought I’d throw out a few ideas. Share in the comments if you have a fun tradition.
Shamrock pancakes are a Jensen specialty. Just tint the batter green. LuAnn freehands with a spoon; I find it easiest to pour the batter into a gallon zipper bag and snip a corner off. Either way, make your shamrocks by joining 3 (or 4 if your lucky, hehe) circles or hearts for the leaf and a little stem. Perfect for breakfast or dinner.
Green eggs and ham are a popular choice. Stir a 3-4 drops of green food coloring into the eggs as you scramble. To color the ham, let it sit in heavily tinted water overnight. (I have to admit, we had this in YW when I was 13 and I refused to touch the ham. It looked nasty to me. Just so you know…I still think it would be worth trying.)
For a twist on green milk, squeeze a few drops of food coloring into the bottom of a glass and set it out on the table for the kiddos. Once they are seated, fill the glass with milk and watch their surprise as it magically changes color. You can tell them it is a leprechaun trick.
Tint bread or rolls green for dinner (add the coloring at the start of making the dough). I think we are going to have green bread bowls for dinner (maybe even shamrock-shaped bowls if I am not to crazy by then), filled with my favorite creamy chicken noodle soup–dyed green of course.
You can mix a little food coloring with milk and paint it onto white bread if you aren’t into making it from scratch.
My other main dish possibility so far is green chicken and rice. I think adding 6-8 drops into the water before cooking rice would work well. Then make a creamy chicken mix and dye that too. Serve with peas and green jell-o and you are set.
Of course, shamrock sugar cookies, or green cookies or cupcakes, in general are a welcome St.P treat.
Don’t forget how many other food items you can stir a little green into; such as mashed potatoes, cream cheese, oatmeal, grits, ice cream, rice krispy treats, and more.
On the non-food front; my cute friend Melissa gets a visit from a leprechaun at her house. He leaves gold foil coins, shamrocks, and treats for their kids. He could also plays tricks as outlined on this eHow article.
If you can round them up, you can use Easter egg dye tablets in your toilet or screw one into the aerator of your faucet to have green water come out.
Family Fun has a bevy of great ideas, including instructions on how to make a Leprechaun Trap.
I can’t wait for this happy go lucky holiday! It is the day after my little sis’ birthday, so we have always loved to party hard for this one! Hope you guys enjoy too!
This is a fun one! I love to make these for friends; the votives look so beautiful lit up. You can make them simple and sweet or over-the-top intricate and stunning. Either way, just a little tissue paper and a glass candle holder or even 1/2 pint jar will transform into a great gift. So head over to Today’s Mama and make one or three today!
We are still up to some serious craftiness at Today’s Mama. Come see today’s post about making felt Christmas stockings. These are quick and easy (my favorite) and are so darling. Your kids will love making them for favorite friends then stuffing with a bit of candy. The inspiration for these, was actually my own beloved Christmas stocking growing up. Which was a red ballet slipper. I think my Mom made them, she is impressive that way. She also had cowboy boots for the boys. So clever. Give it a try, you can make them big or small, but either way, you’ll love how felt stockings turn out.
Ready to really indulge? Head over to Today’s Mama and get the recipe for homemade hot chocolate and fluffy marshmallows. They make a decadent gift for friends. My book group got them last night. 😀 You certainly don’t have to share if you don’t want to. Get the how-to on hot chocolate here.
I love working with felt; I don’t know why, but anytime I use it for a project, it always turns out so well. These stockings are super simple to make. The biggest job is just figuring how to design and decorate them. Keep an eye out for interesting things to embellish with. Small Christmas ornaments or pins, and buttons or pom-poms would all make a stocking whimsical and fun. It only takes about a quarter of a yard to make a good sized sock. Once it is finished, stuff it with favorite candies or a homemade treat for a traditional gift.
materials
felt (about 1/4 yard will do. You may want a few colors)
hot or craft clue
embellishments
directions:
1. Fold the felt in half (with the inside facing out if there is a “good side”) and draw the outline of your stocking. Now carefully cut it out. The felt should stick together fairly well, just be mindful to keep it even so that your 2 pieces are the same.
2. Now turn the pieces over if necessary and run a thin bead of glue around the edge of one. Line the other piece on top and then gently press the edges together.
3. Now it’s time for the fun part. Trim that stocking as much or as little as you like. I made the scalloped trim by folding a strip of felt in half and then half again until it was about an inch wide. Then cut a half circle from edge to edge. You may need to clean up a few of the scallops after you’ve unfolded it.
You can make a rose with a strip of felt that you have scalloped (or just cut rough bumps into) by rolling it into a spiral. Put a drop of glue between the layers every once in a while to keep it firm. Then spread glue over the entire base to hold it together (and stick it onto the stocking.)
I made the tree trunk by lining up 3 strands if thick yarn and gluing them on. Then trimming up the base to make it nice and even.
To make the ballerina slipper, lay a finished stocking on top of another piece of felt and trace the sole and a little over the toe to get the shape of the shoe part. Then criss-cross thin strips up the leg section.
