Disney Vacation Countdown

I don't know about you....but I've been a big pile of useless during the Olympics.  I've been so mesmerized that I would rush straight home after work and park my ass on the couch for 4 hours of complete emotional instability.

One minute I'm relishing in every mistake made by the other countries.  Then I feel like a big bitch and the guilt causes me to root for everyone.  I literally clap out loud.....alone....in my living room.  

Oh...and I cry when anybody gets a gold.  Yep....anyone.  But when it came to gymnastics (my favorite)  I was practically sobbing for Gabby Douglas.  

So as you can imagine an emotional roller coaster like this:

....happy.....bitchy....guilty.....sad.....nervous....happy....bitchy.......nervous....bitchy.....happy

 really takes up alot of time and energy!

There was just no time for anything.  I did the BARE MINIMUM.  I only washed our work clothes, washed enough dishes to prevent smells, and  took out the garbage.  I was slacking to say the least

That of course included blogging.  It's been nearly a week since my last post.  I just got done watching the Spice Girls perform at the closing ceremonies and I figured that was my cue to get back on the productive bandwagon and write a post.

The only craft I completed in the last week was our Disney Vacation countdown.  We're going for our one year wedding anniversary in November.

Let me tell you....we be Disney peeps!

(Clarification for those of you that don't speak crazy, that roughly translates to "We are Disney People")

Yes indeed.  We watched the Artistocats on our second date, he took my to Disneyland for my first birthday that we were together, and we went there on our Honeymoon.  We live and breathe the magic.

And I'm itching BAAAD for a Disney fix.  But I'm not quite sure if a countdown makes it better or worse???

I found these cute Disney stickers over in the scrapbooking area.  They cost a bit more than I am normally willing to spend so I called my hubby who was waiting in the car to come inside and buy one for me so we could use 2 coupons and get them 40% off each.  

There we were in Michael's waiting for the App to download on his phone to get the coupon. He's a sport.

I slapped them on some paper 

And put them in dollar store frames

 I got some small ones too to create a whole display

Complete with a can covered in Minnie inspired paper to hold the eraser and markers

I'm sure i'll be using this countdown for years to come!

Stay tuned for more Disney DIY projects as I prepare for our trip

Back To School Classroom Wreath

Wreath making is an addiction for me

I'm always looking for my next fix

I'll pretty much make a one for any reason at all

So of course the beginning of the school year seemed like a great excuse

My mom plans to put it on her classroom door for the first week and then they'll just bring it in for the rest of the year 

If you've ever seen any of my wreaths like this Patriotic Wreath or my Easter Wreath they all start out pretty much the same.

Gluing down shreddy paper stuff onto a cardboard wreath form I make

I don't like the foam ones you buy because they're expensive as all hell and I prefer for them to be flat up against the door.

After I covered the whole form I glued on some crayons and small pencil sharpeners

I had another sheet of school themed scrapbook stickers leftover from my School Keepsake Box project

Just like in that project I stuck them onto poster board and glued a small piece of cardboard onto the back to help them pop out better

All that was left was a major focal point

I had bought some word strips for the Keepsake Box that I ended up not using

It hit me  that I could make them into a cute bow!

See...every once and a while I can be a friggin genius!

Don't forget to glue on a pop tab in the back for am easy and cheap way to hang it

DIY Washabale Toothbrush Travel Tote (long enough title for ya?)

This project isn't exactly new or inventive on my end

It's been all over the almighty Pinterest for months but I still thought I would share.

I personally don't like the little toothbrush covers from way back in the day...so I would end up just throwing my toothbrush in a plastic bad which is pretty grody too.   

Things get all moist and steamy....yuccka!  At least with this towel tote thingamagij it absorbs the steamy wet nastiness and keeps your bag dry.  Then you can just throw it in the wash when you get home and you don't feel so dirty inside.

I got a cute pink hand towel from 99c only

And because I LOVE all things animal print I thought some leopard ribbon would be uber cute

I wanted three pockets so I folded it in thirds, pinned it, and sewed it down

I forgot to take pictures, but I used permanent heat proof fabric glue to glue down the ribbon.  You could certainly sew it but I don't have a machine and do all my sewing by hand.  I didn't want to mess it up so glue seemed the way to go for me.


Make sure you only sew or glue down the ribbon onto the middle of the 3 "panels" so you can tie it once you fold it in thirds.


I also folded and sewed down the corners of the ribbon so it wouldn't fray.

I'm bad at tying pretty bows if you couldn't already tell

Gifts For The Peanut Butter Lover In Your Life

Earlier this week I posted that I made Reese's Cup Cookies for my brother in-laws birthday.

I have a thing lately where I try my best to make the wrapping for all my gifts a little special.

I didn't want to slap them on a plate with a piece of saran wrap or throw them in a tupperware that has the hardcore white spots that I can't quite figure out what it is  (is it melted plastic??...or water spots???...I can never tell!)

So I thought what better than to put them in a giant peanut butter jar.

So I got to making my own

I used a giant olive jar from work and covered the lid just like I did in this tutorial  HERE .

The above link will give you a detailed tutorial but I took a few pics for ya.

Word of advice though.  I was trying to do this project using things I had on hand.  I was feeling lazy that day and a trip to Michael's was just a bridge too far.  I didn't have any red scrapbook paper so I thought I would give wrapping paper a whirl.  Since wrapping paper is super thin and only has the color or print on one side it's much harder to work with.  When I picked it up my fingers stuck to the areas that weren't completely dry and took some of the red off with it.

No biggie though....after it dried I colored in the little spots with a marker.  But scrapbooking paper is just less of a hassle

Of course you need a cool label for your peanut butter jar.  We were more of a Skippy family growing up.  (Apparently my mom wasn't that choosey)  But I decided on Jif for the sheer fact that it seemed easier to draw.  I'm not much of an artist.

I am completely aware that the "creamy" looks like ass haha

When your done just glue or tape it to your jar and fill with your peanut butter treat!

In hind sight I should have made a double batch of cookies to fill this beast of a jar.....but I am TERRIBLE at that kind of stuff.   I have no concept whatsoever of what will fit into something

I dirty more containers putting the dinner leftovers away that it's just easier for The Boy to do it.  The first one is way too small....then way too big...then I find the right size but can't find a matching lid to save my life.   By then end of it I've dirtied 5 sets of tupperware.   Annoying.

Here it is

This is the Instagramed version he posted.




Better than a plate right?   I freakin hope so!

Reese's Cup Cookies

My brother in-law loooooves peanut butter.  So for the past 2 years I've given him peanut butter themed gifts.

The other things have changed, but both times I've baked him these cookies.  It's your basic peanut butter blossom recipe....you know....the ones with the Kiss pushed into the cookie.

But to make it more peanutty buttery I use Reeese's cups instead.  

I've seen alot of different recipe variations for the blossom cookie, and I've tweaked them over and over to get the taste I like.

Cream together your peanut butter and butter shortening.  Scrape down and add the egg, vanilla, and brown sugar.  Beat until fluffy

Combine all your dry ingredients...flour, salt, baking soda....and gradually mix into wet ingredients.  scrape down sides and mix until well combined

Roll into balls the size of walnuts and roll in white sugar

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  While they are still warm, press the Reese's cup into them...letting the cookie sort of crack and open up.  Let cool. 


If you want to speed up the process, you can place the cookies in the freezer for a few minutes to make them easier to transport without getting chocolate all over the place 

 This here is my husbands bite ^^^



Blossom Cookie Recipe



1/2 C. butter flavored shortening
1 C. creamy peanut butter
2/3 C. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

White sugar
Candy of choice

Cream shortening and peanut butter.  Add brown sugar, vanilla, and egg and beat until fluffy.  Stir together dry ingredients and gradually add to wet until well mixed.  Roll into walnut sized balls and roll in white sugar.  Bake for 10 mins. at 350.  While warm press candy into cookie, allowing it to "crack" open

Bunny Cake Tutorial (Easy....I promise)

So I know that only like.....3 posts ago...I said I don't do cakes anymore.

Well,.......... I spoke too soon.

I just delivered one today.

Yep.  I caved yet again.  At least the times I give in are much fewer and farther between........right?

Progress????

(I sound like a smoker.   "I'm down to 5 a day.....no wait....4!")

One of my supervisors asked me to make a bunny cake for her nieces birthday who was visiting from out of town.   

And I don't know about you but I sure as hell have the hardest time saying no.  It's bad enough over text or facebook or email.....but in person......forget about it!   I cave in about 90% of the time if it's to my face.  

And it kills me cuz I say it so perky too

I'm all "Oh yeeeaaa.  Nooo problem at all.  Oh yea....absolutely.   Just let me know the details"

When inside I'm screaming  "NOOOOOOOO!  Don't do it!  Custard filling?  F*** that!  SAY NO!  SAY NO!  For the love of god woman get it together and just say you're busy!!!"

It's an exhausting internal battle.

And then the night comes to do it.  I worked a 10 hour day and I have to go home and create an edible bunny masterpiece.  I'm pissy......shaking like a leaf on the verge of a heart attach from all the Rockstars I've consumed.....and yet I'm still tired as ever.  The whole time I do it I'm grumbling and wishing I was on the couch crafting and watching The Golden Girls.  Crafts have no due date.....generally speaking.  You can take your sweet ass time.

But through all the shaking and swearing I managed to snap a few photos so you can see how this bunny comes together

I used an 8 in cake pan, and 8 in oven safe bowl, a 6 in oven safe bowl, and the smallest baking pan I have (I think it's 4 in)

 

Fill each pan 1/2-3/4 full and bake.  You will need 2 of the smallest cakes.

After they have cooled, fill and stack the dome shaped 8 in cake onto your regular 8 in cake layer

Next, slice a little bit off the edge of the 6 in dome cake so that it can lay flat on the board and be pushed against the other cake to form the head.  Put a dowel through both cakes as you put it in place

Crumb coat the entire cake using buttercream.  MY RECIPE works great

Here's how it will look

It reminds me of an igloo.  So note to self....someday if my kids ever have to do a project on the arctic....I'll know what to do.


Next, trim off the tops of you 2 mini cakes making them about an inch tall.  Then cut them like this

One basically in half...(minus a tiny bit in the middle) to be the back legs


And then the other trimmed a little off the sides to make smaller front legs.


Stick those to the sides and frost as well

I know what you're thinking....it kinda looks like ass.  But I promise it'll get better

Now comes the fur!  

Pipe on the buttercream using the grass tip.

I know it seems super daunting when you see this big huge cake and this little tiny tip....but here's what I found helps.

Make sure you give it a good coat of frosting with a spatula first.  That way when you sort of miss little spots that aren't perfectly close together you won't notice.  Especially with chocolate cake....it can be a bitch to cover.

Also, create little sections for yourself as you work.  It makes it go much faster to just look at on small area at a time to concentrate on

Here it is all covered

And with a big open tip swirl on a cute little cotton tail

Using fondant, make your cheeks, nose, eyes, and in this case because it was for a little girl...some girly little eyelashes!

(that's just cornstarch on there,,,,just rub a little shortening and it'll go away)


And of course a bunny isn't a bunny without those ears!


Form ear shapes out of rice crispy treats and cover in fondant.  Place a wood dowel through them that has been measure to make sure it is the right height to fit into the head.  Make these at least a day ahead of time so they can dry out a bit and harden up

Stick them in and you have yourself a bunny!

 I just noticed I didn't take any side pictures of it.....darn it!  But you did see the back in the butt picture

DIY School Keepsake Box

My youngest niece is starting kindergarten in a few weeks.

I'm pretty sad because that means all the kids in the family are officially old farts. We have no itty bitty cutie wooties anymore! 

 Now they all know what were talking about so we have to watch what we say...... they're swimming without floaties......and getting their ears pierced!  I just can't take it!

This is why I'm campaigning hard to get my sister Kinsey  (she's the 3 daughter and 3 years older than me) to get that eggo preggo!

Sure, I may be the married one and she's not  (but really.....what does that matter these days) .....and sure I'm the one who is having the baby fever......but homegirl needs to make me a baby!

I REALLY REALLY want the excitement of a pregnancy and birth and the fun of a baby around.....but I'm totally not ready myself.  In fact I wanted a kid more before I was married than I do now that I am.  With each passing day I add an extra year onto the ETB  (estimated time of baby)

That's why I think it's time for her to do it!  It will bridge the gap and then give my kid a cousin that's 2 or 3 years older.....friggin perfect!!!

And not to mention her boyfriend isn't getting any younger....he turns 31 this week

Ok......so I  know it's not THAT old but work with me here people.....I'm campaigning.....you reach a little.

Of course this is all in good fun....I wouldn't really want to push anything.....just make them realize what they really want deep down inside ;) haha 

Anyways...kid starts kindergarten.....I'm sad.....but somehow during this depression I thought of a great idea....why not make my niece a cute keepsake box for all her Kindergarten treasures

Kindergarten is the year where every paper, drawing, note, sticker, and rock is the most important thing in the entire world.   You need a place to put it all.  

Find a good box and wrap it up

I used the same method to cover the box as I do in my CUPCAKE STAND TUTORIAL  <-----Click

That way there isn't any folds on the side and it looks a little more clean

Then I cut a piece of poster board to cover the top of the box and decorated it to look like a piece of paper

 I found some card stock school themed stickers  on clearance over by the scrapbook paper in Michael's.

I stick them to poster board and then trimmed them to size just to make them a little more sturdy.

I hot glued some cardboard pieces onto the backs of them so that they will give a pop out effect to the box

Yes, I work on paper plates

Write what you want on it and glue on your stickers

I really like the pop out stickers it really makes the whole thing....well....pop!

I used the other stickers I had to decorate the sides of the box

I am entirely prepared for my niece to really not care when I give this to her.  This is after all the same little girl that loudly exclaimed  "It's JUST shoes"  when she opened her birthday gift from me.  haha

It's one of those gifts that adults will appreciate more.  But I have hope that she just MIGHT get excited the first time she brings home something worthy of putting in the box.  And maybe someday when she's older she'll look back and smile.