Kitty litter cake

One of the things I like to do while at work is share my crafting and cooking stories.  I found that it brings out some pretty creative and interesting stories from my co-workers. This week my co-worker shared with me this rather gross, but disgusting cake idea. It resembles kitty litter.  I don't know if very many people who would want to touch this cake just by the way it looks, but if you can get past it. It will taste pretty delicious!  Haha!  Well I set on a quest to find the recipe. You'd be suprised how many people have attempted this cake. I found a recipe a http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/7415/recipekitty-litter-cake.

I did not make this cake. I just thought that it would be great to share.  Bon Apetit! Haha!

Disney's Haunted Mansion

Ever since last Friday when I found that Haunted Mansion video I've had it on the brain! That's when I came up with the bright idea to incorporate some of that theme into my home decor for Halloween. It took me a while to make this wreath mostly because of perfection and weekly things that took time away, but I think it looks pretty good! I suggest having a buddy help you because the painting part can be a little time consuming. 

You will need:

• 100 clothes pins
• metal wreath 
• violet, black and pond colored paint with gloss
• wooden cutouts
• mod podge
• jewelry chain
• jump rings
• large screw eyes 1 1/16 
• drill and drill bit 3/24
• hitch hiking ghosts cutouts ( I used this picture Hitch Hiking Ghosts)
• haunted mansion lyrics ( I got the snippet I wanted from disneydesignerland.blogspot.com)
• black ribbon
• purple card stock ( 8 by 10)
• stain

The first thing I did was stained everything wooden! I let it air out and dry for 12 to 24 hours. I wanted it to be able to stand up to most weather conditions. Now start painting the clothes pins. I put mine in piles of 33 and then painted one pile at a time so that colors wouldn't intertwine. Thanks to my loving husband who helped me with this job, both while I was there and at work. I did two coats on the pond and black. The violet I did a third because it appeared more runny for some odd reason. Let them dry for a day. While I was painting the clothes pins I painted the wooden cut outs pond colored. These would later be used for the hitch hiking ghosts.

I added mod podge to my violet and black clothes pins because I learned the hard way with not getting gloss in them. I think getting gloss in yours would be most beneficial and less time consuming. 

Now it's time to place the clothes pins in the wreath. Mine had 4 metal bars. I just alternated between the colors, as I was doing this one went on the top the next would go on the bottom and so forth.

If haven't chosen your hitch hiker yet do so now and cut  them out. Mod podge them to the cut outs and place aside to dry. While this going on print your lyrics and mod podge them to the purple card stock. I cut mine to the length and size I wanted after that. Once it was dry I rolled a little at the top and bottom to give it character.

Now that the boards are ready drill some holes on the tops of them. Only enough so that you will be able to screw the rest in by hand.  Screw the screws half way in. You will need to use pliers to open the hoop part a little to string the jump ring through and then close it. First though place the jump rings on the chains and then the screw hoop. Now you can string the chain through the wreath and then attach on the through the screw again. 

Finally the two easiest steps tie your ribbon and attach your lyrics with the clothes pins. 

Another thing I was working on was a little painting on a wooden plaque that says "Tomb Sweet Tomb". I got the concept from the cross stitch on in the ride! The cool thing is you don't have to do this method either. You can totally make it ally your own. 

To do mine just start out but blotting light brown acrylic paint all over the board. Then in some areas bloat brown and red. 

Same blotting method for the flowers. Some are light pink and some are light green with pink in the middle. 

Then add a white patch in the middle. 

Now add the text and your all done. I added large screw eyes  to the top so I could hang it.

Here are a few other great things I got to help complete  my collection. 

                              

Soup

This week has been a crazy week. My husband and I both caught colds and are running it ragged to work and home. Its funny how I'm still trying to fit a craft into what little energy I have left. I had this crazy idea to put a theme or at least try to my fall/ Halloween decor. I think everyone is going to love it once I'm finished.

Well I just want to post my simple homemade soup which is ten times better and makes way more soup then I those store bought cans.

All you need is:

• 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken
• 3 carrots
• 3 celery
• Orecchietta pasta (or your favorite )
• 2 (32 oz.) containers of chicken broth
• tbsp. parsley
• tbsp. olive oil

First place some water in a pot and bring to a boil. Then add the pasta and cook for according to the box. Strain and set aside. Now in another big pot pour the broth and bring it to a boil. While this is going on place olive oil in a pan and cook the chicken. 

Now you can add the chicken, pasta and veggies to the boiling water. Bring down to a simmer and let it simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then sprinkle in your parsley and now your ready to enjoy!

Sorry no picture. :(

Good Saturday Morning Everyone!

For being a rather busy day yesterday for my husband I think his birthday came out wonderfully! I just want to say right now that fondant is my enemy.  I've tried to do two caked recently with it and it's just not my cup of tea. I'm very surprised that my piping skills are slightly better at the moment.  I ended up becoming an artist and painting a drum onto the fondant.  Kind of glad I figured out I had that skill right? He loved it none the less and that is all that matters. 

Today continues the festivities with his family.  Have a wonderful day everyone!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Wow! So I was already in the spirit of things, as well as I was getting more excited for my trip to Disneyland, but this was the icing in the cake for me! I remember seeing this on one of those Disney Sing-A-Long tapes when I was a kid! I love the Haunted Mansion! Every time I go to Disneyland I ride it like 8 times! I know that sound's crazy, but the kid in me really jumps out when I'm there. Well hope you all enjoy this video as much as I do. Enjoy your weekend!

Peanut butter, banana and strawberry jelly roulade

My husband's birthday is tommorow so I thought it would be nice if I made him a nice treat to take with him to work. He love's to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, as well as bananas so I thought that it would be cool to make that combo into a roulade. Specifically because I'm going to try to make them into small snare drums! :)

Peanut butter and banana roulade

• 1/4 cup peanut butter ( crunchy or smooth)
• 1/3 cup cake flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. banana extract
• 4 eggs separated
• 1/2 cup sugar

First line a pan with parchment paper. Then set the oven to 425 degrees.

Now combine the first five ingredients in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Next take the egg yokes and whip them to soft peaks. I add a little salt and lemon juice to help mine get there faster.

Take the egg yolks and sugar, stir til light yellow. Combine the flour mixture to this mixture. It will become stiff and that is ok.

Gently start to fold the mixture into the egg whites. Be careful not to overdo it.

Now you can pour the mixture into your pan and smooth out with a spatula. Place in the oven for 6-8 minutes. Once it has finished let cool for a couple minutes and them place on a towel, now roll. Let is completely cool now. Then you can add the jelly frosting. 

Once completely cooled add the jelly frosting and re-roll. I place the roulade in plastice wrap and then rolled it back up to stick in the fridge for an hour. 

Jelly Frosting

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 tbsp. strawberry jelly (or flavor of choice)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar

Pumpkin bread

Tis the season to eat all things sweet and pumpkiny! At least that what I told myself as I made a couple loafs for breakfast!  :) This recipe is awesome and a great addition to any fall tradition! 

You will need :

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1(15 ounce ) can of pumpkin
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup whole milk

Oatmeal crumble

• 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, cut into pats

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray five (5X3 inch) loaf pans or 2 (6X10) pans.

In a large bowl beat butter, sugars and vanilla until fluffy. Then add one egg at a time.  Now stir in pumpkin.

In a medium bowl combine flour and next four ingredients.  Add to butter mixture,  alternating with milk, ending with flour.  Spoon batter into pans and sprinkle oatmeal crumble on top.

Bake 30 minutes for the small pans and 45 for the bigger, or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes and the remove from pans to cool completely.

Oatmeal crumble

In a small bowl combine first 4 ingredients.  Using a pastry blender cut the butter until mixture is crumbly.

Now for the best part … Enjoy!

Magazine Mirror

I've done a mirror with magazines before and it came out great, but it had seen better days so I decided to revamp it. This time I made squares and scrunched them all the way around the mirror, pasting them with mod podge. It only takes about an hour to do and one magazine. Just cut each sheet into fours and start srunching!
:D

Making my whole home feel like fall

I am slowly in the process of converting my home into the fall season. I thought even the bathroom could even use a makeover. It was so simple and most of the stuff you can find around your house. 

I always stash jars away knowing I will need them in the future and I boy am I glad I did. I turned one into a soap dispenser. The glass part I painted with mod podge. I mixed a little of red and yellow food coloring in and tada! The lid is just green acrylic paint. Then using a nail and hammer punched a big enough hole and place the pump in. I just took one from a dispenser I had on hand and didn't glue it down so I could place it back.  

I sometimes stash cans too, but not as often. I'm glad I stashed this one though. Fits right in with the bunch. 

I made this little mason jar q-tip holder last year and it's just been hanging out there since. Really simple, pour little puddles of mod podge and add fall like leaf colors too them. Now just paint to your hearts content! :) 

Magazine Mail Holder

Hello everyone! I know I've been absent lately. Things are getting crazy again, I don't even want to think how it will be once the holidays really kick into full gear. Well here it is my latest project, Magazine Mail Holder. I was getting tired if it being smushed in every which, way corner so I thought this could be a good solution without buying one. It holds the mail very well. 

You will need:

• One magazine
• Mod Podge

Start out by rolling all of the sheets of paper. I used one of my paint brushes to help. To close them I used the Mod Podge.

Then line up 30 of the rolls and Mod Podge them together. First one side and then the other. You can then line 30 more up and do the same thing. This will be the backing. Now line up 10 rolls. This will be your sides.

Cut one of the 30 rolls in half. Make it looks slightly like a roof top and glue in the center. I laid it up against a wall and used a jar to elevate one side so it could dry.

Then cut the 10 rolls in half and glue them to the sides. Now you can attach the mail holder to the backing and then let dry. Once dry you can hang it on the wall however you'd like. 

Apple cider

I love this time of year because of all the hot drinks I'm so addicted to are in season! One of my favorite's is apple cider. I think I've had a couple liters already. Haha Here is  a really simple recipe and it tastes so darn good.

You will need:

• Apple Cider Syrup
• 16 cups of water 
• 4 Cardamom Pods ( I got the white, you will be amazed to find out that there are many types when you go to a spice store like, Penzey's)
• 1 tbsp. cloves 
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• cheese cloth

Place the water and syrup in a huge pot and place on medium high until it boils. Make sure to stir the syrup. Then place last three items in cheese cloth and place in the pot. Lower to a simmer and set for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally throughout this time. When your done you'll have yummy apple cider!

Chalkboard Paint

I always see great ideas to use chalkboard paint. In fact the whole reason I got the chalkboard paint was to make my own menu for dinner during the week and help us stay on track, which I did. Let me tell ya though. This paint is addictive and I've already thought of a million other ways I want to use it.

Now you can make your own  paint, which I've seen people do or you can go to a home improvement store, Wal-Mart or craft store. I got mine at Home Depot for 9.99, for a 32 oz. can. If you plan on painting on wood or metal you will need primer and that's another 5.00. I got a thing to pour my paint in and a heavy duty brush (for my bigger projects). I just used a small art paint brush for the spice rack.

When doing the labels all you need to do is paint, dry, paint and dry. Then wait 3 days before writing on.

For my menu, it was a double coat of primer because I used an old cookie sheet. Let it dry for 24 hours. Then I did a double coat of chalk paint on both side because I wasn't sure which side I wanted to use. Now just wait 3 day for it to set and your all set!

Now I wanted to use chalkboard pens on the spice rack, but you won't believe how expensive they are. In fact I think Target has them for the cheapest, $15.00. I saw them online for $20+. So we settled for 99 cent chalk and it gave us 32 pieces!

Well have fun creating!

"Brave" Pet Collar

I've come to the conclusion that our little kitten is just like,  Merida from the movie "Brave". So with that I decided to make a "Brave" pet collar. It is so adorable on her! I'm actually surprised I found the "Brave" fabric. I knew then I couldn't pass up on making this for her.

You will need:
Brave fabric
An old collar ( unless you prefer to get the items and I'll let you know what those are)
D-rings
Slider
Webbing (ex. Nylon)
Snap



Start out by cutting the webbing to your pet's most comfortable length. Nutmeg was 8 in. So we added 7 more and that worked out perfectly. If you have to cut the width down you can alway burn the edges slightly so it doesn't fray. I did my collar to about 1/2 an inch.

Now its time to cut the fabric. I made the fabric twice as long in width so I could fold it in and sew it. To make it easier for it to stay in place while sewing I ironed it to leave the crease in place. Then sewed two lines length wise straight down.

Here comes the tricky part or at least for me it was. I thought it would be simple since I had made bow tie collars before but I guess for me it wasn't.  Here is a great tutorial to get you there fast http://m.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-An-Adjustable-Dog-Collar/.
I decided to add a cute little bow to her's but it's all of up to you.

Have a great week everyone! 

Prayer Flag

So I finally created my pray flag for October 15th. Basically all that is required of this project is your heart and soul! :) So get to it! Mine will be traveling to Australia to be with a hundred other's praying for babies lost too soon. 

Halloween Vases and Flowers :)

So I finally I had sometime to fit in some Halloween decor! Yay! Their really simple and are a cute addition to any home.

You will need:

• Coca Cola Bottles
• Acrylics Paint
• Mod Podge
• Card stock
• Crazy Scissors
• Pipe Cleaners
• Floral Wire
• Glue
• flower punch

I just started out by picking out to of my favorite Halloween items, candy corn and pumpkins. I painted them, doing three coats each. I drew a face on the pumpkin and then mod podged them both.  

Now for the flowers I stuck with the same themes. The pumpkin I made into my usual rose and just curled a green pipe cleaner for the vine. Then poked another pipe cleaner through the other end and glued. The candy corn one I used my flower punch to punch the three color card stock out. Then I just glued them together and add a floral wire to the yellow side. Once dry you can fluff it. 

Happy Crafting!

Canvas Crazy!

I decided recently that my magazine frames were just not going to cut it anymore. So I bought some 4x4 canvas's to make the most of my project and guess what they were buy one get one so I got even more bank for my buck! I then proceeded to print the picture of my choice. I did these on just normal paper, but you can use printable vinyl as well. If you use paper like I did glue under first and smooth out the glue before applying the picture. I used mod podge for mine. I just recently bought a set of those crazy scissors, so I used those to make each pictures edges unique. If you want you can apply a coat of mod podge carefully over the picture to give it a glossy look. When I say this I truly mean it or else your picture will smear! You can apply a design around the edges. I just left mine plain for now!

Now I did a bunch of small ones, but what was really cool was I remember seeing paintings in a puzzle/canvas like fashion. I thought wouldn't be wonderful if I did it with one of wedding photos and I did! :)
It came out great don't you think! Basically I just glued the big picture over and then cute with a craft knife. The hard part for me was hanging it up.


Back Link:

The Thrifty Home

Homemade Beignets

Well I said I was going to do it and I did. Presenting homemade beignets!!! :) Who would have thought I'd find the recipe that is similar to Cafe du Monde's! Its really easy, it just takes time. Here's the website http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/BeignetsHistory.htm. It shows you three ways, I use the first method.  Enjoy!

Disneyland Countdown

I'm so excited!!! We are going to Disneyland in November!!! I'm such a kid but that's alright with me.  I've decided to make a countdown of when we are going to Disneyland. I already have one on my phone and it says only 75 more days!!! Or in my husband case he would say "Only 75 more days til the Pooh Corner! " What he means is that's how many days til he gets to take a picture in front of the "Pooh Corner" shop and pretend he's going # 2! This is when I start walking away totally embarrassed!  Him and his drummer buddies started this tradition about you 6 years ago and they all have to do it every time they are there.

You Will Need:

Countdown print
Printable heat resistant vinyl
Paint
Ribbon
Canvas
Iron
Fabric(to cover vinyl)

Anyway back to the countdown. I found this cute printable at http://thecraftingchicks.com/2010/08/disneyland-countdown-free-template.html . Then I printed it on printable, heat resistant vinyl. I then peeled it and placed it on a canvas. Then I placed a sheet of fabric over so I could iron the vinyl on. Next I cut red ribbon to hand but you don't have to or you can choose another color. As well as the border I painted my own design and you can do so too. :)

Have a magical day!

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remeberance October 15th

I'm writing this post to let anyone who has lost a baby know that there are a few special rememberance events going October 15th. One is a balloon send off. You can send the names of your babies and a small donationt to PregnancyandInfantLossBalloonRelease. There is also a prayer flag beach project going on where you create your own flag in memory of your baby and send it to this wonderful lady Carly Marie Project Heal. I've also just come across a blog that you can buy flags that say Angelversary on them and you can place them anywhere. The blog is greensborogardens. I will be doing the first two for sure! :)