Padded Bulletin Board and Letters

I made these padded letters over the summer, along with the matching board (with a lot of help from Mama White!) The padded letters are made of cardboard, found at Michael's or Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann's etc. Then I covered them with quilting padding, and then with my choice of fabric. Then I took alternating fabric to make the edging of each side. Everything was glued down with a combo of hot glue and tacky glue. 

The Board was a bit more difficult, because it involved holding down the fabric around a bulletin board and using a STAPLE GUN! The buttons were made with a button kit and extra fabric, and sewn into the board to hold the ribbons down! Voila! 

Crayon Art

I have been waiting anxiously to post this, but I had to wait until after I gave my friend A. her birthday present, just in case she saw.

I first saw this project on a diy blog, and have since seen it on pinterest, and my friend E. made one too!

Trying my best to be artsy

It is quite simple, first hot glue crayons to a blank canvas. Then, with a hair dryer, melt the crayons. I found that it was best to point the hairdryer almost parallel to the canvas, so that the crayon wax dripped down the canvas, not off to the sides, whoops!

Just Craftin'

Finished Product

I was so happy when A. walked into my room and said "Oh, that's so cool" and then I got to say "Well, I'm glad you like it because it's for you!" =)

Cupcake Ribbon Crafts

As many of you know there is nothing better to me than cupcakes or ribbon. So when one fantastic spool combined both of my favorite things, I was in heaven. I first used this ribbon to create a decorative bow around a jar that I use to hold all my favorite markers, sharpies, pens and pencils.

The other day I made a ribbon for my roommate A. who, as a future elementary school teacher, isn't afraid to pull off the look. I used the same method to create the bow as in my Pinwheel Bow. The only difference is in the size of the ribbon.

How do you grosgrain?

Crepes with C.

Straight from France to the kitchen at the Den. Very Simple recipe taken from allrecipes.com. C. and I felt like we were right back in Aix, sitting outside Crepe à Go-Go with Nutella and sugar all over our faces, and without a care in the world!

C. blends very well...

I like them hot.

a little bit messy -- but worth it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. Sift together flour, sugar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together with an electric mixer. Beat in flour mixture until smooth; stir in melted butter.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

The finished product, nutella on the inside. perfect.

Cupcakes- Graduation Themed!

I recently volunteered to make one hundred cupcakes for my friend t.'s graduation party. Believe me it was no simple feat. I had a bit of help from a. so it was fun at the same time.

The first thing to remember about cupcakes is that presentation matters, not only should they taste fantastic, but they should look tempting too, almost to the point that you might not want to eat such a pretty treat.

For t.'s party, he wanted simple cupcakes. White cake with Vanilla frosting. I dressed up this simple dessert with these cupcake holders from ikea. They are taller than normal, so they gave the dessert a bit of an edge. The theme of the party was Alabama, where he will be attending in the fall.

The icing needs to be thicker to use the Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator, so I added more confectioner's sugar than usual. This gadget is inexpensive and I use mine to ice cupcakes all the time, so much classier than using a knife. I am not as skilled as the bakers at Sprinkles Cupcakes, so I need to lean on a gadget from time to time. No shame in that, the cupcakes were a hit!

Simple Graduation Present

I find my self going to many graduation parties in late May all the way through June. Now that I am done with the gift giving, I am able to write about my favorite gift for high school graduates. This gift is simple, practical and inexpensive. Making a gift seems more genuine than the typical "cash in a card," which is what I love about this craft project.

First, I bought a plain bulletin board with a wood edge. I painted the wood with two coats of gray acrylic paint. Then, I used a red paint pen to write "The Ohio State University" in the upper left corner and "Class of 2015" in the lower right hand corner. For a girl, I added rhinestones for a feminine touch. Around the rest of the board I wrote "OSU! Go Buckeyes!" over again.

To finish the project I took the same color rhinestones and hot glued them to to the top of push pins and included a favorite picture of my friend and I on the board.

Shrimp Tacos

Since I have been home, my mother has been daring enough to let me experiment with family dinner once or twice a week. Last night I made my own variation on Chipotle Shrimp Taco with Salsa Verde from the Food Network. I prepared the shrimp as suggested, but cut them into smaller bits, so that you have a bit of shrimp in every bite. Using the food processor for the salsa is optional. I feel that the dish is better with simple large bites of plain avocado. Also, I added shredded Monterey Jack cheese to the taco to top it off. Overall this was a very light and delicious summer meal!