How To: Birthday Banner

This upcoming Thursday is my brother's birthday, so I thought I would get a jump start on things with today's post: how to make a birthday banner. This one is very simple and can turn any room into a party room. All you will need is some colored paper, a marker, string and a hole punch (or anything that can punch holes).

The first step is to cut your paper into small shapes, one for each letter that you are wanting to spell. (For "Happy Birthday" you will need 13 pieces). I chose to cut mine into squares with rounded edges. You can choose to cut the shapes as large or small as you would like, but generally 2"x2" is a good size. Once you have your paper cut, take your marker and write out one letter on each piece. Next, punch a hole on the right and left side of each paper. Take your string (I used birthday wrapping ribbon) and cut it into long strips. You will want a strip for each word, making them slightly different lengths so that the banners droop at different levels. Take your first string and thread it through each letter for your first word. To make things easier for myself, I threaded the middle letter of the word first and worked my way out. When you thread your string/ribbon through the letters, make sure you are threading it so the string is on the back of the letter. Once your first word is spelled out on your string, repeat the steps until all three words are threaded onto their string. Finally, arrange on your wall to display!

Even though I chose to make my banner a birthday banner, you can easily use it to spell out anything, or for a variation, you can easily make this craft into a garland by making the strings longer and using blank shapes instead of letters :)

How To: Ruffled T-Shirt Necklace

With the sun shining and time being on my side, I am happy to be posting my St. Patrick's Day craft for you! After perusing the aisles of the nearby drug store and discount store for inspiration, I decided to make something with the materials I already own: ribbon, embroidery thread and needle, scissors, and an old green shirt. The finished product is a ruffled green t-shirt necklace that will keep you from being pinched this Thursday :)



Here's how to make your own:
First, lay out the green shirt that you are going to use. Cut off the bottom hem of the shirt and discard (or save for a different craft). Cut 5-7 strips parallel to the bottom hem about 3/4" thick. These strips will actually be circles (rings) of fabric. Cut off one of the side hems on each ring to form true strips of fabric.

Thread your embroidery needle either with a color matching the shirt or the color of your ribbon. Sew lengthwise through the first strip of fabric leaving several inches of thread on either side. The closer you make your stitches, the smaller the ruffle will be. Pull the thread tight after the first strip has been stitched. Repeat this process with the rest of the strips of t-shirt. For my necklace I stitched the first and last strips close together to make the ruffle smaller than the middle of my necklace. You can experiment with the different sizes to find the combination you like the most. Once all of the strips are ruffled onto your thread, you can arrange the strips to your desired spacing. Think of the ruffles as accordions: you are able to expand and compress each strip. Throughout this process, you may want to hold the unfinished necklace up to you in order to determine how many strips of fabric you wish to use. If you decide that you need more, simply cut more strips from your tee. After arranging your ruffles the way you want them, snip the thread leaving several inches on either side of the fabric.

For the ribbon part of the necklace, you can either cut two pieces of ribbon that will be tied in a bow at the back of your neck, or if you are making a longer necklace you can choose to use only one longer piece of ribbon. (For the second option, you have to make sure your necklace is long enough to fit over your head.) To add the ribbon, thread one end of your necklace (this is why we saved several inches of thread on either side of the ruffles), sew the ribbon at the end of the ruffle. You probably will want to use a loop stitch for this. Once you feel that the ribbon is securely fastened, knot the embroidery thread and snip close to the knot. If you are creating the necklace with two pieces of ribbon, simply repeat this step on the other side. That's it!

It may sound like a lot, but it is very manageable. Also, if you don't have a green shirt laying around, you can use anything made of green fabric. All you have to do is cut it into strips and the steps are the same! If you need any clarification just write me a comment. I would be more than happy to help :)

Craving Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Today I found myself craving the classic taste of chocolate chip cookies. I turned to my new Martha Stewart Baking book and looked up her recipe. I'm sure everyone reading this has a go-to chocolate chip/chunk cookie recipe, but if you are wanting the one I used, just leave a comment below :)

I must admit, I only recently began to buy quality ingredients. It may seem hard to pay for chocolate chips that cost twice as much as the generic brand, but it truly does make a difference. Especially for something that is such a staple to the cookie. A good rule to bake by: if the ingredient is part of the cookie's name, splurge for the best quality. I actually happened to buy these Ghiradeli chocolate chips on sale, but my favorite brand is Guittard. Just try not to eat all of the chocolate chips plain with a glass of milk before you make the cookies! I have learned to apply a lot of self control to my baking ingredients. Mostly by reminding myself that baked goods are always better than the sum of their ingredients.

Anyway, I feel that a chocolate chip cookie tutorial is unnecessary, but I will share with you some of my learned tips:
- as I mentioned above, splurge on the chocolate chips
- make sure the butter is not warmer than room temperature (this will turn your cookies flat)
- never over-mix the batter
- always use unsalted butter (this helps you control your sodium intake)
- for fluffiest results, chill for up to 36 hours (The NY Times explains this in a 2008 article)
- make sure you have plenty of milk in the fridge :)

All this cookie talk has awakened my taste buds. To the cookie jar I venture. Be sure to check back soon because I am brainstorming some sort of St. Patrick's Day craft for you!

Cake Bites

Ever since I tried a cakeball lollipop from the Sweet & Saucy Shop, I have been dying to try to make my own. I knew how to make them in theory, but what I can definitely say is that I underestimated these. Here is the best one of the batch:

Though recognizable as a chocolate covered cake pop, I have a long way to go until I would feel comfortable serving these anywhere. I feel that this whole blog is a learning experience, so I am still happy for taking a risk and attempting something unfamiliar to me. Below I will explain how to make cake bites, with some tips that I learned from my mistakes (so that hopefully you won't have to make them too!)

 

The first step is to make a cake. It was a rainy day yesterday and I wasn't wanting to spend all day on these, so I decided to use a cake mix (sorry!). Just follow the instructions and bake a cake just like normal. Once the cake is cooked and cooled, transfer it to a large bowl. Crumble the cake using a fork. Once you have a bowl of crumbled cake, add some frosting. Make sure you add a little at a time, because you don't want to add too much because you need the cake/icing consistency to be fairly firm. Once you have the right consistency, use a cookie scoop and scoop the mixture onto a sheet. Place the sheet into the fridge for a few hours, or use a freezer to speed up the cooling. Once the balls are chilled, roll them into perfect spheres using your hands. Then place them back into the fridge while you melt the chocolate. Plan on melting a lot of chocolate. I learned that being stingy with the chocolate makes the dipping process unnecessarily difficult. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or using a double boiler. An important thing to know while melting your own chocolate is to make sure that the chocolate does not get too hot or else it will not temper correctly. (Tempering allows it to cool and harden correctly.) Once the chocolate is ready, dip the cake balls into the chocolate and set on some wax paper to harden. If you are wanting to turn the cake bites into cake pops, add a lollipop stick into the ball while the chocolate is still melting. 

And that's it! Sounds like a lot of steps, and it is. Plan on spending a long time on these to do them right, but it is a fun experiment. Plus, they are so so yummy! Even when they don't have the best presentation :)

Bouquet Decoupage

With Valentine's Day being over a week ago, sadly my bouquet of roses and daisies are wilting. I decided to seize the opportunity and turn my wilting roses into something useful and lasting. Here are  the finished products:

I was really excited for how this came out, and it was really easy and inexpensive! Here are the supplies needed, all of which can be found at a craft store:

Modge Podge (I bought mine from Aaron Brother's framing store), a sponge brush (preferably one slightly smaller than the one I used, but the smaller ones were sold out), flowers (the less dried out the better), a surface to work on that can handle messy glue-type materials, and finally the item you will be decorating (I chose a cheap picture frame and a small candle holder).

The steps are simple. Just apply a coat of modge podge onto the item you are decorating, then put on the petals, arranging them however you like. Working in small patches is easiest, so apply a small section with modge podge, then flowers, then move to another section. Once you have finished applying all of the petals, you can quickly go back and fill in the gaps with smaller petals from the center of the roses. Once everything is in place, add another thick coat of modge podge over the petals and let it dry, making sure you brush out all of the bubbles. Making the candle holder is very similar. I worked from the rim of the holder to the base. Just add an inch thick layer of modge podge around the rim, then add the petals. After that first layer, keep going, layering the new petals over the old ones. Then coat the whole thing with a layer of modge podge and let it dry. Once dry, add your candle and watch it glow.

I hope that some of you try this project, especially because you might have a wilting bouquet from Valentine's Day like me  :)