Nov25

Easy Gift Bag & Box Decorations

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In Christmases past, I’ve spent lots of care and time decorating cheap and plain gift bags and boxes from Dollar Tree. This year, I simply don’t have the inclination. But I also don’t want a bunch of boring gifts under the tree. So my stash of old Christmas cards have come in handy. I’ve trimmed the card fronts, used glue or double-sides tape to adhere, and now I have colorful packages for under the tree. Easy peasy, and no crapsmanship at all! Read the rest of this entry →

Nov3

Yes, It’s Really a Cheetos Cake!

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My BFF retired last week, and her daughter and I conspired to surprise her with a couple family celebrations. When I asked what kind of cake I should make to celebrate, Daughter said that BFF really doesn’t care much for desserts but she loved Cheetos. I was up for the challenge!

After a quick search on Pinterest, I found a recipe that sounded interesting, maybe tasty, and definitely do-able. (I can’t relocate the original recipe to give credit to the creator.) I started with a 17-1/2 ounce bag of regular Cheetos. I opened the bag and then started crushing the pieces into smaller pieces. I poured the bag’s contents into a large bowl.

On the stovetop, I melted 3 tablespoons of butter and one 10-ounce bag of mini-marshmallows until they were thoroughly melted. (Yes, this is like Rice Krispie Treats.) I poured the marshmallow mixture into the Cheetos bowl, stirred to combine, and then patted it out into a 9X13″ pan, already sprayed with cooking spray.

I could have stopped there, but why not take it over the top? Remember, I’m married to a pastry chef. I had Dan the Man make a marshmallow cream icing (he called it Italian meringue), which I spread over the Cheetos. Dan the Man then used his mega-torch to brown the top. Yum! I then used a second bag of Cheetos to write a message (I tried to fit ‘Congrats’ without any luck), and the cake was now one of a kind for BFF. Surprisingly, it was a pretty tasty treat!

 

 

 

Oct12

Recycled Beer Coaster Gift Tags

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Dan the Man and I have a favorite local brewery, and when Dan was there several weeks ago, one of our favorite bartenders was ready to discard some custom-made beer coasters that contained old info. Being the good husband, Dan brought two big stacks home to me. Read the rest of this entry →

Oct6

Spider Wreath

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Yes, I know the photograph is poor, but I wanted to show you the Halloween wreath I made for my BFF. I used an old black-ish frame, some stretchy cotton yarn from my stash, and $2 worth of big spiders from Dollar Tree.  I tied one end of the yarn to the frame and then just randomly wrapped and wrapped, finishing with a knot on the back. A little hot glue for the spiders, and easy peasy, a spooky accessory for BFF’s house.

Sep22

Greeting Cards & Faux Postage Stamps

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My friend Joanie turned 81 years old yesterday, and I wanted to make her a special birthday card for her party today. The resulting card is the culmination of several different craft projects. After watching a video on how to create faux postage stamps from Maremi’s Small Art, I became addicted to the fun process (https://binged.it/2mvot5r). Here’s a collection of ones I have made:

I won’t go into the process since you can watch the video, except to explain how I made the aged paper. I simply took white cardstock and some very dark coffee I made with warm water and instant coffee granules. I painted the paper with the coffee mixture, and when it was plenty wet, I sprinkled on some dry granules. Voila!Here are a few close-ups of some faux stamps:

To make the card, I glued an ice cream “stamp” onto the front of a purchased blank card, added some of my amateur lettering, and Bob’s your uncle!

I envision many more cards in my future containing faux stamps and “sending” messages: Sending best wishes, sending birthday greetings, sending good thoughts, sending congratulations, …. You get the idea!