Brave New World Bookmarks

At the end of each semester I give a little gift to my seniors (non-food, since that's illegal #ThanksMichelleObama). Since my seniors spend a lot of time outside of class reading an assigned novel (Frankenstein in the fall, Brave New World in the spring) and the last few weeks of class completing a multi-genre project on it, I’ve developed a tradition of giving them bookmarks made from the pages of their particular book. I’ve posted about this craft before, but I did something a little different this past spring.

The first steps were business as usual – pulling out pages from my chosen text and trimming them down to size (I always try to center the book’s title at the top).

However, Brave New World stymied me when it came time to choose an accent detail. Typically I’ve stamped a design of some sort on each bookmark, but I kept coming up empty with Brave New World. So, I decided to utilize the key icons of the book (Greek letters indicating castes) and replicate them on the bookmarks by hand… after looking them up to make sure I drew them correctly!

After making my ‘key,’ I selected a few colors and drew each letter in a variety of shades. Since I knew the higher castes would be more popular (duh!), I allocated them a larger number of bookmarks.

Once I had my bookmarks prepped, I ran ‘em through the laminator (my favorite thing to do!), cut ‘em out, and then used my nifty corner-rounder to finish 'em off. Tip: If you’re going to round corners, wait until after laminating – that way you only have to do it once. A good corner-rounder will punch through laminated paper just as well.

Lastly, I added a little sticker label to the back of each bookmark with references that encompassed the scope of the class (‘epic’ refers to Beowulf, the first text we read at the beginning of the semester). And, there you have it! Maybe not as neat as their stamped cousins, but my students didn’t know the difference. ;)

(Easy) Pumpkin Cinnamon Cupcakes

My mom sent me a recipe for pumpkin cinnamon cupcakes the other week, and I thought it looked pretty easy and tasty (my two main baking/cooking prerequisites!). I gathered ingredients and whipped up a batch, which proved to yield 30+ cupcakes! I brought a dozen into work for my coworkers on Oct. 8 (awesome coincidence, since I had no idea this day existed). They were a big hit, and two colleagues asked for the recipe, so I thought I'd share it below! I was also able to use these ADORABLE owl cupcake toppers that I'd picked up at Wal-Mart a few falls ago, so it would have been a major win no matter what. ;)

 Ok, the recipe - are you ready? Here it is! Click the links for each ingredient to see the specific variety I used (due to personal preference and/or availability).

Ingredients:

• 1 box of yellow cake mix, any variety
• All the ingredients needed for the cake mix, lol (eggs, milk, veg. oil and/or butter, etc.)
• 1 can of plain pumpkin (15 oz.)
• 1 bag of cinnamon chips (10 oz.)
• 1 can of cream cheese icing

 Directions:

•  Prepare cake batter as directed on box. 
• Add in can of pumpkin.
• Mix in bag of cinnamon chips.
• Bake as directed on box (I added a few minutes, since the batter was so wet and my oven is older and doesn't run very hot).
• Frost cooled cupcakes with icing. 
• Literally, that's it. So. Easy.

My finished cupcakes were really moist and flavorful. Not sure if they would be as moist with a different batter as a base - I'll probably try a different one the next time I bake these, just out of curiosity. Hope you get a chance to try this recipe for yourself! :)

Pill Box (Remix)

A few weeks before Mother's Day this year I stumbled on a blog post detailing how to make this cute candy gift box out of an oversized pill box. I decided to make one for my mom (it's mail-friendly, which is a perk when you live out of state!), and while she liked it, I felt sort of like a child bringing home a macaroni necklace for her mom's birthday. Meh.

However, I really liked the concept, so I remixed it a few weeks later for a cute congrats gift for my brother, who had just finished up his last class for his MBA. He lives in DC, so a mail-friendly gift was just what I needed.

I kept the same ideas from the original, making a few little tweaks to fit my purposes. I used labels to cover both sides of the flip lids (to keep the large day-of-the-week letters from showing) and used Sharpies to write out a more appropriate greeting - "HOORAY!" - for the occasion.

I trimmed out colorful pieces of cardstock to fit inside each compartment (this idea was in the original craft), then decorated each one with a little congrats note.














 After they were all finished, I sprinkled them into the pill box:

 I then tucked a Riesen (T's favorite candy) inside each compartment - they were a perfect fit!

After snapping each lid shut, it was ready to go! The whole thing cost $2.00 - $1 for the pill box (from Dollar Tree) and $1 for a mini bag of Riesens (also from Dollar Tree). Everything else (labels, cardstock, Sharpies) I had on hand. Easy-peasy! 

Door Décor: Buckle Up, Cowboy!

I decided to challenge myself the other weekend. I thought the front door of W's new apartment looked rather bare, so I took it upon myself to make a door hanger that was manly (his stipulation). And... let's just say the front door is still bare, but the Texas pride shelf in the apartment has a new addition! Eh, I tried. :P

I'm pretty proud of myself for thinking this one up all on my own (aka I didn't find it on Pinterest, although I'm sure it's on there somewhere!). First off, I gathered a slew of belts in Texan colors - red, white, and blue - and a sturdy wooden frame (which was 99 cents!).

The belts were a steal - the gray tags were even discounted at half off!

Total cost for belts: $10.81 (the pink tag was 15% off)

I tested out my idea in the thrift store, so I knew I was coming home with the right amount of belts for what I wanted. After snipping off all the tags, I settled down to work.

I began by wrapping my first belt around the frame and securing it tightly on the back. I played around with the idea of having the belt buckles show but opted for a cleaner look by hiding them.

After wrapping and spacing both of my white belts, I moved to the reds.

To keep the extra lengths from flapping, I slipped a rubber band on each belt and fed the extra bit through until it was smooth and taut. Did this require me to unbuckle/rebuckle each belt? Yes, yes it did. Hindsight is 20/20. I could have trimmed and/or glued the leftover pieces, but I wasn't convinced that these belts' journeys would end as part of a door display, so I left them fully intact, just in case.

I purposefully aligned the buckles on the side opposite the blue in order to balance out the extra weight that came with wrapping two additional belts (three, if you count the star) around one end of the frame.

I linked the two blue belts together to form a single long one, then wrapped it around the left side three times, buckling and banding it in the back. The star was a bit trickier, and I ended up just knotting my final white belt into a rough star-like shape. I think it hints enough at the real thing. :P

I tied a length of suede cord to each top corner, and voilà! There you have it! A manly Texan door hanger shelf adornment for my, well, manly Texan. ;)

Door Décor: Patriotism and Paper Rolls

A popular trend that I've been seeing online lately is that of toilet paper roll wall art. No lie. These creations are awesome, and they're made of re-purposed toilet paper rolls.

Wrought Iron

Flowers

Wreaths

Inspired by the above right image, I decided to craft my own toilet paper roll art for my poor bare front door (I took down my winter sunburst a few weeks ago and haven't had time to make a replacement). I knew I wanted something red, white, and blue, since July 4th is right around the corner. So, I set about collecting my supplies (I ended up using three toilet paper rolls and one paper towel roll) and getting to work.

Step One: Painting! I decided to make five flowers, so I painted my three toilet paper rolls (one per flower) red and my paper towel roll blue (out of which I'd make two blue flowers). Luckily I already had red and blue paints on hand, leftover from this craft.

Step Two: Cutting! After the paint dried, it was time to slice it up! A few sites recommended using an X-Acto knife and a cutting board, after meticulously measuring and tracing lines... I used a ruler, marked out sections 3/4" wide down one side of each tube, then sliced them apart using my trusty old scissors. ;)

Step Three: Gluing! It definitely would have been faster to use my hot-glue gun to attach my segments together, but since I was going to be hanging my creation on my front door in June, I knew it would all melt off. I opted for Tacky Glue, which I had on hand, and which will hopefully hold up to the baking sun. *fingers crossed*

I first attached the 'petals' together in sets of two.

After drying all day, I added my third 'petals' into the mix to dry overnight.

The next morning I was ready to combine my sections...

...into a complete flower!

After all my individual flowers dried, I then started laying them out in a variety of patterns until I figured out my final design. I then glued-and-waited one last time (overnight), and the following morning I had my door décor!

I was so glad I had these mini-clothespins (leftover from my 2013 birthday bash) in my craft supplies -
they were super handy for this project!

While I originally liked a vertical layout, I realized it
needed to be horizontal to accommodate my storm door.

There's a better, unobstructed view. :) Also, please ignore
the blurred out apartment numbers - privacy, yo!

Sorry for the blinding-sun vibe on that last pic - the colors of the flowers really weren't coming across in the photo, so I lightened it. I think I'd advise painting the inside of the 'petals' so as to really make the colors pop (maybe a touch-up for next year, if they weather the next few months!). Spray-painting would be an easier route in that case, I'm sure. At any rate, I'm pleased with it and glad to try a new craft that didn't cost a cent (I used a bit of on-hand jewelry wire to hang it)! And, since I am heading off on a grand adventure to Texas tomorrow (by way of L-ville and a certain Texan man of mine), it'll certainly do. ;)

Sweet Treats: Miniature Turtles

Has anyone ever tried to make the little snacks that consist of a pretzel, a Hershey kiss, and an M&M? Has it failed miserably for you? Me, too. And, you're not alone. I have the worst luck with making that (seemingly) simple treat - the kisses never melt right for me. A friend once told me that the chemical makeup of Hershey kisses causes them to harden if you bake them too long, which is exactly what happened as I kept baking mine longer and longer in an attempt to reach the 'shiny, semi-melted' state. I never achieved that state.

However, there is a MUCH easier, and in my opinion, MUCH better variation out there - the miniature turtle. While they are a bit pricier (due to the pecans), it's worth it. When you end up throwing away what is roughly the equivalent of an entire bag of Hershey kisses in the wake of failure, shelling out a bit more for pecans ain't so bad. ;)

Recipe (adapted from the Rolo site):

Small pretzels (I used Butter Snaps, because I can never find the wagon-wheel types)
1 bag of Rolos (this is usually the basis for how many treats I make)
Pecan halves

Heat oven to 350°F. Lay out pretzels on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (Kroger makes these awesome pre-cut sheets). Top each pretzel with an unwrapped Rolo. Bake 3-5 minutes until the Rolos begin to soften - remove from oven and press a pecan half onto each Rolo while they are still warm. Cool completely (at room temperature or in fridge)... or eat 'em while they're still warm!

These are super easy and, so far, foolproof. I whipped up a batch of these for my coworkers at the end of the school year since I'd been lagging in the department potlucks we'd had (forgot about one, brought juice to another). After letting my mini turtles chill in the fridge overnight, I loaded them into a fun container and left them in the teacher's lounge for everyone to enjoy. I opted for a reference to Aesop's fable rather than making a comment on how slowly the year crawled by. ;)

Birthday Cross Stitch: Gymnast

My friend's daughter is an avid gymnast (yes, we've watched The Gabby Douglas Story together), so for her birthday this past fall, I stitched her this sweet little gymnast.  ------------------------------------------------->

I found the pattern on this website (same one where I found the castle pattern I used in this project). The direct link for the pattern can be found here. I like trolling free patterns online every so often and saving ones I think are cute, even if I don't have a specific use for them yet.

The original pattern resulted in the image at left, but I rarely follow the prescribed colors of cross stitch patterns, preferring my own 'floss palette' (which is usually based on colors I already have on hand, lol, but personalization also comes into play). I selected the hair and skin tone colors from my floss collection, aligning them with Claire's coloring as best I could. I also decided to remove the shoes, since the girls at her gym compete barefoot (I've been to a meet!). For the leo, I used teal, which is (was?) C's favorite color. I free-stitched her name in the remaining white space to really personalize it and tucked it into a fun frame that I found at Wal-Mart.

It came together really nicely, and she definitely liked it. 

And, I know for a fact that it's displayed in her bedroom upstairs, so there's the proof. ;)

The fabric isn't wrinkled - I always catch reflections in the frame glass!