Better After

Kaycee here...

Better After is one of my favorite blogs. The things people can do always amazes me and boy do they do some things. What kind of things?  As the title suggests, the originals are "better after", such as an old crib as a hanging jewelry box or old doors for a headboard? Yeah...mind blown.

Anywho...they're giving away a Cameo and I want to win, so I'm posting here. Check out it out:

Better After Cameo Sweepstakes

2012 Family Guide to Groceries under $ 250 a month

Kaycee here:

I'm posting this link to gain access to this e-book. I want to compare it to my awesome Mom who has been doing this for years. I'll update the post with a review of the book when I get a chance to check it out.

The "pinspiration":



http://pinterest.com/pin/245868460876438578/

Quilt Clock

My mother-in-law is the ultimate crafter. She can embroider anything and sews like a mad woman. In a good way. I'm in awe of her skills. When she and my father-in-law built their current house she had a special craft room built which I am thoroughly jealous of. As much as I loved it, it needed a bit of pizazz. So I made this for her a few years ago.

Her name is Charleen, thus the nickname of Char. If you want to know how I made it ask.

 Fast forward a few years and I saw a clock made out of fabric, buttons and a quilt hoop and I though this would be the perfect addition to her room. Yes, I'm living vicariously through her craft room. I can't help it. You would too if you saw the built in storage/fabric closets and drawers and amazing embroidery machine!

So first off, I bought the hoop. Next I got a simple little linen fabric for $3 a yard at Joann's (I only used about a quarter of a yard. But I am using the rest to make some other items in the near future). A few days later I stopped back at Joann's to get a bag of buttons to match the bright colors of the yarn on the above creation (you can't really tell since my only camera right now is my phone, but it's bright orange, silver, a bright royal blue, and kelly green). I ordered the clock part on ebay for $4 and everything was in place. Fast forward to the week before Christmas and I thought it was time to approach this task.

At first I thought I should trace around the hoop and cut that shape to work with for my clock. WRONG! Cut a square a decent bit larger than your hoop so you can pull the fabric and keep it taut while you work with it.

I've never been one patient enough to deal with measurements or numbers or really anything. So I didn't measure the distance between the buttons. But I eyeballed it. It is pretty much even so I'm glad my eyes didn't fail me.

Buttons all sewn on.

Penguin Appetizer

This is precious. I don't care who you are or how tough you think you are, when you see food shaped like a precious little penguin you won't be able to help but get a smile on your face.  This was my inspiration.

My boss is one almost like the Mad Men kind of bosses. Short of the sexual harassment and making me get his family's Christmas present (I wouldn't put it past him though), he has me do a lot of stuff for him. I don't mind though. Well, for the office Christmas party he told me to bring something for him so he wouldn't have to think about what to bring or make his wife do it. So I started searching. Since he's a macho retired Navy captain I thought, "What better contribution on his part that food that looks like penguins?" So away I started.

I made 27 in less than 45 minutes. Here's how:

1 can of jumbo black olives
1 can of small black olives
1 bag of presliced carrots (I'm lazy- so sue me)
1 lb monterrey jack cheese
1 bunch green onions
27 skewers cut to around 3 inches.

I'm sorry I don't have pictures of my "during" process, but the instructions are so simple you, intelligent reader with opposable thumbs, will be able to get it. Also, I didn't use cream cheese. While I love cream cheese, I also believe it has it's own time and place and it just didn't sound appetixing with the olive/carrot/green onion mixture.

1) Cut skewers to 3 inches (or even better, if you find longer toothpicks, those would work as well).
2) Drain olives. Cut small wedges out of carrots- the wedge will make the beak and the rest of the carrot will make the feet.
3) Slit one side of the large olive. Cut cheese into a rectangular shape large enough to push crack of olive open, but not break olive- I won't give precise measurements since olives vary, but mine were about an inch tall and about a 1/4" thick. Like I said- it varies. Put cheese in olive, put on top of carrot.
4) Take small olive and turn so that the larger hole faces the front. Take your skewer and put it right through the small olive, the cheese, and down through the carrot. Don't worry about going through the jumbo olive. Because it's clinging for dear life to the cheese. I know this looks cruel to the poor penguins, but they don't stay together otherwise.
5) Take your small wedge and put it in the small olive's exposed hole.  You can stop here or you can give your penguin a scarf. Disgustingly cute.
6) If you're adding a scarf take a stem of your green onion and cut it into 4 thin slices. You want them thin but not too thin. While you need them to be pliable enough to go around the neck of the penguin and tie, you don't want them to break. Because the penguin does not have a regular neck (no offense, penguin, but you don't), you'll just tie it tightly enough that it fits between the two olives and the pressure from the olives keeps it in place.

This is my finished product:

I would HIGHLY recommend this. It's fun, adorable, and everyone gets to compliment you on your awesome skills of cuteness. Here is the pin. 

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Paper Bag Rudolph Puppet

Kaycee here...

At work I'm on the Function Planning Committee (think "Party Planning Committee" from The Office). My responsibility for the in-house Christmas party was to acquire the materials for a kids' craft. Of course, I turned to Pinterest for an idea. I had to tweak it a bit to keep it simple enough for a short office party with minimal supplies.

The PINSPIRATION:

http://pinterest.com/pin/203365739393116874/

The PRODUCT:

 

(I think it looks like a muppet, but maybe that's just me.)


What you'll need:

• Brown paper lunch bag
• Medium red pom-pom
• White craft glue
• Construction paper: brown, black
• 4 jungle bells
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Pattern

How to make it:

1. Use craft glue to attach the red pom-pom to the flap of the bag.
2. Print this page on white paper.
3. Cut out the eyes. Color the eyelids brown and pupils black. Use the glue stick to attach the eyes to the front of the bag above the pom-pom nose.
4. Cut a strip of black paper the width of the paper bag, about one inch wide. Cut a small piece of black paper for the nametag hanger. Glue the small strip to the center of the larger strip so that it is hanging down.
5. Color the nametag in your favorite color. Use a pen to write "Rudolph" in the center of the nametag. Glue the nametag to the bag, overlapping the small black strip (hanger).
6. Use a generous amount of white craft glue to attach 4 jingle bells to the black strip (collar). (Be sure to keep out of reach of the littlest elves.)
7. Trace child's hands onto brown/tan paper and cut out. Use glue stick to attach the hands to the back of the bag as the antlers.

Tips:

1. You can use a black pom-pom to create other reindeer - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner or Blitzen.
2. Instead of hand print antlers, you can simply cut simple antlers from brown paper or an extra brown paper bag if you don't have brown paper on hand. Or use white paper for any of the items and color them the color you like.

3. You can use large wiggle eyes instead of the pattern. (Be sure to keep out of reach of the littlest elves.)

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Almond Chocolate Toffee

I'm awake after 12 on a Sunday night knowing I'll need to be at church tomorrow for meetings at 7:30. Why you ask? To make toffee. What kind of sadist does that you ask? Well me, so back off. I'm making it for a few different reasons. Primarily because my husband was informed this week that there would be a fireside tomorrow evening and that he would be in charge of it. Being the dear person he is, he forgot to ask people to bring stuff so I'm making things. But secondarily, I'm making it for the people I work with at church. I work with some amazing people and want to make a few treats for them before they go on Christmas vacations with their families around the country. Since the first one to leave leaves Monday, I'll be bringing it by tomorrow. Long story. Sorry. So here is some toffee I felt like making.

English Toffee:

1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds or pecans (for bottom layer)
1 cup butter (salted)
1 cup sugar
1 T light corn syrup
3 T water
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds or pecans (for top layer)

Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil and sprinkle 1/2 cup of toasted almonds in the pan on the foil. In heavy saucepan melt butter. Add sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook and stir over medium-high heat to boiling.

Cook and stir over medium heat to 290 degrees using a candy thermometer (soft-crack stage). Watch carefully and stir, it can burn easily after 280 degrees. Remove from heat and pour mixture over the nuts in the pan immediately. Let stand 5 minutes or until firm but still hot. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and let the stand for 1 to 2 minutes. When softened, spread chocolate over mixture. Sprinkle the chocolate with nuts. Chill till firm. 

I've made this recipe to the letter before and found it could use adjustments. So here's where I tweaked it tonight: 

I still think it could use more nuts on the bottom.

Cooking. I love my new candy thermometer.

1 c chopped almonds (pecans are pricy this year for multiple reasons so no pecans)on the bottom

I like this recipe but the taste never seems quite right. I may need to try another recipe. But give it a try here and let me know what you think.

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Easy Cheesy Baked Almond Brie Bites

The inspiration



(Baked Brie Bites)

The product:



Baked Almond Brie Bites

The original recipe called for pecans, but I only had almonds on hand. I have to say that I think the almonds were a perfect pairing. These were yummy and easy cheesy. I will definitely make this again.

Ingredients:

Mini phyllo tarts
Brie (small log), cubed
Brown sugar
Slivered almonds
Honey

Preheat oven to 350. Place a cube of brie in each phyllo tart. Sprinkle each tart with approximately 1/2 tsp brown sugar. Top with approximately 1/2 tsp slivered almonds and a dollop of honey. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until brie is melted. Makes 24 individual servings. Best served warm.

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Melted Crayon Art

We've all seen it. The melted crayon art. The crafter takes a blank canvas and a ton of old crayons- because Heaven knows we all have tons of them lying around the house. Well, most of us. I don't have kids, but I do work with kids at church and after a bit of cleaning the closet I had 2 BUCKETS worth of crayons. After seeing this pin, I thought, "Why the heck not?!"

So I toted my buckets of crayons home and did what I usually do with newly acquired craft items... I put them in my craft corner (we're young and college students- space is at a premium, so no craft room for me) for a few weeks. My conscience and growing pile of craft goodies got to me and I finally caved. So here goes nothing!



I used an exacto to help me peel the wrappers off of the crayons. I didn't want wrappers on because they weren't all the same brand and I didn't want it to look tacky.



I used a glue gun to glue the crayons to the canvas. Nothing fancy here. Put the crayons in whatever position you want. I am not a perfectionist so I put them a bit willy-nilly. I'm good at doing that.



Sturdy.



I would recommend using something underneath your work area. My canvas was only a 12X16 and once the crayons start melting they spread quickly. As my carpet can attest. Shh! Don't tell anyone! Luckily we have green carpet to hopefully it blends in.

Psychedelic.



I had these stickers lying around from when I made a journal. I will be adding white flowers to replace some of these pink ones.

Overall, the project cost a whopping $3. It worked pretty well. I started it at aroun10:15 and finished in 30 minutes. Peeling the wrappers takes some time (thus the use of the Exacto), but everything else went quickly. Shoot, to melt the crayons with the blow dryer took less time than it takes to dry my hair with the same blow dryer.

My recommendation? DO IT!
Check out the original pin here. 

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