1000 Paper Cranes

It is said that if you make 1,000 千羽鶴 Origami Paper cranes are you granted a wish by the Gods. Still other stories believe you are granted eternal good luck, instead of just one wish, such as long life or recover from illness or injury. Either way, I am going for it. It's soothing and a bit meditative.

In Japan, the crane is one of the mystical or holy creatures and is said to live for a thousand years. In some stories it is believed that the 1000 cranes must be completed within one year and they must all be made by the person who is to make the wish at the end.

The 1000 Origami cranes were popularized through the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who was 24 months old when she was exposed to the radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during WWII. At the age of 12, Sadako developed leukemia. After spending significant time in the hospital, Sadako began folding cranes with the legend in mind. She folded only 644 before she became to weak to fold anymore. In her honor, her classmates folded the rest for her.  There is another version of the story, that she did in fact fold nearly 1,400 cranes. In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane was unveiled. Every year on Obon Day, people leave paper cranes to remember the departed spirit's of one's ancestors. 

Winky Pillow

I finally made time to finish up many pillows for the kid's basement hangout. The Minnesota Principal Hot Dishes by Regions is a kitchen towel turned into a pillow (keeping the faye). The black & khaki Minnesota pillow was previously a tote bag that I purchased at Target. And the winky circle pillow was an all new creation–just a little something that has been stirring in my mind.

PS4 Controller Custom Cookie

Recently I made custom PS4 Controller Frosted Cookie for Best Buy. Here is my little how to.

There was much improvising that happened and many attempts that did not fully work. Above is the best version and below is how to make your own.

Tools needed:
Sugar Cookie dough (homemade or store bought)
Black frosting (homemade or store bought)
PS4 template (I traced a controller and hand cut out the cookies)
Black Fondant (Cake Boss brand works well) rolled to 1/4 thickness
Tootsie Crows Licorice Gumdrops (found some at Walgreens)
Rolling pin
Medicine cup (to cut out the buttons)
Pen cap (to cut out the buttons)
Elmers or any gluestick brand cap (to cut out the buttons)
Toothpick (to make the textured dots)
Frosting for the symbols (pink, red, light blue and green)

1. Roll out your cookie dough, cut the cookies and then bake them according to the directions
2. Once the cookie is cool, frost it with the black frosting
3. Cut out the controller buttons

Controller parts from left to right:
Left:
Cut one medicine cup circle in the black fondant + hand cut arrows. "glue" them with the black frosting.

Middle top:
Cut one rectangle roughly 2" wide by 1.25" tall in the black fondant. Poke with toothpick to achieve the texture.

Middle bottom:
Cut two circles cut with the glue stick cap in the black fondant, place two Tootsie Crow Licorice Gumdrops on top. I sliced the Gumdrop in half so they were not too tall. For the middle button, cut one of the green pen caps in the black fondant. Again use the black frosting as "glue".

Right:
Cut one medicine cup circle in the black fondant. Cut four circles with the green pen cap in the black fondant. Use the black frosting as "glue" to assemble. Then use pink, green, red and light blue frosting to draw the symbols on the small circles.

Allow the cookie to air dry for a few hours before sealing in a container. This will allow the frosting to "set". 

I'll be honest, they are a lot of work. But I already figured out how to make it come together. Now it's just effort that will make it happen!

If you made it to the bottom of this post, click this link and go "like" the custom PS4 Cookie I made for Best Buy!

DIY Rice Bag Wall Hanging

My Grandparents owned an International grocery store on Nicollet Island, Minnesota in the 1960 through the early 1980's. It was called International House of Foods. They had the first Fortune Cookie Machine west of the Mississippi. How sweet is that story? I remember helping to make fortune cookies and riding the big freight elevator.

My mom was cleaning out her house about a year ago. We found a few of my Grandma Marvel's branded rice bags. I was going to make them into pillows but decided I would rather have some wall hangings. I sewed a little channel for the dowels (from Michaels). I painted them with Hand Made Modern Glow-in-the-dark paint in Clementine. Then added a few neon pom poms for flair.

I am hanging up this sassy rice bag near a giant poster with some neon orange lettering. I am still working on styling up this room. Maybe some photos later?

Watermelon Rice Kripies

Watermelon Rice Krispie Treats. I promise this is easy. The pretty treats above were created by seventh graders.

You will need:
Rice Krispies
Butter
Mini marshmallows
Vanilla extract
Red food coloring
Green food coloring
Mini chocolate chips
Small circular cake pan
Slightly larger circular cake pan

Recipe for Rice Krispies:
3 TBLS of butter
4 cups of mini marshmallows
5-6 cups of Rice Krispies (I lean toward 5, to ensure there is enough marshmallow goodness)
1 tsp of vanilla extract (I add this, the classic recipes does not have this)

We ended up making two watermelons and a bit extra of just plain green Rice Krispie bars (they would make great Minecraft Creeper Treats). For the first batch of Rice Krispies, melt the butter, marshmallows completely, then add the red food coloring. Next add the Rice Krispies. Let this mixture cool a tiny bit, then press into a small cake pan. Be sure that the pan is coated nicely with some butter. I find it easiest to really butter up your hands and press the treats in the pan.

While the red Rice Krispies are cooling a bit, mix up the green Rice Krispies. Butter two slightly larger cake pans, flip the red Rice Krispies into this larger pan. Then add the green Rice Krispies around the red Rice Krispies. Let it cool a bit more, then add the mini chocolate chips. If the treats are too hot the mini chocolate chips will melt, so be patient.

We are thinking of making oranges, lemons and limes next!

Swim Ribbon Display

I have three kids in competitive swimming. Soon we will be wrapping our third year of schlepping kids to pools nearly everyday, driving carpools, writing swim events on arms with Sharpies, Goggle management, sitting through four+ hour long swim meets, long-term screaming parents (not me, they can't hear us- trust me, I asked) and fun foods like Walking Tacos and Giant Dill Pickles from Costco. We get two weeks off around December and in March. The month of August is also a swim team free zone. Otherwise we go all year long. Most friends think we are insane.

"OMG- I swear you are pool-bound every weekend"

The kids need swimming. When they don't swim the month of August, they are climbing the walls, getting in trouble and breaking things. Yes, they are generally good kids. Kids are kids, they have a ton of energy. Swimming is the perfect thing for them. I love the sport because it is a team thing (Relays) and an individual thing (Personal Best times). There are swimming brackets based on age. So the kids need to learn to focus in order to achieve goals before they age up. Swimming is something you can do till you are in your 90s. At a recent swim meet, a Master Swimmer in her 90s swam at the meet. (I am totally serious).

And the best part? RIBBONS and MEDALS.

"OMG- How many ribbons do you have at your house? You should do a Project Runway inspired dress made from those ribbons"

"You could make a quilt from all of those ribbons"

So each kid had their own ribbon bin under their bed. The bins were filling up and I wanted to create something to hang them on the wall. I found a few ideas on Pinterest and on Etsy, but I wanted something that held MORE RIBBONS.

I bought the boards at Home Depot (approximately 48" x 12"), we painted them white (Semi-gloss), added 30+ white coffee cup hooks (again from Home Depot), then hand-painted the lettering. I wanted one saying to go across all three boards. I designed the saying on my computer, printed it out on letter sized paper, spliced it together and then traced it on the wood (pressing hard with a ball-point pen), then painted the words with a gray paint. This hand-painting took a while. It was a pain, so if you go for it be patient.

We placed the Ribbon Displays in the stairwell on the way to the kids Basement-zone. Now, after a meet they run down there to proudly hang up their ribbons. At the top, is my Daughter's ribbon display. She currently has the most ribbons. The middle child is catching up with her. And rounding out the bottom, is my little guy's ribbon board. He has only been swimming for a year. 

 12 year old kid to give a sense of scale.

Floral Crown (made from money)

So this summer I am shaking up the Graduate Gift situation. I saw this clever Money Necklace on theHouseThatLarsBuilt. I decided to give it a crown twist. The hardest part was finding dollar bills. I never have cash!

Then gather up some light gauge wire, tissues paper and ribbon (for a bit of flare). Click the link to follow Lars tutorial (and video). 

#makingwithLars

Painted Globe

I found a globe that I wanted, but it was $30. Then I found this Threshold Globe at Target for $14.99. I wanted a pop of color, so I picked up this Hand Made Modern paint (also at Target) in Goldenrod Satin. Two coats and done! One of a kind and all mine.

Pom Pom Berries

So cute, little pom pom berries. I have so many ideas. This is just the beginning. At first I made my own fork version of a pom pom maker, then I tried using my hands, then we just bought the Clover pom pom makers at Michaels. Of course, we bought them one at a time and used our 40% coupon! Forget what people say, just go buy the Clover Pom Pom makers. It's way easier for the kids and is worth the investment. We bought four different Pom Pom Makers for a total of $8.40.

Over the summer, my Dad found a giant bag full of yarn from my junior high crafting days. I took the yarn beast home knowing that I would find something to do with it. Then, it was Spring Break for my kids without fun traveling plans… I knew it was time to tame the yarn beast.

I found this awesome strawberry pom pom tutorial on mrprintables.com

The first one we did, is the pink berry. The second one is the red berry. The third one is not currently pictured. My daughter didn't use enough yarn and it's a berry hot mess.

We have lots of ideas now, and want to try a lemon or orange! Even my six year old is loving this pom pom business! Be sure you have sharp scissors to snip the yarn.

Bunny Bread

A few years ago, we made Bunny Bread. My kids loved it, so we hopped to it once again this year. It looks complex, but it really isn't. I tossed some poppy seeds to add visual depth for the bunny ears.

 

The key is to let the dough rise after the bunny is shaped. Do not skip that step. This photo shows the bunny before we baked it.

Click here for more detailed directions.

Valentines Day : Tiny Fortune Cookie Erasers

Valentine's Day Tiny Fortune Cookie Erasers! My co-worker found these cuties in the the Target Dollar store area. I was all set for my Valentine's this year, but these tiny guys will be PERFECT for next year. I figure I can cut out a few paper take-out boxes here and there. It won't be a mad dash next February. The best part, is the erasers have a little cut out space to add a paper fortune. ADORABLE.

Valentines : tiny bakery erasers

When I was a kid, my favorite holiday at elementary school was Valentine's day. I loved decorating my Grandmother's Hush Puppy Shoe box from the Dayton's store. My Grandmother always thoughtfully pulled aside paper doilies, vintage cards and wrapping paper for my sister and I.

The day of the celebration at school was sugar filled with that crazy kid orange drink and frosted cupcakes. Back then, no one in my class was Gluten Free, allergic to Red Dye 4 or Peanuts/Treenuts. School is different now. Kids cannot bring food treats to school (too many allergies). I make sure to create something adorable to ensure Valentine's Day is still magical.

This year, we found these adorable tiny bakery erasers at Target. They were only $1.50 for six. To spice them up, I constructed a tiny box for each one. I found heavy weight paper at Michael's Arts and Crafts and 3M washi tape at Target. I layered in some cut up tissue paper for a pop of color. Then tossed in a funny paper fortune "You will be hungry in one hour. Lucky Numbers: 02, 14, 20, 15". I had the kids sign their names on the back of the paper fortune.

 

Of course, we only had to make 48! The boys did help cut out the boxes. The six year old had better fine motor skills. 

tea towel pillow

 

Winter clearance at the local Anthropologie store. I picked up this sweet little towel for around $7. Then I popped over to Goodwill to find a Target patio pillow for $3.99. I removed the existing fabric from the Target pillow, then placed the batting into the Anthropologie towel. I sewed up the sides by hand. I could have used a sewing machine but I wanted to binge watch "Homeland" on my couch.

Melting Snowmen

So adorable, right? Yes! The snowman head is an Oreo Truffle or a Cakeball Truffle coated with Bright White Candy melts. I made the heads first, allowed them to set. Then I made the melting puddle of white candy melt, place the snowman head in the melted puddle. Be sure to add the buttons before the chocolate puddle sets. The carrot nose is a Candy Coated Sunflower seed (from Trader Joe's). I drew the faces with Wilton's Edible Markers.

The hat is a mini Oreo cookie (just one side) with a Rolo. I used Candy Melts to secure the Rolo to the cookie. Be sure to attach the hat to the snowman head before the Candy Melts set. I also added a tiny slice of Twizzler to be a flower.

I also tried to make the snowmen faces with mini chocolate chips. I found it to be really tricky. I like the edible markers better. Just use your 40% coupon at Michaels or JoAnns to purchase the edible markers.

Cookie Business

This holiday I just went for it, I made 10 batches of my Great Grandma Marie's Famous Frosted Sugar cookies. No I did not count how many cookies 10 batches renders. I am sure my chiropractor would tell you that I should take a break. The cookies really are the BOMB. They are so smooth and I sneak a bit of lemon extract in the frosting for something different. Lemon extract was never in the original recipe. It's my own addition. My Aunt Betsy also makes these famous cookies. She would NEVER stray from the original recipe. I enjoy a little shake up. I have never been one to conform.

Golden Animal Jars

 

Oh yes, beautiful golden jars. Home-made up-cycled goodness. Want to know how to make them? You will need: plastic animals (Michaels and Target have good assortment), E6000 Glue (it's a must-have), gray spray paint, gold spray paint and jars with lids.

Here is the set up after I glued that animals and dinosaurs down with the E6000 glue. I let them sit for the recommended 24 hours. The glue is super stinky and not good for you. So use it in a well ventilated area. I would not allow kids to work with it. 

After the animals are dry, prop up the lids on paper cups or empty yogurt containers. I spray paint outdoors. It is more ideal to be around be a bit warm outside with mild humidity. Spray a coat of gray to cover up the graphics and create a good base for the gold paint. Yes, this seems like extra work. It is worth the effort.

The finished product. Be sure that you apply light coats of spray paint. It is always better to add another layer of paint after the first layer has cured. Patience...

Oh look at this, my youngest took a bunch of my dinosaurs. I was digging around the house trying to find them for MY project.

I also sell tie shirts, floral shirts, up-cycled crayons and barrettes. A friend of mine has an annual craft sale at her home. It is a wonderful gathering of crafty women, wild offspring, tolerant cats and delicious treats. A good gathering for the soul. Love it.

Handpainted Globes

Yes! Score! I have been scouring thrift stores for over a year, looking for a globe. I do look for other things and generally enjoy digging in thrift stores. I did buy another awesome globe a year ago via Craigslist. That globe was even sweeter. It had a stand too. I painted that one already, soft pink and black. I promise to wrap up the gold lettering before the new year.

I found the globe at the Hopkins, Goodwill on my way home from a photoshoot at BlueOx. Look at their adorable salt and pepper shakers. 

Over a year ago, I was inspired by 1canoe2 and their lovely painted globes.  Back in 2013 the only way to get your mitts on these pretty ladies was to win an auction. But now in 2014, you can purchase one through anthropologie! Right now, they are not yet available in the United States. But I hear they are coming soon.