DIY Fabric and Marbles Necklace

Who doesn't love a new piece of jewelry?!
For everyone who mentally responded "me!" to that question,
then this post is for you!
 

The only thing better than 'new' than 'free',
and that is pretty much what this DIY Marble Necklace amounts to...just pennies!

I'm sure y'all have seen these marble necklaces all over Pinterest.
But at the risk of being redundant,
I'm going to share my own post on the subject.

All you need is...

• fabric, cut into 2 1/2 x 45 or 60 inches long

• marbles {you can buy a bag at the dollar store}

Equipment

•  ruler
• scissors
• sewing machine

1. Cut
For a choker or high collar necklace {about 25 in. long}, I cut my strip 45 inches long.
For the longer necklace I sewed several strips together to make a tube 60 inches long.
This may seem really long, but once you start tying knots, it shortens up quite a bit.

2. Sew
First, if you are sewing strips together length wise,
sew these first, right sides together.

Next fold your piece in half length wise (right sides together) and sew up the edge
using a 1/4 inch seam.

3. Turn
Turn your tube right side out.

4. Stuff and Knot
Put in your marbles and tie knots after each one.
 Experiment with the spacing between marbles and knots.
Be sure to leave enough fabric on either end to tie your necklace around your neck.

This necklace was done just by tying knots right after each marble, close together.

This necklace was done by leaving a gap in between the marble and the knots on either side.
The next marble was tied tightly, followed by another marble with loose knots on either side.

I really like how this changed up the look.
I even made a bracelet to match!
{Recognize those clothes? It is this refashioned outfit!}

On my third necklace, I tied it the same as above, but made it longer,
and only added marbles and knots to the bottom half.
I LOVE that silky, multicolored fabric, it makes a great necklace!

After making my own, I helped my little sister make one too,

which she proceeded to wear both night and day (no kidding, she slept in it!) for probably a month.

She loved it so much, she made one as a Christmas gift for her best friend!

 How about you?
Have you tried this Pinterest project yet?

In case you haven't,
consider this your official nudge in the ribs.

Host a Clothing Swap Party!

Whoo!

What better way to clean our your closet than to have a fashion show 

with your good friends and get some new digs in return?!

That is just what three of my lady friends and myself did last Saturday

when I hosted what will most likely become an annual (seasonal?!) event!

I hosted a Clothing Swap Party!

If you haven't heard about clothing swaps, let me fill you in.

A clothing swap is like shopping your friends' closet.

Everyone brings an agreed minimum amount of items,

that can include clothes, accessories, shoes etc. that are in good, clean condition.

Our group agreed upon at least 10 pieces, and we kept it to clothing and accessories.

To make things easier, I recommend hanging up your clothing items.

We all pitched in and organized the clothes by tops, skirts, pants, and jackety-things (a new term we invented) and it made it go really quickly!

TIP:

I would recommend marking your hangers by tying a colored ribbon on them,

or putting a piece of colored tape around it, to avoid mix ups with other swappers.

After the clothes were all organized this is how I chose to proceed.

Instead of going at it all at the same time, we took turns, each lady drawing a number to determine what order we would 'shop' in.

But before we started shopping, we got to look over the items,

and each lady was given an equal amount of stickers that she could use to mark the pieces 

she wanted.

 When your turn came around, you were allowed to pick 3 pieces.

If two ladies had marked or 'claimed' the same item, we just did a little fashion show,

and had each one try on the piece, to see which it fit better.

 There really were no problems in this area, everyone was very gracious.

Once everyone had about three turns each, 

we just went in and picked through the leftovers together.

It was really relaxed, we simply asked, "Does anyone mind if I take piece," or "is anyone else interested in this?" and it worked out very smoothly.

Everyone ended up with several pieces that they really liked and looked great on them.

One thing I did notice that I found interesting was that on at least two occasions,

someone tried on a piece that they really weren't sure about, but when they modeled 

it in front of the others, they received a wonderful response that they hadn't expected!

It was a lot of fun and everyone agreed that we need to do it again

I ended up with a pretty intimate group, only four ladies including myself,

and I was worried there wouldn't be enough items to generate a good mix to choose from,

but it ended up working out great! Everyone brought more than 10 pieces, which helped a lot.

 

 Since it was a ladies get together,

I used it as a excuse to try out a new Pinterest recipe, and a special girly one at that!

I made these French Vanilla Cappuccino Cupcakes!

They turned out pretty good, although I would make a few adjustments in the future.

 

So there you have it, ladies get together with new clothes and dessert!

 I call that a triple win!

Have any of you been to a clothing swap? 

Anxious to host one?

I hope this gives you a great idea for a ladies night out!

Hand Painted Thriftstore Mugs...Fail?

 Give a girl two thrifted mugs.

Two painter pens.

40 minutes.

And what do you get?

T H E S E!

 Free-hand, one of a kind painted mugs!

Believe it or not, I took pictures of flowers on our shower curtain and referred to them for inspiration!

Pretty darling, huh?

Now...I need to make a confession.

These were done a long time ago.

How long you ask...errmmm...last November?!

Why the long wait to share?

Well, it is kind of a half success/half fail project, 

and I don't like sharing things with you unless I have it figured out!

So actually, I'm coming to you for help!

Here is the situation.

Originally I was going to paint these using the infamous colored sharpie method from Pinterest.

However, after doing some research, I found lots of failed sharpie projects.
The poor dears put so much time and effort into beautifully, detailed designs
only to discover it scratched right off, even after baking.

I like to make my own mistakes, but I have no problem learning from those of others,

so I decided to go another route.

At Wal-Mart I purchased two Painters Brand Opaque Paint Markers, 

one medium-point blue and the other metallic silver in fine point.
Truthfully, I couldn't tell a difference in the applicator size and wish they had been smaller.

I found the points too big to do small, fine detail work.

Though I took another route, I'm sorry to say that I ended up in the same predicament as
the failed Sharpie gals. Even after baking my mugs twice, the design scratches off with my fingernail!

My poor, drooping heart!

Upon some investigation I discovered that these were acrylic paint pens.
The pens themselves were not labeled anywhere saying acrylic, I only found that out by visiting the product website and reading up on them.

Acrylic = non permanent, not food safe as is.

 This is where I need your help.
I want to preserve my designs if I can, but I still want to keep them food-safe. 

In this wide, wonderful wold of crafters, I'm hoping one of you can give me some hard earned knowledge from hands-on-experience as to how I can fix and improve upon this situation!

Is there something food safe I can coat these with?

What sort of paints should I use in the future that are food safe but permanent? 

I would love to do more painted ceramic projects, 

it was quite addicting and the results are so rewarding!

There are dozens of ideas floating around in my head (and some on my Pinterest boards).
Colored paint, colored mugs, stencils, sayings, verses...so many designs, so many possibilities! 

DIY White Chocolate Butterfly Pattern

So remember me telling you in my Cake Mania post
how I decided not to itemize everything I made?
Weeelllll....I just couldn't help doing a special post on these white chocolate butterflies!Sorry if you are getting tired of seeing them.
I'm just a little excited about how they turned out!



You guys,
I want you to make these!
Believe me, these aren't hard, they look more intimidating than they really are.
You don't have to be an artist,
and when you are done they will look so impressive and you'll feel like a rock star!

I'm not even kidding.
I totally and unashamedly flashed these in the face of everyone who came into the kitchen,
like a cat with its dead mouse...only people didn't run away and scream.

The original link, with good instructional pictures can be found here.
 But let me brake it down for you:

WHAT YOU NEED:
White almond bark or chocolate
ziplock bag
parchment paper
glass measuring cup with pouring spout
scissors

What To Do

1. Trace your butterfly onto the back of a piece of parchment paper.
Fold the paper in half, creasing the butterfly right up the middle- this will help create the folded wing effect.
{At the bottom of this post, I have included some butterfly designs that I used for tracing.}

2. Melt your chocolate in the microwave, then pour it into your ziplock bag.
It is important that you let the chocolate cool so it doesn't come gushing out and make a runny design.
{Read this post about working with melted chocolate.}

3. Making sure your traced design is on the back of the parchment paper, snip a small corner section of your chocolate filled ziplock bag and begin tracing out your butterfly design.
Following the lines you traced, hold your piping end just above the parchment paper and let the chocolate
gently 'fall', rather than resting the tip directly on the paper.
It works better if you do the outline first, then do the lines and details inside the wing.

4. Once finished, place the butterfly between the open pages of a large book and cool in the fridge.

 

All that is left is to wait...then carefully slide your butterfly off the parchment paper,
put it on your cake, and dazzle your guests!
 

 Here are some butterfly designs to print out and trace.
I used the first two pictures for my designs, and both looked great!

Above picture courtesy of We Lived Happily Ever After, from the original chocolate butterfly post.

 

The above design would be great for beginners who are daunted by the detail in the other two designs.
The way you would work this butterfly is to trace around the entire outline, 
then fill everything else in with chocolate, leaving the holes in the wings blank. 
Results would be a more solid looking butterfly, not quite as delicate and breakable as the other two.

I hope this helps and inspires some of y'all!
Go forth, and let your creativity take flight!

Cake Mania!

Sound the trumpets! Drum roll, please!
Today I am finally going to be sharing something creative with you!!
I have been waiting to write this post since the day I started conceiving all of my grand ideas!

When the subject of cakes came up for my grandparent's 50th Anniversary Celebration,
I eagerly volunteered for the job.
There were already a few Pinterest pins calling my name,
and this would be a funtastic opportunity to finally try some out.

These were my Pin-speration sources.

1. Gumdrop Roses  2. Wedding Picture Topper  3. Chocolate design toppers
4. Chocolate Heart  5. Sugar and Berries  6. Cake Banner 
7. Pineapple Flowers  8. Picture Pick Toppers  9. Strawberry Roses

 

Not to forget this awesome chocolate butterfly.

After one whole day of 'research' (I love Pinterest!), and one day of shopping for all
the necessities and ingredients, I was able to get to work!

I gave mom the task of making all the paper and picture decorations, like the anniversary banner,
wedding picture topper, and cake labels...which left me to man the kitchen.

Let me show you what I cooked up!

 #1 Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This was a two layer sheet cake with frosting in the middle, that I quickly
decorated with a '50 Years' flag, some pineapple flowers and a lacy chocolate heart.

The heart was made from melted almond bark that I piped onto parchment paper,
 then re-hardened in the fridge.
 I didn't trace a design for this one, I just did it by freehand.

#2 Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
Also a two layered, cream cheese frosted cake,
I decorated this one with my version of the wedding picture cake topper (made by mom!)
surrounded by pineapple flowers.
I was told later that those dried flowers tasted great!
 

#3 Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
Don't let the gluten free part scare you, this is the best chocolate cake I have ever had!
I'm dead serious. And I don't like chocolate cake.
Want to know a secret? We didn't tell people this was gluten free, and it was our most popular cake!
I used my go to chocolate butter cream recipe to frost this single layer cake,
then topped it with almond bark chocolate words and gumdrop roses!

These roses were awesome!

If you click the link in my collage above it will take you to this video tutorial!
They are so simple to make, yet add so much!
They don't show you how to make the leaves, but it didn't take much to figure those out.
Just roll out your green gumdrop as shown in the video, then cut out a leaf shape.
Voila!

#4 Gluten Free Three-Tiered Cake
Not as many tiers as my inspiration source,
but I liked the simple beauty of the exposed cake, fresh fruit and powdered sugar.

 

The strawberry rose bouquet was a nice touch, though it didn't turn out as good I would have hoped.
 I couldn't get the 'petals' to lay open like in the picture. But still, a nice topper.
 

#5 White Raspberry Cake
Three layered almond white cake, with almond butter cream frosting and raspberry preserve filling.
I only frosted the middle layers and the top cake for two reasons.
One, 'naked cakes' are in style, didn't you know?
And two, the frosting was a little stiff and I was running out of time.
Mostly....it was reason two.

To make this cake look fabulous,
we stuck a very long "Happy Anniversary" banner in the top!
I love the way it turned out! My mom did a great job!

  
#6 Coconut Cake
You guys.
This was my favorite cake!!
Just look at that! It is beautiful! And it tastes wonderful too!
I am dying to make another one of these, with a few little recipe changes.

This double layer coconut sheet cake was frosted with sour cream coconut frosting,
between the layers and all over the outside, sprinkled with toasted coconut
then adorned with almond bark butterflies!
I was so, so thrilled that I was actually able to make these!
I mean...look at them!

 And finally....

I made just over 70 Lemon Cupcakes!
This is one of our family recipes for rich lemon cake, topped with another family creation,
lemon frosting made by folding lemon pudding and Cool Whip together!

 

These little darlings were decorated with various almond bark chocolate designs,

and family picture sticks, combining two inspiration sources.

All of my cakes had to survive an hours trip before

reaching the location of our family reunion.

That means I only frosted the middle layers of my sheet cakes to hold them together, 

and the rest of the frosting, assembling and decorating had to take place on site.

We had a certain time frame between scheduled events that we were able 

to use the facilities...umm...kitchen (more like rollings tables, a sink and some counter space),

so that made things a little crunched.

But thankfully there was lots of family (thank you everyone!) to give a helping hand.

I'll admit it was a little hard at first to delegate some of the tasks 

to someone else, but I had no reason to worry, it all turned out great

and I was able to do the really important details myself.

If I look a little tired and frazzled, you know why.

In the end it all paid off.
Presentation was awesome, taste was wonderful, and Nana cried.
Everything was a hit.
I was asked by several people if I did this for a living,
and those that didn't ask, outright told me that I should make this a business!
It was so great to have such supportive feedback.

Now, I went back and forth about breaking this post down
into individual cakes and details, but I decided on covering it in one fell swoop.
There will be a post on making almond bark chocolate designs, with tips I discovered along the way,
but if you want more individualized details on anything else,
just let me know and I'll see what I can do!

To sum it up:

One week.
Six cakes.
13 layers.
70 cupcakes
Five different frostings.
One hurried hour of assembly.
An anniversary to remember.

Day 17: Five Favorites, Pinterest Recipes

Today I'm going to share with you

my top five favorite tried-and-true Pinterest recipes to date!

 

Top Five Pinterest Recipes 

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

 Brought to you by Chef Mommy,

this recipe is a family favorite and has been for over a year.

During the colder months it stays on high meal rotation.

Not only is this soup oober yummy, it is really easy!

I've made a few changes to the recipe such as adding:

water chestnuts

thyme, marjoram and oregano (about 1tsp each)

By skipping the cream and thickening part at the end,

I've also created a version that is dairy and gluten free for the other half of the family.

Easy Home Made French Bread

I've lost count of how many times I've made this wonderful recipe!

This recipe from Deals to Meals is just what the name says...easy!

With just a little bit of planning, 

I can whip this up and have it ready to go with any Italian or soup meal.

 If you are intimidated by yeast breads, 

this is the best recipe I can think of to get you started!

In fact, I have used the same method they use

for rising the bread with other yeast breads/rolls and it works wonderfully! 

It has changed how I make yeast breads!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

 

I haven't made this recipe as many times as the wild rice soup,

probably a total of three or four, but each time it is wonderful!

This has great flavor and rises above ordinary potato soups,

especially served with freshly snipped chives!

The best part?

This dish of yum is apparently served at the Disney Parks Coronation Cafe!

You can find the recipe at the Disney Parks Blog.

 Simple Seasoned Asparagus and Peppers

 

This is a relatively new recipe, I found it over the holiday season

while looking for a different sort of side dish that was gluten free.

I am SO glad I found this recipe!

This is FABULOUS! 

I have made it about three times now, and each time is great!

Not only is this a healthy dish, but it tastes wonderful and is really simple to make.

You can find the original recipe here at Scratch Mommy Blog,

although I have made a few changes to my version.

I double the asparagus, while leaving everything else the same,

and I use Red Wine Vinegar instead of plum vinegar, and it tastes great!

Also, I mixed up my own Adobo seasoning using this recipe.

This will make a lot of Adobo seasoning, and you won't use it all for this recipe,

so keep it in an empty spice jar for next time!

Sweet & Buttery Yeast Rolls

I love breads.

I know, I know...carbs and all that,

but I seriously can't live without them!

This is about my third yeast roll recipe,

and I can tell you now, the search is over!!!

These are so, so wonderful!

Someday, this will be Grandma Desarae's roll recipe, passed down through generations.

They are that good.

You can find the recipe at Eclectic Recipes blog.

These might take a little more time than some other yeast rolls I've made,

but they aren't difficult, and they are totally worth it!

 

 

And there you have it!

Those are my top five Pinterest recipes!

It was hard to narrow them down, because I have found other great eats,

but these are probably the most repeated and memorable dishes!

For more tried and true recipes and projects from Pinterest,

you can visit my 'Pinterest For Real' board, with thoughts,

tips and changes usually written in the pin description.

I hope you enjoy!

~~~~
I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!