Mod Podge Some Birthday Cake

I have been working on making homemade Warm Delights with a box cake mix. (recipe here) I thought it would be fun to give as birthday gifts for friends, neighbors and co-workers. So I put this mix in a jar. To make the gift wrapping fun and to re-use what I have I grabbed small jars. You can use half pint or pint depending on recipe size.

Cut a 2 1/2 inch circle out of scrap scrapbook paper. Mod Podged onto a used, but washed canning lid.

I just Mod Podged the edge.

Then covered the top in Mod Podge. (Let's see how many times I can use the words Mod Podge in this post.)

Tie a ribbon with a candle. Include directions on tag.

Microwave cake right in jar.

Let cake cool before adding candle.

Here are a couple of other Mod Podge posts for this month. Click on photo for full post. (The bread box post is one of my favorites. Be sure to check it out if you are new to my blog.)




Be sure to check out other Mod Podging nuts at Xazmin's Mod Podge Mainia @ This Is The Year.

Dollar Frames

I love the dollar frames at Michaels. You have probably seen the frames that I Mod Podged craft paper onto to. These frames I painted and cut out shapes with my cricut and glued them to paper. (the paper is the same color of my walls) Simple, cheap and easy.

You just might win

I am not getting extra credit for this, but I wanted to share give-a-ways with you that we all have a good chance at winning. I mentioned the Mimi Lee give-a-way in another post. The good news is there is still time to get entered.

Get on over to the Livelou Boutique web site to get entered to win this fun Halloween block set.

Measure up

I love this measuring cup. I just bought it a couple of days ago at the... I am so excited... dollar store. Yup, the dollar store.

It's a great tool for teaching kids liquid serving sizes. I love boiling water for Hot Chocolate in it. I need to go back and get a couple more. My kids already want to use it for their drinking cup.

I hope everybody is getting ready for Mod Podge Mania with Xazmin @ This is the Year. I will be working on mine today. Join the mania this Monday. Be there or be a non Mod Podged square.

A headband for breakfast

I don't know if this happens to your little girls, but my Wild Child always ends up getting the front of her hair soaked in her breakfast. She has a shower at night and I don't really have time to re-wash her hair in the morning. So, now I serve a headband with her breakfast. When she is done she puts the headband back into it's bag and into a drawer in the kitchen.

Is it bigger than a bread box?

It is one of my favorite days. Trash to Treasure Tuesday!!! Be sure to head on over to Kimm's amazing and newly designed blog @ Reinvented. Also give Second Time Around a try @ A Picture is Worth A 1,000 words.

I have been hunting high and low for some good trash and let me tell you it is slim pickins around here. While looking at my local thrift store (which is the worst one in the State) I found a bread box. I skipped it the first time and went home. I liked it because it was wooden and a box, besides that it was so dirty. Sticky dirty. I started thinking of all the different ways I could use it like: treasure box, toy box, toilet paper holder, a place for extra hand towels and wash cloths. The ideas just kept coming. So, I went back to buy it and found another one too. They were each $2.

The first one I painted. Then added some ribbon and a small embellishment.

It now holds my makeup. Yeah, I should have organized that before taking a picture and posting it on the Internet.

The plexi glass on this was so gross. After washing the whole thing I sanded down the strawberries.

I Mod Podged paper onto the plexi glass. I used a knob that matches my kitchen cabinet knobs (giggle, knob, giggle some more). I had Handy Andy cut a hole large enough to cover two outlets. So now....

this looks like....

this...

and this.

Last, but not least, is this little beauty. If you didn't see it last week click here to catch up. Other wise here we are. It was cream, brown and now white. This time it works and she is now complete.

The flower was made with plain ole' printing paper.

Use your noodle

A couple of nights ago I was late getting dinner going and needed something quick. The kids were already disappointed that we were not going to be eating out, so I needed something fun. When we do go out they frequently order Mac and Cheese which really irritates me. I don't like paying $4.00 for half a box of something sitting in my cupboard at home. So, I decided to to take a cue from my children and serve Mac & Cheese, but make it a little fancier than normal.

I used the packet of cheese from the box.

I bagged the regular noodles. Replaced it with 1 1/4 cup mini bowtie noodles. (next time I will increase the bowties to 1 1/2 cups.)

Follow directions on box.

I served crystal light in fancy goblets.



There you have it. It's the same, but different.

Best Bread Sticks

I found this bread stick recipe a couple of months ago on another blog. I have tried to find what blog I got it from and I just can't seem to find the right one. However, I found numerous blogs with the same recipe. I thought it might be fun to include a couple of links:

Farm Chick Kitchen (I recognized Lisa in the follower list. She is also a follower here on Bloggin' it. What fun.)

Real Mom Kitchen

Both of these gals had the same recipe. As for me. I have made a few changes. I don't want to just repeat what other blogs do. So here goes.

Pizza Hut Style Bread Sticks

1 1/2 cup hot water

2T sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup non fat dry milk (I omit dry milk and use skim milk in place of water.)

1 T yeast (I use SAF)

3 Cups flour

1/3 cup melted butter

Topping:

2 T dry Parmesan cheese

1 T garlic powder

1-2 tsp salt

1 T oregano

And/Or

Sugar and Cinnamon blend

Dissolve sugar, salt and dry milk in hot water or in hot milk. I dissolve it in 1 cup hot milk and then add 1/2 cold milk to cool the mixture. Add enough flour (1 cup) to make a thin mixture. When the it has cooled till warm add the yeast and stir well. Add the rest of the flour. You may need to add a bit more until the dough is no longer sticky, but not stiff. Knead until smooth.

Press dough into rectangle on a greased baking sheet. ( I use butter flavored crisco for extra butter flavor and cut down on the amount of melted butter or you can just use half of your melted butter to coat the bottom of the pan.)

Cut with pizza cutter. Don't worry about cutting though the edges all the way. (I use a baking stone that is smaller than a cookie sheet.)

Let rise 10-15 minutes.

Sprinkle with topping. Okay, so this is my creative part of the recipe. Non of the others use Cinnamon and Sugar. Plus, I do some of both in one batch.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with warm marinara and frosting. I use the basic water and powdered sugar frosting.

This recipe is so quick and easy. I love to serve it with homemade freezer soup.

Good Chance

Have you ever found a blog give-a-way that you wished you could win, but new you didn't have a chance because they already have 100 or more followers? Well, my friend has a fairly new blog and is going to have a great give-a-way. The best part is she has 15 followers right now and she will be drawing from her followers and I think you get extra credit for commenting. So head on over to MiMi Lee and become a follower and when you win one of her beautiful crafts come back here and tell me how much you love it. :)

Microwave cake

I Love Betty Crocker Warm Delights!!! They are delicious and convenient, but sadly, a bit pricey. I have tried microwave mug cakes. Gross! When I heard my MIL discussing how one of my cutie nieces made microwave cakes using a cake mix I knew I needed to give it a try.

You will need: (for a 2 serving cake, that I of course will eat all by myself, use the following recipe. Cut recipe in half for single serve.)

1/2 cup cake mix

3 tablespoons water

1-2 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

Stir cake mix and chocolate chips with water until completely moistened.

Microwave for 65 seconds. If cake still appears wet, microwave for an additional 5 secs at a time until all wet spots are gone.

It definitely needs the chocolate chips or frosting. I am working on a recipe for the fudgy filling.

You can use any cake mix. Be sure to try them all and get crazy creative with your add ins. I am thinking Carmel bits will be handy. You may have to try it over and over agian. Just remember cake eaten in the name of science does not hurt you. It's for the greater good.

So Smart

My four year old daughter is going to Pre-school in about 2 weeks. I wanted to give her wild locks a nice trim at a salon. I usually cut it myself, so this was a bit of a splurge. So we get there and she wont let go of me. She regressed into a baby, she wouldn't talk or cooperate at all. After about 15 minutes of bribing, threatening and almost giving up, we decide she can sit on my lap. It wasn't working well because she had gone limp and was pretending to sleep. I thought all was lost until this cute little hair dresser handed my Wild Child a mirror. She squirted a pile of moose onto it and showed her how to draw pictures with it. Wow!!! What a turn around. She sat by herself and drew pictures until 10 minutes later her hair was cut and we were ready to go. If you are taking a small child for a back to school haircut, be sure to mention this ingenious idea to your stylist.

Eatin' Asphalt

We like Winger's Asphalt pie. We just don't like paying for it or taking the wild monkeys in and having people stare at our totally awesome kids just because they are excited to be there.

Here is my version. You will need:

Oreos

Mint ice cream ( I suggest using a different brand than I did.)

Oreo pie crust

Chocolate sauce

Carmel sauce

Cream ( Use the kind in a can. It looks better.)

Microwave ice cream for 30 Seconds. Spoon ice cream into shell pressing firmly. Freeze for at least 2 hours.
Slice and top with cream, sauces and crushed Oreos.

Eat like a love starved Momma.

Homemade Bookmark

This is a fun east activity for kids. Your child may want to make a whole bunch of bookmarks to give-a-way to friends for school or even simply gifts to Aunts and Uncles.

You will need:

Paper

Clear Contact Paper

Scissors

Markers, paints, stickers or whatever you can find

You can cut the paper into strips or have your child color the entire paper first then cut into strips. You can also use existing art work.
Color.

Cut 2 pieces of contact paper for the front and back of you bookmark.

Adhere to paper. Smooth out bubbles.

Trim edges. There you have it. A homemade book mark.

You might even want to read books with your child before or after your craft or even take a field trip to the Library.