Make Your Own Succulent Wreath

I've always wanted to make one of these succulent wreaths.  I've seen them in catalogs, and always thought I could make a nicer one myself.  Last year, I went on a hunt to a floral supply warehouse to look for the circular frame- I had in mind a wire type wreath form.  I had no luck.  I have been turning the idea over in my mind trying to come up with the right container. 

I was thinking about it last week when my friend, Jen's birthday came around.  A group of us always celebrate each other's birthdays with a handmade gift.  I thought about a bundt pan as a container.  I called Marzipan to see if she wanted to go to the local thrift store to see if we could find something vintage.  We both thought a bundt pan's sides would be too high, she suggested a jello mold. 

With high hopes, we set off looking for something very specific -- and wouldn't you know it-- they had the PERFECT vintage jello mold for me to plant some sweet succulents in.

I lined the bottom of the pan with small stones, then added the plants..I thought I'd need extra sandy soil, but the dirt from the original pots was sufficient to plant all the succulents in the perfect pan.  I was even able to droop some of the vining plants over the pan's edge for a more established look. 

My friend, and birthday girl,  Jenifer Juniper uses this pretty planter as a centerpiece to her patio table.  The umbrella slides right through the center of the pan!

What are Ramps?

I was at an event recently where they served Ramps.  They included them is a salad, and it was kept a secret who brought them.  Apparently, Ramps are rare, and if you know where to find them, or where a bed of Ramps is located in a woodland, you don't share this information. 

I had no idea there was a "secret society" of Ramp lovers.  In fact, I had never even heard of a Ramp until that night.

I've done some research, and thanks to Diana Rattray of Southern Food, here is an explaination:

The ramp, sometimes called wild leek, is a wild onion native to North America. Though the bulb resembles that of a scallion, the beautiful flat, broad leaves set it apart. According to John Mariani, author of "The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink," the word ramp comes from "rams," or "ramson," an Elizabethan dialect rendering of the wild garlic. Ramps grow from South Carolina to Canada, and in many areas they're considered a spring delicacy and even a reason for celebration. West Virginia is well-known for their many festivals and events in celebration of the ramp. The flavor and odor of ramps is usually compared to a combination of onions and garlic, and the garlic odor is particularly strong. Strong enough, in fact, that even ramp-lovers will advise caution. If you sit down to a big meal of ramps, don't be surprised if people continue to keep their distance after a few days have passed!
Cautions aside, ramps add wonderful and uniquely pungent flavor to soups, egg dishes, casseroles, rice dishes and potato dishes. Use them raw or cooked in any recipe calling for scallions or leeks, or cook them in a more traditional way, scrambled with eggs or fried with potatoes. Since ramps aren't cultivated in the way leeks are, they're much easier to clean. Just cut off roots, rinse thoroughly, and scrub off any excess dirt on the bulbs.
Ramps aren't available for long, but you can chop and freeze them for cooked dishes. The green tops are milder in flavor and are usually used along with the bulbs. I chop about half of the green leaves separately, air-dry them for a few hours then freeze them in an air-tight container for future use as a seasoning.

I went for a walk the other day, and with a keen eye, I noticed some ramps scattered here and there...maybe just enough to try some Ramp and potato soup!!

My New Favorite Movie App

My kids and their endless imaginations never cease to amaze me. Here's my NEW favorite App for my iphone.  It's called "Silent Film Director". 
I love the grainy old time film, and the music just makes anything they do seem funny!

Gnome, Anyone?

My amazing cousisn made these Gnomes for a party recently.  What says spring better than a sweet, jovial, sometimes mischievous Gnome?

 Her daughter made the background "villiage" using heavy paper and crayons. Very fun.

So, here's how to make your own Gnomes at home:

You'll need:

Sugar cones, icing, twizzlers in various colors, jelly belly jelly beans, mini chocolate chips and 2 sizes of cupcakes (mini and regular), white chocolate discs for melting, colored sugar.

For the hats: cover the sugar cone in white chocolate and roll in colored sugar.

The body:  a mini cupcake set upside-down on top of the regular cupcake.

The arms: twizzlers the the end clipped enough to jam a jelly belly "hand".

The face: 2 mini chocolate chips for eyes and a jelly belly for the nose.

Lots of icing piped all over for the beard and hair.

I especially liked the tiny mushrooms sprinkled on the tray ( made from gum drops and tiny cake/cookie decorative balls).  The green "grass" is colored shreaded coconut.

They tasted good too!

Make A St. Patrick's Day Card

My Mom really loves 4 leaf clovers.  She used to "sell" them to a neighbor lady when she was little. She'd earn a penny for any genuine 4 leaf clover that was given to the neighbor, and the neighbor stuffed her bible with 4 leaf clovers.

My mom had 4 kids, and I have 4 kids.  My mom told me once that each leaf of a lucky 4 leaf represented one of her kids.  I thought it would be cute to have each of my kids hold a green heart shape and have them form a 4 leaf clover with them. 

If you want to make one:
cut heart shapes out of green construction paper
hold them together to form a clover shape
take a photo
upload to a site like Picnik and edit
You don't have to have 4 kids: have one kid hold 2, or include yourself or the dog
it's fun and easy!

I plan to make these into cards or postcards to mail our family.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

"Be True" Upcycled T-Shirt Scarf

 I made this easy scarf recently using an old t-shirt, some bleach, a sharpie and embrodery thread.

I have a friend who was a little blue.  She's been going through some difficult times lately, and we were just talking about how she is trying to live by the mantra: "To Thine Own Self Be True". 
We all know how easily we put ourselves last on the list for any attention, pampering, lunch.... (fill in the blank).

So, I made her this little lightweight t-Shirt scarf from a soft old shirt I came across.
 
Cut a long rectangle. (you can use a scarf you currently have as a guide) make it long or short depending on how you like it.

Cut strips of the fabric (6) to sew along the ends. 

Take a q-tip dipped in bleach and gently apply the bleach to the edges of the strips.  (The bleaching process takes awhile-don't get discouraged if the color seems a bit off at first).

Then take embroidery thread and stitch each strip to the ends of the scarf. I like the stitches chunky and uneven...handmade.

Lastly, add a personal message with sharpie along one of the stripes.  If you kind of "dab" on the sharpie, it gives a weathered charcoal type of look.

 Wrap yourself in the reminder to follow your dreams, and be true to yourself!

Easy Valentine Box

All of us parents are scrabling to come up with a Valentine Box this weekend. 
My child just did a diorama (?) depicting bears in their natural habitat with my very last shoe box. 

Now what?  I'm not buying a pair of shoes just for the box.  That is just plain silly. 

So what am I to do?  Naturally, I look in the trash and recycling bins. 
What I DO have are these great plastic grape boxes from Costco.

 Take some strips of tissue paper and apply elmers glue with a brush to the interior of the box.  The tissue paper will go on easily, just brush it flat.  Don't worry about using too much glue, the white will fade as the glue dries.

 Then the fun part: use little squares of tissue wrapped over the end of a pencil, dip them  in hot glue and then apply the frilly design to the outside of the box.  The hot glue is super child resistant, and the glue sticks instantly.  Please don't let the kids use hot glue-this is the parent part. (They can stick the poofs-you work the gun). 

Ah, the traslucence of the tissue paper and the frill of the poof makes the perfect valentine box.

Have a sweet day!

Fun Valentine Tutorial

I think Valentines Day is such a *sweet* day. 
I love coming up with crafty valentines and working on the kid's valentine boxes with them. 

My kids read their valentines over and over...they keep their cards year after year...even if they are just Star Wars store bought and the kids name was signed by their mom.

Here's what my kids are giving out this year:

You still have this weekend to make some super fun valentines with your kids:

Take your child's photo with their hand exended as if they are handing you something.

Edit your photo at a fun site like snapfish that allows you to add a border and text.

Then punch holes in your picture right at the edges of your child's fist. (the key to this is a long reach hole punch) 

Slip a lollipop through the holes, and have a fantastic, funny Valentines day!

Fantastic Fall Pumpkins With a Chalky Twist

These pumpkins are so much fun for the whole family! 

Start with a faux pumpkin from the craft store.  Tape off the stem if you like the color, then apply chalkboard spray paint in fine layers.  You may need to apply 3 or 4 fine layers of paint in order to avoid runs and drips.

Once you've painted your pumpkin, paint on leaves and curly vines with acrylic paint.

Then write "Happy Fall", or "Happy Halloween", or "Welcome", or how about: "Happy Birthday"!

Dessert Cups

I had a big family gathering a few weeks ago.  My (youngest) brother brought his girlfriend to meet the family.  It was sort of a big deal, but I didn't want it to be TOO much of a big deal.  I knew she was nervous to meet us all ( I served dinner for 28).

 I thought a fun dinner to lighten the mood would be better than a sit-down formal meal.  I decided on a Make-Your-Own Taco night.  It worked out really well.  I had big bowls full of condiments and sides, I made fresh corn, and used tomatoes from my Mom's garden.  We had planned several games to keep everyone engaged and talking. 

For dessert, I thought we may as well expand on the Make-Your-Own theme, and have a sundae bar.  We had hot fudge, caramel, sprinkles, candy, whipped cream, cherries, and all sorts of toppings.  I made these fun dessert cups to scoop the ice cream into. 

I took regular flour tortillias and used a cookie cutter to make smaller circles.  I slightly buttered both sides of the circle and then sprinkled on sugar and cinnamon. 

Then I pushed the circles into a muffin pan and baked them at 350 for 8 minutes.  They were perfectly crispy and just the perfect compliment to all of the dessert toppings.  The kids thought they were amazing.

An Observation at Mammoth Cave

Over the summer, we visited Mammoth Cave, in Kentucky.  

Mammoth Cave, as it's name suggests is giant.  It is with world's largest cave system by far, and they are still discovering other branches and making new maps to record recent discoveries. 

An interesting thing about the place is that it has been open for tours since the 1840's.  Hard to imagine.  Wealthy North Easterners  traveled  by stage coach for months to visit the place.  There was a small retreat type hotel, but the draw was the cave.  

The property above ground at the time was owned privately, and the property owners would have their slaves give tours.  Some of the slaves became known for their excellent tours and knowledge of the cave and it's many underground passageways.Some of these slaves earned enough money in tips to buy their freedom.

 Throughout the older part of the cave, there is "graffiti" left by these early explorers.  The slaves hoped to earn tips by allowing their guests to write on the walls and ceilings of the cave with candle smoke ( I think candles were made with fat at the time, so they were a bit smokier than ours today).

 What struck me most was the immaculate penmanship.  Beautifully formed letters in different fonts even!  The   skill of handwriting is truly lost.  I can tell you that my kids (all of them) can type better and faster than they can write.  This saddens me somehow.  It makes the writing from the 1800's look like art.

Here's the crew outside, peeling off their jackets.  It was 90 degrees that day, and it's always 60 something in the cave.

The Best Fresh Salsa

I know your gardens are all busting with fresh tomatoes and herbs.  Here's something fresh to do with your garden surplus.

Here's what you'll need:
4 limes, 2 tomatoes, and onion, a pepper, a dash of salt, cilantro (not pictured) and the "special sauce" Lizano salsa.

While we were away this summer in Costa Rica, Renzo, a chef, showed us how to make this excellent salsa.

My kids loved Renzo.  That's a story for another day.

Here's what you'll need to do:

Chop all of the ingedients finely, add about 2 tablespoons of Lizano Sauce (found in the Mexican food section of the grocery) and stir. Serve with thick tortilla chips.  The result is an excellent salsa that you and your family will crave!