Friday

Christmas Candy Bouquet

I made three candy bouquets to give to my daughter's teacher, librarian, and principal. They turned out nice.

Christmas Dessert Bar

I hosted Christmas eve dinner at my house. Here are a few pics of the dessert bar.

DIY Headboard

I wanted to make a headboard however I didn't want to spend more than $30. I also wanted to use a damask print because I'm absolutely in love with damask anything. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought 2 foam boards at $5.99 each. I also bought 3 yards of damask fabric, which was on sale for 30% off. I used duct tape to tape the two boards together. Then I wrapped it in fabric and used fabric glue to attach the fabric to the back of the foam board. I used two small nails and nailed the headboard to the wall. So cute and super cheap!

Candy Corn Krispie Treats

I have been on this candy corn kick for a couple weeks.  (See the Fall Themed Hershey Kisses Pretzel Treats and the Candy Bowl Holders that I filled with candy corn.)
 
I decided to make Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats on sticks for my daughter's class.
 
 
 
What you will need:
 
6 tablespoons margarine
6 full cups mini marshmallows
7 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
food coloring
butter
white chocolate for dipping, optional
cookie sticks, optional
 

 
Above are the cookie sticks I used.  These are optional.  I just wanted to add sticks so that the kids didnt have to actually touch the treats so there would be no sticky fingers that the teacher had to worry about.
 
Below is the type of white chocolate I used.  The chocolate is optional as well.  I only used about 1/3 of the package.  I always have this type of chocolate in the cabinet.  It is easy to melt in the microwave and it is cheaper than candy melts.

 
How to make it:
 
Grease one large and one small piece of waxed paper. Line a large bread pan with the large piece, greased side up; set aside.
 


 
Measure 2 1/2 cups crispy cereal and place in a large bowl; set aside.  In a small sauce pan combine 2 tablespoons margarine and 2 full cups of mini marshmallows just until melted. Stir in cereal from the large bowl until combined. Press into the bottom of the bread pan; set aside. Wash the small sauce pan.
 
 
 
 
Measure 2 1/2 cups cereal and place in a large bowl; set aside. In the small saucepan combine 2 tablespoons margarine, 2 drops red food coloring and 3 drops yellow, and 2 full cups of mini marshmallows just until melted. Stir in cereal from the large bowl until combined. Press into the bread pan on top of the white layer; set aside. Wash the small sauce pan.
 

In the small saucepan combine 2 tablespoons margarine, 5 drops yellow food coloring and 2 full cups of mini marshmallows just until melted. Stir in the remaining cereal until combined. Press into the bread pan on top of the orange layer. The mixture will not all fit in the bread pan.
 
 
Place the small piece of wax paper on top of the krispie treat, greased side down. Flip the entire treat upside down to help form the top layer and place back into the pan to allow it to set for 1-2 hours or overnight.



Un-wrap the krispie treat. On a cutting board slice the treat into three sections as shown in the picture. (I realized after I cut it that the pieces were a bit too thick for second graders, which is the age of the kids who would be eating them.  I would recommend cutting it into 4 pieces rather than 3.)

 
Take each of the three segments and slice into triangles.   

 
Insert the cookie stick into the bottom of the triangles.
 
 
Dip the top portion of the treat into white chocolate or use a spoon to spread the white chocolate on.  I just dipped them but perhaps you prefer to use a spoon to spread it on.


In order for my daughter to transport them to school I lined the bottom of a cake carrier with wax paper and layered the treats as seen below.  Then I topped it with wax paper and added another layer.  I ended up with three layers in the carrier.

 

ENJOY!!
 
 

Monday

Spray Painted Faux Stones on Concrete Patio

I decided to spruce up my concrete patio by spray painting a stone design on it.  It was very easy and it only took about 2 hours, not including the time it took to dry.

 
This is the BEFORE picture.
 
 
And AFTER
(The decorations on my patio can be seen here and here).
 
 
I used a push broom to clean the patio with the waterhose and bleach.
 
 
I used a stepping stone mold as a template and flipped it upside down.  I then spray painted each section.  (I used Rust-Oleum Hammered spray paint)  I had 6 different colors of spray paint.  Sometimes I mixed the spray paint colors to make the stones look real.  After the spray paint dried I applied concrete sealer.
 
 
 
Below is a close up picture of the "stones".
 
 
It only took 2 hours and about $60 to do this project.  And I plan on using the concrete stepping stone mold for another project.
 
 
 




Friday

Measuring Cup Holders and Conversion Chart on Cabinet Door

Love this new feature in my kitchen.  I remodeled my kitchen earlier this year (click here to see that post) and this new measurement conversion chart and holder for my measuring cups works great.



The two cabinets on both sides of the microwave are where I put the measuring cups.

 
The cabinets are only 12 inches apiece so I had to put the smaller cups and chart on one cabinet and the other cups on the other cabinet.

 
After looking at three different stores for a measuring cup set that had each size I wanted, I finally found a set on Amazon that worked.


I used 3M Command hooks to hang them so that I didn't have to use screws or nails on my new cabinets.

Oh the places you will go Keepsake Book and Tag

I have seen this pin on Pinterest a thousand times and decided I had to make it.  So simple.

Have each of your child's teachers sign the book and give it to them on graduation day.


 
The pic above it the tag that I include with the book so the teacher knows what to do with it.

The Smart Momma App

My absolute best friend created an iPhone app for this blog.  Check out her design.  She does great work so make sure you look at her other stuff and comment on her page.  If you ever need any graphics for anything she is the person to hire!!

Click Here to Check It Out

 
 

Decorated Pumpkins

I decided not to carve pumpkins this year but still wanted pretty pumpkins that would last a bit longer on my patio.  These are the three I decorated.
 
I got the two black velvet stickers from Hobby Lobby for $1.99 each


 
The pumpkin above was first painted black.  Then I used a paint brush to put elmers glue around the stem and covered the glue with glitter.  I also used elmers glue to draw a spiders web and covered that in glitter as well.  After it dried I added ribbon.

 
The pumpkin above was painted white first.  Then I used 3D paint to make dots near the stem.  After that I put on a black velvet sticker that says "Happy Halloween" and ribbon.


The pumpkin above was decorated to look like a piece of candy corn.  I just pained the top 1/3 white and the bottom 1/3 yellow.  Then I added a black velvet sticker and ribbon.