Sunday, May 29, 2011

Recipe: Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

While searching MrsGreenes Tutorials I came across this recipe she had posted.
Well it turns out to be pretty good and not too hard to make.
So check out her full recipe HERE

Friday, May 27, 2011

Paper Lanterns how To Make


Art Project: Paper Box Lanterns
Post by annie
February 19, 2011
http://mightynest.com/blog/art-project-paper-box-lanterns
Wondering how you could re-use your seasonal holiday lights? I've noticed that even towards the end of February, many people in my neighborhood still have their decorative lights displayed. It certainly helps with the dark winter months so they don't really bother me. A spring-like solution: turn them into a magical string of lanterns, and you'll be sure to spruce up any porch, office or even a basement! This project is easiest to do with origami paper but use any paper you'd like, just make sure to pre-cut into perfect squares or the process will feel very frustrating. Here's a step-by-step instructon for making paper boxes:

How to Make a Simple Paper Lantern
1 Fold a piece of paper lengthwise and make a sharp crease. Use scissors to cut along the folded edge, starting and stopping about an inch away from the edges. Make as many cuts as you like, but be sure to make them evenly.
2 Unfold the paper. If you wish to add designs to the lantern, do so now. Consider gluing strips of ribbon down each cut-out, or paint a picture on the paper to add a different look.
3 Roll the lantern together, gluing the 1-inch edges together. Hold them in place with two paper clips until the project dries. Measure a length of a ribbon or fishing line and glue it to the top of the lantern so it can be hung.
4 Measure the diameter of your lantern and cut out a matching piece of thin cardboard. Be sure to include small tabs that you can glue to the lantern. Allow the project to dry again.
5 Place a small tap light with batteries on the cardboard base and turn it on. If you would prefer to use a candle for lighting, visit Candle Help's Web site for instructions on a different lantern. Consider making a few more lanterns to hang around your home, adding a little international flavor to your decor.

By Ned Gorski
Can mere mortals make sky lanterns?

How to
http://blog.skylighter.com/fireworks/2008/11/how-to-make-chinese-sky-lanterns.html

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Fathers DAy Crafts

Great gifts and Sites for DAd and fathers
http://www.holidays.net/father/index.htm

Lots to choose from on this site
http://www.fathersdaycraftbox.com//

Tons of really cute crafts. I love the BBQ bottle

Poem
What makes a Dad
God took the strength of a mountain, The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun, The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature, The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages, The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring, The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity, The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities, When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad

http://www.angiesrealm.com/fathers-day/crafts/

Father's Day Crafts

Easy homemade crafts and projects for making father's day extra special, homemade crafts are a very personal way of showing how much your dad means to you on fathers day.

Father's Day Gift-Wrap for your Crafts

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups boiling water

Mix the flour and cold water together in a small cup. Add the boiling water and heat on low until mixture starts to boil, stirring constantly. Set mixture aside to cool completely.
Divide into portions and add different colors of food coloring.
Create designs on paper using fingers, fists, old combs, toothbrushes, etc.
Use to wrap up gifts for dad on Father's Day.

Craft
Fishing bucket Craft
Materials
Scribbles Dimensional Fabric Paint
SC121 Bright Red
Collage Pauge Instant Decoupage
Cardstock, brown and cream
Aleene's Original Tacky Glue
Bucket
Photos
Scissors
Marker
Yarn, green
Brush
Tissue paper, green, royal, turquoise, light blue
Steps:
1.Tear strips of tissue.
2.Working in sections, use brush to apply Collage Pauge to surface of bucket, immediately press on tissue.
3.Carefully brush another coat of Collage Pauge over top of tissue. Cover remainder of bucket. Keeping lighter colors towards the top. Overlap the colors to create interest. Then, let it dry.
4.Wrap yarn in a wavy pattern around the bucket and then glue it down.
5.Cut out photos of your kids and pictures of fish from magazines, internet or computer print outs. Arrange kids to determine size of boat. Sketch boat and cut out.
6.Draw planks onto boat with marker.
7.Position and glue kids to backside of boat.
8.On front side of the boat, write "We love you, Dad" or some similar message with Scribbles Fabric paint. Let this dry as well.
9.On cream colored cardstock write "Fish All Day" or your own message and let dry. Cut out around letters.
10.Glue boat with kids to center of bucket and glue "Fish All Day" towards the top of the bucket. Let glue dry.
11.Glue additional fish around the sides of the bucket. Let dry.
12.Present as a loving gift!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Crackle Fried Marbles

I see the crackle fried marble is back in fashion again.
Mother and I would make these by the cake pan full and turn out jewelry and crafts for months.
Dangle earrings, necklaces, car dangles, key chains ,we glued them on clear glass and filled the fish bowl with them.
Here is a few methods for the fried,crackle glass.
We only used the oven method 45 years ago.Lost about 3 out of every 30 that flat shattered into tiny pieces.So don't worry when they don't all come out perfect.



How to Make Fried Marble Jewelry

Frying marbles is a very simple process and makes some really pretty jewelry.
Difficulty:EasyInstructions
things you'll need:

Bag of solid color, transparent marbles.
Frying pan
Wooden spoon
Large Pot
Cold Water
Ice
1 Place the marbles in the frying pan. I used a non-stick pan, but I don't think it matters as there's nothing sticky that will ruin your pan. Turn the heat to medium high.

2 Fry the marbles, stirring a lot. I wouldn't say "stir constantly," but you want to keep them moving so that they don't heat up too much in one spot. Fry them for 15-20 minutes.

3 While the marbles are frying, or you before you start, fill up a large pot with cold water and lots of ice.

4 When finished frying the marbles, immediately pour them into the ice water. The marbles will shatter on the inside while retaining their round shape on the outside. It resembles shimmering glass.

5 The first picture above shows a finished necklace I made by creating a cage with sterling silver wire and attaching to a sterling silver chain. You can easily change the marble to a different colored marble by pushing open the back of the cage, popping out one marble, and replacing it with another. Wire wrapping is a technique that takes some practice and more instructions. I'll try to post a tutorial for that soon. But, there's an easier way to make a necklace and this is my best seller.

6 Blue, White (Clear), and Green Fried Marbles

Buy some pre-assembled wire bead cages. There are many online sources and can also be found at any craft or beading store. Thread a chain, ribbon, or cord through the bead cage. Then, insert your fried marble by pushing open the middle of the cage and popping the marble into the cage. The bead cage will spring right back to it's original shape. Wear and enjoy!

Oven Method

Make inexpensive   by baking and internally cracking ordinary marbles. Make up a few as gifts or for your next hot seller at a craft fair.
Difficulty: Easy
Things You'll Need:

Pie Pan
1 Bag Of Marbles
Bowl Of Ice Water
Oven
Jewelry Bell Caps
E6000 Glue
Jewelry Jump Rings
Necklace
2 Pairs Of Needle Nose Pliers

1.) When you purchase your marbles, purchase can any regular, one color or cat eye marbles. If you use a two tone color marble the marbles will not get a crackling appearance, instead they will just crack in half.

2.) In a medium size, metal bowl place 3 cups water and five ice cubes. For each batch of marbles that you fry be sure to replace the ice cubes. The marbles need to go from a fire, hot oven right into freezing, cold water in order to create the crackling affect.

3.) Place marbles in a metal pie pan and place them in a 500 degree oven for 20 minutes to heat them thoroughly. There might be a few that will crack in half while you are heating them up. This is O.K. and perfectly normal.

4.) Remove the marbles from the oven after 20 minutes. Pour them directly from the pie pan into the ice cold water. Let them cool for about a minute. When you remove the marbles from the water you may find some have broken, if they do just throw them out. It's the marbles that are in intact but have a crackling effect inside and out that you are going to use for the next step.

5.) Dry each marble completely. Place E6000 glue on the bottom or underside of each bell cap and place it on the top of each marble one at a time. The glue does dry to the touch fairly quick but you can not wear the necklace for 24 hours until the glue has completely setup.

6.) When the bell cap is dry, usually within 24 hours add the jump ring to the bell cap. To attach the jump ring to the bell cap you will need two sets of pliers. Hold one set of pliers in each hand. Place the jump ring in your left hand pliers, holding the rings left side with the split side up. Take your pliers in your right hand and gently grasp the right hand side of the jump ring and push backwards to open it. Slip the bell cap hole in the split ring. Place the necklace inside of the opened split ring to. Be careful that the necklace does not go into the bell cap hole, just the split ring should be in the bell cap. Then use both sets of pliers, one on the right hand side of split and one on left hand of split to gently rock the ring back and forth, moving it closer to closing the split ring gap.







Thursday, May 5, 2011

The Dye Garden

Some easy to grow plants for dye.


• Yarrow (Achillea hybrids). The plant tops produce mostly yellow, tan and gold colors. It is a tough and hardy perennial in the garden and flowers from early summer to late fall.


• Marigolds (Tagetes spp. and hybrids). The flowers and leaves will produce a variety of colors, depending on the mordant, from bright yellow and gold to dark brown.

Yellow cosmos (Cosmos surphureus). This annual flower blooms in yellow, orange, even red, including cultivars such as ‘Bright Lights’, ‘Diablo’ and ‘Sunny Red’. The flowers in a dye bath produce golden colors, oranges and rusty browns.

• Sunflower (Helianthus annuus). This common, cheerful flower is an annual that can tower to 4 or 6 feet by season’s end. It yields a array of soft green colors in the dye bath.

• Hibiscus (Hibiscus hybrids), also called rose mallow. Look for red-blooming varieties of this perennial shrub, and in the garden, give it about 2 feet of space on all sides. Harvest the flowers as they bloom, as they won’t last more than a day or so. The petals can yield many colors, from purple and green to gray, even black.

• Indigo (Indigofera suffruticosa, I. tinctoria). This perennial shrub thrives in warm climates, and elsewhere is an annual. The fresh leaves contain the classic blue pigment.

Purple basil (Ocimum basilicum purple-leaved varieties such as ‘Dark Opal’, ‘Red Rubin’ and ‘Purple Ruffles’). Annual in most climates, purple basil can reach about 2 feet. Use fresh tops in a dye bath for a variety of greens and browns.

Marjoram (Origanum majorana). Generally an annual, this oregano relative yields yellows, oranges, browns and grays, depending on the mordant used. It stays under 12 inches and is easy to grow.

Weld (Reseda luteola). This biennial or annual is a traditional European dye herb, with flower stalks that can reach 3 feet or more. The leaves and flower stalks produce strong yellows and pale greens.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.). This easy, popular perennial plant blooms summer to fall. The leaves and flowers produce golds, browns, oranges and dark greens.

• Goldenrod (Solidago spp.). This native perennial can reach 4 or 5 feet by season’s end, so give it some space. Plant stalks produce yellow and orange to tan, brown and rust colors.

• Zinnias (Zinnia elegans and other species). This easy annual bedding plant is available in both transplants and seeds. Harvest the flowers regularly to keep it blooming all summer. The flowers yield pale yellow colors.
Colors blended from Plants

BLACKS
Alder Bark
Ash Bark
Walnut Hulls
Bugleweed

BLUES
Indigo
Larkspur
Bayberry Berries
Blueberry Fruit

BROWNS
Apple Bark
Laurel Leaves
Maple
Tea Root

PURPLES
Cedar Root
Dandelion Root
Vine Plant Berries
Elderberry Fruit

REDS
Bedstraw
Cochineal
Pokeberry
Dogwood Root

YELLOWS
Broom Plant
Catnip Stalk
Onion Skins
Tomato Vine

GOLDS
Aster Plant
Cocklebur Plant
Dahlia Flower
Madder Root

GREENS
Ash - White
Cane Leaves
Solomon's Seal
Mistletoe Leaves
 
 http://www.herbcompanion.com/gardening-plans/garden-spaces-grow-these-herbs-to-make-natural-dyes.aspx#ixzz1LUFwmGC0

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Apple Crostata with Caramel Sauce


PREP TIME
20 Min
TOTAL TIME
1 Hr 25 Min
SERVINGS - 8
 
INGREDIENTSCrust
1 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup firm butter or margarine, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons cold water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla


Filling and Topping
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
4 cups chopped peeled apples (4 medium)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup caramel topping


 In medium bowl, mix 1 1/4 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar and the salt. Cut in butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. In small bowl, mix water and vanilla; sprinkle over flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and dough almost cleans side of bowl (up to 1 tablespoon more water can be added if necessary).
2 Gather dough into a ball; shape into flattened 5-inch round on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 30 minutes or until firm.
3 Heat oven to 400°F. With floured rolling pin, roll pastry into 12-inch round. Place on ungreased large cookie sheet.
4 In large bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons flour. Stir in apples until coated. Mound apple mixture on center of dough round to within 2 inches of edge. Fold edge of dough over apple mixture; crimp edge of dough slightly. In small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle over apples and dough.


5 Bake 27 to 32 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cut into wedges. Serve warm drizzled with caramel topping.
A bettycrockerRepice

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Frisbee Bird Feeder

Bird feeder made from mainly recycled materials.
Approximate Time: 30 min - 1 hour



Supplies:
•2 bolts, washers, and nuts
1 empty grated cheese container
strong glue - like Goop
screw driver
2 Frisbees
drill
long needle nose tool
wire and "s" hook
Instructions:


I have two Chihuahuas and the last thing they would ever do is play with a Frisbee, so when we received two free ones I knew I had to come up with something. Here's what I did:

1.Drill holes in the center of the Frisbees top and bottom, also top and bottom of the container, the same size as the bolts you will be putting through.

2.Drill the bottom Frisbee with several holes for water drainage. Drill two small holes (across from each other) near the bottom of the container about 1/2 inch from the bottom. These holes should be about 1/3 inch wide.


3.Match up the container top to the underside of the top Frisbee and glue.

4.Put bolt through top and bottom set of holes, add washer and then the bolt, tighten. For top section have a loop of wire ready to wrap around the bolt before tightening. For the bottom use the needle nose to brace the bolt from inside the container while using the screw driver on the outside of the Frisbee.

5.Now it's ready to fill, turn the top Frisbee and the container cap should screw right off with it. Some bird seed may come out of the bottom feeding holes, but if the drainage holes are small the seed will stay in the Frisbee. Add your "s" hook and it's ready to hang.


Hope I have explained this well enough, if not let me know. I just set it out this morning so I haven't seen any birds yet, but once I do I am going to try to get some photos.

By NoRulesArt from Sunny FL