Big Leaf Printing

A perfect project for all ages -- very young to very old! These examples were created by 3 year olds!
I used the lid of my cake pan to hold the paint (acrylics in a variety of colors).  The children were free to add colors as they liked . . . . just a bit, spread around works very well.

Then the children pressed the leaf into the ink . . . . I used a big leafed plant in my garden.

Then we transfered the leaf to the paper.  The children really need to press down all around the leaf . . . .making sure to press all the way to the corners.  It takes a minute or two for small hands to be able to do this.
Carefully lift the leaf off the paper.

The results of the mixed colors are striking.

And each one comes out so differently, despite using the same leaf over and over.

Source: http://kleas.typepad.com/kleas/2010/10/leaf-printing.html

Make a Starbucks Frappe

Sources: 
http://pinterest.com/pin/43427661/
http://www.squawkfox.com/2011/06/16/frappuccino-recipe/

I walked into the nearest Starbucks with my wallet in hand. It had been years since I’d ordered a Frapp, so I was fairly shocked by the variety of flavors available, but I was mostly appalled by the price — $3.45 (plus tax) for a tasty Tall! WTF? (Yeah, what the Frapp?)

Take a guess: One is real. The other is cheaper, but just as tasty.
  Now I’m not a complete cheapo (cough) and I do enjoy an indulgent treat every now and then, but shelling out nearly $4 for a chilled coffee beverage seemed a bit steep. What’s in a classic Starbucks Frappuccino anyways? Coffee, milk, ice, and sugar? For $4? How’s that for a brain freeze?
The Starbucks barista must have been used to caffeine-starved customers with mouths agape, ’cause she stood there patiently waiting for me to order. But the only words that dropped outta my gap formed this question: What ingredient keeps the Frapp from separating?
“Oh, that’s just a little xanthan gum — it’s a food thickener, and it keeps blended drinks mixed,” she said.
So I bit my frugal tongue, ordered a classic Tall Frappuccino for $3.86 (including tax), and went home to replicate this costly drug for dimes a drink.

Frapp Price Attack: You’re saving around 92%

Talk about a steep latte factor — a copycat classic coffee Starbucks Frappuccino (using my recipe) can save you 91.7% on a 12 oz (354 mL) Tall sized beverage. Can you really see the difference?
Here’s the caffeinated cost breakdown for each ingredient scaled to a Starbucks Tall.
Bottom Line: Make your own copycat Frappuccino at home and save $3.54 — that’s nearly 92% — on a Tall.
But here’s the thing — my tasty recipe yields around 2.5 cups of frappy goodness. Since I got a little cranked on caffeine for this experiment, I did the mathy math for the total cost of my recipe too.
Bottom Line: Share a little chilled coffee goodness with a friend (or pour yourself a second serving) for just $0.53 per recipe.
But what about my Mocha Soy Venti? I only did the math on a Tall classic Frappuccino. Calculating the cost of coffee grams per cup, sugar weight, milk measurements, and xanthan gum nearly killed me. Feel free to measure the cost of a homemade Mocha Frapp on your own dime — I’m almost certain you’ll save a lot of moolah!

Homemade Frappuccino Recipe

Make a copycat Starbucks Frappuccino for a fraction of the cost in three easy steps.
STEP ONE: Gather your ingredients.

Frappuccino ingredients: makes 2.5 cups (590 mL)

• 1 cup double-strength Starbucks coffee OR 3/4 cup fresh espresso (cold)
• 3/4 cup milk (low fat, 2%, whole or whatever)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (or to taste)
• 2 cups ice
• Secret ingredient: Pinch of xanthan gum OR 1 teaspoon dry pectin (keeps Frapp from separating)

Since I don’t own an espresso machine, I went to Costco and bought a bag of Starbucks Pike Place roast to best mimic the Frappuccino recipe. Brewed strongly, I think these beans did the trick.
STEP TWO: Toss your Frapptastic ingredients into a mixer and blend. Some of my friends swear by the Magic Bullet blender, but I’ve been happy with my simple Cuisinart for years.
Depending on the strength of your blender, it may take a few stirs to get the ice moving.
STEP THREE: Pour Frapp in a cup. Use an authentic Starbucks cup to fool your friends. Sneaky, I know.

Warning: Photographing a Frappuccino for hours may cause coffee separation. Grumble.
  Admire your handy work. Add toppings at the will of your waistline. Oh it’s summer so friggits — full whip with chocolate syrup, please!
Your Thoughts: What’s in your homemade Frappuccino coffee drink? Are the savings worth it?

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Apples

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Apples

• 2 slices of thick cut bacon, diced
• 1/2-3/4 cup diced apple (or turnip)
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 2 Tablespoons minced shallot
• 1 1/2 pounds large brussels sprouts, trimmed, leaves separated from cores (about 8 cups), cores discarded
• 3/4 cup shelled unsalted natural pistachios, hazel nuts or almonds
• A few generous squeezes of fresh lemon juice
• A few tablespoons of finely grated hard cheese – we used an aged goat gouda, but parmesan would work as well

Heat oil in large skillet over medium and toss in diced bacon. Cook until done and then transfer them to a paper towel. Add your diced apples or turnip to the pan that you cooked the bacon in and cook for about 2-4 minutes – until soft but not mushy. Heat butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and stir 20 seconds. Add Brussels sprout leaves and sauté until leaves begin to soften but are still bright green, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, drizzle with lemon juice and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and sprinkle with bacon and nuts.
Serves 6 as a side

NOTE: If you are going to double the recipe, I’d advise cooking the sprouts in a couple batches – if you crowd the pan too much they create too much steam and by the time you get them all cooked, you’ll probably wind up with some over cooked leaves.

Source: http://www.houseboateats.com/2009/11/sauteed-brussels-sprouts-with-bacon-and-apples.html

Tutorial ~ Diy Knot Flip Flops

Oh I am so excited about this project!  Any DIY that takes less than 30 minutes is worth getting excited about, no?  These flip flops are so easy, and so so comfortable.  The best part?  They only cost me $1.oo.  All you need is a pair of inexpensive flip flops, I bought mine at Old Navy for a buck, some scrap fabric and you’re set.  No sewing. . . . but you can glue if you really want to .

I saw a similar pair at Target.  Let’s get started!
 

Supplies:

• flip flops
• kitchen scissors or an exacto knife
• about a 1/4 yard of fabric off the bolt, or scrap fabric
• hot glue – not necessary, but if you have it, it couldn’t hurt

Fabric Cuts:
You will need four 4½ x 24 inch strips.  You may be able to get away with less, I just left a lot to work with.
Assembly:

First you will push the straps through the back a little and cut off the wide part holding it.  I used an X-Acto knife on these flops, but the ones I made today I just used kitchen shears.  They worked great.

Okay, now we have our flip flop bottoms, sans the straps.  I just left my fabric with a raw edge.  I like it like that – but by all means, break out the sewing machine if you like .

Cut all of your tips into a point like shown.

Now take two strips and pull two ends through the hole at the toe.

Tie a good and tight double knot.  The knot will fit in the little divet left from the original straps.

Cut the little tails off.

Now turn the flop over.  You are going to tie one knot about an inch from the shoe, this is where it will go in between your toes.  Hold both the straps together to tie it.

Tie a second knot right behind the first knot, good and tight.

Okay, we’re almost done.  Now pull the two straps through the side holes like shown.

Put the flip flop on and tighten the strap to where it is tight on the top of your foot, then tie a knot on each side.  Take the shoe off and make sure that the knots are tight, try the shoe on and make sure it fits, walk in it and make sure it is not too loose.  Remember, fabric stretches, so it’s better to be a little snug.

Cut off the ends and the little knot should fit in the divet.

You can skip this step, but I thought it might reinforce the knots a little.  I just put a little dab of hot glue in the hole and tightened.

You’re finished! 

They really are super comfy too, feels like you have nothing on. 

There is also the Key West flip flop re-do from last year using the same idea, super cute!

Frozen S’mores

Recipe Ingredients

1 box (17.6 oz) brownie mix
2 pints vanilla Swiss almond ice cream
2 pints light chocolate ice cream
10 round chocolate wafer cookies
2/3 cup mini-marshmallows

Recipe Preparation

1. Line a 13 x 9-in. baking pan with nonstick foil, leaving about 2 in. overhang on two sides. Prepare brownie mix as box directs. Spread into prepared pan and bake 18 to 20 minutes until set. Cool in pan 30 minutes, then refrigerate until cold.

2. Holding foil by ends, lift brownies from pan; cut 10 circles with a 2 1/2-in. cookie or biscuit cutter. Place on baking sheet and freeze.

3. Cut away carton from one pint of ice cream; cut crosswise into 5 slices. Using same cookie cutter, cut a circle from each slice. Place an ice cream circle on top of each brownie; return to freezer. Repeat with remaining pint of ice cream to form stacks; freeze.

4. Heat broiler. Place cookies on baking sheet. Top each with 1 Tbsp mini-marshmallows. Broil about 1 minute or until marshmallows brown; let cool.

5. To serve, put a marshmallow-topped cookie on top of each ice cream stack and serve immediately.

Tip: Can be made through Step 3 and kept in an airtight container in freezer for up to 1 week.

This tasty Frozen S’more treat is from Woman’s Day.

Tea Bag Wreath

My guests can easily see each kind of tea I have without having to sift through my massive, and sort of confusing, collection.  Then, when people leave, I just replenish the wreath.  It's both easy for me and great for all the tea drinkers that frequent our house.

To make a Tea Wreath, you'll need:
-two pieces of 12x12ish cardboard (I used the back covers to two scrapbook paper packs)
-patterned paper that compliments your kitchen decor.  I ended up using one whole piece and part of five pieces . . . .  if you minimized your palette, you could probably do the whole project with two pieces of paper

-clothes pins (I used 24)
-hot glue
-ribbon for hanging
-sour patch kids (apparently, because they made their way into all sorts of pictures along the way. . . . )

1. Hot glue your two pieces of cardboard together (this is to give your base a little bulk since it'll be holding a bunch of clothespins eventually). 
Cut the doubled up cardboard into a generally wreath-like shape (a circle, or if you're adventurous, a square).  Make sure the wreath's depth will accommodate a clothespin. 
I traced plates to make my circles (you can see that I didn't like my first choice of inner circle and found something smaller to trace instead).

2. Cover your circle with patterned paper.  I traced my 'wreath' onto the back side of the patterned paper and then cut outside of my lines by about half an inch to give myself gluing margin.  I then notched the margin up to my tracing lines and glued the little tabs around the outside and inside circles.  I'm sure there are other ways to cover a cardboard circle- that's just the way I did it.

3. Cover your clothespins with patterned paper as well.  I cut long strips of paper about the width of the clothespin, hot glued on the long strip, and trimmed the ends.

4. Start hot gluing your clothespins to your wreath.  Continue until the whole wreath is covered in evenly spaced clothespins.  Make sure that the 'mouth' of the clothespin faces the outside of the wreath (otherwise you'll have a whole jumble of tea bags in the center of the wreath and people won't be able to see which kinds you have).

5. Tie a ribbon on your wreath for hanging.  Clip tea onto each of your clothespins.  Hang and enjoy!