A Dresser in Drag

So, let's be real. Cory and I are poor. Which is awesome and challenging, etc. But, it has its downside as well. Namely, when I come up with a some crazy idea I have, and he plays the "Do we really NEED to spend money on that" card.

I hate that card.

It's so sensible. But, it works for us. I come up with the crazy ideas, he vetoes them. That way we can pay bills. Yay!

But, what happens when Cory is the one to come up with the far fetched, crazy, wonderfully crafty ideas??
Great things, my friends. Great things.

Before we moved in I scored this little beauty for thirty buckaroos.

 It took some convincing, but Cory finally agreed it would be the perfect stand for his precious baby, the T.V. I wanted to paint it, but he thought the dark wood "matched" everything else so painting wasn't necessary.  I let it go...but one day he took a good look at what we had going on. A good hard look.

Then he says, "Hey Lindy, what if we took one of these top drawers out? It wouldn't be hard to put a shelf in."

Oh, baby.

My response? "What if we took out all three drawers???? And painted it!?!?"

Luckily the next day was Saturday. Less than 25 hours later, we were doing this:

And then we had this:

Get 'er done! I can't believe how quickly this came to life after we talked about it. It was finished less than 24 hours after we decided to do it.

The total cost wasn't too bad either: 30.00 for the dresser + 10.00 for paint+10.00 for a board to lay across+5.00 for the piece of trim across= $55.00 for a new "entertainment center"

 I'm looking for the perfect little somethings to go into the open space along with out mountain of electronic accessories. Baskets, maybe? Suggestions are welcome.

Also, I can not wait to get started on my next project: The TV Wall. This is what I have in mind:

 Disclaimer: I don't know where this picture is from, but its from somewhere else.

Oh gallery wall, how I love you so!

Lindy

Check out the "Party Central" tab to see what parties I might link up to.

DIY Cake Decorating

I think a custom cake is definitely the ah... frosting on the cake when it comes to putting a party over the top. However, if budget is an issue (when is it not?), buying a completly custom cake might not be a feasible option for you. No worries, with a little practice and a totally inexpensive marshmallow fondant (MMF) recipe, you can create designer cakes for as little as $5. Cheaper than a grocery store bakery and a little more meaningful as well!

Marshmallow Fondant

Ingredients
1 16 oz bag of Jet Puff marshmallows
6+ TBS water
1 tsp flavoring if desired
2 lb bag of C&H powdered sugar
1 cup shortening

Hint: don't use off-brand or old ingredients for this one. Normally I am all about store brands, but this is the one of the few times it actually matters or else you will end up with a grainy product.

Instructions
Put marshmallows in a microwavable bowl with 2 TBS water and desired flavoring. Heat in microwave for 30 second intervals until melted, stirring each time. Add 1.5 lbs of the powdered sugar to the bowl and stir until it is a sticky, gooey mess. Generously grease your hands and workspace with shortening and then put your sticky glob of sugar in the middle.

While kneading the mixture, add a little bit sugar at a time until you get a bread dough like consistency. I usually only ending up using 1.75 lbs of powdered sugar or less. Keep greasing your workspace and your fingers as the mixture begins to stick. If your mixture is too dry or not very elastic (you should be able to easily stretch it without tearing), add a tablespoon of water at a time and keep kneading. It should take about 8 minutes of kneading to dissolve all the bits of powdered sugar and to get a firm, elastic ball of fondant. You can use this recipe right away, but it's best if left to rest overnight.

To store the fondant, coat it in crisco, double wrap it in plastic wrap, and put it in a ziploc baggie with as much as the air squeezed out as possible. It stores quite nicely in the refridgerator for a couple of weeks. To color the fondant, just roll in a couple drops of food coloring (I use the gel kind with no problems). Have fun decorating your cakes! Remember, it's just like playdoh, but way better tasting. If something doesn't look right, just roll it up and try again. Patience and practice is the key.

p.s. If you would like to cover a cake in fondant but are not sure how, youtube has awesome tutorials! Check them out!

Pile o' Cake!

We're back! Well, somewhat.

Cory and I got married on July 2nd, 2010. My whole family came down to the Florida (minus Elder Sambo--he's currently away for two years on business in Brazil) and had a whole lot of fun going crazy together! I love them. A lot o f the aspects of the wedding were DIY, and it really made every detail more meaningful to us to see all the love everyone put in to make it work.

I was going to wait for Jackie to put this one up, but it seems she is preoccupied with raising Jefferson, running a household, redecorating, hand crafting baby girl bedding, and generally getting ready for little Jane to arrive in November (some people are just sooo busy)...so here it is:

Jackie flew down here to Florida a week early so she could get started on this little beauty. I'm not a huge fondant fan, but this home made marshmallow stuff actually isn't bad at all. I would even go so far to say that it is...really good! Which feels wrong to me, a staunch fondant hater. But hey--these hips don't lie.

 I'm sure Jackie would love to post her recipe! Right, Jackie??

{Insert your recipe HERE...}

I'll be posting a few more projects from the wedding, and a few things we've been working on as we set up shop in our first little apartment together!

On a side note, now that all of us sisters are married, we now have different last names! A friend suggested the tagline: "The sisters formerly known as Hansen". Ha!

Until next time,

Lindy

Heads Up

I love headbands. I really, really do. They're just so...wholesome.
I recently made a little flower/ribbon headband that was just perfect for some engagement pictures Kim Brock was taking for us. I'll show you guys a decent picture of it:

Isn't she fabulous?! I love it. And it gives you a pretty good look at the ol' head band too.
This is the only decent picture you're going to see. The rest of these were taken with my cell phone. Sorry guys. Mama needs a new camera.
I don't know who originally discovered that when you burn fabric it curls up at the edges. I really don't. I've been seeing these things everywhere, and this is how I do it. I can't take credit for the idea, only this particular instance of doing it. M'kay?

Step 1: Cut circles of various sizes out of fabric. Seven was a bit much for one flower. Three was a good amount. Learn from my mistakes. Every fabric I tried curled up perfectly with the burning, so I'm not sure what the limits are on fabric you can use for this. Brown suede and shimmery silk are a go for sure. I don't know the science behind the whole fire/fabric reaction.


Step 2: Place your fabric circle's edges close to your heat source. It should just melt right up within seconds. My heat source happened to be "Sweet Pea" from Yankee Candle. It worked for this and smelled delicious.




Step 3: Nestle your various sizes of crispy edged circles together and put a few strong stitches through the middle to keep 'em that way.



Step 4: Embellish with a cute button, gem, misc. bead, and attach to a cardigan, headband, magnet, or whatever else you desire.


I attached these beauties to all of the above. The headband in the picture was made with a brown suede flower, silky ribbon and an elastic ponytail band. Super quick and easy!


I'm linking up to Frugalicious Friday.

Cake decorating

To get you excited about my upcoming post on cake decorating, here are a few pictures of cakes I've done in the past.


Marshmallow fondant, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting on top tier, peanut butter rice crispies on bottom

Spice cake with cream cheese frosting, marshmallow fondant decoration
Vanilla cake with Jam and buttercream filling, royal frosting and buttercream decorations
Chocolate cake with chocolate fudge pudding filling, chocolate cream cheese icing and royal icing flowers.
Chocolate cake with buttercream icing, marshmellow fondant decorations

Super tasty spinach bowtie salad

I get to make this salad for a bridal shower brunch. It is super tasty and healthy to boot! I couldn't find my usual recipe, so I googled it and found this variation which I edited to make my own. I haven't tried the craisins yet, but I am going to add them this Saturday. I also am making a not-so-healthy cake, and I'll post about that later to describe some basic cake decorating techniques. This salad is great for a quick, well-rounded dinner too!

Spinach Bowtie Salad

16 oz. Bowtie pasta, cooked and cooled (I use whole wheat)
1 bag of fresh baby Spinach
2 small cans Mandarin Oranges
1 cup Craisins
1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
1 cup Honey Roasted Peanuts or Cashews
1/4 cup Sesame Seeds, toasted (optional)
2 cups torn cooked Chicken (optional) (I personally like shrimp in this salad better)

Dressing:
1 cup Vegetable Oil
2/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
2/3 C. Teriyaki Sauce
5 Tbs. Sugar

Cook bowtie pasta according to directions, drain and cool while whisking the dressing together in a large bowl. Marinate cooked bowtie pasta in the dressing for 1 hour or longer in the fridge. Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour the teriyaki sauce and pasta over the salad, toss together and serve. If it's just a few of you, make individual salad servings; keeping the salad and bowtie sauce separate for the rest of the week (no one likes a soggy salad).

5.4.3.2.1- ACTION- Crafty Cards Take 1

These are a cute, fun and adorable gift for anyone. Cards coordinate with each other for a custom stationery set. SO easy to make, just need a little cardstock, decorative patterned paper coordinating with each other and some self-adhesive ribbon.