summer project

So the summer we decided to work on our fence, not exaclty a craft, but we did make it with our own hands.  Whatever genuis it was that put in the last fence did a crappy job.  They neglected to put a gate in and they put the fence post right smack dab in the middle of our living room window.  I thought was kind of ugly, so we moved the fence forward ten feet.  For some reason I am the eternal optimist when it comes to project timelines.  I actually thought it would be a day project to dig the holes, build the fence and rip out the old fence, but it takes a little longer, especially when you have Ella as a helper.  We had to work around Ella's naps, there are some things that you just need two sets of hands for: like holding a 10 foot board while someone else screws it in place or holding a post straight/level while another person put cement in the hole around it.  Everytime Ella went down for a nap we would work like crazy, and then when she woke up we would take a break or Evan would do as much as he could by himself.  SO here are some of the photos of us working on the fence.  Afterwards we all played in the kiddie pool, an activity Ella is very good at.

Rag quilt. . . well, sort of

Okay I have definitely neglected the blog.  It's not that I haven't been making things, I'm just not very good at taking photos of what I make.  Case in point this is the only photo I took when I made a rag quilt for a girl at work. 

I know. . .  really, really.  Ugh. I don't know why I took this picture of the tools you would use to make a rag quilt, especially since I didn't take a picture of the actual quilt. But there you have it.

Quiet Book, sneak Peek

I have been working on a quiet book (aka. activity book) for Ella lately.  I started it a long time ago and it will probably be a long time before I finish it, but hopefully Christmas will be my deadline.  Anyway, I am doing a Noah's Ark theme, so if you have any ideas let me know.  So far I have a puzzle where you build the ark, and texture pages for the elephant and lamb, I'm working on a page where you can fish, as well as a page where you pin the tails on the different animals (it's my favorite idea, but I haven't finished it yet and besides how could I possibly post a picture of all those derrieres on the Internet it would be scandalous).  When I get more done I will post more photos, but for now this is it.  In this page you find the animals to put in the ark, so I made a lot of hiding places in the scenery, so far Ella is more interested in eating the animals then finding them, but eventually we'll get there. :)  I've thought of posting patterns for my pages, but I want to see if there is any interest.  The pages are pretty easy to make, especially when you use double sided fusible web, and most of them are machine washable. Let me know what ya think.

Chocolate Plastic

I don't know who invented fondant, but frankly I think it tastes disgusting.  So I was really excited when I heard about chocolate plastic.  I looks like fondant and is easy to work with, but it actually tastes good; plus, it is simple to make.  I used it for the birds on top of my cup cakes and was really pleased with the results.  Here is the recipe

Chocolate Plastic

1 lb semi-sweet chocolate

3/4 cup light corn syrup

Melt chocolate, add corn syrup and mix well.  Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight.  When you're ready to work with the plastic knead it with your hands until it is pliable/soft, then roll it out on a flat work surface dusted with unsweetened cocoa and cut or mold it into desired shapes.

For milk chocolate and white chocolate use only 1/2 cup of light corn syrup.

For white Chocolate dust the work surface with powdered sugar

If you want to color your plastic then  kneed food coloring into white chocolate plastic after you have mixed in the corn syrup. ( I had to kneed it over the sink because a lot of grease and food coloring dripped out the plastic, I also had to use generous amounts of candy  food coloring)

Cookie cutters and pastry crust cutters work best, but I used a clear scrap booking stamp for my decorations then used a sharp knife to cut along the outline of the stamp.

Bird Nest Cupcakes

These were really simple to make but tasted great and were really cute.  The I got the Coconut Orange Cupcakes recipe from all recipes.com and the one tip that I used was to chop the manderin orange wedges before adding them to the cupcakes, I also nixed the topping and made my own frosting instead.  the rcepe for the frosting is

White Chocolate Orange Frosting:
5 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped into small chucks

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Orange Juice to taste (about 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup) 
1/4 cup sour cream


Melt the white chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool until just slightly warm. Meanwhile, beat the butter until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar until well combined. Add the salt, vanilla extract, orange juice, and sour cream.  Mix until very smooth. Add the melted white chocolate and mix just until incorporated.


Once the cupcakes are frosted you pile the top with toasted coconut making a small indent in the center for the eggs.  I made my eggs with chocolate plastic, but if you make these around easter it would be easier to use candy eggs or jelly beans.

To Toast the cocnut just spead it thinly on a large baking sheet and bake at 350 until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently.

'How Tweet' baby shower

My friend loves birds so we decided that nesting birds would be the perfect motif for her baby shower. We made a banner, painted bird houses, put together a bird inspired wreath and had bird cupcakes and chocolate nests to match. Here is how it turned out: I thought it all came together really well, and I loved the colors she chose.