Easy DIY Scrappy Wreath
Looking to make a spring wreath? Better yet, trying to think of a way to save some of your child’s favorite baby outfits and other stuff? This DIY scrappy wreath is the answer! Takes only a few minutes and a few bucks.
Go to the craft store and get a plain straw wreath or foam wreath. You can also save a couple of dollars and go to the hardware store and buy foam tubing, cut it into the size you want, the duct tape the two ends together.
Cut fabric out of your favorite old clothing, blankets, ribbon, or other items. Hot glue them around the wreath securely. Keep going until all of the foam or straw is covered.
Staple, tack, or glue on buttons, flowers, pacifiers, pins, earrings, necklaces, or any other decorative item you want to the wreath.
When the wreath is how you want it, you can either hang it as is, or use a long piece of ribbon or fabric, stick it through the center, and tie it in a a bow to use as the hanger.
Thanks to BluKatKraft for the picture!
Recipe: Quick Classic Mardi Gras King Cake
My whole family is in Michigan, but my sister and brother-in-law took jobs down in Louisiana a few years ago. One of the things they HAD to share with us is how Mardi Gras is a state holiday in Louisiana, and she sent us a traditional King Cake. We’d never heard of it, but once we had our first bite, we were hooked! You will too with this recipe from Betty Crocker.
- Ingredients:
- Cake
- 3 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
- 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) Rapid Rise yeast
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, cut into 12 pieces
Cinnamon Filling
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Decoration
- Dark green, purple, and yellow or gold sugars, if desired
- Miniature plastic baby, if desired
Directions:
- Mix 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast in mixing bowl of stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, on low for about 30 seconds.
- Heat milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and milk is between 120°F to 130°F.
- With mixer on low, pour in liquids and mix until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time. Continue mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Clean off paddle and switch to dough hook. Mix in the remaining 1 cup flour a little at a time, adding more or less flour as needed to make a soft dough. Add the softened butter, a piece at a time, kneading until each piece of butter is absorbed.
- Knead for eight minutes on low. The dough should completely clear the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more flour is needed. If the dough seems too dry, spritz with water from a spray bottle a couple of times, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more water is needed. Every 2 minutes, stop the machine, scrape the dough off the hook, and then continue kneading.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times by hand to be sure it’s smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball. Place dough into a greased bowl. Turn once so greased surface is on top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- While the dough is chilling, make cinnamon filling. In small bowl, combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Combine butter with cinnamon mixture and mix well.
- Roll the chilled dough into a 10 x 20 inch rectangle. Spread the filling on half of the long side of the dough. Fold the dough in half covering the filling. Pat dough down firmly so the dough will stick together. Cut dough into three long strips. Press the tops of the strips together and braid the strips. Press the ends together at the bottom. Gently stretch the braid so that it measures 20 inches again. Shape it into a circle/oval and press the edges together.
- Transfer the ring to a parchment lined or greased baking sheet. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350º. Bake the cake until it is golden brown, 20 – 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes on baking sheet and then place it on a cooling rack to cool completely before icing. To hide the baby in the cake, if desired, make a small slit in the bottom of the cake and put the miniature plastic baby in after the cake has cooled.
- Icing: In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth (add additional milk if mixture is too thick or powdered sugar if too thin).
- Spoon icing over top of the cake. Immediately sprinkle on colored sugar, alternating between the three colors.
Recipe: Raspberry Kissed Chocolate Mousse
I saw this picture and recipe being shared around my Facebook friends’ feeds, so I knew I had to share it with you all! Poor Mr. Food passed away, but his legacy lives on through his amazing and simple recipes. This Raspberry Kissed Chocolate Mousse would be PERFECT for Valentine’s Day, Sweetest Day, or an anniversary (or anytime!).
Ingredients:
- 1 (12-oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries
- 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
Directions:
1. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate over low heat until smooth, stirring constantly. Spoon into a large bowl and stir in cream cheese until thoroughly mixed.
2. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar until soft peaks form. Spoon the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and beat on low, just until thoroughly combined.
3. Spoon into individual dessert dishes, cover and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours or until firm.
4. In a small saucepan combine raspberries and sugar. Cook over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, or until fruit breaks down and sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally.
5. Let cool and refrigerate until chilled. When ready to serve, spoon raspberry sauce on top of chocolate mousse.
Optional: Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls.
Recipe: Pretty Princess Heart Cookies
Fit for any princess (or prince!), these adorable princess cookies are perfect for Valentine’s Day or princess-themed party.
Ingredients:
- Batch of sugar cookie dough, homemade or store-bought (Note: For store-bought dough, you may need to add flour to stiffen it so the cookies will hold their shape while baking.)
- Rolling pin, spatula, and cooling rack
- Heart-shaped cookie cutter (a 2 1/4-inch-wide cutter works best)
- Pink colored sugar
- White or pink cookie icing
- Butter knife
- A few pieces of pink taffy or pink StarBurst candies
- Waxed paper
- Kitchen scissors or knife
Directions:
- Roll out the cookie dough and cut out an even number of heart-shaped cookies. Sprinkle half of the cookies with colored sugar. Bake the cookies according to the recipe or package directions.
- Transfer the baked cookies to the rack to cool.
- Turn one of the plain cookies upside down so that the flat bottom faces up. Spread on cookie icing and then set one of the sugar-topped cookies down on top of it. Repeat this step until you’ve assembled all of the sandwich cookies.
- Now it’s time to crown off the cookies with Tiana’s special valentine emblem. Use the rolling pin to roll the taffy or Star Burst candies between waxed paper until it is very thin. (If the candy is too hard to roll, you can soften it in the microwave for 4 to 5 seconds.) Then use kitchen scissors or a knife to cut out a small candy crown for each cookie (a parent’s job).
- Top each cookie with a candy crown, using a small dab of cookie icing to hold it in place.
Homemade Sidewalk De-Icer (Without Salt!)
Rock salt or other ways to de-ice your sidewalks, driveways, and steps going into your house can get expensive! Here’s a way to make your own de-icer without the salt that erodes at the cement and wood.
For icy steps and sidewalks in freezing temperatures, mix 1 teaspoon of regular blue Dawn dishwashing liquid, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and 1/2 of a gallon hot/warm water and pour over walkways. Just double or triple these ingredients for larger areas. They won’t refreeze!
DIY $3 Wall Projector
Watching a huge movie on the side of a garage or inside on a large wall is so much fun. It’s just like going to a drive-in, but not everyone has hundreds of dollars to buy one. Here’s a genius hack that only costs $3 and uses your smartphone. If you want visuals on this tutorial click that link above.
What You’ll Need:
- Shoebox or small box
- Small magnifying glass
- Paperclip
- Smartphone Stanley knife
- Duct tape
- Optional: Black paint
Directions:
- Figure out the center of your box. Place your magnifying glass in the middle of the “height side” of the box (where the heel or toes would be) and trace around the lens.
- Use the knife to cut out the circle.
- Stick the magnifying glass into the hole from the inside and duct tape it in securely. Tape all the way around the edges of the circle, too. This will prevent light from getting in.
- To prevent even more light from getting inside the box, paint the inside black until completely opaque and allow to dry.
- Poke a hole at the back of the box and stick your phone charger through it.
- Using a pair of pliers, bend the paperclip into a stand for your phone, or use one you already have.
- The picture of your phone will appear upside down on the wall since it’s reflected through the magnifying glass. To fix it: For an iPhone go to Settings > General > Accessibility and turn on Assistive Touch. Then touch the floating orb thing that’s on your screen and select Device > Rotate Screen. For Android, Screen Rotation Control app or the Ultimate Rotation Control app will flip it correctly.
- Dim the lights,place your phone on its stand in the box, then move the phone back and forth in the box to find your focus point.
- Close the box, turn out the lights, and watch the movie on the large, flat area of your choice! SIMPLE!
Ridiculously Easy No Sew Boot Cuff Tutorial
These boot cuffs are all the rage right now. You can buy a pair for $13 or more, OR you can make them yourself without needing to sew at all! Take an old sweater you don’t wear anymore (or buy one at a thrift store), cut the sleeves off, and put them on over your pants/socks. If you want to make sure it doesn’t unravel, use fabric glue to cuff the part where you cut. That’s it! SO CHEAP AND SO EASY!
Recipe: Ultimate Grasshopper Cookies
Ingredients:
- Cookies:
- 1 Box Devil’s Food Cake mix
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 C. butter, melted
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
- Mint Frosting:
- 2-3 C. powdered sugar
- 3/4 C. butter, softened
- 1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
- milk, if needed
- green food dye (for a more dark green if desired)
- Chocolate Glaze:
- 1 1/2 C. chocolate chips (I like to use chocolate “melts”)
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- Andes Mint Candies, roughly chopped
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine cake mix, eggs, butter (let it cool a little, so it doesn’t cook the eggs), vanilla and sugar. That batter will be still.
3. Make dough balls a little large than a Tablespoon and place on cookie sheets to bake. (You make one to pat each dough ball down a little bit because cake mix cookies tend to bake up tall.)
4. Bake for 7-9 minutes and let cool on cooling racks.
5. Mint Frosting: Beat butter for 2 minutes. Add peppermint extract and slowly add it powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. Add 1-2 Tablespoons milk if it gets too thick. Add green dye for color if desired.
6. Chocolate Glaze: Melt chocolate chips and butter together in a microwave proof bowl. Zap for about 30 seconds, then stir, then microwave in 10 second increments and stir until smooth.
7. To assemble: Pipe on frosting, smooth over with a knife, spoon on your glaze and top with peppermint candies.
Thanks to Your Cup of Cake for the recipe!
Recipe: Homemade Thin Mints Cookies
My oldest daughter is gluten intolerant, and I feel like she’s missing out on a huge part of her life by not being able to eat the amazing and coveted Girl Scouts THIN MINTS cookies! To aid in this missing part of her life, I decided to search out a homemade recipe that can be modified for her. The Thin Mints cookie recipe below by Six Sisters Stuff has normal flour in it, but it can be easily modified to include your favorite gluten-free flour.
Ingredients:
Cookies:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Mint Chocolate Coating:
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
Directions:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Mix in vanilla, salt and cocoa. Add flour and mix until fully combined, and slightly crumbly. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from the fridge and knead a few times on a lightly floured surface to warm up.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8″ in thickness. Use a 1-1/2″ cookie cutter to cut circles of dough (or whatever shape or size you prefer).
- Place cut circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes, or until edges are set. Let cookies cool completely.
- After cookies are cool, place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments and stir until melted. Stir in peppermint extract until smooth.
- Place cookies in the chocolate one at a time, using a fork to flip and lift cookie out of the chocolate. Transfer the chocolate covered cookie to a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Repeat with remaining cookies.
- Let chocolate harden before serving. You can place cookies in the refrigerator to set the chocolate faster.
Recipe: Vanilla Ice Cream Made With Real Snow!
Many of us in the United States are dealing with insane winter weather, including blizzards and more snow than we’ve seen in years. Take advantage of the piles of white stuff by making it into ice cream! Big hit with kids and adults and only takes 20 minutes. A big bonus – It’s Gluten-Free! Here’s how to do it:
Ingredients:
- 1 gallon CLEAN snow
- 2 cups of whole milk or half and half
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
Directions:
- Combine milk or half and half with the sugar and vanilla.
- Stir until the sugar is dissolved and add it to the fresh snow, then eat!
OR
- One 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 quarts fresh snow
- Combine together and eat!
Thanks to Polka Dot Poplars for the recipes and picture!