Week 5: Mod Podged Pumpkin and Spray Painted Candle Sticks

Hi all!

It's officially fall, so I have decided that it's time to do fall related pins :)  To be more specific, pins related to Halloween.  The beauty of some of the pins that I have been interesting, can be easily modified for the fall season in general and materials can be reused for other holidays (read Christmas).

First we'll start with the candlesticks.  There are many pins related to using candle sticks.  I actually saw them in a pin that I am still working on looking for the materials for (mason jars... with lids!  the thrift stores seem to have a bunch without lids, but that's another story.  I'll be hitting up Walmart this week).  Luckily, another pin I found tied in having the candlesticks with pumpkins, so that works.

The fun part about the candlesticks was finding them!  I went to thrift stores and found 4 different candlesticks for $3-$7.  I ended up spending about $16 on the four candlesticks below (priced at about $40 normally).  Now, if you aren't as lucky as I was, I see some candle sticks at IKEA that ranged from $7.99 to $14.99.  Since my candlesticks weren't all the same color and also had some scratches and nicks in them, I bought some Krylon spray paint in a flat black.  I spray painted the candlesticks outside while it was still nice out and let the candlesticks dry completely in between coats (I only did 2).  I let them dry completely (and then some outside).

While those were drying, I busted out the crafting pumpkin (in a cream color that I purchased at Target for $3), scrapbook paper (on sale at Michael's), scissors, foam paint brush, Mod Podge (the gloss kind), and some newspaper (for laying down on the table) and started to decoupage the pumpkin.  First, I cut the scrap paper into strips.  Next came the actual decoupaging.  Now, I have only decoupaged one other time in my life; on a flat surface and with fabric.  I had no idea what a pain it would be to use scrapbook paper and an uneven surface.  Luckily, I was going for a vintage pumpkin look, so the bubbles and crinkles from trying to mod podge this thing worked well and to my advantage.  There are so many other great resources on the internet that will explain to you how to PROPERLY use mod podge, but I'll briefly recap my adventure.

This stuff is a pain.  I mean, I LOVE it to death, but like I said, using it on an uneven surface with rock hard paper, does not make for an easy task.  Cutting into strips was a brilliant idea (thanks to other pins and blogs I have seen, I got this idea).  One idea I will pass on if you attempt to try this, I also cut slits into the strips where the strip would bend to the pumpkin.  This helped a bunch.

Unfortunately, because I did not have the fancy little squeegee thingy, I had to use my fingers to get rid of the excess Mod Podge and to flatten out the bumps and bubbles (or in some cases to create extra).  This means I could not take pictures of all of the steps.  I do have to say you need to work quickly with this stuff since it dries so fast.  Also thin layers are WAY better than think.  I also put a layer on the pumpkin, on the back of the paper, and the front to seal.  The end results are below :)

Overall, I say if you have the time, go for this project!  I like the idea that I can reuse the pumpkin and bring it into fall and that I can use the candlesticks again.  Now that I bought the materials, I'll be able to use them for other projects in the future too.  However, if you don't have the time or energy or nerve to make these, you can find lots of cute alternatives at Joann's or Michael's :)

Here are the pins that inspired me-

http://pinterest.com/pin/231256455/

http://pinterest.com/pin/110138440/

http://pinterest.com/pin/160419826/

Week 4: Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

Wow.  Just WOW.  I'm not even waiting until the end of this post to tell you, if you even remotely LIKE cinnamon rolls and pancakes, you need to make these.  I'm not even a huge cinnamon roll fan and I would eat these every Sunday morning.

When I first saw this pin, I thought of Scott; he LOVES cinnamon rolls, but I am just way too lazy to make them (from scratch that is).  I've had these recipe on my Pinterest board for a while and now on this lovely Sunday morning I decided this would be a great day to make these (I originally hadn't thought of using this for my post this week; I bought other stuff last night, but more on that later).

So let's just break it down.  The recipe is originally from Bakedbree.com and was adapted from tastykitchen.com.

The Pancake Batter-


1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon cinnamon (yes, it is that much)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons maple syrup (we only had Mrs. Butterworth and that worked just fine1)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 Tablespoon vanilla (again, yes that much)


From there, it's pretty darn easy. Whisk together all of your dry ingredients.  Then add and whisk together the dry ingredients.  My batter looked like this-   

Then cook as you would normal pancakes (I used Pam instead of butter and cooked over medium until brown on both sides).  SIMPLE!


Now, believe me, you want to make the topping.  It's just like the topping for a cinnamon roll.  SO GOOD. 


The Frosting:
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 Tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons milk


You'll whisk these all together until smooth and as the website says, at a pouring consistency.  If yours is too thick (like mine was) add a little more milk.  If it's too thin, add some more sugar.

Put it all together and TADA-

A little piece of heaven for a Sunday Morning :)

Week 3: Cleaning Pin!

Well, since I have been crafty and I have baked, I thought why not try a pin related to cleaning?

Before I get to the actual pin, let me tell you about the other project I had.  Last week, for Labor Day, I made meatballs and sauce.  I borrowed my dad's HUGE sauce pot to make the sauce.  I knew I had to return said pot to him in perfect condition, so that just added to pressure to make sure I didn't burn anything (besides the sauce needing to taste good).  Well, LONG story short, I did end up burning the bottom of the pot a little bit (not actually with the sauce itself, but what I had added, which was onions and spices).  Anywho, I tried to boil some water in the pot and that worked well enough, but I STILL had some burned crap in the bottom.

So using Google, I found a lovely link from eHow on "How to Treat Burned Pots and Pans."  http://www.ehow.com/how_114388_treat-burned-pots.html  Now, this whole process takes quite some time to do.  I figured, I have nothing to lose, so I went for it.  The reason why I'm telling you about this first, is because while I was on Step 2 (which is to let the water in your pot with water and soap, boil, simmer, and sit), and I had about 40 minutes total to kill, I figured I would clean the rest of the kitchen and do this week's pin :)

I knew I hadn't personally cleaned our microwave for at least the last 4 months (not sure if Scott had cleaned it or not), so it was definitely not that pretty (see before and after pics below).  To break it down, this pin basically says to fill a microwave save bowl with water and a little bit of vinegar, and put it in the microwave for five minutes.  The idea is that the water will create steam and the vinegar will absorb the smell.  The steam then loosens up whatever gunk and grime is in your microwave, so when you actually clean it, it won't take forever and a day.  I figured worst comes to worst, I spend forever and a day (or until the pot was done soaking) cleaning the microwave.  I put the water/vinegar mix in the microwave for the 5 minutes, and what do you know; it ACTUALLY WORKED!!!  (I had my doubts).  When I got my paper towels and my 409 and started cleaning the microwave, there was no heavy elbow grease needed!  My microwave was nice and sparkly and clean!

You may be asking, well, what about the pot?  After some elbow grease was applied for Step 3 (scraping the rest of the burnt parts with a wooden spoon and then rising), I did not have to move onto steps 4-6!  It was a very successful cleaning day!!!

My verdict for the pin and the link; DO IT!!!  Well I guess, to prevent the whole gunky microwave, I guess you should just cover everything you make and clean frequently, but assuming you don't, this pin is extremely useful.  And as for the pots and pans; we're all bound to burn something REAL bad, this is a great way to save yourself from throwing out pots and pans (especially if they're not non-stick).

Thanks Pinterest!

Microwave Cleaning Pin- http://pinterest.com/pin/149397761/
Original website: Crafty Little Gnome- http://craftylittlegnome.blogspot.com/2011/05/easiest-way-to-clean-your-microwave.html

Before Pics:

After Pics:

Week 2: Baking Pin!!!!

Hi all,

Last week was cray busy at work and also it was the end of the term, so I was not that crafty or pinning that much.  I had over Scott's sister, brother and future sister-in-law for labor day.  I made my dad's meatballs (and almost effed them up) and I used Anthony's sauce as a guide as my dad did not give me an official recipe.

Anywho, this leads me to this week's pin.  For dessert I made Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars from this pin- http://pinterest.com/pin/132217953/  and this website- http://brandysbaking.blogspot.com/2011/06/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-cheesecake.html

Here is what they SHOULD look like-


However, mine did not have that nice of a consistency on the top.  Mine was more of a crumble consistency, which was actually quite tasty, but i think the overall presentation would have been nicer (and a tad easier to eat) if there was an egg in the cookie part (which is which i feel like happened in this picture).  You're also supposed to let this set up over night or have it refrigerated for about 2 hours after it cools, but this did not happen for us.  The ruling was, even with it looked for about 2 hours and still a little warm, my version contrasted nicely with the vanilla ice cream i served with the bars.  Overall, I really enjoyed this recipe and I think I will try it again and bring it into rotation.  The recipe was easy to follow (see below) and would be very nice for small functions :)

My version (follow the recipe for making and baking, but not the full rest time)-

Recipe=

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
Source:  very slightly adapted from My Baking Addiction
(get the printable recipe here)

Ingredients: 
Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:
10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Leave your oven on while you prepare the dough.
3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Using your hand to form clumps, distribute the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter in teaspoon-sized clumps. Be sure to use all of the dough.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Chill in refrigerator overnight or for at least a couple hours.
6. Lift the bars out by the overhang and cut into squares for serving.