Where I fix an old bookcase.

I had this old bookcase. Cheap. Had it for ages. Kept moving it every time I moved just in case in came in handy.  Here it is below, with all of the supplies I used.

The bookcase was so cheap and looked it. Very hand-me down college looking. But as I have now spent all of my money on furniture and moving, I'm trying to make things I already own look better, so project began.

I saw a post on pinterest where somebody put wallpaper on the back of an old bookcase to make it look better. I thought I could improve on that by using an old poster I had lying around.

I have all of these great posters from college, but most of them were put up on the wall using that sticky, tacky, gunky stuff that never really comes off and/or tears when you take the poster off of the wall. So almost all of them are too ruined to actually put up (but as I can't throw anything away, I keep putting them back into poster tubes and moving them). I thought this would be a great use for a black and white poster of Chicago that had ruined edges.

I took the back off the bookcase (which was made of cardboard. Classy, eh?) and sanded the bookcase so the paint would stick. I did 3 coats of black paint over the course of 3 days (did a coat, let it sit over night, did another coat after work, etc). Super easy to paint. Used a roller to get the paint on smooth.

On the cardboard back, I used modge podge to stick the posted on to the cardboard. One coat of modge podge on the cardboard, and another coat on top of the poster. Once everything was dry I tacked the cardboard onto the back of the bookcase.

Final look. I was going to put this bookcase back into my den and put crafting supplies on it, but it turned out so well I'm torn where to put it! It's currently hanging out in my living room with nothing on it but I'll have to do something with it soon! Next big project......repainting my dresser.

Where I make Marshmallows

Marshmallows. Light, fluffy puffs of sugar. Make your own, its totally worth it. They taste nothing like store bought. P.S I roasted my first one today. O.M.G. utter bliss.

Now, it is a messy process. The marshmallow fluff is sticky and transfers easily (but dissolves quickly in water, so don't worry!). And when you cut it up the powdered sugar will get everywhere (make sure you wear an apron). But in the end the are delicious. S'mores, in hot chocolate, or just on their own they are a treat.

Ingredients:

3 envelopes gelatin
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
Powdered sugar

Special Equipment:

Candy thermometer
Stand Mixer
Kitchen Shears


Sprinkle the 3 envelopes of gelatin over 1/2 cup on water in the bowl of the stand mixer.

Place the remaining 1/2 c water, 1 cup corn syrup, 1 1/2 cup sugar, and the salt in a pot over medium heat. Mix to combine. Once the sugar has dissolved place the candy thermometer into the mixture. Do not stir the mixture once it is heating.

Heat the mixture until it reaches 240 or the softball stage. Once it reaches softball, start the stand mixture. With the whisk attachment running on low add the sugar syrup. Once it has been added turn the mixer to high and whip the fluff for about 10 minutes. At the 9 minute mark add the vanilla.

 While the sugar syrup is mixing prepare a 12x9 inch pan. Coat the pan in cooking spray and then sprinkle powdered sugar over the pan, tapping to cover the entire pan.

After 10 minutes of mixing pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Spread quickly as it will be very sticky.

Let the mixture cool 12 hours to overnight. It will firm up and become less sticky.  After 12 hours you can cut the mixture up into individual marshmallows.The only thing I have found that works is kitchen shears. I find that about every other row I have to wash them off again.

Coat each individual marshmallow in powdered sugar. You could use a mixture of corn starch and powdered sugar but I find I don't like the taste of the corn starch so I used straight powdered sugar.

And voila! you have light and fluffy vanilla marshmallows.

If you wanted other flavors you could substitute those extracts for the vanilla. I've done orange and mint marshmallows before with good success.

Where I make my own drink coasters

One of the first things I found on Pinterest that I really loved was this coaster tutorial.  Once I move I want to stock my condo with stuff I really like, not just stuff I buy, so this project sounded perfect. Plus, it was an easy first step into crafting.

I bought most of the supplies weeks ago, but was still looking for the "perfect" paper to use on the coasters. To tell the truth I really wanted paper with owls on it, but since I hadn't found any I decided to just find four that I thought were fun and go from there.

I bought the tiles at Menards for $0.11 cents each. They were the 4 1/2 by 4 1/2 cheapest tiles they had. I ended up buying four sheets of card stock at JoAnn Fabrics at $0.25 cents each.  You can see two of the papers below.

 So, as part as my "catch up on my Tivo" morning, I pulled all of my supplies out.

I used:

8  4 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch white ceramic tiles
4 Sheets of card stock
1 2 inch foam brush (the 3 inch is shown in the picture but I changed part way through
Mod Podge
Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel
Scissors (my craft scalpel thing is shown but I used scissors to cut the paper).
Felt pads (not shown)

I decided to let the edge of the tile show around the edge of the paper, so I cut the squares just slightly smaller than the tiles. The card paper I choose had a grid on the back so I followed that (8 squares if you end up using the same kind).

I applied one coat of Mod Podge to tiles and then placed the paper on. Allow to dry for about 15 minutes. Apply a second and third coat allowing 15 minutes in between each time.  I did notice some bubbles underneath the paper. I tried to smooth them out but some of them persisted. However, they still looked ok so I kept going.

Here you can see the other two card stock papers I choose.

After the mod podge has dried, take to a well ventilated area (I choose my front porch) and apply a layer of the Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel.

I applied two coats, leaving about 15-20 minutes inbetween.  Finally, I added the felt pads to the bottom so they won't scratch!

So, here is the final product! They are still drying/setting so I don't know how long they will last but I think they look great and I'm excited to have them in my new place. And I also have about 20 more tiles (I bought in bulk!) so I can try with other papers and as possible x-mas presents!

Projects for Vacation

So, I leave for vacation up at the Lake House in T minus 7 days. It's going to be me, my brother, my sister-in-law and my Dad.  I'm looking forward to a week off work, including plenty of reading and beach time. But I also want to work on some projects while I'm up there. But now the issue is deciding on which ones!

Some of the projects are going to be food related. I've been wanting to make tamales for some time now. But they are time consuming and are best when there is more than one person around, both to make them, and to eat them.

Since I'm doing gluten free and my brother and sister-in-law are vegans I was thinking about doing a version of this Caramelized Onion with Red Pepper Tamale (without the cheese). Other than that, I haven't decided on what other food we should have (ie anybody has any really good recipes send them my way).

But what I really need is a project I can do in less than a week that doesn't require me moving too many things. Part of me wants to do this bath rug from old towels but I'm worried about getting it back home if I don't get it finished in time. Or, I was thinking about making these cool coasters using tiles but that project doesn't seem like it's long enough!

So, basically I need somebody to come up with a good project that I can take with me to work on when I'm at the vacation house. So, on your mark, get set, go!

Peanut Butter Popcorn Balls

Ok, first posted project.  Peanut Butter Popcorn balls.

For my Mom's 60th birthday I put together a large box full of homemade goodies. My goal for this year has been to buy as few presents as possible. Everybody I know has way more stuff than they need.  Plus I enjoy the having projects to do. This was one of the final items in the box.

I decided to try popping my own popcorn on the stove. I've watched my roommate do it a number of times and decided it couldn't be that hard. It took me two attempts (but only because the first attempt turned out so well that I had to eat it).  This method is great! No burned pieces and very few unpopped kernels.  

Peanut Butter Popcorn Balls:

For the Popcorn:

1/3 Cup Unpopped Popcorn
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
1/2 Tsp Salt

For the Popcorn Balls:

1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons butter

First, pop the popcorn. I used Alton Brown's popcorn method. After the popcorn has cooled, make the peanut butter syrup.

Place the corn syrup, sugar, and cream of tarter in a large saucepan. Insert a candy thermometer and heat until the softball stage.   Do not stir the syrup while it is heating.

After it reaches softball stage, remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Stir in the baking soda and butter. Stir until the peanut butter and butter and melted and everything is combined.

Pour the peanut butter mixture over the popcorn. Stir to combine. Wearing plastic gloves, quickly form the peanut butter popcorn mixture into balls. The mixture will be hot! Let the balls stand to cool. Once cool, cover in plastic wrap. Now ship them to your momma!

Note: When I made these I used  1/2 cup unpopped popcorn and 3 tbsp canola oil. The syrup to popcorn ratio didn't quite seem right. I would try the 1/3 cup of unpopped corn next time.

 

Where I contemplete making a table out of pennies.

I saw a picture of this on facebook recently and thought "that looks amazing! I can do that!" But, the truth is, I can't. And for the sake of any possible resale value of any condo I ever buy, it would be better if I don't.

But I can do this. A table covered in pennies. How cool would that be for an coffee table?








But in order to be truly economical, I am only going to use pennies that I find (or had in my purse at the time of writing).  Or, pennies found by my friends. So, friends! Get to finding. The post I found said that it took about $35.00 dollars worth of pennies to make their desk. Which means 3500 pennies. I currently have 22 "found" pennies. And since the actual completion of this project won't be until well after I move, I figure I have about six months to find the rest.

So friends, start looking for pennies! I'm going to start a coffee can collection (though I guess that means I might have to make coffee out of a can, I'm not sure how I feel about that). So, any time you stop by or come over for dinner, bring me those found pennies!

Where I set out my plans.

I have become obsessed with Pintrest.

I have just passed the three month mark on my short sale offer. As of Friday, I extended the contract two weeks. With this impending purchase and move has come an increased interest in all things crafty and DIY. I am determined to love all of the furnishing and decorations in my new place. I'm tired of old college furniture and hand me downs. However, I am a girl on a Federal Government salary so I have to be frugal.

So I have decided to learn how to be a crafty person. I am going to attempt to make as much as my storage, decorations, and furnishings as possible. I'm sure I'm going to fail some but I sure am going to try!

This blog is going to be my witness!

Oh, and I also make Candy. and lots of food in general. Hence the name. :-)