Chalkboard Table Runner

***UPDATE*** Before continuing with this post,  I wanted to tell you that I have a new blog home.  I'd love for you to visit (all my old posts are there, along with brand new ones), and subscribe over there, since I can't transfer my subscribers over for some reason.  If you decide to follow, leave me a comment so I can thank you...and follow back if you have a blog!  Also, I'm trying to convince the hubs that this IS a real job, so I need all the followers I can get! Thanks so much...
http://www.chaosserveddaily.com/ 



Today, I’m sharing yet another thing I saw on Pinterest, but was too thrifty to buy…a chalkboard table runner for a buffet.  How ingenious is that, I ask you?  I like to have placecards in front of each item on a buffet, so guests aren’t wondering what they’re taking, but this is so fun for a barbeque or any casual party.  And at my house, they’re pretty much all casual.


And who knew you can buy chalkboard cloth?  Well, apparently it’s been around for years, according to the cutting table lady at Joann’s.  It’s pretty inexpensive, too…around $5 a yard. I made two of these for less than $10 (I used a 40% off coupon for the chalkboard material).

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1-3/4 yards chalkboard fabric
• 2 bandanas, or 1 yard of material for binding
• Rotary cutter, mat, and ruler
• Paper plate and Sharpie
• Sewing Machine
• Iron and Ironing Surface
• Thread

1. Cut the chalkboard fabric in half lengthwise.  You can actually make two from the 1-3/4 yards, but it needs to be that long so you don’t have a seam in the middle.

2. Use a paper plate to trace rounded corners, then cut those off.

3. Make the binding:  ***If you don't want to make binding, you can buy it already made in the notions section...you'll need about 4-1/2 yards. ***

Cut 3” wide strips from your bandanas or binding material ON THE DIAGONAL.
Sew the together, right sides together, to form one long binding strip. 

Press those seams open.

Fold in half and press.

Fold each edge to the middle and press again.

This is what it will look like.  I made two of these, one with bandanas and one with blue calico.
4. Sew the binding around the edge of your chalkboard material.  Tuck the end in and sew.

5. Invite your friends over and let them marvel at your creativity!

This-n-That Kinda Week

I’ve had what felt like a completely discombobulated week.  No one had any camps to attend, but we still had little things to do each day…dental appointments, Moms Group meeting, never-ending errands to run.  And we fit in a fun thing each day, too, even if it was just making cookies.

But I’ve not settled on a topic for today’s post.  Thus, I’m showing you a couple of things I’ve done this week that turned out great, and a teacher gift I haven’t finished yet but I know you might need an idea NOW for the beginning of school.


This is the accomplishment I’m most proud of this week…I knitted a pair of socks for the first time…and they wound up the same size…and they fit me!  I’m just pretty amazed. And addicted.


This is the book I used to teach myself…I found it super easy to follow, with tons of photos and great explanations. I used the 5-needle method, by the way.  The hubs was impressed with my dexterity (which I’m sure was a sight to see as I started trying to figure this out).  I bought the book at Joann’s with a 40% off coupon, but you can find it at Amazon or a knitting supply site, as well.

The publishers of this book have no idea who I am or that I’m talking about their book…I just wanted to share it with y’all, in case you’d like to knit your own socks, too!  I used Paton’s Kroy Sock Yarn in Sweet Stripes, if you’re wondering, instead of the acrylic yarn they recommend practicing with…I didn’t want to spend any amount of time on socks I wouldn’t want to wear.  I’m a sock snob, it’s true.


Secondly, I reached way back in my memory and found these Bacon-Cantaloupe Wraps filed under “Summer Hike” from a year or two ago.  Originally from Rachel Ray, I just improvised as I remembered them and everyone loved them.  The hooligans even asked to have them again the next day, in lieu of eating somewhere in town while we were running errands.


This wrap is pretty self-explanatory…crisp bacon, really thin (1/4” or so) slices of cantaloupe, lettuce, and some basil-mayo on a Flatout wrap.  For the mayo, I just chopped up some fresh basil and stirred it into the store-bought mayo.  You could even call it basil aioli, if you add a little garlic and maybe some lemon juice.
The salty-sweet, fresh flavors meld together perfectly, though.  Try it, you’ll like it!

Then, I’ve been on Pinterest again.  Yep, and I found something I absolutely had to make.  Imagine that.



Cute, huh?  You can find them at Bee in Our Bonnet,if you’d like the particulars.  Again, these are not ones I made...they are her photos...credit where credit is due!

So next week all three hooligans have YMCA camp…all day, every day.  I promise to be a bit more coherent and organized in my blogging.  Well, maybe.  I may just have to dance around naked eating bonbons and celebrating being alone in my house all day!

Crunchier and Crunchier

Yes, I’ve had so much time on my hands this summer I’ve decided to make my own Greek Yogurt. No, I am not serious. I did learn to make Greek yogurt, but not to fill up my spare time.  It’s purely financial, people!  To say the hooligans love Greek yogurt would be an understatement. They devour it as if they were born in Athens. Actually, now that I think about it, they love anything Greek…except lamb.


But, as usual, I digress.  I grew weary of paying over a dollar for a single-serving of yogurt, and, of course, they don’t all want vanilla so I can’t buy a large container, not that they are much less expensive anyway. I do love the convenience of individual servings in the frig, so they can come in from playing and have a protein-packed snack.

I’ve made yogurt before, using my crockpot, and it’s very simple.  But that was not GREEK yogurt, and was a little too runny for our tastes.  I’m not sure why it’s Greek yogurt just by the addition of a draining step at the end, but there you have it.  The internet gurus have spoken. I am curious about the nutrition information, and how it stacks up to purchased yogurt, but I'm not losing sleep over it.

 I followed this method, from One Good Thing by Jillee.  She always has great ideas for household stuff

There are tons of recipes out there, but basically you just pour milk into your crockpot, heat it on low for a few hours, let it cool a bit, and stir in some plain yogurt (for the active cultures…you can use your own, once you’ve made a batch).  Wrap the crock up in a towel and let it sit overnight in the oven, and it’s magically thickened. Don’t think about why that happens.  Lastly, you drain it for several hours and end up with delicious plain yogurt, ready for flavoring or using in place of sour cream.

This process did take almost 24 hours from start to finish, but I wound up with 12 cups of yogurt from one gallon of whole milk.  That’s SIXTEEN 6-ounce servings for about $6…and that was using organic milk.  Individually I would have spent nearly $20.  Of course, I still have to flavor it, but that doesn’t up the cost all that much, since I would be adding fresh fruit anyway to storebought yogurt.

The hooligans pronounced it delicious, so I’ll definitely plan to keep making it.  Now I just need to find small containers to store it in, so they’ll continue to snack on it.  I can flavor individual portions with applesauce, jam, honey, or fruit.  I think I may make some lime curd to stir in...Key Lime is my favorite and I think that might recreate it at home.


If you want to make these EXACT yummy parfaits(meaning not with storebought granola), I use this granola recipe from Rachel Ray.  It’s fun to make with kids, if you’re looking to spend a little time in the kitchen together.

To make the parfaits, I layered a little yogurt, drizzled with honey, some raspberries, some granola, then repeated.  I added a little extra drizzle of honey on top, so you could see a prettier picture. It’s really all about you.

Enjoy!

Iris Folding….Whaaa???

I’ve had an issue of Stampin’ Up!’s demonstrator magazine on my craft table for almost three years…because I wanted to try a cool technique highlighted in it.  Iris Folding, while appearing very complex, really is quite easy.  And addicting. When it’s complete, the paper folds look like a camera lens, or iris.  Aaahh, that’s the explanation…I bet you were just waiting for it, weren’t you?


Isn’t that amazing?  I practiced with the kids first, because apparently it’s my responsibility to actually entertain and perhaps educate my offspring.  Even the four-year-old managed this quite well.  I dispensed pieces of tape for everyone, because I felt the potential for disaster lurking in that step.


Here’s all you need:

• Colored paper (not cardstock), in as many colors as your iris template has sides
• Tape
• Template (I downloaded mine here, at Family Crafts
• Cardstock with a shape slightly smaller than your template image cut out of it (If I had a Silhouette Cameo, this would have been so very much quicker…if anyone reading this is looking to buy me a really, really perfect present)

1. Tape your cardstock lightly to the template, right side down. My cardstock is 8-1/2” x 5-1/2” and the square is 4”x4”.  I cut a square with my paper cutter from scrap cardstock, then traced it on each piece of cardstock and cut it out using my paper trimmer. See what I mean about a Cameo?

2. Cut your colored paper in 1”x6” pieces, if doing this with kids.  For the “Imagine” one above, I cut 2”x6” pieces and used a bone folder to fold them in half lengthwise, for more texture and depth.


3. Place your first piece of paper along the first template line, and tape it onto the cardstock.


4. Place the second color down on its first template line and tape it in place. Continue around the template with each color.


5. Continue to place and tape each piece, going around and around, until the template is covered.  The paper will be quite thick by now.


6.  When you’ve covered all of the template except the very middle, trim around the edges of the cardstock (using scissors), so papers aren’t poking out everywhere.  Remove cardstock from template, flip it over, and prepare to be amazed.


7.  We made our finished pieces into birthday cards, using ribbon, stamps, and punches…from Stampin’ Up!, of course!

To make the “Imagine” card/artwork above (I think I’ll find a 6x6 shadowbox frame for it), I used patterned DSP.  It took about a 6x6 piece (cut into 3 strips 2"x6") of each color.  I cut the strips to fit before taping them, so I didn’t have to trim afterward and it used fewer strips.

To finish it, I glittered the card base behind and added ribbon and buttons from SU!.  The stamp is from the Word Play stamp set and I used Apothecary Accents and Labels Collection Framelits with my Big Shot. Oh, and a couple of brown pearls from the craft store.

These were a fun way to spend an hour or so, using few supplies and providing almost instant gratification.  And they learned about patterns and how to use a really large amount of tape.  I had to dig out the spare roll from the Christmas wrapping supplies, even!

These will be fun to do for holidays…a pumpkin shape for Halloween or Thanksgiving, an apple for a teacher, a shamrock, a heart…you get the idea.  Have fun, and go create something…even if it’s just a clear spot on the couch to take a little break!

A Back to School Tradition

I know, we have way too many traditions at our house!  I think I overcompensate for all the moving around we do by attempting to have certain things that are the same, no matter where we are living at the time.  It also helps keep me entertained, truth be told.

When our first hooligan started kindergarten, my GI Joe was deployed, so I was at home with 5-, 3-, and 1-year-old kids.  Why did I think it was a good idea to make school bus sugar cookies for the first day of school?  Who knows?  I was probably in a befuddled state from exhaustion.  Whatever the reason, the kids remembered…and have expected them every year since.  Fortunately, the first couple of years, they asked me that morning if I’d have their cookies after school, so I had all day to get them made!


These are last year’s…I had help from Princess Thindercloud, so they’re not too professional looking. But they were very tasty.


Here’s a photo from the first year I made them.  And look, she was a Thundercloud even at 16 months.
If you’d like to start a tradition, or just make some for fun, here’s the recipe. 

Rolled Butter Cookies

Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon vanilla or almond extract
2- 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Food color, if desired

Directions:

1. Combine 1 cup butter, sugar and egg in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add orange juice and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour and baking powder. Beat until well mixed.
2. Divide dough into thirds. Shape each third into a ball; flatten slightly. Wrap each in plastic food wrap; refrigerate until firm (2 to 3 hours).
3. Heat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough, one-third at a time, on lightly floured surface (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 3-inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
4, Bake for 6 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand on cookie sheets 1 minute; remove to wire cooling rack. Cool completely.
5. Combine powdered sugar, 1/3 cup butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla in small bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often and gradually adding enough milk for desired spreading consistency. Tint with food color, if desired. Frost and decorate cooled cookies as desired.

Click here for the printable version

Since I can’t find a bus cookie cutter, I draw a bus shape onto cardstock and cut it out.  Then I just trace around it with a very sharp knife to cut them out.  I only have to make three, after all!  I make them about 6” long and 3” high.

I make Royal Icing, using Wilton's recipe and meringue powder, for these cookies.  I love the buttercream recipe listed above, but this needs to harden for the hooligans.
 
Hope you enjoy them!

Snuggly Tag Blankies

***UPDATE*** Before continuing with this post,  I wanted to tell you that I have a new blog home.  I'd love for you to visit (all my old posts are there, along with brand new ones), and subscribe over there, since I can't transfer my subscribers over for some reason.  If you decide to follow, leave me a comment so I can thank you...and follow back if you have a blog!  Also, I'm trying to convince the hubs that this IS a real job, so I need all the followers I can get! Thanks so much...
http://www.chaosserveddaily.com/ 


It seems I need small baby gifts frequently, for soldiers, coworkers, or friends.  And they seem to come in waves, so I needed something I can mass produce and be set for six months or so. Of course, I read there’s a Fifty Shades of Gray baby boom going on, with babies due in February, so who knows how many blankies I’ll need then!

I like to give these tag blankies for babies to use as teethers or tactile learners, along with a copy of one of our favorite books.  It makes a thoughtful, yet affordable, gift.


About ten years ago, “tag” things were all the rage…books, blankets, teething cloths, you name it.  I’m not sure if they’re still so prevalent, but I figured out how I could make them for next to nothing.  (In this case, next to nothing adds up to about $3, if I have to buy ribbons and can’t just pull from my stash.)

To make these, you’ll need some soft chenille-type microfleece.  One and a half yards of 60” wide fleece will make 6 blankets.  I always buy it on sale or with a 40% off coupon at Joann’s.  You’ll also need 10 or 12 different, closely wovan, fabric ribbons.  You’ll need two pieces of each, 4” long.

Cut two pieces of fleece 14”x14” for each blankie.  On the right side of one piece, fold each ribbon in half and pin he cut edges along the sides of the fleece.

I do this assembly line fashion, cutting everything then pinning all the squares.

Next, place another square of fleece right sides together with the ribbon pinned one.

Stitch around the edges, leaving a space about 3 inches or so not sewn.  Clip the corners, as shown above, then turn the blankie right side out, pulling the fabric through the unsewn part. Remove the pins, tuck the raw edges from the unsewn part inside, and topstitch around the entire square.


See?  I told you it was easy!  I try to make mine pretty unisex in color, since I make them to stock my gift trunk. You can make several of these in an afternoon (or an evening while watching mindless television) and when a baby is born, you’re ready to give a fabulous present!

Time for Tea and Cookies!

When I found these side-of-the-cup cookie cutters at World Market, I had to have them.  Had to, I tell you.  I’ve seen cookies all over the internet, hanging on the sides of mugs, but they involve cutting that notch out yourself.  These cutters make it so much simpler!

I'm picturing gingerbread stars on a mug of marshmallow-topped hot chocolate after sledding, or some pretty pink frosted hearts on a mug of steaming coffee during a date night movie.  And did I mention they were only $1.29 each?  What a bargain!


I made some Lemon Sable Cookies from the King Arthur Catalog, iced them, and placed them on the side of a glass of yummy Iced Passion Tea. It makes for a perfect afternoon snack on a hot summer day!


Here's the recipe on King Arthur's website, if you'd like to print it.

Lemon Sable Cookies

Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 3/4 cup almond flour or ground almonds
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt; Fleur de Sel is especially nice in this recipe
• 2 tablespoons lemon powder*
• 14 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1 large egg white
• grated rind (zest) of 1 lemon
• *Or, for a less zesty cookie, substitute 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.

Glaze

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• coarse white sparkling sugar, for topping

Directions

1) Using a food processor or mixer, combine the flour, almond flour, sugar, salt, and lemon powder.
2) Add the butter, and process or mix until the mixture is crumbly.
3) Add the egg white, lemon juice (if you're using it) and grated rind, and process or mix until the dough comes together.
4) Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour or more.
5) Preheat the oven to 350°F.
6) Roll the chilled dough 1/4" thick.
7) Using fluted cookie cutters about 2 1/2" in diameter, cut out as many cookies as possible, re-rolling the dough as needed. Space the cookies 1/2" apart on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets — you'll need a couple of pans.
8) Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, until their edges begin to brown. Remove them from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool.
9) For the glaze, stir together the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar until smooth.
10) Brush a thin layer of glaze onto the surface of each cookie; garnish with sparkling sugar, if desired.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies.

I followed the recipe exactly, except that I dipped the tops of the cookies into the glaze, rather than brushing it on. The lemon powder is an amazing ingredient to keep in the pantry.  I love using it when I make shortbread, because it adds the zesty flavor without adding liquid, which would make your shortbread not so short.

These cookies are very much like shortbread, but not as dense.  They’re tender, crisp, and nice and lemony. Definitely a keeper!