Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie

Mint chocolate chip cookie

I struggled with this one.   I started with a delicious looking pin for cookies made from http://tidymom.net/2011/mint-chocolate-chip-cookies

They included crème de menthe chips and a simple combination of instant ingredients. I am well know to honor the art of “Magic” food.   This fit the bill.

Magic = Simple combinations of ingredients (preferable 3 or less) that I almost can’t fail with. 

The bummer was I couldn’t find mint extract or the chips. I fear these are holiday type ingredients. I even tried Tony’s meats where more quality and specialized ingredients can usually be found but no luck. 

I pressed on!  I wanted to make these cookies…  I failed mightily with a homemade extract of peppermint oil and vodka mixed with everything except the crème de menthe chips. It was not minty enough and the color I used barely registered in the cookie.  So… after finally finding the mint extract at the craft store in the baking isle I tried a new version that Kaden really liked. Here it is and it the cookie pictured above. I think it is yummy with vanilla ice cream.

Cake mix cookie base from Duncan Hines: http://www.duncanhines.com/recipes/cookies-bars/hackshins/cake-mix-cookies

I use this base for lemon cookies, chocolate, strawberry cookies, etc. I prefer to find the mix with the flavor and keep it simple but in this case I went with white cake and added the prescribed mint portion from the previous recipe.

1 Duncan Hines White cake mix

2 eggs

½ cup of oil

½ teaspoon mint extract

Green food coloring ( I used wayyyy too much and they are a bit hulk looking)

1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips 

In large missing bowl cream the eggs, oil, food coloring, and extract. Add cake mix and combine thoroughly. Fold in chocolate chips (use any flavor of chip you like).

Drop by tablespoons full onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

FYI: I can’t wait until I find the mint chips they will be especially delicious.

DIY Gymnsatics Award Display

Level 4 gymnastics display shelf

My daughter is a budding gymnast. She has just started competing and we needed a way to organize and protect her new treasures. I created this shelf to display her brochures, photos, score books, and metals.

I purchased a shelf from Home goods, a white frame from IKEA, and couple of precut letters from JoAnne Fabric. I applied a couple of hooks that could hold a dowel rod to wrap the metals around. The letter, number, and dowel rod are painted her favorite color I still need to print a picture for the frame.

Mak loves it!

Men's 3x goodwill shirt refashion

Shirt Refashion!
Finally, I came up with an easy (for my limited skills) men's button down shirt refashion!

The shirt was a really pretty blue and white button up in a size 3x. It was brand new, $2.00 at goodwill and had a pretty little Paula Dean embroidered pocket. I have been scouring Pintrest for ideas that will work but never found one that looked easy and/or had rockabilly flair.

Soo... The inspiration went like this.  I happened to notice the top a country singer was wearing in a video at my friends house.  I didn't get a great look at it and can't find any decent internet pictures but it was a cross between Alabama Chanin and Steampunk.Side note: I can't afford Alabama Chanin, but I love it! So this video got me dreaming about tubetop corset thingies in unfinished and fluffy greatness in many variations. I have two tops I am making from this inspiration and the men's shirt refashion is the first. Really looks nothing like it but you know how inspiration goes:)

http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/band_perry/artist.jhtml
inspiration

This is not so much a tutorial as a running event catalog. I ripped more seams in this project than I have ever imagined possible.

Supplies: Big shirt from goodwill, white ruffle (2 yards and way too much) with bias tape top.






Event sequence:

• I laid a cotton tube top on the men's shirt laid out flat. Specifically centering the the outline to include the buttons down the front staying down the front.
• To keep the buttons from gaping I sewed a matching seam down the outside line of the button series. I overlapped it on an existing seam so it doesn't look wonky.

• I folded over the top and ironed down a straight line with a white button perfectly centered. I used a silly swirly seam (no reason really, wanted to try it:)

Fail events:

• I copied the fold over in the back and ran elastic through it. But when assembled the back looked puffy and unfinished. So I ripped that out and shirred a few inches of the top. I wish I had shirred almost the entire back.
• Original ruffles were sewn upside down and I imagined I could iron them down (rightside) and have a polished row/line. Nope they were too puffy and did not lay flat. so I made strips of bias tape and sewed the ruffle to the bias tape and then sewed it to the shirt. Before I found success I had all the rows sewn on. The seam ripper was the salvation because I didn't have fabric to turn to and I had cut up almost the entire shirt.
• I wanted unfinished edges on the gingham but the direction I had to cut the fabric has it fraying. Fray check to the rescue. 

Success events again:

• Prior to sewing the pieces together I shirred the back piece. Time consuming but looks very neat. This is the first time I have done so many. I used instructions from: http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/11/sewing-tip-shirringsmocking-with-elastic-thread.html
• I shirred the top of the ruffle pieces and sewed them into the bias tape I made in equal lengths. I cut matching lengths of white store bought ruffle. Working from the top down I layered the ruffles. It helped to have the shirt still in pieces for this. They were easy to line up with the pattern of the fabric so I just eyeballed it. I have each ruffle starting up against the button line.

• Ran a piece of elastic accross the top back for extra stretchy. 
• Right side together assembled the pieces. 
• Flipped right side out and started cleaning up all the threads. I still need to add the fray check to each blue ruffle but I am in love with it. I am wearing it today with a white jean jacket. With the shirt tails from the original shirt I can tuck it in or wear it un-tucked cute either way.

Next up a cream and lace shirred top more similar to the video inspiration.

Sugar Skull Sturgis Jewelry

Prototype 1

Sugar Skull Prototype 1:
I am gearing up for my annual Sturgis vacation. I can't meet up with all my besties without a cool gift (or at least my idea of a cool gift:)
Last year I made pinup girl necklaces and glitter mustache rings using shrinky dinks, necklace bezels, and art specific and unique for each. This year I am making something Sugar Skull.

This is my first prototype.










Supplies:

Tori Spelling necklace components: (from craft store Michael's and Joann fabric have the line - I purchased them on sale)

{styled} By Tori Spelling TM Glitz-Connectors Black 3.99

{styled} By Tori Spelling TM leather top half black necklace 3.99

Howlite Skulls: Etsy (4.00) vendor Smartparts




Had in supply box:
Freshwater pearls
Wire, tools etc.

How I am going to improve it:

• Better photo next time! 
• Instead of a wire loop as large as I have I am going to tighten the wire to the pearl and the loop will be to a silver jump ring. I think it will look more professional that way. 
• Also need to play with the findings and the glue. The gorrilla glue did what I wanted and created a surface for the flowers to adhere to but the foaming nature of this stuff caused it to grow between the flowers and I can see it. 

Organizing inside the cabinets

Necessity is the mother of invention.
Cabinet organizers are way too expensive but I desperately needed them. Luckily I have alternatives.
$50 dollars + a couple of hours = Kitchen declutter happiness
Where did I get the supplies: Extra Building supplies in Denver and a gift from my mom from ikea.

Why in the world are cabinet pullout supplies so expensive? Well I can't afford to do much with the retail options so I picked up the essentials at Extra Building Supply and applied a few hours of work installing the glides and sorting the junk. Now I have a great organized answer to the pans, tupperware, and baking dishes. The ikea stretchy variera is incredible for keeping everything in place.

Island Dreams!

The island is FINISHED!  

Well mostly, I still have a piece of trim to finish nail on. But I am calling it complete.

The final tally for supplies:

• 1 Two door cabinet set, with two plywood laminate walls and 4 trim doors attached to to those ($125.00). I got those at Extra in Denver, formerly a part of an island (I assume a huge one) in a cabinet shop. 
• Butcher Block (birch) from Ikea ($195.00). I did not see it on the website but I was able to order it in a large enough piece to accommodate the overhang on the back eating side. I was inspired to use this product from http://www.beneathmyheart.net/2012/01/ikea-butcher-block-countertop-answers-to-your-questions/. I treated it with the butcher block oil ikea sells, I love the natural texture.
• Set of 3 new knobs from Lowes in a black metal finish ($9.00)
• General framing wood to construct the base the whole configuration is sitting on, corner cabinet fasteners  plastic adjustable leg/feet thingies, wood edging,  from Rockler ($40.00) 
• Bead board ($20.00)
• Base trim and accent trim I used to accent the back and sides ($30.00)
• Trash glides (19.00)
• Rustoleum antique white spray paint ($12.00) Exact same color as existing cabinet. Wonderful.

Total $430.00

Notes:
Setup and Base Island

Bottom up...

Using the anawhite site I modified the overall base build to accommodate a full base across the two cabinets. I combined a few of the project posts she has available if search for island and cabinets.
http://ftp.ana-white.com/2012/03/kitchen-island-farmhouse-table-top
http://ftp.ana-white.com/2012/01/plans/kitchen-cabinet-sink-base-36-full-overlay-face-frame

19inch Cabinet and trash pull

I used a couple of sites for reference in this project. the first was Anna white http://ana-white.com. This site features tons of free building plans that make sense and work well. I used it for the 19 inch trash cabinet I added to the end of the island. The specifics of the trash pull out deviated but the concept was the same. Using a trash can that fit perfectly inside the cabinet I cut out an opening in scrap plywood that would allow it to drop down and the lip of the trash can catches on the wood. I framed it out and added some standard long pull drawer glides. To clean it up and make it look less like a scrap lumber project I covered it in plastic drawer liner and nailed it to the bottom. Now if trash misses it wipes right up and looks nice. The concept is similar to how a drawer would be mounted in a cabinet and the bottom of the drawer cut out to fit a trash can. I screwed one of the cabinet fronts to the wood frame and added a drawer pull to the top. This took lots of leveling and clamps and brute strength (thank you husband:) and luckily the top was not on so assembled from the top down.

Trash systems that you can buy ready to install in your cabinets would have cost  $199.00+ (http://www.kitchensource.com/trash/d/built-in/).  These would have been a smidgen easier to install but I saved a lot by crafting my own and it wasn't a great deal more difficult. The anawhite link to a plans: http://ftp.ana-white.com/2012/01/plans/18quot-kitchen-base-cabinet-trash-pull-out-or-storage-cupboard-door?page=4

Throughout this project I kept up Two boards of ideas on Pinterest.
http://pinterest.com/jenniferbutts/making-for-my-home/
http://pinterest.com/jenniferbutts/ideas-for-home/
The original plan to keep the definitively doing on the making board and the ideas on ideas board. Well I scrambled up part way through so both boards are a mix:)

If your tackling a project like this I hope this info helps. My handy husband was a must for this project and don't tell him but he is pretty great to help so much. I don't want him to get a big head!

Island progress update

The kitchen Island is starting to come along...

We purchased a big 11/2 inch thick butcher block counter top from Ikea ($195.00). It is the perfect size to allow for an overhang on the back of the island and 2 sides.  We will cut it down to overhang only the back and end (1 side).  I did not realize when shopping online for the counter top that a wider version is available in the store. So I have a wonderful chunk of Birch waiting to grace the top of the new island.

Hurray! The frame is now built so I can find the trash solutions for mounting inside the cabinet.

We created a new base to perch the whole setup on. This way we have something to mount a skirting to but allows us to adjust the height etc. We used feet that adjust that we purchased at Rockler.

I stuck my trash can in the hole to demonstrate the concept for my kids:)

Next steps:
The skirting, trash pullout, door mount, bead board, corbels, and the finish pieces. I hope to be done before entertaining on Easter.