Spontaneous Moment #50: Cookie Swap

It's that time of year again. My friend, Alex, was throwing a cookie swap party at her place and I was seriously lacking in time. Thankfully, I have a few tricks of my sleeve. In my back pocket, I keep two simple cookie recipes: crinkle cookies and bacon chocolate chip cookies. You're in luck! I'm in the mood to share my secrets. If you're going to be like me and make both, use the same bowl for both cookies. While the first set of cookies are baking, prepare the second set of cookies.

I started with the crinkle cookies:

CRINKLE COOKIES

Ingredients:

• 1 packet Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Combine cake mix, eggs, butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Stir until their are no longer any chunks.

Mixing this all together is the hardest part of the recipe

Pour powdered sugar into a small bowl. Drop a tablespoon sized cookie dough into the powdered sugar. I like to use my hand to slowly roll the cookie around in the powdered sugar, but you can also use a spoon.

The bowl of powdered sugar ready for cookie dough

Roll your teaspoon sized cookie dough in the powdered sugar

Drop onto a greased cookie sheet. You can also use parchment paper or a baking silpat.

Bake for 12 minutes for chewy cookies. You'll notice a lot of the powdered sugar baked off in the oven. Let the cookies cool for two minutes and then sprinkle some more powdered sugar on top of the cookies. Transfer the cookies over to cooling racks. Once you let them cool completely, enjoy them with a big glass of milk.

If you're making both cookies... before the crinkle cookies are in the oven, start preparing the bacon chocolate chip cookies by making the bacon. Once you take out the bacon, pop the crinkle cookies in and prep the chocolate chip mix.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Mix
• 1/2 (1 stick) softened butter (leave out for 45-60 minutes for it to soften)
• 1 egg
• thick cut bacon
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar

Directions:

Keep the oven at 350. Line the bacon on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.  Sprinkle brown sugar on top of each slice of bacon. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until crispy.

Line up the bacon.

Pat down the cooked bacon with paper towels. Crumble up the bacon into little bits.

Pour cookie mix into a bowl. Sprinkle in the bacon bits and mix together. Then add in the butter and egg. Mix until there are no chunks and soft dough forms.

Yes, no need to change the temperature of the oven. Keep it at 350. Drop teaspoon sized cookie dough onto the same cookie sheets you used for the other cookies. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown. Let them stand for one minute before removing and placing onto the cooling rack.

I promise these cookies won't disappoint. They were the first ones gone at the party. I'm sure I'll make them again for work. 

Spontaneous Moment #49: Bag It Up

If you can't tell from my recent posts, I'M GETTING MARRIED. Instead of spending a fortune on gifts for 8 bridesmaids, 8 groomsmen, and family members, it's easier to do it all for less.

I'm giving my bridesmaid a little something to wear on the wedding day while we get ready and a thank you gift for being a part of my wedding. I figured instead of wrapping it, a cute way to give them the gift would be in a personalized tote.

HOW TO MAKE A MONOGRAMMED TOTE BAG:

Materials:

•  Tote Bag
• Sponge brush
• Fabric paint
• Doilies
• Contact Paper
• Scissors
• Protractor Compass or a plate
• Something to put in between the bag when painting

All the materials you'll need

Instructions:

First I found something to protect my floor. I used my large painting cover for the floor. Flatten your tote bag on the floor and measure out how much contact paper you'll need to cover the tote. Cut it out and place it on top of the tote, but do NOT peal it yet.

Measure and cut your contact paper

Now it's time to create the circle in the middle of your contact paper. You can use a protractor compass to create the circle, but I couldn't find mine. I took the next best option and traced a salad plate. I made sure to put the plate over the tote handles and then slowly move it down so that I made sure it was centered.

Cut out the middle circle. I usually fold it in half, cut in the center and then slowly cut around the edges of the circle.

Cut out the circle of the contact paper

Slowly pull off the back of the contact paper starting from the top. This way you can keep everything centered and slowly press down on the contact paper as you go.

Pull off the contact paper starting from the top

Grab your scissors and doily. Fold the doily in half and cut around the circle.

Cut out the center of the doily

It should look like this once you're done. 

The doily once you've cut out the center

 Grab your cut out monogram and your doily. Carefully center and position them in the middle of the tote bag.

Place everything how you want it to look

I traced my monogram on contact paper and then cut it out so that I could peal off the back and press it onto the tote.

Peal and press the monogram onto the tote

 Put a piece of paper or something in between the tote bag so that if the fabric paint goes through, it doesn't get to the other side of the tote. I use magazines or shipping envelopes. Put your paint in a small bowl and start slowly pressing down with the sponge brush onto the bag.

Start painting your tote bag

Add a second layer of paint onto your totes so that it gives it a rich color. 

 Let it dry for an hour and then slowly peal off your contact paper and doily. Then you have a great gift to give to your friends and family! Easy peasy!

My first attempt

The final product

 

Spontaneous Moment #48: Homemade Cards & Groomsmen Gifts

My fiance was trying to come up with a way to ask his groomsmen to be in our wedding. I went online to look for a cute card, but they were all $6 or $7 PER CARD... and when you're asking eight men to be in your wedding, that quickly adds up.

I decided instead of buying a card, why don't I just make them for him. So I came up with the idea of making a tuxedo jacket. I also decided that we should give them a small gift with the card as well. Cue the booze!

How to Make a Tuxedo Card:

Tools:

• Black card stock
• White shiny card stock
• Puffy paint (use your wedding colors)
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Bone Paper folder
• X-acto Knife
• Paper Trimmer (makes all the difference in the world)
• glue

Instructions:

Take your black cardstock and slice the paper in half.

Measure your cardstock into thirds. Make sure the sides are half the size of the middle.

Use the folding slicer on your paper trimmer. Create your two folds.

Grab your bone folder to make a clean fold on the paper.

Now it's time to make the flap (aka the lapel). Take your ruler and measure the sides. This way you'll have even sides. I made mine 3x6.

Once you figure out the measurements, use the folding slicer with your paper trimmer again.

Fold your papers together to make sure it all looks right. If your two flaps fold completely. To give it more of a 3D look, you can add an extra  fold on the side (as seen below on the left portion of the card).

Now it's time to make your pocket. Take your xacto knife and lay your right fold out flat. Slowly make the shape of a pocket. I don't cut out the top of the pocket because it's going to be covered by the "pocket square."

Get your scissors. Make two cuts into the lapel.

Use your ruler to make it even on both sides.

Take your card and put it under something heavy for an hour. I usually place it under a stack of magazines or a laptop. This will set your card.

Now it's time for some puffy paint action! First squirt your puffy paint on a piece of scrap paper so that that any excess doesn't mess up the card. Now take it and make a square design on your card just above your pocket you cut out. Let it dry.

While the puffy paint sets, take your white card stock and cut it in half. Now measure the dimensions of your card and make sure the white is same size as the inside of your card. Use the paper trimmer to cut out the size. Grab some strong glue (I use Elmer's extra strength glue stick) and glue around the edges of the white cardstock. Press down the white card stock.

Time for the finishing touches! Last but not least, take the puffy paint and draw a bow tie and buttons.

 

My job is done! Now it's up to the fiance to do the hard part-- asking his men. 

 

Now on to the fun part, the gift!

I love a good wordplay. Since we decided to give them booze as a present, I thought why not ask them to "take a shot" at being a groomsman. The only request was that I don't girly up the gift too much. As much as I wanted to make a pretty, colorful design, I made it as simple and manly as possible.

Tools needed:

Hole punch

Large circle punch

String

mini alcohol bottle

This is how they all turned out:

They were either mailed or hand delivered in small bags to the men and they all said YES!

Spontaneous Moment #47: Home Sweet Home Artwork

My fiance and I recently moved into a new place and wanted some new wall art to help spruce up our place.

I didn't want to just go out and buy an expensive painting or artwork, but rather have something that is more meaningful.

Here's where Pinterest comes into place. I turned to the website where I'm a loyal pinner and started searching for ideas. I kept seeing these pins for places that people have called home. The only problem is whenever you go to the actual link, the website says, "Sorry, the page you were looking for in this blog does not exist."

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

I decided I wanted to create a canvas of every state that my fiance or I had lived in. 

I'm going to figure this out myself. So let the crafting begin.

Tools:
Canvas
Paint colors of your choice
Contact paper
Scissors
Paintbrush

I only bought four primary colors (red, blue, yellow and black) and then mixed them together to create other colors.  I find it cheaper that way.

Instructions:

I drew the state on contact paper and then cut it out and stuck it onto the canvas. Some of the paintings were going to be multi-colored so I went ahead and painted the canvas before placing the contact paper on top. Smooth out your contact paper on the edges to make sure there are no air bubbles.

I pressed a book on top of the contact paper for an hour. This will keep your paper pressed down during the painting process. You don't want any paint to be able to slip underneath the contact paper and ruin your masterpiece!

Now it's time to paint around the contact paper. Let it dry and repeat twice so that your final product has three coats of paint on it.

Painting Washington, DC

 I didn't paint the entire canvas. Just the area that would cover the contact paper. I then painted my border.

Painting West Virginia

Add your top coat. It's important that you add three coats of paint otherwise you might see the color underneath.

Let it sit for a day before peeling off your contact paper. I made the mistake of peeling off my contact paper and some wet paint got into my state outline. I had to repaint and fix my mistake.

 How they turned out after drying.

 Finally hanging up and bringing light to that white wall.

 

Our respective home states hang over our sides of the bed.