Saturday, March 23, 2013

Easter Flag

Early this week I finished my Easter flag. I fell in love with this flag, but I didn't want to hang it outside and spend $40.

First, I made the first flag for St. Patrick's day. I wrote about it here.

With the Easter flag, I had a hard time with proportions. Both the bunny and the letters were smaller than I originally envisioned, but I love the periwinkle paint on the burlap. It's not perfect, but I enjoyed the project. I feel a little more ready for Easter.
My stencil letters, smaller than I wanted.

The finished project hanging on my back door.

Friday, March 22, 2013

A Recent Project - Homemade Goldfish

One night this week I decided I wanted to make homemade goldfish crackers. Stephen goes through about a bag a week--they are his office snack. I guess I thought if they were fun to make, delicious, and obviously less processed than the original (sorry, Pepperidge farms) then it would be a win all around.

I used this recipe and the dough was very easy to make. After I finished baking our dinner I left the oven on and rolled out the dough.


Yes, we do own a rolling pin. At this moment in time, I can't find it. I packed it away somewhere safe because we never used it. Well, I have needed a rolling pin twice this week and it can't be found. Luckily, we drink wine, so the bottle was a pretty smooth substitute.

After rolling out the dough we reached my least favorite part. Cutting out the crackers. I used a little metal circle the size of a bottle cap. THIS PART WAS TEDIOUS. And because the dough has a lot of cheese in it, I got a little greasy. This endeavor reminded me of why I hate cut-out cookies. Thank goodness I didn't have to frost these crackers after they came out of the ove.

I don't have any pictures of the finished product, but they were delicious and smelled wonderful baking. I don't think I will be baking these regularly to feed my husband's goldfish habit. I might, however, bake them when I have a craving for a cheesy snack. I have never been a fan of the "fake" cheese variety (Cheezits, Goldfish, etc.) but I know these snacks have 8 oz. of pure cheddar!

This recipe reinforced that just because you can make something from scratch doesn't mean you should. Yes, you have to eat dinner every night but you don't have to eat a baked cracker snack. I think my sweet spot for recipes is more in the lunch/dinner area, however, I just might make these again for the right occasion.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Garrett's Popcorn

A combination of oh-so-yummy cheese and caramel popcorn is making me happy this week.

The yummy goodness, courtesy of Garrett's own blog.
This past week my in-laws headed to Chicago for a weekend getaway. They asked if we "needed" anything from Chicago. Upon their asking, I remembered how many people I have heard raving about this slightly unusual combination of popcorn flavors. While I was skeptical, I said if they ended up making a stop at Garrett's (an institution in Chicago that I knew they had previously frequented), I would love to try this combination. Well, they sweetly obliged and Stephen and I spent last night on the couch eating ourselves silly. 

Seriously, I am surviving this Monday post-one-hour-less-sleep-time-change with the end-goal of sitting down on the couch with my popcorn and television shows. To those of you who have known of this deliciousness, I apologize for being late to the party but I am here now! It is SO YUMMY!

Friday, March 8, 2013

St. Patrick's Day Flag

I have had a few projects going lately. The first one to be finished, a St. Patrick's Day flag, is now proudly hanging on my back door. I set out to make an Easter flag, and I will, but with an extra piece of burlap and leftover green paint, I just had to make something for the Irish holiday!


When I started this flag project, I emailed my friend Cammie (her blog) about burlap. I knew she had done some crafting with it, and that she had sewing skills. My friends, I can barely sew a button on so my crafting endeavors oftentime stall out with the threat of sewing. She loved my idea and sent me two different textures of burlap flags. Thank you, Cammie.

My very patient husband and I headed to Michaels for the necessary supplies. Aside from the burlap for the flag, we needed some wood dowels, stencils, and paint (some of these supplies will be used for the other flag).

I have mentioned that we have been refinishing a shelf in a dark green paint (formally known as the color "Comfy Corduroy") so we used that paint for the dowels and shamrocks. I painted the dowels and the wood balls for the end. Then I found a shamrock stencil I liked online, printed it out and made multiple sizes out of cereal boxes. I traced the shamrocks onto the burlap--I had already tested the paint on a scrap of burlap, which I recommend--and filled them in with a combination of different brushes. I considered using the stencils like a stamp but I liked the worn look that came with the free-hand painting.

When I finish my Easter flag, I will share the inspiration behind the whole project. Until then, have a Guinness and enjoy the St. Patrick's Day festiveness. I sure am enjoying my flag!