Wedding Invitation Sign

Not too long ago, I received a wedding invitation in the mail that was really pretty.  Now I know that most people don't care about the invite, except for the Bride, of course, but it was really pretty.  I just knew that if I could do it right, that it would make a beautiful sign the couple could keep for years to come.  Here it is:

I hope they enjoy the reminder of their wedding day!  What have you made for a wedding gift?

Take Care,
Morgan

Linking up to:
Skip to my Lou 
Trendy Treehouse  

Tabletop Chalkboard

This was yet another item I made for my son's birthday in this post.  I first saw it here and used these plans.  Easy peasy...  So much fun to make!  I didn't use a handle, but it's totally up to you if you need it.

I used some clearance paints (chalkboard and acrylic) I found a while back which is why I hoard buy things with the intent to do something with them someday.  Sealed this sucker up just to make sure the acrylic was on there for good...  For some reason when I would wipe it with a damp paper towel, the acrylic paint kept on coming off...  So the sealer is doing what I need it to, especially with the boys, I just know they are going to try and use the chalk on the wood part, not the chalkboard part...  Got three good layers of chalkboard paint for both sides, so not bad for a buck clearance paint!

Anywho, if I can make this, so can you!  I even used the jig and everything.  Just a word to the wise, make certain your nails for the hardboard are less than the width of your 1 by 2/3...  No reason, just from experience you may need to touch-up where the nails poke through...  No biggie!

Take Care,
Morgan

Chocolate Covered Earth Oreo Cookies

So, to go along with my son's astronomy themed birthday party, I wanted something really special for the cupcake toppers...  These guys were really simple and each covering/decorating session only took 30 minutes (and that was with the baby playing in his highchair!)  With drying time, this will take you overnight to finish the oreos.  If you have ever decorated cookies, then these will be a breeze for you.  If you haven't, then don't worry, these are very forgiving and you will be able to do it, too!

These beauties tasted as good as they look!

Drying after their dunk...

Don't worry about the holes, they still taste awesome!

Done!

Materials:
Package of Oreos (only use unbroken ones, take the broken ones and put them in your mouth quickly - less time for sharing!) I got 25 usable cookies from one package.
Two packages white chocolate morsels (I like the flavor of the white chocolate, but if you have candy melts, then go for it!)
Chocolate food coloring - blue and green (I am sure you could use regular food coloring, but I haven't tried it.  We have a local food craft shop, so I buy it there cheap)
1 to 2 Tbsp. shortening
Sandwich baggie
Silpat or wax paper

Instructions:

1. Only use the beautifully intact cookies, you do not want crumbs in your white chocolate.
2. Melt one package of chips in a four cup mixing cup in microwave according to package directions and your microwave. (I way over cooked them in the past, so make sure and stay by your machine.)
3. I put a couple of tablespoons of shortening in the melted chips to thin them out for dipping and add your blue coloring.
4. Using a fork, plop a cookie in the white/blue chocolate and turn over.  Lift up with the fork and allow the excess chocolate to drip off.
5. Tap your fork on the side of the measuring cup, scraping the excess chocolate off the bottom of the fork and place gently on the silpat.
6. Allow to dry overnight.
7. Use about one cup of the second white chocolate morsels package with some shortening mixed with green coloring.  
8. After heating and getting a nice, not too runny consistency, place it in a sandwich baggie.  Cut off a small, tiny hole from the corner of the baggie.  You can always cut it bigger, go small at first.
9. Then start your outline of the continents.  After outlining, color in with the chocolate.  
10. Work one cookie at a time and keep your hand moving.  If someone asks if that's Australia and it's really Africa, they're cookies, it's ok...  :)

 They looked great and didn't last long.  They are very rich, so perfect for the cupcakes.

Hope these inspire you!

Take Care,
Morgan

Linking to:
Craft-O-Maniac 
I heart Naptime 
Skip to my Lou 
Trendy Treehouse 
Time to Sparkle Link Party 

Boy's 7th Birthday Party

So, has it really been almost 7 years since we brought our first little boy home?  It makes my heart ache that I would give him kisses all day to such sweet giggles and now he runs away from the car during drop-off after saying that more than two kisses from mom are too much... Well, that's how it goes, I suppose...

This was his 7th Birthday party and we found a discounted deal at our local museum for members (otherwise it would have been an at home party.)  Be sure to look for deals, even if birthday parties at a particular place are usually pricey.  If I hadn't of looked just to see, then I wouldn't have known about the awesome deal.   One of the stipulations of the deal was that it had to be held during the month prior to my little boy's actual birthday, but it turned out great because we have a busy couple of months ahead of us.  He chose an Astronomy themed birthday, so that's why we have 'Earth' toppers for the cupcakes...

Anywho, I made a few items for the party and they will all be listed here...  The tute's will come in individual posts and sources...  But for now, here goes:

I tried to have food items that were individual (read: didn't want grubby hands touching my food) and easily portable for the party.  The bonus of this party was that it was during a normal snack time, not meal time, so no worries about feeding an entire meal.  Well, we learned a lot and had a good time and are ramping up for the quickly approaching first birthday of our youngest.  So, I hope you get some ideas for your next birthday party.

Take Care,
Morgan