Princess Crown

'Princess' Genevieve Fey wearing her crown for the first time!

With Princess parties being so popular right now, this little craft can make it a little more personalized and special for your little 'Princess'!

This original idea came from a Pinterest pin which used a fabric doilie, cut in half, and stiffened in a circular shape, followed by spray paint and embellishments.

This simple crown is a take on that, and I can take no credit for any of it! My daughter-in-law, Brenda, was throwing my two granddaughters a combined princess party, (They have birthdays on the 10th & 13th of the same month!) and she needed a crown for her 3 year old. She designed and made the complete crown.

Genevieve Fey loves Anna from Frozen, and to complete her outfit she needed a crown but all the crowns available are usually silver, so Brenda made her this adorable crown using inexpensive and readily available supplies.

Supplies:

3" wide lacy-looking stiff ribbon (We found ours at Joann Craft & it feels like wire)
gold spray paint
embellishments (Buttons, antique jewelry, pearls, etc)

We had many choices, but ended up using what's on the roll...

Here Brenda is trimming off what she doesn't want... shaping it into a 'crown'...  

Since Brenda used the stiff 'lace' there was no need to stiffen it when she was done trimming. After she trimmed it to the shape she wanted, she spray painted it gold.

When dry, she added the embellishments that she felt matched Genevieve's dress. The hot pink and blue 'jewels' were star-shaped sequins that Brenda cut to a 'gem' shape! (Cheap & easy!!)

DONE!!! She just used regular bobby pins to attach it to Genevieve's head.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Quick & easy frosting!

These cupcakes were made for my youngest daughter, Abby's,  bridal shower last summer. I wanted a cream color because I was going to make a 'cake' that looked like her wedding gown! (You  know. The cupcakes assembled on a tray in the shape of a dress?....)

She was going for a semi retro-theme and her wedding dress was a reproduction of my Mother's dress! My parents were married in 1958, and my Mother's dress was made by HER Mother, my Grandmother! It was off-white in color and made of either satin or taffeta with a dotted swiss silk organza overlay!

My parents on their wedding day, July 4, 1958. My father was in the Air Force and was on leave for
the holiday. They're standing on the steps of the courthouse. Unfortunately, this is the
only photo I have of their wedding day and my Mother's dress...

I still owned the dress and Abby was actually considering wearing it, but when we got it out it was falling apart! It fit her perfectly, but the fabric was rotten (it hadn't been 'stored' the way we do with wedding dresses now) and there were stains on the dress!

The dress in 2013...It's a perfect fit, but the fabric is rotten and stained!

A back view...

We considered sending it out to a company that did restorations, but they were out-of-state, which made us very nervous. We came to a decision... I would make the new dress! (YIKES) I was excited and scared at the same time! What if I couldn't do it? Or what if it didn't look right? This WAS her wedding, after all!... In any event, the dress not being totally done at the time of the shower, but all of us anticipating the final outcome, I made this shower 'cake' to slightly resemble the real thing.

This was my first time making anything like this... using a piping bag to frost the cupcakes, and also making
a 'shape' with the cupcakes. I used some of the leftover fabric from the wedding dress I was making
and added it to the yoke area, to mimic the piece on her dress... didn't turn out exactly how I envisioned it! 

Ingredients:

1 cup Crisco

1 Tbls extract (I used vanilla, but you can use other extracts, as well)

6 - 8 Tbls of half & half

Cream the previous three ingredients together. Once these are well blended, add:

1 - 16 oz bag Powdered Sugar

Pinch Salt

I made one recipe per each batch of 18-24 cupcakes.

The finished dress on the wedding day!!... In case you were wondering if I ever finished it!!

Sal & Abby at their 'Ice Cream Social' Wedding Reception....

Strawberry Jam DIY

Delicious Homemade Strawberry Jam!!!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups mashed strawberries (wash and remove greens)

4 cups sugar

I box Sure-Jell or Pectin

Instructions are the same as for the Apricot Jam, except no lemon juice is used in this recipe. This batch yields 5 - 8 oz jars.

Here's the link to the step-by-step instructions for the Apricot Jam found here on my blog: http://www.domesticdivaonadime.blogspot.com/2014/06/apricot-jam-diy.html

Apricot Jam DIY

Easy-to-make Homemade Apricot Jam

Ingredients:

This is the brand I use, but there are
many others available.

2 1/2 cups chopped apricots (discard pits, do not peel) This is about 1 3/4 lbs of  fruit
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 box Sure-Jell or Pectin (see photo, right)
5 1/2 cups sugar
*DON'T FORGET the canning jars, lids and rings. (I used 6 small jars for this recipe and there was a bit left over) Wash jars with hot, soapy water; rinse and dry. Also, if you own a funnel for filling your canning jars, (they do make such things, photo below) wash and dry it at the same time. I used jars that held 8 oz or a half pint.

A funnel for helping get the hot jam into the jars without a huge mess!
Totally worth the money!!

These are the lids & rings I purchased to go with jars I already had..

These are the new jars I purchased, because I had so much fruit this year!
These come with lids and rings...

STEP 1: Place fruit, lemon juice and pectin in large pot. (below)

Cut-up apricots, lemon juice and 1 box of Sure-Jell or Pectin.

Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. I used a high-temp rubber spatula while cooking so that I can clean down the sides easily. Also, start boiling water in a large pot as needed in step 4, just 3-4" deep to start, as the filled jars will raise the water level.

STEP 2: In the few minutes while waiting for the fruit to come to a boil, measure the sugar and set aside.

Measure the sugar and set aside.

Also, place the lids in a small saucepan and cover with boiling water. Set aside until ready to place on filled jars.

STEP 3: Once the fruit comes to a full rolling boil, add the sugar all at once.

Once the fruit comes to a boil, add sugar all at once.

Stir well to incorporate all the sugar, and bring to a full rolling boil once more. Boil for exactly one minute.

Boil for one minute!

Remove from heat.

STEP 4: Ladle quickly into the prepared jars to within 1/8" of the rim.

After ladling hot jam into prepared jars, wipe rims down with a clean, wet cloth.

A close-up of a filled jar with the rim wiped clean.

Place lids and rings on each jar.

Lids straight from the saucepan, placed atop the filled jars.

Add the rings next...

Make sure the rings are tightened before you place the jars
in the large pot of water that you started to boil in STEP 1.

STEP 5: Now it's time to 'process' your jam: If you own a canning pot with wire racks for your jars, place the closed jars onto the rack and lower it into the water. If not, use a large pot and place jars down into the water. The water should cover the jars by at least 1". ( photo below) If more water is needed, boiling water from the kettle may be used.

I just use a large pot to 'process' my jam. Cover with
at least 1" of water and gently boil for 10 minutes.

Bring to a gentle boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from water and place on a towel on the counter.

All done! When cooled, check the tops to make sure they've sealed, as described below...

I usually start hearing my lids 'sealing' at this time. It sounds like a 'pop'. Allow the jars to cool completely. Once cool, check each seal by pushing on the center of each lid. There should be no noise or give. If lid pops back up, it didn't seal properly and refrigeration is necessary.

DIY Toothpaste

Save money & make it at home!!!!

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp baking soda
1 Tbsp vegetable-based glycerin
1 Tbsp hydrogen peroxide
6 drops peppermint
Stevia, to taste (optional)

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and place in an airtight container. 

Enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Ingredients

2	sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1	8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1½	cups sugar
	zest of 2 oranges
4	eggs
1½	teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (use bread flour or Better for Bread flour if at high altitude)
1½	teaspoons baking powder
1½	teaspoons salt
2	cups fresh or frozen cranberries, roughly chopped
For the glaze:
¾	cup confectioner’s sugar
1	tablespoon melted butter
	zest of 1 orange
2	tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour two medium size loaf pans, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, cream cheese, and sugar. When mixer is light in color and fluffy, add in zest. With mixer on low, add in eggs, one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Fold in cranberries. Divide batter evenly between the loaf pans. Place on a baking sheet, and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven. Place cakes on a wire rack to cool. After about 5 minutes, lay cakes on their sides, and allow to cool for another 5 minutes. Flip cakes onto their other sides and cool for another 5 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, and let cool on the wire rack. While still warm, drizzle with orange glaze (recipe follows). Serve warm or at room temperature. For the glaze: Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Add more juice or sugar to achieve desired consistency.

*Recipe courtesy of sophistimom.com

Valentine's Day Shadow Box

My daughter made this for her husband this year for Valentine's Day....so he hasn't received it yet. She showed it to me and I thought it was so clever, I wanted to blog about it. It's inexpensive, quick, VERY personal and it also lasts all year long!!

Items needed:

~ 9x11" Shadow box

~  Scrapbook Paper of your choice

Directions:

(1) After opening shadow box and removing background piece, cut paper to size for the background. Before attaching anything permanently, fool around with the papers and embellishments to make sure you're satisfied with the final product. Decide on the size and color of the paper for the 'I love you because" banner when arranging the other items...just to make sure you love it!! You want to make sure this is the first thing your eye is drawn to when looking at the box.

My daughter used paper that looks like a love letter directly behind the banner (left), and also matted it on the red paper to make it stand out. (Good idea)  The birds (bottom right) were cut from another paper and placed in front of the striped background paper.

If you're planning to add embellishments at the front of the box (like the butterfly, top right, and the card with birds, bottom left) prepare those at this time also, rearranging everything until it looks the way you'd like.

(2) Attach all papers and embellishments. Slide the close-up embellishments between the glass and the inside lip of the frame. (They end up looking as if you slid them into the frame edge, but they are actually inside the glass where they can't be moved.) Close up box.

(3) Using an erasable-on-glass marker (Sharpie was used here. It comes off with Windex), write across the front of the glass the first "I love you because" reason... Of course, as seen in the photo, my daughter wrote "You buy me flowers". (He does buy her flowers all the time...) The beauty of this gift is that it can be erased monthly, weekly or even daily, however often you'd like, and a new 'reason' can be written..."You're a great  Daddy", "You're a hard worker", ""You pick up your own socks!"...or funny stuff that you DO appreciate: "You don't make weird noises when we have company" or "You don't lift up your shirt & scratch your belly in public"....and on and on. Have fun with this one & have a Happy Valentine's Day!!

This picture shows how the 'reason' is written across the front of the glass,
making it possible to change as frequently as desired.

Sweet....