A cute Fruit Bouquet How-to

I would like to share my new project “A Fruit Bouquet”. If you are interested in making one of those edible arrangements, you can find how-to directions with pictures here

Thanksgiving Candy Centerpiece

Everybody wants their Thanksgiving dinner to be fabulous. If you haven’t yet decided what to put in the center of your table or just want a unique Thanksgiving decoration, consider making this candy and silk flower centerpiece.

Illustrated instructions...

Scarecrow soup

A variation on Snowman Soup.

On a large piece of plastic wrap, place white chocolate mix, and colored marshmallows, a plastic spoon dipped in melted white chocolate tinted with with a fall color (orange, golden yellow, etc.,) and gather corners. Tie with a bright bow. Place in a harvest color cup.

Marshmallow treat bird's nests

Follow the recipe for crisp rice and marshmallow treats on the side of the crisp rice cereal box. When mixture is ready to handle, press it into individual muffin tins to form the birds' nest. When nests are set, remove from tins and place a daub of cake frosting in the bottom. Use this to anchor marshmallow birds, jelly bean eggs and shredded coconut to the nest. Place on a paper doily to make make great individual treats for a spring luncheon. Simply place one nest at each child's place setting.

Snowman Poop

I make a little card with a picture of a snowman and the following poem:

Santa Claus has made a list,
In fact he's checked it twice.
He wanted to find out
If you've been naughty or nice.

Now coal is much too costly,
And so here is the scoop,
All Santa Claus is giving you...
Is a bag of Snowman Poop!

In a snack size Ziploc bag I put a few mini marshmallows and a few regular ones. Staple closed. Staple card with picture and poem to the bag.

Orange Clove

This was giving to me a few years ago and I now make them-
With a nice looking orange & whole clove's, make any design you wish, poke the tip of the clove in the orange all over. Makes a great Christmas gift or any occasion gift. Ooh yeh to hang stick ribbon on with a clove just stuff it in the orange...buy bottle of whole cloves at any grocer.

Pasta Angels

For the younger child to make a decoration for the Christmas tree-
cut out an Angel shape from poster card. Using various shaped pasta have the child glue the pasta to the cardboard using a pva glue (white glue strong enough to hold the pasta). When the creation is dry simple spray the angel with silver or gold paint and hang from the tree.

Bread Baskets

Thaw loaf of frozen bread dough. Form into three long snakes, each about 1/2 inch wide. Wrap around a greased, oven-proof bowl. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. When cool unmold.

Sunflower Seed Necklaces

Soak seeds in warm water for one hour. Use dental floss and an embroidery needle to string seeds. Let necklace dry before wearing.

Easter Bonnet Centerpiece

I USE A WIDE BRIMMED STRAW HAT AND WIRE A BIG BOW TO ONE SIDE. PUSH THE CENTER OF THE HAT DOWN ( THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE ON THE TABLE IT IS TO STAY ON)AND FILL WITH JELLY BEANS OR M&MS. PLACE COLORED EGGS AND/OR LARGER COLORFUL CANDIES AROUND THE BRIM. I USUALLY PLACE SOME PLASTIC EGGS WITH M&MS ON THE BRIM AS WELL. YOU ARE ALL DONE AND THE CENTERPIECE IS EDIBLE AS WELL AS LOVELY.

I ALSO MAKE CHOCOLATE EGG SUCKERS FROM CANDY MELTS AND PLACE THESE IN A PAINTED TERRA COTTA POT ALONG WITH JELLY BEANS OR M&MS AND HELIUM FILLED BALLOONS. VERY CUTE AND TASTY TOO.

Cinnamon Smelling Fun

Take one part cinnamon to one part apple sauce mix and roll out to 1/4 inch cut with favorite cookie cutter shapes and using a straw poke a hole if a necklace or a gift ornament is desired. Let sit 24 hours and decorate with paints or glue on fake jewels what ever you'd like. Also you can glue on magnets for your frig! We haven't done this yet but it sounds very fun And the best part is that your house will smell of cinnamon..... Enjoy all

Gourmet Baskets

I often find myself in a situation where I want to give a gift to someone who is really hard to shop for. It’s hard to find just the right thing, but I finally came up with an all-purpose gift idea that can suit just about any occasion — a homemade gift basket filled with lots of fresh produce, sweets, and treats!

I know… gift baskets are tried and true. Everybody’s gotten them, everybody’s given them. But really, did they have anything GOOD in them? Maybe not. But these do!

I start with a large wicker basket. My favorite is a laundry-type basket that you can pick up for less than five dollars at your local Michael’s craft store (I buy a few of these whenever I see them on sale and keep them on hand). You can find other baskets in just about any shape and size at just about any store, so pick what you like. I recommend something that’s wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, because it will feature your items a lot better.

Next I go to the grocery or specialty food store (or farmer’s market!) and start buying. If I focus on what’s in season, I can easily fill a basket with beautiful fresh produce for under $20. I then start adding the sweets and treats, depending on the tastes of the person I’m giving the basket to.

In general, a well-rounded basket would have the following:

1. Fresh fruits and vegetables
2. A loaf of bread
3. One or two chunks of specialty cheese
4. Something sweet and already prepared (cookies are great!)

If you want to get creative, here are some other ideas for fun things to add:

1. A bottle of wine
2. Fresh herbs
3. Pasta
4. Jars of homemade sauces, stews, or soups
5. Baked goods (brownies, candies, or biscuits)

Once you have your supplies, arrange them nicely in the basket. Don’t worry about not being able to make it look good — you have beautiful, fresh ingredients and it will look pretty no matter what. Be sure to arrange all the leafy greens so that they extend along the edges. The result will be a glorious bounty of fresh and yummy goodness. If you want to cover the basket during transport, I suggest a few passes across the top with some regular plastic wrap.

(Hint: If you have cold items and you worry about the warm weather outside, you can put a bag of ice in the bottom of your basket then put the cold items on top of it.)

In less than an hour, you will have created a unique basket that your friend will love. He or she will be able to dive right into the prepared sweets and then think about what to do with all the wonderful produce you’ve supplied. And the cost to you can be as little as $25, or as much as you want to spend. Each of the baskets pictured in this post cost less than $30 (not counting the bottle of wine).

A fun idea is to customize your basket to follow a theme. Here are some examples:

1. Italian — Have a friend who is really fond of Italian food? Include lots of bread and cheese, fresh basil and oregano, some homemade sauce, ingredients for a Caesar salad, and garlic. [Read More]