Valentine Fortune Cookies

 This is a really fun idea for Valentine's day!  I took a basic fortune cookie recipe from youtube (click here for the GREAT tutorial) and only added red food coloring and Valentine messages.

Make your fortunes first!  You don't want to be stuck with cookies ready to be folded and no notes ready.

Mix these ingredients together until frothy, but not stiff:
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 Tablespoon oil


Next, add these ingredients and blend:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
pinch of salt
3 teaspoons water


Finally add red food coloring for pink valentines!  I added 15 drops and they were very bright.

Spoon just one tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet and spread out until the batter is a 3 or 4 inch circle.  The first time you do this, only bake two cookies until you get faster at folding them. Tip:  if you're using spray cooking oil, be sure to rub it in with a paper towel or the cookie may not bake in a perfect circle.

Put the cookie sheet in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes. The edges will just start to brown.

When they come out, place your secret message in the middle of the baked circle and fold in half.
Note: the picture below is the bright pink you get with 15 drops of food coloring - the paler pictures are from a batch with only 3 or 4 drops.

Next, fold the half over the side of a mug...

...and place them in cupcake tins until they are cool (so they won't expand).

Finish and deliver by packaging your fortunes in carry-out boxes... I found fun ones at Michaels!

Check out this great video tutorial to see the process in action!

Too Easy T-Shirt Scarves

When I saw this idea, I just had to try it!

I couldn't wait to get to Goodwill and look for bold & rich colors and fun textures to mix and match and make these scarves!  I love the Goodwill in Lancaster just past the outlets... They have a Bargain Room with bins where everything is $.85.  Only a few years ago, everything was $.50.  Just a warning, it can be overwhelming!

I came home with a huge bag of XL sized t-shirts to start with (the more X's the better, for more material to work with and a longer scarf).

First, I paired up colors and textures that I thought would go well together.  I found that the best kind of t-shirt for this project is the kind that has a little spandex or stretchy-ness to it.

Next I cut out the middle section of the shirt, as wide as I could keep it.

 Cutting out the middle section makes a loop of fabric (you can stop here if you like your fabric and have a simple infinity scarf).  I cut one of the sides to make a long strip of fabric.

Lay the two pieces down like this:

The first time this looks tricky, but soon it is easy!  Reach your hand under the blue and grab the black pieces, then pull through.

It will look like this:

Now reach under the blue and grab the black pieces one more time.

In this picture, the two outside scarves are finished and the inside ones are not.  To complete the scarf, sew the ends together!

 I gave these as Christmas gifts to the girls at work!!  I love them so much.

Magnets

For just $1, I bought a bag of smooth glass beads at the Dollar Tree.  I've typically seen them used in fishbowls, centerpieces, and vases holding flowers, but they have a variety of craft uses.
I love making these magnets!

First I rip out a bunch of pages from old magazines, advertisements, even pictures that have interesting designs.

Next, I trace around the bead and cut it out.

Then I brush on a layer of Mod Podge and immediately add the paper, finishing with a final layer of Mod Podge.

After it dries, add a magnet to the back or glue to an outlet cover!

cover your outlet covers

Just when you thought wallpaper was disappearing from the face of the earth... it made a reappearance in my bedroom! 

Well, not really wallpaper, but what's the difference, really? This is such a simple way to add color to any room!  I grabbed a few old off-white outlet covers that were sitting in a box in the barn, chose a neat piece of scrapbooking paper, and went to work.

 First, I traced at least 1/4" around the edge so that it would cover the entire plate

A utility knife makes cutting the holes out much easier, but scissors work fine too.

 

After cutting, I used a paintbrush to cover the top of the plate with Mod Podge,

 pressed the paper on top and finally added a coat of Mod Podge to the top.

After it dried, I put it in my room!

Ron Paul DIY Peel & Stick Craft Tutorial

Just peel....

 and stick!

Melted Crayon Art

Adjectives that I'd like to pair with this project:
quick, easy, cheap, and fun!!

Last week, I bought 3 boxes of crayons and a white canvas at Ollie's and while I sat in traffic on the way home, I peeled off the labels.  It works great to keep them on, too, I just didn't buy Crayola so these wrappers didn't look spectacular. 

Later, I lined up the crayons in the order I wanted and glued them down with a hot glue gun.  

 Next, I put down newspaper (be sure to do this, because it has the potential for spatters!) and plugged in my hairdryer.

 I found the low setting to be the most useful, since it doesn't blow air as hard (making messes) but is still warm enough to melt the crayons.

The wax dries very quickly!

Newspaper Nails

So much easier than you'd expect!

All you need is white polish (or a light shade), newspaper, and rubbing alcohol.

First, paint your nails white.  When they are almost dry, dip them into the alcohol and press the newspaper onto  your nail. (You might want to experiment with this a little - if your nails are too wet the paint will move and smudge, but if they are too dry the print won't be very dark).  Press down on it a little and then peel the paper off slowly, and you'll see that the print has been transferred to your nail.  The print won't come off your nail at this point, but add a clear topcoat to make them shine!