Simple is the Way to Go

It was another week of simple projects and recipes on Mad in Crafts this week.  In addition to this week’s Mad Skills Tutorial Party, I shared these posts:

Grandma’s Easy Rhubarb Dessert

Year Round Wreath

Quick Sesame Ginger Dinner Salad

Summer Skies Jello Snack

---

This week I participated in a Google+ Hangout on Air series and completed my first ever live craft tutorial. It was a tiny bit terrifying, but I am glad to have my first one under my belt.  I went back afterwards and turned on YouTube’s automatic closed captions.  I was amazed that, even though I was actually talking about fall decorations, they were able to read what was going on in my mind.

Heh.  Very funny, YouTube.   To hear what I was really saying in the video, you can watch it on my YouTube channel.

---

Thank you to these great sites for featuring me or my work recently:

---

The Three Ingredients Cookies that I shared last year are a great easy treat for you to make with your family this spring.  The recipe is easy, and the cookies are tart and refreshing.  Give it a pin to try out!

---

There were a few other pins that I found when I was searching for inspiration for my son’s last day of preschool snack.  These are the cute snacks I pinned:

1. String Cheese Pencils on Money Wise Mom
2. Smiling Sun Cupcakes by Good Housekeeping
3. Beach in a Cup from My Royal Kitchen
4. Sand Pail Cupcakes on Parents

Check out all my Pinterest boards for more fun, inspiration, and silliness.  You can also find me using any of the social media links found below.  Let’s keep in touch!

     

Or you can sign up for the Mad Skills weekly newsletter HERE.

---

My NEW ebook is now for sale on E-Junkie.  Find out more about it HERE!

---

Did you like this post?  Think it’s worth sharing?  Please share with your friends using the social media share buttons on the toolbar at the bottom of the page!

Thanks,  Jessica

Read More

Summer Skies Jello Snack

This Wednesday was my son’s last day of preschool.  I can hardly believe he is old enough to be walking and talking, let alone graduating from preschool.  ((cue chorus of “Sunrise, Sunset”))  There was a small reception after the school’s end of the year program, and I volunteered to bring a simple snack.  I wanted an idea that wasn’t too fussy, and that focused more on the beginning of summer than on the end of the school year.  And, it’s cheap to boot!

I found the idea for Blue Sky Jello on Anastasia’s Palace, and it was just what I was looking for.  I dummied down the already fairly simple process, to make these cute individual treats for the kids. 

To make Summer Skies Jello, you will need:

blue jello mix (made according to package instructions)

canned whipped cream

clear plastic cups*

plastic spoons*

yellow and orange construction paper*

scissors

smiley face stamp (optional)

double sided tape

*found at the dollar store

First, I made up four large packages of blue jello according to the directions on the box.  The four boxes of jello ended up yielding 26 good-sized portions of the jello.  You will have to adjust the amount you use for the number of people you will be serving.  Figure roughly 6 people per box of jello.

After the jello had fully set, I stirred it up with a large spoon to break it up so that it would conform to the shape of the plastic cups.  In the cups, I alternated small scoops of the blue jello with little squirts of canned whipped cream. 

Once the jello and whipped cream settle into the cups, it looks just like a gorgeous summer sky, full of fair weather clouds!  I cut some smiling suns out of cheap construction paper and taped them to the ends of the plastic spoons.  The spoons stand straight up in the jello so the suns were shining above the clouds.

The whipped cream melted a bit on the car ride over to the school, but otherwise they help up pretty well.

This would be a fun treat to welcome your kids home on their first day of summer vacation or an easy activity to keep them occupied two days later when they are already bored.  Happy almost summer vacation!

My NEW ebook is now for sale on E-Junkie.  Find out more about it HERE!

---

Did you like this post?  Think it’s worth sharing?  Please share with your friends using the social media share buttons on the toolbar at the bottom of the page!

Thanks,  Jessica

Read More

Quick Dinner Idea: Sesame Ginger Salad

Today it was a “lovely”  88 degrees with 80% humidity, which is not uncommon in a Michigan summer.  I become a super grump in hot weather, and the last thing I want to do is cook.  No, check that.  The last thing I want to do is be outside.  Second to last is cooking.  Because of this I am always on the lookout for fast, mostly heat-free meals to get us through the sticky summer months.

Some lovely person brought this delicious salad to our recent Sunday School picnic, and I bought the ingredients to make it at home as soon as I could.  This is a quick and healthy summer dinner that your whole family will love. If you have more time, you can grill up your own chicken instead of taking the help from the store. However you choose to make it, it will be a hit!

To make this tasty salad, you will need a few things from the store:

• baby greens
• grilled chicken
• whole almonds
• mandarin oranges
• Newman’s Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger dressing

That last bit is crucial.  You NEED to shell out a couple extra dollars for the Newman’s Own dressing.  It’s beyond good.  Sesame dressings can cross the line into cloying very easily, and this dressing walks the line expertly. 

Attention, Bieber fans.  This is what a man looks like.

Heat up the chicken and cut it into bite sized pieces.  Toss together all the ingredients and drizzle on some of the delicious dressing.  A little goes a long way, so don’t overdress the salad (and this is coming from a girl who normally downs her salads).

If you would rather serve it as a side or a starter, just ditch the chicken.  It makes a lovely and colorful addition to a summer dinner party, and nobody has to know it only took minutes to pull together!

---

Did you like this post?  Think it’s worth sharing?  Please share with your friends using the social media share buttons on the toolbar at the bottom of the page!

Thanks,  Jessica

Read More

Year-Round Wreath LIVE Tutorial

Today I will be doing my first ever LIVE craft tutorial.  Are you excited?  Google+ has a cool feature called Hangouts on Air, and with it I can create a live broadcast which will show up right here in this blog post!  Be sure to come back at 5 PM EST to watch me create a year-round wreath live on air.  If you can’t make it at 5, the video will be archived and will be viewable here and on my YouTube page. 

^{This is a sponsored post.  I received complimentary materials in exchange for my work, but the opinions in this post are 100% my own.}

This live hangout is a part of a Crafty Hangouts series sponsored by Floracraft.  Nineteen bloggers were each sent a styrofoam wreath and challenged to create something LIVE on air.  I am going to show you how to create a wreath that can be decorated over and over again, so that it can be displayed all year long!

To make a Year Round Wreath, you will need:

^{Some of the following links are affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you choose to make a purchase after clicking through.}

Floracraft Styrofoam wreath

burlap ribbon

floral pins

In the video I will show you how you can take this neutral foundation and turn it into a decorative wreath for any season!  Click on the video below to see how to make all of the following wreaths! 

 

For the American wreath, you will need:

craft foam

scissors

dollar store sign

For the Fall wreath, you will need:

fall leaves

faux wheat

dollar store filigree pumpkin

For the Christmas wreath, you will need:

plaid ribbon

bells

floral wire

(see how I made the bell swag HERE)

For the Valentines wreath, you will need:

pink wired ribbon

scrapbook paper

paper cutter

twine

tape

For the Anniversary wreath, you will need:

vintage photos

silk magnolias

For the Wine wreath, you will need:

faux grapes

wine corks

 

If you are interested in seeing what the other bloggers did with their wreaths, hop over to Crafty Hangouts for all the archived videos (plus dozens of other video tutorials!).

 

Thanks again to FloraCraft for sponsoring this hangout series.  You can find them on facebook and pinterest for more fun styrofoam ideas! 

 

---

Did you like this post?  Think it’s worth sharing?  Please share with your friends using the social media share buttons on the toolbar at the bottom of the page!

Thanks,  Jessica

Read More

Grandma’s Easy Rhubarb Dessert

My grandma made the best food.  She made real, homey recipes; the kind that grandmas are supposed to make.  There were wonderful casseroles and buttery vegetables, but the best were her baked goods.  From elaborate baklava to easy drop cookies, she always had yummy treats on hand.

One of my favorite things that she would make was something simply called Rhubarb Dessert.  I don’t know if it qualifies as bar cookies, or a coffee cake, or what exactly, but it was tart and buttery and amazing.  And I wanted to make some myself.

I am proud to say that I inherited some of my grandmother’s crafting ability and cooking skills.  Unfortunately it seems that poor recipe documentation also runs in the family.  Just as I tend to cook with “handfuls” or  “dashes” of ingredients, my grandma’s recipes are frustratingly unclear.  This particular recipe of hers didn’t even mention how much rhubarb to use!  Just “enough to cover the crust.”  Hrmm.

In order to be able to replicate the recipe down the line, for my sake as much as yours, I tried to pay close attention to specific amounts and measurements as I made my grandmother’s recipe.  It’s a very simple dessert to make, but it’s slightly easier when you know how much of everything to put in.

My grandmother’s recipe calls for shortening in the dough, but I didn’t have any on hand.  I am sure that the shortening is what made her crust slightly more flaky than mine turned out to be.  Feel free to use either her recipe or my substitution for your version. 

The dough will be not quite as crumbly as shortbread dough, but not as gooey as cookie dough.

Press the dough into the pan with your fingers.  There’s no use trying to be sanitary and using a spatula to press down the dough, it will never work.  You will need the warmth of your fingers to get the crust to spread all the way the edges of the 9x13 pan.  Made with love, folks.

Dump the cut rhubarb over the crust and sprinkle the whole thing with a package of strawberry jello.  The jello is what makes the magic happen when you bake the dessert.

Mix up the streusel ingredients and sprinkle it all over the rhubarb.  It’s a lot of streusel.  There is no such thing as too much streusel.

I am not sure exactly how long to tell you to bake the dessert.  My grandma’s recipe said to bake it “until the rhubarb is tender.”  Helpful.  I tried to get an accurate time from my version, but the oven got turned off halfway through bake time, so I have no clue how long it would have taken if a non-idiot was baking it.  If I had to guess, I would say to start checking the oven after about 30 minutes.  You want the crust and the streusel to be golden.

This dessert is so good.  The jello combines with the moisture of the rhubarb to make a gooey filling, and the streusel is so buttery that it balances out the sour tang of the rhubarb.  My family polished off this whole pan in an embarrassingly short amount of time, so I already have my eye out for more rhubarb to make another batch.

GRANDMA’S RHUBARB DESSERT

• 1 c. flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 T. shortening (or 1 T. coconut oil and 1 T. butter)
• 1 egg beaten with 1 T. water
• 4 c. sliced rhubarb
• 1 pkg strawberry jello
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1/4 c. butter

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Mix in shortening (or oil and butter).
3. Add beaten egg and mix well.
4. Press into a greased 9x13 pan.
5. Pour cut rhubarb over the crust and sprinkle with jello.
6. With a fork, mix together sugar, flour, and butter.  Sprinkle over top of the dessert.
7. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until the crust and streusel are golden.

---

Did you like this post?  Think it’s worth sharing?  Please share with your friends using the social media share buttons on the toolbar at the bottom of the page!

Thanks,  Jessica

Read More

Mad Skills Party #156

 

Welcome to the 156th Mad Skills Party!

If you have participated in a Mad Skills Tutorial Link Party in the past, you have probably gotten one of my emails.  I like to highlight a few of my favorite submissions each week, and email is a great way to do it!   I also like to be able to thank all of you for participating in the party.  It really means so much to me that you do.  Commenting on each project is no longer an option for me, and I (legally) can’t spam you all with unasked for emails.  BUT, if you sign up for the newsletter, I can still say thanks for your hard work AND you get to see the highlights from the weeks’ parties!

Sign up for the email by clicking HERE or using the form in the NEWSLETTER section of my sidebar.

If you are linking up today, you might be featured in this week’s newsletter!

For the Mad Skills party, as usual you can link up a post, old or new, to share with other readers. The only rule for the party is that the post MUST BE A TUTORIAL. The tutorial can be written, pictorial, or a combination of the two, but it should be a project or a process that another crafter would be able to replicate. Any Mad Skill level, from novice to advanced, is welcome!

 

There is a Mad Skills Tutorial Link Party button that can be found by clicking HERE!  Please add to your blog post or update your party pages! You have until midnight (EST) on Thursday to enter your projects!

By participating in this party, you are agreeing to allow me to feature your project in my weekly Mad Skills newsletter.  Each feature will include a link back to your project,  a photo from the tutorial, and a brief explanation of why I loved your project.

Read More