MAD IN CRAFTS

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Year-Round Wreath LIVE Tutorial

7:58 AM dollar store, holidays, home decor, shamefully simple, tutorials

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

Grandma’s Easy Rhubarb Dessert

8:01 AM kitchen crafting, tutorials

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

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Mix in shortening (or oil and butter).
Add beaten egg and mix well.
Press into a greased 9x13 pan.
Pour cut rhubarb over the crust and sprinkle with jello.
With a fork, mix together sugar, flour, and butter. Sprinkle over top of the dessert.
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

Mad Skills Party #156

11:24 PM Mad Skills Party

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.

LIVE Wreath Challenge!

11:52 AM tutorials

Join up all next week to see what 19 different bloggers do with a plain styrofoam wreath form. Wreath forms were sent to 19 ladies just to see how many different ideas they would have. Sound like fun? Then follow along all week on Crafty Hangouts.

I will doing my first ever Google + hangout on air on Wednesday at 5 PM EST. I will have a post up Wednesday evening, where you can watch the LIVE broadcast right from the blog! Be sure to pop over to see how easy it is to make a wreath that will last you all year!

Check out the complete schedule below so you can see all the fun we are going to have. Watch live or tune into Crafty Hangouts anytime to see the recordings. Get inspired to make a wreath of your own!

This week is sponsored by FloraCraft. Want inspiration with Styrofoam all the time? Be sure to follow along with the Crafts n Coffee blog!

Monday May 20

2 pm EST Easy Scarf Wreath with +Niki Knows from Homemadeville
6 pm EST No Sew Summer Wreath with +Rhonda Greene from Mrs. Greene
7 pm EST Quick Wreaths with +Angie Holden from The Country Chic Cottage and +Carolina Moore from 30 Minute Crafts
8 pm EST Living Succulent Wreath with +Randi Dukes from Dukes and Duchesses

Tuesday May 21

11 am EST Patriotic Wreath with +Ashley Phipps from Simply Designing
2 pm EST Summer Wreath with +Leslie Stewart from House on the Way
7 pm EST Summer Wreath with +Colleen Jorgensen from Just Paint It

Wednesday May 22

11 am EST Picnic Wreath with +Amy Buchanan from Atta Girl Says
2 pm EST Cake Stand with +Morena Hockley from Morena's Corner
4 pm EST Succulent Wreath with +Gina Luker from The Shabby Creek Cottage
>>>5 pm EST Year Round Wreath with +Jessica Hill from Mad in Crafts <<<
6 pm EST Summer Wreath with +Jessica Kielman from Mom 4 Real

Thursday May 23

11 am EST Patriotic Wreath with +Mandy Beyeler from Sugar Bee Crafts and +Kilee Nickels from One Little Momma
4 pm EST Wreath HOA with +Barb Garrett from The Everyday Home
6 pm EST Patriotic Wreath with +Kathy Penney from Sparkles and a Stove

Friday May 24

11 am EST Beach Themed Wreath with +Erin Sipes from My Very Educated Mother
2 pm EST How to make an Engaging Wreath with +Cyn Gagen from Creative Cynchronicity
4 pm EST Topiary Wreath with +Sharon Hines from Mrs. Hines' Class
7 pm EST MORE Quick Wreaths with +Carolina Moore from 30 Minute Crafts and +Angie Holden from The Country Chic Cottage

Don't miss any of the fun!

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

Doodles, Bangles, and Sprinkles

7:46 AM wrap-up

It was a great week for quick and easy crafts on the blog this week. All four of my tutorials this week were definitely beginner-friendly projects! In addition to this week’s Mad Skills Tutorial Party, I shared these posts:

Child’s Library Book Journal

15 Minute Faux Stacked Bangle Bracelet

T-Shirt to Library Tote Bag

Sprinkle Dipped Oreos

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

Last year my dad and I were spending most of our days painting the ENTIRE interior of The Mad House. It was great spending all that time with my dad, but painting a whole house is a ton of work! Dad worked as a house painter in college and subsequently has some handy insider tips like this roller trick and this shelf-painting tip.

This week I participated in Craft Lightning, hosted by Angie from The Country Chic Cottage and Carolina from 30 Minute Crafts. A bunch of craft bloggers offered up projects that could be finished in 15 minutes or less! These are some of the other great ideas that I pinned for later:

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

Sprinkle Dipped Oreos

7:11 AM kitchen crafting, tutorials

These sprinkled, bark-dipped oreos are decadent, colorful, and perfect for any party. I made a batch to add to the Candy Bar on a Budget I shared a few weeks back, but I never shared how easy it is to make them. I was originally inspired by the Party Oreos that Katie from Sweet Rose Studio created. I only made a few changes to her tutorial, that I will show you below.

I used almond bark instead of candy melts, just because at my store it was a better price. In order to thin out the melted bark to make it smoother for dipping, I used a bit of coconut oil.

I added about a tablespoon of coconut oil to six squares of almond bark and melted it in a makeshift double boiler. The coconut oil melts nicely into the bark, and you can barely taste the oil when they have been stirred together.

If you are concerned about burning your fingers, you can slip the oreos onto a plastic fork before dipping in the bark. It’s quicker to just dunk them in with your hands though, so that’s how I did it. Made with love.

I dunked the oreos in the bark, laid them out on a foil-covered baking pan, and shook on some rainbow sprinkles. You could stop right there and the cookies would be perfect as is. But, you know me, never leaving well enough alone.

I had quite a bit of melted almond bark left after dipping just half of each oreo, so after the bark cooled on the cookies, I went back and dunked them again. It was a little messy, but the cookies were even more party-ready totally coated in bark and sprinkles.

The sprinkle cookies tied right in with the confetti dot theme of the candy table, but you could customize the color of the sprinkles and the almond bark to match any party theme.

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 Hill