tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63732250236408253662024-03-13T09:03:06.283-07:00Craft HowAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-81043377218995603022017-11-06T14:57:00.001-08:002017-11-06T15:06:51.093-08:00Best Bulk-Baked Bacon<!--
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Oh, My, Bacon!</h2>
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For my tiny family of two, we go through a lot of bacon:</h3>
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I have been trying to eat low carb for a while and one of my favorite parts of this way of eating is that BACON is not off limits. We love our bacon and have a few slices a day each. I also like to keep some on hand to toss into salads or our other meals as well but I hate to cook it. More specifically, I hate to pan-fry it. We love bacon, but we hate our house to smell like it all the time. So, I found a method that works better for us.</div>
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I buy and bake my bacon in bulk in the oven once a month and I wanted to share how I do it with you!</div>
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Prep your pan:</h3>
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We'll be cooking a few pounds of bacon and a larger pan makes quick work of it. I like to use these large pasta pans from the super center. The higher sides keep most of the splatter down to help make cleanup easier and the pan is disposable so we have virtually no cleanup when we're done :-)</div>
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Unroll a length of aluminum foil about 6 inches longer than the pan and roll it up into a log the length of the bottom of the pan. Make three of these total to support the center and ends of our bacon slices.</div>
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pick one corner of the pan and pinch it into a spout so we can collect all the rendered fat after each batch has finished cooking. </div>
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Add Bacon and Prep Draining Mat:</h3>
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Add your aluminum logs to the pan and lay out strips of bacon. You can squeeze them in pretty close together, they'll shrink a bit during cooking. Make note of the time. Your cooking time will vary but you can use your first batch to time the subsequent batches as long as you're using the same brand/thickness. I try to flip the bacon abut 10 or 15 minutes in.</div>
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Pull out another sheet of aluminum foil a little larger than a couple of paper towels and lay it on your counter top. Add two layers of paper towels on top of the foil. This is where your cooked bacon will drain and cool until you're ready to pack. </div>
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Prepare your Pack:</h3>
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Your bacon will survive just fine in the freezer until you're ready to eat it. I store mine between layers of parchment in a freezer bag.</div>
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Start with a Gallon size freezer bag and measure and cut multiple sheets of parchment slightly smaller than the bag. I usually need about 8 sheets. Add more or cut fewer depending on how much bacon you're cooking. </div>
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Finish the first batch and repeat:</h3>
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Once your bacon is cooked to your liking, pull the pan out of the oven and transfer your slices onto your draining mat. Use additional layers of paper towels between each layer of bacon.</div>
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Move the aluminum logs onto your draining mat and pour the rendered bacon fat into a jar for use later. Add the logs back into the pan, add new bacon slices and repeat the cooking process until you've cooked all of your bacon. </div>
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Store your Bacon:</h3>
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Once the bacon has cooled, begin to layer it in the freezer bag separating each layer with the parchment paper sheets. This method will allow you to pull out individual slices of bacon whenever you need them. Make sure to keep the pieces separated into layers. If the bacon sticks together in the freezer it will be harder to separate without breaking. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7wwBFd6OA-427qBR8tCzZZhv3fmHnPNDy0GT1N1FLMO_YlUG-GGOtdeftxAZL_ufPR6rUEJaA01KYWLJSyZYtG0RQusC_9UWBwyyLMNaLUf1cDdtc-OQPgUNzG4DJBLcyRdYuN0asuTN/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7wwBFd6OA-427qBR8tCzZZhv3fmHnPNDy0GT1N1FLMO_YlUG-GGOtdeftxAZL_ufPR6rUEJaA01KYWLJSyZYtG0RQusC_9UWBwyyLMNaLUf1cDdtc-OQPgUNzG4DJBLcyRdYuN0asuTN/s320/11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Cooling Bacon</td></tr>
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<b>To use your bacon</b>: </h3>
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I like to warm them back up again in my NuWave oven (3 minutes on each side is perfect for me) or in the microwave for 8-12 seconds. Also, you can use kitchen shears to slice the frozen pieces directly into your salads or recipes and its perfect by the time you're ready to eat.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Oh, Beautiful! </td></tr>
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Clean-up:</h3>
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This is the fastest part of the whole process! Once you've packed away all your bacon, pile the paper towels and the aluminum sheet under it that you used to drain the bacon slices into your pan to absorb all the rest of the oil. Roll the whole thing up and you're done. </div>
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And an added Bonus:</h3>
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Once you're finished cooking you're left with some amazing rendered bacon fat. I keep mine in my fridge in the jar. Whenever I saute veggies or eggs, this is what I start with. You can also melt it into recipes that call for melted butter to give an extra salty/savory kick to your meals. </div>
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What about you guys?:</h3>
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Is there a technique that you use to get the most out of your cooking time? </div>
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Any useful hints to make our prepping lives easier?</div>
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I look forward to hearing from you. </div>
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<h2>
Happy Crafting!</h2>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-67016624091465901182017-10-15T17:47:00.002-07:002017-10-15T17:55:27.901-07:00Silhouette Pixscan: A 5 minute how-to.<!--
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Hey all!</h3>
I was working with a lady on Facebook a little earlier today and basically made a quick Pixscan walk-through. It's a just a bare-bones, how-to-start tutorial to make sure you're setting your project up correctly. This won't cover troubleshooting but, as always, I'm happy to help if you have specific questions that aren't covered here.<br />
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What is Pixscan and why do we LOVE it?:
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The Pixscan mat by Silhouette is a unique cutting mat that comes pre-printed with registration marks like you would use in print-and-cut projects. There is a sticky cutting area like a regular mat where you can adhere vinyl scraps, pictures, small pieces of thin metal for etching (we may get more into that later), or, my favorite, sticker sheets.<br />
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The Pixscan mat lets you take advantage of the FULL SURFACE AREA of your page rather than wasting space printing on registration marks that your machine may end up having trouble reading later anyway. Also, you can place scraps of vinyl on the mat any way you want and then, when you load the photo into the program (which I will walk you through below) you will be able to place cuts anywhere you want on the material to make sure you get the most out off every last little piece of vinyl! You can also place pictures on the mat and cut around your friends and family or cut the photos into letters in a pretty font or even different shapes. There are so many uses.<br />
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Sounds cool! How do we start?:
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The process itself is simple but there are a few critical points where it can fail and I'll point them out to you as we get there.<br />
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Step 1: <span style="font-weight: normal;">Place your media on your mat and take a full resolution photo of it in good lighting and preferably against a dark/contrasting surface and save this picture to your computer somewhere it will be easy to get to in a few minutes. </span></h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Make sure the entire mat is visible and none of the edges are cut off. Here, I used a large piece of black card stock behind the mat. You can use a digital camera, your phone, or you can even scan a the mat using the flatbed scanner on your printer. </span></h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">DO NOT crop the image, DO NOT re-size the image, DO NOT rotate the image. The software in Silhouette studio will handle all that for you! Yay for less work! </span></h4>
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Step 2: <span style="font-weight: normal;">Open a new project in Silhouette Studio</span></h4>
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Step 3: <span style="font-weight: normal;">Choose the Pixscan option from the menu on the right hand side of the screen</span></h4>
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Step 4: <span style="font-weight: normal;">Click on the "Import PixSccan Image from File" button and then locate the picture file you saved earlier.</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKYeVeZXkQIeITfgXiMcjA9Ju-D6c_bVlS36K51a3gZSOXLHldhZjv_LSlFFZwrpgn0AKrYCWuvWRPoqztVC_VJYsYQywTrwid6PPzTMBAyBQE-Hd5Bdi0qchy2Ku8YLlipjRtHNf-uBL/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1597" data-original-width="1117" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKYeVeZXkQIeITfgXiMcjA9Ju-D6c_bVlS36K51a3gZSOXLHldhZjv_LSlFFZwrpgn0AKrYCWuvWRPoqztVC_VJYsYQywTrwid6PPzTMBAyBQE-Hd5Bdi0qchy2Ku8YLlipjRtHNf-uBL/s200/3.jpg" width="139" /></a></div>
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Step 5: <span style="font-weight: normal;">If the software can successfully read the file, you will see a thumbnail and progress bar as it loads into the studio space. Note: This is one of the first places things can go wrong. More on that below the photo.</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLgrHgbSSl37oCNCFizy8u2d9yhMscsV0wRbSoPWF9hAxVt7C4WY4IZJrHi-0Ousglgr2CBV30ScK8pyhzJ4l4TjNSeOEdJBA5KZPCwC7f-zPIR4YNSfF5Q79zF4gVpfMqV4LZ16Q9W0g/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1529" data-original-width="1119" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLgrHgbSSl37oCNCFizy8u2d9yhMscsV0wRbSoPWF9hAxVt7C4WY4IZJrHi-0Ousglgr2CBV30ScK8pyhzJ4l4TjNSeOEdJBA5KZPCwC7f-zPIR4YNSfF5Q79zF4gVpfMqV4LZ16Q9W0g/s320/4.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
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<i>See how it says "Calibration: Samsung S6"? That means that the software recognizes that I took the photo with my phone and knows how to adjust the file according to the specifications of my camera. If the program can't read your image and gives you a calibration error, first try to re-take the picture in better lighting. There could have been a glare covering the registration marks, or the angle the picture was taken at could have been too severe for the software to accommodate. If you're using a camera or an older model phone, there is a calibration process you can complete where you print a full size page of dots and take a photo of them with whatever picture-taking device you're going to use and then load that picture into studio. This will teach the program how to adjust for the device you're using. There are a few good tutorials on this process elsewhere on the internet and I may link one in later for you if needed.</i></div>
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Step 6 <i style="font-weight: normal;">(passive)</i>: <span style="font-weight: normal;">Assuming your photo calibration was recognized, you will see your image open in the studio space (without the watermark đ) but it won't be editable like a normal file. See how the mat looks like the PixScan mat now instead of the normal mat image? If you see normal print-and-cut registration marks instead of something similar to my photo, go back and start at step 2. If it does look similar to my photo below, think of it now as a sheet of dough and you will create cookie-cutter cut lines on top of this to show the machine where to cut. </span></h4>
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Step 7: <span style="font-weight: normal;">Create your cut lines.<br /><br />In my file, I actually used my silhouette program to design the sticker sheets I had printed so I copied out one of the elements and used that to create my cut lines for the individual pieces. I placed each one individually based on what I saw in the image and adjusted the shape and length a little bit for each one based on the lines in the image. I also left a "bleed" area around each of my images when I printed so that if the cuts were off a little bit one way or another, I wouldn't have a ruined cut, just one that was a <i>tiny</i> bit off center. NOTE: you don't need to change your line thickness, I just did this for the photo so it would be easier for you to see. </span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ijpqFQVwoFrN0LeMfcqN5JuOU5K98Q4HXyuoIVSagnpYY9NJ-l3tVAfaKki5YbQjjHK99pArqhnnWbpnS3Z6jCLFjSTQB8D9xgPnLlrnO6JHyAORZWBL8IsnGFil16TQCu7Ox7pt_IkG/s1600/photo+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ijpqFQVwoFrN0LeMfcqN5JuOU5K98Q4HXyuoIVSagnpYY9NJ-l3tVAfaKki5YbQjjHK99pArqhnnWbpnS3Z6jCLFjSTQB8D9xgPnLlrnO6JHyAORZWBL8IsnGFil16TQCu7Ox7pt_IkG/s400/photo+9.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Step 8: <span style="font-weight: normal;">Cut! Once you are happy with all your cut lines, load the mat into the machine (I have a Cameo 2 so I used the "load mat" option) and select the media type you're cutting just as if you were using a regular mat. Once you press "START" the machine will take in the mat and start to calibrate the cut based on the registration marks on the Pixscan mat. If it scans all three registration marks successfully, it will return to the starting point and begin your cut.</span></h4>
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And, oh, when it works! It's the COOLEST thing. </div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue;">I never fail to smile when everything works and it's super satisfying!</span></span></h4>
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BONUS Step: <span style="font-weight: normal;">But wait, there's just a little more! One of the benefits of the digitized cutting file you've just created is that you can cut multiple pages of the same thing if you added in a small bleed area around your images and you put your sheets on the mat in (<i>almost) </i>exactly the same spot as your original photo. I used this set of files to cut 20 identical pages of stickers, off of the same picture and cut file, being sure to match the top and left corners of my sticker sheet to the top and left corners of the cutting box of the PixScan mat. WooHoo for more saved time! </span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4hLPxHVZ5lWm85Dyo6z_KpeC8oVW752n4gfnUWVosIBpx-Nd1KG96c1C4YtcZ0DxcVTq6IC58Ab2jaotRGIl3lzqh3KyUOLnaKixMk64Y72eTdsIlY8IVQgqLp8hwc6iIiX6-un2BiJy/s1600/photo+16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4hLPxHVZ5lWm85Dyo6z_KpeC8oVW752n4gfnUWVosIBpx-Nd1KG96c1C4YtcZ0DxcVTq6IC58Ab2jaotRGIl3lzqh3KyUOLnaKixMk64Y72eTdsIlY8IVQgqLp8hwc6iIiX6-un2BiJy/s320/photo+16.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<h4>
Do you love PixScan yet?</h4>
Once you get the process down, there are SO MANY cool uses:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>As I mentioned above, you can throw a bunch of vinyl scraps on the mat any which way you want and cut funky shapes out of every little piece. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>You can make planner stickers or labels for your home and custom cut them into specific shapes without wasting any space on those expensive full page sticker sheets with traditional print-and-cut registration marks.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>You can have images printed on acetate and cut them out in exactly the right shape to insert into ornaments or cut out pictures for lockets or scrap books. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>You can tape down thin metal tags and engrave on them if you have an engraving tool and you'll be sure that your engraving is centered and upright instead of using a regular mat and HOPING that you counted your squares right. (wait, what? engraving? TEASER!)</li>
</ul>
<br />
I'm sure you guys can come up with a bunch of cool stuff too. Let me know in the comments below what you've done with the PixScan mat.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Happy Crafting!</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-7688907760841421092017-09-24T20:28:00.002-07:002017-09-24T20:28:53.699-07:00All in one Kitty Center with custom litter box.<!--
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Everyone deserves their own space.</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBuy0OMOA4zihf_XZ-d3UMSRwJD9yfNBxMVsf1o96Yp640oOVffdx0AFArk5N8mkaN4xlQi8AV2ej8SkARvSKHqnR1axFON6vSGSQZISV9BxEAfJ0E5A5eiYcUv4M05V3XXjh1QnbbxYo/s1600/cat+litter+topper.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="1600" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBuy0OMOA4zihf_XZ-d3UMSRwJD9yfNBxMVsf1o96Yp640oOVffdx0AFArk5N8mkaN4xlQi8AV2ej8SkARvSKHqnR1axFON6vSGSQZISV9BxEAfJ0E5A5eiYcUv4M05V3XXjh1QnbbxYo/s200/cat+litter+topper.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Including the kitties:
</h4>
I have two little kitties with big personalities. They pretty much have the run of the house. Everyone that has a kitty or two (or more!) knows that there are a few undeniable facts that you have to deal with. Food, water, toys, records, and, of course, the litter box.<br />
<br />
I wanted to try to find a way to organize it all and still have it look clean and contained. I have gone through a few different configurations and I think I finally figured out something that works great for all of us, and maybe it can work for you too. So, this post will walk you through what I did<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9n-7xa5v2mEaNPc3P5e7Ve8vYWhQ4KYyonFzJcyvxHHra1WDkHeMnkHgxg0K8yXraO76Qy8WCDBG21D5-0ldFn2wEOhROYkjnupCopSZrwVxMf3WXOOmQHCAWA5SqWrXsxS0loBnqTCrO/s1600/cat+setup.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1277" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9n-7xa5v2mEaNPc3P5e7Ve8vYWhQ4KYyonFzJcyvxHHra1WDkHeMnkHgxg0K8yXraO76Qy8WCDBG21D5-0ldFn2wEOhROYkjnupCopSZrwVxMf3WXOOmQHCAWA5SqWrXsxS0loBnqTCrO/s320/cat+setup.png" width="255" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Materials:
</h4>
<a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S59210162/" target="_blank">Cabinet</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80261258/" target="_blank">Hinges</a>
<br />
<a _blank="" href="http://www.homedepot.com/b/Building-Materials-Moulding-Millwork-Moulding/Vinyl/Outside-Corner/N-5yc1vZara1Z1z0vb2mZ1z11qsk"> Corner Molding</a><br />
<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/b/Paint-Paint-Tools-Supplies-Glues-Epoxy-Construction-Adhesive/N-5yc1vZci1o" target="_blank"> Construction Adhesive</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00102975/" target="_blank">Litter Box</a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80186688/" target="_blank">Floor mat (x3)</a>
<br />
<a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Van-Ness-Pet-Food-Container-10-Lb/14935913?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227000550558&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40341708392&wl4=pla-78300484472&wl5=9028267&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=14935913&wl13=&veh=sem" target="_blank">Food and litter containers (x2)</a>
<br />
<a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Collapsible-Fabric-Storage-Cube-White-Set-of-2/55203392" target="_blank">Storage Bins</a>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Basic Process:</h4>
<div>
I have gotten this project together over the course of about 6 months so I don't have the exact directions. If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer. This will just be an outline.<br />
<br />
1) Locate the side of the BESTĂ Cabinet side that you want to have your opening on. Mark out the size of the opening that you want for your litter box opening.<br />
<br />
2) Use a drill to drill a hole inside the area that you've marked for your opening and then use a saw (I used <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/BLACK-DECKER-4-5-Amp-Jig-Saw-BDEJS300C/205545898" target="_blank"> jigsaw</a>) to cut the opening.<br />
<br />
3) I cut pieces of vinyl corner molding and used the construction adhesive to attach it to the rough cut of the opening to give it a cleaner finish. If you're able, you can miter the edges to get a cleaner frame but I didn't do that with mine.<br />
<br />
4) Assemble your BESTĂ subbing in the soft close hinges if you choose to use them. I didn't want the doors to slam and startle the cats when they were eating. Mine came with teflon feet so it's really easy to pull away from the wall to vacuum and mop around the box when I clean.<br />
<br />
5) I chose to use a very high box for the litter box because one of my cats has a habit of making a bit of a mess with shorter boxes. Put the box in the cabinet on the side of the opening and mark out where you need to cut your opening. Note: I actually used two of <a _blank="" href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-12-Gal-Flip-Top-Tote-Colors-Vary-by-Store-211512/202520515">these boxes from Home Depot</a> because I hadn't seen the IKEA ones yet. If you want to know how I modified the boxes I used, please let me know in the comments below and I'll write it up for you guys.<br />
<br />
6) Use a blade to cut the opening out of the front of the litter box and I used a lighter to melt the raw edge to smooth it over. If the top edge keeps your door from closing, you can trim it off too.<br />
<br />
7) Once you've assembled the cabinet, it's just a matter of putting everything in place where it needs to go.<br />
<br />
8) I used the containers from Walmart to store food and litter. The fabric storage containers hold toys, brushes, treats, and cans of soft food. Records and their travel bag are stored in the small space above the litter box. The box I use to store the litter scoop is no longer available but you could use a tall narrow cereal box or something similar.<br />
<br />
9) I used two of the floor mats to create two eating areas on top and the third to help cut down on the litter scattering as they exit. These are great because they have a rubberized bottom and don't slip. They also protect the surface of the cabinet.<br />
<br />
10) That's it. I like having 10 steps but really, you're done! Enjoy a more organized space.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCl68YolHjY5D_VTyNgIDWrmhC4NgoMxrEp206MAG04ljBwsOhV1HAcdgvaKv5KkXETbTZiNm2gQCLOcnM5tkBlGEgOFyq1EBvgGTYDnOAi8pP7LZxd8WXUNMIXkTo5KqS-I1uoUPS1MQM/s1600/kittys+love+eachother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1214" data-original-width="1600" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCl68YolHjY5D_VTyNgIDWrmhC4NgoMxrEp206MAG04ljBwsOhV1HAcdgvaKv5KkXETbTZiNm2gQCLOcnM5tkBlGEgOFyq1EBvgGTYDnOAi8pP7LZxd8WXUNMIXkTo5KqS-I1uoUPS1MQM/s320/kittys+love+eachother.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<h4>
Always evolving:</h4>
Well, guys, this is my outcome. I am always open to ideas and if you've got any improvements, additions, or ideas, I'd love to hear them<br />
<h2>
Happy Crafting!
</h2>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-81433202016778245612017-09-15T16:19:00.000-07:002017-10-15T16:33:08.042-07:00Silhouette 4.0 Follow-up<!--
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<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
That'll Do Pig.
</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgDRvdXv6w0v9K1N2-_tWS1d31QBeaFX6qmLmXgpRE2AJW1EFY3Btpiq6ieqKEkUolVn4RrSV708XKOJO2kOYhfESfr3YAO2X7usPn5XxspbQMvJbA0g359wvbaW2xk0rOAwgW5S_ZIe4/s1600/That%2527ll+do+pig.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgDRvdXv6w0v9K1N2-_tWS1d31QBeaFX6qmLmXgpRE2AJW1EFY3Btpiq6ieqKEkUolVn4RrSV708XKOJO2kOYhfESfr3YAO2X7usPn5XxspbQMvJbA0g359wvbaW2xk0rOAwgW5S_ZIe4/s320/That%2527ll+do+pig.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<h4>
Two weeks ago:
</h4>
It's been about two weeks since I installed the newest version of the Silhouette Studio software (designer edition) from <a _blank="" href="https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/shop/software-and-download-cards=">Silhouette America</a> and I am happy to say that things seem to be going well.<br />
<br />
In my <a href="http://crafthow.blogspot.com/2017/08/silhouette-40.html" target="_blank">last post,</a> I covered "the good, the bad, and the ugly" of updating and mentioned that I'd come back to update you on my experience. So, here goes!<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Good:
</h4>
I have been playing with many of the new features available and plan on throwing together a few new tutorials for you guys on these features. But for now here are three of the things that have worked well and I am liking about the new update so far.<br />
<br />
<i>1) Cut time progress bar.</i> This is so great. There is now a progress bar at the bottom of the cut screen to show you how much longer it will take for your cut to complete. This is great for time management and has already helped me a lot. I know how long each cut is going to take so I can work on other things (like making a cup of coffee!) while the machine is grinding away.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwc8LUADAM_rKGzvDGiVBiKeAYdOyzEWQbkyCfjDqmB6gg8HFee3A8uXnFVJ7LOgKzXmHaJmnLJ_EKi8uv9vAxSKGYShNwSWlysfDrubuLFYBOTSDnc3DM9KGN_WS7Ub0q6Ls-5YPBjq8/s1600/Mirror+HTV.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="1600" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwc8LUADAM_rKGzvDGiVBiKeAYdOyzEWQbkyCfjDqmB6gg8HFee3A8uXnFVJ7LOgKzXmHaJmnLJ_EKi8uv9vAxSKGYShNwSWlysfDrubuLFYBOTSDnc3DM9KGN_WS7Ub0q6Ls-5YPBjq8/s320/Mirror+HTV.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<i>2) Mirror reminder.</i> Forgetting to mirror HTV is something I know we have either all done or will do at some point in our cutting careers. This can be a costly mistake when it happens with our last piece of hard to find glitter or the only bit of that one color we had left. The studio software now includes a pop-up reminder to check if you mirrored your design. If you haven't, it will do it automatically for you. If you have, just click "Send As-Is" and your cut will start.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXLSTN9K6vYZZpn9BH3YVLvAVBu_8h_Pb3FInlGDyvGX3sQz-mMml-fkFK2t2dQzvhHBAD7F_-iUGT5iC-ai-9Q4I_TildPQzfBCv5LodVOp2WYz8lTjdL63OH3jtS5zXy5Gu-qKA44o8/s1600/Mirror+HTV.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="1600" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXLSTN9K6vYZZpn9BH3YVLvAVBu_8h_Pb3FInlGDyvGX3sQz-mMml-fkFK2t2dQzvhHBAD7F_-iUGT5iC-ai-9Q4I_TildPQzfBCv5LodVOp2WYz8lTjdL63OH3jtS5zXy5Gu-qKA44o8/s320/Mirror+HTV.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>3) Warp Function.</i> This works for both text and images. You select the warp panel and then select what object you want to warp and then you can play around with the number of columns or rows and pull the handles around to warp your image. Note: This feature is available in Designer edition and up.<br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyinCQwll__xTUJH7boaPA2BC-cZgqiVFIX3QKdQKvCvjnRX70gsZFuVm1wsdD37Lv0NBTmL9rQs0oaI1zXRxxICj6369kfUsKa_2fuspyJZ8C-kp8XHVkRxX1nHs8lIDIDgIFssQkrlA/s1600/Warp+text.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="1600" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyinCQwll__xTUJH7boaPA2BC-cZgqiVFIX3QKdQKvCvjnRX70gsZFuVm1wsdD37Lv0NBTmL9rQs0oaI1zXRxxICj6369kfUsKa_2fuspyJZ8C-kp8XHVkRxX1nHs8lIDIDgIFssQkrlA/s320/Warp+text.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<h4>
The Bad (and the ugly):
</h4>
<div>
I mentioned in my last post that I had some concerns about things that might not work correctly with the new update and I have discovered a couple of glitches so far. Keep in mind, this is NOT a beta version. All of the features have been tested and this is supposed to be a complete and finished product. Nonetheless, there are still issues. Here are a few that I have noticed.<br />
<br /></div>
1) Tracing issues. Tracing can be difficult even when everything works the way it is supposed to. It can be a little tricky but thanks to some great tutorials like <a href="https://youtu.be/ttldRQaBdEU" target="_blank">Tracing without Tears</a> from Kay Hall at CleverSomeday on YouTube, it isn't as hard as one would think. The issue I have been running into with Version 4 is that I will select my trace area and adjust my settings and when I click "trace" nothing happens. The yellow fill disappears as though the trace has completed but it doesn't give me a cut file. The only thing I can do is start over and hope it will trace the second time. It doesn't happen every time but it is often enough to be a bothersome glitch.<br />
<br />
2) SVG drag-and-drop issues. Having Designer Edition means that I have been able to open SVG's in my design studio. This has been an awesome feature and allows me to pull all of the elements I need to create my design directly into the studio space that I am using and design on the fly. With version 4, I will drag and drop my SVG into my studio space and it will simply "stamp" itself onto the background and will not allow me to select, move, or modify it at all. I have had to open each element into a separate studio screen and then copy it and paste it into the space I am designing in. It's not impossible to get around, again, but it makes things take far longer than they should have and I am afraid that I will accidently save a modification to an original element if I forget to close WITHOUT saving changes.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Final thoughts:
</h4>
Overall, I am pretty happy with the update. There is still a TON of room for improvement but there is also a huge list of new things to play with.<br />
<br />
<h4>
What about you guys?</h4>
What are your thoughts on the new update? Are there things you're super happy to see included? Other problems that you've noticed? Other things you wish were possible? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Happy Crafting!
</h2>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-83776755626570427032017-08-30T13:33:00.001-07:002017-08-30T13:33:46.363-07:00Silhouette 4.0<!--
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<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Change is a good thing! Change is a good thing... Change is a good thing?
</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZAYSQM3VktG0K0-gExHm1Q2dmkX4201O3bzydIV4BASkTx5D4BR4aIamKk8EprP_Lf7-i-yS61c9Ah7GPEixxDZlqoVu47XOaMenoiPRGS_S5T7o3lnDyNxqPOyIF4SxCtGX9Z4K1Jcj/s1600/Change.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="1226" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZAYSQM3VktG0K0-gExHm1Q2dmkX4201O3bzydIV4BASkTx5D4BR4aIamKk8EprP_Lf7-i-yS61c9Ah7GPEixxDZlqoVu47XOaMenoiPRGS_S5T7o3lnDyNxqPOyIF4SxCtGX9Z4K1Jcj/s200/Change.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<h4>
Maybe you're like me:
</h4>
When I see a new software version update on my phone, I put it off a long as possible. I mean, like, a long time. Weeks, months...<br />
<br />
I am so afraid that doing the update will stop other important things I use every day from working properly if they haven't been modified for the update.<br />
<br />
Most recently, the on-screen keyboard on my android phone just plain quit after an update. I couldn't type anything at all on my phone or bring up the keyboard for voice-to-text.<br />
<br />
I was finally able to get a supplemental keyboard installed and finally got my phone up and running again but it was a frustrating experience to say the least.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
So, you'll understand my hesitation:
</h4>
<a href="https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/shop/software-and-download-cards" target="_blank">Silhouette America</a> released the newest version of their software suite recently and today is the day I plan on switching over. I have been following along with a few of my acquaintances on Facebook who were helping to beta test and a lot of the early adopters who have already started making tutorials to get the good, the bad, and the ugly about the upgrade. Sometimes the easiest way to learn is to watch someone else do it, right?<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Good:
</h4>
So Many New Features! The tutorials I am watching have excited me.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>With new features like text warping, you won't have to create your design in another program and import it. </li>
<li>A glyphs panel should make it a little easier I currently use <a href="http://download.cnet.com/NexusFont/3000-2316_4-10861616.html" target="_blank">Nexus Font</a>) to take advantage of all of the extra swashes in some of the more decorative fonts a little more easily. </li>
<li>There is finally a cut-progress bar in some of the videos I have seen. </li>
<li>And, as I am starting to get into HTV a little more, a pop-up reminder before cutting to mirror your image so you don't end up wasting material.</li>
</ul>
<h4>
The Bad (and why it's not so bad):</h4>
The number one horror story I am seeing regarding the software upgrade is people loosing their designs that are stored by silhouette. A more recent update introduced cloud storage and operation and many people lost their designs during that too. Thousands of hours and hundreds of dollars can be lost if someone has spend enough time designing and/or purchasing designs. I believe there there have been a number of successful recovery stories but I don't have any personal experience with those.<br />
<br />
Fortunately for me, since day one with Silhouette, I have kept all of my fonts and designs in a <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/h" target="_blank">DropBox</a> folder. This means that no matter what the update throws at me, my designs, my fonts, and my files will still be there.<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Ugly:</h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicz15Bm7C0hFLKJqn4erU1jGlrwsHRKeflP6jOrH6U50CpHclvcW7fw0DQxvxGO2qeFO79nOmtGYgksxkDKtKrxj7JrBqfwiGyrqqYLE2-9vk5lBYqv_uKL1Prc_hdAvhIdoinABLCpvQg/s1600/old+v+new.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicz15Bm7C0hFLKJqn4erU1jGlrwsHRKeflP6jOrH6U50CpHclvcW7fw0DQxvxGO2qeFO79nOmtGYgksxkDKtKrxj7JrBqfwiGyrqqYLE2-9vk5lBYqv_uKL1Prc_hdAvhIdoinABLCpvQg/s1600/old+v+new.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Knowing that all of my previous work is not at risk of being lost forever is a huge confidence boost to push me to start trying to take advantage of all the new features. Unfortunately though, even that won't solve the #1 issue.<br /> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpx8x04mXU-pHbnYE-vpoguEGpttx7UkFzfy-r_KuMfZSnOvI0gzd9MVscT6V3SSf1vZmBJSOLPyYwGQRewX2HS6vIGLcjiKJQdNAQ9oW9A6g2wDrqpjt191Hfuoy0wt8v3mkQDpJM99LP/s1600/old+v+new.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpx8x04mXU-pHbnYE-vpoguEGpttx7UkFzfy-r_KuMfZSnOvI0gzd9MVscT6V3SSf1vZmBJSOLPyYwGQRewX2HS6vIGLcjiKJQdNAQ9oW9A6g2wDrqpjt191Hfuoy0wt8v3mkQDpJM99LP/s640/old+v+new.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This is a pretty big change. The layout is similar but the buttons have all been shifted. Some icons are slightly different, and they've introduced separate panels that pop out instead of everything being controlled by fixed menus at the top and side.<br />
<br />
The process of getting re-acquainted with how to do some of the more basic things that are so quick for me to do now is what has held me back so far. I hate the feeling of starting over.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
*goes back to re-read the good things about the upgrade again*</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
But, today is the day. I am going to install. I am going to learn. I am going to create cool things. And, I am going to teach you to do it too! </div>
<h4>
Going Forward:
</h4>
Lunch is here. Time to install and re-start fresh :-) I'll put up a new post in a day or so to track progress. Feel free to follow along. It should be fun!<br />
<br />
<h4>
What about you guys?:
</h4>
Have you had an experience (good or bad) with an update that you want to share?<br />
<br />
If you're already working in 4.0, do you have any quick tips that could help me get up and running a little faster?<br />
<br />
I look forward to hearing from you!<br />
<br />
<h2>
I look forward to hearing from you! Happy Crafting!</h2>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-63686478257966188712017-08-29T11:57:00.002-07:002017-08-29T12:00:01.274-07:00Product Application & Care Instructions<h2 style="text-align: center;">
In this list, I will compile all of the application and care instructions for anything I make or share. I will sort by category and update as often as necessary. </h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-67350675605383052942017-08-29T11:43:00.000-07:002017-08-29T12:00:07.910-07:00Whoops, I did it again!<!--
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<br />
<h3>
Being consistently inconsistent is still consistency, right? </h3>
<h4>
So, January of 2016:</h4>
<br />
January of 2016 was my last post. I was excited to share the news of my new machine. I was excited to do more nail art. I was excited to start blogging again. I really was excited to start teaching and sharing again. But,<strike>I'm lazy</strike> I couldn't find the time. We DID end up moving, halfway across the country in fact. A one bedroom apartment in Florida was my new home. There wasn't a lot of room to really focus on some of the things I wanted to do. And, I worked in car sales and that can be a little time consuming too.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEills0a6U7Uo-PDkO7_YfyPhwJydLigGjtTvpqEqjvTeL7RotGpmP57KUwBHVpRL3WKsMMwX8AqJ1i6yvYHJfnmEXj8oMy0ocGZzYAYrhUogCI0LqJEixEsNqFfZaXJVq2KwCuOn9gK4Hsf/s1600/car+sales+profile+pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1264" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEills0a6U7Uo-PDkO7_YfyPhwJydLigGjtTvpqEqjvTeL7RotGpmP57KUwBHVpRL3WKsMMwX8AqJ1i6yvYHJfnmEXj8oMy0ocGZzYAYrhUogCI0LqJEixEsNqFfZaXJVq2KwCuOn9gK4Hsf/s200/car+sales+profile+pic.png" width="189" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Car sales profile pic!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In January of this year, we moved to Texas. This has been a turning point in my crafting. I finally have a room (A whole room!) set up to work in. A place I can keep organized and have easy access to the things I need to get things done. And boy, have I done some things.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYcsrxoBfg7VlYva5C4A7tk8QkEfU6CV5FWeCtPEwIjpNCyvKH0m0ccv97ZaVinPuwU4Jc2RfR8AO61vs5J8hrZnkDOOdawScvqQCsmeYirDQKi-OiGL5ftvGW-Q0MqNJrdQYGwYL9jFL/s1600/Moves.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="1600" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYcsrxoBfg7VlYva5C4A7tk8QkEfU6CV5FWeCtPEwIjpNCyvKH0m0ccv97ZaVinPuwU4Jc2RfR8AO61vs5J8hrZnkDOOdawScvqQCsmeYirDQKi-OiGL5ftvGW-Q0MqNJrdQYGwYL9jFL/s200/Moves.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<h4>
Stuff & Things:</h4>
That Silhouette machine and I have come a long long way since that January 2016 post. I had originally gotten it hoping to make some nail decals and stencils to bring you some more nail art tutorials but once I got into the software and started learning about the possibilities of the machine, I got into so much more.<br />
<br />
At current count, I have a sandblasting rig, a heat press, and I even bought a tiny little sewing machine to play with. The best part is, I'm going to share it all with you. Everything is linked together and it all ties back to that little Silhouette machine. Even though I haven't been posting everything, I have been taking pictures all along the way so I can share it all with you.<br />
<br />
The software is the easier part since it doesn't require any "real world" setup. I started a series of YouTube videos called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqXfsf_zG-VsGXGrBskagEw" target="_blank">DIY On Demand</a> where I address common questions I see in the Facebook groups. My goal with these videos is to directly answer the question while providing helpful tips along the way without all the extra story-telling fluff. I like direct and to-the-point when I am trying to get something done so all of my videos are less than 5 minutes long. Take a minute to check them out. I'll wait.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqXfsf_zG-VsGXGrBskagEw" target="_blank">
<img align="center" alt=" My Tutorials" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYrO3rMkcKiLxknt2HAe__S1B3el1RzPwi0uwBecOsAVf1K27dLcJCTajyDC5TPHrMJnVIPAU2NbOd_mPO4lXg6-Dzq2WB2gHNWA0pijB2A8tyv_bU8CYLIJbvR-tG7WknLEyY8Iswg9h/s320/Video+previews.png" width="320" />
</a>
<br />
<br /></div>
<h4>
Where do we go from here:</h4>
This proves to be the hardest part. As I mentioned above, all of the pieces are linked to each other so it's kind of difficult to get into one without also having covered the other. There is some great news though:<br />
<br />
1) Just about everything I am doing has already been done by somewhere sometime. Most of what I do is not 100% original. I just try my best to condense all of that information down into one easy to understand, 5 minute chunk.<br />
<br />
2) Sometimes, people don't want to watch a video and would rather have written directions. That's what this blog is intended to do. This will be the text-heavy portion of my projects and I'll direct you here whenever you want more information on something if I have made a partner post to a video.<br />
<br />
3) I am working on setting up shop! If you like what I do and don't want to do it yourself, I am working on opening a small store for simple orders. As of right now, I am only making any of my work available locally. This is the part of the whole process I am still learning about. Eventually, I will offer affiliate links in my videos and here and I would appreciate any feedback or advise you guys may have for me in this realm as it's all new to me.<br />
<br />
<h4>
What about you guys?:
</h4>
I've mentioned sandblasting, my heat press, and my teeny tiny sewing machine. Are there any projects you guys are interested in learning more about first? Anything you want me to place a priority on?<br />
<br />
How often would you be interested in seeing new posts? Would you like longer, more detailed posts a few times a month, or shorter posts with more variety a little more often?<br />
<br />
I am excited to get started! Looking forward to hearing from you guys soon!<br />
<h2>
Happy Crafting!
</h2>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-41761894215491867912016-01-31T12:48:00.000-08:002017-03-06T16:41:17.847-08:00A whole new (crafting) world!<h3>
It all started (as it often does) with a YouTube video wandering session...</h3>
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
The Beginning:</h4>
<div>
I have always had a passion for pretty nail art. The idea that you could have tiny pops of art/color/design literally at the tips of your fingers makes me smile inside. It is both subtle and dramatic at the same time and I love the juxtaposition of it.<br />
<br />
My downfall is that I'm usually to <strike>lazy</strike> to do most of it myself and sometimes it can be a little costly to get all of the different types of supplies for a all of the different techniques that I am always wanting to test out so I will often just live vicariously through YouTube. I often pick a subject that's caught my interest that day and start to wander through videos to learn what other people are saying/doing about it and more often than not, it's art related for me. I had already wandered through acrylic painting ( I love <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/robinmosesnailart" target="_blank">Robin Moses</a>) and nail art stamping (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=nail+art+stamping" target="_blank">too many to list</a>) and even liked water marbling so much I created my own tutorial (<a href="http://crafthow.blogspot.com/2012/04/blue-wave-water-marble-nail-art.html" target="_blank">on this blog</a>).<br />
<br />
<h4>
Enter: Nail Art Vinyls!</h4>
<br />
This time, while looking for something new, I found nail vinyls. My nail vinyl hero is Cristine from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/simplynailogical/featured" target="_blank">SimplyNailogical</a>. This seemed easier than free hand painting, less costly and time consuming than stamping and far less messy than water marbling and still produced some really amazing results.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Crafty Brain:</h4>
Here's where I went a little overboard. I wouldn't be satisfied with ordering generic designs and waiting on shipping, I had to figure out how to do them on my own. I wanted custom designs, immediate gratification, and, of course, the sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing DIY projects (right...finishing a project...).<br />
<br />
I started learning about how nail vinyls were made and learned about at home plotter/cutter machines that would use computer software to guide a small blade to cut the designs for you. I researched the different styles available in my budget and decided, after another YouTube wandering session to purchase a <a href="http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/shop/machines/cameo" target="_blank">Silhouette Cameo</a>.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Levels on Levels:</h4>
<div>
The Silhouette software has it's own learning curve but with the help of YouTube and some amazing facebook groups, I am getting the hang of it and have already created some cool designs. More recently, this pretty look I did for fall:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNR0cd2inMbkbQuvqk-iByHc2t6o6M-Ce-uP_me-cK4rEsgAoIQ9i1Doi2eiEznlf8EGwW8NqaqHIl-wi2BaxxtDEDBcyA_ly6MuM5NjgRu0IU7JEo4kZpf_xPjdh7Zi65WPpAKesc3Z4c/s1600/fall+nails.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNR0cd2inMbkbQuvqk-iByHc2t6o6M-Ce-uP_me-cK4rEsgAoIQ9i1Doi2eiEznlf8EGwW8NqaqHIl-wi2BaxxtDEDBcyA_ly6MuM5NjgRu0IU7JEo4kZpf_xPjdh7Zi65WPpAKesc3Z4c/s320/fall+nails.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
The more I learned about what this machine and the software could do, the more I learned that I had opened up a new level of crafting. Something that made projects like custom etched mirrors and one of a kind gifts totally doable. Heck, it even inspired me to jump back on here and write this up for you guys to tell you all how excited I am!<br />
<br />
<h4>
Going Forward:</h4>
<div>
Hopefully, I'll take the time to write up a few more of the fun projects I've been working on. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hopefully, I'll be moving into a new house soon where I plan to have a craft room with studio space so I can start doing more fun "show and tell" and sharing more of the tips and tricks I'm learning along the way. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hopefully, I'll have the time and resources to always keep learning and sharing with you guys. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hopefully, I'll always have awesome readers like you to keep giving me someone to share this info with.<br />
<br />
Happy Crafting!</div>
<br />
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-60361071519770395412014-01-17T12:41:00.000-08:002014-01-17T12:41:30.717-08:00Can I get back into this?Hello all!<br /><br />Just a quick pop in to see how things have been going in blog-land. I've never really been very good at these things but I like to do them and that's something right?<br /><br />My original aim in the creation of the CraftHow blog was to give me an outlet to share cool things I've learned about with you and even though I haven't added any real new content in over a year, I'm still getting the occasional visitor. I'm not being flooded but it's awesome to know that some of my work has been cool enough to pique your interest and get you to click through into my humble little site.<br /><br />I've been through a lot in the last few months. And I'm still working through a lot of things including a move to the opposite coast from where I grew up. Once I get settled in here, I hope to jump back into the DIY frame of mind and bring you all up to speed with things I've been learning.<br /><br />Hold me accountable! If you like what I do, ask for more of it! I love seeing new subscribers on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/poolgirlblue" target="_blank">my YouTube channel</a> and seeing new hits on my <a href="http://crafthow.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog page</a>. I even have a <a href="https://twitter.com/CraftHow" target="_blank">twitter account</a>. Yeah, me, on twitter. How weird is that! On a side note, can someone teach me how this Twitter thing works?<br /><br />Keep crafting and share your ideas. Hope to re-join you all soon!<br />
<br />
-PamAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-65590492086306129732013-08-02T20:26:00.001-07:002013-08-02T20:26:38.636-07:00It's been over a year!O-My-Gosh everyone!<br />
<br />
It has been over a year since I've posted to this blog but I promise you I've been thinking about you!<br />
<br />
I can't believe how much activity my poor neglected page has had. Granted, I'm not topping any charts as far as viewership is concerned but I am impressed by the traffic I have gotten.<br />
<br />
I have gone through a lot of changes in the last 2 years. I left a job I'd been at for almost 5 years in October of 2011 and spent 6 months working for a local company doing contract work for phone systems. That wasn't a great fit for me and I transitioned into my first ever commission sales job in July of 2012. One year later and I am happy to report that still happy and hard working in that position. Unfortunately, it hasn't left a lot of time for tutorials.<br />
<br />
We were also hurled into another impromptu renovation when our washer and hot water heater decided to give out within the same week. This led to many-a-night after work spent pulling up the old flooring, scraping down to bare concrete, installing a new hot water heater (with lots of help from <a href="http://www.greeneplumbing.com/" target="_blank">Bobby L Greene Plumbing</a> who did an amazing job!) trimming tile, re-painting, and our first experience doing an epoxy floor. The before and after video is below.
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
The good news is that, now that all that is out of the way, I am almost done renovating my spare bedroom. I have my walls all painted, some furniture pieces re-finished and my wall to wall storage cabinets are on their way. The last thing left to do is to re-finish the floor to match the other two rooms we completed in our earlier re-modeling projects. This room is going to be my tutorial room/craft room/guest room/quiet place. I am super excited!<br />
<br />
Sorry to be so lengthy but hopefully, it's the beginning of my return to the blogging/DIY scene. If there is anything that you guys want to see, give me a shout out and I'll try my hand at it!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-20079244939125449822012-06-02T18:30:00.001-07:002012-06-02T18:30:33.773-07:00DIY Topsy Tail Styling Tool TutorialI've been growing my hair out for almost a year and it's starting to get long enough to actually try to style now.<br />
<br />
One of the first things I wanted was a styling tool called a Topsy Tail or a Style Weaver. This is a simple tool that can help make a variety of hair styles. I looked at a few of the local stores that would carry something like that and I couldn't find one.<br />
<br />
YouTube had a few videos showing how people used a metal hangar and tape to create theirs and I did try that. It worked alright but it was stiff and hard to use. My second attempt was made with some heavy gauge trimmer line and masking tape and it worked a little better than the original but I still had to deal with the sticky tape and my hair is too thin and fine for me to risk much of it breaking off.<br />
<br />
My third attempt was with a much thinner gauge trimmer line and a piece of heat shrink tubing for a handle. This created a smooth handle and a flexible tool that worked perfectly for my hair. This method is a bit more expensive than the coat hanger method but I am MUCH more satisfied with the result and I still only used materials that I already had on hand.<br />
<br />
I made a video showing the process in more detail (below) but it is pretty simple:<br />
<br />
<b>Materials</b>:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Scissors.</li>
<li>Heat source (I used a candle but you can use a heat gun or something similar).</li>
<li>Trimmer Line.</li>
<li>Heat Shrink Tubing. </li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>Steps</b>:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Cut a piece of trimmer line approximately 12" long.</li>
<li>Select a piece of heat shrink tubing large enough to fit both ends of the piece of trimmer line snugly. </li>
<li>Insert the two ends of the trimmer line into the heat shrink tubing making sure to stagger the ends slightly so that you have a finer point on the end of the tool for styling. </li>
<li>Gently heat the heat shrink tubing by passing it over the flame so that it shrinks down and holds both ends of the trimmer line. </li>
<li>Enjoy your finished piece!</li>
</ol>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Enjoy!</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-28300955340692574562012-05-21T09:04:00.000-07:002012-05-21T09:04:13.889-07:00Yikes!It's been a little stretch since my last post and sadly, this will just be a space filler to thank those of you who keep checking back.<br />
<br />
My awesome husband got me <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Canon-VIXIA-R200-Camcorder-Slots/dp/B004HW7EAG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337615662&sr=8-1" target="_blank">this</a> new camera after the one I was using before jumped off of my kitchen island...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwAR9Vw3CV2r_mX906GWp76XNHvW-0w_RbVyZdZJKboo8v6YIMOWDRw_aNAtA5xZY47OUwClpyr-EMrh4a34iudVkJLSlECjjMc61nXHelCFtUtcKQ4HrFtMqMfexJe51iIs7VNWX6Tb_/s1600/Canon+Vixia+HF+R200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwAR9Vw3CV2r_mX906GWp76XNHvW-0w_RbVyZdZJKboo8v6YIMOWDRw_aNAtA5xZY47OUwClpyr-EMrh4a34iudVkJLSlECjjMc61nXHelCFtUtcKQ4HrFtMqMfexJe51iIs7VNWX6Tb_/s1600/Canon+Vixia+HF+R200.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo from Amazon listing linked above)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I've got two or three tutorials filmed already and I'm working on editing them. I'm still getting used to the new software and file formats of these videos but I hope to have at least one of them up this week.<br />
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If you have any tips regarding my new camera or editing advice, please let me know. Also, if there is something you've been interested in learning I'll be happy to show you what I know about it and if it's something I haven't done before, we'll learn together!<br />
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Thanks so much for looking! Check back soon!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-55576258756019811422012-05-09T10:44:00.001-07:002012-05-09T10:44:52.236-07:00Random Tips and Tricks # 2<h1 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon" target="_blank">The Amazing Lemon!</a></h1>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceO08zGs_3MbS9qQDX6QzjkAhxXg2g7SzYsAb0C3leCYuIdPfnXA72YUrli01BAZN9YjzcjWiSUPd0s58Rci0JbcYqV-3zmwqwesGedCu-QNTI8TlgB2Ora5m4AurIACnoNEbUIfcxJ22/s1600/Lemon+16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceO08zGs_3MbS9qQDX6QzjkAhxXg2g7SzYsAb0C3leCYuIdPfnXA72YUrli01BAZN9YjzcjWiSUPd0s58Rci0JbcYqV-3zmwqwesGedCu-QNTI8TlgB2Ora5m4AurIACnoNEbUIfcxJ22/s200/Lemon+16.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;">Photo from: <a href="http://www.adimagephotos.com/">www.adimagephotos.com</a></span></td></tr>
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There are so many uses for lemons that I would like to share but for now we'll focus on one you might not have heard about: effortlessly cleaning your microwave. <br />
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Whenever I use lemon zest or lemon juice in a recipe, I always end up with a peel or a few small slices left over. I usually toss them in my sink to send them down the garbage disposal after I've done the dishes for that day but I try to squeeze one more use out of it first.<br />
<br />
I use my lemon peel to clean the microwave. This method is so easy you can set it up during a commercial break, let it run, and then finish during the next commercial! How's that for a quick clean up?<br />
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All you need is a small microwave safe bowl, some water, your lemon, and a few paper towels or a clean rag.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Squeeze as much juice as you can out of the lemon into the microwave safe bowl.</li>
<li>Add the peel and 1/3rd to 1/2 a cup of plain water. </li>
<li>Microwave on high for about 3 minutes. (the first time you do this, please watch to make sure it doesn't burn as microwaves all heat differently!)</li>
<li>Watch the next segment of your TV show or finish whatever awesome thing you're working on while the liquid bubbles and boils filling your microwave with lemony steam.</li>
<li>After a few minutes of resting, simply wipe out your microwave. The steam will have done all the hard work for you! </li>
<li>Carefully dump the lemon/liquid in your sink to send down the disposal later. </li>
</ul>
<div>
Three uses out of one humble lemon! I will share more as we go along but in the mean time, I would love you to comment with your favorite uses for this versatile fruit.</div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-34715860998022422322012-05-02T20:48:00.002-07:002012-05-02T20:48:54.637-07:00Cakes PastWhen I first moved to Louisiana a few years ago, I wanted to do something that would allow me to get to know a few people and try to get some formal training for a craft that I knew very little about.<br />
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I decided to try my hand at cake decorating. I had been obsessed with the different cake decorating competition shows and I thought that it looked like a lot of fun. I took the first two Wilton courses and watched a number of tutorials online and I ended up making a few cakes that I was pretty pleased with.<br />
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A few of the cakes below were made a long as 6 years ago and my most recent was the Lady Bug cake that I made for a coworkers birthday.<br />
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Let me know what you think! Please let me know if you would like more information on any of the cakes below. I currently have my tutorial up for the <a href="http://crafthow.blogspot.com/2012/04/mommys-belly-baby-shower-cake.html" target="_blank">Mommy's Belly baby shower cake</a> below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7hfpwYI-Abpexd7p1pXg1Rd6P4-yztvCwgYkrV8NPWGADQYyNiNRKvRQZLc3ZiKwGc-S-2f6j_4JWMLI0XvsuLK7D_qKLHmlgWl_dgOp1dpAjGHmHRFSMxGC3qerDdISDhG4ZTi86Cfx/s1600/Lady+Bug+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7hfpwYI-Abpexd7p1pXg1Rd6P4-yztvCwgYkrV8NPWGADQYyNiNRKvRQZLc3ZiKwGc-S-2f6j_4JWMLI0XvsuLK7D_qKLHmlgWl_dgOp1dpAjGHmHRFSMxGC3qerDdISDhG4ZTi86Cfx/s200/Lady+Bug+Cake.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqWnTm82VQSGKKGGhapTXIoNHIHXGjhxJRB8Ga1YWZXvmJ1ckxk7RxxpZw-WY_B79_gqxCA_KxZEd82_sbEHmhqFq6NxNWgXYWgvQ2feGfAtUlAbpSsuQ4tBobEoZ_WOEpEGgyklJXvCT/s1600/Baby+Shower+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqWnTm82VQSGKKGGhapTXIoNHIHXGjhxJRB8Ga1YWZXvmJ1ckxk7RxxpZw-WY_B79_gqxCA_KxZEd82_sbEHmhqFq6NxNWgXYWgvQ2feGfAtUlAbpSsuQ4tBobEoZ_WOEpEGgyklJXvCT/s200/Baby+Shower+Cake.jpg" width="149" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOY1iKzd5MA_QRoVrxVxum8ACNXplxE9DIoCjgXM74PfXjou-Ah6kAUd7v1LnbBZWn_Wna3e0HjgvhGchK4CJ4mHP-DMPuuozxee9jlUsDWGOH5hnO1CdMUqKl-KLG_ayaKVx5QbYhr_-_/s1600/1+year+old+cake+with+baby+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOY1iKzd5MA_QRoVrxVxum8ACNXplxE9DIoCjgXM74PfXjou-Ah6kAUd7v1LnbBZWn_Wna3e0HjgvhGchK4CJ4mHP-DMPuuozxee9jlUsDWGOH5hnO1CdMUqKl-KLG_ayaKVx5QbYhr_-_/s200/1+year+old+cake+with+baby+cake.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZhyAhb3lcKkOiuKE5GvUiSb3mZ31l02X0shhIZ1bxtu5FOQ4NBHYJKwow2jgCTpknlyPzhg9BMaPAvFOazG2_mUvFTHHNBp-UXlU042d8L_xwWpaSvMOlWHvRc1RLHC1xMyChcpwFmRD/s1600/1+year+old+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZhyAhb3lcKkOiuKE5GvUiSb3mZ31l02X0shhIZ1bxtu5FOQ4NBHYJKwow2jgCTpknlyPzhg9BMaPAvFOazG2_mUvFTHHNBp-UXlU042d8L_xwWpaSvMOlWHvRc1RLHC1xMyChcpwFmRD/s200/1+year+old+cake.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-51530247220873193952012-04-26T19:07:00.000-07:002012-04-27T22:02:24.432-07:003-minute prep Italian-style bread from your bread machine.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had been wanting a bread maker for quite some time but couldn't bring myself to purchase one because I felt like I wouldn't use it frequently enough to justify the cost. About 3 years ago I was lucky enough to receive a gently used bread maker from a coworker who swore he never had luck with it. He told me that he was confident I could make great things with it. I immediately set out to prove him right.<br />
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I had read through many recipes and they all varied so much that I thought that it would be best to start simple to gauge my machines abilities and decided on a pre-prepared bread mix in a box to rule out any errors I might make with measurements. I have read in a lot of reviews that adding 1/4c of powdered milk will give your machine made bread a smoother texture and improve the overall flavor. I agree and always add it in to all of my bread recipes now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsvd3VrJRHnixOtgxkYcwfk9gjAnkWqget_PZ1BxtaceDKENO1tesh2VoMrUZi25EaW_DfhQv67gklBSI8E-aJlxDZvEJ57RpriVmj2R-HJQQtCExCuqRr_uSOBMk29w3FxVNPIq22v_W/s1600/01+-+All+materials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsvd3VrJRHnixOtgxkYcwfk9gjAnkWqget_PZ1BxtaceDKENO1tesh2VoMrUZi25EaW_DfhQv67gklBSI8E-aJlxDZvEJ57RpriVmj2R-HJQQtCExCuqRr_uSOBMk29w3FxVNPIq22v_W/s320/01+-+All+materials.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My prep time was about 3 minutes from box to baking:<br />
<ul>
<li>I added a cup of warm water to my bread machine pan per instructions on the mix box.</li>
<li>I added 1/4 c of powdered milk.</li>
<li>I emptied the contents of the dough ingredients pouch on top of that (most bread machine instructions have you add your wet ingredients first and then the flour and other inclusions).</li>
</ul>
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But I couldn't stop there! We were having an Italian themed meal that night and I wanted something that could accompany the dinner so I added about a teaspoon each of the following dried seasonings and then added the yeast packet:<br />
<ul>
<li>Onion powder</li>
<li>Garlic powder</li>
<li>Basil</li>
<li>Rosemary</li>
<li>Oregano</li>
<li>Crushed Red Pepper (increase or decrease to taste)</li>
</ul>
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I placed my bread pan into the machine and started it on a 2 lb loaf with a light crust setting. As the machine started to mix the dough I realized the mixture appeared slightly dry and wasn't forming a ball.<br />
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I drizzled in a little bit of water until the dough formed into a ball. After that I closed the lid and walked away. The machine whirred and kneaded and then spent 2 hours filling my kitchen with the most amazing smell.<br />
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When the machine beeped to let me know the bread was ready I could barely contain my excitement. The top was perfectly domed and lightly browned. I tipped the loaf onto my oven rack to cool (but couldn't wait the entire recommended cooling time!) and sliced into it to reveal an herb speckled, creamy textured bread. I was amazed. The flavor was strong enough not to overlook but mild enough not to overpower the meal.<br />
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The next morning I took what little remained of the loaf to work for my coworker to try. He was not easily convinced that I had used the same bread machine that he had given me.<br />
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With the success of my test bread I have gone on to experiment with other recipes from various websites and bread machine cookbooks. It is a wonderful medium that lends itself to a variety of uses above and beyond slicing and eating. This particular recipe makes amazing croutons and bread crumbs and tastes great when cubed warm from the machine and dipped in olive oil for snacking. A grilled cheese or turkey sandwich made with this bread may ruin you for life. Try it out for yourself and share your leftover (hah!) ideas for this recipe. Thanks!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-70536965633634694552012-04-23T21:27:00.000-07:002012-04-23T21:27:11.847-07:00Random Tips and Tricks 0.1<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
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I have spent a lot of time throughout my life reading and talking to friends and family about random tips and tricks for things like gardening, cleaning, & minor repairs. I have built (and continue to build) a wealth of random information. I have spent so much time in fact, that I now get phone calls from friends (even those I haven't spoken to in weeks!) asking me about how to fix one thing or do another. When they stump me, I will readily admit it and then run to research for myself. I have even had complete strangers come up to me in stores and ask for my thoughts. Having an answer they like makes me happy. I guess that's why I do it.<u></u><u></u></div>
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This leads me to my new Random Tips and Tricks posts where I will share (in no particular order and with no clear plan!) some of the helpful bits and pieces of information that I have acquired along the way to hopefully help you have that "Ahh, so that's how to do it!" moment that makes me grin. I will say that I will try to avoid posting anything that I have not personally done/used so that I can give you an honestly helpful tip and avoid just re-printing some list I found in a book or website. All of the traditional âdo it at your own riskâ warnings will apply but I will try to provide any specific cautions I have found necessary, and, when pertinent, also provide a summary of any related expenses which, for me, can generally be summed up as cheaper=better.<u></u><u></u></div>
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So, without further adieu...<u></u><u></u></div>
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<h3>
Random Tips and Tricks #1 - Who drew on my shirt?</h3>
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You don't pay attention to where your wrists are when you're typing and look down to find an ink spot growing on your sleeve. I have worked in an office environment for a few years and this is the most common thing that catches my eye during meetings. Even the CEO has fallen victim to this sneaky writing implement. Don't stress, the fix is so simple and only takes a few minutes. When you purchase materials like these from the dollar store, your expenses are minimal, if you donât already have the items on hand. We'll call this a $3 garment fix!<u></u><u></u></div>
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Materials :<u></u><u></u></div>
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1) Hair Spray <u>or</u> Rubbing (Isopropyl) Alcohol (make sure there isn't any glitter or coloring in the formula)<u></u><u></u></div>
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2) Bar soap (something like Ivory works great, no dyes or inclusions)<u></u><u></u></div>
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3) Clean Soft-bristled toothbrush<u></u><u></u></div>
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Saturate the ink spot and the toothbrush with the hairspray/alcohol. Scrub the surface of the bar soap with the hairspray/alcohol-wet toothbrush to generate a little bit of lather. Gently brush the ink stain with the toothbrush. Add more hairspray or bar soap if necessary. Once you are satisfied with the removal, send your garment through the wash on a cool cycle. Avoid hot water which has a tendency to set stains making them harder to remove later.<u></u><u></u></div>
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Why does it work? The hairspray/alcohol acts as a solvent. It breaks up the ink. The soap helps to lower the surface tension of the liquid and, I personally believe, it helps to keep the ink from re-binding to the fabric. Please note that, as with all forms of spot removal, it is best to test the fabric in a hidden spot so that your fix doesn't end up doing more harm than good.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-39739631046239799392012-04-22T10:40:00.000-07:002012-04-22T10:40:34.600-07:00Throwback to InstructablesI am secretly a gamer chick.<br />
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Back in 2008 I was <strike>obsessed with</strike> a big fan of playing Halo on Xbox and played <strike>way too much</strike> very often with a group of friends. We used the in-game chat to talk about our strategy (yes, there is a strategy to winning a Halo match) and to just chat in general about things going on with work, school, and friends.<br />
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The one thing I could not stand was the quality of the average Xbox headsets that you get at the stores at that time and I wasn't going to spend the money to get one of the expensive <a href="http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/xbox-gaming-headsets.aspx?gclid=COGRz8j1yK8CFdEDtgodTkMBcA" target="_blank">Turtle Beach</a> ones when I already had a pretty costly PC headset (for other gamer-chick vices) that could do the same thing. Luckily I am married to someone who is pretty handy with electronics and so, our adapter was born!<br />
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Granted, it was a pretty awkward piece but it did the job. I like to think the idea originated with us since we built it because we couldn't find any for sale anywhere. I originally posted this on the <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Use-your-awesome-PC-Gaming-Headset-with-an-X-Box/" target="_blank">Instructables</a> site in 2008 and since then, we have seen mass produced models of the connectors become available including a product through a company called <a href="http://www.theheadsetbuddy.com/" target="_blank">The Headset Buddy</a> who started their website in <a href="http://who.godaddy.com/whois.aspx?domain=theheadsetbuddy.com&prog_id=GoDaddy" target="_blank">2009</a>. Purchasing one is a good option for those of you who might not be so inclined as to solder one for yourself. I invite you to read through the comments left by Instructables users during the last 4 years for more tips and information.<br />
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Step 1: Gather Tools</h3>
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First, you'll want to make sure that you have a few handy items to complete this project. Everything we're using can be picked up at your local Radio Shack or similar Electronics parts store. You'll need: solder, a soldering iron, wire cutters, a blade of some sort, and wire strippers (if you're not able to use a blade).<br />
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Note: you'll also need a very small piece of wire you can solder on as a bridge. But more on that in a later step.<br />
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You're also going to want a safe place to solder and you may like to use gloves if you're skin is sensitive to cutting or burning...<br />
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Step 2: Go Shopping!</h3>
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Unless you have these just laying around, and believe me, I know some people who do, you're going to want to purchase the items listed below. As I said in the beginning, as long as you have all the materials listed in step 1, these parts cost less than $20.<br />
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You'll need:<br />
(1) 1/8" to 3/32" Adapter<br />
(1) 4" Stereo Headphone Cable Y-Adapter<br />
(1) 2 pk Solder-Type Stereo In-Line 1/8" Phone Jack<br />
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Step 3: Preparation of the Y-Adapter</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBoWuCIDyQW6yALB0PNeM4RwY2cgnQI1P7cmt4MMMSJjzb2WznlT_A0cdtoPDtj9sRuM05e-EM2CR5eSrMdimMjbQWypMFCi1ARoY5h__dfVPRcE51STZ5Et-_70U6WA2SVQNhhtsfqqe/s1600/04+-+2+Cut+off+the+tops+of+the+Y+adapter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBoWuCIDyQW6yALB0PNeM4RwY2cgnQI1P7cmt4MMMSJjzb2WznlT_A0cdtoPDtj9sRuM05e-EM2CR5eSrMdimMjbQWypMFCi1ARoY5h__dfVPRcE51STZ5Et-_70U6WA2SVQNhhtsfqqe/s400/04+-+2+Cut+off+the+tops+of+the+Y+adapter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Cut the existing ends off only the top two arms of the "y" adapter. You want to get as close as possible to the jack to leave yourself plenty of wire to work with. Remember, only cut off the top two arms of the adapter, leave the bottom piece intact.<br />
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<h3>
Step 4: Start Stripping!</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qTxCYYUxZPD9Vyc2iV4WxkTeOkwAbGt9qzsaueso_6xfZVfLk-fDLBk6GyV8j4ho_m7SbEJ-VOwHbQJiW1hjhkAw_r5eKZtKVcwRs-uHR1R1g5cRq-EkokHOpTjn7V1t599pBsQhEeXK/s1600/05+-+1+Start-Stripping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qTxCYYUxZPD9Vyc2iV4WxkTeOkwAbGt9qzsaueso_6xfZVfLk-fDLBk6GyV8j4ho_m7SbEJ-VOwHbQJiW1hjhkAw_r5eKZtKVcwRs-uHR1R1g5cRq-EkokHOpTjn7V1t599pBsQhEeXK/s400/05+-+1+Start-Stripping.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1Xm8zSw7QFLhaDDEvzqpxsoY02mGpy9hAV-ATptezY-sU4B6NeLFH8pJz_gK9TmekuS_i1RgQEfvJBfOjXM5DuWqwT851X6Yd-1zloGzf0db1pEk5M_vZ2HmmJ4W0C6AHELS3EjN-6Rh/s1600/05+-+2+mic+and+headphones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1Xm8zSw7QFLhaDDEvzqpxsoY02mGpy9hAV-ATptezY-sU4B6NeLFH8pJz_gK9TmekuS_i1RgQEfvJBfOjXM5DuWqwT851X6Yd-1zloGzf0db1pEk5M_vZ2HmmJ4W0C6AHELS3EjN-6Rh/s320/05+-+2+mic+and+headphones.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguakadGPhqXHkeixooqZ6rLFQ35KOcS5ceww4HDbUjEBCMYbr6LL2Bi0qfetlJb8Wxznrq5dfkWI-4yr6ElokQ43JRE08Mj0mG7eZbRH14UTXtnU4RXe9ybZvuscRyUokTJFdejoi7PuKY/s1600/05+-+3+Add+the+jacks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguakadGPhqXHkeixooqZ6rLFQ35KOcS5ceww4HDbUjEBCMYbr6LL2Bi0qfetlJb8Wxznrq5dfkWI-4yr6ElokQ43JRE08Mj0mG7eZbRH14UTXtnU4RXe9ybZvuscRyUokTJFdejoi7PuKY/s320/05+-+3+Add+the+jacks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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1) Very carefully score about 1/2" of the black insulation off the arms of the newly cut "y" adapter.<br />
<br />
2) Using your wire stripper or some pliers, Pull off the 1/2" of black insulation you just scored to expose a bundle of foil wrapped wires.<br />
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3) Using your Xacto blade, slit open the foil shielding to expose the Black (headset), Metal (ground), and Red (microphone) wires.<br />
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4) You'll see that we've also slipped the plastic housing from the 1/8" phone jack over the exposed wires so after we solder we can screw it all together.<br />
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<h3>
Step 5: Start choosing Sides.</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimceBfLLCD0v1H5JS8UbncIH41BZjmK7e9MRonB6bhOPxHuVDJfbyqTni04sT_NcRJO0UUIwSN23BoIfQDUt7WbLVlGGSU1dODwgwFuDRIkKXu2Q71e_MjrTtWoiB8xcaIJI2xaf0igvY7/s1600/06+-+Red+Side+Black+Side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimceBfLLCD0v1H5JS8UbncIH41BZjmK7e9MRonB6bhOPxHuVDJfbyqTni04sT_NcRJO0UUIwSN23BoIfQDUt7WbLVlGGSU1dODwgwFuDRIkKXu2Q71e_MjrTtWoiB8xcaIJI2xaf0igvY7/s320/06+-+Red+Side+Black+Side.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Determine which side, left or right you want to be your speaker. Don't stress too much about this as you can always flip it over and left is right and right is left!<br />
<br />
1) On side A, strip half of the exposed Red wire.<br />
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2) On side B, strip half of the exposed Black wire.<br />
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3) {here's the tricky part} On BOTH sides, thread the ground (the silver metal wires exposed w/o stripping) through the small hole at the base of the metal jack and curl it around the base.<br />
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4) On side A, connect the Red wire to one of the terminals. You DO NOT want this to touch both terminals.<br />
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5) On side B, connect the Black wire to one of the terminals. Here, we'll be adding a bridge to connect the two terminals. A bridge can be any small piece of wire you have laying around. You only want the bridge to connect the terminals, not touch the rest of the jack. (see next step)<br />
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<h3>
Step 6: Ready, Set, SOLDER!</h3>
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1) On Side A (red), solder your ground wire from the back where it was threaded through, all the way around.<br />
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2) On Side A (red), solder the point where the red wire connects to the terminal and snip off the remaining black wire ensuring that none of the black wire will come in contact with any of the other wires or solder.<br />
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3) On Side B (black), solder your ground wire from the back where it was threaded through all the way around.<br />
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4) On Side B (black), solder the point where the black wire connects to the terminal and snip off the remaining red wire ensuring that none of the red wire will come in contact with any of the other wires or solder.<br />
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5) On Side B (black), create a bridge out of a small piece of wire and connect both terminals together. Note, this is only done on the BLACK side. This is going to cause you to have pseudo Stereo sound as you're really diverting the mono signal to go through both sides of your head phones.<br />
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<h3>
Step 7: Finish</h3>
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<br />
With both sides soldered as instructed, you should be able to slide up the plastic housing and screw the jack into it.<br />
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You may want to mark which side is Headphones (black) and which side is Microphone (red) so it will be easy to hook up. Attach the 1/8" to 3/32" adapter to the bottom of the newly modified "y" adapter and plug into your controller.<br />
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If you're having trouble with interference, try hot-gluing around your solder work to isolate the connections.<br />
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<b>You can also use this set-up to connect your gaming headset with most cell phones too as they take the same jack.</b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-92072045586054995172012-04-22T09:19:00.001-07:002012-04-22T09:19:43.026-07:00Millefiori Clay on Papier-mâchÊAt a previous job, I was inspired to enter a piece into a company wide art competition that would include participants from around the world. I had to incorporate the 5 business values of the company into a piece that demonstrated something that I was passionate about. I chose to create a papier-mâchÊ hot air balloon ornament that would be colored with the symbols that represented the values. My piece won the local competition, the regional competition, and made it into global semifinals.<br />
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I had not seen this type of project done before and so I wanted to share my idea and my processes with you!<br />
<br />
Here's the final project:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2h8ZF3baRz4id3kDO5HMdFC7fu-pSImkHDTGQUQuTKhVhelddb1SNGO-S4wYSh3nxOCckLYhk3N8c_vATyMWBm1uYhHKb7enhFZRpW4V23BjuGwig9cH1dZgbOKrNovzeRL77Hz6AMwb/s1600/Finished+Piece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2h8ZF3baRz4id3kDO5HMdFC7fu-pSImkHDTGQUQuTKhVhelddb1SNGO-S4wYSh3nxOCckLYhk3N8c_vATyMWBm1uYhHKb7enhFZRpW4V23BjuGwig9cH1dZgbOKrNovzeRL77Hz6AMwb/s1600/Finished+Piece.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f3ed; color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">I made the </span>
papier-mâchĂŠ<span style="background-color: #f7f3ed; color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"> form with a water balloon. The basket base was done over a small balloon over a plastic form. The polymer clay canes were made in the shape of my employers core values. For some tutorials on how to work with polymer clay watch a few videos on youtube. Iâve been working with clay for years but this is the first time Iâve made canes.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f3ed; color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f3ed; color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">The following videos show the steps of the process in a little more detail:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f3ed; color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sculpture Part 1 - Creating a Polymer Clay Cane"><b>Sculpture Part 1 - Creating a Polymer Clay Cane</b></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tmgrDslMjBI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></b></span></div>
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="long-title" dir="ltr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.5px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sculpture Part 2 - Rolling out the Polymer Clay Cane"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="long-title" dir="ltr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.5px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sculpture Part 2 - Rolling out the Polymer Clay Cane">Sculpture Part 2 - Rolling out the Polymer Clay Cane</span></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/T6jQs76aOBY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sculpture Part 3 - Slicing Polymer Clay Canes"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="" dir="ltr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sculpture Part 3 - Slicing Polymer Clay Canes"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="" dir="ltr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sculpture Part 3 - Slicing Polymer Clay Canes">Sculpture Part 3 - Slicing Polymer Clay Canes</span></span></b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/nq4IrnCpplk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<b><span class="" dir="ltr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sculpture Part 4 - Creating a Paper Mache Form"><br /></span></b><br />
<b><span class="" dir="ltr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sculpture Part 4 - Creating a Paper Mache Form"><br /></span></b><br />
<b><span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sculpture Part 4 - Creating a Paper Mache Form">Sculpture Part 4 - Creating a </span>
Papier-mâchÊ <span class="" dir="ltr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sculpture Part 4 - Creating a Paper Mache Form"> Form</span></b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/DFkfDcqg8ZM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<b><span class="" dir="ltr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sculpture Part 4 - Creating a Paper Mache Form"><br /></span></b><br />
<b><span class="" dir="ltr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sculpture Part 4 - Creating a Paper Mache Form"><br /></span></b><br />
<b><span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sculpture Part 4 - Creating a Paper Mache Form">Sculpture Part 5- </span><span style="background-color: transparent; letter-spacing: -0.5px;">Tiling the Balloon Form with Polymer Clay Cane Slices</span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; letter-spacing: -0.5px;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f7f3ed; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Commen<span style="font-size: 15px;">t below if you have any questions about the materials used, techniques, and results. Iâm glad to answer any questions regarding my project but Iâm not an expert and can only tell you about my research and personal experiences.</span></div>
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Enjoy and be inspired! Iâd love to see your projects too!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-83187761615713836052012-04-22T08:56:00.001-07:002012-04-22T08:56:54.593-07:00Blue Wave Water Marble Nail ArtWater Marble nail art caught my attention while <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=water+marble+nail+art&aq=0&oq=water+marble" target="_blank">cruising through Youtube</a></span> the other day. I was mesmerized by how the colors flowed over the surface of the water & spread out so thin.<br />
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Pushing my rational mind aside as it was trying to re-educate me on the science of it all, (like in <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_marbling" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">paper marbling</span></a></span></span> the dye, in this case the nail polish, sits on top of the water and after a design is created, an object is passed through the dye and into the water where the design stays on the object.) I instead gave into the little girl voice inside screaming "Ooo Pretty!" and decided I had to try it. It seemed like a quick way to get some dramatic results.<br />
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I hit up my local dollar store to track down some cheap nail polish to experiment with. After a little bit of trial and error and another hour or so of watching tutorials, here are the steps for what I did (please note, I took pictures through the whole process so I'm not always showing the same nail in the pictures):<br />
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<b>1 )</b> Pick the colors you want to use for your design. For this design, I decided on with a medium blue and white.
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<b>2 )</b> Apply a base coat of clear polish to your nail. This keeps any colors from staining your nails and will give the next layer something to stick to.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqw7UMzHJUCfybE5UWaPw1Jra8lylbykO_HanHa90sNBIn3ZaMx3F6pzJzrSZ98vuginBt2j68JOGJ9PdxxJYfkHrShpS8wa16oMbxwSu69YPL-XLXgTd5BuPGRWWKygbP8KZcCbKgHmuB/s1600/1-clear-polish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqw7UMzHJUCfybE5UWaPw1Jra8lylbykO_HanHa90sNBIn3ZaMx3F6pzJzrSZ98vuginBt2j68JOGJ9PdxxJYfkHrShpS8wa16oMbxwSu69YPL-XLXgTd5BuPGRWWKygbP8KZcCbKgHmuB/s320/1-clear-polish.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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<b>3 )</b> Using 2 pieces of tape I masked off my finger so that the rest of the polish wouldn't coat it when I applied the marbling to my nail. Put one small piece of tape across the base of your cuticle and around your finger and take a longer piece and wrap it in a "U" shape around the tip of your finger and both sides of your nail so that it sticks to the first piece.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJlay9pFJqEaJQuGVy5Pw-lXvBDJMXXvYD4fzQ0W4PM4S90yWDq1wQXwU9ozC4aoZUpPqUVjAdmUki6J6bLb0BOqkW3LanOw_6dW8PlOjMlNZoGAavO0rI93UC0TmJEYMfzjlPRvOlJ2U/s1600/2-tape-nail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJlay9pFJqEaJQuGVy5Pw-lXvBDJMXXvYD4fzQ0W4PM4S90yWDq1wQXwU9ozC4aoZUpPqUVjAdmUki6J6bLb0BOqkW3LanOw_6dW8PlOjMlNZoGAavO0rI93UC0TmJEYMfzjlPRvOlJ2U/s320/2-tape-nail.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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<b>4 )</b> I didn't want my nail to show through into the design so I also applied one thin coat of the same white polish I was using for my design over the clear base coat.<br />
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<b>5 )</b> You need a small cup of room temperature filtered water (I used distilled), your polishes, a long needle or orange stick, some paper towel, and some cotton swabs.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnQpBKiFvb0FGGrpUtXBrigWsOkCyPNCgegDrxyZC3JepDIMhq63CjuMQ1dw4s6GS5MSydF6OX4AffcaZkx_pVqm8QezlkR_zDTcVRuxo7uiK9l9ePHjc-uPsOrwl360Mc7R45vitqf75/s1600/3-room-temp-filtered-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnQpBKiFvb0FGGrpUtXBrigWsOkCyPNCgegDrxyZC3JepDIMhq63CjuMQ1dw4s6GS5MSydF6OX4AffcaZkx_pVqm8QezlkR_zDTcVRuxo7uiK9l9ePHjc-uPsOrwl360Mc7R45vitqf75/s320/3-room-temp-filtered-water.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>
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<b>6 )</b> I filled my 3oz plastic cup almost to the top with the distilled water. Begin building your bulls eye pattern one drop at a time but work quickly. If your drops aren't spreading, gently tap the sides of the cup. This will help distribute the polish.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5JNOEeEFLpQ6Y7Jv9DegIC9XQkydlnHCuvMsZqtw44iCWCmcW9WzxFLOn1O7MHpc8eZ2lOYzGO6dgFKP_z5LVajQq-OxPkdmcHhE2LqfQSx5oa-ijlVO5N-yMWcATc9z0FVckWthVbzs/s1600/4-createyourbullsey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5JNOEeEFLpQ6Y7Jv9DegIC9XQkydlnHCuvMsZqtw44iCWCmcW9WzxFLOn1O7MHpc8eZ2lOYzGO6dgFKP_z5LVajQq-OxPkdmcHhE2LqfQSx5oa-ijlVO5N-yMWcATc9z0FVckWthVbzs/s320/4-createyourbullsey.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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<b>7 )</b> Begin your design by anchoring one of the sides of the design to the side of the cup by dragging the needle through and wiping it on the inside edge of the cup.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZfurpACbWSS3GTvECGSrU7HRChTw9ZxMuUte2uv1kajVEYwDpdIW_7pScJnVfsLpdi8Qs7dxTRFzEeUOdM2Ptl8alFsoKLUZgfIWQ8N03ZJSoDxNjI4TbA8Xk1QTJLOHxfSSox5np1c-/s1600/5-createyourdesign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZfurpACbWSS3GTvECGSrU7HRChTw9ZxMuUte2uv1kajVEYwDpdIW_7pScJnVfsLpdi8Qs7dxTRFzEeUOdM2Ptl8alFsoKLUZgfIWQ8N03ZJSoDxNjI4TbA8Xk1QTJLOHxfSSox5np1c-/s320/5-createyourdesign.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<b>8 )</b> Continue dragging the needle through the design, sometimes from the center out, sometimes from the outside edge towards the center, draw circles, or whatever makes you happy, until you get a pattern that you like.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ijPR1nVShnoGfbgKbwkxraUNA2E8ecg1a0tMuGmhkCj-Dmm9QZUpp2aatcPJ-HFfMlBxXQEOr-peTgXF1z-9i61IQxQrsgWqyHr8bVTfKHzp_f_cOhCLIC98xjLi9uc4w_ANT4PfITqA/s1600/8-createyourdesign4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ijPR1nVShnoGfbgKbwkxraUNA2E8ecg1a0tMuGmhkCj-Dmm9QZUpp2aatcPJ-HFfMlBxXQEOr-peTgXF1z-9i61IQxQrsgWqyHr8bVTfKHzp_f_cOhCLIC98xjLi9uc4w_ANT4PfITqA/s320/8-createyourdesign4.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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<b>9 )</b> When you're ready, aim your nail so it will touch down directly onto the part of the pattern that you want and push your finger straight down through the pattern and into the water making sure you don't touch the edge of the cup or lift your finger out of the water.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLMvlnFlcyPRuuavH5s5x3y61UdAT2epWoHf4AYnvOBHgOHS-O8jUCEyM9N3KttsZ8bXk5eQ1mH4gcdwOjXzBelgZMoA8QHAqoTOM7EJBRjBhhXKxpER5PWS1d17QIPjGK9x0GQY27Ljr/s1600/9-where-to-aim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLMvlnFlcyPRuuavH5s5x3y61UdAT2epWoHf4AYnvOBHgOHS-O8jUCEyM9N3KttsZ8bXk5eQ1mH4gcdwOjXzBelgZMoA8QHAqoTOM7EJBRjBhhXKxpER5PWS1d17QIPjGK9x0GQY27Ljr/s320/9-where-to-aim.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPEh0_JcPrOr79ox_v-Q9u7H3_uNL-JSsprsNFCOeV3h4Tx3h6i1opu2pIeo7V-hsuS-maelpHXYdnlWycWHWLSyPU8scym27Q1gUMdiBROEIboCkVZIiBiwxSkRBMW7_mc3nMI4NMze-/s1600/10-take-the-plunge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPEh0_JcPrOr79ox_v-Q9u7H3_uNL-JSsprsNFCOeV3h4Tx3h6i1opu2pIeo7V-hsuS-maelpHXYdnlWycWHWLSyPU8scym27Q1gUMdiBROEIboCkVZIiBiwxSkRBMW7_mc3nMI4NMze-/s320/10-take-the-plunge.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
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<b>10 )</b> Hold your finger in the water and blow across the top of the remaining polish, when it dries (about 4-8 seconds) use a cotton swab to wipe the polish off of the top of the water. This makes it safe for you to lift your finger without ruining the design.<br />
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<b>11 )</b> Lift your nail out of the water and behold your success! Or utter failure, but hey, that's what practice is for.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqu1bcMXu9wi4jNEAnPL86lPXI9p6JQVaeycxb64TjPmn8LRtQTcR3zpaS5AA5mMhaxjoNFELS9RqIlIUv2nGssHzLQaTyy8OxbKePbI5BH2W8064sdrlb6XLrM_ZPEpRDjyJYq88wCno/s1600/11-after-clearing-the-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqu1bcMXu9wi4jNEAnPL86lPXI9p6JQVaeycxb64TjPmn8LRtQTcR3zpaS5AA5mMhaxjoNFELS9RqIlIUv2nGssHzLQaTyy8OxbKePbI5BH2W8064sdrlb6XLrM_ZPEpRDjyJYq88wCno/s320/11-after-clearing-the-water.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<b>12 )</b> Remove the tape and use a cotton swap dipped in acetone or nail polish remover to clean up the polish around the nail.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGVW6pD9KWqv4oqrg8AAZ8uhqmVKffv-LtdJMhulNmcmZviJ424wKw3qcjkRjrxU0geghgt-WpF5k69rVkWhl1pNsjns7jjZaOK-cHEMNI47Ex5umW_cRk9OTnrtGEuStOgv1fIFTD5sJ/s1600/12-cleanwithcottonbud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGVW6pD9KWqv4oqrg8AAZ8uhqmVKffv-LtdJMhulNmcmZviJ424wKw3qcjkRjrxU0geghgt-WpF5k69rVkWhl1pNsjns7jjZaOK-cHEMNI47Ex5umW_cRk9OTnrtGEuStOgv1fIFTD5sJ/s320/12-cleanwithcottonbud.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
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<b>13 )</b> Finish with a clear coat to seal and protect.<br />
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<b>14 )</b> Repeat 9 more times and you're done with your manicure!<br />
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<b>I really enjoyed playing with this method. Watch a few tutorials, haul out your massive nail polish collection and try it for yourself! </b><br />
<b><br />Make sure and share your experiences, I'd love to hear about them!
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Thanks!
</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-9332123153294478972012-04-22T08:45:00.000-07:002012-04-22T08:47:52.130-07:00Sushi: First TryThis was my first attempt at making Sushi.<b> Watch the video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mOJig-CIr8" target="new">HERE</a></b>
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<img height="298" src="http://todayscraft.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/sushi-first-try.jpg" width="400" />
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I used too much rice but over all, it still tasted great. My later attempts included raw tuna which looked beautiful and tasted great. It can be seen in the picture but the roll I'm making here in this video only contains cucumber, cream cheese, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surimi">imitation crab</a>, and mayonnaise mixed with a little <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasabi">wasabi</a>. This is all wrapped together in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nori">Sushi Nori</a>.
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I followed the directions for making sushi rice off of the <a href="http://japanesefood.about.com/od/sushiforbeginner/r/sushirice.htm">About.com website</a> but adjusted the measurements to match one reviewers notes: 1 T rice vinegar, 1/2 T sugar, and 1/2 t salt per cup of sushi rice. I used a roasted garlic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_vinegar">rice vinegar</a> and heated it until just warm in the microwave. I mixed in the sugar and salt and set it aside to cool while my rice cooked.
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I prepared my rice using a rice cooker. I rinsed and drained 3 cups of sushi rice (I used <a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KpJ8R7rkL._SL500_AA300_.jpg">Calrose</a>) and added it to 3 3/8 cups of water per my rice cookers instructions. After it finished cooking, I dumped it into a 9x13 glass casserole dish to cool. Instructions say to constantly fan the rice while folding in the vinegar mixture. I decided my trusty electric fan would do a more reliable job than my wimpy little arms ever could so I set it up and angled it to blow over the rice mixture as I mixed. It worked beautifully.
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I set my prepared sushi rice aside to cool and got to work gathering my other ingredients. I used cucumber that I peeled and sliced into spears, cream cheese that I cut into long spears, mayonnaise mixed with wasabi, and imitation crab meat. I wrapped my sushi rolling mat in plastic wrap and opened my nori.
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To create the roll, place the nori shiny side down on the rolling mat. Wet your hands to keep the rice from sticking and press a thin layer onto the nori sheet leaving about an inch exposed along the top edge.
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<img height="310" src="http://todayscraft.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/01-spread-rice.jpg" width="400" />
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Spread some of the wasabi mayonnaise in a line and top with your ingredients in a row along the edge opposite of your rice-free inch. Use the mat to roll the edge over the row of filling. Press firmly as you continue to roll.
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<img height="243" src="http://todayscraft.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/02-place-ingredients.jpg" width="400" />
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Once you reach the exposed edge of the nori, wet your fingers again and moisten the nori so that it will stick to the rest of the roll and seal it.
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<img height="263" src="http://todayscraft.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/03-moisten-the-seam.jpg" width="400" />
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Slice your roll in the center and then out towards the end in bite sized pieces. It helps to wipe and wet the knife between cuts.
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<img height="272" src="http://todayscraft.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/04-slice.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<img height="328" src="http://todayscraft.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/05-wipe-between-slices.jpg" width="400" />
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Enjoy, and as always, I look forward to seeing your attempts!
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<img height="281" src="http://todayscraft.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/06-time-to-eat.jpg" width="400" /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-23357721976760195412012-04-22T08:28:00.000-07:002012-04-22T08:28:18.501-07:00Mommy's Belly Baby Shower Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>I have a secret: I LOVE marshmallow fondant!</strong> </div>
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From a design standpoint, itâs easy to work with, can be flavored to suit your cake and can be made for just a few dollars. Plus, it keeps at room temperature and playing with it takes me back to clay sculpting as a little girl.<br />
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The idea for this baby shower cake came from one that I saw while idea hunting using<span style="color: blue;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1680&bih=925&q=baby+shower+cakes&gbv=2&oq=baby+shower+cakes&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=3063l6207l0l6308l17l13l0l4l4l0l222l1258l2.5.2l9l0" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">Google Images</span></a></span></span>.</span> Of the 4 or 5 designs I presented to the hostess, this one was the clear winner.
This was my first cake made using marshmallow fondant <span style="color: blue;">(<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">recipe here</span></a></span></span></span>) and, all things considered, I was pleased with the results.
It was a labor of love( started at 5pm, finished at 3am) and a fun experiment all at the same time. Lets walk through the steps:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuNCO-lUvC3kuqUIGvmiHQTDMOOk-CcBSKwMZXIxhZPumk_suuz3hGejS8yjH6j1vgVynH2mx4JXUz-XO_lezh_VRVMo_2010re87GcqjKiUnF1IxonrlCfQHFcAWNrwfbqrYMB8mxeeU/s1600/baby-shower-cake-final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuNCO-lUvC3kuqUIGvmiHQTDMOOk-CcBSKwMZXIxhZPumk_suuz3hGejS8yjH6j1vgVynH2mx4JXUz-XO_lezh_VRVMo_2010re87GcqjKiUnF1IxonrlCfQHFcAWNrwfbqrYMB8mxeeU/s320/baby-shower-cake-final.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>
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<ol>
<ol>
<li><strong>BAKE - Whenever possible, do all your baking the day before. This will allow your cakes to cool completely before decorating.</strong></li>
<ul>
<li>I use boxed cake mixes. My theory is, the recipe was good enough to market, itâs good enough to serve! I also substitute equal amounts of apple sauce for the oil in the recipe.</li>
<li>I spice up my mixes slightly depending on the flavor.</li>
<ul>
<li>Lemon cake was used for chest. I used the <del>cheapest</del> most cost effective boxed lemon cake I could find and added the following while mixing:</li>
<ul>
<li>1 Tbs of Meringue powder (found in the cake decorating section of any craft or grocery store)</li>
<li>½ a package of lemon instant pudding mix (just the mix, no extra liquid)</li>
<li>1 tsp vanilla flavoring.</li>
</ul>
<li>Chocolate was used for the belly. I picked the same brand as before, for obvious reasons. I look for the most chocolate flavored version I can find, either devils food or double chocolate. I added the following while mixing:</li>
<ul>
<li>1 Tbs of Meringue powder</li>
<li>½ a package of instant chocolate pudding (even if your mix is the kind that already has pudding in the mix, add more!)</li>
<li>1 tsp vanilla flavoring.</li>
<li>Brew a small cup of strong coffee(I used a Frangelico flavored coffee) and use 1 cool tablespoon in place of 1 tablespoon of water in the recipe.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<li>I completed the first 2 Wilton cake decorating courses and love most of their products. I used their round pans and the cake strips to help my cakes rise evenly in pans that had a parchment circle in the bottom and were coated with plain old butter flavored Crisco.</li>
<li>I made a 10â round chocolate layer, an 8â round chocolate layer, and 2 6â round lemon layers. When theyâre cool enough to touch, wrap them in cling wrap. This keeps in the moisture and keeps them fresh overnight.</li>
</ul>
<li><strong>Buttercream:</strong></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOD1RRLdH2AyvpR8pNPDTRUaSyHsXlWmSTzZeMabhJ7d_7BCyrUQA7CDQt9ZWljdHnubLu5-BYHnqqITA7OU3jZ2FAUdOOswAlIzxJNrKpDoOiaWUBrUmNb2SNkKo53NRpxenV3BJfkp1k/s1600/baby-shower-cake-transportation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
<li>I follow the basic<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Class-Buttercream-Icing-Stiff-Consistency" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">Class Buttercream</span></a></span></span> recipe from Wilton thinned out with extra milk or water to an icing consistency. Itâs easy to make and produces pretty consistent results if you bring it together slowly. I use the butter flavored shortening and add Vanilla flavoring and a touch of almond to make it special. You can tint it if you want but the white will make the fondant colors pop.</li>
</ul>
<li><strong>Board, Stack, & Sculpt:</strong></li>
<ul>
<li>Youâll need a strong base to support this cake. I used 3 layers of cardboard from some moving boxes taped together and covered in heavy duty aluminum foil.</li>
<li>Cover a 10â cake circle or round piece of cardboard in aluminum foil (<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.wilton.com/decorating/cake-decorating/covering-cake-board-with-fanci-foil.cfm" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">instructions</span></a></span></span>) and set your 10â cake on top. Spread a layer of buttercream over the top of the cake and place the 8â layer on top, centered.</li>
<li>Use a long serrated knife to carve the layered cake into a belly-shaped dome.</li>
<li>Set your belly on the cake board and carve and position the 6â cakes for the chest.</li>
</ul>
<li><strong>Marshmallow Fondant (MMF):</strong></li>
<ul>
<li>I melted the mixture in the microwave but transferred it into my stand mixer after I had greased the bowl and the dough hook to be kneaded.</li>
<li>After adding enough powdered sugar for it to begin to form a dough, I added my flavoring, again, about a tsp of vanilla.</li>
<li>I greased a portion of a smooth countertop and pulled my fondant out onto it to continue kneading.</li>
<li>I portioned out my MMF for coloring. About half was going to be blue, Âź white, and Âź brown. To color, I used Wilton gel coloring and added it to a dip in the center of the MMF and kneaded it until the color was no longer streaky.</li>
<li>Grease your rolling pin if you donât have a silicone rolling pin and roll out your blue MMF to about Âźâ thick and large enough to cover the entire belly and part of the board.</li>
<li>Frost the belly with buttercream and lay your blue MMF over it just after it starts to firm up but before it crusts. Smooth, drape, and cut as desired.</li>
<li>Roll out a portion of the skin tone MMF in a long rectangular shape and frost and cover the chest after itâs positioned on the board the way you want it.</li>
<li>Roll out some more blue MMF and cut a shape for the top of your dress.</li>
<li>Roll out some white and, using a pizza cutter and piping tips or cookie cutters, cut the decorations for your dress.</li>
<ul>
<li>I made my bow by cutting a long rectangle and cutting a triangle out of each end. I then cut another long rectangle and folded the ends together to meet in the middle and wound a small strip around the center to make it look like a knot. Attach the bow pieces to each other and to the dress with a tiny bit of water.</li>
</ul>
<li>Ta-Da! Youâre actually done with the decoration at this point.</li>
</ul>
<li><strong>Transport â a necessary evil.</strong></li>
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<a href="http://todayscraft.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/baby-shower-cake-transportation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
<li>My cake had to get to a party that was happing 15 hours later and 30 minutes away so I wanted to keep it safe and dust-free.</li>
<li>The fondant can exist safely at room temperature and, when youâre icing correctly, even seal in the freshness of your buttercream and cake so I didnât have to worry about finding a place for it.</li>
<li>I didnât have a box large enough or tall enough to transport the cake so I decided on a brand new, clean contractors trash-bag. The dark color would keep the cake a secret until the shower, the plastic would keep out moisture so my MMF wouldnât break down. The next little secret kept the plastic off of the design.</li>
<li>Now, this wasnât as painful as it looks. I pushed bamboo skewers into the belly in the center of each of my white dots and cut them off about 4â above the cake surface. This kept the bag from touching my cake.</li>
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<ol>
<li><strong>Presentation & Serving:</strong></li>
<ul>
<li>To set the cake up for the shower, I removed and discarded the plastic bag and carefully removed the skewers.</li>
<li>I pushed small edible pearls into the holes left by the skewers and one into the center of all of the other dots on the dress and no-one was the wiser.</li>
<li>Slice the cake however youâd like and enjoy!</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtfY5090v_gnqBZS44GOLrxE3RItaTCgMiPxHFoa3Gq0sIzEGzKZOtaIPzhmsGKv5qyVsJ-Acl-GYpLAVJPhC5MBPIVtsgLdkITt4TAE1stpdIPpVnThMYtXSqYBFp3fuCSdd3q-SJsOt/s1600/baby-shower-cake-serving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtfY5090v_gnqBZS44GOLrxE3RItaTCgMiPxHFoa3Gq0sIzEGzKZOtaIPzhmsGKv5qyVsJ-Acl-GYpLAVJPhC5MBPIVtsgLdkITt4TAE1stpdIPpVnThMYtXSqYBFp3fuCSdd3q-SJsOt/s320/baby-shower-cake-serving.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Thanks For Reading, and please share your attempts and experiences, I look forward to seeing them!</strong></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373225023640825366.post-55168797795085135482012-04-21T21:51:00.001-07:002012-04-21T21:51:56.053-07:00Dinosaur Diaper Cake<strong>In its basic form, a diaper cake is just what it sounds like. A cake made out of baby diapers. The fun comes in the unlimited number of ways that you can customize it. Play with different colors, themes, and sizes and find what works for you. </strong>
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<strong>Needless to say, this useful gift will be a hit at any shower you attend and give you a chance to give the mother-to-be some well needed essentials that many generic gift baskets may not include. And, you can create your own for a fraction of <em><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1680&bih=925&q=Diaper+Cakes&gbv=2&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=1703l5824l0l8129l14l13l0l0l0l0l710l2217l2-1.1.2.0.1l5l0&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=iw#q=Buy+3-tier+Diaper+Cakes&hl=en&safe=off&gbv=2&tbs=p_ord:pd&tbm=shop&sa=X&ei=NtlRToW_I9PD0AGYvoyJBw&ved=0CAsQuw0oAg&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=320a3ef3bbf09576&biw=1680&bih=925" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">what it would cost to purchase one this size</span></a></span>.</em></strong>
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<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">"Recipe" </span></strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(</span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">I spent just over $50 on this version)</span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">:</span></strong>
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<strong>~~</strong><strong>Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts ~~</strong>
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(1) Roll 1 1/2" Robins Egg Blue Organdy Ribbon - $1.99
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(1) Roll 5/8" Emerald Green Satin Ribbon - $2.49
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(1) Roll 6" Wide Green Organza spool - $2.50*
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(1) Plush dinosaur toy - $5.99
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(1) Pair neon green baby booties - $0.50 (clearance!)
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<strong>~~ Walmart ~~</strong>
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(2) Pkgs Newborn Diapers - $5.99 each
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(1) Pkg of #32 rubber bands - $0.46
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(1) Pkg Powdered Pedialite Mix - $8.98
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(1) Pkg Boudreaux's Baby Butt Paste - $4.98
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(1) Bottle Johnson&Johnsons Baby Wash - $2.98
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(1) Bottle J&J Cornstarch Baby Powder - $1.96
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(4) 5/16" Wood Dowel - $0.37
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(1) Bottle outdoor white craft paint - $1.97
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(1) multi-roll of ribbon (blue & green) - $2.47
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<strong>~~ Things I already had on hand (mostly cake decorating supplies) ~~</strong>
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(1) Cardboard 12" cake circle(can be cut from regular cardboard)
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(1) Cardboard 8" cake circle(can be cut from regular cardboard)
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(1) roll of scotch tape
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(1) pair scissors.
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(1) 3oz. Cup out of a package of bathroom cups.
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(1) roll of aluminum foil (only use a small piece)
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(1) needle and dark green thread
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(1) roll 1/4" Stitch witchery iron hemming tape*
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(1) iron and ironing board*
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(1) 10" Circular cake pan (wilton)**
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(1) 8" Circular cake pan (wilton)**
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(1) 6" Circular cake pan (wilton)**
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* You can use doilies or some other decorative base for your cake.
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** Ironing the ribbon is optional, i'm a perfectionist and wanted it smooth.
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***Note, the cake pans weren't necessary, they weren't used in the final product, but it sure helped to get everything lined up.
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== STEPS ==
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Breath before reading, it's really not as much work as it looks like.
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<ol>
<li>Paint the 4 wooden dowels with the white paint. Cover about 3/4ths of the dowel. Let this first coat dry while you're rolling diapers.</li>
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<li> My diapers had a colorful strip along the top that I didn't want to show. I left them folded in half as they came out of the package but rolled them so that the blue strip didn't show. I wrapped a rubber band twice around the center of each diaper roll and put them in a clean shopping bag until I had rolled all of them.</li>
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<li>I placed the bottle of baby wash in the center of the 6" cake pan and packed rolled diapers (12 total) in around it so that the seams faced the inside. I used 2 rubber bands to secure the top section together, binding the whole layer in the center.</li>
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<li>I placed 28 rolled diapers in the 8" pan, seam side in, and secured the whole layer with 2 rubber bands around the center of the layer.</li>
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<li>I placed all of the remaining rolled diapers in the 10" pan, seam side in, and secured the whole layer with 2 rubber bands around the center of the layer.</li>
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<li>Put another coat of white paint on the 4 wooden dowels.</li>
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<li>Measure lengths of the Blue ribbon to fit securely around each of the layers. This ribbon is transparent so you'll still be able to see the rubber bands on the diapers.</li>
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<li>Measure lengths of the Green ribbon slightly longer (by about 1/2") than the lengths of the blue ribbon.</li>
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<li>If you want to iron, this is the time to do it. I used the stitch witchery to adhere the green ribbon to the center of the blue ribbon.</li>
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<li>Lift the first layer (whichever you choose) out of the pan and wrap the ribbon around the center, green side out, using the green to hide the rubber bands.</li>
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<li>secure the ribbon with the needle and thread (it helps to hold it in place with two small sewing pins while you put a small stitch in.) and cut off the excess ribbon.</li>
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<li>Complete steps 10 and 11 for each of the other two layers.</li>
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<li>Stand back and admire your handy-work.</li>
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<li>Using the same needle and thread, you're going to put a simple over under stitch on one end of the 6" organza spool. You'll need a few feet. Once you're satisfied with your flower shape, tie the ends together to create a donut shaped green fan to go under your bottom later.</li>
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<li>Set the 6" top layer of "cake" on the 8" cake circle and lightly trace around the outside but don't cut it out.</li>
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<li>Lay out your 12" cake circle and place you're green donut flower on top followed by your 10" layer of "cake" and then your 8" layer being sure to line up all of your seams towards the back.</li>
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<li>Tape and rubber band your pedialite, baby powder, and butt paste together.</li>
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<li>Cut enough of the top of the 3oz cup away to create a small pedestal for the pedialite to sit on if you want to elevate it so it can be seen above the butt paste and the cornstarch.</li>
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<li>Wrap your blue and green ribbon around your bundled products and secure it with tape.</li>
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<li>Evenly space the 4 dowels and gently push the dowels through the second and third layers of your "cake" until you feel the bottom cake circle.</li>
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<li>Set your bundled products between the dowels on the second layer to help push the dowels apart to make them even and mark where they meet the bottom side of the 8" cake circle for you to punch holes through.</li>
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<li>Punch holes just big enough for the dowels to fit through in the 6" cake circle making sure that the holes fall inside the line you traced in step 15 and cut out the section so that you have a 6" circle instead of the original 8" circle.</li>
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<li>Wrap the new 6" circle in aluminum foil: cut a circle approximately 2" larger than your remaining 6" piece of cardboard. Lay your 6" piece down on the center of the foil. Cut slits in the aluminum from the outside edge towards the edge of the cake circle and fold each flap down and secure it with a piece of tape. Re-punch the holes through the aluminum.</li>
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<li>Push the foiled cake circle down on the dowels until it rests on top of your packaged products and set your top layer on top, pushing the dowels through the outer layers of ribbon and/or diapers.</li>
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<li>Mark the spot where the dowels show above the ribbon/diapers on the top layer, remove the top layer of "cake" and mark where the dowels should go back into the cakes.</li>
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<li>Remove the dowels and cut them at the point that you marked. Re-insert them in the cake at the points you marked.</li>
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<li>Place your bundled items on your middle layer, place your foiled cake circle on your dowels and your top layer back on the top.</li>
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<li>You can stop here if you want, or Decorate!</li>
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<li>I made trios of the curling ribbon and taped them to the top cake circle to make a border below the top layer.</li>
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<li>My dinosaur had a finger puppet hole in his tummy which lets him perch nicely on the top of the baby-wash.</li>
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</ol>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black;">My design was shared on <a href="http://www.plan-the-perfect-baby-shower.com/blue-dinosaur.html" target="_blank"><b>this site</b></a> which was one of sites I used to figure out how I would make mine. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><strong><span style="color: black;"> </span></strong></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><strong><span style="color: black;">Please share your attempts, I'd love to see them!
</span></strong></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11172565558141623454noreply@blogger.com0