A Dr. Seuss Bash

My son really enjoys PBS' Show "The Cat in The Hat Knows a Lot About That", so it was a no brainer to do his first birthday in the theme of Dr. Seuss. It was a blast to do.

This was on the main table. Simple little center pieces.

Cat in the Hat book, Zanes Smash Cake, One of his Bday Pix, and a cat in the hat Hat stuffed with newspaper so that it stood up.

One of the books on display on the buffet line.

I took all sorts of different Dr Seuss books we owned and scattered them around the buffet. Many matched the foods we had. 

One Fish, Two Fish....

Colored Goldfish Crackers Put into a Fishbowl

Sneetches Hot Dogs! :)

Yottle in the Bottle

Water Bottles with custom Labels

Skipper Zips Chips

Yot in the Pot!

Punch made from Hawaiian Punch, Sprite, And Sherbert.

Green Eggs and Ham

2 pretzel sticks stuck together with white chocolate and green M&Ms

(these were a huge hit!)

There was also Pasta Salad, with the label "Poodles with Noodles" from the Fox in Socks book. (I somehow forgot to get a picture :\ )

As well as a veggie tray, with no clever name. :)

All the labels were handmade, as well as Zane's Highchair banner, The water bottle labels, and his 3D Number One. {Tutorial found here.}

The Buffet of Seussy Goodies.

Enjoying the end of his big day in his brand new swing :)

*In NO way am I purposely stealing someone elses idea(s). Many of the things done for the party were found on pinterest. Dr Seuss Copyrights not meant to be infringed. It was all done out of fun to provide a special day for a little man*

Pumpkin Cake Complete With A Pumpkin Patch

I made this creation back in Halloween 2010. Just weeks after I found out I was going to have a little pumpkin myself, that my fiance' and I would later name Zane ;)

His first Halloween in 2011

Complete with skeleton jammies and a pumpkin bib I made him :)

The main Pumpkin was made out of two cake mixes. One Chocolate, One white.

Each mix was baked in a casserole bowl. 

The stem was made from a mini cupcake.

I used just your basic buttercream to frost the cake.

The little pumpkins are just your basic cake pops, just without the stick. (I find them easier to make without sticks. Such a pain in the rump those are LOL)

So there you have it. A cake pumpkin patch. 

Homemade Raspberry Strawberry Lemonade!

I've never met a person that doesn't like Lemonade.

It's so tart, sweet, and tasty.
This Lemonade, is mixed up with PURE Raspberry/Strawberry "Syrup".

This is so delicious, and pure. No nasty fake dyes, or fake sugars like High Fructose. Bleck. 

I made this a few times, and even my picky little siblings like it! Its especially useful when you have berries laying around that are about to expire and go bad. DON'T THROW OUT THOSE BERRIES!!! MAKE LEMONADE!!! 

Here's What You'll Need :)

1. Around 4 Pounds of Lemons (Enough to make 2 Cups of Lemon Juice. You can use the bottled kind if you desire)
2. 1/2 Pint of Raspberries (around 10 to 15 depending on size)
3. 1/2 Pint of Strawberries (around 20 to 30)
4. Sugar  (cup and a half)
5. Water (6 cups plus more to cover berries)

And now, For the how to! :)

WASH all fruit. Even your lemons! 

Rough chop your strawberries, and place them into a sauce pan, along with the raspberries, a half cup of sugar, and just enough water to cover the berries. (LIKE THIS!)

 Turn on heat to a medium-high and boil away until they're all broken down.

In the meantime. Prep your lemon juice. 

Heres some super awesome hints for juicing lemons;;

1. MICROWAAAAAAAAAAVE! yep, microwave the bad boys for about 30 seconds to a minute just until slightly warm.

2. Take them out of the microwave and firmly roll them on your counter. Doing these two things will loosen the juices up and make them so much easier to juice. Juice them the way your most comfortable with. I found it easier to use my hands and strain the juice thru a sieve to remove the seeds and pulp. :)

You will need 2 Cups of Juice.

Now... The measurements to making the Lemonade Itself....
3 Cups of Water to 1 cup of Lemon Juice

I made 6 Cups Water, 2 Cups Lemon Juice, 1 Cup Sugar. *Feel free to add more sugar if you wish. test taste as you go!*

(When you add the berry puree, you'll end up with a little over 2 qts liquid, so use a pretty decent sized pitcher when mixing)

Once you have all that measured out, juiced, mixed, and ready to go and your berries are broken down, turn off the heat and *CAREFULLY* add them to a blender or food processor.
*PLEASE USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN DOING THIS*

When Blending/Processing, turn it on, and once its blending immediately remove the little attachment to let the steam out. Or else there might be trouble. 

Once its all pureed, put it thru a sieve to remove all those pesky seeds. 

Add the Berry Puree to the Mixed Lemonade, Stir well, Chill, Ice, Drink, ENJOYYYYY! YUM!

Make Your Own 3D Letter How To:

Heres a cool project where you can make your own 3D Letter, Number, or even Symbol.
Its made from paper and tape. With help from some Paper Mache.

Heres What You'll Need;;

1. A stencil of the number, letter, or symbol of your choice ( I make mine using the computer, just use the outline option in your font editor and print it out to the desired size you want to use.) *Use card stock for this as its thicker and more durable*
2. Scissors
3. Masking Tape
4. Newspaper
5. Paper Mache
6. A Ruler
7. Glue Stick
8. Paint to decorate; or old book, magazine, sheet music clippings.

* A little Heads up! The Bigger your Shape, the easier this project is.*

Heres the stencil I used. I highly suggest doubling up your card stock to make this sturdy for when you paper mache it, or it will bend and sag. Each heart is made from two pieces of  card stock glued together.

Once you get the object you want cut out its time to make the sides.

The smaller the project, the smaller strips you want. The bigger the project, the bigger the strips. 

For example, the heart is about 6" x 6". The number One I did below is about 11" x 2".
Small objects you'll want  about 1/2" strips.

Bigger objects you'll want about an inch to an inch and a half.

Start with one stencil. Tape the sides on just like I did here. Patience comes in handy when doing this. You want to make sure your getting the edges as close together as possible. Once you get all the side pieces attached to one side of the object, its time to stuff it with newspaper just like the one below.

This is a very important step to making a 3D shape. The newspaper acts as columns insuring that when you paper mache it wont collapse on itself. Once you have it all filled with newspaper as evenly as possible, tape on the other side. 

Now its time for Paper Mache!

Instructions on Paper Mache can be found HERE.

When Paper Maching this Project, make sure to do a couple layers (no more than 3), each one going in the opposite direction of the previous layer. You know.... Zig-Zag it. It will make it much more sturdier. 

When you have all the layers built up, you have the option of adding the final layer of old book pages, sheet music like I did here, old magazine clippings, etc. 

If you are painting, I HIGHLY recommend waiting at least a day for it to dry, and prime it white before adding other colors to insure the newsprint wont show thru. (unless you want that)

The Finished Project!

Let *all* Paper Mache dry for a good 24 hours. I dry mine on plastic so that it doesn't stick to anything.

The Number One I did for My sons First Birthday!

If you want to hang your project on a wall, just attach a picture hanger onto the back with some hot glue. I recommend making it thin if you hang it, so its not sticking out of the wall by over an inch. But, if thats what you want, then go for it. 

*TIP: Spray your Letter with a CLEAR coat of spray paint. It'll look nice and keep for a very long time! (plus its easier to dust)

Mothers Day and/or Birthday Card How To;

I've made this a few times now with the help of my son.

It's rather simple, and cute!

Also perfect for Mother's Day, or even a Birthday!

What you'll need;;

• Construction Paper in assorted colors
• Card stock (or just white printer paper)
•  Glue Stick
• Markers/Crayons (for writing a special message inside)
• Glitter (optional)
• Your little ones hand for tracing
• Scissors

If your child(ren) is/are wee little like mine, (my sons 11 months) only trace their hand once onto the construction paper. Cut that one out & use it as your pattern for the other hand prints. You'll need around 3 or 4 of them. 

Just like these;;

(I had 2 cards to make; hence all the adorable little hands.)

Once you get all the hands cut out, grab a sheet of green paper and cut out some stems and leaves for your soon to be flowers!!!

When everything is all cut out and ready to go arrange the hands (aka flowers) onto your card stock 

[for a basic card, just fold the card stock in half, and you have a perfect sized card!]

 along with your stems. Attach them with your glue stick, add some leaves, and VOILA! 

You have one ADORABLE card to give to someone special in your life.

Labeling Your Seedlings and Plants

Labeling your plants in the garden is very important to do. Especially when there's more than one person in charge of the garden. Someone might think your parsley's a weed, and next thing you know, its gone. All because you didn't label!

Labeling plants was one of the very first things I learned about gardening when I was little.
Whether my parents used the seed packets, field stones, or sticks, they knew what was planted, and where.

These Labels are for my pots and seedlings. Most of the planting I'm doing this year is going to be in pots close to the house. It'll be easier to maintain considering I have an Infant to look after.

For the seedlings I decided to take these smalls ovals and glue them onto tooth picks to label what they are. Nothing too fancy, since they're only temporary.

I also started making bigger signs for when the plants get moved into larger pots.

Everything I used can be purchased at your local craft supply store. Or just use scrap wood you have laying around. Be creative with what you use.

Stones are a very good idea. I may make a few for the larger garden to mark what we plant. When I paint them I'll post them up.

Here's some ideas what to use::

• Toothpicks

• Popsicle sticks

• Old wine corks

• Field stones

• Sticks and twigs.

So many Possibilities!

I hope you find these markers to be inspiring.
And remember, always mark what and where you plant ;)

                                                                                                         copyright 2012 amanda l fry

Recycled! Newpaper Seed Starters.

I here by take NO credit for this genius idea. Its in fact been done for decades.
All you need is some::
-newspapers, 
-tape, 
-canned good,
-and a tray or old shoe boxes.
-(Don't forget your dirt and seeds afterwards of course!)
The real beautiful part of this project is.... Its basically FREE, and, the newspaper breaks down into the dirt when planted! No waste!

Here We Go!

Step One: Get some newspapers! Some tape (I used masking since its paper based), a canned good, and an old potting tray or shoe boxes.


Step Two: Take a leaf of newspaper, and fold in half. Line your can at the edge of the paper, and start rolling up. When you get to the end, secure with tape. 

Step Three: Set the can up, and fold the bottom down just as you would a roll of change. Tape to secure
                                                      Like this one::
                                          


Step Four: Slide the can out, and VOILA! Your very own plant starter pot!


TIPS:: If you want a larger pot, don't fold the newspaper in half. Leave larger and roll up. Also try using different sized cans. The wider the can the wider the pot. 

Fill with potting soil, and add your seeds. When transplanting outside in a few weeks, just loosen the bottoms so the roots are free to move about! The newspaper will decompose in the ground! AWESOME!





                                                                    Finished Project!

    

Happy Planting!

copyright 2012 amanda l fry