After spending almost a decade in the event decorating industry I have repetatively heard "I can do that". Instead of being dismissed by creative minded people, I want to show you how I do "that" so you can be sucessful in recreating that inspiration image. I just might have a few tricks that you haven't seen yet!
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It never fails that you find something very cute to give something, but it comes with non-removable art that just not fit with what you want to gift or make for yourself. Maybe it is art that isn’t your style. Maybe it is a design that’s so cheap and is exactly the reason why you find it at the dollar store.
For example, I found this cute frame.
I found that the size was cute. And I absolutely loved the beaded clutch like handle. Best of all, I loved how the frame and handles were very much reminiscent of unfinished wood. This was the perfect blank slate that I could do so much with!
The negative mark was the non-removable art. Truth be told, I almost put this back on the shelf.
But here is how I turned this dollar store product into the perfect blank to make a personalized present.
First you paint over the non-removable art
Especially if you like the current state of the finish of the frame you’re working with, you want to grab some masking tape and tape off the frame to protect it from the paint. It doesn’t matter how handy you are with a paint brush, you really do want to take the few extra minutes to tape off the frame. It just takes an unexpected sneeze or someone sneaking up behind you, knock on the door, ring of the phone, or that your brush slips.
Apply the tape on the inside edge of the frame. Cut down the tape to the corner of the frame, so you can fold the edges over.
Once the frame is taped off, take your paint of choice and cover the original art.
I used Waverly Cashew Chalk Paint. Because this color is so pail, it took about 4 layers to cover up the dark original colors. The important thing to remember is that you always want to paint with thin layers. First they paint dries quicker. Second, you can apply cleaner layer lines.
If you choose to put on a thicker layer of paint to compensate for dark colors, it just takes forever to dry before you can add successive layers of paint.
Once the paint dries…
You have the choice of what you will do next. You can apply a stencil to paint on your new design. Or there is the option of hand painting a picture.
If you are done with all painting options, you’ll want to remove the tape.
Removing Tape
Depending on who you talk to, there are a handful of different theories on which time to remove the tape.
OPTION 1:
Some crafters say, remove the tape while the paint is wet. Yes, this method prevents peeling up the paint that you just laid down. The problem I have with this method is that if the paint is wet on the surface, it’s wet on the tape. So you have to pay attention to the paint on the tape as you pull it up:
Paint ending up back on your blank because of the tape flopping over backwards (or paint side down) on your frame.
Paint ends up on your fingers. Sometimes you forget, or think you avoided paint transfer, and then you find out later you had a small drop of paint on your finger and now you have a paint finger print.
Paint ends up somewhere else on your, like your shirt or pants.
OPTION 2:
Other crafters advise that you remove the tape when the paint is dry. This method is great for preventing all options of potential paint transfer. However, the problem with this method is that sometimes the paint adheres to the tape and pulls up off your project when you remove the tape. This is especially the case when the original surface is smooth or plastic.
OPTION 3:
A third group will tell you to wait for the paint to mostly dry. This is the happy medium to the first two options.
I’ve never been able to make OPTION 1 or 3 work for me. If there’s any wet paint, I’ll somehow find a way of getting it on me or transferring back onto my project. So my go-to is OPTION 2, wait for the paint to dry.
TIP for OPTION 2: right before you remove the tape, take an exacto knife, and run the blade along the bottom of the masking tape all around the frame. This will effectively separate the tape and paint.
What if my paint strips off with tape removal?
Have no fear! Take a breath and don’t panic. This is an easy fix.
The first thing you’re going to do is build back up your layers of paint on the surface where the paint stripped off.
TIP: To create the illusion of no paint stripping, keep from this new set of corrective paint layers from overlapping on to the original dry paint that remained intact.
Once you’ve built back up the layers of paint that had peeled off, you’re going to add one more layer of paint over the original and new paint. This will cover over any potential seams in the paint.
The best of all is that if you are going to add any decal over this paint, it is possible for the decal to cover over any potential seams. If you’re using this as a shadow box, the items you place in front of the painted back ground will cause enough shadows to distract from the seams.
This is an example of where one less layer of paint can show the difference of your paint patch job. Make sure to do the same number of layers, plus an additional layer over both original and new paint.
Adding decals over the background paint with transfer tape
I want to mention one more potential problem you can face, with paint peeling, with a project like this. Whether you’re adding vinyl or a decal with a clear piece of transfer tape, you will want to be mindful of this transfer tape. Even if the transfer tape has low tack, it can still find a way of holding the paint more than the paint is holding on to the project surface.
The way that I have gotten around this problem is that I think of the transfer tape ONLY having contact with the vinyl or decal, and hold those elements in their place for application. I go out of my way to NOT press the transfer tape down onto the paint.
Instead, what I do is gently place the design down on the painted surface so there is absolutely no adherence. The bonus to this is that you can use a weeding tool, palate or other tool to nudge the design center (or any other location) on the frame. Once the decal or vinyl is exactly where I want it placed, I only press down on the decal/vinyl with my finger. The pressure from your finger is enough to get the decal/vinyl to adhere. And once your elements are all pressed, you can then peel off the transfer tape without it pulling off your paint!
Can’t find a frame like this, but want to make one?
I have no idea if I will find this beaded frame again at my local dollar store. In fact I would be surprised if I ever did. There’s something about the cute things in that store chain, that you pretty much only find in stock one time.
The good news is that this is an easy frame to create!
Originally this frame has a 4 x 4 inch work space. But you can select any shadow box of any size.
You can make the wooden bead clutch handle by using a thick jute twine and stapling it to the frame.
Yes! This handle is literally stapled to a mini shadow box frame.
If you want a supply list, to make your own frame, here are the items you will need:
Wooden Beads: 16mm (Thumbnail size), 20mm (US Quarter is 24mm)
Staple Gun (if you choose to use a standard desk stapler, make sure that you use several staples on either side of the twine. The twine can be reinforced by using wood glue and gluing to the shadow box.)
Scissors
Paint/Stain (optional–if you want something other than unfinished wood)
I hope you have just as much fun as I had making this Affirmation Gift!
The Baby Affirmation cut file used for this project can be found in my shop here. To personalize with the child’s name, just select your favorite bold font and place in the provided blank space.
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For about a year and a half now, I have wanted to make cheese at home.
What kept me from doing it for so long?
I lied to myself stating that it was just the fact that my days are busy with three young kiddos in the house. It’s a convenient enough excuse. But deep down these were the core issues that I was dealing with. Maybe you’re familiar with these fears.
It’s too difficult.
What am I going to do to keep from burning my hands?
If you had a childhood like mine, and you pulled homemade taffy, you know what I mean about burning your hands. At least with taffy you could coat your hands with as much butter (or other fat product) to protect your flesh from the hot candy. And if you’ve read about Mozzarella making, you know you have to pull cheese. Buuuuut, you can’t put butter on your hands.
Let me tell you something. I am so glad that I set my fears aside and dove in to make my first Mozzarella!!!
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First let me assure you that I did NOT burn my hands. So you can rest assured that you can also keep your hands safe.
Second, Mozzarella cheese making is so much easier than I made it out to be in my head. In fact, the next time that I make more cheese, I’m going to have my 6 year old help me. With the exception of handling the warmish hot cheese for the stretching and shaping, I know he can do this with me verbally walking him through the steps. So if you think cheese making is too difficult, I think you’ll also be surprised with how easy it is.
I used this beginner cheese making kit from Standing Stone Farms. Their recipe comes in the kit, which is included here with their permission. Thank you Paula Butler for allowing me to share this recipe! Here is another link for their products, and the link for this beginner cheese making kit on Amazon.
If you want to branch out on your own with a different recipe, I know there were a couple that I specifically or indirectly linked to throughout the post.
Before I get in the flow of my first time experience, I want to mention now another fear I had. It didn’t rear its ugly head until I had my pot on the stove and the milk already on heat. Let’s just say I’ve scorched many pans cooking milk based soups and chowders. If you cook with milk, you know what I mean. There comes a point where you just accept it as normal.
So now you understand what I mean when I say, I had a legitimate fear of scalding my milk because I’ve been told in the directions, that with Mozzarella cheese you have to be gentle when you infrequently “stir” the milk and you can’t circular stir your milk. Maybe some Italian Mama will comment and say, “Pssht, stir the milk.” Or maybe they’ll agree. So please Italian Mama’s comment and put some minds to rest!
Here is an after the cheese making shot of my pot. My pan didn’t scorch. This is cooked over medium low heat and this was the damage done. So if one of your fears is burning the milk, as long as you keep your temp low and slow you won’t burn your milk.
Making the Cheese
I know another real fear in cooking is not having pictures of what is normal so you have something to compare to. In what I’ve read in my own research, I haven’t seen any pictures like this. I want to set you up for success!
These are all in stage order so you can compare your own journey as you go.
What I didn’t anticipate was how quickly the Acidic Acid works in curding the milk. That gets added to the milk before you turn heat on the burner. And almost right away curds started forming. Obviously the acid and the milk are going to react. So don’t freak out if you turn on your burner, look at your milk and suddenly think, “OMG did I just put in expired milk?!” No you didn’t. The process is already under way.
At 88°F I added the Calcium Chloride and Liquid Rennet.
After all this instant gratification of seeing curd growth, I have to admit it was hard to have the patience for curd temperature to reach 104°F.
Again, as a first time cheese maker, I assumed that whey was going to be milky white. So you can guess how it felt when I saw the whey was yellow and I asked, “What did I do wrong?”
Nothing. I did nothing wrong. Whey is going to be yellow. The pictures below do no justice to it. It kind of reminds me of neon yellow lemonade. So if you have yellow liquid with your curds, you’re doing great!
Once your curds come to temp, remove them from heat and let them sit for 2 minutes. Once the time is up it’s straining time!
I was super excited for this part! Looking down from the top of my pot, I thought I was going to pull out something like large squeaky cheese curds. I tried to be gently lifting the curds out of the pot with a slotted serving spoon. Low and behold, I was pulling out Titanic Iceberg cheese curds. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but there were a good dozen chunks that stretched over the edges of my slotted spoon. I felt like a rock star.
Once the cheese is all strained out there’s one of two methods you can go; stovetop or microwave heating of the cheese. Normally, I avoid using my microwave. I think it best serves me as a bread/cookie box. However, I undertook this new venture during nap time and the kiddos would be waking up any time. So I opted for the microwave. This method works, but I have the feeling I can get better results with the stove top next time. Again, I just don’t cook using my microwave unless I’m cooking popcorn or quickly heating leftovers.
The heating of the cheese is to help release the whey from the curds. And the light addition of salt before each 60 session of warming is to help extract the liquid from the curd. Once you have about a Tbsp of whey left you’re good to move on to the stretching and forming of the Mozzarella.
In the directions I was using, I was told I could use a metal spoon to fold over the cheese while it was hot. And you better believe I took advantage of that tip. (I still cringe at childhood taffy pulling. That candy was hot!)
By the time that I got to the point of this first picture, the spoon lost its effectiveness and I was ready to bite the bullet and go to town using my hands. It was still hot (something similar to a hot spa towel, hot but not flesh burning) but quickly cooled down as I stretched it a couple of times.
For shaping, I decided to go the method that bread makers use when folding the dough under to build up surface tension for boule bread.
Tip: This method of folding the cheese under did two things. One, when the cheese cooled to hold its shape, there’s a canyon like crevice on the center bottom. Two, when I cut a test slice for my mom today that surface tension made a dense slice. If you want a solid slice of goodness, this shaping method might work for you.
Tip 2: I suspect that if you’re looking for more of a string cheese pull apart texture, the method that you’re probably looking for is to keep with a taffy pulling method. Keep going with a pull and fold until you start to feel the cooling of the cheese tightening it up. Then I would focus smoothing the surface for that finished look.
Tip 3: If you’re looking for that soft, squishy ball of mozzarella, I’m pretty sure you’re looking to just stretch it a couple of times, smooth the exterior and then let it cool in your brining liquid or whey.
Once the cheese is shaped, it’s time to put it in liquid to cool and store. I should have just put the cheese back into some of its whey. Or even just water, because I had seasoned it to my liking before I stretched and shaped. The brine I had made was 1 Tbsp of kosher salt in 4 cups of water. It’s too salty for my liking.
If you are sodium sensitive or limit the amount of salt you use, I recommend skipping the storage in brine.
As you can see here, I have a bit more whey then I thought I would. And I looked at my table wondering what I’m going to do with all this whey. But I think I’m going to be okay. The day of and the day after I made the cheese, I used all the whey in the bowl on the top left.
What I’ve Used Whey For
The first thing I made with the whey is my bread recipe that I posted a few weeks ago, found here. The full volume of milk that I use for my bread, I completely replaced with equal volume of whey.
There were a couple of differences that I found with using whey in my bread recipe. One, the dough was much wetter than I’ve ever seen my dough, even on high humidity days. (Picture below) I’m the only person in my family who doesn’t eat raw bread dough, but I have nibbled before just to know what everyone feels so appealing about stealing my dough during proofing. With the whey, the dough feels smoother in my mouth and has a more sweet and bread like flavor than just the overpowering flour flavor that my dough has with milk.
I accidently forgot my dough (thank you children who pushed all my buttons that evening) and my dough over proofed. Because it over proofed I can’t tell you an accurate description of how the whey proofed with the bread. Nor can I tell you how the flavor was different with the whey vs. milk. If you’ve over proofed your bread before, you’ve probably noticed that not only do you have flat tire bread, but there’s also a kind of funk to it. When I over proof bread, the only good thing it’s really good for is grilled cheese sandwiches. My boys won’t really touch it. However comparing over proofed bread flavor, I can tell you this. My boys at 3/4 of a loaf for their PB& J (asking me to make extra sandwiches–this only happens on fresh from the oven days of properly cooked bread). Flavor wise, the only difference from properly cooked and this over proofed was that the natural sourness of the bread was neutralized. And I was about ready to bust out my oil and vinegar and have that for lunch. So I’m excited to try again and do a properly proofed baking of bread with whey!
For Taco Night I decided to take advantage of whey’s natural probiotics, as well as solve my problem with homemade ranch dressing separating after a week.
Ranch Dressing with whey really surprised me! I used a premixed packet, added the store bought real mayo, and for the cup of milk that I normally use I substituted out 3/4 C of whey. I have never tasted ranch dressing that was so good! It had a citrus lemon flavor to it that just lifted it from normal hum drum standard condiment to I think I have a cooking secret ingredient. I had my mom taste it (and she doesn’t do ranch dressing) and she immediately said that she was so glad that she tried it. To her she picked out a cucumber like sub-note, which makes sense with my husband’s reaction that you can taste the herbs in the dressing instead of being overpowered by the mayo.
With the Refried Black Beans that I plopped out of the can into my little sauce pan, I added whey instead of water to get that smooth spreadable consistency. If you think that canned beans are heavy, you most certainly won’t think so after adding whey to it. Again, there was a citrus note that just lifted it into something lighter and much more pleasing to eat.
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Let’s just say that those two changes were enough to transform Taco Night into a let’s stay home and skip eating out. I have had some amazing authentic Mexican Food from Chefs who used family recipes. And the only restaurant I would now take over my family Taco Night is Los Cubanos in San Jose, where the Chef has cooked for Presidents and A-Listers.
I am amazed at how much whey can improve the flavor of run of the mill, standard recipes.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m writing this post as a first time cheese maker, so you can have an idea what to expect from a first timer and not someone who has been making cheese over and over and perfected their skills before sharing with the world. I want you to know what you can expect when you first try your hand at cheese making.
Please Try! I want to know what results you find.
As you can see I’ve only tried the whey in three things. But I did pull a search of different ways that whey can be used. I’m going to forewarn you that the list that follows is extensive, but don’t let it intimidate you. I’m looking at this list with Christmas Morning excitement, because the quantity of whey in my fridge is going to get used up AND there are so many different things that I get to try! And let’s face it, I am definitely going to be making more cheese in the future.
Other Uses For Leftover Whey
Ferment Foods “such as sauerkraut, ginger ale, ketchup, and pickles.” Almanac.com
Added to your stock of choice (replacing a cup or two of water)
Use when making Risotto
Substitute for Orange Juice in smoothies and baking.
Substitute for Lemon Juice in recipes, vinaigrette, and cocktails
Make Fermented Salsas, Dips, & Spreads (more recipes on this one link than I can state. Looks like it covers just about everyone’s flavor profile. So you should be able to find at least one to excitedly work with)
Expectations for Best Use Dates
From the Cheese Making directions I used, the Mozzarella is good for 2 week when stored in bring or water. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
From what I’ve read, frozen whey is good for 3-6 months. (But you will not be able to make any cheese products from frozen whey.) People have made Ricotta cheese with whey that’s been in the fridge for 4 days. One source says that it’s good for 5-6 days. Another says no longer than a week. If you dehydrate it into a powder, you have 6 months refrigerated or 6 days at room temperature on the counter.
If you are looking for a more professional answer, instead of experiential hearsay, the USDA liquid milk products are good in refrigerators for 1 week. Cheeses are good frozen for 3 months. This doesn’t answer precisely for liquid whey, but it appears to fit with circumstantial evidence.
So if you don’t think you’ll get to all your whey right away, be sure to freeze it.
Your whey has gone bad when it has a rancid smell and/or bitter taste.
Pulling from being a breast feeding mom “rancid” and “bitter” may not be what you think. It’s more of an “off” sent/flavor. Yes I tasted my fresh breast milk and warmed frozen breast milk. When the milk was within the 6 month recommended frozen window, it warmed with not much flavor difference. Older freezer milk, when warmed did not have the same flavor. It had more of a sour instead of sweet taste.
In the same manner I recommend that you take a little taste of the liquid whey that you produce and focus on remembering the smell. That way when you ever have a question if the fresh or frozen liquid whey is still good you have a working knowledge to pull from instead of the random descriptors that writers use to convey a thought. After all your taste buds are going to pick up something different than mine, and the milk we could be using could be different in base flavors. (Ask a picky child what this means LOL.)
I know this is a lot of information, but I hope it empowers you into making some cheese and using the whey for other uses. Be sure to leave a comment below about what cheese you make and what you’ve made with the whey.
I know that I will never look at a gallon of milk the same!
Check out what’s new in my store for Cut Files that you can use on your favorite crafting machine. New Releases go live every Monday!
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Lately I’ve been very interested in the Boho style of event designing. A lot of event designers and coordinators tend to gravitate toward the fantasy of rich and fancy feeling decor. There is nothing wrong with that. I gravitate toward that. There’s just something about pretty sparkly things grabbing our attention.
Even when I worked for a decorating company, there was this huge gravitation toward bringing the Boho brides nearer to the glittery and sparkly end of design. I know why there is that nudging toward that direction. But I’m not going to speak ill of other businesses. I just want to take this moment to see and recognize those brides, and other event organizers and celebrants, who want to stay more toward the end of the spectrum of the simplistic and natural look.
This post is for you!
What I want to focus on today are a couple of floral options that are different than what might be proposed to you when you talk with a florist; succulents and preserved wild or garden flowers.
I don’t know if you’ve taken the moment to look at all different colors available in succulents. They are definitely a wide spectrum that diverges from the cactuses and green succulents that your mind naturally gravitates toward.
The best part about succulents, especially if you’re DIY as much as you can for your wedding, is that you can get these in advance and arrange your centerpieces weeks in advance. This is true, even in the middle of winter!
The one thing that you want to pay attention to is the little amount of care that you need to give them. But these are not going to wither or die on you when you look at them funny. They just need to be kept in soil designed for succulents and give them a little water every now and then.
Tip1: Succulents loved being watered from below. So when watering them, place their dish (with drain holes) in a dish of water and give them a few hours to drink as much as they want. They have enough water when you see that the soil on top has been touched by water, not dry to touch.
Tip 2: If you see the petals start to have a wrinkled appearance, they are underwater. Make sure you soak them in a dish of water. It may take a little time. But once the succulents have gotten enough hydration they will look plump again and not wrinkled.
The only other thing that you have to pay attention to is how much light they get. Here in the Pacific Northwest, succulents are not about to get too much sunlight. They can be burnt by full sun, depending on your region. But in the couple weeks that you have them before your event, this is not likely going to be an issue.
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One issue that you might have is when you’re succulent undergoes what looks like a growth spurt.
This example is definitely an exaggeration of what you will see because I’ve had this succulent for well over a year. It started to bolt like this a couple of months after I received it. What happened here is that the window sill (eastward facing) did not receive enough light. So the plant grew to reach more sunlight.
Your succulents will stay small when they have enough light. So if you see this, or you notice that there is some growth that is starting, then you want to find your succelent(s) a sunnier location.
If you catch the growth quick enough, you can trim off the growth, and return your succulent back to the smaller size.
Take a length of dental floss, wrap it around where you want to trim and pull it tight. You can use scissors, but it will apply pressure from two points to cut. If you use thread or floss, you can apply even pressure around the plant. Also if have a cluster flower of a succulent, you can fit the floss in between the petals and top the succulent without damaging the rest of the plant.
The clipping you can then put in a new container with soil and it will propagate for you.
I put the topped succulent in this cup with water with another topped clipping that I’m waiting on soil for. It’s okay to put into water, but you want to get clippings into soil as soon as possible.
If you are saving money by propagating your own succulents from bought succulents, make sure that you give yourself enough time to let new buds grow. It doesn’t happen overnight. If you don’t have enough time, your succulents will look bald and not so happy.
Here is another What-Not-To-Do
This succulent was originally small like the first picture of succulents I showed you in this section. This one also grew to reach for more light. I should have trimmed this when it first started to grow. Had I done that, it would have remained small and cute. Instead, it changed its shape and spread. But what you can learn from this is what it will look like at the spot where you clip back the top your succulent. There is a small bud that you see on the top right. That grew in about two weeks after trimming. On the bottom left you see another bud grow in where I snapped off some of the larger leaves to practice propagation techniques that I’ve seen on FB reels.
If you are interested in looking to propagate succulents for your event, make sure you give yourself enough time to do so. You will want a couple of months to do this DIY. Talk with some local greenhouses with growers who have experience with succulents. Also there are FB groups dedicated to succulents. Join a group or two and learn from those who are succulent whisperers. There is a wealth of good viable information there.
I readily admit that I am not an expert. And there is a world of information available. Just do not take your advice from clips and reels on FB, Tick Tock, or anywhere else. I tried propagating leaves in a plastic bag, through a slit in paper to suspend over water, and directly in water. None of these have worked for me and I am most certainly a novice at propagating succulents. If you’re a novice, I suspect that these reel methods are not going to lead you to success either. (With the leaves, I tried about a dozen and not a single one grew. This is reason why I have little reason to believe these techniques work. Not working the numbers paid off. If I get a success rate of 1 out of 10 attempts, I call it a viable option.)
One other walking away point I want to draw your attention to, is take notice of the terra cotta pot decorations on my pots. These were painted on with acrylic paint and have stayed on the pots over a year later. So it will not flake off anything else. And this is an excellent way of incorporating your event colors. You can create endless possibilities with your design. Whether you go with feather like swirls, dots to simulate lace, stripes, or even using a stencil from any store’s craft department. You can certainly dress up your terra cotta to fit the look you are going for.
I’ve lost count of how many events that I decorated for where I would take home flowers after an event because there was no second life for the floral arrangements after a wedding.
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVED those events because I had pretty flowers to take home and enjoy for a week or two. That is definitely an occupation perk that I’ve enjoyed.
However, at the same time, it has always saddened me a little because I have always wanted people to have more bang for their buck when they are spending good money on a wedding or other event.
So here is where we join two very important passions of mine!
I breathe creativity and decorating. But I also love working in my garden and learning all the old skills of creating home supplements, natural cleaners, and especially new ways of putting food on my table.
The very day that I learned about making a Chive Blossom Vinaigretteis the very same day that I made it.
This is Day One of my Vinaigrette:
My Four year old and I did this together for the very first time and as soon as I saw how this jar looked I immediately thought, “How Beautiful!”
And this was the first, on many ideas that I had:
You can go with sentiments or go all the way with the couple’s monogram, name and wedding date, or even line art that goes with your over all Boho decor.
What I absolutely LOVE about this inspiration is that it’s simple but has so much LIFE after the wedding or event.
For example, this Chive Blossom Vinaigrette will become a salad dressing, meat marinade, or other meal flavor provider in as little as 3 weeks. The total cost for this is just your jar, the chive blossoms, and food vinegar. When you’re looking for cost saving centerpieces, you seriously can’t beat this for bang for your buck!
To do this idea, you will definitely have this be your day of preparation, so have a few hands on deck. You will want to clip your edible flowers, rinse them, and place them in the jars before adding the vinegar.
The reason why I say do this on the day of is because of the process needed to properly turn this into a proper dressing or marinade. It is shelf stable during the whole process, but it needs to be kept in a dark cool place for the 3 weeks of processing. You could also use the jars at the end of the three weeks, when the vinegar takes on a fuchsia/purple appearance. But you want to try to limit the heat and light exposure no matter if you do it at the beginning or end of processing.
Tip 1: This needs to be shaken once a day for the entirety of the three weeks. So you will have a cleaner look at the beginning of the process. At the end of the process, you will have some floating pieces from the flowers. That just naturally happens with daily agitation.
Tip 2: At the end of the 3 weeks, you will need to filter this vinaigrette through a cheese cloth to remove all debris (and rebottle) before you use this as a dressing/marinade.
Maybe puple is not the color that goes well with your Boho design. Here is a list of some other edible flowers that can be used in making your own version of a different vinaigrette. Or you can just put the blossoms of these flowers or others into a jar filled with water.
Nasturtiums
Pansies
Violets
Hostas
Borage
Calendula
French Marigolds
Chrysanthemums
Carnations
Hollyhocks
Sunflowers
Cornflowers
Gladioli
Honeysuckle
Dianthus
Antirrhinum
Tulips
Roses
Lavender
Pea Flowers
Broad Bean Flowers
Onion/Chive Flowers
Brassica Flower Heads
Pak Choi Flowers
Squash Flowers
Dandelions
Daisies
Chamomile Flowers
Red & White Clover Flowers
Chickweed Flowers
WARNING: Make sure that you only use flowers that have NOT had pesticides or herbicides used on them. Whatever has been applied to flowers will enter your body if you eat them or any extract that you make from them.
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Flowers as herbs and seasoning have different flavors that they impart. Some have a peppery note to them. The chives that I grow are a garlic chive, so it imparts a garlic flavor without having to fuss with cloves of garlic. I’ve also started working with Lemon Balm (a member of the mint family) which imparts a lemon flavor. So I could have added tiny Lemon Balm leaves in with the chive blossoms. Which now that I think about it, I’m definitely going to add that to my vinaigrette as soon as I post this!
Another thing to keep in mind is that for thousands of years edible flowers and plant leaves have been used for natural medicine. For example, Lemon Balm is great for combating the viruses behind the common cold. So you can give your body the things it needs to keep healthy while adding flavor to your food.
If making a vinaigrette is not something you will use after the wedding (or other event), consider looking into making your own chemical free cleaner. For example, you can still use this mason jar idea and make a kitchen cleaner with lemon or orange slices and peels.
If you’re not looking for a natural cleaner, than even using berries and mint, basil or other leaves in water, is a great of washing your produce before you eat it while borrowing it for a few hours for your event.
There is one more option for Fall and Winter Events when most of the edible flowers are not in season. You can make Pine Syrup or Spruce Tip Syrup. I found this type of syrup interesting because I have spruce widely available around where I live and real Maple Syrup is a luxury on my family’s budget. This can be a pretty centerpiece as well because you use the new growth tips on a spruce tree or pine cones for the Pine Syrup. I’m sure that you can imagine the possibilities for all your holiday parties with this one!
Decorating the Mason Jars
The simplicity of these jars is beautiful all on their own. But maybe you want to dress them up a touch. What can you do to add a little panache?
Paint the jar ring (White, Gold, or other event color)
Apply glitter to the jar ring (after finished spray with a clear coat of paint to keep from leaving a glitter trail)
Use squares of pattern, texture, or fancy cloth on top (held in place by screwing the ring down onto the jar over the fabric)
Decorate the jar itself
Use the jar as a base for a taper candle (with candle holder) to raise the level of the candle above other centerpiece elements
Put your table number on top of the jar
I hope you’re just as excited about these ideas as I am. These are definitely something fresh for existing wedding and party themes. Be free to experiment with using some of your food preparation and preserving techniques the next time you are decorating for your next event!
Files Used In This Project
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There are times in life where you always ask yourself, “What can I get them?” We’ve all been there, especially if you’re the primary gift giver in your family. There are always a few different ideas that come to mind. But then the question becomes, “Will they like it? Or do I just like it?”
When I graduated High School, the one gift that I didn’t appreciate at the time was from my maternal grandfather. Granted it was probably the first time that he gifted a gift alone without my grandma’s thoughts. And I can actually smile at the memory now, because I understand his thinking. But it wasn’t the best graduation gift. I was gifted a set of pink towels.
Yes, you read that right.
I can smile now because from the perspective of a well over retirement age widowed man, I’m sure that towels were a practical gift that he thought he nailed. Everyone needs towels. It’s a necessity. And with college coming up, a graduate is going to need towels. And now that I think about it, maybe my grandma would have approved of the gift.This set of grandparents was very practical at gift giving. There had been a childhood Christmas where I was gifted underclothes. That was definitely NOT what a child expects or wants to open up on Christmas, but it was definitely practical and a necessity at that Christmas.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not mentioning these gifts to say that they were horrible. Neither am I saying, if anyone is thinking of gifting a graduate towels, that you should reconsider. I am mentioning this because what may seem logical, well thought out, and well meaning in your intentions and thoughts, it might just be seen in a different light by the recipient.
It’s this kind of disappointment, written all over the face of the recipient, that prompted and bolstered sales of gift cards for somewhere around two decades now. Also, there’s the fact that some people are just difficult to buy for. Thus the thought of, it’s just better to give a gift card or cash (or some generations prefer gifting checks). You express your desire to love on someone and they get to pick out exactly what is going to make them happy.
Or let’s be honest. There are also times that life happens and you didn’t make it out to the store or missed buying with enough shipping times (or as we’re seeing unusual delays in shipments). What do you do now?
How do you gift cards or cash???
That is the number one reason why I drag my feet so much in gifting by cash or gift card. I love giving meaningful gifts. I love finding a gift that represents a small part of me, but screams that other person’s name. What am I going to do with cash or gift card, slap it in a card and call it day? That’s just not me.
So, here are two ideas that I’ve used.
Explosion Box
This one is actually my favorite right now. Growing up I was always taking pictures. I still have those pictures. I have inherited pictures. And I bless the day that digital cameras were created, because I could take pictures to my heart’s content, see the shots without having to wait for film to be developed and printed, and capture moments that I can relive forever.
If you are like me, love pictures, or you are a memorabilia collector this option is absolutely perfect for you!
There are many options to choose from. You can have many box arms that unfurl for you. You can have a single layer or many layers of box within boxes. There are many “accessories” you can find that comes with different boxes.
By accessories, I mean what is included in the base design of the box. This year, my graduation boxes feature Polaroid picture frames. Last year my graduation boxes were on the life stages of butterflies. (The first layer was designed with caterpillar shapes. The second layer was all about the chrysalises. The third layer was designed after the butterfly.) Also, this year I’ve focused on the school monogram, school colors, and mascot. You can have just picture frames in the boxes. Or you can have holders that you can store ticket stubs, gift cards, and folded notes. Think memory box and different organizational devices to keep these memories organized.
That is an explosion Box. It is completely customizable. And even when boxes are cut from the same file, the variety of materials available makes them all unique. Even if a few people bought the same explosion box for a person, it’s not like you bought them the same card. The uniqueness of the box is what you put in it. Your shared memories with the recipient are going to be different than the shared memories of the recipient with a different gifter of the same gift. And then the fun begins, because you can compare all the different things that you’ve shared with the same person!
Money Card
This item is the newest fad in giving of cash. I’ve only recently become introduced with them, but I’m sure that they’ve been made for a year or two.
At least, this is the newest rendition of this form of giving money. I’ve seen enough chatter in the crafting groups that money cards are not readily available in certain global regions. And in those areas, which do not have designs reflecting their cultures, they will use a beautified envelope.
There are two different versions of the Money Card that I see right now. One is using a plastic shell inside a card stock holder. Imagine the plastic shell used on your favorite tube of of Chap Stick that’s sealed in between two thin pieces of card board. That is one version of the Money Card. This one is great, because if you want to secure the cash, so it doesn’t slip out in your purse when you pull the cash card out, this is what you’re looking for.
Another version of the Money Card is where there are two tabs with circles. You roll up the cash that you are given and you slide it through the holes in the tabs of the Cash Card. This version is great, and my preferred one, because once the cash is given, the card can then be used again. For example, the Money card can have the tabs flattened and then be used as a book mark.
I love books, so yes I went for second use as a book mark.
This second version is not destroyed to remove the plastic shell holding the money. So it also makes it have the added bonus of being saved as a memory. It’s not that often that people receive notes or letters from loved ones. So here’s one option where a grandparent, aunt or uncle can leave a hand written note for their graduate. And having lost several noteworthy people in my life I can finally tell you from experience that having a hand written letter telling you that your loved one is proud of you and that they love you is something that will NEVER go out of style. It’s something that you pull out and relive the love of that person.
So please don’t underestimate the power of a cash gift that carries your handwriting and love with congratulations. You may think that you will be around forever. But there really is a day that someone will miss you. And with the increase of stories of students dying to suicide or from accidents caused by other, maybe your note of love is something they can tangibly hold. Maybe a note from you keeps your loved one from escaping to drugs or running away and living on the street. Never ever ever underestimate the moments in life where you can lift someone up and tell them just how proud you are of them.
I wish you could see me right now, while I’m typing. If you are crying you’re in good company. I can’t keep the tears out of my eyes. I know my graduates are in secure families, but my heart is breaking in this moment for those graduates that are going through a rough moment that no one knows about. Yes, I have a mama’s heart and I wish I could give those graduates a great big hug, look them in the eyes, and tell them that they matter. They have purpose. The world needs them. And they can make it past this moment.
Please forgive that rabbit trail. I try not to pass up moments that matter. And I never know who reads this blog. But if you needed that last paragraph, know that it was meant just for you.
Money Leis
This was a thing that started back when I graduated High School, at least in my area. I first noticed it was with the year that graduated with me. And I’ll be honest, I so wanted one of those. So thank you Pacific Islander families who introduced this graduation gift to me all those years ago.
This is not my image. Nor do I own the rights to it. This is an image from Pinterest.ca that was found in a google search that was free to share and use. If you own this picture, please reach out to me and I will give you proper credit here.
I’m sorry that I’m not able to instruct you how to make this item. But there are plenty of videos on YouTube that can walk you through those steps. And know that one of these days, I will learn how to make them myself. In fact, I’ll go ahead and put it on my to-learn list for this year. That way I can come back for 2023 Graduation season and have some input on tips and what steps to avoid.
Money Arrangements
Very similar to the Money Lei is the Money Arrangements. I’ve seen many crafters fold money, like the Money Lei, to make flowers and topiaries. I’ve also seen people roll up bills. These rolled bills are then arranged into different shapes. You could use the rolls to make a graduation cap, graduation cake, or just about anything you have the imagination for.
If you’re interested in making making money topiaries, I did find a pictorial tutorial that looks very user friendly for those who might describe themselves as craft challenged. Here is a link to Sugar Bee Crafts. As of the writing of this post, I have not had contact with this craft blogger. Nor do I receive any compensation for this mention. I bring this to you, to be of service and help you come up with new ideas for your gift giving.
Now that I’ve given you some ideas on meaningful ways of gifting cash to your graduate, here is a little tutorial on how to make a quick tassel to dress up any graduation craft.
How To Make A Tassel
My collection of Embroidery Floss was not locatable when I was making my nephew’s graduation box. So I did the next best thing. I used my sewing thread that was in his school colors. And this was absolutely perfect, because I needed a small tassel and sewing thread gave a more sleek appearance that was proportional to the final product.
What I used:
Two different colored spools of thread
(1) 2 inch wooden ring
(4) crafting clamps
Scissors
Hot glue gun and glue for application
Place the clamps on your ring so that you can keep your thread centrally located.
Take the ends of your two threads, leave a tail at the top of the ring, and start wrapping your thread around the ring.
Once you’ve reached your desired thickness, cut your finishing tail on the same side of the ring.
(Left Top) Remove the clamps, slide the thread off the ring, and hold one side of the loop. Make sure to keep the other side open.
(Left Middle) Wrap your tails around the open end of the loop and carefully tie your tails in a knot. If you pull too tight, you will distort the lengths of the thread. When this happens, keep calm and finish the knot. We can fix this when we trim the bottom of the tassel.
(Left Lower) Place your scissors in the center of the loop and pull them to the opposite side, away from the knotted end.
(Right) Take both tails and wrap them around the tassel head, to desired band thickness.
(Bottom Left) Tie the tails with a couple of the tassel strands. This will become the back of your tassel that you will glue to your project.
The tassel strands that you tied to the tails (and the tails) will all be pulled up to the top of the tassel to form the cord. You can choose to braid these. I opted to coil the threads by twisting them. (I knotted the end to just maintain order, especially for gluing.)
Trim the bottom of the tassel to make all ends even.
(Bottom Right) Glue your tassel to your project.
Further description of how I applied the tassel on my project:
On my nephew’s explosion box, I marked with a pen where I wanted to add my thread tassel. I started by hot gluing the tassel body in position. With the body in position I twisted the tails/cord, applied a thin row of glue on the pen line and laid the cord. Once the glue cooled, I trimmed off the knot and too long bits of thread. These ends I then hid under a colored foam ball that I stole from a silk flower arrangement.
Tip: The thinner you can keep your glue, the more it will hide. So try to be stingy on the glue. There will be more than enough glue to hold the tassel in place.
Tip 2: If you have a small crochet or tatting hook, you can make a seamless tassel by pulling the tails down into the center of the tassel and trimming off any length longer than the rest of the tassel.
I hope that you enjoyed these ideas and you find that you have a couple more options for gift giving this graduation season!
Files that were used for this post
My 2022 Graduation Collection has options for a general Explosion Box and Money Card. These include the monograms where you can custom make your graduation items with the same letters that I use.
I also have options for premade school boxes and cards for my local schools.
If you would like a specialized design for your school and mascot, feel free to email me to receive a time estimate of when that file goes live. You can reach me at info@pacificnorthwesteventdesign.com
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What are your feelings about sharing a garage/shop with someone?
I find it frustrating! I have my office/craft space organized with containers that are labeled with its contents. So even if I have containers down I know exactly what’s in it at a glance. And it’s super easy to put away and clean up.
The garage… I so wish, with every wish available I could send my family away for the weekend to organize it and find an official home for everything. And you can guess it. My problem is that my husband has a way he wants it and our two ways of organizing a work space for repairs, large projects, and keeping our hand tools are two very different ways of thinking. The funny part is that more times than not, it’s my husband who’s coming to me to find a specific tool. And yes, I keep my own stash of hammer, screw drivers, and allen wrenches that I zealously guard like my fabric scissors. If you touch them, you better put them back where they belong, LOL.
And if you’ve built anything for any length of time, you know how hard it is to find screws, nails, and washers specific for your project. God Bless my Husband, but he has that garage that we’ve all seen our grandfather’s have: screws in a coffee can, nails in jars… they may have a home but you have to dig for the style and size of hardware that you’re hunting for.
So for my husband’s birthday this year, I had my boys help me build my husband a caddy to separate all those pieces of hardware into an easy to access place that you can quickly grab without feeling like you’re sorting through that bag of unmatched socks. And Bonus for my bragging rights, is that I sourced everything for this caddy from our garage.
This caddy is perfect for a garage, craft room (of all types), office, or anywhere you need to space save and easily access anything. While you’ll see I labeled these specific for garage hardware, you can take this idea and run with it for crafting. Instead of nails, label it buttons. For a Teacher’s classroom, instead of tacks, label for push pins. Change bolts to paper clips. You can completely cater this project to anyone and their passion!
The box that I used is a wooden box (about 12″ by 8″) that’s very similar to a cigar box with sliding lid. The lid was missing and one of the long sides was about to fall off. So I just removed the lid and nailed it to the top of the box.
One reason why I wanted to reshape the box was to have a little hidey shelf, in case my husband wanted it. You know the little objects you want to put in a safe place, but usually any counter space is a place prime for losing the thing you want to put in a safe place. So here’s a safe place. This box was rough, because it wasn’t meant to be decorative. I sanded the box on all sided before staining it. Yes, it maintained the rough look and feel. But I also fully appreciate the rustic aesthetic.
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While the stain dried, I cleaned out my fridge from all the jars of pickled items. I’m not a pickle eater. Nor am I a fan of pickled vegetables. BUT my husband loves them. And my fridge door is where I sourced this collection of empty jars for this project. (I was not about ready to take from my canning jars, although I’ve seen people use canning jars for their hardware holders.)
After the jars were washed and I found which ones were similar in size, I placed them on the underside of this caddy. The smallest jars I put on the shelf. And I went back and forth if I wanted the row of two or the row of three jars to be in front. I chose to put the set of three in the center just for symmetry. Plus, I knew the screws were going to go in the larger jars. And other than the nails, these are the most sought after hardware in my house. So I put those in the front to make it the most convenient to grab.
While the jars dried, from their scrubbing, I set the kiddos up for painting the caddy. They got a bit distracted and wanted to play instead of use tools, but they dropped everything to paint for their dad. And since my husband loves their art, I sacrificed my want to keep the wood stain, which was my favorite part. But I kept the underside stained so a piece of me was still there.
I’m showing you this step, because you can make your caddy however you favor it. You can keep it clean and upscale. Or you can make it very family orientated. There’s no wrong way to make this caddy.
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During this drying time, I cut out my labels with my cutting machine and assembled the layers ahead of time. That way when I was ready to apply theses labels, everything was lined up and ready for a simple peel and stick on the jars.
When the jars and the acrylic paint dried, I grabbed my drill, nuts, bolts, and jars. The first thing I did was drill a hole in the center of the lids. (If you are opting to use canning jars, make sure the lids you choose to use have already been used to preserve your food. That way you still have good canning lids ready to use in the future.)
After you are finished drilling, place your jars on the caddy in the exact places you want them. This pre-spacing is very important, especially when you have rows of jars next to each other like I have on the center and right side. I didn’t want the row to go over the edge, for esthetic reasons. If you have all your jars the same size and they second row comes over the edge, it’s okay. You may want to consider painting the jar lids to keep a uniform look. But the placement is also important because you will find that your jar lids are a smaller diameter than your jar sides. So by pre-spacing your lids, you will make sure you can screw your jars into your lids and not have an issue with the box sides or the shelf.
While you hold your lid in place, drill a hole through your caddy. When you hold is completed, you thread the bolt through the caddy and the lid and secure it with the nut. Hand tightening the nut and bolt will not be enough. You will want to tighten them with a wrench. This is most important if your bolts are short and if you want to be able to (un)screw your jar without holding onto the lid.
TROUBLE SHOOTING: If you find it difficult to keep your lid in the correct place for drilling, without moving, here are a couple of ideas you can use to assist in keeping your lids in place. Before drilling, use masking tape to tape your lid down to the caddy. Another option is to use a hot glue gun and place a circle of glue around the center of the lid. Be careful not to glue the center. You don’t want to drill through glue.
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Once your jar lids are all secure, you’re ready to label!
To get labels to stick with the most success, clean your jar with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol. This will remove any oils, dust, soap, or anything else that could cause your vinyl to not secure cleanly to the jar.
It is crafter’s choice how you want to add the labels. You can place your jars on a work surface and apply them off the caddy. Or you can apply the labels while on the caddy. I chose to have all the jars attached to the caddy because the only jars that were a perfect match were the three that put in the center row. They were from the same company of pickled vegetables. All my other jars were different sizes, but very similar in measurements. However, if I applied my labels off caddy and centered them on the jars, then none of my labels would have lined up. However, with my jars on caddy, I could get the labels to line up near perfectly and give the illusion that all my jars are matching. The exceptions of course are my small jars in the back (washers and nuts). But those are tiny jars hidden in the back and completely understandable why nuts would be larger than washers.
However, if you’re the personality type that is bothered by things not absolutely, perfectly matching, then please ignore my chaos here. Work to your strengths and show us the beauty of our symmetry and perfectly lined labels. I love watching your work. But if you’re the type that can’t get things to line up perfectly, know that there are ways of lining things up even when your jars are millimeters off in their heights.
Mounting the Hardware Caddy
I’m sorry I do not have a picture of this for you today. We’re in the process of reorganizing our garage and we’re not sure yet if we’re wall mounting or rack mounting this caddy. I will update this post when we get that project finished, so you can see how you might choose to mount your caddy.
The one thing that you need to be aware of is how gravity is going to work when you have the jars filled with their hardware.
Remember, I organized my jars so that my heaviest and largest jars are on one side. If I install with screw jars forward, all the weight and pull are going to be forward. So I will need to compensate. If I install the screw jars in the back, toward a wall, there will be very little compensated needed because the center of gravity will be near the wall and negligible.
For wall mounting, I would want to have my screw jars forward and screw the back side of the box into the wall, with a screw in each corner of that board. Preferably I would want to screw the caddy into a stud, because that will carry the weight beautifully. If it’s impossible, hit at least one stud (which I would center the caddy on and put in an additional set of two screws, in additional to the corner screws). If all I have available is drywall, I will definitely put in wall anchors and drill the screws into those. That way the weight of the hardware will not weaken the dry wall and pull out of the wall under too much weight.
If we choose to go with mounting the caddy on our rack, I will do that using conduit bracket mounts. I will use at least three brackets on the screw jars side. That way, the weight of the screws will pull straight down. there will also be a bracket or two on the back just for stability purposes for when the screw jars are removed, and the center of gravity changes.
Another option for rack mounting is to use a block of wood. The caddy (jars removed for installation) I would put on the bottom side of the wire shelf, with the block of wood on the top of the shelf. Then drilling a screw through the open space of the shelf into the block of wood. This option is not the one I would personally go with, because it doesn’t work with how we use our shelves in the garage. But I did want to mention it because the caddy can be screwed into an existing shelf that you might have.
While there are many ways of installing a caddy like this, I want to put out one more idea. If none of the above work for your situation, you can add wall mounts to the back of your caddy. There are all sorts of alligator grip picture hanging mounts that you can use. With a trip to your local hardware store, you can find picture mounts that can hold portraits up to 50 pounds. That is over kill for this project, but I want to mention that this is another option that could work for you.
Please send in pictures or let me know who make this for. As I mentioned, this example of a hardware caddy I made for my husband for his birthday. But this is perfect for a Father’s Day gift, Graduation gift, something for a teacher, crafter, or even just as another option for home organization.
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