Viva Los Teachers! Teacher Appreciation Week 2015

Cinco De Mayo falls during Teacher Appreciation Week this year so I decided to work that into the daily themes!  I came up with: 

Viva Los Teachers!

Seen above are little paper badges I made for the kids to wear.  I also turned the teachers into mariachi dancers!

I made little banners* for the teacher's desks.

This is one of the cards I made and had all the kids sign.  We got the teachers a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant for them to have their own "fiesta"!

In the afternoon, the kids are going to have a Toast to their teachers. I had them work in groups to write poems about each of their teachers.  They will all be raising their cups in their teacher's honor and reciting their poems to them.  I got special cactus glasses for the teachers to have during the event.

The kid's are also going to be each bringing in a flower, greenery, ...something on a stick, to place in a vase for each teacher.

We will then round out the afternoon with churro cupcakes for everyone!

These are cinnamon cupcakes (from a box) with cream cheese icing (from a tub).  I then sprinkled cinnamon and festive colored sprinkles on the top along with a little churro snack (from a bag) to the side.

*I found the prinatable feista banner here. I added the text though.

Thanks For Making Us Smart Cookies! Teacher Appreciation Week 2015

It's Teacher Appreciation Week!

I thought I would share what I have going on for PB's teachers.

Today's theme is

Thanks for making us Smart Cookies!

For the day, the kids and the teachers get to wear little badges (seen above) and nerd glasses (seen all the way on the top photo)!

I made little banners to hang on the teacher's desks.

In the afternoon, we will be having a "Cookie Conference".  I had all the kids write out report cards on their teachers with such subjects as "Excels at:" and "Needs improvement in:".  We will then all share some scrumptious cookies while a possible conference or two (stemming from the comments on the report card) takes place!

I am bringing in a cookie recipe that I have never made before.  Peanut butter oatmeal cookies!  They are so good that I think they may be my favorite of all time! Mine turned out looking like ground turkey meatballs but tastes like peanut butter paradise!

This is the Report Card I came up with.  Just print it on manila colored paper.
The 'nerd glasses' are 3D movie glasses with the lens popped out.

RecipE:

• 3 cups minute oats
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 4 tbsp (1/2 Stick) salted butter
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine sugar, butter, and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stirring occasionally, bring to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in oatmeal, peanut butter, and vanilla.
4. Stir until mixture starts to thicken and plop quickly onto wax paper.
5. Let cool for at least an hour.

May the fourth be with you!

We are celebrating Star Wars Day with some Wampa donuts!

School of Fish Sushi Candy Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes a couple of days ago for one of PB's teacher's birthday.  

The teacher happens to loves sushi and I love making clever and cute confectioneries, so it worked out nicely.

I (obviously) did not come up with this candy sushi idea as it is all over the nets...(half a powdered sugar donut, swedish fish, and green fruit roll up) ....but let's talk about that green fruit roll up shall we?

It's not available ....anywhere!  Betty Crocker should really package it just for the people out there that want to make this and call it Faux Nori Roll Up.  The website shows a product called Flavor Mixers that has a small section on each roll up as green.  I needed far more than that...I mean I got 48 cupcakes to make here! Not only that but no store in my town even carried this product.

I was not going to let this hold me back from this sushi cupcake idea!

I found a recipe to make my own fruit roll ups that really turned out great (just apple sauce and jello).

I found the recipe at Stuff of Success.

I don't own a food dehydrator so I used my oven at the lowest setting for about 10 hours.  They taste far better than 'real' fruit roll ups.

Possibilities with different flavors of jello and addition added food colorings (or lack of) abound!

Remove Wrenched Ankle!

So why did I dress up as a female Creature from the Black Lagoon, enter a contest and then win ?  For what?!

A weekend pass to a Comic Con that had representatives from my all time favorite modern television show, that's what!

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000!!!!

Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff!!!!

One of my favorite episodes is Ring of Terror (Episode number 206).

"Well Joel, today's film is a plotless little peccadillo called "Ring of Terror".  It's about some of the oldest medical students in history.  Chomp on it but don't choke!"

I love the invention exchange made by the mads.
"It's an exciting foray into self-surgery.  All you need is a willing subject (TV's Frank) , a can of nitrous oxide, and an oversized version of the game Operation."

Yeah that's me!!! With Trace and Frank!!!!

Look!  Frank and I are shoe matchers!!!

 I made a home version MST3K style Operation complete with TV's Frank face to bring to the convention.

This is a pic that Trace took and put on his twitter page!

When Frank saw the altered game he said in his monotone Tv's Frank voice "It's great.  It's really great."

Trace and Frank also did a MST3K panel where fans could ask them questions and/or make comments. My Hubs did the sweetest thing when he spoke to them during the panel.  He told them about our first date which was to see a horrible (and very MST3K worthy movie) called "The Relic".  He said he knew he had met the girl he wanted to marry when at the end of the movie we both said at the same time "No Relic 2...Electric Boogaloo!" Trace said we were a "match made in riffing".

Here are a few close ups of the game:

Operation!

The goofy game for dopey doctors!

All I did was print out a pic of Tv's Frank and smush it on over the nose.

TV's Frank lit!

"Noooooo! Why?!  Why?!"

It's not visable in the photo of me above with Trace and Frank but I was wearing my "Monster A Go Go" (episode 421) t-shirt!

I really have to give a huge Thank You to my husband's best friend and my best friend's husband (if you can follow that) Mike.  He is the creator and CEO of this Comic Con and arranged for them to be at it.

I am going to be leaving this post up for a bit because this is absolutely a dream come true getting to meet these guys.  I like to stare at it..."I like it very much."

Creature Feature

The shocking other side to the story!

 Hello... my name is Juanita Creature.  I have been looking for my good for nothing husband, Jerome Creature.  He didn't come home last night.   

  Jerome has been coming home smelling like a different swamp lately, odd lipstick on his gills.... so I hired a private investigator to follow him. The private investigator took this photo of Jerome with another woman!   He has been swimming around on me!!

Poor Baby Jerome Jr has been crying for his daddy!

If you happen to see Jerome you let him know he can find his extra trunks out on the front lawn!

Oh hi there!  It's actually just me, Mary.

I created this costume a few months back for a contest sponsored by one of my favorite museums.  The museum was showing a collection of vintage movie posters and memorabilia centered around movies filmed in Florida.  As part of the festivities they were also hosting several movie screening and contests.

I attended the film screening of The Creature from the Black Lagoon (which was filmed in Wakulla Springs, Fl) and participated in the costume contest.  I decided to go as a female housewife creature with a back story.  I walked in the room showing folks the pictures of my husband, "Jerome" and asking if them had seen him around.  I had heard he may be there that night. I had Baby Jerome Jr. there too. 

The main creature pieces (mask, hands, feet) were from a kid's costume I had bought for PB several years ago on clearance at Target.  I bought 2 pairs of green stockings to cover my arms and legs.  I bought the dress from a thrift store.  I hot glued pieces of spanish moss here and there and stuffed some around my feet and arms.  I made a rough sewn apron with pockets to hold all my items:

And..drum roll please!  I won the contest!!! Yes!  (More on what I won in a later post.)

For another Creature Feature, see our Creature from the Black Lagoon Christmas Tree:

Creature Christmas


And for other fun stuff from my favorite museum of oddities:
Atomic Age Stuff
Dollhouses
Cute Tin Toys

Puzzled

I recently made this Amy Sedaris jigsaw puzzle for my friend, Heather, that was recovering from an accident.  Something to shift her attention for 10- 100 minutes depending on her level of interest and current medicated state. I thought she could use something fun to brighten her day.

Artist Jason Mecier created this stunning mosaic of Amy Sedaris out of items from her "Junk Drawer". The original piece measures 36x48 inches and contains items Amy sent to Jason such as: hundreds of pom poms, felt, pipe cleaners, crepe paper, clothes pins, gingham fabric from her outfits, 9 yarn covered hangers, and a Ricola wrapper. 

Detail:

(white pom pom teeth!)

I thought it would work perfect as a puzzle since it has so many little odd details to make the 16 pieces a bit of a challenge but nothing that one on pain meds couldn't tackle.

What to make one yourself?  Of course you do!

The puzzle started out as an inexpensive cardboard tray deal:

I started by covering the tray backing in black construction paper and coating in Mod Podge.  I then printed out the Amy image and traced the puzzle pieces out.  I then mod podged them to the puzzle pieces.  If you look closely you can see that everything didn't quite lay out perfectly... Sorry Amy, you wound up having something under your right eye that appears to look like bags....but it's just Captain America's shield peeping out.

 Amy Sedaris' book "Simple Times...Crafts for poor people" has a chapter specifically for crafting for the sick and shut-in.

" When giving a person who is bedridden a handmade craft, there are a few general tips you can follow.  Whatever you craft, use bright colors.  Not only does this cheer up the room a bit, but it helps to counteract the shut-in's sallow ghostly pallor."

A proposed possible craft from the book you could make for your own sick/shut-in friend is

 The Decorative Crap Caddy

Instructions:  Don't just bring your stool sample to the doctor's office in any old sack- create a special crap caddy.  Decorate a plastic container with adhesive stars.

I think my friend, Heather, would rather have the puzzle...this time!

One Year Anny

 The hubs and I hit our 1 year mark!  And who said we wouldn't make it a year!?  No wait... that was we wouldn't make it as gondoliers....that's another story.

So I heard that for the first year the tradition is to give paper items.  Like what?!  Paper plates and toilet paper?   It took some thinking for me to get creative with that idea.

I started first by decorating the dining room with us as paper dolls!      
   

{To see our Hunka Hunka Burning Love Vegas Wedding click here.}

We stayed at Circus Circus while in Las Vegas.  So I made a paper streamer circus tent design as the backdrop.

I cut our names from playing cards and hung them up on the wall.

For the table covering I used a vintage vinyl children's curtain with a circus theme.

For our "Wedding Cake" we had a pile of donuts so we continued the tradition for our anniversary.

Hubs got me the coolest "paper" gift!  A memory card game from pinhole press with images of our family!

He also got me a vintage Pee-wee View Master set (I stopped breathing for a moment when I opened it!) , the last seasons of the show and vintage Ren And Stimpy party invitations.

You see how he cheated!  I thought it was suppose to be all paper gifts!
I got him a vintage las vegas print...paper.  And then I was stumped.  I thought I was only suppose to work within the limits of paper.

He has always been the better gift giver than me.
Next year is cotton...hopefully I can come up something awesome by then!

Potato Chip Brownies

Brownies....yummy

Potato Chips.......yummy

Brownies and Potato chips?

The Best!

I saw a recipe or two for these on Pinterest that doesn't quite give the full story on how to make these successful.  I am going to tell you straight up because if you follow their instructions you will have SOGGY potato chips on top (like I did!)

Ingredients: Box of brownie mix and ruffle potato chips and a secret ingredient 

(I use box brownie mix because that just makes sense, but If you like home made more power to you.) Follow instructions/recipe to make brownies.  Place batter in pan. The original recipe calls for putting the potato chips on top of the batter and baking.  This is all fine and dandy if you are planning to eat ALL of them right out of the oven as most of us would like to do.  If those are your plans than your golden.  BUT if you plan on making them for a function that is the following day or don't finish the pan in one seating  what do you do? If you follow their instructions of covering them tightly and believe they will be fine...not happening!  The chips will turn soft and nasty.

I would recommend after baking the brownies (sans chips) to prepare them as you want to eat them.  Just before your function or binging session spread an extremely thin layer of chocolate icing on the top.  This is to get the chips to stick.  Sprinkle crumbled up potato chips on top .  Then!  This is the best!  Sprinkle the tops with kosher salt (the secret ingredient is...salt! ha!).  I found that the brownie on it's own over powers the potato chip's salty aspect so add extra salt especially when using the frosting.

Delish!

A Peepin' Easter Craft

 So as I mentioned in the last post...I do not care for easter.  It is too pastel, too sugary sweet, too blah!  The only thing I can get behind when it comes to easter is the bunny and if it's something that has some history/vintage-ness to it. 

 I don't care to eat peeps but I think they are rather cute and they have street cred of being around since 1953.

I don't do Easter crafts or decorating either.  

BUT I recently had to sell a bit of my soul (more on that in a bit) and happened to create this Peep craft decoration.

A Peepin' Easter Reject Candy Centerpiece!

You may have noticed the chocolate bunnies are missing their ears.  Isn't that how it always is?  People bite the ears off first but then usually can't bring themselves to eat the cute bunny face or have any desire to eat the business end/ bunny butt.

  Here is the how-to if you want to create one for your easter spread! 

Gather up all the easter candy that no one wants to eat...Peeps, half eaten cheap chocolate bunnies, lollipops...those candy dredges that fall below the easter grass in the basket.

 Purchase a foam cone from a craft store and wrap it in aluminum foil.  Attach it to a plate with creamy peanut butter so you lessen (more on that later) the likelihood of the thing taking a tumble.  Any candy with sticks can be jabbed into the foam cone. Then slap the reject candy on by using icing as the glue.  I used a decorative icing tip set up for extra fancy appeal but it is perfectly acceptable to swipe it out of the icing tub with a finger and slather it on.

So back to the whole selling of the soul thing...Excitement! I was asked to do a craft segment...an easter craft segment on my local television morning show...live! 

I decided if I was going to have to do an easter craft I was going to go allll out.  An entire pastel easter dipped ensemble! Pink bunny ears, pink vintage sweater, robin's egg blue vintage dress, DIY bunny brooch, vintage silver flower ear rings, even painted my fingernails robin's egg blue with PINK glitter on top. 

 I spent sooo much time (too much time) working on what to make and say.  I researched peeps to the point I now have a fondness for them.  I knew history, facts, products, addition crafts, games, recipes, contests....all peeps and on the ready to talk about if needed. And then in a shake of a lamb's tail the segment was over!  I think I only had time to talk about 2% of what I had in my peeps rolodex.
oh! And I forgot to mention that on the way to the studio, 2 blocks away, the centerpiece took a major tumble to the floor of my car!  Nice!  I had to quickly fix up several chocolate bunnies and icing asterisks when I got in the studio.
But all in all the segment went really well.

But wait!  There's more!  A bonus Easter craft!

A Bunny Butt Brooch:

I printed out a cute little bunny image on photo paper. Find him and other equally cute spring time critters in my "Basket Case" Easter Crap pinterest board. I then attached it to cardstock, cut it out with an exacto knife and then hot glued a pin backing on it.  Lastly, add a cute little pom pom cotton tail!  I could get behind liking easter more if it was all as cute as this little guy!

AND....

Here is a smidge of some Peep history for you!

Peeps had wings until 1955 when they were 'clipped' to make the design more modern and streamlined.