How To Make Italian Sodas

One of my favorite drinks to serve at parties are Italian Sodas. They're easy to make and a nice alternative to traditional soda. My Grandmother would often serve these drinks when she had friends and family over. She taught me how to make the Italian Sodas and I've been making them ever since.

Italian Soda Recipe

Ingredients:
Flavored syrup - any kind will do
Club Soda - If you can't find club soda or seltzer water you can replace it with sparkling water. But honestly, it's not the same.
Ice
Cream or Half & Half

Traditionally, Italian sodas are served in tall narrow glasses. Fill glass with ice.

Add one inch of syrup to the glass.

Fill glass with club soda. Make sure to leave room for cream.

Add about half an inch of cream to the glass. Adding cream is optional but I found it's what really separates the drink from just flavored soda. The cream make the drink more unique.

To mix the drink take the straw and push the ice from the top to the bottom, moving the straw up and down. If you just stir the drink the syrup will sit at the bottom and not get mixed in (providing you're using a narrow glass). That's it, enjoy!

Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

As I had promised, here's the recipe for the Spinach Salad that I served at the Tinkerbell birthday party. As you can see from the picture, I actually used a spring lettuce mix but the original recipe calls for spinach. Both spinach and spring mix taste equally good.

Ingredients:
1 Salad bag of spinach or spring mix

1 Avocado Sliced

Caramelized Almonds - Place 3T of almonds and 3T of sugar in small frying pan. Heat on low until sugar melts and sticks to almonds.

1 Large can of Mandarin oranges

Poppy Seed Dressing

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dried onion
1 cup of oil
1 Tbs poppy seeds

1. Place all of dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. Set aside.

2. Mix all salad ingredients together except almonds.

3. Add dressing to taste.

4. Add almonds and mix together. Enjoy!

Tinkerbell Birthday Party

Well lets start with the best part, shall we, the Tinkerbell cake!. Aunt Susan created another fabulous cake for my daughter's birthday. It was a hazelnut cake with chocolate filling. The cute little mushrooms on the cake are made with meringue. You can find a good tutorial on how to make the mushrooms on Joy of Baking if you feel like giving it a try.

I served the cake with vanilla ice cream and these cute little mushroom cookies (made by Meiji). It's all about the details.


For decorations, I always like to use two colors that relate to the theme. Since the theme was "Tinkerbell" I went with purple and lime green. I recommend staying away from the copyrighted party products. This will help cut down on cost and give a more sophisticated look to your party. For example, instead of buying paper plates with Tinkerbell's face printed on them, I used lime green plates. The only Tinkerbell product I did purchase was confetti. I used the confetti to decorate the birthday banner and some other items.

Flowers - I like to use carnations because they come in just about all colors, they're inexpensive, and they last a long time.

Giant Flower Pom Poms - I made these using the tutorial on the Martha Stewart Site. I purchased the tissue paper at the dollar store. Pom poms are a great way to make a big statement for a small amount of money. It cost me about one dollar per pom-pom.

To continue with the theme, I added some radishes carved into mushrooms to the veggie platter. I found a good tutorial on how to make these at Anna the Red's Bento Factory.


Since this party consisted of mainly adults, it was important for me to have a good menu. To cut back on prep time I purchased Vietnamese sandwiches (top right & bottom left pictures). Sometimes it's actually cheaper to purchase food rather than make it, seriously. These 12 inch sandwiches cost $2.50 each. I served this with two salads and fresh fruit, easy right? In the top left corner is a spring mix salad with poppy seed dressing. I'll be posting the recipe for that Friday. In the bottom right corner is a delicious sweet potato and poblano salad with honey and rosemary dressing. You can find the recipe at Epicurious.

* most of the pictures were taken by Uncle Danny

Have any good party tips? Feel free to share in the comments.

How To Make Mini Birthday Banners

Last weekend we celebrated my daughter's birthday so I've had birthday decorations on the brain. This is one of the ideas that has been on my mind, mini birthday banners. The letters in the birthday banner are only 1 1/2 inches high. Because the letters are tiny, the banner fits perfectly in a bedroom doorway. You could also hang it on a bulletin board or the fridge. Wouldn't you want to be surprised by one of these in your office or at home?

Supplies:
Small Letters - There's a couple of ways to go about this. I cut mine out using a Cricut. If you don't have a personal cutting machine another option is to buy small letters in the scrapbooking section. Another way to make the letters is to type them out in Word to a size you want. Print the letters on the back side of nice card stock and cut out the letters.

Small rectangles - the ones I used were 1/4" by 1 1/2" Will depend on the size of your letters.

Extra small brads

Small hole punch

String

Glue

Glue each of your letters to the center of the rectangles. Punch a hole on each side.

Overlap the holes of the two rectangles and secure with a brad. Continue to do this until you spell out the entire phrase. Tie string to the each end. Hang for everyone to enjoy.


*Later in the week I'll be sharing how we celebrated my daughters birthday including decorations, food, and cake.

U900 - Walk Don't Run (Isogabamaware)

I'm busy party planning for this weekend so I'll just leave you with this cute video I found via Cutesypoo. Hope you all have a great weekend!

How To Make a Barrette Holder

Looking back to my own child hood, I can recall my fascination with Chinese lanterns. As a child I was attracted to the vibrant colors, intricate detail, sparkle and mystery of them. So to capture a little piece of that nostalgia, I've created a lantern barrette holder. Directions below.

Supplies:
Printed pattern
Scissors
Embroidery thread in black and pink
Pink and Black Felt
Sewing needle
Black Lace
Pollyfill
Right click, copy, save to file and print. This image was designed to be printed in landscape.

Cut out all pattern pieces. Cut out two lanterns. Cut out one bird on branch (cut leaves separately). Cut two rectangles if substituting felt for lace.

Sew bird/branch on the front of the lantern using a running stitch. Sew on leaves next.

Sew lace (or felt) on the bottom and top of lantern with a running stitch. I personally like the lace which mimics the intricate detail you would see on an ornate lantern. Next using three strands of black embroidery thread, backstitch on the lantern detail.

On the other lantern peice sew on three 24 inch strands of ribbon folded in half onto the bottom of the lantern. On the top of the lantern sew on lace in a loop for hanging.

Place lantern pieces wrong sides together and sew together with a blanket stitch. Leave a two inch opening to stuff. Then finish stitching all the way around. Done.

Place barrettes on ribbon.

* A miniature version of this would make a cute Christmas ornament. If making an ornament, I would substitute the ribbon for a small tassel.

Embroidery Thread Storage

Lately my embroidery thread box has been out of control. So to combat the mess, I decided to place the thread in baseball card holders that are stored in a binder. So far it's working great and I like that I can see everything.

Book Review: Haiku Knits

Haiku Knits by Tanya Alpert

I recently received a copy of Haiku Knits to review. It's a new knitting book scheduled to hit shelves October 20th. The book features 25 knitting patterns inspired by Japanese design. There's also a section of essential techniques which includes knitting stitches, the yarn weight system, knitting abbreviations, etc. The book is for knitters of all skill levels, beginner through advanced. Even though some of the patterns look very sophisticated, the patterns themselves are quite simple.

I personally liked the patterns in the book and would wear just about all the pieces. I like solids with a lot of texture and that's what you'll find in Haiku Knits (pictures below). What I did find lacking was information on techniques. Even though there is an "essential techniques" section in the book, I wish it included more. For example, there were no directions on how to block a garment even though some of the patterns call for this. Since this book is intended for knitters at all levels, I would have liked that technique included. That being said, overall the book is well written and has some exceptional patterns.

Below are some of my favorites from the book.

Lantern floating: softly felted top and skirt

Snowflake: lacy long-sleeve cozy

Hazy Moon: ethereal scarf

Here's what I'm working on, the half-moon rising two-color vest. Promise to show you when it's done.

Edible Mini Jack O' Lanterns

I was peeling a clementine when it occurred to me that they look like mini pumpkins. At first I thought it would be fun to add a little green paper stem to the top of one. As I thought over the idea it evolved into mini jack o' lanterns. I got out my edible markers and quickly went to work. First I washed the fruit to make sure there was no wax or residue on the skin. Then I just drew a cute little face onto the clementine. If you can't find clementines, oranges will do.

I can't wait to slip one into my son's lunch box and surprise him!

Sneak a few into the fruit bowl and see if anyone notices.

Craft Scraps in The Kitchen

If you like to craft, chances are you've got die-cuts, ribbon, buttons, and yarn scraps stored away. I like to use all these little craft leftovers for food packaging and presentation. Here's just a few ideas of what I like to do with them.

1. Wrap single serving baked goods in waxed paper. Cut out a strip from a brown paper bag with some decorative scissors. Next add a ribbon. Last use a die cut as a label for the package. You could substitute the ribbon with yarn or embroidery floss. Lots of possibilities with this one.

2. When I go to any kind of potluck I like to label what I brought. I think it's helpful to guests and most people are more likely to try your dish if it's labeled. I also will do this for parties on occasion. Once again, I used a die cut and taped it to the back of a toothpick. Nothing fancy, but it looks nice and it's practical. If you don't have die cuts, you can use any kind of paper.

3. Sometimes my husband will bring cookies and such to share with co-workers. Instead of throwing the food in a giant plastic bag or tupperware container, I place it in cookie tins or clear plastic take-out shells. I actually save plastic take-out shells just for this purpose. I always place a doily on the bottom and tape a label to the top of the lid. Besides die-cuts, I also like to use these gift tags for the labels.

Designing Moms

I recently discovered the site designing moms created by Cat Seto and wanted to share it with all of you. It's a site comprised of moms sharing about their professional and family lives. It has now blossomed into over 20 moms who design as their career...ranging from amazing cake designers (Shinmin of I Dream of Cake),to editorial (Chronicle Books), toy designers (former senior designer for Manhattan Toy, Mari Richards) and so many more. Below is just a sample of what to expect.

There's a tutorial on how to make these cute "treasure cards". I already have plans of making a few myself.

How to make Notebook Journals

Discovered any new craft or design sites that are a must read? Please share in the comments.

Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Karen who is the winner of the Elmer's Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who participated.

Kid Craft: Mrs. Pumpkin Head

This year we're keeping it kid friendly around here for Halloween (no spooky decorations). So instead of the traditional carved pumpkin, we're making Mr. & Mrs. Pumpkin Heads. What's great about this project is one, you don't have to hollow out the pumpkin. Two, your kids get to make the pumpkin instead of just watching. And three, it's fun for kids. My daughter played with her pumpkin for a good 45 minutes.

Supplies:
Mr. Potato Head Pieces - if you don't have any, check your local thrift store or borrow some from a friend
Screw Driver
One pumpkin

With the screwdriver, puncture holes for the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, arms, hat, and feet. Make sure the potato head pieces fit well. Place pieces in the holes just like a Mr. Potato Head. Done

Chill with your pumpkin.

How To Make a Fairy Wand

I recently purchased a Tinkerbell Costume for my daughter at the Thrift Store. My daughter felt it was missing something, a wand to be exact. So I came up with a wand fit for a fairy. It's easy to make and is made of basic materials. Simple directions below.

Supplies:
Fake flowers
Styrofoam ball with a 2 inch diameter
Hot Glue
Wood dowel
Ribbon
Fabric Glue

Glue wood dowel inside styrofoam ball (refer to picture).

Hot glue flowers to the styrofoam ball. The hot glue can melt the styrofoam so I recommend placing the glue on the back of the flower, let it cool a few seconds and then place it on the ball. Make sure to glue the flowers close together so none of the styrofoam shows.

When you're done it should look something like the picture above. You'll notice I added a couple leaves at the bottom too.

Starting at the top, adhere the ribbon to the dowel with fabric glue. To hold it in place, secure it with a clothespin. Wind the ribbon all the way down the dowel to the very end. Glue in place and secure with another clothespin. When dry remove clothespins and tie a bow around the top of the dowel. Done.

If you haven't purchased a costume yet, I highly recommend checking out the secondhand stores. The costumes are inexpensive and are usually in good condition. The Tinkerbell costume above only cost three dollars!

When I was putting this post together, I remembered that I was in an article about thrift store Halloween costumes. At the time, my mother worked at the Sonoma Index Tribune so I got to be in a couple photos for the paper.

Here I am holding up a pilgrim costume. I think the costumes were picked over at this point. Because really, what teenager wants to be a pilgrim for Halloween. The title of the story was "When a Batman mask is not enough".

Here's a picture of my friend Alyssa modeling a fairy costume. I guess the fairy costume is a classic.