Free Printable: Ninja Cupcake Toppers

For no particular reason I got the idea to make ninja cupcake toppers. Siders? There was no birthday, no party to attend, no potluck, it was purely just because. And let me add, one great thing about having a blog is it gives me the excuse to make just about anything without question, case in point:

Me: Jason(my husband), I'm going to make some ninjas popping out of cupcakes.

Jason: *Look of confusion*

Me: It's for the blog.

Jason: Oh, okay.

See, all I have to say is "it's for the blog" and somehow it magically makes sense. Now, if I could somehow transfer that effect to buying shoes, I'd really be on to something.

Okay, back to the cupcake ninja toppers/siders. I started to think why should the tops of the cupcakes get all the love, how about the sides? The sides could have something jetting out of them and then it hit me, Ninjas!



Right click, copy, save, paste and print. You might need to scale the size of them. Once printed, cut out, tape to toothpicks and have fun. For the ninjas on top, make sure the printed part does not touch the frosting. You don't want ink running into the frosting.

How To Make a Pretty Twist Tie

This is an idea I wrote down a while ago in my craft journal. It's been so long since I came up with the idea that I'm not even sure what made me think of it. I suspect I was brainstorming things I could make with Japanese masking tape but who really knows. Anyhow, these twist ties are super easy to make. I think they would be great for favors, especially if you have a specific color theme.

Supplies:
Japanese Masking Tape
Wire
Wire Cutter
Pinking Shears

Cut a piece of tape to the length you want your twist tie. Place on table, sticky side up.

Cut a piece of wire slightly shorter than your tape. Place in center of tape.

Place another piece of tape on top, sticky sides together.

Trim twist tie with pinking shears or regular scissors. Done.

Iced Green Tea with Yuzu

One of my favorite things to drink is iced tea (green or black). So, I thought I would share one of the drinks I like to make in the summer, iced green tea with yuzu. For those not familiar with yuzu, it's a citrus fruit that originates from East Asia. It has been described as tasting like grapefruit with a subtle hint of mandarin. For me, it tastes more like lemon, lime and mandarin.

How To Make Iced Green Tea with Yuzu

Ingredients:
Green Tea - I prefer loose leaf but pre-made tea bags work just as well.
Water
Ice
1 tsp of Honey
1/4 tsp of Yuzu juice (may substitute lemon juice)

Here's what the yuzu juice looks like. The one I purchase comes in a bottle packaged in a box. Of course, if you can find the actual fruit that's always better.

Boil water. Take off stove and let sit 30 seconds. Pour about 6oz of water over a green tea bag in a 14 oz cup. Let steep for 5- 7 minutes till overly strong. Next add honey and mix. For aesthetic purposes I used a glass but you'll want to use some kind of mug when preparing the tea.

Now add enough ice to fill the cup, about 6 more ounces. Mix drink until most of the ice cubes melt and the tea is completely cold. This is why I recommended a mug. If you add ice to a hot glass there's a good chance the glass will crack.

Add yuzu juice. Enjoy!

How To Make a Miniature Kite

A few years ago at our local fall festival I saw someone selling miniature kites. I didn't actually get a close look at the kites because they were carting them around in a vendor box, they didn't have an actual booth. And I didn't want to go look at the kites because I knew my kids would want one. Well, for whatever reason I recently remembered this. Funny how the brain works. Anyhow, I decided it would be a fun craft for the kids. Here's how we made our kites:

Kite Template - Right click, copy, save, paste in a document. The kite should be about 4.5 inches in length. Scale if needed.

Supplies:
Template pieces
Crepe or Tissue paper - I went with crepe paper for durability purposes (kids destroy things quick)
Thread
One Clothes pin
Card Stock
Glue
Tape
Scissors
Sewing needle

To assemble the kite you should have both kite pattern pieces cut out of the crepe paper and crepe paper shaped bows. You'll also want to cut two thin strips of card stock for the frame of the kite.

Thread three bows with needle onto thread. Tie a knot at the bottom of each bow to secure it. Tape thread to one end of the longest kite frame.

Glue frame to kite with the tail at the bottom.

Glue on smaller pattern piece to where the frame intersects. It's hard to tell but I also added tape on both sides of this pattern piece where the thread is tied. The purpose of this is to prevent the crepe paper from ripping. Using a needle, poke a hole in the top of the crepe paper and tie in a knot (refer to picture).

Wind thread around clothes pin which will be the handle. The thread only needs to be about six feet in length at the most.

Play with your kite!

*The kite flutters and twirls in front of you providing there's a decent breeze. It doesn't actually fly up into the sky like larger kites.

Super Mario Birthday Party

As promised last week, here are the pictures from my son's Super Mario birthday party. Above is a picture of the cake that Aunt Susan made. She took inspiration from this cake.

Here's a close up of some images from the cake. All the figures were made with gum paste.

Decorations

I created images from the Super Mario game with poster board. The concept was for the yard to look like the actual game.

Fun & Games

I put my brother to work and had him paint the kids' faces with Super Mario Themed images.

Just like the game, I had gold coins everywhere. A week before the party I froze coins in a large ice-block. Everyday I would add some water and coins to a plastic tub I had in the freezer. I gave the kids toothbrushes and spoons to scrub and chip out the coins. The game was a big hit. Some kids sat there for a solid half hour trying to get the coins out.

I was kind of lazy this year when it came to the food, we ordered pizza instead of cooking. We ordered pizza from Zachary's Pizza which is a Chicago deep dish style pizza. Sorry there's no pictures. I must have been to busy eating at that time ;)

Upcycle Craft: Doll House Accessories

This project is so easy that I feel a little guilty calling it a craft. I made some doll house food canisters out of my empty saffron containers. Usually saffron comes in little plastic cases (pictured above).

To make the cases look like they're filled with goodies, find a picture online of candy, cookies, etc. Print out a small picture of the food. Roll the picture up and place inside the canister. Done.

Start playing in the kitchen!

Favorite Plum Tart Recipe

I wish I could take credit for this plum tart recipe but it's not mine. I found it a long time ago, well actually 1997 to be exact in an issue of Family Circle. I've been making it every year since I stumbled upon the recipe. Normally, I don't like to post recipes that have been published before but I think this one is worth sharing.

Plum Tart Recipe from Family Circle 8/5/97

Ingredients:
Almond Pastry:
2 cups flour
1 cup ground almonds - I've substituted pecans before but it tastes best with almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup of unsalted butter
3 to 4 tablespoons of cold water

Plum Filling:
6 medium-size plums, pitted & sliced
1/2 cup sugar - I adjust this depending on how sweet the plums are. If the plums are tart, add more sugar.
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon of salt

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare almond pastry: Combine flour, almonds, sugar and salt in bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water one tablespoon at a time until mixture holds together. Divide pastry in half. Place one half in the refrigerator for later.

3. Cover the inside of a 9" tart pan ( with removable bottom) with dough. Place tart pan in the freezer for 15 minutes.

4. Remove form freezer and line with foil. Fill with pie weights or dried beans.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Cool on rack. Turn oven temperature to 350 degrees.

6. Prepare tart filling: Combine plums, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in bowl. Place filling in tart shell.

7. Roll remaining dough into a 9 inch circle. Cut dough into fourteen strips. Place seven strips vertically and seven strips horizontally to make a lattice top. Brush lattice top with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling. I've found that the edge of the tart darkens to quickly and usually tent it with foil about half way through.

9. Once done, remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature.

Party Planning

It's that time of year again, birthday planning for a certain 6 year old (soon to be 7). This year we're having a Super Mario Brother's themed party. Above are the invitations I made. The concept for the invitations was to make them look like Mario and Luigi party hats. On the back of the hats are all the party details. Next week I'll be sharing pictures from the party.

Upcycle Craft: Doll Headbands

Today we've been making these headbands for my daughters' dolls. They're quick, easy and inexpensive to make. My 4 year old made the one in the picture above. Directions below.

Supplies:
Bottle cap ring from soda or water bottles
Rhinestone stickers - you can find these in the dollar section of Michaels
Optional - paint, glue, beads

Cut a section of the bottle cap ring off with scissors. Refer to picture.

Add some rhinestones onto the bottle cap ring. You might want to glue them on even if they're stickers. This will ensure they don't fall off later. You can also paint the headbands and glue different embellishments to them. Just use whatever you have around the house; that's my motto.

Done.

I put her in this patriotic outfit in honor of July 4th. This is one of the outfits my Mom used to have for her Barbies. I'm not sure if my Grandmother made it or if it was an outfit you could buy.

Hope you all have a Happy 4th of July!