Cherry Blossom Lights

I hope that everyone had a safe and wonderful Memorial Day! Mine was great. I spent a week in another state down south with my closest family. Family is really what matters in the end I always say. Anywho, I found this great tutorial for you guys to take a gander at. It is a project for making cherry blossom lights in an elegant vase. You can find the full tutorial HERE. Thanks to ChrysN via Instructables.com







Take Care

-Mr Crafty

Sticks and Stones Will Hold My Candles

Lately I've been busy working on some unique home creations. I'm always doing some kind of DIY project around the house. I photographed my latest DIY to share with you. These small decorative votives are really easy to make. You can easily get a dozen (or maybe more) done as a weekend project. Hope this inspires my fellow crafters!

Materials:

candle holder with flat sides (any size)

craft adhesive– multi-purpose for wood and glass surfaces

garden pruners

dry tree or shrub branches

Step 1. Wash the candle holder with dish soap and dry well. Cut the branches down to sticks close to the height of the candle holder, it is best to cut a few at a time.

Step 2. Dab the glue on a stick making sure to hit the areas that will be flush to the glass. Place on the glass. You can do a few at a time and then hold until they won’t slide off before you rotate the holder.




Step 3. Repeat until all of the glass has been covered. As always, if using a candle holder do not leave these unattended! Cant you just see a whole collection of these illuminating a cozy room?






-Mr Crafty

Homemade Greek Frozen Yogurt

With Greek yogurt becoming a huge fad now because of it's lower caloric content and higher protein levels I thought it would be relevant to post this awesome recipe for vanilla frozen yogurt made with, you guessed it, Greek yogurt. This is a whole lot healthier than any other ice cream and the perfect dessert for those sweltering dog days of summer.

This recipe from David Lebovitz’s cookbook, The Perfect Scoop, gave me the perfect opportunity to try Greek yogurt out in frozen form. And. It. Is. Awesome! I love how creamy the frozen yogurt is, and it tastes great with just about any ice cream topping

From The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
Makes about 1 quart (1 liter)

3 cups (720 g) plain Greek yogurt (either whole-milk, lowfat, or nonfat)
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Mix together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

-Mr Crafty

Bunting Project

Bunting projects are always fun because one: they are fairly easy and two: they make versatile decor for festive occasions and the like. You can check out Discoverpaper for a full rundown on an easy paper bunting project.


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I'd also like to add that every spring when the nicer weather kicks into high gear I begin my prop building projects for my Halloween display for the year (yes I am a bit of a nut over Halloween) So keep a look out later because I'll be posting some DIY decor and props projects.For those who are just as enthusiastic for Halloween as I you may want to check the Monster-List-Of-Halloween-Projects because they are by far one of the best go to sources for all DIY prop projects.


-Enjoy
Mr Crafty

Free Chocolate From Lindt After Joining Their "Excellence Club"

I am a madman for freebies and deals on the net. I also scout around and press my luck with sweepstakes' too. I wanted to share my latest find with my readers.










"Lindt Chocolate is searching for 150 passionate dark chocolate lovers to become part of the “Excellence Influencers Club” to receive select products and perks as well as sample particular Excellence recipes in exchange for giving honest feedback! Sounds good to me as I LOVE chocolate… especially Lindt chocolate! Interested? Head on over to the Lindt Chocolate USA Facebook page, “like” them and click on the “Fans only” tab to apply! "


Thanks from Hip2Save





-Mr Crafty

Cake Frosting: A Healthy Alternative

So the other day I made a batch of cupcakes. Whenever I bake I try to be as health conscious as I can. I usually substitute apple sauce for oil, use egg whites, margarine, etc. So back to the cupcakes, I made them and they came out awesome. I was so happy with how light and fluffy they were coming from a boxed recipe (I used Duncan Hines brand cake mix, the classic white kind) once they cooled they were ready to frost. Then came my dilemma. I knew slathering frosting from the can was going to eliminate any health conscious efforts I made. Therefore I scoured the internet and found a great new recipe that will be a standard from now on in my books. It is made from Greek yogurt (A new food apparently taking the world by storm I guess) and it has such a wonderful tang with a touch of sweet. I recommend it for those preparing for a sleeker and slimmer summer bod!!! You can find the full recipe HERE courtesy of Cup Cake Project.


-Mr Crafty

Wreath Mania!!!!

I found this neat DIY wreath project sponsored by Fiskers on their site. I especially love the fabric one. These look super easy to make and so versatile as far as home decor.

Click HERE for the full tutorial

-Mr Crafty

Upcycled Newspaper Gift Bags: For Your Inner Eco-Maniac

When I bought something at a store recently, the clerk handed me my purchase in a bag made from a newspaper. I liked it very much and had to make some more—thus today's DIY recycled newspaper project: gift bags made from the Wall Street Journal. You can vary the dimensions, of course, but here's what I used to create a bag that's 5" tall, 4.5" wide, and 3" deep.


Stack two sheets of newspaper on top of each other. This will be a two-ply bag for extra sturdiness.

Cut out a rectangle that's 15.5" wide and 8.25" tall. If your paper already has a fold in it, align the existing fold with one of the fold lines in the diagram below, unless you don't mind an extra fold appearing somewhere on your bag. I cut out this rectangle, then flipped the paper over so the blue area would be on the outside of the bag.



Fold a flap 1.25" down from the top. Fold a flap 2" up from the bottom. Then measure off and make vertical folds in the places shown in the diagram above. The front and back panels are 4.5" wide, the side gussets are 3" wide, and you'll need a 0.5" flap for gluing the bag together.

Cut two pieces of cardstock or chipboard to 4.25" x 1", then glue them on the widest two panels just under the top fold. These will reinforce the rim of the bag. Glue the top flap down along the length of the bag, covering the cardstock. Since the bag is two-ply, you'll need to glue both flap pieces down one at a time.





Put glue on the outside of the 0.5" tab and bring the left-most panel over to form the body of the bag, aligning the cut edge of the panel with the folded edge of the flap. Add a little more glue to make sure the outermost sheet of newsprint gets tacked down, too







Open the bag so the 2" flap is now up. Fold the short sides inward as if you were wrapping a present. If it seems easier, you could also lay the bag on its side and crease those folds against the table








Put glue on both flaps and fold them inward to form the bottom of the bag. Standing the bag upright and pressing down from the inside will help to secure them.








Cut a piece of chipboard to 4" x 2.5" and glue it to the bottom of the bag to reinforce it and hide the flaps if you want to be an overachiever.




Punch holes in the rim of the bag, adding eyelets if you like, and string some cord through the holes to form handles. Knot each end of the cord so it won't pull out through the holes.

If you want to store your bag flat, pinch the top together, fold in the sides, and bring the bottom up so that it lies flat.




-Mr. Crafty