Super Easy Brain Cupcakes!

Fall is my favorite season.   Not only is the weather cooler, it is also time for fun, unique halloween treats! This is a kit my Buddy gave me.

It's a Brains Cupcake Kit! Tho, it came with its own cake mix, and icing I wanted to make it red.  I purchased Red Velvet cake mix, and whipped icing I dyed pink.  I also found some Strawberry Smuckers Decorate Plate Jam at Dollar Tree (19oz) that the moment I saw I blurted out "There's my blood!"

Even without the Red Jam I squirted overtop the cupcakes, it still looks like brains.  To make the brain design just follow these steps.  If you don't have an icing bag, just use a plastic sandwhich bag, squeeze to one side, and cute a small slit.

Click To Enlarge!

The kit was cool because of the Skull sleeves it came with.  You can either buy the kit, or other halloween themed sleeves, but if you have a printer you can create your own too.

As you can see I just don't half do it, I like to go all out with the Halloween cupcakes, haha.  The kit doesn't come with the Red Jam Decorate Gel.  It's always good in my experience to use icing, and cake mixes you already know you like when it comes to these kits.  

"Brains, it helps the pain go away!"

DIY Halloween Wreath for Under $8.00 @DollarTree #Halloween #DIY

Halloween is one of my favorite things about LIFE.  Next to saving money, and Creating things, of course.  I was going to my local Dollar Tree for a few things I needed, and I am always side tracked by the Seasonal items in the Front.  Like my List of Needs, becomes, oh, Mini Zombies, and Gargoyle for my Halloween Village?? Don't mind if I do.   I saw the prettiest Black, and Purple Roses in the Halloween Section on an End Cap.  I knew I wanted them, but I didn't just want them to be in a Vase.  I decided, I was going to make my own Wreath, using nothing but Dollar Tree Items.  

Black Rose Bouquet w/Bats

Purple Rose Bouquet w/Spiders

Spider Web Wall Hanging Decoration

Wooden Wreath

Black/White Wire Ribbon

Purple Mesh Ribbon

Ceramic Skull

First Step, that made this Easy, was I cut a long enough piece of the two tone Black/White See Through Wire Ribbon and Wrapped it in, and out the Wreath before Attaching the Back of the Spider Web.  Since the Ribbon is Mesh, it's better to make sure to do all the Glue on the back of the Wreath itself.

After that was Done, I then attached the Spider Web Wall Decoration to the Back of the Wreath too, it was fairly flat, and easy to attach to each other with the Hot Glue.

While waiting for that to dry enough to pick up again, I took apart the Roses. First by taking the Roses off the Stems (They Pull off easily.) Also I saved the Bats, and Spiders that came with the Fake flowers in the Bouquets.  

I made my bows before I lined up, and attached my Roses to the Wreath.  I made a big Purple Mesh Bow, and Hot glued one of the Bats I got from the Roses on it. 

Arranging the Flowers was fun,  I just hot Glued the plastic Flower/leaf part itself, and attached to the Wreath.

There is no wrong way to make a craft project like this.  Just do what you want with it, arrange your flowers, or bats, or spiders, or pumpkins, or whatever YOU want, the way YOU want it.  I had a lot of fun doing this DIY, and with the Left overs, I made a little Rose flower hat for the Ceramic Skull.

Liquid Chalk Markers and Chalkboard Labels DIY Projects #Review #Spon

I had a lot of fun using Aurial Chalkboard Labels, and Chalk Marker to transform a cheap tin I got with my Cookies at the Grocery Store into an Indian Spice Tin.  We eat a lot of Curry, Turmeric, Cinnamon, and Saffron.  I've been wanting to try these labels out, and the Marker.  The Chalk Marker has directions right on the Marker.  First Push the tip of the marker down, and Shake. Repeat if needed.  The tip of the Chalk Marker is Slanted, and can do details dots/lines as well, depending on how it's held. I just had fun with this.

(I painted/textured the container, then Applied the Chalkboard Label.)

My marker went on the Label Smooth, and I am very pleased with the outcome.  I can't wait to Finish the other 3 Containers for my Shelf using Aurial Chalkboard Labels, and Chalk Markers. I plan on labeling all my favorite Spices.  

I received product at a discounted Price for my honest Review, all images are my own. If you'd like to know more about these Liquid Chalk Markers, check them out on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YWLW45W

#MrSketchHoliday Scented Markers #Review @Smiley360 #GotItFree #Spon #HolidayGiftGuide

Disclaimer: I received Product, and Compensation Through Smiley360, and Mr. Sketch Scented Markers to Facilitate a Review.

Majority of my family members are artistic one way or another.  We come from a family that has always used our hands, and our imaginations.  

Now since I have a son, I want him to have fun, and be able to draw, and express himself with art.  Mr. Sketch to me is the perfect Art Therapy.  Now only are you drawing, creating lines, and textures from overlapping the Marker Colors, it also has that sensory of scent.  

The Holiday scents are amazing, and make the Perfect Stocking Stuffers for the kids to add to their Wish List.

Check out Smiley360, and apply for future Missions by clicking here, http://h5.sml360.com/-/jorx.  I have been a Smiley member for Years now, and I've done some great Missions. Not only did I receive the Mr. Sketch Markers, I also received a $5.00 Walmart Gift Card to go Shopping for more markers.

Summer Fun with @BlueDiamond Rosemary & Black Pepper Almond Gluten Free Salsa & Burgers, and Berry Almond Shortcake in a Cup #SummerTime #Recipes #Ad

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds.

Below are two very easy, and delicious Summer Time recipes for using Almonds.  The first recipe I used Blue Diamond Rosemary & Black Pepper Almonds, Tomatoes, and Peppers from my garden to make a Savory Salsa that is All Natural, and Gluten free.  I used the salsa over top Burgers for a BBQ today. Everyone loved it! Especially my Nephew, and his friends, it was sweet while sneaking in good Protein from the Chopped Almonds. Then for something even sweeter, I made a Berry Almond Shortcake in a Mason Jar Cup, with Blue Diamond Whole Natural Almonds.

Rosemary & Black Pepper Almond Salsa Recipe, 

Ingredients, 

1/2 cup Blue Diamond Rosemary & Black Pepper Almonds 

4 Large Ripe Tomatoes

6 Sweet Cherry Tomatoes

2 Sweet Yellow Bell Peppers

1 Sweet Red Bell Pepper

1 cup Red Onions

1 tablespoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Vinegar

1/2 tsp Salt

Directions,

Dice up the Bell Peppers, and take the seeds out.  Throw in a Blender( I don't have a food possessor so I used a regular Blender to prove you don't need a lot of fancy things.), and Chop more (I like mine chunky so I only Chopped for a few seconds.)  

Put into a bowl.

Dice up the Large tomatoes.  Throw in a Blender, and Chop more. Use a strainer, and put the bigger chunks into the bowl with the Bell Peppers.

Dice up the Cherry Tomatoes, (Leave a few of the Cherry Tomatoes whole, and just cut into half and throw in the Bowl with the other ingredients if you like Chunky.)

Dice up the Red Onions, and Poblanos or whatever other peppers you like.  I chose not to make this one spicy because I wanted all the kids to enjoy it Throw into the Blender to Chop more.  

Throw in the bowl with the rest.

By now the bowl should have the Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Onions, and Poblanos.

Throw the whole Almonds in the blender, and Finely chop them.  

Add them to the bowl with the other ingredients.

Now add the Sugar, Vinegar, Salt,  Mix, and Serve! The Blue Diamond Rosemary & Black Pepper Almonds have a great tasting seasoning added on to the Almonds already that I didn't have to add a lot of seasoning to the Salsa itself.

I do love me some home made recipes, but opted to do a very simple, and easy Berry Almond Shortcake In A Cup Desert Recipe. 

Ingredients,

Blue Diamond Whole Natural Almonds

Strawberries

Blueberries

Whip

GF Shortcake Cups

Directions,

Chop Blue Diamond Whole Natural Almonds up in the Blender, and layer it between Shortcake, Strawberries, Blueberries, and Whip cream.  

The cute County Fair Jar Cups I found at Dollar Tree and fell in love with them.  

Gluten Free Fruit Recipes! Win A Nesco Electric Dehydrator & Jerky Maker.

The Nesco/All American Dehydrator is probably one of the easiest appliances I have ever used. If you are a health food guru, or just a beginner, it's all the same. Any one can use this machine.

All I did was open the box, removed the dehydrator, and cleaned the four separate trays off. Next came the fun part, I started to prepare my fruits.

If you have younger kids, or even school aged kids, this dehydrator would make the perfect back to school snacks. Even on the run, and out the door for breakfast. Jerky for protein, and Fruits like apples that's full of fiber would be healthy & filling. Along with blueberries, and strawberries that are full of vitamins they can easily eat with no mess would be ideal too. Any fruit you like, you can dry!

It is also a Jerky Maker, and came with packs of seasoning for that as well. I plan on making chicken, and turkey beef sticks. Maybe even some turkey ones after Thanksgiving with leftovers. Be prepared to see more posts of me creating awesome things with this machine.

I'm using it to make dried snacks for my 19 month old, He refuses to eat "wet" foods, so I get his vitamins in by dried fruits. When dried properly fruits can have a great source of Vitamin A & C, along with the daily fiber for a healthy body.

This is my first time using a dehydrator, so I am just a beginner. I prepared Strawberries, Blueberries, & Fiji Apples. After washing them off. The Strawberries, and Apples(I soaked in water with Cinnamon) were sliced thin. They are not to overlap while on the dehydrator trays. The blueberries I just placed on whole, where ever, I did try to make it look pretty.

I also puree'd blueberries in the blender to make my own blueberry fruit leather. I buy fruit leather all the time, and have never made my own. This is more so for me, than the kids! You don't even have to use sugar in it, the fruit has it's own natural sugar. If the fruits you use are tart, consider using Honey. I love BeeFree Honey (apple honey.) This kit came with a make your own fruit roll up plastic tray with a special no spill over lip.

Over all it takes about 10-12 hours for the fruits I chose.

What is also great about this machine is that the top tells you what temperature to use to dry certain things. There is also a recipe book with easy to follow ideas, like, Orange Julius, Strawberry Cream Cheese, and Pina Colada Fruit Roll Ups.

This was a fun review, If you know how to slice fruit, YOU CAN make your own dried fruit. If you know how to push "puree" on your blender. YOU CAN make your own fruit leather. Don't be afraid to try something new.

My Blueberry Fruit Leather!!!! Turned out great!!!! I used just blueberry puree I made, added a drop of BeeFree Honey (Apple Honey) for extra sweetness. It would've been good without the honey too, but I love things sweet.

My Strawberry Chips!!!!! They dried faster than the rest, but I love them crunchy, so I left them in longer.

My Cinnamon Apple Chips!!!!! The aroma that came off of these while they dehydrated was just beautiful. I like my Apple Chips with the skin on. These are so delicious.

These are the Goodies I dehydrated over night, and woke up too.

The whole blueberries take a little longer, so I've puree'd some strawberries to make strawberry fruit leather with since I have extra trays available again.

I really love the fruit leather. I'm going to make my own Pumpkin Pie leather, Apple pie leather.. Peach cobbler leather.. I seriously, am addicted to the fruit leather.


Interesting Stats about the machine;

The machine itself is 500 watts, top mounted 2,100-rpm fan. That means it dries faster with more power, and you get results in hours, not days.

The patented Converga-Flow action provides even heat distribution, no need to rotate trays. No worries about flavors mixing.

Adjustable thermostat (95F-155F) used for Precision drying for the best quality for perfect fruit, vegetables, herbs, and jerky.
Opaque Vita-Save exterior for exclusive light-blocking in preserving vitamins, and minerals.

Expandable, even tho it comes with 4 trays, This model can operate with 12 trays, and automatically adjusts the pressure itself.


Here's your chance to Win A Dehydrator!!
Giveaway Begins 12:01 AM 7/30/2012 &  Ends 12:01AM  8/30/12,
WINNER IS CHOSEN BY RANDOM ON RAFFLECOPTER, WILL EMAIL WINNER WITHIN 24HOURS, WINNER HAS 7DAYS TO REPLY, OR NEW WINNER IS CHOSEN.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
I want to thank Nesco/All American Harvest for such a wonderful, easy to use machine. And, also a bigger thanks for Sponsoring this Review, & Giveaway. Thank you Nesco!!!! I am in love with my dehydrator.

**Receiving the Dehydrator for free from Nesco did not sway my opinion on dried fruit. I have always loved dried fruit, and been curious on how to make my own. Honestly, If It wasn't good, I would have said so. I've had nothing but a positive experience using this machine. Links posted are up to the reader to click in reference to more information on the machine.**..More About My Blog Disclosure.

How I love my Wacom INTUOS Tablet, let me count thee ways.

1. It's pretty b@dass.
2. The detail I can draw while zoomed in 200%+ is unbelievable. 

3. Affordable!

4. The Pressure Point on the Creative Pen, and while adjusting Tool Thickness/Shade is fun to play with!
5. Even if you are like me, and drawing is just a hobby.. this tablet is Easy to use!

I received the most awesome Birthday present ever this month.  It's something I've been wanting forever.  I received a lot of great things, I felt very spoiled, from my Wacom Intuos Tablet, Starbucks Giftcards, and an abundance of my favorite Green Teas.  The way to my heart is through Art, Coffee, and Tea. I am also doing another Harvey Prince post for Hello soon too! So, yay, Hope you read my posts!

So this is my newest precious.  The moment I set it up (as simple as plugging in a usb, and popping in a disc.) I was doodling.  I find myself drawing things here, and there in the Autodesk Sketchbook Express Program just because.. I want to see if I can remember how to draw things I did over 20 years ago.

This is Leo, from TMNT that I drew from memory for my little brother.  I don't know why, but it calms me to be able to shut my eyes, and remember lines, and certain strokes to create an image. 

Little Weirdo Eye Sketch using the Pen Tablet.  

Here is one of the very first things I drew with the Tablet.  I had been watching Puppet Master all Week (Dollar General had whole box set series of Full Moon DVDs on sale for $4.95, so I dorked out to some old School Horror.)

When the Kids saw what I was doing, the requests started pouring in for Pirate Skulls, and Horses.

I really hope this helps my blog become more personal, and fun for myself to do.

I forgot how much I loved to draw.  The last thing I drew, and put any effort in were DIY Dr. Seuss Themed Letters for my son's bedroom wall.. that was a while ago. I'm going to practice, and become a paint, smudge, pencil, blur, penciling machine. I'm hooked, and already want to learn more.

My love of a certain plant.

I just wanted to do a quick update on how great my cherry tomato plants are doing! They remind me that moving from the Midwest back to Virginia was worth the headache.  I've already ate 3 off the plant, ahaha. Growing up I would walk around eating tomatoes like apples.  Then I discovered cherry ones, and they are my absolute favorites.  Don't get me wrong I love a juicy big boy too.

Are you growing anything? This year all I planted was diff tomatoes, and peppers.  My dream is to have a bigger garden.  I want my whole front/side yard to be an edible garden while the backyard will be for the kiddos.

Tomatoes are extremely easy to grow, they shoot up like weeds.  They just need sunlight, and plenty of water.

How-To-Paint Letter Wall Art by GreenVics

This is just an idea on how to decorate Letters for a babies wall on a budget.  If it's for your little one, or to give as a gift. Here is how I painted mine. 

Go find whatever letters you need.  Sometimes they are on clearance.  Don't forget to check your Sunday papers for those 40% off craft store coupons that you can use on an item.  Ask people you know if you can have theirs too.  

Royal Talens AMSTERDAM Standard Series Acrylic 2.5 oz.

5/0 Princeton Round

Also, don't go crazy with buying every color of paint you see.  All you need are a nice set of Standard Series Paints.  Something with Red, Yellow, Blue, Black & White paint. With those colors, You can make so many different shades.  You'll also need good brushes, don't be afraid to buy single brushes, the smaller, the better.  Especially for those small detailed lines.

The brush to the right is one of my favorite brushes.  It's a 5/0 round Princeton Preferred.  Love your art brushes, and take care of them!! Always clean them off after use.  A good brush will last a long time.

Just stick to the basics.  What is great about these Acrylic tubes are you will have so much left over for other projects that come along.  The brushes are a great investment as well.  The white brushes with the gold ends are by Trenton.

Trenton All-purpose synthetic brushes 1/4" Angle, #0 Round, #5 round, #6 Shader

You don't have to be an artist to create something.  Just have fun with it.  GO for it.  Worse case scenario, if you don't like it? Start over.   But, don't be hard on yourself.  

Here's how I created mine.  Use a pencil to sketch what it is you want to draw (my favorite art pencils are by Faber-Castell.) Pencil first, with light lines in case you do want to erase something.   

After you've sketched out your design , it's time to paint.  You don't need to use a special paint palette.  Grab a dollar store plate.  

It's all about relaxing, and filling in the color.  Take your time,  This really does relax me.

After awhile it will start to come together.  For fun I made stripes on the sides of the letters that matched colors I had used for the characters.  

The very last thing I do is add the black outline.  To do this just use the small brush, ,and when you are applying paint to it, roll the brush into the black side to side.  Test it to see how thin your line will be.

Really hope this motivates you into painting something special, and one of a kind for your little ones.  I've seen Dr. Seuss art, but I wanted a Dr. Seuss themed  letter wall art.  Maybe your theme is flowers, fairies, monsters, or other well known characters that it would be cheaper to paint your own.

Now, go create something! Don't have that mentality you aren't good at it.  First think of an idea that you want to try, or atleast a few colors you really want to add.  Start from there.  All art is, are lines, dots, colors, that create the overall picture.  It isn't going to look like what you want at first.  Tweak it, and make it yours.