Cacti Cupcakes & Cake Boss #MichaelsMakers

Hey friends!  I don't know about you, but it's been oppressively hot here in Pittsburgh lately. Yesterday when I got in my car after work, it told me it was 99 degrees outside.  I live in Pennsylvania... it is NOT supposed to be that hot here!

When Michaels offered the chance to try out some Cake Boss products, I knew exactly what I'd do... Cacti!  Because right now, I feel like I live in the desert.  Only worse.  Because... humidity. Anyway, I decided to fashion my own little desert scene using Cake Boss fondant.

I've never used fondant before, in fact, I was slightly terrified of it.  But, once I started working with it, I realized how much FUN it is!  Seriously, it's like edible playdough.  I got my niece, Lena, in on the action, too.  She's five and had an absolute blast.  If you want to avoid the sloppy mess of traditional frosting while baking with your kids... throw them a lump of fondant and let them sculpt something fabulous.

Michaels offers an amazing variety of Cake Boss products including the actual cake mix!  I was able to get everything I needed to create these little delicious treats in one trip.  (well, aside from the eggs and oil.)  My favorite purchase of all this was the Fondant Decorating Tool Kit.  I mean, you can use this for countless other things... So, don't be surprised if you see those popping up in a few other posts that have nothing to do with baking!

After baking the cupcakes and allowing them to cool, we frosted them with chocolate icing so the fondant had something to stick to.  Next, we used this neat vintage cookie cutter I found hidden in the back of my mom's cabinet.  It was the perfect size and shape!  After they were cut, we pressed them lightly onto the frosting.

Next, we molded our little cacti.  This was kind of a "wing it" sort of thing.  The neon green decorating icing in a bag was perfect for adding texture to our cacti, and also perfect for using as the "glue" to keep the cacti in place.  We also used it as a sort of "paint" to coat the white fondant.

Then we made little flowers to stick on top of our cacti...

And TA-DA!  I looooooooooooooove the final result.  Aren't these colors fantastic?  They're so bright and saturated.  I love that you can buy tiny packets of the bright colors so you can use it just for accents.  Definitely smart packaging, Cake Boss!

The best part of these products is how great they are to use when working with kids.  Clean up was quick and there was little frustration in the process because everything is prepared so well.

I absolutely adored getting to share some creative time with this little bug.  I love watching her mind work and her artistic side growing as she gets older.

Trick Your Pumpkin with Michaels

Being a Michael's Maker has been AWESOME.  Honestly, these monthly challenges get me to craft and create things I never would have considered before.

This month they asked us to participate in their Trick Your Pumpkin sweepstakes.  

Crafters just submit their pumpkin creations via Instagram any time between October 4th through October 31 for a chance to win a $250 Michaels gift card and Plaid products each Friday throughout the month of October.  We think you should  enter the sweepstakes by uploading your own projects to Instagram using the hashtags #TrickYourPumpkin and #sweepstakes and tag @MichaelsStores.  Make sure you use the craft pumpkins from Michaels!

Here is our entry for this super fun contest!  ( let me add that these pumpkins are SO COOL )

Supplies:

Krylon Make It Stone Spray Paint

Craft Knife

Craft Pumpkins

Paint Pens

Battery powered pumpkin candle (purchased at Michaels, not on website)

Flower pot

Pencil

Use the flower pot to determine the size of the hole on the top.  Make sure to cut as straight down as possible so you can get the pot inside.  In the other pumpkin, the hole on top can be a random size, whatever will fit the battery candle.  Cut whatever designs into your pumpkin you choose.  (go figure, I chose triangles.)

Now it's time for the spray paint!  This Make It Stone stuff is AWESOME.  The time it takes to dry in between coats is NOT awesome.  It's non-negotiable, though.  I tried, trust me, you have to let it dry.

Next, do THIS while you wait for it to dry!

After the paint is dry and you have sufficiently tortured your pet to death with love, it's time to doodle on your pumpkin.  I quickly decided mine were going to be fancy with gold and silver adornments.  

Now, put your plant in it, the candle or whatever you decided to do and create your fabulous table scape!  Ta-Da!  I also think that these would make pretty wonderful hostess gifts for Thanksgiving.  

Don't forget to tag your project on Instagram using #TrickYourPumpkin #sweepstakes and tagging @MichaelsStores!!

MAKE: Revived Vintage Screen Garden Wall

This project was inspired by what my family thought was a very odd purchase at an estate sale for $2.  An old mesh screen framed in old wood.  It was love at first sight to me.  As soon as I saw it a hundred ideas flooded my imagination of what could be made with it. 

After a couple weeks of pondering, I settled on the idea of a garden wall.  My aloe plant (that had a bunch of babies last year) was ready to give birth yet again.  Check out my post about separating your aloe plants here.  This little wall piece was going to give me the perfect place to display my new potted baby aloe plants. 

I had seen these little white aluminum pots at Ikea months ago and knew they'd be perfect for this!  A tiny S-hook would fit perfectly in the little holes around the top.  They'll also be great to pull off this wall during the colder months and bring the plants inside where it is safe and warm. 

I love this project because it can be made appropriate for any and all seasons and holidays! 

Check out our Link Party Page to see where we link up each week!

LIVE: Separate Your Aloe Plant (without killing them all)

I bought this adorable little aloe plant 5 years ago when it was only 4 inches tall.  Now, it's over 2 feet tall and reproduces like Gremlins in a hurricane.  The pot I have it in is rather large, but it was ready to bust because of all the spawn popping up.  So it was time for the little babies to leave the nest and find their own pots to inhabit.  I break down the process of separating baby aloe plants from the mama plant for you with the final outcome of them all surviving the transition.  It's been about 2 months since I actually did this, and I'm happy to say mama and babies are all alive and thriving!



Depending on how crowded your pot is, this can be tricky.  Gently move the plants out of the way to determine where the stems are.  Begin digging gently with your fingertips, feeling for the roots and carefully moving dirt away from them. 




Each baby connects to the main root of the mama.  Break the main baby root from the main mama root gently.  This should be the only root you break.  Try to keep the little ones intact as much as possible.




As long as you have about this much root left after digging up, your babies should thrive in their new home.  Make sure to bury the roots deeply so that the soil can help support the top heavy mass of the aloe plant.




Our mama was so huge that my husband had to use two hands to hold her up.  Look at that root system! 




All in all, we ended up with 6 babies out of this litter.  These will be going to good homes in the near future.  They just need a little more TLC before they're sent off.


Anytime you transplant something it's a pretty traumatizing experience for the plant.  The first few weeks are critical to watch the babies as they adapt to their new pots.  Normally, I only water my aloe plant once a week, but for the first week after transplanting, I water everyday.  This is to ensure that the roots don't go into shock and that the soil settles around the root system.  After the first week, just keep them near a window with lots of sun and water once a week.

I'm in the process of experimenting with rooting broken pieces of other cacti as well, so if I find success, I'll share a tutorial on that as well!  (That came about from my cats continually knocking my pots off the window sills and finding broken branches on the counter...)

We will also be sharing recipes and ideas for how to use the aloe plant's gel! 

Check out our link party page to see where we link up each week!

CRAFT: DIY Rope-Wrapped Tribal Cactus Planter

I have this nasty habit of playing search and rescue for abandoned and neglected plants at Estate Sales.  Especially if they are cacti.  Most times, the pots housing said cacti are less than desirable.  Upon being given an amazing rope covered pot from Anthropologie by Jen, I knew I had to recreate the look on all my homely little salvaged pots.  Follow along... you'll be surprised how easy this is!

You will need a glue gun, an old flower pot, some jute twine/rope, paint and a paint brush.

Apply about a one inch length of glue along upper outside rim.  You may want to apply a little glue on the rope to prevent fraying.

In 1-2 inch increments, continue gluing and pressing rope against glue fully along the top outer rim until you meet the beginning edge of the glued rope.  Simply continue gluing, wrapping, gluing, wrapping, gluing, wrapping... all the way to the bottom of the pot.

Make sure the last coil is glued tightly in place and that any frayed edges are glued and secure at the bottom.  Also, try to make sure the rope along the bottom allows for a balanced sitting position for the planter.

Next, go crazy with the paint!  I chose a simple, geometric, tribal print to spruce up the rope.
Imagine the possibilities!

 This project would be an absolutely great house warming gift!  It's unique, personal and just simply adorable!  Plus, succulents are pretty difficult to kill.  Just keep near a window and water once a week!

Check out our link party page to see where we link up each week!