Crafting or Cooking for a Cause

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Juliet Tiu

I read this article in the paper the other day about volunteer opportunities. This immediately caught my eye:

The Northern Illinois Food Bank needs 260 handmade holiday cards to include in boxes of food sent to senior citizens in December. Contact Tia Milne at 630-443-6910, ext. 130.

And, because my cookie exchange party is just around the corner, I thought this was timely, too. Eight dozen cookies in the house… it’s easy to share.

Advocate Hospice needs holiday decorations for its centers and homemade cookies to give patients and their families.

How many of you sew? There’s a need for you, and not just around the holidays!

Assist in making bed jackets, lap blankets and other items for patients – be a L.O.V.E. volunteer.

I’d love to hear about your favorite organizations or maybe you craft or cook for a cause… more to come.

Food and Gift Packaging

Posted on November 19, 2010 by Juliet Tiu

I was super excited to get these goodies from the offices of Martha Stewart Living via Craft Critique. If you’re getting ready for the holidays and looking for ways to wrap or package your baked goods, please take a look at my review on Craft Critique! Leave a comment at their site and you just might win your own set of treat bags and boxes!

A Really Good Weekend

Posted on November 2, 2010 by Juliet Tiu

I spent lots of time preparing for last week and weekend… not only was it Halloween, but our little man turned 4.

And, as usual, the Halloween crafts didn’t get done, but I did get goody bags finished the night before the school party.

I always intended on posting a tutorial for a last-minute batcave made from store-bought wall decorations, dollar store garbage bags and duct tape… but unfortunately it was far too last-minute. I was busy writing a food article for Halloween.

On Halloween, Abby played her last soccer game (the team’s record 6-1-1)…

… then we headed out for some trick-or-treating with friends.

Like I said, a really good weekend. I hope all of you out there had one too.

Celebrating a Friend’s Engagement

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Juliet Tiu

How could you not have fun with a bunch of girlfriends at a cooking class and then karaoke in a private room belting out hits from the 1980’s? There were plenty of treats for us at dinner, and unfortunately, I didn’t make time to bake up a batch of cookies to share. (I really wanted to.)

I did make this card for my friend.

Borrowing a line from a Las Vegas commercial, I wrote this in the card, “What happens at the bachelorette party, stays with the bachelorette party.” So with that, I won’t go much into the weekend details (no big debauchery, really), but I’ll say it was so much fun spending time with the ladies. I will share how to make the card!

What you need:

The Bad Girl’s stamp kit by Chronicle Books
6″ x 6″ card – white cardstock
Two or three coordinating colors in acrylic paint – I used Lumiere paint to coordinate with the bride’s invitation. Feel free to experiment with other colors!
Black embossing powder
Miscellaneous supplies: paint brush, ink pad, and heat gun
I’m assuming there is general knowledge about embossing and rubber stamping… basic techniques can be found by searching for “rubber stamping basic embossing technique“.

If you need guidelines, then use your ruler and lightly pencil out a grid, evenly dividing the card into 16 spaces. I did not do this… just eyeballed the spacing to give it a handcrafted feel.
I then took drops of each color and placed on a foam plate (palette) to mix the colors a bit. This is all very free-range art; mix as much or as little as you want. I like it lightly mixed so you can still see different colors.
Paint 16 squares on your card front, preferably free hand. The squares don’t have to be perfect. Let dry.
When paint is dry, stamp your images within the square. Again, I went for a freehand look and did not align the images in a certain orientation. Off-center is fun and quirky!
NOTE: I stamped four images and then dusted with embossing powder.
Once your card is all dusted with embossing powder and you’ve tapped off the excess, turn up your heat gun and make some embossing magic!

Voila! It’s done and ready for your personal note for your bride-to-be pal.

Birthday Favor Ideas

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Juliet Tiu

Birthday parties have always been a fun and memorable event growing up. When we were really young, opening presents and goody/loot bags were the best things ever… I rememberÂ getting dot candy on paper strips, the fortune fish you’d hold in your hand that curls up, stickers, tattoos and the plastic trinkets and jewelry that my parents hated so. What a treasure it was to usÂ but was so easily forgotten.

After last year’s Webkinz party at home, we went the other way and hosted a few friends outside and went simple on a take-home gift: One of Abby’s favorite things to eat, dark chocolate. She prefers Scharffen Berger (she’s such a foodie already), but also loves Trader Joe’s dark chocolate. So, we bought a few bars and to dress it up, I took some scrapbook paper and die-cut shapes that coordinated with her favor colors and wrapped the bars. Very simple and cute, just like my kid.

Other thoughtfulÂ ideas:

Giant, decorated sugar cookie that ties into the party theme (i.e. Butterfly cookies from a local bakery for an outdoor or spring themed party or these cookies)
Small cellophane bag of a favorite candy (M&M’s), tied with curling ribbon
Thank you cards with a picture of the guest of honor along with friends.
Picture CD’s of the party
Small bud vases with seasonal flowers

Another candle on her cake (Webkinz birthday theme)

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Juliet Tiu

If I think about too much, it’s almost a heartache how fast Abby has grown. I’m so proud of her.

She’s putting last touches on her Webkinz themed cake for her Webkinz themed birthday party. It was a blast crafting ponchos for all the pets, decorating bags for game prizes, our own homemade Wheel of Wow, Gem Mining and W Shop.