A tart treat...

This was my July 4th dessert!...Pink Lemonade cupcakes....not very patriotic, but a perfect summer treat!  I saw the cake mix at Target the other day...I think baking cakes/cupcakes from scratch is pretty silly when you have easy box cakes that are just as moist and delicious.  But, I refuse to use can frosting...I think they should be banned from the stores.

 

This frosting was easy, tart, and delicious!  Believe it or not, I couldn't find a recipe for pink lemonade icing that I really loved...so I just made up my own.  Here's what you'll need:

1 stick of butter

1 block of cream cheese

4 cups of powdered sugar

1/3 pkg of pink lemonade drink mix envelope

 

I blended the butter and cream cheese together, then the pink lemonade crystals...and then the powdered sugar.  If the frosting is still to tart...just keep adding powdered sugar until you are satisfied with tartness/sweetness.

 

Celebrating the red, white, and blue...

 I didn't make this myself...It was actually a gift from one of my co-workers.  I thought it was really cute and festive though...so I asked her how she made it.  Basically...she put the rice in bowls and dropped a few drops of food color into each bowl and then layered the rice into mason jars. Easy. Breezy.  What I like about this is that you could basically do it for every holiday...orange, yellow and white for Halloween, green white and red for Christmas, red, white, and pink for Valentines...etc, etc!  So, thanks Tandy...for this July 4th inspired craft!...and stay tuned for some 4th inspired recipes this week!

It's not so much about the Present...as it is the Presentation!

I was invited to go to a baby shower this past weekend.  I get more requests to decorate showers than I do to actually attend them.  So, I was very excited to go to this one.  I typically try to flex my creative muscles a bit and try to come up with some clever/creative way to package my gift.  This time, In  enlisted the assistance of my friend, Sonia.

She sent me a link to a very ingenious idea...creating a closet for baby clothes as the gift's packaging.  I instantly loved it.  But the picture on just the link wasn't very cute (they just left the brown box as is)...and the how to was unnecessarily complicated.  So, I thought I'd create my own "How To" right here:

Here's what you need:
A sturdy box that is both wide enough and long enough to fit your outfits
Shelf paper
Wooden knobs

I stood the box up length-wise and cut the shorter lids (or flaps) of the box.  So I was only working with two flaps which would become the doors to my closet.  Lining the box with shelf paper is probably the easiest and cheapest way to change the color of your box.  This avoids messy glue or dealing with too much tape.  I embellished with scrapbook paper which I had cut in circles for a previous project.  You can embellish in a variety of ways...(just flex those creative muscles!)

I found the perfect wooden knobs at Wal-Mart in  the craft section.  There were several in a package for maybe a dollar or two.  I decided to paint the knobs to match my embellishment...and then hot glue them on the "closet doors."  Afterwards, I hung a little sign from the knobs which I constructed with scrapbook paper and stickers. 

Now for the inside...if you want to get fancy,you can line the inside as well.  I decided NOT want to get fancy. ;)  The original how to said to purchase a closet rod and saw off to size.  I thought that was silly...because a gift wrapping roll is perfect for the project and much easier to work with.  I cut it to size and wedged it in the box...there was no need to glue it in or anything!  Then I hung the real gifts inside.

Yes, it takes a little bit more time and effort than sticking your gift in a bag with tissue...but, it's worth it to hear the "awwwww's"...afterall, shower gifts are 50% present and 50% presentation!

First...here's a picture of the completed project...



 

And the inside...