Crapty Paper Fortune Cookie Advent Calendar

Can you believe that tomorrow is the first of December!  Aiyah!  How quickly the time flies.

I love advent calendars.  I don't know why, but there's something immensely satisfying about moving a little figure from one day to the next.

We own one small felt snowman advent calendar, but I wanted to try making my own out of crap.  (Why?  Why not!  I love crapting.  There's just something immensely satisfying about transforming garbage and recyclables into something beautiful.)

I've always loved eating fortune cookies. (They're the best part about eating Chinese food!) So, I made my advent calendar look like paper fortune cookies.  Unlike their doughy counterparts, these fortune cookies don't contain traditional cookie wisdom.  Instead, each holds a Christmas-y activity that our family can do together or a way that we can serve others. Each cookie also holds a bible verse.

Hopefully these paper treats will help put us in the right frame of mind this holiday season.

Want to make your own paper fortune cookie advent calendar? Read on!

Materials:
- paper grocery bags (<--crap!)
- scissors
- cup
- pen
- computer paper
- glue stick
- gold paint
- paintbrush
- string
- tape
- Bible Advent verses

Directions:
1)  Trace and cut out 24 circles.

 2)  Write down fun Christmas-y activities or different ways you can serve others onto the circle's backs.

 3)  Make your fortune cookies!  Fold your circle in half, making sure your writing is on the inside.

 4)  While still holding your half circle, use your other hand crease the circle like so.  (Thumb and middle finger on the edge while your pointer finger gently applies pressure and creases the paper.)

 5)  Keep applying pressure until you have your fortune cookie shaped.

 6)  To keep the paper in this shape, you'll now need to let go of the paper and dab glue onto center crease. (Or you can use one of those glue dots... but I'm cheap so I just used my glue stick.)

 7)  Now, refold your fortune cookie.  Apply a bit of pressure to where the glue is to make sure both fortune cookie "arms" (no idea what  they're called) stick together.  Insert a bobby pin inside the "arms" so that they remain sticking together until the glue dries.

 8)  Repeat the process to create the rest of your fortune cookies.

9)  Come back 24 hours later.  (Or earlier if you wish.  I just waited to make sure the glue was dried.)  Paint half of the fortune cookie gold.  While waiting for the paint to dry, write out your bible verses and corresponding numbers on thin slips of paper.

9)  Once your paint dries, tape the slips of paper into the fortune cookies.

10)  I wasn't sure how to string the cookies up, so I created small loops out of leftover paper and taped them to the inside of the fortune cookies.) String up your cookies and enjoy!

Give Thanks Poem (Illustrated)

So I took the plunge and tried creating illustrations to go with my "Give Thanks" poem.  Instead of taking the traditional paper and pen route that I used for my Tulip Time Book, this time I tried my hand at digital art.

Poem Book


Special thanks to hubby for helping me to figure out how to convert my .blah blah files to another set of .blah blah files so that I could ultimately compress them into .what-the-heck-is-happening-my-computer-is-freezing-again files.   (As you can tell, I'm quite computer savvy... ehhh... not really.)

Dancing again

Someone's dancing again....


PB247837 from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

Hubby turns a sweater into a hat

Last winter hubby bought me a beautiful mustard yellow sweater.  I loved it so much.  Even though it was slightly too big for me, I kept it because I loved the color.

Fast forward one year later and I still had not worn it.  I tried pairing it with different things, but the fit was always slightly off.  Instead of giving the sweater away, hubby and I cut the sweater up and upcycled it into a hat.

We measured the circumference of my head, and then divided that number by 2 (a).  Then, we measured the distance from the top of my head to my ears (b*).  Using those two measurements we chalked out the outline of a hat (the width being "a" and the height being "b").  After some quick pinning, hubby sewed everything up and voila, I had a new mustard colored hat.

(Embarrassing fact: What? Is Leslie wearing a hat?  Yes, it is a strange sight.  I typically don't wear hats because my ginormous head is so large that it never fits any of the hats in the store.)

(*Side note:  I think the next time I would have made the hat a bit taller.  It just reaches my ears, so it would have been nice to have a bit more room up there.)

And since we had a bit of extra material hubby quickly whipped up another hat for a slightly smaller noggin.

Yup.  Because sometimes Baby Chuck and I like getting all matchy matchy like that.

(By the way-  Thank you all for voting for my crapty reindeer head!  I was one of the top 6 and moved onto the final round of the competition.  So, if  you have another spare moment, would you please vote for my reindeer head at the Totally Green Contest? Thanks so much for your support!)

Cakesgiving

Are you more of a sweet or savory person?

I've always been a savory type of gal.  I like eating sweets occasionally, but I always have room in my tummy for salty snacks.

(By the way, sorry hubby for devouring that bag of chips the other day.)

Anyway, back to this post.  This Thanksgiving (which shall hereafter be called "Cakesgiving"), everything changed.  Our aunt (yah, the same one that made Chuck's Hungry Caterpillar cake) fully embraced our new dietary restrictions and made a gluten-free triple layer carrot-cheesecake-carrot cake.

Oh.
My.
Goodness.

One bite and I felt myself leaving my body and floating away to sugar heaven.

Carrot cake?  Ooh yeah, it was delicious and moist.
Cheesecake center?  Um, yes please.  It's was creamy with just a bit of tang.
And that cream cheese frosting?  To.  Die.  For.

(Just thinking about that cake now makes my toes curl.)

I never got a chance to get the recipe.  Rats.  But fortunately, I did take tons of photos of her making it.  (This was me "helping" out with Thanksgiving preparations.)  So, dear reader, I present to you some delicious cake photos.

(Warning- If you're on a diet or thinking about going on a diet, please avert your eyes.  Read another post.  Take a walk.  Eat a rice cake.  Just turn away and don't look at the photos.)
  

Ooh, mix it!

Yeah, crack those eggs...

Ooh, sugar...

Softened cream cheese... yuuuuuuuum....

Take a whiff.  Can you smell it?  Yup, that's warm carrot cake fresh from the oven...

I'm totally drooling.  Oh baby, whisk that icing!

Oh. My.  Goodness.   My pulse just quickened...

Ack.  My toes are curling. 

If only they I had taste-o-vision.  Then I could reach in and take one more delicious bite. 

It was really the best cake I've ever had.
Ever.
Ever ever.


Phew.

I don't know about you, but it's time for me to cool myself off with a nice cold glass of milk.

Happy (yummy) Monday!