Mini Magnetic Corkboard

~Heather also blogs at HEATHER LESSITER and The Fat Bottomed Girl.~

I've been needing a corkboard in my kitchen for some time now. Everytime I venture into the office supply aisle in the stores, which is often and you women know what I mean, I get into a debate with myself over the corkboards. What size do I need? Where will I put it? Will anyone besides me even use the thing?

Then, one day I was sloooooowly making my way through our local craft store (I just can't rush through the craft store, you know), and I spotted the most adroable 4-packs of cork coasters and it hit me! I can make a mini corkboard, see if anyone uses it and make more if they do! We could each have our own mini corkboard!!!

Oh the joyful thoughts of my kiddos leaving me loving notes on my corkboard! Okay, maybe not exactly, but I can dream can't I? Anyways, the board turned out so very cute and it was really easy to make!

Materials needed:
2 cork coasters
Tacky glue
Ribbon (optional)
Paint or paint pens (optional)
Magnets

Directions:
Begin by smearing a thin layer of tacky glue on one side of each coaster. Put the two sides together like a sandwich and press down on them for a good 30 to 45 seconds to get the glue to grip. Wipe any excess glue that squishes out with a damp cloth. Place a book or something else flat and heavy on top while the glue dries.

Allow the board to dry about an hour before decorating. I decorated mine with paint on the front and I glued a ribbon scrap around the edges for a pretty touch. I'm sure you can think of many more ways to decorate these up.

Allow your paint and glue to dry about 6 hours before attaching the magnets of your choice to the back. I used peel and stick business card magnets and trimmed them to fit the back.

Stick your push-pins in and you're all set!

Guest Post - How to make a hot plate

Kimahn from Oh!! I like that!! shares a tutorial with us today on how to make your own hot plate. Kimahn's blog is full of pretty useful thing. Be sure to stop by.



So I had this idea to make flat marbles into a hot plate.. But Mark (my beloved) said that he thought someone had already done that! I dared not look!! So to me, this is as original as can be :P

Here we go..

Materials...

• A base for your hot plate. I used a rectangular piece of wood. (I would have used a circular shape if I had one.)
• Paper and Pens. I decided to draw my own designs. You can of course use paper with a pattern on it ready for you to cut.
• A circle hole punch the size of the flat base of the marbles. Or scissors will do the job.
  
• Glue. Use a silicon based glue, as this is great for using on glass.
  
• Flat Glass Marble. I used 48. (I also unintentionally ordered clear glass marbles that have an iridescent look to them. This wasn't my plan, but it kind of looks good anyway - so just make sure you get what you want)

1. Prepare the Paper Circles...



If you decide to draw your designs, make sure you make a few extra for mistakes you might make.



I decided to do a Paris love theme.. about a year ago, my husband proposed to me in Paris on the Arch de Triumph.. oh sweet memories!

2. Glue the paper circles to the marbles...






I experimented with a few different ways for the gluing process, and found it was easier to put a dab of glue on the paper and press the marble down on top. This way you can see where the glue is spreading and push the glue where it needs to go.

3. Prepare the Base...



You don't have to paint the base, but I thought a red would compliment the red highlights I made in my images.

Once the paint has dried, simply glue the marbles in place!!

And...

Voila!!



Alternatives...




(obviously hadn't put the marbles on yet!)



This was made using small wooden buttons. I actually really like this one! And over time you might get nice brown burn marks on the tops of the buttons for a loving used effect.

So there we have it! Try it yourself. It's a great craft to do with a friend, and one that you will be able to use most days!

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Or the Easiest Birthday Cake I've ever Made.

This "recipe" may not quite be made from scratch, but every busy mom needs a few easy cheats once in awhile. And when your son asks for something so incredibly easy for his birthday cake, this busy mom is happy to oblige.

This cake is so easy, and is really quite delicious. If you can find ice cream sandwiches on sale, like we did, it is also pretty economical to make.

You need:
14 ice cream sandwiches
1 large tub of whipped cream
12 crushed Oreos

In a 9x13 pan make a single layer of ice cream cakes to cover the bottom of the pan. I cut one in half to fill the pan.



Spread half the tub of whipped cream on top of the ice cream cakes. Make a second layer of ice cream cakes on top of the whipped cream. Cover with remaining whipped cream, and sprinkle Oreos on top. Put in the freezer to refreeze. To make cutting easier, remove from freezer twenty minutes before serving.




Thanks to Deena for this great idea!

Carnival #125

Our hostess for this week's carnival is It's Frugal Being Green. Lots of delicious recipes this week, a clever craft, and an unusual way to use coffee. You'll have to go check them all out for yourself, but some of my favorites from the carnival include:

Zucchini Strudel
This is a fabulous recipe. Not that I'm biased toward this recipe or anything. *wink*

Plarn Backpack
Another fabulously creative and useful creation from Cindy!

Sour Cherry Ketchup
Sounds interesting and delicious!

Next week the carnival will be right here! Please submit your made from scratch posts via the Blog Carnival form!

Banana Strudel Muffins

I apologize for the delayed post. Hubby had back surgery last week PLUS my two step sons are in town from Indiana so it's been a very busy week! This is a simple and tasty recipe using ingredients you're likely to have on hand. With four boys and a recovering husband in the house, simple and tasty are the keys to my sanity!

Muffin Ingredients

1 1/2 cup Self Rising Flour

3 Mashed Bananas

3/4 cup Granulated Sugar

1 Egg Lightly Beaten

1/3 cup Melted Butter

Strudel Topping Ingredients

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

2 tbs Self Rising Flour

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1 tbs Butter or Margarine

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 and line muffin pan with muffin cups or grease with cooking spray.
2. Sift sugar and flour together.
3. Mix egg and mashed bananas till all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
4. Fill each muffin cup about half way with batter.
5. Make Strudel Topping by combining all dry ingredients then cutting in butter till crumbly.
6. Sprinkle topping generously over muffin batter.
7. Bake 18-20 minutes till toothpick comes out clean.

Jenn's Tips: To mash banana without the mess, squeeze the banana with the skin on till mushy (peel will start to break away) then, squeeze mushed banana from peel directly into dry ingredients. Modify recipe to make loaves or use a bundt pan (be sure to sprinkle topping in bundt first since it will be inverted when done).

Read Jenn's other recipe and craft ideas at Frugal Front Porch.

Sponge Ball Toy

~Heather also blogs at HEATHER LESSITER/It's All for the Best and The Fat Bottomed Girl.~

(Sorry this post is so late! We had to celebrate a special little niece's birthday today! Happy Birthday, Audrey!)

This easy and fun toy is a quick make-it-yourself project. I have to confess that I got the idea straight from the latest issue of Family Fun Magazine, but once you see them, you'll know why we just had to try them out.

The sponge balls are made by cutting standard kitchen sponges (right out of the package and still slightly damp) lengthwise into 5 strips about 1/2inch wide each. Lay 15 of the strips over a piece of string while keeping the strips centered over the string so your ball will be even. Tie the string very tightly and double or triple knot it. Cut the loose ends off of the string and fluff the ball so it is rounded.

Use these balls in place of water balloons by giving each child/team a bucket of water. Think of it, no filling and tying tiny water balloons, no picking up broken balloons for days and they are totally reusable! I can also see these being a great bath or pool toy!

When the Jam Doesn't Set

It is full on blackberry season here. We've been picking a lot of mornings. Picking berries is the kids' summer money making project. They pick them to sell to friends and family. By all the scratches on my hands and arms I have to wonder who really is doing most of the picking.

Anyway, I did manage to keep a few quarts of berries for myself already. The first thing I made was jam. We love blackberry jam, and I often use it as gifts too. My first batch of jam of the season, and I couldn't wait to dig in.

I listened as eight lovely half pint lids pinged to let me know they had sealed. I waited until the jam had cooled, picked up a jar, and was greatly disappointed.

It didn't set.

I can't remember the last time I had jam not set. I am not sure what went wrong, but I do know I have a lot of very sweet berries that are way to thin to call jam. What to do?

There is a procedure included in the pectin box for remaking unset jam. It involves dissolving pectin, reboiling the jam, and filling into new jars. What a hassle! I've decided to make do and consider the jars blackberry sauce instead of jam.

We discovered that the blackberry sauce is fabulous over stuffed French toast. Simply make French toast as you normally do. We keep it simple; eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. After you've cooked it take two pieces and spread cream cheese between them. Then top with blackberry sauce. It was so good!

I have other plans for this wonderful sauce. It will make an excellent topping for ice cream, cheesecake, angel food cake, pound cake, pancakes, or any other sweet treat where you would use a fruit sauce or syrup.

I think I just make be happy about my jam not setting.