Paper Flower Graduation Lei

Tonight my niece is graduating from high school.  Since we are not celebrating her graduation with a party until later in June I wanted to make and give her a little something special.  I'm planning to surprise her with this Paper Graduation Lei, made in her school colors, right after her graduation ceremony when friends and family are all able to go down on the Football field to spend a little time with the graduates before they jet off to their all-night Sober Grad celebration.  I didn't want to spend a bundle on a gift since we will be giving her a little something more at her graduation party in a few weeks, but I also wanted to do something unique and special for her that would stand out among the other grads.  I thought this would be something fun she could wear at her Sober Grad Party and something she could keep as a keepsake of her graduation night.  I had searched Pinterest for ideas and I found several flower leis or candy leis, but those seem to be fairly popular.  I wanted something different.  Since I'm a paper crafter, who loves nothing more than to craft with paper, I started thinking about things I could do with my paper supplies and tools.  That is how I came up with this Paper Flower Lei.

I posted a photo of it on my personal Facebook page and a scrapbook message board I frequent and several friends asked me for the how-to instructions so I decided to write up this quick and simple tutorial.  It really is a super easy craft and if you have all the supplies ready you can whip one out in no time.

Here is what you will need:

At least 2 sheets of 12"x12"  thick cardstock in at least two coordinating colors (I chose black and gold glitter cardstock since my niece's school colors are black and gold)  You will want to use the thick cardstock so that the lei holds up well.  Thinner printed scrapbook paper will not work well for this project since it is something that is going to be worn.

coordinating colored brads (one for each layered blossom)

An electric craft cutter - such as a Silhouette Cameo (that is what I used) or a Cricut and a flower shaped cutting file of your choice, or a flower shaped cutting die that has at least two different sized blossoms and a Big Shot (or similar die cutting machine).

A "Class of 2013" cutting file or similar image (I got my "Class of 2013" file and my blossom file from Silhouette Studios Online Store).  You can also use a die cut, you can make your own, choose a saying or image that fits your occasion or eliminate it all together and use more blossoms.

o rings (I used these 10mm sized rings from Darice)

a small hole punch (just large enough to cut a hole big enough for your jump rings)

paper piercer, Crop-A-Dile Big Bite, or other long reaching small hole punch (or do what I did add the small circle in the center of the flower cutting file and allow your electronic cutter to do the work)

small pliers (to close the o rings)

Directions:

Using your cutting machine of choice cut out 11 large blossoms in your first color.  Then cut out 10 large blossoms in your second color.  Repeat for the smaller size blossoms, 11 of your first color and 10 of your second color.  My larger blossom measured about 2 1/2" and my smaller blossom was about 2" in size.  You can customize yours to fit your needs, but realize you may need more or less blossoms to make the lei your preferred length.

Punch or pierce a small hole in to the center of each blossom.

Using your fingers or a smooth barreled pen roll the petal on each blossom toward the center to give it some dimension. 

Layer a small blossom on top of a large blossom and secure with a brad to hold them together.  Make sure you alternate colors of your small blossom and large blossom so that they are two toned.

Next punch two small holes in the petals of your larger blossom.  Punch one on one petal and then the second on a petal closest to the opposite side of the first hole.

If you are using a "Class of 2013" die cut or similar type image, punch a hole in each side of the die cut and attach an o ring in each hole and then attach a blossom on the o ring on each side before securing them closed with pliers.  Next attach a second o ring to each blossom and again attach a blossom to each side before securing each o ring closed.  Be sure to alternate blossom colors as you go.  Once your lei is the length you like, close the circle by securing the final two blossoms together with an o ring.

There you have it, your very own Paper Flower Lei to give to someone special on their graduation day.

These would make the perfect fun accessory for any number of occasions.  Imagine the bride and bridal party wearing them at a bachelorette party or bridal shower, or the new mommy-to-be wearing one at her baby shower.  Really these would be fun to make and wear for any special party occasion.

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Mini Soda Pumpkin Halloween Treats

I realize this post comes a day late, but maybe it will give you an idea to use for Halloween next year.  I would have loved to post this prior to Halloween, but I didn't get to working on these until just a day or two before the holiday.  Then preparing for our trick-or-treaters (we usually get 700-750 of them) took over my time and I didn't get the chance to post this project before the thirty-first.

We have a few kids who live on our block and my husband and I wanted to give them each an extra special treat this Halloween.  We were looking around Target one day trying to come up with an idea of what we wanted to hand out to these special kids and we came across mini soda cans.  We both thought they would be an unexpected sweet treat and each of the sodas we picked were caffeine free, so we figured even though we would be giving a sugary drink we would be adding to their Halloween candy buzz with the addition of a caffeine filled one.  Being the crafter that I am I began thinking of ways I could dress up these little cans.  That is where, Pinterest, my favorite site for creative inspiration came in to play.  I immediately came home and started searching Pinterest to see if I could find ideas for how to wrap these little babies.  Voilà, I found this cute idea for wrapping cans to look like goofy little pumpkins that was pinned from the blog Craft Goodies.

If you want to make mini wrapped soda cans for your own little ghosts and goblins here is what you will need:

• Mini Soda Cans (8 oz. cans)
• Orange Patterned Cardstock of your choice, cut to 8.75" x 2.5" for each soda can
• Black Cardstock, for the eyes
• White Cardstock, for the eyes
• Green Cardstock, for the leaf
• Brown or Tan Cardstock, for the stem
• Cardstock of your choice, for the name tag
• 1" Round Punch
• 1 1/2" Round Punch
• 1 1/2" Square Punch, or cut squares to 1 1/2" for the stem
• Leaf Punch (I used Stampin' Up's Blossom Petals Xl Punch)
• Craft Scissors
• Black Pen
• White Pen
• Terrifically Tacky Tape or Scor-Tape
• Permanent Adhesive (I prefer the Tombo Mono Adhesive permanent adhesive tape runner)
• Round Scallop Punch or Oval Scallop Punch, for the name tag
• Hole Punch
• Ribbon

Directions:

Cut your orange paper down to size to fit your soda can.  For the mini 8 oz. cans I used a paper cut to 8.75" long by 2.5" wide.  Apply Tacky Tape or Scor-Tape to the back side of the paper  on each end width-wise going from edge to edge.  Remove the backing from the adhesive on one end of your paper and attach it to the can carefully lining up the paper with the edges of the can (once that adhesive is stuck, it is STUCK), then wrap the paper around the can snugly, remove the paper backing covering the adhesive on the other end and adhere it to the can.  The paper will overlap a bit at the seam.  Next you will cut out a 1 1/2" square from your brown or tan cardstock and then using scissors trim away a bit of the paper on each side to make the shape for the stem.  Using your black pen outline the stem and then add a few lines to the stem to accent it to look like bark.  Use Tacky Tape or Scor-Tape to attach the stem to the can.  Now punch out a leaf using your leaf punch and then outline and accent it with black ink.  Attach the leaf to the can using your permanent adhesive.  Then punch out two black 1" circles and two white 1 1/2" circles for the eyes.  Using your white pen add a little accent mark to each of the black circles.  Using your black marker, make small "stitch" marks all the way around each white circle.  Using your permanent adhesive attach one black circle to each white circle.  There you have your eyes!  Attach your eyes to the can with a small bit of Tacky Tape or Scor-Tape.  Using your black pen draw the mouth of your choice onto the orange paper and add small accent marks or dots aroud the eyes to give your little pumpkin some character.  If you want to add a name tag to your can you can punch out a round scallop or an oval scallop shape and then punch a hole on one end with a hole punch.  Add the name of your choice.  Cut a piece of ribbon about 6" in length and then slip one end under the tab of the soda can.  Attach your name tag to the ribbon and tie off in a knot.  Trim the edges of your ribbon if it is a bit too long.  There you have it!

If you have some little ones who are still a bit too young for candy and soda you can also apply this idea to other treats more suitable for their age.  We have one little guy in our neighborhood who just turned 1 year old a few months ago, so I decided to give him a Gerber Graduates instead of soda.

The directions above for the mini cans also pretty much apply to the Gerber Graduates containers, but because the Gerber Graduates are a bit soft and squishy I found it easier to make the orange paper just a tad wider than the container and wrap the paper around it vertically rather than horizontally.  I believe my paper was 12" in length by about 5" wide.  Attach the paper to the container using Tacky Tape or Scor-Tape and decorate according to the directions above.

Now next year you can enjoy giving your favorite trick-or-treater an extra special Halloween treat.

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Recipe Saturday - Blueberry Banana Bread

I'm going to attempt to make Saturdays a day for posting new or favorite recipes.  The following is a recipe I recently tried out and both my husband and I loved it.  This one is definitely going in to my Family Recipes folder for future use.

This bread was so very easy to make and absolutely delicious!  I'm craving some as I type and wishing I had the blueberries and bananas in the house so I could bake some tonight. 

Tip:

The only down side to making this is that it does take a bit of planning ahead of time if you do not regularly keep bananas in the house, as most bananas are not yet ripe enough to use when you first bring them home from the store.  I purchased a set of cheap brown paper lunch bags at the local Dollar Tree to use and help speed up the ripening process on my bananas.

Just place your bananas in the brown paper bag, close tightly and set it out of your way on the counter for a couple of days.  Check your bananas daily and they can ripen quite fast using this method.  If you happen to have an apple handy, placing an apple in the bag with the bananas will also help to speed the ripening process.  Apples emit ethylene gasses which helps to speed the ripening process of certain fruits such as bananas.


Blueberry Banana Bread

Original recipe by Sandy Flick found on Allrecipes.com .  I have altered this recipe by changing up some of the ingredients and adding a few of my own ingredients to give it my own special touches.

These were excellent and make a great quick breakfast or dessert.  This bread would also be a fabulous quick and easy gift for someone special.  Just wrap a loaf in cellophane tied with a beautiful bow and top it off with a home made gift tag.


Ingredients

Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Dash of cinnamon (I use Pampered Chef’s Cinnamon Plus)
½ cup butter flavored shortening
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 medium ripe bananas. Mashed
1 cup fresh blueberries

 Streusel Topping (optional)

¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon of cinnamon (or Pampered Chef’s Cinnamon Plus)
2 tablespoons of cold butter
¼ cup chopped pecan nuts (or walnuts)


Directions

In a bowl combine all ingredients for Streusel Topping, except chopped nuts.  Cut butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter until the butter is well incorporated and the ingredients are crumbly.  Add the nuts to the mixture and fold to mix in.  Set aside in a cold refrigerator until ready to use.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together shortening and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.  Beat in bananas (I just slice bananas and then beat them until mashed in the Kitchen Aide mixer).  Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until combined.  Fold in blueberries.

Pour into three greased 5-¾ in. x 3 in. x 2 in. loaf pans.  Sprinkle Streusel Topping on the top of each loaf.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue to bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire rack.

Note:

I used mini Bundt pans and baked for approximately 20 minutes at 350 degrees and an additional 10 minutes at 325 degrees and these came out perfectly.  Muffin tins would also work great for this recipe, but you may need to adjust time as needed for your particular pans.

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