picture frame tray

one picture frame...two door knobs or drawer handles...a piece of fabric or fancy paper...a few tools...that's it what you need to repurpose a picture into a beautiful serving or decorating tray.

sounds easy...and it really is.

the good thing is, that you can easily change the design of the tray, so it matches every table set up, anytime...just change the fabric or paper inside.


...nice to see in my post, because  i replaced  the flowerly brown fabric with a snake skin placemat , before i even got the chance to publish this post.

 

this is what you need

- picture frame

- two door knobs or drawer handles

- fabric or decorative paper

- electric drill

- bolts

- screwdriver

- ruler

- pen

- nails

- hammer

- scissors

- stapler

this is what you have to do

- disassemble picture frame

- remove backing board of the frame and the glass

- place the frame on our working surface, facing the front side up

 

 - meassure frame from top to bottom

 

 

- make a pencil marking in the middle of the frame on both sides

- drill a hole through the centre of the markings

- repeat on the other side

- feed the bolt through the drilled hole in the backside of the frame

- screw the bolt into the base of the handles until tight

- repeat on the other side of the frame

-if necessary, knock in two nails

- cut fabric to the size of the inside board of the picture frame

- ensure to choose a beautiful extract of the fabric

- staple the fabric to the paper board

- the staples need to be at the edge of the board, so they won't be visible inside the tray

- return the glass and place the fabric inside the frame

- place the backing board back into the frame and secure it

and here i got the  inspiration for this project

http://www.theprettyblog.com/2012/06/diy-serving-tray-a-little-sunshine-to-brighten-up-a-winters-day/

woohooo...whoopie pies

...whoopie pies...tiny, sweet, yummy...and black and white...how could i resist...there are so many recipes...and it wasn't easy to make up my mind...i chose one with butter creme filling instead of the traditional marshmalllow creme filling...and no regrets at all...i am in love...you have to try them yourself...

this is what you need

 

dough

- 1 cup flour plus 2 tablespoon flour

- pinch of salt

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1 egg yolk

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1/2 teaspoon natron

- 1/4 cup hot water

- 1/4 cup buttermilk

filling

- 1 cup icing sugar

- 2 tablespoon softened butter

- 2 tablespoon cream

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

- pinch of salt

this is what you have to do

 

dough

 

- preheat oven to 350 degrees

- cover two cookie sheets with baking paper

- combine flour, cacao powder and salt

- beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy

- add vanille and the egg and beat until combined

- dissolve natron in the hot water in a separate bowl

- slowly add the flour mixture, the buttermilk and the natron water alternately. starting and ending with flour

- scoop out dough on the cookie sheet

- flatten them with your hand

- bake them about 6 minutes 

- the pies are ready when the surfaces is slightly cracked

- let them cool down

filling

- beat together butter and icing sugar

- add vanilla, salt,cream and vanille extract

- mix until the filling has reached the consistency you prefer

whoopie pies

- put filling on half of the pies 

- place the other halves on top of the pies and press gently

-  and here we go ... whoopie pies...woohoo...!!!

- enjoy...!!!

the original recipe in german will be found here

http://miris-kitchen.blogspot.de/2011/10/whoopie-pies.html

letter pillows

...such a beautiful project...and on top of my to-do-list for quite some time...waiting for the right occasion.

the christening of my youngest nephew lenny...seamed to be perfect...and the letter "L" seamed to be manageable...and luckily it worked quite well.

...just to be on the save side and to avoid any jealousy...i made a pillow for his older brother mika, too...but honestly the letter "M"was a bit more challenging and did not turn excatly the way i wanted to.

...the best tutorial for letter pillows is published from doris in her blog mamaskram...which made me refrain from making my own...it is in german, but as it contains a lot of pictures...it is easy to follow.

http://mamaskram.blogspot.de/2010/06/anleitung-fur-buchstaben-kissen.html

faux gumball machine

...so cute...so easy to make and so inexpensive...these faux gumball machines make great give-aways, party food accessories or just simply home decoration.

i've seen sooo many inspiring diy gumball machine tutorials all over the web and just had to do my very own version, matching all other party decoration thingies, i made already...and still planning to do.

...my favorite hammer blow effect spray paint is of course an essential part of this project...i just love it...

 

this is what you need

- terracotta pot

- terracotta saucer

- glass bowl

- round wooden ball

- wooden half balls

- hot glue pistol

- spray paint hammer blow effect

this is what you have to do

- attach the wooden ball with hot glue to the bottom of the saucer

 

 

- glue the half balls to one side of the terracotta pot             

                                                                        

- spraypaint the terracotta pot as well as the saucer carefully

- hot glue the  glass bowl to the base of the terracotta pot

 

                                                                    

 

- fill the gumball machine with candies

this is what inspired me:

http://www.karaspartyideas.com/2011/05/diy-tutorial-make-your-own-bubble-gum.html