DIY Pastel Colored Denim Refashion

Back in the early spring I bought a mint colored pair of skinny jeans at LOFT.  I loved them, and I wanted another pair in lavender.  I couldn't find quite the shade I wanted so I started thinking to myself, "I'm crafty.  Why not make them myself?"  So I grabbed a pair of jeans I already had on hand that fit well but I never liked the wash, and I bleached them and dyed them purple.  This is what I came up with:

Step 1:  Bleach Your Jeans in a Bleach/Hot Water Mixture

What I can say about this project is that it's not necessarily hard, but it sure takes patience!  I read a lot of tutorials online to try and figure out how long to bleach jeans until they're white and got a lot of conflicting information.  From what I can determine, the amount of time needed to bleach the jeans white varies based on how dark the wash on your jeans is, on what material the denim is made of, etc.  My jeans took about 6 hours to bleach to (almost) white.

The bleach to water ratio also varies from project to project.  I originally tried to use 3 cups of bleach with the water half full in one of those big plastic tubs for soda that you get at Target or Walmart.  This turned out not to be enough bleach, so I kept adding bit by bit until I started to achieve some results.  Also make sure the water you're using is HOT.  It really helps. :)

As your bleaching the jeans, make sure you stir periodically.  The jeans will want to float a bit, so stirring them will make sure they're getting bleached evenly.  Do not use a kitchen utensil--I used my tongs and it ruined them.  Whoops!

One last note about the bleaching process--my jeans never got completely white before the bleach started eating away at the fabric.  They were sort of splotchy and greenish white at this point, but rather than let the bleach eat away at the fabric I decided to remove them.  I was worried this would make them dye unevenly, but it didn't cause any problems.  So get your jeans as white as you can, but don't worry if they're not perfect.

Step 2: Wash Your Jeans

After your jeans are as white as you can get them, run them through a normal wash with soap in your washing machine to wash out the bleach.

Step 3:  Dye Your Jeans

Did you know you're not limited to the colors on the shelf when you choose your dye?  I used the RIT color dye guide to choose my color.  It used just a tiny amount of dye--1/8 tsp. purple and 1/8 tsp royal blue--to get the super light lavender color I was dreaming of.  It may not seem like the dye bath is dark enough if you're dying a pastel color, but resist the urge to add more dye to the bath!  Remember how long it took to get your jeans white?  It only takes 30 minutes to dye your jeans, so worst case you can dye them a shade darker once finished. :)

Once you've chosen your color, mix the dye with hot water and 1 cup salt.  Put your jeans in and stir constantly for 30 minutes.  I set a timer and watched an episode of Pawn Stars while dying my jeans.  The time flew by before I knew it.

Step 4: Give Your Jeans a Final Wash

After your 30 minutes in the dye bath is up, rinse your jeans and put them in your washing machine on a normal cycle with soap.  Dry them, and you're (finally) done! :)

I noticed after I got my jeans out that there were a few boo-boos.  The seams didn't dye as well at the top, so I'll wear the jeans with a longer shirt.  Also, where the bleach ate away at the jeans a little the fabric absorbed more color, but that kind of gives the jeans character.

My final words of wisdom about this project--it's not perfect.  Expect your jeans to have a few flaws, but know that you're getting a trendy piece to add to your wardrobe for a fraction of what you would have paid in the store. (Since I already had these jeans on hand this project cost me about $3 for the dye.)  Don't be intimidated because it really is easy--it just takes a bit of time!  So if you've got some patience, give it a try! :)

Happy crafting!

Key Lime Cupcakes with Vanilla Cool Whip & Pudding Frosting Recipe

This week I helped an old friend celebrate her 25th birthday by baking her some delicious key lime cupcakes.  (I actually used regular limes though.  Shh!  Don't tell!)

I chose a cool whip and vanilla pudding frosting because 1) I've seen everyone ranting and raving about it on Pinterest and 2) I thought the light, airy frosting would be the perfect compliment to such a fruity, summery cake.

I thought the frosting might not hold up well and slide off the cake, but it actually holds up quite nicely.  I guess that's the pudding doing its work. :)

I zested some of the leftover limes and sprinkled it on top to give the cupcakes a little color and extra zing.  They were to die for!  I loved this recipe.

The recipe actually made a little bit extra batter, so I filled a bread pan with the leftovers.  I cut the thin rectangular cake in half and made it into a tiny square layer cake for the birthday girl.  I decorated the top with a half slice of lime.

We took the cake to a local Italian restaurant and enjoyed it with wine after a nice dinner with friends.  The look on my friends face before she blew out the candles says it all.  This is totally why I love crafting, baking, and all things homemade. :)

If you'd like to try the recipe out yourself (which I highly recommend you do!), the recipe is below.  (You can also find the original recipe for the cupcakes at My Madison Bistro here.)  Enjoy!

Key Lime Cupcakes
adapted from Bon Appetit, Sept 2008

1 ¾ cups cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cool unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature)
2 ½ tablespoons key lime juice
1 tablespoon key lime zest
1 drop green food coloring paste
¾ cup buttermilk (room temperature)

Preheat oven to 350*F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

Sift the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt three times, set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on low until it’s softened a bit. Add the sugar and increase the speed to medium. Beat until fluffy, about four minutes. Add one egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lime juice, zest, and food coloring and beat until mixed. (The mixture will look curdled.)

Add the flour in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Mix on low until just combined. Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool completely and frost with cream cheese icing.

Makes 12-14 cupcakes.

Cool Whip Vanilla Pudding Frosting

1 8oz container Cool Whip or whipped topping
1 package Vanilla (or any flavor) instant pudding mix
1 cup milk

In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix with milk.  Whisk until smooth and thickened.  Fold in container of Cool whip until thoroughly mixed.  Spread over cake.

New Slide On Dog Collar Bandanas for Monica

Yesterday we went on a hike and our sweet puppy rolled in dirt, dirt, and more dirt.  When we got home we had to give her a bath, and when I was picking out a fresh bandana for her collar I noticed how raggy and worn most of her bandanas have gotten.  So I used my slide on dog collar bandana pattern and tutorial to create six new, springy ones.

I love this project because you don't have to run out and buy anything new, and it gives you a chance to use up your scrap fabrics.  I had some favorite fabrics that I had barely enough of to do anything with, and this project was perfect for using up the very last of them.

You'll notice that two of the bandanas are smaller than the others.  I experimented with the pattern a little bit to try and make a bigger collar.  I took my clear acrylic ruler that goes with my rotary cutting set and lined it up with the edges of the pattern to add 1 inch to the diagonal sides and 3/4 an inch to he straight/paralell sides.  The result was a bigger bandana--probably the correct size for a corgi or similar sized dog.

If you have a bigger dog, you could probably use the same method but add more inches to the sides to make a bigger pattern.  (Maybe one day I"ll get less lazy and make different patterns for different dog sizes...)

You can see the difference in sizes on the collar below.

Today Monica is sporting a cheery lemon print bandana and she looks super adorable as she sleeps beside me on the couch while I write this post. :)

Have a great end to your weekend and enjoy some fun projects! :)

--CC

Bacon Wrapped Teriyaki Green Bean Bundles

We had these tasty bacon wrapped green bean bundles with our Easter lunch.  I was following a different recipe, but found out I didn't have about half of the ingredients.  Since it was Easter, I improvised and made up my own recipe.  They. Were. Delicious!  So now here I am sharing the recipe with you.  Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Teriyaki Green Bean Bundles

Ingredients

10 Fresh Green Beans per Person
1 Slice Bacon per Person
3 Tablespoons teriyaki Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
Two Tablespoons Butter
Salt to Taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Wash and snap off ends of green bean.  Steam in small sauce pan on medium heat until tender when pierced with a fork (about 5 minutes).  Drain water. Set aside.

3.  While green beans steam, combine teriyaki sauce, black pepper, and onion powder in small saucepan.  Heat on medium 2-3 minutes.  When hot, stir in butter until melted.

4.  Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Lay a slice of bacon on cookie sheet, place 10 green beans in center of bacon slice, and roll up.  Leave seam face down.  Repeat with remaining bacon and green beans.

5.  Place cookie sheet of green beans in oven at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.

6.  Remove green beans from oven and use half of the teriyaki mixture to drizzle over the green bean bundles.  Also sprinkle salt over green beans at this time if desired.  Return to oven for 3 minutes, or until bacon is cooked.

7.  Remove from oven.  Drizzle remainder of teriyaki mixture over green beans.  Serve and enjoy! :)

Happy Easter!

Just popping in to wish everyone a super duper Easter!  We exchanged Easter baskets, shared a nice lunch with our furry animal babies and a close friend, and headed over to the park today.

Have a marvelous rest of your holiday!

Brined chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, bacon wrapped green bean bundles, and Crescent rolls. Green bean recipe to come.

59 Ideas for Simple Adult Easter Baskets

Ever notice that most holidays seem to be geared around kids?  Since I'm in my early twenties and don't have a family of my own yet, I find myself putting a grown-up spin on most holiday traditions.  My fiance and I usually exchange Easter baskets, but this year I also decided to put together an Easter basket for a few co-workers and friends.

My formula for Easter baskets is simple, and I like to keep it around $10.  You need a Chocolate bunny, an Easter candy favorite (like Cadbury Eggs, Peeps, or jelly beans), and a trinket (think classic toys like Pinwheels, Slinky, bubbles, Yo-Yos, etc.).  

For an adult, I like to grab one of the cute spring pails out of the dollar aisle at Target.  Then I stuff the bottom with shredded green paper and nestle in a dark chocolate bunny in place of a milk chocolate one, a traditional Easter candy, some dark chocolates (Dove makes great little purple foil wrapped chocolate eggs).  Trinkets are easy for adults, too, if you just think about what your friend enjoys doing.

I have one friend who posts a lot of pictures of nails on Pinterest, so I gave her a nail polish in a plastic egg (which I got on sale at CVS)...

And a co-worker who loves to garden, so I got a packet of Lavender and a Lavender garden stake for $2.99 at Target.

And sometimes a wind-up chick is just fun. :)

Before you know it you'll have a whole bunch of beautiful Easter baskets! :)

If you need a few more grown up Easter basket ideas, here are a few:

For the Foodie

1. Egg timer
2. Whisk
3. Tea Infuser or Tea Bag Rest
4. Wooden Spoons
5. Loose-leaf tea
6. Novelty kitchen items (shop online here)
7. Mini bottles of wine
8. Package of nuts, pasta, or coffee
9. Spoon rest
10. Use a colander instead of a basket

For the Crafter

1. Knitting Needles
2. Crochet Needle
3. Embroidery thread in plastic eggs
4. Ball of yarn
5. Scrapbooking stickers or stamps
6. Pretty beads in plastic eggs
7. Bundle of charms or fat quarters
8. Spools of thread
9. Colorful buttons in an egg
10. Spools of ribbon/ric-rac

For the Gardener

1. Gardening gloves
2. Pretty spade, trimmers, or hand rake (like this one)
3. Garden Stakes
4. Seed packets
5. Bulbs
6. Mini garden gnomes
7. Mini gazing balls
8. Seed bombs
9. Crystal sun catchers
10. Use a pretty pot or watering can instead of a basket 

For the Fashionista

1. Nail polish in a plastic egg
2. Manicure kits
3. Sleep masks
4. Face mask mix
5. Make-up (eye shadow, lipstick, mascara, eye liner, etc.)
6. Costume Jewelry
7. Make-up brushes
8. Mini soaps/lotions
9. Perfume or body spray

For the Professional

1. Chord organizers
2. iPhone Cables (try to find colorful ones for Easter)
3. USB sticks (they make lots of fun ones these days!)
4. Cute notepads
5. Nice pens or pencils
6. Business card holder
7. Pretty phone case
8. Cuff links
9. Car charger for phones/tablets
10. $5 Sarbucks Gift Card

For the Builder

1. Nails or screws
2. Wood glue
3. Hammer, screw drivers, or wrench
4. Staples for staple gun
5. Measuring tape
6. Level
7. L-Ruler or T-Ruler
8. Stud finder
9. Carpetner Pencils
10. Use a Mason's Bag instead of a basket

French Board 2.0

Back in February, we did a Secret Admirer Valentine exchange at work.  I took pictures of all the valentines I made so that I could share with you here, but apparently forgot.  So here I am now.

The idea of the exchange was to leave little trinkets on your Valentine's desk all week long.  I left cookies and pinwheels and really weird cards to try and throw her off all week long...

...but on the last day I gave her this homemade french board.

Of course, this totally gave away that it was me, since you may remember I made this french board for my own cubicle at work awhile back:

Oh well!  I had a blast making it, and she enjoyed receiving it.  I love the way the colors look together.

This is one of those easy DIY projects that is so satisfying.  You should try it! :)

Thanks for reading!

--CC