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11.25.2014

Tutorial Tuesday!

Banana Fluffernutter Pie:


Pumpkin Spice Frappe:


Please... (this is the part at the end of the commercial when the announcer talks real fast)

* Link up using the link to your actual post (not your general blog address) using the subject of your tutorial to generate  interest.

* Add my button or a clickable link back to this post so everyone can join in.

* Visit and comment with all our friends. Show them some love! Meet some new friends! Learn something new!


Ready? Teach Me Stuff!


Hope Studios

11.24.2014

DIY Cheap, Easy Christmas Cards!


I just finished making my Christmas Cards for this season and wanted to teach you how to do the same.  It's super easy and waaaay cheaper to do this yourself rather than order from the pricey companies out there.

DIY Christmas Cards

Instructions:

Choose your favorite photo or photos

Upload to your favorite photo editing program (photoshop, or the free online site PicMonkey.com)

Resize your photo to 5x7 inches 

Using filters and editing tools make your photo super special.

Add text using the text tools by clicking the text button - Say whatever you want to say in whatever font you love!

Save photo to your computer.

Upload photo to your favorite photo processing site and order 5x7 prints in a matte finish (I ordered mine through Sharpprints.com).

Buy card-sized envelopes (5 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches).

Mail out to all your friends!

I just ordered 60 prints for about $30 and found envelopes for $10 per 50 pack (I found mine at Walmart.com ship-to-store). 

So that makes less than $50 for all my cards this year!

11.20.2014

$5 Kitchen iPad Stand - 2 Ways!


I don't know about you, but I have a whole stack of cookbooks I rarely use anymore.  Just about everything I use I have saved on Pinterest (God help me if Pinterest ever goes away - my family will starve!)

I've seen these iPad stands in some of the catalogs I've gotten in the mail and wanted to try to reproduce it on the cheap.  I found an 8x11 inch bamboo cutting board for $3.99 at Marshall's and some blocks from my kids' stash and knew I could do it. 


Under $5 sound good to you?

$5 iPad Stand

Supplies:

8x11 inch cutting board
Triangle shaped wooden block
Long, thin wooden block, about 4x1/3 inches (this is part of a Lincoln Log set, but anything with these general dimensions would work)
Wood glue
Paint (optional)

Begin by gluing the blocks into place, the triangle on the back will serve as a stand and the long thin block will serve as a mini shelf for your device:


Functionally, your stand is usable as soon as the glue dries, but to make it pretty try some paint!

I started with an undercoat of black:

Then covered it with a topcoat of ivory.  I added some kitchen-y words and sanded the top down until some of the black peeked through - especially on the corners:


I made this one as a gift then made a second one for myself out of a $5 chalkboard from Hobby Lobby and the stand up back I removed from a picture frame glued the the back:






I ended up with an iPad stand that doubles as a Menu Board...Tada!


11.17.2014

Tutorial Tuesday!

Market Bag (Crochet Pattern):


Cherry Pie Moonshine:


20 Popcorn Recipes:




 Please... (this is the part at the end of the commercial when the announcer talks real fast)

* Link up using the link to your actual post (not your general blog 

address) using the subject of your tutorial to generate  interest.

* Add my button or a clickable link back to this post so everyone can join in.

* Visit and comment with all our friends. Show them some love! Meet some new friends! Learn something new!

Ready? Teach Me Stuff!




Hope Studios



11.14.2014

Hope Studios - The Shop Update


I have been busy with holiday orders already this month!  Check out some of the orders that have already shipped...


I love to hear the stories that customers share when ordering...  Here is one of my Affirmation Mirrors a friend ordered for another friend coming out of cancer treatment:


Wedding gifts...


A frame to announce a new pregnancy to a brother...


Song lyrics...


Pregnancy announcement for a grandmother...


Do you have a memory or event you want to share with me?  Contact me and I can come up with a way to memorialize it on a frame, plaque or mirror in my Hope Studios Shop!

11.11.2014

Tutorial Tuesday!

Thanksgiving Side Dishes:



 Please... (this is the part at the end of the commercial when the announcer talks real fast)

* Link up using the link to your actual post (not your general blog 

address) using the subject of your tutorial to generate  interest.

* Add my button or a clickable link back to this post so everyone can join in.

* Visit and comment with all our friends. Show them some love! Meet some new friends! Learn something new!

Ready? Teach Me Stuff!




Hope Studios



11.10.2014

Bananas That Last


I tried the banana tip I have seen several times online - wrap the stem end of the banana bunch with plastic wrap to slow the ripening process....

It worked!  I would say that though my bananas continued to soften, they stayed yellow twice as long!  Pinterest winner!

11.04.2014

Tutorial Tuesday!

Caramel Apple Cider:



 Please... (this is the part at the end of the commercial when the announcer talks real fast)

* Link up using the link to your actual post (not your general blog 

address) using the subject of your tutorial to generate  interest.

* Add my button or a clickable link back to this post so everyone can join in.

* Visit and comment with all our friends. Show them some love! Meet some new friends! Learn something new!

Ready? Teach Me Stuff!




Hope Studios



11.02.2014

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes


I saw a recipe for Cinnamon Bun Pancakes on Pinterest a few weeks ago and finally tried it.  I was sorely disappointed in the outcome, but with a few tweaks, I was able to come up with something delicious!

The original recipe called for a cinnamon mixture to be swirled on top of pancake batter then flipped to cook the other side.  When I tried it, the cinnamon butter mixture melted and spread all over the pan and instantly burned.  Each batch was a messy brown color and the pan had to be cleaned between batches to remove the burned sugar!  Nope.

I decided to use my own foolproof pancake recipe, add the cinnamon swirl and cream cheese frosting. I changed the cooking method to preserve the lovely cinnamon-y swirls and avoid cleaning the pan so often.  Let me know what you think...

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

Pancake:
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp oil

cinnamon swirl:
4 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon


Icing:
4 Tbsp butter
2-oz softened cream cheese 

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


To make the pancake batter, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine milk, egg, and oil. Add milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Batter will be a bit lumpy.

Heat your pan on med-hi.  Add a bit of oil to the hot pan, then wipe excess oil out of pan with a paper towel.

While the pan is heating, combine the cinnamon swirl ingredients and place in a ziploc baggie.  Cut the corner from the bag so you can pipe the mixture onto the pancakes.

Add batter to hot pan then squeeze the cinnamon mixture over the top in big swirls, taking care to keep away from the edges.   When you see bubbles begin to pop on the surface of the pancake it's time to flip....not so fast!


To keep the lovely swirl and avoid the burned sugar, instead cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid allowing the top of the pancake to steam until cooked through:


Once the batter is set on top, remove the pancake to a plate.

Combine the cream cheese icing ingredients and drizzle over the top.  Serve hot!


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