zakka life

Interview with Grover from Sesame Street

2008-07-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Before you watch this video I have to warn you, I look ridiculously awkward and nervous in it. I'm like some giggly teenage girl meeting Brad Pitt for the first time. Yet in reality I'm a 30 year old grown woman being interviewed by Grover, sigh.

This was taped at the BlogHer 08 Conference. There was a Sesame Street room where attendees were given the chance to be videoed with either Grover or Abby Cadabby. So really, how could I pass up such an opportunity?

Make Guitar Picks out of Gift Cards

2008-07-21T15:57:00.001-07:00

Last week I was out in the city(San Francisco) shopping when I came across a green guitar pick. It reminded me of the green that Starbucks uses for their logo. And at that moment it occurred to me you could probably make a guitar pick out of a gift card. I would say the gift card is roughly the same thickness as a .80mm guitar pick. This is a super easy project for even the craft challenged.

Supplies
Guitar Pick
Pen
Gift Card
Heavy duty scissors (I used our Joyce Chen kitchen scissors, please don't tell my husband)
Light weight sand paper

1. Place your guitar pick on the gift card and trace around it with a pen (refer to picture).

2. Cut out with scissors. Make sure to keep your scissors at a 90 degree angle with the gift card to get a smooth cut. If your scissors are slanted when cutting the edges will be rough.

3. Sand edges of pick with a light weight sand paper.

Done!

Teriyaki Salmon with Wasabi Sauce

2008-07-18T03:00:00.000-07:00

I took this picture just before we ate dinner. My family was sitting at the table patiently waiting for me to bring out the food. So you could imagine their surprise when I walked right past them and set it by the window to take this picture. What can I say, if you live here, this is what you have to deal with. Anyhow, lately this dish has been in heavy rotation at our house so I thought I would share it with you. It's one of those recipes that's easy to make, tastes good and looks impressive (well, at least I think so).

Ingredients
Salmon
Yoshida Sauce (original) - Can be found at Costco and Safeway
1 tsp Wasabi - I recommend the one in the tube opposed to the powder kind
2 tsp Mayonnaise
Furikake - rice seasoning

Set oven to 4oo degrees.

1. Brush the top of the salmon with the Yoshida Sauce
2. Place in oven covered with tinfoil for first half of baking.
3. Brush more Yoshida Sauce on the salmon, bake the remaining time without tinfoil
4. Bake about 10 minutes (will depend on the size of salmon)
5. Garnish with Wasabi Sauce.
6. Sprinkle with Furikake (optional)

Wasabi Sauce
1. Mix mayonnaise and wasabi together. You can adjust the amount of wasabi to make the sauce more/less spicy.

If you like this recipe you may also like this, click here

I'm attending BlogHer

2008-07-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

You may have seen this badge on my blog and I just wanted to share that I'll be attending the BlogHer Conference July 18-20. If anyone I know(or don't know) in blog land will be attending please shoot me an email(kawaiicrafter@gmail.com). Lets try to meet up!

Making Vases Out of Recycled Bottles

2008-07-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

This little red bud vase was once a hand soap dispenser in my bathroom. One day when I was washing my hands, the thought occurred to me that it looked like a vase. And after a little brainstorming this is what I came up with. What's great about this vase is you can put flowers in it. Often natural vases are for decorative purposes only. I could also visualize this done with jute string. Directions below.

Supplies:

a glass or plastic bottle(I used a method soap dispenser and took off the lid)

raffia or anything else you'd like to use like lace, string, ribbon, etc.

glue - I used a basic white craft glue

Glue the raffia to the top of the container. Wind the raffia around the bottle and glue as you go.

While winding the raffia, have it overlap a little so none of the bottle shows through. Wind the raffia all the way to the bottom of the container. Done.

Corn Tomalito Recipe

2008-07-11T03:00:00.000-07:00

In preparation for a party I discovered the Chevy's Fresh Mex Sweet Corn Tomalito Recipe . I love this stuff and can't tell you how excited I was to find the recipe online. I'm sharing the lin k because it actually tastes like I got it from the restaurant. You know how some recipes claim to be authentic and then they taste nothing like the original. Well this one lives up to expectations.

Note - the serving size for the recipe says 12 -16 but it yielded enough to fill a large soup bowl.

If you want the dish to look true to the original here's how to make the cactus. Just cut a tortilla into a cactus shape with cooking scissors. Spray with vegetable cooking spray and pop in the oven at 375 till lightly toasted. I didn't have orange tortillas on hand but that's what they use at the restaurant.

How To Curl Fabric Ribbon

2008-07-08T15:08:00.001-07:00

It all started with those four little words, "I can make that". Yes, I'm one of those people. When I'm out shopping I find myself saying that a lot. It's a blessing and a curse really. A blessing because sometimes I can make the item and forgo buying it. A curse because sometimes I take on way more than I can handle. Take for instance the time I spotted a braided rug at Pottery Barn Kids. I thought, didn't I see an article in Martha Stewart about how to make braided trivets. Didn't it say if one continued with the pattern it would make a rug. Oh, yes I can do that. So I purchased a large quantity of fabric and began the project. The braiding took forever with the fabric. Next the sewing, which was difficult because it required hand sewing with thick fabric. All that effort and I had a rug the size of a coaster. My hands had turned blue from the cheap dye. So needless to say, a month later I gave in and purchased the rug.

So here's where the curled ribbon comes in. I saw some cute hair clips at a child boutique and new I could make them. The hair clips were basically curled ribbon glued to a hair clip. So here I am in 100 degree weather baking ribbon! Directions below.

Supplies:
ribbon - I used grosgrain ribbon
wooden dowels or skewers - I used bamboo skewers(dollar section at Target)
spray bottle (optional)
clothes pins
cookie sheet lined with tinfoil

1. Wind ribbon around skewers. Hold in place with clothes pin. Refer to pictures.

2. Spray ribbon with water until all of it is wet. I recommend spraying the clothes pins with water also so they don't burn in the oven.
* You could get the ribbon wet first and then wrap it around the skewers if you wanted to.

3.Place ribbon on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees for roughly ten minutes.

4.When ribbon is completely dry take out of oven and let cool. Remove ribbon from dowels.

Transformer Birthday Cake

2008-07-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

My Aunt made this awesome cake for my son's birthday party. It was a big hit with everyone. The children were circling it like sharks.

close up of the top of the cake - autobot logo

She made the top of the cake with gum paste

Another Game of Tag

2008-07-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well I guess that old saying is true, "when it rains, it pours".

Julia from "Create With Me" was kind enough to pass an award my way. Thanks Julia!

M. Kate from La Vie Est Belle recently passed this award on to me. Thanks M. Kate!

Anja from Drobtinice nominated me for this award. Thanks Anja!

Here's some facts about me you may or may not know.

1. I spent a month in Mexico with my best friend during my sixth grade year. We went to Mexico so her parents could gather research for their dissertations.
2. I found an arrowhead in Mexico but had to leave it at the site. Sometimes I wish I kept it.
3. I have a phobia of bees.
4. When I was two I decided to walk to the pet store by myself. The babysitter had no idea where I was. The police found me at the drug store.
5. I played the violin for five years but can only remember "twinkle, twinkle little star".

The following sites I'm passing the awards onto.

Mushroomeadows - Adorable illustrations
Honey and Clover - She cooks a lot and takes wonderful photos
La Fuji Mama - Japanese food, crafts, and life
Finding My Knitch - Recipes, life stories and knitting
Hurrayic - Sewing and inspiration
My Byrd House - Sewing, cute aprons!
Macati - Crafts, Sewing, and other fun stuff
Planetjune - cute crochet patterns

There's so many blogs I visit. I wish I had time to list them all.

How to Make a Birthday T-Shirt

2008-07-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

Back of T-shirt

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm in the process of planning a Transformer birthday party for my son. So, I decided to make him a special shirt to wear for the day. What I like about this project is you can personalize it anyway you want. My friend Jenny made one for her son to resemble a rugby shirt(which is where I got the idea by the way). It had the child's name on it with his age. Simple directions below to make your own birthday t-shirts using iron-on printer paper.

Supplies:
iron-on t-shirt transfer printer paper (I used the Office Max brand, it cost about $14.00 for a pack of 10 sheets)
*they have special paper for darker shirts

t-shirt (purchased mine at Walmart for $3.00)
scissors
iron

Decide what images you want on your t-shirt. I created the text using Photoshop. Reverse the image then print on the transfer paper (refer to picture above). I recommend fitting as many images as you can on one piece of paper to get the most use out of it.

Next cut out the images and decide where you want them. Iron it on the t-shirt according to the transfer paper's directions.

I put an image on the front and the back of the t-shirt. If you're going to do this, make sure you put a thick padding in the middle of the shirt when you go to iron. Otherwise the heat will distort the image on the front of the shirt.

Back from Vacation

2008-06-30T21:06:00.001-07:00

I just arrived back from Mammoth Lakes, CA. I forgot to mention I was on vacation so if I haven't responded back to an email you know why. I had no Internet access for a week except the ten minutes I was able to sneak in at the health club. Which I should say was useless since my children were running around the place like a bunch of banshees.

Used Food Packaging to Gift Box

2008-06-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

If possible I like to reuse items before recycling them. The gift box above was made from a used fruit bar box. Simple directions below.

Here's the box I started with. Any box will do and it can be any size.

Very carefully take the box apart. The less ripping the better.

Refold the box up inside out. Glue together. You now have a blank gift box to decorate anyway you want. If done correctly the box should look brand new.

*In the top picutre I glued some bottle cap liners to the box. It might be a fun project for a child to decorate the box with markers and stickers. It's a blank slate so the possibilities are endless.

Knit Transformer Washcloth

2008-06-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

Transformers are all the buzz at our house right now. We're planning a Transformer Birthday Party for my soon to be 5 year old. In the midst of searching for ideas I found this pattern for a Transformer washcloth here. Tested it out and it looks just like the autobot logo. I can envision the squares used to make a blanket. Just a thought.

*row 25 has a misprint in the pattern, should be:MB4, K3, P5, K5, P1, K2, P3, K2, P1, K5, P5, K3, MB4.

New Site: Starving Crafter

2008-06-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to share that I have a new blog called Starving Crafter. The site provides a place to find the latest contests for artists, crafters, designers, and makers. It also provides some other useful resources. Please check it out and tell me what you think.

Almost Spill Proof Bubble Container

2008-06-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

My children are notorious for spilling their bubbles within the first minute of playing with them. I can't count the number of bottles that have gone to waste. So I was determined to fix the problem and of course make something. Above is the final result and I'm happy to say it was a success. Directions below.

Supplies:
*one plastic container with a reusable lid, exp. cottage cheese container, yogurt container, tupparware, etc.
*exacto knife
*string or ribbon

1.Cut a large enough rectangle in the top of the lid so the bubble wand can be easily removed(refer to picture).

2. Cut two holes on the side of the container. Tie handle into place (just like a gift bag).

*The handle is optional, I made it for my two year old so she could tote it around easily. Otherwise the container was too big for her tiny hands.

*For a fun child craft project let them decorate the containers with puffy paint.

Knit Fireman Hat and Booties

2008-06-16T03:00:00.000-07:00

I knit this hat/booties set for a baby shower. The Father of the baby is a Fireman, hence the theme. I used the booties pattern from the book "Knitting Pretty" by Kris Percival and omitted the eyelets. For the hat I used the pattern here. I also left out the eyelets and used cotton yarn instead for the hat pattern. It would be fun to make other themed sets like a nurse, or police officer. The possibilities are endless.

Funny Food Contest at The Crafty Crow

2008-06-14T23:23:00.001-07:00

photo via Crafty Crow

The Crafty Crow is having a Funny Food Contest with five different categories: fruit, all vegetables, breakfast, lunch/dinner, and sweets. It looks like a lot of fun. To find out more about the contest, click here.

Creative Uses for Tchotchkes

2008-06-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend after attending two bazaars, a kid's birthday party and a community fair we acquired enough toys to host our own carnival. The picture above reflects only some of the loot, the rest of it is dispersed around the house (waiting to be stepped on in the middle of the night). Usually I just donate or throw away the toys when my children lose interest. But this seemed so wasteful and I just new I could use them for a craft project. So here's just one project I came up with for all those cast away toys.

I turned these two dollar flip-flops into something a little more fun. All I did was glue the toy sharks to the sandals with E6000 glue(this glue is water resistant and flexible). When choosing a toy to glue to the sandal look for something that is soft like rubber, has give, and is water proof.

Here's some other uses for those cast away toys:

Ice Treasures - I did this with my son's preschool, they loved it!

The Attirbute Game - Good to take along to a restaurant

I Spy Bottles - another hit at my son's preschool

Toy Bowling - tested this out too, easy for little hands to setup by themselves

Turning Photos into Shrinky Dinks

2008-06-11T13:58:00.001-07:00

For another Father's Day project I thought it would be fun to convert a photo into a Shrinky Dink. It's a nice alternative to a framed photo and it doesn't take up much space. After creating this, my mind's been racing with other ideas. For instance, I'm planning on making a whole set of our family for monopoly pieces. ShrinkyDink busts perhaps? The possibilities are endless.

Directions Below.

Supplies:
ShrinkyDinks Paper - There are two kinds you can buy, regular and printer friendly. For this project I used the regular kind only because that's what was on hand. I'm sure the printer friendly ShrinkyDinks paper would work better since it's made for the printer. You can purchase this at most craft stores

E 6000 glue (found at most craft stores)

scissors

Here's the picture I started with (8 1/2" by 11"). I recommend one that has a clear outline of the figure. Also, select an image with good contrast.

I changed my image to a black and white picture simply because this is how I envisioned the project( you could keep it in color. Print the image on the ShrinkyDink paper. Let dry. Cut out the shape of the image (refer to picture above). Place in oven and follow the ShrinkyDink's directions. As soon as you take it out flatten it with a book.

Cut out a right triangle of the ShrinkyDink paper and shrink it. Glue to the back of the image with E6000 glue. Done.

Sea Glass Earrings

2008-06-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

I am always trying to instill in our children the virtues of giving. For Birthdays and Christmas I try to have the children make things for relatives and friends. I have found that the children take a lot of pride and joy in this as well. So for the past year we've been collecting sea glass at the beach with the intention of using it for a gift.

This is what we made with the sea glass, earrings. I got the idea from a Martha Stewart magazine. But instead of drilling holes in the sea glass like the magazine instructed, I simply glued them to some earring posts with E 6000 glue. I attached the earrings to a cute candy box I saved ( picture above). Inside the the box I will insert a tiny scroll saying where the sea glass came from and how it was hand picked by my son, he chose the color too. Then I'll have him sign the letter.

We were able to make four pairs of earrings from all the sea glass(top picture). The challenge is finding pieces similar in color and shape.

Here's what the earring posts look like. I purchased a set of 60 for $3.00 at a craft store.

*E 6000 Glue should only be used by Adults

What do you have your children make/give for gifts?

How To Make Personalized Poker Chips

2008-06-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

I created this craft with the intention of using it for a Father's Day Gift. This project is easy and relatively inexpensive. Directions below.

Supplies
Plastic Poker Chips (you can even find these at the dollar store)

Rubber Stamp - You can either make one or buy one. I made my stamp for the poker chip above. Here's a good tutorial if you want to make you own stamp. If you opt to buy one, initials might be nice.

This stamp pad is the crucial piece to the project. The ink is permanent and will adhere to most surfaces, particularly plastic. You can get this at most craft stores.

This ink will not wipe off or smudge even if the poker chip gets wet, I tested it.

Directions: Get a good amount of ink on your stamp, and stamp the poker chip. That's it.

Success Tips
*Let the chips dry for at least 2 hours.
*Once you stamp the poker chip you will not be able to wipe the ink off. So practice with your stamp first.

Here's another "How To" idea for Father's Day, click here.

I've been tagged

2008-06-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

Top Left: Me, Mother in Law, Aunt who made the cake in the post below, my children

I've been tagged for a meme by Chicken Legs. So I decided to add a picture to go along with it. I don't know about you but I always wonder what other bloggers look like. I'm going to change the rules a little for this meme. Instead of tagging people, I'm requesting you tag yourself. Here's the catch, if you do the meme you have to post a picture of yourself. So if you're interested, send me an email and I'll add your site/link to this post.

Here's the meme questions.

1. What was I doing ten years ago? Going to college.

2. Five things on my to do list today.
*Grocery Shopping
*Bring son to speech
*Pick up a form at the School District Office
*Order pictures
*Create a craft for the next "How To" post.

3.Snacks I enjoy. I've been trying to eat better so snacks usually include pecans or fruit.

4.What would I do if I was billionaire? Pretty much the same things only I'd have a bigger house. I'd be more generous.

5.Places I have lived. Connecticut and California

Baseball Birthday Cake

2008-06-02T13:28:00.001-07:00

Last year we had a baseball themed birthday party for my son. And now with baseball season in full bloom I thought I would share this cake idea with you. This would be a great cake to make for a T-ball party as well. My Aunt made this cake from scratch but you could easily by a sheet cake and decorate it yourself. She used cinnamon and sugar for the sand. The bases are made from marzipan (you could also use stick gum). The baseball people can be purchased at most party supply stores, or Michaels.

For a special touch I wrote the last names of all the children on the back of the plastic figures with a fine point, black sharpie. At the end of the party they were given out as part of the favors.

Part III: How To Make a Ribbon Rosette Brooch

2008-05-29T03:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the last project for the series, the Rosette Brooch.

Directions - make the rosette from the tutorial here. Instead of making two rosettes with each color ribbon, make one rosette using both colors (refer to picture below).

After you have the rosette made, place the button in the center of the rosette. Glue the back of the button and rosette to a pin like the picture below. Done.

*I used E6000 Glue for the pin. You can purchase this at most craft stores.
The pin back you can find at most craft and bead stores as well.

Part II: Ribbon Rosettes

2008-05-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

Make these hair clips with velvet rosettes and crystal beads. After you make the rosette from the tutorial here, don't cut the thread. Instead pull the thread up through the top of the ribbon, then string on a bead. Next, bring the needle down through the ribbon. With the same thread sew the rosette onto the bobby pin tightly. I made about 4 loops around the bobby pin before knotting it. Last dab a little glue onto the pin and thread so the rosette does not slide down the hair clip. Done.

* Come back tomorrow for another rosette project.