Oh, Where Are You Recipe?

Have you ever been in a big hurry to cook, and then you realize you can't find your recipe? I know this has happened to me more times than I could count. It's because I've never had time to sit and write down every recipe I come across. I mean, who really has time??

Cupcake Liner Holder

I am so excited about this project for a few reasons. One, the price is right. Two, it is so creative, clever and adorable. Three, it is about cupcakes, and who doesn't love cupcakes??
I got part of this idea from www.dollarstorecrafts.com. You should check out this site for great, frugal project ideas. I had a problem with my finished product because I had purchased a piece wrong so I had to improvise which turned out to be a blessing, and led to the painted part. This is the cutest thing!
All you do is go to the Dollar Tree store, or your local "everything is a dollar" type store. You buy a glass candlestick, a tall vase, and the little three pack of glass prep bowls. If your store does not sell these then shop around for a bowl that will fit on the type without falling off. You are at $3.00 now. Then I went to my local Hobby Lobby shop. They have a great assortment of drawer knobs. I was fortunate to find a red one that looks like a cherry. You could buy a different one and paint it red, or you could come up with your own cute idea, like maybe your knob is a cute decoration on top of the cupcake. Probably the only real tricky part to this project is that if you pick a knob with the screw in it, it will need to be sawed off to glue it to the top. I am fortunate in that my husband has a machine at work that will do this, but he said a saw will do. The knobs were half price the day I went so I am at $4.50 total!!!! I already had some paint and glue.
Now you just glue the vase to the top of the candlestick. Then you glue the knob onto the top of your glass bowl. Let all of this dry. I used E6000. Then you take your glass bowl and fit it onto the vase to see if it will fit well. If it seems to want to slip off easily then just see where the inside of bowl rests on the vase and run a line of glue in that spot all the way around the bowl on the inside. Let this dry. Then it should not slip off because it will catch on the glue. I was showing this dilemma to my husband after I realized I had bought the wrong vase. The one from the other site had a rim around the top, so look for that kind first. My Dollar Tree did not sell that kind. Anyway,  he was the one who came up with the idea to paint the outside so the glue on the inside wouldn't show.
 After all of this is dry, you paint a cupcake! I am not a painter by any means, so I was worried about this part. It ended up being really easy. I used down strokes to paint the liner (yellow part). That kind of gave it the lines that are on the real liners. Then I painted the icing (pink part) with little swipes. I kept repeatedly going around it making small backward "C" swipes. The white part which could be another color of icing or whip cream, I made by making small "U" strokes all around it. Then the knob represented the cherry on top, but like I said another knob, say a flower, would look like a decoration on the cupcake. You artists out there may have a different way to paint the cupcake, so feel free to use your own creativity. When the cupcake part dried I sprayed it with a Krylon gloss finish to give it a little shine.
Honestly this is a really easy and adorable project. Have I said "adorable" a few times already? Ha Ha!
If you make one of these, which I suspect you will, please post a picture so I can see all the different ways the cupcakes on top are painted. I will most likely be selling these on Etsy. It would also make a great candy holder!  Now, last but definitely not least, put your liners in your holder!

Cupcake Liner Holder

Purse Organizer

Since moving last week I am trying to find a home for everything. I didn't want my purses thrown around everywhere so I decided to use this purse rack. It simply hooks over the door. It is great. My bags do not get smashed and each one is easy to find. I believe mine was purchased at Bed Bath & Beyond. Amazon and The Container Store also sell them at a reasonable price. Let's get organizing those closets!

Recipe Binder

I have a pretty simple project today. While I have been recuperating from my surgery, I decided to organize my recipes. They have been hidden away and all mixed up. I have written out recipes, magazine cutouts, whole magazines and ripped out pages. Basically my recipes are a total mess and it is about impossible for me to find the one I want. I decided I wanted them all in one place, but I didn't want to have to take the time to write out every recipe in a book, so I chose to make a recipe binder.

Supply List:
Cheap three ring binder with a plastic cover on the front that has an opening at the top (I bought mine at Walmart)
Plastic clear photo sheets (Hobby or craft store either in the scrapbook section, and or baseball card collectible section)
File Folder tab pages (To label categories)
Scrapbook supplies such as paper and stickers
A cutter to cut the scrapbook paper even
And of course the recipes!

To make the binder I cut two black sheets of scrapbook paper to fit down inside the plastic sleeve of the front and back of the binder. I then gathered stickers that had to do with cooking and recipes. I decorated the front sheet with the sticker. I then simply slid it into the front of the binder. I left the sheet for the back of the binder blank, but you could always decorate it as well. Then I organized my recipes by categories such as breakfast items, appetizers, desserts, etc. I put them into the plastic photo sheets and then put the sheets into the binder. Then just label your tabs and put those in as well. Now if I cut out a recipe and I don't want to write it out, I can simply put it into one of the photo sheet pockets. I can even tear out a whole magazine page and put it in one of the sheets. These also make great gifts! Here are some pictures.