Birder Candle

        I started this candle a couple weeks ago, then got side tracked while life was going on around me.  I started with a clear jar, that may or may not have had a candle in it before.  I just take old jars and throw them in a drawer until something catches my eye that I can use them for.  I saw a great tutorial on the Plaid website: https://www.plaidonline.com/burlap-wrapped-candle-holder/4313/project.htm?utm_content=bufferd28f4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer , so i decided to give it a try - Jenny style.

        I loved the little candle I saw on the site and I had some Modge Podge and some Tim Holtz Grungeboard (Nature) and some old burlap I picked up at a yard sale so I thought "Why not?".  It was definately something to add to my creative flow.  I've been practicing for a play the last six weeks and our final performance was this past Saturday.  Today was the perfect day to finish.

        The burlap was secured onto the glass with Modge Podge and then sealed with the Modge Podge as well.  I painted the grungeboard bird and glittered the dragonfly.  I added some raffia wrap-a-round and flowers and secured it all with hot glue.  The only time consuming part of this project was waiting for glue and paint to dry.  I plan on making more as gifts.  I think they'll be well received.  

        Here is my finished project.

Modge Podge
Tim Holtz Grungeboard
Galleria Acryllic Paint
studio G Glitter Glue
Colorbok Layered Flowers

Happy Birthday Kid!

This weekend was my grandson’s birthday party.  I had asked him several weeks ago what type of cake he wanted for his birthday and he said a Mario and Luigi cake.  Then, a couple days before the party he changed his mind and said a hot air balloon cake.  We stayed with the Mario cake because he got the hot air balloon cake the year before for his 9^th birthday.  Something new every year.  And maybe he thought we couldn’t do a Mario cake.  I don’t know.  It’s not like the kid to doubt me.

I searched on-line for a decent, simple drawing of Mario and Luigi and found one that I thought I could draw. 

Since I am in play rehearsals nearly every night, and I work during the day, I enlisted the help of my boyfriend to make the cake.  I had made cupcakes the week before using a recipe from the latest AllRecipes magazine and the cake was awesome so we thought we could convert it to a sheet cake, which he did very well.  So we started out Friday evening with a super moist chocolate cake.

At 9pm, after the kids were in bed we began the frosting part.  I made up the frosting using the classic Wilton Buttercream Icing Recipe.  Never fails – I love it.  Then I mixed up some black frosting to outline the guys.  We followed the colors for Luigi and Mario and then my boyfriend suggested we use their shirt colors on the opposite sides of the cake instead of having one solid color for the background.  It was a great idea because it totally makes the cake pop!  We took turns doing the piping.  The first time I made one of these cakes with my boyfriend he was shocked at how easy it was to pipe – and fun – so now he helps on every single cake.  We finished at 10:30pm. 

 

 

         The next day we celebrated at Pizza Hut Wing Street and the cake was a hit.  The kid loved it as well as the waitresses.  I left some cake there for them because they were awesome and so accommodating!  I think this is the best cake we’ve done for either kid so far.