Printables

{Holiday Neighbor Gift} Homemade Vanilla Extract

197 · Sep 29, 2011 · 81 Comments

I know, I know… It's still September and we are more worried about apple pie and getting ready for ghouls and goblins, but this fabulous neighbor gift takes some time to make. Homemade vanilla extract is not only elegant and refined, but simple to create for yourself. Don't be scared… it's not laborious hours pressing each and every vanilla bean. All you have to do is make a simple concoction and then let is SIT.

I have spent countless hours watching cooking show after cooking with the host always saying, "make sure you use only the best vanilla!" For years I was perplexed. How on earth am I supposed to know what the "best vanilla" is? I have now found out… the best vanilla is the vanilla that you make yourself. Here is what you will need…

Whole Vanilla Beans – I recommend ordering them online, it's way more cost effective. I ordered mine from Beanilla Trading Company. I decided on the beans from Madagascar.
Vodka – I used the cheapest Vodka I could find. In all of my research, many people say it really doesn't matter. Now, here is the caveat… I don't drink so I don't really know the quality of my vodka vs. other kinds so if you know vodka better you may have more of a preference.

That's it… other than packaging, but I am going to save that post for another day. Here is what you need to do.

First, you need to carefully slit your vanilla beans length wise starting just below the tip of the bean…

My beans were rather long so I also cut them in half. Then all you need to do is add your beans to your vodka. Here is the ratio to follow…

2 large vanilla beans to 1 cup of vodka

If your beans tend to be on the puny side, I would use 3 beans per cup of vodka. Place your split beans in your liquid, seal and then store in a cool, dark place like a pantry.

Give it a good shake every few days and after 2-3 months you will have a lovely homemade vanilla. Obviously, the longer you let it sit,it will become darker and more developed. After your desired amount of time run your new vanilla through a strainer and a couple of layers of cheese cloth and then package it up.

I am planning on keeping a bottle for myself and then packaging some fun bottles to give away to family and friends for the holidays!

Here is my cost breakdown…

Vodka – $1.35 per cup
Vanilla Bean – $1.10 per bean
Bottle – $1.00

The bottles I am using hold about a cup of liquid so the total cost for one bottle is $4.55. I will be generous and round up for other packaging needs like printing, fabric, bottle embellishments and such and I will say my total is, $5.00! Not bad for an elegant and thoughtful gift for family, friends, teachers and such for the holidays!!

For all of the information on bottles and packaging click here to visit the How to Package your Homemade Vanilla post!

Valentine Cookie Cartons

0 · Feb 2, 2011 · 8 Comments

I am in love with Valentine’s Day this year. I just can’t get enough of it and all the fun creations that come with it.

Again… packaging is everything!! I made some fun heart shaped chocolate chip cookies the other day, and thought this would be a fun Valentine goodie, but what should I put it in?

I found these lovely cartons at a restaurant supply store here in Vegas, they were super-cheap and I knew I could dress them up!

I designed a logo for the front of the carton which I printed on sticker paper, basically one large label. You can find them at your office supply store. I then created a topper for the lid, and voila, done. A perfect little container for my sweet little heart shaped delights!

Oh… and just because I {heart} you, I am going to share my printable for the Valentine cartons!! {Click on the image to download.}

12 Days of Christmas–Day One–Paper Wreath {Event}

1 · Dec 1, 2010 · 50 Comments

On the first day of Christmas, my true friend gave to me…

Are you excited? I’m excited!! We at WhipperBerry are all working like busy little bees to bring you… (da ta ta da!)

The Twelve Days of Christmas!

Let me explain. This is a gift giving experience for you and your family to spread some cheer this season. Pick a special person (or family), and secretly deliver a gift-from-the-heart 12 days in a row! If you want to deliver your final gift on Christmas Eve, then start on Dec. 13th. We will have you all prepared by then! Today we are focusing on day one and our paper wreath.

Starting today, and continuing each day through December 12th, we will be bringing you a free printable, a gift idea, and a tutorial as well!! You can use our ideas or come up with your own, and we will be having a link party on the 13th where you can all showcase your creativity!

Kristin has made a wonderful FREE PRINTABLE for you to use. You can choose to use our cute poem and gift idea, or fill out the blank one with your own ideas.

Click on the picture for the free download!

On the first day of Christmas my true friend gave to me… One wreath to make my door pretty!

Here’s a suggestion of a wreath you can make to give, or you can choose to make or buy your own.

Pretty Paper Wreath Tutorial

This paper wreath uses the same Mod Podge twisting method I used with my paper pumpkins.

Supplies:

Scrapbooking paper cut into 1 inch strips
Original Mod Podge
Kraft or packing paper
Spray Paint
Hot glue gun
Ribbon
Embellishments of your choice

Twist your kraft paper into a tight cord and form into a circle slightly smaller than you want your wreath to be. Mine measures about 10 inches in diameter. Secure with hot glue. Spray paint the ring black (or another color depending on the colors of your paper).

One at a time, dip your paper strips into Mod Podge, and twist them to form a stick.

After they are mostly dry, bend them into a circle, and wrap each piece around the kraft ring, hot gluing the ends to the back. Keep layering on paper strips until the wreath looks very full and even.

Tie ribbon to the top to hang the wreath, and embellish it as you wish! Heather decorated mine with cute holly berries and a wooden ornament. For more tips and tricks for twisting paper visit my pumpkin tutorial.

Join us tomorrow for Day Two!

{Tutorial} Gingerbread House 101

251 · Nov 20, 2010 · 21 Comments

Just in case you missed our guest post on I Heart Naptime yesterday, Here is Christene’s gingerbread house tutorial.

I’m here to talk to you about one of my favorite holiday traditions: Gingerbread Houses. My fascination with these fun little structures began soon after I was married. I started dreaming of the traditions I wanted to begin in my new little family and I knew this would be lots of fun year after year. Gingerbread houses are fabulous! They double as décor and baking delight, and can be the highlight of your creative outlet for the holiday season. What only adds to the fun is making a party of it! Every year I host a Gingerbread House Party and invite some people for a confectionary extravaganza that turns out some unique and beautiful houses. If you’ve never made one of these beauties, this is the year! I’ve got a great recipe for gingerbread dough, and icing, and a step by step tutorial to get you from baking to decorating in no time flat. Let’s get started.

Start with making the gingerbread house dough. This recipe makes about 2 houses the size of the template we have provided:

Gingerbread House Dough

1 ¾ c. flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. vanilla
½ c. margarine (not oil) softened
½ c. firmly packed brown sugar
Scant ¼ c. molasses (to double, use 1/3 c.)
1 whole egg

Now, let me insert here that I don’t eat my gingerbread houses. They are purely decoration. This being said, I use margarine instead of butter when I bake them. If I were going to make these into cookies I would use butter. But since I am making a good dozen and a half houses every Christmas, I go for the cheaper butter-alternative and use margarine.

Alright, let’s get mixing.

In a medium bowl mix together flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, soda, and allspice. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat vanilla, butter, and sugar for about five minutes–or until mixture is light and fluffy. Mixture will not be completely smooth. Beat in molasses and egg until blended and scrape down the sides of the bowl once. Beat in flour mixture on low speed until well blended. Divide dough into 2 equal parts, and flatten each piece of dough into a circle. Wrap pieces in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Hopefully by this time you have a plan for your house. Do you want windows? A door that stands open? Plain sides and front? If you want the standard cut outs, proceed as specified. If you would like some windows, let’s say, then you will want to line your cookie sheets with parchment paper, cut out the window shape you want, crush up some hard candies (like lifesavers or jolly ranchers) into teeny tiny pieces and sprinkle them evenly into your window cavity. Then proceed as indicated. The sky is really the limit here. Do whatever the inner architect in you is yearning for.

Next, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease large cookie sheets, or line them with parchment. If you’re doing the candy windows, please use parchment paper. My first time I didn’t, and the windows stuck to the pan. It was a mini tragedy.

Once your pans are ready, remove plastic wrap from one piece of dough and place it on a heavily floured surface. Roll out the dough with a thickly floured rolling pin to 1/8 inch thickness. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated until needed.

Click on template for printable version.

Now use the template we’ve included, or one of your own design, to cut out all your house pieces. If you’re using my template, you’ll need two of each piece. Print out the template on cardstock, cut it out, and then place each piece directly on the dough, and cut around the shape with a paring knife. Using a spatula and a careful hand, place shapes onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for ten minutes or until golden brown. Let pieces stand on a wire rack until cooled completely.

I recommend baking the day before you build and letting your pieces cure at room temperature so they’re nice and firm for building with.

When you’re ready to begin building, make up a batch of Gingerbread House Glue.

Gingerbread House Glue (Royal Frosting)

2 c. Confectioner’s sugar
1 egg white
¼ t. cream of tartar

Please note, you will want your frosting to be very thick and cement-like. You will get a VERY thick frosting from this recipe. If it is thinner, you will have trouble getting your house to stay together without having to hold it in place for a long time. If you would like your frosting to be a bit thinner, you can play around by adding more egg whites, or sugar, depending on the consistency you want.

Mix all ingredients together until thick and firm. Scoop into frosting bags with a rubber spatula. This recipe will fill one frosting bag very full. You can get disposable frosting bags at your favorite craft store in the cake decorating aisle. You may also use a Ziploc like I did in the beginning, snipping off a corner. Be aware that you may end up with blowouts from the Ziploc popping apart midway through decorating. Otherwise, these can be a good alternative in a pinch.

When building your house, you want a medium sized hole in your frosting bag. When piping on icicles, you want a smaller hole. Start small when you snip your frosting bag. You can always go bigger.

Now let’s build! I like to stand my house on my favorite cake plate. You can use a cardboard cake round from the craft store, an upside down paper or plastic plate, or any other flat surface for standing your house. Just be sure you stand it where you want it to stay! These do not transplant well.

Using your frosting, squeeze a line of frosting on the bottom edge and sides of your first side piece. Lay this down on your cake plate and do the same with one of your peaked front/back pieces.

Now stand these at a right angle as shown. Hold for a moment to let them adhere. Don’t worry if your house shapes are imperfect and don’t line up completely. That’s what frosting is for, and I personally think the imperfections add to the charm.

Continue building by lining the bottom and sides of the last side panel, and then the final peaked front/back piece. All your pieces should be firmly adhered and standing without support. Don’t continue to the roof if your pieces are having trouble standing. If your frosting is dripping and runny, squeeze it back into your mixing bowl, add more sugar and thicken before trying again.

When your walls are built, you’re ready for the roof. Run a line of frosting all along the top edges of your standing structure.

Now place your roof top pieces atop the walls and peaked sides pressing them gently into place. They should adhere easily and stay in their position.

When these are secure, use your frosting to fill in any gaps or uneven edges. Run a line of frosting right down the ridgeline of your roof as well.

Viola! Now you’re ready for the fun part. Grab your favorite holiday candies, cereals, and pretzels and get to work. You can go for a CandyLand look like this one I made using the template we’re providing.

Or you can go all out, like the larger model shown, and make yourself a Wintery Wonderland. Either way, you’ll end up with a fun decoration that you’ll enjoy admiring throughout the season.

I hope this becomes something you enjoy from year to year. Merry Christmas from the WhipperChicks!

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