Crafts

Friday Flair Link Party // Feature Edition No. 3

0 · Jul 5, 2013 · 31 Comments

Friday Flair Link Party // It's Friday!! I have a feeling most of us are getting a slow start this morning after our 4th of July celebrations last night. We had a ball! Let's just say that Lincoln didn't disappoint when it came to 4th of July. We had a fun BBQ with friends and then the sky went a blaze with fireworks. The whole city just lit up. I have always lived in states where most fireworks are illegal… not here and man oh man, people go nuts here. It was so fun!!

It was so fun seeing how so many of you created fun projects to celebrate the 4th. I have several in this weeks feature edition. Here are some of the posts that caught my eye in last week's Friday Flair…

liberty board // painted jars // patriotic wall print

anchor wll prints // raspberry scones // how to paint your front door

flag bunting // breakfast cookies // how to make an upolstered headboard

parmesan baked fries // star cookies // bbq pulled pork

Now let's get the party started…

Designer Marquee Letters with Lights

13 · Jul 3, 2013 · 32 Comments

DIY Marquee Letters // Today is the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!! I'm guest posting over at Today's Creative Blog and I've created something rather fun. It's a two part post on how to make your very own Designer Marquee Letters. Part One, Designer Letters is over with Kim at TCB and Part Two, how to create Designer Marquee Letters with Lights is here on WhipperBerry.

I have been in love with old marquee letters forever. I've collected several fabulous can lights over the years, but I really wanted some Broadway style marquee letters. To purchase a Broadway style sign would cost a fortune so, I thought I would create a sign of my own with parts that you can find at a couple of local stores. First, I needed to create my letters…

For this tutorial head on over to Today's Creative Blog, while you're there say hello to Kim for me. She's one of my favorite blog friends!! The cool thing about making your own letters, is that YOU get to pick what your sign says. You can do just one letter or and entire word, heck… write a whole paragraph if you want. the sky's the limit!!

Now that I've created my letters, it's time to add some lights to these babies!!

Supply List

designer letters
hole punch
self-healing cutting mat
globe string lights

Instructions

First you need to punch some holes into your letters…

Now, this proved to be a bit of a challenge for me. I started the sign using my Martha Stewart Screw Punch which worked great. I just had to make several punches to create the circle that I needed for the light bulb to fit through. Which was fine, but later I decided to use a grommet punch and a mallet. It worked a little better. It was nosier, but did the job a little quicker. It's up to you how you decide to make your holes.

Space your holes carefully. I'm not going to give you specific measurements because it will depend on what type of lights you select. Basically, work slow and careful. Punch a hole and place a light bulb in the hole and then eye ball where the next hole should go.

Once you've created all your holes, it's time to add the lights…

Unscrew the light bulbs and place them through the holes and screw the bulb back in the socket with the cord on the back of the letter… Keep in mind, before you start to place the cords, think about the most logical way to wire the letter. Where do you want the cord to start and end? Just think things through a bit and you won't have to go back and start over.

The lights that I used from Target had nice little clips on the light sockets that made it really easy to tuck the cords in so that they didn't peak out from behind the letters. They were perfect!!

Once everything is wired up all you have to do it light it up!

Isn't it fun?! I plan on using it as part of a gallery wall in the near future. It will also be a fun way to dress up an event or dessert table. I can dream up all kinds of fun ways to use this sign.

Now keep in mind… the sign is made out of paper. DO NOT leave the lights on for a long period of time or leave unattended. I've turned mine on for quite awhile and nothing has happened, but the lights do warm up and I don't want any fires started with this fun sign.

Soooo, now that you know how to make your own Marquee Letter Sign… What word would you light up?

Triple Chocolate Deep Dish Brownies

3 · Jul 2, 2013 · 8 Comments

Hello Whipperberry friends, it's me Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs!

I'm so happy to be over here at Whipperberry again (I'm still pinching myself)! I hope you enjoyed my last recipe, and I'm hoping you're going to love this one too! I know we did.

Today I'm sharing a recipe for Triple Chocolate Deep Dish Brownies with Ice Cream. Now just take a moment to absorb that…say it out loud…Triple Chocolate Deep Dish Brownies. Mmmmmm! Oh yes, I went there. You should too.

And I won't even tell you that these brownies are gluten free. They're so good you won't even realize there's no flour in them. But don't let the gluten free thing scare you either…this recipe is versatile…just use all purpose flour instead if you wish.

These are seriously delicious. Gooey, warm, chocolatey and rich.

You must, I repeat you must, eat these brownies warm with ice cream. A treat of epic proportions! 😉 And perfect for guests, special occasions or just the occasion of every day. I mean really, do we need a reason to eat brownies?!

4 oz of dark chocolate 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup almond flour (or all purpose flour if you don't wish to use almond flour) 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 eggs 1 cup brown sugar 2 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet) vanilla ice cream

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the dark chocolate and butter over indirect heat. To do this, I put a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and stir it constantly until it is melted and smooth. Then remove from heat, and cool slightly. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Set aside.
Once the melted chocolate mix is cooled slightly, add the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
Then stir in flour mix. Mix well.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour the brownie batter, evenly between 6 – 125 mL Mason Jars.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Let them cool slightly before serving, then add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Tips!

If you make these brownies ahead of time, just reheat them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes, or stick them in the microwave for a few seconds to heat them up.

Seriously. Look at that bite.

Dig in friends, dig in.

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Come on by and check out some of my other Summer Inspired Posts! I'd love to have you over!

Mason Jar Lanterns | Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches | Shirley Temple Popsicles

Or connect with me here: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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Thank you so much for reading, and have a delicious day!

Hello I Love You Wood Sign // Silhouette Promotion and GIVEAWAY

0 · Jul 1, 2013 · 308 Comments

Silhouette Promotion Affiliate Team Member // Can you believe it? It's JULY already!! The fire flies are a blaze here in Lincoln and I am LOVING the summer so far. It's so green and lush here and did I mention the fire flies? For a girl who has never lived in an area with the luminescent bugs… this is just magical!

Well, with a new month we have a new Silhouette promotion… and I've created a new sign with the help of Rhonna Designs mad design skillz and the Silhouette Designer Edition Software…

Before I dive right on into the project I want to let you know about his month promotion… You know, just in case you are like me and have the attention span of a gnat. This way if you are dying to get a new CAMEO, Portrait or just the Designer Edition Software you don't have to muddle through my boring old tutorial on how to make this aaaaamazing sign. So, here are the details…

SMOKIN' WHITE HOT DEAL, right?

Click here to visit the Silhouette Shop to check out all of July's special deals!

Now, before we get to the GIVEAWAY… Let me tell you a little bit about the sign I made this afternoon. It is a super slick, super easy sign to make. I bought the wood at Lowes and it was already cut in the 6×24 length with is perfect for making signs. Then I grabbed a couple of wood shims to secure the wood planks together and that was it…

I laid the boards out and placed the wood shims on the back and secured the boards with come short nails and I was good to go.

I primed the wood with some Kilz Spray Primer and then painted a few coats of Krylon Catalina Mist. Then while it was drying I prepared my stencil with my Silhouette Designer Edition Software.

The Designer Edition Software is a must have addition when you have a Silhouette machine. It just gives you greater design options that with the basic software that comes with your machine. With this image above, I was able to convert a PNG file from Rhonna Designs into a cuttable file. That means that your design options are limitless with the CAMEO or Portrait!

Once my design was complete I cut the vinyl and used it as a stencil to then paint my sign with Krylon Sun Yellow. I also made a sign where I just added the vinyl to the sign rather than using the vinyl as a stencil. They both look great!

Here's a post that I created awhile ago with a video on how to convert a PNG file in the Silhouette Designer Edition Software.

Want to compare the Design Studio options? Here is a breakdown…

The best part… You can grab the Designer Edition from now until July 10th for only $24.99! Not to mention some smokin' deals when you bundle that with a CAMEO or Portrait!

Wait, you want more?

How about I give away one Silhouette Portrait with the Designer Edition Software to one of you!!

All you have to do is follow the directions in the Rafflecopter box below and you will be entered to win.

// This giveaway is open from July 1-8 and only for residence of the United States. A winner will be announced on July 9th. //

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Children’s DIY Chalkboard

0 · Jun 28, 2013 · 2 Comments

This post brought to you by Michaels // This summer has been a blast so far. I’ve been having a ball coming up with fun projects and activities for the kiddos while they are home. Emily has been going to Michaels Passport to Imagination Craft Camp for the last couple of weeks, and she has been having a ball. She’s made some fun new friends and has really enjoyed learning about North & South America through some fabulous hands on activities.

In the next couple of weeks, they will be traveling to several other parts of the world. Don’t worry if you haven’t had a chance to head over to your local Michaels stores, The Passport to Imagination runs for several more weeks and is only $2 for each class. Come on over your kiddos will love it!

Emily enjoying Michael’s Passport to Imagination Craft Camp

Emily decided we wanted to come up with a project that would be perfect for your kiddos over the summer. After class we went and wandered Michaels and she decided that we needed to make a DIY Children’s Chalkboard. She has been around for all of my chalkboard projects and has developed a love for the slate & chalk just like her Mom.

We decided that kiddos need to have a chalkboard of their very own that they can play around with, but if it’s loved a little too much, it won’t be a big deal. Here is what we came up with…

Here are the supplies that we gathered…

Stylish wood frame
Krylon Cherry Red spray paint
Ultra black mounting board
Chalk
Water bottle

This DIY is so easy and fun to do with your kiddos. First, you need to spray paint your frame, let it dry completely. Cut your ultra black mounting board down to size and then hot glue onto the back of the frame. You should probably take care of the hot glue part, rather than the kiddos. But, this is a great beginners spray paint project. Take them outside and teach them the finer points of spray paint.

Next, all you have to do is rub white chalk all over the board and rub it off with a paper towel. Your chalkboard seasoned and ready to go!!

Emily thought it would be cool to have a special spot for her chalk as well, so we found and inexpensive water bottle at Michaels and used it as a chalk keeper.

We just dressed it up with some ribbon and yarn that we had laying around and voila… You have a fun chalk keeper for your kiddos to go along with their chalkboard! Now they can make all kinds of lists or play games on their board and after it’s loved a little too much you can replace the mounting board and it’s as good as new!! Total Rock Star Mom Move!!

Come on over to Michael’s this week and check out the Passport to Inspiration along with Emily. After class you can grab some chalkboard supplies and go home and make your very own children’s chalkboard.

Disclaimer // This is a post sponsored by Michaels Crafts. I received free product for this post, however… all thoughts, ideas and opinions are my very own.

Crafts

Now let's get the party started…

Supply List

Instructions

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