Cake Testing - Pineapple upside down rum cake

I recently tested out this recipe from cdkitchen.com. (I have had pretty good luck with their recipes)  It was for a Pineapple Upside Down Rum Cake.  My co-worker has been asking for a cake like this since I first started the cake decorating classes back in August 2010.  I have never made a rum cake or a pineapple upside down cake before and so I had no idea how to tell if this was a good recipe or not. 

I purchased this adorable individual pineapple upside down cake pan from Amazon.  Well, my co-workers birthday was yesterday so although the cake was not delivered to him on his actual birthday due to snow...I baked the recipe last night and made one pan of these.  (I had left over batter, but was way too lazy to bake it up.)

I have a pineapple allergy so I made three with pineapple rings and made three like regular rum cakes.  I used Myer dark rum and while it was pretty expensive I read up and found that this was a recommended dark rum for baking with.  Remember when cooking with liquor - you are cooking out the alcohol and are being left with the taste/flavor.  You don't want something that is cheap and tastes gross...it is good to put your money into what will soon be in put to the test on your taste buds. 



Without delicious pineapple :(

 It was not a hard batter to make it was difficult to put into the pans because it was a thicker batter and did not pour and settle like a typical boxed cake mix.  The difficulty to this recipe was really that it had multiple components with the glaze, fruit, and batter.  I baked it 5 minutes less than the recipe called for and when I did the toothpick test the cake was still gooey.  I let it bake for the remaining 5 minutes and although the cake is still moist...it probably could have cooked for a couple minutes less. 

I like my rum cake rummy so I also poked some holes into the bottom of the cakes and put a little of the left over glaze on the bottom as well.  Overall, I really liked the recipe it had really nice flavor and texture.  My co-worker had a great suggestion for me to add peach rings to the bottom of the pan as a substitute for the pineapple I am allergic to.  I am definitely going to make it again and try that out!


The birthday boy's cake...two cherries instead of just one!



Hat Pin Heaven...And Gluing My Fingers Together

I finally got my hat pin findings in and with cruise a mere 7 DAYS AWAY!!!!  I was excited to start putting together some hat pins.  I got a very good start on them and made myself a variety to go with the different things I might wear on the cruise.

Hats are going to be a must on the cruise...staying out of the sun for a very fair skinned melanoma survivor is priority number one!  I quickly discovered a couple of things about the hat pins:

1.  They are very very sharp.

2.  They did not come with a nail head like pictured.

                                     3.  They are a lot more bendable than I expected

To try and prevent the top bead from sliding off I used a bit of beading glue - essentially super glue.  I managed to glue my fingers together and to the hat pin finding the last one I made for the night.

So with one hand and some nail polish remover....

I tried to get my fingers free.  5 minutes later I had one free.

5 more minutes together and I managed to get the rest of my hand free.  I will admit to still having super glue remnants on my fingers this morning.

Here are some of the results. 

Project Pictures - Practicing with Mod Podge

 I have been wracking my brain and searching the Internets to figure out how to achieve the look I wanted for the wall art in Ben's man cave.  I wanted to mount the pictures from the University of Maryland on canvas and then hang the canvases on the feature wall of his room.

When I searched the Internet there were many websites that had snarky answers such as, "Why would you want to mount a photo on a canvas?  Why wouldn't you just have the photo printed on the canvas?"  I had basically given up on the idea and just decided to do the collage in giant frames from the craft store.

Luckily at the homemade gift exchange last Friday my friend introduced me to the little product known as Mod Podge.  I am not quite sure how I have made it this long without knowing what Mod Podge is, but am I glad she let me know about it!  I searched Mod Podge the other day and found that there are many how to articles on how to mount photo's to canvas with it.

digitalscrapbookplace.com had a lovely tutorial on making art on canvas.  They used one print out to cover the entire canvas.  Check it out for lovely ideas for canvas art.

ehow.com had many articles on how to use Mod Podge on canvas.  They say to use the fabric kind to mount things on canvas.

For my test run I simply used the matte finish regular kind.  I used an old canvas and painted it blue with left over latex wall sample paint.  I then took pictures of my niece, nephew, and dad to make a canvas "scrapbook page"  for my dad and mom.

I didn't do the most perfect job on it - some of the pictures are mounted crookedly.  I really just wanted to get an idea of how the product would work.  I was pleased with how easy it was to use, how it adhered the photos to the canvas, and how the finish looked.  I believe I have found the technique I am going to use...now to plan out the canvases themselves.

Tuesday's Technique ~ Tying Up Loose Ends

 Crochet patterns always instruct you to weave in the tail of the knot after you end a color.  I have never liked the results of this method.  The kind of yarns I like to use are often very soft and sort of slick.  It tends to loosen and slip out of where you have woven it in.  


I sew down each knot in order to eliminate the worry that the crochet product will unravel or come loose.  This is how I do it:

1.)  I take needle and thread that closely match the yarn and sew through the yarn knot 3-4 times in different directions.

 2) Then I tightly loop the thread around the "tail" of the yarn 3-4 times to make a tight hold on the tail.

3)  I then guide the needle down the middle of the thread holding down the tail and make a knot and then cut the tail off close to that knot.  

This leaves me with a nice finished end that I don't have to worry will come loose.

Man Cave Madness

Here is my inspiration board so far for Ben's man cave project.  Ben is all but twitching from all the color infusion going on around our house.  I want this room to be for his comfort and enjoyment while also being accessible to guests.  I think I am going to go with a monochromatic room in two shades of gray on the walls and with a white media center and black denim recliners. 

Man Cave by shoeaddictthriving on Polyvore.com
Not the typically tacky man cave - an eclectic collection of traditional sideboard, flat screen TV, sheepskin rugs, and modern recliners.

I want to incorporate Ben's interests without the room getting too themed or kitschy.  Also, since the TV and furniture are going to be big ticket items I want to do the decor and accessories in the room on a tight budget.  I am going to do a series of collages for the wall art from University of Maryland yearbooks I have been collecting from flea markets and EBay.  I am using the photos of buildings and the sports section of each yearbook.  I am also trying to think of something that can incorporate the University of Maryland red in the room without being overwhelming. 

I have a couple more project ideas that I need to develop, but I feel like the man cave inspiration and plan is mostly in place.  Next I need to plan out when this will all start happening.

Homemade Gift Exchange

I recently participated in a homemade gift exchange with my friends.  We agreed to make or buy gifts for each other for a $10 limit.  I decided to make scarves for everyone doing different color / pattern combinations for each girl.

I took a basic pattern and then changed it up for each one to make a different pattern of stripes.

My friend Mrs. Oomph was a part of the gift exchange and made these awesome book page wreaths for us.  I actually had these on my list of projects to try, but a whole lot of deadline projects were way ahead of trying to make them.  I immediately picked the tiny one featuring an adorable owl ornament and it looks perfect in my room.

Despite the questionable literature featured on the leaves it is an awesome, unique, and handmade treasure that I love!

Budget Buster - Wilton Class

I was very excited to start the Wilton cake decorating classes at my local craft store.  It seemed a pretty good bargain too at $27 for the four week course (one night each week).  With $5 off coupons for the two follow on classes I figured I was getting a pretty good class for not too much money.  The course ends up being a budget buster though.  Here's what I ended up spending:

1. $71 for the class "tuition"
2. $99 for the toolkit that I thought would provide the tools I needed for the first two courses (not the case)
3. $50 for the course 2 and 3 class kits (after the 40% off coupons)
4. $50 for decorator icing
5. $8 for chocolate decorator icing
6. $11 for colored fondant
7. $20 for gum paste
8. $7 for white fondant
9. $3 cake leveler
10. $10 cake lifter
11. $9 cupcake decorating kit
12. $10 tip covers
13. $6 couplers
14. $6 various decorating tips
15. $8 icing colors
16. $4 piping gel
17. $6 meringue powder
18. $14 turntable

GRAND TOTAL $392!!

 

This doesn't even include the cost of parchment and wax paper, cling wrap, cake boards, and ingredients for making the cakes.   Now this all was spent over 12 weeks so at $32/week it really sneaks up on you.  I didn't really have to buy everything that was on the list.  If you are interested in the class here's some tips to make it more budget friendly.

1. $72 - just buy the class kits with the 40% off coupons and it ends up being cheaper than any of the bargain tool boxes
2. $7 - make your own butter cream and cut down the cost of frosting significantly
3. Skip the colored fondant - I didn't really miss it and I just used the $0.99 color to tint it for the class 
4. Skip the cupcake kit - the cupcake nail was stupid and I didn't use it at all and the only tip I needed was the filler tip - order online before you start the class.
5. Skip the tip covers - or buy only one pack when you get to the royal icing class.

Grand total $234 a $158 savings!  To save $30 more skip the extras like the cake lifter, extra bag of gum paste, extra tips, extra colors, and extra couplers.

Tip for Tuesday ~ Online Sources

I get all kinds of ideas online.  I also do a whole lot of my supply shopping online.  Here are some of my favorite online sources and what I use them for. 

Knitting-warehouse.com
This is my go to resource for buying crochet supplies online.  My favorite products on this site are the travel OK bamboo crochet hooks, Caron's simply soft and simply soft eco yarns, and Bernat's satin yarn.  My all-time favorite purchase was the Eagle good to go knitting tote which unfortunately the website doesn't carry anymore.  I would highly recommend getting one if you can find it somewhere!

wilton.com is my go to for all things cake decorating.  From ideas, techniques, to purchase of specialty cake pans I check this site to see if I can find it here.

goodybeads.com
I get many of my beads here.  My favorites from this site are the lamp work beads, the metal spacers, and metal round beads.

crochetpatterncentral.com has a huge library of free patterns for crochet.  I tend to scan this website for ideas when starting something I have never made before.  I usually get an idea of how it is put together and then change it up with colors and pattern to get exactly what I had in mind.  For the most part I have had success with the patterns and have had very little failures.  Tip: (pretty much all yarn brand websites also have a free pattern section for both crochet and knit.)

ehow.com is a vastly useful site.  I have used it to get everything from instructions on how to recover lamps and dining room chairs to making my own stencils.  I love browsing through ehow to research projects that are on my list and to find shortcuts and directions on things I haven't done before.

Monday Motivation - Transforming Ugly Storage

I was motivated by a comment on my first Monday Motivation post about ugly storage solutions.  Often times innovative and cheap free storage solutions are pretty ugly.  I have a super ugly free storage solution for my cat food in my kitchen - a rinsed out empty litter bin. 

I decided to go with the simplest and fastest solution available to me today.  I took some of the spray paint I recently got and spray painted the bin straw flower   yellow.  It took four coats of spray paint to cover the bin, but the end result is OK for now.  I may try to add a pattern to it with the left over colors of paint from my canvas project when I have time.

The bottom line is that for $3.87 I was able to make it look like a cute yellow container versus a old litter container.

Spray Paint - Why I love it and why I feel like a criminal when I buy it.

I love spray paint.  I received a gift card to the Depot of the orange and white logo for Christmas and thought about what I could get with it.  I decided on spray paint because I can always use spray paint.  I love it.  It makes for a quick update on items around your house. It is easy to use, dries quickly, and goes a long way to breath new life into old things.  I always feel like a criminal when I buy it though.  You may think to yourself, "Why would she feel like a criminal?  Maybe that's guilt coming up...maybe she is a criminal!"  All not true, however, the depot treating it like a controlled substance may have something to do with it.

I always feel a little conspicuous at the depot anyways.  I come in with my knee-high boots, crazy patterned tights, girly dress, and a feathered headband in my hair.  The male population of that store always approach with a John Wayne strut....hitching up their belts to cover more of their belly they saunter over.  I can practically hear the spurs in my mind as they say, "Anything I can help you with little lady?"  At first the feminist in me bristles at the "little lady", but then I realize that I am a lady compared to the normal clientele and I am quite little.  Maybe they are just literalists. 

 

I quickly say no and make a beeline to the paint department.  I know my way around the paint department.  Like I said before I use paint all the time.  (Especially spray paint - like the dining room chair I redid by spraying straw flower yellow.)  I quickly go to the spray paint part of it and start grabbing what I want/need.   Now here is where I start to feel a little conspicuous.  They sort of follow me over as if the thought of a woman in the depot not needing help is out of the realm of reality, or maybe they just noticed I didn't have a basket and think I may need help carrying stuff as my arms are tiny and practically useless much like a T-Rex.  Whatever their reasons I can't help but feel watched, and when I feel watched in a store I feel like they think I am up to no good. 

I worry that they are going to see me grabbing spray paint cans, remember that I am in the store several times getting more and more spray paint, and then somewhere out there will be a person who decides to graffiti this...



{Image Credit: morganico-com.deviantart.com}

...and they will totally think it is me!  So feeling watched, my arms full of spray paint cans, imagining the cat graffiti someone will finger me for I begin my way to the checkout.  I prefer going to self checkout whenever I can and so I go over and begin to scan my items.  As I swipe the first can the self checkout kiosk blares out, "Assistance needed.  Must show ID to purchase this item."  I have to then wait and try not to fidget out of impatience - fidgeting makes you look extra crime-y.  Finally the Grand Poobah of the self checkout section comes over and allows me to check out the rest of my items.

I always feel as I make my way out to the car a small thrill - like I got away with something.  It takes me a few seconds to remember that I am just buying spray paint to paint my old wall art a different color. 







Project Pictures - Cake Testing DISASTER!

I wanted to test out my 3 mini-tier cake pan that I just got.  My cousin is getting married in August and asked me to make her a wedding cake with a small tier that they can freeze for the one year anniversary tradition.  I immediately had feelings of stress and anxiety:

1. I have trouble saying no to people.
2. I have never done a stacked or tiered cake before.
3. The wedding is more than two hours away from where I live.
4. The wedding is an outdoor wedding which means fondant - and fondant is not my strong point.
5. It is for some one's wedding!!!!  Stress!!

So when I saw her over the holidays and she asked me about it I started with a firm no.  Then I felt really bad and said... "Well, I can make you a cupcake.  Literally one cupcake for you to do the cake cutting ceremony and one for you to freeze."  When she said it could be the tiniest cake in the world and said it could be kept inside so that I can use butter cream v. fondant I caved like a cheap Ikea bookcase.  I felt infinitely better about the whole thing when I ordered a mini 3-tier cake pan.  They are supposed to look like tiny cute wedding cakes and so last night I tested baking and decorating them.

They are evil Satan Spawn!!!

I now give you pictures of the disaster also known as the demon cakes that refused to be iced by any means.  

The Damage in Total 

This one was an attempt at poured frosting...frosting failed.
Ben still ate it and said it tasted great.

This one was iced, re-iced, attempted quick-set fondant,
scraped off  quick-set fondant, and iced again.... I gave up.

This one I sort of liked.  Basket weave is the way to go.
There were two color flow birds that looked like they
were kissing, but one broke... one by itself = not so cute.

Tip for Tuesday ~ Project Planning Part I

Projects go a whole lot smoother if you take the time to plan the project.  It helps if you have a plan in mind.  The first thing I do is make a list of all the projects I  (1) need to do and (2) want to do.
My list right now looks something like this:

1. Finish girl's night gift exchange gifts
2. Alter mom's cruise dress (20 min)
3. Line Christopher's blanket (1-2 hour)
4. Start hat and Scarf for Sam
5. Neck/Ear Warmer for Tricia
6. Bathroom Redo
7. Ben's Man cave (several projects)
8. Cake testing for Lauren's cake ceremony/1 year anniversary cakes
9. Cake for Ken's b-day (January 27th)

I try to keep in mind if any of my projects have a deadline, if they do they move to the top of the list.  I use a dry erase calender that I use to write out everything I need to do marking the deadline days for any projects with deadlines.  I then make an estimate of how long it is going to take me to do each project.  For things like crochet projects or lining blankets I have a good idea how long it takes me to complete because I do those more frequently.  I also know that the cake decorations I can do in one evening and that making frosting the cake and placing the decorations will take an evening as well.  

For things that I have never done before I first do Internet research to get an idea how to do the project.  If I know anyone who has done anything similar I ask them how long it took them to do the project.  Tip: When you estimate time for a project always take a third of the time you think it will take you and add that to the total time estimate.  It always takes longer than you think!

Once you have your list of projects, time it will take you to complete the projects, and your deadlines you have - you can lay out the times on your calendar.  For example:

1) I marked deadline items on my calendar 

2) I add my to do list for each deadlined project onto the calendar in one color.

3) I add the other projects that I think I have time to work on in the "in between" times on the calendar with another color.

4) I add in breaks and time's I won't have time to work on anything in another color.

This is how I do my overall project planning.  For individual project planning check back in for Project Planing Part II. 

Monday Motivation - The Three R's



Real Simple.com - Coffee Mug to Plant Holder

This morning's motivation is all about re purposing.  I love using old things in new ways and having it make a visual impact in my home decor.  I just started going to flea markets this year when my good friend Mrs. Oomph took me out to show me the ropes.  Our first time out was a great hit.  I got tons of things for really cheap and promptly became addicted to flea markets, thrift stores, and antiques. 

One of my favorite parts of flea marketing is going through a bunch of junk and looking into what will make a great treasure.  I almost always think of what things can be outside of their original purpose. 

Mrs. Oomph already covered how you can re-use and re-purpose old frames in her blog entry 5 minute oomph: wicked easy wall art.  One of my favorite sources for re-purposing ideas and inspiration is the Real Simple magazine website.  They have an awesome section of their magazine and website titled New Uses for Old Things.  (Side Note ~ if you had to only get one subscription to one magazine I would definitely get Real Simple.  My husband got it for me two years ago and it is like Christmas every time a new issue hits my mailbox.)

Here are a couple of my favorite re-purposing projects  -  What are yours?  Submit them to this email to share sewhandcrafted@yahoo.com.




Milk pail for $2 at flea market - re-purposed to a plant holder.




Ivory Soap crate - re-purposed as a towel shelf.