Monthly Archives: March 2012

March 7, 2012 · 1:27 pm

St. Patrick’s Day Centerpiece

I love me a good recycled craft…and this one is “green” in all senses of the word!  Made from recycled items and perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, this beer bottle vase is so easy to make and would look adorable on your table or mantle.  This is a great way to use up those Guinness bottles you have lying around, as well as some left over felt scraps from projects you’ve done before.

A few weeks ago I posted a Felt Flower Tutorial, as well as a Felt Shamrocks Tutorial.  Both of those will come in handy when making this cute little St. Pattie’s craft.

St. Patrick’s Day Centerpiece

Materials:

  • 1 empty beer bottle, label removed, washed and dried
  • Various scraps of green and white felt
  • Green and white felt (optional–only if you’re making the flowers)
  • Craft pipe cleaners (optional–only if you’re making the flowers)
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Needle and green embroidery thread

Directions:

Follow the directions for the Felt Flower Tutorial to make the flowers for your vase.  If you’d rather use real flowers or no flowers at all, simply ignore this step.

Follow the directions for the Felt Shamrocks Tutorial to make 3 green shamrocks, as well as 1 white one.  Feel free to use whatever colors you’d like.  I happened to have felt in “True Green”, “Forest Green”, and “Sage Green”…so those are the shamrocks I created.  I also made a white one and did a simple stitch in green thread around the edge of the shamrock.

I also created a little belt to go around the bottle.  I made this out of the “Sage Green” felt and 2 strips of white felt.  Glue the shamrocks to the felt belt.

When you have your shamrocks arranged and glued to the belt, simply glue it all to your beer bottle.  Add your flowers and you’re good to go!  This is a really fun and economical idea for table centerpieces or party favors.

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.

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March 6, 2012 · 1:44 pm

30 Dr. Seuss Quotes That Will Change Your Life

Who doesn’t remember reading Dr. Seuss books as a kid?  Maybe you still read them as an adult.  I was and remain a huge fan of Oh the Places You’ll Go and The Lorax (although I refuse to see the movie!).  I think both those books teach such valuable lessons in ways that people of all ages can understand and relate to…not to mention the writing is just spectacular!  I even used The Lorax andThe Sneeches as part of my final thesis in college!  No matter what your age, you can find some wisdom in at least one of the thousands of pages that Dr. Seuss has composed.

As many of you know, I am a huge proponent of children’s literature, and my bookshelves will back me up on that!  😉  I think I have learned more about life, love, loss, and everything in between from reading Dr. Seuss, The Brother’s Grimm, and Ronald Dahl than I have from any of the other books I’ve read.  As James Barry, J.K. Rowling, and several other children’s authors have said at one point or another, “Children’s books are rarely for the audience that reads them.”  And I think that’s especially true when it comes to Dr. Seuss.

Whether he taught you rhyming, counting, the benefits of both waiting and perseverance, patience, belonging, or even what it means to stand for what you believe in, the books of Dr. Seuss have touched us all in one way or another…which is why I couldn’t resist passing along this beautiful collection of famous quotes from the Dr. himself.  I happen to love numbers 6, 8, and 20!  What are your favorites?

Come back every Tuesday for “The Bees Knees”, where I post the best quotes from my favorite movies, TV shows, songs, and books.

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March 5, 2012 · 1:29 pm

Chocolate Pomegranate Cake

My manfriend will be the first to say that I am addicted to pomegranates.  I love them.  Whenever I’m at the store and pomegranates are on sale, I stock up like they’re going out of season permanently. I don’t know if it’s the tangy taste or the fact that those beautiful jeweled seeds look stunning on almost everything, but pomegranates are a great go-to for my snacking needs.

I don’t know what it was that inspired me to create this cake, but somehow I got the idea to mix chocolate, orange, and pomegranate together for the ultimate in flavor explosion.  What resulted was a delicious chocolate cake that would be the perfect ending to a light spring or summer meal.

You can use whatever chocolate cake recipe you’d like…you could even make it from a box if you so desire.  If you do make a box cake, try substituting the water with orange juice.  It will create an even taster cake!

After your chocolate cake is baked and completely cooled, blend and strain 2 cups of pomegranate seeds (probably 1 large pomegranate).  Add 1 tablespoon of juice to 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar to create a glaze.  The amount of glaze you’ll need will depend on how big your cake is.  For my 9×12 cake, I used about 10 tablespoons of powdered sugar and 4-5 tablespoons of pomegranate juice.  Pour over the cake and let set, about 1 hour.

Once your glaze is set, simply decorate with more pomegranate seeds, orange zest, and shavings of white chocolate.  This is a moist and delicious light dessert that everyone is sure to love!

Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips. 

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March 2, 2012 · 1:35 pm

Bossypants Book Review

There’s something wonderful about Tina Fey.  Well, there’s lots of things wonderful about her.  She’s a strong powerhouse of a woman who has not only contributed to some of the funniest moments on TV (SNL, 30 Rock), she’s also a mom, a wife, a friend, and one hell of a writer.

When I found out that Tina Fey was writing an autobiography, I almost started “lizzing” (you’re welcome, 30 Rock fans!).  I think Tina and her alter ego, Liz Lemon, speak to the women all over the world who work tirelessly and fervently to make a life for themselves and their loved ones.  Take it from Tina:  You can conquer the world!  You can wear “There’s No Crying In Baseball!” tee shirts with Spandex shorts, and you can boss Alec Baldwin around…well, maybe not.

Bossypants is Tina’s hilarious memoir on her life thus far…from her early college days, to becoming the first female head writer of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, to running, starring in, and producing 30 Rock, her somewhat sarcastic love letter to NBC.  There were several times in Bossypants that I literally laughed out loud and found myself loving Tina more and more.  In her own hilarious way, Fey discusses being a working mom, dealing with institutionalized sexism, and even how she got her facial scar.  For her fans,Bossypantsis a long-awaited look into the life of  a woman we all can’t help but love.

Looking for a new book to read? Check in every Friday for a “Bee Happy” post, where I share reviews of books I’ve read or other book-themed lists.

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