Brown Bunny Biscotti

For years it was a family tradition to bake bunny biscotti cookies for Easter breakfast.  I thought it would be fun this year to make them again even though I no longer have little hands to 'help' me out.  The original recipe (from Sunset Magazine, I think) used white all-purpose flour and white sugar, but due to healthier lifestyles these days, I used whole wheat flour (that's why the bunny is brown) and Splenda Blend.  The dough can be mixed by hand but in the end you will need to squish it together like clay to form the bunny.  Kids will love playing with the biscotti dough and it doesn't seem to harm the cookie texture at all.  I hope you will give this recipe a try and make it a tradition in your household.  Without any further ado here is my  Easter gift to you, the Brown Bunny Biscotti:

3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar (or 3/8 cup Splenda Blend)
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. grated orange peel
3 cups all-purpose flour (or 3 c. whole wheat flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 chocolate chip and 1 dried cranberry for each cookie
Coarse sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix 2 eggs and 1 egg white with the sugar (or Splenda Blend) until light yellow and thick.  Beat in the melted butter and add the vanilla extract and grated orange peel. Mix in sifted flour and baking powder.  Shape the dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet into one large (10-12") bunny about 1" thick or two 6" bunnies of 1" thickness.  Firmly attach the parts of the bunny, adding texture for fur, pressing in a chocolate chip (for the eye) and a dried cranberry (for the nose).   Use the extra egg white to wash a glaze over the whole bunny making sure to brush  some egg white 'glue' into the seams.  Sprinkle on coarse sugar and bake the biscotti bunny for 20-25 minutes. Cool your Easter treat on a wire rack and ENJOY!

Thank You, Honey!

Maybe using 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids' soap from LUSH has given me a bee brain, but I just couldn't resist the Hero Arts stamp sets with the hexagons.  They are so cool and I love how they fit together like a honeycomb.  This card was inspired by paper from a pack of  Pebbles 6x6 papers I found at Ben Franklin Crafts. (I purchased the stamps there too.)  The yellow design printed paper made the stamped images seem even more like a honeycomb and an Anita stamped bee emphasized that thought.  The washi tape sets (also from BFC) by We R Memory Keepers are excellent for adding just the right touch of color and because they are translucent they blend in well with almost any printed paper. As you can see from the bottom photo, Ben Franklin Crafts has lots of 6x6 printed paper tablets and washi tape sets for sale. It was a hard decision but I chose just a few LOL!  Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.  I hope it's been a treat and that you'll visit again....soon, OK?

Meow! Happy Easter!

Easter is just around the corner so it is time to make cards for my sons.  I wanted my cards to have a  non-traditional look and a wacky sense of humor like my boys.  The Kitty Bee Maneki Neko (good luck cat) stamp set I just bought was the right size and was Asian in concept so it was non-traditional Easter, but it wasn't a rabbit.......so of course I made it some bunny ears!  For the Easter eggs I used the Kitty Bee fortune cookie stamp (from the food stamp set with the faces).

The funny part of the card (to me) is actually hidden in the pocket (made buy cutting off the flap from a Tim Holtz  'envelope with flap' die cut and punching out a half circle from the front).  For both boys' cards I stamped the words ' Your Are My Favorite' (Hero Arts clear stamp set) on the front (solving the sibling rivalry LOL!) but different Funny Bones stamp sayings on the back. Furry flowers and ribbons were attached to the cards to make them easy to pull out.  Oh yeah, the flap that was cut off the pocket was adhered to the front of the pocket for graphic interest.  The stamps and die can be purchased from Ben Franklin Crafts.

I hope this card invites you to use your brain to find humor in crafting and life.  Craft a card and send some smiles. Thanks for reading this blog.  I'd enjoy some feedback if you have the time to leave a comment.

Let's Play!

I found a very cool Martha Stewart paper button punch at the Market City Ben Franklin Crafts.  (See bottom photo.) It punches out five different buttons with holes that will accommodate twine. I couldn't wait to play with it so I used the paper buttons on a tag and attached it to a gift to a friend's dog.

The dog and saying stamps are from a Hero Arts set.  The papers used were from my scrap stash. (The button punch is a fun an easy way to use up assorted leftover cardstock.)

The tag was made by cutting out a stamped Hero Arts postcard tag image.  (See previous post.)  Recently, my eyesight in one eye has improved vastly due to a simple procedure so I am an extremely happy crafter. I hope you are having fun crafting too!

Soapmaking 101

It's been years since I last whipped up a batch of homemade soap.  I used to do it the old fashioned way with lye and fat but that was just too much work and it didn't always yield good results. I have discovered that the melt 'n pour variety of soapmaking is more to my liking.  Last summer I purchased a lavender plant and gave it to someone to raise since my garden does not get cool enough to produce flowers.  It was my hope to use the lavender flowers to make a batch of soap for the both of us. Alas, there were no flowers. Undaunted, I found a bottle of lavender flowers in Target's spice area. (Lavender flowers are edible and used in many recipes.)  Anyway, the recipe for this soap is simple:

1) In a microwave on high, melt 8 one inch cubes of olive oil soap base in a Pyrex measuring cup for 1 minute.
2)  Stirring with a chopstick, add in several drops of purple colorant and 5-10 drops of essential lavender oil.
3)  Pour the soap mixture into an oiled mold ( I used the inside plastic box from a 3-pack package of nori).
4)  Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of lavender flowers onto the top of the still-soft soap bar and stir them in slightly.
5) Allow the soap to cool completely before trying to unmold it.

Making soap is something I haven't done in a long time and I realized again how rewarding it is to craft it myself.  If you are looking for a great handmade Easter or Mother's Day gift, homemade soap might be your solution. You may be able to find some of the supplies and books for soapmaking at Ben Franklin Crafts, but if not try looking online (perhaps Amazon or Etsy).  Thanks for stopping by and reading this blog post.  I hope it gave you something to think about and encourages you to craft something fun.

Postcards

While looking for ephemera in an antique store, I came upon a rack of vintage postcards.  They were quite intriguing because of their graphic designs and endearing handwritten messages.  I liked the simpleness of the postcard to relay a thought or feeling. "After buying some Kitty Bee Designs stamps from Ben Franklin Crafts, I came up with two versions of a twisted use of the 'cute' KBD stamps.(I hope my use of the stamps is not offensive.)  The first postcard was made by stamping the designs on white cardstock, coloring them, cutting them out and gluing them onto a kraft paper postcard. The grass was punched out using a Martha Stewart border punch,  The stars were stamped and colored with color pencils.(Click on the photo to enlarge.)

The second postcard was made by stamping the designs on a piece of computer paper and cutting them out. Then the back of the mask was covered with 2-way glue which when dried made the mask repositionable. With the masks on the watercolor paper postcard, I painted watercolors over the entire postcard.  Once it was dry the masks were removed and the animal designs were stamped in the white spaces.  Watercolor pencils were used to color the designs and any white spaces in the background. Details were drawn in with a black Sharpie.

The third  postcard (click on it to enlarge the image) was made by stamping a Hero Arts postcard tag stamp (from BFC) onto a piece of kraft paper cardstock and cutting out the tag. Then the reverse side was stamped with some 'steampunk' images from Viva Las Vegas and Inkadinkado,  I hope that my interest in postcards has piqued your interest too and you'll try making a some too.  Most of the supplies you need can be purchased at Ben Franklin Crafts.  Postcard crafting is quick and seems to bring out the silly side of me. I apologize for my irreverent Easter Bunny humor  LOL!

All Things Grow with Love

After a snowy winter in some places, it's nice to think of flowers, birds, and warm fresh air. Long ago the spring season was a lovely time to knock and  leave an anonymous May basket of goodies/flowers on the door of a neighbor or friend.  (I think I read that somewhere.)  With all of this in mind, I decided to design my own "May" basket using the Sizzix large fry box die and Amy Tangerine cardstock.  I am filling my basket with flower seeds so the recipient can plant a garden for spring.  This flower seed basket would make a great no-calorie Easter basket, too.

If you don't want to make a 'May' basket, perhaps you'd like to create secret seed packets.  Using the Tim Holtz  envelope pocket die and Amy Tangerine cardstock, I made seed packets to hold a mixture of flower seeds.  It will be a fun surprise for the gardener to see what comes up in the garden. Although it is not really visible on this project (see the basket for a clearer view), I used a Martha Stewart anywhere' little flowers' punch on the front of the packet and taped a piece of acetate behind the punched portion.  These mini flower windows give a mysterious peek at the contents of the packet which also has an enticing shaking sound. Oh, the bunny on both projects is a stamped image from  Kitty Bee Designs.  Most of the products used in these two projects were purchased at Ben Franklin Crafts and many were red tag sale items.  As the stamped saying reminds us, "All Things Grow With Love"; so make and give these projects to someone deserving and grow a smile today.