Throw Back Thursday: Yarn Balloons

Hello all!
Now that the blog is more established and I know more how to make Pinterest Pins work to my advantage, this is a bit embarrassing haha But it's still hilarious and a good warning for fellow pinners!
 Not everything is as easy as it seems!
 Hope you all enjoy this Throw-Back-Thursday which originally aired here. All of the reader comments are particularly helpful on this one so be sure to go back and read through them if you are trying out this pin!!

The Original

http://juicy-bits.typepad.com/juicy_bits/2011/02/173-unicorns-and-rainbows-party-part-1-the-details.html

 Tutorial is here: http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/yarn-eggs-670275/

So on craft night, Wednesdays at my house, The Mr. Chips and I gathered the materials, (part of the problem with this is that unless you read THE WHOLE first blog page mentioned, you will NEVER find the tutorial link, which we didn't). So we got together the Elmer's School Glue, just the small one, yarn in various colors, balloons of varying sizes, and laid down a trash bag underneath so we didn't drip on the floor. We dipped the yarn in the glue, wrapped a TON around the balloon, and let it dry. We even sprayed the whole thing with the spray Elmer's Craft Glue (which is REALLY awesome by the way). And here is what we got...

The Pinstrosity

     Needless to say this was not quite what we were hoping for. If you read the directions, which apparently we don't at our house...in order for this to work, you cut the yarn in about three foot intervals, place it in 1:1 equal proportions glue and water, then wrap it randomly around the balloon. When we did it, we just ran the yarn through the glue, then wrapped it around the balloon, one dipped, one wrapped. This was REALLY hard to do because everything was tightly connected to another piece on the balloon and so it would move around and eventually fall off, these two balloons probably took us a good hour. The other problem is that the blog specifically says to use thin yarn. It might also help to go for smaller balloon sizes. The spray glue is awesome for other projects, but this one just weighed it down, and made the yarn white. Another pointer, this is a great outside project, very messy, very sticky...our kitchen floor never stood a chance, even with the trash bag :(

All in all a great idea, but not as simple as it seems, this one takes a bit of an artistic, and patient hand. The Mr. Chips said he would love to try this again, only modified.

 

Totally Nailed It! haha

 

Happy Thursday all!

 

 

H.U.M.P. Day: Olympic Torches

The Olympics are coming!! Is anyone else extremely excited? We LOVE the Olympics around here. It makes me wish I had a mustache so I could do this:

Okay, so I'm glad I can't grow out a 'stache like this guy, but if I did...I'd totally paint it up for the Olympics.

Just walking through Walmart lately and hearing the Olympic anthem on the display televisions gets me so excited every time. 

So what do the Olympics have to do with Pinstrosity? I'll show you. Behold...the Olympic Torch "Cupcake":

http://creativepartyideasbycheryl.blogspot.com/2012/07/olympic-torch-cupcakes.html

She has a whole Olympic Party post with awesome ideas on her blog as well. Check it out! 

Valerie decided to make her own edible Olympic Torches, but decided to combine it with another pin. The original recipe has you make a cake ball mixture (cake crumbs and frosting) which you then use to stuff the cones. Valerie remembered seeing a Pinterest pin where you just bake the cake in the cone and figured that would be easier, and she would basically be hurdling over a step. She also made a substitution, using a waffle cone rather than a sugar cone. Here's how her torch cupcake turned out:

The Pinstrosity

Her torch melted a little. She says, "The waffle cones softened under heat and half of them tipped over and spilled half the batter all over.  The ones that stayed up right just oozed out the sides instead of forming a nice dome on top.  After that I used store bought cream cheese frosting.  Apparently my house is too hot because that just melted all over the place."

Honey, yoU Made a Pinstrosity. 

From what I can find online, part of the problem was indeed the baking of the waffles cones. Every other post I've read where people tried to bake the waffles cones had them "melt", or distort. You really do need to use the sugar cones if you are going to make the cupcake in a cone deal. This is probably why Cheryl (the original pin's creator) made a cake pop mixture to fill the cones with. Now we understand. Kelly at studiodiy.com was able to help her waffle bowls keep their shape some with the aid of tin foil...but I don't know how well that would work on a cone.

The frosting. It looks like problems I've had when I try to dye my frosting with just regular cheap kitchen food coloring. Just those few drops (or many drops depending on what color you're going for) really changes the consistency of the frosting and makes it less "stable". If you want to dye your frosting, I'd suggest picking up dye made for frosting or chocolate. In our Walmart here (our choices here are Walmart, Albertsons, and the local IGA...which is why you hear me suggest Walmart a lot...that's all we have), you can get those dyes in the aisle with the wedding supplies and cake decorating equipment (over by the craft section...or at least that's where it is in our store). Cheryl also suggests putting the torches in the fridge as soon as you've frosted them to help preserve their awesomeness until you are ready to serve them. 

So...lessons learned:

1. Waffles cones are not your friend if you want to bake a cupcake in them. Sugar cones are better for that. 
2. If you want to use Waffle cones, make the cake pop mixture. 
3. Careful with what you use to dye your frosting. 
4. Keep them cool until serving time. 
5. The Olympics are awesome! 'Merica! Team USA all the way! (I know...our international readers are probably rolling their eyes...but I don't mind. I'm just excited.)
6. Eat bacon. I don't know how we learned this lesson from this Pinstrosity, but I'm liking it.
   Bacon Maple Sundae anyone? Don't mind if I do. 

A Happy Time Out- Is That A Thing??

Time out was a pretty normal thing at my house when I was growing up.

For my older brother that is haha, jk jk.

I'm sure I was a punk in one way or another. No kid is exempt from their crazy moments, it's what makes them kids after all!

But perhaps I would have been a better kid if I had this to entertain me while I was "thinking about my actions"! 

The Original

http://mycrazyblessedlife.com/2011/10/03/relax-bottletime-out-timer/

These time out bottles are timed at about 5 minutes. When your kids are in time out, send them with a glitter bottle that has been shaken up and when the glitter settles in 5 minutes they can come out of time out.

The Pinstrosity 

Laurie lives in a small town that only has a Wal-Mart and a Lowe's. This means limited craft supplies. Boo!

However Laurie decided to get the craft supplies she could to put this together. She obviously had to make some substitutions as Wal-Mart doesn't have everything.

Here's what happened:

 "Every time I went to Wal-Mart I would search for "gel glue" and finally found what I thought they were talking about today.  Some clear glue made by Elmers. I was so so excited.  I checked out the glitter.  The website says to use "fine" glitter.  Wal-Mart didn't have anything that specifically said "fine" on it, so I went with what they have.  The site also suggested adding glitter glue, so I grabbed some of that too.

  I poured in hot water, tossed in some glue, added a bit of glitter glue for good measure, added glitter and shook!  The concoction formed a ton of suds in the top of the bottle and the glitter settled in about 20 seconds.  So I added more and more and more glue.  I had to pour out the suds on the top to fit more glue in the bottle.  I ended up using all the glue.  It settled in about a minute.  Since I was out of glue and there was no way to remove water, I started adding more glitter.  I found that slowed down the settling a bit.  I figured I couldn't used it as a timer, but it was still pretty to look at.

About an hour later I found that the bottle settles more slowly, around 3.5  minutes.  So I think this is temperature dependent.  I don't think calibrating the timer is possible with hot water in there.  I have no clue how they got it to settle in 5 minutes like the blog says.  I used all my glue and it is in no way that slow.  Maybe you have to use Aleene's Clear Tacky Gel Glue, but that probably won't be coming to my Wal-Mart any time soon.  Maybe I needed finer glitter too.  

One note on the glitter glue- it doesn't like to play with others.  It stayed in it's own clumpy balls in the bottle and they practically "thud" down to the bottom during settling. "

So what's the trick?

Well after reading through the original I think there are three things happening here:

1.Bottle Size: The bottle Laurie used is 16 oz. The original blog used a large Smart Water bottle, they are 33 oz. This difference may be nothing, but if it worked for the original I don't see why it wouldn't work for anyone else. Also I kind of like that I can see everything super clear in the Smart Water Bottle, but if you have the other on hand that is fine too!

2. Glitter Size: I DO think this would make a significant difference. Fine glitter and regular glitter are different. Craft stores (or Amazon) sell Martha Stewart Fine Glitter and speaking from a glitter-a-holic's perspective this stuff is THE best. And so many fun colors!

3. Glue: Generic Elmer's Glue is often "Wash out with water" (the picture shows "Washable" at the top of the label) 'cause kids play with it and it needs to come off clothes. Especially glitter glue. Glitter is the herpes of craft supplies. This is why you need a legit craft gel glue, like Aleene's or something very similar.

On another note, I have heard some conversation about little ones being in time out for a lesser amount of time so Laurie's version in a 16 oz. bottle that settles at about 3.5 minutes might actually work better for some kids. Just a thought, all kids/parents are different and need/want different things. Do what works for you!

Also this doesn't have to be just a time out tool, these look like a cool toy and or coffee table conversations starter. Maybe I will make an adult version in cool  glass jars in different colors lol How lame am I??? What can I say I LOVE glitter!

Another thought, the original blogger super glued her lids on when she was finished putting them together. I HIGHLY recommend doing the same!

One Word for One Year

Themes are on my mind lately. I work with the teenage girls at church and we're working on getting things ready for our yearly theme for them (to see last year's super hero theme, click here). Em and I have started the "BAM! (Bust a Move!)" theme for Pisntrosity for 2014. My mom's theme for 2014 is "The Year of Bling" (to counteract 2013's year of blech). I decided I wanted a theme for myself for the year too, but I have had a hard time coming up with something. I've been going through my quotes I've collected, scriptures I've marked, things I've pinned to my Motivation and Anti-Depressant Pinterest boards, and a few days ago I finally hit on it. 

First though, let's see if you catch on (it really won't be that hard). I'll show you some of the Pinterest pins that stuck out to me as I've thought on this:

http://www.lds.org/manual/the-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world/the-relief-society-declaration?lang=eng

I spent so much of last year angry, afraid, stressed, upset, and pessimistic. I didn't handle pregnancy very well mentally and emotionally. I nearly lost my mom. I felt a little lot lost and unsure. I focused on everything negative. I've battled depression my whole life. But, now, for the first time in years, I feel at peace with life. Yes, there are down times, frustrations, and worries still, but those won't ever go away in life. I am ready to find joy. I am ready to spread joy. I'm ready to choose joy. 

After I'd already made the decision that Joy will by my 2014 theme, I found this post about Lauren, from IamTHATLady.com, and her 2014 theme...which is also Joy! 

http://www.iamthatlady.com/my-one-word-for-2014-joy/

That post led me to yet another post about choosing one word for each year. It was perfect! They suggest to put a great deal of thought (and if you are religious a good deal of prayer) on selecting your word for the year. Once you've decided on your word, then get a notebook that is dedicated solely to that word. As you find tidbits in life through reading (be it fiction books, the newspaper, quotes, scriptures, etc.), speeches (religious or secular), conversations, etc., that fit your theme, add it to your notebook, along with your own thoughts. I picked up my Joy Journal this past Saturday and started writing in it yesterday. It's amazing how things about Joy jumped out at me because my mind was on the lookout for them. 

When I was in choir in college, we sang Joseph M. Martin's "The Awakening". I have always loved that song and what it has to say. On the surface the lyrics seem to just be about music, but to me it's always also been about life in general. "I dreamed a dream; a silent dream of a land not far away. Where no bird sang, no steeples rang, and teardrops fell like rain. I dreamed a dream; a silent dream. I dreamed a dream of a land so filled with pride that every song, both weak and strong, withered and died. I dreamed a dream. No hallelujah, not one hosanna! No song of love, no lullaby. And no choir sang to change the world. No pipers played, no dancers twirled. I dreamed a dream; a silent dream. Awake, awake! Awake, awake! Awake, awake my soul and sing! The time for praise has come. The silence of the night has passed, a new day has begun! Let music never die in me; forever let my spirit sing! Wherever emptiness is found let there by joy and glorious sound! Let music never die in me; forever let my spirit sing! Let all our voices join as one to praise the giver of the sun! Awake, awake! Let music live!" -The Awakening, by Joseph M. Martin. It's time for my soul to reawaken. 

2014 is my year of Joy.

Do you have a yearly theme? If you had to pick one word to focus on for the year, what would you pick?

Show and Tell Saturday: The Pig

November starts rolling around each year and Cameron and I look at our bank account and then decide to do a "cheap and homemade" Christmas. Or in other words, a "we're broke, don't buy anything!" Christmas. This Christmas (when it was too late to implement this into 2013) I saw the following pin:

http://authenticsimplicity.net/tag/a-simple-christmas/

Genius, no?! 

Well, we were afraid that we'd lose gift cards (you know...in that super special and safe place where all things go to be safe forever?), so we came up with another plan that we think will work, and as we have more kids and they grow up it will be more fun for them as well. Here's what we decided to do. 

Emilee and our friend Camille gave me an awesome chalkboard piggy bank for my birthday this past year. I was so excited to get it, but couldn't figure out just what to use it for. Vacation savings? Date night stash? Babysitter money? Well, it finally has a job. Along with being excellent entertainment for our nephews when they come to visit, The Pig is our Christmas Funds Collector.

 Any money I find in pants pockets while doing laundry goes in the piggy bank. If I find cash just lying around (because we all just have cash lying around to roll in...), it goes in the pig. If we have cash that we want to donate to the funds, it goes in the pig. The rule is once the money goes in the pig, it doesn't come back out for date night, fast food, junk food, etc. Then when it comes time to do Christmas shopping we'll take it to the coinstar machine (because our bank here in town doesn't have a machine) and see how much The Pig had. We've talked about a few ideas there too. Some years we may use it for a Christmas vacation. Other years we may donate a portion (or all of it) to a family in need in the community. Other years we'll each just get a small portion of the money and divide the rest up between every kid's saving account. There are so many possibilities.  

Why do I show you this now? Because if you're anything like me you saw this around Christmas, thought it'd be awesome to do, and have since forgotten about it, only to remember this coming December when it's too late. Now is a great time to start this up! If the gift card every pay check works for you, do that. If you want to get the kids involved, try designating a Christmas Change jar or piggy bank. Or set up an extra account attached to your bank account and have the bank automatically transfer $10 (or however much) in every 2 weeks (or month or whenever). I'm hoping that this will be a fun tradition that our kids will enjoy. I'm excited for it at least. 

DIY Earing Holder -Use It Up, Wear It Out

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Marshmallow Roll Revamp

It's time for another Throwback Thursday revamp! I know Easter is still 3 months away, but I figured I'd get this up and out there right now. This is a pin that people seem to go crazy about right before Easter or Halloween (which is a funny combination in my opinion). It also is one of the pins we have received the most Pinstrosities for. 

I give you 

(duh duh duh!!!)

The Resurrection/Hocus Pocus/Marshmallow Roll!

http://eatatallies.com/2011/04/resurrection-rolls/

(Oh man...of course I pick something with sugary bread goodness to post right now...makes my bowl of oatmeal look/taste extra boring. Oh well.)

This will make the 4th post we've done on these bad boys. The previous 3 posts are:

Redundo Rolls

Marshmallow Rolls: The Great Escape

Easter Round Up

These rolls just aren't easy to get to work. I tried them and ran into issues and never could quite figure them out. Today we have 3 submissions to feature, and then we'll share all the information we've gleaned on these from reading, submissions, and comments. 

Submission #1:

"I have been in a huge Pinterest recipe kick lately. And up until a few nights ago they have all turned out great. The other night I decided to make hocus pocus buns. They seemed super easy. Just dip a marshmallow in butter, roll in cinnamon and sugar, and wrap in crescent roll dough. The pin says that the marshmallow should disappear when you bake them. But as you can tell by the pics mine did not disappear. In fact they did the opposite and got HUGE! In the end I would rate this a 3 on the pinstrosity scale. Where as they did not do what I thought they would do, they were still edible. And pretty tasty. I mean you really cant go wrong with marshmallows and cinnamon sugar right?!" -Shelby

Submission #2

"The only thing that I did different was, I accidentally put brown sugar instead of cinnamon inside AND I baked it on wax paper vs the pan directly, thinking it wouldn’t burn or stick as much. Not sure what went so wrong here…." -Natalie

Submission #3

"So, my story starts out by seeing this pin several weeks ago after FINALLY giving in to Pinterest. I've become quite the pinning momma since then. Mainly my skills are put to the test on Saturday nights with my cousin and a bottle (or 2) of wine. And never baking. Well, I had been wanting to try these darling little bites of heaven out and thought they would be fun to make with my 3 year old son. Well, my hubby comes home from the store today with these flippin ginormous marshmallows that are half the size of my head and reduced fat crescent rolls. I'm not saying this had anything to do with the outcome, but I'm just sayin...Anyways, my son decided to take a nice big poopy in his pants, which in turn earned him an early nap and no baking time with mommy. So, I proceed to pop my little balls of yummy deliciousness into my oven and enjoy the wonderful aroma of cinnamon and sugar erupting from my kitchen.And then it happened, the horrid smell of burned butt. I bolted to the kitchen, opened the oven door, and there it was...my pinstrosity! What I had concocted was a large, overflowing magma of cinnamon, butter, and marshmallows coming from one large glob of crescent roll. Yep, that's my story. But! My hubby ate it all up and my son didn't know the difference. 

Sincerely, Not So Betty Crocker Reagan"

Tips and Tricks

So now for how to get these right (or at least things you can do that will help to result in less of a Pinstrosity). I'll make the main tip in each comment large and bold so it sticks out for you scanners. 

• Jessica commented and said, "I cook professionally, but I'm not a food photographer so the stuff I make from Pinterest generally looks undesirable. My suggestion with this recipe would be to lower the heat and put the rolls in a cold oven, allowing the rolls to preheat with the oven. The marshmallow will have short time to melt, rather than explode."
• An Anonymous commenter said, "Use a toothpick to hold it together! Also there are two sizes of crescent rolls. There are a larger size with 6 in a roll and smaller sized ones with 8 rolls in the can. This might be the problem. I use only the big ones when a recipe calls for crescent rolls, unless it specifically calls for the smaller ones. I like to have more to work with."
• Another Anonymous commenter said, "My boyfriend and i just did this same recipe. We used the big marshmallows, and the Pillsbury crescent rolls. Instead of using the crescent rolls in the shape of a triangle we mushed each piece into it's own ball and then flattened it out like mini pizza crusts. And when you put it on the pan make sure to have it pinched side down, it won't stopped the leakage of marshmallow but it certainly minimizes it. They were absolutely delicious though! i think next time we make this we'll sprinkle some of the left over cinnamon sugar on top. yum..."
• Brenda Lady said, "I make these all the time and they always turn out great!!!! The problem is the dough you used!! Buy regular frozen bread rolls (NO CRESCENT ROLLS!!!), I use Rhodes. Allow rolls to thaw in a single layer for about an hour, until the dough is pliable. Flatten out each roll (but don't be too rough or you'll end up with overly tough bread) and wrap around a large marshmallow, seal edges as best you can and then roll in cinnamon sugar. Bake according to package directions, but start checking on half way through and every 5-10 mins (this might seem a little extreme, but I've found that even a minor difference in temp between ovens can have a huge effect on how these guys turn out). Also, don't crowd the pan!!! The marshmallows SHOULD melt out of the roll, leaving a hollow inside, but the point is they SHOULD MELT. You'll end up with a clear, sticky, sweet layer of melted marshmallow at the bottom of the pan and hollow rolls."
• Morgan said, "I learned how to make these as a young girl in church. We always used regular biscuit dough that came in a rolled can (Pillsburry)instead of crescent dough. We never had any issue with marshmallow leaking out of the pan. I have done them both in muffin pans and regular baking sheets. You do need to make sure that all seams are closed tightly though. With a weak seam you will get the inside running out. I do wonder if there is a bigger chance of a weak seam because crescents are a more flaky dough than regular biscuit dough?" 
• There are many comments about making sure that the seams are all pinched very tight in order to contain the marshmallow. 
• Carter (from this post) tried these once and got a Pinstrosity, and then tried them again. He said, "This time, instead of pinching them shut like the recipe calls for you to do, I wrapped them in such a way that the marshmallow could still breathe. Fifteen minutes later I pulled out perfectly fluffy, delicious treats (and they taste just as heavenly as the easter story they represent). The point being DO NOT SEAL THESE SHUT! It will piss off your marshmallow and make for a horrendous clean up time!"
• ValGal said, "This recipe has been around for YEARS, and while I admire the blog lady's attempt to make the process about religion, she's leaving out an important step... put them in a cupcake or muffin tin for baking. We also usually bake them at 375 instead of 350. Anyways I googled it to check and every other site with this recipe recommends a muffin tin, including Pillsbury's own site.
  http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/magic-marshmallow-crescent-puffs/291cfc34-4b0c-4338-8797-597804aadda1#
  In the comments someone asks if they can use a cookie sheet instead. Someone commented and said..."NO do not try to make these on a cookie sheet. The marshmallow inside melts along with the butter and other sugars and creates almost a syrup that gets soaked into the dough. In fact even in a muffin cup you run the risk of some of this syrup overflowing.If you try to make these on a cookie sheet they will leak and burn and you will end up throwing it away. Also,when they are baked they are hollow. The marshmallow melts and flavors the dough so don't expect to break one open and find it inside. I actually would suggest making these in jumbo cups just in case to avoid a mess."
  Anyways here are the other recipes I found, definitely use a muffin tin and you will have much better luck. In other news, you can use Peeps instead of the cinnamon/sugar marshmallow for added fun ;)
  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/magic-marshmallow-crescent-puffs-recipe/index.html
  http://www.food.com/recipe/stuffed-cinnamon-crescent-rolls-126936
  http://www.livelovepasta.com/2012/03/cinnamon-sugar-marshmallow-crescent-roll-cupcakes/"
• There are also a ton of comments saying to try using mini marshmallows instead of the large ones. Could work. 
• And now for the Brown Sugar. Here's what I learned: 
• "All sugars, both brown and white included, start as sap in tropical sugarcane plants. Those are crushed, and the juice is extracted. It is then heated– a process that yields molasses. That molasses contains very dark sugar crystals. Manufacturers spin that in a centrifuge and the molasses is removed. The final product is white sugar. Decades ago, brown sugar was simply white sugar before all of the molasses was taken out. These days, though, brown sugar is white sugar where the molasses has been added back into the mix. The darker the sugar, the more molasses in the package. In most cases, you can use brown and white sugar interchangeably, but you may notice a real difference in the texture of your baked goods. Remember that brown sugar is naturally moister, so you can bet that your baked goods with be a bit softer and moister as well. What’s more is that your baked goods may come out slightly darker than you’d expected if you use brown sugar instead of the more traditional white sugar." - See more at: http://www.escali.com/blog/brown-sugar-vs-white-sugar-whats-the-difference/#sthash.oletQnt2.dpuf

So these can be done, but they are quite temperamental. With that said though...most people say that even when this one turns into a visual Pinstrosity, it's still a complete Pin Win in taste! 

H.U.M.P. Day: Cakes

It's H.U.M.P. Day All, and you know what that means:

Weddings.

Honey U Made A Pinstrosity has often been found when it comes to DIY weddings...

There are just as many different types of weddings in this world as there are people. Some are black tie affairs, with planning for that can take years. Some are last minute trips to the court house, or the Vegas strip!

Our wedding wasn't a black tie affair, but it wasn't a jeans and t-shirt event either. It was perfect for us, there was dancing and singing, (oh there was singing!!) and we all had a great time!! And the cakes were amazing!

Willow sent us this pin that she attempted with her wedding cake, THAT SHE MADE HERSELF!!! Willow, you are an awesome lady! I was so stressed with dates and trying to get everything done/made that I wouldn't have had a cake if I made it myself haha

From what Willow told us her wedding was somewhat casual, which she said we just perfect for her and her man. P.S. Willow I think your cake topper is hilarious! I bet your nuptials were a party!

Here is today's Pinstrosity!

The Original

http://www.missmindless.com/2008/03/i-couldnt-go-to-wedding-and-not-talk.html

Here is the cake that inspired Willows cake. I LOVE that it is decorated with snack cakes! haha! What a fun unique take on a cake! I love it!

The Pinstrosity

Willow said:

"We went with a  heart shaped cake to accommodate the cake toppers. And as you can see, we had to do a little creative cutting to get the snack cakes to fit (that's what's on the [side] trays, the ends of the rolls), and the peanut butter bars didn't want to quite stay put, which is why they're leaning into the cake.  We kind of ran out of frosting too because all of the charts we looked at flat out LIED to us about how much we would need (and we even bought extra!). However, all in all, I think it came out kind of cute.  Nothing I'd serve at a formal wedding, that's for sure, but at a casual wedding like ours, it got a lot of compliments. I would have liked it to be neater, but oh well, can't have everything."

Willow I love your approach!!

The only thing I could maybe think to make this go a little smoother (or neater as Willow put it), is to maybe measure out cakes before hand, or use different cakes. I liked that Willow added a little color with sprinkle cakes and hearts, but I also really like the all chocolate cakes on the original, both are fabulous and it's just a matter of what your personal style is. Also, I ALWAYS buy a TON of extra frosting when I am doing anything more than just a typical frost job. I always tend to use more than I think I will, and if I have extra I pop it in the fridge and use it for something else a week later anyways.

Willow said this was a  GTC 3, but I like it, it has charm and seemed to fit the event nicely.

Hope everyone has a happy H.U.M.P. Day!

Hotdogtopus

I just now realized why my alarm clock went off at 7am on a day where I didn't have any appointments in town to get ready for. It's my Pinstrosity day! I guess I should make a note telling me why I'm waking up so in my sleepy state I don't just glare at the alarm clock wondering why it is "unnecessarily" going off. My bad. 

So, I'm here today with a great Pinstrosity for you. This one made me laugh pretty good, nearly woke Darrow up. Good thing he's a solid sleeper. 

You know that one octopus hot dog pin? The one to make hot dogs more fun for kids? Here...this one:

The Original Pin

http://www.mymothermode.com/2011/07/kids-fun-food-the-octopus-hot-dog-recipe/

Kristen saw this and thought it would be a fun way to liven up lunch. She said, "My lunch recently became a horrible not really safe for work monstrosity as I attempted to replicate a pin. The objective seemed simple enough: turn lunch into a fun octopus hot dog hanging out in the ocean. My end result however, looked nothing like the original pin."

The Pinstrosity

"I'd made a couple of healthier substitutions, I traded the noodles for mashed sweet potato and instead of a hot dog I used a chicken, feta, and spinach sausage, but it wasn't anything I thought would be too drastic. In fact, the author of the original pin said they preferred to use beef, chicken, or turkey dogs! They lied, this doesn't work with anything other than a regular hot dog."

"As for the GCT test, I'd rate it a 3. This project mostly worked and if you knew what it was supposed to look like you can see the resemblance. Above all it was edible, but it got a whole lot of strange glances from around the lunch table."

Bahahaha, the more I read her story and look at her lunch picture, the more I'm laughing. This is awesome and I love that Kristen sent it in to us. 

So if you decide to try for the hotdogtopus, it looks like a regular hot dog is the way to go.