A New Obsession

I've begun to play around with the new Adobe Photoshop Elements software that I got for Christmas.  Have you heard about digital scrapbooking?  Well, I am hooked!


It is SO much fun! I've started out by taking some pages that I've already scrapped and recreating them digitally.  It's been a great learning experience.  There are so many amazing free tutorials out there and a ton of free papers and elements as well!  I've really enjoyed learning how to make my own embellishments and play around with color and textures... I could go on and on.

Here's a little sample of some of my first pages:

Warm Delights

So, I LOVE chocolate. And I love chocolate cake. But who wants to take the time to bake an entire chocolate cake every time you crave one?  Besides, it's just NOT a good idea to have all that cake sitting around my house. I'm on a see-food diet - I see food and I EAT it.

Anyways, I love Betty Crocker's Warm Delights, but I can't bring myself to pay for them. But occasionally I've found deals to get them for free or for nearly free (less than a quarter) and I indulge.  Did you know that you can make these yourself?  I have tried many microwave cake recipes (cake in a mug, etc.) and frankly, they are NO GOOD. Trust me.

Recently, I came across an alternative to make your own Warm Delights, and they are JUST LIKE THE REAL DEAL, people!!!!  Why didn't I think of this before?

Observe:

1. Take one box of cake mix

2. Measure 1/4 cup into a microwave safe vessel (or reuse an empty Warm Delights pan!)

3. Add two tablespoons of water

4. Mix well with a spoon

5. Lick spoon
5. Microwave for 1 - 1.5 minutes

6. Let sit as long as you can stand it (~15 seconds for me...)

7. Top with some chocolate chips, or fudge or whatever (optional)

8. EAT!!!

9. Relish in the frugalness of it all!
10. You're welcome. :)

Goodbye, cruel world

It's time for a change.  C is starting public school kindergarten in six weeks and the little pitter-patter in my house is not quite the same as it used to be.

To help protect her privacy and still allow me an outlet to blog about whatever I want, I have decided to start a new blog.  Cramers Online is the name (for now) and it will be a password protected blog. It is a copy of this blog, so all the past posts and comments will be transferred there.  Over the next few weeks I'll be deleting personal posts from this blog.

I do want all my friends and family to be able to read it, so to sign-in to the new one with your Google account, please send a request to view it.

I will keep the crafts and homeschool and some more general posts on this blog, too, however, since I think (?) somebody somewhere out there may find it interesting!

Hope to see some followers there soon!
- Lori

Fairy Wings

Since C wanted a Fairy theme birthday party with her friends, I decided to make some dress-up fairy wings for the kids to paint as a craft. I found a tutorial by Threadbanger that inspired me.

They turned out better than I expected!

Wire Hangers:

Knee-high panty hose (Walmart):

Shape the hangers,

and wrap with ribbon:

repeat again and again!

There you have it!