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Easter Idea Roundup

March 28, 2011 | Also posted in Topic: Seasonal/Holiday

Click on the photo above for Cool Easter ideas from the past–these were some of our 2010 posts…

And here are some more resources:

Easter Egg Prep – How to blow eggs!
More Easter Crafty Links.. (more egg dying ideas)
Easter wrapup, and Share your easter eggs! (more egg dying ideas)
Easter Eggs & Baskets
Spring cocktail recipes

Downloadable Gift Tags and Make an Altoids Tin Gamebox

December 2, 2010 | Also posted in Topic: craft, my art, Seasonal/Holiday

Christmas Gift Label Downloadable Tags I was looking back at some old posts, and I thought these deserved some front page space! Download these adorable (if I do say so myself) little gift tags for your Christmas gifts… Click here to download as a pdf or from flickr! Make a “Little Game Box”, with an Altoids Tin and these cute downloadable cards Here’s a great little stocking stuffer you can make yourself. A pocket sized game is a great little ‘handmade’ Holiday gift. I’ve included (almost) everything you need to make one for… Read on...

Mr. Freeze Costume (Halloween 2010 Video)

November 18, 2010 | Also posted in Topic: craft, Halloween, Seasonal/Holiday, Tutorials/Tips

As I’ve been promising… Here is The Boy’s Mr. Freeze costume from Halloween. The video below shows the gun in action — it actually smokes and glows! (The helmet glows blue as well). As a typical 5 year old, he loves Star Wars, Batman, and Phineas & Ferb, and he wanted to be Mr. Freeze (the Batman villain) this year. (As you may remember last year I made Perry the Platypus). Obviously this is a kid’s version of this costume, but no reason this couldn’t be adapted for an adult as well. (See… Read on...

How to make Citrus Vodka (from the cheap stuff!)

August 11, 2010 | Also posted in Topic: Featured Recipes, food, my food

One my sweetie’s favorite libations (other than a fancy craft beer!) on a summer evening is Citron & Tonic. So last time we were at the store, eyeing the big $30 bottle of Absolut Citron, we decided to see if we could make something similar (or even better) ourselves, for less money! I’d read previously that you could filter cheap vodka and get it closer to premium vodka using a water filter pitcher–and we already knew how to infuse spirits with citrus (remember Making Limoncello?) –, so we figured why not try? We bought a… Read on...

Perry the Platypus Cake Tutorial: The Prep Work

June 15, 2010 | Also posted in Topic: food, my food, party

[Part 2 is here] I have a request for the tutorial to make the Perry the Platypus Cake, and since it’s needed in a hurry, I’m doing this tutorial in two parts. By the way, I did a really detailed tutorial on last year’s dragon cake, and this year’s cake is actually similar, if a little simpler. So it wouldn’t be a bad idea to read through that tutorial in case I miss anything I covered there, as far as techniques. More pics of the cake and the party here!
We’ll start with the prep work:… Read on...

How to Make Clone Trooper Cupcakes

June 11, 2010 | Also posted in Topic: food, my food, party, Tutorials/Tips

For the Clone Wars section of the birthday party, (for the Phineas and Ferb themed cake, go here!) the hubby and I came up with the idea for upside down clone trooper helmet cupcakes. These cupcakes were the hit of the party with the five-year-old boy set, though I will warn you, they are a bit time consuming to assemble. But well worth it! So here’s how to do them. Cupcakes: You’ll need good firm cake, similar to pound cake. Here’s the recipe I used. I don’t know if it was luck, or… Read on...

Knight Costume for dress up fun!

May 17, 2010 | Also posted in Topic: craft, Halloween, party, Tutorials/Tips

One of The Boy’s bestest buds had a medieval themed birthday party on Sunday, and somehow we decided 3 hours before party time that he needed a knight costume. I blame the husband! So, what follows is not exactly the most well crafted costume I’ve ever done, but it was easy to make, and looked great, and the boy was absolutely loving it! By following these general instructions, and actually taking some time and care, you can have an even better costume! Also note: This is a summer costume, so he just wore shorts and a t-shirt… Read on...

Tootsie-Roses!

March 4, 2010 | Also posted in Topic: Featured Recipes, food, Guest

Here’s a great idea for cake or cupcake decorating, using tootsie rolls! They come in all kinds of wonderful colors now… My friend Grieg made these (apparently he’s not just a great photographer, but a great cook as well), and was generous enough to show us how! You can see some of his other creations at Foodwhirl, too! (Like the Cheesecake Cookie Cupcakes, and Chocolate Hearts) How to Make Tootsie-Roses For the petals:
Starting with the smaller of your teardrops, wrap each petal around your flower base and continue until… Read on...

How to Make a Baby Sling

February 16, 2010 | Also posted in Topic: craft, Guest, Tutorials/Tips

My lovely neighbor Katie has made a ton of these slings, for both herself and for friends, and she’s graciously shared this tutorial. This makes a great baby gift for a friend, and even if you’re not overly sewing proficient, you can make one for yourself while the baby is napping! These work for small babies, up to toddlers… Katie has given us a great step by step with pictures, but if you have any additional questions, just ask! Making a Baby Sling An older baby should sit comfortably on your hip. You only need to fold the… Read on...

Tutorial: Make a Bracelet from an old Record

December 16, 2009 | Also posted in Topic: craft, Featured Craft, Guest, Tutorials/Tips

Today we have another lovely guest poster here on Dabbled, Kelly from Tresijas! I discovered Kelly through some of the really cool creations she had posted in the Dabbled Flickr group–especially her vinyl record creations–, and I asked her if she’d honor us with a tutorial. And she agreed, so here it is… Enjoy!

How to: Make A Bracelet from Vinyl Record List of materials: Toaster oven with tray
An old pair of scissors
stretchy gloves (to protect from heat)
record album
low grit sand paper
bracelet mandrel… Read on...