Sun Tea

Iced tea and Texas summer. The two go so well together. Today I decided to make a batch of sun tea. No, it's not a new idea- but a good one just the same.

Start by cleaning a clear container with hot, soapy water.

Fill with 6 cups of cold, purified water.

Dunk in 7 tea bags.

Place container in direct sunlight for 2 hours.



Remove tea bags. If you have an infusion pitcher, add cut lemons for flavor.



Pour over ice and enjoy!

Monogram Wreath Alternative

I came across the cutest idea for a wreath alternative to hang on your front door.

I like this idea because it's something that works year-round, as opposed to holiday-themed welcome signs or the like.

I decided I wanted to try it out for myself. I went to Joann's Fabric and bought a medium sized paper mache letter, a roll of jute, a package of flowers from the scrapbooking section, and a roll of ribbon.

Start out by hot-gluing the jute to the back of the letter, and wrap vertically until you cover all vertical edges. Then, take the jute and wrap horizontally. It's going to take awhile. You want to make sure you cover all sides.

Next, add your embellishments wherever you think is best.

Finally, use a staple gun to attach your ribbon and tie around a wreath holder.

 



 

I'm pretty happy with how it came out, and now I'm one step closer to accepting the new last name!

Strawberry Sheet Cake

Anybody who knows me knows that I love to bake. I like baking much more than cooking not just because I love sweets, but because baking is a simple, step-by-step process. Usually if you follow the recipe, you get the product you aimed for. Cooking, on the other hand, is much more flexible. In most areas of my life, I'd rather not have rules to follow, but with baking, I love them. (Yes, I realize you cook using recipes too, but cooking recipes call for spices I don't have or techniques I have to look up on YouTube.) The newest recipe I tried is for a strawberry sheet cake I found on Pinterest.

It came out so good! (My baking time was about 15 minutes longer than what's listed below.) What a wonderful dessert for summer time.

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup sweetened strawberries, mashed
• 1 small box dry strawberry jello

Strawberry Icing:

• ½ stick butter or margarine, softened
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup sweetened strawberries, mashed

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients and pour into greased 9x13 pan.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
3. While the cake is baking, make the icing.
4. Mix together all icing ingredients until smooth – may need to add more powdered sugar or strawberries for a spreading consistency. Mix well first before you add extra sugar or strawberries.
5. Once the cake is cool, spread the icing on the cake.
6. Store the cake in refrigerator; it's best when it's chilled for at least 2 hours.

Flower Girl Baskets

While perusing Pinterest, I came across this adorable flower girl basket. The color happened to be perfect for my wedding, but I figured it would be pretty easy (and fun) to re-create this look on my own.

I went to Hobby Lobby and bought the following supplies.

The baskets were really inexpensive, maybe $4 each. The flowers were $0.50- $3.00 each, found in the wedding section of the craft store, and I bought a roll of ribbon for another $3.00. The first step was to hot-glue the flowers to the front of the baskets.

For the last step, I wrapped the ribbon around the handles and tucked the ends into the inside of the baskets. I was really happy with how they turned out! Plus, I made two for less than half the price the original was selling for on Etsy. (Did I mention making both only took about 30 minutes?)

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I couldn't resist including a picture of my niece holding the basket at my ceremony (my other niece took one look at the guests and reenacted Julia Roberts's character in Runaway Bride). 

Happy crafting!