Jac o' lyn Murphy: diy
Showing posts with label diy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diy. Show all posts

Monday, November 5, 2018

Turkey in a Cup-cakes - Thanksgiving Desserts


There are so many ways to cook turkey.
Roasted, barbecued, fried and now microwaved!
With a little help from my friends at Miss Jones Baking Company, 
you can have turkey cupcakes in a cup in under a minute.



All you need are cakes in a cup, candy eyes, 
a colorful candy for the nose (I cut my favorite Sour Punch into triangles), 
a few feathers and your favorite frosting.


Cook the cakes according to package instructions by adding water and microwaving,
then frost and assemble your turkey.
Soon you can have a glorious gobbler in many different flavors.
Chocolate and Vanilla...


Vanilla and Salted Caramel

or Confetti and Chocolate.

I know you can't "weight" to get baking!




Thank you to Miss Jones Baking Company for providing their amazing products for this post and the giveaway.

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Easy DIY Paper Flowers for a Lucky Day of the Dead

I love what Día de Muertos celebrates.
In the annual Mexican celebration, the Day of the Dead 
is a time when families gather to honor and remember deceased loved ones. 
It is festive and joyful.
When I saw the recent California Lottery Scratcher game I had to laugh.
How did they know that playing the lottery is one of my favorite memories of so many relatives?

So we are focusing our memorial celebration
on lucky tickets and vibrant tissue flowers!


The flowers are so fun and easy to make,
you can have a colorful cluster of them in no time.

Simply stack colorful tissue paper about 8 pieces thick 
and cut through with a scalloped paper punch.
(mine is 3.5" in diameter but you could use any size)


Then gather 5 or 6 of them that you would like for one flower...

Carefully hot glue each layer together in the center and stack on top of each other...
(you could use regular glue also but I like hot glue because it takes very little time to dry,
doesn't bleed and really holds the paper together.

Wait until glue sets and then from the top layer start to crumple the paper inward...

go layer by layer until...

it looks like this...

then fluff the layers out...


Here's to hoping our ancestors can help us win those big bucks...

Imagine what next year's celebration will be like if we win!



Tuesday, October 2, 2018

DIY Halloween Face Masks - Get BOO-tiful

Mask can have many different meanings.

mask
mask
noun
  1. 1.
    a covering for all or part of the face, worn as a disguise, or to amuse or terrify other people.


For Halloween, we usually think of the standard variety that comes with your costume,
 but this year I am all about the beauty of the mask!
Something that covers the face,
 bold and colorful, 
natural and homemade, 
that will make you feel good 
and will definitely amuse or terrify anyone who catches you with it on. 

DIY face masks are fun and easy to make.
The perfect treat to keep for yourself or give as a gift because 
the trick of  glowing, radiant skin everyone appreciates.

You can't celebrate Halloween without pumpkins and your skin will be glad you did! 
Not only are they festive and colorful but they contains fruit enzymes and alpha hydroxy acids which increase cell turnover, to brighten and smooth the skin. 
The antioxidants Vitamin A and Vitamin C it has also can help soften to and soothe the skin and boost collagen production to prevent the signs of aging.


Pumpkin and Spice Mask
8 oz. pumpkin puree
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients well in a blender or hand mix.  Place in an airtight container and use within 2-3 days.



Carve out a little time for yourself and slather this mask on.
 Relax for 5-10 minutes before rinsing it off.



Avocado is a bewitching fruit.
There are many benefits to putting this amazingly colorful green goop on your face.
It moisturizes, reduces inflammation, can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and also exfoliates.


Magical Avocado Mask
1 ripe avocado
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Mix all ingredients well in a blender or hand mix.  Place in an airtight container and use within 2-3 days.


Cover your face with the mask and sit back for 5-10 minutes while the spell is cast.



Here is to a BOO-tiful Halloween!



Sunday, June 24, 2018

It's black and white - Everyone loves Succulent Party Favors


My party philosophy is simple.
Have personal, unique touches to make it special 
and always have your friends leave with a memento to remember the event.
I recently helped with an 80th birthday lunch where
the guest of honor is a straight shooter who loves black and white.
I created sweet succulent favors topped with a poignant quotes...

Some perfectly captured the theme...


some were sentimental...

some reflected the birthday girl's Irish roots...

and some were wise words from the world of Winnie the Pooh...

All to honor one great lady...

They could not have been easier to put together.
I got 2.5" potted succulents from a local nursery...


Since I knew I'd be using black and white ribbon,
I was looking for plants already in black pots.

I cut the ribbon to fit around the pot...

and just hot glued it on...

gave the ribbon a snip...

and they were ready to be "quoted"...

Soon we had a platoon of polka dot plants ready to party!




Monday, February 12, 2018

Chinese New Year Lucky Dog Cookies


Chinese New Year is always a festive, colorful celebration.
2018 is the Year of the Dog 
and I want to make sure it's extra fortunate, lucky and fun with 
Lucky Dog Fortune Cookies...

Nothing pairs better with easy DIY cookies, than a scratch off lottery ticket,
for what could not only be a sweet year, but a lucrative one as well!

To make the cookies you just need:
Fortune Cookies
and a handful of chocolate chips to melt

Draw a simple dog face onto the melt...
(I have the best luck doing a tapping motion to write on the melt as opposed to drawing on it. 
You may need to wipe tip off frequently on a piece of paper
 if you have difficulty getting a clear image.)

Melt chocolate chips...

apply to back of melt like "glue"...

and place on your fortune cookie,  holding for 30 seconds or so until it sets.
You can either do ears up, like a chihuahua or doberman...

or down and floppy like a beagle or bloodhound...

So get those tails wagging...

it's the perfect time for a litter of pups!

I'd love to know your New Year's wishes...
I'm all "ears"...



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