The New Site is Live!!

The new site is live!  From now on, please visit my blog here at designedbydawnnicole.com.

All new tutorials will be posted on the new site and all the old ones have been transfered over.

Here's a peek at the new site!  Come check it out.  (But bear with me as I still have to transfer the "Page" content over the next day or two.)

Moving to WordPress...

Just a quick important note: I'm in the process of moving to Word Press this week (yay!) so if you follow via GFC, it will no longer work. To make sure you don't miss anything, follow my RSS Feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ikIqI.

Thanks!

Dawn

DIY Spider Web Vase

It was a windy, overcast, very "Fall-ish" day when I took the pics of this project yesterday and the historic style of our new home certainly adds to the spooky factor of Halloween!  It looks like a long list of supplies but a lot of them are things most of you crafters should have on-hand already.  This was a really easy and fun project and it will be the perfect Halloween centerpiece in the dining room to go with my Halloween Mantle.

What You'll Need:
-Vase (I upcycled a glass one laying around the house)
-Mod Podge
-Foam Brushes and Small Paintbrush
-Yarn
-Glitter
-Hot Glue Gun
-Plastic Spider
-Acrylic Paints (I used Martha Stewart Crafts Paints in orange and red shades)
-Martha Stewart Liquid Gilding in Silver
-Foam Brushes
-Styrofoam Floral Cube
-Black Roses
-Plastic Spider

First, I cleaned the vase with glass cleaner and allowed to dry.  Then I took lengths of yarn and dipped them in Mod Podge.  I wrapped them around the vase to look like a web, starting at the bottom.  If you run out of yarn, just start a new strand.  I left a string hanging down at the top from which to "hang" the spider.  Be prepare, this step is messy!  Because of all the Mod Podge, I allowed the vase to dry overnight after this step.

While the vase dried, I painted the spider with the silver liquid gilding and then used orange on his back to paint a Black Widow shape.

The next day I painted the vase with a coat of Mod Podge and sprinkled fine glitter all over.  After a few hours drying time, I painted a final coat of Mod Podge to the vase.  When dry, I hot glued the spider to the string that was left "hanging" down.

Then I took a foam floral block and placed it in the bottom of the vase and stuck the black roses in randomly, shortening the stems of half of them.  I flared out the petals a bit and used red paint on the edges of the petals.

Linking up on: TatertotsandJello.com, Today's Creative Blog

DIY Glow In The Dark Trick-or-Treat Bags #iLoveToCraft

Fall is by far my favorite season and I was thrilled when I received the opportunity to participate in the iLoveToCreate Fall Challenge.  I received a set of 12 Glow in the Dark Puffy Paints and immediately decided Trick-or-Treat bags would be the perfect thing to make with them.  This was a fun, simple, and inexpensive craft and my kids love their bags.  And they really do glow in the dark well too!

To make these bags, you'll need the following:

-Plain Canvas Tote Bag

-Contact Paper
-Craft Cutter or Exacto Knife and mat for cutting stencil

-Tulip Puffy Paint Glow 12 Pack (available at WalMart)
-Tulip White Fabric Paint
-Small Paint Brush
-Gems (for girly version)

For the "I {want} candy" bag, I came up with a design and cut it out using contact paper and a craft cutting machine (you can also do this with a cutting mat and sharp exacto knife).  I stuck the design to my bag and inserted the centers back into letters such as "A".

I painted three coats of paint on the stencil, randomly alternating colors and allowing an hour drying time between coats.  Because the paint is pretty translucent, I marked colors on the stencil with a permanent marker as shown below so I knew which paint color I used on which letter.

When dry to the touch, I peeled off the stencil and outlined each letter or candy piece in the Puffy paint the same color as the letter/candy.

To up the girly factor, I squeezed small dots of paint in the "I" and the candy pieces and pressed gems into the paint.

For the boyish bag, I created a simple "Trick {or} Treat" text with bats.

I painted a single coat of white with a Tulip Soft fabric paint.

Then I painted two coats of color using the Glow Puffy Paints.

When dry, I removed the stencil and outlined as with the girly version.  And that's it!  These will be perfect for collecting more candy than the kids can eat in just a few more weeks. ;)

Connect with iLoveToCreate via the iLoveToCreate web site, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Check out the other fabulous blogger's projects included in this campaign:

Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with iLoveToCreate and Blueprint Social. The opinions in this post are 100% my own.  Please see the bottom of this blog for a Full Disclosure Statement.  

Linking up on:

Tatertotsandjello.com

Gyro Burgers with Tzatziki

Lamb burgers topped with Tzatziki and served in a warm, grilled pita.  Served with a side of semi-homemade Rosemary Sweet Potato fries.  Sounds yummy, huh?  It was.  Definitely one of my favorite dinners in a while.  And easy too.  The Tzatziki is best made ahead of time or even the night before but it's still really good even when you can't.  

Tzatziki Sauce

1 (17 oz) container plain greek yogurt (such as Fage 0%)

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1 lemon

3-4 cloves mined garlic

4 oz Feta cheese, crumbled

salt and pepper

Place diced cucumber in a clean tea towel or paper towels and gently squeeze out excess liquid.  In a medium bowl, mix yogurt and juice of the lemon.  Add in garlic and feta.  Fold in cucumbers.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lamb Burgers

1 lb. ground lamb

2 tsp Mediterranean Herb Seasoning (McCormick's)

1 egg, beaten

4-5 tbsp panko bread crumbs

salt and pepper

Preheat grill to medium.  Mix ingredients well without overworking the meat.  Divide into four burger patties.  Grill to medium well, about 8-10 minutes.

Brush pita halves with olive oil and grill about 2 minutes per side.

Split burgers in half and place burger halves into pita halves.  Serve with tomato slices, onion, lettuce, and Tzatziki.

 

Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries (much like Smashburger's style sweet potato fries)
-One bag Alexia frozen sweet potato fries
-Olive Oil
-Rosemary
-Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss frozen fries with olive oil and Rosemary.  Sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 20-22 minutes.

Linking up on: Uncommon Designs , Tatertotsandjello.com

Halloween Mantle #marthahalloween

I recently got the opportunity to check out a bunch of craft goodies from the Martha Stewart Crafts line.  Here's a little peek at all the cool stuff I got to try out.  Stencils, glass and acrylic paints, brushes, liquid gilding, glass paint squeegees, glass patterning tapes, stucco paint, a spray paint kit that turns any of her acrylic paints into spray paint, and more!

It's been 4 years since I've had a house with a mantle to decorate.  The house we just moved into has five!  So I immediately knew I wanted to create a festive Halloween Mantle in our dining room.  I'm going to break down how you can make your own into the five following mini-tutorials:

{1} Painted Chalkboard "Keep Out" Sign

What You'll Need:

-A Rectangular Sign (I got this metal one on clearance at the craft store)

-Martha Stewart Multi-Surface Acrylic Chalkboard Paint in Gray

-Foam Brush/Paintbrushes

-Martha Stewart Satin Acrylic Paint in Carrot and Pearl Glass Paint in Purple Martin

I painted the center of the sign with 2 coats of the chalkboard paint, allowing 1 hour drying time in between coats and then allowed it to cure for 24 hours.  To condition before use, you simply rub chalk over the surface then wipe it off and it's ready to write on.

And then I painted the "frame" of the sign with 2 coats of Carrot (Orange), allowing an hour drying time in between coats.  I also used the pearly Purple Martin paint to accent (I followed a pattern already on the metal sign).

{2) Festive Cake Stand

What You'll Need:

-Cake Stand

-Martha Stewart Glass Paint in Gloss Mace (Orange) and Pearl Purple Martin

This is super simple.  I simply did dots of paint in alternating colors.  The tips of the glass paints made this so easy (but I got a major hand cramp doing squeezing out all those dots!).

{3} Hocus Pocus Pumpkin

What You'll Need:
-Black Cat Stencil from the Martha Stewart "Holiday Icons" Stencil Set
-Small Paintbrush
-Martha Stewart Acrylic Paint in Vanilla Bean and Metallic Glass Paint in Black Nickel
-Ceramic Pumpkin

First I centered the stencil over my pumpkin and sparingly dabbed one coat of paint on.  Then I immediately carefully removed the stencil and washed it.  I used the metallic glass paint to outline the cat and freehand the words "Hocus Pocus".

{4} Jack-O-Lantern Floral Display

What You'll Need:

-Bucket/Basket

-Foam Floral Blocks

-Assorted fall "floral" sticks (including pumpkins)

-Burlap Scraps

-Martha Steward Acrylic Paint in Vanilla Bean

-Small Paint brush

This is pretty simple too.  I placed the foam blocks into the tin buckets and arranged the floral/seasonal sticks as desired.  Then I folded the burlap into a ruffled pattern and placed it around floral/seasonal display.  I used the acrylic paint to freehand various jack-o-lantern faces onto each pumpkin.

{5} "Happy Halloween" Wreath

What You'll Need:

-14" Styrofoam Wreath

-4 spools of 25 yard tulle (Two black, two purple), cut into 18" strips

-Orange Ribbon

-Wood Sign that's large enough to span wreath (I found this cute ghost one at the craft store)

-Martha Stewart Condensed Sans Alphabet Adhesive Stencils and a small paintbrush

-Martha Stewart Acrylic High Gloss Paint in Geranium (Orange)

First, I tied tulle around the wreath alternating 6 of each color all the way around.

Working a few letters at a time, I spelled out "Happy Halloween" with the adhesive stencils and dabbed each letter with paint (sparingly so the stencils don't bleed!).  Immediately remove and wash stencils as you go.  These adhesive stencils rock and are re-useable but you have to wash them right away.  They'll be just as sticky after they dry.  Using a dry brush and very little paint, I dabbed randomly at the sign for extra bursts of orange around the "Happy Halloween" text.

I hot glued the sign to the wreath and tied orange ribbon at the top center to hang the wreath.

Be sure to check out PLAID Crafts (who exclusively distributes the Martha Stewart Crafts line) on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

You can check out more Halloween projects from this fun campaign here:


;


Disclosure: I wrote this post as a part of a paid campaign with Martha Stewart Crafts and Blueprint Social.  As always, the opinions in this post are 100% my own.  See the bottom of my blog for a Full Disclosure Statement.

Linking up on: Lines Across, TipJunkie, Today's Creative Blog, Tatertotsandjello.com

Honeycrisp Harvest Salad

This salad is my knock-off version of one served at the local cafe on the grounds of the farm where we take our kids Apple and Pumpkin picking in the fall.  It's one of my favorite salads ever.  Light, sweet, and nutty with apples adding the perfect crunch.  And if you've never had Swiss on your salad, you'll be hooked.  Delicious!

We actually just took the kids there last weekend to pick out some Pumpkins.  This pic is pretty much as good as it gets with a 4 year old, 2 1/2 year old, and 7 month old.  It was taken just before my son tried to put the baby in a chokehold and we all went running to save her!  Never a dull moment these days...

Anyway, back to the awesome salad.

I'm not listing specific amounts for the ingredients because it all depends on how much salad you want to make and how many goodies you like on top of your lettuce!  Plus, I'm pretty sure you all know how to toss a salad together! :)

What You'll Need:

-Green Leaf Lettuce, washed, dried and chopped into bite-sized pieces

-Swiss Cheese, shredded

-Walnuts

-Honeycrisp Apples, cored and chopped into small bite-sized pieces

-Apple Cider Vinaigrette (Apple Cider, Honey, Olive Oil, Lemon,Salt, Pepper and Shallots)

Preheat oven to 350 and spread walnuts on a baking sheet.  Bake, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes or until fragrant and toasted.  Remove from pan and allow to cool.

Then just toss all the ingredients together and enjoy.

Add grilled chicken for a complete meal.