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Today’s Guest: Under the Sycamore

Sep282011 posted by Jamie 12 Comments

Howdy (that is Okie for “hello”). I’m Ashley and it is an honor to be sharing here today!  My days consist of lots of Legos and lots of seemingly mundane moments. As mom to four kids (boys 3, 5, 7 and a 2 year old daughter), I try to find the most beauty in those mundane moments and relish the adventure of parenthood with my husband Chris. Aside from an addiction to painting everything that doesn’t move, I also can’t imagine life before hot glue guns. I chronicle my adventures as a mom, crafter, photographer and lover of randomness on my blog, Under the Sycamore.
Life can be wild and crazy as a mom. I think most moms want to slow down and enjoy special moments with their kids, but the day to day running often leaves little time for just enjoying nothing. Today I wanted to share a very quick and simple craft that you can make to encourage a mom in your life.
I love the idea of surprising my kids with special treats, but often I get so buried in laundry and dishes I find it difficult to even think of something extra special to plan. I’m guessing a lot of moms are the same way. So, how fun would it be to surprise a friend with everything she needs to have a cupcake party with her kids for no special reason other than slowing down and enjoying a sweet moment together! A cupcake party kit…..
Supplies:
1 box cake mix
1 jar frosting
scrap paper
24 toothpicks
square adhesive tabs (or just a glue stick)
24 cupcake liners
2 sheets of vellum
decorative tape & twine
To create your cupcake toppers: cut random strips of scrapbooking paper to your desired size. You will then attach the strips to the toothpicks and then trim the ends. To do this, I used square adhesive tabs in the center and on one side, folded the paper over, pressed down, and trimmed the edge. You could create these a million different ways…or you could just buy some!  I created an envelope for the toppers by folding vellum and taping the sides. It is finished off with a sticker tag & some baker’s twine.
To create the party banner: Cut random strips of paper to different widths and lengths. One by one, run them through your sewing machine. I used a semi-long stitch and just white thread. Once you have a long banner, just stack it and create another vellum envelope.
Confetti & the cupcakes: Simple…hole punch and package. Confetti makes anything look happy!
So here are all the party supplies….
And one more look at it all tucked into a basket…
Resources: paper (Hobby Lobby), baker’s twine & kraft paper labels (Pretty Little Package)
Have fun encouraging and surprising a mom in your life!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

oh my goodness… i love it!! i know we would love to receive a cupcake party kit around here…. who wouldn’t?? i just love the attention to detail ashley puts into everything, but how simply it can be duplicated!!
under the sycamore is one of the very first blogs i fell in love with. i love the way she photographs the everyday life of her beautiful children. she’s also a wonderful example of love. the love she has for her family, her friends and for God and she continues to inspire me!
want to learn how to take awesome pictures like ashley? check out her snapshop!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Latest posts by Jamie (see all)

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12 Comments

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Comments

  1. Two Shades of Pink says

    September 28, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    I love this so much that I have no words to describe how happy this makes me! Just brilliant.

    Reply
  2. Susan Crabtree says

    September 28, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    I make cupcake kits every year for when we "BOO" our neighbors!

    Reply
  3. seriouslysassymama.com says

    September 28, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    That is brilliant. The possibilities are endless!

    Reply
  4. Robyn Crumby Photography says

    September 28, 2011 at 2:17 pm

    Ashley's blog is one of my favorites… she's so creative! And I love this blog too. 2 stops I must make daily- i guess that makes me a blog stalker! lol!

    Reply
  5. theolivetree says

    September 28, 2011 at 2:27 pm

    aghhhh! so cute! they should box these up and start selling them!!

    Reply
  6. Liz @ thequickjourney.blogspot.com says

    September 28, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    I love the sweetness all tucked into a little basket! This is such a great idea for any busy mommy.

    Reply
  7. famr_4evr says

    September 28, 2011 at 3:50 pm

    This is such a great idea! I think I might send this to my girls far away.

    Reply
  8. Amy says

    September 28, 2011 at 4:04 pm

    Love Ashley and all her DIY ideas, this one is no exception!

    Reply
  9. Veronica says

    September 28, 2011 at 7:09 pm

    What a great way to bless a friend! Love this!

    Reply
  10. Aimee says

    September 29, 2011 at 10:30 am

    I love, love this. Bought some cute galvanized oval buckets with wooden handles last night at Target for $2.50 to do this for a few friends…also grabbed some of their cute fall napkins/plates ($1) to put in with it too! Think I'll do a spice cake mix and cream cheese frosting…

    Reply
  11. Raegan says

    September 29, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    I can't tell you how perfect timing this post came. I JUST texted my SIL that her 13 year old daughter, who wants to be a cupcake designer (this week at least) that she should have a cupcake party!

    Reply
  12. The SHEFFER clan says

    October 3, 2011 at 3:43 am

    Our work is doing a "secret phantom" at work. I'm making a cupcake party kit for one of the guys at work so he can have a party with his kids. I added invitations inviting them to a cupcake party with dad (left the time/date blank of course) Thanks for a great idea! I am excited!

    Reply

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Today’s Guest: Under the Sycamore

Sep82010 posted by Jodie and Jen 22 Comments

We are so excited to have
 Ashley from Under the Sycamore  here today!! 
I am in love with Ashley’s blog! She has a way of inspiring you to be better.
A better photographer, a better mother, a better person!!
Check it out… I’m sure you’ll agree!!


*************************

I admit to being one of those moms that is not a fan of all the sugar that enters our house during the month of October. My kids aren’t too excited about passing out fruit at school parties or to friends, so we try to come up with something that we all can agree on. If you are looking for simple gift ideas and don’t need a massive quantity here is a basic idea for making playdough a bit cuter.

 The recipe I use is one my mom made with me as a child. It is simple enough for someone who is not that great in the kitchen (me!)

You will need:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup of salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 smidge of gel food coloring (or 2 teaspoons normal food coloring)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

I always like to include my kids in the process, but it does make for a little bit of a mess. I recommend letting the kids mix the dry ingredients in the skillet on a table, then add the wet ingredients.

I wanted my playdough to be very vibrant so I used gel food coloring….black & orange. The kids can mix it all up before you stick it on the stovetop to ‘cook’.

Next, you will cook the dough until it forms into a ball. Just stick the skillet on the stovetop on medium/high and cook. Finally, knead the dough until smooth. I recommend kneading on a placemat to avoid any of the food coloring coming off during the kneading process while the dough is still hot.

Now to make the dough cute to use as a gift. Some supplies you need: clear bags (from Big Lots), decorative spiders (from Hobby Lobby), ribbon, cute label (from Shabby Chic Crafts), & plastic wrap.

Wrap each dough in plastic wrap, add a few spiders inside the bag, punch a couple
 of holes and tie with a ribbon and label.
Thanks for having me!
  • Bio
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Jodie and Jen

Jodie and Jen

I'm Jen Sedillo, one of the bloggers behind Eighteen25. I love creating and crafting, reading good books, visiting new places and being with family!
Jodie and Jen

@eighteen25girls

Jodie and Jen
Jodie and Jen

Jodie and Jen

Jodie and Jen

Latest posts by Jodie and Jen (see all)

  • Our Friday Five 9.30 - September 30, 2022
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22 Comments

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Today’s Guest: Craft-O-Maniac »

Comments

  1. staci @ lizard n ladybug says

    September 8, 2010 at 1:08 pm

    LOVE this idea.
    I'm planning a party for ~30 kids and this may be a great (inexpensive) party favor!!

    Reply
  2. Pam says

    September 8, 2010 at 1:09 pm

    Adorable!! We have "very" few trick or treaters on our street… this may be the perfect thing!

    Reply
  3. Sandra {sawdust and paper scraps} says

    September 8, 2010 at 1:12 pm

    I absolutely love this idea. I just FB'ed it!

    Reply
  4. Amy H. says

    September 8, 2010 at 1:14 pm

    Love the packing.

    Reply
  5. Susan Crabtree says

    September 8, 2010 at 1:16 pm

    such a cute idea & love the packaging!

    Reply
  6. Jennifurla says

    September 8, 2010 at 1:43 pm

    OMG! I love it! What a great idea…bad thing is we get over 200 trick or treaters each year! ha

    Reply
  7. ellie g says

    September 8, 2010 at 2:44 pm

    What a great idea! Those colors are so AMAZING! I love how deep they are. I'm also just dying over the addition of the purple. I LOVE using purple for Halloween. SO CUTE!

    Reply
  8. Suzanne says

    September 8, 2010 at 3:36 pm

    I love this idea and I love the bright, deep colors!

    Reply
  9. glitter girl says

    September 8, 2010 at 3:37 pm

    I love it, too! I want to make them today!

    Reply
  10. Mama Llama says

    September 8, 2010 at 4:35 pm

    I do this, too, for school treats. Instead of the bags, I go to the deli in my grocery store and get the little plastic cups and lids that you see at the salad bar for dressing-to-go. They are the perfect size, just like the little tubs of Playdoh. Depending on how many kids there are in the class, I add a Halloween cookie cutter. This year, I might stick on a plastic spider with adhesive dots.

    Reply
  11. Susan E says

    September 8, 2010 at 8:08 pm

    ok. the presentation of this little dough is oh. so. cute! i'm gonna have to try it. thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  12. Susan E says

    September 8, 2010 at 8:08 pm

    ok. the presentation of this little dough is oh. so. cute! i'm gonna have to try it. thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  13. Kim says

    September 8, 2010 at 11:57 pm

    How much does one recipe make in reagards to how you have them packaged?

    Reply
  14. Holly says

    September 9, 2010 at 1:49 am

    I love this idea! Very cute. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  15. AshleyAnn says

    September 9, 2010 at 2:08 am

    Kim…great question! I made the recipe one time to get the amount of playdough you see featured in the last photo.

    1825 girls…thanks for such a sweet intro!

    Reply
  16. Jenny says

    September 9, 2010 at 2:54 am

    That is so cute!

    Reply
  17. J+K says

    September 9, 2010 at 5:31 am

    Oh my goodness I love this! I love Ashley's blog I am addicted! I think I would combine this with Jen Johnson's spiders featured a few days ago for my gift! I cant get over the awesomeness of this!

    Reply
  18. Brenda says

    September 9, 2010 at 1:54 pm

    Great idea! I love the colors! I would love to make it for my nursery kids (primary)

    Thanks!

    Reply
  19. Em says

    September 10, 2010 at 3:39 am

    What a cute idea!

    I think the next time I make colored play dough I am going to wear disposable rubber gloves. It was so hard to scrub the bright blue off of my fingers after the last batch I made for my son! I can see it being even worse with the black food coloring.

    Reply
  20. Jamara @ My NW Nest says

    September 10, 2010 at 3:40 pm

    VERY cute!!

    Reply
  21. lStephanie says

    September 11, 2010 at 4:54 am

    How long does this keep? I love the idea. Boy Scout project this could be!

    Reply
  22. Kimbo West @ a girl and a glue gun says

    October 3, 2010 at 6:58 pm

    I featured this on my blog…

    kimboscrafts.blogspot.com

    Reply

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We are Jodie & Jen, born & raised in Vegas, in a little brick house. The number hammered onto our mailbox was 1825. Visit us often & be inspired to create a life you love. Read More…

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