DIY Cross with Marbles

Good morning!

I have made many DIY crosses in the past (Stackable Wooden Cross 1 , Stackable Wooden Cross 2) and given them as gifts. This time, I wanted to make one for my husband and I. Have you seen those CUTE wooden crosses covered with different marbles at antique, craft and gift stores? I figured out how to make them and it was fun to make. :)

Here are the materials you'll need. A wooden cross (I got mine at Hobby Lobby), marbles of your choice (I found these marbles in the floral section and really only used 1 "can"), a paint brush/sponge, acrylic paint of your color choice, some kind of pendant to put in the middle of the cross (check the jewelry section or home section for something small), and small tub of ceramic stucco (in the paint section). 

First, I paint the ceramic stucco onto the cross.

I tried to add as thick a layer as I could. It doesn't matter how it looks when you are painting/rubbing it on... we'll fix that in the next step.

Then, I dipped my brush into my acrylic paint (I squeezed the paint into a disposable cup) and then swirled it into the stucco on the cross. This is when I tried to start making little swirly motions to make it look nicer. Really though, most of the stucco/paint will be covered with marbles so don't worry about the looks too much. :)

You could just mix the paint right into the stucco and then paint it on the cross - but I wasn't sure how much stucco I'd need and didn't want to waste it. I used about half the tub. I would of added more but I had already used the stucco on a previous craft. I think the more you use the better it looks.

Next, push your pendant right into the wet paint/stucco mixture. Once you place it how you want it try not to touch it anymore so it can dry/stick better.

Then start placing your marbles randomly throughout your cross while the paint/stucco mixture is still wet.

Don't like how a marble looks, just take it off and use a different one. :)

This is the fun part! :)

I think the more marbles you use the better it looks.

When you are finished let it dry completely. You'll be tempted to touch it but just leave it be. :) The paint/stucco is the adhesive for the marbles so it's important to let it dry. I waited overnight... a good 12 hours.

Now you can hang it up!

I don't think this took longer than an hour. It was fun! I love it!

You could make this as a gift and match it with color schemes for baby showers, weddings, housewarming, etc. Or just make it for yourself. There are so many marbles to choose from. You could mix up the colors and sizes. You could make a pattern. The pendant in the middle could be anything. EASY! :) These are so expensive at gift and specialty stores, now you can just do it yourself. Actually, yesterday I went to my local thrift store and found a gallon ziploc bag FULL to the brim with all different colors and shapes of marbles for $2.00! I was so excited, can't wait to make another one.

Have a great weekend! Elisabeth is having her wedding reception tonight (she had a destination wedding in Jamaica). I can't wait to share pictures of her dress with you, it is GORGEOUS!

Cassie

Grilled Vegetable Skewers

Happy Monday!

In the summertime my husband and I cook on the grill a lot. We live in a one bedroom apartment right now so using the kitchen when it is 100+ degrees outside (we're in Texas) can make it miserable inside. We're always trying to cook healthier and actually enjoy eating our vegetables. Sometimes vegetables can get boring and we try and come up with ways to make them even better. Tonight's post is a vegetable skewer recipe that we came up with one day while walking through the supermarket.

We made two different skewers - a tomato and potato skewer and a brussel sprouts skewer.

Our first skewer had a mixture of baby potatoes ("fingerling") and cherry tomatoes.

All you need to do to prep these little guys is wash them. Feel free to snack on the tomatoes while you are prepping! :)

 These brussel sprouts are fresh and can be found near the lettuce section of the produce part of the grocery store. Some come in clear plastic containers or even loose and you can buy them in bulk.

 To prep brussel sprouts first carefully cut off the little stems.

 Then remove all the outer leaves. These come off very easily and are usually a little darker in green color. After you've done this to all of your brussel sprouts wash them in a strianer. I used about 8 brussel sprouts per skewer.

After cleaning and pruning my brussel sprouts I brought a pot of water to a boil and boiled the brussel sprouts for 3 minutes and blanched (tossed them in a bowl of ice water) them right after. The tomatoes and potatoes didn't need any pre-cooking before being put on the grill.

Now you can start making your skewers. You can make them all on one but I liked making two separate skewers. The top skewers are all brussel sprouts and the bottom skewers use white fingerling potatoes, tomatoes, red fingerling potatoes and then I continued that pattern.

Before putting them on the grill I sprayed them with a cooking spray and seasoned them with some pepper and garlic salt. You can really be creative here with your seasonings or just use what you like. :)

 On the grill cook the skewers over medium high heat for about 10-12 minutes, turning them over for even cooking about half-way through. 

 Yum! While cooking you're really just looking for the brussel sprouts to get some color and the potatoes to cook through (which is easy since they are so small).

Here are the skewers ready to eat!

 The potatoes and tomatoes skewers were so good. If you love grilled tomatoes you'll love the baby ones! The potatoes were great, too!

 The brussel sprouts taste just as good as if you were to bake them in the oven. Yum! I loved the lightly charred edges.

This is a really easy meal for the grill. It adds so much color and makes your meal much healthier by adding in those extra vegetables. I like that we used baby potatoes instead of baked potatoes because you are eating a lot less starch but feeling just as satisfied.

We've made the baby potatoes before using small boiler onions next to them (we've found the little tiny white onions at Central Market before) and it was delicious. We've also used mushrooms on here. I love that you can just switch out the vegetables with whatever you have on hand or are craving for the night.

Bon Appetite! :)

Cassie



Man Bouquet 2 :)

Hello!

Tonight we are going to my sister and brother-in-laws to celebrate his 30th birthday. I have been wanting to make another man bouquet and I thought he would love one too. I've made a man bouquet before (http://connoisseurofcreativity.blogspot.com/2012/04/diy-man-bouquet-great-gift.html) and loved it the first time (so did my husband!). This time I thought I would use a beer mug instead of a flower pot. It looks even better!

Here are the materials that I used. You can really use anything... just think about who you are giving it to and some of their favorite things. I have below a beer mug (World Market), tissue paper, wooden skewers, scratch offs, mini liquor bottles, peanuts, beef jerky, 5 hour energy shot, cigars, tape, scissors and styrofoam balls.

 First I stuffed some tissue in the bottom of the mug so that ball had something to sit on.

 Then I took the blue tissue and the ball out and wrapped it all in the green tissue so that it would look nice from the outside.

 Here is a top view of how I wrapped the ball. I only used two sheets of the green tissue.

 After I set the mug up how I liked I started to tape my gifts to the wooden skewers. Be liberal with the tape so that the items don't fall off. Especially if they are a little heavier, like the liquor bottles.

 Just stick the skewer right into the ball and make the gift item as high or low as you like. If you make a mistake just pull the skewer back out and stick it into a new position. Easy!

 Here is a picture of a few gift items already skewered into the styrofoam ball.

 Here is the finished bouquet! I tried to keep the liquor bottles low since they were heavier, and the lighter objects, like the scratch offs, higher.

 Lastly, I played around with the 'wrapping' and found some blue ribbon in my craft drawer. I also stuck a few pieces of orange tissue in between and around the exposed skewers at the bottom. What do you think?

I love making this gift and I can't wait to give it to my brother in law. I think he will love it!

You could turn this into a bachelor/bachelorette gift, you could get a different holder (other than the mug) and make it a girly gift with nail polish and make up, you could use other liquors or food items, really anything! :)

Have you made a bouquet like this before? What did you put inside of it? If you were going to make one what would you use? :)

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Cassie