Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Toilet Paper Art

About a year ago, my mom and I started saving toilet paper rolls.  We were going to make something fabulous with them. We even had friends collect them until we got a huge bag.
And then it sat. We could not decide what to do with them.  Then I saw an idea on Pinterest. (Of course!)  I made a new piece of artwork to hang over my bed.  Yes, I said it. Artwork - made out of toilet paper rolls.  Trust me!

First, you need to flatten the rolls with a roller.  (I am sure there is a technical name for this tool but I like roller.)  If there is a lot of toilet paper still stuck to the roll, take the roll and throw it away. You don't have time for picking off little bits of toilet paper. Or convince your children that there is a prize for the cleanest roll.  Whatever works to get them clean.


Flatten the rolls and then cut out 1 inch strips.  I used my paper trimmer and scissors.  You need to cut through the rolls around 6 times to cut clean through but you might still need to trim the pieces with scissors.


Keep cutting until you have lots of petals.  I cut around 40 toilet paper rolls.  This took a while and I worked up a sweat so this counted as my exercise for the day.  Right? 

Then heat up the glue gun. I love glue guns.  They are magic but they are hot so be careful.
Glue five petals together to make a flower.  Just a dab of hot glue will do it.  Put some hot glue on and hold two pieces together for just a few seconds.  Keep adding petals until you have the flower you want.
Isn't this cute?  I also thought this would make adorable butterflies.  Just omit the top petal and add pipe cleaners for antennas.  These would also be great for Christmas poinsettias. 

Back to this project:  Then I spray painted them yellow and gray.  I love how the gray turned out. The yellow, not so much.  I feel like it did not coat the cardboard very well.  I even did a few coats but it just seemed to run off. Maybe it was the type of paint I used?

I let all of my flowers completely dry overnight. This was around 35 flowers.  Then I put them in a bag for a few weeks. Why rush the creative process?  Also, I was so worried that I did all of this work and it would not turn out like I wanted it to. Do you ever feel that way? 

Well, I got up the courage and dumped my bag of flowers on the floor. I laid them out in a design that I thought would work.
Before I could change my mind, I just started gluing them all together. Again, I used hot glue.  It only stuck to the carpet in a few places.  No worries!

Then I grabbed a pencil and placed my flowers on the wall.  I marked where I wanted the holes to be and started pounding nails.  I put one nail in each corner and then added a few more nails where I wanted the flowers to lay on the wall. 

This process might have been easier with a partner to hold it up while I hammered but I did it all by myself.  I am pretty happy with it.  It adds a pop of color and texture to my bedroom.  And, I finally used that bag of toilet paper rolls.
Beckett likes it too! 

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Chocolate Cake? Maybe?

This might come a shock to some of you, but normally, I do not like chocolate cake.  I prefer vanilla.  I know. I know.  Something might be wrong with me but don't worry, I found a chocolate cake that I love. 

For her birthday, my little sister wanted a peanut butter and chocolate cake. Any peanut butter and chocolate cake.  So, I did a little searching and found this Peanut Butter Cup Overload Cake at:

www.isinginthekitchen.com/2014/08/15/chocolate-peanut-butter-cup-overload-cake-cool-new-music-from-alt-j/


Go there now!!!!  This cake was delicious.  It was one of those cakes where you only need a sliver and you are happy.  Normally, I eat a HUGE piece of cake but that was not necessary with this.  I cannot decide if my favorite part was the peanut butter frosting or the chocolate ganache. I just wanted to take a bite and hold it in my mouth. Forever. And ever.  It was that good.

A few things I did differently than the original.  I made my own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to a cup of milk. Instead of coffee, I used instant expresso powder and I did not add peanut butter cups to every layer.  I only put them on the top. 

I completely forgot to take a picture of the cake.  (Blog fail!)  But you can take your own picture after you make it. And you should go make it.  Now!