Simple Lego Decorations

Yup, here is another Lego idea: decorations for your Lego birthday party. If you want to see the cream of the crop when it comes to throwing a Lego party, head over to this site: http://www.hostessblog.com/2011/07/a-modern-lego-inspired-birthday-party/ You will be amazed at the lengths that this rightfully called Hostess with the Mostess goes to, bringing Lego alive for her son’s party. It’s truly impressive. If you feel more comfortable on a smaller scale and are not ready for the effort it takes to achieve her complete Lego blowout of a party, try a few of these easy ideas to keep the Lego theme going at your house.

Dress up the snack table with a Lego box that holds the snacks. I used the Duplo Lego bricks and built the sides up to a point that the bags of pretzels would stay put. I think I would have continued this plan for the other snacks on the table because I liked the bright color it added to a simple thing like a snack of pretzels, but I ran out of bricks!

Backup plan B was to cover boxes with Lego paper to dress up the juice drinks. I used Lego posters that we had gotten for free recently from the Lego store. The wall in my son’s room is decorated with one already so I didn’t feel badly cutting in to a few others. Lego gives these away with certain purchases from time to time. I think they also offer a monthly calendar that would work well; Lego wrapping paper would also be festive here.

Lego Cake

I hope you aren’t tired of my Lego themed birthday ideas yet-- I have a few more to go! To get ideas for a Lego party, head to google and do a quick search. You’ll find a ton of images that show a multitude of creative ways to bring Lego ideas to life. Most of my ideas this week aren’t original; I’ve taken bits and pieces of projects I’ve seen and combined them into one fun birthday party! I’ll share the ideas here so that someone else might spot something she likes and can turn it into an even better result as the ideas are improved.

Here is a basic attempt at a Lego cake. These cakes are all over the internet, I think even Better Crocker highlights this method on their site too. I don’t suggest it here as a novel idea, but I did learn a tidbit about icing cakes and thought it was worth sharing. I should preface this tip as usual by mentioning that these ideas will help the amateur, home baker; if you already excel at this sort of cake decorating please send more tips my way! I sincerely could use them.

Have you ever had the trouble when icing a cake, that the icing seems to take off the top layer of crumbs of your cake, leaving the icing with bits of cake spread throughout? All of that hard work in baking the cake and wishing it comes out of the pan in (nearly) one piece is then ruined by the icing process. I have that trouble all of the time and have finally made progress towards eradicating it.

After the cake is completely cooled, wrap it in parchment then cover in foil and put it in the freezer. There is no set time for freezing the cake. I have found that freezing it overnight works wonders, although I bet a few hours would suffice too. When the cake is sufficiently frozen, then give the icing a try. Most of the crumbs stay put on the cake and icing is much smoother.

The crumbs you see here in between the Lego studs are from my first attempt-- I used mini muffins for the Lego studs but the proportions were off so I switched gears and used brownies cut into circles instead.

Take this idea one step further: begin by icing the whole cake with the thinnest layer of icing that you can manage. After this initial layer is in place, put the iced cake back into the freezer for another period of time so that the icing sets. Now when you add your final, decorative layer of icing, you are placing one layer of icing on top of the next and the crumbs have already been safely sealed underneath the first layer. Sounds simple but these steps make a big difference.

You’ll notice my cake is not one for a cake competition, there are many flaws. I am still working on how to get the icing to be a smooth layer on the cake without showing my strokes with the offset spatula. I tried one tip that I read somewhere recently: a hairdryer! Yes, I really did lug the hairdryer to the kitchen and tried to melt the outer layer of icing so that it was easier to shape. The efforts worked to an extent; the icing was smoothed slightly but overall I could use some more work on this trick.

By the way, this Lego cake has small circles of brownies that act as the studs on the Lego bricks. I used a cookie cutter to make the small circles, dipped the circles in white chocolate, let it set, then iced them.


Update: Oh what fun! My cake was shared on Everyday Mom Cakes: check it out!
http://everydaymomcakes.com/lego-cake-2/

Lego Marshmallow Pops

I saw the image of these Lego pops on Bakerella’s site, made by a woman named Amy who blogs at www.livinglocurto.com. Hers were adorable and looked like they came directly from a bakery or specialty store. I just had to give it a try for my son’s Lego-themed birthday party. http://www.livinglocurto.com/2010/06/lego-cake-pops/

As with many things I make, the end result isn’t flawless, but the idea comes across well enough that 7 year olds recognized these as Lego minifigure heads so I’d consider it a success! I got a kick out these smiling yellow heads so that counts for something too.

I happened to use vanilla candy coating that I tinted yellow because those were the ingredients I had on hand. I think, next time, I would suggest using yellow chocolate candies designed for melting. I’ve had better luck with the consistency of the melted chocolate rather than the candy coating.

Here’s what I did:

First put the marshmallows on the sticks. I did two versions: the first time through I melted a small bit of white chocolate and dipped the end of the stick into the chocolate before poking it into the marshmallow. The second time I skipped that step and my marshmallow heads were no less sturdy because of it.

I liked Amy’s idea of using small marshmellows for the tops of the heads, but I chose to use smarties because the concave top of the smarties reminded me of the Lego piece. Dab a small bit of chocolate or candy coating on the top of the marshmallow and let the smarties dry for a few minutes.

Next you’ll need to melt the chocolate or candy coating. I used the microwave method, microwaving in 30 second increments on half power. This next step caused me a bit of trouble: coloring my vanilla candy coating to the right shade of yellow. As soon as I added the food coloring, the mixture seized up (it must be close in composition to regular chocolate). I was able to remedy the issue with a small bit of shortening but not before having a small moment of panic!

Dip the marshmallow in the coating and tap any excess off but gently tapping the stick on the side of the bowl. Allow to dry before adding a face. I used icing but think an edible marker (why didn’t I buy that when I saw it at the craft store?!) would have been more successful.

I created a makeshift drying area by making holes in a cardboard box and allowing the pops to dry while standing up. It needs a few improvements that would help the pops stand vertically, but for the time being it worked.

Even more fun would be to let the kids draw faces on the pops themselves. For you skilled decorators, what about adding hair or hats made of fondant? The kids could customize their pops and even make images of themselves. Well I’ll save that experiment for another time. For today’s party this did the trick and was a cute addition to the party favors.

Chocolate Lego Minifigures

Oh what fun-- a Lego-themed party!!

Here come the Lego men. We’re gearing up for my son’s 7^th birthday and Lego is the word of the day around here. Lego men, Lego cake, Lego minifigure pops, Lego everywhere!

These ice cube molds sold by Lego make a perfect topping to a cupcake or a sweet bundle of chocolates for a treat bag, keeping within the Lego frame of mind. I bought the minifigure molds at the Lego store and have seen Lego bricks ice cube trays on sale on eBay and a few other sites too. I used them to make chocolates; you could also melt crayons and pour the wax into the molds which would make kid-friendly party favors.

Here is what I did:

Start with a clean and dry mold.

Melt chocolate (I used Wilton’s Candy Melts) in the microwave on half power in thirty second intervals until the chocolate is smooth when stirred.

Pour into the molds, using about a tablespoon for each minifigure.

Do not spray the molds with baking spray (I tried it on my first run through and it was a mistake.)

Now you'll want to give the tray a good shake, trying to let the air bubbles out. I places the tray on a cutting board and then tapped and (gently) dropped the board on to the counter a few times. You'll see the little bubbles popping to the surface. Not a big deal if you don't get them all out but the finished product looks nicer without air bubbles.

See the air bubbles coming to the surface? That is just what you want to do by shaking the tray.

Place into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes and then pop the chocolates out of the molds.

Note: you’ll see that first I used Pam spray to make sure my chocolates didn’t stick to the molds. This wasn’t necessary. In fact, the spray left the surface of the chocolates waxy and discolored. No problem, I re-melted the chocolates and tried again without covering the surface with spray. The chocolates turned out really well with no sign of the earlier mishap.

Lego man on the right suffers from cooking spray; Lego man on the left had no such trouble and still popped out cleanly from the mold.

Knit-covered Vase

I am always way behind the curve on most any trend, particularly when it comes to fashion and design. These knit-covered vases may have come and gone already in their popularity. I remember seeing them here and there but who knows how long ago that occurred. I did spot this craft as an idea in the magazine Country Living when I paged through the magazine at the library. Again, no recollection of how long ago that was either! I’ll include the link to their website below but didn’t see a specific date. Regardless of when this was “in” or “hot” or maybe it never was…I really like this idea. You take a sweater and transform it into something else, in this case, a covered vase.

My mother-in-law knits with such speed and skill that sweaters seem to fall off of her knitting needles. When she visits she can churn one of these beauties out in a day or so. She has knitted gorgeous sweaters, blankets, hats and christening gowns for our family. As the boys outgrow these treasured pieces, I find it quite a shame that the sweaters sit in the drawers. I have shared a few sweaters with others and set aside some to pass down to the next generation. Still there are more than a few that are not being used. I hesitated to take apart this adorable cardigan but got the go-ahead from my husband first. I probably should have asked my mother-in-law too, right? I think she’ll approve. I hope to transform the sweater into a pillow, and a few other projects so that I can see and appreciate her handiwork on a daily basis, not just when I clean and sort through outgrown clothes.

This vase was the first attempt at recycling the sweater; all it took was one sleeve. I found the end of the thread that had been used to sew the sleeve to the body of the sweater. I started to unravel it, pulling out each stitch one at a time but that was rather tedious. I gave up on that method and cut slowly through the stitches instead. The sleeve was just the right length for this glass vase. With a bit of hot glue on both the top and the bottom of the vase, I was able to affix the sleeve to the edges. That’s all it took and the vase was a new creation in no time at all. I like the texture and visual warmth this knit sleeve adds to a basic, glass vase. The sleeve somehow wraps the flowers, keeping the stems warm as if they were still snugly planted underground.

Here is the "BEFORE"

Ouch- it almost hurt me to take off the sleeve but I know we'll enjoy this sweater for a long time to come as it takes its new shape(s).

Glue onto the top of the vase with a glue gun.

Same on the bottom-- glue wherever you need it.

Here is the finished vase. There is much more personality in this vase than just five minute earlier.

Still looking for just the right spot for it. I like how it turned out!

Link to Country Living's ideas: http://www.countryliving.com/crafts/projects/6-recycled-sweater-crafts?click=main_sr#slide-1

No-Sew Fringe Fleece Blanket

Here’s another blanket created through our recent Project Linus experience. Project Linus has a number of patterns and ideas for blankets on their website. Here is one for the No-sew fringe blanket:http://www.projectlinus.org/patterns/pdf/NoSewFB.pdf

I originally started out with the tied fringe blanket, but my six year old got frustrated quickly and lost interest. If your child can tie his shoes then you will be perfectly fine with the tied fringe blanket but we’re not there just yet. This alternative proved much easier (and enjoyable!) for both of us.

Start by cutting a single piece of fleece in the dimensions you’d like for a blanket. Remember to allow room for a 3-4 inch fringe. We used a yard and a half of fleece for each blanket.

Cut a 3-4 inch fringe around the perimeter of your blanket.

The next step hadn’t occurred to me before coming across the Project Linus pattern. By making a small cut at the top of each slice of fringe and looping the material through, you create a loop that nicely finishes off the blanket and looks much nicer than just leaving the edge with the raw fringe.

The pattern suggests making the cut with a seam ripper. I didn’t have one so I used scissors. It helped me to make a small, pinched ridge at the top of the fringe, along which I simply cut small incisions in the fabric. The ridge helped me keep an even line and made it easy to snip rather quickly down the line.

I love that little hands can help with this blanket!

Take each individual piece of fringe and loop it through the cuts. Tug gently to set it into place.

Pancake Day: Corn & Blueberry Pancakes

Mardi Gras, the Tuesday before the period of Lent, is celebrated in the States with festivals, parades, parties and LOTS of food. This celebration of indulgence is treated differently in countries around the world. My husband, who is English, mentioned that the day is called “Pancake Day” in England so with my younger son’s new interest in all things pancake, I thought I’d look into it a bit deeper.

It turns out, the sensible Englishmen and women do not go crazy in a New Orleans, Mardi Gras sort of way. Instead, their Tuesday before Lent is known as Pancake Day (or also Shrove Tuesday). Shrove comes from a word meaning to confess; confession is practiced in anticipation of the celebration of Lent then Easter. On this Tuesday historically people would indulge in food that they might give up during Lent, hence Pancake Day evolved. That, of course, is the short explanation which leads me to this pancake recipe.

I came across this recipe in Family Circle’s March 2012 magazine. A similar recipe was highlighted by Bobby Flay on the Food Network in a recent show of Worst Cook in America. He used blue cornmeal but the premise of the recipe was the same. Of course we have all tried pancakes from Bisquick to homemade. The addition of cornmeal in this recipe is a nice change from the standard pancake. Make a batch and freeze all the leftovers. Pancakes freeze beautifully and can go right into the toaster to be warmed through or given a quick blast in the microwave. You’ll never know they didn’t just come fresh off the griddle.

Ingredients:
¾ cup flour
¾ cup cornmeal
¼ cup sugar
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 large egg
2 TB vegetable oil
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)

1. Heat a large skillet over medium low heat. A griddle would be preferred if you have one.

2. Mix your dry ingredients with a whisk: flour through salt.

3.Combine your wet ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well: buttermilk, egg and oil.

4. Carefully combine the two sets of ingredients until the batter just comes together.

5. Add the blueberries and fold together gently so that you don’t crush the berries.

6. Drop small circles of batter onto the skillet. I found that smaller pancakes worked best for me, circles about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Cook until you see bubbles forming, including bubbles at the center of the pancake. Flip and cook another minute or 2.

Freezing pancakes is a great option. Place each cooled pancake between layers of parchment paper. Stack the pancakes then freeze in freezer-safe zip loc bags.

When you are ready to eat the pancakes again, drop them into the toaster on a low setting (sometimes the low setting takes 2 go-rounds) or heat in the microwave for 10 seconds. Make sure the berries are not too hot to serve to children if you use the microwave method.

Tied Fringe Fleece Blanket

February 18^th was the Project Linus annual Make-A-Blanket-Day and it was a service project with which the whole family could get involved. Not only is it a great idea to give blankets to children in need but this charity has special meaning to our family. In the past two years, both of our boys have found themselves in the hospital for a few days. These overnight stays were stressful and filled with worry for parents and children alike. In addition to the concern of multiple nurses and doctors who provided excellent care, phone calls from family and friends helped me greatly. Regarding my children, they found comfort in the stuffed animals, small puzzles, coloring books, and reading books that were given to them through donations to the hospital. Some of those items are still seen around our house daily. The kids may no longer remember the source of that generosity, but I do and I would like to pass on that kindness to others in similar situations. That is part of what I like about Project Linus: even though we were not recipients of Project Linus blankets while the kids were in the hospital, we still benefited from the kindness of strangers. For us making and giving blankets is a pay-it-forward opportunity. Through this organization, over 4 million blankets have been handmade and donated nationwide, touching the lives of many children. I hope we can continue to be a part of this effort.

The tied fleece blanket is straightforward: take two pieces of material and cut them in identical rectangles at whatever dimensions you’d like. We used a yard and a half of fleece for each rectangle. Lay the two pieces of fleece on top of each other with the good sides facing outwards.

Trim the edges so that you cut off the selvage and have clean, straight lines for your borders. Cut a fringe around the edge that is about 3-4 inches deep and ¾-1 inch wide. Anything shorter than 3 inches deep turns out hard to knot later on. If you are working with children, it is helpful to make your fringe a slightly deeper 4 inches to give the kids an easier time double knotting the fringe. At the corners take out a full square as shown in the photos.

Work your way around the blanket tying double knots with each pair of pieces of the fringe.

My boys have blankets like this of their own that they received this past Christmas (thanks Aunt Meagan and Uncle Johnny!) and they have used them every day. Sometimes they bundle themselves in the blankets as they watch tv; other times the blankets go with us on outdoor walks with the stroller; one blanket has ridden around in the car with us for the last two weeks and keeps the boys cozy until the heater warms the morning air. Whether you make these blankets for your family, for a gift to a newborn, or for someone who you’ll never meet like a Project Linus recipient, I hope the blanket will provide warmth and a feeling of comfort wherever it travels.