Sara In Akko

I volunteered myself to make a cake for a first grade class party... but really I was looking for a project. Although not the most clean cut cake decoration, it's not the worst thing I've thrown together either.

Step One: Cut Jerusalem out of gum-paste, sugar dough, fondant or modeling chocolate (whatever)



Step Two: Paint. (Gel food coloring and vodka)



Step Three: Frost to perfectly baked cake.



I think you'll find all the essentials of the Jerusalem experience are featured in this cake, windmill, walls, towers, camel, palms.  And yes, that is the Western Wall made of rice-krispey treats.

Enjoy!

After much Googling for the perfect Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday cake, I decided that for baby 3's 1st birthday I would go way over the top with some sugar-dough painting. If you haven't ever worked with fondant or sugar-dough, it helps to look at the dough as clay; sticky, quick drying, finicky clay.

However, I took a slight gamble on painting the individual elements of this caking, hoping it would produce a watercolor-ish, Eric Carle inspired VHC birthday cake.

Here's how it turned out:


I started with a non-dairy pound cake recipe, lots of green gel food coloring.... and more fake "buttercream" frosting than I care to admit.

I think the most inspiring element of the Very Hungry Caterpillar is that the illustrations look vibrant and timeless, so I used the bright dots on the cake as well as in the invitations and other party elements. 

The cupcake toppers and wrappers were just a few quick DIY projects, maybe a quick tutorial template to follow? Let me know if anyone is interested.

How do you throw an entirely successful "Very Hungry Caterpillar" 1st birthday party when you are either on a budget or live in a nation with no caterpillar party accessories in sight?
Very Hungry Caterpillar party idea are pretty easy to come by after a few dozen searches. So if your setting out to craft the bajeebeez out of your child's birthday, you're in good company.

All envelope and invitation formatting was achieved through a process of what can only be described as "futzing."

It inspired comments like "Best. Cake. Ever!" and  "Wow!" and my personal favorite "Will you be my Mommy?" Now that's validation for the day of work you took off to bake a cake for a toddler.

Although it may seem simple enough, I admit I googled through a dozen or so blogs to see the variations on rainbow cake just to give me the start-up courage. In keeping with the birthday spirit, I want to share with you the straight forward how-to of this cake (it's a monster but worthwhile). But onto the How-to.


How To Bake your own Huge Rainbow Cake


2). Break out the gel food coloring. You really want your colors to be vibrant now before you bake (some colors may dull out a bit in the oven).


3). Pour and bake each batter in separate aluminum pie tins, unless you have 6 or so cake pans lying around your kitchen. These make slightly thinner layers than a normal batch of layer cake (1/3 batter vs 1/2) so watch carefully. 


 4). Take random pictures of your kitchen until your cakes are baked and cooled entirely. Again, if you are smart you will level out the layers of your cake that have puffed during baking before using your store bought frosting to layer and crumb-coat the ginormous cake tower.  If you're a renegade like me, you will throw caution to the wind and begin stacking your puffy cakes with homemade buttercream and hope the shear weight of the piled cakes will hold it upright.


5). If you're looking to go all the way with this cake (come on, you know you want to) cover in fondant and create 6 balls of gum-paste to match the colors of the inside of your cake and decorate in an outside ring. If not, decorate as you please.


 But cut one of these babies open at your party and wow! Even when you see it open for the first time, it's impressive and worth all the tiny steps.


6). Cut yourself and your party-goers a slice with a very large and very sharp knife (keeps the colors tidy) and enjoy!



Comment for a chance to win until Friday!

This is the world's most expensive dessert which I will not be trying anytime soon.

I don't care for birthdays much. There, I've said it. I'm just not a fan.

I am not concerned about aging and most often don't remember how old I really am. Seriously, who asks another adult "So, how old are you?" I just find this doesn't happen once you are out of grade school.

On the few occasions I've been asked this in any professional context (I work in a field with many older men and it singles me out for the question at the most inopportune times), I make a note to resent the heck out of my inquisitor and make them feel purposefully old by throwing around social media language that they can't grasp.

My dislike of birthdays is born out of my old-soul from birth and wallflower nature, I enjoy going by unnoticed. A birthday is like a day of people staring at you wherever you go (ok, not everywhere but it can feel like that).

Now personally flowers agitate me, gifts make me nervous and the 100's of shallow facebook wishes make me rethink my friending policies. I may be a total pain to buy a gift for but I do happen to be an excellent gift giver.  

So this year I will be embracing my birthday, with gifts for you! A Giveaway a day all week long! Come back throughout the week for fabulous birthday gifts and super tutorials.

Here's some more exclamation points in case I didn't use enough to show my excitement!!!!!!!

This year's party had a fish theme, not for any particular reason other than I had fish cookie cutters, a great goldfish stamp and tiny goldfish to work with lying around. I thought I'd give it a swim (sorry).






Where are the pictures from the party itself you ask? Don't ask me, I was passed out between the kitchen and the buffet shortly after the cake (loaded with lit sparklers) was presented to a happily confused birthday boy.

Every day since I brought these stupid dish towels home, I look at them shoved into my already bursting pile of projects in waiting and think...

"What did I even want those for?"

I am not an impulsive shopper, I go to the store for what I need and although I tend to hoard craft supplies, I don't buy something with out a rough image of where the project is going to take me.

Maybe I saw these soft plush dish towels and thought I'd make them festive for Chanukah. Perhaps I forgot that matching dish towels in our home means matching coffee stains, not ribbon trimmed for the holidays.

I any case, I kept the towels until the fateful day when I decided enough. I dug them out to prepare for an upcoming 2nd birthday party for my son. The theme will be fish and I am happy to announce I have found a use for these dish towels. Thanks About.com, no seriously.*




In any case I am glad to say that along with the baggied goldfish soaps and the other fish treats our guests will be taking home, they will also be receiving whale washcloth scrubbers.

I like that this little scrubber is a quick sew, (even if your machine is trapped in repair) and that the nature of the terrycloth loops hide all the ragged hand-stitches you otherwise might see. Plus, you can make them tiny enough that they fit your child's tiny hand. Face it, child sized is somehow cuter.

I'll keep posting more on the upcoming party as it comes into place.

*I'd like to state that this is the first time in history that a search leading to About.com has actually produced an answer to my crafting question (often it is just like a reading a summary of a wiki article on any given topic). There's even a video with this tutorial in case you can't visualize how it fits together.

As you may have gathered, Chanukah sneaks up on us so early this year. Really, shockingly early for those of us with a side by side Hebrew/English calender.

But for those of who also have a crafty need to make stuff and force it on others, this is no deterrent. My next Chanukah project comes out of the necessity to find an appropriate present to give to 31 preschoolers before their holiday break begins.


I also have a need to use up the many many 4-packs of crayons that I purchased this summer with the intent of placing in birthday treat bags, only to forget and leave them in the large pile on my craft shelf.

While last year's project included 30 Felt Driedel bags with homemade playdough, chanukah crayons, butterflies, bugs, origami animals and treats this year I am not undertaking a project of such a scale. Just a small gift from our family to the kids.

But what's a mom to craft when the only recognizable symbols of the holiday are Dreidels and Chanukiahs? And everyone knows that paper-cut jelly doughnuts rarely (never) turn out very well.

Any ideas?

Anyone who comments on this post is eligible to win some of these Chanukah Crayons, recycled crayons in fun Chanukah shapes. I'll choose one winner at random and ship them out in time for Chanukah, anywhere in the world. The set of crayons is a mix of 9 colors and shapes. Dreidels, Stars of David, Chanukiahs and more.

Rules:
Leave an idea for how to get rid of these packs crayons in a fun Chanukah-ish manner. The craft must be able to be completed with stuff I probably already have lying around my house (you can assume my craft scraps and supplies are extensive). Post as many ideas as you like but only one comment entry will count for the drawing. If I use your idea, I'll feature it and credit your brilliant idea. Comical if unrealistic ideas will be considered as well, I like to think big.

If you don't have an idea for what to do with all these crayons you can "follow" me and let me know in a comment.

Contests ends and winner will be drawn by November 18th. Or you could always buy your own set here on Etsy.

Feel free to write me if you have any questions but otherwise, comment with your ideas.

This craft is borrowed directly from my mother. I can honestly say that I don't think she has any sort of crafty bone in her body, a statement I don't think she'd disagree with, so I can only assume that one of her crafty teacher friends lent her this go to Chaunkah gem sometime back in the 70's.

Our home was never heavy on the decorations but Chanukah did mean getting out our collection of Dreidels and these bags.

I've frequently used this project for classes of 3rd and 4th graders with much success and prepared these for a whole class of preschoolers with equally rave reviews. The key here is to paint everyone's name on their bag. It makes it individual and special.

In essence, the Dreidel Gelt Bag is quick and festive and can be completed by kids or by an adult as an afternoon activity or something to keep student's hands busy with crafting before going on holiday break.

Materials:
2 Sheets of felt squares, blue is kind of holiday-ish but I say go wild.
Glitter fabric paint or glue, any color you like
Embroidery thread and needle

Instructions:
1. Make single Dreidel template by folding felt in half. Calculate roughly half way down the open side and cut at an angle to bottom fold.

2. Next measure an inch or two from top center fold outward and cut a 2 inch vertical line, Cut from the bottom of this line straight out towards the open ends.

3. Trace onto the second piece to get two matching halves of your Driedel.

4. *Sew closed the bottom four ends.

5. Use glitter paint or glitter glue to add the Hebrew name of the recipient. Let dry.

6. Present finished bag to child filled with Chanukah goodies (Chocolate Gelt, Chanukah Crayons, etc...) and enjoy!

*Note:For a classroom activity for students to sew themselves, skip step 4 but continue to write the names of each student before presenting them with their project. I usually get the dull craft needles and pre-cut thread for each student to save time and aggravation in-class. Be ready to help younger students and often older ones who have never sewn before.


(This is my husband's Gelt bag, twice the of the kid's bags, but often worn as a hat for photos)

*Note: All tutorials mentioned will be listed in the new "Tutorials" section, coming this week

What do preschoolers really want in their princess themed goody bags? Bags that will entertain 30 boys and girls at least until they get out the doors of the classroom.




Princess SillyBandz (a new and rare commodity here)



All in these nifty little baggies (do you really want another Tutorial? By end of the week I swear.)
(Yes you can buy organza bags even here in Akko, but who doesn't want to use up a 5 year old stash of scratchy pink tulle).

You can see that I've drifted from the all princess theme a bit but crafting supplies can be limited and sometimes it's simpler to just throw some cool looking projects in a sack and call it a day.