Look at what my Cricut can do!!!

I am kicking myself for not purchasing my cricut before my wedding, but c'est la vie.  I have created these for a client and I LOVE the way they came out!  I decided to go into business selling the glasses and the appliques. 

(All photos are the property of mochafrugalista, please don't use them without crediting them)

Call me the candy frugalista!!!

My entire life I always wanted to be one of "those" women.  Women who baked, kept impeccable homes, and wore heels and aprons while they cooked for their loving and doting husbands and children.  I started with Peanut Brittle which turned out bleh the first day and each time thereafter (thanks to a $3.00 candy thermometer) fantastically.  Stay tuned for the next installment where I put my own spin on a Louisiana staple: Pecan Candy (Pralines).

I borrowed this recipe from All Recipes

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

1 cup peanuts

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1.Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside.

2.In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanuts. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads.

3.Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet. With 2 forks, lift and pull peanut mixture into rectangle about 14x12 inches; cool. Snap candy into pieces.

 

Mochafrugalista's Version

I use 2 cups of peanuts because I love peanuts :o).  I roast the peanuts in a low temp oven, 250 degrees, on the pan that was pregreased.  At about 200-220 degrees I put the peanuts in the boiling sugar.  I also let the candy reach slightly higher than the recommended 300 degrees, usually about 305-310 degrees.  Then I remove it from the heat and add the softened butter and baking soda.  After stirring it vigorously I put the candy mixture on the warm pan, spreading it around with the spoon.  I then pop it into the freezer until it is hardened and enjoy.  To break the candy apart, I place a napkin or towel on the candy and hit it with a hammer to break it open.

 

Selling my Casablanca 1831!!!

I have decided to sell my Casablanca dress for $250 OBO plus shipping.  I have not had it dry cleaned and the price is negotiable due to it needing to be cleaned. I am 5'4" and wore 2 inch heels with the dress.  It has a corset back and is a size 18.  It also has a built in french bustle.

Here is a picture of the bustle.

Kids Biome Diorama Project

In layman's terms that's shoe box climates :o).  Of course since I am a crafter, I will have them make paper crafts. I am on the search for ideas for a desert and rain forest.  Luckily I was able to find a diy on how make a palm tree using news paper and construction paper.  However, I am a DIY cheat and will use a toilet tissue roll and cardstock colored green.  They will be coloring or painting white cardstock green for their leaves.  For the desert biome my son will be creating cacti out of the colored or painted cardstock and using tissue paper for the flowers and rice for the spines.  He will also be creating the cacti from Christmas tree branches and needles.

Here is the idea that inspired his cacti.

Cacti

On to the animals of the desert... I am thinking that perhaps we will use a camel made from my cricut, with the exception that camels are only in the Saharan deserts or the Egyptian/middle eastern deserts.  In the American deserts there are snakes but what else?  Also, how geographically correct do we need to be for a 4th grader's project?  Here is a cute snake project that I found as well..

Fun paper snakes

Now my little girl is doing the rainforest and she wants snakes, birds and an alligator.

Here is a cute alligator that I found for her project.

Alligator Craft

My son has decided that he wants snakes, camels, and vultures (total boy lol).  The background will have an Arabian cityscape and the birds will have textured wings and perhaps feathers and will be flying from the top of the shoebox.

Is there anything else that we should be including?  Of course I will post the final pictures of their projects :o)

Here is the update!  The kids and I have been working all day.  They have made the Crafty Mommy/Mimi Mocha Frugalista proud.  They painted, cut, and applied these biomes with my guidance for some and their own interpretations for others.  These are their almost finalized projects.  My son (desert biome) has to add crystals for the "stars" and hang more birds. I believe he wants to do some more camels and perhaps a rabbit.  Sorry for the bad cell phone pictures, but I will try to take and upload them from my digi when he is done.  She also has birds that need to be hung.

Heidi's project will have more palm trees and we will even them out.  She also wants to add a waterfall.  She has a green crocodile that will need to be painted green.  I think that the very large snakes need to be brought down to size, but she likes them and that's all that matters.

This will be a Christmas to remember my daddy.

Christmas eve is usually my favorite time of the season, filled with anticipation, excitement, and the smells of good food.  This Christmas Eve was different.  My father took his last breath.  I was always the quintessential daddy's girl.  I have never in my life called my Dad, Dad.  He was and will always be Daddy.  I adored him and he adored me.  I am so thankful that he is not in pain and didn't have to spend Christmas Day smelling foods he couldn't eat, nor hearing laughter he couldn't partake in.  He will forever have a place in my heart and I am thankful that each time I look in the mirror I see his face.  Each time I look at my son playing his paper jam I see my dad, the best guitarist ever.  Each time I make a conversation with a stranger, I am my father's daughter.

Rest in peace Daddy, but please come by and visit sometimes so I won't miss you so much.  Here is our last picture together on my wedding day.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm soo excited! Our wedding was featured on the very exclusive and prestigious Intimate Weddings Blog! I am so excited and honored for us to be their very first African American couple!  We worked extremely hard executing the details of our wedding and I am glad that such an awesome website took notice!

Cost Savings Tips for Christmas... The Mocha Frugalista edition

I know that this is a bit late since it is 6 days before Christmas, but what are your favorite cost-savings tips? Here are a few of my own and family traditions.





•My mom would Christmas shop throughout the year, stockpiling gifts to ensure that we always had a full Christmas even though the amount wasn't necessarily too expensive. The downfall is that she would forget her hiding places and random times during the year she would give us gifts that she forgot to give during Christmas (LOVE HER)



•Mine: I am starting a tradition of using newspaper for wrapping paper on all of our gifts. I cannot stomach the price of wrapping paper when I saved so much on other things. I am not a big proponent of the paper costing more than the gift. I googled pictures and found that I am "eco-chic" I guess that is a synonym for cheap as hell.  If you don't believe that this is fabulous, check out my previous post with pix!



•Reusing Christmas ornaments. My best friend in the past would throw her entire tree away, ornaments at all. I had never heard of that practice, but since she did it others may, SAVE your ornaments! If you decide to change the theme, then keep your ornaments in a bin just in case the ones you purchase fit into future themes.

Even if you like the multiple themes, the ornaments would still look great in apothecary jars in different areas of your home like your bathroom, kitchen, office, bedroom, etc.

chicaonashoestringbudget.com

Here is another amazing thing that you can do with the bows that you were going to throw away from the kids gifts!

Crafty Designs and Decor

•Set a budget and stay within it.  Pretty self explanatory here.  Remember that your family and friends love you no matter the cost of a gift. 

•For those of us with kiddies ask them which ONE gift they want the most and get them that. The rest of the gifts get to be what you would like them to have (remember the pointer above while fulfilling your wish list for your kiddies).

•Don't try to outdo anyone! I found out that one of my besties spent 600 per child on Christmas. I find that obscene and insane