DIY No-Bake Candy Buttons!

If you were a child of the 90's (heck, if you were a child of the 1930s!) you're familiar with candy buttons, or candy dots. They're drops of colored sugar on a piece of paper. While they're a classic of everyone's childhood (ok, most people), they did have a couple of disadvantages:

1. You always had paper stuck to the bottom of them and you subjected yourself to eating paper.
2. You were stuck with the three flavors made - cherry, lime (the blue ones), and lemon.

But did you know you can make your own? With the help of some Jello and wax paper, you can pick any flavors you want (grape, orange, berry blue - you name it) and not have to deal with eating paper anymore!

Here's what you'll need to make your own candy buttons:

1. White card stock paper
2. Wax paper
3. Jello (I chose cherry, orange, and lemon)
4. Powdered sugar
5. An egg white
6. Scissors
7. Double-sided tape
8. Plastic bags (for however many flavors you're making. 3 flavors = 3 bags)


Start by cutting your paper into 2"x11" strips (1 sheet of paper should get you 4 strips).

Do the same for the wax paper - cut four strips of 2"x11" wax paper.

Use double sided tape to attach the wax paper to the card stock.

Mix together 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar with 1 egg white in a mixer for 3-4 minutes.

Divide the mixture into as many bowls as you have flavors. Add 1/4 tsp. of Jello powder to each bowl.

Put each mixture into it's own plastic bag, cut off a bit of the corner, and squeeze the filling through the bag onto the wax paper. I did four rows of each color but however you want to divide it up is totally up to you.

Let them harden overnight and that's it! Your homemade candy buttons are ready to be eaten! The great thing about choosing the flavors you want is that you can color-coordinate with whatever holiday is nearby (red/white/blue for 4th of July, green/red for Christmas, and the ones I made look ideal for Valentine's Day).

Be warned: you'll have enough to make quite a lot! I made 8 paper strips and probably could have made 9!

TOTAL COSTS: About $12 to make 288 buttons, or 8 strips of 36 buttons

$.99/box of Jello
$2.49 for powdered sugar
$2.49 for a dozen eggs (but you only need 1 egg white)
$4.09 for double-sided tape
$2.09 for box of sandwich bags
Wax paper, card stock, and scissors already on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: About 40 minutes + overnight to harden

15 minutes to cut out the paper and wax paper strips (though I used a ruler and was very exact, which took time)

15 minutes to whip up the powdered sugar and egg white and to add the Jello powder

10 minutes to pipe on four sheets

Overnight to harden

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5

The only "difficult" part might be getting even-sized dots, if you're not used to piping. However, the more you do it, the easier it'll be and this project certainly gives you enough to practice with!

Book Cupcakes

My little niece has become an avid fan of any and all books, though her mother is a children's book librarian and author, so it should come as no surprise. So when she had a birthday coming up, I wanted to incorporate her love of books with the birthday treats. The result? Little books on cupcakes! These are a very easy and unique way to incorporate books for any party, whether it be for your library, your birthday, or even your book club!

I started by collecting .jpegs of different book covers from Google searches. Just look under "Images" of the book you want and save the photo to your desktop.

Once you've collected all the photos, I found it was easiest to work in Microsoft Word. Paste the photo to the Word document, format the picture so it's "Behind Text", change the size (all of mine were 1.5" in width), and draw a white square of the same size next to the photo. That way, when you cut them all out, the white square will serve as the back cover.

Once they're all ready, print and cut them out.

Fold them along the edge so they form little books and tape a toothpick to the inside of the book.

All that's left is decorating the cupcakes! I used a #22 Wilton tip and starting in the middle, squeezed the frosting around and around until I hit the edges. But you can decorate however you like, of course.

Stick the toothpicks in the center and voila! It doesn't get much easier than that, folks. All the kids in my niece's daycare gobbled them up and she was happy to see all of her favorite books on her cupcakes, pointing out which were her favorites to her classmates.

TOTAL COSTS: Free!
However, I had a printer, white card stock paper, and toothpicks readily available

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 1 hour, 25 minutes
45 minutes to pick out book covers and resize
25 minutes to cut out 20 books
15 minutes to tape toothpicks inside 20 books

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5
Just be careful that you don't cut off the white square. I was cutting these out while watching TV and had to tape the back and front covers together for a few because I didn't pay attention!

DIY State Necklaces

When I moved across country from the Midwest to LA, I missed the Mitten State for so many reasons. The seasons, the people, the food, the accents... you just can't beat it. So when I saw this post by VJuliet on how to craft your own state necklaces out of wire, I thought this would be a perfect way to show some state pride. However, I did also create a California one, since I do live here after all...

So it's quite simple, all you'll need is:

1. 22 gauge wire
2. Round-nose pliers (I did use my fingers but the pliers really help with sharp corners)
3. Wire cutters (or really sharp scissors)
4. Tape (masking you can reuse easily)
5. An outline of your state, printed out on card stock
6. A necklace chain, to wear your state with pride
7. Microsoft Word or Photoshop

First, find an outline of your state and using Microsoft Word or Photoshop, make the image 2" x 2". Print it out on card stock (as printer paper may easily tear during the process).

Next, make a small loop with the wire, as this will be at the top of your state. Make sure it's big enough for your chain to go through, or all your work might be for nothing!

Tape the loop to the top of your state and start bending around the outline! When you're done with a small section, put tape over it so it stays in place and doesn't change shape.

By the end, your paper should look something like this.

My first try was a bit sloppy, my second try I tried just the lower peninsula but I felt guilty about leaving da Yoopers out, but I finally got it down with my third try! If you live in a state like Wyoming or Colorado, this project might not be for you, unless you want a bunch of people asking why you're wearing a square or rectangle.

Surprisingly enough, California was much easier than Michigan! But take your time and if it doesn't work the first time, try again!

TOTAL COSTS: $3.99

$3.99 for 22 gauge wire from Michael's

Masking tape, card stock, and pliers on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: Depends on state

I took me 8-9 minutes for Michigan and 6 minutes for California

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5

If you use your fingers more than the pliers to bend the wire, your fingers will be sore, just as a heads-up. The more you do it, the easier and better they'll turn out.

Zombie Poker Card Hair Pin

Planning a trip to Vegas? Love zombies? Have a regular game night? This might be the perfect accessory for all those situations and, if you really want to stretch it, could be for St. Patrick's Day as well (I only used the clubs in this case). Yeah, that last one might be a bit of a stretch... but it's relatively quick and easy to make and I can guarantee no one else will have anything like it! I found this post originally on Instructables. To make this you'll need:

1. A template to cut out the large, medium, and small pieces. I used the original's template, however I suppose you could just as easily make your own!

2. Card stock paper (for the template)

3. A deck of cards

4. Something to draw the template on the cards. A marker smeared, a pencil hardly showed, so I found a pen worked the best!

5. Glue - hot glue, glue stick, whatever you've got!

6. Something to put in the center. I thought of using a gemstone or a dime but found a better idea - see below!

7. A hair pin/barrette/clip/etc.

8. Scissors

First, print and cut out your three templates on card stock. Once they're cut out, place them on top of the following cards, trace around them with a pen, and cut them out:

* Large template over the top corner of the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 cards

* Medium template over the number and suit of the 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5 cards

* Small template over the faces of the King, Queen, and Jack

Once all the pieces are cut out, fold the bottoms of each card up and cut a slit in the middle of each, up until the crease.

Slightly bend all the cards so they'll won't lie flat. You'll want them to pop out a bit once you're at the gluing stage.

Now the original post recommended gluing all the large cards in order (10, J, Q, K, A) in the top-right corner and once dry, pulling the Ace and 10 cards together to create the circle. I spent a good 10 minutes trying to do that and I failed miserably. Instead, I glued the bottom right corner of each card and created the circle that way. Don't worry if it's not perfect, it'll hardly be seen!

Once your large cards are glued together, take your medium cards and glue them on top in the middle.

And finally, take your three small cards and glue them in the middle as well.

Now you'll want to find something roughly the size of a dime. I used the back of one of the cards, used a dime as a template, and glued it in the center. It's a nice bloody touch, don't you think?

Glue your pin/barrette/clip to the back. Note that this could just as well work as a broach - it doesn't have to go in your hair.

And voila! Your unique accessory is complete!

TOTAL COSTS: $2.99

$2.99 for the Bicycle Zombies cards from Walgreens

Card stock, pen, scissors, hot glue, and hair pin all on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 1 hour

However, I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to glue just the large pieces in a circle so you might have better luck and get it done faster!

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5

The only difficult part is gluing the large pieces into a circle, however it's really not that hard, it's just a little frustrating if you're OCD like me!

DIY Air Vase Fail

I was perusing Instructables, trying to find an easy project for a lazy Tuesday afternoon, when I came across this beautiful paper vase. It doesn't have a lot of components to it - it's just simple, yet elegant. I figured I could finish it in no time. When will I ever learn?....

If you want to give it a shot, here's wall you'll need:

1. Printer paper for the template (see original post for pdf)

2. Card stock paper for the bottom of the vase. These will need to be 2" circles but what I did was put the vase template underneath the card stock and traced the inner circle. Much easier than trying to find your old compass!

3. An x-acto knife and something to protect your table

4. Glue

Start by printing out the template and cutting everywhere you see a printed line. If you're not careful, you will rip the paper. And yes, it will probably happen.

Get used to seeing these...

If you still have all your fingers and have finished cutting on all the printed lines, you then need to cut in the white space. Now this is where I screwed up. I made too many lines and halfway down, it stopped stretching without ripping. Hopefully you'll have better luck.

This is what you're going for!

Once you're done cutting your lines, cut out the template so you're not still working with a full piece of paper. Glue your base (the 2" card stock circles) to the front and the back of the paper.

And finally, stretch out your vase. If it doesn't fully stretch out, it makes a lovely hat.

As I said, not one of my best project... but hey, ya live and ya learn! Hopefully your attempt will go much better than mine!

TOTAL COSTS: Free!
However I already had printer paper, an x-acto knife, and glue on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 1 hour
A great chance to catch up on podcasts during the excessive cutting!

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 4 out of 5
I rate this one pretty high because:

#1 - it's very hard to cut the paper without ripping it and
#2 - keeping track of which white space to cut and which to leave alone.

However, if it doesn't work out, you can always print out the template and try again!

Geeky Valentine's Day Cards

Do you have a kid who is obsessed with video games like Minecraft? Or are you with someone who misses old school Atari games? Why not make them a Valentine's Day card that'll be right up their alley! I found both of these cards on Instructables with easy step-by-step instructions but since my blog is about breaking down the how to, how much AND how hard to projects, I'll provide my own step-by-step instructions with photos and tips of what not to do!

Card #1 - The Pixelated Pop-Up Heart

Here's what you'll need:
1. Tape or glue
2. Scissors
3. Ruler
4. X-acto knife
5. Whatever colored paper you want for the card (I used red construction paper)
6. Whatever colored paper you want for the envelope (I used white card stock)
7. Something to protect your table while cutting (I used scrap cardboard)
8. A printer to print off the heart template and the envelope template


Once your templates have been printed, cut out the heart template and start cutting where the yellow lines are and scoring (i.e. - not cutting all the way through) on the gray lines. This will be the longest and the most detailed step so take your time and if you mess up, that's ok, that's what the second heart is for!



Next, you'll need to fold only parts of the paper, not the entire paper. See where the yellow lines are? That's where you'll want to fold.

Blue line = bad folding. Yellow lines = correct folding

Do NOT fold like the blue line because your heart will not pop up correctly.

Bad folding. Bad, bad folding.

Slowly start to pop out the heart (I recommend pushing from the back very gently). It pops up easier than you think. Then get another piece of paper and tape or glue it to the back.

Cut out your envelope template, fold on the dotted lines and tape it together to hold your card. Note that your card will not lie flat so don't force it!

And that's it! I gave mine to Batman... he was shocked I didn't cut myself once while making this.

TOTAL COSTS: $4.29 (still cheaper than buying a nice card from the store!)
20 cents for a piece of white card stock from Staples
$1.09 for a piece of red card stock from Staples
(though you could use printer paper and construction paper)
$3 for an x-acto knife at Blick's
Tape, scissors, cardboard, ruler, and a printer were all on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 15 minutes

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 3 out of 5
It's not difficult to score and cut the lines, it's just time-consuming and you really have to pay attention or you could accidentally cut what should have been scored and then the heart won't pop-up!


Card #2 - Retro Valentine's Day Card


Here's what you'll need:
1. Packaging tape (though any clear tape would do)
2. Scissors
3. X-acto knife
4. White card stock (I only needed 1 piece, not 2)
5. Red construction paper (though card stock works too)
6. Something to protect your table while cutting (I used scrap cardboard)
7. A printer to print off the template


First, print out the template and cut out the pink and the white cards. After they're both cut out, trace one of them onto the red paper and cut out a sheet of the same size.

Next is the hardest part - cutting out the red hearts but leaving the black lines intact. This is not easy and will take forever, but it'll be worth it in the end. Just make sure you have something protecting your table and take your time!

Once the hearts are cut out, tape the pink card to the red card along the top, bottom, and left side, so as to create a pocket.

Draw a small square on the right side and cut it out.

Then make sure your "Happy Valentine's Day" white card can fit inside the pocket you made and draw a small arrow pointing out, so the recipient can "fill" in the hearts when they pull on the tab.

And you're done! Now be careful if you're going to write a note on the white card, because it could show through the heart.

That big white space makes it tempting to write something...

But you'll see it through the hearts!

Batman liked this one so much he ate it up. Literally.

TOTAL COSTS: About $7
20 cents for a piece of white card stock from Staples
$1.09 for a piece of red card stock from Staples
$3 for an x-acto knife from Blick's
$2.99 for packaging tape from Vons
Scissors, cardboard, and printer already on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 30 minutes

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 4 out of 5
It's really difficult to cut out the hearts while leaving the black outline intact, especially around the middle point of the heart. With time and patience, though, you should be able to get it!