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The Family Ties (and Pudding Molds) In My Heart

Someone once told me that the celebrity who recieves the most mail from prison inmates was Tina Yothers, the actress who played Jennifer, the youngest daughter on the television show Family Ties. Even long after the show was off the air, she received hundreds of fan letters from prisoners every day. Apparently it was one of the only sitcoms approved to play on closed-circuit incarseration cable networks, and Tina Yothers was as close as these men were going to get to blonde ambition. Tina Yothers grew up to have black hair and appear on reality TV weight loss shows, but what can you do? The heart wants what the heart wants.

If you haven’t seen Family Ties in a while, here are the four things you need to know: 1. It’s tremendous. 2. It’s about a family in Columbus Ohio headed up by former hippies with their 1980’s neoconservative teenage children. 3. Michael J Fox was the breakout star, and ever since, when a child is less cool than their parent, it is affectionately referred to as “Alex P. Keaton syndrome.” 4. Apparently, in addition to America’s prison population, former president Ronald Reagan was also a huge fan. Know who else is a fan?

…dun dun dun dun…ME.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about reliving my love of 80’s television through copper pudding molds and highlighted every show BUT Family Ties. I didn’t even remember until my friend Tracy mentioned it in the comments, which, is kinda shocking, because now that I am watching it again (fist bump to you, Netflix), I realize how many of my adult fixations root back to this show. I can’t go into these things in detail outside Family Ties cyber fan forums, and even I am not that hard core, so let’s just say it’s deep y’all. Deep.

I meant to take pictures sooner but I feel like it’s not done. It’s only the beginning. I have about a dozen more already — not enough to cover another wall, but enough to get a different party started (but more on that later!)

To be honest, I’m stunned how quickly and cheaply I amassed this menagerie. Not even four months, maybe? Nearly every thrift store I have visited has had at least 2 copper molds, usually priced less than $2. The most I have paid for one so far is $6.99 for an eagle. And that still seemed like a good deal, because I might need to bust out a patriotic eagle jello mold one of these days (that’s my Alex P. Keaton syndrome showing). My personal favorites are the pineapples and the cat. I’m desperate to find a flamingo. One day. One day…

The dream continues!

DIY Tassel Napkin Rings

by aunt peaches 6 Comments

Confession: I hate napkin rings.

No, really. It’s hard to hate something like a napkin ring, but I do, I really do. So imagine the surprise I felt when I was setting the table and a wave of inferiority rushed over me. I NEED POMPOMS. I NEED POMPOMS. I NEED POMPOM NAPKIN RINGS!

…and thus, a new chapter began. Much like the last chapter, it was filled with pompoms and tassels and yarns of yore.

And by yore, I mean the largest yarn stash ever known to someone who does not knit.

I have been on a tassel making kick for months, making small batches at night in front of the TV. They pile up in plastic bags in my craft room waiting for the day (probably any day now) when I turn them into knob bobbles. If you don’t know how to make yarn tassels, check in over there first. Get your tassel on!

The keys here is to leave the hanging strings long enough to tie them together (I also tied on a couple extra long strands for good measure). Then I braided the strands together and tied it off in a loop. It’s a little messy, but really, who is counting on neatness here?!

Confession: Those aren’t even real napkins. I just buy a yard of 100% cotton fabric, rip it in quarters, wash in hot water with baking soda and towels (puffs up the fibers), and let the edges fray. Nice thing about napkin rings is you don’t have to iron. Hayo!

Another confession: These babies stopped being napkin rings 20 minutes after these photos were taken and are now hanging on a Christmas tree. More on that next week!

Happy Monday: Iceland and Hot Glue

by aunt peaches 8 Comments

Happy Monday! Here is a list of distractions to get you through the week 😉

This dog is the best babysitter.

Hold on to your rainbows, the Pantone hotel is here!

Can you believe these coral figures are made of hot glue?! And here are another 15 unusual projects using hot glue. Dang!

A visual love letter to Chicago.

Pride and Prejudice for Australians.

These altered art angels are the perfect way to utilize all those ribbon scraps I’ve been hoarding (or a good excuse to go out and buy more). Great for on top of a tree, or sitting on a mantel year round.

Dee got me hooked on NPR’s new podcast Serial. GAhhhhhh! Super addictive. Then Yasmin sent me the official poll.

Icelandic words we need to incorporate into English.

Speaking of Iceland…these Icelandic twins are like teensy, Nordic hipsters. I’M SO JEALOUS.

These acorn candy dishes would make a great Thanksgiving day craft for kids (and by kids I mean adults who don’t cook).

This typical-looking Las Vegas home has a secret underground.

June Cleaver can suck it; the unhappy mothers of Western art history.

Have you ever been to the world’s largest Christmas store? One day, I tell you…one day!

My 5th grade slap bracelets never looked this glamorous!

Also. This happened:

Calm down. It’s not reallllly him. But it was fun to hear my heart poop when it popped up in my inbox. BUT, if anyone else feels like sending me Cumberbatch Christmas ornaments, forget about it.

Look at these delicate feathers painted on coffee filters without actually painting:

Hrmmmmmm. I wonder who made those?

My Christmas Tour in Flea Market Magazine

by aunt peaches 18 Comments

All those years of decorating Christmas trees to “look good enough to be in a magazine” finally paid off. My Christmas decorations from last year are…wait for it…IN A MAGAZINE.

So this is exciting.

I need to explain this. I’ve seen my stuff in magazines before. Magazines have paid to me make and photograph things in the past. And it’s awesome. But to be honest, it’s usually a blip in a side panel, next to an ad for aluminum siding. Filler. Or I’ll whip myself into a frenzy making something on request, only to find out it got cut before publication. But it’s okay, because none of these things are reflections of me, so I don’t take it personal. That’s sorta why I never mentioned this was happening months ago…I assumed it might get cut, or relegated to a cameo appearance. So, that said, imagine my surprise when I went to Barnes and Noble last weekend to find not just a photo, but a six page spread! And a really lovely (but probably far-too flattering) write up too.

Thanks so much to Zoe and Karen, and everyone at Flea Market Decor magazine. I hope y’all check it out — and not just because they featured me (and a DIY you won’t find here – heyo), but because you’ll see some seriously nifty stuff. If I didn’t have the Christmas spirit already, it just hit me like a sac of sleigh bells.

Merry Christmas!

Painted Chargers for a Holiday Feast

by aunt peaches 12 Comments

I have been toying with the idea for painted holiday plates for a while, but I’m not patchouli enough to hang out at the local pottery shop wearing Tevas and tube socks. Since Thanksgiving is upon us, I decided to do a little experiment with painting chargers. Neither chargers nor placemats have been of interest to me in the past, as it seems like just one more thing to have on the table. BUT. In this case, when you pair a painted charger with a glass plate, it’s like having mini art pieces on the table.

Lookit!

Wouldn’t mashed potatoes look really good on that?

Yeah. I know.

Want to make some? It’s crazy easy. It’s just layers of splotches in a circle-ish pattern around the plate. Let each layer of paint dry before you move on to the next. Or not. Maybe you want them to blend. You do that. You be in charge. Get it girl!

Materials
Gold Chargers $1.50 each
Martha Stewart craft paint, Satin finish $1.99 each (colors used here, bottom to top: Wild Blueberry, Granny Smith, Wedding Cake, Beach Glass, Habanero)

PS: You’ll find everything here at Michaels craft store. Yes, I am a Michael’s Maker. No, They aren’t sponsoring this. It’s just handy when you can find everything in one place.

Won’t the paint wash off?
I can’t speak for every acrylic paint on the market, but I really like this Martha Stewart paint in the satin finish (mixed review on the others). `The label reads:
“Use on Wood, glass, metal and fabric. Indoor/Outdoor Water based. Non-toxic. Weather resistant. Shake. Dry 1 hour between coats. For glass: Clean surface with alcohol. Cure 21 days. Top-rack dish wash.”
Because the charger here is probably plastic coated, and acrylic will never stick to plastic as well as other surfaces, I would probably not put it in the dishwasher. And I would never soak it in a sink like regular china. But a soapy rinse and wipe down? Sure thing. These haven’t even cured 48 hours and I can testify to them surviving a good rinse and dry in my kitchen, no special sealer or anything. And I’m not eating on them directly, so really, I’m not that worried. Worst case, if some of the paint did come up, it would just mean more of the gold underside showing through, and I like that. Problem solved. Boom.

You gotta love fancy china, but there is something awesome about clear glass plates. Especially since you can find them at most any thrift store or Dollar Tree. Inexpensive, all occasions, and you can add to your collection at any time.

And…while we are chillin here before dinner, did you see my centerpiece?

A cluster of glittery gold candle sticks, also from the thrift store (all five for sunder $10, btw)….but using my not-so-secret method for making no-shed glitter objects. Because nobody needs glitter in their cranberry sauce.

Or do they?

You can get the deets over at ILovetoCreate.com.

I’ll admit, I made these chargers just for the fun of it. I’m not doing a big Thanksgiving feast, butttt, if I was, I would go back and make these in autumn colors on this metallic brown base. Or for Christmas or Channukah, maybe a selection of blues in navy, white and periwinkle on these silver chargers. Or maybe just buy some blanks and let the munchkins go wild. Is that a family art project I hear coming down the tracks?

Toot toot!

Welp. That’s it. Your place is set. Who is coming over for dinner?!

Laura Bush Cowboy Cookies

by aunt peaches 9 Comments

Today is November 4th. Election day here in America. The day we vote – Hooray! The day the political commercials stop – double hooray! I have mentioned my feelings on the subject in the past, so let’s skip the political commentary and get to the important stuff: cookies.

Background. Every presidential election, Family Circle magazine has hosted a cookie contest between the two potential first ladies. They hold a giant taste testing, and in all the elections but one, the husband of the first lady who won the cookie contest has also won the Electoral College. In 2000, Tipper Gore entered her recipe for gingersnaps, while Laura Bush offered up what are now known as Texas Governor’s Mansion Cowboy Cookies.   To read the recipe, you’d think it was a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie with some random stuff mixed in. But oh, oh, ohhhhh, they are so much more. I was first served these at a fundraiser at a country club, no name attached. They were just extra good chocolate chip cookies. Before I knew it, I had eaten three and was back in the catering kitchen pestering the staff for more.

Could I take a couple extra home to share? –“No.”
Could I buy the dough frozen? — “No.”
Could I ask for the recipe? – “No.”
What do you call them? –“Laura Bush cookies.”

Of course. What would they be serving at a fancy Republican country club other than ol’Noxema face Laura Bush cookies. Typical!

Well. Two minutes of furious phone googling in the parking lot later, I found this recipe. And let me tell you, it is magnificent. Regardless of how you feel about Laura Bush or her husband or politics in general, this recipe is a knockout. I have made these multiple times, and they always come better than I expected. Maybe even better than I want them to. Part of me really doesn’t want to admit that Laura Bush might be a better baker than me. But you know what? I know a winner when I see it.

Laura Bush Cowboy Cookies Recipe
(Original, as it appeared in Family Circle, September 2000)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened flake coconut
2 cups chopped pecans (8 ounces)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degree F.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl.
3. In 8-quart bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars to combine, 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla.
4. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans.
5. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart.
6. Bake in 350 degree F oven 17 to 20 minutes, until edges are lightly browned; rotate sheets halfway through. Remove cookies to rack to cool.

Aunt Peaches recommendations…

You are going to need a HUGE bowl. I have a jumbo mixer, and it barely handles the wet ingredients. Don’t be ashamed if you need to resort to a bucket. Some of the best cookies come from buckets.
Swap out the white sugar for all brown sugar. It’s just better.
Swap one of the cups of chocolate chips for butterscotch chips and/or milk chocolate chips. Butterscotch and oatmeal combo is a winner (in fact, the only time the Family Circle taste test prediction was wrong was in 2008 when they predicted Cindy McCain a winner by way of her butterscotch oatmeal cookies. There is a lesson in that!)
The original recipe calls for HUGE cookies. The bigger they are, the chewier the center. Which is awesome. Personally, I like a crispier oatmeal cookie, so I stick to the traditional tablespoon size cookies. Matter of taste. But the big cookies are impressive. For real. People are going to think you are a master baker. Or trying to make them fat. Or both. No judgments.
This recipe makes a ton of cookies, but unless you own a commercial grade oven, I would not load more than two sheets at a time – it slows down cooking time and the dough dries out.

That’s it folks! A cookie recipe offered up in the spirit of bipartisanship. Chocolately, chewy, melt-in-your-mouth, bipartisanship.

Happy Monday: Pink Bathtubs and Jane Austen Zombies

by aunt peaches 6 Comments

This is Sophia’s way of saying “Happy Monday!”

Some recommended distractions to get you through the week…

Inside the Mansfield mansion. Three words: wall carpeted bathroom.

Disney Princesses with realistic waistlines look…fabulous!

Three ways to make your clothes smell amazing (I’m a fan of the soap bar method)

The seven deadly sins of DIY.

Check out the most eccentric AirBnB in NYC.

Painted feathers FTW!

A nifty way to use up dryer lint and leftover candle wax.

How do we feel about the Pride and Prejudice zombie movie? Hrmmm.

Trick-or-treaters got you on a sugar high? Six secrets for dealing with all that candy.

A friend of mine made these carmel apple cheesecake bars for a party this weekend and I ate one and it made my brains fall out. I’m not sure if Thanksgiving turkey mixes well with streusel topping, but we all might need to find out.

Brittany Maynard chose to end her life this weekend. I’m not sure how to process this, but her words, and her story, have me rethinking my concept of “quality of life.” What do you think?

Michael’s Dream Tree Reveal

by aunt peaches 20 Comments

Hohoho, happy Halloween hangover! Or as some call it, “Day of the Dead” or in my house, “Day the Christmas Music Takes Over My Spotify.”

Now. I’m usually pretty anxious to bust out the holiday cheer early in the year, but this is the earliest I’ve ever had a tree up. And, actually, it’s not my tree. It’s Michael’s tree. Michael’s Dream Tree. It’s part of their promotion to let everyone know their artificial trees will be 50% off November 2-8. So. Since today is November 1^st, that’s only a day’s notice. So don’t be telling me I’m wayyyyy too early, because actually, I’m almost late!

Michael’s was kind enough to send me the tree plus a gift card to buy ornaments. I didn’t tell them I need more ornaments like I need a hole in the head, or that I already own four full size trees, because let’s be honest, this was great excuse to go crazy and do the thing I never do, which is, BUY DECORATIONS. Buying stuff to make decorations? Yes. Buying readymade decorations? Not really. A few years ago it was part of my job to set up Christmas trees for other people, but the budget was usually non-existent, so I never got to do the shopping. This…this was like being a kid in the candy store!

My friend Kiki was talking about not putting up a tree this year because it was too much fuss, so when I was picking up materials, I grabbed stuff I knew she would like – lot’s of neutrals. Burlap. Gold. Moss green. I thought if she saw the tree all done up and liked it, she might change her mind about putting up a tree, and sure enough…she saw it and she liked it. She liked it so much the whole tree is moving to her place next weekend and I’ll put up another one. Ha! How’s that for recycling?

Two things you would not know to look at this tree.

There are no ornaments! Yet. Some glitter pinecones tiuked in here and there, but no ornaments. I designed it to be something that could stand on it’s own, or as the perfect backdrop to a lifelong collection of family ornaments –vacation souvenirs, or first-grade art projects. A “storybook tree” as they call it. Michael’s carries some great woodland/burlap/woodsy Christmas supplies, which pair beautifully with glitzy gold (because you know my sparkle tooth needed a fix!), so it was easy to hit all the bases. I can’t wait to see this tree after it’s done up even more.
Besides the tree (which was provided by Michael’s) (and is 50% off this week), everything you see here cost less than $100. Probably closer to $50 if you play the sales right. Decorating a 7’ tree this lush and abundant looking for under $100 retail is pretty swell. More deets on that in a couple weeks!

Check out what some of the other Michael’s Maker’s did with their dream trees…

An InLinkz Link-up

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Decorative Trays From Duct Tape and Box Lids

by aunt peaches 10 Comments

I don’t know that there isn’t a problem that a good accent tray can’t fix.

Got a jumble of crap on your nightstand? Put it in a tray.
Crap on your dining table makes your place look perpetually messy? Let a tray take care of it.
Conflict in the Middle East got you scared? Nope. Trays can’t help with that.

But they try real hard!

Things is, even for hard-core thrifters like me, trays can get limited and/or pricey. Sometimes you gotta get creative. Duct tape goes a long way, especially now that it comes in every color and pattern under the sun.

Here I used a cardboard cat food tray, but you can use the lid from a file box, show box…just about anything. Heck, you could make your own. Custom size. After all, it’s duct tape!

Tip 1: Stick to patterned duct tape. I love mixing solid color stripes on other projects, but wrinkles and lumps are pretty inevitable on this particular project, and the patterns will cover the flaws beautifully.

Tip 2: Duck brand duct tape is my favorite, but there are some other good generic brands. There also some bad ones (read: I’m not a fan of Scotch brand duct tape. No offense Scotch, you make amazing colored masking tape, but your duct tape formula is no good). Anyway. Just make sure, whatever you choose, it’s super sticky. Usually I can tell by rolling back a piece slowly and you can see the adhesive fibers stretching and pulling, that’s a good sign. It should take effort. If it comes off the roll too easily, you can bet it’ll fall off your box in a few weeks.

They come together real quick. Last August I was using my friend’s house to photograph these paint chip art pieces for the Queen Latifah show. Their place looks great, but the coffee table was lacking something…something, like…a tray!

Doesn’t that look better? Yeah. Told you. It’s all about the tray.

So that is what I know about that. It’s take you five minutes and cost the roll of tape. Are you on it yet? Get going!

Feel inspired? Here are some other terrific and inexpensive ideas I have found around the web this week…

Apple votives (perfect for Thanksgiving!)

Sugar Skull Caramel Apples

Hexagon wall art

Leaf garland from plastic bags

Cheap and easy ribbon organizer

Hand stamped pendants

Storybook owl necklace

The Mailman Cometh

by aunt peaches 4 Comments

Well folks, it has been an exciting week for my mailbox. Between the usual parade of political pamphlets, polar fleece catalogs and cat charity solicitations, came a few items that had been anxious to see for some time. Wahoo!

Now here is a thing. Based on reader feedback from a couple years ago, I make a special effort to not include wedding DIYs on this site, so imagine my surprise when Brides magazine asked me to contribute to their special DIY issue. Some great ideas from a number of creative bloggers, so if you are in the UK, or one of those people that can get UK magazines (they really are jammed with content compared to our magazines), grab yourself a copy.

Speaking of things you need to grab…

Heather Mann, the master mind behind several craft sites, including Dollar Store Crafts, Dollar Store Mom, and Craft Fail, has come out with a book by that same name. It’s filled with examples of what happens with good ides go bad.

We’ve all been there.

The book is hilarious. It will make you laugh and validate your failures. Listen, it’s not just you – nobody can make that rainbow jar cake. Nobody.

Disclaimer, in addition to being a successful blogger, Heather is also a friend and mentor. She was one of the first people to ever feature an Aunt Peaches project on a major website, and I owe some of my early traffic (and perhaps a few of you!) thanks to her help and encouragement. In fact, there may be a quote from yours truly, discussing my inability to make tissue paper pompoms. I pride myself on being able to take trash to treasure, but can I make a simple tissue pom? No. So now you can pay good money to read more. Get on that.

If you have been following me a while, you know how excited I am for the success of Advanced Style – the blog turned book turned documentary turned coloring book – devoted to glamorous octogenarians (and more!).

The first run of the coloring book sold out before I could get ahold of one, so now it’s finally here and it sits on my coffee table and I color in it while *bored on conference calls.

* If you are a client, pretend you didn’t see that.

Also. This happened…

Yes. A Christmas tree. Michael’s sent me a Christmas tree. Don’t nobody freak out that IT’S TOO EARLY IT’S TOO EARLY because I for one have had the glitter spirit for weeks, weeks, and I quarantined it inside my soul. Like Ebola. But now the 21 days are up, the travel ban is lifted, and I have got to unleash this before it explodes out of me like angry rheindeer. November 1, it is on. It is on like Donkey Kong.

Mwahhahaha!

^^^^That was my scary laugh. See? I’m still on target for Halloween. So there!

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