Edible Bunting

You know when you get fired up...commit to that workout program...swear to consume cabbage soup for the next 30 days...or just read more (whether your bible or that good book you've been wanting to start)...

...Then...

Life Happens.

Your kids all get sick at the same time, a tree falls on the power lines to your house, you get stung by a bee cleaning up the debris...just silly ole life. Then you end up getting shut-eye instead of working out, eating those chocolate chips cookies because they were promising a little bit of comfort and watching Housewives of Orange County just b/c you didn't want to think for awhile.

Well...that's what happened to me this week. No, no...not the whole kids and tree thing. I did get stung by a bee...but that's small compared to the rest of the week.  Life just happened & I didn't get to post to the blog on Wednesday, like I committed to do since I started this sucker.

Work was just a rollercoaster ride this week & it just kinda sucked the life out of me. But, I took today off to get myself together & life goes one...I'll learn from this week & it will get better.

But ENOUGH of that! :-)

Let's talk bunting.

It's one of the latest crazes in parties.

via glorioustreats.blogspot.com 

via glorioustreats.blogspot.com 

It is such a simple & inexpensive party decoration that anyone can do. 

(p.s. I just checked out this glorioustreats blog...oh my...she has some adorable ideas!) 

Anyways...with 4th of July in a few days...I thought...I wonder if I could do an edible bunting. 

Disclaimer: I've been picking up a few photography tips here & there & trying to do a better job taking pics of these things. I attempted to use a "back drop" in this pic. Should've ironed it. :p I hate ironing. :p 

Thanks for being patient with me as I learn. 

If you squint while you look at the picture, you can't really see the creases anyways. That's what I do when I do my own nails. Hold them far away & squint. They look great! :-) 

Remember - Squint! 

If you want to recreate this for your 4th of July shindig...it is really easy. 

Here's what you'll need:

* Various Fruits (the more dense, the better)

* Needle 

* Bamboo skewers (I used the medium size)

* Dental Floss

Thread the dental floss through the needle. Cut a long piece of the dental floss off & tie one end to a bamboo skewer that you insert into the watermelon (or whatever you're using). Begin threading the needle through the fruit in the pattern you want. Make sure you sterilize the needle before inserting into the fruit. It's like the perfect pair...eat the pineapple, then floss your teeth. :-) 

Once you have your fruit strung, tie the other end to another bamboo skewer you insert into the other end of the watermelon. 

Here's a tip - Make sure you slice the strawberries & other fruit thick enough. This will give the fruit some stability. I made sure to thread about 3/4 up from the bottom of each fruit (except for the blueberries, obviously) so that it wasn't too thin at the top but it wasn't right in the middle, either. 

Hope you have a wonderful 4th of July! 

Flippin Dip

Before you think I've lost it, let me explain my thought process in deciding this title.

We'll be taking an every day household item and making it useful for something else...

                                                        -> Kinda like flipping houses (sortof)

We'll be using the household items to hold veggies & dip...

                                                        -> Flipping the household items for dip =

                                                                  FLIPPIN' DIP 

....Not to mention that it sounds more dangerous...more edgy & we all need a little bit of that in our lives. :p 

With 4th of July right around the bend, you probably have plans to head to the lake, go on a picnic or just cookout in the backyard. You want to make the set-up look festive & fun but don't have the serving dishes to do that or the funds to raid Macy's Martha Stewart collection. What do you do? 

Use whatcha got! Here's a simple project that anyone can do with items they have around the house. We'll start with the "after" then dissect it from there. Can you guess what this is comprised of? (It's very sad when you think "comprised" is a big word. Which I just did, in my mind. I almost put "SAT word" then I realized SAT words are probably much larger than that one. :p)

I decided to start with the finished product...then "undress" (I know...you didn't realize you were reading such a provocative blog, did you?) the veggie tray.

Sorry for my caption that you probably didn't find funny. I felt like I needed to give these guys a voice. Somehow, I imagine their voices would sound similar to Zach Galifianakis. 

The cute blue gingham wraparound is just some scrapbook paper that I got for $0.59 awhile ago & it was in my stash. I just measured the correct height & it took me less than 5 minutes to cut it out, wrap around & tape. This would a perfect way to incorporate a pattern/color/theme throughout your food display.

See that pretty leafy stuff hangin out the side? That's Kale. Kale is like the flowers of the food group. It just makes things pretty. AND...umm...I have been thoroughly enjoying kale chips lately. Quick, delish & healthy with a capital H. 

It's like I just stripped off the mascara. :p Are you starting to see my madness method? See the bottom there? A pie pan. However, I really wished I didn't have the little handles on the pan. In my mind, it was going to be a perfectly round platter but the "love handles" on this here pie pan weren't cooperating with my plan. (Side note - I have nothing against love handles. I understand why they are named that & I agree. Nothin but love for handles. the end)

Pie Pan + these clear plastic glasses = Veggie Platter

I'm sure you could use any cups you have around the house. For a kids party, those cute little dixie cups would be great. I took 5 of these cups, set them inside the pie pan, stuck one more cup in the middle & then filled them with carrots, tomatoes, squash, broccoli, celery & a dip I mixed up with sour cream. 

Here's the whole gang, exposed. Sorry. I couldn't help one more reference. 

And all together. 

That cute little 4th of July sign is courtesy of TomKatStudios. If you click on the name, it will bring you to the blog & links to the etsy shop where you can buy one too. I actually got mine from a cute magazine called Celebrations. They had the cutouts in the back section. TomKatStudios has really cute party things & inspiration. 

I hope you are inspired to use whatcha got this 4th of July...and beyond. You never know what you may create. Here are a few more examples of usin whatcha got -

Cute little treat stand using plates & candle holders from thecraftingchicks.com 

What a great idea from creativepartyplanners.net for keeping food warm. 

I know we've got a ways to go before Halloween but this great idea from marthastewart.com could also translate into a hollowed out watermelon! That would be soo cute!

Another great idea for old cans...using them to hold breadsticks...or pretzels or just the silverware. 

Do you have any tricks for displaying food using whatcha got?