Coffee Cup Sphere Lamp

I have had this idea long time ago "The Coffee Cup Sphere Lamp"!

I just saw the same idea posted in another blog and remembered this idea.

 And here is what you need:

-300+ coffee cups from paper or plasic
-a stapler with staples or glue
-electric wire with attached socket
-energy-efficient lamp with normal lamps (I'm afraid the heat will melt the plastic)
-some (3 or more) pinbolds
-big washer
-small washers
-a heatsource (a lighter or something like that)
-A sharp metal pen (for instance a scriber) with the thickness of the wire

OK start with stapling three cups together, this will be your base around which you will build the rest.
Stapling the staples nearest to the bottom first will work the best. If you are start with stapling the upper first the plastic will rip.
So you have the base, now you can build on around it.
Because of the tapered form of the cups you will end up automatically with a sphere (kind of).
Weave the edges under and over each other, as you can see in the picture of the base.

There is not much to say about the ongoing just staple on until you have got blisters on your fingers!
Just leave one hole open for the last cup.

So now you take the last cup, heat up your scriber and burn a hole in the bottom. Place the big washer under the underside, tie a knot in the electrical wire and put it through the hole from the outside. Attach it with the split bolts trough some holes (which you will have to melt with the scriber first off course) with the small washers in between to prevent them slipping through. Now you can easily remove the cup if the lamp is broken.

Your lamp is finished. Hang it on the ceiling and put the wires on the electricity.
Be careful with that!

Let it burn!

Spider Cupcake

This create the lengthy legs and sweet smirk.eight-legged cupcake cutie sports a friendly grin for any festive occasion. Licorice pieces help.

1. Cover a cupcake with chocolate icing and sprinkles.

2. Attach sourball halves to circle mints using icing.

3. Place the eyes and a chocolate-candy nose onto the cupcake.

4. Form a smile with a small piece of red licorice.

5. Use eight long slivers of black licorice for legs and two short slivers for pinchers; cut into points and insert into cupcake.

more here

Six Feet Under Cupcake

This coconut-topped Halloween cupcake may look more than a little wicked, but with the witch stuck in the batter and no cauldron in sight, we promise this treat will only taste sweet.

To make the cupcake, follow these steps:

1. Use black marzipan to shape the witch's boots.

2. Stick yellow mini candy-coated chocolates on each boot for the buckles using frosting to secure.

3. Mold each boot around a peppermint stick to create the legs.

4. Top the cupcake with coconut dyed using green food coloring.

5. Insert peppermint sticks into the cupcake.

more here...

Monster Cupcakes

These monstrous Halloween cupcakes -- made with frosting, gumdrops, and fruit leather -- are the perfect treat to serve holiday guests, or for anyone who gets a kick out of cute monsters.

Ingredients:

2   16-ounce cans creamy white frosting
Brown and leaf green paste food coloring or purple paste food coloring*
Black, orange, and purple paste food coloring
12  2-1/2-inch cupcakes** in paper bake cups (any flavor)
6 large black gumdrops, halved crosswise
Toasted coconut
Assorted black candies, such as licorice laces and candy-coated sunflower kernels
Large marshmallows
Large and/or small gumdrops
White small oval mints, such as Tic Tacs (optional)
Rolled fruit leather
Candy circus peanuts, halved crosswise (optional)

Directions:

1. Divide frosting into five portions; tint with food coloring as follows: Tint one portion mossy green (using brown and leaf green food colorings). Tint a second portion black.*** Tint a third portion dark orange. Tint a fourth portion purple. Use the remaining white frosting for attaching monster parts.

2. Cut the rounded tops off cupcakes. Spread cut surfaces of cupcakes with some of the black frosting. Place a large gumdrop half in the center on top of each cupcake.

3. Spread green, orange, and purple frostings over cupcake tops. Place frosted tops over gumdrop halves on cupcakes, tipping each top back slightly to form a mouth.

4. Decorate cupcakes using toasted coconut and monster parts as follows: For eyes, attach a small piece of black candy to a slice of marshmallow; insert a small piece of black licorice into bottom of marshmallow slice. Press into cupcake. (Or make eyes from gumdrop pieces and small black candies and/or marshmallow halves, gumdrop pieces, and small black candies.) For teeth, cut marshmallows into pieces or use white small oval mints. For tongues, lay a fruit leather roll flat; fold and press together to make four layers. Use scissors to cut out tongue shapes. Attach candy circus peanut pieces to the fronts of cupcakes for feet. Makes 12 (2-1/2-inch) cupcakes.

*Tip: Look for special shades of paste food coloring in the cake decorating departments of hobby and crafts stores.
**Tip: If desired, tint cupcake batter bright green or purple. Use about 1/4 teaspoon paste food coloring for every 2 cups of batter.
***Tip: To achieve a rich black color without using excessive black food coloring, stir 1 to 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder into the frosting before adding the food coloring.

more here...

Pop Tarts

It's not like these are exactly "Pop Tarts", the crust is not crispy, they are a bit floppy, the filling isn't neatly tucked inside, the icing goes to the edges and gets all over ones fingers, they're even thinner, but they are- EASY. Oh and delicious. And not sopped with a ton of preservatives. And inexpensive. I have bookmarked a few recipes myself but me oh my, the labor involved with mixing, rolling, and cutting that crust...  All that work to make eight? Pshaw! Is not the whole point of a "Pop Tart" instant gratification? I simplified the entire process and came out with a "Pop Tart" that makes my friends swoon. That is good enough for me.

Secret Weapon- Lavash Bread, rectangular flat bread sold at Middle Eastern markets or...Trader Joe's. Score!

Spread three sheets with 1/2 cup each of your favorite jam. I made my own, hey something has to be homemade, right?

Spread the jam to the edges.

Cover each with another piece of Lavash and cover with icing and a sprinkle of colored sugar. Cut in 8 pieces.

Look at that, jam and icing all the way to the edges, the way it should be. Freeze on trays for about 30 minutes or until the icing is hard. While you are waiting, toast up a few to eat now. That's the instant gratification part.

Transfer tarts to a zip top bag and store in the freezer. When ready to eat, pop these into your toaster oven and toast for about 2-3 minutes or until icing just starts to bubble on the edges. If you overcook these, the icing will bubble off and make a mess all over your toaster oven. These are not for regular toasters, only toaster ovens or ovens, that's the downside I guess.

Jam for "Pop Tarts"
1 pound bag of frozen fruit- I used TJ's berry medley
1/4- 1/3 cup sugar -depending on fruit you use, not too sweet if using icing
3 T. corn starch
1/4 cup water
juice of 1/2 lime

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, cook and stir all the jam ingredients until thickened. Very thickened. Simmer about 7-10 minutes. I like minve thick. Use an immersion blender to puree the fruit mixture, this makes it easier to spread. Cool slightly before spreading 1/2 cup evenly over each of the three Lavash breads. Top with a second piece of Lavash. Then spread each with icing. Recipe below.

Note- you can use your favorite purchased jam to make this even faster. You will need 1 1/2 cups.

Icing for "Pop Tarts"
3 cups powdered sugar
6 t. light karo syrup
6 t. milk
1 t. vanilla
2 t. lime juice- optional but good, replace with milk
zest of one lime- optional but good

Mix all together. Mixture will be thick and shiny. If too thick for spreading add a few drops of milk at a time. Do not get it too thin or it will not set up. Once it is spread over the Lavash, cut each Tart into 8 pieces using a pizza cutter and freeze on trays. When ready to eat one, toast in toaster oven for about 2-3 minutes, or until edges start to bubble slightly.

Nemo Easter Eggs

The idea for the cute "Nemo Cupcakes" I got by Easter eggs I found at Wal-mart. They are made ​​of plastic and you can fill them with candy or whatever. Hmmm maybe a cute Easter decoration for the dining room table? I thing is sure I like the little Dory eggs the best.

Marshmellow Flowers

These cupcakes are stunning, frankly. They are indeed easy to make and they look great on a tiered plate or cupcake tree. So first, the basic how-to:

 The petals are the biggest part that takes forever- however, it's really simple to do just time consuming. We bought a bag of white mini-marshmallows and a bag of the colored ones. We sorted the pink and yellow marshmallows ( which look surprisingly similar to the orange ones) for the pink and yellow flowers. Then, you cut the marshmallow on the diagonal to expose a sticky side and you dip the sticky inner part in fine sanding sugar as show in the photo. Each cupcake takes about 22 mini-marshmallows before you slice them. Because the marshmallow and frosting can dry out, we prepare them in the following order:

1. Count out your 22 mini marshmallows.
2. Quickly cut them on the diagonal.
3. Dip them in the sanding sugar.
4. Frost the base layer of frosting on the cupcake and place the petals in three rows starting from the outside ring first then creating the inner rings.
5. Pipe a swirl of frosting in the center.
6. Repeat for each cupcake.

The reason for doing this in the order is (1) you don't want the marshmallow sticky center to dry out before you dip them in the sugar so don't cut more than can quickly dip (2) you don't want to the frosting to harden before you place the petals so don't frost the cupcake until you are ready to place the petals.

Here are created four different colors...yellow marshmallows with yellow sanding sugar.

Hot pink sanding sugar with light pink marshmallows...this had great contrast.

Bright blue sanding sugar and white marshmallows. Again great contrast.

The more subtle lavender sugar with the white marshmallows.

found here...

Chocolate dipped Strawberries

Chocolate dipped strawberries taste like a piece of heaven... and they are so easy to make.
To make this delight, you will need:

01. 250 grams of strawberries or other fruits
02. 150 grams of chocolate (according to your taste)
03. some chili

First wash the strawberries and pat dry.

Then melt he chocolate in a water bath or microwave.

Add the chili to the hot chocolate and dip the fruits up to half in the hot chocolate. Wait a few seconds until the chocolate has dried. Then place the chocolate dipped fruit on a pre-chilled plate to dry.



Fortune Cookies

For about 15 Fortune Cookies you will need:

01. 2.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
02. 2 large egg whites
03. 1/2 cup superfine sugar
04. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
05. Pinch of salt
06. 1.5 tablespoons heavy cream
07. 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

First write up little sayings.

Then heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and sugar, and beat on medium speed, about 30 seconds. Add flour and salt, and beat until combined. Add butter, heavy cream, and almond extract, and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
Pour 1 tablespoon of batter onto half of the baking sheet, and spread with the back of a spoon into a thin 3.5-inch circle; repeat on the other half of the sheet.

Bake until the outer 1/2-inch of each cookie turns golden brown and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet with a spatula (7-8 minutes).

Working quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula. Place a fortune in the middle of a cookie. To form the fortune cookie shape, fold the cookie in half, then gently pull the edges downward over the rim of a glass, or mug. Place the finished cookie in the cup of the muffin tin so that it keeps its shape.

Continue with the rest of the cookies.

Rose Leaves in Apple Jelly

For the Apple Jelly with Rose Leafs you will need:

01. ca. 30 untreated rose leaves
02. 1 / 2 liter of apple juice
03. 250 grams of sugar
04. Little jars

Really easy and quick made

First  pour over the rose leaves with boiling water, deter and let dry.
Put the apple juice with 250 grams of sugar in a pot and simmer it for 5 minutes.
Skim off foam.
Then put the leaves to the apple juice mass and cook it for 4 minutes.

Done!

Fill the Jelly into little jars and cool it for 2 days.
Ribbon, gift tags :-)

Brownie Bites

For these Brownie Bites you will need:

Brownies
01. 4 whole 1-ounce Squares Unsweetened Chocolate, Melted And Cooled
02. 2 sticks Butter, Softened (but Not Room Temperature)
03. 2 cups Sugar
04. 4 whole Large Eggs
05. 3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
06. 1-¼ cup All-purpose Flour
07. 1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
08. 1 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chunks
09. ICING/GLAZE
10. 8 whole 1-ounce Squares Semi-sweet Chocolate, Chopped
11. 1 cup Cream, Heated
12. 2 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup
13. 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Okay, begin by melting four ounces of unsweetened chocolate in a microwave-proof bowl. Do this a good 15 minutes ahead of time because it has to have time to cool! If you add the chocolate when it’s too warm, your brownie bites will be totally weird and your life will spiral downward into a series of unfortunate events that you’ll definitely be able to trace back to the fact that you didn’t let your chocolate cool enough.
Don’t do it to yourself!

When the chocolate is cool (but obviously still stirrable), combine butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Mix it till it’s light and fluffy.

Add four eggs, two at a time, mixing gently after each addition.

And there you have it. Brownies!
Just kidding.

With the mixer on low, add the melted but cooled but still warm enough for it to be stirrable but not so warm it’ll mess up your brownies and your life chocolate.

This looks right. I like that you can see the tiny particles of chocolate—a result of the chocolate hitting the relatively cool butter and egg mixture.

Next, add in vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Then eat this entire bowl of batter!
Thank you for your cooperation.
Oh, wait. I forgot. You’re a reasonable, logical person.
In that case, please proceed with the remaining instructions.

To this, add in all-purpose flour, mixing just until combined.

You definitely don’t want to overmix the batter! At every stage (except creaming the butter and sugar) just mix until combined.

Next, add in a cup of milk chocolate chips.

Milk chocolate…because it’s the right thing to do!

Next, add a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chunks. I bought these in the bag as is, but you can also just chop up chocolate yourself. Use semi-sweet or, if you’re adventurous, bittersweet.

Mix it gently until just combined. Then just stand there and look at it for a minute.

Spray mini-muffin pans GENEROUSLY with baking spray.
I’m sorry to scream. But just when you think you’ve sprayed enough…spray a little more.

Scoop or spoon just a small amount of batter into each muffin tin. What we’re trying to avoid here is a big muffin top; you want the tops to remain below the surface of the tins.

And there you have it! Brownies!
Sorry. I’m trying to stop.
Now bake the little suckers for about 10 to 12 minutes on 325, or until no longer jiggly.

If you adequately greased the pan, they should pop right out of the pan. Turn them out, face down, on a cooling rack.

Let them cool down for a good twenty minutes or so before you start with the next round of mischief.

To begin, measure a cup of cream.
Not milk.
Not half and half.

Add two tablespoons of light corn syrup.

Nuke this for about a minute, then add in some vanilla.

Lay 8 ounces (8 squares) semi-sweet chocolate onto a cutting board.

Chop it up with a sharp knife.

Throw it into a bowl…

Then pour the warm cream mixture over the chocolate.

Stir it together until the chocolate melts and the mixture becomes smooth and silky.

Now, pick up a brownie bite and blow on it just to get rid of any superficial crumbs. (I know, I know. Gross and all. You can use a neat little pastry brush if you prefer.) Then dunk it, face down, into the chocolate mixture.

Push it down to submerge it a bit…

Then spoon chocolate over the top.

Then lift it out of the chocolate with a fork so the chocolate will run between the tines.

Lightly tap it so it will sheet down the sides of the brownie and result in a nice, thin coating. (This’ll also prevent it from pooling at the bottom of the brownie.) I tapped forty to fifty times (really quick pace)!

Carefully let the brownie slide off the fork and onto a baking mat or a sheet of waxed paper. You can see the nice cone shape here. This is why you don’t want big muffin tops on the brownie bites.

Repeat until they’re all coated…then you can start having some fun decorating them! These are just regular chocolate sprinkles.

A single milk chocolate chip.

Cocoa nibs! Yummy.

Slivers of almonds.

Colorful confetti.

And if a couple go astray…

Just use a toothpick to fix.

A blackberry. Why not?

A single M&M…

How about finely chopped pecans?
Yes, please.

A pecan half. Simple!

Or you can really be adventurous and grab some sea salt. (This comes from The Herb Farm…thank you, Alice, for introducing me to this salt.)

I love, love, love chocolate treats with a sprinkling of sea salt.

And how about this? It’s sea salt infused with Raspberry and Chipotle!

A blueberry. Cute!

Just keep going, grabbing whatever you can find from your cabinet. I found some sanding sugar from 1999 that I was sure I’d used the last of a few years ago.
I love finding sanding sugar from 1999 and using it without hesitation.
Note: You’ll want to refrigerate them for a bit before you start decorating, and along the way if you think the icing needs it.

These are so much fun. You can just leave them plain, of course. I think it would be fun to serve a plain one (nuke it for about 8 seconds first) in a pretty teacup with a miniature scoop of vanilla ice cream and topped with a little hot fudge. Mini chocolate brownie sundaes! Or you can go crazy and decorate them like this for a birthday party or shower. Let your kids help you! Sometimes they’ll come up with ideas you might not have thought of.

The icing is a little on the sticky side, so you’ll definitely want to let them set for a little while. Refrigerating them for a bit will help with this. But if you’re serving them as a finger food, have some little napkins nearby.

Oh! I almost forgot. They’re totally delicious, too.
Enjoy!

The recipe I found here...