Oreo Cupcakes

So as a middle school teacher, I often struggle to convince my students to turn in their homework (as if the idea of learning or failing isn't enough motivation?!). One of my fellow teachers had the same problem and she came up with a Homework Competition. Genius! So of course I totally copied her idea (she said it was okay). Each of my 5 classes competes against each other each week to see which class has the highest percentage of homework completed and turned in on time (I also struggle to convince my students to turn in on time). The winning class gets to pick their prize. So far, some of the choices have been Late Homework Passes, Bring a Snack to Class, One Extra Day for a Project, and of course, Cupcakes! I made the cupcakes below for period 5. They have won the Homework Completion Competition more than any other period and even got 100% one week! They deserved cupcakes...

Oreo Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

Start with your favorite Chocolate Cupcake. Any chocolate cupcake will do, I normally use HERSHEY'S "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake. (It goes well with my cream cheese frosting.)

Oreo Frosting

Make your favorite Buttercream Frosting. Again, any buttercream frosting will do. Once your frosting is made, ground up a bunch of oreo cookies (I used a few handfuls of oreos and threw them in the food processor), and add them to your frosting. Taste your frosting as you add the oreos in order to find the flavor you're looking for. It won't be a very strong oreo flavor, more subtle.

Garnish

Top off your Oreo Cupcakes with a whole oreo. Yum!

My students loved them, and were very impressed... They saw there was an extra (mine!) and began to persuade me to give it to them... A bunch of lawyers, they'll be!

Happy baking! And happy crafting!

Bunny Cupcakes

I realize that I am now a couple of days late (meant to post this ON Easter), but still worth a post. This year I made Easter Bunny Cupckakes... vanilla cupcakes, vanilla buttercream frosting, sugar cookie ears with white fondant, and cotton ball tails. Cute, right? I have to admit, I don't think they are nearly as cute (or nearly as tasty) as last year's carrot patch cupcakes.

What would I change? 1. I would use paper cupcake liners (as originally planned) in order for the cotton ball tails to stick better. 2. I would replace the butter in the frosting with shortening to get pure white instead of off-white. 3. I would have (as my mom suggested) baked the cookie ears with a toothpick or stick in them to help them stay on the cupcakes a little better.

Hope you all had a Happy Easter!

Student Project Display

So one of my goals this year was to put student work up on the walls in my classroom. You see, with 200+ students, how do I put all students' work up? Well that's just it... I don't. I was already collecting sample work from students (you know, keeping the REALLY good ones to show next year's students what their final product should look like), but wasn't doing anything with those samples aside from keeping them in a drawer until the following year. That's when I decided that it was time to put those samples up on the wall. I realized that I don't have to put up samples from EVERY student... meaning, I don't have to put up the eye-sores non-sample work. Below are pictures of what now adorns my very colorful and educational wall. I have already referenced projects on the wall several times... And my 8th graders are reminded of the science they forget from learned in 7th grade.

Fun, right? And after receiving numerous emails requesting templates to make some of the foldables shown above, I decided to make a few tutorial posts. You see, my students are AMAZING artists and therefore none of the above projects required templates. Just instructions. So here they are.

Organization of Life Foldable Tutorial
Cells Foldable Tutorial
Cell Cycle Foldable Tutorial

Happy Projecting! (I know, I totally made that word up.)

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Today is my Grandma's 90th Birthday! Happy 90th Birthday, Grandma Pauline! The family went down to visit Grandma today and celebrate this milestone. There were balloons, karaoke, and of course, cupcakes! I whipped together some vanilla bean cupcakes with vanilla bean buttercream frosting for the occasion...

Yum, right?! I found both recipes at marthastewart.com... I have yet to find a bad recipe from her. The cupcakes were a tad sweet, but a really good sweet. Here are the links... Old-Fashioned Vanilla Icebox Cake and Vanilla Bean Buttercream. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

So I've never actually liked white chocolate macadamia nut cookies because I don't like white chocolate... Or at least I thought I didn't like white chocolate... You see, all my life I had been trying Nestle's white chocolate chips. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Nestle. However, I HATE their white chocolate chips! They taste fake to me. But this weekend, I had my heart set on making white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for a hawaiian themed memorial service. I therefore decided to try Ghirardelli's white chocolate chips... If they cost more, they should test better, right? RIGHT!! I like Ghirardelli's white chocolate chips! And since their chips were so good, I figured their cookies would be good, too... I followed the recepie right on the back of the bag! YUM!

GHIRARDELLI MACADAMIA WHITE CHIP COOKIES

(actually does yield about 5 dozen cookies)

1 c butter, softened

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 c. brown sugar, packed

2 eggs, room temp

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 c. flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 c. (one 11 oz bag) Ghirardelli Classic White Chips

1 1/2 c. Macadamia nuts, chopped (I definitely used 2 c.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Blend in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in white chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Seriously! YUM! And for the nut-free folks... These are still amazing without the macadamia nuts!

Happy baking!

Baby Onesies!

Seriously. I'm pretty sure it doesn't get any cuter than this baby onesie card! I absolutely love that I have friends having babies... That way I can buy cute outfits, make cute cards, and play with cute babies without having to do all the dirty work... Stinky diaper? Back to mommy you go!

Happy crafting!

Polka-Dot Cupcake Invitation

Shannon, my giveaway winner, requested birthday invitations with cupcakes and polka-dots. Her daughter is turning 6. Happy 6th Bithday, Shannon's Daughter! I hope you have a very happy birthday party! Below are the invitations I made...

 

Happy crafting!

Braids

I love braids. I often wear a simple braid pinned into a ponytail or pinned with my hair down.., it just keeps the front chunks of hair out of my face, especially on lab days at work. Today I was feeling like a side pony, and a braid. So I did both. Cute, right?

Happy crafting!

A Lot of Yummy

I'm not sure why this stamp says "a LITTLE yummy for your tummy" when we all know I'm not going to package just a little treat for anyone. I wanted to thank the wonderful teachers I work with, my student aides that do a lot of my grading, and the dedicated support staff that, well supports me by baking cookies... Below are the tags I created to adorn each bag of Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies.

 

Happy baking! And happy crafting!

Baby Onesie Card

As much as I love making cards, I love buying baby clothes even more... I mean, seriously... Who DOESN'T squeal when they see cute little outfits with polka-dots, duckies, teddy bears, elephants, and hearts?!?! (I definitely squealed as I wrote that, too.) Below is a baby card I made, cute like a onesie. So cute, right?!

Happy Crafting!

Classroom Cuteness

Below are my newest classroom additions...
ThINK sign encouraging my students to do just that... THINK! My inspiration came from A Middle School Survival Guide. The font came from Lettering Delights (Scrap Sister).

And in an attempt to talk less (especially because I'm pretty sure that by this point in the year students just tune out the sound of my voice), I've begun posting materials needed for class each day on the board. I laminated each material and stuck a magnet to the back. I keep a little basket on the ledge underneath my white boards so it's right there. So far, so good. Again, the font came from Lettering Delights (Scrap Sister). If you can't already tell, I'm somewhat obsessed with that font!

What additions have you made to your classroom lately? Share your ideas below...

Happy crafting!

Manly Birthday Cards

I've adopted using tools to make manly birthday cards. Totally tool, right? Haha. there I go with those puns again! Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy crafting!

Giveaway Winners!

The winner of the Birthday Bulletin Board Set from Miss Kindergarten is... AMY!

 The winner of the Cupcake Apron from Sew Long Ago is... Wehaf! She shared a link to these yummy looking maple cupcakes!

And the winner of 10 Handmade Birthday Cards from Me is... peace love and rainbows!

Congrats to all three of the winners! And thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday!

Happy crafting!

Eat Your Heart Out

Okay. I admit it. I tend to go a bit over board when it comes to themes. I just can't help it! For Valentine's Day, Daniel was such a trooper and let me cook for him all day (he's normally head chef).

For Breakfast: heart-shaped pancakes, heart-shaped strawberries, yogurt

For Lunch: broiled caprese salad sandwich, heart-shaped tomato

I told you I go over board! For dinner I dropped the heart theme and just went for yummy: honey-soy glazed salmon, veggies, rosemary-garlic bread. Of course, I made Daniel's favorite dessert, creme brulee. Like I said, yummy. I hope you all enjoyed Valentine's Day!

Happy crafting!

February Birthdays

For the month of February, I created the birthday card below. I chose to use a darker purple because February's birthstone is amethyst. Happy Birthday, Nan and Carolyn!

To Make: Awash with Flowers stamp set, Stampin' Up!; Stampin' Up! colors Wild Wasabi (cardstock, stamp pad), So Saffron (stamp pad), Apricot Appeal (ribbon), Elegant Eggplant (stamp pad); dark purple cardstock; scallop edge punch.

Happy Crafting!

Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day! I love any excuse I can get to tell my boyfriend how much I love him and to be all sappy and romantic. Happy Valentine's Day, Love! You're amazing and awesome and I love you!

To Make: Print Alphabet (click here) on white cardstock, cut to 5.25" x 4". Mount on red cardstock, cut to 5.5" x 8.25" and folded in half. Cut additional heart and adhere to card with raised dot.

Happy Valentine's Day! Happy Crafting!

My Birthday Giveaway!

In celebration of my birthday, I'm having a giveaway...

What You Can Win:

A Set of 10 Handmade Birthday Cards from Cards & Cardigans

A Digital Birthday Bulletin Board Set from Miss Kindergarten

A Hand-Sewn Apron from Sew Long Ago

How You Can Enter:

1. Follow My Blog: leave me a comment wishing me a happy birthday

2. Share a Cupcake Recipe: leave a comment with a link (I love Red Velvet)

3. Visit Miss Kindergarten's Store: leave me a comment sharing your favorite item

The Rules:

Three winners will be chosen at random from the comments posted below.

There are three ways to enter, a separate comment post should be made for each entry.

Entries must be made by February 12, 2012 at 12:00 (midnight).

Good Luck!

Super Bowl

Football Cookies:

Almond-Sugar Cookies, White Buttercream Frosting, Chocolate Fondant, White Icing

Endzone Cupcakes:

Chocolate Cupcakes, Green Cream Cheese Frosting, White Icing, Goal Post Toothpicks

 

Football Cupcakes:

Chocolate Cupcakes, Chocolate Ganache, White Icing

Endzone Trays:

Football Field Patterned Printed on White Cardstock, Cut, Folded, Glued...

line with wax paper to hold chicken wings!

Enjoy the Super Bowl, Ya'll! Happy Crafting!

Birthday Balloons

I absolutely love making kid birthday cards, especially for little girls... they're just so cute! So for Bella and Ella, I made the card below. I love the combination of colors, two shades of pink and yellow. So girly! Happy Birthday Bella and Ella!

To Make: All in the Family stamp set from Stampin' Up; Stampin Up colors Kraft (cardstock), So Saffron (cardstock, stampin' write pen), Rose Red (cardstock, stampin' write pen), Pink (cardstock), Chocolate Chip (stamp pad); stripe-patterned paper, buttons (2 sizes), hemp string, tacky glue.

Happy Crafting!

For Jammers

Lately I've been obsessed with my Awash with Flowers stamp set. I've also been loving this Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Basic Black color scheme. I decided to incorporate both into a birthday card for my cousin, Jaimee, who I call Jammers. No clue why. She's the one that went to the Dominican Republic with me back in November. So Happy Birthday, Jaimee!

And I can't figure out how to make this picture rotate... You know me and technology. Argh!

To Make: Awash with Flowers Stamp set, Sampin' Up!; Stampin' Up! colors Baja Breeze (cardstock, stamp pad), So Saffron (cardstock, stamp pad), Basic Black (cardstock, stamp pad, ribbon); scallop edge punch.

Happy crafting!