Shot Stick

For my fiance's 35th Birthday I wanted to make a shot stick. Something he could always have to remember his birthday and friends. The idea of a shot stick is when your friends are done taking a shot with you for the first time they sign the stick with a permanent marker. This way a piece of them and your memories together always stays with you.

Making Memories:

Step one: buy the size board you want. If you want a four shot board we used six feet and it worked perfectly. You may also use a ski or other type object if you prefer. 

Step two: cut and sand your board. Clean board. 

Step three: decorate! This is where it gets fun. I wanted to take our shot board one step further and includes all the people I love on it. I decided I would make two boards at the same time. One for us to use at the birthday part and one to have a drawing and give away to one of our friends. 

Decorating my board: 

I made a collage of my friends and family and printed them out on a regular inkjet printer. Just regular ole printer paper. Then cut out the pictures. 

Next we are going to use our special magic fairy dust to transfer the pictures onto the clean board. 

Take a paint brush and paint and slather on a layer of the Liquitex a little bigger then the size of each picture. (Don't want to coat the whole board) . You want it to be thick enough to transfer the picture and hold picture in place but not so thick it leaves bubbles. After you coat a nice layer then place the picture (picture side facing gel/board) onto the Liquitex. press it down gently and make sure you get out the bubbles. Scrape/wipe excess Liquitex away when picture is firmly on board.

The photos will start showing through the back of the paper. After about eight hours it is time to wash of the paper. Take the board, get a wet wash cloth, and gently scrub the picture. The paper will start to flake off. Wash away all of the paper layer until just the board/transfer remain. 

Once you have a clean board with awesome photos transferred on, it is time to seal it. 

Grab your Mod Podge and slather it on the board. Get a nice even layer. Don't worry too much about brush strokes, it will dry clear. After the Podge dried I taped off each picture so it was completely covered in tape and spray painted the board. I did the top of the board dark blue and the bottom w/ pictures copper.


Second board:
For the give away board I simply spray painted it Copper and used stencils.

Then bust out your favorite glue (I love Gorilla Glue) and glue on the shot glasses you picked out.

I simply stand in front of the end of the board and place the shot directly in the center. You don't want to put it directly at the end or the people on the end won't have places to grip the board. Once the glue is dry and the shot glasses are secure, all you need to do is grab your friends, a sharpie, your drink of choice and make some memories.

Also if your friends are as silly as mine there is a really cute app I downloaded on my IPad called IncrediBooth. It lets you take photo booth pictures. I made everyone at the party step into my photo booth.

Don't forget to have your camera ready for some of the most awesome sour faces you have ever seen your friends and family make....

The Magic of Baking

Guess what fellow Blogging Moms and Dads: We just finished Selesnya week and to celebrate I am baking my favorite cookies: Pecan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. What weird Magical language am I speaking? What crazy fall tradition calls it self Selesnya? A Magical One. Magic: the Gathering that is.

One of my favorite parts of fall is teaching my children the traditions of family and helping making secret traditions of our own. The weather is cooling, snow is on the way (well for you it is, I live in a desert. Don't be jealous) and you are going to have many stir crazy days to make it through. Don't stress just yet. I am going show you a simple treat to keep your little ones tummies satisfied and a card game to keep their growing minds occupied.

Being a Texan born and true, there are many traditions in my family. Football being the chief among them. It is important to me to teach and involve my children in the things I am passionate about to see what might stick. This week I will begin teaching my Daughter the game I have loved since I was fourteen years old. Magic the Gathering is a strategy game with a little spice of random chance. The cards are designed by brilliant minds and painted by skillfully artistic hands. Just look:

The great thing about Magic the Gathering is it can be as simple or advanced as the person who builds the deck. It challenges the mind on many levels. If you are interested in getting your child into a social activity that can occupy their nights at home or become an event playing at your local comic book store I highly endorse this! Now on to the yummy!

First thing first. I loaded the kids up and hauled them to our local comic store which holds Magic: the Gathering events and tournaments. It also sells tons of cards. In the newest set released Return to Ravnica you get to join a Guild and battle for the honor and glory. I am Selesnya. It reminds me of our Mommy Blogging community. The Selesnya Guild is about nature, supporting and helping the collective group. They are teachers, fighters and one. 

We picked up some new packs of Return to Ravnica cards and then headed home to bake our favorite treats. Oatmeal cookies! I decided Oatmeal cookies would fit perfect with our guild choices since they are lovers of nature. We are going to put Oats, nuts and chocolate to delicious use. 

What we need:

Yes. I know if this was a professional kitchen you be having Vapors at the mess. It's not though. 

Let the babies help and then declare your kitchen a disaster area after all is said and done. This is about as simple and classic of an oatmeal cookie you can find in just about every cook book in the multiverse. I just prefer chocolate chips to raisins. 

Ingrediants

1 1/2

cups brown sugar

1

cup butter or margarine, softened

1

teaspoon vanilla

1

egg

2

cups quick-cooking oats

1 1/2

cups all-purpose or unbleached flour

1

teaspoon baking soda

1/4

teaspoon salt

1

cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)

1

cup chopped nuts (pecans if you please)

Go ahead and pre-heat that oven to 350 degrees. Take your softened butter and brown sugar and mix them in a bowl until completely combined and looking sinful. Add the vanilla and egg and stir until mixture gets light and fluffy. You don't need a fancy kitchen aid for this. Just use a good ole fashion spoon and elbow grease. Go ahead and throw the works at it now. Toss in the oats, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts. Stir it around until every oat is coated and you don't see any trace of white flour.

When the mixture looks something like this gooey edible mess it's time to doll out cookie drops. Get out your small ice cream scoop and scoop drops of the mixture onto an ungreased cookie sheet. 

So I'm not really superstitious but I still like to do my baking in front of my Irish cross. Don't judge me and I won't laugh when you throw perfectly good salt over your shoulder. 

At this point we pause our broadcast. Someone hasn't had Mom's undivided attention for ten whole minutes.

Ok. Down for a nap. God bless sleeping babies. Amen. 

This is about the size and space you want the cookie drops on the cookie sheet. Now just shove those bad boys in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. One of the things I love Magic: the Gathering is it gives you so many chances to be an individual while also being apart of something huge. Just like baking. Here is where our roads divide  I'm gooey on the inside. I take mine out of the oven at 9 minutes and let them finish cooking/cooling on the cookie sheet. You might be firm on the inside (I love you anyways, promise). If you are then you might want to leave your cookies in until 11 minutes. In baking one minute can be the difference between delicious and disaster.

Get in my mouth! 

I hope you and your little ones have a Magical fall and extremely satisfied tummies. 

The Wizards behind the curtain did not ask me/ want me / pay me to write anything in this blog. All views expressed are my own. 

If you have any questions about Magic or Baking feel free to tweet me:

@RevisedAngel

Baby Boy Cake Pop Diaper Cake

One of my good friends at work just had a beautiful baby boy. I have worked with him for years and he is beyond happy to be having a son. For his baby shower I wanted to make him something special. I decided to attempt my second Cake Pop Diaper Cake!

You are going to construct this diaper cake exactly like a regular diaper cake. Decide how many tiers you want, how many diapers you want to use and roll the diapers like normal. The only difference is we are going to add edible cake pops on top for an extra special effect.

I bought all the supplies I needed for this at Party City and Michaels.

Step One: Make cake pops. I made funfetti cake pops (everything is better in rainbow)

Once the cake pops are ready it's time to construct the Diaper Cake they will go on!

You can easily pick different ribbon for a baby girl cake pop diaper cake. I can't wait till one for my friends has a girl and I get make something pink and sparkly! 

Mothers Day PoPs...

Mothers Day PoPs..., originally uploaded by LoveLane Cupcakes.

Are you already planing Mother's Day? Look at these adorable cake pops by LoveLane Cupcakes posted in my Flickr group Cakes on a Stick. The flowers are divine.

Blue Tits & Cherry Blossom Pops

Blue Tits & Cherry Blossom Pops, originally uploaded by Kiss And Bake Up.

How cute are these spring birds and cherry blossom cake pops? If you feel a little to "grown up" for the Easter Bunny these cuties posted in my Flickr group Cakes on Stick by Kiss and Bake Up would be perfect!