New Friendly Plastic Video - How to create a mosaic pattern in Friendly Plastic

In this episode, Linda Peterson shows you how to create a mosaic pattern in Friendly Plastic.

Back to School time- Get your crafty on!

Today's the first day of school for the Springfield, Missouri public school kids.  Today is Elise's first day of High School and Julia's first day of fourth grade!  All I can do is sit here and think...where did the time go?  I say that all the time.....

Couldn't help but share this adorable wiggly pencil worm project designed by Pattie Donham-Wilkinson and courtesy of ILovetoCreate.   It's a fun way to celebrate back to school and who know? Maybe they will love this pencil so much - they'll wanna do their homework!

Don't let time with your kids slip away - they grow up before you know it.  So take time to breath...enjoy...and create and make great memories while they're young!

How to make a sunflower from Friendly Plastic - New How-to video

It's hard to believe it's time to think about FALL!! But I welcome it! With record temperatures here in Missouri, I'm looking forward to cooler weather!!  In this episode, I show you how to create a sunflower using Friendly Plastic in plenty of time for fall.  Enjoy!

French Toast Cupcakes for breakfast - Recipe

While watching a recent episode of "CUPCAKE GIRLS", I heard that "french toast cupcakes" were totally to die for. So, I went out on a quest for the recipe. While I didn't find the exact one that they used on the show, I did find a similar one on The Cupcakery Blog

You probably read about the major CUPCAKE FAIL when I tried this recipe for the first time. If you haven't it's worth the read..hopefully you'll get a laugh.  It's my saga of learning to bake at 44!. I have no clue what I did wrong but I wasn't ready to give up I really wanted to learn how to make french toast cupcakes!!!!!

Grandma said try and try again...so that's what I did! The second batch (and the 3rd batch ) turned out beautifully...gorgeous and a work of art.These are truely delicious for breakfast or anytime your sweet tooth needs a little attention.  Oh, and might I add, these especially win you brownie points when you bake them early in the morning when you fill your house with the smell of maple syrup and cinnamon and you're husband wakes up to the delightful smell.  (He just may take you shopping - on the internet!! :)  )

MAPLE FLAVOR FRENCH TOAST CUPCAKES

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinammon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. maple extract
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your muffin tin with baking liners
2. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a mixing bowl
3. Whisk together butter, sugar and eggs until nice and creamy.
4. Mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture
5. Mix in 1/2 of milk mixture (1/4 cup)
6. Mix in another 1/3 of flour mixture followed by remaining milk and finish with the rest of the flour.
7. Add batter to baking cups. Make sure they are all uniform.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes until they spring back when lightly touched.
9. Cool for 10 minutes. Then remove from pan. 

You can place them into the freezer for about 10 minutes to speed up the cooling process.  Cool completely before icing.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp maple extract
4 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted
cinnamon sugar for dusting

1.  Beat together the cream cheese, butter and salt until nice and dreamy creamy.  Add the maple syrup and maple extract.   (The maple extract gives it a luscious tan color)
2. Set mixer on low setting and add sugar 1/2 cup at a time until light and fluffy
3. Increase the mixer speed as the sugar blends - otherwise you'll get a puff of sugar in your face...

Once it's creamy you can frost away!  Use a butter or pastry knife to spread, or transfer your icing into a pastry bag with a large star tip attached.

Sprinkle the top with a little bit of cinnamon and then the cinnamon sugar.

Get ready to say OH MY GOODNESS!!! and fall back into your seat thinking you've died and gone to heaven!

Cupcake Disaster!!! Major food craft fail

Today I baked and baked and baked!!!  Mom and Dad are coming tomorrow morning for a visit.  She's not been feeling so well lately, but when I mentioned to her today that we could have a little tea party when she came over, I saw her light up and get back that twinkle in her eye. 

So in honor of Mom's visit I made pumpkin cupcakes...and they turned out Beautifully - that's not the cupcake fail Im talking about....and I'll share those in a future post.

Last night I watched an episode of Cupcake Girls.  They were trying to decide on new flavors to offer in their stores and settled on what they said were - totally to die for french toast cupcakes.  Intriguing....so I googled and found a similar recipe....here's where the failure begins....

I must tell you that I'm alot like Grandma Campbell when it comes to everything creative. She didn't like using a recipe...or a pattern....or having anyone tell her what to do or how to make it.  She wanted to learn on her own, in her own way, accept her failures and celebrate her successes.  And then I come along to follow right in her footsteps....though I did follow the recipe...I want to learn on my own...develop my own style...and
so ...at times...I have to accept the failure....

I have NO CLUE what happened in the making of this recipe....and here's the disclaimer...
cupcakes were injured in the making of this picture....

 My idea was to make these adorable mini-cupcakes for girls night out.....but.....ummm....well...enuf said...

Dana so kindly said "don't throw them away...the dog will eat them..."...but the reality is..their not even fit for the dog...seriously!

 So ...I googled what did I do wrong....and I came up with...the baking temp was wrong...the baking powder is old...I live in high altitude...which I dont...... and Grandma's words keep ringing in my ear...."try and try again"...and so I did....I mixed up another batch...just as carefully as I "thought" I did before....'cept this time..I made big cupcakes....and VIOLA!! SUCCESS!!! Slightly domed...no muffin tops...WHEW!!! But I still don't know what went wrong.

Now add a little yummy maple syrup frosting.......and they look like this!!!!...

And they were sooooo good too!!!

Stay tuned - I'll post the recipe next!