Chocolate Bar Valentine Box

For Valentine’s this year, my ten year old son wanted his school box to be something cool, but not too “babyish” as he put it.  He's addicted to chocolate bars, so the choice was easy.

 

This was so easy to make.  It took minimal effort, and was done in no time.

First, I spray painted the entire box brown.

Then once it was dry, I cut a large enough hole in the top so his hand could fit through to grab out the Valentines.

Next, I used some spare cardboard and cut out pieces to make the chocolate squares.

 

I painted them a brown color that was slightly darker than the box, so they would stand out. 

**Don’t forget to paint the sides of the pieces.**

I then took my hot glue gun, and glued the pieces symmetrically to the front. 

For the wrapper, we used a long strip of tin foil and wrapped it around the bottom.  To look like the candy bar wrapper was peeled back, we rolled the top over and strategically crinkled it in different places.    

To make it somewhat more secure, I hot glued the foil in random spots, so I knew the design would hold.

That’s it!  We then had a delicious looking Valentine box.  What could be more perfect then putting Valentines into chocolate, the staple dessert for this holiday?

This was so fun to make, and it was great to see my son enjoying it so much.

Who knows what next year will bring?

Until next time…

Happy DIY-ing!!

Valentine Jell-O Bugs

It’s an infestation!!!

Of love bugs that is….

Love Bug Fruit Cups

When I was looking for Valentine DIYs, I came across these cute little critters, and practically shoved them in the face of the moms at my daughters preschool PTA.  I HAD to make them for the Valentine party!!

I made a few adjustments to the original design.  The first being that I changed the fruit cups.  I needed over twenty of these bugs and the Snack Pack Sugar Free Jell-O was $1.23 cheaper for four than the pineapple cups that were used.  Plus, BONUS… They were “Sugar Free”.

The only downfall to these cups was that they are handled so rough, and the plastic is not as hard, so they take a beating before hitting the shelves.  I just turned them until I found an undamaged side. 

Time to break out the hot glue gun.

**You will NOT melt the side of the Jell-O cup when gluing on the pieces!  I was worried about that too, but it was just fine.**

Here’s everything you need:

Jell-O cups
Googly Eyes
Mini Pom Poms
Small Pom Poms
Pipe Cleaners

Foam Hearts / or foam paper to cut out your own

**Glitter Pom Poms and Pipe cleaners are optional.  I was lucky enough to find a multipack at Michaels that had pipe cleaners and an assortment of sizes for pom poms, some glittery and some not.  That way, I got to play and mix colors to make them all different and unique.**

Take a pipe cleaner, and cut it in fours. This will give you two sets of antennas.

Take your small pom poms, and glue them to the tops of the pipe cleaners to make balls on top of the antennas. Set aside.

Find the best side of your Jell-O cup and glue on a set of eyes.

Then use a mini Pom, and glue on the nose.

Next, flip it over and glue on the antennas.

Now, you need the feet.  Take your foam hearts.

**I found a pack of 60 glittery hearts at Dollar Tree for $1.**

Glue them to the bottom of the Jell-O cup on the corners with the round side poking out.

I then cricked my antennas to each side to give it a little more character.

That’s it.  You’re done.  Now, you can make a little infestation of your very own.

Once I did a couple bugs to make sure everything went smoothly, that’s when I set up my assembly line to do the rest.  It didn’t take too long, and they are so worth it.

These make such a cute addition to the plate of a valentine party, and I can see how you can change it up for different holidays as well.  The possibilities are endless!

Stay tuned for more projects to celebrate this month and Valentine’s Day!

Until then…

Happy DIY-ing!!!

A.M. Coffee Shake

All you need is LOVE, and a good cup of coffee…  Well, that’s what my new t-shirt says at least.

 

I whole heartedly agree! However, I’m not your traditional coffee drinker.  No, no, no…

A while back, I went on one of those shake diets.  I had a shake for breakfast, a sensible lunch, then another shake for dinner.  Eventually, I got tired of never eating with my family, and slowly backed away from my blender.

Except I had stumbled upon something great!  Something that was good for me.  Something that gave me that much needed jolt in the morning.  Something that has become a “must have” for me every morning.

My A.M. Coffee Shake

Items needed:

2 cups Kale
1 Banana
Around 20 Frozen Blueberries
1 cup Ice
1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
¾ cup Almond Milk
1 (slightly heaping) Tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 Tbsp Instant Coffee

First you add the kale, banana, blueberries, and then ice. 

Add the peanut butter on top of the ice.

**Do you hate how peanut butter will slide to the side of the blender and stick there while everything else gets mixed?  So do I!   Putting it on top of the ice stops that from happening.** 

Next, pour in the almond milk.

Put on the lid, and start up the blender.  Slowly at first, then increase the speed. 

When you have everything mixing at a steady pace, carefully take the lid off.  While the blender is still going, add in the cocoa powder.  Here you will see it change from an ugly muted green into a yummy chocolate color.

Finally, it’s time to add the most needed ingredient in this A.M. shake.  The coffee…  While you have the lid off and the blender still going, add the coffee. 

Let the blender do it’s magic for another minute to make sure everything is well “blended.”

Pour into a cup, and enjoy! I know I do!

Tell me what you think about this idea.  Is it clever thinking or completely wrong (as my husband would say) to do this with the lovely caffeinated beverage, coffee?

Do you know of any other ways I could get in my morning coffee?

Comment below!

Until next time…

Happy DIY-ing!!

Fruity Jell-O Whip Cream Cups; Strawberry

It’s February.  You know what that means, right?

It’s time to get cheesy.  It’s time to get mushy. It’s time to celebrate…

That’s right!  We love our family…  We love our friends… We love our hobbies…  And most importantly, we love ourselves.  This is the month to embrace all of it, and I "Whipped Up" the perfect DIY dessert to kick it off. 

My mother-in-law’s always spoiling my children, as grandparents should.  She’s constantly giving them cookies, candy, juices, ice cream, banana bread, and more.  They love it all, but there’s one thing they can’t get enough of.

She has one staple dish that my kids have aptly named, “Grandma’s Famous Jell-O.”  There’s nothing to it, just Jell-O mixed with whipped cream in a big bowl.  Throw some marshmallows on top, and voilà, “Grandma’s Famous Jell-O.”

For my son’s 10^th birthday, I wanted to give him something different, but something I knew he would love, so I found a dessert that puts a fun and exciting twist to Grandma’s Jell-O.   (Jell-O Parfait) 

This is so easy, and it only has 3 ingredients.  To make it kid friendly, I used sugar free Jell-O, and so “Mom” could indulge, guilt free, I used Lite Cool Whip.

Being that it is Jell-O though, there was one downfall.   It took hours to complete because the Jell-O had to harden.  I’m not a very patient person, but it was worth it in the end.  

How I made it... 

(I ended up deviating from the original recipe to add more filling and not so much fruit.)  

What you need:

1 pkg strawberry Jell-O gelatin, sugar free
¾ cup diced fresh strawberries
1 ½ cup Lite Cool Whip

(I made strawberry, but I can also see this being done with other flavors as well.)

First, Mix Jell-O in a bowl, as directed on package.

 

**Tip: Use ice water to help harden the Jell-O faster, when it says to add cool water.**

Stick it in the fridge and let it cool until it starts to thicken up.  (I had to wait a little over an hour.) 

Take it out of the fridge and separate ½ cup of the Jell-O into a separate container.  Set aside.

Add the fresh fruit to the original mixture. 

Spoon it into your serving cups, and place them so they are sitting at a slant.

  

**The tutorial showed her using a bread pan.  When I tried this, I found that it really did work well. I have also seen this with muffin tins.  It all depends on the shape of your glass.** 

Place it the fridge to cool and harden.  (Mine took a little over 3 hours.)

Once it’s in the fridge, bring over your ½ cup Jell-O mix.  In a bowl, mix the Jell-O with the 1 ½ cup Cool Whip. 

Place the bowl in the fridge to keep cool.  Be sure to stir every so often, so the gelatin doesn’t harden. 

When the Jell-O in the serving glasses is hardened to the point where it stays diagonal when you set the glass upright, it’s time to spoon in the Cool Whip mixture. 

Once you have the desired amount in each glass, place them back in the refrigerator to stay chilled.

 

When you are ready to eat, put some Whipped Cream on the top and garnish with fresh strawberries. 

Now it’s time to sit back and enjoy!

My son LOVED this for his birthday, and after giving me multiple hugs, he asked me to make it again as soon as possible.  Yes!! Score 1 for Mom!!

Whether its birthdays, holidays, or “Just Because…”  This is a perfect dessert for any day, and it’s a great way to show the people you made it for, how much you care.

If you enjoyed this post, please Share it and let me know.  I always love hearing from people.

What other flavors do you think would taste good?  Who can get the most creative?

Stay tuned for more posts celebrating L.O.V.E. this February!

Until then…

Happy DIY-ing!!!