Russian Doll Garland

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Busted Button

So I haven’t been around for a while- I was with my sister in the hospital for the weekend because she just had her first baby! Welcome to the world, Cherry Valentine! Speaking of babies, my friend is having a baby girl soon, so I wanted to make her a little decoration to match her Russian Doll theme.

What a cute little babushka. I wanted to make a nice garland, and that is what I did- so I’ll let ya know how I made it!

First I made a pattern out of card stock, using a fabric design I found on my friends Facebook Page. She makes awesome cloth diapers with some really unique patterns!

Next I traced the pattern onto 3 layers of card stock. I repeated this with 3 more colors:

I’ll take your fifty and raise you a matryoshka doll.

For the faces, I just punched 1 inch circles from off-white paper. And for the hair, I punched circles out of brown and ‘blond’ paper.

I cut the hair circles in half and then cut them into this kind of shape…

…which also happens to resemble a mustache!

Aaaaand, I got distracted. Moving on…

I cut out some little neck tie thingers, and then got to work on the aprons. To ensure the aprons would fit properly, I made this little pattern by tracing around one of the gals bodies:

And I added nostrils because it looked like a duck bill.

I traced 12 of them onto some cream-colored paper, and added some ruffles before I cut them out.

I wanted to add some detail, so I used watercolor pencils to draw a cute little flowery pattern.

Then I painted over that with some water.

Rinse and repeat x12.

I drew on some pretty little faces…

Organized my assembly line…

And put the dolls together!

Then I got violent with a hole punch. Right through the head.

And I strung those gals onto a bright, pretty ribbon!

And here is what they looked like hanging up! So cute! But something was missing…

That’s better. You know there are 12 gals for every guy in Russia right?  Well Aleksandr the Russian plumber was definitely in heaven.

Well, I hope this tutorial has inspired you to make any kind of garland! They are so fun and you can turn pretty much anything into a great decoration!

Happy crafting!

~Dot

Posted in Craft Tutorials | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Naked Painting- Before and After

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Busted Button

A friend ordered a special painting that had 3 baby birds on it to symbolize her 3 babies. I loved it so much at this stage I needed to take a picture before I added the buttons!

Before:

After:

It’s so hard to tell which one I like better! But I do loooove buttons- and they definitely add a special something! 🙂

Try buttonizing ANY painting or picture! Just grab some hot glue and a pile of buttons, and have your way!

Happy buttonizing- you really will make the world a better place 😉

~Dot

Posted in Button Art, Craft Tutorials, Painting Tutorials, Showing Off! | 4 Comments

Bacon Jam

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Busted Button

Bacon jam. It sounds horrible, but tastes amazing. Think of it as more of a  ‘bacon spread’, so you can get the disgusting thought of bacon mixed with sweet berries out of your mind. This is like concentrated bacon flavor with a side of caramelized onions- and it is perfection.

I’m sure you’ve gathered that I appreciate bacon- what with my bacon rose tutorial, and my fave yam and bacon perogies ever! Well this is several thousand notches above those in the bacon dept. So let’s get started!

I used Martha Stewart’s recipe, and I am so glad I did, because it resulted in pure glory. All you need to create this true ambrosia is:

  • 1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 medium yellow onions, diced small
  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, aaand the secret ingredient:
  • 3/4 cup brewed coffee

Fry up the bacon in a big pot until it is just starting to get crispy. Place the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate, and cook the onions and garlic in the remaining fat. Mmmmm, bacon fat.

Try your hardest to leave that bacon alone…if you are anything like me, if there is bacon on the counter, you will subconsciously nibble at it every time you walk past until there is nothing left. To help with temptation, I created a sign:

A little guilt-inducing reminder never hurt anyone. PS check out my nasty 1970’s frog sponge-holder I got from a thriftstore! You jealous? Cuz I am.

After the onions are tender, add the vinegar, sugar and maple syrup. And then make way for the secret ingredient:

Coffee! (In my fave mug ever, I might add! I love pretty lil gifts from good friends- thanks, Cynde 🙂 )

Once everything is all happy and the sugar has dissolved in the pot, transfer the magical mixture to your crock pot.

Cook it on high with the lid OFF for around 3 and a half hours. Give it a good stir every now and then to prevent burning around the edges. You’ll know it’s done when it is the kind of consistency that you would love to smother over an entire baguette. You might want to drain a bit of the fat off- depending on how greasy you like it 😉

Mmmm, that is concentrated bacony goodness right there! This recipe makes about 3 cups.

It is my new favorite thing to bring to a potluck because it’s a lot like me: strange yet intriguing, delicious, and perfect. And salty. And sweet. And talented, and modest. Bacon can be so many things can’t it?

I tell ya, I swear this is gonna be my pregnancy craving this time around! Maybe I’ll get a chubby baby for once! Step aside, “water retention”, cuz bacon jam retention in the 3rd trimester sounds super comfy!

Posted in Dairy-Free recipes, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments