I started with a stack of inexpensive flour sack towels that I picked up at the big box store. Then I gathered my supplies: SoSoft fabric paint in assorted colors, a paint brush, assorted rubber stamps, and a couple of pieces of styrene (plastic sheeting).

To apply the paint to the stamp, I first brushed out a light coat of the paint onto the styrene. After some trial and error, I learned that it needs to be a fairly thin coat to get the exact amount that would make the best stamped impression on my fabric. Then I just blotted the rubber stamp onto the brushed-out paint. This technique gives you an even distribution of paint on your stamp and doesn’t clog up the indentations of your stamp like a brush would. I wish I could say this was my brilliant idea but alas, I learned it from my new friend, Andy Skinner, a super-talented mixed media artist from the UK. Hi, Andy!

The last step was to stamp the image onto the towel in whatever pattern you like!

After the paint dries according to package directions, they’re ready to use. What I love about the particular SoSoft fabric paint that I used is that it doesn’t crack when you wad up the towel, but stays just as soft as the name implies.

I love how the flour sack towels aren’t perfectly ironed out so you get a vintage feel to your finished stamping. I had fun using this technique with several different designs, and I can’t wait to do some more for Christmas!

For one set of towels, I used stamps I got from the Netherlands. I fell in love with the country when we traveled there and these towels are a great reminder of it.

I also made some featuring my other favorite travel destination, Sanibel Island! This stamp features the famous old Sanibel Lighthouse.

The possibilities are endless. What will you put on your dish towels?

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First, I headed to Michaels and purchased cute little easels and cute little canvases to match. Next, I chose a color palette of acrylic paints to match my linens.

I did two coats on each canvas, painting them a solid color. Next, I used these bracket adhesive stencils to create a fun design using a coordinating paint color.

For some reason, I can’t find the pictures I took of one of the most important steps, but that’s okay, I can describe it for you. All I did at this point was to paint on a coat of Clear Chalkboard Coating (available online or at Hobby Lobby) on my canvases according to the instructions on the package. I allowed them to dry the required amount of time, then primed with chalk and they were ready to use.

The paint colors match my new place settings perfectly, and this clear chalkboard coating makes it possible for me to use the colors I wanted rather than being tied to the usual black color of most chalkboard paints. The best part is that I can write a name on them with chalk, then wipe it away and put something else on it next time. They can be re-used over and over thanks to the chalkboard coating.

And when I’m not using them for place settings, I can also use them on a buffet table to identify the dishes being served!

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We decided that it was the freshness that was missing in the yogurt from the store. I needed to figure out a way to make my own Greek yogurt so that we could continue to enjoy that tasty treat without having to travel back to Greece (although that wouldn’t be so bad).

After some research and experimentation, I came up with a technique that works very well for me. I admit to using some optional fancy equipment for some parts of it, but don’t fret — I’ll show you how you can make your own homemade Greek yogurt with basic kitchen supplies and only two ingredients — milk and some starter yogurt.

The first thing to do is pour a gallon of milk into a large pan and stick an instant-read thermometer on the side. You’ll need a digital thermometer with a broad range or a candy thermometer — anything that will show you temps from 100 through 180 will work.

As for the milk, I know this will work great with either whole or 2%. The whole milk will of course give you a richer result, but the 2% works beautifully and saves you some calories. I haven’t tried with skim or 1%, so I don’t know if they’d work or not.

The next step is to bring the milk up to 180 degrees F to pasteurize it. You can do this on the stovetop over medium heat, watching it carefully so that it doesn’t go past 180.

Or you can get fancy. I happen to have a sous vide setup that I use both for cooking and for home cheesemaking. (That’s a story for another day!) This setup uses an electronic device to keep a water bath at a constant temperature, which means I can heat my milk to an exact temperature without worry. This makes the job SO much easier for me!

Once the milk has reached 180, remove it from the heat and let it cool down to between 105 and 110 degrees F. I just turn off the heat and keep an eye on it over an hour or so, stirring it occasionally, until the temperature is in that range.

When the milk has cooled, it’s time to add the starter yogurt. You’ll need three tablespoons (no more, no less) of any yogurt, as long as it has active, live cultures. Make sure to check the label to be sure it has them, or else this won’t work. I use Fage, which is my favorite brand of Greek yogurt.

By the way, you only need to buy yogurt the first time you make this recipe. After that, you can use the last of your homemade yogurt as a starter for the next batch, and never have to buy yogurt again!

Put your three tablespoons of yogurt in a small bowl and add 1/2 cup of the milk. Stir until completely smooth.

Pour the yogurt mix back into the rest of the milk and stir well. PLEASE make sure your milk has cooled to under 110 degrees here (105 is even better). If your milk is too hot, you will kill all those live cultures in the starter and your yogurt won’t set up at all. Be patient and let it cool properly — it’s worth it!

To allow the cultures to work, you’re going to need to keep the yogurt warm, between 100 and 110 degrees F. There are a few ways you can do this:

1. Put the pot in an oven (turned off) with the light on.
2. Wrap the pot in a towel and set it on a heating pad turned down to low.
3. Use a sous vide setup to maintain the temperature.

I use my fool-proof sous vide setup, of course, and set the temperature to 105. The other two techniques work very well, though, so give them a try. You may need to experiment to get the temperature just right.

Cover the milk with a clean towel and keep it warm for 7 hours (or overnight if you need to).

When the yogurt has set, it’ll be scoopable with a spoon. Pretty neat, huh?

The yogurt may be set, but still too thin to eat. You need to drain it to remove the extra whey. Scoop the yogurt into a colander that’s lined with a double layer of cheesecloth, or better yet — a single layer of butter muslin. I use butter muslin for my cheesemaking, and I highly recommend it over regular cheesecloth for two reasons. First, it’s got a much finer mesh and does a better job of straining. Second, it’s machine washable, so you can use it over and over again!

Put the colander in a larger bowl and set it in the fridge to drain for at least 2-3 hours. Depending on how thick you want your yogurt, you can let it drain up to 6 hours. They whey will collect in the bowl and the yogurt will stay in the colander. The whey is no longer needed for this, but there are lots of other uses for it. Some of you have given great suggestions in the comments below!

Dump the yogurt into a bowl and stir it with a whisk to smooth out any lumps. At this point you’ll have a lovely regular-style yogurt that’s ready to eat.

As I said earlier, though, my goal is thick and rich Greek-style yogurt. That means a lot more straining. I pour the yogurt back into the colander with a freshly-rinsed piece of muslin and let it strain some more, anywhere from 1-2 days, until no more whey drips out.

This second strain will leave the yogurt thick enough that it stays in the whisk. Ah, perfect!

Whether you strain once or twice, you’ll find this yogurt so much fresher and tastier than what you buy in the store. Jo and I agree that the Greek yogurt I make is as close to the stuff we had in Greece as I can ever get, and now we’re so spoiled that we can’t eat the store-bought stuff anymore!

This recipe will make from 4 to 6 cups of yogurt, depending on how much you strain it. Your homemade yogurt will last in the fridge for about a week. Remember to keep the last three tablespoons of it to use as a starter in your next batch.

What do you like putting in your yogurt? I usually stick to honey and granola, but sometimes I add fresh strawberries. I’ve also been known to pour maple syrup on it. I’m always up for new ideas, though, so if you’ve got a favorite topping, share it with us.

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Enter some cork coasters I picked up the other day. The first thing I did was to base coat them with gesso.

Then I selected my paint colors. I chose four lighter base colors (shown on the left) for the backgrounds and four darker accent colors (shown on the right) for the dots.

I painted all of the coasters and allowed them to dry. Once dry, I positioned my kaleidoscope stencil on top and used that to help me paint on the dots. The largest circle fit the coaster perfectly!

I used some letter stencils and white paint to add initials to each person’s memo board to finish them off, then hung them right by our back door. Hopefully, this will cut down on forgotten items around the house!

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I wanted it to appear like Hedwig was delivering the invitation, so I started by designing an image of her flying, with talons outstretched. I put it into a PDF so you could all download it for free and easily make your own Harry Potter party invitations.

Download our Harry Potter’s Hedwig Party Invitation Template

Once you’ve got the invitation template downloaded, print it onto white cardstock. Then use your paper trimmer (or scissors) to cut them out.

I want to share a little tip with you to really make your invitations looks sharp. When you print something onto white cardstock that has black on the edge, the white core of the cardstock shows on the sides. This is especially true if the blade on your paper trimmer is a little dull, like mine is. To fix this problem, just run a black marker along the edge of your cut cardstock, letting it color the exposed white core. Just look at the difference it makes in the before (left) and after (right) stacks of invitations. Such a simple trick really makes your printouts look more professional and less handmade.

Now take an invitation and set it on a self-healing cutting mat and grab a craft knife. You need to cut along each side of each of Hedwig’s talons, in the general area where I’ve marked with yellow in the photo below. Be sure you cut all the way through the cardstock.

Once you’ve made your cuts, you should be able to pop the talons out and stick your finger behind them.

Why did we do this? Well, to have somewhere to put the details about the party!

Open up your favorite word processing software and write out your party details (when, where, etc). I suggest using a fun Harry Potter font like Harry P or Wizard’s Magic. The paper should be about 4″ wide and 6″ tall, and for an authentic look, I suggest tearing the edges or even using parchment paper.

Now roll the printed paper up really tightly (roll around a bamboo skewer to get started if you need help) and then slip it underneath Hedwig’s talons.

Pretty cute, right? You could stop there, but why would you? We can embellish these invites and really take them over the top!

First, take the rolled paper back out. Then grab a tape runner (I used a Thermoweb sticky dot runner) and run a curved row of stickiness across the tail feathers, about halfway up, where I’ve marked in yellow in the photo below. (P.S. Do not use glue for this… I tried and it was a mess!)

Speaking of messes, you’re getting ready to make a big one. Like, you’ll need a vacuum after you’re done, but it’ll be worth it.

You’ll need a white feather boa with really fine strands (not giant, thick feathers). I found one at my local Hobby Lobby store for just a few bucks. Grab a chunk of the feathers, hold them really tight to keep them from going everywhere, and snip them off with scissors.

Now carefully stick the ends of the cut feathers onto the sticky tape on the invitation. It won’t be perfect and bits of feathers will be flying around everywhere (thus the aforementioned mess) but keep sticking them on until the tape is covered.

Grab the tape runner again and add a second row of tape, this time near the top, where I’ve marked in yellow in the photo below.

Cut more bits of feather and stick it to this row of tape, creating a full, feathery tail. I love it! By the way, once you’ve done one of these and are comfortable with the process, I suggest doing ALL of the invitations in an assembly line fashion, so you don’t have to keep cleaning up feathers after each one.

With the tail done, you now need to address the body and wings. Adding more feathers would be too much, so we’ll use a different approach. To start off, print one more copy of the invitation template onto cardstock and cut it into two pieces so that one half has tail feathers, claws, and the blue sky on it.

Use this bottom half as a mask to cover up all your pretty feathers and the blue sky, then apply a thin coat of adhesive to cover the rest of the owl’s body, making sure to cover it all. You can use any adhesive you have on hand that works well with flocking, but be sure to choose something that won’t curl/wrinkle your paper. (I suggest doing a test on a piece of cardstock first to be sure you get good results.) It’s a good idea to work on top of a piece of scrap paper so you don’t get glue all over your table.

Now sprinkle a liberal coating of white flocking powder over the glued surface, then shake off the excess. If you’ve never used flocking powder before, you’ll soon see that it creates a soft and fuzzy finish, which is perfect for the fine, feathery coat of an owl.

When the glue has dried completely, tuck your rolled-up invitation paper back into Hedwig’s talons.

The invitation will fit perfectly into a 5 3/4″ x 8 3/4″ envelope (size A9).

I’d say this invitation definitely sets the tone for a fun and authentic Harry Potter party, wouldn’t you?

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I started with the same glass cookie jar from before, which I had already painted with DecoArt’s new glass chalkboard paint. If you missed it the first time around, just hop over to my chalkboard cookie jar tutorial to see how I did it. Then I grabbed the rest of the package of cling vinyl that I had used before.

I cut some small strips of each color to serve as stripes of my rainbow. Then I cut a piece of black vinyl into a cauldron shape that was big enough to cover my rectangle, but with the middle part cut out so that the chalkboard could show through. (Tip: create the cauldron shape with a piece of paper first so that you can get it perfect, then trace that onto the vinyl. This will keep you from wasting vinyl!)

To add some gold coins to the cauldron, I cut semi-circles of yellow vinyl and then stuck them along the top edge of the black area.

Finally, I wrote my “Pot o’ gold” message with chalk and just like that, I was done!

My Honey was happy that I did this project because it was a good excuse to make some chocolate chip cookies. Let’s be honest… the cookies are the real treasure at the end of this rainbow!

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First, I chose a pattern of Washi tape that I liked. I have accumulated so many different styles of Washi tape because I find it irresistibly cute and versatile. I started at one corner of the canvas and added the tape at a diagonal. Then I tore another piece just to use as a spacer, and lined it up with the first piece. I made sure my pattern lines matched up and then added the next full piece of tape, again lining up the pattern. I was then able to remove the spacer tape and use it again for the next stripe, continuing across the canvas until it was covered.

By the way, I decided to change colors about halfway through the project, so that explains why my first picture shows pink tape and the rest shows green. Just thought I would let you know!

When the tape was done, I sprayed the whole thing with some Triple Thick gloss glaze. I did this because I wanted it to be super glossy and because it helped the tape stay pretty much forever on the canvas.

While the glaze was drying, I cut an egg shape out of cardboard. I drew on a design, and ended up changing it a couple of times before I was happy with it. To decorate the egg, I brushed on some Americana Decou-Page to the top and bottom sections and sprinkled on some of Crafty Chica’s purple glitter to bring on the color!

I continued with more sections of the egg, using more bright glitter colors. When it was dry, I used more Decou-Page to glue the egg to the center of my canvas. One final spray coat of Triple Thick sealed in the glitter.

The result is an easy Easter egg canvas decoration for the home, and I love the bright pop of color!

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McGeeky whipped up a double batch of Bisquick pancake mix and filled the muffin tin cups part way. We added blueberries to some and chocolate chips to some. What we added to the rest of them is the reason I wanted to share this post. I finely chopped up apples and added them, then sprinkled on a bit of cinnamon, and some finely chopped pecans. Finally, I topped them with some whole oats.

I was really glad we tried this out. The pancake muffins (we call them “puffins”) are a new favorite for our family. Perfect for serving at a brunch for a lot of people. Little Jo and Mini Me were partial to the chocolate chip ones, but McGeeky and I love the apple streusel version that I came up with. When serving, you’ll of course want to top them with the syrup of your choice.

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DecoArt is introducing a new Americana® Glass Chalkboard Paint that’s made specifically for use on glass, and — get this — it’s dishwasher safe!

I decided to use the glass chalkboard paint on a glass cookie jar, so I gathered all the supplies I would need — the paint, some rubbing alcohol, a paper towel, some masking tape, and a cosmetic wedge for applying the paint.

Preparation of the surface is key with any paint, and especially this one. I used some rubbing alcohol and a paper towel to clean the glass thoroughly, to be sure there weren’t any oils from fingerprints. Then I set the jar on a towel to keep it from rolling, and I masked off a rectangular frame with the masking tape.

Next, I used the cosmetic wedge to dab the paint onto the jar. If you’ve never used one of these for paint before, I recommend you give it a try. It’s a great way to create a smooth painted surface with no brushstrokes, and it’s the ideal applicator for this chalkboard paint.

One coat of paint isn’t enough for a good solid coverage, so I did three coats until I got a perfectly smooth and rich black surface. Be sure to let each coat dry thoroughly before adding the next. When I was satisfied with the coverage, I removed the tape.

The most important part of this process comes next — you’ve got to let the paint cure and then bake it. I let my painted jar sit on a shelf for 4 days to be sure it was completely dry, then I baked it in the oven, according to package directions. It may be frustrating to have to wait so long to dry, but the results are worth it, because the finished piece will be dishwasher safe. Amazing!

Once the paint was all dried and cured, the next step was to condition it. My niece, Squirt, was eager to help me with this part. She rubbed a piece of chalk over the entire surface, then wiped it off with a paper towel.

Once conditioned, I was amazed at how well the paint took chalk. Squirt played around with it for quite a while, writing lots of messages on it. Each time, the chalk showed up bright and clear, and wiped away easily with just a paper towel.

The cookie jar was pretty neat already, but I wanted to decorate it for Valentine’s Day. I also wanted the decoration to be removable so I could change it for other holidays. The solution was a package of cling vinyl that I found in a variety of colors.

While Squirt was drawing on the chalkboard, I traced a heart shape onto the back of the red and white vinyl and then cut a bunch of them out.

Then I wrote my final message on the chalkboard and stuck the hearts all around it, like a frame. I found that I had to spritz a light mist of water on the back of the vinyl to get it to stick. This was probably because my pieces were small and parts of them overlapped the chalkboard, which wasn’t a shiny-smooth surface.

It only took a minute or two to create a sweet frame of hearts!

My favorite part about this project is that I can replace the hearts with other shapes for other seasons. I’ll be sure to share the results with you in the future.

And now for that giveaway I told you about! Check out the basket full of DecoArt goodies we have to give to one of you lucky readers.

The winner will get a heart-shaped bucket filled with a selection of Americana® acrylic paints, some DecoPage medium, some regular Americana® Chalkboard Paint (sorry, the Glass Chalkboard Paint isn’t available quite yet, but it’s coming soon!!), a few bottles of Craft Twinkles glitter paint, some SoSoft fabric paint, and a Kaleidoscope accent stencil. If this collection doesn’t inspire you to get crafty, I’m not sure what will!

To enter our giveaway, all you’ve got to do is leave a comment on this page giving me an idea for another shape I could use for the frame on my cookie jar. For example, I think holly leaves would look great at Christmas. We’ll give you a week, then draw one lucky winner at random on February 21st.

Good luck!

RULES: One entry per person (determined by e-mail address). One winner will be chosen at random from all valid comments received by the deadline. Winners will be contacted via e-mail within 72 hours of giveaway end date. Winners must reply within one week with a mailing address or prize will be forfeited and new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to US residents only and prize will only be shipped to a US address. Rules and deadline subject to change without notice.

WINNER: Congratulations to our winner, smpsprout, whose comment was: 17. smfsprout: This could be dressed up with animal shapes and filled with animal crackers – if you want to stick with edibles. You could also dress it up in different ways for both the bath and bedrooms. smfsprout, the animal crackers are a great idea! We also love that you’re thinking outside the box and and suggest using it around the house for storage. We hope you enjoy the collection of paints and other products we’re going to send you. We’re sure you’ll be inspired to create something fun! For those of you who didn’t win, thanks so much for taking the time to enter. We love all of your great ideas, but our favorites were the doggie bones, beach scene, and after-school snack ideas. You guys are so creative!

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