CrystalandComp.com

Chocolate Buttercream Icing Recipe

When we have a birthday party here at our house, we make cupcakes! One of my favorite ways to top a homemade cupcake is with homemade chocolate buttercream icing!

This is the most perfect chocolate buttercream frosting you will ever devour. It is amazing on a cupcake for any birthday. You will not believe how easy it is to make.

A few years ago my mother-in-law gave me a copy of The Cupcake Doctor, a cookbook with endless cupcake recipes and super fun ideas. This recipe comes straight from that cookbook.

You will need:

First cream your butter. I like to use a large stand alone mixer, but you can use a hand mixer.

Then, add the cocoa and chocolate syrup. Continue mixing.

Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add the milk and vanilla. Continue mixing until well blended.

Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes and top with confetti or desired decorations.

This icing is perfect for cakes and cupcakes that you’re making for birthday parties, baby showers, parties, etc.

I generally work the day before one of our kid’s birthday parities, and make the cake or cupcakes. I always start with making the icing first and pop it in the fridge until I am ready to use it.

Personally, I do a lot of shopping online. Especially my grocery shopping and even cake and icing ingredients. Have you given Walmart online grocery shopping a try? It is free. You order online and choose your time slot you want to pickup. In some cases you can pick up the same day. I usually choose next day.

If it’s your first time to place an order you get a $10 credit if you use my link.

More Icing Recipes

Oreo Cookie Buttercream Icing

25 Homemade Icing Recipes

Homemade Buttercream Icing Recipe

SaveSave

21 DIY Summer Wreaths

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 17 Comments

Do you like to decorate? I love putting cute wreaths up on the door all times of the year. Whether it is celebrating a holiday or season, my door is always decked out in something amazing.

Many of you may be pleasantly surprised that these beautiful door wreaths are not really difficult to create! You can make any one of these simple wreaths with no headache. So, if you are aiming to accomplish any amazing and crafty project this summer, try one of these DIY Summer Wreaths.

While you’re here, make sure you check out our DIY Mother’s Day Wreaths as well.

21 diy summer wreaths

21 DIY SUMMER WREATHS

1. Make this cute summer themed Flip Flop Wreath for practically nothing! DIY Craft Projects

2. This Stars and Stripes Burlap Wreath is a great flag wreath for a patriotic theme. Confessions Of A Plate Addict

3. If you want beauty at your doorstep you have to make a Summer Wreath like this! Stone Gable

4. Here is another amazing Patriotic Wreath made entirely with painted clothespins. Home Crafts By Ali

5. This Succulent Wreath is a living wreath made with this list of plants. So cool! Pretty Prudent

6. How cute is this Summer Wreath that spells summer in a whimsical pattern. My Little Gems

7. I absolutely love this Paper Umbrella Wreath that is full of vibrant color and simple pattern. Family Chic

8. Check out this No Sew Watermelon Wreath where all you do is tie the pattern on. Confessions Of A Plate Addict

9. Make a simple Moss Wreath adorned with your families last name for your front door. Live Laugh Rowe

10. This Fabric Ball Wreath is quick and easy and super colorful! Making It Fun

11. Take it back to childhood with a Pinwheel Wreath that just screams summer! Capital B

diy summer wreaths

12. This No Sew Fabric Wreath can be made super easy by tying up your favorite bright summer fabrics. Confessions Of A Plate Addict

13. It doesn’t get any easier than this Flip Flop Wreath perfect for summer. Crafty Morning

14. This detailed How-To Make A Burlap Wreath will help you make the best one for summer! How To Make A Burlap Wreath

15. The cutest wreath for your door is right here in this adorable Sunflower Lady Bug Wreath. Trendy Tree

16. Make this simple Peony Wreath for a cute, earthy tone for your door. Making The World Cuter

17. Eve the kiddos can help make this crafty Cupcake Liner Flower Wreath. Super easy! Mama.Papa.Bubba

18. Brighten up your door front with a Summer Rainbow Wreath that is perfect. Wine and Glue

19. With some card stock of your choosing and hot glue you can craft up this Rose Wreath. I’m A Yarner

20. For all you baseball lovers this Baseball Wreath is just perfect for your door! How To Nest For Less

21. Check out these vibrant colors on this Summer Wreath. Life Is Beautiful

Have a wreath you have made for your door? Share your crafty ideas!

MORE DIYs You Will Enjoy:

21 DIY Mother’s Day Wreaths

15 DIY Succulent Gardens

21 Pallet Projects

10 Tips for Making Homemade Birthday Invitations (DIY)

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 17 Comments

I want to show you how to use scrapbook paper, photos, stamps and other simple supplies to make sweet and personal birthday party invitations for your little ones next birthday party! While you are here, check out all of my birthday party ideas.

I love using scrapbook paper! And get this, I do not scrapbook.

The next time you are at the craft store, go down the aisles of the scrapbook section and there are endless possibilities for making things other than scrapbooks.

Now, you should also know I am a fan of birthday parties. I love to make the invitations. You can go fancy, you can go simple. In the end, you have an awesome keepsake and when you incorporate a picture of your little one(s), it is a special treat for those on the receiving end. You can make copies of pictures very inexpensively at your local drug store. (Make sure you own the rights to the photographs.)

10 Tips for Homemade Birthday Invitations

1) Start by buying a bundle of blank cards at your local craft store. You can buy them folded or flat and they come in many sizes. Most packs come with the envelopes, but double check.

2) Find some scrapbook paper that you love. To me, argyle screams boy the way that eyelet says girl. I love this collection of paper: stripes, argyle and dots. We could make anything with this!

3) With a current photo, your scrapbook paper, and fancy edged scissors, you’ve got a keeper!

4) I like to use craft glue to secure the photo to the scrapbook paper and then use foamy self sticky dots to then attach the ensemble it to the card. Foamy sticky dots rock because they give your card character (giving it a lift), but they also allow the person receiving the card to easily remove the photo without damaging it if they so choose.

5) Since the twins were turning five, and I am incredibly sentimental, I really wanted to reflect back to their baby years for a minute. On the inside of the card include a baby picture if you’d like. Use some of the scrapbook paper for some extra flare behind each picture. Then, use stamps (preferably that you already have if you’re a crafter) to include your little ones name to fancy it up a bit.

6) Use leftover paper scraps to give more detail to your card. I cut out pieces using the striped pattern and the argyle pattern to give the inside of the card some more simple detail and stay consistent with our theme.

7) Use a free font site for any printed information that will go inside your card. This is an easy way to add a little subtle charm to your card.

8 ) Use card stock cut to size to print your party details. I like to write a poem about the birthday child(ren) and then include party details at the bottom.

9) Don’t forget the back of the card. I love to stamp it with a handmade for you stamp.

10) Use a coordinating colored pen for addressing your envelopes. Makes it fun and you can buy inexpensive pens individually at the craft store.

How fun was that?

Tell me, what are some fun tips you can share when making homemade birthday cards? How do you make it fun?

More Homemade Birthday Cards

How to Make Lego Juice Boxes for Birthday Party Goody Bags

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 30 Comments

Looking for Lego party favors?

Are these not amazing? These Lego juice boxes are going in the goody bags for the twins’ party next weekend.

Best part, as I say all the time, they are super simple to make.

You will need:

rectangular or square juice boxes (different brands are different ï»¿heights and sizes)
assorted colors of construction paper
double sided tape
pencil
scissors
small foamy self adhesive craft dots
circle template (I am using an “O” cookie cutter)

Measure and cut down your construction paper to a size that will cover the juice box in length.

Begin to wrap the box as the picture below illustrates.

Place a piece of double sided tape on the underside of the construction paper and adhere it to the juice box.

Continue to wrap the box in the construction paper and seal it off with another piece of double sided tape as the picture below shows.

Next, using your construction paper scraps, make small circles for the top of the juice box.

I used the inside circle of a letter “O” cookie cutter, but you could also use the inside circle from your tape dispenser depending on it’s size. Just test it out.

You could also buy a circle punch from the craft store that is adequately sized for this project. I just did not want to spend the money on it.

Cut out your little circles.

Place one foamy, self adhesive, craft dot in the center of each little circle. These will help give a 3D feel to the party favors.

For the shorter and fatter juice boxes (like Minute Maid) you will need 6 circles. For the skinnier and taller juice boxes (like Target brand) you will need 8 circles.

Place the circles on top of the juice boxes spacing them out to resemble a Lego.

How simple was that? You’re good to go… party on!

I am sharing this at these crafty and resourceful sites.

Easy and Fun Birthday Hats for Children

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 4 Comments

From the balloon bouquet Grandma and Grandpa Lopez had delivered for the twins’ on their b-day.

On the twins’ 5th birthday their teachers at Mother’s Day Out helped them make these precious little hats. I had to share them with you guys. They are so simple to make. You could certainly mass produce this as a fun party treat for your guests or have it as a craft at your little one’s party.

Simply use the foamy crown cutouts that you can buy at your local craft store and use them as the front of your hat. (You could also use card stock and make a crown template.)

Using a staple, they attached the foamy crown to birthday themed bulletin board border! Seriously. How cute is that?

Instead of stapling, you could certainly fancy it up a bit and attach the crown to the border by using a whole punch and ribbon or yarn.

They decorated the front with foamy birthday cutouts, but you could also use stickers or spell the birthday child’s name with the foamy letter cutouts.

This would be a fun activity to do at any birthday party as a station, allowing each guest to make and decorate a party hat for themselves.

The possibilities go on and on!

I will be sharing this idea on these crafty sites.

Better Living Network- Links to Share

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 1 Comment

I’ve not shared a Better Living Network update in a while. This is a group of us bloggers who really enjoy sharing each other’s sites with our readers. Great stuff going on this week.

Brandy over at Savin’ Some has a great tutorial up right now about recycling soda bottles into planters. This is a great way to start a mini garden, get the kids involved and teach them the patience and hard work of growing your own food. Love this idea!

Kay Lynn over at Bucksome Boomer is our finance guru! I really enjoyed a recent post she shared about estate planning. She talks about inventorying your assets, making decisions and deciding on a will or a living trust. Great information!

Tiffany over at Eat at Home has nailed down all the information you could possibly need to get yourself going with freezer cooking. Plan ahead and freeze meals and meats that will help you get dinner on the table during the busy work and school week. Great weekend project. 🙂

Jennifer over at Coupon Mommie is a deal sharing gal! This week she shared the deals you will find at CVS, Food Lion, Kroger and Walgreens. She also hooks her readers up with awesome free samples and great special coupon offers. She takes all of the leg work out of it for you and just gives you the goods to make saving money easier!

Nikki over at Coupon Cookin’ shares great deals you’ll find at places like Whole Foods and Lowes Foods as well as delicious recipes that are great for your family. Her roasted talapia looks delish!

Going organic? The Greenbacks Gal is an awesome resource for you! Andrea not only shares organic and natural deals you will find at stores like Whole Foods, Albertsons, Safeway, Target, etc., but she also does a great job sharing natural things for you and your family like how to fight a cold.

Enjoy!

Recycle Broken Crayons and Turn Them Into Party Favors

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 13 Comments

This is a great project for using up those broken old crayon pieces that you’ve got lying around. It is fun and the kids would enjoy helping. I first found this amazing project over at The Idea Room last year. Since then, I’ve seen it repeated for many holiday occasions all over the internet. (You can also use brand new crayons if you do not have enough broken ones for your project. This is fun either way!)

These would make great birthday party or classroom party favors and you can adjust them to whatever theme or holiday you’re celebrating.

For this occasion, we are doing heart shaped crayons to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

First, peel the paper off the crayons.

Next, you can sort the crayons by color group, like I did, or mix them up and make confetti colored crayons. Both ways are super fun!

Place all of your broken crayon pieces into muffin tins/silicone oven safe muffin containers. You can find heart shaped silicone muffin containers at Target in the dollar spot for $2.50 this time of year.

Bake them at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes until fully melted. (I have tried to use the silicone ice cube trays thinking they would work. They do not! The silicone melts in the oven. Make sure whatever you are using is oven safe!)

Let the crayons cool 100%. I let mine cool for about an hour. You can also place them in the freezer or fridge to hurry the cooling process along.

Once 100% cool, remove the crayons from the muffin containers.

Place the crayons in clear treat bags.

Using 4×6 card stock and a festive font, create a fun label for your new treats.

Staple the label to the treat bag and you have a super fun, super simple gift!

I will be sharing this project on these crafty sites.

How to Make a Cupcake using Spa Socks- An Affordable Valentine’s Day Gift

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 14 Comments

This is a super simple Valentine’s Day gift that would be perfect for a teacher or loved one this year. This project is certainly flexible and could be customized for any holiday. This would also rock as a party favor for an older girls birthday party- you can easily find the socks in childrens’ sizes.

I originally found this tutorial on Seven-Thirty-Three’s site and just had to share it with you guys.

Here is what you’ll need for each gift:

one pair of spa socks (Target has 2 pair for $2.50 in the dollar spot)
hot glue gun
a rubber band
card stock (I used brown- $0.69 a sheet)
scissors (or a cutter for the card stock)
festive cupcake liner
festive ribbon ($0.99 at the craft store for 3 yrds)
treat box adequately sized (pkg of 3 for $2.99)
candy

Here is how you assemble…

Start with a pair of festive spa socks. You can get them in just about any color, combination, pattern, or just plain Jane.

Roll the socks like this….

Once rolled, secure the socks with a rubberband.

Next, take a 2 inch wide strip of card stock and wrap it around the bottom section of the socks to cover the rubberband. Use a few dabs of hot glue to secure the card stock in place.

Wrap festive ribbon around the card stock. Secure it with hot glue. You can make a sweet little bow with it, or just leave it as simple as you’d like. Feel free to embellish as much as you want. I opted for simple.

Place the cupcake in a cute cupcake liner.

Assemble your treat box. If you cannot find decorative boxes that match the holiday occasion, you can always find plain white treat boxes at your local craft store, party supply store or cake supply shop. (These particular boxes are 3 x 4.5 x 4.5.)

Place the cupcake with liner in the box and toss in some candies such as chocolate Kisses.

Close the box up and you’ve got a gift!

How simple was that?

I will be sharing this craft on these sites.

Having Trouble with Meal Planning? (Meal Planning 101)

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 2 Comments

I understand that meal planning can be a huge undertaking.

Maybe you meal planned years ago and recently decided to start back…. and for some reason it is just not working out.

Maybe this was your first try at meal planning and you are struggling.

First, take a deep breath and understand that you do not have to master meal planning all in a day. Or even a week. Take one baby step at a time.

Let’s identify the problem. Ask yourself…

Are the recipes you’re making just not jiving with your schedule or lifestyle?

If this is the case you should likely take a deeper look at your recipe criteria.

The next time you make a dinner that landed on your table seamlessly, ask yourself what made this meal easy? Was it the fact that it required little preparation from you? Maybe tonight’s dinner was so awesome because you were just glad you had all the ingredients on hand.

If tonight’s dinner was dreadful ask yourself why. Is it because you felt like you were babysitting at the stove constantly stirring and supervising? Maybe you dodged the kitchen and opted for take out- why?

When you answer the whys this can help you modify your recipe criteria list. Maybe you’ve not identified all the things needed to make dinner easy for you.

Are you just not happy with the recipes your making?

If this is the case, don’t give up. Try as hard as you can to find 21 recipes that meet your criteria, but give yourself some time to do this. You do not have to identify a heap of recipes all in a few hours, or even a day. Take your time. Add to the list over weeks and months. But clearly, unless you’ve been eating out every single night for the last 15 years, you’ve got some recipes up your sleeve already. You’ve been feeding your family something.

The idea of meal planning is not to come up with 21 *new* recipes, it is to come up with 21 recipes that work for you. And, the reason I suggest 21 recipes on your list, is so you do not have to repeat a meal for 3 weeks. But if you want to make the same seven meals week after week- go for it.

Does dinner time arrive and you do not have everything on hand to make what you’d planned?

This is why a grocery list is so important, as menial as it sounds.

Write out your meal plan.
Then make your grocery list.
Then go to the store.
Then cook.

Having a hard time keeping up with what to cook each night?

You’ve got to write your plan down. Do it on a simple sheet of notebook paper and post it with a magnet on your fridge, or get fancy and crafty and make an awesome display board. Either way, display your menu.

. . . . . . . .

Remember, one small step at a time if that is what you need. Take a week to develop your criteria, take another week to find recipes, no rush.

Keep it real. If you know your family is going to eat out on the weekends, then only meal plan for five days and not seven.

Is it overwhelming to plan your meals out for a month? Then don’t- just do one week at a time. Feel like a failure when you were supposed to make a crockpot chicken dish on Monday and you switched it at the last minute for Thursday nights homemade pizza? No worries. Maybe you should consider not assigning days of the week to each meal.

Here are some more awesome meal planning resources:

Eat at Home has a list of 25 meals in 20 minutes. If you need quick dinners, this is a must read list!

Here are 10 Easy Dinner Ideas I found over on Tip Junkie.

Read everything I ‘ve covered on meal planning and you’re still in a pinch? Here are more tips on what to do when you have the dinner blues.

Repeat this five times:

I know I can. I know I can. I know I can. I know I can. I know I can.

How to Make a Mod Podge Vase

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 21 Comments

Re-purposing spaghetti jars or any vase that needs a face lift makes a perfect gift for…

Christmas
Valentine
Easter
Teacher Appreciation Week
Mother’s Day
birthdays
house warming gift or host gift
or any special occasion

You will need:

an assortment of scrapbook paper reflecting the theme you are celebrating
any jar (spaghetti, etc) or vase you want to revamp
Mod Podge
bowl (for Mod Podge)
sponge brush
paper towel to cut down on mess
raffia
flowers

Pour some Mod Podge in a bowl for easy access.

Tear your scrapbook paper into imperfect pieces.

Use the sponge to apply Mod Podge to the scrapbook paper coating it heavily as you affix the paper to the glass jar.

Coat the paper and vase well with Mod Podge, which will dry clear. Depending on the selection you purchased, it will have a matte, glossy or glittery finish. These vases will have a brilliant gloss finish once dry.

Let them dry at least overnight.

Then add raffia around the neck of the jar (vase).

Add flowers and you’re done.

This is a fun project that bigger kids (7+) can help with. We gave these to the twins’ mother’s day out teachers. They were a huge hit!