Fruit Display and Dessert Serving Tray

Ever need a unique way to serve your dessert bites? Ever want a creative way to store your fruit on your counter top? Well, check this out...

It's so easy, and so stunning. I just love mine. I can't wait to use it with dip in the top and cut up fruits or desserts around the layers at my next party!!!

Do you want to make one? Let's get started.

You need four tea cups, and one small saucer, two  medium saucers, and one plate.

On the large plate take a tea cup and put super glue around the top rim of the tea cup. Then put the cup upside down on the center of the plate. Let it dry.

Then put super glue around the rim of the tea cup bottom that is connected to the large plate. Glue on one of the larger saucers. Then put clue on the bottom of another tea cup and place it into the center of the large saucer.

Then take the other large saucer and super glue it to the top of the tea cup on the stack. Then take another tea cup and place glue on the top rim and put it upside down on the second large saucer.

Then take the small saucer and super glue it to the bottom of the tea cup. Then super glue the last remaining tea cup on the top of the small saucer.

Let it dry completely. And then stock it with fruit or mini desserts. Isn't it just gorgeous?

You can customize this to match any kitchen. Use floral tea cups, or plates with gold edges, or a hodge podge of items. I would LOVE to see if you give it a try and how yours ends up looking! So please let me know if you do!!!

In Our Neck Of The Woods...

This week has been a whirl wind... We first started out with snow... It was a nice change from Rain... but Strange none the less...

As I entered the bathroom one morning to do my morning ritual of throwing up I saw this on the counter and couldn't help but laugh... always a boy at heart, right?

And then the chaos started. Ledger decided to put foaming dish soap in his arm pits because he liked the way it felt. He didn't tell us. We didn't know. He went to bed. And when he woke up the next morning his underarms were completely burned. Bright red and raw. Then it turned into this.

Poor kid. He walked around like this for about one week.

And he didn't like it very much when I had to slather him with cream to help his arm pits.

And then my in-laws came. And it was chaotic and busy and fun none-the-less. We all ended up taking turns being sick and throwing up our food for 24-48 hour increments. It was a disaster to say the least. But we had a fabulous thanksgiving dinner. All done by me... Cooked... Cleaned up... You know the works... Then they brought gifts for the boys. They were so excited to have Christmas Presents early!!!

And somewhere in between the Thanksgiving chaos and the sickness my oldest ended up giving my youngest quite the hair cut.

Completely snipped across his forehead with pocket knife scissors. Oh geez...

The pictures really don't show the horrendousness of the hair cut like you can see in real life. It's a doozy... and it's sooo short.

Good thing he's a boy and he really doesn't care, because I have no idea how to fix this one with it being right up front... He's just going to look like Spock for a while...

And that is what we've been up to... What have you been up to??

Preserving Leaves And A Great Way To Display Them

I just love the look of changing leaves. They are just breath taking. Something about their extraordinary colors. The crispness of the air that time of year. Everything. I just love them. A few years ago I created one of these on a whim for my mother in law when we went for Thanksgiving. Ever since then I've been wanting one for myself. So this year. I tackled the project again, and made a tutorial this time to share with you!

The first thing you need to do is get yourself some leaves. Then dry them. Easy enough, right? Well, not exactly. You need to do it right. Or you'll end up with crinkly, crunchy, moldy, brown, not colorful leaves. So grab yourself a phone book.

Open up the pages and lay your leaves flat in between the pages. You don't want any of your leaves touching. Then turn about ten more pages and add more leaves, repeat until all your leaves are in the book!

You don't want to stack your leaves like this.

And then place underneath a phone book altogether. They will end up brown and moldy.

And you don't want to lay them all flat on the table and let them dry, or they will crinkle up and be crunchy.

It may take a few minutes longer, but it's really the best way. Open up that phone book.

Place the leaves inside so they are NOT touching.

Shut it. And wait a week. Until the leaves are nice and dried out.

Grab yourself a frame. I like to use a 8X10. It's the perfect size for an ordinary leaf. It leaves enough white space to catch your eye but not too much to lose you.

Take the back out of your frame.

On this particular one the picture is glued to the back. If the one you use isn't remove the picture.

Then grab your leaves. Grab yourself a sharp pair of scissors. Cut down either side of the vein of the leaf. I make mine about 1/2 inch wide. Take your most favorite leaf that you want to use for the center and set it aside carefully.

Repeat with all the leaves.

Then cut the stem off straight across.

Start on one edge of the frame back and using your hot glue glue one leaf onto the edge of the frame going inward. Then add another right next to it. I add two strips of hot glue to the back of my leaf and carefully press down.

Slowly add more and more to the side lining them up right next to each other. It looks best if you try to vary the colors, rather than placing the same shades right next to each other. Don't use a pattern, just do it randomly for the best look.

Continue until you reach one end of the back completely. And on the other end you have about 1.5 inch to 2 inches left.

On the corner that is left turn the leaf facing outward and glue it on leaving the top hanging over the edge and the straight edge right against the other leaves side edge.

It will look just like this.

Then you can trim off the tip of the leaf even with the back board.

Keep grabbing a leaf and repeating until you have 1.5 to 2 inches left on this row.

Then grab another leaf and start 1.5 to 2 inches from the edge of the board where the leaves tips are facing inward and start a row with the tip facing inward again.

Repeat going all the way to the edge of the board.

Then placing the tips of the leaves outward again on the remaining row.

Then cut a piece of white card stock so it fits nicely in the rectangle of leaves. Hot glue it in the corners and put it in place.

Then take your most favorite leaf that you set aside and carefully hot glue the edges and lay it on the card stock.

Then in the bottom corner write either where you collected the leaves or what type of tree they are from and the year you collected them.

Put the back back in the frame. Very carefully.

And there you have it. A beautiful leaf display for your home! It just screams fall and brings it inside your home to enjoy!

This would be a great gift for your thanksgiving host, or just as a fun neighbor gift as well! Let me know if you give it a try!!! And just a reminder. Your leaf colors may lose a little of their brilliance as the years go on, but it will maintain it's fall beauty. They colors just may fade slightly... after all they are dried leaves.

And hey, Have you entered my $50 gift card giveaway courtesy of Blogher? No. Why not? Head on over there and enter...