Wood Burnt Popsicle Stick Bracelets

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This post is a how to on turning popsicle sticks into bracelets using wood burning techniques.

Project No. 5. This project get’s an eh-ok rating. It was a fun afternoon, but I’m someone who likes rapid results so waiting for popsicles to soak and then dry was apparently too much for me. I kind of got bored half way through.

I got a soldering set for Christmas, or my birthday (I can’t remember?) and have been dying for a project to use it for. It’s this set for reference. I really want to make some cool jewelry but there’s really no good set up at our apartment for hot metal work, so I’m holding out for our future house set up (fingers crossed we can get in soon!). In the mean time I thought this would be a good way to get comfortable with the tools.

My guess was right, I learned a lot, how to hold the iron, how fast it heats up, what the difference is heat does to wood, how smooth it draws, or doesn’t. I did enjoy the wood burning part, thought it’s nothing like drawing. First off you can’t hold it like a pencil, and you have to move slowly and evenly and not push too hard. Typing that makes me realize that this might be a good exercise in control for me, because clearly I have a problem with it. I don’t think I have the patience to really get into wood burning, but it’s nice to know that I can do it.

Here is what I did:

Draw designs on popsicle sticks
Wood burn over the drawings
Soak the sticks in water for about 2 days (they didn’t seem pliable enough after 24 hours)
Carefully hand bend the sticks and place them in a cup to dry
After the sticks are fully dry remove them from the cups

As far as soaking the wood and bending it; I learned a lot there too. I attempted to do the burning on the flat popsicle stick and then bend it, only to find out that many of the places I had burnt become breaking points for the wood. Next time I would bend them ahead of time and burn after, though it might make the burning part more difficult.

I also realized that my tiny wrists are not suited for this project because the bracelets just slip right off my wrist. I thought of doing this to them to help them stay, but honestly I’m just not that into the bracelets to keep working with them. A few of the sticks that would not bend at all I could potentially use as book marks, since I always seem to lose those.

So even if this project isn’t something I would do again that doesn’t mean that you won’t absolutely love it or come up with a better way than I did. I also learned a thing or two so it was well worth the time.

My Favorite Podcasts Right Now

By Jessica

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Podcasts seems to be my thing lately, I listen in the car, during data entry at work (because seriously how else could I actually get it done?), while cooking etc. Our house has always been filled with music, so this has been a bid weird for guitar loving Chuck, but for me it has really helped to focus on getting things done. Weird right?

Anyway I thought you might be interested in some of the many podcasts that I have tested out and am currently obsessed with. There are a few more that I listen to now and then but these are my first choices.

Elise gets crafty – This is the first podcast I ever listened to and it is the cause for all of the following obsessions. #thanksElise

Radio Lab – All the weird off topic and inexplicable things explained in this amazing podcast. If you have any interest in history or science you will get addicted to this one.

Make it Happen – This is a pretty new podcast. There are only a few episodes, but I can already tell it’s going to be a good one. I listened to episode number 2 multiple times and still feel like there’s so much more I can soak up from it.

Smart Passive Income – I don’t need to explain this one. It’s everywhere.

Creative Start – It’s just so inspiring. I love listening to creative people tell their stories.

The Lively Show – Jess get’s the in depth inside scoop on how successful ladies made it, and what it took to get them there. All those nitty-gritty details are just awesome.

Being Boss – I have followed Kathleen for a while so I jumped on board when she and Emily started this podcast, and I totally love it. I especially like the way they answer so many listener questions.

Foil Grilled Fajitas

By Jessica

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This is a simple and healthy recipe for Foil Grilled Fajita’s that can be cooked on the grill or over the fire.

Cooking in the summer is annoying.

I will be the first to admit that.

It’s hot outside and the last thing many of us want to do is stand in front of the stove. I employ grill cooking as often as possible to avoid turning the oven on in our house and it does a lot to save us from the heat as well as save us money.

This recipe is easily one of my favorite foil dinner recipes whether it’s over a camp fire or a grill, it comes out delicious and perfect every time. The prep time is minimal, cooking is easy and it’s healthy, so it’s an all around great recipe.

Since Chuck and I are moving soon I actually made up a couple of these recipes in ziplock bags in the freezer. Then we can spend our evenings un packing and settling into our new house without having to think too much about dinner. Just pull it out of the freezer wrap it in foil and stick it on the grill (just be sure to add a few minutes to the cook time to account for starting with frozen food). Because I know you guys are going to ask some of the other recipes that I made up ahead are Crockpot Apple Barbeque Chicken, Herby Burgers, and Sausage, Pepper and Potato Foil Packets.

It’s also great for a crowd; served with a number of different toppings everyone can make their own with little extra work from you! My favorite toppings are beans, rice, fresh chopped tomatoes, cheese, cilantro and avocado, while Chucks favorites are salsa, lettuce, sour cream, and cheese.

Find my Clean Homemade Fajita Mix here. The recipe in this post is the exact amount needed to make the recipe below.

Foil Grilled Fajitas

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 packet of fajita spice mix (or homemade)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into strips
1 red or yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 onion, sliced thin
4 tortillas

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and toss until everything is well coated in seasoning.
Lay two large pieces of foil out and split the mixture up between the pieces of foil.
Take two opposite sides of the foil and crimp them together to create a tube around the mixture. Then crimp the openings on the side closed to create a packet.
Place on a grill preheated to medium high and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, flip and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove from heat and carefully open packets allowing the steam to escape before serving over tortillas.

I’m planning on posting a few more foil dinners soon so I’d love it if you guys could share your favorites in the comments for me to give a try!

Hommade Fajita Spice Mix

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Taco Pot Pie

Homemade Fajita Spice Mix

By Jessica

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This is a recipe for a simple Homemade Fajita Spice Mix.

Fajita’s like tacos are pretty much a staple in our house, we eat them all the time, especially in the summer because they are easy. Who wants to spend hours in front of a hot stove for dinner when it’s 100 degrees outside?

In an attempt to eat a bit healthier I make many of my own spice mixes instead of buying the packets available at the grocery store. At the very least it reduces the amount of sodium and sugar that we intake regularly.

I’ve already shared my favorite taco seasoning recipe so I thought it would be a good idea to share my fajita seasoning recipe as well. It’s pretty simple and comes from spices that I already have in my cupboard.

If you are looking for something that creates a thicker sauce add a tablespoon of corn starch to the mixture and a couple tablespoons of water while cooking. I prefer less sauce on my fajitas so I do not include these extra’s in my recipe.

The recipe below results enough seasoning for roughly 1 pound of meat, but it’s easy enough to double or triple for whatever size batch you are making. It’s also great as a rub for sliced steak or pork fajitas as well.

Homemade Fajita Spice Mix

Ingredients

4 teaspoons of Chili Powder
2 teaspoons of paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cayenne powder (more if you like spice)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or jar.
Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Sweet Chili Sauce

Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette

Taco Seasoning

The Reverse Capsule Wardrobe

By Jessica

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So this Capsule Wardrobe thing has been around for a while and a lot of people are participating in it which has gotten me to think about it (obviously right?). Well I never thought I could a capsule wardrobe because I like to wear a wide variety of things, but after seeing Chrystina’s post on a Reverse Capsule wardrobe, my mind started to change. A reverse Capsule I can totally put together! I actually had a lot of fun going through everything I wore in spring. It also helped me toss a few things that I don’t really need and actually think about the things that are in my closet.

The impending move (remember we are looking for houses) has made me really think about all of the stuff we have and what we want to bring to our future home. There are a lot of things in my closet that needed to be let go before the move and the capsule wardrobe idea really got me to address that.

So there you have it the basics of what I wear most. You can probably tell that I have a pretty standard outfit of plain tank tops or t-shirts. My office is pretty cold so I have a few standard sweaters listed here despite it being pretty warm out, and that’s something that probably won’t change throughout summer. I am lucky in that I can wear jeans to work, but there are a few nicer tops that I wouldn’t wear if it weren’t for working in an office, those are the 4 tops pointed out in the second to last row, because let’s be honest I’m not really wearing more than one of those t-shirts on the top part of the chart on any given weekend day.

What is a little deceiving about this photo is the number of actual tank tops that I own. I wear so many tank tops and year round, because I like layers. If we are being honest here (and we are) I thought I should include a picture of the actual tank top collection. Please ignore the lack of handles on the drawers, it’s a work in progress.

For bottoms I pretty much just wear jeans and maxi skirts. I have a number of maxi skirts but these were my favorite for the winter and spring. For shoes it’s been all about the boots and flats. I’m excited to start adding my sandals back into the mix.

I tried on a lot of clothes during this process as an attempt to get rid of some stuff and I learned a few things. First off I have to admit something I’m a “skinny bitch” for the most part, and have always fit into clothes from the juniors section. The women’s section never fit me quiet right, and was more expensive so I was happy to shop in juniors. That is until recently. It appears that at 27 years old I am finally a woman (HA!), because the junior’s clothes look silly on me and pinch in all the wrong places, while women’s clothes actually fit and feel good. The last few months I have tried to rebuild my wardrobe with clothes that actually fit me, but many of my favorite junior’s pieces were still hanging around. This exercise really pushed me to ditch a lot of those clothes.

Other things of note: I own a number of heals that look like they’ve never been worn. It’s just sad thinking of all that wasted money. Purses are in a similar situation, I use the same 2 all the time, one is leather and has lasted for a long time, so I think it’s time to invest in a brown version to replace the knock off one that has seen better days. I have a massive sentimental t-shirt collection, you know t-shirts form high school and college events? Yeah those need to go, I need to admit to myself that I’m never going to make that t-shirt quilt, and even if I do what would I actually do with it?

One of the major realizations that I had during this process is that the number of clothes that I actually wear was a lot smaller than I had previously thought. It really made me see just how many items I had that I did not need to hold on to. Getting rid of things feels so freeing. Everything once again fit’s in their drawers or allotted spaces. Pretty much everything was able to be donated, and only a few things needed to be thrown away. While I realize that I could make some money from some of the clothes, it’s just not worth it to me. I buy things cheap, and wear them out fast, that’s if they aren’t hand me downs already. It’s faster and easier to donate, and hopefully it helps someone else out.

I’ve already got my summer capsule in my head, and I’m excited to see if it actually holds up to my expectations, if so I might just do the real capsule wardrobe project for fall this year.

Wood Burnt Popsicle Stick Bracelets

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