Happy Halloween everyone! It is sadly the final day of my Birthday Month for this year, but that is great news for you because you can enter below to win these fabulous earrings and the tiny thimble plate they are sitting on. I actually got these items for myself for my birthday and liked them so much I got an extra of each to share with one lucky reader! Enter using the widget below, and read on at the bottom of this post to get the scoop on everything I have coming up in November!
If you don't like these items yourself, I won't be insulted if you want to try to win them as an early holiday gift for someone else. That time of year is quickly coming up. November at The Craftinomicon will be full of great recipes and projects to help you prepare for the upcoming Winter Holiday season. Make sure you check back often!
Today is my birthday, and if there is anything I like as much as getting gifts, it is giving them. So, I am going to be giving away an IKEA prize pack filled to the brim with goodies! The total prize will be $25 in IKEA goods, and you get to pick out your favorite item(s) totaling $10 or less*, and since I love giving gifts so much I will select enough stuff to fill up your prize pack (because isn't it more fun to open a surprise in the mail?). As I am buying and shipping this prize myself, I am sadly only going to be able to offer this contest to readers residing in the U.S.
*Winner will select prize(s) totaling $10USD, I will then select $15USD in prizes to fill up your package. Winner will be sent an email with some questions so I can make better choices on special things just for you!
If you aren't familiar with IKEA, you may think that $25 is a pretty puny prize, which is why I made these two photo collages of products. As my birthday is on October 6th, not a single item on this page costs more than $6!! In fact many of them are much less expensive than that. To enter to win, simply follow the instructions on the rafflecopter widget below. As an added bonus, I have added a daily entry to this giveaway if you tweet about it each day. I want as many people as possible to have a chance at the fun. The contest runs until midnight on Oct. 15, I will then contact the winner via email.
As many of you may know, October is my birthday month, and to celebrate I am going to be doing a few giveaways to thank you, my loyal readers for spending time with me and my crafty endeavors. The prizes are going to vary widely: crafty books, supplies, and even some non craft related things that I just plain like. It's my birthday, and if I want to break from crafting for a prize or two, who's to say I can't? Make sure to check in frequently so you don't miss out on any fun projects or new giveaways! So without further ado, let's break out our boomboxes and headphones and get this party started!
I am starting my Birthday giveaways a little early! I'm just so super excited to be old (ha!). The first giveaway is one copy of Vintage Craft Workshop. This is a fabulous book filled with vintage inspired crafts that fit any experience level!
There are easy to follow tutorials, patterns, and great step by step instructions. It is also published by one of my favorite independent book publishers, Chronicle Books!
I can vouch for the super cuteness and ease of use for this book as my sister gifted me a copy last year :) I am trying out Rafflecopter for this giveaway, so please leave me your feedback on whether or not you like this platform better than simply leaving a comment. I think I like the fact I can reward my followers and facebook "likers" with extra entries. I really do appreciate the time you all give me :)
I am sponsoring this giveaway myself, though I do participate in Chronicle Books' affiliate ad program. If you would like to support them by buying a copy of any of their fabulous books, you can find a coupon link at the bottom of this post that will give you 30% off your entire order plus FREE shipping.
Be sure to check back the entire month of October for more crafty projects and weekly giveaways. Thanks for visiting and spread the word :)
As promised, here are the cupcakes I made for the beloved husband's birthday this year. They were super yum!
To make some for the special people in your life you will need:
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 cups sugar
* 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 cup buttermilk, shaken (if you don't have buttermilk, you can pour 2 tablespoons of vinegar into a liquid cup measure and fill it the rest of the way with milk, let sit 10 minutes)
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee (if you don't have coffee you can just use 1 cup of boiling water)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake pans with liners, or grease well and flour (really though, go with liners).
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 20 to 23 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. I made some mini cupcakes as well, and they baked for about 18 minutes.
*Note: this makes a very runny batter, don't be alarmed.
Top them with some of my yummy Peppermint Buttercream and you have a great little snack :)
Sunday was the husband's birthday. I always let him pick what he would like his birthday treat to be, and this year he decided he wanted chocolate cupcakes. Not just any chocolate cupcakes though, cupcakes with peppermint buttercream frosting. He's very particular like that. Don't worry, the cupcake recipe is coming soon as well, but to tide you over here is the recipe for my Peppermint Buttercream Icing!
Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Peppermint extract
3-5 drops green food coloring (optional)
Start by creaming together your butter and one cup of powdered sugar. Next, add in your flavorings and green food coloring, stir to combine. Now, add more powdered sugar and mix well until you reach your desired spreading consistency. I think I ended up using 3 cups for a very spreadable smooth icing, if filling a cake you may want to add a bit more powdered sugar so it is firmer.
I liked this buttercream so much, I challenged myself to use it to fill some macarons as well! They didn't turn out as well as I wanted them too overall (our rainy weather left my poor macarons a little chewier than they should have been). Don't they look yummy regardless though?
I used the recipe I found at Serious Eats for my macarons. Let me know if you have more success :)
Whew! After a great birthday weekend, I am back with this giveaway! A bundle of six fat quarters (as picture above). I love the yellow/gray/black color combination. It's a great way to move from the sunshine of Summer into the rainy gray of Fall and Winter.
To enter:
Post a comment on this blog post. Are you looking forward to the cooler weather, or are you mourning Summer's departure? What would you do with the prize if you won? Or just tell me you really want to win! Make sure you include an email so I can reach you. You may enter now through October 17th at 9pm PST. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on October 18th. Because I am feeling extra generous, giveaway is open internationally (winners outside US, please allow extra time for delivery due to customs).
This contest is now closed, thanks to all who entered!
Congratulations to Amy Vanderhoof! I will be contacting you shortly!
Everyone else please stay tuned for blog giveaway #2 this month, or join my newsletter for a chance at another prize as well!
There will be two more giveaways this month as well, one on the blog, and another through my newsletter. To make sure you qualify for both feel free to go here and sign up for the monthly newsletter. This month it will feature instructions on how to enter for the super special newsletter giveaway as well as an extra special recipe!
*This giveaway is sponsored by me, myself and I.
Also, a special thank you goes out to everyone who sent me birthday wishes! I had a great birthday weekend filled with food and parties. Here is an adorable little birthday cake two lovely ladies got for me, so there was indeed cake after all:
Today is my 30th birthday! I sure don't know where all the time went since the above picture was taken, but I know I am jealous of that Bert and Ernie birthday cake. What happened to those days where a pretty cake with your favorite tv characters on it was all you needed to have a great day? Shockingly enough, this year I don't have a cake. I know, I know, me with all of my sweet and tasty food crafts and no cake? I'm ashamed.
I'll be having a celebratory giveaway this weekend, stay tuned and check back with all the info on the fabulous prize(s) and how to enter!
It is finally Fall! This has always been my favorite season, leaves changing colors, no more unbearable Summer heat, colorful cozy sweaters can once again be donned, and most importantly my birthday is in October! The 6th to be exact.
I turn 30 this year, and to celebrate I will be having a couple giveaways on the blog in October, as well as a super secret giveaway to those of you who follow me on my newsletter! If you aren't currently subscribed to the newsletter, it comes once a month and there is still plenty of time to sign up before the giveaway, just go here and enter your email address.
I have been busy getting ready for October, so I apologize for the lack in posts this Month, but soon the blog will once again be jam packed with great crafts, and some special Halloween tutorials (including a great tutorial on doing your own Zombie makeup from one of my super sweet cousins).
Today is my husband's birthday, so it is a special birthday themed food craft today. This is the one and only cake that my dearest love ever wants to eat, it is super moist, full of chocolatey flavor and absolutely delicious. I got the recipe from Barefoot Contessa on Food Network. If you decide to try your hand at the recipe (and I think you really should) keep in mind that the cake batter should come out very thin (or runny).
You will need:
* Butter, for greasing the pans
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
* 2 cups sugar
* 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 cup buttermilk, shaken (if you don't have buttermilk, you can add 2 tablespoons of vinegar - i typically add apple cider vinegar - to 1 cup of milk and let it sit for 10 minutes. Don't just use regular milk, you need the acidity to interact with your leavening agents)
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.
Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting (also from Barefoot Contessa)
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (this time I actually used a dark chocolate, not a semi-sweet. Use whatever you like best.)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.
