Tag: whole heartily

DIY – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Peg Dolls

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is making things that delight her; I want to create lasting, meaningful toys for her that are made with love and will be loved! Wooden toys are classic and beautiful, when created and treated right, they can last a lifetime; so let’s make some!

It’s no secret that Cameron and I love Disney. We’ve begun showing Zoey the classics, starting with the first full length animated feature that started them all! Snow White!

This week I’ll be sharing the steps I took to create a Snow White peg doll, along with her friends, the seven dwarfs.

SUPPLIES
  • Blank peg doll(s)
  • Small, flat & fine tip paint brushes
  • Paint palette (or a tray for your paint)
  • Non-toxic acrylic paints
  • Non-toxic varnish (I used Duraclear Ultra Matte Varnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. With a pencil, lightly sketch Snow White onto a blank peg doll.
  2. Begin painting your peg doll with the base layers first. I started with the yellow of her dress and the white of her collar. Allow this paint to dry before moving on to avoid smudging, then apply a few more layers of each until you’re happy with the colors and textures.
  3. Paint the very bottom and its edges of the peg doll black to signify her slippers. Also take this opportunity to paint the black of her hair. Allow this paint to dry and apply a few more layers until you’re happy with the colors and textures.
  4. Move to painting the dark blue of her bodice, the light blue of her sleeves and the red of her cape. Allow this paint to dry and apply a few more layers until you’re happy with the colors and textures.
  5. Paint the red of the accents on her sleeves and the red of the bow in her hair. Allow this paint to dry and apply a few more layers until you’re happy with the colors and textures.
  6. Finish up with outlining and/or adding small details, including a small thin yellow line down the middle of her bodice. Allow this paint to dry and apply a few more layers until you’re happy with the colors and textures.
  7. Taking something small and round (I used the opposite end of one of my smaller paint brushes) dip it in black paint and dot the two eyes. Using the finest tipped paintbrush you can find, give her an eyelash or two on each eye.
  8. Using the same method as the eyes, dip the opposite end of a slightly larger paintbrush into light pink paint and dot the blush under each eye.
  9. Allow for all paint to completely dry, then apply a varnish and allow it to dry. You can apply as many coats as you want for the finish you want, just allow them to dry in between applications and before handing her over to your child.
  10. If you want to paint the dwarfs too, lightly sketch them on blank peg dolls. I used different characteristics to define each one. For example, Grumpy has scowling eyebrows, Bashful has large blush spots on his cheeks, Sneezy has wrinkles above his nose, etc.
  11. The dwarfs are a colorfully dressed bunch! With different colored hats, shirts and pants it may take awhile to paint them all, but take your time and reference the picture for color. Allow each layer paint to dry and keep applying layers until you’re happy with the colors and textures.
  12. Using a fine tipped paintbrush, paint each dwarf’s white beard (except Dopey of course)! Allow this paint to dry and apply a few more layers until you’re happy with the color and texture.
  13. Taking something small and round (I used the opposite end of one of my smaller paint brushes) dip it in black paint and dot the two eyes.
  14. Using a fine tipped paintbrush, paint each dwarf’s nose and cheeks light pink.
  15. Finish up with outlining/and or adding small details like buttons and buckles!
  16. Allow for all paint to completely dry, then apply a varnish and allow it to dry. You can apply as many coats as you want for the finish you want, just allow them to dry in between applications and before handing them over to your child.
  17. Viola! Snow White and the seven dwarfs are done and ready to be played with! Enjoy!

Take a Look – Wholesome Game Direct!

Change into some comfortable clothes, get a yummy drink, drape a soft blanket over your lap and maybe even cuddle with a pet; the Wholesome Game Direct aired this Saturday, June 10th!

Here is the full presentation:

I am pretty excited to play most of the games presented, but if I had to choose my top five (in no particular order):

What games piqued your interest? I’d love to know!

Snow White’s “Gooseberry” Pie Recipe

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be baking Grumpy’s “Gooseberry” Pie from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!

This recipe is featured near the end of the film when Snow White is warming Grumpy’s heart through is stomach by baking him his own pie.

But Gooseberries are hard to track down! They were federally banned in the early 1900s due to a fungal disease called “white blister pine rust”, but the federal ban has been lifted and is on a state by state basis. They are legal here in California, but I haven’t grown any and apparently not many others have either! I found several canned options online, but the most affordable option would have been almost $30.00 for one ingredient! So we are substituting with green grapes! Hence the quotations on “Gooseberry” pie.

I found these illustrated instructions created and shared by Disney and followed them! I wrestled with the idea of making my own crust, but opted for store-bought. The finished pie had good flavor, but the texture was not what I prefer. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think!

INGREDIENTS
  • Pie crust
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cup of sour cream or greek yogurt
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1/3 cup of flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 cups of gooseberries (or green grapes), whole or sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. 
  2. Roll out the pie crust and press the bottom layer into a 9” pie dish.
  3. Beat the two eggs in a bowl, then add the sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt.
  5. Gently incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a little at a time.
  6. Once fully mixed, gently fold in the gooseberries (or green grapes).
  7. Pour the gooseberry mixture into the pie crust, distributing evenly.
  8. Lay the top layer of pie crust over the filled pie plate and use a fork to seal and design the edges. Cut a few vent slits through the top crust.
  9. Cut the excess pie dough off of the sides and roll it into a thin cylinder shape. Use this to write “Grumpy” on the top of the pie.
  10. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. 
  11. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Brief Hiatus

Hello friends!

I hope this Spring is treating you all well!

We will return to our regular posting schedule soon! I am taking a brief hiatus to design journals and other paper products to be sold on Amazon and then Etsy. Once that is sustainable, I will return!

In the meantime, if there’s anything you’d like me to create, let me know in the comments and I will try to work it in!

Fun and Easy Non-alcoholic Butterbeer Recipe

Welcome back friends! With the release of Hogwarts Legacy, I am in a Harry Potter kind of mood, and craving some Harry Potter food!

Wowee, Butterbeer is sweet! It best enjoyed with something salty to counteract just how sweet it is! Another way to counteract the sweetness is to leave the whipped cream plain, no added sugar or sweetener, just the whipped cream. If you mix the whipped cream and the butterbeer it creates a perfectly balanced bite! Not too sweet!

Let’s make some!

INGREDIENTS
  • 1⁄2 cup of butterscotch syrup
  • 1⁄2 tablespoon of butter, melted
  • 1 cup of cream soda
  • Heavy whipping cream
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Measure and pour the butterscotch syrup into a bowl.
  2. Add the melted butter to the butterscotch syrup and whisk gently until combined.
  3. Measure and pour the cream soda into the butter, butterscotch mixture and whisk gently again until combined, then set aside.
  4. In a separate mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. 
  5. Pour the butterbeer into mugs of your choosing, leaving room for the whipped cream topping.
  6. Top the butterbeer with a few dollops of whipped cream and enjoy! 

DIY Heart Handprint Painting for Valentine’s Day

Welcome back friends!

My little girl hasn’t quite reached the age of exchanging multitudes of valentines amongst her classmates and/or friends so I thought we would create a few fun pieces of artwork instead! These heart handprint paintings are the perfect Valentine for moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles; the sky is the limit!

Let’s have some fun and get painting!

SUPPLIES
  • Small mounted canvas (large enough for a handprint)
  • Foam paint brushes
  • Acrylic paint
  • Heart shaped paper, small
  • Scissors
  • Sticky tape
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Select the colors you would like for a background, this can be one or more dependent on your preference.
  2. Squeeze dots of the background paint color(s) you selected on the canvas in any pattern you prefer. I was going for a gradient look so I arranged my dots from light to dark.
  3. Using a a foam paint brush, you and your little one can spread and blend the paint over the canvas in back and forth strokes.
  4. For a completed look, paint the edges of the canvas if you have not already done so, then set it aside and allow it to fully dry.
  5. Print and cut a heart out of paper and use sticky tape to attach it to the dry canvas.
  6. Select the colors you would like to use to create the handprint, this could be one color or more, we did six, one for each finger and another color for the palm!
  7. Using a different foam paint brush for each color, brush the colors onto your little one’s hand. Gently press the painted hand down on the canvas, aligning the heart under their palm.
  8. Gently pull the hand away, then peel away the heart if it did not come off onto the hand.
  9. If needed, use a small paint brush to touch up the edges of the heart, then allow the painting to dry.
  10. Enjoy!

Homemade Valentine’s Bittersweet Fudge Recipe

Welcome back friends! Who would like to celebrate love and create some bittersweet fudge, sprinkled with a little salt this Valentine’s day? Usually I crave a sweeter chocolate, but this fudge has just enough sweet to cut through the bitter dark chocolate taste and if you add a little salt on top? Pure delicious!

Let’s make some!

INGREDIENTS
  • 16 ounces of Baker’s unsweetened chocolate
  • 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla
  • Kosher salt (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with foil. 
  2. Break the chocolate down in to smaller pieces and place it and the sweetened condensed milk into a double boiler.
  3. Melt the chocolate into the sweetened condensed milk, stirring to incorporate.
  4. Once the chocolate is melted, add the vanilla.
  5. Remove from the heat and spread the fudge on the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle Kosher salt over the top of the fudge if desired.
  6. Refrigerate for two hours or until firm. 
  7. Use foil to lift fudge from pan before cutting into pieces. I used a heart cookie cutter to create heart shaped fudge pieces for my Valentine(s).
  8. Enjoy!

Savory Carrot and Tomato Soup Recipe

Welcome back friends! Who would like some rich and savory carrot and tomato soup on a cold afternoon or evening? I know I do! This soup is tangy and delicious, pairing well with toasted bread or grilled cheese sandwiches!

Let’s make some!

INGREDIENTS
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 lb. of carrots, peeled and cut into medallions
  • 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
  • 2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes (28 ounces each)
  • 1 teaspoon of dried basil
  • 1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Warm the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven or large soup pan over medium heat.
  2. Add the garlic and onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions begin to turn translucent.
  3. Stir in the carrots, black pepper, ground cumin and kosher salt and cook covered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. After about 10 minutes have passed, add the the whole peeled tomatoes with their juices and the dried basil, stirring well to incorporate.
  5. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft. This may vary per oven, so keep an eye on them!
  6. Once the carrots are soft, remove the soup from the heat and use an immersion blender to carefully blend the soup until smooth.
  7. Stir in the greek yogurt and then use the immersion blender again to smooth it in.
  8. Allow to cool and enjoy!

DIY Knit Loom Hat for Beginners

Welcome back friends! Do you have or have you heard of knit looms? They are fantastic! Whether you’re a beginner or not, it is cozy and comforting, sitting and creating items for yourself and/or loved ones!

I have a set of knit looms with four different sizes. I’ve recently been experimenting with different hat knits and patterns! Let’s create one of my favorites!

This pattern is pretty straight forward and easy to handle for any beginner! If you have any questions, please let me know!

SUPPLIES

  • Extra Large Knit loom XL gauge (41 pegs)
  • Bulky yarn (weight #5)
  • Loom hook
  • Scissors
  • Yarn needle

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Create a slip-knot and cast it over the first vertical peg to the left of the horizontal anchor peg, with the tail of yarn draped within the loom.
  2. Working counter-clockwise, wrap the next peg twice, then use the loom hook to pull the bottom loop over the top loop and off the peg. Do this for each peg until you’ve completed the “cast-on” round.
  3. Now we’ll work on the brim! Continuing to work counter-clockwise, e-wrap each peg once and pull the bottom loops from the previous row over the new top loops and off the pegs. Repeat this step for at least 18 rounds.
  4. Once you’ve completed 18 rounds, find your original slip-knot and place its loop back on the first peg. Continue replacing the loops of the “cast-on” round back on to the loom, then tuck the tail of yarn from the knot into the folded brim.
  5. To anchor the brim, pull the loops from the previous round over the top “cast-on” round loops and off the pegs.
  6. Now we will work on the main part of the hat! Begin with a round of e-wrapping each peg once and pulling the bottom loops from the previous round over the new top loops and off the pegs.
  7. The next round will consist of alternating e-wrap pegs and purl pegs all the way around. To purl, stick your pick underneath the center of yarn on a peg, use it to grab ahold of the new yarn and pull it up under the existing yarn to make a loop. Carefully take the whole stitch off of the peg and loop this new loop of yarn on to the peg and pull it tight.
  8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for as many times as you’d like the hat to be long. I did 14 e-wrap rounds and 14 e-wrap and purl rounds for a total of 28.
  9. When finished, take your yarn and wrap it around the outside edge of the loom until it touches back on itself and cut it here for extra yarn.
  10. Thread the extra yarn on to the yarn needle and stitch it upward through each loop, then you can remove that loop off of its peg. Once all of the loops have been stitched through with the needle, you can pull the string to begin forming the top of the hat.
  11. Turn the hat inside out and pull the needle and extra yarn through the still existing hole at the top of the hat, then pull the drawstring as tight as possible to close the hole completely.
  12. Stitch around the edges of where the hole was and tie it in knots to secure it. Then stitch the rest of the end into the inner stitches of the hat to hide it.
  13. Turn the hat right side out and if you have a patch (like my nifty Super Mario star) stitch that patch onto the brim.
  14. Enjoy!

Remy’s Ratatouille Recipe (Ratatouille)

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be cooking Remy’s Ratatouille from one of my favorite Disney and Pixar films, Ratatouille!

This recipe is featured near the end of the film when Remy is preparing a meal for the food critic, Anton Ego. It is referred to briefly as a “peasant’s dish”, but Remy’s version ignores all labels and boils down to good food that comforts the soul.

Ratatouille is warm and comforting; the perfect main or side dish for a cool or cold day. The arrangement of vegetables within the baking dish is creative and fun to do, although give yourself enough time to mise en place before beginning! Anyone can cook, bon appetit!

INGREDIENTS

VEGETABLES

  • 2 eggplant, trimmed and very thinly sliced
  • 6-8 Roma tomatoes, trimmed and very thinly sliced
  • 2 yellow squash, trimmed and very thinly sliced
  • 2 zucchini, trimmed and very thinly sliced

SAUCE

  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
  • Pepper, to taste
  • Salt, to taste
  • 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped

HERB SAUCE

  • 4 tablespoons of olive oil 
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons of parsley, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Slice the eggplant, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini into approximately 1-mm rounds (I used a mandolin when possible), then set aside.
  2. To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in an oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. 
  3. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers until soft (about 10 minutes), then season with salt and pepper.
  4. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated, then remove from heat, add the basil and stir again.
  5. Pre-heat the oven for 375 F.
  6. Arrange the sliced veggies in a repeating pattern (squash, zucchini, eggplant, tomato) on top of the sauce from the outer edge to the middle of the pan, then season with salt and pepper.
  7. To prepare the herb seasoning, mix together the basil, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl. 
  8. Brush the herb seasoning over the arranged vegetables.
  9. Cut a circle of parchment paper and place it over the vegetables in the pan, then bake for 40 minutes. 
  10. Remove the parchment paper, then bake for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
  11. Enjoy!