Biz Cards

Posted on March 27, 2012 by admin

Back during my 1st blogaversary, I said mapped out my goals. One of them was to get business cards. The day has come.

drum roll please!

Aren’t they awesome? That’s the front and back. So snazzy. I’m really excited.

Also, the day has come to drop down to 2 posts a week until my event at work is over. This is my busiest time of year and it’s all I can do to be a real person (like do laundry, go to the gym, walk the dog, and eat real food) and to do what I need to do to stay sane when I’m not working (like lounge, sleep, read, watch dumb tv). Every year is like this so I knew it was coming. In June I’ll be back to 3 posts per week.

In the meantime, send me a guest post (emily@thethreebiterule) or wish me luck!

Gussy Up Glass Plates

Posted on February 3, 2012 by admin

When Journey Chic had a call for guest posts I was psyched and had a few projects in mind. For as many serving vessels as I have, I don’t have many dishes that aren’t huge platters. I saw these dressed up plates on Pinterest and thought ‘done’. Check out my guest post (as well as some other rockin’ projects) at Journey Chic.

I’m not quite as crafty as I’d like to be. I had a flopped glass etching project but have since been more realistic with napkin rings and tile coasters. These plates were easy, cute, and totally cheap.

“Ingredients”

Glass plate
1 sheet of scrapbook paper
pencil
mod podge
acrylic sealer
scissors
paint brush (foam or bristled)

Directions

Trace the paper to fit your glass plate.
Cut your traced line leaving ⅛ less on all sides.
My plates were squares so I worried about my ability to stay straight/even so I used scrap booking scissors that look like a jagged cut.

Snip from the edge towards the center in the four corners (or 4 times for a circle).
Brush the plate evenly with mod podge and stick the paper on (decorative side towards the glue). Prop it up with a jar lid or bottle underneath so you can easily paint with mod podge all the way to the edge.

Smooth gently from the center towards the edges making sure wrinkles are out and all of the paper is stuck down.
Evenly spread mod podge over the paper allowing to dry between coats (1 or 2 coats).
Once fully dry spray paper side of plates with acrylic sealer in a well ventilated space.

These looked really streaky before they dried but came out really nice in the end. I thought wrapping paper would have been fun to make birthday or holiday plates too. I’d advise against a directional design unless you can be really careful. I had a square plate and striped paper so the lines had to match up perfectly.

I’m curious about trying it with fabric if it were soaked in mod podge. Hmmm. Maybe that’s a future test.

Note that these can’t be submerged in water, they are more of a cookie plate. To clean, wipe them off and let air dry.

It seems like everywhere has plain glass plates for sale that are pretty cheap. Thrift stores usually have them too. I grabbed mine at Bed Bath & Beyond for only a few bucks per plate. I had the paper, mod podge, and sealer already so this was a very cheap craft. I will definitely keep this in mind next time I need to bring food to somebody then I don’t need the plate back!

Cost breakdown:

Glass plate: $2.99
Scrapbook paper: $0.28 per page
Mod Podge: $7.00 which will last a lifetime
total: about $4.00

Wedding Bliss

Posted on November 2, 2011 by admin

I loved our wedding.Is that a weird statement? Who doesn’t love their own wedding?! hahaha. It was just the day of my dreams and I enjoyed every second. I’ll remember how everything felt for the rest of my life. I’m just so happy to be married to Mr. J.I have a few photos to share food related and some details which aren’t make it-or-break it wedding details but things I loved . Here’s the moment I thought of thethreebiterule.com during the wedding and when my amazing friends offered a camera to help me document it. The photo wasn’t quite the best I’ve ever taken, but thankfully Mrs. K captured this happening which I love even more!

Disclaimer: these fantastic photos are not my own. Our extremely talented photographer, Scott Zuehlke, captured every moment perfectly. We let him do his thing and I’m not sure I ever mentioned I had a food blog but I’m psyched he got such great food shots. He’s pretty awesome and you should check him out.

The appetizers were delicious and I wish I got to try them all. We served phyllo & asiago wrapped asparagus tips with red pepper aioli, coconut chicken with raspberry sweet & sour sauce, scallops wrapped bacon in a maple balsamic glaze, mongolian pulled pork on a corn cake with carmelized onion, miniature tomato brushetta with balsamic syrup.

That’s prime group-photo-time and since the ceremony and reception were in the same place, there’s no lag time in-between…which I’m not a fan of when I’m a guest anyway so I just had to deal missing the cocktail hour for photos. To the venue’s defense…they did bring us a few apps.

Though, they also served the bridal party’s champagne to the guests we were trying to get to leave the patio for family & bridal party pictures.

I wish I had kept a napkin but I thought they were cute and very thematic with the birds we had on our invitations. Mr. J wasn’t as in love with them since the colors were a bit off. They’re super cheap and can be a fun touch especially since we had birds on our invitations & placecards etc.

The talented Mr. J designed everything so when we talked about menus he was gung-ho. When I attend weddings, I don’t always remember what food I’ve ordered so I thought these would be fun. We had to get the invitations out before having a tasting at the venue so the choice on the response card was chicken or beef. Boo. I know! I like to know the food details too.

The salad had the best crumbled goat cheese I’ve ever had. I’m not always a fan but this was great. I’d love to get the shallot vinaigrette by the bottle. Candied pecans weren’t tough to take either.

Dinner was a choice of chicken francese or filet mignon and some mysterious vegetarian option. I had the chicken and Mr. J had the beef. It was kind of a lot of food. I liked mine, but obviously it was better when served super hot at the tasting.

I get catering though…100 meals at the same moment? Yikes. I have trouble with sides and entree at the same time for 2!

The cake was pretty amazing. I never eat the cake at weddings but I had cake we brought home. I never even noticed the cake being sliced. I was probably in a dance-off with Mr. J (while the room of people watched) while cake was being served. Maybe that didn’t happen at the same exact time, but it definitely happened!

The topper was one of my favorite things ever. Loved it! Mr. J hunted for it and it was perfect. It was actually one of the only details I didn’t share with everyone. Surprise! It was heavy so we had the bakery pre-approve it that he wouldn’t sink into the cake. Our black lab Windsor was well represented that day in the ceremony, my vows, and on the cake!

Best! Day! Ever!

Show Us Your Fluff

Posted on August 31, 2011 by admin

Did you grow up eating fluff? I love it. I looooove peanut butter (low fat & extra crunchy, preferably) and it just goes so well with fluff. About a year and a half ago, I brought the makings for pb&f at work. My then-colleague, Mrs. E, grew up in Ireland and just thought it was the strangest thing. Yum. My childhood memories include fluff topping cocoa too.

My blog pal from Wicked Good Travel & Acticities has a give away I’m psyched to share with you. You may remember her blog from my guest post. I’ve been busy eating, cooking, toying with my new camera, swapping, restaurant-weeking, and final wedding detailing. I have lots to catch you up on, but in the meantime, please enjoy some fluff.

image courtesy of Union Square Main Streets

Are you a fan of Marshmallow Fluff? Does it remind you of childhood memories of having the perfect combination of a Fluffernutter, do you dream about it swirled into Nutella for a delectable, chocolate, “fluffy” delight?

If you said ‘yes’ then you are in luck! On September 24^th, Union Square Main Streets is holding their Sixth Annual “What the Fluff” festival to honor the creamy delight. They’ll have food, games, entertainment, even a celebrity appearance by Susan Olsen, or ‘Cindy’, from the Brady Bunch. And there’s still time to enter the Fluff cooking contest,which boasts some top prizes, including a tour of the factory (a rare treat)!

Photo Courtesy of Fluff 2010 by Julie Polvinen

To celebrate the local blog, Wicked Good Travel & Activities, is holding a giveaway contest. Just go over to Wicked Good Travel & Activities between August 31^stand September 12^th and leave a brief comment here in the form of creative recipes, prose, poetry, and more- all expressing your love for Marshmallow Fluff. Two winners will be chosen, so give us your best! One will receive a Fluff tote bag and the other will receive free studio classes at The Training Room. All winners will also be featured on Wicked Good Travel & Activities, Somerville Patch, and Union Square Main Streets.

Photo Courtesy of Wicked Good Travel & Activities

So, what the fluff are you waiting for? Enter the contest and SHOW US YOUR FLUFF!