Monday, December 20, 2010

{ PhancyFoods: Spicy Hot Cocoa Mix }

Happy Holidays!


Hot Cocoa anyone? I love hot chocolate, but sometimes I'm too lazy to stand in front of a stove and stir. So instead, I decided to make my own hot cocoa mix, based on Alton Brown's recipe.


They turned out to be perfect to give out as gifts for the holidays to my co-workers. I used the same jars as I did for the bath salts - they're just perfect for so many things! (I prefer the cylindrical jar for the cocoa, because it's easier to put on the label.)

So several batches later, I came up with a good, spicy "Mexican" hot cocoa recipe with cayenne pepper and cinnamon to give it a kick. Reminds me of Bittersweet Cafe in SF. *ahhh*

I layered the ingredients to make it cuter :) So I have the hot cocoa mix at the bottom, mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, and then mini-marshmallows on top. I decorated the jars with ribbon, tissue paper (stamped with a "P"), and some candy canes. Festive, oui?


They turned out really well. I had to use semi-dutched-processed cocoa (hard to find the good stuff). But found out that Penzeys has real dutch-processed cocoa powder! So I'll try that next year and maybe use the malted milk *yum*

Can't wait to have a mug full of chocolate, sit back on my recliner, and watch the snow fall in the warmth of my home :)

Monday, October 18, 2010

{ PhancyBags: Flower Clutch }

So I took another sewing class to make this cute clutch with a flower detail. It was pretty confusing, and I doubt I'd be able to recreate it from the instructions that were given.  Even the teacher couldn't understand the poorly written instructions, and ended up giving us tips on how she did it instead.

In the end, it turned out really well and I'm glad I took the class. Just wish I could remember how to do it so that I can make them as gifts. Actually, what I need to learn is an EASIER way to make them :P


Originally, we were supposed to use zippers to make the flowers, but the contrasting fabric I chose ended up looking better. The zipper flowers were cute, but a little bulky and heavy for the linen fabric I used. [see photo below]


Materials used:
-Linen fabric for outside
-Medium Weight Interface
  (not heavy enough)
-Lining in a beautiful teal
  (photo shows blue)
-Magnetic clasps
-20" zippers (in gray and teal)



I want to find a pattern that has a zipper inside to close up the main compartment. But I'm not advanced enough yet...so gotta take more classes! It's definitely not bad...but again, practice makes perfect. :-P

Saturday, August 14, 2010

{ PhancyFace: Body Products }

Been busy trying out different recipes for the favors I'm giving at Aja's Bridal Shower in September!

My first couple of batches were...well, gross. The Bath Salts smelled funny (used "Lavender Breeze" instead of  "Lavender") and they kept clumping. The Sugar Scrubs weren't so heavenly-smelling either. But now I have the right ingredients and the right proportions! *yay*

I wanted to use as much all natural ingredients as possible, and went on a hunt all over Milwaukee to find the goods. Here's how they came out - lookie lookie down there :)

[brown sugar scrub and lavender bath salt bridal shower favors]

  • Lavender Bath Salts: Mineral Salt, Dead Sea Salt, Epsom Salt, Dendritic Salt, Sodium Bicarb, Lavender Essential Oil, colorant (blue)
  • Brown Sugar Body Scrub: Brown sugar, White Cane Sugar, Grapeseed oil, Vitamin E, coffee grinds
    • Other trials included the following:
      • Vanilla extract: Very strong alcohol smell - made me cough.
      • Olive oil: Ehh... not a particularly attractive smell
  • Oatmeal and Rosemary Goat Milk Soap: Goat Milk Soap, Oatmeal, fresh Rosemary, Rosemary Essential Oil
    • Simple combination for a great soap. It exfoliates and leaves my skin soft and fragrant. Love it!

So now I've got to get everything together for the ladies - the list keeps growing! I might have to change to smaller jars, so that I can lug them all to SF.

---------
On a side note...my "PhancyThings" product line is definitely growing. [see original post]
I might even make a new name for my "skincare" line (hehe). Maybe PhancyFace & Body or PhancySpa or Phancy...oh who knows!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Blissfully wedded

As of April 10, 2010 ~ this phancy lady got hitched :)

My DIY projects for the wedding came to fruition - with a lot of help from my friends. I definitely couldn't have done it w/o them!

My programs:


There's so much more, but it'll have to be another post.

My new projects in the making:
-homemade bath salts
-handmade soaps

Thinking about giving them as favors for my gf's bridal shower in September! I'm the MOH - and it's SO much better planning for someone else's wedding than your own :)

Friday, February 26, 2010

DIY Wedding Projects

43 days until THE DAY.

I have so much to do, but I won't really be able to get going on my DIY projects until I get home in March. I don't have the capacity to lug all the projects from WI to CA, so I'll have to really be good about time management.

My DIY To-Do List:
  1. Birdcage card holder: to add moss, rhinestones, flowers, sing
  2. Wine Bottle Table Numbers: to wrap around the wine bottles with ribbon
  3. Menu/Programs: to place on each plate to add more color to the white/ivory linens and dishes
  4. Escort Cards/ Favors: make cards to go inside and ribbon to wrap it up
  5. Birdcage centerpieces: I was thinking about placing candles, branches/twigs, moss balls, moss and flowers inside. Only going to make ~15.
  6. BM Necklaces: making some vintage-inspired necklaces with rosettes. In the process of it now
  7. Table Runners: ?? Need to make these when I get home to CA - not sure if I'll have time!
  8. Moss monograms: almost done :)
  9. Moss "P"s to hang on the gate: larger cursive "P" similar to logo cut from poster board
  10. The Wishing Board: to post up the wishes and advice that friends and family wrote. Probably use a moss covered corkboard or a foam poster board.
  11. Head Table Backdrop - in moss?
  12. Ceremony "arch": use cheap pots, cement and wooden poles - DIY Chuppah
Ahhh! So much to do!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Bridesmaid Gifts - Success!

So I gave the girls their gifts (both the BMs & the honorary BMs) during my Bachelorette Weekend in Park City. (Best weekend EVER!)

The girls loved it and were impressed by my DIY skills ^_^

Wish I had a photo to show, but it was around 2am after the bridal shower, so we were all exhausted.

Anyhow, love the girls and love their gifts ^_^

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

{ PhancyOccasions: Bridesmaid Emergency Kits }

So I decided to create a lil emergency kit for each of my BMs for the day of the wedding.

They turned out great! I used zip lock bags (for easy closure later on) and made my own tags for them.


Inside each kit:
-Chapstick
-bobby pins & hair tie
-safety pin
-band-aids
-Aveeno lotion
-Shout stain remover wipes
-round cotton pads
-Ibuprofen
-gum
-tissue





I think the girls will find it useful, and they turned out really pretty. So happy with the labels too ^_^

Phancy logos

I went Stamp crazy while decorating the shoebags, the tank tops and the tote bags to give to my bridesmaids. I used not only my handmade stamp, but also clear stamps and stencils to personalize their bags and tanks. (Accented the designs with 3-D paint in green and copper glitter and metallic gray.)

Here is the DIY Stamp in all its glory:

[the Phancy Shoe.Bag]














[the Phancy Tank.Tops]

















[the Phancy Tote.Bags]

All ready to go to give to the girls ^_^ I'm excited!

{ PhancyFun: A Block Printing Trial }


Many times I think to myself, "hrm...well, why not?"

And that's when I spend a load of $ on some new project because I think it would add to my repertoire of DIY knowledge.

In comes block-printing.
...something that I've wanted to do in the past, but never made the time for. I learned recently that I no longer need to chip away at wood, but I could carve out a stamp onto something that cuts "like buttah".

So again - why not?

Why not try it out? Why not buy all the supplies I need to create my own stamp? Why not pretend that I don't have an exam to study for? Why not indeed... ^_^

After a few hours figuring out the right way to do things, I present to you my Phancy Stamp. Sure, it's not crazy creative, but it was exactly what I needed for my projects.

Here's how I did it:
SpeedBall Blockprinting Kit
1 brayer
Water-soluble ink (black)
Linocutters (#1, 2, 5)
SpeedyCarve (eraser-like material)
Incredibly awesome hand-skills















Trace, rub onto block, use ball-pt pen to trace pattern, then carve, ink, and stamp :)
Simple!

I'll be posting finished projects where I've used this "P" logo over and over ^_^

Friday, January 1, 2010

New Year, New Phancy things

So with 2010 already here, I am excited to get going on more projects.

RP and I will be getting into screen printing soon. We bought the set about...oh, 8 months ago or so and never touched it. With the wedding coming up, we're hoping to screen print some tees for the bridesmaids and groomsmen :) We'll see how it goes though, the 5 hour instructional video is a bit daunting.

I watched 1.5 hours of the tutorial and all I got out of it was a headache. So I can't say I'm as excited about it as I was before...it's overwhelming when there's no one showing you the steps.

Anyhow, maybe I'll get the hang of it and add it to my "Apparel line." (haha) I've always wanted to make my own designs, so this should be fun - once I figure it out.

Also, RP came up with another great name last night: "Phancy That."
Isn't that cute? I'll have to figure out another company and yet another undiscovered skill so that I can use that name. Or maybe I should change my apparel line to "Phancy That."

Hmm...deep thoughts of 2010.