Mason Jar Apple Pie

Original Recipe Inspirations (Pie Crust):
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/scrumptious-apple-pie/a41b6992-efb5-4b8a-998c-26d25f05e05a
Original Recipe Inspirations (Pie Filling):
http://baking.food.com/recipe/3-ingredient-easy-oil-pie-crust-294521

Materials (Pie Crust):
4 cups of flour
1 cup of canola oil
10 tablespoons of water
12 half-pint mason jars

Materials (Pie Filling):
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon of salt
6 cups of diced peeled tart apples (5 medium apples)
2 tablespoons of butter or margarine

Procedure:

1. First the pie crust: Mix the canola oil and water in a medium bowl.
2. Add and mix in the flour until completely combined.
   
3. Pack small handfuls of crust into the bottom and sides mason jars, only up to the fill line, making sure that the crust does not get too thick.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
5. Now the filling: Mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.
6. Add the apples and mix well, until the apple slices are completely coated in the sugar mix.
   
7. Scoop the apple mixture into the prepared jars of crust, until the apples just about fill the jar (further than the crust).
   
8. Top each jar with a small amount of butter.
9. I didn't do this, but I think I should have. Cover the jars with foil.
10. Arrange the jars on a cookie sheet and cover the bottom of the sheet with about 1/4 inch of water, to prevent the jars from cracking in the oven.
11. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
    
12. Remove from the cookie sheet to allow them to cool.
13. Enjoy!

Mason Jar Banana Bread

Original Pinterest Inspiration (Recipe):
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/janines-best-banana-bread/detail.aspx

Materials:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 half-pint mason jars
cake pan

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly grease all mason jars.
3. Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
   
4. Beat in the egg and bananas. I know, it looks gross.
   
5. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt, just until everything is combined.
   
6. Scoop or pour portions of the batter into the mason jars. I used a soup spoon. Only fill the jars about 1/2 of the way, so that there is room for the bread to rise.
   
7. Add water to the cake pan so that the water is about 1/2 inch deep.
8. Put the mason jars into the cake pan and put the whole thing in the oven. The water is to prevent the mason jars from heating up too quickly and cracking.
9. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly when inserted into the middle of a bread loaf. The outside of the loaf should be crispy while the inside stays moist and chewy.
   
   

Colored Mason Jars

Backstory:
My stepmom and I wanted to make candles in mason jars, but we thought it would be much more exciting if the mason jars were colorful! So I went about making a couple of them pretty!

Original Pinterest Inspiration:
http://www.nzgirl.co.nz/know/super-cute-super-easy-diy-seaglass-mason-jars-perfect-for-easter-too/

Materials:
Mason Jars (or really any glass jar you want to tint)
Elmer's Glue
Food Coloring

Procedure:

1. Put the glue in a disposable container. I used a paper plate.
   
2. Add the food coloring one drop at a time, mixing each time until the desired color is reached.
   
3. Invert the mason jar.
   
4. Paint the entire jar. Don't worry if it's a little streaky.
   
5. Allow to dry.
   
6. Remove any excess glue from the rim of the glass with nail polish remover.
   
7. Fill or decorate to your heart's desire!

Conclusion:

Mine is a little drippy looking, and I'm not positive why that is. I may have layered the glue too thick or added too much food coloring... I don't really know.

Homemade Daily Face Scrub

Backstory:

This is a face scrub that I've been using for about a month now, and I swear by it. It's absolutely fantastic. It's truly an all-in-one face wash. The brown sugar exfoliates, the honey has antibacterial qualities that fight acne, and the olive oil hydrates. I used to have acne problems, and as I continue to use this scrub, my face is getting more and more clear. Also, I use it occasionally as a body scrub, and it works wonders. Anyway, here's the miracle recipe!

Original Pinterest Inspiration:
http://www.homemademamas.net/2012/09/moisturizing-lip-scrub.html

Materials:
Brown Sugar
Honey
Olive Oil
Half-Pint Mason Jar (to contain it all)

Procedure:

1. Measure 1/4 cup of brown sugar into the mason jar.
   
2. Repeat step 1 with olive oil, then honey.
   

   
3. Mix it all up.
4. Use about one teaspoon to scrub your face.
5. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.
6. Enjoy your baby soft skin!

Egg White Blackhead Mask

Original Pinterest Inspiration:

http://darlingstuff.com/2013/01/15/diy-blackhead-removalpeel-off-mask-that-actually-works-yay/

Materials:

Egg White

Tissue (Kleenex)

Procedure:

1. Beat the egg white slightly, just so that it isn't so slimy.
2. Apply the egg white to your face with a makeup brush, being careful to avoid the areas surrounding your eyes and mouth.
3. Tear the tissue up and apply it to your face. It should stick to the egg white. If it doesn't, apply more egg white to your face just before you apply the tissue.
4. Add another layer of egg white over the tissue.
5. Allow the mask to dry completely (20-25 minutes).
6. Peel the tissue off gently, starting at your chin and working up to your forehead.
7. Rinse your blackhead-free face with lukewarm water and pat dry.
8. Don't forget to wash out your makeup brush!

Conclusion:

This mask definitely didn't work as well as I had hoped it would, but it may have been for a couple of reasons. I don't think my egg white layers were thick enough, and I used gauze instead of Kleenex, because I didn't have any Kleenex. I'll try it again some other time with the right stuff, but for now, I'm a little disappointed.

Melted Crayon Art

Backstory:
So, I've been fascinated with the whole idea of melting crayons onto canvas to make designs, etc. I finally found the perfect excuse to! My mom just finished the basement portion of the addition to  her house, and my 14-year-old brother has adopted it as his "man cave." He has a couch and a TV and X-Box, but his wall decor is seriously lacking. He's adorably excited about finding cool things to put on the walls, so I thought I could make him something! That's where the crayons come in.

Original Pinterest Inspiration:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=g1ns5kn6i7o1pt4selal6v4ut1&topic=396529.0#axzz2UdLH9csR

Materials:
Stretched Canvas or Canvas Panels
Crayola Crayons (from what I've read, they have the lowest melting point)
Hot Glue Gun

I got everything at WalMart for about $15.

Warning:
Melted crayon wax is EXTREMELY hot, as are hot glue guns. Please be careful! :)

Procedure:

1. Print out the image of whatever it is you would like to illustrate in crayon. If you're a better freehand artist than I am, feel free to draw the image directly onto the canvas panel and then skip to step 5.
   
2. Turn the image over and draw in pencil over the entire back of the image.
   
3. Place the paper onto your canvas panel so that the pencil is in contact with the panel. Make sure the image is where you want it on the canvas, then go over every line of the image in pen, applying firm pressure the entire time. (The picture didn't do a good job illustrating that. Sorry.)
   
4. The pencil should have transferred onto the canvas, giving you outlines of the image.
   
5. Pick a color to start with and peel the wrapper off of the crayon of that color. I chose black, because that would allow me to best see the general shape of the image.
6. The original post that I saw suggested putting the crayons inside the hot glue gun, so I started the project that way. However, I got the crayons stuck in my hot glue gun, and the hot wax had a tendency to drip on my fingers. (OUCH!) So when I started the next color, I let the gun heat up, then simply held the crayon over the part that was supposed to be that color, and touched the glue gun's metal tip to the end of the crayon. It then drips onto the canvas and can be spread around with the tip of the gun. If you need to color a thin portion of the image, allow the crayon to drip over the outer part of the canvas, then use the small bit left on the gun to color the thin parts of the image.
   
   That wax splatter was completely accidental and actually the result of mindlessly tilting the glue gun and frying my finger. Please don't try to make one of your own. It hurts.
7. Continue step 6 with every color of the image.
8. Go back with the black and darken any lines that were covered up by other colors of wax.
9. Frame or hang and enjoy!
   

   

   

   

   
   

Beer Box Coasters

Backstory:
In the process of searching for a project for Father's Day, I stumbled across this craft on Pinterest. I work at a restaurant where we sell a lot of microbrewed beers, so the packaging is very unique. I asked our bartender to save some of the thin cardboard boxes, and I was all set to go!

Original Pinterest Inspiration:
http://atticlace.blogspot.com/2012/12/7-days-of-gifting-day-3-for-him-dont.html?m=1

Materials:
9 Ceramic Tiles that measure 4"x4"
2 sheets of Craft Felt
9 Beer Boxes (make sure that the cardboard is not corrugated)
ModPodge
Clear Finishing Spray

Procedure:

1. Cut squares from your beer boxes that are slightly smaller than your tiles, so that the edges can be secure and so they won't peel.
   
2. Use the ModPodge to attach the cardboard squares to the tiles. I then stacked the tiles, to keep pressure on the cardboard as the adhesive layer dried.
3. Cut pieces of felt to fit on the bottom of the tiles, to prevent the coasters from scratching the table.
   
4. Use the ModPodge to attach the felt squares to the tiles. Again, I stacked the tiles to make sure the felt was firmly attached onto the tiles.
   
5. Add layers of ModPodge to the coasters to build up protection between the surface of the coaster and the cardboard. I did a layer every 15-20 minutes until there were 4 coats of ModPodge covering the cardboard.

   

   First Coat (Wet)

6. Once the ModPodge is completely dry, spray a final protective layer of Finishing Spray over the coasters and allow it to dry.
   

   
   
7. Find something cold to drink and enjoy!