Krista, Author at While He Was Napping

January 3, 2012 by Krista

January Subway Art Printable

This will kick off a new little series. This series will last all year long. Each month, a new subway art freebie will grace these pages for your enjoyment. There will be two versions of each piece. One in black and white that you can print on whatever paper you would like. And a color version. They will be fairly simple pieces to help them fit in with many different decor styles.

Here’s the catch. Each piece will only be available for the month it represents. These are limited editions. I will have a listing in my Etsy Shop for the entire year’s worth of files (that’s 24 of them) as soon as I get them all done. There will also be other versions (different color options, pieces with pictures, ect) only available in my shop. Hopefully, this will be a fun way to get some new pieces out there.

So, here is January’s. This piece is now available only in my Etsy Shop.

Make sure you come back next month for February’s freebie!

January 2, 2012 by Krista

Homemade Marshmallows

Oh my heck. This project was like the recipe from you-know-where. And it’s not a good place. Ok, not really. It just took me A LOT longer to do than I had expected. It all started when we oh-so-spontaneously decided to make a 300 mile trip for Christmas… in four days. Eek. And we had no Christmas gift for our gracious hosts. Like, we didn’t even have any gift ideas, not just zero gifts. And we were at the end of our monthly budget. So, I called on the powers of Pinterest and saw something I’d wanted to try last year and never got around to it. Perfect, right? Ha.

I found this cute cocoa basket on Under the Table and Dreaming, complete with homemade marshmallow recipe. So, we set out to make our own cocoa basket (our cocoa mix wasn’t homemade though). On glass mugs, I etched our recipients’ names. I put a hot cocoa mix in a quart-size mason jar, some mini candy canes in a half-pint jar and then set aside a pint jar for some homemade marshmallows. And then the adventure began…

HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOWS

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Tbs of unflavored gelatin (apparently, I live in a cave and didn’t know what this was. But, My Mr Right knew. You can find it in the baking aisle for about $1 a box around the Jell-O. Knox is a common brand.)

1/2 c. cold water

1 1/2 c. white sugar

1 c. light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbs vanilla extract (you can substitute peppermint extract… or any other extract, for that matter)

1/2 c. water

Confectioner’s Sugar (the powdered sugar you find in the baking aisle)

Directions:

1. Combine gelatin and 1/2 c. of cold water in a bowl. (If you’re using a stand mixer, put it in that bowl.) Let stand for 30 minutes.

2. In a medium-sized sauce pan, combine white sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 c. of water. Place on medium-low heat and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves.

3. {This is where I ran into issues… and how I fixed it.} GRADUALLY, increase the heat to high and continue to stir until the mixture begins to boil. When the mixture boils, stop stirring and insert a candy thermometer into the goop. (Technical terms, I know.)

4. Let the mixture boil until it reaches 244 degrees on a candy thermometer. When you reach the temperature, remove the pan from the heat immediately.

5. Slowly, pour the mixture into your bowl with the gelatin. Turn your mixer onto low and combine the syrup and gelatin. Add in the vanilla or other extract. (I forgot that last part… so my marshmallows are a little bland.)

6. Increase the speed to medium or medium-high and beat for approximately 15 minutes until the mixture is white and very thick. It will nearly triple in volume.

7. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and sprinkle a thin, yet generous, coat of powdered sugar all across the pan. I used a baking sheet and got super thin marshmallows. However, I was trying to speed the solidifying time, as I needed to get the gift put together before we left. If you want thicker marshmallows, I’d suggest using something more along the lines of a 9×13″ pan. Pour your mixture into the pan. Just a heads up: this stuff is SUPER, SUPER, SUPER sticky. Like marshmallows-melted-over-the-campfire kind of sticky. A little warm/hot water and it’ll clean right up though.

8. Put a thin, yet generous, layer of powdered sugar on top of the mixture. Pat and shape the marshmallow mix so the top is generally flat.

9. Let the marshmallow sit on the counter top until solid. I put mine in the fridge (trying to hurry the process along) uncovered for somewhere between 3-4 hours.

10. Pull the waxed paper, with the marshmallow on top, out of the pan and lay it on the counter top. Cut your marshmallows down to size. I used a plastic cake cutter to cut my marshmallows into strips. Because my marshmallows were so thin, I rolled the strips to get a little more mallow for my money and give it more of a store-bought shape. Dust any sticky edges with powdered sugar to keep them from sticking.

11. Store your marshmallows in an air-tight container. They will keep for about a month.

It’s a good thing this was my first recipe of my Christmas-baking marathon… I probably would have given up after the sugar syrup boiled over all over my stove and I had a huge, stinky hot mess to clean up. However, should you need to clean any of it up, hot water will work wonders. It was a much simpler clean up than I expected. And when you clean out your bowl, let it soak in hot water for five to ten minutes and it will wash right out. And, next time I have a few tips and tricks to {hopefully} make this go a lot more smoothly. Although, next time might not be til next Christmas….

December 26, 2011 by Krista

New Year’s Subway Art Printable

Help ring in the New Year with a little festive cheer. Print this little beauty out and frame for an easy as pie, 1-2-3 table centerpiece for your big New Year’s Par-tay!

Click HERE to download the watermark free version of the black and white piece (which you can print on any color background).

Click HERE for the color version.

Enjoy your celebrations and remember to be safe!

December 23, 2011 by Krista

Weekend Wander #61

Welcome to the party. I thank you for dropping by on this busy of busy weekends. I hope these holidays find you happy, healthy and celebrating with your loved ones.

This party will be open ALL week, so come back and link up some good stuff (oldies, but goodies are always welcome) while you wait for the ball to drop us into 2012. Since I’ve still got a to-do list that’s a million miles long this will be short and sweet.

Last week’s most viewed link:

Quick and Easy Christmas Candy @ Sew Fantastic

Alrighty, link up all that crazy stuff you were madly trying to finish this last week (or was that just me?). Don’t forget, you can come back and keep linking all week! Enjoy your holidays and be safe!

December 21, 2011 by Krista

UPrinting Giveaway

So, I know it’s a little late to print out holiday cards… but in case you’re a little behind (like me) or have a need to get some announcements made (hum, like me, new baby coming soon and all)… UPrinting is offering one While He Was Napping Reader a great little prize package.

How does 100 Postcards on 5″x 7″, 14pt Cardstock in Gloss finish sound? You’ll receive front only printing with a two business day turnaround and FREE shipping!

Want you get your hands on this sweet little deal? Here’s the how:

MANDATORY ENTRY:
1. Click the little “Like” button below to like UPrinting Postcard Printing on Facebook and leave me a comment here telling me how you would use the postcards if you win the giveaway. Please leave an email address I can contact you at should you win.

That’s it. Super easy. This giveaway will close at 5pm PST on Thursday, December 22, 2011. We’re doing this quick and fast! Winner will be announced Thursday evening. Sorry, but this giveaway is open to US residents only. Winner must be at least 18 years old.

This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive postcard printing service for hosting. Please visit them for more information about their printing services and for your printing needs.

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