Sticky and Scrumptious

In the past few months, I've had some requests for Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn, so here you go! 

Once or twice a year, my whole soccer team goes to a teammate's cabin for a fun weekend together. One of my teammates, Lily, always brings this popcorn and we all LOVE it. Take it from me, once you have one tiny piece, within minutes, you will have a nice, ooey, gooey handful of this delicious popcorn. She brings a huge bowl full of it, which always ends up completely empty before the trip is even over. The recipe that I found is not the same recipe, but it still tastes DELISH! I mean, who doesn't like popcorn, especially when it's covered in sugary goodness?


Here's how you make the popcorn, it's super easy and takes almost no time at all!

MARSHMALLOW CARAMEL POPCORN

via All Recipes

Materials:

23 large marshmallows - Honestly, I have no idea why it has to be twenty three...
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 packages of microwave popcorn

1 large bowl
1 large pot

First, you need to pop the popcorn. Easy enough, right? Obviously, I don't make popcorn too often (AT ALL!) and burnt it. Whoops! Some parts were literally charred black, but don't worry, I took those parts out!

Now it's time for the good part. Melt your TWENTY THREE marshmallows, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and vanilla in a pot on medium-low heat and stir. It seems kind of pointless to stir at the beginning, but eventually it will be important so you won't burn it. That would truly stink if you burned the popcorn, like me, and the caramel!

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Keep stirring...

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Almost done...

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Woo hoo!

As you can see, I got a little bit tired of stirring.

Once your marshmallow mixture is completely melty and gooey, pour it over the popcorn, which should be in your large bowl.

Now all you have to do is spread the caramel throughout the popcorn. Being brilliant and all, I thought it would be easier to coat the popcorn with my hands. Sometimes I wonder where I get these ideas from. Let's just say... IT WAS SO HOT! Bad idea Claire. Instead, stir the popcorn with a spoon.

And that's that! I hope you have fun making (and eating, of course) your marshmallow caramel popcorn!

Mod Podge Mania

When it comes to Mod Podge, you can do so much with so little effort and time! Now, I'm not even close to a professional at mod-podging, but here are some tips for getting a good result.

One of the first times I used Mod Podge was with my friend, Evie. I'm pretty sure I made a picture frame as a Christmas present for my mom. We've also made letters together, too. You'll see what I mean by these later on. I've made these frames and letters a bunch of times now for a bunch of different people. Even my sister's Girl Scout troop made cute boxes covered in pictures of them throughout their years in the troop. See what I mean? The possibilities are endless!

Both the frame and the letter are super easy and almost exactly the same. Let's get started!

STEP 1:
Gather all of your materials. The things that are absolutely necessary are a wooden frame, Mod Podge, scrapbook paper, a foam paint brush (those rectangular black ones with a wooden stick) of any size, a pencil, scissors, a plastic card (like a credit card, for example) and a nail file. Other things you could get are ribbon, buttons, and anything else to jazz it up! Hot glue is good for getting everything to stay.

STEP 2: 

Take apart your frame. I got mine at the Michael's craft store in Park City. Keep the little cardboard thing if it has one and do not lose the stick- that's what holds your frame up! I guess you don't need it if you were going to hang it up on a wall or something.

STEP 3:

Trace your frame on the back of a piece of scrapbook paper. That way, you won't have to erase the pencil from the pretty side. Make sure you don't forget the middle part!

STEP 4:

Cut out your tracings. You should have a piece of paper that looks like a flattened version of the frame.

STEP 5:

Add a layer of Mod Podge on the frame and the back of the paper. Don't add too much, but you need enough so the paper will stick.

STEP 6:

Cover the frame entirely with the paper so you can't see any parts of the original frame. Smooth it out with your fingers as much as you can.

STEP 7:

Take your plastic card and smooth out the paper even more to eliminate bubbles. I used an old library card. 

STEP 8:

Now, if you turn your frame over, you'll probably see that the paper is hanging over the edge. If you can, cut the excess paper off. If you can't, it's no big deal.

STEP 9:

Take the nail file and smooth out the edges of the paper so it matches the size of the frame exactly. Only rub the file one way so it bends over the edge of the frame. If you go the opposite way, the paper might bend the wrong way, which will most likely mess it up. The pattern on the paper will start to rub off and it will get thin. When the paper is thin and white, you can probably start filing side to side to rip the tiny bit of paper off and make a clean, smooth edge. 

STEP 10:

It's Mod Podge time! Paint a layer of Mod Podge over the frame. Again, don't add too much, but just enough to cover it. I use the matte version, which doesn't change the look too much, but makes everything look finished and well-done. If you prefer things that are more sparkly or shiny, there are other kinds that you can buy as well to give you the effect you want.

STEP 11:

I like to add ribbon along the edges to cover up the wood. Measure around the frame with the ribbon and add Mod Podge to the edge of the ribbon. It likes to soak through and stick to your finger more than the frame, but just be patient. It will work eventually. Keep adding Mod Podge along the edges of the frame and smooth out the ribbon. You could use hot glue as well, but wherever you glue will be darker than the parts you don't, while Mod Podge will keep everything the same color.

STEP 12:

Take the little wooden stick that came with the frame and hot glue it into its hole. 

STEP 13: 

Add the rest of your decorations and you're done! 

The one on the left is a picture of Evie and I with our friend Savana from California. Her family took us skim boarding while we were there for Thanksgiving break and we took this cute picture! By the way, I am VERY bad at skim boarding. I'm giving the other one to my cousins for Christmas. It was at Cyprus Gardens in Florida when we were little. I'm the one in the pink sweatshirt close to the end, in case you wanted to know. It's pretty hard to see.

For those of you who were wondering what the letters look like, here you go! I used the dark brown as my base and cut strips of the colored papers. Then I laid the strips upside-down on the table and traced the letter again. That way, you don't have to sand as much! I've also made an entire name out of smaller letters for my sister. They took a while, but they turned out super cute! I got both sizes at Michael's too. If you want to see another version of these letters, go check out Evie's blog.