43 New-to-Me... #1 Bamba Peanut Snack

My latest birthday project, called 43 New-to-Me, is off to a fantastic start! Before beginning this latest endeavor, I thought a lot about my previous projects. I had the time of my life celebrating my 40th by doing 40 things I'd never done. I blogged about each in detail, with plans to print those posts as a blog book. That didn't happen, and my year of 40 Things is still not scrapbooked. I regret that.

I decided that this year, I would blog about each of my 43 New-to-Me not right after it happened, but rather after I'd scrapped it. I decided to do an 8" x 8" album, which would leave enough space for a single 4" x 6" photo or two smaller photos.

Here's page one: 

The first new-to-me food I tried was Bamba Peanut Snack. I noticed it at Safeway in the Jewish food section when I was picking up matzo (which I love) and thought it would be a fun food to try. The only ingredients are peanuts, flour, oil and salt, which is going to be a winning combination no matter what you do. And indeed it was. I LOVED Bamba Peanut Snack. I gave it a 10 out of 10. I'll be buying it regularly.

Steve, Trevor and my mom were with me to try Bamba. As you can see, Trevor and Mom both gave it a thumbs up. Steve liked the flavor, but wasn't crazy about the airy texture. That wasn't a surprise; he loves crunchy Cheetos and doesn't like the puffed ones, even though the taste is the same.

Tomorrow I'll share page 2!

Bunny Week, Day 5: Let's Hop!

It's Day 5 of Bunny Week! I hope you've enjoyed the crafts and treats I've shared this week. 

I've titled today's post "Let's Hop!" for two reasons: I'm going to share some information about rabbits, including their favorite mode of transportation (hopping), plus my blog is one of the stops along the Fiskafriends Power of Community Blog Hop! So let's get hoppin'!

First, some information about the Blog Hop. From 2008-2013, I was a member of the wonderful Fiskateers online community. Fiskars closed the Fiskateers message board and gallery in December 2013. Many of us who met through Fiskateers are now part of the Fiskafriends Facebook group where we stay in touch and connect through our love of crafting. This weekend we are celebrating our First Anniversary with an "Anything Goes" Fiskafriends Blog Hop. The Hop begins tonight (March 27th) at 6:00 pm Pacific and will end on March 29th at 11:59 pm Pacific. Of course, there will be prizes along the way! Leave comments on each blog, including mine, to be in the running for some fabulous prizes. You can find all the details about the Blog Hop here.

Now, let's end Bunny Week by learning what makes them such wonderful pets.

• Rabbits are affectionate. In the wild, they live in groups and are closely bonded with others. A pet rabbit bonds with his family too.

• Rabbits are smart. I left this bucket of apple branches about two feet to the left. Trouble struggled to scoot the bucket over, hopped up on the couch, and helped himself to one of his favorite foods.

• Rabbits love to play. Trouble will play catch with us by tossing an empty cardboard tube back and forth. He throws balls, loves knocking over block towers, and is interested in all of Trevor's toys.

• Rabbits are curious. The minute anything new enters the house, whether it's holiday decorations, a new toy, or just the mail, Trouble has to investigate it immediately. 

• Rabbit toys are cheap. Items like empty boxes, cardboard tubes, and an old phone book provide hours of entertainment for a rabbit. 

• Rabbits make good watchdogs. OK, so they don't bark to scare off strangers and they're not going to intimidate anyone, but simply by watching Trouble's ears swivel toward the front of the house, we know that someone has driven by or is walking toward our door! It's amazing how much Trouble can communicate with his ears.

• Rabbits are very clean. Trouble uses a litterbox when he is indoors. He keeps himself very clean, even when he's outdoors, as you can see in this video.

• Rabbits are fast. Really fast. They can outrun you no matter how fast you are and they LOVE to prove it. When they're feeling especially giddy about it, they'll wiggle their tails as a playful reminder that they are WAY faster than you. 

• Rabbits are entertaining. Not a day goes by that Trouble doesn't do something that cracks me up. One day, he was racing back and forth on the couch. When I peeked over the ledge upstairs in hopes of catching it on video, he started periscoping to peek back at me.

• Rabbits are amazing. Take your mouse and trace the arc of Trouble's jump to get a sense of how far rabbits can go in a single bound. I'd guess his farthest jumps are around 10 feet. He can jump straight up about 3 feet.

• Rabbits inspire some pretty darn cute crafts. (If I do say so myself). You can see all my bunny-related crafts, including these Bunny Donuts, here.

• Rabbits are adorable. Obviously.

There are thousands of affectionate, smart, playful, curious, attentive, clean, fast, entertaining, amazing, inspirational, adorable rabbits out there who need a Forever Home. If you can provide a safe and loving home to a rabbit for approximately 10 years, consider adopting a rabbit from rabbit rescue organization or shelter. Trouble has brought us so much joy and is truly part of our family.

Now hop along to the rest of the my Fiskafriends' blogs. Don't forget to leave a comment at each stop to be in the running for the Blog Hop prizes!

*Start here!  http://fiskafriends.blogspot.com/
Jean Bullock, #8889,  http://ez3dpopups.blogspot.com 
Susan Slomski, #6150,  http://sueinct.blogspot.com 
Cindy deRosier, #4113, That's me!
Tifany DeGough, #5942, http://inkblotsbytrd.blogspot.com 
Cheryl Waters, #002, http://blog.artsyfindings.com
Jean Marmo, #7358, http://pagesintime.blogspot.com/
Teresa Godines #6857 http://purplebunnypapercrafts.blogspot.com/

Michelle O'Driscoll #7586 http://scrapbookingsos.blogspot.ca/
Nancy Carroll  #11488  http://nancecarroll.blogspot.com
Maya Oren-Dahan #351  http://mayadahan.blogspot.com
Amy Martin Jones #8546 http://thetigershaven.blogspot.com/
Karen Poirier-Brode (Ladydoc) #2858 http://www.karenscorneroftheweb.blogspot.com
Tanya Napier #5407  http://mamabirdy-happinessishomemade.blogspot.com/
Pamela Haskin #8040 www.cottagebelow.com
Stasia Sloma #9314 http://www.stampzone.blogspot.com
Tracy Moloney  #6773 http://tracyscraftyadventures.blogspot.com.au/
Kim Chenez #5612 http://scrapbooknstampingfun.blogspot.com/

Bunny-Themed Cocoa Kit (Bunny Week, Day 4)

It's Day 4 of Bunny Week!

Trouble loves to watch our art projects. Whenever possible, he's right there with the action. Of course, we supervise carefully to make sure he doesn't eat anything inappropriate or do anything else dangerous. He's always very interested in sniffing our egg dye. He's never spilled it, thankfully.

I did today's project while Trouble was napping in his pear box, far away from the not-safe-for-rabbits materials. It's a cocoa kit!

Materials: white mug, plastic spoons, white Candy Melts, pink sprinkles, cocoa mix, bag and twist tie, mini marshmallows, plastic wrap, googly eyes, pink craft foam, wire, and Glue Dots.

Start by melting Candy Melts and dipping the spoons into them. Immediately add pink sprinkles, then set them aside to harden.

Pour about five servings of your cocoa mix into a food-safe decorative bag and twist it securely. 

Nestle the cocoa in the bottom of the mug. Wrap a bunch of marshmallows in plastic wrap, then place them on top of the cocoa. 

Next, cut a bunny nose and mouth out of pink craft foam. Cut wire to whisker length. Use Glue Dots to attach all the facial features to the bunny. (These materials are designed to be easily removed before using the mug. If you want a permanent design on the mug, use markers designed for ceramics and follow the manufacturer instructions for baking the mug to set the colors.)

When the candy spoons are completely set, wrap them with plastic wrap, then nestle them into the mug. Use loose marshmallows to provide support if necessary.

The lucky recipient can enjoy hot cocoa with mini marshmallows, a candy spoon, or both!

Carved Bunny Stamps (Bunny Week, Day 3)

It's Day 3 of Bunny Week and I have another art idea to share!

Thanks for your help, Trouble, but this project doesn't require newspaper. Today's project is carved bunny stamps.

You will need: 2 small chunks of styrofoam, a pencil, a knife, paint, cardstock, and Sharpies. Use the pencil to sketch a circle about the size of a tennis ball on a chunk of styrofoam. This will be the rabbit's face. On a separate piece of styrofoam, draw an oval about the size of an egg. This will be split in two to make the rabbit's ears.

The next step is carving the stamps. Trevor has gone through knife safety training in Cub Scouts and is qualified to use a pocket knife. Occasions to practice his knife skills don't come up often, so I let him use his pocket knife for this project. A serrated plastic knife would work just as well, if not better. A pumpkin cutter would probably also work and would be even safer. Regardless of what knife you use, secure the styrofoam with your non-dominant hand, pencil sketch side up, and carve the circle shape down at an angle. Rotate the stamp and continue until the top of the styrofoam matches the pencil sketch. Do the same for the oval stamp, then cut down the center to form two matching ears. 

When you are happy with your stamps, apply a thick coat of acrylic paint to each of the three parts. Trevor discovered that the best method is to squeeze large blobs of paint directly onto the stamps (as shown below) and then gently spread it out with a brush to cover the whole stamp. Stamp the circle shape onto a piece of cardstock, then stamp the ears on top. The styrofoam gives it a fun texture. 

As you can see below, Trevor did some experimenting with different ear placement. By rotating the ears 180°, switching left with right, and changing the angles, he was able to create different looks.

Let the paint dry thoroughly. Because it is thick, overnight is best. When it is completely dry, use Sharpies to draw in facial features.

Trevor had a lot of fun experimenting with different paint colors. This was the last one he stamped. He loved the way the pinks, browns, blues and tans he'd used previously blended to create what he called a camouflage bunny.

Cute and fun!

Bunny Treats (Bunny Week, Day 2)

It's Day 2 of Bunny Week here at My Creative Life!

I've never heard of a rabbit that didn't LOVE treats. Trouble is no exception. He'll do practically anything for broccoli (including rabbit dressage), raisins (check out the video of him with his Bunny Einstein), or other favorites like Bunny Biscuits, strawberries, bananas, and other fruits. We are very careful to limit how many treats he gets though. The bulk of a rabbit's diet should be hay, with fresh greens second. Fruit and sweet vegetables like carrots are treats and should be given infrequently and in very small amounts.

Of course, the deRosier humans are just as fond of treats as Trouble is. We're celebrating Bunny Week with some very tasty bunny-shaped chocolates. To be clear, these are for people only! 

Steve and Trevor shopped for my birthday gifts at Michaels, with the bulk of their selections from the candymaking aisle. They bought me Wilton Candy Melts in almost every color of the rainbow, along with candy flavorings and candy decorating pens. They also got me an awesome bunny silicone mold. These are affiliate links. Thanks for supporting My Creative Life!

I asked Trevor which color and flavor of candy bunnies we should make for Bunny Week. He said, "All!" as if there were any other possibility. I should have predicted that! 

The pack of candy flavorings included peppermint, cherry, creme de menthe and cinnamon. I already owned raspberry and lemon flavorings. So I told Trevor that we could make six different colors/flavors of candies. 

It was fascinating to see what colors Trevor chose for each flavor. The purple is peppermint, the orange is lemon, the grey-tan (mixed carefully to mimic Trouble's coloring) is raspberry, the blue is cherry, the light grey is cinnamon and the green is creme de menthe (hey, one that makes sense!). We had a small amount of extra green, so we divided what we had between two bunny candies, filled the rest in with chocolate and swirled. Here are the candies, ready to go into the freezer.

Once they set, we popped them out of the mold and started decorating. The pens worked beautifully. 

Trevor decorated a set for himself and then did a second set for Daddy. 

Here are Trevor's bunny candies. For the record, the striped one is a Zebra Bunny, not a Convict Bunny.

Here are six of my bunny candies. I wasn't nearly as creative in my decorating as Trevor was.

I love how these turned out! Adorable and totally delicious. Expect to see more bunny-shaped foods from me in the near future.