Glow In The Dark Bouncy Ball Summer Wreath

I came up with this idea because I wanted to create a fun, summertime wreath using bright colors that would be visible at night as well as during the day.  Suddenly it hit me...glow in the dark bouncy balls!  I had seen gumball wreaths on Pinterest before and I figured this couldn't be much more difficult.  WRONG!  Let me just say that this wreath was a beast to put together...but that's only because I had nothing to go on but my own idea of how it should work and I made quite a few mistakes along the way.   However, you, my fine readers, will be the beneficiaries of my trial and error process.  Once I figured out how to do it, the wreath came together quite nicely.  So you should be able to whip one up in no time.

First, I ordered 288 glow-in-the-dark bouncy balls online.  I searched for quite a while to find the cheapest option available that also came in an assortment of colors.  I finally found what I was looking for on Amazon.  I bought two different sizes, small and large, to add texture and variety to the wreath.  (I did have extras.)  I then purchased a standard foam wreath form from the craft store.  About half way through my first attempt at attaching balls to the wreath form, I realized that the edges were going to look very bare.  So I found some cute ribbon that I had lying around and hot glued it to the inside edge and outside edge of the wreath form.  In hindsight, if I make another one of these, I think that I will first spray paint the entire form a cute color, like maybe bright yellow or pink, and then put the ribbon on, and then start attaching balls.  You learn as you go.

My next step was to get the balls onto the wreath form.  I decided to hot glue them....mostly because I hot glue everything.  I thought that it was working.  The balls appeared to be staying put and after about 2 hours I was done.  Imagine my horror when the following day, as I went to pick up the wreath, one quarter of the balls immediately fell off.  Another quarter fell off on the way back to the craft counter to assess the damage.  I realized that hot glue was not going to work.  So I decided to step it up a notch.  I found my husband's tube of crazy glue and went to town.  Believe it or not, the result was no better.

I was frustrated at this point and on the verge of scrapping my beloved glow in the dark wreath idea when my husband came up with a suggestion that saved the day.  He brought me some penny nails and suggested that I stick the sharp end of the nail into each ball and then push the dull end into the foam wreath form.  I eagerly tried this and it worked a little better, but some of the nails still fell out or dangled from the wreath at awkward lengths.  So I decided to try adding Gorilla glue to the equation and...VOILA...success!

So here's the process as we have now perfected it:  Take each bouncy ball and push a short nail with a small head into the ball about half way (sharp point goes into the ball.)  Have a bowl of water handy and roll the top of the ball in the water so it is damp.  (Gorilla glue requires one surface to be damp in order to bond properly.)  Squeeze a small drop of Gorilla glue onto the foam wreath and immediately press the ball with nail into the foam.  Hold firmly for about 30 seconds and then move on to the next ball.

Here is the result:

I think it looks fun, summery, festive, colorful and unique.  And the fact that it glows at night is just too cute!  In the end, I was glad that I took the time to figure it out.  Happy Glow In The Dark Bouncy Ball Wreath Making!

Orange Hibiscus Lemonade Recipe

I wanted to throw together something cool, refreshing and little out of the ordinary last night and this is what I came up with: Orange Hibiscus Lemonade.  It is very refreshing, full of flavor and perfect for summer parties or lounging by the pool.  As with most of my recipes, measurements aren't exact and you should experiment with quantities to taste.

Start by filling a medium sauce pan 3/4 full with water and bringing to a boil.  As soon as the water reaches a boil remove it from the heat and add 4 herbal tea bags.  I used Orange Spice by Celestial Seasonings, but you could use almost any other fruity type herbal tea, many of which also contain hibiscus.  Another good one to try would be Red Zinger.  I would avoid teas with more robust flavors like vanilla, almond, etc.

Allow the tea to steep for up to 30 minutes while you complete the next step.  Juice 3-4 lemons directly into another saucepan.  Add roughly equal parts sugar to your lemon juice  (approximately 1 1/2 - 2 cups)  Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is completely dissolved.  Remove from heat.

Remove tea bags from tea and pour simple syrup into the tea.  Allow to cool then transfer to serving pitcher and dilute with cold water to taste.  That's it!

This orange hibiscus lemonade will sound and taste very impressive at a summer get together but is super easy to make.  Enjoy!

Pistachio Cupcakes

I am bringing to you another Lemmon tested, Lemmon approved recipe.  These pistachio cupcakes are some of the prettiest, tastiest cupcakes I've ever baked...and, even better, they are also some of the easiest.

Ingredients:
(2) 3.4 oz. boxes Jello pistachio pudding mix
1 box yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
1 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 cups cold milk (separated)
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Approximately 20-30 pistachios

Get started by preheating the oven to 325 degrees on a true convection bake setting (350 if you don't have convect bake.)

Cupcakes:
Whisk together 1 box pudding mix with 1 1/2 cups cold milk.  Gradually add cake mix and whisk until completely blended.  Add vegetable oil and mix thoroughly.   Pour batter into lined cupcake tins.  Fill each tin approximately 3/4 full.  I was able to bake 15 cupcakes.

Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on your oven.

Frosting:
Whip together 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup milk, 1 box pistachio pudding mix, and 1/4 cup powdered sugar until peaks form.  Spoon frosting into gallon size Ziplock bag and refrigerate until ready to use.  Chop pistachios and set aside until needed.

Wait for cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.  Snip corner of Ziplock bag and pipe frosting onto cupcakes.  Sprinkle chopped nuts onto the top of each cupcake.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

These cupcakes are great for company because they look and taste a lot more time consuming than they really are.  Enjoy!