Summer Craft Idea : Candleholder Edition

Hello friends!

Even though I'm curently in Jamaica, I thought I'd be kind and pre-write some posts to pop up every few days while I'm away!

There won't be any interesting stories because I can't guess the future so these posts will be a lot of craft ideas, recipes, etc.

The meat and potatoes of this blog, basically.

So getting back to Martha basics, here's a summer inspired craft for those of you looking to spruce up your backyard/balcony ambience:

Leaf Covered Candleholders

To make this craft you will need:

• Plant leaves - the sturdier the better such as hostas and calatheas
• A craft knife or box cutter
• Double sided tape
• Glass candleholder and tea lights
• Thick string, thin rope, or twine

1. Using the craft knife, cut a strip from the leaf the same height as the candleholder. When in doubt, cut higher than the candleholder. As my grade 6 design and technology teacher told me, you can always cut more off, but you can never add more on. Make sure the leaf will wrap around the candleholder with some overlap.
2. Attach the strip to the candleholder using the doble sided tape. Make sure the leaf lies flat against the candleholder and all edges are held down nicely with the tape.
3. For a nicer finish, tie a peice of twine, string or rope around the leaf. Set the tealight inside and voila! You've got the tropics on your table.

And if you're looking for a recipe to make some home cooked goodness to place on your leafy backyard table, Kraft has a really delicious sounding recipe for biscuits.

Cheddar Biscuits

To make these yummy and cheesy biscuits:

• Prehat the oven to 450ºF. In a bowl mix together 1 cup flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, 1/4 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt.
• Cut in 1/4 cup cold butter (cut into cubes) with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Add 1/3 cup milk; stir until mixture forms soft dough.
• Place on lightly floured surface and knead eight to 10 times or until smooth. Pat out the dough into a 6-inch square. Cut it into nine squares and place the squares on ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 10 to 12 min. or until golden brown. Spread each split warm biscuit with 2-1/2 tsp. of chive and onion cream cheese spread. Serve and enjoy!