the life and times of lucinda.

Ursula Pinata Tutorial

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:45:00 -0700

we are hosting a princess themed party this weekend. the birthday girl requested a villain to be the piñata because she wanted to see the bad guy fall, not the good guy— adorable, right? so i created this ursula piñata for her, thanks to inspiration from one of my favorite blogs, ohhappyday and good ol’ pinterest. here is a tutorial on how i made this piñata. enjoy!

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URSULA PINATA TUTORIAL

Supplies: white glue/water mixture, disposable container, strips of newspaper, construction paper, markers, purpler paint, 2 balloons, crepe paper in purple and black

1. Prepare your papier mache: cut strips of newspaper. Create a white glue/water mixture using 2/3 glue and 1/3 water.

2. Create a base: blow up two balloons. One will be the base for the head and one will be for the body.

3. Start building: get ready to get messy! Dip strips of newspaper into the glue/water mixture, using your fingers to wipe off the excess mixture. Apply strips evenly to the balloon. I did 2 layers and then put the balloons outside to dry. The weather was in the 80’s here in LA this week, so my balloons dried in 2 hours. Once dry, repeat step 3 again if desired. 2-4 layers is sufficient for a piñata.

4. Pop the balloons once completely dry. Paper mache the head to the body. This part was a bit tricky! It took about 5 layers before it truly felt sturdy. Let it dry completely.

5. Make your fringe: cut 3” wide strips of both colors of crepe paper, and evenly cut fringe on one side.

6. Head: paint the head with purple paint and draw the facial features with markers and construction paper. Wrap the back of the head with the purple fringe while avoiding the face. Use glue to adhere the fringe to the head.

7. Body: same thing as the head. Wrap the body using the black fringe and adhere with glue.

8. Create the octopus legs: I copied Oh Happy Day’s tutorial here. I took 3 layers of newspaper and rolled it starting from the corner, and then wrapped black fringe around it. i made 4 legs in total.

9. Insert the legs: poke hole in the body with a knife and insert leg.

10. Fill it: cut a hole in the back to fill it. once filled, close up the hole and glue fringe over it to disguise it.

11. Hang it: cut two holes in the top of the head, insert string, and hang!

12. Admire it while you can: take a picture before your work of art gets destroyed by a bunch of hyper kids!

back again.

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:02:00 -0700

i haven’t posted on this blog since wayy before my wedding because honestly, i haven’t really been crafting since then! well, this past month i brushed off the dust on my craft supply boxes and started creating again. getting back into touch with my creative side really feels like i have reunited with a long lost love. joe and i started hosting birthday parties, with joe doing the entertainment, and me doing the designing. we make a great team, i must say! now on this blog, i’ll be posting some of our birthday gigs, and my design for an upcoming wedding! enjoy.

loveforfashion: Charlize Theron is wearing a Dior dress,...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:55:37 -0800

loveforfashion:

Charlize Theron is wearing a Dior dress, Cartier jewelry, and Givenchy shoes.

can i just get married already?? (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:06:36 -0800

can i just get married already?? (Taken with instagram)

confessions of a bridezilla #2: when my fiancée expressed his dislike for one of the ideas i had for...

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:05:05 -0800

confessions of a bridezilla #2:
when my fiancée expressed his dislike for one of the ideas i had for our ceremony, i pretended like i was about to cry.

works like a charm every time. sucka.

slow cooker adventures

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 07:00:05 -0800

ribs made easy in the slow cooker. created my own sauce that i’m so very proud of.

brown ribs at 425 degrees for 15 min on both sides. drain grease. baste both sides with sauce and add to slow cooker. cook on low for 7 hours. drain 3/4 of the grease, baste ribs again, cook on high for one more hour, leaving the lid off to help thicken the sauce.

for the sauce: 2+ cups ketchup, sriracha sauce to taste, 1+ tablespoon worcestershire sauce, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 t dried oregano, 1/2 t mustard powder, 1/2 t paprika, 1/4 t chili powder

it’s sooo fun being a girl!

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 06:00:05 -0800

it’s sooo fun being a girl!

my favorite christmas present, chosen by the fiancee. is it possible that he’s more...

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:13:00 -0800

my favorite christmas present, chosen by the fiancee. is it possible that he’s more fashionable than me? gasp!

slow cooker adventures

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:00:05 -0800

my slow cooker is my new best friend. i love how i can throw everything in the pot and just walk away. it’s amazing, and the results are usually foolproof.

tonight’s dinner: homemade pho via steamy kitchen. the fiancee loveees pho and he’s feeling a bit under the weather this week, so i thought it’d be nice to have pho at home for once. i bought all the pho spices from my local grocer. if you can’t find star anise, try cost plus world market.

6 more hours to go!

confessions of a bridezilla #1: i bought my wedding dress a week before i got...

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 07:32:06 -0800

confessions of a bridezilla #1:
i bought my wedding dress a week before i got engaged……. but, in my defense, it was on sale.

my winter essential and current favorite item in my closet: faux fur vest from anthropologie.

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:31:00 -0800

my winter essential and current favorite item in my closet: faux fur vest from anthropologie.

i’ve been searching everywhere for pillows for my apartment, and i finally found the winner...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:01:00 -0800

i’ve been searching everywhere for pillows for my apartment, and i finally found the winner this past weekend at Unique LA. the pillows are by appetite and the chevron print is hand printed in a dull olive green.

perfection. it all feels so complete now.

a very rustic christmas

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:50:00 -0800

last year, my apartment was full of lights, reds/greens/golds, and shiny glass ornaments galore. this year, i decided to take a more subtle approach to christmas decorating and not be so literal. here are the results:

everything is diy, except for the cute little tree and owl ornament i got from cost plus world market (guilty pleasure!). merry christmas!!

while i was gone...

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:38:01 -0800

while i was gone, i graduated nursing school, work the ugly night shift as a mother-baby nurse, and i’m engaged (finally).

so life is finally settling down for me as i’m finally used to my night schedule and am finally on the track to getting married (eeek!). so i’ll be blogging mostly about my adventures of cooking, working, wedding planning, and crafting!

legsss.

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:01:15 -0700

legsss.

my baby succulents

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 13:39:37 -0700

my baby succulents

dresses, dresses.

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:30:00 -0700

dresses by Maria Lucia Hohan via the cherry blossom girl.

etsy find

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:30:00 -0700

all photos by Katya Horner of Slight Clutter Photography via etsy.

perfection.

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:00:00 -0700

this perfect bride is blogger, the cherry blossom girl. i’m in love with everything about her.

saturday splurge.

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:55:00 -0700

s’mores brownie bar via my baking addiction