A CHOCOLATE COLLABORATION

If you had told me in high school that one day I would get to help in the process of making a chocolate bar, I would have laughed. And yet, it happened. 

First, let me back up and say that I have ALWAYS been a chocolate lover. My mom can tell you stories of how I would eat so much chocolate as a child that I would get headaches, but I kept on eating it anyway. There are numerous photos floating around in my grandmother's photo albums of me holding a half-eaten fudgesicle, chocolate smeared around my mouth. I am a lifetime member of the chocolate lover's club.

Second, Elsie and I have been fans of Askinosie Chocolate for years now. Their factory is just down the street from our studio, and over the years we've gotten to know Shawn, the owner, mainly from visiting his factory and seeing him around town. He's a really cool guy with an absolutely amazing story of how he got into chocolate making. His business's effort to be socially responsible in every way they can inspires Elsie and me to work to be better business owners ourselves. You can read more about his story here if you're interested (be ready to tear up—it's a doozy). Earlier this past year the Askinosie team asked if A Beautiful Mess would be interested in working on their next collaBARation bar with them. Over the years they've made some pretty amazing (and delicious) chocolate bars with companies like Intelligentsia, Zingerman's and Jeni's Ice Cream, to name a few. You can see all their collaBARation bars here.  We couldn't imagine a better just-for-fun project than this!

First we met with Shawn and his team and discussed LOTS of different flavor combination ideas. Since there isn't just one flavor that ABM showcases most often, the door was wide open to do something that we were all excited about. We finally landed on toasted coconut. 

Next his team produced around six different combinations for us and our team to try. We all found what we felt was the best of all the options, but man, was it a tough day at the office trying out all that chocolate. :) Then they went to work making the chocolate while we helped out with the design of the package and the poem that goes on the front. 

My favorite part of the entire process was getting to spend an afternoon making some of our chocolate bars with the Askinosie team. We got to temper the chocolate, pour it into molds, and add the toasted coconut to the top. Then we unmolded a few and even got to take some home. It was a total blast!

We take chocolate making and eating very seriously, obviously.

If you like dark chocolate and coconut, we HIGHLY recommend you check out the final product. Thanks for letting us share this just-for-fun collaboration with you. As we say often, we love our hometown (Springfield, MO), as there are so many talented and inspiring people and businesses here. We are proud that we got to work with a few of them this season. :)

BUILD A MINI HORSE BOOKSHELF

Hi! Fan of books? Love puns? Is there a kiddo in your life? Or do you just adore mini horses? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this is the craft for you.

Please, please don't be intimidated at all of the supplies it takes to build this book horse—they're mostly basics, with the exception of one pocket-hole jig, which would be a great addition to your woodworking arsenal if you don't have one already. It's a fairly simple process to make this folksy little guy, and I managed to put it all together in one Sunday evening. Check out how I did it below!

Supplies:-20 pocket-hole screws
-1" wire brads (optional)
-wood glue
-8" x 6' piece of common board*-craft plywood (just a small piece)
-120 grit sandpaper (not shown)
-steel wool (optional, but highly suggested)
-tinted wood stain
-printer paper + template parts 1, 2, and 3

Tools:
-hammer (optional—for use with wire brads)
-pocket-hole jig with step bit and driver
-two clamps like the one shown
-power drill
-jigsaw with clean cutting blade
-paint brush
-printer (not shown)
-scissors
-pencil (not shown)

Prepare Your Lumber:

*You can have your lumber cut for you at the lumber yard or hardware store, or you can do it yourself if you have access to a table saw. The lumber you use should have a finished width of 7 1/4" and a 3/4" thickness. You will need two 12" lengths, one 14" length, one piece trimmed width-wise and length-wise down to 4 1/4" x 14", and the rest of the lumber can be used for cutting out the head and tail of the horse. 

Step One: Print out the three templates (one, two, three). Do not shrink them if your printer options suggest it—each page is already sized at 8 1/2" x 11" and includes margins. Cut out the stencil pieces and lay them over the pieces of lumber. The two 7 1/4" x 12" pieces should have curved tops and cut-out legs on the bottom, as shown in the above image. Word to the wise: don't try to cut out the ear shapes from the thick lumber. I went and got craft plywood to use for the ears instead.

Step Two: Clamp the pieces of wood to a table or countertop edge and cut out the shapes with a clean-cutting jigsaw blade. I got out a fresh blade for this one and it worked very nicely, with very little splintering.

Step Three: Sand down the pieces of wood. If you have some hesitation wounds (as I like to call them) on your wood from the jigsaw, you may have a lot of sanding to do to blend in any jagged edges. You can use a rotary sander for this to make it easier.

Step Four: Drill pocket holes on the 14" lengths of wood. The wider piece of wood will be the bottom of the shelf, while the narrower one will be the back. Position the holes as shown above.

Make sure you have the length of the jig (it's adjustable) and the drill bit's collar positioned appropriately so that the length of screws you use don't poke through the wood when you join them together. You should practice on two pieces of scrap wood to make sure. I'm glad I did, or I may have messed up big time! My 1 1/4" screws poked through the wood on my practice try. You can also just use shorter screws.

Step Five: Brush on a layer of stain onto each piece of wood, and wipe off any excess. Allow it to dry for the recommended time on the can you use.

Step Six: You can skip this part if you must, but you'll find that sanding the wood with steel wool after staining really makes the finish silky smooth. When wood becomes wet, little hairs rise up from it and cause it to be not as smooth as it was after the first sanding. I used two wads of steel wool to smooth down the entire piece.

Step Seven: Clamp together the pieces of the shelf and use the pocket hole driver to screw in the pocket hole screws. Don't clamp the wood too tightly or the ends of the clamp will leave indents in your wood. You can also use a scrap piece of wood between the clamp and the shelf if you're using soft wood like pine.

Step Eight: Draw a thin line of wood glue along the edge of the head of the horse, and attach it to one of the bookshelf ends. You choose the side, but I liked it on the left side better. You may choose to hammer wire brads into the head from the inside of the shelf, but I decided to just rest the shelf on the opposite end to let the glue dry on its own.

Step Nine: While the glue is still wet, wipe away any excess. Wood glue dries yellow, so you don't want any showing on the finish.

Repeat steps eight and nine for the tail and ears of the horse.

Important Note: When you trace the horse head, tail, and ear templates in step one, make sure that you draw the shapes onto the wood so the grain runs vertically through the shape. This is nice for the look of the finished piece, but it's also necessary for gluing the pieces to the shelf in step eight. Wood glue is not effective when used on an end grain, so it must be applied to the side of the grain.

This project would make a great gift for someone putting together a room for a baby or young child. You can make the shelf portion a bit smaller for holding board books, and the final piece would be perfect for resting on a side table next to a rocking chair. Of course, you could make this project for an adult too! After all, we're much better readers than babies.

DIY CAKE & BEVERAGE STENCIL

My favorite holiday traditions usually revolve around food. Sweet, savory... I'm not picky! But I am very particular about how my treats look when I bring them along to a dinner party. Of course, I want the food I make to taste delicious, but I also secretly crave a little affirmation at the dessert table.

"Oooh, this looks beautiful! Who brought this?" Yeah, that'd be me. Shazam!

This is the scenario I'm aiming for. So, even if I'm picking up a pumpkin pie from a local bakery, or just making brownies from a box mix, I like to add a little something special. I made these food stencils to personalize my baked goods for this holiday season and just love the charm they add to a simple pie, naked or frosted cake, or even a foamy drink. The stencils are simple to make, and I even included templates to make it even easier for ya!

It can be fun to design your own stencils using family names, inside jokes, or pretty graphics, but if you're in the mood for a simpler project, you can download the templates above.

Supplies:-printed templates
-cake pans or other round objects
-permanent market
-craft blade (Make sure it's fresh and sharp.)
-cutting mat (not shown)
-stencil sheets-masking tape or drafting tape (not shown)

Step One: Trace a cake pan or round object, leaving a little space for the tab that you will hold when using the stencil.

Step Two: Use a small round object to trace a little tab on one or both sides of the stencil.

Tip: Use a cake pan as a template for your stencil size. This will ensure that your stencil is the size of your cake, making it easier to use.

Step Three: Use a sharp craft blade to cut out the stencil, making sure the marker is on the scrap pieces, rather than on your finished stencil.

Step Four: Use masking or drafting tape to fix the stencil on top of the printed template. Use a sharp craft blade to cut out the template design. If your blade is sharp, you shouldn't have to press too hard.

Tip: Make sure you save the little scraps you cut out from the stencils—they make great masks!

These stencils are my new favorite baking gadget! I can't wait to use them on a freshly frosted cake to add fun sprinkle designs. So many possibilities!