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Showing posts from June, 2013

Chonky Boys: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches that Scream Summer!

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Featuring my thick and nuggy Chonky Boy Chocolate Chip Cookies, these ice cream sandwiches are the stuff that summer dreams are made of.  If you've ever had the Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich at Disneyland , you are going to LOVE these!  These big and bold chocolate chip cookies are based on a recipe from my culinary school studies at Auguste Escoffier, but with a few modifications to give them that Jennuine touch.  They make the perfectas book for a fat slice of real vanilla bean ice cream.  And those mini chips?  You just gotta have that extra cronch! Thank goodness this recipe only makes 8 sandwiches, otherwise I would be eating them for breakfast lunch and dinner.  This way, my big family can help save me from my inner child diet-saboteur.   Print With Image Without Image Chonky Boy Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches Yield: 8 Author: Jenn Erickson Loaded with chocolate chips and buttery, brown-sugary vanilla flavor, these mall-sized cookies form a perfect partnership with a

4th of July DIY: Star Spangled Beverage/Party Tub

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    Here's a nice little 4th of July project I came up with for The Home Depot for a summer campaign a few years back.   Inspiration struck when I found a 16 3/4 gal. Galvanized Utility Tub at Home Depot for around $20. I knew it would be the perfect vessel from which to ice and serve a selection of Sonoma County microbrews, Napa Valley wines, and retro soda pops on the 4th of July! Moreover, it can pull double-duty as a patriotic pedestal for a dessert table, or to hold bags of popcorn, party favors, water balloons, etc.   Star Spangled Beverage/Party Tub DIY   Materials List (All of my supplies were purchased at The Home Depot) Galvanized Tub White spray primer Red spray paint Blue spray paint Painters tape Contact paper (shelf paper) or a star stencil Masking paper Step 1:  Remove any stickers or labels from the tub.  I used Goo Gone to remove the left-over adhesive.  Wipe any dust or dirt

Goodbye Google Reader! Here's How to Stay Connected with Your Favorite Blogs...

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Perhaps you've already heard:   Google Reader is shutting down on July 1.  When Google throws the switch,   you will lose the list of blogs you follow. Is there an alternative?  Sure is!  Hop on over to  Bloglovin’.  It's free and they make it easy to transfer the list of all the blogs you already follow, for a nice seamless transition. Here is how to import all the blogs you follow from Google Reader to Bloglovin. I hope you'll take the leap over to Bloglovin' with me and will continue to be part of the Rook No. 17 creative community! Your readership, comaraderie, comments and support are what give my creative spirit wings!  You can find Rook No. 17 on Bloglovin' HERE .

Washi Tape Giveaway from DownTownTape.com #spon

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I love Washi Tape! I  use it when packaging baked goods, making cards, and adding that extra "something" to just about any creative project.    It's incredibly versatile and beautiful stuff!   I'm delighted to tell you that I've teamed up with a group of my favorite ladies in Blogland to bring you a knock-your-crafty-socks-off washi tape giveaway.  Not one, but two winners will be selected at random to win 50 rolls of Washi Tape from  Downtown Tape (the Washi Tape wonder- store who is donating all the washi!). GIVEAWAY What would you do with 50 rolls of Washi Tape? Enter to win below... a Rafflecopter giveaway   Important: I have not received any type of compensation for this giveaway.  The washi tape prints in the giveaway prize may vary from those pictured in this post. The giveaway sponsor, Downtown Tape, is responsible for delivering the prize; Rook No. 17 has no responsibility for the delivery of aforementioned pri

Big Time Rush = Big Time Summer Fun!
+ How to drink up your own VIP Experience with Kool-Aid

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Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. #KoolAidBTRtour #shop (No Kool-Aid Jammers , hair follicles, or boy bands were hurt in the making of this post.) For my best bud Geri, it was Menudo. I was a retro junkie, even as a kid, so my heartthrobs were the Monkees. And now, for my youngest daughter, it's Big Time Rush. That's right -- Boy Bands -- Good, squeaky clean pop music fun. Ever since Big Time Rush introduced their boy-band synth-pop on Nickelodeon in 2009, it's been nothing but "James [this]," and, "Kendall [that]," around here. So, when Kool-Aid and Walmart presented me with the opportunity to take my daughter to see the boys live in concert, I knew that this was a chance to make one young fan's dream come true.   Because the BTR tour is sponsored by Kool-Aid, I t

Paper Pups: The Ultimate Craft Book for Dog Lovers {REVIEW & GIVEAWAY}

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Do you craft with your Corgi... Bead with your Bulldog... Sew with your Scottie... Decoupage with your Doxie?  As for me, I do a lot of mixed media with my mutts.  Whether you're a fan of the big breeds or the teacup tinies, if you're a creative person with an affinity for canine companionship, I have a book for you:  Paper Pups   by Hiroshi Hayakawa ( Lark Crafts, May 2013 ).    Paper Pups has 35 fun paper projects for making three-dimensional paper dogs using a combination of origami and kirigami techniques.  The best part about this book ( besides all the irresistible canines ) is that the projects don't require a lot of special equipment or supplies.  The templates that you need are included in the book and are already to scale.  All you do is photocopy the desired template on to a piece of paper.  Then, use your scissors, a craft knife, and a bone folder (or straight edge) to bring your pup to life!  No glue or tape required! The proj

Gluten Free Lemon Blueberry Muffins

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We've been on a gluten-free culinary adventure ever since we found out that my eldest daughter has a gluten allergy.  One of her favorite baked treats is blueberry muffins, but I've been daunted at the prospect of coming up with a GF recipe from scratch.  Last week we enjoyed an incredible GF blueberry muffin at Acre in Petaluma.  It was so delicious that I felt inspired to give my own recipe a go at last. I've been wanting to give the Gluten Free baking mix at Trader Joe's a try, so I picked up a bag and a handful of other ingredients and came up with this recipe that the whole family loved.  These muffins are easy to make and are moist, but with a delicate texture.  For fun, I sprinkled on a little bit of Swedish Pearl Sugar, but you can use any kind of sugar you like.  I hope you'll enjoy... Gluten Free Lemon Blueberry Muffins (can be made dairy free as well) 2 cups gluten free flour (I used Trader Joe's brand) 1 teaspoon baking soda 1

Free Vintage Graphics: Vintage Alphabet Nursery Blocks {ABC}

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  Many years ago, I shared these sweet images from my collection and asked readers to create witty captions for them for a chance to win a prize. I was completely bowled over by the creativity, cleverness, and wickedly funny contributions that were shared! (To see what readers came up with, visit HERE ) Since then, I have had several requests for the images themselves, and have always been happy to send them to anyone who felt a creative spark. W - Wiley the Wolf wondered why the whistling girl wore red. W is for Wisecracker: Excuse me Miss, do you have any Grey Poupon? I figured that it was high time to put all of the graphics in one place so that they are easy to find, download and share. If you make anything with these images, please show off your craftiness on the Rook No. 17 Facebook Fan Page: HERE . Please feel free to download and use for non-commercial purposes. Enjoy! Vintage Nursery Alphabet Blocks A-T Download HERE Vintage Nur