Monday, January 13, 2014

Why do my cookies taste so bad? A lesson in baking and organizing.

I would have gone outside for picture of the house, but it was cold and I had wine.


During the  2013 fall ice storm, Boyfriend and I decided to make Chelsa's Malbec Chocolate Truffles (super easy to make and they taste GREAT) and TacoFino's fiery Chocolate Diablo Cookies to take to his aunt's home for a party. Easy enough, right? Wrong.

When I'm baking I take over the kitchen. That day Boyfriend decided to "help" during the cookies. I asked him to measure out some sugar and dump it into my trusty mixer as I'm washing something in the sink. I turn around and you guessed it... more FLOUR was just added. To his credit Boyfriend did say he though the consistency of the sugar was off, but he mentioned it a second too late.

Fast forward to 2014! For Christmas, Cosmo (our wonderful dog) got me a Silhouette CAMEO. A CAMEO is a personal electronic cutting machine. It uses a small blade to cut paper, cardstock, vinyl, fabric, etc. I've been wanting one FOREVER!

So I decided my first project with my CAMEO would be to make sure the FLOUR/SUGAR incident never took place in Casa de Cosmo again.

I started designing what I wanted the labels to look like in the Silhouette design program. Since I'm just staring out I went with a fairly basic design. The software downloads on your computer and it easy to use (if I read the instructions it might be easier...).
Yes, I know it's powdered sugar. This was a test and I was tired. 

I decided to test cut my design on cardstock because it's cheaper than vinyl and I had heard there was a bit of a learning curve with vinyl.

Cardstock Test Cut
I corrected my spelling and got out vinyl in my favorite color and started my "real" first cut. And got a hot mess. I immediately logged into my Silhouette group on Facebook (more about that later) and figured out my Roller Bar wasn't locked and my blade was set to cut to deep. A few minor tweaks and we went from:
Hot Mess

TO

Perfection
I grabbed my transfer paper and cut a piece large enough to cover one of the labels. I took the grid side and stuck it sticky side down on top of my new labels and used my wiper tool and burnished ( rubbing/pressing down really hard) and made sure the label was really stuck.

The trick to getting the label moved onto the transfer tape is to place the transfer tape down and pull the old backing away! Go SLOWLY and if you find things aren't sticking to your liking use the wiper tool to burnish them.

I then eyeballed the placement (you don't get a second chance with vinyl) and once again used my wiper tool to burnish the label onto the container.

The one piece of transfer tape worked for all four labels! And the grid helps you keep things level. 
Voila!

So what are the odds we have another baking disaster in Casa de Cosmo? Probably pretty good. Do these types of things only happen to us?



Want to check out more Silhouette projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects related to this theme of ORGANIZATION on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of inspiration!



  1. DIY Window Shutter Mail Organizer by Weekend Craft
  2. Kids' Art Wall by Tried & True
  3. Organizing Silhouette and Craft Supplies by The Happier Homemaker
  4. Simple Recipe Organization by It's Always Craft Time
  5. Put a Label on it! Herb Names for Plant Stakes by Get Silvered
  6. Super Simple Linen Closet Labels by Two Purple Couches
  7. Beware of the Animals Vinyl Toy Box by A Tossed Salad Life
  8. Child desk accessories by Architecture of a Mom
  9. Organizing & the Important of Labels by The Turquoise Home
  10. Index Card Organizer for Easier Meal Planning by Chicken Scratch NY
  11. Create Craft Room Labels by Dragonfly & Lilypads
  12. Simple Storage Solution for your Christmas Ornaments by Vintage News Junkie
  13. Organize this: DIY Planner Covers, Tags & Dividers (made with Cereal Boxes) by Black and White Obsession
  14. How to Make a Cut File into a Print & Cut by Create & Babble
  15. Simple Chest Freezer Organizational Board by Nearly Handmade
  16. Vinyl Your Kitchen Canisters! by From Wine to Whine
  17. Nursery Closet Dividers & Silhouette Cut File by Creative Ramblings
  18. Make Custom Box Templates with a Silhouette for Drawer Organization by One Dog Woof
  19. Organizing the Craft Room by What's Next Ma
  20. Vinyl Wall Calendar by Crafts Cakes and Cats
  21. Personalized Toy Storage Bins by Lil' Mrs. Tori
  22. Personalized Routine Chart by Work in Progress
  23. Blog Planner Sheet Dividers + Free Cut Files by TitiCrafty by Camila
  24. Simple Project Calendar by Little Blue's Room
  25. Dry Erase Photo Frame Menu Board + Free Cut File by Essentially Eclectic
  26. Receipt Organization with Free Cut File by The Thinking Closet
  27. Cute and Easy Labels by Life After Laundry
  28. "What's For Dinner?" Menu Planning Board by unOriginal Mom
  29. Mixing Organization and Function: An Easy Conversion Chart by My Paper Craze
  30. Why do my cookies taste so bad? A lesson in baking. by The Life and Times of a TAP
  31. Custom Drawer Dividers by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
  32. The evolution of my labeling system by feto soap
  33. Ikea Drawer labels by McCall Manor
  34. Glass Etched Vinegar  & Oil bottles by Terri Johnson Creates
  35. Organize It: Bathroom Closet by The House on Hillbrook
  36. Ombre Butterfly Magnet Board by Sowdering About

8 comments:

Angela @Little Blue's Room said...

I love the labels but I got a real chuckle out of reading this post. Great job on the labels and hopefully there won't be any more baking disasters...LOL!

Janice @ NearlyHandmade said...

Toooooo Funny!! Your labels turned out great! It's hard to believe you're just a beginner! Looking forward to seeing more from you!

Unknown said...

Wow we have a lot in common!! One, I made labeled canisters too :) Two, I've totally messed up my fair share of baked goods!!! But in all seriousness your labels came out great, and I really like the color you choose, it's very cheery!

D said...

Love the inverse design for the different kinds of baking goods. :) lover your explanation too!

Kristy gd said...

This is a really great first project! I like how you switched up the way the green is used between the sugar and the flour. That should help even more with quick identification!

architectureofamom said...

So...what's wrong with "powered sugar?" I think you did great for a first project! There is a big learning curve and you did the right things to figure it out!

~Krista~ said...

I did this a few months ago and I am still loving it! I love yours, I might have to add a frame around mine!

Unknown said...

Wow, you labels are fabulous! Love the green.