The Final Countdown

I realize that I said in my last entry that I was going to talk about candying, but as per usual, the issue is I don't have any pictures (and haven't had a lot of time to start a candy-making day from scratch!!!).  But I promise, at some point, I'll get to my specialty (according to my friends) - candied orange peels and crystallized ginger :)

In the meantime, though, I thought I'd share a little how-to for an upcoming special occasion.  August is a fun time for me for several reasons.  Work will be over soon, school will start up in a few weeks, and - the creme de la creme - it's my and Dillon's anniversary.  We always try to challenge ourselves to give unique gifts, since we both like to think outside of the box, but still like to keep it practical.  Case in point - one V-Day, I received a snazzy mini butane torch.

Flame on!

It's only our 2nd anniversary, and being a college student on a budget, I thought I'd go for a homemade gift - cheesy, but meaningful.  Today's project:  a picture frame clock.  I'll readily admit that I had no basis to start from, and all I had was an old, broken clock that I had found in the back corner of my office.

Not very nice looking, and plus the outer frame was cracked in a ton of places.  I took the entire thing apart, leaving me with just the important part - the gears and the hands.  From there, it was time to go town. 

Eventually, I'll put a pic of Dill and I in the empty white space, but that's more or less the finished project.  I'm really happy with how it came out, especially the fake pearl decal.  If you're interested in make a similar one, I've posted a how-to here (link goes to my Cut-Out and Keep profile).

Project:  success!