Archive for Do It Yourself!

Easy DIY Tutorial: Make Your Own Custom Fortune Cookie Gift Box & Check Out the Cool Photos I took at a Fortune Cookie Factory!

By | Published October 18, 2012

I REALLY like surprises.

But apparently USPS doesn’t.

The International Customs Declaration form that USPS makes you fill out renders mailing any kind of surprise package abroad difficult. Not only are you forced to declare what’s inside the package, the form is also taped to the top of your box, revealing whatever mischievous contents you so neatly wrapped up to your mailman and to the rest of the world. I was pretty determined not to let the evil customs form ruin all the fun though. Instead of “fortune cookies,” I labeled my package as “a box of crackers.” Yeah, I really patted myself on the back for that one. To my delight, my slight distortion of the truth not only tricked USPS and customs, I had managed to trick my friend as well. According to him, his first reaction after seeing the package with the attached customs form was,”Why the hell did Cat mail me a box of crackers?” Teeheehee, oh I am a wily one!

If you don’t live in San Francisco, you can order custom fortune cookies on the following websites. Warning: I have not purchased anything from any of these websites, so please order at your own risk.

  1. http://www.kcfortunecookiefactory.com/shop-now/custom/custom-fortune-cookies-easy-online-ordering – Personalize up to 15 messages at $0.07-$0.39 each depending on the quantity of the order (minimum order of 50 cookies).
  2. http://www.fancyfortunecookies.com/Personalized_Vanilla_Fortune_Cookies_p/van1020.htm – Personalize each message for $0.55 per cookie (minimum order of 50 cookies).
  3. http://www.orientaltrading.com/create-your-own-fortune-cookies-kit-a2-_K2142-12-1.fltr?Ntt=custom+fortune+cookie – A fortune cookie kit so you can make your own cookies from scratch in the comfort of your own home.

If you live in the super awesome city of San Francisco and want to explore and order “hand-made” fortune cookies in person at what I consider one of the city’s most fascinating hidden gems, the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, then follow these instructions!

  1. Click here to download the fortune cookie message template.
  2. Fill out the Word document template with your personalized messages. Need some inspiration? I filled mine with inside jokes, hilarious quotes from movies that I watched with my friend, and ridiculous online conversations that we’ve had in the past.
  3. Cut the messages into individual slips along the dotted lines.
  4. Bring your slips to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory at 56 Ross Alley. It’s in a hidden alley in China Town.
  5. Watch the lady make your custom fortune cookies on the spot in front of you! 52 cookies took about 30 minutes and cost $17. I asked for my fortune cookies to be individually wrapped, which was an extra $2. I didn’t mind standing there watching the lady work the machine at all and was offered freshly made cookies to nibble on while I waited. Note that if you want to take pictures during your visit, you’ll need to pay them another 50 cents.
  6. Buy a cute cake box for your fortune cookies. My box was approximately 12x12x6 inches and fit all 52 cookies snugly. You should be able to buy one online for less than $3 here or in person at your local Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store.
  7. Buy twine to secure the gift box. You should be able to buy a spool online for less than $4 here or in person at your local Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store.

And you’re done!

Check out some of the cool photos that I took during my little adventure to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory! Passing through the famous China Town Dragon Gate on Grant Avenue at Bush Street.

 Entering Ross Alley.

The unassuming store front of the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory.

A long and narrow space. I felt like I was in a steam punk fanatic’s dream with all these vintage looking machines!

I am pretty much fascinated by the whole process. The machine pumps out warm and flat cookies. The lady then quickly shapes the cookie with her hands and the assistance of a metal rod before it cools down and hardens.

I am given quite a few flat fortune cookies to taste while I wait for my cookies to be made.

My cookies are collected from the pan and cooled on a tray.

They are then individually wrapped by hand!

I’m definitely adding this to the SF tour I give my friends when they come in town to visit! It’s so fun!

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Easy Step-By-Step Photoshop Tutorial: Blogger Business Cards

By | Published October 10, 2012

Sometimes I feel embarrassed about saying the name of my blog out loud because it sounds kind of silly.
“You have a blog? What’s it called?”
“Couscoustangerine.” I’d whisper.
“What?”
“COUSCOUTANGERINE!” I’d say a bit louder, feeling a bit abashed.
“How do you spell that?”
Yep, this is when business cards would have come in handy. The upcoming Foodbuzz Festival (a food blogger convention) next weekend finally motivated me to get off my lazy butt and create my very own business cards. Hopefully this will eliminate disconcerted whispers and confused looks the next time I try to shamelessly pitch my blog.

Click here for the full post and my easy step-by-step Photoshop tutorial, including the PSD files and the font I used, to create your very own blogger business cards!

Total Time Needed: Approximately 30 mins if you’re laid-back to 1 hour if you’re a perfectionist.
Cost: $23 for 250 cards at www.vistaprint.com (color on both sides & free shipping).

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The White Picnic

By | Published July 24, 2012

There are picnics, and then there are magnificent picnics.

Every year, thousands of Parisians dressed in white converge for a secret event called the Diner en Blanc, the dinner in white. It is neither publicly advertised nor heralded, an exclusive invite-only flash mob, at which friends invite their own trusted friends. Nobody is sure who decides, year in and year out, which people are invited to create tables for the evening. Last year, 4,400 of them gathered in the plaza at the cathedral of Notre Dame, and the year before at the courtyard of Louvre. (NYtimes article here).

The whole idea just sounds positively dreamy. Could Parisians get anymore romantic?!

After months of obsessive daydreaming, I became convinced that I needed to host my very own le pique-nique blanc, albeit with a guest list limited to 15. After some initial planning, my day dreams soon turned into nightmares filled with never ending yards of white cloth. I can now say that I know what it feels like to be a bridezilla planning a wedding, except I was the bride, the maid of honor, the cook, the flower girl, and the wedding planner all rolled up into one. My poor friend Jen was dragged along for a whole 6 hours of shopping and 3 hours of cooking! Thank you, Jen!

On the Menu:
- Mac & Cheese cups
- Jello Shots on Lemon Peels
- Mimosas
- Raisin rosemary crisps + cambozola triple cream blue cheese + salami
- Deviled eggs
- Mango Salad
- Salami Mozzarella Basil Sandwiches
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin
- Brownies

Wearing white and carrying bouquets of flowers definitely attracted some curious stares, but to quote Casey, “there’s always someone weirder than you in San Francisco.” To which I whole-heartedly agree and soon tossed all self-consciousness aside.

Riding the carousel in Golden Gate Park was definitely not part of the plan, but as soon our party got tipped off about this hidden little gem, we immediately packed up and headed over to have some fun. I thought my ride on the carousel was quite appropriate. It was the perfectly adorable end to a very cute-astic day. Meow. ;)

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DIY: The Braided T-Shirt Bracelet

By | Published July 9, 2012

Craft Time: 20-30 Minutes

Tools Needed:

  1. Pliers
  2. Scissors

Supplies:

  1. Two 3/4 Inch Crimps
  2. One 10mm Lobster Clasp
  3. One 5mm Jump Ring
  4. Three Strips of T-shirt strips (shouldn’t need more than 1 foot per strip). I happened to have scraps in rolls but cutting up colorful t-shirts should work just fine!

Cost: Should be around $5 dollars.

Tutorial:

  1. Cut t-shirt into three strips of cloth. Each strip should be 1.5 inches wide x 1 foot long.
  2. Use plier to secure the t-shirt strips within the crimp.
  3. Braid the strips until braid is long enough to wrap around wrist.
  4. Cut off excess cloth.
  5. User plier to clamp on crimp at the end of the braid.
  6. Attach the jump ring onto one of the crimps.
  7. Attach the lobster clasp to the jump ring.

And you’re done! Easy!

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Fun DIY Project: Wishful Shells

By | Published May 3, 2012

Ever gone to the beach and was disappointed that there were no pretty shells or sand dollars for you to collect? If you’ve ever been to Ocean Beach in San Francisco, you’ll know that the only things you’ll be collecting are splinters and some major “owwie!” moments from stepping on drift wood, the leftover mess of a bonfire, or remnants of broken bottles. OK, I might be exaggerating a little, but there definitely aren’t shells on this beach. I decided to remedy the situation by scattering my own shells for people to find. Of course, this project wouldn’t be complete without painting some cute little hearts on the shells and stuffing them with secret messages!

All you’ll need to do this at your local beach are the following:

  1. A very thin paintbrush
  2. Acrylic paint
  3. Shells – I looked EVERYWHERE for these. Finally found a bag of them at Pier One for about $7. I think you might be able to buy them in bulk at a Michaels or Jo-ann as well.
  4. Colorful paper
  5. Pen

That’s me…after two afternoons of intense crawling, photographing, and scattering of shells!

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