Homemade Tootsie Rolls

I look through my cookbooks all the time when I am in search of something to try. The weird part about it is that I believe that I am pretty thorough in my browsing, but yet every time I read them I find new recipes that I do not remember seeing before.  hmmm.... maybe I have magic cookbooks? that HAS to be the case! I found this recipe yesterday in a cookbook I have read numerous times and was thrilled that I had all the ingredients on hand. As for the "tootsie roll" claim, I do taste some tootsie in them but a more appropriate name would be "chocolate fudgy bites."  But since this is what they were called originally, I will keep they name.  They really are good and super easy though.

   

Tootsie Rolls

5 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons cocoa

3/4 cup powdered milk

1/2 cup karo syrup

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Melt the butter and the cocoa together over low heat.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

3. Spread onto a small pan or plate, mixture will be thick. I spread mine to about a half an inch thickness, it all depends how you want to do it. 

4. Put in fridge or freezer until firm.

5. Cut into small pieces and wrap with wax paper if desired.

Valentine Heart Wreath

I love to eat the little conversation heart around this time a year, they are one of my favorites. I decided they were too cute not to make something out of.  so I wrapped a wooden wreath frame I got at Michael's with tissue streamer and started sticking the hearts on with hot glue.

I got most of the way around, then I stopped and attached a ribbon to hang it from.

Then I just glued hearts over the ribbon and added a couple of tissue roses and I was done!

Funky Photo Frame

I love to go shopping at Michael's just to look around and the other day I was walking around and came across these fun wood frames and had to get one! I had no idea what I could do with it but knew that I needed one (They were $6.99 I think, but if you decide to get one make sure you bring a coupon.  If you download their app, it will be on your phone).  I brought it home and looked at it for a day or two and decided that it needed to be a photo frame and this is what I came up with.

This is the plain wood shape, They had square frames and smaller sizes as well.

I painted the frame this blue that I love!

Then I took ribbon and tied it to the big frame and hot glued a smaller picture frame onto the ribbon ( I tried to only glue on the frame itself so I could change the picture if I wanted).

I glued the end of the ribbon to the big frame also.

                                  You could just be done here. I just thought that my frame needed a little more.

         SO I took strips of vinyl and put stripes on the picture frame and am happy with how it turned out!