FINISHING & PAINTINTG STRIPES ON PAPER MACHE BOXES

Almost every colonial kitchen contained round wooden nesting boxes, or pantry boxes. These boxes were often painted and used for storing spices, grains and flour. In the 19th century, clothing-makers adopted the shape for holding collar bands. Early American wives soon learned that these band boxes made beautiful and convenient storage boxes when covered with decorative fabric or wallpapers. Today, antique band boxes are considered a rare and sought-after collector’s item. It’s easy to make your own covered boxes for home storage.

Lay your box lid and bottom down on fabric or wallpaper, draw around it, then cut out about 1/2" from the circle...spread modge podge on the box, then glue the circle on, then glue the edges down. Next measure the side of the box, the height and add about 1/2", and measure the length around it, adding a 1/4" or so. Turn one edge under 1/4" and iron to hold it. Glue that piece on the side, with the turned under edge on the bottom of the box for a finished edge, and the other edge over the top of the box, glued on the inside (you could probably add a bit more, and turn that under as well, but I usually cover the insides with paper to hide it)...do the rim of the lid the same way. After it's dry, you can sand it, stain it, etc. If you want to cover the inside, I normally will tear paper in large pieces, then glue that in with the modge podge.

PAINTING STRIPES ON PAPER MACHE BOXES

These are paper mache boxes that were painted, striped and distressed.

First, give all the boxes a good solid base coat of black.

Pick the two colors you want to use on your boxes. Select the LIGHTER of those two colors to paint over the black paint. I recommend using Americana Acrylic Paint.

On to the stripes! Take your secondary (darker) color and select a paint brush that is the width that you want your stripes to be. Note that the stripes will NOT perfect. If you want them to be perfect you can tape them off or use a stencil. I prefer the slightly crooked ‘free hand’ painted look. A lot of the imperfections in your stripes will ‘disappear’ when you distress your item later.

When you’ve got 3/4 of the way around your box with the stripes, pause and analyze the amount of space you have left and estimate whether you are going to have to ‘adjust’ your stripe width in order to get them to ‘match up’ with your first stripe. It’s better to SPACE the stripes a tad farther apart than to make them closer in order to fit the space.

Horizontal stripes are harder to do. But again, the ‘crookedness’ of the stripes will blend in with the distressing step.

Once all your paint is dry, it’s time to sand and distress your boxes. A COARSE sanding SPONGE is recommended.

If you want to add some designs to the boxes, then use FOAM (not rubber!) stamps and water based acrylic craft paint for your designs.

LIGHTLY load your stamp with paint (too much paint will cause your stamp to SLIDE when you press it to your box). You will also get TWO stamps per paint loading. The second one is lighter, but that just means less sanding off later!

After your stamped on designs are dry, lightly hand sand them with a coarse sanding sponge to distress them.

If you decide your box needed some DOTS in addition to the stamped design, then use the end of a paint brush, dipped into paint. You can make three dots with each paint loading. Each dot comes out slightly smaller than the previous one.

The ‘weathered wood wash’(water based stain) is just brushed on over the entire sanded box and lid to give it a nice aged look.

Once the wood wash is dry,add a coat of MATTE varnish to seal and protect the surface.

If you want to add some wood knobs to the boxes you will need to find the center of the lids. To find ‘the center’ for the knob placement, trace the lid onto a piece of newspaper. Cut out the circle to the INSIDE of the tracing line. Fold the paper circle into fourths, and cut a tiny snip out of the center. Placed the opened paper circle into the lid and use a pencil to mark the center.
Drill a tiny hole at the center mark and screw the wood knob on from underneath.

I use neutral paste shoe polish........goes on clear and gives a nice shine and protection to the boxes. The neutral shoe polish puts a nice soft shine to the paper mache boxes.......and it protects them to. I just buy it at Wal-Mart in the round cans.......just regular old shoe polish. I have also used the black paste shoe polish in a can to.......and I like the effect it gives the boxes to. It's easy to apply and buff off.

LETS EAT! FRESH COCONUT CAKE, OLD FASHION FRIED PIES & SHORTNIN' BREAD!

FRESH COCONUT CAKE

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs one at a time, beating after each just until egg-color disappears. Sift flour once; add salt and baking powder and sift twice. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk. Stir in vanilla and pour into 3 layer cake pans and bake at 350 F until light brown about 25 min. Cool in pans for about 10 min. and turn out on rack to finish cooling.

Coconut Glaze

1 1/ 2 c. fresh grated coconut ( or one 12 oz bag frozen)
1/3 c. water
1/4 c. sugar

In small sauce pan, cook about 1/2 c. coconut with water and sugar just long enough to dissolve sugar. Spoon over each of the 3 layers of cake, allowing to soak into each layer. Do this as you stack the layers.

Fresh Coconut Filling

1 1/2 c. fresh grated coconut (or one 12 oz bag frozen)
2 1/2 c. water
2 tsp coconut extract, divided
2 c. sugar
1 tsp good vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
2 heaping Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. water

Bring coconut, water, coconut extract and sugar to a rapid boil. Boil for 5 to 8 min. Add vanilla, remaining coconut extract, lemon juice and salt. Mix cornstarch in 1/4 c. water; pour into filling, stirring constantly. Let boil for 2 min. Cool in fridge until completely cold and stiff. Spread between layers.


Coconut Frosting

5 egg whites
1 1/4 c. light corn syrup
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. fresh grated coconut
1 tsp vanilla


Put egg whites, corn syrup and sugar in a large double boiler, and beat until mixed; place over boiling water and cook and beat until beaters make deep tracks in icing and icing peaks and turns glossy. This takes about 8 to 10 min. Be sure to cook long enough. Add vanilla and mix. Spread icing thick on the cake layers and on sides of cake and the top. This recipe makes lots of frosting so be generous.

This icing does not form a crust, but stays where you put it.

Once all this is done, take 2 cups freshly grated coconut and press around the outside of the cake and pile it on the top.

OLD FASHION FRIED PIES
3 c. flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 c. Crisco
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 c. cold water
1 tsp white vinegar
Mix together the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender, fork, your hands, or whatever method works best for you, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir together the beaten egg with the water and sprinkle over flour mixture. Sprinkle in the vinegar, mixing lightly, until ingredients are well combined. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
The Filling:
For each cup of dried fruit, you need at least a half-cup and probably more of water, and 2 tablespoons of sugar.You can use any variety of dried fruit that you like and adding a few raisins to each fruit always add a little something special to the pie.

3 cups dried fruit (apricots, peaches, apples)
1-1/2 cups water
6 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
When simmering fruit, always use a very low setting. Now simmer the dried fruit in the water for at least 30 minutes, make take longer, you want the fruit very tender. Add water if necessary to prevent scorching. Allow to cool; mash fruit slightly. Stir in the sugar and spices. You may do all this a day in advance and place the mixture in the fridge overnight. Just remember to let you food come to room temperature before making your pies. You may reheat your mixture in the microwave if you like.

Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and cut it into four equal pieces. You can then cut each of the four pieces into three equal pieces, leaving you with 12 golf-ball-size dough balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a 5- to 6-inch circle.
Place 2 heaping tablespoons of filling onto one side of the circle of dough. Seal the pie by wetting the inside edge of the dough with water (use your finger), and then fold over the dough, making half-moon-shaped pie. Make sure the edges of the dough are even, and press and crimp to insure a good seal. You can use a fork to give you a bit of a decorative edge if you like. Don't over fill your pies, you don't want the filling oozing out. So don't overfill and make sure your edges are filled tightly.
Fry the pies in about a half inch of oil in an electric frying pan set to 375 F. Gently turn you pies as they fry. You want them golden brown, not burnt though and you want them evenly cooked on both sides. Remember the dough is all you are cooking at this point. You filling is already completely cooked. Remove them from you skillet and let drain on paper towels.
While the pies are still hot, sprinkle them with sugar. Grandmother just used plain granulated sugar, but I have had them with powedered sugar, cinnamon sugar or even a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon. So the sprinkling ingredient is just up to you.

SHORTNIN' BREAD
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup molasses
1 egg, slightly beaten

Combine first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Blend well and set aside. Dissolve soda in buttermilk and set aside. Combine butter and molasses in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the flour mixture. Stir in butte rmilk and egg. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10 inch iron skillet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in skillet for 10 minutes and invert onto plate. Slice in pie shaped wedges.
Recipes from gritsandmagnolias

PRIMITIVE GRUNGY HANG TAGS!

PRIMITIVE GRUNGY HANG TAGS

Grungy hangtags are easy and fun to make. Their wonderful smell takes you back in time to Mom's kitchen and the aromas that filled the air when she baked cookies or cooked a batch of homemade fudge. They are popular among primitive and country décor buffs for their aged appearance. There are many different kinds of hangtags.

SUPPLIES:
Cardstock paper
Strong brewed coffee (suggest instant)
Vanilla extract
Cotton string
Scissors or paper cutter
Sponges or large cotton balls (optional)
Cookie sheet and wax/baking paper
Hole-puncher with a grip handle
Reinforcement Labels

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut tags to any size you wish, for instance, 1-3/4" x 2-3/4", round off the tops or leave them straight across. Punch a hole in the top center of the tags or place a reinforcement label where you think the hole should be and punch. Apply round reinforcement labels to both sides of the tag. It is easier to punch the holes first then apply the tabs.

Cut sections of string about 12 inches long for tags measuring 2" x 4" (cut less or more length depending on the size of the tag you are making). Fold the string in half and enter both cut ends through the hole leaving the closed end on the opposite side of the tag to loop. Grasp the open ends taking them over the top of the tag through the loop. Gently pull the loop snug and tie a knot in the open ends. Leave about 1/4" excess string behind knot and trim even. You may use ribbon, cloth, jute, or any other material of your choice in place of cotton string.
Make a cup of double or triple strength coffee and add 2 tablespoons of Vanilla extract. Allow the coffee to cool enough to work without burning your fingers. Have a cookie sheet ready and lined with wax paper. Plain white paper will work, as well. If you place, the tags directly onto the metal dark specks will appear on the tags. That is why you should line your metal cooking sheet.

Dip each tag into the coffee mixture including the string; place the tag flat onto the cookie sheet repeating this step until you fill the cookie sheet. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 250 to 275 degrees. The edges will naturally curl but will flatten to a certain extent once again. Do not turn the tags over while they are baking. Baking makes, the tags brown more and helps preserve the vanilla's scent

MICROWAVE PRIMITIVE HANG TAGS

It works great, and you don't need to turn the oven on.

2 cups of hot water
1/4 cup instant coffee (dry)
2-3 tea bags (let seep for a bit)
3 Tablespoons imitation vanilla scented oil is optional and amount depends on strength desired.

Mix together. Soak tags in coffee mixture for 5-10 mins. Lay on paper plate lined with paper towels. Microwave in intervals of 40 sec, checking to make sure they don't burn. You can stamp on them or write on them. A really great look is old time pictures applied with decoupage. If you want you can sprinkled lightly with real cinnamon before microwaving.

Let's get grungy!! Tea bag trick!
I want to share this quick tip with you. Do you have lampshades that need that fast prim touch? Take a few tea bags (may need more ready depending on the size of the shade) Throw a cup of water in the microwave on high to get nice and hot, let your tea bags steep and gently wring out a little to get excess water off. Simply dab or blot your tea bags directly onto your shade! Yes, it's that simple. You can do as many layers as you'd like depending on how dark you want your stain.

TIPS:

If your coffee or tea stains your counter top, try spreading a thin layer of fresh coffee or tea over the tabletop scrubbing a damp cloth. Next, wipe the surface down with a clean damp cloth as you normally would.

Soak fingertips in 3% Hydrogen Peroxide mixed with warm water (1 part peroxide to 2 parts water) to help remove any stains from fingernails

PUMPKIN PIE, GINGERBREAD, CHOCOLATE & KOOL-AID PLAYDOUGH!

These recipes are really easy and you can probably get them right on the first try, though each time you make them you will definitely get better and produce the kind of playdough which you prefer! They make a great combination for a set of scented playdoughs, very festive! Makes a perfect gift.

PUMPKIN PIE PLAYDOUGH

This pumpkin recipe for playdough makes for a much better smelling playdough though it is considerably more work than the traditional playdough recipe and needs quite a few more ingredients.
This playdough recipe is not an edible playdough so make sure that even though it smells fantastic no one eats it!

INGREDIENTS:

flour – 5.5 cups
salt – 2 cups
cream of tartar – 8 tsp
cooking oil – 0.75 cups
pumpkin pie spices – 1 ounce
orange food coloring – 2 drops yellow and 1 drop red
water – 4 cups

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and one solid color
Cook while stirring with a wooden spoon over medium heat
Once all lumps are gone place on floured wax paper
Let cool and store in a sealed container

GINGERBREAD PLAYDOUGH

This recipe is very similar to the pumpkin pie playdough recipe in that it is both fantastic smelling and NOT safe to eat. Make this around Halloween or Thanksgiving for a festive craft with your kids! This playdough will keep well as long as you keep it in a sealed container in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS:

flour – 1.25 cups
all spice – 0.5 tsp
nutmeg – 0.5 tsp
ginger – 1 tsp
salt – 0.5 cups
cream of tartar – 0.5 tbsp
cooking oil – 1.5 tbsp
water – 1 cup

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium sized pot
Mix dry ingredients until consistent
Add water, oil, and cream of tartar and stir over low heat
Continue stirring until mixtures takes on a dough like consistency
Remove and place on wax paper
Knead until dough is smooth and consistent

CHOCOLATE PLAYDOUGH

No these are not cookies. In fact this playdough is NOT even edible. But it does small great! You may have to resist the temptation to eat it, but the smell is well worth it and this playdough recipe is a fun project to do with kids. It will last as long as you keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.


INGREDIENTS:

flour – 1.25 cups
cocoa powder – 0.5 cups
salt – 0.5 cups
cream of tartar – 0.5 tbsp
cooking oil – 1.5 tbsp
water – 1 cup

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium sized pot
Mix dry ingredients until consistent
Add water, oil, and cream of tartar and stir over low heat
Continue stirring until mixtures takes on a dough like consistency
Remove and place on wax paper
Knead until dough is smooth and consistent

KOOL-AID PLAYDOUGH

There are quite a few advantages to making homemade playdough with kool-aid. It smells good and has a nice bright color, making it very appealing as a playdough recipe for kids. You make a rainbow set of playdough really easily just by using a few different kinds of kool-aid mix to create a spectrum of colors. It also keeps very well so you can store it in your fridge and use it again and again!

INGREDIENTS:

flour – 2.5 cups
boiling water – 2 cups
corn oil – 2 tbsp
salt – 0.5 cups
alum – 1 tbsp

DIRECTIONS:

Mix each ingredient in with the flour
Knead the flour and other ingredients until very well mixed
Add more flour if necessary for texture

START PLAYING!

FAUX CINNAMON BUNS & LINEN SPRAY!

FAUX CINNAMON BUNS

SUPPLIES:

1 yd. Muslin
Ground Cinnamon or All Spice
Matte Mod Podge
Wax Paper or Freezer Paper
3-4 plastic cups & spoons
Beige colored thread
Fiberfill
Large Needle
Paint Brush
Antique White craft paint
1/4 cup of Faux Nuts (Optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Cut Muslin into strips approximately 5" wide by 24" long. This will be for the smallest size. You can increase them into 7" and 9" widths for varying height.

Fold material in half long ways and stitch a straight line to sew together, forming a long tube. Take tube and turn inside out. Now, stuff your tube with fiberfill. Don't pack it too tightly because you will be coiling it together in the shape of a cinnamon bun. Sew both ends shut now.

Starting with one end, begin to coil your tube together and form your Cinnamon Bun. When your Cinnamon Bun is rolled together, stitch the end to the bun to hold this shape in place. A few good stitches should hold this in place. Now, push your Cinnamon Bun up in the center slightly, from the bottom, to look like the middle has risen slightly. Just as a real Cinnamon Bun looks like.

Now, take about a 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon and mix into about a 1/3 cup of Mod Podge, into a plastic cup; mix well. Apply this mix all over your Cinnamon Bun with your paint brush. Now sprinkle your cinnamon also over your Bun. You don't need to cover your Bun completely, it looks more real when you don't. Tap off excess. Place your Bun on wax paper and let dry for about 20 minutes.

Coat your Bun again with the Mod Podge mix (don't worry about clumping, this just looks more realistic). Sprinkle again with Cinnamon and tap off excess. Set aside again to dry.

FROSTING MIX:

Take about 1/4 cup of Mod Podge and place in a plastic cup. Mix in a few drops of your Antique White Paint and stir very well until it becomes very opaque.

Now, take your plastic spoon and drizzle your Buns with your frosting mix while they are sitting on the wax paper. You can now sprinkle your Cinnamon Bun with some Faux Nuts (I have them in my ebay store). Let dry for approximately 2 hours or overnite. (You can also spray the underside of your Buns with a Cinnamon Bun linen spray to give them that "fresh baked" scent!)

LINEN SPRAY

SUPPLIES:
4 oz clean spray bottle with a fine mist setting (do not use a bottle that previously contained cleaning products or hair products)
1.5 ounces disitilled water
1.5 ounces vanilla extract
up to 10 drops of your favorite scented oils

Go to candlechem on ebay for a large selection of scented oils and you can get the spray bottle at walmart.

DIRECTIONS:

Fill the bottle with 1.5 ounces of the vanilla and disitilled water. Even though a 4 ounce bottle is suggested, leave about 1 ounce unfilled so you can shake the bottle well between uses.
Then add up to 10 drops of your scented oils.
Shake the bottle prior to each use and be sure to let it sit for a day before making a conclusion that the aroma is weak; the aroma can change after the spray has had time to sit.
Mist your finished primitive lightly and dry.
If you need more scent, just mist again.
Have fun with this easy to do project...It will make your kitchen smell so good!

FAUX RUSTY METAL!

Huh..Faux Rusty Metal From Felt?

From Crows On The Cupola

I came across this blog Crows On The Cupola and found this wonderful idea....So I wanted to share it with you...I haven't had any time to make some for pictures so if you want to see the finished items then just click on

Crows On The Cupola and go to October 6 2009!

Last year while working on projects for my Christmas show I ran out of rusty metal prim stars. It is difficult to find rusty metal stars or any prim supplies for that matter in the area I live and I didn't have time to order on line. I got to thinking how could I make stars of different shapes and sizes as well as other shapes that would resemble the real thing. It had to be something that was inexpensive, something that I could use materials I had on hand and of course something easy!. Then the idea came to me when I was grunging some tea lights to try dipping some felt star-shaped cut outs.. so I turned those bright colored felt pieces into grungy faux looking rusty ornies. The nicest thing is it doesn’t matter what color of felt you use.. they all turn out looking the same!

So here is what you need if you want to make some:

A heavy stainless pot or double boiler
Glass cake pan
Paraffin wax
Cinnamon (I get mine at Walmart)
Felt scraps of any color
Long nose pliers
Small sifter
Metal spatula
Freezer paper
Pumpkin Orange paint
Antique Gold paint
Dark Brown paint
Stencil brush
Scrap paper
Paper Plate or plastic lid

Draw or trace your desired shapes onto paper.. you can use patterns from books or trace cookie cutters if you are not into drawing free hand. I made paper patterns for several sizes of prim stars, a crow, gingerbread men, a candy cane, a bat, a sliver of a moon, pumpkins, letters, etc. You want to keep your cut outs a size that will fit easily in your pot. Pin your patterns to your felt and cut out as many as you want to do.

Next put several blocks of paraffin wax in your pot and melt over LOW heat. Keep your burner on LOW at all times and check melting progress often. While wax is melting pour a nice bed of cinnamon into your glass pan and also lay out your freezer paper, shiny side up next to your glass pan and try to keep this close to your melting wax pot so your not dripping wax across your counter. When your wax has melted pick up a felt shape with your pliers and dip into the wax then lay it in your bed of cinnamon turning it over to coat both sides. Re-dip into wax and coat again then lay onto freezer paper. Don't worry about the surfaces of your cut outs not being smooth.. lumpy and bumpy is good! As you continue to dip, after a while you will notice that the pot will start to get grungy on the bottom as it gets thick with cinnamon which is okay. You can just swirl your felt piece along the bottom of the pot and it will be almost coated, if needed dip back in cinnamon bed. Add wax to your pot as needed to keep it deep enough to dip into. You will also end up with a lot of hardened wax drippings in your bed of cinnamon so take your spatula and scrape the glass and then put the scrapings into your sifter and sift out the cinnamon and put the wax scraps back in the pot.

After the dipped cutouts have completely cooled on the freezer paper (don’t try to move them too soon!) they will lift off easily from the freezer paper. If your freezer paper gets too soiled scrape it with your spatula or you can lay a new piece down if it's too messy.

Once you have all your felt pieced dipped and cooling, turn off the burner and remove the pot to cool. Take a pair of scissors and carefully cut or scrap any messy edges on your pieces. Next step is to give them that rusty metal look ~ However... this is optional cause they are fun to just leave grungy and display in candle pans or where ever, you may want to do some of each!

For the grungy rusted metal look next pour a puddle of orange paint onto a paper plate and then dip your stencil brush into it and pounce some off onto scrap paper to remove most of the paint. Pounce your brush onto your wax pieces randomly. Do all shapes orange first and after they have dried repeat with the gold colored paint. Don't fret if you get too much color in spots cause you can take your brown paint and lightly pounce over the area that you want to tone down. Don't they look like they are cut from lumpy old rusty metal?

Tahhh dahhhh… you now have some fun faux rusty looking ornies in shapes that you would never find in any craft supply store!

The uses for these little faux rusty ornies are endless! The best thing is unlike real rusty tin pieces, you can push a wide needle right through these to tie on loops of string or rusty wire for hanging. You can tie on things like buttons or bells or stitch on them, you can pound a nail into them and they stay put!

Use them on swags, on little trees, tie to packages, bowl fillers in with prim fixins, tuck them into pillow pockets, use with your dolls or put some in a sweet little handmade fabric bag with prim fixins for a gift! They are fun to make and best of all they smell waaaay better than real rusty metal ornies!

I store mine in a plastic ice cream pail in a cool place until needed. Hope you have fun making these!! Enjoy this wonderful project and thanks Deb for this wonderful idea!

HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO GARLAND!

SWEET POTATO GARLAND

Sweet potato garland is a wonderful accent to primitive or country decor.
Hang from doorways, over the tops of cupboards, strung between the doors of a hutch
or cupboard or as a garland on your fireplace - even as garland on you tree.

Gather your ingredients:
Sweet potatoes
1 cup boiling water
4 tablespoons of Instant coffee
ginger (optional)
cinnamon
nutmeg
sewing needle with large eye
cotton butcher’s twine or hemp cord - cut length as long as you intend your garland to be (Remember the potato chunks shrink) I put 75 chunks on my garland.

Here is one way to do it

First you need to make your dye: Mix the coffee and boiling water
Do not peel the potatoes but just cut into chunks
Next, sprinkle your spices on a plate
Soak your cotton thread in the coffee dye mixture
Dip or drop your potatoes in the dye mixture to stain them
Roll your colored potatoes in the sweet and pungent spice mixture
Attach the potato pieces snugly, one against another, on the colored string -Tightly string the cubes together because they will shrink while drying
Let air dry - you can also put in a low oven (150 degrees) to dry faster. Keep checking on it and push your cubes closer together as it dries,
once they are dried it's next to impossible to move them.

Here is the way I do it!

You will need at least 2 nice size sweet potatoes to make a garland.
Do not peel the potatoes.
I half each potato, then cut each half into thirds and then cut that four or five more times into nice size chunks (remember it will shrink almost in half).
I put the chunks into a large bowl, sprinkle with cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg and toss it all together.
I have a dehydrator I use, but if you don’t then put your oven on the lowest temp (150 degrees), cover cookie sheets with parchment paper, put the chunks on them, into the oven for about 2-3 hours, or until they are starting to get soft…Now you string the potato chunks. It is much easier doing them this way instead of when they are raw. Make a loop in one end of your twine and start stringing your potato chunks. Wait till the potatoes are dry before making the loop on the other end…You will need to push the chunks together as they dry, so make sure you use a twine that is strong, so it doesn’t break. You can skip the stringing and use the dried Sweet Potatoes for bowl fillers. Put a few whole cloves, bay leaves & broken cinnamon sticks in your bowl with the dried Sweet Potatoes...Yummy this smells so good.