Big Show Bulletin

It’s officially the season of gingerbread cookies, fruit cakes, and Santa-decorated sugar cookies. Many families have holiday recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. But have you ever thought about being the founder of a family recipe? If you have a knack for baking up a storm during the winter months and create a recipe of your own! Save the recipe to bake it again for the 2022 Wyoming’s Big Show.

Here are some baking tips and tricks to get you started developing your own delicious recipes!

Tip 1: If your recipe includes berries, chocolate chips or heavy nuts coat them in flour before mixing them into your batter. It will help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the container during baking.

Tip 2: Having a hard time getting your baking to rise even with the right amount of flour? Try sifting your flower after you measure it out. The extra air can help it rise better.

Tip 3: Line your pans with parchment paper for easy removal of cakes, brownies or bars. This makes sure nothing sticks to the edges.

Tip 4: When in doubt, let all your ingredients come to room temperature. This includes butter, eggs and water. This can affect how certain ingredients react with other ingredients and how they bake in the oven.

6 Tips for the Perfect Table Centerpiece

Snow may be around the corner but you can still bring the brightness of flowers into your home! Silk flowers, sometimes called faux of artificial flowers, are a great way to bring a pop of color to your table. Plus they will last forever to display year after year!

Thanksgiving is holiday colored with vibrant oranges, mellow yellows, natural greens, earthy browns, and soft reds. A table centerpiece is a great way to feel the warmth of giving thanks. Check out our tips below to make your own centerpiece to celebrate the season!

• Thrift containers
  • Vintage casserole dishes, watering cans, pumpkin décor containers, and wooden boxes are all great “vase” options you can find at secondhand store.
• Choose flowers that are in season to make your arrangement look as natural as possible. Teleflora has a great list of fall flowers (pictured).

• Incorporate faux grains, grasses, and gourds to reflect the harvests of the season.
• Throw in something sentimental.
  • Thanksgiving is all about family so considering using your centerpiece as an opportunity to display a small family heirloom or photo.
• Add some light.
  • Battery powered fairy lights are a great option to add a little dazzle to your centerpiece.
• Incorporate some Wyoming!
  • Do you or your family hunt? Incorporate a small piece of antler for a rustic touch. Love the smell of sagebrush? Put a small cutting in as a filler. Small rocks from our rustic Wyoming landscape look great as pebbles in a glass container.

Did you know silk flower arrangements are a class at Wyoming’s Big Show?

Carefully store your silk flower arrangement away for the winter to enter into Wyoming’s Big Show in summer 2022.

Did you know October is National Book Month? Books are wonderful in many ways- they can teach us new skills, escape to a fantasy world, and wrap us up in the twists and turns of a good mystery. But what to do with all the old, tattered books you have laying around that are in too rough of shape to donate? Don’t throw them out, craft with them!

There are a variety of crafts you can make with old books. Check out our list below for ideas and inspiration!

1. Flowers- Flowers are a good, introductory way to get into book crafts. They work great as party decorations (you can even lightly spray paint them for a pop of color) or make a variety of floral types to make a beautiful, lightweight wreath. Source: All flower projects are from HomeBNC’s 30+ Special DIY Craft Ideas to Make With Vintage Books
2. Book Knife Block- Want a knife block but don’t want to foot the expensive price tag? Make a book knife block! Home Talk DIY has great instructions for this project that belongs in any book worm’s kitchen.
3. Book Word Art- A word made of words! You’ve probably seen these trendy book word art projects around. Want to make your own but not sure where to start? Eco Friendly DIY has great instructions to get you started! Make a book with your last name, spell out your favorite season, or anything else you like!
4. Stacked Book Display- Stacked books art is trendy and will look perfect if you have other farmhouse décor. Painted hardback books work best for this recipe. You can use printing instructions like from Grow It Build It blog for the letting or get creative with calligraphy brush pens. Make your stack as tall or short as your saying. You can even make a multi-season stack by making a top book say “Happy” and create interchangeable, colorful bottom books with “Spring”, “Harvest”, “Summer”, and “Snowman Season."

Don’t forget to enter book-tacular project in Wyoming’s Big Show crafts division. You could win bragging rights, awards, and premium money for more books!