Sister Sunday

Hello everyone!! :)
My great Sis has made todays post, and I think its such a great idea! I have never been able to find vanilla essence in Norway, we have something called vanilla sugar, and it doesn't always work as good for my american recipe. Anyways, here we go for the first Sister Sunday!!

Homemade Vanilla/ DIY Vanilla Essence 

The days are getting shorter, the temperature lower, and the ground whiter. At this time of the year, I like to spend my evenings wrapped in a warm blanket, surrounded by burning candles, Christmas musics, and the smell of my hot cocoa,  making gifts for those I hold dear. One of the projects I decided to attempt this year was homemade vanilla essence.

What you need: 

A small glass bottle

Vanilla beans

Vodka

First you need to cut the vanilla bean open, starting one cm from the top. Doing this will cover your hands in black seeds and vanilla oils, but don't worry. It will leave a wonderful fragrance on your hands  for the rest of the day. 

This is what the bean looks like inside, all those small seeds are what will give the essence flavor. 

Insert the bean into the glass bottle and fill with vodka. Shake.

And that is all you have to do for the vanilla essence. Making the label is probably the most time consuming part of this. 

I made the labels by hand, but having a color printer and/or sticker paper would have simplified this process quite a bit.

What I used:

Pens

Paper

Mod podge/ Elmer's glue

A brush

First, I made this label on regular white paper, using a serrated scissor to cut it.

I did not have mod podge/decoupage glue, but mixing Elmer's glue and water 50/50 works just as well. First, you have to paint the glue on the backside of your label and place it on the desired spot on the bottle. It is really important that you let it dry completely before painting over the surface with more glue. I was too impatient and the result was smudgy labels.

These will need about 3 weeks for the vanilla flavor to infuse into the vodka, and you should shake them once a week. You can always refill the bottle with vodka when you start using it, making it last for years. 

I made quite a few of these, that way I have both Christmas presents and hostess gifts for the holidays.

I love this idea! thanks Sis 

 + Sis