Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Dishtowel Bib Tutorial

Great Tutorial on how to make Dishtowel Bibs from Create Everyday:

I would try to find a cuter dishtowel. But I love the ones like this that Amy gave me b/c it is harder for the babies to figure out how to pull off and b/c they are longer then a regular bib.


Monday, March 30, 2009

Free Giveaway

There is a Giveaway over at There is Fun to be Done. It is SO CUTE!


Free Easter Craft ebook

Free Easter Craft ebook

Posted using ShareThis

Denim Picnic Quilt

Cool Denim Picnic Quilt by Little Birdie Secrets:
She has great directions on her site.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Butterscotch Pecan Pie

This Pie looks really yummy! Bakerella used this recipe:

Butterscotch Pecan Pie

Binki Clip

I found a tutorial about how to make binki clips from this and that:


supplies:9 inch piece of ribbon (some people like it a bit longer. remember there will be a soother attached to it so that adds a little length)
a match or fire to melt the edge of ribbon
clip to attach to clothing with (i get mine from name tags that andy gets at work, hehe)
1 snap (4 parts)
a snap setter - i have a large one but you can pick up a little one for a couple bucks

1. seal both ends of the ribbon using a flame. do not let the flame touch the ribbon, just get it close enough to melt it as you move it back and forth.

2. thread one end of the ribbon through the whole in the clip, sew it approximately 3/4 inch from the clip. this is what the back will look like:



here is the front:



3. on the other end of the ribbon, secure one side of the snap with the snap setter. about 1 1/2 -2 inches away from the first snap secure the other side of the snap.

4. and you're done!!

Hanging Wood Letters or Wreaths

Cute and practical way of hanging letters and a tutorial on how to make the letters from This and That:

within this tutorial i will show you how i hang my letters so i do not have to put any holes in the door! (i hang my wreaths on my door the same way the "S" pictured below is hanging)

supplies:

paper - you can use anything from scrapbook paper to wrapping paper.
wooden letters (i got mine from the $1 store. you can get cuter thick ones at micheals for about $5 each)
glue - i used a UHU glue stick but if you want it to be really secure, use Tacky Glue.
exacto knife
scissors
pencil
mod podge
paint brush
file or sandpaper *not pictured*
heavy duty stapler *not pictured*
sticky tack *not pictured*

1. trace around the letter with the pencil, onto the paper that you would like. cut out the letter on the paper cutting so you can't see your tracing marks.
2. glue* paper letter on to front of wooden letter. (*note: may use Tacky Glue for a better stick.)
3. one the glue is dry, turn the letter upside down. if the paper is showing in any areas, simply cute it off with an exacto knife.
4. gently sand or file all the edges of your letter with a downward motion. if using sandpaper, find something for it to wrap around like shown in the picture below.

5. place letter onto a piece of wax paper and using a paint brush, mod podge it with a thin coat. make sure to get the sides of the letter as well as the top.
6. once the mod podge is dry, decide how you would like to hang your letter. (i hung mine in two different ways, i will show you how i hung the "H", for the "S", i just looped the ribbon around the top of the letter. see the very top or very bottom picture) If you are going to hang it with two ribbons, lay your letter on a secure work surface and lay out the ribbons how you would like them. staple them in place.
7. hold the letter in the correct place on top or the door with your hand. make sure the letter is straight and centered. Staple the ribbons in place with a few staples.
8. place sticky tack behind the letter so it doesn't move when the door is opened and closed.

Magnetic ABC's

Very cute alternative to the plastic Fridge Letters from This and That:

Supplies:
5 sheets 5x8 inch self adhesive magnet sheets (found at the dollar store)
fabric (i used fat quarters)
scissors
exacto knife
mod podge
paint brush to brush mod podge

1. to get a template for the letters, open a Word document. type a-z in the font titled "arial black" make it bold, and size 225. set your margins to "narrow" so more letters can be on each page.

2. cut letters out using scissors

3. cut fabric to fit sheets of magnets. take paper off of the magnet and stick fabric to the sticky stuff. 4. place letter on top, while holding it with your hand, cut around each letter. for letters with holes in the middle, use an exacto knife to cut.

5.when you are completely finished step 4 with all the letters. lay letters out on wax paper. begin brushing a thin layer of mod podge on the letters one at a time making sure to go right to the edge. let air dry for 10-15 minutes. place on any magnetic surface and you are done!


Bread in a Bag

I found a recipe on Crafting Chicks that I want to try with my Faith In God girls.

Bread in a Bag

INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package rapid rise yeast , or 1 TBLS
1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons non-fat dry milk
3 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

DIRECTIONS
In a large resealable freezer bag, combine 1 cup of flour, sugar, yeast and warm water. Squeeze most of the air out of the bag, and seal. Squish with your hands until the well blended. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes at room temperature, or until bubbles appear.

In a separate bowl, stir together 1 cup of flour, dry milk, oil and salt. Pour into the resealable bag and squeeze out most of the air. Seal, and squish until well blended. Add the last cup of flour to the bag, and continue mixing in the same manner until well blended.

Remove the dough from the bag, and place on a floured surface. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes. Form into a small loaf, and place in a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise for about 30 minutes, or until your finger leaves an impression when you poke the top of the loaf gently.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake the bread for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

My Own Custom Card Collection

Here is my attempt at Nicholes custom card collection:

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Money Banks

I am so proud of myself. I was crafty all on my own! I didn't see this anywhere. I thought it up in my own little mind. I have saved lots of containers for the perfect project. I have old formula cans and snack cans and the kids each have their own little stash of money. So yesterday I decided to make 3 of them into money banks for my kids. And they turned out pretty cute. I did them pretty basic for now. But hey, they are still kind of cute if I do say so myself.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Decorated Wipes Case

I found this on Homemade by Jill:

materials needed: plastic travel wipes case, fabric, thin batting, braided trim, decorative trim or ribbon (optional), hot glue and hot glue gun, and a template (save the image below and print as a full 8x11 image - printing directly from your browser may resize the template)


1. Hot glue the batting around the top edges of the wipes case. Trim any excess - there should be no overhang.

2. Wrap the fabric around the case. Hot glue across the top front edge. Pull the fabric taut and hot glue across the bottom front edge (below the line of where it closes together). Continue gluing around all sides, pulling fabric tight. Clip the fabric near the hinge on both sides, so you can glue the fabric tight around the back corners. Trim any excess fabric. Don't worry if it looks a little messy at this point - all the edges will be covered with the braided trim.

For this step, the most important thing to remember is that you do not want to glue over where the wipes case closes and snaps together. On the bottom half, the fabric should not go all the way to the edge.

3. Add a decorative trim or ribbon, if you want one.

4. Glue the braided trim around all edges. Start in one of the bottom back corners. Again, on the bottom side of the case, do not glue over where the case closes.

Continue gluing the trim all the way around. When you get to the hinges, make a U-Turn and start the trim around the top of the case.

When you get back to your starting point, end the trim and top with a small amount of hot glue to keep it from fraying.

You're done! If you worked carefully, the case should still snap closed tight. Fill with baby wipes and you are good to go.

Happy wiping. :)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Shepherds Pie

My mother in law who lived the first 20+ years of her life in Ireland said she had never had Corned Beef and Cabbage. So in our family, we have Shepherds pie for St. Patrick's Day. I use my mother in laws recipe:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef browned
1/2 bag frozen peas
1/2 bag frozen corn (I used a can of corn)
1 pkg brown gravy mix
3-4 carrots peeled and chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1/4-1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
Combine all of the above ingredients and spread in a 9X13 pan.

Cook and mash 7-8 small potatoes with salt, pepper, milk and butter. Spread this on top of the meat mixture. I used my cake decorating tips and piping bag to pipe potatoes around the edges. My husband says the Irish do NOT make it like that! Add Cheese to cover the top.Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

My Pot of Gold

So I made the Pot of Gold from an earlier post. They were very easy. I had a tough time finding gold coins but I finally found them at CVS pharmacy. I attached a little note w/ gold ribbon that said either,
"Tis better far at the rainbows end, to find not gold, but the heart of a friend!"
or
"You're lucky, lucky, I've been told - you've just been hit with shamrocks and gold!"