Candy Cane Cake

Candy Cane Cake

As a child I used to love eating candy canes. I loved the peppermint flavor. However, as I got older, I didn't like it as much. I wasn't too convinced about this Candy Cane Cake recipe, but the minute I thought about pairing it up with homemade cream cheese frosting I thought... of course it'll be AWESOME!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Every year since my husband and I were married my mom and I would swap Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas dinner. This year my husband and I are hosting the Christmas Eve dinner. What's for dinner?

New England Clam Chowder (recipe courtesy of my dear friend Jen)

some brothy soup (my husband probably doesn't know which one he'll be making yet)

fresh dinner rolls

Candy Cane Cake

I decided to share the Candy Cane recipe on my blog, since it's Christmas (time for sharing) and I absolutely LOVED the cream cheese frosting.

Oh, by the way... as much as I LOVE "Nothing Bundt Cake," I couldn't bring myself to spending almost $40 for a cake. My husband probably would've frieked.

Candy Cane Bundt Cake

from Betty Crocker

Cake Ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix

ingredients for box recipe

1/2 teaspoon red food color

1/2 teaspoon pepppermint extract

Frosting Ingredients

1/2 cup of butter at room temperature

8 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature

3 cups of powder sugar

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Decoration Ingredients

crushed candy canes or peppermint red swirl candies

Cake Directions

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Using shortening, grease the fluted tube cake pan really well. I used a silicone brush to get into all the crevices really well, and it saved me from a lot of mess. Dust the entire pan with flour and shake off the excess.

Make the cake batter according to the directions on the cake box.

Pour 2 cups of the batter into the pan.

Take about 3/4 cup of the remaining batter and add the peppermint extract and red food coloring to it. Mix well.

You'll have a pink batter!

Pour the pink batter carefully on top of the white batter in the pan.

Pour the remaining white batter on top of the pink batter and bake according to the box. Mine baked for 42 minutes. Check with a toothpick!

While it bakes, crush up some candy canes and/or peppermint swirly candy. You could crush them by hand or by food processor.

I would probably crush it by hand next time. It was uneven.

Let your bundt cake cool for 10 minutes and then transfer it to a cooling rack. Let it fully cool for about an hour before you frost it. I love my cooling racks! It was an early Christmas present from my best friend, Meredith!

Cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add the vanilla and powder sugar and mix well. I piped it onto the bundt cake by using a Ziploc bag. I started piping from the bottom up. It was pure luck that I started that way. I guess watching all those cake challenge shows on the Food Network paid off!

Lastly, sprinkle your crushed up candies on top, and you have yourself a Candy Cane Cake!

Merry Christmas

and

Happy New Year!

Come back soon! I'll be posting what the inside of the cake looks like!

Tip Junkie Swap Projects

I had so much fun shopping for and making stuff for my Tip Junkie SWAP partner.

Album Explosion Box, Cupcake cards, birthday and cupcake stickers, and star-shaped sprinkles

I made a couple of things for her as well as shopped for some fun stuff. My partner loves cupcakes. How could I resist a cupcake theme for this swap?

I made her these cupcake cards.

How I Made the Cupcake Cards
(I'm really sorry about the pictures. The flash was too much!)

1. 
   
   First, I folded (3) pieces of 8.5" x 11" pink card stock in half "hamburger style." That's the portrait way if you don't know "teacher to kid talk." haha.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Next, I drew the cupcake on white card stock and cut out the "frosting" and the "cupcake liner" separately.
   
   
   
3. 
   
   I glued the "frosting" part onto pretty scrapbooking paper to make it look like it had sprinkles and added a cute brad on the top.
   
   
   
4. 
   
   I used a scallop pair of Fiskars scissors to give the edges of the pink cards a more interesting look.
   
   
   
5. 
   
   I stuck 4 foam sticky mounts onto the back of the "frosting" and stuck it onto the front of the pink card and glued the "cupcake liner" to the bottom of it.
   
   
   
6. 
   
   You're done! I made 3 cards and included envelopes.
   
   
   

I also made her an Album Explosion Box.

How I Made it

I must give credit to Chiaki Haverstick. She's a crafting expert whose website was given to me by my friend Meredith. Here is the link to the tutorial. I think she does a great job explaining how I made mine. I've made several of these for family and friends for Christmas. They're great for birthdays, highlighting vacations, and even as a "brag" gift for grandparents.

I made Racquel's explosion box with the cupcake theme in mind.

I hope she enjoys all of her stuff.

This Blogger is VERY Sorry and Promises to...

What have I been up to?

Well... Thanksgiving, sewing, and crafting, of course!

I apologize with all of my heart to my followers that I have been absent.

I'm back, and I've got some super fun tutorials for you!

Since I missed the December giveaway, I'll be giving away a very fabulous piece of jewelry in January.

That's right!

A piece of jewelry!

With sparkle!

So stay tuned!

Meanwhile... everything is as scheduled.

Thanks!

Win Me Wednesdays November Giveaway Winner!

Yay! We have a winner!

Jacky is the lucky winner of the Thanksgiving cards, hair clips, and Harvest plaque for the November giveaway!

Congratulations, Jacky!

Thank you very much to those who have been following my blog, have become new followers, and my super sponsor, Rachel at 4allseasons at Etsy. If you haven't checked her shop out, please do so. She is very talented.

Thanks!

Win Me Wednesdays: November Giveaway!

It's time for another giveaway!

I have some wonderful Fall goodies for one lucky winner!

Rachel at 4allseasons is giving away this beautiful Harvest plaque. She is super talented, and the winner will be very lucky to have one of her creations.

Many of you asked if I would make more cards, and I did! I love these Thanksgiving cards.

I also made some cute hair clips. I love the little birdies on them!

The Rules

One winner will win the cards, hair clips, and Harvest plaque.

There are a total of 5 entries in this giveaway.

This is open only to U.S. residents.

All entries must be in before 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time Zone on Tuesday, November 10, 2009.

One winner will be randomly chosen.

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, November 11, 2009.

The winner will be sent an email. The winner must email me with their mailing address by November 14, 2009 or another winner will be chosen.

How to Enter

1 entry:  Become a new follower of my blog. Please leave 1 comment telling

me you're a new follower. Leave your email address here.

1 entry:  If you're already a follower of my blog, please leave me 1 comment telling me you're already a follower. Leave your email address here.

2 entries:  Post this giveaway on your blog and leave 2 separate comments telling me where you posted it. Thanks! Leave your email address here.

2 entries: Visit Rachel at her Etsy Shop:  4allseasons. Come back to this blog and leave 2 separate comments telling which product is your favorite from her shop. Leave your email address here.

Good luck!

Arrrgh Ye Ready fer some Fun?

Oops! This was supposed to post last Friday for "Fun Friday," but I guess I messed up on the "post options" selection. I hope this tutorial is helpful for those of you still trying to figure out what to dress your little kids for Halloween!

It's the twins' second Halloween, and I just can't wait to dress them up!

Tutu

+

Pirate Hat

=

Pirate Princess!

Homemade pants

+

Pirate Hat

=

Pirate King!

I bought some tulle from Joann's, measured Lamb's waist, cut the tulle pieces in black and red, cut some red ribbon, tied the tulle and ribbon onto the elastic band, and I had a pirate tutu! Thanks to Tanya's tutu tutorial at Trey and Lucy! It was super easy! The red and white fabric is actually a little "tube top." Of course, she'll be wearing a white long-sleeved onesie underneath.

Cuddler's pants were super easy too! I took a pair of pants he currently wears and used it as a template for his pants. I strung elastic at the waist, sewed it up, and wala! A pair of pirate pants! He could also probably wear it on Independence Day, but they probably won't fit by then. He'll be wearing a red long-sleeved onesie with this costume.

Happy Halloween!

Win Me Wednesday October Giveaway Winner

We have a winner!

Blue Blossom earrings by Katie at CloverLove

Autumn Hair Clip by Kaye at Little Keira's Bows

Brooklyn Hair Clip by Kaye at Little Keira's Bows

"Witch Accessories" and "Halloween Pumpkin" cards by Me

The winner of all these wonderful goodies is...

bridget3496!

Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who

*has been following my blog

*started following my blog

*left a comment

and

visited Katie and Kaye at their Etsy shops.

A BIG thanks to Katie and Kaye for their fabulous items and for supporting my blog!

If you missed out on this giveaway or didn't win, don't be sad.

I have a giveaway every first Wednesday of the month.

A few of you asked if I'll be making more of the Halloween cards.

I probably won't be making any more of those, but I'll definitely be making some fall/autumn and possibly Christmas cards. I hope to see you here soon!

If you'd like to have a giveaway with me (through your blog and/or Etsy shop, please leave a comment on this post with your email address and I'll contact you.

Win Me Wednesdays: October Giveaway!

Oh, how I wish I could be the winner!

It's time for another giveaway!

This giveaway starts on Wednesday, October 7, 2009.

ONE LUCKY WINNER will win ALL of these wonderful creations!

Katie is giving away this super cute pair of earrings that she created at CloverLove. It's her very own Etsy shop, and you must go visit her!

Blue Blossom Earrings by Katie

I'm also giving away these cards I made myself. They're machine-stitched and took longer than I expected, but it was fun making them. It was my first time "sewing" paper. I was so tempted to keep them, but I won't. I'll be nice and give them away to one of you!

"Witch Accesories" and "Halloween Pumpkin" cards (8 cards with envelopes)

I made a new friend over at Little Keira's Bows at Etsy, and boy is Kaye super talented! I could certainly do some "damage" in her shop. Please check out her store because her items are simply delicious! She is giving away these super cute hair clips for this giveaway! Can you believe it?

Brooklyn Hair Clip

This flower (about 1.75" wide) is made of five layers of felt. A snap clip is secured between the bottom two layers. A cream button is sewn on top of all the felt layers with tan thread to finish the look of the felt flower.

Autumn Hair Clip

This felt flower clip has a layered iris, white, and fuchsia felt flowers, and is topped off with an all handmade button. The flowers, about 1.75" wide, are mounted on an alligator clip, which is partially covered with a 3/8" purple flower grosgrain ribbon.

Sooo... how do you win?

Let me tell ya!

THE RULES

There are a total of 8 entries per person in this giveaway.

This giveaway will end on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time Zone.

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 on this blog.

One winner will be randomly chosen.

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

The winner will be emailed and has 1 week to reply to that email with a mailing address; otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

1 entry:  Leave a comment for me on this post. Include your email address.

1 entry:  Become a new follower of my blog. Leave a comment telling me you're a new follower. Include your email address.

1 entry:  If you're already a follower, you get an automatic entry! Yay! Please make sure I have an email address from you.

3 entries:  Visit CloverLove at Etsy, and give me the name of your favorite pair of earrings from her shop by leaving a comment on this post. Include your email address.

3 entries:  Visit Little Keira's Bows on Etsy, and give me the name of your favorite item from her shop by leaving a comment on this post. Include your email address.

Good luck!

Make Dinner Mondays #6: Baked Caprese Salad

Baked Caprese Salad

If you like the taste of sweet, sour, and salty together, then you're gonna love this!

Try Giada De Laurentiis' "Baked Caprese Salad," and you'll be hooked.

This is a favorite of my hubby's.

It's very easy to make, and you'll probably eat so much that you won't have room for dinner!

It's a 10 minute recipe, and it's sooooo yummy!

Fun Friday #5: Retro Style Headboard

My sister Yvette and I researched some options for a new headboard for her room. She didn't want to spend a lot of money, and she was open to any ideas that would be cute. We came across this idea from Jessica H. It's a "Mosaic Headboard." You can find it at Dollar Store Crafts. It's so easy and inexpensive. Anyone can do this and it's so darn cute!

Here is the outcome! It's amazing what 12" x 12" scrapbook papers, nails, and linoleum tiles can do!

One of the best features of this headboard is that you can change it if you want to change your color scheme!

The total project cost  less than $20. It was a little more than Jessica's, but the extra dollars was worth it to get these papers!

Try it, and have some fun!