One Craft Girl's Corner

Candy Cane Cake

2009-12-23T21:20:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

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!)

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.
Next, I drew the cupcake on white card stock and cut out the "frosting" and the "cupcake liner" separately.
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.
I used a scallop pair of Fiskars scissors to give the edges of the pink cards a more interesting look.
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.
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...

2009-12-07T23:42:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-11T07:04:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-10-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

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!

Make Dinner Mondays #5: Creamy Chicken Wraps

2009-09-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

You've GOT to try these!

My friend Lisa's family loves these, and she kindly shares it in her family cookbook.

Creamy Chicken Wraps

Ingredients

1/2 pound chicken breasts, flattened

1/2 package of bacon

garlic powder

garlic salt

onion powder

8 oz. cream cheese block, softened

Directions

Preheat your oven at 375 degrees.

Cut the cream cheese into squares.

Put three cheese cubes or more on top of each chicken breast and roll.

Wrap one long piece of chicken on the outside of the chicken and use toothpicks or a skewer to keep it together. Sprinkle each wrap with garlic salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Butter a 9" x 13" baking pan and put your wraps in.

Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

They're so yummy and creamy!

Enjoy!

Baby Blankets Repurposed!

2009-09-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

It's "Fun Friday" again!

You know how much I LOVE saving money, right?

Well, this post is no exception!

I didn't want to spend a lot of $$ buying TWO of those cart/high chair covers, so I did this instead!

I took TWO blankets the babies already had. They're 42" x 32." Any smaller than that probably wouldn't cover the front and back of a cart or a high chair. The blankets I used were double-sided flannel. I'm only showing Lamb's cover. Sorry, I forgot to take a pic of Cuddler's.

I measured my babies' thighs and added a couple of inches to the circumference (for growth). I cut ovals in their circumference about 2/3 of the length and centered. You could drape the blanket on your highchair at home and estimate and guess where the holes would be in a cart or a public high chair. Finally, I zig-zag stitched the edges to keep them from fraying. It was super easy, and it didn't cost me anything because I already had everything!

I hope this tutorial helps anybody who wants to save money from having to buy covers at the stores.

These could also be made more fun by attaching ribbons to hang their favorite toys to, so they won't be bored at the restaurant or when you're out shopping for HOURS. Ummm.. I don't do that.

Good luck!

Make Dinner Mondays #4: Filipino Albondigas

2009-09-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

I grew up eating this, and it's what's "homestyle" to me!

This is a delicious soup that my mom makes once a week, and I love it!

I finally learned how to make it!

Filipino Albondigas Soup

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork

1 cup fresh spinach

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

a handful of Miswa noodles (oriental market)

1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons salt

10 cups water

1 egg

1 Tablespoon fish sauce (oriental market)

Directions

Boil the water in a large pot and let it simmer. Make the meatballs by mixing the flour, salt, raw egg, and ground pork in a large bowl using your hands. Each meatball should be no bigger than a golf ball. Put the meatballs in the water and boil for 45 minutes. Add the fish sauce, onion, garlic, spinach, and Miswa noodles and boil for 20 minutes.

My family and I eat this with white rice.

Enjoy!

Fun Friday #4: Quick Onesie Project & Appliques Repurposed

2009-09-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone!

I recently cut up some appliques and embroidery from an old jean skirt, and I've really wanted to do something fun with them.

Lamb has a bunch of simple onesies that I wanted to "spiffy up" or at least make a little more interesting. Here's my attempt!

What I Needed:

make the onesie more interesting

What Materials I Used:

pink plain onesie

salvaged appliques from an old skirt

pink thread

sewing machine

scissors

pins

What I Did:

I cut up and saved old appliques from a skirt.

I pinned the appliques to the front and back of the onesie.

I used a zigzag stitch and stitched around the appliques.

Ten minutes later, the pink onesie is more fun and interesting!

Make Dinner Mondays #3: Yummy Carrot Cake

2009-09-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

Isn't it time for a little dessert?

The best carrot cake my husband and I ever ate (believe it or not) was at... Sea World!

It was just at one of their outdoor eateries and not anywhere fancy in their park. I remember it being super moist, had pineapple chunks, and the frosting was incredible!

I researched various recipes, and I came across one that I liked.
I've changed it up some and has evolved into something so delicious!

Yummy Carrot Cake

Ingredients for the cake

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup wheat flour

3/4 cup shredded coconut

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup crushed pineapple

1 cup golden raisins

3/4 cup chopped pecans

2 1/2 cups grated carrots
1 1/2 cups oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Ingredients for the frosting

2 cups powder sugar

16 ounces cream cheese

2 teaspoons real vanilla

2 sticks of butter

Directions

Combine sugar, oil, and eggs in a large bowl. To make the cake smoother, sift the flours, baking powder, and cinnamon into the bowl. Beat altogether well. Add the vanilla and carrots into the mixture. Fold in the raisins, pineapple, nuts, and coconut. In two greased and floured 8" round cake pans, pour the batter and bake at 325 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Once the cakes are done, cool them and remove them from the pans. Frost using the cream cheese frosting recipe.

Enjoy!

Fun Friday #2: Tray Table Redo

2009-09-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

I know how awful this looks.

It's not my fault.

My husband and his dad made beautiful bookcases about three years ago for our office/den, and this is what my husband used to set the cans of stain on.

Yep. It is a mess, and it used to be pretty nice.

I used this in my classroom to set out all of my treasure chest items every Friday until it met its fate.

I guess it's fitting that I feature this project for "Fun Friday." Well... I've been wanting to use a different surface for all of my crafts, since I've been using our dining table. Mind you that table isn't looking as great as it used to either. I guess we're all pretty rough with surfaces in our house. Anyway, this TV tray table just made me sad every time I looked at it.

What I Needed:

a new surface for my small crafting projects & even a surface for my sewing

What Materials I Used:

scissors

leftover pieces of scrapbooking paper

old TV tray table

Mod Podge

sponge brushes

What I Did:

First, I pried off the thicker globs of stains from the table.

I wiped the table as clean as I could with a damp cloth.

I'm too lazy to sand it.

Next, I cut as many 4" x 4" squares of leftover color-coordinated scrapbooking papers that would cover the entire top surface.

I used a sponge brush to spread a thin layer of Mod Podge over the entire top surface.

Then I took a paper square and spread Mod Podge to its back side, applied it to the center of the table, and spread another layer of Mod Podge on its front side.

I did that until I covered the entire top surface of the table. I used scissors to trim the edge pieces of the table. Notice that there was a pattern in the beginning, but it became more random as I got to the edges. I told you they were just left-over pieces!

After the top dried, I applied two more coats of Mod Podge to seal it.

The Result:

Yay! It has come back to life in a big way! I love its clean surface once again! It just goes to show that you don't necessarily need to buy "new" to get "new."

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Now go and Mod Podge something.

By the way, I have a folding table that might meet the Mod Podge fate as well.
The table has really seen better days.

We'll have to see!

Win Me Wednesday Winner for September!

2009-09-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

And the winner is... Darcy from http://smartbottomenterprises.blogspot.com/

Congratulations!

She has won the hair clips giveaway for September!

Thank you to my followers and for my friends who left wonderful comments.

I enjoy creating and working on this blog.
Stay updated on my upcoming posts.
See ya soon!

Win Me Wednesdays #1

2009-09-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

It's that time again!

Time for a fun and free giveaway!

This time, I'm giving away some cute hair clips I made from my very own crafting table.

One winner will be randomly chosen to win all of these fun hair clips!

There are 5 entries possible per person!

Make sure to enter this giveaway before Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time Zone.

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

How to enter:

2 entries = Become a follower of my blog and make sure I can contact you through email.

2 entries = If you're already a follower, you're automatically given two entries. Just make sure I can contact you through email.

1 entry = Leave a comment on this post with your email.

2 entries = Post my giveaway on your blog and leave a comment (with your email) saying you did.

Good luck, and thanks for visiting!

Please be aware the embellishments on these hair clips may be a choking hazard for babies and toddlers.

Make Dinner Mondays #2: Zupa Toscana

2009-08-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite soup recipes. I found two recipes that I really liked, combined them, and finally developed my own.

Enjoy!

Zupa Toscana

Ingredients

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cooked and cubed russet potatoes

2 cups kale, chopped

1/2 pound shredded and cooked spicy Italian sausage

1/2 package of cooked bacon

Directions

Add all ingredients in a LARGE pot and cover.

Let it come to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. Stir it occasionally.

What Have you Mod Podged Lately? Fun Friday #1

2009-08-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

What have you Mod Podged lately?

What I needed

storage for my make-up.

I didn't need too much storage, since I like to change my looks every so often.

I switch out my eye shadows and lip glosses quite a lot.

What I found

an old WHITE jewelry box with drawers and a mirror for $6.99 at Goodwill

What materials I used

Mod Podge

scissors

nail file (for cutting extra paper off the edges)

paper cutter

pencil

foam brushes

silver paint

scrapbooking paper

How I made it

The top of the jewelry box was the easiest to do.

I traced the top on my scrapbooking paper & cut it a little bit smaller.

I applied a thin layer of Mod Podge to the top of the box, a thin layer on my paper, and applied the paper on the top. I also applied another layer of Mod Podge over the paper once it was on.

I followed the same steps for the sides using dark brown paper.

The drawers were harder to do, since the knobs don't unscrew. How disappointing was that? Actually, I knew this before I purchased the box. I just thought I could cut around it. Well... the knobs are wider on the outside and skinnier where it attaches to the drawers. I guess I couldn't trace and cut. I just estimated where to cut half circles, and Mod Podged away.

I painted the knobs silver.

This was fun! I don't do a lot of Mod Podge projects, but I think I will now.
I'm sure my husband will be glad not to have to see all my make-up all over the counter top.

I hope you like this project too!

Make Dinner Mondays #1

2009-08-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just don't feel like making dinner.

That's because I never know what to make.

Yes, I have a million cookbooks.

I look through them every week and think, "What should I make this week?."

Before I know it, I'm at the end of the book and still have no idea what we're eating that week.

I have dedicated myself to feature a "tried and true" recipe here on my blog every Monday. It will be a dish I've made for my family and loved!

Today's recipe is Sandra Lee's "Caribbean Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili."

Sandra Lee is a Food Network star who focuses on "semi-homemade" cooking. This works great for me!

This takes 20 minutes or less to make!

Ingredients

1 Tbsp evoo ( a little Raechel Ray there for you)

(1) 1/4 pounds ground turkey breast

1 tsp minced garlic

(1) 15 oz. can of black beans (rinsed and drained)

(1) 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with green pepper and onions

(1) 15 oz. can sweet potatoes

(1) 14.5 oz. can reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup mango nectar

1 packet of mild chili seasoning mix

1/2 tsp ground allspice

chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
1. Cook the turkey and garlic in the evoo in a LARGE skillet.

2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients (minus the cilantro) into the skillet. Boil. Simmer until it becomes thick.

3. Serve by garnishing with cilantro.

4. Enjoy!

This is a wonderful twist on everyday regular chili. I hope you like it as much as we do at our house!

Bib Carriers

2009-08-21T15:45:00.001-07:00

WARNING!

The following project is SUPER EASY!

I've been on "Use what you have lying around for stuff that you need!" kick. I'm sure my husband is loving it lately, since I'm not out spending $$$ at Joann's twice a week. Did I just confess to that? Actually, I've been very good for the past two months.

Here is what I needed:

I needed some kind of container to conveniently store my twins' many necessary bibs without me having to run around and waste my time getting them ready for their feedings. Plus, I wanted something that didn't take up too much space.

Here was my solution:

I made carriers that tie on to the back of the chairs that house their Space Saver Highchairs! I must tell you though... they're more practical than "cute." I'm sure somebody out there will improve the look of this very quickly. Maybe something with yo-yo's? I thought about it, but then I thought about how no one else is going to be looking at it everyday but me and my husband!

Here is what I used for each "bib carrier":

2 pieces of fabric at 20" x 20"

matching thread

sewing machine

2 strands of ribbon 1/2" ribbon at 30" each

Here is how I made them:

First, I measured the backs of my chairs. They measured at 18" x 18." I'm sure yours will be different. I cut my two pieces of fabric (20" x 20") and made "pillow cases."

I sewed about an inch seam on all sides and then made them like "pillow cases."

Then, I cut two strands of ribbon at 30" each, folded each one in half, and sewed each one at about 3" inches from the seams. I only sewed the ribbons to one side of the bags.

Finally, I tied the bib carriers to the backs of the chairs.

Ta da!

A practical, out of the way, convenient container for my twins' many necessary bibs! Of course, the blue is for my boy, "The Cuddler" and the pink is for my girl, "The Lamb."

Here's what you can do when your baby grows out of bibs:

*Stuff it and make a cute pillow for them.

*Attach another pair of ribbons on the other side and make a cute bag.

*Make a pillow case dress!

I hope you have fun making it!

We Have a Winner!

2009-08-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

Thank you so very much for visiting my blog.

I love all the support you've given me.

A huge thanks to those who have decided to follow me on this crafting/creativity journey.

The tutorial for the "No-Sew" Clutch was featured at http://tipjunkie.com/!

A million thanks to them!

Congratulations to Kay!

She is the lucky winner of my one-of-a-kind clutch!

You can visit her at http://thevangoghcafe.blogspot.com/.

She's also having a great giveaway.

I've decided to have a giveaway every month, so stay tuned!

I have a lot of projects I've been working on too; I just need to post them.

If you aren't following my blog yet, just click on the "Follow" button to the right. See you soon!

2009-08-12T21:32:00.001-07:00

Are you ready???

This is my very first giveaway, and I'm so excited to give it away!

I had a few compliments on my "No-Sew Clutch" tutorial, and I thought it would be fun to give away one of my creations.

This is part sewn and part hot-glued.

Leave a comment, and I'll have my sister randomly choose the number of a comment.

I have just this one clutch to give away, so this is a "one winner" giveaway.

No Sew Clutch

2009-08-05T11:29:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking about how much crafting stuff I've accumulated just in the past year alone, and I thought...

Maybe I should use the stuff I already have to make some stuff.

I know I'm crazy.

I DO love to shop for new crafting stuff, though.

I've been working on Christmas projects for the past month, and I thought... If I make some Christmas presents out of stuff I already have, then it would be like spending $0 for Christmas!

I just knew my husband would love this idea.

Of course, I would still be out shopping for some of our gifts.

But here is what I came up with.

A "no-sew clutch."

I like to sew, but I wondered if this clutch could be made without it.

And it was.

I took this fabric that I had left over from another project. (See my bandana dresses.)
I cut a piece out by about 20 inches X 14 inches and folded over all sides, so the fabric won't fray. I used hot glue for this, by the way. I love my glue gun!

I put a piece of felt on it for some weight and stability.

I glued the felt on too.

I glued .5" of the long sides together.

I did this twice for the pinching effect and then folded over the bottom half and glued it to the top half. This gave the clutch some room for stuff at the bottom.

I put a rectangular piece of the blue fabric over the flap to give it more weight and make it more finished.

I cut a rectangular piece and glued its edges together, so it wouldn't fray. I just guessed the size on this one. You can use a credit card for measurement before cutting it.

I glued the rectangular piece to make a little pocket for the inside.

I also glued some Velcro to the inside, so the stuff won't fall out.

I'm sorry the picture didn't get posted on that. I bet you could figure that part out yourself, though.

I made a yo-yo using the blue fabric and glued on some brown ribbon. Oops... I guess there was sewing involved after all. The yo-yo is optional. You could also tie some ribbon into a bow and glue that on instead. I wanted to experiment with making yo-yos that day.

Here it is! The "no-sew" clutch. This is is gonna make a nice gift for my ******. Shhhh.... it's a secret. I hope you enjoy making one or a few for yourself and/or somebody who loves clutches!

Brag Book Project

2009-07-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

Tip Junkie inspired me to start my Christmas projects in July, so I thought... why not?

There are some people in your life that are so hard to shop for because they have everything and if they wanted or needed something, they go out and get it themselves. Know anyone like that?

I do.

I won't say who (there are a few).

So here is ONE of their presents for Christmas.
It's not EXACTLY done yet because I still have to put pics of my twins Isaac and Sophie in it to complete the "Brag" part of "Brag Book."

Wanna make one?

Here it is!

First, decide how many pages you want your book to have. I thought about 20 pages would be good. That way, there will be about 18-20 pages on both sides of the book.

Second, cut 10 8.5" x 11" cardstock paper in half horizontally. I used a paper cutter because I have a hard time cutting straight! You can use whatever solid color cardstock you want. I used white because I had a ton of it. I used the 8.5" x 11" cardstock size because the 12" x12" would be too big to put in an average purse. Who wants to carry so many pics in your purse?

Next, fold and score each cut cardstock hamburger style. That means to fold it at its longest length- the length of 11."

Next, glue or tape each of the scored cardstock piece to each other by fanfolding technique. Check out the third pic.

Then cut cute scrapbooking paper of your choice to each side of the cardstock pages. Choose two identical cute papers to cover the front and back and attach a ribbon to the back.

Tie the book closed to the front using the ribbon and make a bow.

Finish this project by glueing or taping fun pictures of your kids to be given out to a special someone. I'm leaving one side of the brag book blank, so the special person can glue her own pictures of the twins and continue the book going!

I hope you try this project. It was fun and not so expensive.

I had all the materials, so I saved money for Christmas!

The Coupon Bug!!!

2009-07-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

Let me first apologize for not having pictures!

I love to post my pictures, but I unfortunately forgot to take a picture of all the goodies I was able to get at such great prices before I had already put them away!

My husband suggested that I look into this "coupon thing" he overheard some ladies talking about while at a church meeting. I've heard of it before, but I really didn't know much about it. I actually dreaded visualizing myself with hours of clipping coupons I probably wouldn't even use.

I thought about it some more, did some research, and spoke with a friend who has been doing it for a while. She pointed me in the right direction by giving me names of websites and blogs she frequents. I got so excited that I started making my list!

The Low-Down!

You don't need to clip coupons from morning until night!

You only clip the ones you need!

Go to pinchingyourpennies.com and look at the state forums.

These people rate the savings and tell you if there are matching coupons (for even bigger savings).

I'm hooked!

I went to Albertsons last Thursday and got these deals!

3 Frosted Mini Wheats 24 oz. & 2 Frosted Flakes 23 oz. for $1.88 each

1 Johnson's Baby Wash 15 oz. for FREE ($5 coupon)

I also went to CVS Pharmacy on the same day and got this deal!

4 Colgate Total Toothpastes (Buy one, get one free!)

I went to Wal-Mart and got this deal!

1 large Johnson's Shower to Shower Powder for FREE($5 coupon)

The Johnson's coupons were sent to me after I wrote the Johnson and Johnson company for any free products they could give to a mom of multiples (twins).

Don't be afraid to write those baby products companies when you have a baby or two or three or MORE! They'll most likely give you tons of coupons!

It also "pays" to have the annoying "frequent shopper/saver" cards stores have. You get even better deals!

Good luck to you and happy savings! I'm off to make a new shopping list!

Peanut Butter Cup Cake, Yummy!

2009-07-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

It was my husband's birthday on May 30th, and he L-O-V-E-S peanut butter cups. I was SOOO lucky to have found Bakerella's Peanut Butter Cup Cake recipe (originally from Family Circle magazine- but I think her version is better!) Try it, and you'll be hooked! Thanks, Bakerella!

If you want the recipe, visit Bakerella at her blog! She's awesome!

A Pirate's Life for Me!

2009-06-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

A Pirate's Life for Me!!!

We celebrated my twins Isaac and Sophie's first birthday

last Saturday, and it was lots of fun!

I researched a LOT of pirate cakes on the Internet, and

I combined some ideas and my own to create their pirate birthday cake.

It was fun and a little stressful to make, but everyone thought it came out great! It beats paying $30+ for a store-bought cake!

First, I baked a 9 X 13 sheet cake (french vanilla).

Next, I baked the ship in a football mold I had laying around.

Hint: DO NOT use all of the cake batter for the football mold, or it won't bake well. I let the cakes cool off entirely and frosted them.

I used vanilla frosting and a few random drops of blue food coloring to make the ocean foundation for the cake. I used chocolate frosting for the ship and used a knife to make the wooden texture on the ship's deck.

I used mini pretzels for the ship's railing and printed out the sails on my computer. To put the sails up, I used bbq skewers. I found plastic pirate characters at Joann's Fabric Store to put on the ship.

As party favors, I gave away Goldfish crackers in small self-sealing bags wrapped with red ribbon and a card thanking our guests for coming. I hope you have fun at your next pirate themed party!

A Pirate's Life for Me!

2009-06-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

Bandana Dresses

2009-05-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got the "sewing bug!"

I'm not great at sewing, but I can sew straight lines.

That's why I decided to try Tanya's "15 Minute Dress" featured on treyandlucy.blogspot.com.

I think they turned out pretty great!

My daughter is just ten months old, so she won't be wearing the pink bandana dress this summer. She can wear it next spring as a dress and maybe as a shirt in the summer!

I have a couple of friends who are having baby girls, and I plan on giving them the other two pink dresses as "baby shower gifts." They weren't made from bandanas. I actually used a bandana as a template to cut the fabric, sewed the sides (so they wouldn't fray), and then sewed the two pieces of fabric like they were bandanas! It took a little more work than "15 minutes," but it was worth it! Gosh, I can't believe how brave I was! What really helped me was ironing the folds of the fabric first and then stitching it! I also made my daughter a blue-green dress using the same method. Maybe you'll get the sewing bug too!

Thanks, Tanya! What a great idea! No one will ever know these dresses were so economical!

Hello Out There!

2009-04-17T15:25:00.001-07:00

Hello out there, Crafting World!

I'm very excited to blog about some of my favorite things!

You'll find that I enjoy almost every kind of crafting. Here are some of my creations, upcycles, and redesigns. I hope you visit often because I'll be showing some of my latest projects here often.

Have fun and Happy Crafting!

fun baby clips for my daughter

our bedroom

candles for our bedroom

These were crystal garlands found at the wedding aisle at a craft store.

easy curtains for the bedroom

pretty little corner for our "cottage" guest room

stenciled cherries

more cherries for a "pink on pink" room

cherry curtains

potpourri

I loved our towels so much, but I couldn't find a picture or painting that I liked for the bathroom. I photocopied one of the towels and framed it!

I saw some framed leaves and flowers, and I thought they were beautiful. I didn't want to pay the $10 for each one, so I made my own using the cards they sold at the same store.

I hate doing laundry, so I thought I'd give the laundry room some pizzaz to make it more fun. I love the drying rack, but I still don't enjoy doing the laundry.

My husband thought this was silly; I thought it was whimsical.

some magnolias next to President Hinckley's pic

I gave this lamp a "suede" look using brown paint, yellow paint, and SARAN wrap!

I also did the SARAN wrap thing on two other tables like these. They were a yucky yellow "marble" color before.

I made this at an Enrichment Night a couple of years ago. It was my first try at "destressing."

I sewed the paisley pillows and covered up old ones.

sliding glass door curtain

I upcycled a flannel baby receiving blanket my son loves into a ribbon or "taggie" blanket.

Here was my son's blanket before.

This is the one I made for my daugher- also using a blanket she loved.

Here are the materials I used for the blanket.