Get Your Crap Together

Valentine Mantel

2012-02-13T05:22:00.000-08:00

Made some cute valentine bunting using a no sew method I found on Pinterest.

I really like it.

Simple, but very cute.

Valentine Pillows: U Complete Me

2012-02-09T05:21:00.000-08:00

I Heart Pinterest!!! I found this idea for pillowcases on pinterest.

I thought I'd make some for Valentine's Day Decor! Love them. I used freezer paper to make the stencil.

I think they turned out pretty cute.

Nesting Tumbler Organizers Tutorial

2012-02-06T01:29:00.000-08:00

So I found these great tumblers on Pinterest. They are super cute! So I wanted to make some for some organizing.

First, I had to find the fabric. I just used some scraps from my fabric stash.

Cut out 4 front pieces, 1 bottom, 4 linings and one lining bottom and some interfacing.

Iron on the interfacing.

Sew two sides to the bottom.

Now pin and sew on the other two sides.

Leave a small opening on one of the sides so you can turn it inside out.

It should look like this when you are done.

For the inside, I added a little bit of Warm and Natural for some extra strength.

Now do the same thing to the other side.

It should look like this.

Now place the two pieces together...

Pin them and sew around the top.

Pull the two layers apart.

Now pull the right side out through the opening you left.

It should look like this.

Sew the opening closed.

Now iron.

Then sew a top-stitch around the top to keep the layers together.

And Voila!! You are done.

Strawberry Scones

2012-02-02T01:06:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law introduced me to delicious scones. This recipe is a great place to start. I just changed the blueberries to strawberries. Mmmm....Scone Recipe

Farm Animal Puppets

2012-01-30T04:38:00.000-08:00

For one of my little guys Christmas Presents were these AMAZING Farm Animal Puppets.

I found this great idea and ALL the pattern pieces at Just Another Day in Paradise.

I pinned them and couldn't help but make them.

I altered a couple of them slightly, but not much. And there are more than the six I did.

The puppy. This is my favorite one.

The pig.

Cat...Meow

Sheep

Cow..MOO

Duck

I used some ribbon and hung them in his room with clothes pins.

They turned out great and he sure enjoys them!

Delicious Lemon Muffins

2012-01-26T03:38:00.000-08:00

I love Taste of Home Magazines and Cookbooks. They are truly wonderful! I discovered this recipe this summer and it is DELICIOUS!! These are Lemon Muffins. Great for not only breakfast but for any time. And they freeze wonderfully! Plus, they have a delicious crumb topping. Mmmm...I want some right now. Enjoy!!

Lemon Crumb Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
6 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
8 eggs
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
2 cups butter, melted
3 tablespoons grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons lemon juice
TOPPING:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
GLAZE:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, butter, lemon peel and juice. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.
In a small bowl, combine flour and sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. In a small bowl, whisk glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm muffins. Serve warm. Yield: 40 muffins.

Tissue Paper Canvas Photos

2012-01-23T04:10:00.000-08:00

I saw this idea forever ago on someone's blog and of course I pinned it! Then, well I couldn't help myself when I saw it again this Christmas I knew I had to do it! It is truly AMAZING and cost like $2 to make.

They really turned out great! This is my husband and all his siblings! So cute!

Chocolate Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-01-19T01:41:00.000-08:00

Made these delicious little bites the other day for a family gathering.

First make your batter. You could use pre-made dough, or just your favorite chocolate chip recipe.

Place dough into mini-muffin tin and push down the middle with a spoon.

(Or your finger) Then bake!

Now, melt some chocolate in the microwave or double broiler.

This is what they'll look like just out of the oven. If you need to take your spoon to the middle again, do it while they are still hot.

Then place them on a cooling rack and pipe your chocolate into the middle.

And Voila! Chocolate Filled Bites!

Chocolate Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 tsp. Vanilla

3 eggs

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3-4 cups chocolate chips

3-4 Milk Chocolate Candy Bars

Cream the first 3 ingredients together. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix flour, salt and soda together. Add slowly to the creamed mixture. Finally add the chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt your chocolate bars in the microwave. Once cups are removed from the oven, place on a cooling rack and pipe melted chocolate inside.

Dog Bed Pillowcase

2012-01-16T00:30:00.000-08:00

We have a dog. Her name is Matilda. She is a beagle....and a pain in the rear end. Are you looking for a new dog? Want mine?

No, I won't really sell her...today. Anyway, Matilda received a nice new bed for Christmas, because she ate the last one and went major #2 on the one before that.

So she has been "bedless". If that means she sleeps on my bed, in my clean sheets...

then, yes, she is "bedless".

So she got a bed. But seeing as I don't want to have to buy a new bed AGAIN.

Here is a tutorial on how to make a Dog Bed Pillowcase.

You will need:

2 yds of fabric

1 ft of velcro

thread

dog bed

First, measure your dog bed include the "puff" of the pillow. Then add 1 inch on all sides.

I like to have lots of room to put the pillowcase over the bed.

It helps to keep it from being to tight.

Take your measurements and cut your fabric.

Now sew 3 of your sides together. I used the false flat felt seam. This makes it so my raw edges don't show at all. LOVE IT! You can zig-zag or serge. Whatever you want.

Now that your sides are sewn, take the open side and iron down about 1/2" all the way around.

Then iron down again about 1 1/2"-2". Make sure it is even all the way around.

Sew it down on the bottom edge.

It will look a bit like this when your finished.

Now the velcro! You could totally put in a zipper, but I like velcro.

My great husband pointed out I could have saved velcro by placing the open end on the short side.

Of course this was after I was all done.

I told him I totally picked the long side on purpose because it was easier to get the bed in the pillowcase.

Really, I just didn't want to look stupid.

Because I'm not.

Really, I swear.

I decided to place about 2" pieces of velcro 5-6" apart across the bottom.

A little trick I picked up, if you don't want to pin the velcro to sew...glue it! You can use craft glue or hot glue. they both work. Just don't use too much and make sure it is dryish before you sew.

When you sew the velcro you'll sew it down in a box with an X through it. This keeps it in place and gives it more strength.

Once you're done, stuff that bed inside and you have yourself a removable, and washable bed pillowcase.

Isn't it cute!

I'd give you a great shot with my dog laying nicely on her new bed, but well, this is about as cooperative as she is. What you don't see is my hand holding her in place. Hooray for cropping!

Good luck!

Reversible Table Runner

2012-01-13T01:51:00.000-08:00

I decided to make my sister a table runner for Christmas. She has a beautiful home and I wanted to give her something that would hopefully add to it. So I made this reversible table runner.

It is black on one side and maroon on the other side. I also made solid black and maroon cloth napkins to match. I thought it turned out nice. This is it on my table. I am sure it looks a lot better on hers. To come up with my measurements I found this great blog post at Sew Mama Sew on sizing table runners. Check it out here!!!

Mail Organizer Tutorial

2012-01-09T02:47:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else have some much junk that piles up in their kitchen?

I know I should be be more organized so life doesn't end up like....

....this! Piles of papers and random stuff.

So I decided to put a little something together to help sort and store all the items that end up on the countertop.

I used my Pantry Organizer as a bit of inspiration. Check it out here.

What You'll Need:

2 fabric piece 15" x 28"

3 fabric pieces 11"x 20"

1 plastic piece 11" x 10"

Interfacing

Thread

Cut out your 15" x 28" pieces and your 11" x 20" pieces.

Iron on the interfacing to the back.

Take the 11" x 20" pieces and fold them 1/4" and iron.

Fold again 1/4" and iron.

Sew the 1/4" down flat.

Next, take one of the 15" x 28" pieces and place your plastic about 3 inches from the top and center it.

Sew down the middle.

Now decide how many pockets you want. I made 3 for this layer.

Pin your plastic down in little pleats. This helps when you sew across the very bottom.

Leave the sides open for right now.

Once the top layer is done take the second layer and overlap it slightly on the plastic layer. Once again sew down the middle.

Pin down your pleats and sew across the bottom leaving the sides open.

Continue to do the same steps for the other layers.

Sewing across the bottom of your pleats.

Love this layer.

Once all your layers are in, put your front and back pieces together.

Pin them and sew around 3 of the sides.

You can cut off all the extra pieces on the side to help if you need to.

Just make sure that you don't sew you "pockets" down on the side.

Trim all you sides and your corners and turn it right side out.

Attach a ribbon, string, or whatever to the top and sew across.

Now your done.

The first time I just sewed the ribbon on each side but I found that the organizer

rolled a bit in the middle that is why I made 2 handles.

Look at all that room.

Now stuff it full of all the crap on your counter.

Just make sure you clean it out once a month at least.

New Goals for a New Year!

2012-01-05T03:47:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

I thought since it is a New Year that I would look at my goals for this blog and for myself and see how I'm doing.

Time Management:

Create a family calendar ***Done

Have a personal daily planner (I have one, I just need to use it more)***Done (i've been pretty good at this one)

Schedule in LAUNDRY (Okay....still not my favorite)****Working on this one. My husband has been great at helping get the laundry done and put away!!

Organization:

Organize our office space and my sewing/craft area ***DONE (Now if only it would stay that way!!)

Organize our closet (***DONE) and our pantry (***DONE)

Create a Household Inventory list in case of fire (****Almost DONE)

DO THE LAUNDRY (see above)***Again work in progress

Put everything back when I'm done and train the family to do the same (a work in progress)

Finish husbands scrapbook ***Summer Please

Finances:

Create a budget that is realistic and stick to it ***This will be changing a bit, so that will be good to work on even more!

Sit down as a family and discuss long term and short term goals including vacations, large purchases, and fun activities (working)

Food and Health:

Create a monthly/weekly menu of healthy, nutritious meals; make freezer meals regularly ***DONE

Exercise at least 3-4 times a week ***DOING TERRIBLE! Need to start again!

Floss ***Um...No

Education:

Finish the books I've started before starting another ***Got a Kindle...LOVE IT!

Take time to read to/with family ***Do it LOTS

Yard:

Weed flower beds at least once every two weeks ***WINTER...hooray!

Spiritual:

Attend church as a family regularly ***Done--but keep going

FHE!! (Nope)

Read from the scriptures daily (Okay)

Pray as a family and on my own (Good)

Service:

Find time to serve others ***I would like to try doing something once a month

This year I plan to blog on Tuesday and Thursday of the week. Occasionally I might do more. So if you haven't signed up already to receive emails, click on the sidebar. You'll get them the day after I post. It is quick and easy and you can stay up-to-date. Make sure you come back to join me! And leave a comment or two! I'd love to hear from you about what you're doing and what you love.

~Chelsea

Allow Me To Introduce....

2012-01-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

Have I ever mentioned I have the greatest husband in the world?

Well I do.

I know what you're thinking..."mine is better". NO! You would be lying. Mine is the greatest.

Does your husband mow the lawn without being asked?

Does he gladly bathe and change poopy bottoms?

Does he clean up your breakfast dishes because you made breakfast and fed him?

Does he refrain from rolling his eyes even though he knows you really don't need that new book or ebook, but you're going to buy it anyway?

Will he watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse instead of his football or hockey game just because your little one handed him the remote and said "bickey"?

See...I told you he is the GREATEST!

So when this arrived I was very excited.

Can you guess yet what it is?

Introducing...(drum roll please)....

Bernie!!!!

That is right, my amazing husband bought me a New-to-ME sewing machine.

I've been BEGGING for a long time!

I'm mean come on, I do teach sewing and my Walmart machine just wasn't cutting it.

I wanted a machine you could throw across the room and it wouldn't break.

You know, the kind your Grandma had.

And if you know my husband you know that he researched and researched and went online to like a million places until he found exactly what he was looking for.

Which would have taken weeks and weeks!

Isn't she beautiful!!!

Thanks Love!

Top Ten Projects of 2011

2012-01-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

I thought it might be fun to put together a Top Ten List of the most viewed crafts here on GYCT.

So, here it is!!! Enjoy....(and don't forget to PIN your favorites!)

#1 Fabric Tote Tutorial

#2 Pantry Organizer

#3 Purse Organizer

#4 Menu Board

#5 Fabric Covered Bulletin Board

#6 Lip Gloss

#7 Pottery Barn Knockoff Chair

#8 Wave Pillows

#9 Back Sack Tutorial

#10 Magnetic Hanging Spice Rack

I'm linking to:

Craft-o-Maniac, C.R.A.F.T., Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple,Just Something I Whipped Up, Made by You Mondays, Running with Glitter, Sew Cute Tuesdays, Take a Look Tuesday, Tuesday Confessional, A bowl Full of Lemons, The Inspiration Board, Someday Crafts, Sew Much Ado,Sew Woodsy, Wow Me Wednesdays, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees

Delicious Pretzels

2011-12-27T09:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, a couple of weeks ago I really wanted a fresh, soft pretzel. So I found this awesome recipe online at Food Network by Alton Brown. It is AMAZING and so good! It makes a lot, so I made about 8 pretzels and then made pretzel bites. It is a bit time consuming, but I promise they are worth it. Check the recipe out here!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2011-12-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

Homemade Felt Stockings

2011-12-23T04:14:00.000-08:00

If you follow my blog at all, you'll know I started these cute things in my blog last Christmas.

I got the idea first from my husbands very cute stocking made by his mother. He loves it! And since we've been married, he's had a stocking and I've had some dollar store one.

Not this year! After all my hard work of stitching these very cute felt shapes together, this year I attached them!!

I will admit, they came out very, very cute. See isn't the little man's above so DARLING! A drum, snowman. Love it!

It was a lot of work and two Christmas' in the making, but we finally match! Now all I have to do is add the names. Maybe that can be next years project!

Back Sack Tutorial

2011-12-19T03:41:00.000-08:00

So every year for like 6 years I've been making these darn back sacks. Why? Because my students like them. So I figured this year, I might as well share the wealth and give a little tutorial so now YOU can make your own.

(Plus, they are great gifts...just wait until my niece and nephews open their gifts on Christmas...Love it! And it takes basically scrap fabric.)

You'll Need:

2 --17" x 14" (Bag front & Back)

1-- 9" x 14" (Pocket)

2-- 20-25" straps

Matching Thread

Take pocket piece and turn down 1/4".

Turn down again 1/4".

Sew across

Place pocket onto front bag piece and sew down the middle.

Now sew the remain 3 sides down.

It will look something like this when you are done!

Now, put your front and back piece right sides together.

Measure down from the top side and mark at 2" & 3". (I tried to show it in the picture above. The spots are marked with pencil.) You'll sew your stitches to the 2" line then stop and pick back up at the 3" line. You want a "gap" in your fabric between.

Now, cut on your pencil lines to but not through your stitching.

WARNING: If you cut through your stitching you'll have a real nice BIG hole at the very end.

Take these flaps and sew them down. Illustrated above.

(My students hate this part and it can be difficult to explain, hopefully the picture helps. If not, sorry....)

Next, fold the top down 1/4" and sew.

Take your strap from the right corner and put it in the left corner "gap".

Take your strap from the left corner and put it in the right corner "gap".

Fold your top edge over your straps so it is 1-1/2" wide. Sew this down.

Take each strap and pin and sew it to the RIGHT side of the BACK of the bag.

This just helps with strength.

Then turn your bag inside out and...

Sew across the bottom at 1/2".

Tada!!!! You're done!

A lovely back sack....

For any occasion...

Great for holding toys....

or diapers....

or books.....

or well, candy cane boxes =)

Homemade Christmas Gift Giving Ideas

2011-12-08T17:22:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but homemade Christmas gifts sure are more fun than the store bought ones. So here are a few ideas you might try!! Some projects from over the past year.....

Fabric Covered Notebooks

Lip Gloss

Fabric Covered Bulletin Board

Grocery Bag Storage

Diaper Pouch

Pottery Barn Knockoff Chair

Christmas Decorations

2011-12-05T01:38:00.000-08:00

Need some fun Christmas Decorating Ideas?

I got this idea from Pinterest! I love that site SO MUCH!

I added lights, but it looks amazing during the day and at night!

Next the Poinsettia in the Swan!

No chimney? Use your window sill.

Wreath inside!

Merry Christmas made of felt letters! These I got at JoAnn's during the Christmas Clearance several years ago! I paid like $1 for all of them!

Advent Calendar! Fun and simple.

Outside wreath!

Need a New Scarf??

2011-12-02T03:24:00.000-08:00

I Love Pinterest!! I found several great tutorials on how to make scarves out of old t-shirts and such. I made the one above using this tutorial and this tutorial. It is actually super easy and would make a great Christmas gift. All you need is an old t-shirt! Happy sewing!

Candy Cane Pillow

2011-11-28T03:11:00.000-08:00

With the holiday season upon us, I wanted to make a fun candy cane inspired pillow. So this is what I came up with.

It is actually very cute. You could even make matching garland!

Vegetable Tortellini Soup

2011-11-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

A delicious recipe! So good for fall and winter.

Ingredients

2 yellow squash, chopped

2 zucchini, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 cans of stewed tomatoes

1 pkg. fresh tortellini
Vegetable Oil

Water

Seasonings

Chop your veggies and saute them in about 2 Tbsp of oil until soft.

Add enough water to cover veggies and add in stewed tomatoes and tortellini.

Serve with bread and Parmesan cheese.

Christmas Printable: Mary Did You Know Tree Art

2011-11-14T05:48:00.000-08:00

Did you miss me?

I know I have been a bit MIA as of late. I mean...did you see the 31 Days of Halloween?

It was a lot of work.

If you haven't checked it out, you should.

Anyway, I have a fun Christmas Printable to share this week. I love the song

"Mary Did You Know".

So I made it into a printable "tree".

You can pick from Green, Blue, and Brown.

Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T01:38:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I thought I'd share some highlights from our Pirate Halloween Party!

The TREASURE!

Dessert

More Dessert

Centerpieces....look familiar?

The pirate ship!

Octopus!!

Our Pirate Costumes. My husband looked so AWESOME! Isn't he great to dress up with us!!

Poison and Cider

We had a great time with 31 Days of Halloween! Until next year! Happy Blog-or-Treating!!

31 Days of Halloween: Paper Lanterns

2011-10-30T05:51:00.000-07:00

I made these great paper lanterns last year for our Halloween Party. But I saved them and I am using them for this years Halloween Party.

You should check out how to make them HERE.

31 Days of Halloween: Our Pirate Costumes

2011-10-29T05:51:00.001-07:00

Arrgh matey!!!

31 Days of Halloween: Triple Layer Pumpkin Spice Pie

2011-10-28T05:47:00.000-07:00

Jello has great recipe out right now with their seasonal Pumpkin Spice Pudding. It really is very delicious. I feed it to my whole family a couple weeks ago and my new sister-in-law said she liked it. So it must be good!

First, find the pumpkin spice pudding. It might be tricky, but looking in the seasonal baked goods. It will be worth it. Also, look for the coupon to go with it. That will make you feel better about buying it!! (Yikes)

Make (or buy) a graham cracker crust. I baked mine to help it stick together better.

Next, beat the pudding with milk. Mmmmm......I could just eat it like this.

Now place half the pudding in the pie crust.

Fold the remaining pudding with cool whip. It will lighten the flavor and the color.

Place cool whipped pudding on top of the other layer. (Don't you love my background vegetables. Mmmmm...)

Refrigerate for a couple of hours and add cool whip before serving. So yummy!

Triple Layer Pumpkin Spice Pie
2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Pumpkin Spice Flavor Instant Pudding

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 cups cold milk

1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

BEAT dry pudding mixes, cinnamon and milk with whisk 2 min.; spread 1-1/2 cups onto bottom of crust.

STIR 1-1/2 cups COOL WHIP into remaining pudding; spread over layer in crust. Top with remaining COOL WHIP.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour. Meanwhile, cook nuts and honey in skillet on medium-low heat 2 to 4 min. or until nuts are caramelized, stirring frequently. Spread onto waxed paper, separating larger clusters. Cool. Sprinkle over pie just before serving.

31 Days of Halloween: Free Halloween Pirate Printables II

2011-10-27T03:47:00.000-07:00

This year our Halloween Party is Pirate Themed. Yesterday I shared some of the fun food printables I made. Today, you'll get some of the fun decoration ideas!

Pirate Sails for Cakes or Centerpieces

Pirate Invitation Postcards!

Pirate Bunting!

I'm linking to:

Craft-o-Maniac, C.R.A.F.T., Keeping It Simple,Just Something I Whipped Up, Made by You Mondays, Running with Glitter, A bowl Full of Lemons, The Inspiration Board, Someday Crafts, Sew Woodsy, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees

31 Days of Halloween: Free Halloween Pirate Printables

2011-10-26T01:43:00.000-07:00

This year our Halloween Party is Pirate Themed. So I made some fun table and food toppers. I thought I'd share what I have in case you are looking for something.

Pirates need some sweet treats too!

Our kind of treasure is usually CANDY!!

And every pirate needs something to drink!!

Click on the images below and print!!

Cupcake Toppers

Treat Bag Toppers

Drink Wrappers

For personal use only! Please give credit where credit is due and link back. Thanks! ENJOY!

31 Days of Halloween: Easy Pumpkin Monkey Bread

2011-10-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

I love fall because I really love pumpkins. They look great, taste great, smell great. They are just plain great. So I thought I'd try out a Pumpkin Monkey Bread. All recipes I found were a little more work than I wanted to do. So I made up my own and it is delicious.

First, melt your butter and add about 1/4 c. of canned pumpkin. You can add more if you really like the pumpkin flavor.

Whisk it all together. It will look a little something like this.

Now, cut refrigerator biscuits in half. Then dip them in the butter mixture and then in sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Place them in a greased bundt pan.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Then glaze them with a cream cheese frosting. A yummy breakfast or dessert in half the time of making those homemade biscuits. Enjoy!!!

Easy Pumpkin Monkey Bread

1 stick of butter

1/4 c. canned pumpkin

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 pkg. refrigerator biscuits

Glaze

1/2 pkg. cream cheese

1/2 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and whisk in canned pumpkin. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a separate bowl. Grease bundt pan. Cut refrigerator biscuits in half then dip in butter and pumpkin mixture then into cinnamon and sugar mixture and then place in bundt pan. Repeat with each piece and pile them on top of each other. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip onto cooling rack. Meanwhile make cream cheese glaze. Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar. Drizzle over warm bread.

31 Days of Halloween: Felt Pumpkin Table Runner

2011-10-24T04:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, so a couple weeks ago my husband and I were at Target. They had the cutest pumpkin table runner. It was like $20! It looked pretty simple so I figured I could make my own.

And so I did!!! You can too! For less than $5!!

You'll need:

3 pieces of orange felt

1 piece of green felt

1 piece of black felt

1 piece of brown felt

Craft glue

exacto knife

scissors

Now the felt I purchased was pre-stiffened. Meaning it is already starched. It was a bit more expensive, but worth it!

First, cut out the pattern pieces at the end of this post. You'll have 3 jack-o-lanterns. Decide what faces you want them to have. I did all 3 of mine differently.

Next cut out some leaves. I only did 3, but you could do way more or different colored leaves.

Cut out your 3 stems.

Cut out your spider. He's pretty cute.

Now take your craft glue and paste them together! Voila! A lovely table runner. I have to say it is much cuter than this ONE!

31 Days of Halloween: Pumpkin Donut Holes

2011-10-23T03:53:00.000-07:00

I found this delicious recipe for Pumpkin Donut Holes on Pinterest. I made them for a little party I had earlier this month. They are so yummy! And really easy to make. I'll attach the recipe. You would think the pumpkin would be too much, but it wasn't!

Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes

Ingredients

For Donuts
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup low-fat milk

For Coating
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven 350°F. Spray each cup in a 24-cup mini muffin tin with baking spray or butter generously.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and spices (through cloves). In a separate, large bowl whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined – do not over mix!

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. (Using a 2-tablespoon scoop will ensure uniform size.) Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the muffins bake, melt butter in one bowl and combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. Remove muffins from oven and cool for 2 minutes, or until just cool enough to handle. Dip each muffin in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat.

31 Days of Halloween: Countdown Blocks

2011-10-22T04:09:00.000-07:00

I love the wooden countdown blocks. I made these at a Relief Society activity this month. I've wanted some for awhile, but I was a bit to lazy to make them. So I signed up. Did you know that you have to make sure to put certain numbers on certain blocks? Go figure! So I'll tell you the secret. One block needs numbers 0,1,2,3,4,5. The other block needs numbers 0,1,2,6,7,8. It makes sense that you'd need 2 2's and 2 1's, but you can't always use the low numbers if the high numbers are attached. Anyway. Now you know the secret so you can make your own!!

31 Days of Halloween: Baked Apples in the Crockpot

2011-10-21T03:19:00.000-07:00

Apples! They scream fall to me and Halloween.

So I thought I'd try out a Baked Apple but in the crockpot.

First, hollow out your apples.

They should look a bit like this. Then pour in your mix. Put them in the crockpot for about 2 1/2 hours on high. And enjoy. You could even add a bit of caramel.

Crockpot Baked Apples

3-6 apples

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

nuts (optional)

slash of apple juice

caramel

Core and hollow apples. Mix ingredients and place in apples. Place apples in crockpot and add a splash of apple juice. Cook on high for 2 1/2 hours. Serve with ice cream and caramel.

31 Days of Halloween: Guest Post "This Mom"

2011-10-20T04:14:00.000-07:00

Today we have Jenny from THIS MOM as our guest post. She has some great ideas. Make sure to check out her blog.

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I'm excited to be guest posting here at GYCT and hope you'll check out and enjoy my little corner of internet at thismomblog.com. I write about the crafts I make, my adventures in the city and my child. You can also follow me on Pintrest where I have stored way more ideas that I'd like to do than time I'll have to do them.

Today I'll be sharing with you a Pumpkin table runner; inspired by a quilt I saw at the Payson Quilt show. Now that I've made this, I can think of a few variations that would also look fantastic.

Supplies:

10 10x10 squares (5 for the background and 5 for the pumpkin base)

green scraps for the leaf

brown scraps for the stem

scraps for the pumpkin strips

10x46 fabric for backing

(optional: iron on interfacing dual sided)

Version 1: use the iron on interfacing to adhere the pumpkins together and to the 10x10 square

Version 2: top-stitch your pumpkins down leaving a 1/2 inch edge to fray after washing

Version 3: do jack-o-lanterns and only use the iron-on interfacing for the face and then fray the pumpkin itself.

Depending on which version you'd like to make; the first step will be to adhere the iron-on interfacing to the pieces you don't want to fray (such as the leaf, stem, pumpkin sections or the jack-o-lantern faces or the pumpkin shape itself). Cut out enough pieces for 5 pumpkins worth; as pictured above.

Step 2 would be to iron down (or not if you want it to fray); stitch down the basic pumpkin shape first to 1 of your 10x10 pieces. We'll be stitching down each layer at a time to make sure it's stitched all the way around. Iron and stitch each piece to each pumpkin designing it how you'd like it to look. There is no perfect way to do this, that's the great thing about it. Do this for 5 of your 10x10 fabrics.

Once you have your pumpkin, stem, leaf and pumpkin strips or jack-o-lantern face ironed on and top stitched down you are ready to sew your squares together.

Then you'll sew your front to your back with right sides together; leaving a gap for turning. Turn and press. Lastly top stitch around so as to close your turning point and display.

31 Days of Halloween: Halloween Milk Carton Printable

2011-10-19T02:12:00.000-07:00

I love these milk carton favors. I just had to make some for our Halloween Party!! I think I want to fill them up with little donuts. Mmmm....

I made them up using some digital scrapbook pages and a word document.

They make me smile. Hopefully this will make you smile too! FREE Printables!

Just click the pic!

ENJOY!

31 Days of Halloween: Halloween Felt Pumpkin Pillow

2011-10-18T04:41:00.000-07:00

I love holiday pillows. Why? I'm not entirely sure. But this year I wanted to try this very cute pumpkin pillow. It was super easy and you could do it with ghosts, bats, mummies, you name it.

First, cut out your pumpkins. I just found some pumpkin clipart and used that as my template.

Next, place them on your pillow in the order you want.

Sew down the middle of your pumpkins.

They'll look like this.

Then sew your two pillow pieces together and stuff.

And Voila! A cute pumpkin pillow.

Really, it was super easy. What a great decoration for a child's room!!!

I'm linking to:

Craft-o-Maniac, C.R.A.F.T., Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple,Just Something I Whipped Up, Made by You Mondays, Running with Glitter, Sew Cute Tuesdays, A bowl Full of Lemons, The Inspiration Board, Someday Crafts, Sew Much Ado,Sew Woodsy, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees

31 Days of Halloween: Pretzel Stick Tutorial

2011-10-17T02:03:00.000-07:00

I love chocolate covered pretzels. I wanted to make some for Halloween. They are great for gifts, for party centerpieces and even just for a snack. Here's how to make them.

You'll Need:

1 bag of pretzel Rods

bag of chocolate

sprinkles

chocolate molds

First, put your chocolate in a double boiler. I just put a large glass bowl on top of a small pot of water. This works great for me. Once your chocolate is melted, place your pretzel rod in the chocolate and spin it. I have found that if your spin it and slowly pull it out it makes the chocolate a little more even.

Next, add your sprinkles.

Then place your rod straight up in a bowl. Add something in the bottom to make sure they stand up right. Then place them in the freezer to help harden the chocolate faster.

Once the rods have cooled they look like this. Now wrap them.

I used long, straight plastic bags then tied them with ribbon.

If you find a cute mold, you could make something like this as well.

Aren't they cute! Now it is your turn!

ENJOY!!

I'm linking to:

31 Days of Halloween: Simple Decoration Ideas

2011-10-16T02:18:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share some fun decorating ideas I've come up with over the years. First, of course is a wreath. Made of feathers and a foam sign from the dollar store. Love it!

You saw these with boots HERE but ad a sign and you have a door decoration.

I love these glitter bones. Martha Stewart is a genius!!

I have collected a few items for a witch and I have a "witch table". I've got shoes, books, a hat, cauldron, and a broom. Some years I put out flasks of potions and such.

This is above our entertainment center. We have some fun candelabras.

Just whipped up this little banner to hang with my Halloween decorations. I thought I would be a great addition.

In years past, I've made these great witch shoes and brooms for centerpieces.

Love them!

I made these terracotta decorations several years ago and I fill them with candy every year.

Such a cute little mummy!

I hope that gave you some inspiration. What decorations are you putting up this year?

31 Days of Halloween: Guest Post Funny Face Pumpkins - By Tidbits

2011-10-15T03:41:00.000-07:00

Today our guest post is Cami from Tidbits. She is so talented and I am excited to have her blog with GYCT. Check her site out here.

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Thanks for having me over Chelsea! It's been so fun to see all the Halloween goodness around here.

Halloween presents many creative opportunities. But I will be the first to admit that it's easy to keep all the fun to yourself as a momma. I get so excited about sewing costumes and Halloween decor, I tend to forget the potential for fun for my kids. So after racking my brain, I came up with this kids craft for my girls that can easily be adapted for many ages. It can also be fun for you!

I call it simply -

Funny Face Pumpkins

For younger kids, it is best to precut the shapes, and let them mix and match to make their own funny faces. Older kids could certainly do this step themselves.

Cut the items you see above. I just free handed all those shapes. Don't get too stuck on perfectness - their supposed to be funny, right? I used some distressing ink on some of the edges of the pumpkins which added some fun for me.

Then just give your kids a glue stick and let them create whatever their hearts desire

It might be interesting. I kept trying to tell them how a pumpkin face is supposed to go, and my 5 year old (going on 15) insisted I stop and let her make it how she wants.

So if you can't stand a crooked face, you may need to leave the room for this part.

But occasionally, such a little one will surprise you with just what you had in mind.

And the rest of the funny faces will give you a pretty good laugh. Then you'll have to make them into a banner for everyone to see.

Speaking of funny faces. .

I'd love to have you stop tidbits and see if there is anything you might like. I'll be posting this years costumes shortly, and I think they are my favorite so far.

Enjoy the rest of the Halloween fun!

31 Days of Halloween: Paper Pirate Cake

2011-10-14T05:20:00.000-07:00

For our Pirate Halloween Party, I wanted to put together a cake box for treats and goodies.

I used the Cake Box Template HERE!! I also used some scrapbook printables from online to print out my paper. I must say it turned out pretty cute.

31 Days of Halloween: Free Cupcake Toppers

2011-10-13T05:09:00.000-07:00

Most people enjoy a good cupcake or muffin! I've seen so many different cupcake toppers and wrappers. I thought I'd make a few cute and fun ones for our Halloween party this year. Here are a few I've made. Just click the toppers and print!! And a couple for brownies! I LOVE BROWNIES!!!

Happy Halloween Cupcake Toppers

Boo Cupcake Toppers

31 Days of Halloween: Candy Bags

2011-10-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Something simple, but functional. I wanted to make some cute candy bags to giveaway at our Halloween party. These were simple and took like 5 minutes. But they turned out super cute.

31 Days of Halloween: PB Bat Tote Knockoff Tutorial

2011-10-11T04:17:00.000-07:00

So I love the Bat Halloween Tote from Pottery Barn (check it out here)! It is super cute! But I don't want to pay $15 for it. Heck I don't want to pay $5 for one at Walmart. So using leftover fabrics from our Halloween costumes, I made this one for like $1!

What You'll Need:

1/2 yard of black fabric

1/4 yard of red

thread to match

batting

interfacing

fabric paint for face (you could use felt also)

First cut all your pieces. I have patterns at the end of the tutorial for you!

Baste the top edge of your batting to one side of each of your tote pieces.

Next, sew your wings together. I use red on the front and black on the back.

Then sew 5 tote pieces together with batting and 5 tote pieces without batting together at the side seams.

Sew wing #1 in between pieces 2 & 3.

They look something like this! Make sure to iron the seams so they don't pucker.

Then place your front tote pieces (right sides together) onto your back tote pieces and sew across.

It will look something like this. I FORGOT to sew the handle on during this step, so make sure to do that so you don't have to add it later! Notice, no handle!

Now, place your other wing in between piece #1 & #5 and pin along the open edge. Notice, that the "batting" side is pinned to the other batting side.

Once that is done, it will look a bit like this.

Now, take your bottom piece with your batting and your tote outside piece. Pin the bottom to the outside and sew it.

Okay, so the "white" has the bottom sewn to it, notice the top has its bottom pinned to it. Make sure to leave an opening and you'll turn the entire tote right side out when you are done. (I hope that makes some sense!)

See, here is my opening! I pulled it right side out, now I'll just sew this on my machine. It is the lining of the bat so no one will see.

Now top stitch around the top edge so your lining won't come out.

Now put a face on it!

And Voila! You have your own PB Knockoff Bat tote!!!

I'm linking to:

31 Days of Halloween: Guest Post "Domestic Deadline"

2011-10-10T04:19:00.000-07:00

Today we have a Guest Post by Emily @ Domestic Deadline! And I'll say it sure is cute!!! Thanks Emily!!

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Hello lovely ghosts and ghouls! I'm Emily from Domestic Deadline and I'm so excited to be here today. When Chelsea asked me to join her 31 Days of Halloween, I was definitely excited, I love Halloween. It's such a fun time to decorate, be goofy, eat yummy treats, and of course make fun crafts. Since I was Stashbusting in September, I had to come up with a Halloween project using only what I had on hand. My house is pretty small, so I've also been doing my best to come up with decorations that are multifunctional, and re-purposing is always another bonus in my book...

Jack O'Lantern Storage Bucket

I don't have a cat, but one of my neighbors does. I keep grabbing these kitty litter buckets when they are ready to toss them, they just always seem so functional and I can't bear to think of them ending up in landfills.

The orange lids just kept screaming pumpkin to me. Good thing I already had orange spray paint on hand! Give it a few coats; get it good and orange.

While it dries, grab the rest of your gear: Scissors, vinyl, glue gun, green pipe cleaners, small empty plastic bottle (mine is a medicine bottle) and a pen or pencil.

Wrap a few pipe cleaners around the empty bottle and twist in place, to make the "stem."

Now curl them around a pen or pencil; "stem and vines."

Hot glue (or other glue) onto the center of the lid. I went with hot glue because, quite frankly, I will most likely remove this part, fill the bucket with fall decorations and pop the lid back on when it's time to move into Christmas decorations. Next year I can glue it back on, it will just be easier to store it away without the "stem."

Next up, the face! I considered paint or sharpie markers and decided to go with vinyl... maybe next year he'll have a different face! I drew my face parts onto the back side of the vinyl and then cut them out with regular scissors. Pretty quick and easy.

Apply to the front per package directions and you're ready to go!

I think he looks makes a pretty good decoration on my front step! He's currently corralling the kids chalk and a few small toys that are still getting used outside. Pretty soon I'm sure he'll have umbrellas inside and may even hold the treats on Trick or Treat night.

Hmmm, since September Stashbusting is over, I'm aloud to buy supplies... I'm thinking a can of green spray paint may be in my future... this one is making me think of Frankenstein! While I'm at it, I think I'll need to make a snowman one to hold the snow salt that will be hanging out on my front step in just a few weeks. The wheels are turning...

Please stop by and say boo!

Peace be with you,

31 Days of Halloween: Candy Corn Pillows

2011-10-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

Happy 31 Days of Halloween!

Today's project is not only a craft but decoration as well!! Candy Corn Pillows! Love it. I found this idea from Craftiness is Not Optional. There is a great tutorial to go with it as well. I'm using these on my couch, but you could do them anywhere. I think even doing some cute miniature ones would be great.

31 Days of Halloween: Dinner in a Pumpkin

2011-10-08T01:59:00.000-07:00

I LOVE DINNER IN A PUMPKIN!! I love Halloween! I love the Fall. This is one of my favorite fall time recipes. It is delicious! Enjoy!!

Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1/2 C. chopped onions

1/2 C. shredded carrots

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 can of cream of chicken or mushroom

1 1/2 C. cooked rice

Brown ground beef and onions together. Shred carrots. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, and cream of chicken to beef mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add cooked rice and carrots. Mix throughly. Add to hollowed pumpkin, replacing the lid. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

P.S. If you'd like the tutorial, check it out here.

31 Days of Halloween: Glitter Tree Tutorial

2011-10-07T05:27:00.000-07:00

I've seen a few of these great looking glittery Halloween Trees. I wanted one, but I didn't want to pay tons for it. So I figured, why not make your own!

First, start with your cardboard and draw out your tree.

Once you have your first tree you can use it to trace your second tree.

They look a bit like this when you put them together.

Now spray paint it black.

Then I used good ole Martha Stewart's glitter and glue. It is AMAZING! It really covers well. But of course you can use whatever glitter you want.

Martha's glue really covers well and the glitter really sticks!

While it dries, make your "ornaments". I made little ghosts.

Then put your pieces together and you've got your Halloween Tree!

I'm linking to:

31 Days of Halloween: Brownie Graveyard

2011-10-06T05:51:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I found this very fun recipe for making brownies into a Halloween graveyard. It was a bit disturbing, but then I made them and really it was fun and cute!!

So how do you make them? Bake your brownies as usual. Once they have cooled, turn them out onto a flat surface. Cut out rectangles for the graves. Then I used shaved coconut and dyed it green for "grass". I also used Halloween chocolate molds to make the mummies and the tombstones.

The cool coffin I made using this pattern from Wilton. Check it out here.

I'm linking to:

31 Days of Halloween: Guest Post "For Whom the Bell Told"

2011-10-05T02:41:00.000-07:00

Happy 31 Days of Halloween! Today our Guest Blogger is Katie from "For Whom the Bell Told"! Her blog is hilarious and about the wonders of motherhood and crafting. You should go check it out. Hope you enjoy!

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Hey Friends!

I'm completely ignoring the fact that I've never met any of you before but feel that we're kindred spirits between Halloween and crap, we have a lot in common.

Thanks Chelsea for having me over. You're pretty talented.

Anyway, I'm Katie from over at For Whom the Bell Told. I love nap time, antiques, fatty molding, Rice Krispie Treats, DIY, vintage kitchen scales, when my husband says 'yes' to a project idea, summer nights, and being right.

I'm one of those people that goes to a boutique or craft show, not to buy anything, but to get new ideas and to say to myself 'Self, I bet you could make that' and then go home and try it.

This next craft is case in point.

You'll need:
Fall-ish looking paper
Ruler
Glue
Brass paper fasteners
About 20 min.
First you're going to tear your strips. I did mine about 3/4 inch thick. I used the metal side of the ruler and just tore the paper against that.

About this time your baby will wake up.
You will try to ignore him, because you're crafting, for Pete's sake.
Then you will have guilt.
You will go get the baby and quickly feed him.
And then put him on the floor next to you so you can finish the project.
He will cry.
You will give him his sister's toys.
She will cry.
You will pretend you are hard of hearing and focus on the task at hand.
Because you are a finisher, people.

After you tear five strips, cut them in half.
Put a fastener on each end of of the paper making a nice little stack.

You'll want to wiggle the fastener around so it's not too tight around the paper.

Fan the paper our to make a sphere. Adjust till you're satisfied.

Tighten fasteners.

Tear another strip of paper, I did a yellowy-orange color, about 1 1/4 inch thick and about 4 inches long, for the stem, roll into a little tube thingy.

Please note, not that this happened to me, I've just heard...if your stem is too heavy, i.e. you use too much paper, it will weigh your sphere down and you will have a nice pumpkin pancake.

Glue stem on top of sphere around the brad fastener.

Find a bit of twine to make a cute little bow.

Pat yourself on the back for being so crafty.

Wait for husband to come home and notice.

Ha.

One note, you'll have a brad on the bottom of the sphere so it won't sit flat. Possible solutions: make a little donut for the sphere to sit on, hang the pumpkin, put it on something. I used an old zinc canning lid for mine to sit on.

31 Days of Halloween: Halloween Treat Bag Printables

2011-10-04T01:59:00.000-07:00

I've never tried making Halloween Printable before. But this year, I decided I wanted to make some of my own. I figured, why not share the wealth! So here are a few printables you might like to add to your collection.

Treat Bag Toppers find them HERE on Scribd.

I'm linking to:

31 Days of Halloween: Bat & Spider Candy Centerpieces

2011-10-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

I love these cute candy centerpieces. You can do so much with them. First, find your container.

I found this very cute bowl with spiderwebs on it. You'll also need some foam to stick your candy into and some candy.

Hot glue your foam inside your container. You could also but heavy rocks or marbles in the base.

Next fill your container with shredded paper, tissue, or ribbon.

I then wrapped my candy bars in "bats". I used this template from Skip to My Lou.

And there you have your centerpieces.

I'm linking to:

Take a Look Tuesday, Tuesday Confessional

31 Days of Halloween: Free Halloween Subway Art Printable

2011-10-02T04:31:00.000-07:00

I love all the subway art that people have come up with. It is really fun and really describes the feeling of the season. So I wanted to make one for my favorite holidays...Halloween. It is a great way to express the fun of the season!!! Want a copy for yourself? I figured I might as well share! Go ahead and click below and print. Enjoy!

I'm linking to:

Take a Look Tuesday, Tuesday Confessional,

31 Days of Halloween: The Beginning & Witch's Boots

2011-10-01T02:10:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know I LOVE Halloween! GYCT is going to do 31 Days of Halloween!!! Every single day in the month of October I have posts with projects, recipes, decorating ideas, whatever I feel like that relates to Halloween. There will be some great guest posts as well. I can't wait!!! If you are excited, make sure to grab our button and spread the word.

Our first project for 31 Days of Halloween is....

Witch's Boots!!!

I've always want to make some of these. I have seen tons of very cute designs online, but I decided to come up with my own. So easy, you can do it too!

All you need is the pattern below and 2 pieces of 6" x 8" pieces of fabric for the socks (or just old socks). I stuffed them with grocery sacks! Ha! No use spending money when you have all you need at your house!

Homemade English Muffins

2011-09-27T01:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to make your own English Muffins? Well, I've always been interested. A couple summers ago I tried it out and decided it wasn't too bad. It is a little time consuming, but it was sure fun. And it make a whole bunch so you can always freeze some.

Once you've made your dough you can either use a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or in my case a cup to cut out the muffins.

They don't have to be really big. My cup is just a normal size. They will raise as they sit at room temperature.

This is how you dip the muffins in cornmeal. Make sure you brush the muffins with water so the cornmeal will stick.

Use your griddle so you can cook more muffins at once. They do take some time to cook.

Homemade English Muffins

5-5 1/2 c. flour

2 pkgs yeast

2 c. milk

1/4 c. butter

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Cornmeal

Mix 2 cups of flour with yeast; set aside. In saucepan, heat milk, butter, sugar and salt until just warm. Add milk mixture to flour. Beat with mixer on low for 30 seconds. Then beat on high for 3 minutes. Using wooden spoon, stir in the rest of your ingredients. Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Shape into a ball and place in greased bowl to rise until double in size make sure to cover.

Punch dough down and turn onto floured surface. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Roll dough out until it is about 1/2 thick. Cut dough with cookie cutter or cup. Dip biscuit into cornmeal (brush with water if cornmeal won't stick.) Repeat until dough is used up. Cover and let muffins rest for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat up your electric skillet to 325 degrees. Cook muffins on skillet for 25-30 minutes each turning every 5 minutes. They are done when they are golden brown and crunchy.

I'm linking to:

Don't forget about GYCT's 31 Days of Halloween!!! Make sure to grab our button and spread the word. October 1st the bewitching begins!!!

Craftastic Tuesday: Homemade Lip Gloss

2011-09-20T01:24:00.000-07:00

My Sister-In-Law sent me this great link from Meet the Dubiens on how to make Lip Gloss. I've been wanting to try it out for a while now, but I was having a hard time locating lip gloss containers. But I found them!!

I made Strawberry, Kiwi-Strawberry and Black Cherry. It was fun and simple and they really do work! I gave some to my sisters and my mom. They seemed to enjoy them also!

I made some labels check them out here.

I'm linking to:

Don't forget about GYCT's 31 Days of Halloween!!! Make sure to grab our button and spread the word. October 1st the bewitching begins!!!

Dino Shoes

2011-09-16T05:56:00.000-07:00

Made some dinosaur shoes. Love them! The little guy likes to kick them off, but they are super cute nonetheless.

I found the pattern here at Home Spun Threads.

Don't forget about GYCT's 31 Days of Halloween!!! Make sure to grab our button and spread the word. October 1st the bewitching begins!!!

Craftastic Tuesday: Crayon Roll

2011-09-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

I love all the blogs out there with great crayon roll tutorials. I've wanted to make one forever, but time always got in the way. Not that it takes more then like 5 minutes to make. But alas...anyway. I finally got around to it. And naturally, it had to be boyish and football. So here it is. It really turned out great.

Naturally we have BSU colors as well.

Loads of crayons!

Don't forget about GYCT's 31 Days of Halloween!!! Make sure to grab our button and spread the word. October 1st the bewitching begins!!!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2011-09-09T01:29:00.000-07:00

I borrowed this one from Kraft. It was delicious!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

1 pkg. (2-layer size) red velvet cake mix

1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 pkg. powdered sugar

1 cup thawed Whipped Topping

PREPARE cake batter and bake as directed on package for 24 cupcakes, blending dry pudding mix into batter before spooning into prepared muffin cups. Cool. BEAT cream cheese and butter in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Gradually beat in sugar. Whisk in COOL WHIP. Spoon 1-1/2 cups into small freezer-weight resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Cut small corner off bottom of bag. Insert tip of bag into top of each cupcake to pipe about 1 Tbsp. frosting into center of cupcake. FROST cupcakes with remaining frosting. Top with chocolate curls. Keep refrigerated.

I'm linking to:

Don't forget about GYCT's 31 Days of Halloween!!! Make sure to grab our button and spread the word. October 1st the bewitching begins!!!

Sister's Day Gifts

2011-09-07T23:58:00.000-07:00

For Sister's Day this year I made Fabric Notebooks. What I received from my wonderful Sister-in-laws is as follows:

An Organization Kit including Notebook with matching fridge magnets and clip

A Pack Fabric Napkins

A small tote perfect for make-up or perhaps the little guys small toys

A fresh lavender sachet

Sister's Day Fabric Notebooks

2011-09-07T00:41:00.000-07:00

So for Sister's Day I decided to make these cute fabric covered notebooks. I got the idea from Yards and Yards. She has a great tutorial on how to make them. They are easy and super duper cute. And back to school time is a great time to get composition notebooks for inexpensive as well.

I'm linking to:

Don't forget about GYCT's 31 Days of Halloween!!! Make sure to grab our button and spread the word. October 1st the bewitching begins!!!

31 Days of Halloween

2011-09-05T06:48:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know I LOVE Halloween! We have a big themed Halloween party, we go Trick-or-Treating, we eat, we decorate, we LOVE halloween.

Now I am not a scary Halloween kind of person. In fact, I don't really like the scary. I like the cute and fun part of Halloween. So I thought this year I'd share some of my own Halloween decorating, food, and fun ideas as well as give you the opportunity to share your ideas.

GYCT is going to do 31 Days of Halloween!!! Every single day in the month of October I have posts with projects, recipes, decorating ideas, whatever I feel like that relates to Halloween. There will be some great guest posts as well. (I'd love some more guest posts so if you are interested, let me know. It should be a Halloween or fall project or recipe.) I can't wait!!! If you are excited, make sure to grab our button and spread the word. October 1st the bewitching begins!!!

Happy Sister's Day

2011-09-03T00:41:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law started an annual Sister's Day last year. Those who participated were to make the same item for everyone and then send them by last Saturday. I just wanted to tell ALL my sisters how wonderful they are! I hope you all had a wonderful Sister's Day.

Next week I'll post what I sent each sister and what I received.

P.S. Go Broncos!!!!

Football Season is Upon Us....

2011-08-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

If you don't know my husband, let me fill you in. He LOVES college football. Not like most people. They watch football. They "love" this team or that team. They "hate" others. No, not my husband. He LIVES for college football. No I take that back, he is ADDICTED to college football. In the off season, he watches DVR recordings of games played in the past. He watches the calendar from February until September waiting for the season to start. He records all of the ESPN College Football Lives just so he knows what is happening in the on and off season. It doesn't matter if his team isn't playing this weekend, he's still watching all the other teams. He gets online and comments on ESPN or chews people out for not agreeing with who the best team is or coach or player or school or whatever. When football season starts I become a bit of a widow. I'm not complaining...at least he has a hobby!

That all being said, my husband has been a fan of Boise State since childhood. So naturally, our son was born a BSU fan. You might say he has been born and breed for this team. He will hear for the rest of his life how someday he'll play for BSU. That he'll be a Bronco. So naturally when I saw this shirt the other day I had to buy it for him. Yes, you might say that I am fostering the addiction, but I couldn't help it. You know!

But you can't just have a shirt and no shoes! So I thought, why not make some shoes to go with it. Aren't they Soooooo Cute! Love them!

Want the pattern? I found it at Home Spun Threads check it out Here.

File Folder Friday: FINALLY DONE

2011-08-26T01:43:00.000-07:00

So File Folder Friday's comes to an end! I have completed 12 different file folder patterns. I made a set for my son, my nephew and then made about 10 to donate to charity!! I must say, it has been quite a bit of work. But I know in the end I'll be glad to have them all!

I figured, since school is about to start I'd show you one last time what file folder games you could make to get them ready for school.

I'm linking to:

Boy Room Makeover: Closet Hooks

2011-08-23T00:12:00.000-07:00

This was just a nifty idea I came up with. I was tired of picking different items off the ground, or not knowing where to put things.

So I got some trusty removable hooks, and put them on the closet.

Now, they have a home. So easy and so worth it.

File Folder Friday: Watermelon Count

2011-08-19T01:41:00.000-07:00

So for the summer, Friday's will be File Folder Friday's! I will post a new file folder I have completed and where I found it or got the idea from. That way you can start your own collection, or donate them to charity or even to your child's classroom teacher. Enjoy!

Watermelon Count

Another Purse Organizer

2011-08-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

Just something I whipped up for my mom. It is the same design that I used here for the tutorial, but different fabrics.

I'm linking to:

Boy Room Makeover--Craftastic Tuesday: Dresser Chalkboard

2011-08-16T00:08:00.000-07:00

I decided that I wanted to have a chalkboard in the little guy's room. But I didn't want to reinvent that wheel to get it done. So I decided to paint one on the side of his dresser. I think it turned out pretty cute! What do you think?

I'm linking to:

Hooray!! 100 followers!!!

2011-08-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to report the GYCT has 100 followers!!!

Thanks to all those who have graciously "friended" me!

File Folder Friday: Snowman Colors

2011-08-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

Snowman Colors

Craftastic Tuesday: Bow Tie for Baby

2011-08-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful Alaska Trip craft. Isn't this the CUTEST!!! My nephews had them and I about died they were so cute. So I made the little guy one.

I decided to make a matching vest....since my "crap" isn't really in order at the moment, that vest may have to wait. Plus, he has no white collar shirt (if you know where to purchase one let me know!) As for directions, I didn't get the site my sister-in-law used, but I did find this one that has a very similar pattern and directions at Sis Boom (click here). Have fun and make sure to share those bow ties with me!!!! I love to see your projects!

Lemon Bread

2011-08-08T01:29:00.000-07:00

A delicious summer time snack that is light but so yummy!

Lemon Bread

1 3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 c. milk

1/4 c. oil

2 tsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp powdered sugar

Grease bottom of a loaf pan and set aside. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in one bowl. In a separate bowl, combine egg, milk, oil and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix until lumpy. Then fold in lemon zest. Spoon batter into loaf pan and bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes. Meanwhile, mix lemon juice and powdered sugar. Once loaf is finished, drizzle with lemon/sugar mixture.

File Folder Friday: My Family Tree

2011-08-05T00:20:00.000-07:00

My Family Tree

I found this one at mormonchic.com also. I decided to do it a little different and I printed our family pictures and used them instead.

Tree

Family Members 1

Family Members 2

Craftastic Tuesday: Amish Puzzle Ball

2011-08-02T01:06:00.000-07:00

So this is what they call an Amish Puzzle Ball. Just made one for the little dude. He seems to enjoy it. Others I've heard call them crib balls. Now isn't that fun!?

I'm linking to:

File Folder Friday: Flower Garden

2011-07-29T00:32:00.000-07:00

Flower Garden

This one is so cute! And I love that you can make your own garden either cloudy or sunny. You could even make rain drops or snowflakes to go along with it. It is a great folder. Found it on mormonchic.com.

Garden

Flower Cut-outs