Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Every year, I attend at least a couple of holiday cookie exchanges. This year, my step-mother wins the award for having hers the earliest...November 13th! She has pretty specific rules for her cookie exchanges: no chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, bar cookies or snickerdoodles. I don't know about you, but she just cut out all of my favorites (except for oatmeal raisin...eww!)! This makes me have to be creative, though, and that's not a bad thing. :)

This year, I came up with a cheaters version of snickerdoodles. Please don't tell her! LOL Cinnamon Roll Cookies!

Here are some quickie directions on how to make these.

Take your favorite sugar cookie recipe. It can be from scratch, a package mix or even a pre-mixed dough log from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Take about 1/2 of a scratch recipe or 1 package or log and roll it out into about 1/8" thick rectangle shape onto a well-floured surface (ding, ding ding...this is KEY! Also, if you are using a premade log, I would recommend kneading in about 1/8 cup of flour so they don't spread out too much.) The thickness part is not an exact science, but keep in mind that you don't want it to be too terribly thick since we're going to roll this up like a pinwheel.

Once you have it rolled out, sprinkle the top of it liberally with cinnamon. Then, starting at a long side of the rectangle, start tightly rolling the cookie dough onto itself, creating a long pinwheel. I would recommend putting the rolled log into the refrigerator for at least an hour, but overnight would be best. You can take that advice or leave it, but if you're not in a hurry to get them done, I would definitely refrigerate.

Once your log has been in the fridge for at least an hour, take it out and start slicing one of the ends, making them approx 1/4" thick. See? You're just making your own slice and bake cookies! LOL Bake your cookies according to their package directions.

For for the glaze, mix together 1 and 1/8 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons of milk and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla. Once these are mixed together and it's nice and smooth, pipe it in a zig-zag motion onto the cooled cookies.

Don't they look delish? They are!

Linking up at Tatertots & Jello

Ruffly Candy Corn Tee

We had a company picnic on Sunday and I whipped this up in less than an hour. I cut my strips 1" wide with pinking shears, then ruffled them with the sewing machine. Individually sew each strip down onto fusible interfacing so that the colors go in the same order as a candy corn. On the back of the interfacing, trace out a candy corn shape, then cut it out. Press the shape onto the shirt, then go back and top stitch around the whole thing. I cut off too much of my white fabric, though, so my candy corn is mainly orange. Lesson learned!


Oh, this is what I got when I said "make a scary Halloween face." :)



Linking this post to: Get Your Craft On and 30 Days

Baby Bunting

Funny update: I apparently have issues with my hearing. Took this bunting to the baby shower, only to find out that the baby's name is JACK, not Jake. Ack! Another bunting will be on it's way to the parents-to-be soon. Anyone need a navy & maroon bunting with "Jake" on it? LOL

One of my nieces is due to have her first baby next month. Today is the shower, so I wanted to make something personal for the baby. I decided to go with the ever-present-in-the-blog-community-BUNTING. It was ridiculously easy and took me one hour to make.




This project could have been about half the time, but I did a couple of things differently than some I have seen. I wanted the buntings to have a little weight to them and lay fairly flat, so they are two layers of fabric sewn together. You can use just one layer of fabric if you want it to be more flow-y. That would definitely cut down on the amount of time it takes to make the project. I also made my own bias tape, as opposed to buying pre-made. I wanted it to match the color of the letters. If you make your bunting just one layer and use a pre-made bias tape, you could easily knock this project out in 30 minutes or less (depending on how many letters are in the name, of course!). This four-letter name could have been done in about 20 minutes with no problem had I done it that way. That's WAY less time than it takes to go to the store and buy a gift!


I do have one significant "lessons learned" from this project. If using a light colored bias tape with dark colored buntings, it would be a good practice to use a light-weight interfacing when making the bias tape. I found that the top edge of the buntings can be seen through at the very top of the bias tape.

Hope the mom-to-be likes her gift!

Boo!

Now that I have the majority of my craft show items complete, I can work on fun stuff again. :) I'm glad to get craft show goodies wrapped up (mostly...just working on new things here and there), so that I can work on decor for one of my favorite holidays...Halloween! This wreath is a blatant rip-off of this one. I love me some glitter, though, so I changed it up just a smidge. My wreath isn't as full as hers, though. I wound up only using about 1/2 yard of black burlap.

Funny Update: I just opened the front door and discovered that my carefully crafted wreath was on the ground. Apparently, even with today's "cool front," it's still too hot for a wreath whose ribbon hanger is held on with hot glue. Or maybe the craft gods are telling me you shouldn't hang up a Halloween wreath before October. Hmmm. The wreath is currently in hospice waiting for the kids to go to bed, at which point it will be repaired and then take up residence somewhere in the entry hall. :)

Early July 4th Post - Flag Cake Directions

I have had several emails about how I made the flag cake in this post. Here are some quickie directions on how I did mine. I'm sure if you make one, you'll find where how you can save some time. If you do, let me know! :)

You'll need enough cake mix (white) for three layers of cake. Use food coloring to dye one layer of the mix red and one layer blue. One layer needs to stay white. To get good thick layers, I used two cake mixes and had one layer worth of batter left over, so I made those into cupcakes. :)

Bake layers as noted on the box. Once baked and cooled (cool completely!), cut the red and white layers horizontally. So now you have two small layers each of red and white and one regular sized layer of blue. Set aside one each of the red and white layers...those will be the bottom stripes of the flag.

Now, of the layers that you didn't set aside, stack them one on top of each other (do not ice them yet). Using a sharp knife, you are going to cut a circle directly out of the middle of all three layers. I used a bowl as a guide and just stuck the knife from the top...ALL the way through to the bottom using the edge of the bowl as my round guide. So now you have a ring of red, white and blue and three inner circles of the same. Does that make sense?

Take a break now and commence eating the inner circle of blue and the outer rings of the red & white cakes.

ASSEMBLY:
Frost the bottom two layers of red & white that we set aside earlier...the bottom stripes of the flag. Just place a layer of frosting between those layers. Then frost the top of the red and place the blue ring on top of that. I put a small amount of frosting on the inside of the blue ring to help cut down on any crumbs and to hold the next two stripes in place. On the inside of the ring, place the small white circle cake, top with a bit of frosting, then place the red circle cake. Frost the entire cake, as normal.

Is that clear as mud?

FYI - after I sent my cake pictures to my mom? She told me that you can use a checkerboard cake pan and it would be easier. I don't have a checkerboard pan, so this is how I had to roll. :)

A Birthday Shirt for Miss S

I am a lame aunt. I not only forgot about my niece's birthday party last weekend (until my mom reminded me the day before), but I showed up with NO gift. Ack! Hopefully, my lateness will be excused!

Thank goodness for my mom. She brought her most hated sewing machine to the party for me to take home (thanks, Mom!). Her most hated machine is WAY better than what I had before. It sews on knit. With no issues. Yesssss!

I was prompted to try this after reading a tutorial one someone else's blog (I can't remember where I found it! She did a 4 with baseball fabric for her son's birthday). It was super easy...especially if your machine doesn't hate you. :)

So happy belated birthday, Miss S! Don't hate me too much for being so forgetful.

Since I can't remember what blog I got my inspiration, here is a super quick and dirty how-to (no pics) on this project. Prewash your fabric and shirt (since they are different types of fabric, it will alleviate puckering later on). I used my Cricut to cut out a large S and then traced the S onto the shirt. Next, I ironed interfacing to my white & pink fabric and placed it on the inside of the shirt, then pinned, pinned, pinned all around the S. It's not absolutely necessary, but I sewed two rows of stitches around the S. I tried to be all nice and careful with the second line, but very quickly figured out that there was NO way I would be able to mirror the first line of stitches perfectly, so I went all wonky with them making them criss-cross, curve, etc. After you are all sewn, very carefully cut out the pink shirt on the inside close to the stitches. Then go on the inside of the shirt and cut out all of the excess fabric, cutting near the stitches again.


Linking up to these parties: It's a Blog Party, Today's Creative Blog, Creative Itch

Happy Memorial Day!

UPDATE: Go here for a quickie (non picture...sorry!) tutorial.

These pictures are proof positive that I am neither a food stylist nor a photographer. But the kiddos and I had fun creating our flag cake today. :)


Iced and ready to eat:


Surprise!

UPDATE: Directions can be found here.

UGH!

My sewing machine pooped out on me Monday night, just as I was sewing the very first seam on this. Called three repair places and, rightfully so of course, they charge a diagnostic fee...of $75. Ouch! The machine was only $150 to begin with (12+ years ago). Luckily, I have a nice mommy, who hates the Singer she bought last year and used all of 5 times. She's coming for a visit in a couple of weeks and will give it to me on long-term loan. Lucky me!

So in the interim, I will be scouring the home building sites near me and will beg for scrap wood. You can expect to see some wood crafts in the near future. And as soon as this guy comes in the mail, you can see crafts with him. Happy (early) birthday to me!

Also, we spent an inordinate amount of time at Home Depot last night picking up our new living room and dining room flooring. Installers are supposed to come on Friday. *please, please, please* Cannot wait to get rid of the ugly, dirty, builder grade carpeting. :)

Goodwill Candle Holder Makeover

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Found this candle holder at Goodwill last week (was the ONLY thing I found...pout). It was marked $3, but it had a pink tag and it was "pink tags are half price" day, so it was a whopping $1.50 plus tax. I'm not really a taper person, but figured I could make it work for something. I'm not a huge fan of the grapevine ball on top, but figured it was better than seeing the taper holder that I didn't bother trying fill or cover.

Sprayed with primer first, then two coats of glossy white. Sanded lightly, then brushed on and wiped off Minwax's Dark Walnut stain. One spray of clear coat, then let it dry overnight.

Extend Your Winter Wardrobe

How many shirts do you or your kids have that are the layered look?

I went through my daughter's clothes this morning...swapping out winter for spring/summer. As I was getting a donation bag ready, I got a bit irritated that I was getting rid of things that she had only worn a handful of times, but that still fit her. I started looking at some of the shirts that she had and wondered if I could cut off the sleeves to get some additional wear out of them. Sewing with knit is not my thing, though. I know it's user error, but whenever I sew with knit, it stretches out my fabric and looks terrible. So sewing was out for me on this one! She did have a number of layered-look shirts, though, so I went after those with a pair of scissors. Now she has additional shirts in her wardrobe for spring & summer!

Here are the "leftover" sleeves. If your sewing machine doesn't hate knit, you can totally turn these into baby leg warmers in less than 10 minutes. Snip a little off the top to make them straight across, fold down for a hem and sew a straight seam. Easy peasy! :)