Properly Pink

the invitation

2011-02-15T19:15:00.004-06:00

Just a sneak peak of more to come!

Sorry about the blurring. one can never be too safe!

Princess Tea Party

2011-02-11T17:00:00.005-06:00

For Ms. C's birthday party, she wanted princesses and a tea party. I think I was more excited than she was. It was so much fun to put this together.

Invitation

The banner is my favorite part.

The cake was really easy to make, but I made it the night before and made the mistake of putting the wafer cookies on that night. In the morning, the moisture from the frosting had made the layers start to come apart so the cookies were falling off the cake by layer.

As party favors, I found those little mailboxes in the dollar section at Target. I had a friend cut some vinyl for the names and she did those cute crowns with their initials as well. Claire and I filled them with more dollar bin goodies like stickers and hair bands.

For the activities we decorate crowns with glitter, feathers and jewels and then had a pinata (per Ms. C's request).

Unbelievable Bread

2009-06-30T10:23:00.003-05:00

I can't recall exactly where I found this bread recipe, so I can't take credit for it. It is amazingly good. The title is deceiving because it really takes awhile to make. The time you actually spend making it is minimal, it just has to sit around for four hours. It is crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. It mimics an artisan bread. I promise you won't be able to stop eating. I have used both white and whole wheat flour. They are both delicious.

Speedy No Knead Bread

3 cups bread flour

1 packet ( 1/4 ounce) instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Oil as needed.

1. Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Shaggy bread after 4 hours

2. Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes more.

3. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-to-8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. (If your pot isn't a cast iron and well greased, I would grease my pot) When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under dough and put it into pot, seam side up. I grease my hands and use a large greased spatula. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.

4. Cover with lid and bake 25-30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 10 to 20 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: 1 big loaf.

Crafty Caterpillars

2009-06-26T17:18:00.002-05:00

Thought you might enjoy a quicky craft. Go here for instructions. Claire did really well stringing them on and naming colors. It was fast a virtually painless. Have fun!

Father's Day Cards

2009-06-20T12:43:00.003-05:00

I found this template here and thought it was super cute and super easy. Turned out, I was right. I whipped some up for the special dad's in our lives. You can too!

Bacon Cheddar Scones

2009-06-11T17:38:00.004-05:00

I tried another one of Rebecca Rather's recipes and it followed suit to all the rest. These were delicious. They were quick too.

They are really supposed to be Apple-smoked bacon and cheddar scones, but where would I find that apple-smoked bacon around here?

3 C all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar
4 green onions
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
3/4c-1 1/2 c. buttermilk
1 large egg
2 T water

Preheat oven to 400 F. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl on low speed. With the mixer running, gradually add the cubes of butter until the mixture is crumbly and studded with flour-butter bits about the size of small peas. Add the cheese and mix just until blended. (you can also do this by hand with knives or a pastry blender).

Add the green onions, bacon, and 3/4 C of buttermilk to the flour mixture. Mix by hand until all ingredients are incorporated. If the dough is too dry to hold together, use the remaining buttermilk, adding 1 T at a time, until the dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball. Stir as little as possible. Remove dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Pat the dough into a ball and then for it into a circle about 1/2" think and 8" across. Cut the dough into 8-10 wedges.

Place scones on baking sheet. Whisk the egg and water in a small mixing bowl to combine. Bruch each wedge with the egg wash. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle. Serve warm.

Baby Gift Set

2009-05-11T15:45:00.004-05:00

Since I gave this away on our trip to Utah, I can post about it now.

I was rather pleased with the results. I knew that I wanted to put some kind of image on the bib, but didn't know which direction to take it, but then I was inspired by my frog prince stamp. The question was how to get it on there without having to buy a bunch of new stuff like a washable ink pad. So I thought that acrylic paint might do the trick...and it did. I used one of Claire's old onesies that had some stains on it. I stamped onto it, cut it out and simply zig-zag stitched around it. Easy as pie...well I maybe even easier!

And the burp rag...or as Claire would say, DURP rag.

Here are the steps...sorry no pics.

1. cut a 8" x 14.5" piece of fabric and iron in half.
2. Fabric glue Ric-rac to ribbon and then sew ribbon to one long side of fabric.
3. Sew the other piece of ribbon to the fabric, BUT make sure it extends about a quarter inch longer than the other piece of ribbon when the fabric is folded together.
4. Turn right sides together and sew up the short sides with a 1/4" seam.
5. Turn right side out and put diaper up into the pocket you have formed. I pull the corners of the diaper up into the corners of the fabric. Sew along the bottom edge of the ribbon that is shorter. This will make sure that you are able to catch the longer ribbon on the other side with your seam.

6. Ta-da! you have a really cute "durb" rag!

Creative Cookie Canisters

2009-04-24T18:57:00.002-05:00

I saw this somewhere a long time ago and just happen to recall it the other day. I took these to the ladies I visit teach. I think they turned out rather cute. I just used some scrapbooking cardstock and paper that I had.

Nesting Eggs

2009-04-13T09:38:00.002-05:00

I realize this recipe is a little Eastery. In fact, I made it for dinner the day before Easter. It was so yummy though, that I intend to make it often. Not only is it yummy but sneaks in some extra veggies. Plus it's adorable.

2 potatoes, peeled and grated
1 zucchini, grated
1 carrot, peeled and grated
5 eggs
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
oil

Mix grated veggies, 1 egg, flour and spices. Heat large skillet to med high with a tsp of oil. Put 1 cup of mixture into the pan and spread out to look like a next. cook 4-5 minutes, turning once. Remove from pan and place on greased cookie sheet. When all are done, using a wooden spoon make a 3" impression into the nests. Crack remaining eggs into each of the nest. Place in 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Enjoy.

Better Homes and Gardens, April 2009

Lemon Raspberry French Toast Strata

2009-04-08T16:20:00.001-05:00

Lemon Raspberry French Toast Strata

2/3 cup maple syrup plus more for serving
6 cups (12 ounces) day old french bread, cut into 1 inch pieces (use the crust too)
1 pint fresh raspberries
6 eggs
4 cups whole milk
zest of one lemon
1 t vanilla
1/4 t salt

Butter a 9x13 inch dish. Pour maple syrup in the bottom. Scatter bread cubes and raspberries on top of the syrup.

Whisk together: eggs, milk, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt. Pour over bread mixture. Put in fridge for a few hours or overnight (or just put into the oven)

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Dust with powdered sugar to make it prettier and serve with maple syrup.

York Road

2009-03-17T15:22:00.003-05:00

thought this was kind of fun. as a teenager, i would always come up with album names. York Road was never one of them, but it has a little bit of a ring to it. so for your viewing pleasure...my first album cover.

You can do your own. Here's how:

1. Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2. Go to Quotations Page and select “random quotations”
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last few words of the last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3. Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4. Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together.

The Library Bag

2009-03-14T13:15:00.004-05:00

I can post this now since this was a gift and the gift has been received. This is the same pattern that I started with on my first post. I just added some embellishment. The funnest part was making the flower on the front. I got the idea from Grace Violet. It was super easy and I think it adds a lot.

This bag has an inner pocket, a cell phone pocket, and an extra long strap so it's more like a messenger bag. I thought it would be great as a library bag. It took just short of a yard of fabric. It would not take quite as much without pockets and such.

I apologize for the pitiful pictures. I didn't have a good way to display the bag.

Grateful for glue

2009-03-09T16:57:00.003-05:00

When my sister and I were kids, we would get out the hot glue gun and make Barbie clothes. Yes, that's correct, we would glue fabric to our Barbies to make them new outfits. Since then, I had forgotten how much fun glue is. That was until I discovered FabricTac. This stuff is SO awesome.

This is one of the latest projects I have finished, thanks to my new glue friend.

Close up.

I bought the canvas baskets at WalMart...where else would I find anything around here. The fabric I had from the throw pillows I made, which I need to post a picture of. The ribbon was also a Walmart find and if you like the idea, it took one roll for all three. I will admit though that the entire project was not done with glue. I sewed the fabric to fit around the basket and then glued it to the basket and then glued the ribbon on top. I will eventually probably glue some embellishment to the front when I find something I like.

The purpose of the baskets, other than looking fabulous, is to hold all the newborn stuff I want in my living room for convenience, but that I don't want to be an eyesore. Clever, eh?

My Best Paper Project EVER!!

2009-02-18T09:54:00.000-06:00

I don't really think that I am a wonder with paper crafts. In fact, I admire others and always wonder how they make things look so adorable. BUT, for once I made something that I am extremely pleased with. Mind you, it was because I used others' templates, but still...it turned out so well.

Here is a picture of the cover:

I used this card as a copy cat.

I then used this idea (which I think is SO fun) to make my card even more fancy. For the pockets I came up with these coupons. The picture also shows the back cover.

On the inside I put some love notes. Those are secret!

Homemade handy-dandies

2009-02-14T10:19:00.000-06:00

I've seen this post now on two blogs and have responded to the call. #1 because I think it's a great idea and #2 because I like homemade stuff and am intrigued as to what will be sent my way!! So, to fulfill my end of the bargain, the first 8 people to post a comment will get a homemade handy made by me sent to your home within the next year. There are no promises as to what this homemade lovely will be, but I will do my best to please. The only catch is that you have to do the same for 5 people on your blog (say 5 because one post I did was 3 and one was 5 and so to be fair I will say 5).

So if you want to pretty present in the mail, just sign on up!

Frosting Fiasco

2009-02-10T15:51:00.000-06:00

Oh, the pink polka dot cake! It looked pretty good. It tasted pretty good. BUT little did it show the FROSTING FIASCO I had with this cake.

I have to say that I am fairly competent in the kitchen. Rarely do things not turn out. However, this frosting may be my downfall and it shook my kitchen confidence!

The recipe for the cake and frosting came from my new cookbook that I blogged about here. The cake was easy and REALLY good. I had my doubts about the frosting going into it when it called for 6 sticks of butter, but none of these recipes had failed me yet, so I was willing to try.

When I had skimmed the recipe I hadn't noticed that the frosting used granulated sugar and not powdered sugar. I didn't notice this because I have a million bags of powdered sugar in my food storage and was only skimming ingredients I would need to buy. So, when I went to make the frosting I was a little surprised. I have made 7 minute frosting before (the kind where you make a thick simple syrup on the stove and then beat it over the boiling water until it's marshmallow cream consistency) and it was successful. I thought this would be a little similar. So, with 7 eggs beaten to a fluff and my sugar mixture at 235 degrees, I slowly beat it into the eggs. I was then supposed to add the butter. The mixture was supposed to thicken. Did it thicken?? Heck no! I had 7 eggs, 2 cups of melted sugar, and 6 sticks of butter in a VERY liquid form in my Bosch bowl. Grrrr....so what do I do? Add powdered sugar of course. And let me tell you, almost 3 bags of powdered sugar later (good thing I am well stocked) I had a GIGANTIC bowl full of rich buttercream frosting. The cake took maybe a third of all that frosting. Does anyone need any frosting??

All and all, it tasted good, but it was too heavy for the cake. You can see that the top layer started caving in slightly. Also, it was a little too rich for the light, fluffy cake. This is coming from a frosting LOVER! I think I will give it another go sometime, but not with the full recipe. maybe I can halve it or something.

Also just as a side note, even the "fruit only" preserves are not fantastic as a cake filling. I used strawberry and it still tasted, well, like jam. I was wanting more of a fruity filling. So, ix-nay on the strawberry jam filling.

The dots: I pre-made them on parchment paper and put them in the fridge to harden. Better would be the freezer but mine was FULL. It took me about 3 rounds to get them off the parchment and onto the cake because they warmed up so fast. And I thought this cake would be easy!

We have a winner!

2009-02-09T19:45:00.000-06:00

We have a winner!!

And the little bag goes to... The Winkler Crew.

I used random.org to come up with a completely random number between 1 and 14. Thanks for all your entries. It was fun to read all of your comments. I will have a new post soon. I just need to take pictures!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-02-10 01:44:45 UTC

A Giveaway!

2009-02-01T15:47:00.000-06:00

I thought it only proper to start out my fun new crafting, cooking, whatever blog with a giveaway. I always think it's fun on other people's blogs when they have giveaways, so when I made this little scripture bag for Miss C, I made two. I really owe the inspiration of this bag to my husband because he bought the miniature Book of Mormon for Miss C for her birthday and was the one with the idea of making a little bag for it. Even he has a crafty side...although I am sure he didn't have anything this girly or elaborate in mind. He was probably just thinking a plain canvas tote. But where's the fun in sewing that??

I am even posting a tutorial for these and I had to give myself a little pat on the back...okay so it was maybe not even a little pat, maybe a huge one. I am not the originator of this pattern, BUT I only saw one at my friend Krista's house over 2 years ago. We never got the chance for her to teach me how to make them and so I sat down with a piece a scrap paper, some scissors and some tape to figure this puppy out. After a short while, I emerged from the craft/computer/junk room and declared to my husband that I was a creative genious. I don't think he was as impressed with me as I was with myself, but there you have it. If I could come up with the pattern and make two of them almost within a single nap time, you too can make these fun bags.

First thing you will need are two pieces of rectangular/square material the same size. One is for the outside and one for the lining. You can make this whatever size you want. I wanted mine a specific small size, but I've seen them the size of large notebooks.

Secondly you need to iron your material in half and then make some markings. Since I wanted the base of my bag to be 3/4", I measured that at the fold, then on the other two sides I measured the 3/4" + the seam allowance.

Thirdly, you cut the little square out. Then you are ready to sew...or almost, unless you want embellishment or a pocket. Yes, a pocket...mine are pocketless, but if you want a pocket, make one and stick it to the right side of either the inside, outside, or both.

Sew it:

At this point you are sewing each piece individually. Fold right sides together at the half point where you ironed. Sew along the long edge for the side seam. Do this on both sides on both pieces of fabric.

Now you should have a little hole at the area where you cut out the square. The only way i can think of how to describe the next step is to squoosh that little hole so that it makes a flattened cone shape. Hopefully the picture will help. Sew each of these edges closed. This is the bags bottom corners.

Now you should have two pieces that look like this. Okay, now turn the outer shell right side out and leave the inner shell.

Put the outer shell inside of the inner shell with right sides together. Sew along the upper edge leaving a space open on both sides for your strap and also to turn the bag right side out. You can make your strap however you like, I sewed two strips of fabric together for it, but you could use ribbon or canvas strap...be creative.

Once that seam is finished, turn your bag right side out. You should now have something that resembles a bag with two holes on each side. Stick your strap in and sew another seam all the way around the top. If you are going to be putting heavy stuff in your bag you may want to reinforce the strap part of the seam by going over it a few times.

Hooray, now you have a bag. Really this was very simple. I hope that my directions aren't too confusing. The whole process of figuring out what I was doing, cutting the fabric, and sewing took me two hours.

Now if you want to make me feel really good about myself, put a comment on my new blog so that you can have a chance at winning this bag.