Handmade Gifts under $1.50!

This Christmas, I handmade a few gifts. This was an apron I made from some fabric I bought on clearance after Christmas one year for $1/yard. (It literally cost less than a dollar, b/c I used less then a yard!) Despite the fact it took a couple hours, I loved the way it turned out. I also added a fabric rose to the side by the chest, but didn't get a photo taken after the add. (Here's a tutorial to make a VERY easy fabric rosette: http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/2011/07/fabric-rosettes-tutorial.html)

For teachers this year, I busted out those pears & peaches that I canned last fall. My in-laws brought tons back from the West Coast. They are SUPER yummy and a delicacy in our house; however really a great frugal gift for us! Just the cost of the mason jar & I added some of that same Christmas fabric. I also purchased some reusable shopping bags with the phrase "#1 Teacher" in the fall for 25 cents each. Each bag held a jar of pears & a jar of peaches. :) (Total cost per gift about $1.25 plus fruit)

Lastly, I made these photo coasters. They are made from tiles (cost 11 cents each), felt, photographs, & modge podge. Such a simple, yet fun gift. The total cost of the craft was $1.16!! (Plus ribbon & modge podge which I just had on hand.)

Tangled Birthday Cake- Abbey's 7th Birthday!

My niece wanted a Tangled cake for her birthday! I made a whimsical tower out of rice crispy treats and texted it with a quilting-like fondant tool. The little cobblestones are covered in sparkle gels. The cake was a 3 layer 9" with creme cheese frosting covered in fondant.

Detail. I wrapped her extra long hair in plastic wrap until the piping was dry.

Full cake!

Here's Princess Abigail with her cake!

Bearded Dragon Cake

My amphibian lovin' nephew requested a "Bearded Dragon Cake!" :) Here it is:

He said, "I want the exact same cake NEXT year!"

Scarecrow cookies!

David was on the treat schedule for preschool today! They took a field trip to our local scarecrow festival display and we thought a scarecrow snack would go along nicely! We made 24 of these yesterday together! I think they turned out okay. :) He was such a great helper.

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/sweet-scarecrows-686957/

Dora Map Cake ~ Anna's 2nd Birthday

For Anna's 2nd birthday, I asked her what kind of cake she wanted and she yelled, "DORA, DORA!!" :) I thought it'd be fun to do a "map" scene like on the Dora show. In order for Dora to get to the birthday party, she had to first go to the apple tree, next the lake (watch out for swiper!), and finally the birthday party!

The actual cake is two layers (2- 9x13) with a white cake and a strawberry cake as well! :) It was fun to have the variety in flavor, but also in color! The more pink the better! :)

My precious 2 year old! Happy Birthday Anna!

Baby Boy Shower

It's been a crazy busy, but WONDERFUL summer! My sister & I hosted a baby shower for one of her coworkers last Sunday. It was great. :) She's having a baby boy so baby blue and brown were the theme. Check out the cake:

The cake is dark chocolate & white so when you cut in the theme is carried out with every bite. :) p.s. I LOVE dark chocolate.

Check out these fun puffs my Sister and I made. They are so fun and affordable. They costs 50 cents a piece to make and added so much.

Along the deck railing, we had citronella candles in BABY FOOD jars! :) We added some Easter grass for color. They kept the buggies away, but added a fun baby flair.

Here's our food table. Cake, homemade mints, veggie tray, & almond bark oreos with sparkles. Yum yum!

Sky High Strawberry Pie

This is a fresh strawberry pie recipe that doesn't involve using the oven. :) It's great for the summertime! Recipe makes 2 regular sized pies in graham cracker crusts or use only 3 quarts of strawberries and use a pre-baked pie shell.

Ingredients:
4 quarts
1 1/2 C Sugar
6 Tbsp Corn Starch
2/3 C water
2 Graham Cracker crusts
2 Containers of Cool Whip

Wash, core, & slice strawberries. I promise this is the only part that requires any real work! ;)

Of the strawberries, mash 3 cups strawberries with fork or potatoe masher or like me, use a food processor and pulse until it's to the above consistency; not pureed, but coursely mashed.

Combine corn starch & sugar in a medium sauce pan. Stir in mashed berries and water. Mix well and bring to a boil over medium heat.

STIR constanctly and cook for 2 minutes.

Mixture should thicken and be almost jelly like. Remove immediately from heat and if you desire add red food coloring. (I did not)
Pour mixture in bowel and chill.

Have your pie shells handy and fold berry mixture into remaining strawberries.

Pour into remaining pie shells. Chill 2-4 hours.

Top with Cool Whip before serving! Enjoy!

Beautiful Midland, SD

Jungle Cake ~ My 4 year old's birthday!

Here's David's 4th Birthday cake! He loves Diego right now and wanted a "Diego" cake... so I went with a jungle like theme.

Detail on top!

Tiger...

And the lion.

We added a Diego action figure on top for the finishing touch. :)

Happy Birthday, my wonderful 4 year old!

Jungle Party

My oldest is turning 4 on SATURDAY!! He loves the show, "Go, Deigo, Go!" So I thought we'd go with a Jungle-like theme. Here's a sneak peek of the decor that we are going with. I'm all about fun, cheap decor for parties. The "photo opt" animals are made out of foam board from Dollar Tree! ($1/each) and the vines are out of butcher paper and construction paper. Simple, cheap, fun! :)

Velvetly Chocolate Truffles

I got this recipe from a Pampered Chef party before David was born. I pulled it out this last Christmas and was really happy with how they turned out!! :) My sister and stayed up late making these and got chocolate-slappy. :) Also, they make amazing gifts. I boxed a bunch for our homemade MOPS gift exchange. It cost under $5 for the amount I fit in a small sweater box. I also used little foil mini-muffin holders to put each truffle in. Kept it neat, but also very fancy!

Velvetly Chocolate Truffles

2 squares (1 oz each) unsweetened baking chocolate
1 package (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
3/4 t. pantry double strength vanilla (If desired, 1/2 t. vanilla can be substituted for the double strength vanilla)
Assorted coatings such as unsweetened cocoa powder, toasted chopped almonds, grated chocolate or toasted coconut


1. Coarsely chop chocolate squares. Place chopped chocolate, chocolate morsles and half of the whipped topping in a large bowel; microwave, uncovered on HIGH 1 1/2-2 minutes or until chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring after each 20-second interval. Cool slightly. Fold in remaining whipped topping and vanilla.
2. Spread truffle mixture onto a cutting board; refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to scoop. (Do not allow chocolate to harden too long or the coatings will not adhere well to the truffles.)
3. Using a small scoop, scoop truffle mixture onto small plates containing assorted coatings. For easier scopping, dip scoop into hot water after every few truffles and tap on paper towels to remove excess water. Wearing plastic gloves or using tongs, roll ruffles in coating. Place coated truffle onto a serving platter and serve.
Yield: About 40 Trufffles

These were amazing! :) Enjoy!

Green Eggs and Ham ~ Dr. Seuss's Birthday!

Almond bark with green m&m's! :)

We got these adorable invites in the mail that resemble a library checkout card.

I was so inspired by the invites, I came up with my own green eggs & ham! We picked out all the green m&m's. I also made a green "ham" out of jello. It was way fun, but I didn't get a pic of the final project. Afterall, I'm a mom! Super busy just getting their on time. We read, "Green Eggs and Ham" while the kids munch on their own green eggs & ham. :)

Tiramisu

This is a piece of my very first tiramisu! I was very happy the way it turned out. I made homemade pound cake for the layers instead of using ladyfingers. Yum.

Here's Anna licking the whipping cream bowl. I think she approved.

Urkaine Flag Cake

Ukraine Cake for my sister & brother-in-law. They are Missionaries to Ukraine and are leaving for 3 months again for the eastern European, borsch-eating country! Love you guys! Be blessed!

Han Solo Frozen in Carbonate.

For New Year's Eve this year, we were snowed in and couldn't go out of town like we were planning! Instead, we had a geeky Sci-Fi party. It was a blast... here's the cake that I made for it.




Yep, that's Han Solo frozen in carbonate. Yep. Geeky, but fun. And very Sci-Fi.