December

Tomorrow is December 1st! I can't believe it! Where did November go? I have a lot of new and fun ideas for recipes, crafts and decorating ideas. So keep checking back weekly! Also my son is starting basketball season - so I will have some fun basketball snack ideas!

Thank you so much for reading my blog - share the blog with your family and friends!

Star Ornaments - Joy to the World! (From Recycled Items)

I have been working on some Star Ornaments for a few days! I made them from items in my craft cabinet. I am going to bring some to our 6th Grade Bible Study class for all the kids and some will go to the Sunday evening Mass choir members (my daughter sings in the choir) and of course her sweet piano teacher will get one!

Don't these look cute? I cut them out of cardboard. These ornaments would make a cute choir or music recital gift tag.

I used my Star cookie cutters to create the above pattern.

Then I used next size cookie cutter to cut out the music wrapping paper.

I used a glue stick to apply the music wrapping paper to the cardboard.

I used red ribbon, black ribbon and twine to decorate the Stars. I used a hot glue gun to apply the bows to the top of the Stars.

The last steps were to add a mini candy cane and a red ribbon loop with a hot glue gun. Then I added "The First Noel" tag with a glue dot.

The "Joy to the World" ornaments have little heart beads and a twine loop! I need to save one of these for my special friend Joy!

The "Oh Holy Night" ornaments have a pink rhinestone and a black ribbon loop! "Oh Holy Night" is my favorite Christmas song. What is your favorite Christmas carol?

I would love it if you left a comment!

Sorority Hair Bows

Tonight Noelle and I made hair bows for some of her sorority sisters. These are meant to tie around a pony tail.

If it wasn't so late I would have had Noelle model this - but we were both in our pajamas when we made this project.

Incase you want to make some hair bows - you need to cut a 3/4 yard of ribbon and cut each end in "v" shape.

Then we used self adhesive pearls to make three triangles for Tri Delta sorority.  We just put the pearls on one side of the hair bow.

This would be a fun project to make on a red or green ribbon for Christmas and use self adhesive rhinestones to make wreaths and Christmas trees.

I would love it if you would leave a comment.

Pearl Christmas Ornament

I made some fun and easy Pearl Christmas Ornaments. You just need three items - a glass ball ornament, pearl beads,  sheer ribbon. I bought all three items at Michael's with a Black Friday coupon.

This big box of pearls was $6.99. The ribbon was $3.99 and the six-pack of glass balls was also $3.99. But my total was a lot less because I used a Black Friday coupon! yes, I am a super saver!  JoAnne Fabrics also has some good Black Friday and weekend coupons.

This is a really quick project. Carefully remove the silver topper and fill the glass ornament with pearls and then carefully put the topper back in the ornament. Then tie the loop of the topper with a big bow.

I made six ornaments in about fifty minutes.  These would be beautiful on a tree combined with pearl garlands. They would also be fun to make with friends or to give to friends!

Mini Pumpkin Pies

I made these little mini pumpkin pies. They were very easy and fun to make. I adapted this recipe from my idol/hero Bakerella.

Ingredients:

2 refrigerated ready-to-roll pie crusts
1 egg white
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Pumpkin shaped cookie cutter
Mini muffin pan

1/2 cup chocolate morsels
re-sealable plastic bag

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use the cookie cutter to cut 12 pumpkins from each pie crust. You will need to roll the pie crust out a little thinner so that you are able to cut 12 pumpkins.

Press the dough shapes into a mini muffin pan - alternating cups.

Apply egg whites to the top edges of each pie crust.

Mix the cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until throughly combined. Spoon the mixture into each pumpkin-shaped pie crust. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Remove pies to cool and repeat the process with the next pie crust. I was able to roll out the scraps and made about 34 mini pumpkin pies.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave and spoon into a plastic re-resealable bag. Twist the bag so that all of the melted chocolate is in one corner. Make a tiny snip in the chocolate corner and drizzle over the pumpkins and draw faces.

A very cute Thanksgiving dessert!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

This is a really easy recipe. I make it every Thanksgiving.  This recipe could be made a few days in advance.

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
zest and juice from 1 orange
zest and juice from 1 lemon

Give the cranberries a rinse in a colander. Add the cranberries, water, sugar, fruit zest and juice to a stockpot and simmer for 20 minutes.

The cranberries will start to pop and the sauce will thicken.

Once the sauce is your desired consistency - pour it into a Tupperware container and place it in the refrigerator to chill.  On Thanksgiving I will put my Cranberry Sauce in a lovely serving bowl.

More Party Favors

I made some kid friendly party favors for my Father-in-Law's birthday celebration.

Chocolate covered almonds in cellophane bags.

I put the chocolate covered almonds in a red and white striped tin bucket.

And m&m's in cellophane tubes. I put the m&m's in white tin buckets.

Don't these look cute? You can make them in any color combination. I have made them with Halloween and Easter m&m's.

The last item that I made was a frame with the party favors listed in calligraphy. No - I did not hand calligraphy! I found a calligraphy font on the computer!

This is a really fun idea - if you have a guest of honor you would like to welcome or would like to post your menu. Find a fun font on the computer and print out your welcome or menu and place it in a frame!

Leaf Cookies

Today I made some Leaf Sugar Cookies.

 I used the same sugar cookie recipe that I used for the Candy Corn cookies except that I deleted the food coloring and layering steps. I just put the dough in a ball wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for about an hour. Then I rolled the dough out and used a leaf cookie cutter.

They scream "Thanksgiving." Wouldn't these look cute on your Thanksgiving table?

If you don't want to pipe the leaf veins like I did on the above picture - your could pipe initials or names on the leaves and use them for place cards.

Once the cookies come out of the oven - they need to completely cool before you decorate them.

I just used a simple cookie cutter.

I was going to make Royal Icing - however, I was out of meringue  power. So I decided to use my icing pens (Plan B).

Using my icing pen - I outlined the leaf - then filled in the middle. Using a toothpick to spread the icing to the outline.

Once the colored icing has set - you can pipe on the leaf veins. Just melt some chocolate chips in the microwave and put the melted chocolate in a plastic bag. Twist the bag so that the chocolate is down at one end and snip a teeny tiny hole and start piping!

I think the leaf veins really make this cookie look "real"

Notice how my leaf veins - are squiggly? Nature is not perfect - therefore our cookies should not be perfect!

Pipe Cleaner Cocktail Rings

Okay for my Father-in-Law's birthday I made cigars for the gentlemen and now I have made Cocktail Rings for the ladies.

And yes - I will be displaying them on and in Tiffany Boxes. Presentation is everything. Don't you agree?

Use the sparkly pipe cleaners and each pipe cleaner makes one cocktail ring.

These are so simple to make! And a super fun birthday party favor for any age. The sparkly pipe cleaners are available at any craft store or in the craft areas of Target or Walmart.

Wrap the pipe cleaner around your finger and twist a few times.

Start wrapping one end of the pipe cleaner into a small circle on top of the ring.

Then wrap the other end in a circle tightly around the first circle. So easy!

I think that the ladies will really enjoy these Cocktail Rings! I made diamond, ruby, emerald and sapphire rings! This would be a fun holiday craft to make in red (ruby) and green (emerald).

If you want to make more complicated - two color rings - check out my Pipe Cleaner Ring Post dated April 27, 2011. I made Kate Middleton's ring out of Pipe Cleaners.

Rolo Cigars

Next Sunday  is  Fathers Day!s I am in charge of the party favors and I am making a lot of fun favors! The first favor that I made was a Rolo Cigar!

I bought some Rolo's at Target. Note: Rolo's are .79 each at Target and as much as $1.29 at other stores.

I started experimenting with different colors of brown wrapping paper.

I asked my husband which color Rolo looked the most like a cigar. He said he liked the dark brown - but I liked the light brown. Then he said "do whatever you want."

I decided to do both colors! I think it looks really unique. I put the cigars in a Kate Spade box - they fit perfectly.  I also put an "R" sticker on the cigars. My Father-in-Law's name is Raymond. And it was also near his birthday.

I found the "R" stickers in the wedding section at Michael's.

Instead of a monogram sticker - a sports sticker (i.e. baseball, basketball or football stickers). Be creative!