Fall Leaf Cookies

I've been wanting to make these fall leaf cookies since I saw them a while ago.  We got everything out to make the cookies and then low and behold in the over 200 cookie cutters we have there was no leaf to be found.  They've probably been used in the play dough table.  Well, I improvised and used grapes instead. 

 For this simple project, I just used 1 roll of premade sugar cookie dough.  Leave it out for about 20 minutes before starting so you can knead the dough.  I cut it into 4 pieces and put each piece in a ziplock bag with some food coloring.

 Kamille kneaded the coloring into each ball of dough, mess free I might add.

 Once the color was blended into the dough, I put it into the freezer for about 10 mintues just to chill it down again.

Here you can see the four colors we used.

 Next, you tear the dough into little balls and arrange them on a piece of plastic wrap or parchment.  This way you avoid a mess and you don't need to add extra flour into the dough.  Smaller balls with make a more marbled look.

 Once you have all of the dough in place, cover the sheet with more plastic wrap or parchment and roll it to about 1/4" thick.

Then you can cut out your shapes and bake as directed. 

Paint Your Own Corn On The Cob

Make your own Thanksgiving Harvest at home with your child!

This was so much fun and super easy!!

And look at the cute result!

So I adapted this project from a bubble wrap corn cob that I saw on another blog. I was so excited to get started that I ran down in the basement to get the bubble wrap that I had stashed away only to find out that someone *not my husband* had thrown it away! UGHHH! Determined to do our project I found a length of plastic canvas and thought, I can do this!

So in order to do our version, you will need:

toilet paper tubes

green construction paper or card stock

glue (i used hot glue ~ who wants to wait for it to dry?!?!)

and some paint ( i used yellow and orange)

Cover your surface and your child!

We did our project over a brown paper bag which we later used as a gift bag for Grandma and Grandpa's 40th wedding gift bag! No waste:) I love it!!

Lay your canvas or bubble wrap down and pour some paint on it.

Next, let your little one roll the tp tube over the canvas.  

This really worked well because the paint actually looked like little kernels or corn!

We let them dry.... okay, we blow dried them! What?! I don't like waiting and neither does my 3 year old:)

 Then we cut our our long leaves for the corn husks and glued them on the sides overlapping in the back yet open in the front. And voila!

I had one happy toddler:)

Happy crafting!

Give Thanks Tree

We've really been working on explaining to our little one's about being thankful and what that means. So this weekend we celebrated our girls night in (Dad works Friday nights) with some thankful crafts. The girls had so much fun decorating their leaves and putting them on the tree that we made 100% out of paper bags.

To make your own you will need:

3 large paper bags

Tape

Paper Leaves (Dollar store)

First we started by cutting the bottom of the paper bags off and opening them up so that the lay flat in long sheets. Then I cut one of the bags into the trunk shape and taped it to the wall. For the branches, we split the flat bags down the middle to create two long strips. WE just simply twisted them until we got a nice somewhat tight looking branch. I taped these to the wall above the trunk. Then we stared to place our leaves on the tree. I found some paper leaves that the dollar store that had floral wire stems. Bonus!! So I wrapped them around the branches but you could cut out your own. The girls and I wrote down things that we love and are thankful for and then placed them on the tree. All together the tree cost us $3!

If you can't find paper leaves, you could cut out your own by using this template over at Enchanted Learning.

It was really touching to see what the girls thought about being thankful. Chances are you'll be one of the first things your child mentions, which is always nice to hear;)

Happy Crafting!

Fall Jacket Tutorial

Friday was the first official day of autumn! Which just so happens to be my personal favorite season. The air gets colder bringing lots of new scents and sounds. It also brings to me a strong desire to cook and sew! Ahhh.... staying in and getting back to being crafting.
I LOVE FALL!!!!

So get your little one ready for some colder weather with our sweet instant download

 Fall Jacket Pattern and Tutorial. 

After you sew up this sweet and easy jacket, try your hand at some homemade graham crackers.

Smitten Kitchen has an awesome and easy recipe for you guys to try.

Don't they look yummy?!?!?!

You can find the full recipe with some beautiful pics here.

HAPPY FALL!!!

Apple Pie Cupcakes

Let's begin on the couch where I sit and have a ritual morning cup of coffee while reading some kind of cookbook or craft book. The one time I choose to be completely unaware of the growing mess my children are making throughout the house. Why a person would put their pajamas in the hamper is beyond me; they look much nicer on the dining room floor. And my children agree. There it's settled then. We'll all be careless for this ten minute cup of coffee... so that I can THINK!!! And these Apple Pie Cupcakes are what I thought about. I had seen different versions of this idea around the Internet. After combining different components from some of the recipes that are out there I came up with my own. I made these for my mother in law's birthday dinner and let me just say, everyone had seconds. Yes!! Success. You must try them.There are three different levels of flavor in each bite. A spicy moist cake bottom layer. A sweet and tart apple pie center. Finished with a sweet caramel butter cream. So good...TRY THEM!

To bake the cake you'll need:

 Spice cake mix or use your favorite recipe

Ingredients to bake cake

Small box butterscotch pudding mix

Cupcake liners

 Cupcake pans

To make the Apple Pie Filling:

4 tbsp. butter

4 tsp. cinnamon

6 tbsp. sugar

6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

To make the Caramel Butter Cream:

1 Stick Butter, softened

1/2 C Shortening

2 tsp. Good quality vanilla

16 oz. Powdered sugar

2-4 Tbsp. Heavy cream

1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping or favorite recipe 

Now preheat your oven to the cake recipes specifications. I always bake cakes at 325.

I used a box mix to make my cupcakes. It was super simple. I followed the box direction but added my butterscotch pudding mix to the dry cake mix before I started. I generously filled my lined cupcake tins with cake batter and baked as directed.

Then I made my pie filling.

Heat your butter in a medium skillet. Add the cinnamon and sugar and cook for 1 minute. Next, add the apples and mix to evenly coat each apple. Cook for about 10 minutes. Let this cool while you prepare the cupcakes.

I just cut all the way around the top of the cupcake at an angle to take out a pyramid shaped piece of cake. Just eat those.. no one will know:) 

Next fill each cupcake with equal portions of filling. Don't be stingy with the juices.

Now for that delicious caramel butter cream.

In stand mixer or with hand held mixer, cream your butter, shortening, and vanilla together until smooth. Then alternate sifting in powdered sugar and cream until all of the powdered sugar is gone and you have the right consistency for piping. Pipe a generous amount of frosting on top of each cupcake.

And Voila! The Best Cupcakes Ever!!

Pumpkin Pop Tarts ~ Free Tutorial

A big thanks to my good friend, Autumn Rae, who sent me a link to these adorably delicious Pumpkin Pop tarts over at The Family Kitchen!!

You see Autumn is one of my most talented pals who is most famous for her Maple Bacon Cupcakes. And let me tell you her fame is well deserved. Those cupcakes are sinfully delicious. If your in the Ann Arbor area you should give them a try;)

But in the meantime, you can make my awesome version of these cute little pumpkin pop tarts. Thanks for the inspiration Autumn!!

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So after recovering from laying on the couch all weekend sick, I was ready to make something seasonal and warm to make up for our missed cider mill trip. You've got to admit, having the flu stinks! And the first thing that came to mind was these pop tarts. I didn't have any pumpkin on hand so I decided to wing it.  And here's what I came up with:

I put them together while my two year old was taking her nap. They were super easy and best of all, I used what I had on hand and it worked!!

You will need:

one egg white

small amount of flour

refrigerated pie crusts (you could make your own too!)

assorted fillings (I used caramel ice cream topping, lemon curd,  and preserves)

Orange sugar

cookie sheet

pumpkin cookie cutters

rolling pin

pastry brush

Preheat you oven to 400 degrees.

Unroll pie crust onto a floured surface. Cut out your pumpkin shapes.

*These would be cute for a birthday breakfast too. Try cutting them into cupcake shapes.*

 Next cut out the face.

I used an exacto knife that I use for cutting fondant. A parring knife would do the trick. I also tried out some of my small gum paste cutters. I like the way the teardrop cutter gave the pumpkin personality!

Each pop tart will need an uncut bottom and a cut face top. I got 6 pop tarts out of one pie crust, the box made 12!

Then I filled each pumpkin with a small amount of filling spread from the center out.

Next, I topped the filled bottom layer with a face topper. With a fork I pressed along each edge of the pumpkin to seal the tart closed.

Finally, using my pastry brush, I brushed the top of each pumpkin with egg white and then sprinkled the top with orange sugar. You could skip this step if you like.

Don't have any orange sugar? Don't fear! Just place some granulated sugar in a zip lock baggy with a couple of drops of orange (or yellow and red:) food coloring and mix until colored!

Easy Peasy!

Bake for 8-10 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cool on a rack and enjoy!

Happy Baking!!

Mini Apple Muffins for a Healthy Preschool Snack

I am snack mom again.  It seems like it was just a week ago, probably because it was.  None the less, I came up with this great little recipe for mini apple muffins.  I "frosted" the minis with whipped cream cheese that I sweetened with a small touch of honey.  Mostly, I figured that "frosting" might get the picky eaters to try these little muffins. 

These muffins are low fat, lower in sugar and high fiber. 

Here is my recipe:

Preheat your oven to 375. 

Mix 1 egg, 2 tbs butter, 1/4 low fat sour cream, 1/2 brown sugar, and 1 tbsp milk.

Mix dry ingredients: 1 cup wheat or white flour, 1/2 cup flax seed meal, 1/2 wheat germ, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder

Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients. 

Mix in 2 medium apples diced

Bake about 8-10 minutes in the greased mini muffin tin.


"Frosting" - 1 package low fat cream cheese & 2 tbsp honey - whip with mixer for 5 minutes until it is really fluffy.  Then, pipe it on with a small star tip.  Keep these in the fridge. 

We used fresh apples picked from our local apple orchard, Spicer's on our Friday preschool field trip. 

Inspired by an Autumn Day

'Autumn Warmth' by c1h8r9is

Celebrate the warm colors of fall.

GATHER TOGETHER Aut... bekahjennings $28.00	Boutique Pumpkin Pa... LullabyLamb $28.50	Harvest Gold Leaves... sunflowerexpre... $25.50	Fall Time Charm Bra... juicejuice $30.00
Fall leaves hair bo... BeesBowtique $6.50	Fall Orange and Yel... ArtfullySew $8.00	Fall Chocolate Mix ... happydessertti... $6.00	woodland harvest co... cardinalhouse $29.00
Ginger Orange Gift ... SatinandBirch $10.00	September Special -... Raceytay $35.00	Autumn is magic - P... movezerb $8.90	24 Fall Sugar Leave... sweetpetalbake... $28.80
Pick 3 - Crochet Co... Sweetbriers $10.50	Colorblocked in Cha... CamilleStar $59.00	Fall Harvest Dress ... sarahandjane $50.00	Autumn Celebration ... PhoenixFinery $15.00

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Turn on the oven and bake a batch of these awesome fall cookies. They also give directions for these adorable felted pumpkins.

Check out the free tutorial for fall leaf cookies on Country Living.

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That's it! I'm getting these kids bundled up and going out for a fall leaf hunt as soon as I'm done here!!!!

This free tutorial for how to make roses from maple leaves is amazing and totally free! Life doesn't get much richer than this!

Thanks haha.nu!

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Here's a really easy and fun fall pumpkin free tutorial from Make and Takes.

This is a great site full of tons of useful ideas! Head on over and check it out!!

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Here's another way to honor the beautiful colors of fall.

Head on over to Build/Make/Craft/Bake to get this free tutorial on how to make leaf prints.

How fun!

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Check out this fall paper bag scrapbook album.

What a fun way to house all of those new/old memories of autumn!

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Happy Crafting!!