Make Your Own Easy Bake Oven Mixes Tutorial

My niece loves her easy bake oven, but she uses up the mixes like lightening.  The refills are pricey.  Usually you get 1 yellow cake and 1 chocolate cake plus 2 frosting mixes for about $6.00. 

There is a really easy way to make the cakes without costing a fortune.  It's very simple.  The mixes are basically 2 tablespoons of cake mix, any cake mix.  For birthdays and stocking stuffers, I packaged up a bunch of the mixes in plastic ramekins (available a Gordon's Food Service). Then, I slipped them into a tulle bag.  To make the tulle bags, you just use the tulle by the spool (it's like a $1 for 100 yards or something like that).  You fold it in 1/2 and make an overcast zigzag (see tutorial on this blog) to fasten the sides.  You could also straight stitch the sides and then turn the bag RIGHT sides out. 

Then I add a little custom label with the directions on it.  You can see those above.  Oil makes a cookie and milk makes a cake. 

The great thing about this is that you can either make your own cake mix (minus the wet ingredients) or you can just use your favorite premade mix (which is what I did here).  If you don't want to get ramekins, you can use sandwich bags and make a fold over label that you staple on.  I did that the first time.  All of the mixes were names after my niece - Belle's Famous Sprinkle Cookie, etc.  If they are just for your own kid to use at home, just buy a jar and keep the mix and a tablespoon in the jar and let them scoop and mix their own mix.    

Konbit Sante Receiving Blankets

Lisa and I finally finished up the 30 tote bags and 30 receiving blankets for Sunday's party to benefit Craft Hope Project 11, Konbit Sante. 

Now I just need to make 30 tiny stuffed animals and we should be all set for Sunday.
By the way, if you missed it, the free tutorial for making receiving blankets in posted on our blog.  They make a really great baby shower gift. 

Valentine's Day Paper Bag Album Layouts

Lisa and I had a blast getting together last week and making about a dozen of these love and Valentine's Day themed mini albums for our MadAboutScraps shop.  I am personally going to use one for preschool Valentines Day Party photos.  Kamille might also give one to her preschool teacher as a Valentine's Day Gift. 

 I made a pocket by cutting the mats in half on a diagonal.  I used gems to make it look like it is attached with brads.

 I layered up some prima flowers for dimension and used a large brad for the center.

 I love to embellish my tags with some simple stickers. 

Instead of using ribbons for the pull-out pocket pages, I used stickers to create a tab.

Need a Helping Hand Getting Organized?

'Get Organized for the New Year' by madaboutscraps

I decided to take a little break from organizing my daughter's room (5 hours in so far) to put together this treasury of organizational items. Getting more organized is always on my to do list. Check out the post on our blog www.boutiqueit.blogspot.com and follow us for a free sewing pattern.

Organized People Ar... NikkisSecretCl... $12.95	GOTCHA GRANDE ... P... madeforyougift... $44.00	Set of 3 Jewelry / ... thejarcollecti... $35.00	New Listing - White... shabbymcfabby $84.00
Set of 20 Square Ma... NaturalesSCENT... $44.00	Buy 2 Get 1 Free S... bradensgracewa... $6.00	Purse organizer wit... DivideAndConqu... $29.95	Closet Dividers camafatis $20.00
Raw Material Log - ... JJMFinance $4.00	Apothecary Cabinet blueridgewoodw... $60.00	Car Seat Organizer ... BLISSFULpatter... $6.50	PAPA'S OLD AMER... cheermama72 $35.00
Vintage Floral Addr... cutthecakedesi... $35.00	Owl Friends Peg Rac... MapleShadeKids $79.00	Create your own Lar... MooreMagnets $24.00	Inspire Me - Shabby... PinwheelFair $84.99

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com.

Teacup Piggy Project

This year all Kamille wanted for Christmas were 2 teacup pigs, which she was calling purse pigs.  So, I tracked them down and they were actually pretty affordable - $12.99 for the pig and it's plastic teacup.  I wanted them to be a gift from the man in red, so I needed them to have a bit more pop than just presenting naked pigs under the tree. 

Last year we did a post on upcycled dog toys.  One of the items was from a blogger who took an old suitcase and turned it into a small dog bed.  I don't have a small dog, but I still had that project in my mind because it was so cute.  So, I decided to take this old rummage sale find - a hairdryer case - $2.00 and turn it into a little bed for the piggies. 

 This project wasn't hard and had a lot of give because all of the trim covers up an little mistakes you may make.  However, it took several hours.  First, I used hot glue to put a layer of fleece on the outside of the case, top and bottom.  I wanted it to look upholstered.  Once I had the fleece on there, I trimmed away the excess.  Next, I added the fabric with more hot glue.  It is a slow process to smooth out the fabric and get it looking just right.  Use HIGH temp glue for the best results.  I then trimmed away the extra fabric.  Then I used ribbons to form a decorative band around the edges and to cover the fabric.  I also glued some trim onto the handle strap to jazz it up. 
 

 After that, I used the same ribbon trim to make some "hinges" that would hold the case open.  I added the self-sticking hooks to hold extra clothes (which are mia somewhere in Kamille's room right now) and accessories.  Finally, I filled the bottom with stuffing and then glued in the leopard fabric to make the bed.  I left enough room that she can close the case with both pigs inside and carry it around or store it.   

  I also made some outfits for the pigs.  They sell outfits that retail for about $10.00 - which is crazy.  Plus, the outfits have arms and legs.  No 3-year-old is getting the arms and legs of one of these little pigs through the sleeves of some tiny outfit.  I based my pattern on a dog coat.  It velcros under the neck and tummy.

 The final item I made was this little purse that holds both of the pigs. 

Scrapbook Altered Vintage Lunch Trays

A while back I picked up about 50 of these square metal lunch trays.  I didn't have an special plan for them, but I figured that I would be able to do something with them.  I came up with this little scrapbook project.   

First, I painted the trays because some were a little rusty.  Then, I used clear varnish to seal the paint on.  Next, I cut down the scrapbook paper to fit and cut a couple of mats.  Finally, I used prima flowers attached to magnetic strips to hold down the photos or notes.  If you wanted to make this for a locker organizer, which would make a great teen/tween gift, you could also add the self adhesive magnet strip to the back.  I actually just clipped binder clips onto the top of the frame so that it could hang on the wall. 

Easy Christmas Ornaments Crafting Roundup

I decided over the weekend that it is time to start Christmas Crafting.  This is partially due to the shows Lisa & I have coming up, but also due to the fact that I always find myself awake at 3am on Christmas Eve putting the finishing touches on gifts (sometimes even on Christmas morning.) I usually also have a stack of partially finished things that I just give up on.  Maybe I aim too high, but why not?

So, a few times a week I am going to start putting together some small treasuries of things to make from Christmas this year.  This roundup is simple, easy, and dare I say cheap Christmas ornaments.  Looking at these, I think that any one would be great for kids to make.  Kamille and Maggie would love making the beaded ornaments. 

Santa & Snowman Ornaments   Beaded Christmas Ornaments  Quilled Christmas Trees

Poinsettia Felt Ornament  Pompom Ornament  Snowman Glass Ball Ornaments

My Favorites - Handprint Christmas Ornaments 

I think that I will start making these every year.  What a wonderful way to watch your child grow up.

Snowman Ball Ornament   Handprint Salt Dough   Reindeer Handprint Ornament

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. 

Pumpkin Patch Popcorn Recipe

This is a little recipe I started making a few years ago for my niece's preschool.  All of the preschools are peanut free now so it's sort of hard to find things to make.

The recipe is

1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
8 cups of popped popcorn (2 microwave bags or air popped popcorn)
assorted candy

Directions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  Put popcorn in a greased 13"x9" pan and put it in the oven. 

In a heavy bottom sauce pan mix butter, sugar, salt, and corn syup. 

Over medium heat, bring to a boil.  Boil at a rolling boil for 5 minutes. 

 Boil for 5 minutes.  If you have a light pan, you are really going to need to stir so that it will not burn.  In a heavy pan, you can stir occassionally.  Turn off the heat and add the baking soda.  It foams up (photo on right).

Take your popcorn out of the over.  Pour your caramel onto the popcorn.  Stir until the popcorn is totally coated.  Keep it in the oven for 1 hour stirring even 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and add your sprinkles, candy corn, mini marshmallows, m&ms, etc. 

Kamille likes helping - she was counting the candy.  Big surprise!

Happy Crafting!

C is for Chenille - Roundup and Tutorials

Making Your Own Chenille

This is a great tutorial on making your own chenille fabric from freshvintage.typepad.com.

She does a wonderful job of explaining exactly how to create the traditional chenille fabric.  I actually thought that the piece of fabric she created and then used to make the doll body would have made a beautiful chenille baby blanket.  Click here for her full free tutorial on chenille.

Over at the Happy Things blog, she has a wonderful tutorial on making simple baby bibs backed with commercial chenille. 

Click here for her free chenille tutorial and to take a look at her beautiful blog.  

I have long loved vintage chenille and I always see vintage chenille bedspreads at really affordable prices at flea markets, garage sales, and antique stores. 

Here are some of my ideas to making things out of old chenille:

Bibs

Diaper Bag

Pajamas

Pillow cases

Baby/Toddler Jacket

Baby toys

Dolls

Monsters

Slippers

Nursing Pillow Cover

Window Valance

Bunting for baby room

You could cover those huge cardboard letter in chenille. 

You could also use chenille to upholster a chair for a child's room or to create a sweet cushion cover for a rocking chair.

Basically, you can look at a vintage chenille bedspread as a huge piece of fabric.  I know some people don't like the idea of cutting up vintage linens, but what good is it just sitting in a closet somewhere.

I would love to see a vintage chenille bedspread made into a whole gift set for a baby shower: burp cloths, bibs, a small crib blanket, baby booties, diaper bag, diaper organizers, mommy journal or photo album cover.  How sweet would that be to present at a shower?

  HAPPY CRAFTING!



Healthy & Fun Preschool Snack

I was the snack mom at preschool today.  Kamille have been so excited about it that I really wanted to make a special snack.  I looked for healthy snack recipes online, but many of them had peanuts.  I took the idea and changed it to a strawberry cream cheese dip.  I whipped cream cheese and fresh strawberries in the food processor.

I hollowed out the middle of the apple with a melon baller.  I cut a carrot in 1/2 and used it as the antenna. 

I also thought that it would be fun to do a cream cheese and cinnamon/sugar dip.

Happy Crafting!

A Sewing Alphabet - A if for Applique - Tutorials, Tips, and Tricks

A is Applique - Tutorial and Ideas Round -up

I just thought that I would share this funny story about my daughter.  Every night we go through the alphabet and come up with a word for each letter - A for Apple, etc.  Last night she wanted me to do the entire alphabet in sewing terms.

That's how much time I've been spending in the studio.   Even my 3-year-old is obsessed with sewing now.  So, I thought that I would make a weekly feature of going through the alphabet and bringing you great products, tips and tricks for each letter. 

This is a great step-by-step tutorial from SewMammaSew's blog:

Click for the free applique tutorial.

This is an adorable blog, full of great ideas and inspiring products.  SewLikeMyMom - she's just a mom with two adorable kids and lots of fun ideas for projects.  There are some really great things that you will want for your portraits. 

She gives a step-by-step for creating appliques with fusible web. 

Click here for her etsy shop.

Now, here is my tutorial for simple appliques.  I know that everyone loves fusible web, but it isn't always the thing I want to use on projects.  Plus, it's actually a little expensive.  I learned this technique from Mrs. Lamb - a wonderful quilting instructor who used it on a baby quilt for my niece, Maggie Rose.

You need cotton that you want to applique and TULLE. 

For small appliques it is easier to use the spooled tulle because it's easier to control.  For larger projects you might need tulle by the yard. 

You will layer the tulle over your fabric.  If you are using a specific design, you should pin it down or trace it onto the 2 layers of fabric. 

 It's hard to see but there is a layer of tulle on this cotton.

With both layers, cut out your shape.  For the tutorial, I just did a heart to show that you can use this technique on rounded shapes.

Sew around the entire shape.  For a rounded shape you want to clip around the perimeter so that it will turn smoothly.

On the tulle side, you need to clip a small hole.  You use this hole to turn the piece.

Now you have a piece that is turned.  You need to press it to get a crisp, perfect edge.  Start with the iron on the lowest setting and before it really even starts to heat up, press the edges down.  The tulle can melt, so you want a barely hot iron when you start.  Once the edges are pressed down, flip the piece over, turn up the iron and really press the whole piece.

 

Now you have a lightweight applique that you can straight stitch down onto the piece.  This is great for stretch fabric, like onesies, t-shirts, etc. that stretch when you try to use a satin stitch.  It is also nice for lightweight and delicate fabrics that might rip or fray from a satin stitch. 

Here are some great tutorials from Cut Out and Keep!

See Cute Doggy Applique Teeshirt Recon and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep


See How To Applique and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep


See Cute Felt Appliques and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Happy Sewing!