Handmade with Love: SuperBundle is here! #crafting #handmade

Snow’s about ready to fall in the Northern hemisphere, and what will you be doing when it does?
Sitting by a crackling fire…
Hot cup of tea nearby…
Soft yarn and smooth needles in your lap…
Sounds like you’re ready for colder weather :).
If you’ve been on the run all summer and fall, it’s about time for your schedule to slow down just a bit… which means you’ll be reaching for your next handmade project.
I can’t think of a better way to welcome winter than to tell you about a collection of digital resources you’re going to be starry-eyed over.
It’s called the Handmade with Love Super Bundle.
Before I tell you what’s in it, can we talk about that name? It’s almost like this was created with you in mind. 🙂
Everything you make, every stitch you count, knit, sew, crochet, quilt… you do them all with love, don’t you?
I feel exactly the same way.
That’s why I’m so excited to tell you all this bundle, so you can soak up more of the joy and relaxation that comes with handcrafting.
Okay, let’s talk about what’s inside :-).
With over 200 patterns, projects, and step-by-step tutorials, you’ll find dreamy projects to create, new ways to sharpen your skills, or even a whole new technique to play with (quilting! fabric dyeing! rug making! weaving!).
This bundle covers: quilting, sewing, crochet, knitting, applique, embroidery, cross-stitch, dyeing, fiber arts, and crafting in general.
It’s basically a crafter’s dream collection. Swoon.
And even better? You’ll get all these projects and fresh patterns – created by hip, modern designers like Allison Glass, Elise Blaha-Cripe, Anne Weil, Rebecca Langford, and Liat Gat (plus 47 others)…
…for just $29.97. (They’re worth over $1,000!)
Curious how it’s possible to get all of this so inexpensively?
The creators of these patterns, tutorials, courses and more joined forces to offer this incredibly special bundle, but just for a super short period of time. Once the sale’s over, they’ll go back to selling their products and patterns at full price.
I really can’t speak highly enough about the quality and value of what’s inside, especially for this price!
Want to check it out and get your own Handmade with Love Super Bundle?
This is how it works:

1. Visit the website https://us154.isrefer.com/go/HWLSB2017/a3732/, take a quick look at all the delightful projects you’ll be able to create with this package, then click the pink “Get my copy now!” button to go through their simple and secure 3-step checkout process.
2. You’ll receive an email with a login to their online access portal, where you’ll begin downloading your eBooks and patterns, signing up for your online courses, and redeeming your free bonus offers.
3. Use their Getting Started Guide to pick the project or technique you want to try your hand at first and start creating!

The most important detail, though, is that this bundle is available for just 8 days! (I told you it was short!)
After Monday night, December 4th, the sale ends and you’d have to buy all of these products individually.
It’s even backed by a 30 day full money-back happiness guarantee, so you can make sure it’s right for you.
Their customer service is amazing, and they truly want to make sure you’re taken care of and that you love your bundle.
If you’re ready to spend more time making and unplugging from technology this season, this is just what you need.
Create one-of-a-kind items to wear, gift, decorate with, and simply enjoy, with this curated, convenient, and super affordable library of patterns and projects.
Learn more or get your bundle here href=”https://us154.isrefer.com/go/HWLSB2017/a3732/”>https://us154.isrefer.com/go/HWLSB2017/a3732/

7 Layer Cookie Bars #FoodieFriday

My mom made these delious 7 layer cookie bars every year and they were one of my favorite memories of Christmas. This will be our first holiday season without her and sad as it seems, I think she would want us to carry on her traditions. So I searched for the recipe and wanted to share it with you.
These bars are so yummy, the Eagle Brand sweet and condensed milk is what helps to make these so good.

Seven Layer Magic Cookie Bars

Rated: Submitted By: EAGLE BRAND® Photo By: footballgrl16 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes Ready In: 35 Minutes Servings: 24

"Chips of chocolate and butterscotch are a doubly delicious addition to these lovely layered cookie bars."

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted 1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 cup butterscotch-flavored chips 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut 1 cup chopped nuts

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for glass baking pan). In small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan.
2.	Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork.
3.	Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill if desired. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store covered at room temperature.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2014 Allrecipes.com Enjoy them with your family and share with friends.

Homemade Fluffy Marshmallows

photo credit Healthy Green Kitchen

Recipe Credit to The Smitten Kitchen 

Springy, Fluffy Marshmallows 

Adapted from Gourmet, December 1998

These homemade marshmallows are not only easy to make, they set as perfectly as promised: puffed and lightweight, bouncing off one another as I tossed them in the container. Even better, they toasted like a campfire charm speared on the end of a skewer, and s’mooshed between two graham crackers with a square of chocolate.

Makes about 96 1-inch cubed marshmallows

About 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided
2 cups granulated sugar (cane sugar worked just fine)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites or reconstituted powdered egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla (alternately: 1/2 of a scraped vanilla bean, 2 teaspoons almond or mint extract or maybe even some food coloring for tinting)

Oil bottom and sides of a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some confectioners’ sugar.

In bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold cold water, and let stand to soften.

In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar, corn syrup, second 1/2 cup of cold water, and salt over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 240°F, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.

With standing or a hand-held electric mixer beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about six minutes if using standing mixer or about 10 minutes if using hand-held mixer. (Some reviewers felt this took even longer with a hand mixer, but still eventually whipped up nicely.)

In separate medium bowl with cleaned beaters beat egg whites (or reconstituted powdered whites) until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla (or your choice of flavoring) into sugar mixture until just combined. Pour mixture into baking pan and don’t fret if you don’t get it all out (learning from my mess of a first round). Sift 1/4 cup confectioners sugar evenly over top.

Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least three hours, and up to one day.

Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up one corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and ease onto cutting board. With a large knife trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into roughly one-inch cubes. (An oiled pizza cutter works well here too.) 

Sift remaining confectioners’ sugar back into your now-empty baking pan, and roll the marshmallows through it, on all six sides, before shaking off the excess and packing them away.

Do ahead: Marshmallows keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature 1 week.

Enjoy in that hot cocoa....yummy or make some smores and have a family night around the firepit (our favorite)

Apple Pie Rollups :

Ingredients:
Apples:sliced (choose whichever kind you like, I used a red softer apple Gala I think)

Crescent rolls ( separate into triangles)
Sugar and Cinnamon mixed together
Butter (helped make mine cook softer & I just love buttery stuff)

Take your apple slice and lay it inside a crescent roll triangle, put butter and cinnamon sugar inside also,then roll up your little surprise. Place on baking sheet with all the other ones you will do.
Put in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes.

Enjoy! Great as a snack, or even desert with ice cream.

Handmade Bath and Body Gifts or Pampering for You! #atozchallenge

Handmade Bath and Body Products, so many to try at home and they are very easy! Yes you can do it!

These recipes and links to other blogs are some very easy ones to try yourself , love the Cheap Crafty Mamma blog http://cheapcraftymama.com/diy-bath-and-body-products-create-and-share/

1. Bath Bombs by One Good Thing by Jillee, 2. Lavender Body Butter by May DIY, 3. Lavender and Peppermint foot Cream by Rebecca's Soap Deli News, 4. Body Butter Bars from Green Experiments, 5. Peppermint and Lemon Foot Soak by Or So She Says..., 6. Snowflake Soaps by Torie Jayne, 7. Chapstick by Tidy Tipsy, 8. Citrus Salt Scrub by Adelyn Stone, 9. Homemade Sugar Scrub by Maybe Matilda, 10. Lip Balm by Martha Stewart

Create some Handmade Homemade with love gifts today, or pamper yourself, you deserve some time for you too mom!

Making Cinnamon Stick Santa's and more

Such cute little Santa's made from cinnamon sticks and other bark that you and the kids can easily make for your tree or to give away as gifts to family or friends. I found this craft idea via Herbology. along with several other cute ideas using cinnamon. 

How to Make Cinnamon Stick Santa's

Equipment: What you will need
Red craft paint
White craft paint
White puffy paint or fake snow paint
Black craft paint (I used a black Sharpie instead)
ribbon
craft glue

The process is easy enough.  Paint I wide band of red for the hat, followed by a smaller band of pink for the face.  I did not run the pink right around, preferring my face to just be in the front.  Once these two are COMPLETELY dry, you can add the eyes (and mouth if you like), and a long bushy beard.

You could try running the beard all the way down the quill, or you could paint a red ‘coat’ on as well.
I gave Santa a smile on the bigger cassia bark pieces, but left it out on the smaller quills.  No coats for my guys as I wanted the natural bark look.

To finish them off, add a blob of glue on the back or inside the top and attach a ribbon for hanging.  The colours stand out beautifully on the fresh evergreens.

I have been looking for this recipe for Cinnamon ornaments for a while and I found this great one on the Herbology site too. Love the smell of these! 

Recipe I used:

• 1 c. cinnamon
• 1 t. nutmeg
• 1 t. allspice
• 1 t. ground cloves
• 1 c. applesauce

Combine dry ingredients. Add applesauce a little at a time, mixing thoroughly. Roll out and cut shapes. Allow to dry 4-5 days. Or dry in a slow oven for 2 hours. Paint after completely dry.

Sweet Strawberry Goodness for your Valentines

I saw this and knew I had to make it and blog about it, so pretty and yet so delicious. I love to make fruit pizza's and my family loves to gobble them down. The brownie based sweet treat was a hit with my household tummies as well. A bunch of strawberry monsters I have living here I tell you!

This heavenly treat comes from "i am mommy" blog but adaptable to suit your tastes and budget as needed.

I also used this super fudgey brownie recipe here

made them on a flat cookie sheet so I could cut out the hearts

I used cookie cutters of all sizes and a knife to do the larger one

Get some nice pretty strawberries and cute them into heart shapes

Next I made a cream cheese spread.

1 8oz package of cream cheese

1/2 cup powder sugar

1/2 tsp clear vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients well.

Simply spread the cream cheese over the brownie getting as close to the edges as you want. 

Now add all your heart shaped pretty strawberries

to make your masterpieces! 

The finished splendor  will look like this

Talk about a special treat on Valentines morning or for a special desert that evening drizzled with chocolate syrup................hmmmmmm

Enjoy! 

Pink Lemonade Pound Cake~~yum

Oh my goodness, I am going to have to make this today, saw it on Pinterest and knew that it would need to be shared here. Thank you to "Baby sugar Aprons" for the great recipe idea 

Pink Lemonade Pound Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix
1 (3 ounce) package instant lemon pudding mix
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup pink lemonade concentrate
4 drops pink or red food color, optional

Glaze:
1 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup white sugar


Recipe
1) Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour one 10-inch tube pan or
bundt pan.

2) Combine the cake mix, lemon pudding mix, eggs, vegetable oil, 1/2
cup lemon concentrate and the milk. Mix until smooth. Pour the batter
into the prepared pan.

3) Bake at 350 for 50 minutes to 1 hour. If your oven runs hot be
sure to adjust accordingly!

Remove from oven and prick cake all over with a fork. Immediately
pour lemonade glaze over top of cake.

Let cake stand in pan until almost cool.

LEMONADE GLAZE:
Combine the remaining thawed frozen lemonade and the white sugar. Mix
thoroughly and pour over still warm cake.

I guess you could use this for a Valentine dessert or get together, you can even change the color and use yellow, or green for lemon/limeade flavor, maybe even some strawberries to a strawberry limeade cake.....hmmmmm.

So Easy, and I have all the ingredients in my kitchen already, yipee!!

Have a fab day!!

 

Dough,Flubber,Gak Mommy DIY

 How to Make your own Doughs, Flubbers, Glurch and Other Homemade Concoctions Art Supplies at home

Terrific list of resources I found via Pinterest from this website today: 
Ohdeedoh.com

• Basic Playdough - Homemade by Jill for on Skip To My Lou
• Uncooked Playdough - Karol's Kitchen
• Gluten-Free Playdough - Celiac Sprue Association
• Kool-Aid Playdough - Chocolate On My Cranium
• Edible Chocolate Play Dough - Instructables User Its Your Dime
• Edible Peanut Butter Play Dough - Instructables User Its Your Dime
• Scented Playdough - Minieco

• Watercolor Paint - Lilac Silhouette
• Puff Paint - One Crafty Mumma
• Milk Paint - Pantry Spa
• Finger Paint - Creative Kids At Home

*note: some of these names are used interchangeably and without consensus so one man's glurch is another man's gak!
• Flubber/Silly Putty - Pepper Paints
• "Clean" Slime/Oobleck - Ohdeedoh (sometimes referred to as oobleck after the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck.
• Gak - Polliwog's Cakewalk (sometimes spelled "gack")
• Silly Putty/Glurch - Toms River Mom
• Glurch - My Little Gems (another version)

• Beeswax Crayons - Wee Folk Art
• Soy Wax Crayons - Wee Folk Art
• Crayon Nibbles - My Magic Mom

• Sidewalk Chalk - Tiffany Teske for Craftbits (find Tiffany at Art, Food and Motherhood)
• Egg Shaped Sidewalk Chalk - Skip To My Lou (slightly different recipe) I also found some great blogs and websites that list multiple recipes for homemade art supplies all in one place:
• Artists Helping Children - roster of recipes including facepaint, clay, and glue.
• Fresno Family - over a dozen different dough recipes.
• Play Dough Recipe.org - all dough all the time.
• Kid Activities.net - all kinds of doughs here and other recipes here.
• My Mommy Makes It and here - crayons, dough, fingerpaint, gack, and more.
• Better Budgeting - 20 recipes for homemade art supplies.
• Creative Kids at Home
• Blue Bonnet Village - doughs, clays and over six kinds of paints.
• Kinder Art - comprehensive list of recipes.

Have fun!

(Images: 1. Flickr member FrankenberrysKiss licensed for use under Creative Commons 2. Heather Hackett/Lilac Silhouette 3. Sarah Rae Trover/Ohdeedoh 4. Tiffany Teske)

The next rainy day you have no excuse for the kiddos saying "I'm bored" make some Gak and have a blast.