Mini Pies for Thanksgiving

I had to bring a treat for my son's Thanksgiving Feast at preschool.  In trying to stick with the "thanksgiving dinner" theme but also make it something the kids would actually want to eat,  I made mini pies.  This looked difficult but it was so very easy. 

I took pre-made crust and cut it with a circle (I used a kid bowl), pushed them into regular sized muffin tins and baked at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Once they were totally cool, I put in a big scoop of chocolate pudding, and topped with whipped cream and some chocolate shavings.  The kids loved their mini "pies".  I really want to get a scalloped edge cutter for the next time I make these.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Car Seat & Nursing Covers

I just loved how this project turned out!  A good friend of mine asked me to make these adorable covers.  I loved the Moda fabric she picked out.  I used this great online tutorial for the car seat cover.  It can be found HERE.  This tutorial pieces the top together, which I didn't do, but it was helpful in using her overall measurements for the various pieces.  I also used the same nursing cover tutorial I've used in the past but I change it a little and make it longer.  I've found people tend to like it about 4 inches longer in length so it helps cover the babies better when they squirm around. 

USC Dress 2012

Well, our team isn't doing as good this year, but we sure are having fun cheering them on!  Here's my little cheerleader in her USC dress for this year.  The fabric can be bought (surprisingly) at Joann's or Walmart, locally.  We used a little extra gold fabric from the quilt shop for the neck and hem.  I love how it turned out.  And it's big enough she'll probably be able to wear it again next year with leggings :-)  Fight On!

Resses Peanut Butter Cookies

 I first had these cookies at a party and they were to die for.  They were fantastic but I thought they looked really hard to make.  I quickly found out the opposite, and they are really easy!  They are my husbands favorite cookies now!  Here are the easy steps!

*First you need your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Click Here for my recipe, but you can use any recipe.  Make your recipe as normal.  Now we'll transfer your normal cookies into these amazing treats!

Step 1:  Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, place 1 scoop of cookie dough in each slot of a mini muffin tin.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 min.  Each oven is different.  Check the cookies and make sure they don't get over cooked.  You want them to look cooked but not turning brown yet.  When they look done, pull them out.

Step 2:  While the cookies are baking, unwrap the mini reeses peanut butter cups (enough for 1 per slot of your mini muffin tin.).  This takes much longer than you think.  Do NOT wait until they come out of the oven.  It won't work if you do.  They need to be ready.

Step 3:  As soon as you pull the muffin tin out of the oven, take your reeses and gently place 1 into each cup.  Push down slightly.  The reeses will melt right into the cookies.  Put 1 into each cookie.

Step 4:  Let the cookies sit for maybe 3 minutes in the muffin tins till the chocolate starts to sit up a little.  Then remove the cookies from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.

 

Now just try and wait until the chocolate cools to eat them!  It's tough!

Back to School Teacher's Lunch

I was in charge of preparing/hosting the Back to School Teacher's Luncheon at our Elementary School.    Chik-Fil-A generously donated sandwiches for us.  I added some salad and fruit.  I think it turned out fun :-)  And my chalk board came in handy!

Simple Chalk Board & Tips

Well, life has been a whirlwind like usual and I haven't had too much time to add in any tutorials to my life :-)  But, as you guessed it, I'm always crafting.  I just haven't had too much time to document it lately.  I will try to catch up a little in the next little while.  But it's time to start my Christmas and Holiday projects so we'll see.

 I didn't sew my kids clothes for the first day of school, but I did make this really cute chalk board that I used for their morning pictures.  It only cost me about $8 to make and I have used it a LOT already!

 So if you want to make your own chalkboard all you need is a cute frame and chalkboard spray paint.  I got my supplies at Walmart.  They didn't have any cheap white frames.  They were all $20 or more.  I agonized for a while and decided to buy the $5 black frame.  I came home and sprayed the glass with the chalkboard paint.  Spray steady and get a good even coat.  Let it dry overnight.  Since I didn't want all black, I primed and spray painted the frame white.  It turned out perfect.  The chalkboard paint was about $3 and I already had the little bit of white I needed on hand.  This was an AWESOME $8 project!

Writing with Chalk Tips:  I found a couple great tips online and they have been invaluable.  My chalkboards have looksed awesome and the chalk has been very pretty.  My handwriting could use some work, however :-) 
*Take a paper towel and wet it and squeeze out all the water.  You want the paper towel to be damp, not dripping wet.
* Take your piece of chalk and wrap it up in your damp cloth.  Leave the chalk in the towel for several minutes.
*Now take your chalk and write with it.  It will appear like it's invisible at first but then it dries or something and then shows up perfectly.  It almost looks like you wrote with a pen.  It's not all chalky and smeared.
*If you need to erase, use a damp towel.  Once it dries, it's perfect again.

Happy Chalk Board Making!