Sunday, November 28, 2010

ADVENT CALENDAR

Every year since I had my son I have done a advent calendar. Usually it is just 24 baby socks on a line!!! But this year I got a great idea when I couldn't find a home for my old Coca-Cola case. Like OMG it has 24 holes!!!!!!! 
To make it I used mostly all Tim Holtz product.
After cleaning it up I added Tim Holtz tidings tissue tape to the ends and ran it in the inside.
After the taping I had to find some boxes that would fit into the holes. The only thing I could think of was to whip out the cricut machine. I didn't have the right cartridge but I knew K2 Scrapbook Studio in Sarasota would!!!!!

It took me a few tries but I figured out the right size!!! Which if your wondering is 6 in. Sometimes I wish the circut sizing made more since.


Here is one of the boxes all ready to go. If you look closely the Christmas elf already left a chocolate gold coin!! :)
After cutting 24 boxes out and gluing them together, it was time to decorate. I left the boxes plain because one you only see the tops and two the kids will most likely rip them so why get fancy and be upset when that happens.
I made a 12 x 12 layout to set on top of the case. I thought of using a picture for it but I didn't want to be stuck trying to chose my fav. pic. So I used a frame I found at goodwill and spiced it up. I added ribbon and paper to the frame.
Then I added some snow flakes, a flower and a white Christmas tree to the bottom half.
Below you can see it hanging on my wall along side my countdown calendar. Nope the tree wont stay that way I just haven't gotten the Charlie Brown Christmas DVD yet and that must be on when me and the kids decorate the tree!!!!
YES that shelve is full of things that sing and dance!!! Sometimes I wonder if I'm crazy for putting them in the kids reach.

A close up on the countdown calendar. I made this a couple of years ago at Treasured Memories Scrapbook's & More in Englewood, Florida. Its a 12 x 12 canvas and has an envelope on the back that holds the numbers. The numbers are Velcroed to the canvas.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Milli Potatoes


Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen Hash Brown Potatoes (defrosted)
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup
8 oz of Sour Cream
1.5 cups of Cheddar cheese
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
quarter cup of melted butter
frosted corn flakes (crushed)
quarter cup of melted butter

Mix first 6 ingredients. If too dry fill soup can with water and add to mixture.
I like to use my Charlie 2.5 mixer. It looks great in the kitchen. And enjoys it more then my Anthony 10!!!!
Pile into a roasting pan and top with crushed corn flakes and melted butter.
Bake at 350 for 45 mins.
If you mix ahead of time and put it in the fridge. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

I AM THANKFUL

Thanksgiving is the greatest holiday!!! It is a day where we all stop. We get together with our loved ones and enjoy each other and the food God has provided. There is NO gimmie gimmie gimmie. Just love.
I have so much to be thankful for. I am thankful for...

Facebook... Facebook has brought old friends back into my life that I would other wise always forever miss. I am thankful for these childhood/young adult friends. We have had the greatest of times together. They all have a huge part in who I am today. I wouldn't trade any of them, I love all of you. Facebook has also brought faraway family closer. I love that when I am missing them I can just log on and find them. May one day we be closer more often.

Crafts... I am thankful for the therapy working with my hands gives me. But mostly I am thankful for the friends I have made though art. You guys are my outlet. I don't know how I would survive without your friendship. Explecially when we intined to do something but end up sitting around and talking and laughing until it hurts.

my health... For the past 2.5 years I have been healthy. I am sooooooo grateful for that.

my Family... I have the GREATEST family. I love Grandma the best but that's what they are there for! :) My family is always there for each other. We come together in time of need and enjoy each other in time of bliss. I am thankful that we are close enough for them to tell me the truth whether or not I want to hear it. I would be nowhere and nothing without them.

my Children... I have said it before they are my pride and joy. Sometimes I just want to lock them in a closet, but most of the time I cant hug them enough. They make me laugh, they make me want to be a better mother. They fill my heart with so much love and joy I feel as if it will burst.

my Husband... Together we have been to hell and back! As a matter of fact the tour guide in hell knows our names by heart!!! He has stood by me though the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly. We have had to sit by each others bed not knowing weather it would be for the last time. He has held my hand while bringing our children into the world. He has seen me at my sickest and worst and still sticks around. He fights for our family, to give us better then what we have. He loves our children with every fiber of his being.

I am most THANKFUL for GOD. Without him there would be nothing to be thankful for.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

COOKIE MONSTER CAKE

First off... Yes I used store bought cake mix and icing!!!! Sorry but I just didn't have the time to do everything. And no I feel NO GUILT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I made these cakes for my cousin's son's 1st Birthday. She showed me a pic of what she wanted and I figured out how to do it. I baked for one day and decorated another day. The sizes of my tiers are 6 in, 8 in, and 10in. I baked 3 6 in, 3 8 in and 2 10 in. The cake is a super moist yellow cake and Butter cream whipped icing.

After the cake has baked and cooled I cut the cake so that it is level.

Then I dirty iced them and put them into the freezer to set. This step lets me tell the crumbs where to go and how to stay there. Doing this makes icing soooooooo much easier.

The icing was white so I had to color it to the blue I wanted. A big note here is that you need to have much more icing then you think you need. It is so hard to match a color then to make to much.

Alrighty moving along... Coconut is WHITE!!!!! So we had to make it blue!!!!! I played around with how to dye coconut and found that there is really only one way. PRAYYYYYY!!!!! No really you can not be afraid to get your hands "BLUE". So with that being said... I mixed the Royal Blue icing coloring with a little water and mixed it with the coconut. Then I just repeated this over and over and over until I get all the coconut and color I want. Here you just have to take your time and be patience.

Then I added icing between the layers and stacked. I put 3 bamboo sticks in the take to make it stable.

The icing didn't have to be the prettiest.

COCONUT!!!!!! The only way to put the icing on was with my hands!!! I had to do this in the sink because it is quit messy.

WALLLLLLAAAAA 
 The eyes and mouth are candy chocolate that I piped into the shapes I needed. My cousin baked mini cookies and I made the sign with card stock and then laminated it so that she could take it off and put it in his scrapbook. As you can see the mouth has a crack in it!!! SHE CAME AND TRIED TO TOUCH MY CAKE AND BROKE IT!!!!!!! DON'T TOUCH MY CAKE!!!!!! ; P Just kidding she can touch it. Its hers...well her childs!!!



This is the Birthday Boys very own cake. Mom had found the head and hands in the Halloween section of Target. It suppose to go into a pumpkin!!!! I think it looks MUCH better here!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Christmas Cards

This one is gonna be short because I just dont have time!!!!!! But if you find some laying around, go ahead and send it my way!

These are this years Christmas Cards. If your on my card list which one must you have??? Oh wait they are already addressed and waiting for the family pic!!! So Sorry you'll just have to be surprised :)

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Christmas Ornaments

Every year I make Christmas Ornaments to give or sell. Here are this years. I made them using the Maya Road bottle caps. This is what I have left!!!!! I went to show them off and they went like hot cakes!!!!!
These are the ones that family will get with their Christmas presents!!! If you are family reading this.... oops ;)

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Palm Frond Crazyness

Howdy, what a week!!!!! So I have a great project that my crafty ladies and I are working on. I have finished one and sooooo ready to start another. I am so in LOVE with these!!!!
From left to right: Becky, Elsa, Patti, Carol, and GiGi
I LOVE these ladies!!! They are the greatest. We laugh till it hurts and get paint on our hands!!! As you can see we are all makin a Santa! I cant wait till we are all done and see how different our techniques are. Everyone should be so lucky as I am to know them.


So we start with a Coconut tree Palm Frond and bleached it. Let it dry and cut to size.

Next we painted the hole thing white. front and back
Then we took to it with our pencils 
And added the paint!!!! To make the white "bumpy" or look like snow we used Snow tex. (Found at Micheals.)
And "WALLA" A palm frond SANTA!!!