Fondant & Gum Paste

I just wanted to share with you all my finished product from four weekly classes on fondant & gum paste.  I have always wanted to take a class and when I saw that Hobby Lobby had 50% off their classes in February, that is what I did.  My Aunt Kim & I took the class together.  And as usual when you do anything with Kim, you have a good time:)  Our instructor was great, shout out to Sam!  And to top it all off he has some type of visual deficiency.  It truly is amazing what some people do despite what others may see as a limitation!  God is good.

Hobby Lobby provides the Wilton courses.  So if you've ever seen the book, we basically went through each lesson during class.  BUT, I found Sam's tips to be well worth the $20 it took to take the class.  I will give one piece of advice.  I called before hand to get an estimate of how much supplies would cost.   I was TOLD between $45-50, what I spent was more like $125-150.  SO, go into it knowing that and you won't be surprised like I was!  The good thing is that all the supplies, except for the gum paste & fondant of course, can be used over and over again.

Dum, dum, dum (that is my drum roll)

Not too bad for my first time, right?  Maybe?  Well, we had fun anyway:)


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Minnie Mouse Birthday Supplies

Let the fun begin!  Last week I started on Payton's 3rd birthday invitations.  Almost makes me want to cry a little:(  My baby isn't a baby anymore, and I'm too young not to have babies!!  OK, back to the point.  I thought the invitations turned out so cute that I posted them on Etsy and sold over 100 in 1 day!! Can I get a WHAT, WHAT!  Now I have to find time to make that many, lol. 

Now I have started on other birthday necessities.  Today I worked on Minnie Mouse Ears & Minnie Mouse goody bags.

Minnie Mouse Ears
Supplies:  Headbands from the dollar tree 4 for $1, Hobby Lobby black foam sheets $0.99 & pink polka dotted ribbon.

 I made the ear templates using my silouhette, then traced them onto the foam with a pen.  It is important to have the bottom piece to be able to attach it to the headbands.Then glue down the bottom part of the ear.

Attach it to the headband and hold it tight.  It takes a few minutes for the glue to dry on this foam.

And I also worked on gift bags.  These cost $1.99 for a set of 10 at Hobby Lobby.  I printed out a magnified version of my Minnie Invites and attached to the bag.  Too easy & Too cute!

Thanks for Looking!

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Minnie Mouse Invites

Payton's 3rd birthday is coming soon and she LOOOOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  We're having a Minnie Mouse party!  I got this idea off the internet, sorry can't give exact site because I don't remember.  Made this invite from memory. 

These are the things I cut using my Silhouette.

Flower, circle, mickey head & bow.

Then I just found some pretty scrapbook paper with polka dots, cause Minnie LOOOOVES polka dots almost as much as Payton LOOOOOVES Minnie!  And HERE is the final project.

One thing I do want to share, especially for those of you who have a silhouette and would like more fonts available to you.  I got the Waltograph font from HERE.  And the instructions on how to download and use the font HERE.  You can use this information to download any available font!!!



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Valentine's Outfit

I have seen ruffles & ruffle skirts all over blogland.  I thought they would be easy....and for the most part they were.  This is the outfit I made for my daughter Payton.  I can't wait until she wakes up in the morning so I can try it on! And I have no idea how to turn this pic around:)

I bought 2 bandanas at Hobby Lobby for 99cents each. Which made up the skirt.  I may hem the bottom piece a little.  But I haven't had the chance to try it on her yet.  But this brings me to a point: There are already hems in these bandanas, let them work for you!  Don't create new seems unless necessary. Trim off the top instead of the bottom, the part that is already hidden.  You can see some ruffle skirts at Small Fry & Co. and theplannertheprocrastinator .

First I just cut the bandanas in half and then stitched them together to form one long layer.  Then I stacked the layers on top to form the correct layer length for my liking, folded over the top and stitched across the top. Because I connected the top and bottom layers under the stitch and used elastic, the ruffles formed themselves.  Now, if you like more ruffles, especially on the bottom layer, then you will want to stitch a loose line across you bottom layer and ruffle before you attach it to the top layer.  You can't tell it laying on the floor, but the bottom layer still has  a lot of ruffle.  Fold the skirt in half, good sides facing & sew a seem down the side to complete your skirt.

For the shirt, I bought a $2.99 white T from Hobby Lobby.  I made a ruffle using left over material from the skirt.  And you can look at Vintage Skirt to find a tutorial on how to make ruffles.  I then pinned it down to my shirt. And stitched right down the center.  Now, you could hand stitch and the ruffles would stay better. 

I am not a sewer.  Don't know how.  So this was a big accomplishment for me.  The biggest problem I had was trying to figure out how to wind the bobbin of my mothers 1920s (exaggeration) sewing machine.  I should have known when I picked it up and it weighed 75 pounds that it wasn't like mine!  Of course if we ever get this house built, I can get mine out of storage.  OH, and for all of you others who aren't sewers, pay close attention that you don't sew the top layer of the shirt to the bottom layer.  I thought I was being careful, but then started going too fast for my own good ;)  So, thanks for viewing my first sewing project since I was about 12 years old! 

Total Cost:

Hobby Lobby T Shirt $2.99

Bandanas                  $1.98

Elastic                        $1.37

Total                           $6.34  YAY!

Valentines

Let me start out by admitting that although I bought myself a $600 camera for Christmas, I do not have the patience to sit down and read the manual.  Sooo, these pictures are far from rofessional.  Never mind the fact that I haven't quite figured out how to take the picture while actually demonstrating.  But here goes.....

I teach a 2 year old Puggle class for my church's Awana program.  It is trying at times, but I love those little kiddos:)  Here are the valentines that I made up for our party on Wednesday night.  Puggles learn about God's creations. So on the night of our valentines party I always save the lesson that "God made our friends."

First, I made these valentine pops. I got the idea from The Idea Room .  You can find the full tutorial there.

I will say this.  I used full sized candy canes and cut them down to the right size using kitchen shears.  For the most part, it worked out well, but some did break.  As you can see in the picture, you can always squeeze them break back together after putting them in the oven.  It would be MUCH easier & quicker to use mini candy canes, but I found mine for 33 cents a box at the Dollar General after Christmas.

I then used my trusty Silouhette to cut out this valentine's bag topper set.  This is the first big project I've done with mine.  I had a cricut before and it kept breaking and got absolutely no help from the company in troubleshooting, so I thought I would try this.  I LOVE it.  You don't have to buy cartridges.  You can make or draw anything you want as well as buying from the online store.  You must have a computer hooked up to it to work though. 

Glue all this together to your liking.  Place the suckers in baggies. And attach the bag topper!  And her is the finished product.  Cute, huh?!

Happy Crafting!

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Frozen Pancakes?

There was a time in my life when I didn't know how to make a pancake, out of a package or otherwise.   So I don't know why it surprised me when my friends kept asking me how I froze my pancakes.  So I thought, maybe some people in blog world don't realize how easy it is either.

Step One: 
Make your pancakes.  I used Krusteaz pancake mix.  But it makes absolutely no difference.  Whatever you are used to making.  Just mix it up.

Step Two:
Let them cool off completely and then place them in freezer bags.

Step Three:
Literally, throw the bags in the freezer.

When you're ready to eat them, take them out of the baggies and put them on a plate.  For one pancake I microwave for 30 seconds and add 15 seconds for each additional pancake.  If you warm them too long I think it makes them a bit rubbery.  But this method has always worked for me.  I realize that pancakes are not the healthiest breakfast food, but who doesn't love them every now and then??  So what I usually do is make extra when I'm fixing pancakes for breakfast and throw them in the freezer.  Even my 6 year old can grab them out of there on Saturday morning and fix himself a tasty breakfast!

My mother used to do this same thing for my brother and I when we were in middle school.  Only she made sausage & bacon biscuits.  That is perhaps a healthier option.  Atleast with those you are getting in your morning protein:)


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Homemade Laundry Detergent

Who hates spending all that money on laundry detergent besides me???  For the past couple of years I have been couponing and it has saved me at least 50% on detergent and fabric softener.  BUT, I still hate to pay that much.  So, when a friend of mine posted this recipe on facebook, I couldn't help but try it.  And the best thing........(drum roll here)........$1.67 per 5 gallon bucket (and the crowd goes wild)!!!!!
Here are the ingredients:
1 Bar Fels Naptha Soap
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda

Now, if you're like me, you've never heard or seen of these products.  So I took a picture so you'll know what you're looking for.  At my local Walmart they have the Borax & Baking soda.  (Which brings me to the fact that apparently washing soda & baking soda are different, but no one I've talked to can find washing soda.)  At the Kroger in town, I found the Fels Naptha soap and borax, but couldn't find the big box of washing soda.  I know that this is dependant on where you live because of what others have been telling me. 

Step ONE: 

Grate the Fels-Naptha soap as small as you can get it.  Believe me, the smaller the better.  You will thank me for this advice later.

Step TWO:
Fill 5 gallon bucket 1/4 full of the hottest tap water you can get & dissolve Fels-Naptha soap.

Step THREE:

Add 1 cup of Baking Soda & 1 cup of Borax.

Step FOUR:

Fill the bucket up the rest of the way with the hottest tap water possible and stir.

Step FIVE:
Let sit until bubbles subside & funnel into milk jugs or other container of choice.  Use 1/2 cup per load of clothing.

I just got done washing my first load and all seems well!  Let me know how it goes for you, or if you have a different recipe that has worked for you.  I think the next thing I'm going to try is homemade household cleaner.  While I was funneling into the jugs I spilled some on the baseboard and floor in the bathroom & voila... it came sparkling clean:)




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