20% off Power Tools

Just wanted to share a little deal I was just emailed.  The Home Depot is having a fie hour sale on DeWalt Power Tools!  It's like Black Friday all over again!  Between midnight and 5 am December 16th (Eastern Time) you can get 20% off select DeWalt power tools.  I know a special guy on my list who is hoping Santa leaves some power tools under the tree with his name on them. 
Use the promo code DEWALT20 at checkout to receive your discount.

a little naughty but totally nice

Got your attention with that title didn't I?  Today, I wanted to share with you the cutest cookies I have ever made in my whole entire life.  I made them for a bridal lingerie shower and they were a HUGE hit.  A friend of mine had made these for her sisters bridal shower and posted the pics on Facebook, I saw them, loved them and recreated them myself!

You will need:
Small heart cookie cutter
Sugar cookie dough
Royal Icing (tinted to your desired colors)
Icing bag
Small Icing Tips and Cuplets (available at local craft stores, all I got for this cookie costs me less than $5)

Roll out the cookie dough.  Use the cookie cutter to make hearts, you will need two for each guests.  Cut the pointy tip off of half of the hearts with the rounded edge of the cookie cutter.  You will need one full heart and one cut heart for each guest.  Bake the cookies as directed and let cool.  Ice the cookies using the royal icing in an icing bag.  It is vitally important that you use only royal icing, it is the kind that hardens so that you can stack them.  For my sister I used teal and black tinted royal icing.  The consistency of  the royal icing really plays a part in how easy it is to pipe on.  The thicker it is, the harder it is to work with though, the thinner it is the quicker it is to spread.  I recommend having some extra cookies on hand to practice with!  Make different types of underwear on the cookies, give them each a unique look.
Once your icing has dried store the cookies in an air tight container.  Since we were using these as favors we got clear treat bags to put the cookies in.  We simply folded the bag over and taped it shut because we were in a time crunch and had no ribbon to tie it with!  I also recommend using a small piece of cardboard or card stock even to put behind the cookies in the bag to keep them in place and make them a little bit more sturdy.
Like I said, these were a huge success at the lingerie shower and so yummy too!  Now, this was not the easiest craft I have ever done but it sure is one of my favorite!  Get inspired, create something spectacular!

icing fit for a king

You  know those Christmas cookies that are always on the front of magazines.  They're so yummy looking with their shiny icing and intricate details.  Like the ones to the left there, that I DID NOT make...I found them on Google Image Search!
Well, I decided to try my hand at this yummy treat.  I had a specific cookie to make, and I will share that with you tomorrow.  Now, I want to share with you the recipe for making the icing.
I googled different recipes and found that the icing i wanted was the kind of icing I was wanting to make was royal icing.  This icing hardens, so that cookies can be stacked and it just looks so pretty
Here is the recipe I wound up using.  I must warn...give this one a test run.  I am so thankful that I did a test run, especially because I was piping the icing.
I got my recipe here, but wound up halving it...it makes a TON!

1 egg white
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
This recipe also called for lemon juice, which I wound up not using...it still tasted yummy.

Just mix the sifted sugar into the egg whites a little at a time.  Beat with the mixer and ice!  I was making cookies for my sisters bridal shower, so I tinted the icing to her wedding colors.  I used Wilton Brand food coloring because of the specific colors I wanted.  However, you could easily tint the icing to more standard colors using common food coloring.  Just be careful, the more food coloring you use, the more watered down the icing will be.

There you have it, a simple mixture for icing that looks like you spent ALL day and then some on it.  Try getting creative, add sugar and sprinkles, layer the icing and colors.  Create something delicious (and save one for me!).

cheer in a stitch

Being that this is the first year I am in my own place for Christmas, I needed a stocking.  I, of course had one at my parents house but, I wasn't going to be able to get it before Christmas.  I decided that I would make stockings for my husband and I.  I was somewhat nervous and put it off for a while.  However, I finally did it and I am quite pleased with the outcome.

First I folded my selected main fabric (black) in half and drew a stocking on the back.  I then cut out the stocking shape with the fabric still folded in half.  I did this so that I would have both the front and the back of my stocking.  I then cut a strip of contrasting fabric (orange) a little longer than double the length of the top of my stocking.  My super specific (complete sarcasm) measurements were taken by laying the two pieces for my stocking back to back and marking the length on the back of my contrasting fabric.

Then I hemmed the contrasting fabric on the bottom by folding a small portion backwards and sewing it with a simple stitch.  After the trim was hemmed I folded it in half hamburger style...not longways.  When folding the fabric I ironed down the fold, it made it much easier to sew.

Next I stacked the folded contrasting fabric between the two stockings in the main fabric.  Make sure that the patterned sides of the fabric are facing each other.  You want to sew the stockings inside out so that when turned right side out you will not see the stitching.

I then stitched straight down the heel side of the stacked stocking.  I opened up the stocking so that it was no longer stacked.  I turned the unfolded stocking over so that the non patterned side was facing up.  I made a hem at the top of the stocking just like I had done with the bottom of the contrasting fabric.

I then folded the stocking back as it was and finished sewing around the edges.  Now, be sure NOT to sew the top of the stocking...or you will have a closed up, inside out stocking!  Once you have all sides except for the top sewn up, turn the stocking right side out.

 

There you have it.  One stocking made in less than half an hour.  The cost you may wonder...about $4!  I only bought a 1/2 yard of the main fabric and a 1/4 yard of the contrasting fabric.  However, I could have gotten away with 1/3 yard of the main fabric.  Once you have your stocking made you may want to personalize your stockings.  I painted the name on this stocking using a freezer paper stencil.  I LOVE this technique!  From start to finish, first cut to hanging on the wall...it took me about 45 minutes!

a quick review

Ok, I just want to share a new tool I bought the other day and I am LOVING.  It is a craft knife, but so much cooler.  I used to have a craft knife that I used for scrapbooking.  However, it is at my parents house about 200 miles away...I needed on a tad bit closer.  I printed out a 50% off one item coupon for A.C. Moore.  To easily find coupons just type 'printable coupons for ____' (fill in with the name of your favorite craft store) and find one that has not expired.  I put my blinders on and headed into A.C. Moore...I only needed one thing...I was going to head right to that isle get what I needed and leave.  YEAH RIGHT!  After about half an hour of wandering around aimlessly and looking at everything they have and thinking of all the crafts I'd like to do, I remembered what I came for.  I made it to the scrapbooking section and over to the cutters.  They had so many!  I found the craft knifes I had planned on getting.  It looked like this:

 Then something else caught my eye...a cute little cutter with a unique shape.  It was called a fingertip cutter.  I was delighted to see that the smaller, cuter one was cheaper!!  It was only $5!  I snatched up that baby and brought it home...eager to use it.  After my coupon I paid a little over $2.50 for this cutter!  Not too shabby, considering the larger ones were $10 and some even more than that.  The fingertip cutter looked like this:

I bought it specifically to do my freezer paper stencils, so I jumped right into that!  I was surprised at how easy the cutter was to use.  Also, with it not being so long, it was easier to turn and I really did have better control over the blade.  This cutter gets two thumbs up from this gal!  If you're in the market for a new craft knife, or if you're thinking about picking one up...or really, if for any reason really....this is the way to go!  Simple to use, easy to store and cute to look at...you can't go wrong!

a butchers best kept secret

When I first heard about the technique I am going to show you I was a tad bit skeptical.  All the blogs I read that used it raved about how easy it was.  However, a lot of those blogs also make out of this world crafts and say they are easy too.  Then, my friend who has a blog told of how she did this technique.  I was sold!  I must admit, this technique WAS just as easy as everyone said it was!


For this project you will need:
Freezer Paper (not wax or parchment...freezer, like butchers use.  I got mine at Wal-Mart next to the wax paper)
Craft knife
Print Out of what you would like your stencil to look like
Pen or marker in a dark color
Craft Paint
Paint Brush
Iron

Step 1: trace onto the freezer paper (you should not be writing on the shiny side) the design you have printed out using the dark pen or marker.

Step 2: use the craft knife to cut out the pattern you have just traced onto the freezer paper.  I cut on top of an old magazine so I didn't cut up our coffee table.  Be sure to keep the insides of letters so that your letters aren't just blobs!

Step 3: use a warm (not hot) iron to iron on the stencil you now have.  Don't forget those little inside parts of your letters or designs.  Just a quick press will adhere the stencil.  Make sure you have the stencil shiny side down.

Step 4: use the paintbrush to fill in the stencil with the paint of your choice.  You can use fabric paint for projects dealing with fabric or just plain craft paint works just as well.  You can get both kinds of paint at your local craft store.

Step 5: allow the paint to set for a few moments and then peel off the stencil.  Now, this is a one time use stencil...but so worth it!

I can't believe how easy this is...it kills me that I didn't try this technique sooner.  I love it and plan on using it for MANY different things.

saving by shopping

Are you the type to cash in on rebates?  Well, I've got just the thing for you.  It's a site called ebates.  By shopping through ebates you get cash back on each purchase.  You simply start at ebates, find the store you are wanting to shop through and then do so.  Depending on the store depends on how much 'cash back' you get.  At certain intervals through the year you get your 'cash back' amount.  You can choose to get it either in a check form or paypal.  I mean, come on...how simple is that?!

wee little tree

I needed some Christmas decorations but didn't have tons of money to do so.  I had bought some Styrofoam cones from the Dollar Tree a little while back for $1 each.  I was planning on using them for a project that I never really got to...so, I thought I should probably try and use them for my Christmas decorations.  I had the leaves left over from the red berry bush thing I bought to use on my wreath.  I was planning on throwing the leaves away, I only wanted the berry clusters.  To be completely honest, I hadn't cleaned up my mess and the leaves were still on the stem laying on the floor (just ask my husband, I tend to leave things...well, everywhere!)  I took the leaves and cut them apart (each one had three leaves attached) with normal kitchen scissors.  Then, I just hot glued the leaves to the cones one at a time, trying to keep them in somewhat of a pattern.

I used some brown ribbon I had left over and wrapped it around my tree, hot gluing along the way.  I added some red ribbon, wrapping it around the same way.  I also put some little stray berries that fell off the bush for some added pizazz!  I tried this as well reversing the order I glued on the ribbon and leaves.  I made one where I put the ribbon on first then glues the leaves around the ribbon.  I used less leaved doing it the second way.
Well, there you have it.  Wee little Christmas trees for decorating with.  I must admit, after I first made  these little guys I wasn't too impressed at all.  Though, after a while they kind of grew on me...now, I do love their unique little quality!  I hope you enjoy these little trees as much as I do!