Well.  Obviously I missed posting the rest of my makes for KCW.  Life has a funny way of intervening on even the best laid plans.  But I did sew, honest!  I sewed summer clothes for Brady, my ‘adopted’ grandson.

Four simple stash-busting tank tops, and two pairs of shorts.  I made the tops by tracing around one of his little tee’s.  Easy – peasy, and perfect for using up remnants of fabric!  On two of the tanks I serged around the edges in a contrast thread for interest.  On the other two I used  this  (scroll down on page for tutorial)  method by Carolyn of  Handmade By Carolyn  to attach the neck and armhole bands.  I find it so much easier and neater than struggling with knit ribbing or trying to hem neatly.  I’ve done this on all of my knit projects since, and will probably always will.  These two tops were made from men’s tees, and I was able to use the existing hems, making it even easier.

The shorts were made using an old Simplicity pattern that I can’t remember the number of, it’s been used so many times.  They are simple elastic waist shorts with  front pockets, easily made in about an hour.  I don’t have a picture of the little man wearing any of my creations, but I have to post one of the cutie himself!  He was too busy enjoying his cake and ice cream to smile for the camera….

Thanks for stopping by!

I heard about this jam from a friend some time ago, but it sounded too easy to be true. We both kind of dismissed it, never intending to try it. Well today curiosity got the better of me and I thought, ‘Why not?’  So I gathered my ingredients and got to work.  Twenty minutes later, I had some delicious jam!
The ingredients are simple,
4 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries ( I threw in a handful of raspberries I had in the fridge, just to use them up)
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 box of lemon jelly powder
 
My sugar didn’t make it into the pic!

Place fruit in a large sauce pan, and break apart with a potato masher if desired. Heat slowly on medium high heat.  Add sugar and jelly powder and stir until dissolved.

Bring to a boil and stir for two minutes.

Annnd…, you’re done!  Allow your jam to cool slightly and pour into freezer safe containers.  I ended up with just less than 3 cups of jam.

Allow your jam to set, and have a taste test!  My husband was impatient to try it, so my jam wasn’t quite set when I spooned some on a cracker, but it set quite nicely when it was completely cooled.

Store opened container in the fridge, and pop the rest in the freezer.
My family loves it!  I am going to try other fruit/jelly powder combinations too.  You are only limited to your imagination with this recipe.  Have fun with it, and your family will think you slaved away in the kitchen for hours!


Join me at these great parties,

Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims
What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar and Dots
Wow Me Wednesday @ Ginger Snap Crafts
Made By Me @ JAQS Studio
What we Wore, Read and Made @ Rae Gun Ramblings
Lil' Luna Link Party
Whimsy Wednesdays @ The NY Melrose Family

As I was looking through my pictures this evening I came upon this little dress.  I made it back in August for my Etsy Shop, but with all the baby excitement  and a visit with my grandmother, I completely forgot to post about it.  I think it is adorable, but then I could be just a little biased!  It sort of yells ‘SUMMER’, doesn’t it? It was so easy to make,and I’m sure I’ll make loads more for MacKensie as she grows.
I didn’t think to take pictures of the process, but it is pretty self explanatory. A regular tank top is layered with ruffles to make a dress for a toddler, or a top for an older child. The fabric is a fun baseball-esque print cotton.  I sewed the flower to a pin back, making it easier to wash, or even wear on another outfit.



I love adding fabric flowers to my projects. They just seem to add that extra little personal touch to any outfit.  I’ve been scouring the internet for more tutorials, looking for as many different ones as I can. These are a few of my favourites.

      
This is a Russian site, with links to several Kanzashi tutorials.

‘Anna’s Flower’ from Sew Ritzy Titzy

And these beautiful ribbon Peonies from Make It Do.
There are literally dozen’s of tutorial’s to be found.  The hardest part is deciding what to make first!


Join me for a party!

Will See It Wednesday
Wow Me Wednesday
Rednesday
Your Whims Wednesday
Flashback Wednesday
Anything Goes
We Did It Wednesday

We are still waiting anxiously for the arrival of my granddaughter.  Her poor mom is ready to go anytime, although technically the due date isn’t until this coming Sunday(21st). I’ll keep you posted!

On the crafting front, when my daughter Hillary was home a few weeks ago, she made herself a pillow! This is quite an accomplishment for her, because she is not the most avid seamstress. Sewing is just not her thing.  She had seen the Petal Pillow tutorial by Allison Harris at Cluck Cluck Sew. (which is a fabulous tutorial by the way) After some intense digging and searching through my (cough) considerable stash, she opted to use an almost burlap colour cotton for the pillow slip itself.  She bought some denim blue felt for the petals, and started right away. I’m so proud of her because she did the whole thing herself, despite never having followed any type of pattern (or tutorial) or used a sewing machine  in her life. It looked so funny seeing her sitting there at my machine, so intent on her project. It was so nice to spend that time together, her working on her pillow, and me working on my own project.  (which I will post later) So without further ado, I give you Hillary’s pillow.




Didn’t she do a great job?  It matches my living room  sofa perfectly!  Unfortunately, she took it home with her, lol.  She plans on making another one to match next time she is home.
Thanks for reading, and have a great day!
Anne

Ok. I will be the first to point out that this cake isn’t pretty.  In fact, it may be the ugliest  cake I have ever made.  Of course, if I had taken my time, and waited for the ganache to completely cool and set, it would have looked much better.  AND, the chocolate would actually be on the cake, gracefully dripping down the sides. Oh well, better luck next time. And believe me, there WILL be a next time! This cake is awesome.  Well, here goes, a picture of my poor cake. (the faint of heart  may want to turn away now)

See what I mean?  But, as you can see, it didn’t bother my family at all…

They even scraped the ganache off the plate!  This was so easy to make, and tastes fabulous. This is what you need,
One golden two layer cake mix,  made using package directions
two vanilla pudding cups
Bake your cake and let it cool completely.
While your cake is baking, make your  ganache. It is super simple to do. All you need is one cup of heavy (whipping) cream, and one package of chocolate chips. (I used milk choc chips, but you could use anything you like. This recipe is also great made with white chocolate chips) Place the cream and chocolate in a medium sized GLASS bowl. Put about two inches of water in a saucepan and put the bowl on top, making sure the bottom of the  bowl is at least two inches away from the water. You are in essence creating your own double boiler. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring the cream mixture carefully. Be extra careful, steam will escape around the bowl, and can cause severe burns.  It won’t take long for the chocolate to melt. Continue stirring gently until all of the chocolate and cream are incorporated. Do not allow the cream to get too hot. Remove from heat. (don’t touch the bowl with bare hands! It is very HOT! Believe me, I found out the hard way!) Once the bowl has cooled, you can place it in the fridge to speed up the cooling process. Stir occasionally. 
When your cake is completely cool, place the bottom layer on your serving plate, and spoon the pudding onto the top of the layer. Spread it around so that it just reaches the edges. You can use as much or as little pudding as you want. Now. GENTLY place the second layer on top. push it down slightly, just enough for the layers to stick together. Obviously I pushed too hard. That’s why my pudding squished out the sides so much.   Now you are ready to spoon/pour your ganache onto the top. Let it drizzle down the sides too! You don’t want to miss a bit of it! If your ganache has set up a bit too much, just let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften.  That’s it! Hopefully your cake turns out prettier than mine. But, if not, at least you know it will taste great! Now I’m off to have another piece….


Take a look at all the great parties I'm linking to on my party page!

Everybody needs a little, right? Tonight, I decided that applied to dogs as well. Mercedes needed a new collar, and with black fur, her new black collar wasn't leaving much of an impression. I searched through my button box, and came up with a package of sew-on pink 'crystals'. It seemed like a match made in heaven.
(isn't my new tea towel cute? My son's girlfriend Rachel gave it to me)


Since I am the Queen of easy crafts, I decided this was the project for me! Wait, did I say it was easy? No. Definitely not. It was very difficult, very tiring work. Here, I'll show you...

First, you try the collar on your long suffering, completely disgusted (but oh so co-operative) dog.



Now doesn't she look happy? When you have the correct fit, take the collar off, and put a pin close to the slide. You don't want the collar to get bigger or smaller while you are sewing. I spaced the crystals out as evenly as I could, but naturally I ended up being at least one short. Figures. Oh well, I think it turned out fairly well and I'm happy.






Mercedes LOVES it. She practically BEGGED me to take her picture in her new finery. Really! I only had to bribe her with one treat, to make her sit still. (she was too busy showing off to Abby, to hold still for a photo session)





I'm pretty pleased with her fancy collar. I looked at similar ones in the pet store for up too $20.00! I love my dogs dearly, but I can't see spending that much on a collar. One down, one to go. Abby, that means you're next!


She's beside herself with joy. Really. She's thrilled. Can't you tell?

I did sew today, but I haven't finished it yet. Sometime during the afternoon, I got a craving for chocolate chip cookies. So, I had to make some! But, these are not just any cookies. They are the very best. Trust me. I mean, come on, have I ever lied to you? I found the recipe ages ago, on Allrecipes. (love that site!) It is the only chocolate chip recipe I'll ever make.


Award Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies
by Debbi Borsick on Allrecipes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.

Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.(if desired)

It will look something like this,



For this batch, I used mini M&M's, instead of chocolate chips. I use a mini ice cream scoop to put them on the baking tray, so that they are all pretty much the same size.


Pop them in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack (if they get that far), for a few minutes. At least until the chocolate won't burn your tongue. Nothing ruins a good cookie feast like a burn in your mouth! Then, make yourself a cup of tea and grab a plate. If you are lucky, you will have two or three before anyone else realizes they are ready. (ok, that may just be wishful thinking on my part)


Honest, no one took a bite out of that cookie. A piece fell off, and I had to taste it! I wanted a crisper cookie this time, so I cut back almost half a cup of flour. When the recipe is followed correctly, the result is a lighter, more cake like cookie. (which are also fabulous!) The beauty of this recipe is the pudding mix. You can use almost any flavor you like, and vary the chips to suit. This recipe is also quite large. It makes 6-7 dozen, which is perfect if you have a large family of cookie monsters! So, the next time you need a chocolate chip cookie fix, try these. I know the whole family will love them!

Anne

I am sending out one big hug, to all the wonderful mothers out there! I hope you all enjoyed your special day! I know I did. My family did everything for me today! I'm so proud and grateful, I know that I am truly blessed.
Since I had plenty of free time today, I made up a tutorial for a non-slip baby changing pad. You'll have to forgive my pics, because, as I've said before, my poor camera is allergic to close up shots.
To make a non-slip pad, you'll need,

2  hand towels, with hemmed edges and ends (I get mine at the dollar store)
foam mesh drawer liner (also from the dollar store)




First, unpick the top and bottom hems of one towel. Lay it flat on your work surface and lay the foam liner on top, cut a piece the length of the towel, minus half an inch. Cut the second towel to the same size as the foam liner.

Center the cut towel and the foam liner onto the first towel. Fold over edges and pin.


Stitch around the entire piece, close to the inside edge, making sure to catch both the inner towel and the foam in the seam. I stitch the corners down separately.  And that's it! You're done! A soft, comfy change pad for your baby!


Unfortunately I don't have a baby to change! I'll be using my changing pad as a 'hot pad' on my kitchen table!

Lately I've seen dozens of projects on other sites with fabric 'yoyo's' on them. On Friday evening while watching t.v., I made this,


I used a toddler size tank top, and remnant fabric from another project I have on the go. I used embroidery thread for the stems. I think it turned out pretty cute! I have enough fabric left to make a matching skirt, so I might do that next. I don't have anyone to give this to, so it will be put away for my future etsy shoppe...