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Archive for October, 2011

Swap a Smile Charity Auction {Closed}

I’m happy to be part of a crafts auction, raising money to help someone smile. Thanks to Amy and Heather for putting this together!

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Heather and Amy write......

We as women and mothers delight in the joy of raising our families despite some of the frustrations and effort it takes.  We delight in hearing and seeing our children grow and learn, and we strive to put their needs before our own.  Their heartaches are OUR heartaches and their joy is OUR joy.  So imagine if you had a child who was beautiful and happy in everyway…but who did not have a beautiful outer physical smile to match the beauty of their inner smile?

Every three minutes a child is born with a cleft — often unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. In some places these children are shunned and rejected. And in too many cases, their parents can't afford to give them the surgeries they need to live a normal life.  Whereas, most of us are blessed to be living in Nations and countries where we have access to basic services and healthcare for our families which is there to help us help our children to lead healthy and normal lives.

We feel that women everywhere have the same basic tendencies to nurture and care for their families and feel that automatically connects us as social beings.  A group of us wanted to be able to use this crafting/DIY community and find some way to give back to others, to be involved in something that was bigger than us and our blogs, and do something to actually make a difference in the lives of women and children who are just like us.

Operation Smile is a charity organization healing children's smiles, one operation at a time.

Operation Smile, is more than a charity organization. They are a mobilized force of medical professionals and caring hearts who provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.  Each operation costs approximately $240.

With this is mind, we created “Swap A Smile” to raise funds through an online auction of DIY and Craft Bloggers’ past projects.  We would love for you to join us in our efforts to give back to others who need help. It only takes a little bit to go a long way. Our goal is to be able to give at least 5 children new smiles and help them to live the life they weren’t meant to live.

operation smile

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We reached out to some various bloggers and asked them to help us out with and unique charity auction to raise funds in hopes to be able to help a few children by giving them a smile.Each of these bloggers have generously agreed to auction off an item that they have made recently and shared with their readers on their individual websites.  Below you will see a list of all of the items that are being auctioned off.  You can access each item by clicking on the link or the image and you will be redirected to that persons site and the item that they are auctioning off. 

The auction will begin immediately and will end on Friday, October 14 at 12:00 pm PST.  Each item has been assigned a shipping cost that will be added to the highest bidding price.  The item will go to the highest bidder.   You can bid on an item by leaving a comment on the individual’s post leaving us your name and the price you are bidding.

If you are not interested in bidding, but would still like to help out, we have also made it so that you can donate any amount to help us out with this great cause!  Every little bit helps!

Click here if you would like to donate directly to Swap a Smile!

We will be writing a follow up post and providing everyone with a screen shot of the PayPal account and keep you updated on our progress so you can be sure that your money is really going to support this cause. 

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For more information regarding Operation Smile and their mission statement and goals you can read about them on their site OperationSmile.Org.

I am auctioning two pleated zippered pouches.  They may not look just like the picture but I will make sure they are extra cute!

 

Want to bid on this item?
Leave a comment on this post with your first name and bid price.  The highest bidder will receive two zippered pouches.  I will cover the shipping costs!

Thank you so much for participating and helping to spread the word.
We are hopeful to help a few children get back their smiles.

Be sure to check out all the fabulous items being auctioned.

List of of participating blogs:

The Idea Room
WhipperBerry
Tatertots & Jell-o
Crap I’ve Made
How Does She
House of Smiths
Ucreate
Less Cake More Frosting
Sew Dang Cute
The Crafting Chicks
Blue Cricket Design
Infarrantly Creative
Thirty Handmade Days
Skip to my Lou
Make and Takes
Vintage Revivals
No Biggie

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Spooktacular Suckers

As you know I am totally intrigued with making hard candy lollipops! I am especially into making the suckers opaque! Just a bit of liquid white food coloring does the job. It is the perfect trick for making these ghosts!

Supplies for making Hard Candy Ghost Suckers

Sugar

Light Corn Syrup

1/2 tsp flavoring

food coloring

1/2 tsp liquid white food color

sucker sticks

sucker bags

twist ties

ghost hard candy molds

candy thermometer

candy eyes

How to make Ghost Suckers

Grease inside of molds with shortening or cooking spray. Place molds on flat greased surface. A marble slab or or new cookie sheet works great. If using the metal molds, place clip over tabs and insert sucker stick between tabs.

Combine 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup white (light) corn syrup, 1/2 cup water  in a small sauce pan. Stir mixture over medium heat until sugar is dissolved (about three minutes). Raise temperature to medium high and cook without stirring until mixture reaches 300 (hard crack stage). This takes about 10 minutes depending on your stove.

Once at hard crack stage (300 degrees) remove immediately from heat. Add in 1/2 teaspoon flavoring  and about 1 1/2 teaspoons white liquid food color to make the suckers opaque.

Pour mixture into a glass or ceramic pitcher to make filling molds easier. If mixture sets to quickly in can be re-heated in the microwave for 15 seconds.

Fill molds.

Once lollipops have cooled enough to set, remove from molds. Use a tiny dab of candy writer to attach 1/4 inch candy eyes to the ghost.

Boo!

“We’ve collected great class party games, snacks and craft ideas… fun for the whole school year!

If you’re looking for fresh classroom party ideas for the upcoming Halloween or Fall Party, please view and share the VolunteerSpot Classroom Party Guide with contributions from your favorite craft and party bloggers, including ME!”

Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese {Recipe}

Here is a super simple and quick recipe. Keep canned evaporated milk and pasta in the pantry and this can be a go to dish on busy days!

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

  • 1 box shell pasta (about 12-14 ounces -- I used mini shells) (macaroni works also)
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 - 12 oz  cans evaporated milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 16 ounces cheddar, shredded (about 4 cups)

In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir egg mixture into the pasta and add the cheese. Continue to stir over low heat for 3 minutes or until creamy.

$200 Waverly Fabric {Giveaway} CLOSED

I don't know about you but I love looking at pretty new fabric.   Waverly is releasing a new fall essentials collection and I'm really excited to share this beautiful fabric collection with with you!    One very lucky reader is going to win 10 yards of fabric of their choice from the new Waverly fall essentials collection. Imagine all the lovely things you could make with all this fabric!

It is super simple to win 10 yards of this gorgeous new fabric!

How to win $200 in Waverly Fabric

All you have to do is comment on this post for a chance to win!

For extra entries: (separate comment for each entry, please)

  1. Tweet about the contest!   Feel free to use this sample tweet,
    Enter to win $200 of Waverly Fabric from @skiptomylou. http://www.skiptomylou.org/?p=19668 Comment to enter
    or just click this button to
  2. Like Skip to my Lou on Facebook.

Contest Closed  Winner comment #2032

 

Heather Asays:

Already like ya on FB!

Congrats Heather I'll be sending you an email and you can let me know what you would like!

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