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Archive for November, 2011

Made by you Monday {Wrap up}

posted by cindylouh on November 6th, 2011 | Uncategorized |

Welcome to Made by you Monday wrap up. This week there were so many wonderful things! I have a lot to share {or reshare}. This week is all about pumpkin for me!

I would love to try these brownie bite with Pumpkin Cream cheese frosting.  You can find them at Pressed down, Shaken together.

How about these pumpkin gingersnap cookies from Cats and Casseroles.

 Low fat pumpkin muffins from Simple girl.

Do you love nutella? These are unique and look delicious from Something Swanky.

I love this gluten free pumpkin cupcake recipe!  It's sounds amazing! It's from Designing+Dining+Diapers.

I personally love pumpkin bread! This recipe sound perfect. It's from Simply Sweet home.

I love this recipe for pumpkin seeds and she has great tips for Pumpkin carving to pin for next year!

Shared from Casa de Luna.

Come on back and link up with me tomorrow at Made by you Monday and don't forget to check back next Sunday -I just might be featuring you!

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Lanterns Tutorial {Guest post} Contest Closed

posted by cindylouh on November 5th, 2011 | Giveaways, Guest post |

Congrats to our winner! Danielle

The Happy Wife/Danielle says:

These look incredibly simple to make and are just beautiful.

I'm excited to welcome Kelly from  Make Grow Gather.

Hi everyone, this is Kelly -- thanks so much to Cindy for having me over! My new book Weekend Handmade is out and I wanted to share a project with you. The book features more than 40 projects and ideas for simple crafts that don’t require a lot of time or fuss.

Weekend Handmade follows two others in the same series by STC Craft: Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick and Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. I’m flattered to be in such good company! I think each of these books hits the sweet spot of well-designed craft projects that can be completed over the course of a relaxed, creative weekend.

Here’s one project that can be easily modified for any season. If you know how to measure, cut, and iron, you can make these lanterns. The most time consuming part is collecting flowers and greenery to press and waiting until they dry nice and flat. Once the lanterns are made, they give off a soft, gauzy light from the fused waxed paper.


Materials:

Flowers and greenery

Heavy book

Paper towels

Waxed paper

Ruler

Craft knife (like an X-Acto)

Cutting board or self-healing cutting mat

Iron

Ironing board or cloth for pressing

Washi tape (I buy mine here)

How-To:

Collect leaves, flowers and foliage, keeping in mind that delicate, thin leaves and petals will try faster than thicker specimens. Put flowers, etc in between two paper towels and place inside a heavy book to dry.

Measure and cut four 4 ½ x 9 inch rectangles of waxed paper. You can adjust and make these any size you want, but I’m partial to a nice-sized cube, which makes the math easy.



Fold the waxed paper rectangle in half to make a square. Open square, place flower or greenery inside.

Close the square so the flower is sandwiched between the two layers of waxed paper.

Working on an ironing board or on top of a cloth, pass an iron set to medium quickly over the waxed paper to seal. This will fuse the two layers together. Repeat until you have four finished square panels.

Lay two panels side-by-side with the edges touching, orienting the panels so the sides you want to be the front of the lantern faces you (not facing the table). Cut a length of tape about an inch longer than the panel. Center the tape over where the panels meet and press in place.


Flip panel over and press the extra tape to the wrong side.


“Hinge” panels together and run your finger along the tape to make a sharp crease.

Continue joining the panels together until all four panels are taped into a cube.

Set candle (inside of a glass votive) or LED tealight inside the luminaria and enjoy!

Weekend Handmade by Kelly Wilkinson includes more than 40 projects and ideas for inspired crafting. Published by STC Craft. Photographs by Thayer Allyson Gowdy. Available at bookstores and online, or signed copies are available at Kelly’s blog Make Grow Gather.

Sunday Surprise! Leave a comment and one lucky person will win a copy of her book, Weekend Handmade!!

Make Ahead Thanksgiving favorites

posted by cindylouh on November 4th, 2011 | Uncategorized |

Happy Friday!  With just under three weeks until Thanksgiving, it's time to start cooking!  We have rounded up links to some holiday favorites.  The Cranberry Sauce can be made a week ahead and refrigerated.  Make the other dishes now and freeze them until the day before Thanksgiving.  Enjoy a stress-free holiday with your family and friends!

Wouldn't these Twice Baked Potatoes be a beautiful surprise for your guests?

Everyone loves Green Bean Casserole   here is a fresh take on a Thanksgiving must-have!

This Cranberry Sauce will be on our table this Thanksgiving - the pears are perfect right now, so this should be easy and delicious!
Wow!  This gluten free Stuffing eliminates the bread and uses rice!  Lots of yummy additions should make this a new family favorite!
For a perfect ending, check out this Pecan Pie.  Make now, freeze, thaw on Thanksgiving morning = happy guests!
Oh, my goodness I just had to share one more link. This cheesecake
 will disappear quickly!  What could be better than pumpkin + cheesecake?!?

Every Mom is a Hero {even you}

posted by cindylouh on November 3rd, 2011 | BlogFrog |

Every Mom is a hero. I see it everyday. It's the Mom who was up all night with a sick child. The Mom who is on bed rest in the hospital; doing whatever it takes to deliver a healthy baby. The Mom doing homework with her child after a long day of work. It's all the Mom's {like you} who are always putting their children before themselves. It's always being in the middle of a juggling act, trying to keep all the balls in the air at the same time and wondering if you're failing or succeeding? Most of us don't think of ourselves as a hero {I know I don't} yet we are a hero to someone, our child. It's obvious when they want it to be you they read to, or you're the person they look for cheering them on when they finally make that first goal!

View from my bed on Mother's Day 2008

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Disclosure: This is post is Sponsored by Allstate. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. Official Contest Rules

 

 

Hair Bow Tutorial

posted by cindylouh on November 3rd, 2011 | Gift for women, gifts for friends, Gifts for Kids, handmade gifts |

Hair bows can make an inexpensive and appreciated gift for the little girls in your life. Can you ever have too many?  Around our house they often never come home so it is nice to know for just a few dollars it is easy to make your own boutique style hair bows. Every outfit can have the perfect accessory made by you.

 

Supplies to make a hair bow

24 inches of 1.5 inch wide grosgrain ribbon to make a 4 1/2 inch wide bow or 18 inches of 1.5 inch grosgrain ribbon to make a 3 1/5 inch bow

6 inches of fine gauge floral wire,

a hair clip

glue gun

scissors

How to make a hair bow

Fold the 24 inch (or 18 inch) piece of ribbon in half and crease with your thumb.

Lay ribbon out flat. Bring one edge of the ribbon to the center of the ribbon and lay on top of the crease to form a loop.

Repeat for the other side, creating a figure eight. Make sure ends of ribbon overlap about an inch.

Bring the outside edge of the loop to the center. From this point on it works best to hold the ribbon in your hands.

Bring the loop on the other side to the center. Be sure to adjust the loops so they are even.

Pinch the center together by bending the outside edge down first and accordion fold the center together, ending by folding the opposite edge down. Keeping the fold tight will create a nicely shaped bow.

Tightly wrap a piece of floral wire around the center.

Twist securely in the back and trim edges.

 

Slip the hair clip through the wire on the back of the bow. Make sure the wire is folded under so it doesn't poke into the head.

Hot glue or sew a button on the center of the bow. Seasonal buttons, plastic gem and charms can be used. (Remember for young children to be cautious of items that could be a choking hazard)


With all of the beautiful ribbon and buttons that can be found, think of the possibilities for making stylish bows.

If you are looking for more handmade gift ideas for the holidays you might enjoy browsing my Handmade Gift Guide.

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