A great way to freeze your leftovers

I have a tendency to cook way too much of a dish - mainly because I love leftovers! So I started freezing individual servings in freezer ziplock backs and then when I want a quick meal, I pull one out of the freezer, break it into pieces (inside the bag) dump into bowl, and then microwave (or heat on the stove). Tonight I bagged the Split Pea Soup, Tilapia Corn Chowder Soup, Refried Beans, and the Dirty Rice. The last photo shows the finished ones in my freezer. I love that they lay flat in my freezer and I save so much room this way!

Sparkly Skull T-Shirt DIY

While shopping at a local store, I saw this shirt that had the cutest skull on it. Much to my dismay it was a child's size (5T) - which even though, in my head, I am thin and small...never in a million years will I ever be THAT small. LOL. So I decided to buy it because I knew I could do something fun with it and...it was only $1.25 (with all the after Halloween discounts applied). As I looked at it and got lost in the sparkle, I realized that I could cut it out and sew it onto a normal size t-shirt that I can wear! :) So here is what I did.

I am using Wonder Under and cutting it to "size"

I iron the Wonder Under onto the back of the area I want to cut.

I start cutting the skull out, making sure to leave enough of a border
around it so I can sew it

Once it is all cut out, I remove the paper from the back to
expose the Wonder Under. I can now line it up on to the back of the
blank black shirt that I want to put it on.

Once lined up, I cover the graphic with dry wash cloth so
I don't damage the applique. I use the cotton setting with the steam on
(this worked for me, it may be different for you)

Now I am ready to sew it on. I decide that I want to use
Glow-In-the-Dark thread so I can have a fun outline
of the skull even when it's dark.

I used Glow-in-the-Dark as the top thread and then black for underneath.
No use wasting good Glow thread on the inside of the shirt!

Started sewing around the bones, and then for the skull I sewed a little
closer to the outline and also outlined the bow.

Here it is in all its Sparkly glory! I will make sure to get a
pic of it tonight when it is glowing :)

Fun DIY Halloween Tutorials

FOR KIDS
- Make Believe Animal Ears Headbands - by: Hart and Sew
- Last Minute Owl Costume - by: Alpha Mom
- Little Bearded Gnome Costume - by: Disney Family Fun
- Peter Pan Costume - by: Make it and Love it
- Jet Pack - by: Been There, Pinned That

TREATS & GOODIES
- Spider & Owl Krispie Treats - by: Cookies and Cups
- Ghoul Punch - by: Taste of Home
- Glowing Kryptonite Candy - by: Becky Stern
- Ghostly Pizza - by: All You
- Candy Corn Jello (non-alcoholic) - by: Jelly Shot Test Kitchen
- Candy Corn Sugar Cookies - by: Kathie Cooks

DECORATIONS
- Celestial Pumpkins - by: Martha Stewart
- Eek, Shriek and be Scary Printable Halloween Collection - by: Wants and Wishes
- Glow Stick Lanterns - by: Lil Blue Boo
- Free Halloween Party Printables - by: Clickable Party
- Trick or Treat Felt Decorations - by: Paper and String
- No-Carve Pumpkin Ideas - by: Various Contributors

COSTUME IDEAS
- Book Fairy Costume - by: Lilliedale
- Gumball Machine Costume - by: Country Living
- 80's DIY Halloween Costumes - by: Meg Allan Cole
- Easy Last Minute Costumes - by: Real Simple
- 26 DIY Costume Ideas - by: Various Contributors at C.R.A.F.T.
- LEGO Man Costume - by: Kaged Kombat
- Where's Waldo Costume - by: Inhabitat
- 50 Cheap and Easy Halloween Costumes for Adults - by: Various Contributors

Candy Corn Manicure Tutorial

Want to do something cute and fun for Halloween? Not into dressing up, or your work won't let you? Check out this cute candy corn manicure tutorial from "The Beauty Department"

TOOLS
Orange nail polish
White nails polish
Yellow nail polish
Clear top coat
Tape
Scissors

STEPS
1. Paint your nails with 2 coats of orange nail polish. It’s really important that you give these coats enough time to dry. I would suggest allowing a few hours to be sure. If you would like to play it safe, trying painting them the day before and rocking orange nails for a day. (That’s what I did)

2. Cut tape into strips of tape that are about 1/3 the width of the length of your nails.

3. Place a strip of tape horizontally on the center of each nail. Press down on the tape securing it to your nail to guarantee clean edges between the colors.

4. Paint the exposed nail below the tape with 2 coats of white nail polish.

5. Paint the exposed nail above the tape with 2 coats of yellow nail polish.

6. Wait 5 minutes before carefully peeling the strip of tape off each nail. Like I mentioned is step number 1, it is important that the orange coat is completely dry so that the polish doesn’t come off with the tape. Finish with a clear top coat and your done!

This cute tutorial is from: thebeautydepartment.com

Teacup Pin Cushion

Get the tutorial here

For all the crafty ladies out there - I wanted to share a site that is really fun and has some great patterns and tutorials. It's called You Can Make This. Some are free and some are for purchase. But the cool thing about the ones that are for purchase is that they aren't from big corporations or companies, they are thought up and uploaded by women just like us! So check out this site and support the small business, stay-at-home mom, crafty diva, etc.

While cruising this site a while back I found this great tutorial for a teacup pin cushion. I instantly thought of my friend Becky - and decided she needed one for her sewing/craft room. So I went to the local thrift store (where they sell single china pieces) and found one that matched some fabric that I had, then I got to work. Get the tutorial here

Today is Make a Hat Day!

Here are some great video's for making your own hat today! 

DGulley DIY Project: How To Make An Easy, Trendy Hat
 
How-to Make a Ruched Hat, Threadbanger


Here's one for the guys! (and girls if you like em) 

How to make a Bomber Hat, Threadbanger Projects

I think these will come in very handy this winter since I have a lot less hair then I used to!

Sopaipilla Cheesecake Squares - Tutorial

Here is the recipe and step-by-step instructions for Sopaipilla Cheesecake Squares:

Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
Confectioners' sugar (optional) 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 13" x 9" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and vanilla;

beat at medium speed with an electric mixer for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until smooth.

 

Unroll the refrigerated crescent rolls; press perforations to seal. Using a rolling pin, roll each dough piece into a 13" x 9" rectangle. Press 1 dough rectangle into bottom of prepared baking dish. (I don't roll it out with a rolling pin, I just piece it together and press the lines together)

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over dough in pan.

Top with remaining dough rectangle. 

In a small bowl, stir together 3/4 cup granulated sugar, butter and cinnamon.

Using a teaspoon, dot mixture evenly over top of dough. (I spread it evenly over the top layer of dough)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown.

Let cool completely in pan on wire rack (about 1 to 2 hours). 

The yummy inside!

Cut into squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired - Here is the finished dessert, ready for the devouring! Plus after making this - your house will smell heavenly!

Carrot Cake Pops - Tutorial

First start out with a box of cake mix - I chose carrot cake, and a jar of frosting (at room temperature) - I used cream cheese frosting.

Make the cake according to the instructions on the bake of the cake box. Use a 13"x9" baking pan and follow the baking instructions for that size.

Once your cake has come out of the oven, let cool completely before breaking apart. This is very important. If the cake is too hot or still warm than it the icing will get too runny.

After your cake is completely cooled, transfer (carefully) into a large bowl. Now comes the fun part. Break it apart with your hands until the cake is just a large pile of crumbs. Take your cream cheese frosting and mix it in to the crumbs, I used my hands for this - it is much faster and way more fun (a little messy though).

Now it's time to make some cake balls. If you have a small scoop - it works best, or you can eyeball it.  Just grab a chunk of the mixture and roll into balls using your hands. Place on a cookie sheet (I used parchment paper to line the sheet with to make clean up easier.)

Once you have your little army of cake balls - stick them in the fridge for about an hour (or you can leave them in over night).

Now's the fun part! Dipping them into the candy coating (we used vanilla almond bark).

We found that if we follow the packages instructions for dipping it worked the best. Once the almond bark is melted, we take the Popsicle sticks and dip them into the almond bark and then into the cake balls. Do all of the balls and then pop them back in the fridge until you get the "toppings" ready.

Have your toppings ready. I put mine into little bowls to make it easier to get to. I used sugar sprinkles, cinnamon chips, chopped walnuts, powdered sugar, tiny candies, and toffee bits. You can use whatever you feel like - it is so much fun!

I found that placing a tiny mound on the parchment paper to be the best way to top the pops. This way there is less moving the pops while they are setting.

 Once all of your pops are dipped and topped, place back in the fridge so your candy coating hardens all the way.

Check out the finished product by clicking here.

Have fun and ENJOY!!! These make GREAT gifts - and your friends and family will love them!

Handmade Crafts & Tutorials - Day 3 of Valentine's Week

I think today is my all-time favorites. I love making stuff and encouraging others to make stuff as well. Here are some great links for handmaking your valentine's this year. If you have a great tutorial that fits with this theme, please leave the link in the comments section for all to see. ENJOY!!!

Favorite Craft Sites & Tutorials

With a year full of birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, promotions, graduations, etc. why buy gifts at a large retail store when you can make them your self? One thing that is a lot of fun is to have a craft party. Everyone brings what they are currently working on. You can learn new crafts by watching what others are doing during the party, or you can host a tutorial party yourself. Be creative! Have fun! Happy crafting!


Here are some of my absolute favorite sites that feature tutorials (some are free and some are for a fee).

• The Long Thread - at the beginning of the year they listed their Top 100 Tutorials of 2009. So many great ideas!
  
• Photojojo - Make Your Own Photo Journals and Notebooks
• You Can Make This - This is a great site that has both free and ones for purchase. So many creative people and ideas!
• Etsy's How Tuesday - These are fun and for all different levels of difficulty.
• Lara Cameron - my favorite is the reversible notebook cover.
• ThreadBanger - I love this site - it has video tutorials and awesome ideas!
• Instructables - This brings out the hidden geek in me! From the Make a cheap backyard ice-skating rink to the How to build a Nintendo arcade this site is fun for everyone!

What is your favorite crafting website for tutorials?