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Wednesday, December 8, 2010

A cup of comfort and joy!

Today's gifty is probably the most complicated idea I will do all week. However I was determine to conquer it so here is my attempt:

 It's a reusable cup sleeve! I actually have wanted to try these for a while now, and now that I have figured them out I have made like 6!
I used the tutorial found here as a basic guide Reusable Coffee Sleeve. However I modified it by making my pattern larger and lining my regular fabric with felt for durablity and thickness. If you use flannel this isn't neccassary.
So first I took a disposable sleeve and made a pattern on some cardstock and added a generous 1/4 inch for seam allowance.
I then traced around the pattern on my fabric and cut out.



If you are lining with felt this is where you would trace around the disposable sleeve directly onto your felt and cut out. You want your felt to be slightly smaller than your fabric, this is why you use the paper sleeve. Place your fabric with right sides facing together and sew as directed in the tutorial above.
Turn you sleeve right side out and finish with a top stitch. This is actually the most complicated part, but once you get the hang of it it isn't so bad. 


And TaDa! You have an adorable, washable, reusable coffee sleeve to tuck in your purse for all those Starbucks runs:) This also makes a fabulous gift! Which is why I am offering 1 commenter their choice of either sleeve below and a $5 dollar gift card! Just leave a comment telling me which sleeve you prefer. 


Disclaimer: If you sew on a regular basis or well, you may not want to enter the drawing! I am by no means professional level and there are plenty of flaws, however I thought the giftcard might balances that out;)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Sugar & Spice and....NUTS!

Today's Gifty is SO ridiculously easy, however it is delicious and most people adore them! We are gonna make Sugar & Spice Nuts. These are similar to the candied nuts you get from Vendors, however mine aren't quite as sweet not as heavily coated. You won't need much for this project, so lets get started!

Grab the following ingredients: Sugar, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Clove, Salt, Egg White, and 3 cups of a plain unsalted nut(s) of your choice. I will post the actual recipe at the end of my post.

You will mix all the ingredients together in one bowl in then spread on a greased jelly roll pan.

 Bake in oven for 1 hour at 250* and then let cool COMPLETELY before removing. Scoop some of these little guys into a jar, add some embellishments and you have a yummy gift that everyone I have ever given them to LOVED. As in asked for the recipe! 



The recipe for the Nuts is as follows:

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Cloves
1 Large Egg White
3 Cups unsalted Nuts. ( I used Pecans, Almonds, & Peanuts this time. However I normally use Cashews instead of Peanuts. Honestly my husband and I think a thing of nothing but Pecans would be divine!)

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl and spread on greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 250* for 1 hour and let cool completely.  Note: NO matter how much you grease the pan these guys STICK, you have to kinda scrape them off. If you try this with one of those mats and have better results PLEASE let me know!

And that my friends is IT! So easy, so yummy, and so fun to give. Make sure you leave a comment if you want to win the jar I made last night that is in the picture. I am giving these to my kids Awana teachers, and our Schwans guy:)

Monday, December 6, 2010

Let the Week of Gifties & Giveaways Begin!

So I am super excited to share this week with you! I have several fun little crafty/cooking things that I made, and I will be showing you at least one idea every day this week. Then I will randomly select a commenter to give the example away to! How fun for me & you:) For simplicity sake I will be selecting the winners from the entire week this weekend. Make sure when you leave a comment I have some way to contact you encase you win and I need your address.

So with out further ado...Monday's gifties is a Ribbon Twirler. This cute little idea is perfect for any little girl and a snap to make. And if that isn't enough incentive the total cost is less than $3! Here is what you will need to start this project: A 12 inch piece of dowel rod (mine was about the same diameter as a dime), 3 to 4 coordinating ribbons in different widths, acrylic paint to match, and one "eye" like from a hook and eye set. I found these at Lowes in 2 & 3 packs depending on size for less than a buck.


At this point you will probably need to drill a hole in the end of the dowel rod so that it is easier to insert the eye. I had my handy husband do this;) Then using the eye as a hand hold proceed to paint your rod the color of your choice.
After painting the rod lay across a paper plate to dry. This won't take long! I then applied a second coat just for good measure, and allowed it to dry also.

 While your rod is drying, cut 5 feet of each ribbon and then make a separate small loop ( about the size of a half dollar) from your thinnest ribbon and knot it closed. Take your other ribbons and barley thread them through your ribbon loop, leave just enough ends to either sew or hot glue the ends down. So now you should have a loop with the 5 feet of different ribbons trailing down it:)



Take your loop and squeeze it through the small slit on the "eye". This basically finishes your Ribbon Twirler! You can hot glue the small slit shut if you are worried about the ribbon coming back through, but I didn't find it necessary on mine. I also would think a nice coat of clear shellac would a bonus too, but I didn't have any. This is what the finished product looks like:)


My daughter LOVED this thing and actually requested we make some for her friends for Christmas. I think they would be great stocking stuffers! It is just a fun silly girly thing to make:) Hope you enjoy and be sure to leave a comment if you would like to win the pink & black one from my demo!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Winners! & More to Come...

So I used the website Random.org to decide on the winners for the shopping list(s), and the results were #1 & #2. So Clare & Lisa Dawn you are the big winners:) Since Clare wanted the Country one, I will send Lisa Dawn the Contempo one. I will get them in the mail this weekend, hope you enjoy!

Now if you didn't get overly excited about the notepad idea, or if you were bummed you didn't win, stay tuned! All next week is Gifties & Give Aways on Robyn's Ramblings. I will be making several little cute craft & food items that would make easy gifts, and every day I will give my example away! I am SO excited to do this, it will be fun & different:)

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Making a List....Giving it Twice!

So on this first day of December, I am very much in the spirit of Giving! I did some Christmas shopping today, and of course I reference my handy shopping list several times. I love, Love, LOVE a list! Don't you? So since I know you all agree I am going to share this super cheap & cute idea for you very own homemade shopping list pads. AND....because I feel like giving gifts today, I am going to give the two examples I made away also:)

But first, how to make this little guys encase you want to make some as gifts or if you are like me and go through list pads weekly;)  All you will really need to start these is small legal pads (that you can have the office store cut in half for you), sturdy scrapbook paper, embellishment, adhesive of your choice, and preferable a paper cutter. However scissors will work, I am just lazy:)

Start by cutting your scrapbook paper 2 & 5/8 of inch across and 3 & 1/2 inches long. Now I got kinda fancy here and used a punch to make a pattern on the edge of my paper but you can leave it straight it is still very cute. I then measured up about 1 & 1/4 inches and scored a 1/4 inch space that will fit the top of the pad. This just makes it lay nice, you don't have to score. You can glue down your paper to the back and fold over the front with almost the same effect.





After you have scored/ folded you paper attach to list pad with preferred adhesive and then embellish with Ribbon, Buttons, Stickers, Etc. I think the adorable little paper flowers my sister Clare makes would be super cute, but I haven't had the patience to try any. And that my friends is IT! In like 3 minutes you have cutesy, personalized shopping pads.



This is the one I made for the blog, I will call this one "Country Christmas".
And this one below is one I made cause I am enamored with the colors Black, White,& Red this season. SO I am calling this one "Contempo Christmas"
If you want to get one of these guys in the giveaway, just leave a comment telling me which one you prefer and how awesome it is that these are so quick and cheap;) I will randomly select 2 people on Friday and mail the list pads out this weekend! Merry Christmas & Happy Shopping:)

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

5 Fall Faves

I haven't got to experience a lot of "fallish" weather here in the Carolinas, but it hasn't kept me from getting in the fall mood. Some of the things that have helped me do this are in this list, but the best part is NONE of them cost more than $5! Sometimes it truly is the little things in life. So here are a few of my favorites things...
  1. Orange Spice Hand Soaps from Bath & Body. I love this new scent so much that I bought 3 of them! 2 Foam versions for the kiddos Bathroom & 1 regular for my kitchen sink. Plus the color coordinates beautifully with both rooms:)
 2. This is a gorgeous oval plate that I picked up at Marshalls for $4! It is a great size, not to big. SO I am sure you will be seeing in several of my Food Posts:)




3. Bear Creek Soups!!! I LOVE these! We have tried several flavors and haven't had a bad one yet. I love putting this packet and some water in my crockpot and knowing I will have a tasty meal with NO effort later that night. That is truly how easy these are, just add water. And while they are a little pricey (especially if you have to buy them in a regular grocery store) I pay just under $4 for them in the commissary. But they are totally worth it since normally all I add is water and usually a meat. For the one pictured (which is our family's favorite) I saute turkey kielbasa and add it in towards the end.
P.S. You can totally make this in a sauce pan in less than 1/2 an hour, but I am having an affair with my slow cooker right now so I put anything I can in it!



4. The Night Before Thanksgiving. This book has been in our house since before Gillyan was born, and we bring it out every year and read it the week of Thanksgiving. It makes me smile because so many of the little things in it remind me of my family. It is written in the same form as the Night before Christmas, so it is a fun read that my kids look forward to:)

5. Starbucks drinks! I love that I can taste the season in a yummy Pumpkin Spice Latte, or cozy up with some Hot Cocoa. But I am loving even more that I scored this box of Salted Caramel Cocoa at TJ Maxx for around 4 bucks! That means I can make my own cup of cozy at home for under 60 cents, and that makes it taste even better:)
Hope you are enjoying what's left of fall, and be sure and leave me a comment telling me what your favorite fall thing this year has been!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Roast 2 Ways & a Bonus.

So I have actually been cooking at home the last couple days, and was so excited about how easy and yummy these recipes were that I had to share! I have been breaking in my new crockpot, and the most recent triumph was this super easy roast.

Easy 4 packet Roast
Ingredients:
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet brown gravy mix
1 packet Italian salad dressing mix
1 packet onion soup mix
1 roast of choice ( I used a 3 lb round roast)
1/2-3/4 cup beef broth
Carrots, Onion, Potatoes cut to taste.

Place roast in crockpot.  Arrange vegetables around the roast if being used.  Sprinkle the mix packets over the roast.  Pour Broth over all.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Now I personally think my roast was totally done at 6 hours on low, but I am sure it depends on the size of your meat and the size of your crockpot. This roast was not exceptional, however it was pretty tasty and did fall apart. I think next time I may skip the ranch packet and double the onion soup mix, but that is just my personal taste. Either way this will be a repeat in the Goodman household. 
Just a note as you look at the photo, I do NOT believe there is a good way to photograph roast beef or vegetables. Especially not if you are an armature! So please base your expectations on the review, NOT the photos;)
Now fortunately for our family of four a 3 lb roast made plenty for dinner with leftovers for my next yummy meal! 

French Dip Sandwiches
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs shredded pre cooked roast
4 Chibatta Buns
6-8 slices good white cheese such as Gouda, Muenster or Harvarti
McCormick's Au jus Packet
2 Cans Beef Broth

For this "cake" meal all you will need to do is heat your meat in a saucepan with one of the cans of beef broth. Follow directions on back of Au Jus packet, except replace half the water with beef broth. While the beef and au jus are cooking take your ciabatta rolls, split them and place on baking sheet. At this point I brushed a little butter and sprinkled some garlic salt on the rolls, but that is entirely optional. Place rolls under broiler till light tan. At this point I drained the meat and shredded it even more. Pile meat on one half of roll and cover with 1&1/2 to 2 pieces of cheese, place bake under broiler till cheese is melty and buns are browned. Serve on plate with small bowl of Au jus and chips. That's it:) Again my camera, the lighting in my home, and myself did NO justice to how yummy this dish was. Sorry!
The last thing I want to share is the "bonus" recipe. This little gem isn't so much a recipe as a idea. You may notice in my first photo the little yellow pile of stuffing. That is actually a "stuffin muffin"! These were so easy and tasty. All I did was buy Stovetop Stuffing ( I used Cornbread flavor) and prepare according to the microwave directions with butter. Then I scooped the mix into a muffin pan. I made 6 very dense muffins by cooking them at 375 for 12 minutes or so. In retrospect I think it would have been better to make more like 8 muffins, so they would have been a little crunchier. But I also used a stone so that means I could have just needed to bake them longer. However these were a fun new way to eat something that I typically think of as thanksgiving food, plus I loved how they were crunchy on the outside and dense on the inside like a muffin:) Hope ya try one or two ideas of these and let me know!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Washington DC Fall 2010

So Steve's work sent us to a leadership conference in Virginia this last weekend. We had conferences Friday & Sunday, however Saturday was "Family Day". So since my hubby has never been to the nations capitol he decided to hop on the metro and drag our family on a whirlwind tour of DC. The kids actually really enjoyed it, and we took a bunch more pics. But I will just post the highlights.
P.S. The Tour of the Capitol Building was arranged by Steve's unit and actually took place on Friday.


Here is the link to see the pics of our trip PhotoBucket Trip to DC 
Hit the Red Slideshow button in the upper corner for the best view with captions.