Pay it Forward 2011

I promise to send something handmade to the first 5 people who leave a comment here. They must, in turn, post this and send something they make to the first 5 people who comment on their post. *The rules are that it must be handmade by you and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011*

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This has been floating around facebook and I think it's a really cute and fun idea and I would love to participate but I wanted to expand on it a little bit since I make things for my facebook friends all the time.
This is open to all of my readers. Regardless of where you are located. 

I won't be taking requests but so that you have an idea of things you may receive: I make jewelry, keychains, hand embroidered gifts, photography gifts, drawings, and stuffed animals. 

In your comment be sure to include the following:
- A link to your post with the same offer.
- Your email address so that I have a way of contacting you.
- Your favorite color.

How To: Candy Cane Reindeer Ornament

After seeing the batch that my mother in law and niece put together for my niece's class, I had fully intended on putting together a quick tutorial on how to make these ornaments. Alas, I have come down with the flu and there was no way I was going to be able to make them in a timely fashion, let alone document the process.

I was really bummed, because they are so cute and so easy to make and so much fun to work on even with the younger little kids and I really wanted to share them with you. They not only make cute ornaments for the tree, they are great to put out on your holiday table to use as garnish and stirrers for coffee and hot cocoa.

So, imagine my surprise when I logged on today and say that Mommy D's Kitchen had just posted a fabulous tutorial with awesome pictures. I am taking the lazy route today and sending you over there to see her creative creations.

Click Here for the full tutorial.

Last Minute Thanksgiving Craft/Hostess Gift Idea

I hate going to a holiday dinner/gathering empty handed. I am always looking for cute little things to bring with me.
This year I'll be bringing my Wilton Cake Decorating Basics finale cake to dinner but since everyone won't have the time to make a fancy cake like that, I thought I'd look for something for my readers to take along.

I found a super quick and yummy treat idea over at Organized Christmas. This website has been amazing to me this year and I am so glad I found it. Ignore the part that says Christmas because it's also got things for Halloween and Thanksgiving, the holidays that lead up to Christmas. Stay tuned next year when I attempt to follow their plan from August through New Year's Day.

What's great about that link is that they not only provide the ideas, they also give directions and free printable tags.

Thanksgiving Blessing Mix Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups Bugles brand corn snacks
2 cups small pretzels
1 cup candy corn
1 cup dried fruit bits or raisins
1 cup peanuts or sunflower seeds
1 cup M&Ms-brand chocolate candy

16 Hershey's-brand chocolate kisses
free printable blessing mix gift tags or bag toppers.
Directions:
In a large bowl, gently mix all ingredients except Hershey's Kisses.
Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup Thanksgiving Blessing Mix in small cellophane treat bags. Add one Hershey's Kiss to each bag. Close bag with chenille stem or twist-tie.
Print 4 copies of the Thanksgiving Blessings Mix printable gift tag or or bag toppers, or hand-write your own tags with the wording below.
Cut out tags, and attach one to each bag.
Makes 16 Blessing Mix gift bags.
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Thanksgiving Blessing Mix
Bugles: Shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty, a symbol of our nation's abundance.
Pretzels: Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who founded our country.
Candy corn: Sacrifices of the Pilgrims' first winter. Food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day.
Nuts or seeds: Promise of a a future harvest, one we will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.
Dried fruits: Harvest gifts of our bountiful land.
M&Ms: Memories of those who came before us to guide us to a blessed future.
Hershey's Kiss: The love of family and friends that sweetens our lives.


What are you bringing to the Thanksgiving Table this year?

Easy Halloween Craft Idea

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I look forward to it year round, and some even say I dress like it's Halloween every day.
I have always wanted to be a witch. Not the kind from The Craft, although that is an awesome movie that I know every word to, but the old school pointy hat, black cat, making potions by candle light kind of witch.

I accomplished the first part a few years ago when I got Petey. He's my little Halloween Cat. This is him just a few moments ago. Isn't he the cutest?

 Anyway, the point of this post was that, while I'm not a witch, Halloween lets me pretend I am. With this simple craft that I did today you can pretend along with me.

I took 2 antique spice racks (yes, I collect spice racks and bottles. It's a little bit of an obsession) and turned them into potion racks!

This isn't the finished product, but it gives you a good idea of what I did and I promise after trick or treating I will post a completed project photo.

The rack on the right and the one in the photo right above this, is the "dry rack" this is what it includes:
Top Row Left to Right:
Hamburger Spice and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Dragon Scales
Onion Powder: Mummy Dust
Kosher Salt - Children's Tears
Cloves - Bone of Bat
Chilli Powder - Dried Virgin's Blood
These are my measuring spoons (dash, pinch etc) however I replaced those with rubber cockroaches.

Bottom Row Left to Right:
Bay leaves - Frog Skin
Fennel - Maggots
Chocolate Sprinkles - Rat Poop
Mustard Seeds - Eye of Newt
Mix of bay leaves, Fennel, Chili Powder - Zombie Flesh
Ground Black Pepper - Hallowed Ground


The other rack is going to be wet ingredients as well as completed potions which will be accomplished by adding different beverages to the bottles and/or water with food coloring.
I haven't come up with all of them yet but some of the names will be:
Love Potion #1
Love Potion #13
Black of Night
Old Hag's Cackle
Scream of Fright
Zombie Drool
Dragon's Blood
 Invisibility
Beauty
Melted First Snow
Liquid Courage

Add some cobwebs and voila! You have a great centerpiece for your Halloween Party. If I were having an actual party, I probably would have tried to use ice cream toppings in the jars and served a build your own sundae bar where the guests could make their own evil potions of yumminess. The liquid cabinet would probably be a lot of fun with alcohol that guests could drink as shots.

If you could have a magic potion, any magic potion, what would you want it to be/do?

Friday 5!

Today you get to learn something new about me. I am not just a blogger, animal enthusiast, and zombie hunter. I am also a crafter! I had a shop over at shopit.com for a while, maybe I'll open an etsy shop soon.
Here are a few of my favorite crafts that I have done recently.

1. An embroidered tea towel for Sara over at Who Bakes Cupcakes. It was for her birthday. She is also a zombie hunter/researcher.
   
   
   
2. A fleece blanket for Tango. He loves his blanket, he's not so fond of the modeling part.
   
   
   
   
   
3. This was the first watch I ever made. I make a LOT of jewelry/accesories and I think this is my favorite piece to date.
   
   
   
4. Domino earrings. My domino line was the thing that got me really motivated to keep making jewelry because I wore a bunch into the Villiage one day and every shop we went into wanted to purchase it from me.
   
   
   
5. A picture frame for my friend Ronnie. I wanted to give her something special and we're both big dorks so I hand embroidered the patch and then put pictures of us from my bachelorette party in the empty slots.
   
   
   

Are you a crafter? If so, what's your medium?