Monday Linking Party...

How To Make A Baby Blanket and Baby Taggy Blanket Tutorial

I bought 1 yard of each of these fabrics from Hobby Lobby.  I love the cute monkey flannel.

I then pinned the right sides together and had to trim off the brown because it had a lot more width than the flannel.  I'm going to use the rest of the brown later for a taggy blanket.

Then I sewed all around the four sides, but left a 5 inch opening so I could turn the right sides out later.

Here's what it should look like when you turn it's right sides out.

And there is the opening I used.

Next I pinned all the edges flat.  Some people also iron, but I hate ironing so I just pinned :).

Below is the 5 inch opening and I tucked the edges in and pinned it flat like the rest.

Then I sewed all four sides with about a 1/2 an inch from the edge of the blanket.

I went all the way off at the corners, and you can see if you look at the corner below.  I also embroidered the babes name.

Below is a picture of my holey jeans, and the 5 inch opening that you have to double sew.  What I mean by that is you have to also sew right along the very edge to make sure all the material stays tucked in.  It's not the prettiest, but it works.

After I trimmed the brown earlier I had enough material to make about a 15x15 inch taggy blanket.  It's just a cute little blanket that has different ribbon and trim on the sides for babies to play with.

I had a small strip of monkey fabric leftover and I just used my pinking shears to give it that crinkle cut so the edges won't fray.  Then I went through my scraps and found 5 more pieces of ribbon that would work for a boy.  I cut each of them into 4 8inch pieces.

I then folded them each in half and pinned them along all 4 sides of the blanket.  The brown material is right side up right now, and you can see that I pinned the cut edge facing outward.  Just look at this picture when you do it because I confused myself when I was trying to think about how to do it, ha.  I didn't use a certain order, but I tried to make it look random.  I also would shorter and lengthen them so they wouldn't all be the same length.

Then I sewed along all four sides to attach all the ribbon and trim.

Below is what they look like sewn on.

Then I layed it flat again...

And pinned the other square on top with right sides together.

Then I sewed all four sides again leaving a 4 inch opening.  This time I sewed along the inside leaving it about an inch from the edge.

Below I pulled it back right sides out and I'm showing the opening.

Just tuck in the cut edges and sew along the very edge.

Here it is finished.

And a close up.

Didn't it turn out so cute?

Friday Linky Party...

I'm linking up with these linky parties:

Poppies at Play

A Few of My Favorite Things 

The Shabby Nest
Sweet Charli

Cute Front Door Decor Idea...

My friend Tammy from the funny, smart, and creative blog Time Flies, made this cuteness for her front door.  I remember at church telling her I loved it and her asking if I noticed the frame and I didn't remember seeing it, but what a great idea. The next day I liquid nailed those frames around my door.  Probably a better idea to use a ribbon if you don't want it to be permanent :).  I also love her cute faucet she glued to the front, so creative.  To see more pictures of her front door go HERE.

Creamy Ambrosi Cheesecake...

Here's another one of my dad's creations using Hershey's Chocolate Cookbook.  It really should be called pina-colada cheesecake.  People either love pina-colada or hate it.  So if you love it than you should definitely try this cheesecake because it is so creamy and delicious.

Cheesecake Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup Mounds sweetened coconut flakes

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter or margarine

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar divided

1 can (11 ounces) mandarin orange segments

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

2 cups (12-ounce package) Hershey's premier white chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350.  Stir graham cracker crumbs, coconut, melted butter and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bow.  Press mixture firmly onto bottom of  9-inch springform pan.  Bake 8 minutes; cool slightly.  Drain oranges and pineapple, reserving juices. Chop oranges into small pieces.

2.  Beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy.  Add remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar; beat well. Add eggs; beat well. Stir in white chips, oranges and pineapple.  Pour mixture over crust.

3.  Bake 60-65 minutes or until center is almost set.  Remove from oven to wire rack.  With knife, loosen cake from side of pan.  Cool completely; remove side of pan.  Cover; refrigerate until cold.  Serve with Tropical Fruit Sauce.  Garnish with additional coconut, if desired.  Cover and refrigerate leftover.

Tropical Fruit Sauce Ingredients:

Juice drained from canned mandarin oranges

Juice drained from canned crushed pineapple

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon orange extract or pineapple extract

Makes about 3/4 cup sauce

Combine fruit juices; pour 1 cup combined juice into medium saucepan and discard any remaining juices.  Stir in sugar and cornstarch.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Remove from heat.  Stir in orange extract or pineapple extract.  Cool to room temperature before serving.  Cover and refrigerate leftover sauce.

Little Girls Tank Top Idea and Tutorial...

My friend Kimmy and I are obsessed with embellishing little girl tanks, and she showed me these fruit of the loom white tanks.  They are actually undershirts for little boys, so for my 2yr old I have to buy her a 4T.  But it's so great because you can get 5 for about $6.  Anywho, I made a flower using some black liner from following the tutorial HERE.  I grabbed some stretchy black lace that was scraps from something else, and pinned it around the from collar of the shirt like below.

Next I just sewed along the edge of the collar and it was done in about 1 minute.

Then I took this sassy boot button and hand sewed it to the flower.

Then I hand sewed the flower to the front side of the tank and it's done!

Can you tell she's saying cheese, lol.

To make the tank look cuter on the bottom edge you can sew it under to give it a more finished look, because the fruit of the loom tanks just have a serged edge.  But for a total of $3 at most, I think it's pretty adorable!

I had to get in Taylor's famous wink ;).  She actually can do it way better than that and switch eyes, it's so funny.

Buffalo-Chicken Maccaroni and Cheese...

This is another dish from my father the "chef." :)  You really can taste the distinct flavor of the "buffalo"chicken, which means it tastes like chicken wings.  I'm glad I didn't know it had blue cheese or I might not have wanted any at all, but it is a hidden flavor that adds to this yummy meal.  And I was also leery of topping  it off with some buffalo wing sauce, but it was delicious. If your in for a hearty meal this is for you.  This recipe was found on http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Ingredients

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish

Kosher salt

1 pound elbow macaroni

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup hot sauce (preferably Frank's)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons dry mustard

2 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 pound yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups)

8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

2/3 cup sour cream

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.



Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.



Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.



Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.



Put the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in the panko, blue cheese and parsley. Sprinkle over the macaroni and bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

How to Make Interchangeable Flip Flops...

I'm sure some of you have seen interchangeable flip flops at boutique's that are super expensive, but so cute.  I saw this idea from the blog Make It And Love It found HERE. She is like the MacGuyver of re-purposing clothing.  She turns her shirts into little girl dresses and her husbands ties into bow ties.

I bought Epoxy from Wal-Mart because the tutorial said hot glue didn't hold the Velcro to the plastic.  But I got impatient with it because it said to wait like 20 minutes once you apply it before sticking something to it.  So I ended up hot gluing it and they only lasted a couple of weeks before they started ripping off.  Patience is a virtue and I need it :).

But a little trick  I discovered was to cut the right length and snip the ends like this, and then cut that piece down the middle and it's perfect for both sides like below.

For the top piece for a more professional look you'll need to sew the vVelcro to the to whatever ribbon you choose.  toward the end I started hot gluing them to save time.

If you look close and the picture above you can see how I cut the Velcro at an angle already, and sewed extra ribbon one it.  At this point you need to place them together like above and sew right across that angle and snip the ends off.

Here are two example of some of the flip flop toppers I made. 

I thought it would be fun to also make the flowers interchangeable so I used Velcro in the centers. 

Taylor my two year old loves these Tinkerbell shoes.  I used them so she would want to wear them and she does. :)