Category: Crafts

Mashed Potato Hot Cakes

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done2Whether you are Portuguese, French or Irish, Mashed Potatoes transformed into a ‘crispy on the outside creamy on the inside’ side dish is something you won’t want to pass up! This recipe is great for using up last night’s mashed potatoes and eating them for breakfast or brunch.  Of course if you want to make this dish and you don’t have left over mashed potatoes… just make enough to yield about two cups of mashed potatoes.

Mashed Potato Hot Cakes are really great with my BCT Frittata or Southwest Omelet for Father’s Day!

These are plain left over mashed potatoes. If you have garlic mashed or cheesy mashed, that would work great here too! These are just made with butter, cream, salt and pepper.

Add in 1/2 a minced and sauteed onion.

Shred up about a cup of cheddar cheese.

Add cheese and egg into the mashed potatoes.

Add in a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper. Remember your mashed potatoes are already seasoned, so you are just seasoning the other ingredients going in now.

Form into a golf ball sized ball.

Pat the ball down into a patty.

Place plain bread crumbs in a shallow bowl.

Place your formed patty in the plain bread crumbs.

Flip the patty to bread the other side.

Get patties ready before frying.

Place patties in heated veggie oil… you should hear a sizzle when you place them in.

When patties are golden brown on one side, flip.

Drain on a clean dry paper towel or brown paper bag. Lightly salt now.

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Recipe for Mashed Potato Hot Cakes:

(makes about 8 cakes)

2 cups left over mashed potatoes

1 cup plain bread crumbs

1 egg

1/2 onion, minced and sautéed

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 pinch kosher salt and pepper

Sour cream and scallions for topping

1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

Mix together mashed potatoes, onions, egg, cheese and salt and pepper.  Form into balls, then flatten into patties (about 1/2″).  Bread both sides of patties.  Fry in oil in skillet over medium/high heat.  Flip when golden brown.  Drain on paper towels when done.  Top with sour cream and scallions.

Ruffles and Bows Romper Set

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I was probably the furthest thing from girly when I was growing up.  On any given summer day, you could find me building forts and making mud pies out in the yard. My friends and I would ride bikes all day and play cops and robbers.  You might even call me a good old-fashioned Tom-boy!  I didn’t start to come into my “girliness” until I was an adolescent.  Even so, from the moment I learned I would be having a baby girl, I couldn’t help but think about all the precious little girl clothes and toys and frilly things.

My daughter has always loved all her little dolls and stuffed animals.  She is now starting to mimic Mommy and Daddy in showing her dollies affection and really starting to love them.  So when she received an American Girl Doll for her birthday, I couldn’t have been more thrilled.  Yes, I said “I couldn’t have been”! My daughter is just a year old, she doesn’t know to be excited for all the cute little matching clothes and the cafe and hair salon, so I have decided to be excited for her!  Those little matching clothes can get rather pricey though!

I found this incredible fabric the last time I was at the craft store and fell in love with it!  I mean any fabric that you don’t have to hem is definitely something worthy of my attention!  I, like just about any parent of a toddler, absolutely adore one piece rompers!  My son wore one piece rompers for two years (they stop making them after 24 mos. 🙁 ) With the idea of a one piece romper and this super “Ruffled Stretch Knit” fabric, a design was born.

Here are a couple more photos of the outfits and then we will start the super easy tutorial:

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Lainey and dolly3

You will want to start by measuring your girl and your doll.  measure from shoulder to midway down her thigh and around her waist and then the inseam.

Start with a Stretch Ruffled Knit fabric in whatever shade you like. Measure your child’s waste and add two inches to allow for both the seam allowance and comfort.

Do this at the top.

And the bottom.

Now pin all the way down... but, before you do, be sure all of your ruffles are facing the same way

Now pin all the way down… but, before you do, be sure all of your ruffles are facing the same way

You will also want to ensure that all of your rows match up pretty exactly. As it is stretchy material, this can be a bit tricky.

Now do the same to the dolly size fabric and cut both out after pinning.

Now do the same to the dolly size fabric and cut both out after pinning.

Sew a zig zag allowing for a 3/8" seam. I do this because I like to double up the seam and the zig zag is to allow for the stretch of the fabric.

Sew a zig zag allowing for a 3/8″ seam. I do this because I like to double up the seam and the zig zag is to allow for the stretch of the fabric.

zig zag

zig zag (I am using a contrasting color thread so you can see what I am doing better, you will wan to match your color)

Now, fold the sewn fabric in half stopping at the seam to find the middle. This is where you cut just an 2-3 inches depending on the measurements you took of your child and of the doll.

This is what you should have. I like to baste here.

This is basted and I have started to reinforce the top where the cut ends… This reinforcement will stop any tearing that may occur.

Next cut ribbons to tie up at the shoulder. Be sure to add an inch or two to the back ribbons to accommodate for her back (as it should hang a bit lower than the front)

Attach the front ribbons about an inch further in than you have done for the back. This will help to prevent the frock from falling off her shoulders.

Be sure to do this under a ruffle and reinforce it really really well. I like a two spot reinforcement.

You will want to use a bit of Frey Check at the ends of all ribbons you use in this project. If you don't have frey check, you could use a bit of fabric glue.

You will want to use a bit of Frey Check at the ends of all ribbons you use in this project. If you don’t have Frey Check, you could use a bit of fabric glue.

All you need to do is run the edge of your ribbon through the liquid. I only use enough to coat the very edge of the ribbon.

All you need to do is run the edge of your ribbon through the liquid. I only use enough to coat the very edge of the ribbon.

Now onto the super bow I attached right to the front. Just wrap a bit of ribbon (5/8″) around your 4 fingers and tie off with another ribbon and spread.

At this point you can attach the bow really well in the center and then it’s a good idea to tac the ribbon down around the edges.

And there ya have it.

And there ya have it.

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Here is what the back looks like.

Here is what the back looks like.

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Lainey and dolly4

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Materials:

Ruffled Stretch Knit fabric

Matching thread

5/8″ ribbon (I used two different coordinating prints)

sewing machine

scissors

measuring tape

Frey Check

Patriotic Caterpillar Hair Bows

done1_edited-1It’s so much fun having a little girl!  I can’t wait to put these in my little Lainey-Bug’s hair this Memorial Day!  These little guys are easy peasy!  All you need are a couple of clips, 4 ribbons, two rhinestones, a pair of scissors and some hot glue!

Here, I’ll show ya:

Here are the clips I use… they are just simple clips. You can find them at your local craft supply.

Cover your clips with the red grosgrain ribbon.

Then, cut your three ribbons, red, blue and white, all the same size. This is important because you want to ensure you are making even sized circles. These are about 1 1/2″ long.

Make each of your little ribbon strips into circles. Secure with some hot glue.

Now, start securing each of the circles to the ribbon covered clip.

Now, start securing each of the circles to the ribbon covered clip. Start with the blue, tuck it in against where the clip starts to move up.

Now add in the white.

Now add in the white.

add antenas

Now cut about a two inch piece of metallic silver ribbon, fold and secure against the white ribbon.

Now, add in the red circle. Be sure to glue it all the way to the edge.

Next, pick up two little rhinestones.

Secure with some hot glue, be careful not to over glue here, you don't want gloppy eyes!

Secure with some hot glue, be careful not to over glue here, you don’t want gloppy eyes!

Look, they're racing!

Look, they’re racing!

Materials:

Red grosgrain ribbon, 3/8″

Navy blue grosgrain ribbon, 3/8″

White grosgrain ribbon, 3/8″

Metallic silver ribbon, 1/4″

rhinestones

hot glue

scissors

“Giggles and curls, ribbons and bows-
She’s so adorable from her head to her toes!”

Author: Unknown

 

 

Breakfast in Bed – Fancy Pants Version

done22My special “Breakfast in Bed” Series continues today with “Breakfast in Bed – Fancy Pants Version”.  This series is designed in preparation for Mother’s Day or any time that you want to spoil that special someone with that extra effort.

Beds across the nation will be warmed up with the love of children to their mother’s showing them just how much they are loved and appreciated by that extra effort to take care of Mom as she takes care of them each and every day.  Today’s installment features a fancy kicked up breakfast.  Some of it can be prepared ahead of time, but some elements are meant to be done the morning of.  And unlike my first installment, Breakfast in Bed – Kid Friendly Version where most everything was disposable, this version takes a bit more effort because after breakfast there will be dishes to do and we don’t want to leave that to Mom!

So, again if you are Mom and you are reading this, now is the time to hand the computer or tablet over to your significant other or older child (as there are way too many breakables involved here for a youngster) and turn away.  I will now be addressing the Preparer.

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Some of the elements here such as the Chocolate Covered Strawberries and the Codfish Cakes can be made a day in advance.  Then other elements, such as the Tea, the OJ and the Southwest Veggie Omelet  need to be prepared the morning of.  Although, you should definitely refrigerate your oranges for the OJ, otherwise you will have warm OJ.

Start with your Mom’s favorite tray. This is mine. I bought it the last time I visited St. Michael. It is hand-made and adorned with hand crafted St. Michael’s signature blue and white tile. The scene depicted here is of the ‘Portas de Cidade” or Gates to the City. The Portas de Cidade is a famous landmark in Ponta Delgada, St. Michael’s capital city and is a source of great pride for all Azoreans.

Here is a mini tutorial on how to make delicious Chocolate Covered Strawberries from scratch:

Like I mentioned above, These can be done the night before, but they can also be done same day so long as you have a chilled area for them to set up quickly.

strawberries

Start with some fresh strawberries. Wash and dry them thoroughly. Moisture is melted chocolate’s worst nightmare.

Next, pour half the contents of a chocolate chip bag into a microwave safe bowl.

Pop it in the microwave. Start off with one minute on high. Stir.  Every 15 seconds, stir until you get the proper consistency.

When your chocolate still has this much texture to it, it should be ready to stir into melty goodness.

When your chocolate looks like this, you are ready for dipping!

dip

Give each strawberry its own individual bath.

Be sure to have a plate or cookie sheet covered with parchment paper to receive the dipped strawberries so they may cool and firm up.

Once you have them all dipped and ready to so, get them to a cool place to chill.

Next, here is a mini tutorial on how to make fresh squeezed orange juice:

OJ

There is nothing like fresh squeezed orange juice. It is not like the kind in the carton.  The nutritional value of the fresh squeezed is far superior to anything you might find at the supermarket.

oranges

Start with some beautifully ripened oranges.  It is a good idea to refrigerate these over night, otherwise you will end up with warm OJ, not great.

I found that one large orange was enough to fill a juice glass. Obviously this depends on how large you can find the orange and how juicy they are. Cut them in half to start.

Here are three different methods to getting one delicious glass of OJ:

hand squeeze

The first method of juicing is just to hand squeeze the orange into a glass. I find that this is the least efficient way as you will have a hard time squeezing out every drop.

core squeeze

The next method is a much more common method, using a juicer. This one has the little rim that catches seeds, nice! You will want to work the orange onto the juicer with a bit of elbow grease to get every last drop.

The third option is the squeeze juicer. This baby really gets every last drop out and prevents seeds from falling in the juice! I always find it funny how it almost seems like the orange is put in backwards, but it literally turns the fruit inside out.

This main plate features a Southwest Veggie Omelet and Codfish Cakes.  Recipes and tutorials are detailed on their respective postings.  Take a look, the omelet tutorial teaches how to make the perfect omelet and customize it to your tastes.

Although you may think of Codfish Cakes as a lunch or dinner item, it is especially good in the morning and with some eggs, so give it a try.

tea pot

And last, but not least is the tea. I found this little gem while traveling in Utah. I fell in love with this hand-made beauty and started collecting personal tea pots ever since. If you are looking for a lovely gift for Mom, check out Golden Moon Tea, they have some great high quality teas and tea ware.

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Supplies you will need:

* Pretty Tray

* Pretty plate

* Pretty napkin

* Crystal juice glass

* Personal Tea Pot

* 3″ glazed tile

* silverware

Food and drink:

* Southwest Veggie Omelet

* Codfish Cakes

* Fresh squeeze Orange Juice

* Chocolate Covered Strawberries

* Tea (don’t forget whatever your Mom takes in her tea, ie. sugar, milk, honey or lemon)

 

Have fun and remember to think about what your Mom loves and tailor her Breakfast in Bed to what she likes best!  A nice handmade card goes a long way too!

 

‘Breakfast at Lindsey’s’ Bridal Shower

cake3My little sister is getting married!  What an exciting time!  She loves breakfast food, so my other sister, my mom and I thought it would be fun to throw her a ‘Breakfast at Lindsey’s’ Bridal Shower.  We took the elements of the very popular movie and made them burst from every seam.

These details can be transformed with little effort to be a ‘Breakfast at _______’ of your very own for anything from a 1st birthday party to a graduation party to sweet 16!  In fact breakfast parties are really becoming all the rage.  Although breakfast and brunch has traditionally been reserved for wedding or baby showers, they are a great low-cost option for any type of party really.  This one just happens to bring a little glitz and glamour to the morning.

I’ll take you through each detail and you can be on the lookout for projects in my crafts section to show you how to do some of the very doable DIY projects we have for pulling it all together.  Whatever you do, have fun with it.  This was a joint effort and it all came off splendidly, so be sure you have lots of what I like to call ‘Party Warriors’ to help get everything done.

headtable3

Let’s start with the beginning… the welcome table. This is a table we had set up right at the entrance which was to welcome people in. It contained all the key points we needed to let everyone know as soon as they got to the party. We covered the table that was already covered by a long white restaurant provided table-cloth with one we brought from home in a “Tiffany-ish blue”.

recipe box

We set out a recipe box to collect all the recipe cards that incoming guests had already filled out at home as they received the cards with their invitations. You will see touches of diamonds as you see the confetti here throughout the party.

quilt station

Each guest was given a string of pearls and asked to fill out a square of fabric with the fabric markers provided giving their best marital advice in lieu of a sign in book. After the shower, my mother planned to sew it together with mixed in silver squares. (also, the fabric – Tiffany blue linen – is the same as that of the runners you will see on the tables also)

quilt_edited-1

A sample square was provided so that guests could see what we were looking for. This is always a good idea to help guest get a clear picture of what we are asking them to do. Also, I got to do my square ahead of time, which is great because when hosting a party, it is hard to find time to stop what you are doing to participate in all the fun. (I didn’t take a clear picture of it (sorry), but all squares were laid out on a table in the entrance to the room when completed… that way guests could also have fun looking at what everyone wrote)

tiara

We had a hard time finding the guest of honor a tiara that wasn’t gaudy and didn’t cost more than the whole party. Our solution, a hair comb we found at our local craft store. We bent the comb at a 90° angle and wala… instant tiara, cute too! (We kept this at the entrance table so as not to forget to place it on my sister’s head)

3vase2better

We clustered some vases in varying sizes that we had adorned with some diamond-like ribbon. We filled them with simple in-season white tulips and ostrich feathers and pulled it all together with some pearl string. Then we completed the look with some sparkly votive candles and diamond confetti.

waffle_edited-1

The food was served family style at the tables, but we added a special touch and ordered a waffle station because it is the guest of honor’s favorite.  We just added a little touch of softness with this bunch of plain baby’s breath.

gifttable1

As guests came in, we had two tables set up to accept gifts with a pretty white birdcage topped with a crystal birdy we found at our local craft shop for cards.

lainey

And that is my daughter in awe of the beautiful gifts!

me and lainey

Our little Kathrine Hepburn had her dress designed and made by my good friend and her mom who is an amazing seamstress. The little tiara was a pin that i converted into a hair bow and she had her own pearls, but she wanted some of the party favors too.

kaedence_edited-1

This is my daughter’s BFF who was a matching little Katherine Hepburn for the party! They had lots of fun! I just wish I had gotten a picture of the two girls together!

featured vase

We had a simple vase of white tulips as the centerpiece on each table, filled with ostrich feathers and adorned with the diamond-like ribbon I mentioned above.

centerpiece2

My mom made these beautiful Tiffany blue runners for each of the tables. Then we asked the restaurant to set out a circle mirror (most restaurants have these for free!) and we of course sprinkled more diamond confetti at the base of each centerpiece.

glasses3

Each place setting was set with a black napkin (that we asked the restaurant to do for us before we got there) and a pair of sunglasses for each guest. We also added a Tiffany blue mini pencil for the bingo game we planned (guests appreciate not having to fish around for a pen)

candy

Each table was then dotted with a few boxes of “cigarettes”. Don’t worry the place didn’t fill up with smoke, we just took a box of candy sticks (candy cigarettes) and wrapped them in a black and white ‘Holly Go Lightly’.

opening gift

If you are doing a party where gifts will be given and opened, it’s a good idea to have a gift passer outer and a gift writer downer.

basket

We put together a little surprise at the end of the gift giving. We gave Lindsey, the guest of honor, a laundry basket and had her filling it with cleaning supplies, but we created a little story with the cleaning products (kind of like a skit). Each cleaning supply had something to do with either getting married or the couple themselves.

cake3

Now, onto the cake table. We had one of the couple’s engagement pictures blown up and turned into a canvas and displayed it on a stand behind the table.

cake4

We decided to forgo a regular cake and made red velvet and my special black velvet cupcakes in black cupcake liners and topped with cream cheese frosting. We added a little game this by hiding a chocolate kiss in one of the cupcakes (warning guests of the possibility of course) and whoever found it, got a prize.

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I designed the cupcakes to look like a wedding dress with a super fancy belt and brooch. The belt is a double layer of diamond ribbon and the brooch is a real brooch to tie it all together.

favors

We can’t talk about the famous Tiffany’s without that little blue box tied up with a white ribbon. So, we got some little blue boxes and white ribbons and filled them each with a ruby ring for each guest to take home (a strawberry Ring Pop). Guests loved the little thank-you gift.

girls

In keeping with the theme, we (the hosts) each wore our little black dresses and pearls. We also were sure, since the shower was a surprise, to have a little black dress and pearls ready for the guest of honor.

Supplies for a Breakfast at Tiffany’s style party:

* pearl necklaces

* sun glasses

* a ruby ring (Ring Pop) in a beautiful little Tiffany’s box

* candy cigarettes wrapped in movie themed photo copies (two per table)

* a tulip/feather centerpiece in a vase adorned with diamond ribbon

* a Tiffany blue table runner

* black napkins set under the plate (supplied by restaurant)

* diamond confetti

* little blue pencils

* Cupcake wedding dress

* a chocolate kiss to hide in one cupcake

* blue table-cloth for the welcome table

* tiara made from a hair comb

* quilting squares

* fabric markers

* canvas photo of the couple, set on an easel

 

* fun skit with laundry basket and cleaning supplies

* recipe box for incoming recipes

* gift tracking book

* bird-cage to collect cards

* two beautiful little girls dressed as Katherine Hepburn to top it all off

Not shown here (sorry) but don’t forget:

* prizes for games

* Bingo cards (fill in your own card with potential shower gifts)

* prizes (we did this in white lunch bags adorned with a Tiffany blue ribbon and filled with something sparkly like a stretch bracelet or a gem wine stopper)

Strawberry Hair Bow

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Little girls love hair bows!  I wish fun things like this were around when I was a kid! Handmade hair bows are all the rage right now.  This is something really fun to do with your daughter, granddaughter, niece or any little girl you have in your life this spring break or summer vacation!

Here’s how I did it:

materials1

Gather your supplies. You will need two plain clips, one length of polka-dotted pink ribbon, one length of green ribbon with a white stitch accent and one length of black sparkly ribbon.

clips2

Clips. I ordered these in bulk on-line… But any craft store will have them or something similar.  I use these specifically because my daughter is a year and a half old and her hair is still baby fine and these hold great!

measure

Next, measure your black ribbon. To do this open the clip and place the ribbon along the full length of the inside of the ribbon and allow for enough ribbon to run along both the top and the bottom of your clip and be sure it is able to come right around to the squeezy part of the clip.

apply black

You’ll want to run glue along the inside of the clip first. Then pop the ribbon in being sure not to close the clip until you have the ribbon in place or you will glue everything together, not fun. Then continue along the top and the bottom and finally at the end where the squeezy part is.  Your entire clip should be encapsulated with ribbon at this point both inside and out.

green twist

Next, you will want to build your leaves and your berry. Here is the shape you should make your leaves into. Place a dot of glue to secure.

twist pink

For your berry. Cut a small piece of ribbon to cover about 1/2 the size of your clip when folded in this shape.

glue pink

Now, fold over and place a dot of glue forming this shape.  Then, up with the other side and place a dot of glue there.

apply green

Your clip should have a piece that lifts up higher than the rest. (where the squeezy thing is) glue your leaves on like so.

glue for pink

Add glue to secure the berry like so.

apply pink

Now, secure your berry.

glue down green

Next, cut into your green ribbon as shown here.  Then, place a dot of glue at the top in order to fold down the green ribbon.

turn down green

This is what you should have now.

add jewel

Add a rhinestone to the center of your green, and you’re done!

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Materials:

(makes 2)

2 clips

1 green ribbon with white stitching

1 pink polka-dotted ribbon

1 black glitter ribbon

2 rhinestones

hot glue

scissors

ribbon fraying stuff, optional