These appliqued dish towels were my neighbor gifts this Christmas, and they were even easier than the bath towel! I chose patterns that had more angles than curves so the edge stitching would be easier. (The flower and leave patterns are from Walk in My Garden and the bird is from Home Decor.) The process … Read more
Christmas is definitely not the only time we need great handmade gift ideas, and an appliqued bath towel is so easy and inexpensive to make and would make a great birthday, baby shower, or just because gift. I made this for my nephew, and it’s probably my all time favorite things I’ve ever made, mostly … Read more
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by guest author Keri Garcia This Christmas I’m really going to do goodie plates. I have always planned to in the past, but this year, I’m really doing it. And I’ll need all the help I can get so I’m enlisting the aid of my 3-year old, who loves to help me in the kitchen. … Read more
I found this report that has 101 tips and techniques for cooking like a chef. I knew a few of the tips and techniques already, but I learned a handful of new handy tricks as well. There are tips for general cooking; sauces and seasonings; meat and poultry; barbecuing; fruits and vegetables; pastas, rice, and … Read more
This is my first layer cake! It is a fabulous recipe and I can’t wait to enjoy this cake again on Christmas Day! DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour 1 t. baking soda 1/2 t. baking powder 1/4 t. salt 1 1/4 c. boiling water 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1/2 c. … Read more
I recently got to try out Wilton’s brand new line of premium bakeware called the “UltraGold” collection, so I made a Devil’s Food Cake with peanut butter frosting from The America’s Test Kitchen Baking book. (my FAVORITE cookbook in the world, by the way… I got mine at Costco.) I’ll be posting the recipe soon. … Read more
Another easy and inexpensive handmade gift idea for this Christmas is photo magnets. Buy a sheet of magnetic canvas ($5 for an 18″x24″ piece at Roberts (with a 50% off coupon)), Find your favorite picture, crop it down, and lay your photo on the sticky magnet. Trim and you’re done!
My boys are getting matching superhero ponchos for Christmas! I’ve finished Gus’s poncho, and it looks like he’s getting ready to fly and save the day! Getting the size right was tricky – I measured Gus from fingertip to fingertip across his shoulders and got 23″. I cut the square bigger than that because from … Read more
I just finished this fabulous calendar using the Designer’s Calendar Cricut cartridge (that I got on Black Friday!), and I’m thinking a customizeable calendar is a pretty great gift idea for this Christmas! I bought a large white board at Walmart ($15), wrapped the edges in black electrical tape, and drew a calendar grid in … Read more