Filled Holiday Sugar Cookies

It took me awhile to get this posted. I made these cookies about a month ago for Valentine's Day and gave them away for gifts to my children and granddaughters.  Everyone loved them.  :)

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• colored sprinkles

Directions

1. Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Add milk, vanilla and eggs.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture, beating just until combined.  Stir in colored sprinkles for a more festive look.  Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to make rolling easier.

4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4" thickness.  Cut out desired shapes.

5. Place 2" apart on ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet. Leave plain to frost after baking or sprinkle with colored sugar.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.  Remove to wire racks to cool.

Yield: depending on the size of your cutter about 4 dozen.  I used two cookies and filled them with Italian Buttercream

 You can find the recipe here:  Italian Buttercream

Then I frosted them and sprinkled a little colored sugar on them just to make them look festive.  Yummy! 





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Crocheted Hot Pads

MATERIALS: Yarn color of your choice.


GAUGE: Size G crochet hook

CH 30, 3sc in second ch from hook. 
1.  1 sc in each ch across, working in the front loop only.  3 sc in last sc.

2.  Working in the back loop work 1 sc across to the beg. sc.  Sl st in beg. sc.

3.  Sc in ea st around until the corners fold in on themselves.

 Finish off leaving a long tail to stitch closed.  Weave the opening closed.

Abbreviations:

beg=beginning
ch=chain
sc=single crochet
sl st=slip stitch
st=stitch

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Giveaway!!

March Madness. I am having a few of giveaways on my blog March 21-25 2011. Come back during that time to enter.  Entries are FREE and EASY! 

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Let Your Sham Rock!

Spring must be getting close.  I have the remodeling bug bad.  I really want to start a new home project, however, since we (my husband & I) already have so many underway that are not complete--alas I have to be content to just do a little remodeling around here.  I hope you'll take the time to leave me your thoughts on my blog's new look.  The blog design is courtesy of Shabby Blogs and my new graphics are from Free Pretty Things For You  Everything is free at these two sites.  Thanks for your service. I love my new look.

Sunday was our family craft day.  Courtney, Amber and I got together to make us a little St. Patrick's day lawn sign.  I think they turned out pretty cute.  What do you think?
Materials list:
  Paint list

• Autumn Leaves
• Metallic Sahara Gold
• Santa's Flesh
• Pink Angel
• Wicker White
• Grass Green
• Hunter Green
• Green Forest

Wooden Oval for face 9"
Piece of wood 7" x 16" (of desired size)
Paint stir for hat brim
Green ribbon
Sharpie marker (black)
pencil
glue gun
6 2"x2" hearts (shamrocks on sign)
3 1"x1" hearts (shamrocks of hat)
1 5/16" button (for nose)
pipe cleaner (green or brown--shamrock stem)
vinyl (for lettering)
Cricut machine

Various wooden pieces needed.  My husband used a paint stirrer stick for the hat band and then a cut a small square from the end for the buckle.  I had him keep the end that dipped in because I liked it.  I thought that would make a good spot to put the shamrock on the hat. 

Wooden pieces laid out prior to painting.

Paint the following pieces and allow to dry before adding a second coat.  

1. Sign green forest.  Hearts grass green.  Decorate the hearts as you wish.  We all did our different.   
2. The hat band black.  The inside of the buckle grass green and and the outside stripe with the metallic gold.  Remember to add the little stud that comes through the hole. 
3. The top of the oval needs to be based in black. Inside of the oval paint with Santa's flesh and use the Autumn leaves for the beard on the outside edge.  Paint the nose piece pink angel. Also use the pink angel for the cheeks.  Black for the eyes and Autumn leaves for the eyebrows if you choose to put them on.
4. Use Santa's flesh for the wavy lines in the beard.  And a black sharpie marker for the detail on the buckle, around the beard and shamrocks.
5. Secure the oval in the middle of your sign with hot glue.  Add a strip of green ribbon for the hat band. With hot glue, secure the brim of the hat just below the hat band.  Glue the buckle into place on the hat band.  Make your shamrock from the 3 small hearts and secure to the hat band.
6. Glue the nose into place.
7. Make shamrocks from the 6 larger hearts and glue into place on the sign.  Add a stem with the pipe cleaners.
8. Using the Cricut machine, cut your words out of the vinyl.  Place them on your sign.
9. Using a clear coat varnish, spray the entire sign to protect it from the weather.
10. Tie a cute bow around the stake of the sign.

Mine

Amber's

Courtney's

Finished project!

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Fashionable Hair pins

I love hair pins.  For both adults and children.  Here's a quick way to make inexpensive fashionable hairpins for you, your child, or just to give away as a fun, easy gift.

Materials:
Brads/Cute embellishments
Decorative bobby pins
Felt

Paint
Paint brush
Needle nose pliers
Wire cutters
Hot glue gun
Scissors

Instructions:

Select the brad for your hairpin.  Trim the metal tacks on the back of the brads and flatten the remaining pieces.

Cut a small circle of felt.  Insert between the hairpin.  Place some hot glue on the felt.

Place the flattened brad onto the hot blue and press, holding securely for a second or two.  Let dry. 

Adorable hairpins!

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