the audzipan anthology

A-deer-able Leggings

2014-04-27T21:52:00.001-06:00

I have been getting into sewing clothes for my girls lately. These deer leggings were one of my first kids patterns that I did for all three girls. I used fabric from Girl Charlee and the Lollipop Leggings pattern from Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop. The deer fabric was not the ideal fabric for leggings, since it didn't have any stretch to it, but the print was too cute, so I had to use it anyway. They have held up pretty well, and kids grow so fast that they will grow out of them before they wear out. The fit on the pattern was great, and they were way easier than I expected. Definitely a great beginner pattern!

Zebra Cake with a Cherry on Top

2014-04-16T19:18:00.000-06:00

My oldest girl recently turned 5, and she specifically requested this cake for her big day, a zebra striped cake with a cherry on top. I loved how it turned out! She always has the best ideas for cakes. I threw in a fun little surprise for the inside, too.

Zebra stripes inside! It was so easy to do. While I was filling the cake pans with batter, I just alternated between vanilla and chocolate batter, pouring into the center of the pan each time. The original circle of batter was eventually pushed to the outside and the zebra stripes were done.

For the cherry on top, I just molded the cherry and stem out of leftover fondant. I put a toothpick inside the lower half of the stem, then stuck it in the cherry after it had hardened enough to hold its shape. We had a great time with the zebra theme. It is also surprisingly easy to find zebra striped party supplies when you are looking for them!

Ruffled Flower Headband

2013-12-05T13:49:00.001-07:00

I just finished revising our Ruffled Flower pattern for The Cloth Parcel, and I just had to share! I love how this pattern turned out. We added an elastic headband option to the pattern, along with instructions for using regular cotton material. Originally, this pattern was written for using denim material, like in our Scarf and Ruffled Flower craft kit. I thought it could use a little update, since it was one of our very first patterns written just about a year ago. In the last year, we have learned quite a bit about how we like our patterns to be laid out, taking product photos, and how to write things to be a little more readable.

I am so pleased with how this pattern turned out! These flowers are the perfect embellishment for every little girl. The headbands make the sweetest little baby shower gifts, stocking stuffers, and the pins work for ladies of all ages.

Poppy Dress

2013-09-22T15:43:00.000-06:00

I got to do a quick pattern test for Melissa of Sew Like My Mom this weekend. I tried out her upcoming Poppy Dress for my oldest girl, and I love how it turned out! I did the short sleeve dress option, but there is also a sleeveless, 3/4 sleeve, and full sleeve option. There are also pockets on each side, and an option to do this as a shirt instead of a dress. Talk about versatile!

I also made my own bias tape for the first time for this project, which is part of the pattern. Not hard at all. I have never had a reason to do it, but it was so worth it for this dress. With two more little girls in our family, I see myself making this at least a couple more times.

Your Future is as Bright as Your Faith Printable

2013-08-18T19:05:00.000-06:00

I've been into typography for a while (just check out my Pinterest board!) and I have been thinking that I should make some artwork for our house. This saying is from President Thomas S. Monson's talk "Be of Good Cheer" from April 2009. I changed it a little to say "your future" instead of "the future", just to personalize it a little bit. I think this is a great reminder to be happy, and some days I need more reminding than others. Although I didn't hand letter this, I love how it turned out. I do love the hand lettered look, so maybe next time I will give that a try.

Feel free to print out a copy for yourself. This image is sized at 8.5"x11", so it would work in a document frame. If there is enough interest, I will make other sizes and/or colors. Leave me a comment if you are interested. Happy thoughts!

Banner Nursery Art

2013-04-22T19:14:00.000-06:00

With our third baby girl (who is now a whole month old!), we didn't repaint the nursery. Mostly it was because I couldn't face the task with our basement finish going on and being pregnant, but I also thought I might be able to work with the blue. I decided to go with blue, raspberry pink, and white, which is pretty similar to what I already had going on. I am using this nursery as inspiration. The whole project is really just getting started, and to kick it all off I made this wall art using the new Detailz Dies from Lifestyle Crafts.

Detailz Dies are cutting dies that cut and emboss in one pass when you use thick paper, plus you can use the die as a stencil. I used the Banners set, and I love how it turned out! I also used letterpress paper, which is thick enough to do the cut and emboss at once. The blue and pink banners are letterpress paper that I covered with washi tape first. I strung the banners on embroidery floss and added a sweet little initial. So cute and easy!

Also, don't forget to use promo code "AUDZIPAN" for 20% off your order at Lifestyle Crafts.

Cinnamon Sugar Banana Bread

2013-04-17T21:34:00.001-06:00

We have had an abundance of overripe bananas in our house lately, and although I have a great go-to recipe for regular banana bread, I thought it might be time to try something new. Let me just say that this was a great idea! While I have paired banana bread with cream cheese frosting before (amazing, by the way), I've never thought to use cinnamon. The bread is moist and slightly spiced, and the topping is obviously sweet and delightfully crunchy, but still soft.

I made a few modifications to the original recipe, increasing the amount of flour and mashed bananas a little bit, and making two smaller loaves instead of one huge loaf. If you would rather make one loaf, half the topping recipe and bake for about 10-15 minutes longer.

Cinnamon Sugar Banana Bread
Adapted from Cannella Vita

For bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup honey
¼ cup water

For topping:
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
5 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter and flour two 9"x5" metal loaf pans. Or, spray with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper, letting the excess hang over the sides. I used cooking spray without the parchment paper, and it was really difficult to get the bread out without messing up the topping.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the banana, eggs, oil, honey, and water. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir well. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle them evenly over the batter in both pans and pat down.

Bake the bread until a tester inserted into its center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then carefully remove the bread from the pans, taking care not to dislodge the topping. Cool completely before slicing.

Makes 2 loaves.

Fabric Pom Pom Headbands

2013-03-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

I made some of these fabric pom pom headbands in anticipation of the newest member of our family-- our third baby girl! Her big sister was slightly willing to model them for me, since we haven't met our little bundle yet. We are not hurting for girly stuff around here, but it's always fun to make something new. This project is great for using fabric scraps, and these didn't take too long using this tutorial from Little Miss Momma.

I got the fancy elastic a while ago from Pick Your Plum, and it's perfect for these headbands. After googling headband sizes, I varied all the lengths between 12" and 15" for newborn head sizes and up. Obviously some of them are big enough for a two-year-old, but I also made a couple of smaller baby sizes.

Can't wait to meet our little girl!

My Little Pony Birthday Cake

2013-02-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

My Little Pony was the requested theme for my daughter's 4th birthday party. I made a three-layer 9" round cake in rainbow colors. Sadly, I wasn't able to get a photo of the inside, but it was super bright and vibrant.

I got my kid-at-heart husband a cotton candy machine for Christmas, so he whipped up the blue cotton candy for the clouds. I thought it turned out as a really cool touch. I'll admit that I had much grander plans for this cake, but after a party with a dozen friends, I just wasn't up for it. The rainbow ended up laying on the cake instead of standing up, and the pony was just a toy.

Even though I wasn't able to do all the things with this cake that I had planned, it was still a huge hit with the kids and really tasty!

Lifestyle Crafts: 40% Off Templates

2013-02-26T21:14:00.001-07:00

Lifestyle Crafts is running a special on their templates this week. This 40% off sale includes:

Cards, Envelopes, and Tags

3D Shapes

Boxes & Bags

PLUS, you can still use my promo code "AUDZIPAN" to get an ADDITIONAL 20% off! This is a great sale, so don't miss out.

Peacock Blue Yarn Wreath

2013-01-30T21:28:00.005-07:00

I tried my hand at a wrapped yarn wreath the other day to try to keep myself occupied during some pretty awful weather. If you are looking to fill some time, a yarn wrapped wreath is the way to go. Looking for a quick project? This is not it. It got a little tedious, but I do like how everything turned out. I used a straw wreath form and kept the plastic wrapper on it. That kept it from making a huge mess and made the yarn lay flatter.

For underneath the flower embellishments, I glued down a piece of crocheted lace. Then I did a few rolled flowers, two out of felt, one out of burlap, and one out of a piece of cotton trim I had on hand. The yellow flowers are just a rolled up strip of felt that I cut into a fringe. I just love how everything turned out!

Zig Zag Quilt

2013-01-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

If you never thought you'd see the day that I finally finished my zig zag quilt, you would not be alone. But, great things have been known to happen around here from time to time, so as a small attempt at a New Year's resolution, I finished this thing.

I used two flannels for the back in wide horizontal stripes, and I love how it turned out. Admittedly, this is the first quilt I have made where I did every step myself, including the quilting. I used a free motion foot for my Bernina. Talk about an upper body workout! It's not perfect, but I still love it.

The basement family room that I made the zig zag quilt for is almost done, too. Right now, we are finishing installing rock around our fireplace. After that, we just have to do trim before the carpet can be installed. Happy day!

I used this quilt tutorial from the Bee Square Blog. It was fairly simple and easy to follow. Go make your own!

The Cloth Parcel

2013-01-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned that I have been working on a fun new business with my mom, and it's finally up and running! The Cloth Parcel is our new quilting and crafting website. We have cute fabric, original patterns, craft and quilting kits, and so many fun notions. All of the patterns were written by my mom or me, or both of us together, and are available to download right when you buy them.

I designed this Chenille Burp Cloth Kit, which features Riley Blake Woodland Tails flannel, in both pink and blue. These make stunning baby shower gifts, and since they are much smaller than a blanket, it's not a huge ordeal to make the chenille. We even have Olfa Chenille Cutters available, which make this project so quick and easy.

We have put together nine different baby blanket kits, also available in burp cloth size, which come with super soft Shannon Cuddle fabric for one side (also known as minky) and a variety of flannels for the backs. The flannels come from Moda and Riley Blake.

How cute is this little wind-up bear? We scored these Japanese Tokotoko Wind-Up Felt Doll Kits after we saw them at Quilt Market last October. The kits come with everything you need for the dolls, including the wobbly wind-up mechanism. We have seven different dolls: Red Bear, Orange Cat, Pink Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, Pinocchio, and Red Riding Hood. You have to see all of them!

We have so many fun things that are still in the design stages, so keep checking back. I will still be putting my own projects up on here, so don't think I'm going anywhere. Today is my day to finish the binding on my zig zag quilt (it's about time)! Also, don't forget that the Lifestyle 50% off promo is running this whole week.

Lifestyle Crafts: 50% Off Promo Code!

2013-01-18T14:58:00.000-07:00

Lifestyle Crafts is running a HUGE special next week. You know my coupon code "AUDZIPAN" that usually gets you 20% off? Well, from January 21-27, that same code will get you a huge 50% off on anything at Lifestyle Crafts! I don't know about you, but I love a great deal. If you are in the market for some new dies, embossing folders, or letterpress supplies, don't pass this one up.

Curvy Pleated Pouch & New Mom Hospital Survival Kit

2013-01-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

I discovered this curvy pleated pouch tutorial on Pinterest from Charm Stitch months ago, but I only thought to make some a couple of weeks ago for Christmas gifts. I made two, and they both turned out super cute, although I didn't get any photos of the second one. I would have made another one for myself, but I ran out of zippers (and time). I loved that I was able to use some of my cute fabric scraps for these, too.

My sister-in-law is pregnant and due with her first baby soon, and I had her name for the gift exchange, so I thought it might be fun to do a little "Hospital Survival Kit" to go inside the pouch. It's kind of hard to tell in these first pictures, but these pouches end up as a pretty good sized clutch, so there is a bit of room in there. Having had two kids myself, I was able to think of a few little luxuries that are nice to have in the hospital. Here's what I included:

Socks, lip balm, mints, and nail polish may seem like silly things to send, but when you are sitting in a hospital room wearing an ugly gown and not quite feeling yourself, it's the little things that cheer you up and make you feel like a normal person again. Lip balm is great for when you aren't allowed to eat anything, mints for when you can't get up and brush your teeth, nail polish for if you get some downtime, and socks are the only clothes of your own you can wear all the time.

I had so much fun putting this together, that I may have to start taking these to baby showers. Hopefully I get around to making one for myself, as I'll be wanting it come March!

ETA: You can buy this Cabbage Rose fabric by Heather Bailey online from The Cloth Parcel!

Chewy Gingersnap Cookies Recipe

2012-12-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Nothing says "the holidays are here" quite like homemade chewy gingersnap cookies. Are they still considered gingersnaps if they are chewy? Either way, these cookies have the perfect blend of spice and sweetness. This recipe is a favorite of my husband's from his mom's repertoire. We got the recipe from her, and these were easy, relatively quick to make, and so yummy!

Chewy Gingersnaps
3/4 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cloves
White sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream shortening, brown sugar, and molasses together. Add the egg and mix together. Next, add dry ingredients- flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Form dough into cookie balls, then roll in white sugar. I like to put the sugar in a shallow bowl for this step. Place cookie balls on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. They will look a little underdone in between the cracks when you pull them out, but this is how they stay chewy. Leave them on the cookie sheet to cool for another 5-10 minutes.

Lifestyle Crafts- New Embossing Folders Coming Soon

2012-12-22T13:19:00.003-07:00

Lifestyle Crafts has some really fun Goosebumpz Embossing Folders coming out next month, so I thought I'd give you a little sneak peek at some of the new ones today! These are some of my very favorites, and you can head over to see the rest on Lifestyle's website:

I am loving these! There are about twelve more new ones as well, all coming out in January. I still haven't gotten me an Evolution machine yet, since I am holding out for a letterpress combo pack (which I'm told will also be arriving in January), but I will definitely be saving some of my Christmas money for some of these embossing folders.

And, as always, don't forget to use code "AUDZIPAN" to get 20% off of your order.

Molten Cake Neighbor Gifts

2012-12-19T22:56:00.000-07:00

For our neighbor gifts this year, we decided to go with a fun treat that didn't necessarily have to be eaten right away. Let's be honest, there's a huge overload of sugary treats this time of year, so why not give something that can be saved until all the festivities die down? For this quick and easy gift, all you need is a box of cake mix, a recipe card, and a piece of festive ribbon. I also added some cute Christmas cards that I was able to get on a deal last month.

I included the recipe for a family favorite-- single serving molten chocolate cake. I would totally give you a printable for the recipe, but my computer did an auto-update before I had a chance to save the file. Here's the recipe, though:

Single Serving Molten Chocolate Cake
1/2 cup chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup water
Hot fudge
Chocolate or white chocolate chips
Whipped topping or ice cream

In a microwave safe, cereal size bowl, stir cake mix and water together for one minute. Top with five generous teaspoons of hot fudge and sprinkle on some chocolate or white chocolate chips. Microwave 95 seconds. Top with ice cream or whipped topping.

The best part about this recipe is that you can really do any variation you can think of with the chocolate chips and toppings. Hot fudge is a must if you are going for the molten cake taste. Since baking supplies are generally on sale this time of year, you should be able to make these for a pretty reasonable price. I was able to get the cake mixes for about a dollar at Winco, but I think it's a really great gift for that cost.

Good luck to any last-minute gifters! We were able to finish all our shopping today, and boy does it feel great.

Merry Christmas 2012

2012-12-18T10:45:00.002-07:00

Here's our Christmas card this year. We tried a few photos with both of the girls in the car, but it was a tight fit and there weren't any shots with both of them happy... I saw the idea online somewhere a while ago and modified it for us, adding the polka dot background and saying. We got them printed as 4"x6" photos, which is my biggest tip for saving money on cards and invitations, if you have the graphics programs you need to make the image.

Stay tuned tomorrow for an easy neighbor gift for all you last-minuters out there. Merry Christmas, from my family to yours!

Ghosts of Christmas Projects Past

2012-12-01T21:26:00.001-07:00

I feel like I ought to explain myself a little bit. I have been less than dedicated to the blog for a while. Between finishing our basement completely on our own, being pregnant with our third girl (due in March), and starting a fun new business with my mom(reveal soon), I have been totally occupied with other things.

Also, it's not like I haven't been doing things, it's just that they never make it to the blog. Funny how that goes. I hope that once the basement is done I can get back to more of the fun stuff I usually get to do, instead of drywall, mud, and wiring.

So instead of sharing something totally new today, I am sharing some of my favorite Christmas projects from years past.

Reindeer Welcome Sign

Felt Mitten and Stocking Advent Calendar

Marshmallow Peppermint Pie

Winter Wreath Chandelier

Easy Dipped Oreos

Lifestyle Crafts- Free Printable and Free Shipping!

2012-11-19T15:03:00.003-07:00

Here's a great pre-Black Friday deal to add to your shopping list- 20% off and free shipping on all orders over $50 at Lifestyle Crafts! Just head over to their website and use "AUDZIPAN" as your discount code. The free shipping is good through the 21st, and the 20% off doesn't expire.

Plus, did you know that Lifestyle has fun digital downloads? Most are only a dollar, and some of them are even free, like this cute Candy Cane Gift Bag:

All you have to do is head to the website and add it to your cart, then after you check out, you will be emailed a link to download it as a PDF, which you can print right off your computer. These would be so cute as favors for a holiday party, packaging for neighbor and friend gifts, or as a fun craft after Thanksgiving dinner. Go check it out!

Unicorn Pegasus Cake

2012-11-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

I made this fun birthday cake for my niece a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say, it does get easier with each new cake. I loved that the party theme was Unicorn Pegasus. What could be better for a six-year-old little girl? Here's a brief run-down of the process.

I love how two 6" rounds look stacked on two 9" rounds. The proportions seem perfect to me.

Before I stacked the top tier, I put a few bamboo skewers in the bottom for support.

The top tier is on a cardboard cake board, which sat on the bamboo skewers and worked really well.

I stuck a skewer through the top in the center, then instead of cutting it off, I wrapped the pink fondant around it for the unicorn horn.

I thought about doing more embellishments but ended up liking the simple look the best. I usually do. We have another birthday next week, but I don't have a plan for the cake yet. It may or may not involve fondant. I haven't even sent out invitations, so it's probably going to be a low-key occasion. Either way, I'm sure it will be a good time!

DIY Spidergirl Costume

2012-10-20T12:14:00.000-06:00

My oldest daughter decided that she wanted to be Spiderman for Halloween a long time ago, like months. For a three-year-old, that is a very long time. Luckily, she hasn't changed her mind about it either. I don't know why she is so into Spiderman, except for maybe some fatherly influences, but she is, and so we are going with it.

We tried on a cousin's old costume with built-in muscles, and it just looked weird on a little girl with long, blonde hair. Then, I saw this on Pinterest:

Problem solved! Just add a tutu to a boy costume and you're set. (I don't know the original source of this photo, because the link is broken on my pin.) This week, I found a muscle-less Spiderman costume at Target for $10, and work on the tutu began.

I used an elastic waist and made the elastic band 4" shorter than my daughter's waist. Even then, it ended up slightly looser than I wanted, but it still fits well enough. The tulle was cut in 15" strips, so it ends up around 7" sticking out. Here's a full-length "in character" shot:

I don't know where she gets it. We still need some accessories, like maybe a felt eye mask and some cute hair things. I have some leftover red tulle, so I could even just tie that around pigtails or something.

And no, the pink flip flops aren't part of the costume. It's way too cold around here for that. Once I finish the felt eye mask, it's going to be a very happy Halloween around here for this little girl!

Lifestyle Crafts Discount Promo Code

2012-10-04T15:40:00.000-06:00

Promo Code: AUDZIPAN

I was recently contacted by Lifestyle Crafts to become one of their blogger affiliates, and of course I jumped at the chance. Personally, I have never had a manual die cutting machine, and I don't know how interested I would be in one now, but these machines can also emboss and letterpress paper! I don't know what draws me to the letterpress look, but I seriously researched getting an old letterpress there for a while. Turns out, they are expensive, hard to find, huge, heavy, and quite complicated if something should go wrong. After abandoning that path, I realized my only feasible option would be to go with some small crafting machine, but at the time there wasn't anything out there that could do letterpress. So, I waited. And then, the L Letterpress came out:

I have wanted to get this for so long, but since I didn't have a manual die cutting machine, it took until now that I think I might actually get one. Some of the coolest parts of the letterpress is that the dies are compatible with other machines, like Cuttlebug, so you wouldn't have to invest in a whole new system to get started doing letterpress, and you can order custom printing plates. How cool is that?!

Anyway, if you are interested in seeing what's with all this die cutting, embossing, and letterpress, I am going to be finding out, and you're welcome to watch from afar. If you are already into it, you can get

20% off at Lifestyle Crafts

with promo code AUDZIPAN

. . . just for being a reader of the Audzipan Anthology. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for some fun projects!

Note: As an affiliate of Lifestyle Crafts, I am partially compensated for my posts, but all content is truly my personal opinion.

What Have I Been Up To?

2012-09-27T21:50:00.000-06:00

What have I been up to? It's been a while since I finished a project start to finish, but rest assured the wheels have been turning over here. Progress on finishing our basement is slow but steady, one of the results of doing nearly everything yourselves. At this point, we are finished framing and ready to start the electrical and plumbing. This does eat up a lot of our spare time (ha! what's that?), but I have been able to sneak in a little side home improvement project upstairs. Remember this bathroom?

This is the main bathroom of our house. It's right by the kids' bedrooms, but it is also right off the front room area, so it's the one that gets the most use. Right now, I wouldn't say that this room is complete by any means, but we have made some real progress. Ready to see?

Yep, we painted! And did board and batten! Well, you know, faux board and batten. It was an easy, yet time-consuming and detail-oriented project, but this was a much needed transformation for this room. It just had no heart, ya know?

We still need to frame that mirror, hang some hooks, and get some new decor going on in there. The hair clip tree and hair clip frame, both fun and easy DIY tutorials if you need the storage, are both things I would like to hang onto in some form or another.

As far as decor goes, I'd like to add some river rock grey or toned-down cool hues to the room. There isn't a defined theme for the room, but I'd like to have a New England lake house feel going on. I have also considered spray painting some or all of the metal hardware in the room with oil rubbed bronze spray paint. I'm not sure how those two ideas go together, though, so we'll see how this all plays out. The shower curtain will probably have to go as well, although it still kind of matches.

What do you think? Any ideas? I'm glad to be back at blogging and excited to share some more fun things in the near future.