Cookie Nut Creations

Congratulations Camie!

noreply@blogger.com (Karena) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I am happy to announce that Camie had a beautiful little girl. This makes girl #3 for her, and we are super excited for her. Camie and baby are doing well, but as many of you are familiar, Camie may be taking a small break to adjust to her new schedule. She has some great posts coming soon, so you'll still get to see some more great ideas from her.

Congrats again, Camie! She's absolutely beautiful and she'll add a little more sugar and spice and everything nice into the home.

Subway Art

noreply@blogger.com (Karena) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:23:00 +0000

We all have seen and we all know that subway art is very hot right now. So when a friend of mine made this, I just had to have it. She made it as a prize for a Relief Society meeting and I won. So, I asked her if she'd be willing to post it on our little blog and she was more than willing. She is currently putting together a blog of her own. We'll definitely announce that when the time comes. Until then, here is the image for your printing pleasure. Just click on it to see the full version.

Friday Feature {The Tohoku Tote} and Link Party

noreply@blogger.com (Karena) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000

I swear, instead of featuring blogs, I seem to be featuring Pinterest. Like many of you, I can't go through a conversation with my friends without someone saying "...I saw it on Pinterest" So, as you can guess, I saw this on Pinterest and just had to share it because this is my next project (along with all my other "next projects").

This adorable tote is home to a blog named I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar. She offers a free tutorial and free pattern on this adorable bag. Go over and check it out, print it off, and plan your next "next project".

Rules:

Any creative idea will do
No selling or promoting, so no giveaways or etsy stores
Grab a button to link back to this blog
Start sharing!
And don't forget to check out other link party projects.

Simple and Creative Valentines

noreply@blogger.com (Camie) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Since we have less than a week left before Valentine's Day is upon us I thought I'd share some Valentine ideas that are quick and easy to make. All of these great ideas come from Connie over at

Green Apple Orchard.

(Please note that not all of these ideas were originally used as

Valentines, however you could easily use the same concept

and create your own personalized cards.)

Sweet Strawberry Valentine

Using you sewing machine on paper

Adorable Owl Valentines

Birthday Party Invites

Free Valentine's Day Printables

noreply@blogger.com (Camie) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Party Printables

Love Cards and Coupons

Class Valentine's

Cup Wrappers

Apple Pie Wrapper and Recipe

Party Favor Bag

Valentine's Day Tags

Hershey Kiss Stickers

Tweety Pie Valentine

Goodie Bags

Pride and Prejudice Quote

Be Mine Valentine

Class Valentines

Teeny Envelope and Giddyup Valentine

Valentine Cards/Subway Art and Digi V-Day Card

Valentine Cards

Friday Feature {LIGHTED BED CANOPY} and Link Party

noreply@blogger.com ({leah}) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:50:00 +0000

Oh to have girls....

Katie at Project:Possible made this really cute canopy for her girls. One who is terrified of the dark, and one who likes to wake up way to early to read. Both girls are happy now {and now so is mom}

Go on over and see the easy tutorial to make this cute canopy! Lighted Bed Canopy.

Rules:

Any creative idea will do
No selling or promoting, so no giveaways or etsy stores
Grab a button to link back to this blog
Start sharing!
And don't forget to check out other link party projects.

More Valentine Container Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Camie) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Last year I shared this Valentine Canister idea with all of you.

I also suggested some fun Valentine gifts that you could stash inside of them.

They were a huge hit with my girls and will continue to be a Valentine's Day tradition here at our house partly because they were a great way to minimize how much stuff I purchased for my girls and ended up being a fun little package for them to open. Since they were such a big hit I just had to share this other idea that I found from Yesterday on Tuesday...

{Upcycled Organizers}

I love the concept of using old food containers and recreating them into unique storage containers. But, I thought it would also be a great way to create some additional Valentine containers for your kids, school teachers, neighbors or friends. All you would have to do is change the color of your scrapbook paper and use and old red or pink sweater instead of a blue one. Such simple ways to recreate what you already have on hand into the perfect little gifts.

DIY Ruffle Scarf

noreply@blogger.com (Karena) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:09:00 +0000

We see these beautiful ruffled scarves everywhere, so when a friend of mine introduced me to this project, I just had to do it.

It's super easy with no gathering, just jersey knit and elastic thread. I love the results! This would be great birthday and Christmas gifts.

I used the tutorial below except that I did it with vertical waves which was a thousand times easier. Be careful with your tension in your bobbin or it won't work very well.

Make it and Love it

Friday's Feature {DIY Pillow Box Owls}

noreply@blogger.com (Camie) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I can't get enough of these colorful and lovable little pillow box owls that were inspired by

Lynn Put at The Queen's Scene,

but recreated and improved upon (in my opinion) by

Gen at Card a la Carte.

Just think of all the fun little things you could do with these. They would make perfect little valentine gifts, teacher gifts, or even party favors. The ideas go on and on. Go take a look at the Gen's little owl creations over at Card a la Carte.

Rules:

Any creative idea will do
No selling or promoting, so no giveaways or etsy stores
Grab a button to link back to this blog
Start sharing!
And don't forget to check out other link party projects.

Completed Baby Room...quilt and all!

noreply@blogger.com (Camie) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Okay, I can't actually say that this room is 100% complete. But considering I've been making over two separate rooms, at the same time, during the holidays, while being pregnant I'd say it's complete enough...for now anyway. The only things left I would like to get done are a personalized cork board that I've made for each of my girls and a bed skirt for the crib. But, that's all going to have to wait until this little one actually gets here, we have a named picked out, and I can find some time to finish them.

I took the easy way out for the baby quilt that goes in the crib and stuck with a simple strip quilt. I also opted not to have this professionally quilted and I didn't actually use a normal binding on this quilt either. In other words, I really can't call this a true quilt.

I ended up purchasing some of that pre-made baking (seen below) at a fabric store. Then, I sewed this quilt together using the grid pattern on the back as my guide, something I like to call FAUX quilting. After the front and back were sewed together I simply rolled the excess edges over to create the binding. Simple, yet effective.

And, let's not forget these beauties. These hang on either side of the window in that room while the other two hang over the crib.

I am in love with this room. It's become my sanctuary and I constantly find my self sitting in here relaxing while my girls have their quiet time.

Rubber Door Mat Wall Art

noreply@blogger.com (Karena) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Oh my goodness! I can't believe I have never seen this before! Salvage Dior has made this amazing, beautiful, and cost effective wall decor! Yes, I keep using apostrophes because I think it's that awesome! Who would think of making a dollar store mat into something so stunning?! I am totally going to find a place for this.

Easy Bread Recipe

noreply@blogger.com ({leah}) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:44:00 +0000

I love making bread, I love the smell and the warmth of fresh bread, but I like having an easy recipe that is quick to make. And it's pretty versatile as far as what type of flour that you use.

2 Cups warm water {100 degrees F}
2/3 Cup sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 Cup vegetable oil
6 Cups bread flour

In a large bowl dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to poof until yeast resembles a creamy foam. {For me it takes about 10 minutes}

Mix salt and oil into the poofy yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time until dough pulls away from the bowl and is smooth. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface. Leave on counter and put a big bowl over the top and let rest for about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 170 degrees F.

Grease loaf pan {I can usually get 2 loaves of of it} roll bread and put into loaf pan. Put into the bread into the oven and turn the oven OFF for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes turn the oven on to 350 degrees *keep the bread in the oven while the oven preheats* cook for another 30 minutes.

When it is done take the bread out of the bread pan and butter the top.

Here is the fun part.... you can use half whole-wheat and half bread flour. You can do all 6 cups of whole-wheat. The other day I even used bean flour. I ground my own bean and used that. I did have to add a little bit of gluten when I used the bean flour. It turned out really good.

Friday's Feature {Overnight Praline Pecan French Toast)

noreply@blogger.com (Karena) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:00:00 +0000

This week's Friday Feature is a warm, gooey, guilty pleasure. Head over to Valerie's Recipe Box for this amazing recipe!

Rules:

Any creative idea will do
No selling or promoting, so no giveaways or etsy stores
Grab a button to link back to this blog
Start sharing!
And don't forget to check out other link party projects.

German Potato Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Camie) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

German Potato Soup

This is one of my favorite soups. My mom and I discovered it at a youth activity when I was in high school. Luckily, we were smart enough to ask for the recipe and it's a good thing too. This soup is one of my main winter staples.

Ingredients:

4 strips of bacon, diced

1/4 c. chopped onions

1 c. chopped celery

3 lrg. potatoes thinly sliced

1 c. sour cream

2 Tbsp. flour

4 c. chicken bullion

2 egg yolks beaten

1 Tbsp. fresh or dried parsley

Directions:

In a large pot saute bacon for 5 minutes. Add chopped celery and onion and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add flour to bacon and vegetables and stir together. Slowly add chicken bullion, stir constantly. Then, add the sliced potatoes, cover, and let everything simmer for 1 hour. Once the soup has simmered for one hour combine the egg yolk and sour cream to the soup. Simmer for 10 more minutes then use a potato masher to mash larger chunks of potato and combine all of the ingredients. Then serve.

Curry Pumpkin Soup

noreply@blogger.com ({leah}) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:22:00 +0000

This is one of my favorite soups to make. It's so easy and SO good!!!

Pumpkin Curry Soup

2 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Curry
1/2 Onion chopped
4 Cups Vegetable Broth
1{29 ounce} can of Pumpkin {or fresh pumpkin if you have one}
1 1/2 Cup Cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in flour and curry powder until smooth. Add onion and continue to stir until mixture begins to bubble.Gradually whisk in broth and cook until thickened. pour soup into a blender {in batches if you need too} and blend onion mixture until smooth. In a double boiler heat up the cream until warm. Stir in pumpkin and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

This soup is really warm and it's quick and easy to make. It goes great with some crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Mock Russian Spiced Tea (Emphasis on the Mock)

noreply@blogger.com (Karena) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

This Is NOT Tea!

I love having a warm drink around the holidays, during the winter months, and through the cold and flu seasons. I'm not much of a wassail person...I never have been, but this is a great alternative. I was introduced to it by my aunt several years ago (thanks Vicki) and now I make it every year.

One of the great things about this recipe is that it makes a lot and is a great gift idea for neighbors and friends. Just make the powder, put it in a jar, attach the instructions, and there's your gift.

Again, this isn't a tea. This is a recipe based off of a popular Russian tea that tastes similar but without all the caffeine. Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Pear Crisp

noreply@blogger.com (Camie) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

The Ultimate Pear Crisp

I wanted to start off this week of recipes with one of my favorite winter desserts, a classic crsip. I'm not the biggest fan of fruit pies, but throw on a crumbly crisp topping instead and I'm sold. I've always been a sucker for a yummy apple crisp. However, a few years back I was looking for some new recipes and I stumbled upon this one in a Family Fun magazine. I love the difference in taste and texture that the pears give this dessert and it is now a family favorite.
Ingredients
• FILLING:
• 6 cups peeled, cored, and sliced ripe pears (about 6 large ones)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped candied ginger
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon flour
• TOPPING:
• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 400 F. Butter a shallow 9- by 13-inch glass or ceramic casserole and set it aside.
2. Combine the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss them well. Spread the fruit evenly in the casserole and bake it for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine the flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, cinnamon, and salt in the mixing bowl and toss them well. Add the butter, then use your fingers to rub the ingredients together until everything is well blended.
4. Remove the casserole from the oven and spread the topping evenly over the fruit. Return the casserole to the oven and bake the crisp until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes. Then let it cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Friday Feature {Organized!!} and Link Party

noreply@blogger.com ({leah}) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Is one of your New Year's Resolutions to get organized??? Mine always is!! I feel like the chaos in my brain spills out to all over my house!

My focus this year is on getting a menu plan for a year. It seems extreme, but McKensie over at Bold Turquoise makes it look really easy. {she even has calenders you can print out to make it look pretty!}

I think it is a great idea, and I am a quarter of the way done with my menu plans! {go me}

Head on over to Bold Turquoise to see how she puts it all together.

Rules:

Any creative idea will do
No selling or promoting, so no giveaways or etsy stores
Grab a button to link back to this blog
Start sharing!
And don't forget to check out other link party projects.

Socks & Shoes NOT Required {Giveaway}

noreply@blogger.com (Camie) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:46:00 +0000

We are so excited to introduce all of you to Leah's new and improved Homeschooling blog...

Socks & Shoes NOT Required

Leah is currently holding three different giveaways. Yep, you read that right...3 different giveaways. Here are some of the fun things you can enter to win.

Giveaway #1-

Giveaway #2-

Giveaway #3-

Each of these giveaways will close Sunday the 15th at Midnight (EST for Leah). So, head on over to Socks & Shoes NOT Required and check out her new blog and enter win some fun loot for you kiddies.

About Leah and her blog

Well, I'm Leah, I have 4 boys, a dog... that's a boy, and a wonderful husband who has taken me on many great adventures. Not adventures to foreign lands but just life in general. Currently we are in Florida while he goes to Chiropractic school, but it was a long road getting here.

I've decided to resurrect this blog and do something different.

I've decided that I am going to review things that I am using, things I have used, and things that I have looked at and decided not to use and why. I am skeptical sometimes of "testimonial" on the websites, I mean really who are these people? But I know that I am more likely to buy something or even look that way if someone I know says something about it, or recommends it.

This won't be just curriculum and products but magazines, books, and internet sites as well and why I like them or.... don't like them.

I will also share some things that work for us and tricks that I have learned along the way.

I will also be posting a "Question of the Week" I would love it if you would email me your answer. I know I have so much to learn from others and I know that your knowledge will help others as well. I will post all the answers the following week so you can see what others have done or what works for them.

I don't consider myself an expert at all, and I have only been doing homeschooling for 3 years but I feel like I have something to offer and new ideas are always good.... right??

I'll post as often as I can, and I look forward to meeting and learning from all of you.

DIY Canvas Wall Hangings/Art

noreply@blogger.com (Camie) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

As I mentioned in this post, I've been inspired to create some of my own canvas art for my girls rooms. We have a baby that we are expecting any day now and I needed a fast and inexpensive way to redo the baby room and decorate the new room for my two toddlers. Luckily, at Karena's suggestion, I was able to do just that.

I was able to create this look by making over some frames I had previously made for our first baby. I had originally covered the frames with scrapbook paper and photos inside of them. I liked the look back then, but this time around I was ready for something a bit more chic. So, I started by painting over the scrapbook paper with a dark mocha brown.

As you can tell this process required several coats of paint in order to conceal the scrapbook paper print. Such a simple change, but it really makes a huge difference.

Then, I simply used some good old Heat n' Bond and left over fabric to create the bird images which I bonded onto some white canvas that I already had on hand. If you're not confident enough to free hand your images you can always use go to www.googleimages.com and find what you would like to use. Once I had the images/scenes bonded to my canvas I simply cut them down to size and inserted them into my frames.

I love the new look. It definitely has a more clean and streamlined feel to it, yet the colors also help to make it feel soft and warm.

Once I had these made and hanging on the wall I decided that I couldn't stop there! I loved how simple they were to make, I couldn't pass up the price, which was near to nothing, and I loved the look. So, I made several more for each of the rooms that we were redoing and made sure that they coordinated with the quilts that I also made for all of my girls beds (more of those to come in future posts!). Here are the other fun canvas prints that I ended up making simply by using some extra fabric, Heat n' Bond, hot glue, white canvas material, and foam board.

These two canvas pieces are hanging over the baby's crib.

I used some of these to hang them up.

For my two older girls room I decided to cover some of the foam board with just one piece of fabric instead of using silhouettes or scenes. I really like the look that it gives.

This really was such a fun project to work on and a great way to decorate a room on a budget.

Quilted Stockings

noreply@blogger.com (Karena) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:09:00 +0000

I know that Christmas is over...even if I still have some Christmas decorations up...but I wanted to show you what I started working on before Christmas.

I still have three more to do before Christmas next year...as well as a matching tree skirt. So far, I'm loving it. I can't wait to finish them. And when I'm done, I will be offering the patterns that I came up with so that anyone can do it!

As you can tell, I was planning on doing cuffs, but it's a lot easier and you get to see more of the design and fabrics. Here's what they will look like when I have them all done. Super excited!

Friday's Feature {DIY Pillows} and Link Party

noreply@blogger.com (Camie) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 07:00:00 +0000

I'm obsessed with pillows. Just ask my husband. No matter how many I buy I always seem to want more. So, I thought I'd share some of my favorite finds on the many DIY pillow options that are out there. *Please note that I was unable to locate all the original sites for some of these pillows* Then, come back here next week to see how I recreated some of these loks into wall hangings instead of pillows!

Sweater Pillows

Cookie Nut Creations

DIY Newlyweds

All Things Beautiful

Monogram Pillow

The Sweet Survival

Butterfly Pillows

Wool Felting

Tree Pillows

Cluck Cluck Sew

Bird Pillows

Rules:

Any creative idea will do
No selling or promoting, so no giveaways or etsy stores
Grab a button to link back to this blog
Start sharing!
And don't forget to check out other link party projects.

Wrapping up the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Camie) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Since I have another baby that will be joining the family in a few weeks (fingers crossed) I've been slowly trying to organize my house. So, I have storage conatiners and ideas of clean junk free spaces on the brain. And to be honest, baby or no baby, I always find myself wanting to get organized once the holidays are done and a new year is beginning. I couldn't think of a better place to start organizing than with the leftover wrapping paper, ribbons, and trim that seems to double each year.

Here are some of my favorite ideas that others have come up with.

Centsational Girl

Love & Lace

Spunky Junky

33 Shades of Green

She's Crafty

(This one is my favorite!)

Scrapbook Paper Transformation

noreply@blogger.com (Karena) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I am always looking for a way to beautify my home without breaking the bank. This was my easiest and cheapest project so far, and I couldn't be happier with the results.

I had these old pictures that although pretty, just weren't my style anymore. I had two of them and I wanted them to be different. Luckily, I had a scrapbook paper bundle that had several coordinating pictures. I chose two, opened up the back of the frames, removed the old picture, and added my scrapbook paper. It gives it a more retro yet traditional look that I love!

Friday's Feature {Notebook Top Tutorial}

noreply@blogger.com (Karena) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

I saw this adorable shirt on Tutus & Tea Parties and just had to share it!