Smashed Peas and Carrots

New Years ReSEWLution: Embroidered Hot & Cold Packs

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:29:00 +0000

Today I'm over at Me Sew Crazy guest posting as a part of Jess's January blog series called New Years ReSEWLutions, a series chock full of excellent sewing-related resolutions to get you moving in the new year!

I'm showing you how I made these fun hot/cold packs for my kiddies so they can get toasty warm once they come in from playing out in the cold. It's either these or we gotta start buying stock in chocolate for all the hot chocolate they've been drinking to warm up this winter!

Click here to read all about them!

XOXO,

The Runaround Knit Cowl-FREE PATTERN

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:10:00 +0000

For some reason the first few months of the year seem like the perfect time to knit to me, I don't know why I always feel this way but I do. A couple weeks ago I finished up my new favorite cowl, I'm even wearing it as I type this post! I called it the Runaround Cowl because it has been absolutely perfect to runaround town in while I head to work, run errands, drive the kids to play dates, as well as do all the other random stuff I seem to do every single day. :-)

This cowl is extra awesome because you can wear it TWO ways! You can wrap it around twice to keep your neck warm and cozy or just throw it on as is to spice up any 'ol t-shirt you have on hand. From drab to fab I tell you.

You knit this cowl on two straight sticks and then sew the ends together with a twist to give the cowl a more decorative look. See that twist at the bottom there in the picture above...love it!

The Runaround Knit Cowl

1 skein of Lion Brand Homespun yarn

US Size 15 (10 mm) straight knitting needles

scissors and yarn needle

Gauge does not matter although my finished cowl measures 10 inches wide by 50 inches in length.

Cast on 25 stitches

Row 1: *K1 P1; Repeat from * across. K1

Continue with this pattern until cowl measures 50 inches or your desired length.

Bind off loosely in pattern.

Weave in tails.

Sew short ends together with a yarn needle making sure that you have made one twist in the cowl before sewing ends.

I'm totally loving my new cowl. And the best part is that you can knit it up in only a few hours time. Since the knit pattern is fairly basic you can even get it done while watching a little Downton Abbey (my new favorite show!)

Oooh, and how about a little belly shot! 18 weeks and counting.

What do you think...boy or girl?

XOXO,

Pink Poodle Bows GIVEAWAY

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:59:00 +0000

I've got a great giveaway that you all are going to love today! Pink Poodle Bows is here today to share some of her beautiful children's clothing patterns with you all...hooray!

Alisha is the owner, designer and momma behind Pink Poodle Bows. She creates and designs gorgeous children's clothing all while being a momma to two little girls and being a FULL TIME first grade teacher, okay...my mind is officially blown! The great thing about all her patterns is that she designs them with the beginning sewist in mind meaning that all the instructions are easy to follow, yay for that! And every garment you make from them will look as professional as a store-bought piece because of the detail found in her patterns.

Here's a peek at some of her oh-so-sweet designs:

The Bailey Romper

The Riley Dress

The Eden Dress

The Fleece Aviator Hat

Super sweet designs, right! Pink Poodle Bows has even more designs to choose from in the full collection found here, head on over and browse to your heart's content!

You likey what you see? Let's be honest, how could you not!

Pink Poodle Bows is generously giving away any 3 patterns from her shop!!!

To enter today's giveaway, and you can do so 4 times (one comment per entry please!)

1. Head on over to Pink Poodle Bows and tell me which pattern is your favorite!

2. "Like" Pink Poodle Bows on Facebook HERE.

3. "Like" Smashed Peas and Carrots on Facebook HERE.

4. Be or Become a Follower of Smashed Peas and Carrots!!

Giveaway ends this Saturday January 28, 2011

Good Luck!

XOXO,

Crockpot Hot Chocolate-RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:29:00 +0000

This past weekend my husband Clif had an actual Saturday off from work so we thought it would be a good idea to spend an hour on Saturday morning bundling up the kids in snowsuits, coats, warm hats, mittens and snow boots to take them all sledding. If you have kids, you know how much work is involved in getting out the door once cold weather hits. Somedays it's just no fun at all but if our agenda is to head to our nearest giant snow-laden hill than we are cool with it. This was our first sledding adventure this winter if you can believe it. We finally had a big snowfall here in Illinois last week and the snow was just perfect for sledding and building snowman.

Before we headed out the door I made my favorite hot chocolate in my crockpot so when we came back from our snowy day out it would be ready and waiting for us to warm up our bellies. I don't know about you but my kids immediately ask for hot chocolate the minute they come in from playing out in the cold. If you have never made hot chocolate in a crockpot you must! It is so nice to come home and have a warm cup of chocolatey goodness just waiting for you after you spent a good 20 minutes getting everyone out of their snow gear...just one less thing to do!

I love this recipe because it makes really creamy hot chocolate and it used 3 types of chocolate so the (pregnant) chocolate lover in me is satisfied. I hope you love it too and make some before your next cold-weather gathering!

Crockpot Hot Chocolate (serves 4-6)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp vanilla

3 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp white chocolate chips

1 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips

whipped cream

mini chocolate chips for serving

Combine the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt together in your crockpot. I used my mini crockpot to make this! Add in the milk and whisk everything together until smooth and well-combined. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. After 2 hours, add in the heavy cream, white and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted. After about 10 minutes, pour into mugs and serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips. Enjoy!

First up, grab 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and add it to your crockpot. I used my little 'mini' crockpot, the one you usually use for warm dips, I find it is just perfect for this recipe.

Then add in 1/3 cup of white granulated sugar.

And a 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Pour in 3 cups of milk, any variety will do although the more milk fat the creamier your hot chocolate will be...and more fattening...but hey, this is hot chocolate and it is winter so it's worth it! I personally like to go with 1% as we will be adding in heavy cream a bit later ;-)

Grab your whisk and whisk all that goodness up....Yum! Place the cover back on your crockpot and cook on LOW for about 2 hours. Now, go sledding!

After 2 hours your hot chocolate will look a little like this...frothy on top!

Now go ahead and pour in 1 cup of heavy cream...

And add in your tablespoon each of white and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Who's hips are getting fat just thinking about this?

Stir it all up until those chips are melted. Wait about 10 minutes for the cream to warm up a bit and then ladle it out dude.

I love serving it with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips, my kids love it this way. I think it has to do with the thought of more candy getting into their bellies. Of course whatever your favorite toppings and add-ins you enjoy are perfect too.

Mmm...one for me and one for you.

Enjoy....and stay warm out there!

XOXO,

For the New Babe...

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:09:00 +0000

So I went and bought the new babe something a little bit ago, I had to, it was like there was this magnetic force pulling me towards my computer and Amazon.com.

I bought one of these sweet Sophie the Giraffe teethers, well actually two as I figured any toy/baby product that I adore and therefore my little babe loves usually ends up lost, left behind, or eaten by our dog...smh.

Having received the teethers only a few weeks ago, I am already in love with them...seriously just as cute in person as in the picture, I swear. They are also made with natural rubber, the details are painted with food paint, and they are BPA and Phthalate Free which gets this momma's seal of approval for sure but the big kicker is that the little squeaky sound is super cute--not annoying like so many others we have had in the past, holla!

Oh, and I realize that Sophie is a girl giraffe but even if the baby is a boy I figured he wouldn't care anyways, right? Babies just love something to drool on. Anyways, I just wanted to share a little something I went and bought recently, I am getting so excited for this little one to arrive even if it is 5 months away ;-) If you want to buy one to you can get it here!

Happy Weekend-ing!

XOXO,

Quick Fix Sticky Buns-RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:40:00 +0000

Okay, okay, don't kill me for this post today but I thought I would share one of our favorite fast fixes for when we are craving Sticky Buns but just don't have the time to make them from scratch. Oh my, don't you just love sticky buns? I adore them as does my family, you might even say a little too much.

This recipe works particulary well on those Sunday mornings when we just can't seem to get everyone out the door for church on time. Does that ever happen to you? We always try to enjoy a nice family breakfast before we go, sometimes pancakes or french toast and always with bacon or sausage...Mmmm!...but some Sundays it seems like everything and everybody is running late so our breakfast needs to be made a bit more quickly even though we still want it to be sit-down-at-the-table good, you know.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do, oh and you can customize it too. Add bananas, chocolate chips or replace the pecans with walnuts or even try no nuts at all! Let's hear it for quick and delicious :-)

Quick Fix Sticky Buns

1 tube refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

2 tbsp butter, cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

3 tbsp brown sugar

In a muffin tin, place one piece of butter into 8 compartments. Sprinkle pecans and brown sugar over top of the butter. Open up the tube of biscuits and place one over top of each muffin tin, pressing the biscuit down slightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Once the biscuits are golden brown take the muffin tin out of the oven. Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and while the sticky buns are still hot, flip them out onto the cookie sheet. You may need to scrape some of the caramelized sugar and pecans from the bottom of each tin. Enjoy!

I used Trader Joe's buttermilk biscuits, these are definitely large-sized biscuits kinda like Pillsbury Grands. Large biscuits work well in this recipe but if you would like a more gooey sticky bun you may want to buy the smaller tube of buttermilk biscuits (the Pillsbury's Grand Jr variety) or up the butter and brown sugar a bit!

Grab your pecans and chop them into small pieces, I like to use raw pecans but you can use roasted and salted pecans too...

Then get your 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, light or dark, it doesn't matter!

Then take 2 tablespoons of cold butter...

And cut into 8 pieces, enough pieces to equal the number of biscuits in the can. Place a piece of butter into the bottom of 8 muffin tin compartments. PS...I'm using a 6 muffin tin so I'll have two biscuits leftover to use for later!

Then sprinkle the pecans and brown sugar over top.

Smoosh a biscuit over top, just like so. The bigger biscuits will juuust fit into the tins, perfection!

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8-10 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Once the sticky buns are done, flip them out onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for easy clean up.

Mmm...how good do these look?

Dish them up and enjoy with the ones you love!

Enjoy :-)

XOXO,

Giveaway Winners Revealed!!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:01:00 +0000

The FIVE winners of the MoneySavingMom.com giveaway for her new book, The Money Saving Mom's Budget, are numbers 38, 67, 70, 136, 266. Who are...

:: :: ::

And the winner of the Shabby Apple Giveaway for their Azure Coast dress is #28...

Woot! Congratulations ladies! Please email me, Maggie, at SmashedPeasandCarrots@gmail.com and send me your mailing address info so I can pass it on to each Giveaway host who will then send out your winnings ASAP!

XOXO,

The Big Project of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:39:00 +0000

And one that just seems to keep getting bigger and bigger each week is this one...

Surprise!!!

I'm pregnant!!!

We are just super excited over here and I have been just dying to tell you all, hooray for fun news to share!

If any of you were wondering just what happened to all the craftiness on this blog over the past few months, well, it was getting flushed down the toilet numerous times a day. I'm now into the second trimester and I'm finally starting to feel like my old self again. I might get nauseous one evening a week now and I'll spend a good two days out of the week dealing with migraines caused by hormones and blood pressure changes but to me that's peanuts compared to feeling nauseated 23 hours a day and constantly throwing up all time.

We are so thankful to be blessed to add to our family again and we feel extra blessed to know such wonderful friends who helped out when I wasn't feeling so good. So many friends offered to watch Noah, Penelope, and Eloise so I could rest and brought meals when the last place I felt like going was the kitchen or grocery store. Thank You Thank You Thank You from the bottom of our hearts!

So to bring you up to date on the kid count, we will have four little munchkins come summer time. All four kids less than two years apart in age. Four kids five and under. Thank goodness we bought that minivan, those carseats take up some serious space!

We are still debating finding out the sex of this little babe. We didn't with the other three but since this juuust might be our last we may bite the bullet and try something new. How much crazy baby crafting and sewing and knitting could I do with all my second trimester energy if I knew the sex? Maybe we shouldn't go there. Or should we? Hmmm, less than a handful of weeks to possibly finding out.

What would you do?

XOXO,

Spicy Peanut Noodles-RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:42:00 +0000

Oh boy, have I ever told you how much I love Thai food? Yup, I do...and a lot. I spent some time in Thailand about 10 years ago (was it really that long ago?) and just fell head over heels for all the Thai food goodness. One of my all-time favorite dishes is Spicy Peanut Noodles, seriously, so good! A couple years ago I had it in my head to finally figure out how to make this favorite dish o'mine cause eating out every time you crave this dish isn't that great for the budget. I bet I spent a good week straight trying to figure out how to make this dish myself, probably making this dish 10 times trying to get it juuuuust right. I tried everything from sesame oil, fish oil and a whole slew of other asian-type add-ins and finally came upon the perfect ingredients list which, amazingly, contains none of that!? True story.

To me, this dish is absolutely perfect. It tastes just like how I remember it from when I visited Thailand. The best part is that the ingredients list is fairly simple and you probably have most of it in your pantry right now. The second best part about this dish is that you can make it in the time it takes you to boil water and make noodles, be it spaghetti or udon. I love quick and easy meals...but you already knew that ;-) And it also makes a great leftover as eating cold Spicy Peanut Noodles is just about as awesome as it gets!

Spicy Peanut Noodles

3 tbsp peanut butter

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp honey

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp hot sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth

8 oz noodles (spaghetti, udon, etc)

Veggie toppings such as julienne carrots, red peppers, cabbage

Crushed peanuts

Fill a medium saucepan with water for the noodles and add noodles once water is rapidly boiling. Follow package directions as to how long to cook noodles. In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together the peanut butter, soy sauce honey, garlic, ginger, hot sauce, and chicken broth until peanut butter is melted and all ingredients are combined well. Drain noodles and place them in a medium sized bowl. Add in spicy peanut sauce and mix well. Plate out noodles and add your vegetable toppings of choice and crushed peanuts. Enjoy!

Mmm, here is all you need to make this fabulous dish! So simple and so good.

This dish is usually one of my go-to quick family meals when I forget to to menu plan (even my kids love it!) so I normally use some type of spaghetti noodle instead of the more traditional Udon noodle as my pantry is always stocked with spaghetti noodles. They all taste great as the sauce is what gives this dish life. Try using whatever you have on hand!

Go ahead and cook up your noodles based on the package directions first.

Then while the water is boiling, in a small saucepan add in the honey, peanut butter and soy sauce. If you want to skip a step and don't want to add crushed peanuts at the end, you can just use crunchy peanut butter instead...an easy peasy substitution!

Next add in the ground ginger, minced garlic, and hot sauce. If you aren't much of a hot sauce lover, you can go light on this ingredient. I personally like a little kick in this dish so I use the full 2 teaspoons but you could always halve it as well!

Add in 1/2 cup of chicken broth and mix everything well. Cook over medium heat until that peanut butter is melted and all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Your spicy noodle sauce should look a-somethin' like this when it is done.

Drain your noodles and place in a medium-sized bowl, then add in your sauce. It might seem as if the sauce is runny but just wait a few minutes and it will magically thicken up as the sauce cools down. It will be even thicker if you choose to eat this dish cold...YUM!

I like to add some carrots, cabbage or whatever veggies I have on hand at the very end (as well as a sprinkling of crushed peanuts!) when I serve this dish but you can always add it all in with the sauce and mix it up in that step too.

Perfection! The best and easiest Spicy Peanut Noodles ever!

Enjoy my friends!

XOXO,

Shabby Apple Dress GIVEAWAY

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:28:00 +0000

What's this? Two giveaways in one week! Yup, but it's a good one so I thought y'all might enjoy it :-) I know many of you know Shabby Apple and their beautifully-made dresses and for those of you who might not, please go here now and see all the pretties they have for us ladies (including maternity dresses!) and super sweet frocks for the little girlies too.

Today, I'm happy to share that Shabby Apple is offering their gorgeous Azure Coast dress to ONE of you!!

Holla! It's the perfect New Year/New You gift just for you :-) With it's regular retail price of $84, this is surely one awesome giveaway. Here is a little bit about this 100% cotton dress from Shabby Apple...

A true gem of a multi-tasker, the Azure Coast dress, with it's playful puff sleeves and no-nonsense shirt collar, is perfect for the office or a weekend getaway at the shore. This ocean-colored beauty sports faux-wrap styling—the skirt closes all the way—giving you the look of your favorite wrap dress without the anxiety of worrying whether or not you're unintentionally showing too much leg.

As if this beautiful dress wasn't enough, Shabby Apple is also offering an exclusive discount code to all my fabulous readers for 10% off their entire website!

Just use code PeasAndCarrots10off to take advantage of this great offer!

So, you likey what you read? I thought you might! Let's have at this giveaway then, shall we? You can enter up to 3 times but you must leave one comment for each entry!

1. Like Shabby Apple on Facebook HERE--This is REQUIRED to enter the giveaway!

2. Be a follower of Smashed Peas and Carrots for another entry.

3. Like Smashed Peas and Carrots on Facebook HERE for one last entry.

**Giveaway open to US Residents only

Giveaway ends Tuesday, January 17 2011 at 8 am

GOOD LUCK!!

XOXO,

Cleaning Up.

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:11:00 +0000

Two weeks in and I'm still going strong with my New Year's organizing and de-cluttering goals, how about you? Also on my goal list is to try really hard to finish up my UFO's, not sure if I'll ever cross off that entire list but it's worth giving the 'ol college try. I have to admit that I'm a little shocked my energy hasn't fizzled out yet :-) Maybe it's the fact that we have been having an uncharacteristically warm winter this year here in Chicago, barely any snow! Today it's even in the 60's!!! I just can't believe it.

This morning I found this unfinished project hidden amongst the piles and piles of craft and fabric fun (remember that photo of my studio I shared on Facebook?) my sewing studio seemed to somehow have eaten in the last three months. I think I started it back in September. Tonight, I'm going to try to get most of it done once the kids are in bed...wish me luck!

We'll speak soon!

Thanks for stopping by.

XOXO,

The Money Saving Mom's Budget: Review and GIVEAWAY

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:18:00 +0000

Today I'm excited to share with you a one of my must-read book picks for 2012 that is available for purchase as of today!! Y'all need to add this book to your reading list this January, especially if you are interested in taking control of your money and getting your budget on track for the year. Crystal Paine, aka The Money Saving Mom, spent the beginning of 2011 writing her very own book about what she knows best...Saving Money! I love Crystal and her blog, MoneySavingMom.com, if you haven't visited her blog you must! She posts daily about how to find deals, save money, and get out of debt. She even has a series on her blog about how she paid 100% cash down for their home!

Crystal sent me an early copy of her book, The Money Saving Mom's Budget, at the end of last year and the day I received I was so excited I could hardly put it down to make dinner and get my kids to bed. I started reading it that night and was literally done by the next evening. It is such a great read. She has broken down saving money into easy to digest chapters that walk you through the what it takes to get your family out of debt or, if you have no debt, to streamline your finances so you can save up a nice chunk of money for college educations, a new house, whatever your dreams may be.

Crystal writes,

Maybe you have piles of debt and are always behind on payments. Maybe you feel stuck in a job where you're barely keeping your head above water, and you have two children and a dog to take care of, too. The good news? You're never stuck--unless you choose to be. You can choose to set goals, work hard, get creative, persevere, and make wise choices. Ultimately, these wise choices can propel you to greater financial success than you've ever dreamed.

There are chapters on: Decluttering your life, Learning how to set up a budget, Going credit card-free, Beginning to use coupons, Lowering your grocery bill, and even a chapter on ways to enjoy life with out spending lots of money...hello? date night for many of us these days includes: paying for a babysitter, paying for a dinner out, paying for a movie or some type of activity = spending lots of money!!! If you are interested in reading a chapter and getting a feel for this great book visit Amazon.com to see more.

I truly loved reading this book. Not only was it an easy read but it was jam-packed with lots of tips and information. I had a pen and paper next to me while I read so I could jot down all my notes, all the great tips, and all the web site address she offers to help you save money. I especially loved reading the last page of the book, behind all the free worksheets she offers and the acknowledgements. It's the page where Crystal shares that all the proceeds of this book, every.single.penny., are being donated to Compassion International. How awesome is that? I have to be honest that reading that last paragraph pretty much blew me away. I'm telling you, Crystal is really one amazing woman, how many people would actually do that? (PS. You can actually read more about that here where she wrote more details about it yesterday.)

Thanks to Crystal, I have FIVE brand spankin' new copies of this book to giveaway to FIVE of my lucky readers!! If you'd like a chance to win your very own copy and start saving money and slashing your budget in 2012...

1. Leave a comment telling me what one of your goals in 2012 is this year!

2. Be/Become a fan of Smashed Peas and Carrots and leave me a separate comment saying you did/are!

3. Like Smashed Peas and Carrots on Facebook HERE and leave me a separate comment saying so!

**Must be 18 years or older to enter and a US resident to qualify!!

This giveaway will end Saturday, January 14 2010 at 8 am!!!

Good luck friends!!

XOXO,

Crockpot Apple Cider-RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:47:00 +0000

I played host to another one of our Momma Get Together's recently and I thought I'd share my go-to recipe for some of the best apple cider out there! This recipe is so easy, hello? you make it in a crockpot, and it's perfect for a group gathering on a chilly day. It always gets rave reviews and recipe requests although I'm a little embarrassed to say that it isn't really much of a recipe...there are only 3 ingredients!

On a side note, can I just say I love, love, love my Momma Get Together group time! If you are a momma to any number of children you really need to do this! Gather a group of your friends who have children together once every couple of weeks or once a month and make it a point to enjoy each other. You can do this without kids or with kids--playdate style--but if you do get together with kids you need to make sure you aren't helicoptering around your children so you can enjoy the grown-ups a bit too! I think it is so important for us momma's to have a support system of friends who are in the trenches with you, I mean this job is tough! I truly think my friends are the best ones out there, we share the good, the bad, and the ugly and we keep it real. I know sometimes it's hard to find good people out there especially other mother's that have similar values as you but it is possible. Think of momma's from your children's classes, from church, or even someone you met at the park! What a great New Year's resolution...make it a point to be friendly with other momma's and maybe start your own small group of awesome, it's totally worth it in my opinion!

Crockpot Apple Cider

1 64 oz container of apple cider

2-3 cinnamon sticks

dash of ground nutmeg

Pour the apple cider into a crockpot and add the cinnamon sticks and a dash or two of ground nutmeg. Stir and heat on high until warmed through, about 2-3 hours. Enjoy!

PS. You can find apple cider in the juice aisle any time of year!

This ground nutmeg is seriously the secret ingredient to this recipe. I swear that just a dash or two of this stuff makes the apple cider outstanding! There is just something about a hint of nutmeg I tell you.

Mmm, all warm and cozy and ready for friends to enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

The Top 11 Tutorials of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:43:00 +0000

Wow, so 2011 is really over already? Well my momma just left from her after-Christmas/New Year's visit that she does with us every year, so I know that it's true...2012 is here to stay. I gotta say that I'm missing my momma big time right now. She always helps us ring in the New Year with so much fun and with so many good memories...ahhh, I love her. But let me tell you, I am pretty darn excited for this new year, I have lots of fun and exciting things to share with you in the coming weeks, you will not be able to resist my utter excitement so hold on to your hats folks :-)

But before we get too deep into this New Year, I wanted to do a bit of a recap of last year's awesomeness. I mean, 2011 was a pretty darn great year in my opinion! A few memorable moments that are high on my list from this past year are: my littlest babe celebrating her first birthday, I taught my first sewing class (in which there are now many more slated for 2012!), and my boutique clothing and accessories line has exceeded all of our expectations for 2011 and blew us out of the water in utter joy of what lies ahead! Phew, what a year!

Today, I thought I would look back at your favorite posts from 2011...I have to admit, this is always so fun to do. I love to see what tutorials, sewing projects, and recipes you all enjoyed the most. So without further ado, let me introduce the Top 11 of 2011, Enjoy!

11. Eloise's Vintage Cookies and Milk First Birthday Party

10. Trim and Ribbon Organization

9. Crockpot French Onion Soup

8. The Sandwich Cozy Tutorial

7. How to Sew Bias Tape Tutorial

6. Little Girls' Knit Legwarmers Pattern

5. Vintage Tie Apron Pattern and Tutorial

4. Crockpot BBQ Chicken and Oven Fries

Aaaand, now for the Top 3 in 2011...drum roll please!

3. DIY Taco Seasoning

2. Little Girl's Crossover Pinafore Pattern and Tutorial

1. No-Bake Energy Bites

Woot! And there it is, another amazing year done and celebrated in Top 10...err, 11...fashion!

I just want to say a huge Thank You to all of you who stop by and support Smashed Peas and Carrots on a daily basis, it truly means so much to me to have you here and share my creative brain with all of you. You really help keep this blog going with your sweet, supportive comments, personal emails and of course all of our lovely Facebook chats! Thanks for helping to keep this momma sane!!

Big Hugs to you all and I hope your 2012 is above and beyond everything you expect it to be!!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

Unplugging.

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:35:00 +0000

Since Christmas is in just a few short days, I think I'm going to unplug from the internet world for a little bit. I'll be back next week sometime, promise. But before I go let me wish each of you a very Merry Christmas (and a Happy Hannukah as that is occurring right now too!) surrounded by those that you love and hopefully some good food too!

My three little elves have opened their Christmas PJ's, our family tradition every year, and are breaking them in nicely for Sunday :-) Noah was über excited about this year's pajamas as he thinks they are real "Elf" pajamas...I guess they do look like elf clothing ;-)

They tore off their clothing and were racing to put them on the night we gave them as part of our Christmas Advent. I love Eloise's belly in this shot, she really is our little 'Ellie Belly'!

I still can't believe we are only days away from completing the kids' Nativity with the Birthday Boy. I still need to wrap him up and get him under the tree on Saturday night after my littles are snug in their beds. Oooh, things to do!

Well, I hope you have all your holiday shopping done, your handmade gifts finished, everything wrapped and ready to place under the tree and if you don't you still have a few days left...ahhh, it's almost time.

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!!!

XOXO,

Fabric-by-Fabric One-Yard Wonders-BOOK REVIEW

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:58:00 +0000

I was lucky enough to get a copy of the new Fabric-by-Fabric One-Yard Wonders book from the publisher not too long ago and I just wanted to share a bit about it with y'all in case you needed to buy a last minute Christmas gift for a certain crafty someone...maybe that's you?

I own the first One-Yard Wonders book and I loved it like many of you. But can I just tell you that the second book is even better! First off, this book has a ton of projects (101 to be exact!) that use a variety of different types of materials, not just cottons but knits, voiles, corduroy, oil cloth, home decor, and more. And the book is broken up into sections of projects that work with each one, ahhh, it's organized so everything is easy to find, me likey a lot. Secondly, it comes with a whole slew of patterns in one of those handy dandy pattern pocket holders in the front of the book. YAY! I love when a book includes patterns.

There are so many great projects, some that I have dog-eared for my To-Do-Now list include: 'The Camp Shirt'. So adorable and perfect for my little Noah.

The 'Work in Comfort' Travel Set but mainly the lap desk. I have been wanting to make a lap desk for Noah and Penelope to use in the car. Especially to use during our long cross-country drives when we visit my family.

I absolutely love these 'Pajama Boots'...how cute are they! If I didn't run out of time, these would have made great Christmas gifts for a few people I know. Do you think Ryan Gosling would make me a pair?

"Hey Girl.

I noticed you dog-eared those Pajama Boots in the new One-Yard Wonders book so yesterday I took a day off of work to make them for you."

And lastly, I think this 'Umbrella Redo' is so cool. I really want to make raincoats with matching umbrellas for Penelope and Eloise. They would be so cute splashing around in puddles this spring in a cute laminated cotton print.

Well, I hope you enjoyed a peek into this great book. I think it would be the perfect addition to your crafty library and with 101 projects in it there will always be something to work on!

XOXO,

Patchwork Mug Rug-TUTORIAL

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:44:00 +0000

I thought I'd bring another one of the tutorials I did for Delish magazine home again today. This mug rug would be the perfect gift to make for someone this Christmas, especially nice because you could even use up some scraps! Plus, you could certainly get a few done in under an hour...yay for gifts done in a flash!

Patchwork Mug Rug

(10) 5 x 5 inch fabric squares from a charm pack or scraps of the same size

(1) 10 x10 inch piece of cotton batting or felt

1 package of coordinating extra wide double fold bias tape

coordinating thread

sewing machine

rotary cutter and mat

straight needles

iron and ironing board

Gather your ten pieces of coordinating charm squares or scraps and decide how you would like to have them situated on both the front and the back of the mug rug. The front will consist of two 5 x 5 inch pieces of fabric and five 2.5 x 5 inch pieces. The back will consist of four 5 x 5 inch pieces only. For this mug rug I used a charm pack from the beautiful Bliss by Bonnie and Camille..love this line! If you remember, I used this line in Eloise's first birthday party earlier this year too :-)

Take two 5 x 5 squares that will be on the front right side of the mug rug and sew them right sides together at one end using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

On the wrong side, press the seam apart like the picture above.

Next cut four of the charm squares in half into 2.5 x 5 inch pieces. You will only need to choose five of these pieces for the front side of the mug rug.

Sew two of these pieces of fabric, wrong sides together, along the longer 5 inch side using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Continue to do this until all pieces of fabric are joined together.

With the wrong side up, press each seam open.

Next take the strip of fabric you just finished and the first two squares you joined together earlier and sew them together with right sides facing along one of the longer sides only.

Now take the remaining four pieces of 5 x 5 inch charm squares and sew them all together like we did earlier, making sure to use a 1/4 seam allowance and pressing the seams open when done.

You should have both front and back pieces finished now!

Next take the piece of cotton batting or felt and sandwich it between the front and back pieces, making sure both pieces have their right sides facing out.

Pin around the outside edges to keep the batting from moving while sewing the next step.

Time to quilt the mug rug! Starting down the center of the mug rug, sew a straight line down from one edge to the opposite side. Then move your fabric over about 1/2 inch from your center line and sew another straight line. Continue sewing straight lines until you have quilted the whole mug rug.

Using your rotary cutter clean up the edges of the mug rug by cutting it down to a 9 x 9 inch square.

Take your bias tape and sew it around the mug rug making sure to catch all the raw edges while you sew.

If you need some help with how to sew with bias tape, check out my tutorial here!

All done! And perfect for gifting to someone special this holiday season :-)

Happy sewing my friends!

XOXO,

Holiday Cornflake Wreaths-RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:14:00 +0000

One of my favorite holiday treats to make (and eat!) this time of year are Holiday Cornflake Wreaths. Maybe you make them too? Oh man, they are so good. We made these every Christmas when I was little and now I make them with my littles :-) Making them is a great activity for the preschool set too as they can help you pour the cereal, count out the marshmallows and of course lick the spoon and bowl when you are done...every kids favorite part, am I right!

I always drop mine by the spoonful into individual mini wreaths because they are easier to add to our cookie trays we hand out every year but my momma always made one giant circular cornflake wreath for our family to enjoy.

Holiday Cornflake Wreaths

30 large marshmallows

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp green food coloring

4 cups cornflake cereal

red decorating sprinkles or sanding sugar

Place the marshmallows and butter in a large microwavable-safe bowl and heat for 1 minute in the microwave. Stir until butter and marshmallows are completely melted. Add in vanilla and green food coloring and stir until the color is mixed throughout. Add in 4 cups of cornflakes and stir until completely coated. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased sheet of wax paper. While still warm, add red sprinkles or sanding sugar for the holly berries. Enjoy!

Grab yourself a bag of large marshmallows and count out 30 little puffs of happiness.

Place them in a microwave-safe bowl with 1/4 cup butter and microwave on high for 1 minute. The marshmallows should puff up pretty big when done. Grab a spoon and stir them until the marshmallows and butter are nice and melted.

Then add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 2 tsp of green food coloring and stir until the food coloring is nicely incorporated. Yup, as you can see I ran out of green coloring, hrmph! I ended up using 1 teaspoon of yellow food coloring and 1 teaspoon of blue food coloring for this batch instead...yeah, we've been making these a lot this week :-)

Then add in four cups of cornflake cereal.

Stir it up until the cornflakes are well coated...nice and GREEN! Then drop by spoonfuls onto a greased piece of waxed paper...Mmmm! Now just to warn your this is only slightly a sticky mess, well okay, it's a huge sticky mess but a good one none-the-less.

Then grab some festive red (and/or green) jimmies, holly bits or sanding sugar and lightly sprinkle them over top of each wreath.

Just perfect, I say!

Make yourself a whole bunch of them and then have at those babies if your being naughty.

Or share if you're begin nice!

Merry Christmas to all!

XOXO,

Ginger Kids and Ornaments.

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:11:00 +0000

Just ten days until Christmas, is that right? Well, we continue to be knee deep in Christmas activities that are keeping sweet little hands busy and sweet little faces full of big smiles, how about you? Last year I found these ginormous Gingerbread men, you might remember them from this post here. Well, I went and bought them again, thank you Trader Joe's, and they prove to still be a big hit. Dare I say I might even like decorating these better than Gingerbread houses as there is no wait time for icing to dry after house construction, y'all know what I mean.

Noah is so in love with the movie Prep and Landing and if you hang around my Facebook page you know that I am too, it's just too cute! He wanted to make his Gingerbread man either Lanny or Wayne but really I think he just wanted to put those green goggles on him most!

Here are the completed Ginger Kids. Noah's on the left and Penny's on the right. Yes, those are sprinkles. Everywhere. You can still find them on my kitchen floor as they bounced all over the place during decorating. Oh boy!

Our Christmas Advent yesterday was for the kids to pick out their special ornament for this year although I changed it to be that they would just 'Open' their special ornament. I thought it would be more fun if they had a little package to open so that is what we did. Every year we try to find an ornament that suits their personality. My parents did this for my 3 siblings and I and it was always so fun to get our ornaments out every year and ooh and ahh over them saying, 'oh, I remember this one' and 'this one is my favorite!'

I always like the Hallmark Holiday Keepsake Ornaments, they always have something cute and, so far, fitting to each of our kids every year plus I like that they are package so carefully in their own little box. We write each child's name and the year it was given on the box along with a little note from mommy and daddy. The box makes it easy to put them away once we take the tree down and then we can easily remember who's ornament is who's the next year.

This year, Noah received a Prep and Landing ornament, of course. Totally fitting for him this year.

Penelope, our little ballerina, received a Barbie Ballerina ornament. She is In Love to say the least.

And little Eloise received a Curious George ornament as she is quickly becoming the George fanatic of the house. Good thing we have lots of stuffed George's from Noah's hey day.

So, just 10 more days. Are you ready?

XOXO,

Chewy Chocolate Caramels-RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:44:00 +0000

Need some fun treats this holiday season to give away as a gift to a co-worker, to a neighbor, or a good friend who is always there for you? Well, I have the perfect recipe for your holiday making pleasure, Chewy Chocolate Caramels...YUM!! A great gift to give for the holiday season or really anytime of the year, I mean, who doesn't love getting sweets as a gift, right?

You need a candy thermometer to make these candies, but let me tell you THEY ARE WORTH IT! Making caramels is such a fun science experiment to me, it's totally neat to see this simple liquid mixture become a chewy caramel. They really don't take that much effort to make and when you gift a jar full of caramels you are sure to impress all your friends. Make that chocolate caramels and, well, who knows...it may just land you on the Most Awesome Friend Ever list for life :-)

Chewy Chocolate Caramels

2 cups heavy cream

8 0z bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and then lightly spray again with the cooking spray, set aside. In a medium saucepan bring cream to simmer over medium heat. Add chocolate and stir until melted. Once melted, stir in sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, still over medium heat, and continue to boil until a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees (the Hard-Ball stage). This will take anywhere from 30-45 minutes. Then, remove from heat and stir in butter and salt. Pour caramel mixture into prepared pan without scraping the saucepan and let stand uncovered for 8 hours or until completely set.

Lift caramel out of pan via parchment paper and cut into squares with a sharp knife. Wrap pieces in waxed paper and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks...ENJOY!

Here is everything you'll need to make these babies!

Alright, so first spray your pan...line with parchment paper...and spray again!

Finely chop your bittersweet chocolate...

Add your chocolate to your simmering cream...

Once your chocolate is melted, add the sugar and corn syrup...

Let boil until a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees...the Hard-Ball stage!

Okay, so what is the Hard-Ball stage you ask?

It's when you drop some of the caramel mixture into a bowl of cold water and the caramel forms a hard ball. This ball can be squished with firm pressure, like the picture above!!

Next, pour the caramel mixture into your prepared pan and let it set up (cool!) for about 8 hours.

Then, cut your caramel into pieces and wrap in waxed paper. Me really likey the look of the natural brown waxed paper...it feels so old skool candy shop to me.

Fill up a glass jar with a generous amount, add a bow on top, and you have yourself a pretty little gift for holiday gift giving!!

Or you could just open up that jar and unwrap a piece for yourself...

YUM...now doesn't that look good!

Have yourself a little bite...

And smile...chocolate just does that to us, doesn't it?
And Chocolate Caramels could just put me over the edge!

XOXO,

Santa Disguise Photo Booth Props {Tutorial}

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:02:00 +0000

Earlier this fall I was asked by the lovely Stephanie Lynn of Under the Table and Dreaming to participate in a series that ran on her blog in November called Handmade Holidays featuring STYROFOAM™ brand foam. The series included 25 bloggers who were to create holiday projects using STYROFOAM™ brand foam products. I was excited to be asked to participate to say the least! I wanted to re-post my project for you today in case you wanted to make a few for the holidays.

The project I chose to create is not only an easy dress up idea for your kids but it's also a great idea for picture-taking fun at your holiday parties. Santa Disguise Photo Booth Props are the perfect pairing to get everyone into the Christmas spirit!

Santa Disguise Photo Booth Props (Makes One Beard and One Santa Hat)

One sheet white card stock

One sheet stiff red felt

1 package 1 1/2" STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam Balls (12 count)

1 package 1" STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam Balls (16 count)

Hot glue gun with glue sticks

Scissors or x-acto knife

2 wooden dowels

First, lightly trace the shape of a beard and a mouth opening onto the white card stock. Cut out using a pair of scissors or and x-acto knife.

Heat up your hot glue gun and place just a dab of hot glue onto one 1 1/2" STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam ball at a time.

Place each STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam ball onto the card stock and let cool and dry. Try to fill up your card stock beard as much as possible!

Once cool, flip the beard over and place a few dabs of hot glue onto the backside. Press one end of a wooden dowel into the glue, let cool and dry.

For the Santa Hat, cut out a triangle from the sheet of stiffened red felt.

Using the 1" STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam balls, place dabs of hot glue onto each and press onto the bottom edge of the hat forming the white brim. Take one of the remaining 1 1/2" STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam balls and hot glue it to the tip of the hat forming the little white puff ball tip that is classic to Santa's hat. Let the hot glue cool and dry and then flip the hat over to the backside to add the wooden dowel via a few dabs of hot glue. Once the dowel is set, your Santa Disguise is ready to play with, hooray!

It's so much fun pretending to be Santa Clause!

Or playing peek-a-boo with his red hat!

I hope you make a few of these this holiday season. They are sure to make your holiday party a hit!

XOXO,

An Experience Christmas Advent {Free Printable}

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:41:00 +0000

I know it's December 6 (already! Happy Birthday Dad!) but I wanted to share our Christmas Advent with you this year because my littles have been loving it...and I figured if my kids love it then your kids may too. If you haven't started an Advent this season Do Not Worry! You still have plenty of time to jump in and if your kids are anywhere near mine in age (5, 3, 1) than they probably won't know that you are starting a few days late anyways and I'm sure they will still love the daily activity of it all, heck I do!

I know I've shown you our Christmas Advent house before, but for those that are new to the blog here is a peek at what it looks like. It's a simple little house containing small 2 x 2 inch doors leading to little compartments behind each one. Last year I filled our house with candy which the kids loved but it was just a bit of a candy overload for me as their momma. Especially since they wanted to eat the candy at 7 in the morning. So this year I decided to do an "Experience" Christmas Advent where we would forget the candy and instead I would place little pieces of paper inside each door printed with something for them to do each day. I saw this idea on Pinterest a while ago and I thought it was so neat that I had to make up my own!

PS. Have you joined Pinterest yet? It's sooo awesome, inspiration galore...you have got to join! My Pinterest boards can be found here if you want to follow!

Here's a little look at my printed "Experience" Christmas Advent above. I came up with 24 ideas for days 1-24 in December and then on Day 25, Christmas Day, the kids will get to unwrap the little baby Jesus that belongs to their Nativity set since he really is the best gift of all!

If you would like to print one out for your family just click here: Christmas Advent 2011

You could always change some of them to suit your family's needs better, I realize not everyone may have our family's traditions. But maybe some of these you'll find you like and will want to add to what you already do. Some other ideas I had that didn't make this list that we will also do include:

Write a Letter to a Soldier Overseas (with mom and dad's help of course!)

Send a box of goodies to a Soldier Overseas

Sing Carols at a Nursing Home

Shovel the Sidewalk for a Neighbor

Bring a Tray of Goodies to a Hospital (for the staff or the patients)

Make Popcorn or Cranberry Garland for the Tree

Make Homemade Marshmallows

Decorate a Gingerbread House

I cut each Experience into strips with a paper cutter and then used a calendar to match them to a day that I thought fit best since we have to work around the kids' school and activities schedule. I also placed "Visit a Nativity" and "Drive Around to See Christmas Lights" and similar ones like those on weekend days since we have more time to do those types of activities on the weekends.

Then I stuffed each door with an Experience and Voilà! our Christmas Advent was ready to party!

I made sure December 1st had the slip of paper with "Read Elf on the Shelf" as I thought this would be the perfect kick-off to reading the story and having our Elf (named Stocking by the kids) start magically appearing in our house.

If you don't know about Elf on the Shelf you can read more about it here. It is basically a little Elf that appears in your house in a different spot each day and watches over your children. He or she reports back to Santa every night when they sleep to tell him the Good and the Bad of the day. Then Santa writes it all down and decides on Christmas Eve if you belong on the Naughty or Nice list. I saw a commercial on CBS saying that there is going to be an Elf on the Shelf movie this Friday so I think I'll switch a couple slips of paper around so that will be our 'Christmas Movie Night" Activity!

I put the "Sprinkle Food for Santa's Reindeer" slip of paper in the December 24 compartment. For this one I'll make my usual mix I make every year for the kids...

Reindeer Food

1 cup dry Oatmeal

1 Tbsp Green Sugar Sprinkles

1 Tbsp Red Sugar Spinkles

Mix all ingredients together in a mason jar or ziploc bag. Let your kids sprinkle handfuls on the driveway or lawn on the night before Christmas to give Santa's reindeer a snack to eat while they wait for Santa to do his job!

I hope you try out our Christmas Advent, it really is so much fun to do.

And as always, if you have any questions just let me know!

XOXO,

Sweets and Treats and Stocking Stuffers

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:33:00 +0000

Hi all! I just had two things I wanted to let you know about today...

I was super honored to be asked to be a guest over at Made yesterday to contribute to Dana's Sweets and Treats Christmas Advent! If you haven't already heard, Dana is hosting 25 days of delicious Sweets and Treats every single day in December until Christmas, such a great idea as I love me some Christmas Advents :-) If you head on over you will find my tried and true and most delicious recipe for my Maple Walnut Chocolates...

Mmm...if you haven't tried them you must, they are seriously like making your very own box of chocolates AND in your own house, holla for that! Dana even created an archive for all the Christmas Countdown goodness here, so if you missed anything you can easily find it all in one handy dandy place, isn't she great?

The second thing I wanted to share with you is that I am contributing to another fun slideshow over at Kirtsy today. This one is all about How to Create DIY Stocking Stuffers. This crafty Christmas slideshow is curated once again by the lovely Sarah Bryden-Brown of Blogstar. There are some great ideas in the slideshow so if you are always scratching your head on this one you must head over and check it out, only 20 days left! You can find the slideshow HERE!

PS. I'll be back tomorrow to share our fun Christmas Advent with you, it's super easy and who says you can't start an advent a few days late anyways...stay tuned!

XOXO,

Klutz Book Giveaway...Winners!!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 17:34:00 +0000

The TWO winners of the Klutz book, Pom Pom Monster Salon, are...

Congrats to Crystal and Karen B (and your daughters!) Please email me at SmashedPeasandCarrots@gmail.com with your mailing information and Klutz will send out your books immediately!

And if you didn't win, remember you can still get 20% off Klutz books with this coupon code:

XOXO,

Cheery Christmas Stockings {Tutorial}

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:21:00 +0000

I was asked recently by Waverly to be a part of their 12 Waverly Bloggers of Christmas, how exciting!! I said yes of course, how could I not? If you head over to Waverly's Facebook page you will find 12 bloggers sharing how to create DIY holiday crafts using Waverly materials every other day or so. The series goes until December 23 so head on over to check it out!

My holiday craft is a modern twist on Christmas Stockings...using of course Waverly's beautiful Modern Essentials line of fabrics. This line is truly gorgeous and has so many vibrant colors to choose from, I think these stockings will add the perfect amount of Christmas cheer to any home this season!

Cheery Christmas Stockings

1/2 yard of two different fabrics per stocking (one for the lining/cuff and one for the outer fabric)

10 inches of Waverly Trim per stocking

scissors or rotary cutters and mat

pinking shears

coordinating thread

sewing machine

iron an ironing table

hand sewing needle

pins

First hand sketch a stocking template in the dimensions written above. The top 5 inches of the stocking are flared about 1 inch on each side which will help when we fold the top of the stocking over to make the cuff. Trace and cut two stockings from your outer fabric choice and two stockings from your lining fabric choice.

Next, grab your trim. I used this pretty 1/4" piping from Waverly. You can get it here.

Cut a 10 inch piece of trim and fold it in half. Place the the two stocking cut outs that will be your lining so that they are right sides together. Fold the top fabric piece back and place the looped trim about 5 inches from the top of your stocking on the side opposite the foot of the stocking, this will become the hanging loop for your stocking. Make sure to place the looped part inside the stocking (middle picture) with just a small portion of the trim showing over the edge. Fold the top fabric back over top and pin the trim in place.

Place two more pins about 2-3 inches apart at the bottom foot of the stocking lining. This will be the opening you will use to turn you lining inside out. So now your stocking lining should look like the picture above.

Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew down with sides only (not the top!) of the stocking lining and stop when you get to each of the bottom foot pins. Your stocking lining should now be completely sewn together and have a small opening at the very bottom of the foot as well as a top opening.

Take the outer stocking fabric pieces and place them right sides together, then sew them together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Now the outer stocking should be completely sewn together minus the top opening.

Grab your pinking shears if you have them and trim around the boot and heel of both the lining and outer stockings, this will help keep the curved edges flat when turning your stocking right side out. Make sure you take care not to cut through your seam allowances. You can always use a pair of scissors to clip notches in these rounded areas too.

Next, turn the outer stocking right side out and place it inside of the lining stocking until the upper edges of the stocking line up as well as both left and right seams (see picture on the right).

Your stocking should now look like this (above).

Next, sew the upper edges of the lining and outer stocking together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Make sure to only sew the two layers together and not all four!

Now shimmy the lining part of the stocking up and over the outer part using the small opening we created earlier. Once the lining is completely separated from the outer stocking, use your hand or a chopstick to push the seams flat at the boot of the stocking lining. Sew the opening closed by hand.

Push the lining into the stocking and press with an iron to make the top edge nice and flat. Fold the top edge down about 5 inches so that the hanging loop pops out and you are done!

Now you have some cheery and festive stockings to give to the ones you love.

You can create stockings that coordinate with one another or stockings that are individualized to each recipient's personality...so many options!

And remember, you can shop all of Waverly's products here.

Aaaand if you go to Waverly's Facebook page you can enter to win TWO $100 gift cards!

One to JoAnn Fabrics and one to Michael's, now how's that for a Merry Christmas!

XOXO,