Timmy the Tooth

Dallin lost his 4th tooth tonight. I finally got around to making him something to put his teeth in for the tooth fairy! We named him "Timmy the Tooth" and the boys love him. Aaron even made up a little song about him.

I took a sheet of white felt that I had in my enormous felt stash (felt is good for sooooo many craft projects!!) and cut out two pieces in the shape of a tooth. I free-handed the tooth pattern and Aaron informed me that it looked nothing like a tooth. Well, it'll have to do.

I put some thin batting in between, then sewed around all of the edges, a close 1/4" seam, except for the top. As you can see, I came down with the stitches and made a small pocket, then continued up and around the rest of the tooth. Then I glued a felt smile and two googly eyes on for the face! I also trimmed closely around the seam to clean up the edges.

The pocket is big enough to slide the tooth in and out of and keeps it nice and snug so that it doesn't fall out while under a pillow or being carried around the house (which is what has been happening here tonight).

Total cost for this little project, probably .25.

Somebody will be $1 richer tomorrow :)

Kabobs and Potatoes

My kids will try pretty much any kind of meat if it is on a stick. We eat "chicken on a stick" or "chicken pops" all the time. For a change, I made kabobs.

I marinated my chicken cubes in with a packet of zesty Italian marinade (made according to the package) and 1/2 c. Caesar dressing. I let it sit for 45 minutes, then loaded up the sticks. 1 piece of chicken, a 1/2 strip of bacon (rolled), and a small piece of asparagus, repeat. No preparation needed for the asparagus. Being next to the bacon fat as it cooks keeps it from sticking to the grill.

I also made GRILLED POTATOES. I like this recipe because it is quick. Other grilled potato recipes take 45 minutes to make. This one cuts time by microwaving the potatoes ahead of time, then grilling them. I added salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dill weed to the potatoes after brushing with olive oil.

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

I was finally able to find a recipe that resembled our favorite blueberry muffin mix from Duncan Hines. These are sooo good! Derrick isn't big on breads and pastries, but he really liked these. 3,000 ratings can't be wrong!

Source: allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake for 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Pepperoni Bread!

This recipe came from a member on Coastie Chicks. Since it is a private site, I snapped my own pictures and posted the recipe on here instead of creating a link. This is such a kid-friendly recipe. Dallin LOVED it! Super easy, 3 ingredients!
Roll out 1 can of refrigerator pizza crust. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and add pepperoni. Roll up dough tightly, tucking ends with each roll. Sprinkle with more cheese on top if desired.
Bake @ 425 for 15-18 minutes!

Silhouettes!

I LOVE the silhouette wall hangings. I've seen them on many blogs lately and have been wanting to do them for our family. I bought the wooden plaques at Hobby Lobby with my sister (she is making these too), painted the rim black, attached some vintage looking turquoise scrapbook paper (using spray adhesive), then added the silhouette. To see how to make the silhouettes, quick and easy, click here.

Last year for Christmas gifts, I mod-podged photos of the kids onto ceramic ornaments. I think this year I'll do silhouettes on ceramic ornaments for our tree.

I'm still deciding if I like them against the red wall. At least they are straight, that's a huge step for me. I am technically challenged when it comes to hanging ANYTHING on walls. Derrick always does it for me to avoid 6 different holes for one picture :)

Aaron

Christmas in July Birthday Party

Dallin was invited to a friend's birthday party this Saturday. Her theme is "Christmas in July". I thought it would be fitting to make her a stocking to hold her gifts in. I just used some felt that I already had and sewed it up pretty quick. Then I added a bunch of little arts and craft items, a candy cane, and a ring pop. Hope she likes it!

My Finished Skirt!

Finally a sewing project that I can wear! I love how this skirt turned out, very comfortable and stretchy. I can't remember the last time I sewed a clothing item for myself....it may have been in high school when I made a jumper. Usually I just make myself handbags. Anyways...check out the tutorial!