The Simple Cake

Baby Boy Shower Cake

2012-02-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

My daughter asked me to make a smallish cake for a baby shower this weekend. Since I'm in the midst of a remodel project, and since the creative juices (for a cake anyway) weren't flowing, I resorted to surfing the Internet for ideas.

What did we ever do without the Internet?

Anyway, I came across a website called My Sweet & Saucy. Talk about some awesome cakes!! I found exactly what I wanted to make.

Here's my version:

I frosted the cake with buttercream. The background tan background and the pregnant lady are fondant.

My son, who can draw anything, was over yesterday, so I conned him into drawing my pregnant lady, using the one I found to go by. I'd say he got it pretty close!. I think my lady may be a few weeks behind the other one, but close!!

I cut the lady he drew out, laid her on my fondant and carefully cut her out with a small sharp knife. Pretty easy! For the touches of blue, I used the same buttercream that I frosted the cake with. I love how it turned out!

Here's a close-up:

Congratulations on the new baby boy, Sarah!!

More Wedding Dress Decorated Cookies

2012-01-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some more Wedding Dress decorated cookies I made for a wedding shower recently.

I love making these!

I made tuxedos as well, but, of course, I failed to get one single picture of any of them!!

In case you haven't seen any of my previous cookie posts, I use glaze instead of royal icing.

Recipes can be found on this blog.

Grand Baby #8!!

2012-01-26T18:29:00.000-08:00

Our eighth grand baby, January Noelle, decided to join the family last weekend. She weight in at a whopping 5 pounds 6 ounces. A real big girl!! I hardly knew how to hold her.

Isn't she a little beauty? I'm in love!

Congratulations, Nate & Jen!!

Carousel Shower Cake

2012-01-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

We had a shower for Jen and January last week, just a couple of days before January made her appearance.

Here's the cake I put together:

Jen is doing the nursery in an old timey (is that even a word?) theme. The predominate colors are baby pink and cream. I found this musical carousel snow globe at Hobby Lobby and decided it would work perfect for her cake and for her room.

The cake itself was simple - just a 12" two layer.

After frosting the top of the cake and a crumb coat on the sides (buttercream), I used a 2D tip on the sides.

The cake plate is a large cut glass plate on top of an upside down crystal bowl. I put a strand of Christmas lights under the bowl to illuminate it.

Thomas The Train Birthday Cake

2012-01-19T18:12:00.000-08:00

Peyton turned two this month. It's hard to believe! Time really does fly!

Peyton is into trains at this stage of his life, namely, Thomas the Train. So there was no other option for his cake!

Here's what I came up with:

Not to be outdone by her cousin's second birthday party, little January decided she wanted to arrive in time for the party! Things didn't go quite as planned, however, and she arrived later in the evening after the party was over.

But I still had to make the cake with her mommy and daddy in the hospital. So this was a really rushed cake. And easy!!

For this cake, I used whipped frosting purchased at Sam's. I tinted the frosting for the top tier blue for the sky and the bottom tier brown. The hills, trees, shrubs, clouds and flag are all made of craft foam. The trains are all from Peyton's collection. For the number 2, I painted a wood number red, then hot glued a dowel to it and pushed it down into the cake. I told you it was easy!! My kind of cake.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Peyton!!

Hot Pink, Black and Turquoise Shower Cake

2012-01-09T12:22:00.000-08:00

I made this cake for my cousin's personal shower.

I had to travel for a couple of hours to the shower, so I opted for a design with add-ons only. No fancy decorating!

So this was a very easy cake to do. I used the black lace to give it a "garter" effect. I think it worked. The only thing I don't like are the diamonds. They look like headlight in these pics!! I didn't notice that at the shower, so it must be from the camera flash.

Congrats, Anna!!

More Christmas Cookies!

2012-01-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the nineteen dozen cookies I made Christmas week. Most of these are the same, my signature Christmas tree design. Since they were going into numerous gifts to be given to different people, I decided the same design would work. Plus, it was much quicker!!

I'm hoping nobody wants any cookies in the near future!!

Rocking Horses!

2012-01-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

For the past several years, we have endeavored to give homemade gifts for Christmas. It has been so much fun . . . . . and so challenging!!

It was the first of November and we were having a difficult time coming up with ideas. Crafter's block, I guess!

Our son arrived home from Vanuatu, with his expectant wife, and told us he wanted to build a rocking horse for the baby's nursery. That was what we needed to hear! We set out to build rocking horses for the baby who is due to arrive in January, aptly named "January", as well as our other three grandchildren under the age of two.

Here are the pics I promised:

Kami was the first to see her horse:

Uncle Nate showing her how it's done:

This is mine?????

Cool!!

Sydney was next. She had just woke up from a nap, so she wasn't overly expressive:

Then Peyton. Nobody had to show him how it was done!!

Here are a couple pics of the horses before they were finished. I'm terrible about taking pictures during a project! I will try to do better. If we ever make these again, for future grand babies, there are several shortcuts we will make, one of them being not having so many tight areas to paint! Especially since the painting turned out to be my contribution to the project!

We have more hours in these than I care to admit, but after seeing the grand kids play on them all evening, I've decided it was time well spent!

I've linked up with:

I've linked up to Kara's "Look What I Made" Linky Party!

Cake Pops!

2011-12-26T10:36:00.001-08:00

This was my first attempt at making Cake Pops!

They were a big hit, even with the adults in the crowd!

These are so easy to make.

First bake a cake according to the directions. After the cake has cooled, simple crumble it in a large bowl. (Note: I used a cake that I had in the freezer for a birthday that didn't get used. I let it thaw, then crumbled it.)

Next, add about a cup to a cup and a half of frosting. I used a homemade recipe, but you can use store bought it you want.

Mix it all together forming a big ball. Break off small pieces and roll into small balls.

Place the small balls on a cookie sheet and freeze.

Next, melt some chocolate and dip the stick into the chocolate before inserting into the cake ball. This will help keep the ball on the stick while dipping it. Stick the cookie sheet in the freezer for a few minutes to let the stick set good.

Dip the cake pop in melted chocolate, almond bark, etc. Swirl a little to get the excess off. Sprinkle with colored sugar, candies, etc.

Stick the cake pops in a piece of Styrofoam as you finish dipping them. Put them back in the freezer for a couple of hours.

That's it!!

Ornament Cookies

2011-12-26T08:20:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the ornament cookies I made this year:

My cookies are not nearly as complex as some I have seen this season, but they are quick and easy to do!

Here's a chocolate snowflake:

I tried this Brown Sugar Roll-Out Cookie recipe that I found over at The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle. It was a big hit!!

And since we're not celebrating Christmas with our family until New Year's Eve, I have many, many more cookies to make this week!!

Christmas Gifts

2011-12-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

Last year, as Christmas gifts, we made these dollhouse headboards for three of our granddaughters.

They were ALOT of work, but well worth the effort!!

This year, we have several Christmas gift projects going. But since this is our off year, meaning that my children and their families all go to the in-laws for Christmas, we won't be celebrating with them until New Year's Eve. So the pics will have to wait until then!!

I can't wait to show you what we're making!!

A Good Use For Last Year's Christmas Cards

2011-12-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

Are you like me and hate to throw out those Christmas cards after Christmas? Some of them are just so pretty!!

Last year, I think it was in March or April actually, I decided to toss the Christmas cards. But then, they were so pretty, and there just had to be a good use for perfectly good Christmas cards. So I cut off the front part and kept them.

While browsing online today I came across this. Perfect!!

I didn't have the foam ball on hand, so I used a spool of thread. And I couldn't find my red ribbon, so I used tinsel instead.

I think theirs look a little better than mine, but you get the idea.

So go ahead and save those Christmas cards for next year!!

Girly Polk-a-Dot Cake

2011-12-12T07:13:00.000-08:00

Here's an easy cake for you.

Whipped frosting, fondant dots of various sizes, a fluffy feather boa and multicolored ribbon!

Doesn't take much time, but it's a very striking cake. It will be loved by the little girl in your life!!

Hunter Orange Smiley Face Cookies

2011-12-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

I made these cookies for my nephew who was in the hospital recovering from a hunting accident. Thus the orange color.

Happy Timothy.

Sad Timothy.

Timothy on morphine!

He's recovering nicely, was released from the hospital last week, but has a long way to go before he will be back to normal. Keep your chin up, Timothy!!

Poinsettia Cookies

2011-12-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

First poinsettias of the season!!

Many more to come!!

Delicious Pumpkin Pie Cake

2011-12-02T07:25:00.001-08:00

The only thing that could possibly make this NY better, is if it had a caramel sauce drizzled on top of it!!

This is my son-in-law's favorite cake. It's his mother's recipe, but since the family was with us for Thanksgiving, I decided to give it a try.

I was disappointed, to say the least! It was nothing like I remembered the one time I tried it.

A week later, I decided to give it one more shot for our church's Ladies Christmas Party. Wow!! Apparently, I did something wrong when I made it for Thanksgiving and something right when I made it for the Christmas party!! It didn't have time to refrigerate so it was warm and that made it so much better!!

This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Here's the recipe:

Pumpkin Pie Cake

1 white (or yellow) cake mix

1/2 c butter, melted

5 eggs, divided

4 tsp cinnamon, divided

14 oz pumpkin

2 tsp nutmeg, divided

13/4 c sugar, divided

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 c heavy whipping cream

1/4 c butter, cool

Preheat oven to 350.

Measure out 1 cup of cake mix and set aside. Combine remaining cake mix and melted butter. Add 1 egg, 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of nutmeg. Mix well and press into the bottom of a 10 inch form pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin with whipping cream. Add remaining 4 eggs, 1 1/2 c sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, and remaining 1 tsp of nutmeg. Add salt, ginger and cloves. Mix with whisk and pour over unbaked crust. Set aside.

Combine reserved cake mix with remaining tsp of cinnamon, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup cool butter. Mix until crumbly and sprinkle over pumpkin filling.

Bake 90 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean. Let cool 3 minutes. Remove from pan. Refrigerate. Serve with whipped cream.

Tip: baking cake on a lower rack in oven may help filling set better. Also, put foil in bottom of oven as cake pan might leak.

More Fall Leaf Cookies

2011-11-20T13:29:00.000-08:00

More Fall Leaf Cookies!! Probably the last of the season.

My son actually decorated these. He and his wife have been living in Vanuatu for the last couple of years and he jumped at the chance to do some decorating. Before he got married, he was always helping me out when my schedule was cramped.

He does good, doesn't he?

I guess it helps to be somewhat an artist!

Unlike me. But they sure did taste good!!

Baseball Groom's Cake

2011-11-16T18:40:00.000-08:00

Here's the groom's cake I decorated for my niece's wedding.

The groom, Brett Mooneyham, is a baseball player, a pitcher, actually. My sister found these cute figurines online and they were perfect!!

The cake was chocolate with chocolate buttercream frosting and green tinted buttercream for the grass. I used white fondant for the base lines.

Congrats, Brett & Ashley!!

Elegant Diamond Wedding Cake

2011-11-15T18:12:00.001-08:00

Here's what I did while in California this week!!

Kind of.

It was actually a joint effort. Because my niece's wedding was two hours away from where she lives, my sister opted to go with a "fake" cake. Except for the bottom tier, which another of my nieces made and delivered.

My sister purchased 8", 10", 12" and 14" Styrofoam cake forms, which we then covered with Wilton fondant. When the bottom 16" arrived, I stacked the fake tiers on the real tier, added the ribbon and "diamonds" and that was it.

Simple elegance!!

Here's a sheet cake I put together, continuing the "diamond" theme.

Congratulations, Mr.& Mrs. Brett Mooneyham!! Love you both!

Scooby-Doo Cake

2011-11-07T15:50:00.000-08:00

My now six year old granddaughter, Nicole, has long been a Scooby-Doo fan. So, naturally, I wanted to come up with the appropriate Scooby-Doo cake for her birthday.

Years back, when our kids were small, my husband would make cartoon cakes for their birthdays. I remember a Dennis the Menace and a Garfield cake. I think there were more, but I can't think of what they were.

Anyway, I thought it would be cute to do another cartoon cake. This is what we came up with.

Nicole loved it, by the way!

Happy 6th Birthday, Nicole!

My Favorite Time of the Year!

2011-10-31T08:45:00.000-07:00

I don't do a lot of seasonal decorating, but I did pick these cute little pumpkins up on clearance at Hobby Lobby after Thanksgiving a couple years back. So I set them around every year and the grand kids think they're fun! There are four different sizes and I think I paid 10 cents each for the small ones and 30 and 40 cents each for the two larger sizes.

Oh, I always buy the candy corn too, but it doesn't last long as a decoration!!

I picked up this cute "Give Thanks" cup and plate at Cracker Barrel last weekend. Love it!! And a friend gave me this cute tiered server for letting her family stay at my home for a couple of nights last week while they were in the area. Wasn't that sweet?

This little girl hangs on my door most years during the fall. I picked her up several years back at Big Lots thinking my grand daughters would like her. When my next to oldest grand daughter (who is six now) was younger, she didn't like me to use it. She said it hurt the little girls arms to hang like that for so long!!

And fall wouldn't be complete without a good Pumpkin Spice candle making the house smell wonderful!!

I hope you're having a wonderful fall!!

Words To Live By!

2011-10-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

I found this quote on a friend's Facebook page and thought it was worth posting here.

"If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in it's place, but have not love - I am a housekeeper, not a homemaker."

Chocolate Wasted Cake!!

2011-10-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

I've been dying to try this cake ever since I saw this post over at Art of Dessert! So here's my version.

My nephew, who can never get a cake that is chocolaty enough, asked me to make his 20th birthday cake. I knew exactly which cake I was going to try!

I used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa instead of regular cocoa. Wow!!

I did cut one cup of cocoa out of the frosting though, since I used the dark. I was afraid it was going to be a "Death By Chocolate" cake!

Here are a few of the cupcakes:

How would I rate this recipe?

It was a more dense cake that I prefer, but the people at the party who prefer a dense cake loved it! My husband was one of them.

I'd say Peyton enjoyed his too!! Check out those chocolate eyes!!

Happy Birthday, James!!

Fall Leaf Cookies

2011-10-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year and I've been dying to do some fall leaf cookies! I finally got the chance!!

A friend wanted me to do some for her and I decided to do some for my son and daughter-in-law as a welcome home gift!

I took pics, but as usual, I had most of them bagged before I remembered.

These are so much fun to do. You really can't mess them up.

I used a toothpick to drag the colors through the filled cookie.

Last time I made these, I poured the glaze over them. This time, I outlined and filled. I think I like the outlined cookie better. Of course, I could also have outlined these and achieved the same affect. That's the fun of doing these - there's no wrong way to do them!!

I hope you're enjoying this beautiful fall season as much as I am!!

My Little Clowns!!

2011-10-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night was the annual Chili Supper for the school my grand kids go to. The theme this year was "A Night at the Circus"! My project for the week was to make clown costumes for three of them. I made Nicole, Sylvie and Sydney's costumes.

Here are all my little clowns!

Emily:

Peyton:

He won the "best dressed" prize for his category!

Natalie: (she didn't want to be a clown, so she was a popcorn girl)

My sad little clown, Nicole:

A couple little boys made fun of her and ruined her night! I told her to ignore them, but it didn't work.

Sylvie:

Sydney:

I didn't get a picture with her face painted. It was actually already washed off when she arrived!!

And, last but not least . . . .

Kami:

Her mommy didn't dress her up, but isn't she cute?

Here they all are together:

Pink & Green Birthday Cake

2011-10-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

We just celebrated my youngest grand baby's first birthday!! Her mommy decided on a pink & green theme.

Here's what we came up with:

She had wings and everything!!

And she enjoyed her cake immensely!!

The bottom layer of the cake was covered with light pink, dark pink and green fondant stripes. The middle layer was frosted with whipped frosting from Sam's. For "Kami" we used gum paste. The top layer was also frosted with whipped frosting and the little butterflies were made of gum paste. We used my mini Cricut for the butterflies.

Happy 1st Birthday, Kami!!

How Does Your Sewing Machine Sew????

2011-10-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

A couple months back, I purchased a Singer 4423 Heavy Duty machine. My old Singer machine which I used for over twenty-two years, finally kicked the bucket. I spent some time looking at different machines and finally decided on this one.

As it turns out, it may not have been a wise decision. I'm now on my second one!

The first one had some trouble with "birdnesting" but I could usually work with it and it would do alright. But then last night, something inside snapped and it wouldn't work at all!! So I returned it and exchanged it for the same model.

Big mistake!!

I have been trying to sew the same seem for at least three hours!! This is a sample of what is happening.

I have tried re-threading it, top and bottom, at least a dozen times. I have re-wound the bobbin, I have tried every tension setting. I have adjusted everything there is to adjust. I've read and re-read the instruction manual. Now I've decided, "Who needs this?" Even if I get it working like it's supposed to, who's to say I won't have to go through this EVERY time I sew? It shouldn't be that hard, should it?

I don't have time for this! This little outfit should have been done hours ago!! I have another just like it still to make!!

Instead, I will make yet another trip to the store and return yet another machine.

I think I'll go for a cheapie this time.

Oh, by the way, after the fact I looked up this machine online. Turns out a lot of seamstresses are having the very same trouble!!

More Arkansas and Razorback Cookies

2011-10-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

I made seventy-five each of these for a friend this week!

I'm ready to move on to something else!!

If You're Wondering Where All Those Posts Came From . . .

2011-10-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

Just in case you're wondering where all those additional posts came from . . . . I had another blog besides this one. I decided that one blog was quite enough to keep up with, so I kind of merged them!

It was easy to do. First, I exported the other blog posts to my computer, then I imported it all to this blog. Once all the posts were here, I chose which ones to publish and which ones to delete. It was a lot less complicated than I thought it would be!

Just thought you might like to know.

Bright Smiley Face Cookies

2011-09-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

When I asked Jen, my daughter-in-law in Vanuatu, what she wanted for her birthday, she said, "Cookies!!"

So that's what I did.

I sent a box of three dozen pink and purple Smiley Face Cookies. They arrived in a little less than two weeks, right on her birthday!!

Hope it was a great one, Jen!!

Butterfly Cupcakes & Cookies

2011-09-22T19:47:00.001-07:00

Sylvie wanted a Butterfly Cake for her fourth birthday. Due to a conflict in schedules, a cake was out of the question. So we decided on cupcakes.

Here's what I came up with:

I made cookies as well, but didn't get a picture. You can see enough to get the idea in this picture:

I can't believe you're four, Sylvie!! Hope you had a very Happy Birthday!!

Train Birthday Cake

2011-08-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

This train cake was made for the first birthday of a little boy whose dad grew up with my kids.

The cake is frosted with whipped buttercream from Sam's. The train, mountains, clouds and greeting are all made of fondant.

Hope you had a Happy Birthday, Tristan!!

More Razorback Cookies

2011-08-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

State of Arkansas and Razorback cookies for a friend who was hosting a Republican Women's meeting in Arkansas.

Once again, I forgot to take pictures before bagging them!

Another Doll House Headboard

2011-08-06T11:50:00.000-07:00

Wow!! I haven't been on here for a while! This has been one busy summer.

I was going through some pictures and realized I hadn't put this headboard on here. We made this one for our granddaughter, Emily, for Christmas.

You might remember this headboard that we made for Natalie and Nicole.

Emily has a smaller bed and a much smaller room, so we had to build her headboard a bit different.

I think it looks a bit plain. I'm going to come up with something to add to it, to kind of fill in the blank spaces. Someday soon. I'll post pics when I do!

Music Themed Wedding Cake

2011-07-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

Ruth and I made this wedding cake for a friend she used to work with. Ruth was also in the wedding, so it's been a stressful week!

Both the bride and groom are music majors, so the cake was fitting. They had a bride and groom topper they planned on putting on top of the cake, but it was wobbly and top-heavy, so they didn't use it.

Again, congratulations, Carrie and Tim!

Microphone Groom's Cake

2011-07-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

I guess there's a first for everything. Here's my first Microphone Cake!!

Congratulations, Carrie & Tim!!

Bride and Groom Cookies

2011-07-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

More bride and groom cookies! I love doing these!!

I actually did four different bride styles, but somehow only got pics of three.

And the groom:

Razorback & Arkansas Cookies

2011-06-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

These cookies were made for a friend's family reunion. Bet you can't tell where she's from!

Hope you had a great family reunion, Becky! Thank you!

Hello Kitty Cake For Emily

2011-06-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

Another granddaughter, Emily, celebrates her birthday the same day as Sydney!

Emily decided on a Hello Kitty cake. I used my Cricut to make the little flowers. The topper was provided by Emily's mom. It's some kind of bubble machine, but it worked find as a cake topper.

I had a bad cake day the day this was made! I knew it was going to be a bad day from the moment I went to move it and sunk my hand half way through it! It was all down hill from there. But even though it wasn't perfect, Emily loved it. It's so easy to please kids!

Happy Birthday, Emily! I can't believe you're already four years old already!

Sydney's First Birthday!

2011-06-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

On Father's Day we celebrated our next to youngest granddaughter's first birthday. Due to a power outage the night before, Sydney's cake had to be simplified and thrown together with no time to spare! She didn't seem to mind at all!

Here are a few shots of her enjoying her own personal cake.

Happy First Birthday, Sydney!!

Apron Re-Do

2011-06-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

My daughter picked up a couple of these aprons for me at Tuesday Morning for $2.99 or $3.99. They're good heavy duty aprons. The only drawback was they were Easter aprons and had this cute little bunny on them.

I have nothing against cute little bunnies, I just didn't want one on my apron. So I picked up this fabric at Joann's, thinking I would just put a heart over the bunny.

I found a heart that was the right size on the Internet, cut it out, then traced in on my fabric. I kind of outlined the edge of the fabric with a black indelible marker to make it stand out more. Then I went around the edges of the heart with fray check and let it dry. I think stitched it to the apron, over the bunny, with a straight stitch, as close to the edge as possible.

But they also had these little metal thingies that make the apron adjustable. I detest these things! My daughter's aprons have them and I can never make them work. Too complicated for my simple mind, I guess.

So I decided to get rid of them and just sew the neck strap into the front.

I got the hearts sewed on and they looked great! But since I had fabric left over, I decided I should do something else with it.

So I added a couple of ruffles. They turned out sooooo cute!!

Here's my daughter, Ruth, modeling one of them for me. Wasn't that sweet of her? Of course, she has no idea I'm putting her picture on my blog!!

What she doesn't know won't hurt her, right?

Pink & Black Western Theme Wedding Cake

2011-06-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Ruth, and I made this wedding cake for a girl from our church this past weekend.

The wedding was gorgeous! A bit warm, but gorgeous! The forecast called for thunderstorms, but all we had was heat. The cake actually started drooping! Didn't get a shot of that though. I actually stayed back by the cake during the wedding so I could prop it up or something if it decided to let go.

All's well that ends well, although we did get them to do the cake pics a b

it earlier than planned!

I thought I'd throw in a picture of the bride getting out of the buggy that delivered her to her wedding. Shows the theme.

I put my Cricut Cake to good use for this cake! I'm really loving that little machine.

The bride wanted this pic on the cake. I had several ideas of what to do, none of which worked out. First, I was going to try to cut it out of rolled gum paste, but decided that would be too difficult. Then, I tried to have it printed onto edible paper, but the place that tried to do it couldn't do the size I needed so that was out. So in the end I printed it, then covered it with clear contact paper. Not the best way I'm sure, but it worked!!

It was an absolutely beautiful wedding! Congratulations, Charity & Bretley!!

Using The Cricut Cake Mini

2011-06-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with my Cricut Cake Mini and I'm loving it!

It was purchased to do a specific wedding cake, and since that happens this weekend, I decided last week that I needed to learn how to use it. I was a bit concerned when I got online and read all these horror stories! There were a few positive users, but most of the ones I read told about how they wasted their money buying the machine.

For my first attempt, I used Buff Goldman fondant. That was a disaster!! I was so aggravated that I put the machine away and tried to find other options for the wedding cake I'm doing. But since I couldn't find anything else to use that would give me the look I wanted, I bit the bullet and pulled the machine out again.

This time I used Wilton Gum Paste. That apparently was the trick!

I put a generous amount of shortening on the mat, then rolled my gum paste directly onto it using my small fondant roller. I then cut the edges inside the guide lines of the mat. Next, and this is what I think really made the difference, I put it in the freezer for three to four minutes.

I did run into one problem. It was going great, everything coming out just as I wanted, then all of a sudden everything I tried was just tearing up something terrible. I had changed colors of gum paste, but I didn't really think that would make a difference. After about four attempts, leaving it in the freezer longer, then less, rolling it thinner, then thicker, I figured out that there was buildup on my blade! So I cleaned that off and all was well. So now I check for that every couple of cuts.

I only have two cartridges. I have the Cake Basics that my machine came with, and I have the George and Basic Shapes, which came with my Cricut Personal Electronic Cutter.

Since I'm putting each rolled out sheet in the freezer before cutting, I'm going to get at least one more mat so that I don't have so much down time while waiting for the gum paste to freeze.

My machine was purchased at Joann's (which is no more since the tornado went through town), for $99. But last week they were advertised for $79.00. I really wanted one of the full-size machines, but couldn't justify the almost $300 price tag! Maybe, if I find that I really use this machine a lot, I'll feel better about buying the full size machine.

Good luck on using your Cricut Cake if you have one, and if you have any questions, feel free to send me an email.

A Different Normal

2011-06-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

Life is slowly getting back to normal for some of us here in Joplin. For others, it will be a different normal. A new normal.

New homes and new workplaces to get used to. For some, the absence of family members and friends. In spite of the chaos and destruction, businesses unaffected by the storm are open. Some who were affected by the storm have moved to new locations and have opened their doors. Others will never open again.

A week and a half after the disaster, this truck was still in the Hobby Lobby parking lot. Hobby Lobby was on the very edge of the destruction, and was open for business by Friday, only missing four days of business. What's crazy is they are in the end of a strip of businesses right next to the Wal Mart that was destroyed! I've been in Hobby Lobby several times since they reopened and it was very quiet and strangely un-busy, which is very unusual for them.

I'm a thrift store-flea market-consignment store junkie. So far, five of my regular haunts are pretty much gone, including Goodwill.

I snapped this pic as I was driving past the new Salvation Army store. They had only been in their new location for about three months. Most of the walls are still standing, but the roof is pretty much gone along with the front of the store.

And Joann's, but they were planning to move before the storm, so I'm thinking they will just reopen in their new location. I sure hope so!

On Saturday, my daughters and I put together a baby shower for a girl who is due in a couple of weeks. She lost her home and everything in it in the storm, including everything she had for the new baby. I'm happy to report that almost everything she lost has been replaced by generous people all across our country! Nursery furniture, diaper bag, car seat, everything!!

So life does get back to normal. Maybe a new normal, an unfamiliar normal, but normal, none the less. People go back to work, babies are born, weddings take place, birthday parties are attended.

Speaking of weddings, I need to get off here and start working on a wedding cake!

Have a wonder week, everyone!!

First Using My Cricut Cake Mini!!

2011-06-04T22:09:00.002-07:00

Back in April, my mom surprised me with a Cricut Cake Mini. This past week I finally had time to experiment with it. I love it!!

My first cake to use my Cricut on was for a girl here in Joplin who was just three weeks from her due date when she lost everything in our tornado. So my daughters got together and had a baby shower for her. She received gifts from all over the country! It was the perfect opportunity to see what the little Mini could do.

Here are a few close-ups:

I see myself using this little machine quite a bit in the future! I love the crisp clean cuts. And the designs are limitless!

I hope little Sophiya arrives soon, Kelsey!!

We Weep For You, Joplin

2011-05-26T23:52:00.000-07:00

It's been four days since the devastating tornado smashed it's way through the heart of our town, leaving in it's wake death, destruction and broken lives and hearts. I feel that if I start crying, I will never stop. I think I've been in a daze since Sunday night.

We weren't directly impacted by the tornado. It missed where we live by about four miles. But you can't drive through town and not be touched.

The night it happened, my husband and son stayed out until about 2:00 am, came in and slept for a few hours, then headed back out by 6:00 am. We all wanted to do whatever we could, anything we could, to help those who had lost everything.

I was on facebook tonight and it breaks my heart a little more each time I read about another child, unidentified and alone, in a hospital in a neighboring town, or a story about another hero who sacrificed their life to save others. The hardest part of all is the missing.

Now there's a facebook page showing pictures of those who died. I just want to sit there and cry over each picture.

It's called grief, and we're all going through it right now.

Tomorrow I'll deliver some of my Smiley Face cookies to the doctors and nurses who are working tirelessly at a makeshift hospital since there's was destroyed. Just a little something else I can do.

Please keep Joplin in your prayers.

Balloon Birthday Cake For Shelbi!

2011-05-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

A Balloon Birthday Cake for Shelbi.

Happy Birthday!!

Texas Cookies

2011-05-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

Both of my daughters-in-law are from Texas. They're going to love these!!

Regular . . . .

. . . . and chocolate.

Congratulations, Anthony!!

Cowboy Boot Cookies

2011-05-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

I've made several different colors and variations of these. Always fun to do!

Cowboy Hat Cookies

2011-05-19T07:46:00.001-07:00

I've made these several times and always love doing them. Quick & easy!!

Longhorn Cookies

2011-05-19T07:42:00.001-07:00

Sorry about the somewhat blurry picture! I take upteen pics of each cookie and usually get at least one close to perfect shot. Didn't happen with this cookie!!

I absolutely love how these turned out!

Another Day, Another Flower!

2011-05-17T07:02:00.000-07:00

I'm still loving these! I made this one in my spare time a couple of days ago.

I love the floral fabric. I'm going to try mixing it with some coordinating solid fabrics and see what I come up with. Maybe try some pale blue or green. Might even try red!

Now I just need to find that spare time!!

Priceless Moments In Time

2011-05-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've been carrying my camera around with me constantly the last few weeks, trying to catch some good shots of my grand kids. I really need to get some good closeups for an idea I have. Easier said than done with the younger three!

I did get these three. Four to go!

And here's our little Laker!

And here's his big sis!

I went to an amusement park with one set of grand kids last week. We had a blast!

That evil look in my son-in-law's eyes is directed at me! We were getting ready to leave, the rides were all closing down and the girls were just dying to ride one more ride. This was the only one that was still open. I assured him that I didn't think he would get that wet! How did I know that the kids waiting for him to come around knew him???

He got soaked!

But the girls had a blast!

And poor little Sydney spent the day in her stroller. She was so happy to briefly touch the ground!

In case you don't know, I love being Grandma!!

Hot Pink & Black Shower Cake

2011-05-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

I made this cake last night for a friend's shower. It's really hot pink, although it doesn't look that way in these pics!!

This is the first time I've drawn those swirly thingies on a cake! I'm not real crazy about it, but I learned a lot.

This is the first time I made fondant ribbon roses as well. Learned a lot about them too!

Congrats, Charity!

More Fabric Flowers

2011-05-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy lately that I've been meeting myself coming and going! I really should be at a meeting today, but staying home just sounded so nice . . . .

Here are some more fabric flowers I've been working on in my spare time. I love making these little beauties! Each fabric I use makes such a unique flower.

I especially like this pink one! It's so full and fluffy!

Now, I really need to get outside and work on the real thing in my flower bed!!

More Smiley Face Cookies Bound For Vanuatu!

2011-05-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

My son, who lives in Vanuatu, has a birthday this month, on the 24th. It's always a challenge deciding what to send him. Whatever I do decide to send has to be sent at least a month ahead of time if it's going to get there anywhere near his birthday. So it's impossible to send fresh baked goods.

But this year, we have friends who are going to Vanuatu to visit family and they offered to take a few things along!

So I made these cookies, individually wrapped them, then wrapped them in several layers of bubble wrap. They will only be four or five days old when they get to my son. The freshest cookies he's had from me in the last couple of years!!

Bon voyage, Smiley Face Cookies! May you arrive in one piece!

Music Graduation Cake

2011-05-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

This cake was made for a friend for his graduation. He's the music minister at his church so he wanted to mix the graduation theme with a music theme.

Since he is an avid piano player, he liked this cake that I made last year for another friend. So I made the same basic cake and added the graduation cap.

The cake is covered with fondant, with fondant add-ons. The graduation cap and tassel are not edible.

Since they were concerned that the one cake might not be enough for their guests, we decided to to a sheet cake as well.

Congratulations, Chris!!

Simple Balloon Birthday Cake

2011-04-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple Balloon Birthday Cake I made last night.

Hope you had a Happy Birthday, Michael!!

Hydrangea Cupcakes

2011-04-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

These hydrangea cupcakes were made for my sister's birthday as well. They were for the family party the day after our Tea Party. I guess forty is a milestone - we pretty much partied all week!

Here are a couple of close-ups. I used tip #2D. To get the variation in color, is layered blue and purple frosting in my bag.

These are one of my favorite cupcakes to make. So simple & quick! It's almost impossible to mess them up.

Credit for these beautiful cupcakes goes to Glorious Treats.

I also made them for Thanksgiving last year using fall colors. Here's the link to that post.

Tea Party Time!

2011-04-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

My youngest sister turned forty last week. She wanted to celebrate with something simple, so I hosted a Tea Party for the ladies of our family. It was so much fun!

Our menu was Turkey & Wild Rice Soup, Spring Salad with Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing, Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Egg Salad Sandwiches, Scones with fresh Lemon Curd and decorated sugar cookies. Oh, and hot tea of course!!

I chose to use my grandmother's china which I inherited when she passed away.

Isn't it a beautiful pattern?

I also used this milkglass depression glass platter. It belonged to my great-grandmother who recieved it as a gift from my other great-grandmother after their home was destroyed by a fire! Quite a lot of history in that platter! My great-grandmother had given it to my great-aunt, but when my grandmother left the remainder of the set to me, my great-aunt decided I should have the platter as well. As you can imagine, I don't use it very often!

Here's the table all set and ready.

I forgot to take pics of the food, but here are some of the cookies I made and decorated, with the help of my sister and sister-in-law, for the occassion.

I hope you had a wonderful birthday, Becca!!

Teapot & Tea Cup Cookies

2011-04-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

My youngest sister turned forty last week, so I hosted a Tea Party at my house in honor of the occasion.

Here are pics of some of the cookies I made:

I made both the regular and the chocolate variation. Around here, the chocolate wins hands down!

Wedding Cookies

2011-04-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

What a busy week!! My daughter, Ruth, and I made three hundred wedding cookies for Ruth's brother-in-law's wedding!

Here are the pics I managed to get, although some are of the cookies already in their baggies.
We did sixty of each shape.

Entwined hearts:

I wasn't really excited about how these turned out. I'll definitely be trying different things with these next time.

Wedding Cakes:

I glazed these and Ruth did the detail work. I love how they turned out!!

Tuxedos:

I love these!! They're probably my favorites.

Diamond Ring:

I like how these turned out. I especially like the one with the pointed diamond.

Wedding Dress:

These are my next favorite. There were a couple other styles, but the pics didn't turn out.

This pic shows a few more styles.

These were so much fun to do! And, yes, I would definitely do it all again!!

Congrats, Jeremy & Calah!!

Gift Box Cake

2011-03-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

This is a Gift Box cake my daughter, Ruth, and I made for her future sister-in-law's shower.

Under the layers of green fondant tissue paper is a white sheet cake with buttercream frosting - the bottom part of the box. Everything else is fondant.

For the box lid, I used a piece of styrofoam. I didn't think I would be able to support it if it was made of cake, but after doing it, I think it would have worked. So next time . . .

You also might notice the plastic in the bow. I found out two days before the party that the party was that week and not the next! Not enough time for a fondant bow to dry. So I improvised by cutting strips of plastic from a 2-liter plastic bottle to hold the bow up. It worked perfectly, except it showed up in the pics! It wasn't so noticeable at the shower.

Other than not enough of the fondant bra showing, I like the results.

Congratulations, Calah!!

Sugar Cookie Recipe

2011-03-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

This is the sugar cookie recipe I'm using as of now. Especially the chocolate variation! I got this from Cookie Crazie and I absolute love it!

1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
4 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Here's how I do mine:

Cream together butter and sugar. Add sour cream, egg and vanilla. Mix well. In another bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine. Roll out to 1/2 - 5/8" thick, depending on how thick you want your cookies. Cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet 1" apart. Place cookie sheet with cookies in freezer for at least 10 minutes. Remove from freezer, making sure cookies don't slide together, and place in 325 degree preheated oven. Bake for 14 - 18 minutes, depending on your oven and how you like your cookies. I don't like my cookies the least bit crunchy, so I take them out sooner rather than later.

For the chocolate variation, substitute 1/2 cup of the flour with 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder. You can use regular cocoa, but one you try the dark, you will never go back to the regular!!

Hope you love it as much as I do!

Cricut Cake Machine

2011-03-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

I am thinking of getting the Cricut Cake Machine. I have a wedding cake coming up and I could really use it, if it works as advertised.

I was wondering if any of you have one or have tried one, and if so, what do you think? Would you recommend it?

Cinderella Cake

2011-02-28T17:35:00.000-08:00

This cake was my first attempt at making a Cinderella Slipper! I have to say it was quite an experience.

First of all, as I found out after searching the Internet for tips, I found out that the shoe should have been made at least a week in advance in order to have plenty of time to dry. I made it two days before I needed it!

So then, since it wasn't dry, I had to get creative to give it enough support so that it didn't split in two on the cake. That's where a empty 2 liter Dr. Pepper bottle came in handy! The front part of the shoe is resting on plastic from that bottle. I didn't get any pics of that because by that time I was too stressed to even think about taking pictures!!

Here are a few pics I took while I was making the shoe. It shows a few of the different stages.

These pics were taken after the shoe was painted with white pearl dust.

My daughter came up with the idea of putting the birthday girl's name on the shoe.

I wanted to incorporate the pink sash in some way other than just laying it on the cake board. I like how this turned out.

The pearls and buttons are made of fondant.

And the magic wand!! I made it out of a straw, ribbon, a string of beads and feathers.

This was actually a very fun cake to make!! I'm hoping one of my granddaughters will decide they want a Cinderella cake for their next birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday, Rylie!!

My Favorite Sign!!

2011-02-25T16:15:00.000-08:00

I picked this up a few months back at Hobby Lobby.

It was half off so I couldn't resist.

It's one of my favorites!!

Valentine's Day In Vanuatu

2011-02-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

Remember these cookies that I sent to my son and daughter-in-law in Vanuatu? I sent them on January 26, hoping by some miracle they would make it by Valentine's Day.

Well, it happened!! They arrived at this little house in the bush on Friday before Valentine's Day!! (Okay, they had to go to the Post Office and get them, but I just had to show you where my son and daughter-in-law live).

My son messaged me on Facebook. It only took two weeks and two days - that's a record!! Especially since the last package I sent took seven weeks and those cookies were not exactly fresh!!

I talked to my son last night and he said these cookies were still fresh and delicious. A taste of home!!

Glaze Recipe Revisited

2011-02-19T07:40:00.000-08:00

I posted here about the glaze recipe I used. I thought I'd give an update since I've started using a different variation. Same ingredients, just a thicker version.

The original recipe is a lot thinner. In order to do the detail work, it had to be thickened by adding powdered sugar.

With this version, I use the same recipe to outline, fill and detail. I got this version Cookie Crazie's blog. I love her cookies!!

Recipe
(This recipe is doubled. I rarely make a single batch)

2 lbs powdered sugar
1/2 c white corn syrup
1/2 c water (I add gradually until I get to the consistency I'm looking for)
1 - 2 t flavoring

Mix ingredients together until smooth, holding a little water until the proper consistency is achieved. To get the correct consistency, peak with your finger. It should go smooth in 10 seconds (see Cookie Crazie's 10 second rule). Divide and color as desired.

I use bags and tips to outline, fill and detail. Most often I use tip #'s 2 and 3. Sometimes I use #4 or 5 to fill if the cookie is large.

I recently found this tutorial that has made cleanup a dream come true!! Keep watching until you see how she fills her bags.

Happy cookie making!!

Tombstone Cookies

2011-02-17T23:21:00.000-08:00

These cookies were ordered by my daughter for my son-in-law's 30th birthday party.

She obviously has a warped sense of humor. They were fun to make, though!

Happy Birthday, Ben!

Divinity!

2011-02-15T16:14:00.000-08:00

Divinity is my hubby's favorite homemade candy. I meant to make some for him at Christmastime. Really, I did. But it didn't happen.

So yesterday, I surprised him with some for Valentine's Day. Well, kind of surprised him. He came home when I was in the big middle of making it!

But he enjoyed it anyway!

Here's the recipe I used. It turned out perfect! (except I got my wood spoon caught in the beaters and finished off my mixer!) Oh, well. I was wanting a new one anyway.

Fabric Flowers

2011-02-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to try these for a while. I had actually bookmarked this tutorial at Restorative Living a couple months back.

So, in keeping with my "homemade" gift pledge this year, I decided to give them as Valentine gifts to my daughters and daughter-in-law.

I actually made this one first, then decided it needed less layers.

So I used less on these two, and decided I liked more layers!!

I learned a lot. What to do, what not to do, use something besides your fingers to hold the fabric over the flame, etc.!! I definitely like the tulle and I definitely like more petals.

I see a lot more of these in my future. I do have six granddaughters, after all!!

The Last of The Valentine Cookies

2011-02-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

Finally! The end of the Valentine cookies!

I did have fun with it Friday night, though. My youngest daughter, Ruth, wanted to try her had at cookie decorating, so I loaded everything up and went to her house for the evening and we decorated cookies together.

Here are some of the cookies we decorated Friday night:

(Sorry about the lighting!)

And then, on Saturday, I finished up the cookies for my grand kids' Valentine gifts and a bag of cookies for my oldest granddaughter to take to school to give to her friends.

These are for those in my family who like plain cookies! I have such a hard time with that!

Next up: Tombstone cookies for my son-in-law's 30th birthday!!

70's Wood Plaque Redo

2011-02-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

I was at a friend's house and she was getting ready to toss this wood plaque. She asked if I wanted it, and I said, "Not really." Then she said she was throwing it away. So I said, "Well, if you're going to throw it away . . . " That always gets me into trouble. I hate to see anything that could possibly have any use be thrown away. That's why my closets look the way they do!

I showed it to my daughters, and neither of them were impressed. So that was the challenge I needed!

Since both my daughters decorate with a lot of red accents and because I was snowed in and didn't have any other paint color I wanted to use on hand, I decided on red. But, with the crazy cold temps we had last week, I was leery of using spray paint (and I didn't want to freeze to death in the process!). So I decided to use craft paint. And my black tinted glaze.

Here's what it looked like after one coat of craft paint:

Much better after the second coat.

This is what happened as I was wiping off the glazing, probably due to the fact that I'm terribly impatient and didn't give the paint enough time to dry thoroughly, rather than because I used craft paint. But it covered up nicely.

And here's the finished project:

Kind of cute now, isn't it? One of my daughters was impressed. The other hasn't seen the transformation yet.

I'm really loving this glazing kick I'm on!!

Lady Bug Nursery

2011-02-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

I've linked this post with these parties!

When my daughter, Naomi, had their fourth girl, they had to start stacking up the kids!! The baby, Sydney, had to go in with her almost three year old sister, Sylvie. Naomi bought this lady bug crib set for the baby.

So we needed to make Sylvie's side of the room coordinate with Sydney's side of the room. Here's what we've come up with so far.

I made this blanket, the bed skirts and pillow case for Sylvie's toddler bed. I found the lady bug fabric at Hobby Lobby.

Sylvie loves her small size pillow!

This bag was given to Sydney as a baby shower gift. The colors worked perfectly!!

I picked up this cute flower hanger for a couple dollars on the clearance aisle at Hobbly Lobby.

There are two windows in the nursery, so I made a valance for each.

I tried to use fabrics and colors that worked with the crib set. You can hardly see it, but here is black baby rick rack on the dotted bed skirt. So I used that and red baby rick rack, as well as the black checked fabric to tie it all together. I found the cute lady bugs at Michael's and hot glued them to the valances.

I found this Rare Editions lady bug dress at our local DAV store and couldn't pass it up! The lady bugs are made of Styrofoam balls cut in half and covered with felt. I used pipe cleaners for the antennae.

I glued on the eyes and spots with Elmer's glue. Pardon the weird looking antennae! I think Sylvie got hold of them! The lady bugs hang above the crib and fascinate Sydney!!

The lamp was one that was already in the nursery. My daughter was going to get rid of it since is was lavender, pink, yellow and green, but I decided a little craft paint would make it work just fine.

I picked up a half dozen of the little lamp shades at a clearance sale at Lowe's a couple years back. They are a sage green, which wouldn't work, so I spray painted it white! I then hot glued on the pink and red hearts and added baby rick rack.

We still have a few things more to do to finish the nursery, so I'll wait until then to show the complete room. But for now, we're loving how it's coming together.

A Wonderful Tip!!

2011-02-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

Wow!! Watch this tutorial over at Karen's Cookies. She shows how to fill your glaze/royal icing bags with minimal hassle and mess.

I tried this with my latest cookies and it worked great!

I Tried To Tell Him!!

2011-02-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

Me: I don't think you should park under there.

Him: Why?

Me: Because the snow is going to be too heavy.

Him: It will be fine.

Me: I think you should move it.

Him: That building has stood for years. If it was going to fall, it would have already.

Me: I told you so!!

Yep, our red Ford F-250 is somewhere under there, smashed flat! I mean, they were only billing this as the "storm of the century!" Nothing to worry about.

But at least we have power this time around!!

Our road is somewhere out there.

The snow bank developing by our walk way.

When life gives you snow, make snow ice cream!

Be safe, everyone!!

Toy Boxes - Christmas Gifts For Grand Kids

2011-01-31T07:22:00.000-08:00

I've linked this post to these blogs:

Thought I'd get a couple posts up and ready to go before this "storm of the century" hits us!!

As I've mentioned in previous posts, we've made a commitment to give "homemade" gifts for every occasion whenever possible. This past Christmas, I decided a couple of our grand kids needed toy boxes. I gave my husband the dimensions I wanted and a somewhat rough idea of what I wanted them to look like - I wanted them painted white and glazed, with painted letters.

Here's what we came up with:

I wanted the colors to coordinate with their bedroom decor, so Peyton's has brown letters and Kami's has green and pink letters.

The bead board was my husband's idea, so that there would be detail for the glazing. I like it!!

This one is Peyton's:

I think the letters could have been a bit smaller, but the next size down that I could find was too small.

And Kami's:

He used what he calls a piano hinge (don't know if that's the real name for it, or his name for it). Anyway, it won't slam with this hinge, so we don't have to worry about little fingers getting smashed.

This little thingy will keep the wood from rubbing together when the lid is closed and also keeps the gap even from front to back, which was very important to my husband!!

I'm loving how they turned out! And the mom's are loving the toy storage space. I see a more of these in our future!!

First Attempt At Glazing!

2011-01-28T22:00:00.000-08:00

I've linked this post to the DIY Project Parade!

I have several pieces of furniture that I would love to paint and glaze. But, since I have absolutely no experience with glazing, (and not that much with painting, for that matter!) I've been a bit hesitant to try. Well, make that very hesitant!

I love the looks of this painted and glazed end table that I found over at All Things Thrifty.

And this yellow night stand.

All done with spray paint and glaze!

It sounds so easy, but I know me and how I can take something easy and turn it into a disaster!

So I wanted to start out with something small first. I found this nifty little organizer at the Goodwill the other day.

When I saw the detail, I knew it would become my guinea pig!

So I went to Wal Mart and bought some Krylon Ruddy Brown primer and Banner Red spray paint. Then I stopped at Lowe's and picked up some black-tinted glaze.

I carefully followed any directions I could find about glazing on the blogs I follow, and this is how it went:

Sprayed with primer:

Painted red:

Glazed:

More glazing:

And the finished product!

So what do you think? Does it look okay? I think maybe I left too much glaze in the grooves. Then I look at it again and like it!

What do you think? Any tips or advice would be much appreciated!!

Valentine Cookies

2011-01-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

I've linked this post with the following blog parties!

Here's a sampling of some Valentine's Day cookies I made to send to my son and his wife in Vanuatu.

I individually wrapped each cookie, them wrapped all the cookies in a couple layers of bubble wrap. Hopefully, they will still be edible by the time they get there!!

Day 21 Challenge - You Pick

2011-01-25T21:40:00.000-08:00

I fully intended to come home from work this evening and organize something. Anything.

But, instead, I watched this little man! His daddy and big sister are down with the flu, and his mommy desperately needed to run to the store.

We played hide and seek around the recliner . . . .

. . . . and snuck some of these Valentine's Day cookies I made last night for his Uncle Nate and Aunt Jen! Sometimes the organizing just has to be put off for more important things.

After he left, I packaged up the cookies (and a few other much needed items) to mail to my son and daughter-in-law who live in Luganville, Vanuatu. They probably won't make it there in time, but hey, it's the thought that counts! My thoughts just need to come a little earlier!!

I hope everyone enjoyed the 21 Day Organizing Challenge as much as I did!

Day 20 Challenge - Photos

2011-01-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

NO WAY, JOSE!

AIN'T HAPPENING!!

NO,NADA!!!

NOT DOING IT!!!!

CAN'T MAKE ME!!!!!

It can't be done in a day, not even a week, probably not even in a month!!

I'll give myself until next January. I'm going to have to set up a day when my mom is here in April, and get her and my sister to help me identify who all is even in these pictures!!

But, I have found every last loose photo in the house . . . .

. . . . and I now have these three boxes full of old photos . . . .

. . . . that need to go in albums like these . . . .

. . . . but it won't be happening today!!

So the pics, in these nice storage boxes, will be added to the row of boxes on the top shelf of my newly organized master closet.

I scrounged around and found these . . . .

. . . . because I'm pretty sure my dear hubby is going to have to add more support to the shelf before the boxes of pics can even go up there!!

Happy Organizing!!

Hot Pink Lady Bug Cakes

2011-01-22T16:24:00.000-08:00

These hot pink Lady Bug cakes were made for a cute little girl who just turned two! I hope the color didn't confuse her!!

Here are some close up pics I took at home before I delivered them.

I know, this one is a little dark. I was trying to show the face detail.

I have made a lady bug previously for my granddaughter. You can see it here.

I hope you had a very Happy Birthday, Nadia!!

Day 19 Challenge - Master Closet

2011-01-22T15:35:00.000-08:00

I knew this one had to be coming and I have to admit, I fully intended to skip it! But, it was either office work or this, so the closet won hands down! It really needed help.

Here are my before pics:

Pretty horrible, I know!!

But here's after I finished:

I feel so much better!!

Someday, I want to get my hubby to put double rods in the closet to increase hanging space. But until then, I'll just have to make due with what I have. I loved the storage box idea over at A Bowl Full of Lemons. I don't know why I can't come up with these ideas by myself! I guess that's why I read blogs.

Happy Organizing!!

Day 17 Challenge - A Change Up!

2011-01-20T11:44:00.000-08:00

Today's challenge was the mail station. You can read about it here. My mail and any paperwork goes straight to the office, which is such a horrific mess that I decided I would try to organize everything else in my house before even starting in there!

So today, I finished off the rest of the drawers and cabinets in my kitchen. Now it's completely done! Well, except for cleaning under the refrigerator and stove, and cleaning the oven. I'll have to make time for those this weekend.

I have fourteen drawers in my kitchen. This is the last seven drawers before I started:

Some of them weren't too bad, but they all benefited from a good dose of organization!

These were the only two cabinets left to do:

And after:

Not a lot changed here, but boy, did they ever need cleaning!!

This is shaping up to be a very good January for my house!!

Day 16 Challenge - The Refrigerator

2011-01-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

This is one of my most dreaded chores! I'm not sure why. I guess it's because I usually have so many containers with left-overs that have turned into moldy science projects! But this time was different - there wasn't one moldy container! I must be doing something right.

So here are pics of my main refrigerator before:

I took everything out, scrubbed it with hot soapy water, then put it all back.

After:

This is the frig in my "cake kitchen." The door shelves were a mess!!

And after:

Day 16 done!! Five more days to go.

Happy organizing!!

Day 11 Challenge - The Freezer (Catching Up)

2011-01-18T20:15:00.000-08:00

Well, today I played catch up again! I did my freezers. Yes, I have two of them. One side by side in my kitchen, and an upper in what I call my "cake kitchen."

Neither of them were bad, so it only took minutes. It helps when you've been putting off buying groceries for a couple of weeks!!

Here are my before shots:

I had already emptied the door when I realized I hadn't taken any pics.

After:

I didn't run to the store for any containers. Still need to do that.

You can't tell much difference, but it's sparkling clean!! And did you notice the ice sculpture in the above picture??? My ice maker has a slow leak, so this is what it creates every six to eight months!! I didn't feel inclined to chip it out tonight. Maybe tomorrow.

This is the other freezer:

I use it to freeze my cakes after they're baked. I let them cool a few minutes, then wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them. It traps all that wonderful moisture inside the cake!

It just needed to have a few crumbs wiped out and a few stray items moved from the door shelves to the other freezer.

After:

It feels good to be caught up!! I'm ready for Day 16 tomorrow!!

Day 15 Challenge - Medicine/Vitamin Organization

2011-01-17T22:33:00.000-08:00

This one was a pretty easy one for me, so I got it over with early!

Neither my husband or I take any medications. We try to go the natural route unless it is absolutely necessary to go the pharmaceutical route. We do have allergy/sinus relief products in our cupboard and of course, Tylenol, Advil or some other sort of pain reliever or the occasional headache and/or fever. First aid supplies are kept in our bathroom.

So here is our medicine/vitamin cabinet before:

Definitely not very organized!

This basket sits just below the cupboard and it holds some of the vitamins/herbs that we take on a daily basis. But not everything.

So I took this opportunity to do a little rearranging to make things easier. The top shelf now holds what I call non-natural remedies, as you can see. On the bottom shelf, I have two white baskets, one in which I put my supplements and the other, my husband's. Mostly in these baskets are the Nature's Sunshine products we take. Hopefully this will make finding what we're both taking a little easier!!

I traded the metal basket for this wood box. In it are supplements we both start our day off with. We are Market America distributors and take their products, specifically Isotonix OPC-3, Advanced B-Complex, Vitamin C, Multi-Vitamin, and Maximum ORAC. So now they're easy to find and they fit perfectly in this box, so they should stay neat. We'll see!

That white contraption is my water filter. It creates the perfect place for my dish soap and hand soap to hide!

Happy Organizing!!

Day 14 Challenge - Under The Bathroom Sink

2011-01-17T18:18:00.000-08:00

I'm on a roll. I've done two days of organizing today! I just have to make up Day 11 (The Freezer). Maybe tomorrow.

Today's challenge was cleaning under the bathroom sinks. Not a horribly big job for me here.

Here are my before pics:

Okay, that one was just a disaster!!

And this one, well, you would think with so few things under there, I could at least keep it neat!!

And after:

Much better! I decided to store my trash bags (Wal Mart bags) in a plastic shoe box. I have good intentions of making one of those bag holder thingies, but haven't made the time yet. Who knows, I just might like this better!!

Happy Organizing!! Only seven days to go!

Day 10 Challenge - The Laundry Room (Catching Up!)

2011-01-17T09:54:00.000-08:00

I really intended to just skip this room. We're planning to remodel it this spring - paint, add a window, new floor covering, move things around a bit, the whole nine yards. So I thought, "What's the use?" But then, I've been stuck at home the past three days and spent just enough time in there that I could stand it not longer!!

So the pics may not show a lot of change, but at least I know it's clean and as organized as it can be at this point.

Here are the before pics:

Not sure why two people need so many coats and sweaters, but I'll worry about getting rid of some of these after spring gets here!

Yes, that's bug poison and spray paint in the reach of children!! I should know better, expecially with my grand children.

And after:

I may be in trouble for this one - I just tossed most everything!

Not much change here, except all the hats are actually on the hat rack!

All cleaned up and ready to work!!

Note the lack of shelves - yet again!

Not too much change here either, but I did move some stuff that belonged elsewhere.

The top basket is laundry items, the second is gloves, mittens, sock hats and umbrellas. I use the orange bucket when I mix up my homemade laundry detergent, which I haven't done for a while, but plan to do in the near future. So I'll keep the bucket for now.

Now on to what I really need to be doing!!

Day 13 Challenge -The Medicine Cabinet

2011-01-16T21:55:00.000-08:00

It's really great to have all this storage, except when it looks like this:

Note the empty mouthwash bottle above. Why is that still there???? No earthly idea, but it's been empty for a couple weeks now.

And once again, in the above and below pics, notice the lack of shelves! I don't understand.

And here's our toothbrush and such drawer. Thought I'd throw it in too for good measure!

And after!!

I put all the extra shampoo, conditioner, lotions and bars of soap together on the top shelf, along with a container with baby related items for when the grand kids are here and a container with travel toiletry items. Now when we have to go somewhere, it's ready to go.

I added some wire shelving to help out here. So much better now! No idea why I didn't do this sooner.

Added a shelf here too. And now, on the left, the band-aids and related items are in a container, ointments in another and other first-aid related items in the bottom container. The container on the right has lint rollers and such. The container under the shelf is the shoe shine kit.

I was able to get rid of this basket, as well as two bags of trash, one mostly filled with out of date medical/first-aid items!! I really should check this stuff more often.

And all this while I'm still not feeling well. Imagine what I could accomplish if I felt good!! I'm still behind a couple of days, but hopefully I'll get caught up this week.

Happy organizing, everyone!!

Woody - Toy Story Birthday Cake

2011-01-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

I made this cake for my grandson, Peyton, who just turned one. Thus, the huge "1"!

I used pre-whipped butter cream from Sam's to frost the cakes. The cow print, belt, rope, belt buckle and star are all made of fondant. The belt buckle was a bit heavy, so I had to resort to toothpicks to hold it up! I used a bandana to cover the cake board, which is too small. I know!! But I have three or four cake boards out, so I didn't have the size I needed. I'm going to have to chase them down or get my hubby to make me some more.

The "1" is a large decorated cookie. I made it extra thick, and as soon I took it out of the oven, I inserted a loli-pop stick through the middle of it about half way up. After it cooled, it was anchored in there pretty good. I did use a dowel rod behind the cookie for support. It didn't really need it, but with a bunch of rambunctious kids constantly knocking the table, I decided we needed the extra stabilization!!

And here's the cute Birthday Boy with his daddy! He wasn't quite sure why he was the star of the show, but it didn't take him long to start playing the part!!

Happy Birthday, Peyton!!

Giant Cupcake

2011-01-15T16:15:00.000-08:00

Here's another giant cupcake! I love making these. They're quick and easy and little girls love them!!

Happy Birthday, Kelsey!!

Cowboy Hat & Cowboy Boot Cookies

2011-01-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

Cowboy hat and cowboy boot cookies to go with the Toy Story cake for my grandson's first birthday party!!

More pics after the party tomorrow!!

Day 12 Challenge - The Spice Cabinet

2011-01-14T08:50:00.000-08:00

I got a bit over-ambitious on Day 7 when we cleaned our pantries, and did my spice cabinet as well!! So I won't have to make up quite so many days next week when I get to feeling better.

I already posted these pics on Day 7, but here they are again.

Spice cabinet Before:

And spice cabinet after:

My daughter-in-law was over last night and said she couldn't find anything in my newly organized closets and cabinets!!

Doll House Headboard

2011-01-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

I've linked this project to the following parties:

I've been a bit under the weather the past couple of days and haven't felt like keeping up with the 21 Days To Getting Organized Challenge over at A Bowl Full of Lemons. I promise to catch up next week!!

I decided today would be a good day to post pics of a cute headboard my hubby and I made for two of our grand daughters for Christmas.

Well, I say "I" because it was my idea!! I showed him the pic, told him how I wanted to make ours, and he made it happen!!

It turned out beautifully, don't you think? The girls loved it!

Here's a link to the bed that was my inspiration.

The mural on their bedroom was done freehand by their daddy!

Day 9 Challenge - Toy Organization

2011-01-11T16:48:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to do today's challenge since I don't have children with lots of toys at home anymore. But I do have a toy box for the grand kids, that, it turns out, really needed to be cleaned out!

Here it is before:

Here is an assortment of game pieces that should be elsewhere:

Here's a collection of dress up clothes that got tossed, along with a wig that the kids love to play with, but it loses hair everywhere:

And books that belong on the bookshelf. (It looks like somebody was in a hurry to get cleaned up the last time they were here!!)

Here's an assortment of broken toys, torn books and stuff that can't even remotely be called a toy!

Well, not a huge difference, but at least there's more room and all the junk is gone.

I got it all cleaned out just in time for this cute little toy-box dweller to climb in and have some fun!!

This is Peyton. He's having his first birthday party this Saturday!!

Nine days down, twelve to go!!