Late Christmas Post and Other Stuff

I was out at my sister's house this weekend and was finally able to take a couple pictures of some of the things that I sent her for Christmas. Well actually just the plaques that I made for her kids. The other stuff I still don't have photos of. Anyways...for an early Christmas present my sweet husband bought me a Cricut on Black Friday. He got a BIG discount. I was sooo happy. I've wanted one for a while. What a great husband!

So using my new toy, I made these for my nieces and nephews. I painted the board first then rubbed most of the paint off so it was really light. Once that was dry, I cut their names with said toy and stuck 'em on. Then I painted the board again, over the name. After more dry time, I peeled the name off and stuck the saying over the top. Attached some ribbon and sent 'em off. I actually really liked them and am planning on making some for my kids. Someday.

This is something else that has kept my Cricut busy. ( I think it's the actual reason my husband bought it for me.) He's been having me make these signs for the doors and other various signs for The Victorian House. (Go HERE to find out more about The Victorian House.) This is a pretty bad picture with my cell phone, but you get the idea. I will be taking more good photos with a real camera soon.

I have managed to make one thing for myself. I bought a bunch of these metal signs at the Dollar Store during Christmas. They had cheesy Christmas sayings printed on them with a snowman or Santa Claus. But I bought them knowing I would just be painting over them anyways. So after painting over it, I put the vinyl on it. Put a ribbon through the holes that were already there and hung it in our bathroom by the mirror. I've always liked the quote.

And lastly, another pair of booties. They were made for my nephew Cory's blessing. I had lots of time to make them and still stayed up and made them the night before. I don't know why I do that to myself. But the pattern was easy and they only took me about 4 hours to make. And that included the time spent getting two toddlers ready for bed and nursing an infant. So really not that long. I'm just glad I got them done. And they called for elastic to be threaded through and sewn but I like having a drawstring that you can make tighter if you want, so I just made one with a long chain. Turned out pretty cute.

Pink and Grey Beanie

I actually made this hat before Clara was born and before my hands swelled up and became numb. I like the grey and pink together. I think I'm gonna make some cute shoes to go with it.

Lightning McQueen

I know this is a little late, but I just realized I never posted any photos of the cake and cupcakes I made for Donevan's birthday. He is in LOVE with Cars and anything to do with that movie. So I decided to attempt a Lightning McQueen cake. I did the same thing that I did with Iris's princess cake and used Rice Krispie Treats instead of actual cake. Then I did marshmallow fondant. I used gel food coloring and had to use a LOT for both the red and black. I looked up some images of Lightning McQueen and kind of just winged it. But he was really happy with it and that's all I cared about.

I used the fondant again for the cupcakes. I had a hard time deciding what to put on the cupcakes for decoration. I thought about checkered flags or something like that, but settled on a car tire with a lightning bolt going through.

They were a huge hit and I can't wait for the next opportunity to make another cake. It is actually a lot of fun and lets my creative juices flow. Anyone need a cake?

Stockings and Sweets

I made a bunch of stuff for Christmas this year. And then I sent it all to my sister without taking a single photo. Typical. So until I can get her to snap some pics or until I get out there to visit, you won't get to see any of those projects. I did take some photos of the stockings I made for us. I have been wanting to make denim stockings for a while now. I crocheted some that we used for the past couple years, but they were kinda small and I have always liked the denim ones. And since I needed another one for our newest family member, Clara, I decided now would be as good a time as any to finally make the denim ones. So I broke into my stash of old jeans and started cutting away. I made my own pattern. I tried to make each one just a little different using the seams on the jeans. Then I hand stitched the names on the back pocket and put those on for that extra little stocking stuffer. I used a belt loop for the hanger loop. They also each have a different Christmas fabric for the lining. I am really happy with the outcome.

The detail of the stitching for the names.

The green didn't stand out as much as I would have liked, but it still looks good.

I thought Iris would like the pink more than red or green. Fits her personality more, being a princess and all.

For Evan I made some Homemade Snickers bars. Those are his favorite candy bar and I thought he might like to have some made by me. They are soooo good. And they stay really soft in the fridge. I used this recipe and I suggest everyone give it a try. It's a little time consuming because each layer has to chill and set up in the fridge, but Iris and I made cookies in the time in between. So I didn't really notice. Oh so yummy!