Molten Cake Neighbor Gifts

For our neighbor gifts this year, we decided to go with a fun treat that didn't necessarily have to be eaten right away.  Let's be honest, there's a huge overload of sugary treats this time of year, so why not give something that can be saved until all the festivities die down?  For this quick and easy gift, all you need is a box of cake mix, a recipe card, and a piece of festive ribbon.  I also added some cute Christmas cards that I was able to get on a deal last month.

I included the recipe for a family favorite-- single serving molten chocolate cake.  I would totally give you a printable for the recipe, but my computer did an auto-update before I had a chance to save the file.  Here's the recipe, though:

Single Serving Molten Chocolate Cake
 1/2 cup chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup water
Hot fudge
Chocolate or white chocolate chips
Whipped topping or ice cream
 
In a microwave safe, cereal size bowl, stir cake mix and water together for one minute.  Top with five generous teaspoons of hot fudge and sprinkle on some chocolate or white chocolate chips.  Microwave 95 seconds.  Top with ice cream or whipped topping.  

The best part about this recipe is that you can really do any variation you can think of with the chocolate chips and toppings.  Hot fudge is a must if you are going for the molten cake taste.  Since baking supplies are generally on sale this time of year, you should be able to make these for a pretty reasonable price.  I was able to get the cake mixes for about a dollar at Winco, but I think it's a really great gift for that cost.

Good luck to any last-minute gifters!  We were able to finish all our shopping today, and boy does it feel great.

Zippered Pillow Cover Tutorial

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As I mentioned last week, I have just discovered how to make a zippered pillow cover.  From one sewing beginner to another, here's how I did it.

Supplies Needed:

-Pillow form (Mine is 12"x24")
-Two fabric rectangles (Mine are 11"x23")
-Zipper (that is 2"-4" shorter than the side you are putting the zipper on)
-Sewing machine and notions
 (*A note on the fabric and pillow form dimensions: I usually use down pillow forms, and the finished size of the pillow cover is two inches smaller than the form.  This makes for a nicely-filled pillow, and is mostly important for down inserts.  However, the form I had for this project was very tightly stuffed, and if I were doing this pillow again, I would make the finished size of the cover the same size as the form, which would mean that my fabric size would be 13"x25" rather than 11"x23".  It was almost impossible to get the form in the cover!)

First, pin fabric rectangles together with right sides facing, and pin the edge where you'd like the zipper to be located.  Next, you'll be sewing the edges of the side together and leaving an opening for the zipper.  To find out how far you need to stitch in on each end, measure your zipper and subtract that number from your side length, then split the resulting number in two to figure out how far in you need to stitch.  Example: I had a 9" zipper and and 11" side.  11-9=2, 2/2=1, so I stitched one inch in on each end with a 1/2" seam allowance:

Now, open the seam and iron it flat all the way down.

This next step is probably optional, but I like the finished look it gives the seam, and I think it probably strengthens the opening.  Sew all the way around the ironed seam close to the edge.

Now you are ready to set the zipper.  With the 1/2" seam allowance, the zipper should fit right over the seam.  Pin it in place with the zipper half open.

Now, you are going to have to semi-ignore my next photos.  Apparently, you are supposed to stitch on the inside of the metal tabs on the ends of the zipper.  I claim that I don't really know what I am doing.

Basically, you are just sewing a rectangle around the zipper.  Here is the breakdown:

1- Sew across the end of the zipper (on the inside of the metal tabs), making sure to backstitch.

2- Start sewing along the side of the zipper.  Use a zipper foot if you have one.  I don't, so I just move my needle all the way to the left and get as close as I can.  It seems to work.

3- Stop when you get to the zipper and set the needle.

4- Lift the presser foot.

5- Slide the zipper past the presser foot.

6- Put the foot back down and carry on.

7- Stop when you get to the other end, and turn the foot.

8- Sew across the other end of the zipper (on the inside of the metal tabs).
9- Turn the foot and go back down on the other side, doing the zipper slide trick (steps 3-6) again on the way back.

Beautiful!  You can relax now, because the hard part is over.  Make sure that you leave the zipper partially opened, so you can turn it inside-out when the time comes.  If your zipper cloth extends far enough to the edges of the pillow to interfere with your side seams, just trim the tails off to reduce bulk in the corners.

Pin the rest of the pillow together with right sides facing.

Sew all the way around the remaining sides with a 1/2" seam allowance.

Clip your corners, and turn it inside-out.

Good thing you left that zipper open!!  Get everything all turned out, then iron the seams.

Now grab that pillow form, stuff it in, zip it up, and you are good to go!

I love it!  Being able to sew your own pillow covers really opens up the possibilities for personalizing and changing up your home decor. It's also probably the easiest way to introduce a new color or pattern to a room, and now that you know how it will be a breeze.  As always, any questions leave me a comment or send an email.

Linked up:

Cadbury Egg Popcorn

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So, it's no secret that I am a huge popcorn lover.  I eat popcorn as a snack at least once a week, if not more.  Check out my Scotcharoos Popcorn and Microwave Caramel Popcorn for more of my favorite recipes.  This easy recipe is a fun seasonal variation of the simple popcorn/candy coating mix.  Throw Cadbury Mini Eggs in anything, and you can bet I will eat it.  I've even substituted them for the chocolate chips in my Manntastic Chocolate Chip Cookies.  That was a good idea.

It's so simple I can hardly call it a recipe, but here we go!  For a treat to share with a group, I'd double this.

Cadbury Egg Popcorn
1 bag microwave popcorn or 1/3 c. unpopped kernels
6 oz. white candy coating (a.k.a. almond bark, but not white chocolate chips)
5 oz. Cadbury Mini Eggs candy (1/2 normal size bag)

First off, pop your popcorn, either in the microwave or with an air popper, then add to a large mixing bowl.  Put your Cadbury eggs in a ziptop baggie and whack it with a rolling pin or hammer, so that each egg is at least broken in half.  You don't need to go crazy here, just make sure that you don't have any whole eggs.

Add the broken candy eggs to the popcorn bowl and set that aside.  Next, melt your candy coating in 30-second intervals in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.  If your coating came in a block like mine, make sure you chop it up into 1-inch cubes before melting.  Once the coating is all melted and smooth, pour it over the popcorn and Cadbury egg mixture.

Stir or fold everything together to combine.  I have found that folding the melted coating into the popcorn is the best method to evenly distribute the coating and keep the popcorn mostly intact.  When everything is evenly coated, pour out onto a jellyroll pan (cookie sheet with lipped edges) and let cool.  Once the candy coating is hardened, which shouldn't take long, break it up and you are ready to enjoy.

And believe me, you will enjoy!

Linked: TT&J

Hair Clip Tree Tutorial

First off, I have to admit that the idea for this hair clip tree was not originally mine.  This is just my version of it.  I first got the idea from my sister-in-law, Jenny, who is responsible for all my girls' cute hair accessories.  This is how she displays her clips at crafts shows and in her studio.  Do you want to make one, too?  They are super quick and easy.  Here is what you will need.

• A basket, pot, vase, or other container
• Floral foam
• Hot glue gun
• Moss or something else to cover the foam
• Sticks (I got a big bundle from IKEA)
• Scissors

First, cut your foam to fit inside your container.  I used a big kitchen knife with great results.

Glue the foam to the bottom of the container for increased stability.  Next, cut your sticks to length, if necessary.  Put each stick in the foam and make adjustments until you are pleased with the arrangement.

I didn't glue each stick into the foam, but if you want to, now is the time.  When you're done with the sticks, grab your foam cover.  I found it easiest to put the glue down in the foam first, then push the moss down on top.

Once your moss is covered, clip all your flowers, bows, and such to your tree and place on the bathroom counter, on top of a dresser, or wherever you like.

Now all my daughters' cute, girly hair clips can double as my bathroom decor!

 Linked up: TT&J

Simple Cropped Pants Tutorial

Okay, if you are a seasoned tailor or seamstress, then this tutorial is not for you.  I, on the other hand, don't do much more than straight lines and simple mending when it comes to sewing.  I have recently become interested in learning more about sewing, so I will be sharing my new projects as I go.  One reason for my renewed excitement about sewing is this little beauty that I picked up from a public surplus auction for under $150.

To start off, I will show you how to do a simple crop on any pair of pants.  I chose a pair of yoga pants that I have had for a few years that have always been a little bit too short. Since stretchy knit fabrics are much harder to work with, I would choose something else for your first project.  If you still want to crop a stretchy pair of pants, here are some things that made it easier for me: 1) Make sure you don't pull on your fabric while you are sewing, 2) Don't go too fast, 3) A bigger hem is easier to work with.

First step, try the pants on and mark with a pin an inch below where you want them to end up.  I wanted mine to hit just below the knee.

Line the seams of the legs up and flatten everything out.  Get your ruler and rotary cutter and make the cut. 

Then, all you have to do is hem the ends.  You can fold it over twice, which prevents fraying, or just once, which works just fine with knits. 

Once you do one side, check it against the other leg one more time, just to make sure that you end up with both legs the same length.  I ended up doing a really wide hem with two rows of stitching to keep the knit from stretching too much.  I have to say I really like how the double stitching turned out.

You can see that I had a little bit of trouble with stretching on the right leg, which meant that I had to do some reworking.  I know they're not perfect, but I really love them!  These pants are so much better cropped, and I love that I got them the exact length that I want.

Easy Fabric Box Tutorial

We found a great deal on a new crib for the nursery, and it came with a changing table.  I used a dresser for the changing table in our other daughter's room, so I was excited to do something a little bit different this time around.

The changing table has a changing area on top and two empty shelves below.  I wanted to make some fabric boxes for the two lower shelves, but I couldn't find a tutorial that was exactly what I wanted.  I made six rectangular boxes total, with three on each shelf.  

Here's what you'll need:

-Fabric for the outside of the box (I used cotton quilting prints)

-Fusible interfacing (Make sure it is something you like the look of, because you will be able to see it)

-Thread

-Iron

You can easily make your own pattern, depending on the size of box that you want.  

A= Length of the short side of the box

B= Height of box

C= Half of the long sides of the box

After you have cut out your pattern, lay it on your fabric, with the fold on the side indicated, pin, and cut out.  This is what it should look like after you are done and have unfolded it:

Now, lay out your interfacing with the fusible side up, and lay your fabric on top.

Cut out the interfacing to the same size as the fabric, and iron both pieces together on the wool setting.  This is what you will end up with:

Now to begin sewing.  Sew the "B" sides together inside out, so your box looks like this:

Flip the box right-side-out, and hem the raw top edge.

Now you will want to break out the iron again, and iron your corners and the crease where the box transitions from the bottom to the sides.  This will make the last steps a lot easier.  Fold the sides down, and stitch all the way around the bottom crease of the box.

Next, fold your corners and slowly(or you may get a few broken needles) stitch them together to stiffen the sides up.

That's it!  

You can do some more ironing of the sides to help them stand up a little better, but the best way to get it to hold its shape is to use it.

Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions in the comments.