Friday, November 30, 2018

Sweet Inspiration Link Party #135


Welcome to our
 Sweet Inspiration Link Party #135!

It's that time again for another Sweet Inspiration Link Party! I don't know about you, but does it seem like time is flying by too quickly? Especially during the holidays! Tomorrow is December 1st and soon the year will be over! But for now, we can't wait to see what you've been up to! Thank you for taking the time to be a part of this wonderful party and share your awesome projects, ideas and inspirations!

The party starts on Fridays 7am EST or 11 am GMT and runs until Tuesday. By joining us every week you will be able to grow your blog and gather inspiration from so many others who link up to our party. We hope you will join us every week to share and inspire with your projects and creations.

We will be visiting all of you who link up with us and sharing, pinning all that good stuff. We really do appreciate your visits.




Michelle @ A Crafty Mix








  


​​​​​Gail @ Purple Hues and Me
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OUR FEATURES:​



Kimberly who blogs over at the Lou Lou girls shared this yummilicious recipe for bite sized apple pies. I wouldn't be able to hold myself back from digging into a plate full of these. https://www.loulougirls.com/2018/11/handheld-apple-pies.html

A very special ornament box. I have never seen anything like that before. A detailed tutorial is waiting us from Alexandra at EyeLoveKnotshttps://eyeloveknots.com/2018/11/plaid-gift-box-ornament-free-plastic-canvas-pattern.html


I love a good DIY/craft project, and I especially love it if it doesn't cost much (or anything!). These wooden triangle Christmas trees that Rachel over at Adventures of a DIY Mom came up with fit the bill all around. They would work with any style decor, and I think I may have found my next craft project. 
https://www.adventuresofadiymom.com/2018/11/diy-wooden-triangle-christmas-trees.html


A little red, a little blue, lots of vintage and Abe Lincoln is all Ann of Dabble and Decorating needed to style this beautiful bookcase for a casual winter/holiday look. Go over and check out her fantastic blog, you'll thank me later! https://www.dabblinganddecorating.com/single-post/2018/11/14/Winter-Decor-for-Christmas



Looking for a fabulous gift item to make this holiday season? Try this recipe for an easy to make homemade lip balm! It's not just for kids either! And the best part, you can design your own lip balm containers for a personal touch. How cool is that!




Lina from Sew historically shares her annual traditional advent calendar along with 24 free old fashoned crafts and recipes.  Wow, lots of inspirations here! No wonder her post is so popular!
http://www.sewhistorically.com/24-free-old-fashioned-christmas-crafts-recipes-advent-calendar-2018/


If you were featured, proudly display this button on your site! Congratulations!


Party Rules
  • It would be appreciated if you follow us on at least one social media.
  • You can link up to 3 posts, DIYs, Home Decor, Crafts, Recipes anything family friendly goes!
  • Yes, you can link up posts with affiliate links. 
  • Please link up your own work, no ads. And please no link parties.
  • Linking gives us permission to share a credited photo on our social media accounts. Please keep in mind that linking up with stock photography or using photos without express permission by the photo owner is not allowed. Links of stock photography or photos that are not owned by you will be removed without notification. 
  • If you wish to pin the features please do so by going to the original post.


Purple Buffalo Plaid Owl Ornament

Isn't he the sweetest? I love making owls as seen herehere, here and here just to show a few. So it's only fitting that I make one for the Twelve Days of Christmas - DIY Ornaments. And in keeping with my plan to introduce you to lots of purple buffalo plaid Christmas decorative items during the 12 days event, this owl ornament is made with purple buffalo plaid fabric!  Woo Hoo!

Welcome to Day 6 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!
DIY Christmas Ideas and Recipes you can use this year! DIY Christmas Decor and Games Ideas #12daysofChristmas
We have teamed up with 50 plus bloggers to bring you a oodles of DIY Ideas and Recipes to make your holiday season merrier. There are 12 different posts in the series and we have spread them out over a four week period with three posts per week. Now is the time to subscribe!
GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!
It's Day 6 and we are sharing DIY Ornament Ideas!


Purple Buffalo Plaid Owl Ornament DIY
Materials:
  • SmoothFoam Egg
  • Buffalo Plaid Fabric/needle and thread
  • Brush bristles/needlenose pliers
  • Plastic Animal Eyes
  • Tacky Glue
  • Hot Glue
  • Pine Cones
  • Felt
  • Twine

I used a foam egg shape to make this ornament since an owl is larger at the top and narrower at the bottom. I didn't really know how I was going to cover the egg with the fabric. It's polyester and not exactly forgiving, especially using glue.  So I decided to make a close fitting sack to put the egg in -  and go from there.
The fabric looked the same on both sides so I did a simple basting around the three sided edges.
I should have made the sack a little longer to gather more, but this will work, too! I added tacky glue inside around the bottom and close it up with a small rubber band. Then I tied it with twine for a more permanent hold.
For the eyes, I cut out two small circles from stiff felt.  I had a clean replacement bristle brush that I used for previous owl eyes I created, so I removed more of the bristles from it and glued them on around the circles.



Then I used the pointed blade of scissors to make a hole through the fabric and foam so I could insert the eyes. I added a bit of glue to the attached tip on the eyes before insertion for a permanent seal, too. 
Next, I plucked scales from pine cones to .  .  .
glue onto the owl - as ear tufts, feathers, wings, feet, talons and tail. I got carried away with that! Lol!
 I also folded the corners of red felt into a small V shape for the nose. And finally, tied folded twine into a knot to make a loop and, using an ice pick, inserted the knot (with glue) into the top of the foam. 

(back)
And finally, I added a tiny branch (perch)to the bottom and wrapped twine around it to mimic the talons of the owl..
What a cutie!

Scroll down for many more DIY Ornament Ideas for your holiday season!



Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Cake Batter Cheesecake Bites



I love cheesecake and think it's the perfect treat to serve at parties! The only thing, though, I don't like cheesecake with a crust. Many years ago, just out of college and in a new job, a co-worker brought in the most delicious homemade cheesecake I have ever tasted and without a crust, too! It was a melt in your mouth cheesecake and I had to have the recipe! The lady wrote it out and gave it to me and I still have it to this day, although a bit faded, and that was over fifty years ago.


 I've made a lot of cheesecakes since then using that recipe, unfortunately, I've never found a similar one in all these years! The cheesecake is quite large and I haven't made it in a very long time since it's just the two of us, now, but I'm always on the look-out for tasty looking cheesecake recipes.  And I found a delicious one, Cake Batter Cheesecake from Lisa @Wine & Glue that would make the best holiday party food!  It's a no-fuss, no-crust cheesecake that I tweaked so I could use small silicone molds instead of a spring-form pan!

Welcome to Day 5 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!
DIY Christmas Ideas and Recipes you can use this year! DIY Christmas Decor and Games Ideas #12daysofChristmas
We have teamed up with 50 plus bloggers to bring you a oodles of DIY Ideas and Recipes to make your holiday season merrier. There are 12 different posts in the series and we have spread them out over a four week period with three posts per week. Now is the time to subscribe!
GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!
It's Day 5 and we are sharing 
Holiday Party Food Ideas!

 
Cake Batter Cheesecake Bites


I'm sure you will love how these cheesecake bites tastes! They're really quite tasty! Almost a melt in your mouth type of dessert!  But first, I must say that there is no cake batter anywhere to found in this cake batter cheesecake recipe. It's all coming from the almond extract used which mimics the flavor of a cake batter. 

 As I mentioned earlier, the original Batter Cheesecake recipe is from Lisa @ Wine & Glue! I tweaked the recipe by changing the baking temperature, time and also changed the amount of the almond extract to 1 teaspoon (I think almond extract can be overpowering). Lisa used a spring form pan and I used small silicone molds for single servings or individual bites. I also lowered the temperature to 350 degrees because I thought the oven seemed too hot at 375 and browned the bottoms too much. She also used rainbow sprinkles and I used larger round Christmas color sprinkles. (i couldn't find smaller Christmas colors and I didn't want to use sugar crystals.) So here's the recipe: 
Cake Batter Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients:
  • 3  8oz pkgs. Cream Cheese - room temperature
  • 1 14oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 1 1/2 Tbls Vanilla
  • 1 Tsp Almond Extract*
  • 3 Eggs - room temperature
  • 1/2c Sprinkles
Directions:
Make sure all of your ingredients have set out for a few hours and are room temperature. This is a must! If you are using silicone molds, preheat oven to 350 degrees.* 

Using a mixer, beat cream cheese on low until smooth. Add in the condensed milk, vanilla and almond extract and mix together. Make sure you add the eggs last, beating together with all the ingredients until smooth and you don't see any yellow egg yolks.

Slowly mix in sprinkles with a spoon. 

Next, pour the batter into a four cavity mini fluted tube pan - like mini bundt pans. I decreased Lisa's baking time to 20 minutes.


And after 20 minutes, I turned the oven off  and let them sit for an half an hour. Then I put them in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, I popped them out of the silicone molds and added additional sprinkles all over (just for picture taking) The sprinkles on the outside were too scrunchy! But the ones that baked were nice and soft.

Hmmmm .  .  . doesn't this look delicious!

 I had plenty of batter left over, so I poured it into a segmented silicone treat mold with 24 square cavities. I wasn't quite sure about how long to bake but there was 8 minutes left on the mini-bundt cakes, so I put the pan in the oven with them. And they turned out perfect! I was pretty lucky taking that chance! 


 And they were so tasty and yummy, too!

Try it - if you like cheesecake, you'll love these!

Scroll down for many more Holiday Party Food Ideas for your holiday season!



Monday, November 26, 2018

Sock Snowmen for Kids




A fun craft to make with kids is creating sock snowmen!   Why have them wait for snow to make a snowman when they can make one anytime, using socks, fabric, embellishments and styrofoam balls! It's an all time favorite that's been around for some time! And it continues to be a fun project to do! You can even make the sock snowmen into ornaments, too! And the best part - the kids can create so many different types of characters and personalities  - like a heartwarming family of snowmen to love! Sounds wonderful, doesn't it!


 Welcome to Day 4 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!
DIY Christmas Ideas and Recipes you can use this year! DIY Christmas Decor and Games Ideas #12daysofChristmas
We have teamed up with 50 plus bloggers to bring you a oodles of DIY Ideas and Recipes to make your holiday season merrier. There are 12 different posts in the series and we have spread them out over a four week period with three posts per week. Now is the time to subscribe!
GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!
It's Day 4 and we are sharing 
Kids Christmas Craft Ideas!

         Sock Snowmen for Kids              
 Lots of fun and laughter will abound with kids making sock snowmen! They are just the cutest! Since this is a very popular kids craft there are lots of versions out there for making them. And there's virtually unlimited possibilities for styling, too! Most use rice to fill the socks. But I don't like using rice for this - at one point they might get a bit buggy! And who wants that! Besides, I have lots of styrofoam balls in my stash to use instead. So let's get started by gathering the following.

Materials needed:
                                           
  • Socks - fuzzy white - plus assorted pattern socks for accessorizing
  • Styrofoam balls - asst sizes
  • Knife
  • Rubber bands - small/twine/yarn
  • Bead head straight pins/buttons 
  • Fabric scraps/embellishments                 
  • Wooden skewer/orange paint
  • Hot glue gun - low temp glue
  • Tacky glue
  • Toothpicks
  • Scissors
Begin by slicing off a small bit of styrofoam from the base of two balls. Check to make sure they fit good together to form the body.  
Next, insert a toothpick in center of cut side. Add tacky glue around toothpick and foam and press the other ball down together. Let dry.
Cut a little bit of styrofoam off the bottom so that the snowman can stand up on its' own.
Next, cut the foot portion of the sock off just below the heel.
Then insert the snowman body into foot portion, smoothing sock up to top as tight as possible. Use a small rubber band to secure, then tie with twine and knot for a permanent closure, cutting off excess twine. You can trim off the excess fabric too.
For the hat, cut one of the pattern socks just below the heel, turning inside out. Tie off tightly at the top with twine and turn right side out.
 Place hat on head, adjusting fit. For the scarf, cut small band piece from sock top, and cut to open length-wise. Stretch fabric and tie onto neck of snowman.
 For the nose, dip the end of a skewer stick into orange paint and let dry.  Insert black beaded straight pins for the eyes.  Cut off the dry orange point of the skewer stick and add a dab of hot glue to end for nose and press on face.
Use pieces of the cut off styrofoam to create arms to glue onto sides. Wrap sock fabric around tiny foam balls, securing with tacky glue until dry. Mash the foam balls flat for mittens to glue onto arms. Then insert plain straight pins for mouth. 
Have fun creating additional "family snowmen and baby!"
For this snowman, I used larger beads for the eyes and a bit of twine for the mouth that I smeared with "lip gloss" and then lightly glued on with tacky glue.

To make a frilly top hat: Cut a piece of fabric ( I used scraps from a dollar store flannel scarf) long and wide enough to fit around the snowman's head. Fold ends together and run a bead of glue along edges, lengthwise. Press edges firmly down and let dry.  Turn inside out and fit on head, making a cuff. Tie top with twine or a narrow fabric strip. Cut slits in top gathered fabric. Cut another long narrow fabric strip for the scarf, cutting fringes in the ends and tie around neck. Add adhesive backed stones on the front to decorate body.

This little fellow has a beanie type hat that was tied at the top into a ball. The mouth is a cut off portion of a small red rubber band glued on. And the neck is a cut-off  piece of sock tube placed over the body.


This baby snowman is covered in a baby Christmas sock. The heel portion covering his body and the ankle portion is cut-off for the hat that's tied and fringed. His adorable eyes are deep pink beaded straight pins with painted-on black dots! And of course his cute pink nose is a tiny pom-pom! 

Ta Da! A fun family of snowmen any kid would love to make!

Scroll down for many more Kids Christmas Craft Ideas!