Chocolate Stirring Spoons

I seen these stirring spoons here, and I loved the idea.  So my sister and I set to work.  We did milk chocolate and white chocolate coconut.  In the post it says she spooned the chocolate into the plastic spoons, but I thought that would be too messy so I used a ziploc bag and trimmed off one corner.  That was a semi bad idea, the chocolate is very runny when melted and it poured out of the bag like water but if I had thought of that before hand I would have been better prepared.

I forgot to take pictures of the milk chocolate but both bars were Lindt.  Also it really is important to prop the end of your spoon handle on something (gingerbread house tray in my case), it keeps the spoons level and the chocolate in the spoons instead of all over the table.  I melted the chocolate in a double boiler (nothing fancy just a pot of simmering water and a bowl that will sit on top of the pot but not in the water.  My sister claims she uses a metal bowl but you would probably burn your fingertips off if you forgot what you were doing so I would go with glass.  You will still need oven mitts but if you forget and touch it for a second you will still have the use of your fingers for the rest of the day).  Once you get the melted chocolate into the spoons you just decorate away.  In the dish on the far left below is mini Rolos.  If you use something chocolate like that you should wait a few minutes until you chocolate cools a bit before you put the in so they don't melt.  I put the spoons in the fridge to set up, I used a plate with a dish towel on it to keep the spoons level.

 Here is the final product.  I got small "Sucker" bags at the Bulk Barn and tied them on with ribbon.  They turned out so well.  I might do these again next year for gifts.

Here they are ready to go to their new home.  

Pampers toy box

With a 9-month old in the house, we go through diapers like nobody's business.  I hate to throw the boxes out because they are a great size, sturdy and why not recycle, so I came up with this idea then put my mother to work.

I asked my mother to sew a cover for the box and this is what she came up with.  All I asked her was to make it removable just in case I needed to wash it.  Thomas has claimed this as his toy box and I spend a good part of the day putting the blocks back in just so he can turn it over and dump them back out.  

I would like to figure out how to add a lid and use them to store DVD's and allow them to be stack-able.  I will let you know what I come up with.  

Christmas Tree Day!!

We got our Christmas tree on the 1st.  The earliest we have ever got our tree.  Brayden picked it out and we were on our way back home in 10 minutes.

Here is Brayden checking the water level. 

 

I have also decided to start a new tradition this year, Christmas book advent calendar.  I have seen these all over the internet and I love it.  Every day instead of starting the day with chocolate we start it with a new book.  This is definitely something I will be doing again next year.   

 Here is Brayden wearing his "Baby's first Christmas" sock.

 I am almost done of the ornaments I am giving for Christmas presents, about 2 1/4 left.  I hope I get them done in time.  I will try to remember to take pictures while I am finishing one.  Happy Holidays everyone!

I am so crafty!

I made this can for my boys to take with us when we go someplace that doesn`t have toys, like the doctors.  It is just out of a Pringles can, some scrapbook paper, to cover the can, and stickers to decorate with.  I used rub-on letters and I also put one coat of ModPodge over it too.  I was also thinking that it would be a cute birthday present, so I will now be hoarding Pringles cans.  Oh and I should thank the boyfriend for his help.  He cut the circle for the cover and helped measure the paper for the can, and then told me he wouldn`t have the patience to do this kind of stuff.  It literally took 10 minutes to do this, that is not even long enough for your patience to kick in.  

I am working on Brayden`s Cars crossstitch right now and also the Santas below.  I am getting really bored with these Santas but they are going to be Christmas presents so I have to keep at them.  I do one color on Santa then one color on Cars.  If I ever decide to make ornaments for people again they will not all be the same.  I must get that from my grandfather.  He made coffee tables, china cabinet, hope chests and more but none of them were ever the same.

Only 3 to go!!   Well 4 actually but #4 only needs another 1/2 hour or so.

I finished another page of Thomas`s crossstitch.  I can`t wait to do the next page and see what Mama bunny`s face is going to look like.

Happy stitching!

A dresser for Thomas and Christmas presents

 Here is the $20 dresser I bought from facebook, sanded and all ready for paint.  I sprayed one coat of Rustoleum grey primer, then 2 coats of Rustoleum Granite.  It was a lot simpler then I had anticipated but I do not recommend spray painting on a breezy day.

 And here is the final product.  It is a little more blue than I was looking for.  I got my inspiration from here, which looked like a dark grey color.  I even bought the exact same spray paint, brand, color, but mine looks blue.  I also bought drawer pulls today but they aren't the right size.  I guess using a 3 hole puncher that has a ruler on the side will hamper your measuring abilities.  I also might buy a clear coat so the dresser has a shiny finish but I am still undecided.  Over all it has been a pretty cheap dresser.  The spray paint cost $15 for both bottles and I spent $40 on drawer pulls but they are going to be returned so I might find something cheaper.

This is the Prairie Schooler 2011 Santa.  I am making him into a Christmas tree ornament.  I am not sure how to finish him maybe a burlap bow and a button or something.  Ideas are welcome.

Too busy stitching to be blogging

I finished another page of Brayden's Cars crossstitch and I am not sure I am liking the colors.  Lightening McQueen is supposed to be bright red and all I am using is orange threads.  But on the bright side only 33 more pages to go.  Ugh!  

 Thomas's is coming along quite nice but notice how close to the edge of the fabric I am?  I'm not sure how I managed to be so close but I will have about 1/2 an inch to play with.  Framing could be interesting.

Brayden started preschool last week.  He goes 2 morning a week and Thomas sleeps pretty well the whole time he is gone, so uninterrupted stitching!  It is not very often that happens.

At Our House is complete

 This is the first finish I have had since probably 2009.  My last completed cross stitches were a few kits that my mother had given me and they were from the 90's I would guess.  Lots of flowers, bunnies, cottages, just ones I was doing because I loved to cross stitch, but all I could think while doing them was "what am I going to do with these when I finish them?  Because they are not going to go in my house!"  Then I started one that was a Welcome sign with a pineapple, which I will try to get a picture of soon to put up here.  Very ugly but I was enjoying stitching it.

  Here is my dog Micah.  She has a very bad habit of eating things she isn't supposed to.  Such as vinyl flooring, insulation, garbage, diapers, and last but not least cross stitch patterns.  Or that is what I think happened to my welcome pineapple pattern but I have no way to prove it because there wasn't a trace of it left.  Nothing.  I was so mad I stopped cross stitching for awhile.  I think she felt bad too because her eating things she isn't supposed to has pretty well stopped.  Thank goodness.

  

I have also started this "ends" jar.  I seen it on another blog I read, which when I think of it's name or I get their next post in my email I will link to it.  I am not sure why keeping the ends of my thread is so appealing to me but I get so excited when my thread gets short so I can snip it off and put it in the jar.  It is the simple things in life that really get me going.

I am back to working on my Peter Rabbit cross stitch and will get a progress pic up soon.