Fun Kid Craft

I found some fun Halloween rubber stamps at Michael's for $1 each. I let the boys all choose one with plans for some kid craft... that hadn't been envisioned yet.

I decided to make the boys each a trick or treat bag and let them stamp it however they liked. I made the bags with fabric cut out of some old maternity capris my mom made me that were always way too big. I added a ribbon with some decorative (sort of) orange stitching and black handles (the nylon belt material stuff) and let the kids go at it.

They had fun. As you can see they varied from really particular about where things go, to not caring at all if there was even ink on the stamp. It was pretty fun and it was quick which meant it was a lot less stress for this momma. My 3 year old actually didn't want to stamp his, he just told me where to put each stamp, and he's got a good eye!

I added their names when they were all done stamping.

We had our first trick or treat experience with them on Saturday night and the kids loved their bags! It was fun to have something they created to show to the people giving out candy.

Creamy Spinach & Chicken filling

My family made some delicious ice cream last night as a special treat (I'll be posting about it soon!). Hubby brought home extra citrus produce, so I suggested we have crepes tonight. We love crepes with lemon juice and sugar... so good! Anyhow, when hubby started making crepes, (he's the resident fry-daddy and crepe maker) he informed me that he wanted a spinach and chicken filling to make it more dinner appropriate so this is what I came up with from what we had in our kitchen...

Creamy Spinach and Chicken Filling

2 Tbsp Butter

2 heaping Tbsp Flour

1 cup milk

salt and pepper

3 big handfuls spinach

2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped- I had left over roast chicken I used.

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 cube Cream Cheese (1/3 less fat)

1/2 cup + Parmesan cheese, freshly grated.

dash of garlic powder

salt and pepper

Melt butter over medium heat, sprinkle flour, stirring constantly. When flour has completely soaked up butter and is bubbly add milk. Stir constantly, add salt and pepper to taste.

When slightly thickened add spinach. Simmer until spinach cooks down a bit. Add chicken, onions, cream cheese, parmesan and garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Stir often.

Continue to simmer until everything is melted and spinach is completely cooked down, stirring occasionally.

Serve as a filling for crepes.

My review: Totally easy. Ingredients I generally always have on hand (except the green onions), which makes cooking so much easier. It also tasted absolutely delicious! My hubby and I couldn't get enough of it. Our 3 year old was the only one who turned his nose up at it and that was after he saw the spinach and eaten half of it. Our 4 year old finished his brother's in seconds flat. Next time I may try sauteing a clove of garlic rather than the powder, I was just too lazy tonight.

It would also be great as a filling with pasta, I'm thinking large shells stuffed with spinach, cheesy goodness and baked 15 minutes after topped with sauce. Yummy! Or even just mixed, casserole style with penne.

Get WILD baby!

I was recently asked to make a cake for a baby shower for a gal in my ward who was having a baby boy. I brainstormed until I came up with this fabulous idea, the only trouble was I needed to figure out how to do fondant.

I found a recipe here that makes a delicious alternative to traditional fondant. I was nervous to try it, but got up the nerve Wednesday night. It took lots of kneading, but it was worth it! I let it sit in the fridge until the next afternoon when I was ready to color it. I added my gel food coloring (using gloves so I didn't dye my hands as well) and kneaded some more, until I had lots of bright colors to get wild about. My green frosting on the sides was too runny, so the leaves just look like blobs of green, but the greenery in the rainforest isn't perfect, so who cares? My monkey was done at the very last minute, so he's not perfect either, but the top of the cake looked just as I envisioned it!

My review of working with fondant: I didn't have any shape cutters, so I freehanded everything. It was a little tricky to use a knife on, but I feel like I was able to get the shapes I wanted by using my fingers to mold the imperfections and my kitchen shears were great for the little giraffe horns. Rolling it out was a lot simpler than I expected. I thought it would stick and tear, I didn't really have any problems with either. It was great! I don't know if this version will harden and hold a shape, so I'm not sure if it can totally replace traditional fondant, but for my cake it was ideal.

My review of the taste: It was very sweet (as expected from the ingredients). One gal told me she tasted fondant once before and thought it tasted like soap. She ate mine and was totally surprised. She even peeled it all off her piece of cake and ate it solo so she could savor just that flavor. Another gal got up for seconds saying, "I want more of that fondant." So I guess it was a hit.

If you're considering making this, try it! Like I said before, I was really nervous, but it was quite easy and so therapeutic. It opens up so many opportunities for decorating. It made making my cake a little easier, too, I think. And the finished product speaks for itself.

Home Decor Redo

I've been trying to get my bedroom decorated for about 5 months now. Its still a work in progress, but its starting to come together. The last week has brought about these additions. Thanks Jeni for your ideas all those months ago, its finally starting to work!

First, I did my first photo collage! I'm very happy with how it turned out, even though there are imperfections. I bought a bunch of second hand frames and painted them shiny black. Then I got some paper in some coordinating colors with the rest of the room and made mats for photos of my family and some just for art. Very simple project that fills a large wall that I was totally unsure what to do with.

My mirror before. Not bad, just not perfect for the space.
My mirror after. So sleek and a statement in the room now.
My rocking chair before. Definitely didn't match my room, it was a hand-me-down that needed a facelift.
My rocking chair after. Its still not completely finished. I think I'm going to add some accessories, if you will. But it is SO much better for my space. I love it!
I spray painted to wood shiny black and made covers for the cushions with a lovely fabric that fits with the room. The bottom cushion was really tricky to get right, so its not a perfect fit. I haven't decided if I am going to try to fit it tighter, or if I'm just going to live with it.

Now when I walk into my room, it feels so much more cohesive. I still have a few projects I'm working on, but really its coming together so nicely. I'm excited to get it all done and show before and after pictures of the entire room.