Salt Dough Ornaments

I decided it might be best this year to make a toddler-friendly tree in hopes of avoiding broken glass ornaments. The kids and I spent a couple of days working on a batch of Salt Dough Ornaments to use this year. I wanted to venture from the usual ribbons and orbs, and instead bought inexpensive strands of beads and some glittery snowflakes to accent our homemade treasures. The kids really loved each step of the process.

Cutting out the dough

Painting the ornaments



Decorating the tree

And enjoying the finished result!




Classic Salt Dough Ornament Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water

Directions:
1. Mix salt and flour.
2. Add in half the water, then gradually add the remaining water.
3. Knead until the dough is smooth, this can take up to 10 minutes.
4. For flat dough ornaments roll out the dough on baking paper
Or be creative and make odd shapes and wreaths (takes longer to bake)

Create:
Use cookie cutters, cut-out templates, or just use your hands.
Dust dough with flour and begin to add details to the ornaments with a toothpick, popsicle stick, and knife.

Don't Forget:
Use a straw to make a hole so you can hang the ornament.

Baking: Time varies based on thickness of ornament
Temperature: 325 degrees
Time: 1 1/2 hours - or until dry

Decorate: Let cool before you begin
Paint with acrylic paints
Glue on beads, buttons, or any fun accessory

Preservation: Making them last a long time
Coat with acrylic varnish when everything is dry

*** Color Variations ***
- Substitute coffee for water - great for gingerbread people
- Add food coloring to make dough a unique color - white, blue, red, etc...

Tie Dye Party!

I hosted a tie dye party for our playgroup yesterday morning and it was such fun! I didn't get any photos of the process, but have some of my finished pieces to share. I was too busy with 7 adults, 11 kids under 7, and 8 bottles of permanent dye to take time to grab my camera. :) Here's info about the process, in case you want to host one at your home!

Supplies & approximate cost
plastic tablecloth or shower curtain to cover table $5 or free if you have one
old towels to absorb spills free
several packets of different colored Dylon dye $2.30 each
condiment bottles to mix & apply dye $1 each
table salt to add to dye $2
latex gloves for each dyer $2 for 10 pairs
bag of medium sized rubber bands $2
box of plastic wrap $3
100% cotton shirts price varied from $2-$5 each

Preparation & Process
1. I asked everyone to pre-wash & dry their items at home & bring them to the party.

2. Lay plastic covering on table & spread out towels on top.

3. The bottles I found held 1 1/2 cups water and the dye instructions say to add one packet to 4 cups. We put 1/2 a packet of dye into the bottle, then filled it with warm tap water. Put lid on, cover tip & shake to mix.

4. You are supposed to add salt to the dye before mixing & I totally spaced that off! The salt open the pores in the fabric to make it accept the dye. Thus resulting in brighter colors. Our colors are faded slightly because I forgot this step.



5. Wet the shirts in cold water & wring out. Fabric should be damp, not dripping wet.

6. Determine what pattern you'd like and fold/twist shirt, then secure tightly with rubber bands. Tight bands make stronger white lines in the pattern. I watched several youtube videos to get pattern ideas: like this one for hearts and this one for spirals. There are tons of great videos on this subject.



7. If the kids wanted to try applying the dye, they donned gloves and went at it. Most of our kids were too young to care, so the parents did them instead. Be sure to dye both sides!



8. Wrap item in plastic wrap to set the dye and travel home. Wait at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours before unwrapping. Rinse under cold water until water runs clear, remove bands & rinse some more. Put in washer. I did a short cold water pre-rinse, then a regular cycle hot wash with a little detergent. Dry on hot to set colors. I recommend washing/dying 2 complete cycles separate from other clothes to make sure the dye is all out and won't run. After that, it's fine to wash with regular clothes. Dylon dye usually stays good and doesn't bleed like other dyes.



9. If you get totally into this, professional dyers use Procion Dyes because the color intensity is very strong. That process involves a couple more steps and those dye are not usually available locally. Dylon dye is often sold at hobby stores like Joanne's, Hobby Lobby, and Michael's.

10. Now your one-of-a-kind shirt is ready to wear! What says summer more than a bright tie dye!?

Knitting for Two: Baby Gifts for Twins

Doug's cousin is due in May with identical twin girls, so I knit up some baby gifts for them. I really love making these little gnomes!




I had plenty of yarn leftover so I made matching newborn size hats for the babies too. These were made using an inexpensive cotton yarn, so it will be easy for the new, busy momma to wash. I can't wait to see them on the babies!



I modeled a hat on one of Ella's baby dolls and boy was she mad that I didn't let her keep the hat for her baby! Looks like I might have to make a doll hat next.

How about a Knitting Update?

I had grand plans of knitting several Christmas gifts this year. I was progressing nicely and it seemed doable until I broke my arm. I couldn't knit for at least the first two weeks after that, and then could only manage a short knitting session a day before my arm started locking up and hurting. My long list shrunk rapidly to just the one closest to being finished, a scarf for my younger sister.

Tanya is a busy single mom with two teen/preteen boys so I wanted something pretty yet warm for her. This Basket weave Scarf fit the bill and was really enjoyable to knit. I love this shade of green and hope she likes it, too. Her winter coat is chocolate brown so I think it will really look nice on her. I never did take a finished photo, but these were taken shortly before I finished. The end length was right around 60" so she will be able to wrap it around comfortably.



I also wanted to make my older sister a gift, but didn't get it finished on time. She is a usually cold-temperatured person, like me, so I thought these fingerless mittens would be a nice treat for her to wear around the house on cold days, or whenever she gets chilly. The first mitt knit up really quick and easy and I loved how it fit and looked. Then I, you know, broke the arm, and didn't cast on the second mitt until a week or so ago. I decided I am not a 2 part knitter type person. I don't know if I will ever start and finish a pair of socks because these mitts taught me that I have a hard time sticking with a project like this!


I finally finished mitt #2, only to realize I had screwed up some stitches around the thumb and it didn't match the first mitt. I should of ripped it back to the mistake and re-knit it, but I just was so over the project I didn't want to spend any more time on it. I actually have enough of the yarn left to knit a third mitt, I think, and toss the goofy one. We'll see. For now I am sitting it aside and planning a different gift for her.

And, lastly, I saw this pattern for cute little gnome dolls a couple months ago and thought, "man, those would be so fun for stocking stuffers!" Yeah, oh well. I was bumming about the mitts, so last night I cast on the doll to cheer myself up and ta da! Today we have a cute little friend! I just used scrap yarn and some Poly fill stuffing I had leftover from other projects, so it is a great free project.



I am feeling recharged and excited to get back to work on a pair of pants I started for Ella back in October. Good thing I planned to knit them larger for her! LOL

Aunt Skinny's Breakfast Casserole

Doug and his brother nicknamed his dad's sister, Linda, Aunt Skinny, and her husband, David, Uncle Fat, when they were boys. Aidan finds this very amusing, as you can imagine. This is a recipe that Linda gave me early in my marriage to Doug as it is his favorite holiday breakfast dish.

Breakfast Casserole

1 lb ground mild sausage, browned and drained
3 slices of white bread, cubed
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dry ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine sausage, bread and cheese in a casserole dish. In a bowl, beat together remaining ingredients. Pour egg mix over the top of the sausage mix. Cover with glass lid or tin foil and store in fridge overnight.

When ready to make, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake covered casserole for 45 minutes. Then lower temp to 325, remove cover and bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Christmas Crack

Every year, I make homemade snacks and cards to give to the boys' teachers and Sean's therapists. Even with a broke arm, I wanted to keep up my tradition. I heard about a really easy candy to make, called Christmas Crack, and found a new candy love! If I can make it one-armed, you can make it too! Plus, it's very quick to make so you have plenty of time to get it done.

First, put yourself in the mood: pop in some Christmas music and pour a glass of eggnog.



Then gather up what you need, here's the recipe:

Christmas Crack

1 sleeve saltine crackers
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 package chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

*I am making a double batch in these photos, so that's why it made so much!*

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and line a 10" x 15" with foil (the kind of sheet that has raised edges!).  Spray with Pam, or grease VERY lightly with butter.  Cover the cookie sheet with a single layer of saltines. 



Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil.  Boil for 3 minutes, stirring with a whisk. 




Pour over the saltines, and try to spread it as evenly as possible.  Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. 



When you remove it, the caramel mixture will be molten and boiling; allow to cool about 3 min, or until you can see the crackers distinctly, which will have shifted while baking.  Push them back into order with a fork or knife. 



Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the toffee and let sit for about 5 minutes to melt.  Once melted spread chocolate evenly. 



If desired, sprinkle on pecans and press lightly into the chocolate. 



Let cool a bit and then transfer to fridge to harden. Once hard, break the candy into small pieces and place in containers.



I tried to get the boys to help me make cards for these. Aidan made one for his teacher, then quit. Sean got distracted with the scissors and didn't want to help stick the foamies down. Oh well!



I posted about this on Facebook and heard that some people make it with Ritz crackers (yumm-oh!) and others topped it with shredded coconut instead of pecans. Good ideas!

Sean had so much fun delivering them to his teachers today! He carried the gift bag full of treats inside all by himself and handed out the cards & treats. He even signed 'candy' to them as he gave them out. I look forward to hearing how Aidan's teacher liked his gift. Next year, Sean won't have as many to give out in Kindergarten and Ella won't be in preschool so I will have less to make. Maybe they will want to help a little more, too.

Wounded Wing Update

Tuesday, I went in for a follow-up on my broken arm. The xrays showed that it is healing fine, but now they can see a tiny fragment loose in the elbow socket. They will xray it again in January, but will probably just leave it in there. Good news is that I don't have to wear the splint unless I feel like I need to. Woot! The swelling is down and I have more mobility in it now. They said no heavy lifting, or pushing, or hard turning on it. Just to keep gently working on flexibility.

My mom is going home tomorrow, but I think I will be able to manage okay. I took Ella to playgroup this morning and it was my first outing with her since I broke my arm. Luckily, she didn't put up a fight getting in the car seat. Taking Sean to school on Friday will be the test- those two like to conspire against me. ;)

I am slowly starting to work on my Christmas knitting projects and hope to get at least one more finished on time. Only have 40 rows left and I can get about 20 done at a time before it starts hurting.

I did get to give my friend (and knitting guru) a little knitted gift today. A miniature pair of pants to hang on her Christmas tree! Too cute! I am totally inspired to knit a bunch of little mini-clothes for ornaments after finishing this.


Thanks for the well-wishes!

Low Water Immersion Dye Project

I've been eyeing these uber cute dyed dresses for months and decided to try my hand at making one for Eleanor. I purchased a simple 100% cotton light pink play dress from Basic Brilliance. I picked up a packet of Flamingo Pink Dylon dye from Hobby Lobby. I followed these directions for Low Water Immersion Dying. Within a couple of hours, I had a fun new dress for brightening up cold winter days!





Ella found her new dress so snuggy that she curled up by the heater and tucked herself in for a nap this morning. :)

A Halloween KISS

We started our celebration with pumpkin carving. Usually, this means mommy does the cutting and tries to get the boys to help scoop out pumpkin seeds. This year, Doug did one and I did one. The boys messed around with the pumpkin seeds a bit, but then decided it was entirely too gross. :P





Finally, it was time to get everyone dressed to trick-or-treat. The costumes I spent the week making turned out great, I think. :) I had guidance from my KISS fan husband and the KISS costume fan site. Aidan's Gene Simmons'costume is circa 1974 and Sean's Ace Frehley costume is circa 1975. The important part was that the boys LOVED them and had so much fun wearing them. Doug did the make up, while I dressed them and did the wig hairstyles.






When I took Aidan with me to buy his boots (which I found in the girls' clothing department) he had a moment of doubt. He loved the rock boots, but asked me why they were in a box with a girl on it and why they had hearts on the soles. My answer, "Because these boots mean you love to ROCK!" When we went through the check out, the mother-teen daughter behind us said, "those are cool boots!" I replied, "thanks, they're his" pointing to Aidan. They said, "Really?" He proudly told them, "Yep, I'm going to be Gene Simmons for Halloween!" LOL

Ella dressed as a little Pumpkin' Rocker and looked cute as can be. Unfortunately, she decided to take a dive off the front steps seconds after I took her photo and ended up with a big scrape on her face. I told Doug she got rough in the mosh pit. Poor sweetie!



Our first stop trick-or-treating was a church Trunk-or-Treat, where people had no idea what the costumes were. We got several, "You are scary little girls!" Oh boy!

I threw together a Groupie costume to wear with them and Doug carried the camera around as our paparazzi. Ella and I went along for a few stops, then stayed home to hand out candy. Sean lasted till about 7:15, Aidan and Doug finally came home at 9.