Tea Cup Party Favor

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Abbie and I just love tea parties. And birthdays! We decided to go super fancy at Abbie’s most recent birthday and serve tea in fine china and tiny treats on silver platters. Her grandfather even dressed in a tux and pretended to be her butler! We put together this tea cup party favor for her guests. Pretty and practical, it is made from a real tea cup and a pretty flower pen (with chocolate of course… don’t forget chocolate!) We found assorted tea cups and saucers at the thrift shop, so all together each favor cost only about $1.50. These […] Read more »

Basic Hand Sewing: Back Stitch Seam

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The back stitch is commonly used for securing two pieces of fabric together. It is a strong stitch. I use it for inside seams where it can’t be seen. I like to double my thread when I do a back stitch, but you don’t have to.  – Abbie How to Sew a Back Stitch Materials: fabric needle thread 1. Thread your needle, then tie a knot in the thread. Make sure that your pieces of fabric are aligned; you can pin them if necessary. Push the needle up through the fabric from the bottom and pull the thread through. 2. […] Read more »

How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree for Baking

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Around our house, Autumn makes us think of pumpkins. We like to decorate with our table with cute little pumpkins, but even more, we like to eat pumpkin treats! Many pumpkin recipes call for canned pumpkin puree, but you can make your very own pumpkin puree from scratch… all you need is a pie pumpkin. Large pumpkins that are sold for carving don’t work well for cooking as they are usually more stringy and have a higher water content. So look for a pie pumpkin when you want to make fresh pumpkin puree. Ingredients: 1 pie pumpkin Equipment: cutting board […] Read more »

Utensil Pocket Napkin-Folding Tutorial

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  I like to fold napkins this way because it makes a napkin not just something to wipe your hands with. It adds a little festive touch. Plus it’s fun to do! Instructions for making a Utensil Pocket Napkin Materials one square napkin fork, spoon and knife 1     Begin with the napkin folded in half, right side to right side, with the fold away from you. 2     Fold the top of the front side down about an inch. 3     Refold another inch down. 4     Picking the napkin up along the center, fold it in half to form a square. The […] Read more »

Harvest Cookies

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Fall brings cooler weather and pumpkins galore! These pumpkin oat chocolate chip cookies have cranberries and pecans hidden in them too, a sweet harvest of yumminess! Harvest Cookies 2 cups white whole wheat flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) – softened 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 1 cup pumpkin puree 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups oats 1 cup pecans 2 cups chocolate chips 1 cup dried cranberries Heat oven to 350°. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in […] Read more »

Ribbon Barrette Tutorial

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Many mothers will remember these pretty Ribbon Barrettes from their own childhoods. Now girls can make their own! You can choose any two colors, perhaps to go with a special outfit, or to match your favorite team. The ends can be left to flow down your hair or you can tie them in a cute bow. They’re pretty and make great gifts! Ribbon Barrette Tutorial Materials to make one pair of matching barrettes: 2 open-center barrettes (preferably NOT no-slip) 6 feet in each of two colors of 1/8″ width ribbon ruler or tape measure scissors 1) Measure and cut three […] Read more »

Flower Pen Tutorial

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You can grow a garden of these pens in no time! Perfect to give away, adorn a wrapped gift or to add flourish to your writing. Flower Pen Tutorial Materials: artificial flower (long stem and large heads make the best flower pens) pen wire cutter floral tape scissors 1) Choose which flower in your bunch you would like to use. Slide leaves up to the base of the flower if you wish to keep them, or down to the bottom of the stem if you will be discarding them. 2) Place the pen next to the flower, so that the […] Read more »