Lollipop Box

I'm not usually very good at figuring things out on my own.  If I see something in blogland that I want to make, I'll search high and low for a tutorial.  It's not that I couldn't figure it out on my own....I'm sure I could.  I guess I'm just too lazy.  Or too busy.  Or both. 

THIS cute lollipop box from Inking Idaho got my creative juices flowing.  I just HAD to make one!  Becky linked to the blog where the original pattern came from, and I went there....hoping to find a tutorial or even a pattern for the box.  No such luck.  So I studied the box and decided I could figure it out on my own.

Here's what I came up with.  Not bad, eh?

And I even went the extra mile and made my own lollipops to put in the box.  Root Beer lollipops in the shapes of stars and hearts, to be exact.  Now the hard part is choosing who I'm going to give this to....'cause I want to keep it for myself!!

I had full intentions of making a tutorial to share with you, but haven't had the time to edit the pictures and sit down and write it.  I'll work on that and hopefully have it ready by next week sometime!


I'm linking to these fabulous parties:
It's Stinkin' Cute Craft Thursday @It's Sew Stinkin' Cute

Sew Cute Tuesday {9.28.10}

Sorry that my posting has been a little sporadic lately.  I've got a little something up my sleeve and have been working on some really fun stuff.....but I can't share anything quite yet.  Give me a few weeks and you'll see what I've been up to!!

I know I say this every week, but THANK YOU for visiting my blog and making "Sew Cute Tuesday" such a success!!  I love seeing all the creative projects linked up each week! 

Here's a few projects that caught my eye from last week:

The Wonders of Doing shared some amazing Embroidered Pillowcases that she made as gifts!

I'm going to have to try this easy Pillowcase Tutorial from Visions of Sugar Plums!

How cute is this Toddler Sleeping Bag from Twinkle Toes Bowtique?!

And I loved this Quick & Easy Sheet Tutorial from The Train To Crazy!

Feel free to grab a 'Featured' button....you can now find it in my *new* menu bar!!

Now let's get this linky party started!!




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Rules for linking:

**link to specific blog post, not blog home page!
**link sewing projects only! (can be hand or machine sewn)
**I will delete any non-sewing links....don't make me be a meanie!
**visit a few of the links and leave some comment love!
**Linky Tools will remain open until midnight on
Wednesday, September 29th.
**If you come back and don't see your link, read through the rules again and give it another try!

Shortcut Pumpkin Bread

The weather has been getting cooler where I live, and when that starts happening, I start craving pumpkin bread!  I found a recipe in the October issue of Parents Magazine that looked divine and just had to give it a try.

This bread really is divine!!  Both my husband and my Father-In-Law couldn't stop raving about it.  I ended up making 2 loaves, and some muffins, thinking they'd last atleast a few days.  Wrong!!  They didn't even last one!

You really must try this recipe!! 

Sew Cute Tuesday {9.21.10}

Halloween is just around the corner....and I haven't started ANY projects for it yet.  Luckily for me, there were some really fun projects linked up last week to give me some inspiration!

How fun is this Feelin' Witchy Dishtowel from Flamingo Toes?!

My kids would go crazy over this Halloween Advent Calendar from Project Naptime!

This Halloween Owl from Sew Woodsy makes me smile! 

And I loved Naptime Journal's cute Monster Costumes!

Feel free to grab a 'Featured' button....you can now find it in my *new* menu bar!!

Now let's get this linky party started!!



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Rules for linking:

**link to specific blog post, not blog home page!
**link sewing projects only! (can be hand or machine sewn)
**I will delete any non-sewing links....don't make me be a meanie!
**visit a few of the links and leave some comment love!
**Linky Tools will remain open until midnight on
Wednesday, September 22nd.
**If you come back and don't see your link, read through the rules again and give it another try!

Banana Crumb Muffins

I love banana bread.  But I've found that my kids have a harder time eating it if I make it into loaves instead of muffins.  Don't ask me what the difference is, 'cause I'm still trying to figure that one out.  Maybe they think the muffins are cupcakes.....without frosting.  As long as they eat it, I'll let them think whatever they want!
 

You can find the recipe HERE from allrecipes.  And thank you to my awesome sister, Melinda, and her friend Rebecca for finding and sharing this recipe with me!

Scrabble Tile Earrings Winners!

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway!  And thank you for your feedback.  The consensus was that we should charge between $3.00 and $5.00 a pair....I've got 2 more months until this craft fair to make a final decision, I guess!

Anyways....let's get on with the winners.  Using Random.org, these are the 3 lucky girls whose numbers were chosen....

She Wears Flowers

Joy

And Kellie 

Congratulations, ladies!!  Please email me (creativeitchblog at gmail dot com) with your mailing address so I can get your earrings sent off to you!

Service in September

***To enter my giveaway, click HERE.  It ends tonight at midnight and I'll anounce the winners tomorrow morning!****

Terri from Quick-Tips Sewing has a "Service in September" challenge going on right now.  I have taken the challenge and am pledging to make a My Life in a Jar gift for 'Grandma Great'.  (I love this idea so much, I may end up using it as Christmas gifts!)  I'll share it with you once I'm finished. 

What about you?  Are you up for the challenge? 

Sew Cute Tuesday {9.14.10}

**Remember, you have until Wednesday night to enter my giveaway!!  Scroll down to the previous post for more info.

Today I'm guest posting at We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ.  I hope you'll visit!  Jocelyn has teamed up with Chocolate on My Cranium to Celebrate Family throughout the whole month of September.  If you've missed the posts up to this point, take the time to read through them all.  They are amazing!!

I've had Christmas on my mind lately, so I'm highlighting some projects this week that would make great stocking stuffers or gifts!

I love this Photo Bookmark from Twinkle Toes Bowtique!!

I could see myself whipping up plenty of these Custom Logo Key Fobs from Create and Delegate!  

I've never seen Homemade Journals like the ones at From Blank Pages....so cute!

And I could see my kids staying busy for hours with this adorable Yellow Car Game from She Wears Flowers!

Feel free to grab a 'Featured' button....you can now find it in my *new* menu bar!!


Now let's get this linky party started!!



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Rules for linking:

**Link to specific blog post, not blog home page!
**Link sewing projects only! (can be hand or machine sewn)
**I will delete any non-sewing links....don't make me be a meanie!
**Visit a few of the links and leave some comment love!
**Grab a button or link back to me on your post, pretty please!
**Linky Tools will remain open until midnight on
Wednesday, September 15th.
**If you come back and don't see your link, read through the rules again and give it another try!

Scrabble Tile Earrings....and a Giveaway!

******This giveaway is CLOSED******

I've got a baggie full of Scrabble tiles that have been collecting dust for a few years.  Our recent project of making Bottle Cap Earrings got me thinking......could Scrabble tiles be made into earrings?  After figuring out how I would make them, I went to work.

They turned out even better than what I had pictured in my head!!

I made these using Mod Podge, a 3/4" square punch (SO much easier than tracing and cutting each square by hand!), and cute scrapbook paper.  To finish them off, I sprayed each tile with an acrylic finish coating.  Then I got my 1/16" drill bit and drilled holes down the center of each tile.  Let me be honest here.....the 'practice' tiles I did were horrible.  And I even broke a drill bit in the middle of drilling one tile.  So, my wonderful husband came to my rescue and ended up doing most of the drilling for me.

The polka dot and flower earrings were the very first pairs that I made.  I drilled a hole in the front and used a jump ring to attach the earrings.  I'm still not sure which way I like them better.....what do you think?

Here's all the finished earrings so far.  I've got lots more Scrabble tiles prepped and ready to be made into earrings, but ran out of the earring hooks.  And of course there aren't any to be found in my small town, so I have to wait to make a trip to "the city" before I can get more.  UGH!!

My girls and I will be selling these at our local craft fair in November.  Be honest....do you think they'll go over well?  And do you think $3.00 a pair is too much to charge?

{Now for the giveaway........}

September 7th was my official 2 year Blogaversary!  To celebrate, I'm giving away a pair of Scrabble tile earrings to 3 lucky people!!  Here's how to enter.  Please leave only 1 comment per person!

*You must be a follower of my blog.....you guys are the reason why I'm here!
*Leave ONE comment letting me know you're a follower, and which pair of earrings you'd choose if you won.  If you have any opinions about the earrings (price we plan on selling them for, etc.), leave that in your comment as well.

The deadline to enter is Wednesday (Sept. 15th) at midnight and I'll announce the winners on Thursday, September 16th!  Good luck!!     



I'm linking to these fun parties:
It's Stinkin' Cute Craft Thursdays @It's Sew Stinkin' Cute
Motivate Me Monday @Keeping It Simple
Look At Me! Party @Fun To Craft
Making the World Cuter Monday @Making the World Cuter
Made By You Monday @Skip To My Lou
Modern Craftswoman Monday @Tools Are For Women Too
Take a Look Tuesday @Sugar Bee-Craft Edition
Sugar and Spice Weekly Link Party @Seven Thirty Three
Whatever Goes Wednesday @Someday Crafts
Tuesday Tell All @My Craftie Life
Weekend Wrap Up Party @Tatertots and Jello

Summer Squash Muffins

We've had an abundance of yellow squash from our garden this year....yay!!  As I was searching online for recipes to help me use all of this squash up, I came across a Summer Squash Bread recipe from allrecipes.  Now, I'll admit that I was skeptical about this recipe at first.  But after reading through the reviews, I decided to give it a try.   

As you can see, I made mine into muffins instead of bread loaves.  The verdict?!  My husband and I both loved them, but my kids....well, not so much!  There is hope though.  My 2-year-old nephew tried one and loved it too!  I will definitely be making more (we've still got lots of squash!).  My plan is to freeze them, then I can have a treat whenever I like.

In the comments section of the recipe, someone mentioned adding a crumb topping before baking.  YUM!!  I obviously did this (1 c. brown sugar, 3/4 c. flour, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 c. butter), and made a few other changes too.  Instead of using 1 cup of vegetable oil like the recipe calls for,  I used 1/2 c. vegetable oil and 1/2 c. applesauce.  I also left out the nutmeg, and added 1 mashed banana to mine. 

Sew Cute Tuesday {9.7.10}

Happy Tuesday, everyone!!  I seem to have gotten busier since my kids started school and find that I have less time to devote to my blog.  I hope you won't be offended if I don't get around to leaving comments on every link this week (or in the weeks to come!).  I try my hardest to visit all of your blogs because I really do appreciate you taking the time to link up each week!  I'll do my best!  

Here's a few projects that caught my eye from last week:

I love, love, LOVE this Family Flag from Oopsey Daisy!  I'm thinking this is something I'm going to have to do with my family!

How cute are these Monkey Face Patches from Janet of All Trades?!

Sew Totally Smitten shared her adorable Candy Corn Door Decoration!

And I loved this cute Buttoned Belt from Something Pretty!

Feel free to grab a 'Featured' button....you can now find it in my *new* menu bar!!

Now let's get this linky party started!!



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Rules for linking:

**link to specific blog post, not blog home page!
**link sewing projects only! (can be hand or machine sewn)
**I will delete any non-sewing links....don't make me be a meanie!
**visit a few of the links and leave some comment love!
**Linky Tools will remain open until midnight on
Wednesday, September 8th.
**If you come back and don't see your link, read through the rules again and give it another try!

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

I've been craving cinnamon rolls for a few months now, but it's been too hot to make them.  Well, today I finally bit the bullet and made a batch.  Oh. My. Goodness!!  This picture totally doesn't do them justice...they are SO YUMMY!!

THIS is the recipe I use.  The only change I make is on the frosting.  I like buttercream frosting on my cinnamon rolls!!

{Buttercream Frosting}

1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/2 c. shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. milk
4 c. powdered sugar

Mix butter and shortening together until creamy.  Add vanilla and milk, then powdered sugar 1 cup at a time.

I always freeze my cinnamon rolls...then whenever I need a sweet treat, I just pop one in the microwave for about 1 minute, spread some frosting on it, and then enjoy it with a big glass of milk!

Hair Pretties Galore!

I've mentioned before that my oldest daughter is trying to earn money to buy a laptop.  My 9-year-old decided it sounded like a good idea, so now she's looking for ways to earn money too.

This is what we've been making for the last couple of days.....to help them both make some moolah.

Aren't they so much fun?  My nieces and my cousin's little girls needed some 'hair pretties', so we learned how to make these pinwheel bows to sell to them.

I'm sad that we ran out of ribbon, cause I'm thinking we need some for us to keep too!!

I taught both my girls how to make basic bows too.  Don't they look great?!

Not sure why this picture is sideways, but here's some more basic bows.

We turned some of the rolled fabric flowers we made a few weeks ago into hair clips as well.  Love them!!

And we even threw in a few headbands too!

We had so much fun making these!  The girls have decided they want to have a booth at our local craft fair in November too.... so I guess we'll be working hard for the next couple of months making more hair pretties, bottle cap earrings, and whatever else we can think of to sell.  I've never had a booth in a craft fair before, so I'm not sure what to expect.  Do any of you have any advice?  Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated!!



I'm linking to these parties:

It's Stinkin' Cute Craft Thursday @It's Sew Stinkin' Cute
Show Off Your Stuff @Fireflies & Jellybeans
Look What I Made! @Creations By Kara
Look At Me Party @Fun To Craft