Friday, September 28, 2012

Santa's face with touches of glitter

These decoration of Santa won't be overnoticed with his red cap of bright red and beard embellished with white glitter.
I traced Santa's face on cardboard and painted in the details and put red  glitter on his suit and cap and white glitter on his beard.

I also put red glitter on the border and it will go on a plate holder or in a frame.



Teddy Bear with Candy cane

I am especially fond of this one with the bear and candy cane.  I did the same thing as with the Santa; I
traced a image of a teddy bear with a candy cane on cardboard and painted in the details and finished with touches of glitter and put lacquer on it.

I didn't want to put a hole to hang it because I might put it in a picture holder on a end table.




Santa with his list ornament

I love making Christmas ornaments especially when I can use recycling items such as cardboard; which I save for the many crafts I do. 

I printed out a picture of Santa and traced it on a  circle of cardboard and painted in the details and finished with red glitter on his suit and white glitter on his beard. I hole punched it and strung a red ribbon on top.


Thursday, September 27, 2012

Winter Wonderland

This cute scene is made from a sheet of corrugated cardboard which I added a white fluffy blanket and secured it with hot glue underneath. Then I scattered miniature christmas ornaments on top accordingly. I made trees out of construction paper and decorated them with paint and glitter. I threw fake snow around and made a pond with blue glitter. The hills are made with cotton balls and I put a house on one and snowman and little ornaments.

Peppermint Bark Crispy Cookies

I have to admit that in all purposes these are not really in a legal sense "cookies" but it sounded better than crackers. I also will note that once you make them you will swear that you are eating a delicate crispy cookie covered with peppermint bark. Whenever I shop there's one item that I have to buy because they are so versatile and that is Town House Crackers (thanks Keebler). Whatever mood I am in at the time, all I need to buy extra ingredients and I can have ready-made snacks anytime. I did my all true and tried method again. I dont particularly to buy a whole bag of white chocolate chips. Instead, one of my favorite chocolate is Lindt and they have single bars which I purchased, white and dark chocolate. I bought the white chocolate. Town House crackers (1 sleeve) 1 large bar of Lindt white chocolate Peppermint candy (crushed) Waxed paper lined pan or sheet 1. Line a pan with waxed paper or parchment and line your crackers down in rows. 2. In a microwave safe bowl, break up the Lindt bar and check it after 30 secs. Stir to see if it is melted. If not, continue for another 20-30 secs. Check until the chocolate is melted. 3. With two spoons, over the bowl.....take a cracker at a time put it on a spoon and with the other spoon, spoon the chocolate over it, and let the extra chocolate drip down in the bowl. Smooth the chocolate over the top of cracker and lay it down on the pan. Continue to the next one. 4. Be sure the tops have ample chocolate on them since the bottom is the cracker part. 5. Sprinkle the peppermint candy all over the crackers so they are covered with the candy. Tap the pan so the candy are dispersed evenly. 6. Put in the refrigerator till the chocolate sets. You will have a sweet, crispy, melt-­in-your-mouth chocolately sensation waiting for you later.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Glittery Angel Onaments and garland

These easy to make cute angels were made out of toilet paper rolls.... believe it or not. I was so busy making these that I regret that I didn't take picture of the the step by step directions. 1. I took a toilet paper roll and marked 1/2 inch increment strips all the way to the end of the roll and cut the strips. 2. The wings are shaped to a triangle shaped, used 2 of the strips for those. 3. Cut 2 strips in half, the bottom will be curved ...its very easy to bend and curl any strip (I used the edge of my kitchen counter and it curled any strip I wanted). The top part of skirt is will pointy so that the wings can be glued to that part. 4. The wings at either end are glued to the pointy end of the skirt with hot glue. 5. The head is cut in half then, cut again and glued to a cirlcle. you can use tacky glue for this part. Let it dry for a bit. The other half of the strip will the halo which will be glued to the wings on either side (all strips will be hot glued). You will see the head is suspended on it's itself because the halo is joined to the wings. 6. I though it will kinda clever to do it that way. Then. I just took plain craft glue and sprinkled different glitter on each angel. I did those two ways: I did the garland where I put string all through going in and out of the wings of each one and continued to the other angel. 7. Then I took off the garland and made them individual ornament and put silver curling ribbon around the head. I can't decide what way I want to go.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Beautiful Felt Poinsettas

These felt poinsettas I made I kept for myself for the time being till I decide what to do with them. I am debating on whether I went them to be ornaments, decorations on packages or part of centerpiece, I can't decide. I saw the template and I couldn't pass it up. I always have glitter glue (my favorite thing), thread and the white fluff to put inside.

On the white poinsetta, the petals on top are curled at the center and seed beads are gathered at the center. Then I went around with red glitter glue on the inside petals and made a dash pattern on the outside petals.
On the one of red Poinsetta's, I put silver glitter glue on the border on petals and sewed together seed beads in the center.  On the other red poinsetta I made a dash pattern with white puffy paint on the outside petals and sewed together white seed beads in the center.



ANIMATED SNOWY SCENE

This cute ornament was made out of a powder drink container believe or not. What I did was to and cut a oval in the front with a exacto knive, keeping about 1 1/2 inches from each end. I added little ornaments such as snowmen, santa, and teddy bear. Then I sprinkled faux snow and cut a little scened from a greeting card that I glued at the back.

 I hot glued the miniature ornaments to the bottom of the inside of the container and I had a little wreath that I hot glued to the back wall of the container. With craft glue on the top of container, I sprinkled faux snow all over and attached a battery operated tealight at the end where the plastic lid is. I pushed the tealight in from the outside and glued in so the on/off switch would work.




Purple Penguin Ornaments

These penguin ornaments were also a hit with the kids. I cut out circles or rectangular shapes from the paper and glued down to cardboard templates and smoothed them down. Then I sprinkled deep purple glitter on one of them and sprinkled irredescent glitter on the others. I strung purple satin ribbon on the top and gave some to my granddaughter, nieces.






Adorable Snowmen Tags


Today I brought out my Christmas crafts from last so I that could see what I had and what I needed to finish or add to the collection.  Some of them I gave to gifts to people and they were so thrilled to get something handmade. 

 I had the cutest paper with snowmen and used it for gift tags.  I cut out snowmen from the wrapping paper and glued them on sturdy cardboard and on the other side wrote on the "to and from" signage and went around the border of the snowman with silver glitter glue.  I used my hole punch and added silver curling ribbon for the string.




Wednesday, September 19, 2012

My Little Creative World: Chocolate & Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert

My Little Creative World: Chocolate & Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert: Again, this decadent dessert combines two of my favorite flavors of chocolate and peanut butter.   You can see it's rather to make and the...

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert



Again, this decadent dessert combines two of my favorite flavors of chocolate and peanut butter.   You can see it's rather to make and the end result as you can see from the pictures won't disappoint any sweet tooth. 

 12  NUTTER BUTTER Cookies, divided
2Tbsp.  butter, melted
1pkg.  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2cup  PLANTERS Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2cup  sugar
2tsp.  vanilla
1tub  (12 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
2oz.  BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

CRUSH 8 cookies; mix with butter. Press onto bottom of foil-lined 9x5-inch loaf pan.

MIX next 4 ingredients in large bowl with mixer until blended. Whisk in 3 cups COOL WHIP; spoon 1/2 cup into small bowl. Blend in melted chocolate. Spread half the remaining cream cheese mixture over crust; top with layers of chocolate mixture and remaining cream cheese mixture.

FREEZE 4 hours or until firm. Invert onto plate. Remove foil, then re-invert dessert onto platter so crumb layer is on bottom. Coarsely break remaining cookies. Top dessert with remaining COOL WHIP and broken cookies.





My Little Creative World: No Bake Vanilla Cake Batter Chocolate Truffles

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My Little Creative World: My Little Creative World: PUMPKIN AND APPLE GARLAN...

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No Bake Vanilla Cake Batter Chocolate Truffles

This is my kind of RECIPE....easy to make, few ingredients and people would think you were baking all day.  Who doesn't love cake batter anyway...??


1 c vanilla cake mix
1/4 c sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp agave (optional and you can just use all sweetened condensed milk if you don’t have agave on hand)
1.5 to 2 c chocolate chips

Directions: In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients, except chocolate chips, and stir to combine.

This mixture should be quite solid and not runny, but not so dry that you can’t mold it into balls.  If you find that your mixture is a little too runny, add a touch more cake mix.  If it’s a little too dry, add more sweetened condensed milk/agave.  I ended up using about 1.25 c of cake mix to get the perfect consistency.

After you’ve made the dough, refrigerate or freeze for 15 minutes and then remove and roll into balls.

After the balls have been made, refrigerate or freeze for 15 minutes minutes or until well-chilled, ensuring the melted chocolate will adhere and set up properly.

Melt the chocolate chips, and dip the chilled cake batter balls into melted chocolate.  Using parchment paper is a tip I’d recommend when working with melted chocolate.  Place truffles in freezer or fridge to set up.

Stir all ingredients together except for chocolate chips.  This is what my dough looked like, and then I put it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

I recommend rolling these balls much smaller than you think they should be because once you dip them in chocolate, they almost double in size.  The end result should be a truffle and bite-sized.  You don’t necessarily want to be biting into a golf ball sized truffle.  So start with small balls.

Dip balls into melted chocolate and allow to set up in freezer.






Monday, September 17, 2012

My Little Creative World: PEPPERMINT BARK

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My Little Creative World: Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Fudge

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My Little Creative World: Grasshopper Mint Chocolate Bark

My Little Creative World: Grasshopper Mint Chocolate Bark: I found some fantastic recipes over the weekend... or, I should say mouth watering recipes that wanted me to bake right on the spot.  They ...

PEPPERMINT BARK



This is another version of bark for those like the peppermint taste and it's fairly simple and less time consuming.  This has to be in the top ten of candies that people make for Christmas.  It's foolproof, it has 3 ingredients how hard could it be.  It looks pretty on a Christmas centerpiece.

1 lb. dark chocolate (I used 1/2 semisweet and 1/2 bittersweet)
1 lb. white chocolate
6 oz. (1 regular package) candy canes, crushed

1. Melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler until smooth. Spread (with an offset spatula) in an even layer on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Place in freezer to harden, approximately 30 minutes.

2. Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler until smooth. Spread (with an offset spatula) on top of the dark chocolate layer. Working quickly before the white chocolate sets, sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top and gently press into the chocolate. Refrigerate until complete hard and set, at least 2 hours.

3. Break into pieces and enjoy!





Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Fudge


I don't know about you, but I absolutely love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate together.  This recipe is easy to follow, and in the end result,  you will enjoy every morsel.

Ingredients

2 cups peanut butter chips
1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
Dash salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions

In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt peanut butter chips with 1 cup Eagle BRAND®, butter and salt.
In small saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips with remaining Eagle BRAND®. Remove from heat; add vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.

Spread peanut butter mixture evenly into waxed paper lined 8- or 9-inch square pan. Spoon chocolate mixture over peanut mixture. With table knife or metal spatula, swirl through top of fudge. Chill 3 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board; peel off paper and cut into squares. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.




Grasshopper Mint Chocolate Bark


I found some fantastic recipes over the weekend... or, I should say mouth watering recipes that wanted me to bake right on the spot.  They say that you shouldn't go to the store on a empty stomach.  I can say the same when looking at decadent desserts on the internet. 

If these sweet decadent desserts don't make you salivate, you're a better person than me.  I was in Pinterest over the weekend, I'm sure everybody knows that site, and if your like me you can get carried away browsing hours on end without leaving the site.  Don't hate me when you see these candy recipes that I posting.  When I saw them it gave me ideas what to make over the holidays.


16 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon mint extract (NOT peppermint), optional
Green food coloring
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 box (4.67-ounces) Andes Crème de Menthe Thins, unwrapped and coarsely chopped

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler (or in 30-second intervals in the microwave on 50% power, stirring after each). Once the chocolate is melted, remove from the heat and let sit for a few minutes to cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Add the mint extract, if using, and stir to combine. Add a few drops of green food coloring and stir until desired color is reached.

3. Spread the white chocolate mixture onto the prepared pan in an even layer (depending on the size of the pan and how thick you’d like your bark, you may not need the entire surface of the pan). Refrigerate for 15 minutes, until just about set.

4. Meanwhile, melt the semisweet chocolate over a double boiler (or in 30-second intervals in the microwave on 50% power, stirring after each). Once the chocolate is melted, remove from the heat and let sit for a few minutes to cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Pour over the white chocolate layer and spread evenly over top. Sprinkle with the chopped Andes mints and press down lightly to push the mints into the top chocolate layer. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until completely set.

5. Cut the bark or break into uneven pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. When stored in the refrigerator, it will keep for at least 2 weeks.



Friday, September 14, 2012

My Little Creative World: PUMPKIN AND APPLE GARLAND

My Little Creative World: PUMPKIN AND APPLE GARLAND: Pumpkin and Apple Garland This was so easy to do and fun also and if you like recycyling like me you save alot of household items.  These...

PUMPKIN AND APPLE GARLAND


Pumpkin and Apple Garland

This was so easy to do and fun also and if you like recycyling like me you save alot of household items.  These craft only took a few items but the end result was so too cute.

Ruler
Scissors
Paint  (orange for pumpkins, red for apples)
Twine 
Glue gun
Empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls
Paint brush

1.  First, flatten the rolls and mark 1/2 inch increments from one end to the other.  

2.  Cut the strips.  You will have more strips from the paper towel roll than the toilet  roll.  The pumpkin will need 6 strips...one will be cut in half for the top and bottom adjoining the three middle loops.

4.  For the apple, you will have 5 strips...the fiftth will be cut in half to be the top and bottom adjoining the middle loops.   Naturally, you have  scraps leftover, make little 1" x 1/2 cm loops for the stems for all the pumpkins, apples and paint them brown.

5.  Start painting the strips, use orange  for the pumpkins, and red for the apples.  Make sure you sort all the strips beforehand so that dont get painted the wrong color.

6. When they are dry, start hot gluing them, at the middle of the loops till they are together.

7.  Then put a dot of glue at the bottom of each loop at the bottom and attach the strip that will adjoin them in the bottom.   Do the likewise for the top strip.

8.  With twine (or any kind of string)  weave the pumpkin or apple, whatever is going to be first.  Go through front to back and then go to the next one and give enough string  in between each one so you can adjust it accordingling.  Hang it wherever you desire in your home.  I have mine next to my computer hanging from my candle sconce.













My Little Creative World: Cute Ideas for Autumn

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My Little Creative World: Glitter Leaves and Pumpkin Wreath

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Glitter Leaves and Pumpkin Wreath



GLITTER LEAVES AND PUMPKIN  WREATH 

This colorful fall wreath was made with a cardboard form that I made myself. I added fall leaves from the store and felt pumpkins and pears in orange and yellow. I put the leaves in certain pattern and glued glitter on some of the leaves. I adhered the pears and the pumpkins and I glued some more glitter on the creases on the pumpkins and the pears

MATERIALS


Cardboard form (10" or  12")
Assorted sizes fall leaves (from craft store)
Hot glue
Glitter
Felt pumpkins and pears

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Cut from cereal box or anything that's big enough for a  10" or 12" circle with a 2 inch solid base.

2.  On  a plate  before  you put the  leaves on the wreath, arrange a pattern with the leaves that you would like to see on the wreath.  You can do it many times until you are satisfied with the pattern.

3.  With glue gun ready, start placing the assorted colors and sizes of leaves onto the wreath on the pattern that you decided on.  When they are dried, brush the veins on some of leaves with craft glue and sprinkle autumn colored glue to add effect.  

4.  With the orange and yellow pumpkins and pears, put them in any random pattern on top of some of the arranged leaves.  

5.  Hang your glittered leaves and pumkin wreath on a door window or mantel.