Saturday, February 23, 2013

2 in 1 Fold Over Clutch

I've made myself a few purses.  You can check them out here and here.  Uncle Kevin and I were getting ready to go wine tasting with some friends and neither of them were right for wine tasting.  I love them both, but they were too big for what I wanted.

I had seen this pattern on Pinterest months ago and thought it would be perfect.

Image of PDF Sewing Pattern - 2 in 1 Fold Over Clutch/Tote Bag

Last summer, I had bought some great mint and gray chevron fabric that I knew I wanted to turn into a purse, so I was all set to go.

2 in 1 fold over clutch
2 in 1 fold over clutch

I made the inside yellow for some contrast.  It has a pocket inside and a magnet to keep it closed.
2 in 1 fold over clutch
It's the perfect size for a night out or when you don't need to lug around a lot of stuff. 

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Emma's Third Birthday: Princess Party

Last week was my niece Emma's third birthday.  She wanted a princess party and that is what she got. I was super excited to help with the party.
princess party
I started by making her a princess birthday outfit.  I have seen many tutorials for this type of tutu and it was pretty easy to make.  I just had to cut and tie the tulle.  She absolutely loved it.
princess party, princess cake
 I also did the baking.
princess party, princess cake, pampered chef batter bowl

I got to make another princess cake.  This time, I used a doll topper from Michael's rather than a real Barbie.  It wasn't as tall, but turned out nice.

princess party, princess cookies
Of course, I had to include some princess cookies.  The kids loved them.  They were right at their height.  I'd see them walk by the table and snag a cookie. 

princess party, princess cupcake push pops
I also made some cupcake push pops.  The crown toppers are Wilton that I got at JoAnn's. 

princess party
 
They wanted to have some activities to keep the girls busy.  I made some wand's out of foam that they could decorate along with some foam crowns they bought.

princess party
 They also had a dress up area where the girls could put on their own princess outfits and accessorize with some plastic jewelry. 

princess party
There was an easel with giant princess coloring pages.

princess party
princess party
The girls also had fun just running around in the backyard and playing with some bubbles.

princess party
All of the little princesses had a great time.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Football Cake: Super Bowl Party


super bowl party, 49ers bunting

 My husband is a huge 49ers fan and as soon as they made it to the super bowl he said he wanted to host a party.  I was all for it because I wanted to make a football cake. He told me that was all I was allowed to make and that he didn’t want me to go overboard.  Of course I couldn’t just do a cake.  I had to make some cute football cookies and try out my new push pop containers that I recently got from Pick Your Plum. 

super bowl party, football cake, football cookies, football push pops

I used my Pampered Chef Batter bowl for the cake.  It’s the same one that I used for the Barbie cake last summer.  Football cakes look a little weird.  People were joking that it looked like meatloaf.  I had fun making it and it tasted great.  I used the same chocolate cake recipe from Glorious Treats that I have used before.  I also made my own fondant.  It’s a marshmallow fondant with almond extract.  I think that it tastes way better than the store bought stuff, but I have to practice working with it a little more.
football cake

The push pops were a last minute addition.  I wanted to practice before I make some princess ones for my niece’s up coming birthday.  They were fun to make, but I should have had three layers of cake to fill it up a little more. 
super bowl push pops, football push pops

Although the outcome of the game wasn’t what we had hoped, the party was fun and I got to do some baking and crafting.  

cookies, football cookies, 49ers cookies, super bowl cookies