Archives for December 2010

15
Dec

Buckeyes: Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

About a week ago on The Cottage Mama facebook page I had posed the question “What was everyone’s favorite holiday cookie?”.  Well, my husband was the first to chime in and said “Buckeyes”! 

And though I had not anticipated on him participating in our daily facebook chatter, I knew that I better get on top of making him his most favorite Christmas cookie!

Buckeyes
Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls
25-30 individual balls
Ingredients:
1.5 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 cups powdered sugar
4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions:
Mix the peanut butter, softened butter, vanilla extract and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Lay a piece of wax paper or parchment paper onto a cookie sheet.  Roll balls of peanut butter mixture and place on cookie sheet.  Dip your hands in water to avoid too much stickiness.  Once you have used up all of your dough and made the balls.  Place them on the cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour.
Prepare your double-boiler on the stove.  If you do not have a double boiler, fill your saucepan with about 3-4 inches of water and place a heat-proof glass bowl on top.  Place chocolate chips and vegetable oil into the top of your double boiler.  Allow chocolate to melt completely (stirring occassionally).
Next drop balls into chocolate and coat completely.  To make true buckeyes, you leave the top of the peanut butter ball exposed, but I find this to be a little more time consuming, so I just coat them completely.  Place chocolate covered balls back on wax paper on cookie sheet.  Once all balls are coated, return to the freezer for an additional 30 minutes.
Store buckeyes in the refrigerator and remove before serving. Enjoy!

My mother in law adds some paraffin wax to the chocolate mixture, this will thin it out and make it go farther.  Personally, that’s just not for me, so I just use the vegetable oil for sort of the same thing.  If you use paraffin, omit the vegetable oil.

I had some extra chocolate left over in my double boiler, so I dropped in a bunch of pretzels to coat them with chocolate as well.  Before the pretzels set, I sprinkled them with fine red sugar and coarse white sugar.

Happy Holiday Cookie Season!
14
Dec

Sugar Pop Charm Square Quilt

I am not a quilter.  Seriously.  I have made one other quilt in my life.  It was a pretty elaborate quilt for my daughter Savannah’s big girl room from designer Heather Bailey’s “Freshcut” line.  I spent so much time piecing the top of this twin-size quilt that I decided I didn’t need to mess it up with the quilting, so I sent it out to be machine quilted by a professional.

I have seen a lot of quilting popping up during this holiday season and was inspired by Anna’s “Sherbert Pips Quilt” she made for her daughter and Rae’s most recent “Storytime Squares Quilt“.   I think it’s always good to try new things……so quilting it is!

The first problem I have with quilting is that I’m not the most patient person.  Granted, I have come along way since having children, but I think that is why I love sewing clothing.  I can come up with a design in my head and three hours later, it’s out of my head and a finished garment.  But I am continually working on my weaknesses, so I thought a little quilting would be good for me.

Here is the Sugar Pop Charm Square Quilt that I made for my daughter youngest daughter Matilda for Christmas:

I used two packs of charm squares for this quilt.  Charm squares are precut 5″ x 5″ squares of fabric.  There are typically 42 squares in each charm square pack and you will sometimes hear these sets referred to as “precuts”.  Charm squares can be used for many different things such as patchwork skirts, dresses, table runners, baby doll quilts, scarfs or just about anything where you are looking for some patchwork.  They are also a great way to see all the prints in a line of fabric without committing to a whole yard of something.

There are other forms of “precuts” such as layer cakes (10″ x 10″ squares), jelly rolls (long strips of precut fabric), and fat quarter sets (1/4 yard cuts of fabric).

With my lack of patience, using precuts for quilting makes this a much quicker project as opposed to cutting all the pieces myself.  Plus it’s so fun to use all the different prints from one line!

When independent fabric designer, Liz Scott, released her “Sugar Pop” line for Moda, I knew I had to have it!  Liz Scott is a fabulous designer and prior to this release her designs could be purchased through Spoonflower at a very pretty penny.  Having her do a line through Moda helped her designs become more affordable for the masses. 

Whenever I am making things for my girls, I always try to make sure I choose fabrics that they will enjoy now and will carry on into their teen or adult years.  I think the bright pops of color and florals are great for my little Matilda right now, but I think a teen girl would equally enjoy this quilt.

I attached my clothing label to the front of this quilt so Miss Matilda will always know that her mama made this quilt for her with love.

I used my walking foot to do the quilting and did 1″ spaces between the lines on the diagonal.  I used pink thread for the quilting and quilters 80/20 for the batting.

The quilt is backed in a pink solid flannel and the binding is done in a soft yellow.  To make the binding go a bit quicker, I stitched it on with my machine rather than sewing it by hand.

Matilda is only 17-months old, so is she really going to love this quilt now?  Probably not quite yet.  But I always feel like she gets the short-end of the stick when it comes to new toys or clothes or really anything since she is the second child and a second girl at that (even though we try so hard not to).  So I wanted to do something special for her this Christmas – something that was just for her!

Quilting is definitely something I have always wanted to try.  Did I get hit by the quilting bug?  Um, well, I don’t think so.  I’m still a clothing designer at heart, but it was really fun trying something new.  And it definitely gave me new appreciation for the time and energy that goes into a truly beautiful quilt!

13
Dec

Time for Me: Part 3 – Clothing and enter to win $100 Visa gift card

As most of you know, I focus most of my sewing efforts on my children as well as my children’s clothing line.  After posting my “Shawl Collar Sweater Tutorial” I started thinking that I should take some time here and there and to make something for myself.  Now that I am taking a little more time for me, I started putting together a little to-do list for myself.

I’ve rounded up some of my favorite women’s clothing sewing tutorials.  

Click here to find out more about these fabulous tutorials and enter to win a $100 Visa gift card!
9
Dec

Holiday Issue Delish Magazine – Tile Coaster Tutorial

I’ve been waiting for the holiday issue of Delish Magazine to be released so I could share my latest tutorial with you………. and it came out today!  In this issue, I share a simple, inexpensive DIY Tile Coaster Tutorial.  This is a perfect gift for the holidays or a wonderful hostess gift.

These coasters can be customized to fit any style (male or female).  I chose to use Amy Butler scrapbook paper for the four sets of coasters I made, but you could use anything you like……..even photos!

So head on over to Delish Magazine and check out the latest issue and while you’re there, check out my tutorial.  There’s also a really great interview with fabric designer Anna Maria Horner (love her!)
Click HERE to view the Delish holiday issue!
7
Dec

The Great Christmas Tree

This past Sunday I finally started to feel somewhat normal again (pneumonia is not a fun thing)!  So we decided to go forward with our annual tradition of cutting down our Christmas tree.

Growing up we cut down a Christmas tree each year and my husband and I have kept with this tradition ever since we got married (6.5 years ago).  Our favorite tree farm experienced a terrible drought in 2004, so for the last two years we had to go somewhere else for our tree.  But this year, our favorite tree farm was open for two weekends and even though pickings are still pretty slim, we decided to head back and support the family-owned farm.

We got quite the snow here on Saturday, so it was nice and snow covered for our tree hunt on Sunday. It was also VERY cold……brrrrrrr, but Savannah still managed to make a few snow angels.

The tree we chose was not very big, but it was a nice shape.  It looked like the perfect tree for our little family.  Brett brought his saw and cut it down.  Then the tractor came and picked us up and took us back for some complimentary hot chocolate in the warming house!

Matilda really enjoyed the chocolate cookies that we bought in the warming house……..she kept doing the baby sign for “more”.  The girl has a sweet tooth just like her Daddy.

Speaking of her Daddy, I just had to share this picture of my hubby……isn’t he cute?  I think so (I know I’m a little biased)!

Savannah had her very first hot chocolate and she kept telling us for the rest of the day, “I like hot chocolate”.  Well, who wouldn’t like liquid chocolate?

This farm was built back in 1875 and was originally built to operate as a dairy farm.  I just love old buildings with history.  I thought our house was old having been built in 1934, but this one has got more than 50 years on ours.

 This was the stove that was heating the warming house – isn’t it charming?

We had a great time on our tree hunt and plan to keep this tradition going each year with our family.  I’ll have to show you pictures of the decorated tree later……..it looks pretty cute!
Happy Holidays!
PS:  I know I’ve been lacking in the sewing and crafting department lately……..but do not fear, there is more to come!
6
Dec

Time for Me: Part 1 – $100 Visa Card WINNER!

And the winner of the “Time for Me: Part 1” $100 Visa gift card is #6 – Jennifer who said:

Jennifer if you could please email me your contact info at [email protected], we will get this $100 gift card in the mail to you ASAP.

If you haven’t entered the “Time for Me: Part 2” $100 Visa gift card giveaway there is still time – click HERE to enter!
Congratulations Jennifer!
6
Dec

Time for Me: Part 2 – Beauty and enter to win a $100 Visa gift card

Last week, in my month long series, Time for Me (part 1), I was discussing how I just weaned my daughter Matilda.  I nursed her for 15-months and it was finally time to call it quits. Now that I have my body back I have been feeling like it is time to finally focus on me.

I’ve got my skin care under control and now it’s time to focus on beauty.  Come check out what’s in my make-up bag and tell me a little about your beauty regime.

Click here to read more and enter to win another $100 Visa gift card.
3
Dec

A Very Special Thanksgiving Week

So, I have pneumonia.  Needless to say, crafting, cooking, decorating and all the fun Christmas stuff has been put on hold until I see the Dr. again on Friday.  I’m feeling a little better, so hopefully all will look good and we can go cut down our tree this weekend!  But meanwhile, I thought I would share kind of a personal post with you all………

This last Thanksgiving week was very special for my family.  We (Cottage Mama, Cottage Papa, Savannah Rose and Matilda Jane) flew down to Houston, Texas on November 19, 2010 to be there to celebrate my mom, Jane Harrison’s marriage to her new husband, Allen Michel on November 21, 2010.

My Mom is such an incredible woman.  Yes, she is my mother, but she is so much more than that to me – she is my ear to talk to, my sounding-board for all things, my shopping buddy, my inspiration, my role-model, and above all things she is truly my best friend.  I feel so fortunate to be blessed with such an incredible relationship with another woman in this world and even more blessed to have that with my mother.

My Mom met Allen at the most perfect time in her life.  My husband Brett and I had just gotten married and my younger brother, Ben, was heading off to college.  Mom was officially going to be an empty-nester.  But not more than two weeks later did Mr. Allen Michel walk into her life.  And we are all so glad he did!

Allen is a wonderful man, good through and through.  He is honest, loyal, loving, trust-worthy and a truly good soul.  You can tell this simply by his presence and the fact that he has so many close friends who love him.  He loves my girls as if they were his own and Savannah and Matilda adore him as well.

I wanted to share some pictures of the special time we had during our week down in Houston, Texas.  I took some pictures at the rehearsal, but we’ll have to wait for the professional wedding pictures at a later date.

The Wedding Rehearsal

Mom, Grandpa Bill, and my brother Ben

The soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Michel

Pure Joy

Daddy practicing with one of his flower girls (Matilda).  We gave them sweet and low packets to use as practice petals……..classy, I know.

Savannah took her flower girl duties very seriously.
But not too seriously!
Uncle Ben and his niece Matilda
Grandpa Bill Harrison
Next are some pictures taken at the wedding.  Some taken by me, some by my husband.  I’ll share the professional ones with you once we receive them, but here’s a little snippet.
The happy bride and groom after they first entered the reception.
Two of my Mom’s three sisters flew in from California and Colorado for the wedding.  Aunt Nancy and Aunt Susan were a giant help in keeping the stress level to a minimum.
Miss Matilda has been really into her binky the last couple weeks due to some serious teething.  This was definitely her main accessory with “The Party Dress” (dress pattern HERE).
The girls had me dancing up a storm!

Matilda was so proud to be standing on her own.  She just loves dancing and had to be like big sister Savannah!

And my dear husband, Brett, read the girls stories as the wedding celebration came to an end.
We continued our stay in Texas through Thanksgiving week.  We had lots of fun just relaxing and taking it easy.

The girls had a blast playing with the bubble machine that my Mom and Allen (aka Pepo) got for them!

The girls had so much fun doing “Build a Bear” for the first time.  Savannah chose a super-soft puppy dog that she named “Snoopy” and Matilda chose a classic teddy bear that we helped her name “Molly”.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at Mom and Allen’s house.  It was really fun to use the centerpieces and bouquets from the wedding in our Thanksgiving decorations.
All and all there was a lot of joy and A LOT of fun had during this special Thanksgiving week.  We are so blessed to have Allen join our family and wish he and my Mom a lifetime of happiness and love!
2
Dec

Another Fabric Hunting Adventure – Texas Style!

Whenever we travel I am always on the hunt for the next greatest fabric store.  I think it is so fun to check out new places in other cities besides where we live (Chicago).  So, this past week we were in Texas for my Mom’s wedding and Thanksgiving.  My Mom had mentioned to me that there was this giant fabric store only 5 minutes from her new house with over 5000 fabrics.  What?!?!?! The thought of this place got my heart racing.

So the day after the wedding, after all the relatives had said their goodbyes, Mom and I headed to “Fabrics and More” in Houston, Texas.  Wow, this place was a decorators dream!  They had more upholstery fabric and trims than I had ever seen in one place.  And the nice part was they were all arranged in a pretty organized manner (unlike my other fabric hunting adventure in Chicago).

How adorable are these nursery decorator fabrics?  I can just see these in a little designer baby room – SO cute!!  I especially love the giraffes!

And the trims, oh the trims……….

The trims ranged in price, but overall they were a really good value.  I just wouldn’t even know what to choose if I was redecorating my house – they were all fabulous!

But if I HAD to choose, it would have to be this one (above).  The delicate little lace with ric-rac and sweet little buttons.  Just too perfect!

Above was the clearance section, so you definitely had to do a little more looking through that section, but if you were shopping for a deal, this would be the place.

You could also take your old furniture to this store and they would recover it for you there.  It was pretty neat because they had huge windows where you could watch them re-upholstering some really great pieces of furniture.  I’m not too familiar with the cost to re-upholster furniture, but my Mom said is was really reasonable in comparison to some others she had seen out there.

Personally, I was a little disappointed in the fact that they had barely any apparel fabric whatsoever, but oh well, it was still fun to look.  I am always on the hunt for new and exciting prints for The Cottage Mama, but that didn’t happen this trip.  Maybe I’ll find some in the next city we visit………

What is your favorite fabric store where you live?  Have you discovered any hidden gems?