The Cottage Mama Blog - Sewing. Cooking. Crafting.

Jan

Week 2 Project Run and Play – Leila and Ben Challenge

The Sweet Ruffle Play Coat It's that time again - time to vote for your favorite look for Week 2 of Project Run and Play!For this weeks challenge each of the designers were given the basic Leila and Ben "Sweet Dress" pattern and were told to make it our own. This pattern is a basic peasant style dress and is incredibly versatile (see picture below). It has been mighty cold here in Chicagoland, so I wanted to create something for my daughter to wear right now. You all know how much I LOVE dresses, but I decided to do something a little more unexpected and turned … continue reading

Jan

Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I love lemon. I love lemon bars, lemon pound cake, lemon poppy seed muffins, and I REALLY love lemon cupcakes. Here's a great recipe for lemon cupcakes with the best (in my opinion) cream cheese frosting! Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (Makes 24-30 cupcakes) Ingredients: 3 cups self-rising flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 cup whole milk 2 tablespoons lemon zest 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons lemon juice Cream cheese frosting (recipe below) Directions: Preheat oven to 350 … continue reading

Jan

Week 1 Project Run and Play – Winter Wonderland

Project Run and Play starts TODAY!Our first weeks challenge for Project Run and Play (the blogger version of Project Runway for kids) was "Winter Wonderland". I have to admit, when I saw this theme, I was 100% stumped. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. I think part of it was the theme being so wide open and the other part was that I was insanely nervous about what my fellow bloggers would be bringing to the table. Have you checked out the competition? There are some seriously talented ladies!But luckily, I am married to a very creative husband who … continue reading

Jan

Blackberry and Mustard Glazed Ham

This ham was SO good (if I do say so myself)! I served this for Christmas Eve dinner for my family, my in-laws and my two sister-in-laws. And even my husband, who would much prefer some type of red meat, absolutely loved it. This recipe was given to my mom by someone she works with (Miss Mary) and then was passed onto me.If you're looking for a great, crowd-pleasing ham, this recipe will do the trick!Blackberry and Mustard Glazed HamServes 8-10Ingredients:1 6-8lb. fully cooked, spiral sliced ham1 jar (12 oz.) blackberry preserves1 jar (7 oz.) whole grain … continue reading

Jan

The Party Dress – Printable Pattern and Tutorial

In case you missed my guest blog post on U-Create, here is my pattern for The Party Dress. I've updated a few of the steps and tried to clarify some things people had questions about. In thinking about my guest post for U-Create, there really was no question in my mind what I wanted to do. It had to be a dress! I am very excited to offer this free printable pattern! The Party Dress (size 18-month through size 5) is the perfect outfit for any special occassion - it's a birthday dress, a holiday dress, a church dress or even a modern flower girl dress. … continue reading

Jan

Vintage Inspired Craft Room Organization

My mother-in-law has a great art studio in her home. It is large, gets lots of natural light and she has so many neat supplies such as buttons, vintage linens, lace, fabrics, glitter, glues, pens, paints and the list goes on and on.For this past Christmas I wanted to make her a few things for her studio. Most of these items were for storing her large collection of different trinkets that she uses on her Art Dolls. I found these great vintage labels HERE and had fun turning these into pretty organizational supplies.With the new year upon us, I bet a lot of us … continue reading

Jan

Project Runway for Kids: Blogger Edition

I'm excited to announce that I will be participating in the first ever Project Runway for Kids (the blogger edition) called Project Run and Play. Some of my favorite bloggers are participating and there is going to be some serious talent going on during this competition.As far as I know, the competition is going to work pretty much like the Project Runway that you see on TV. Each week there will be a theme for children's clothing and we will have to submit pictures of our completed garments by the end of the week. Over the weekend there will be a reader poll … continue reading

Jan

Tile Coaster Tutorial

There's nothing better than a handmade gift and this Tile Coaster Tutorial will do the trick! What better way to celebrate than with some fun, festive coasters. These coasters are made from inexpensive tiles from the hardware store and are embellished with fun, designer scrapbook paper. Make these coasters as a gift or make them for your home - either way, they are sure to get noticed! Supplies: 4 square tiles from your local hardware store (4.25" x 4.25") 4 pieces of scrapbook paper (3.75" x 3.75") 4 pieces of felt (3.75" x 3.75") Mod Podge Sponge … continue reading

Dec

Felted I-Pod Cozy Tutorial

I wanted to share this post with you last week, but seeing as though this was a Christmas gift for my hubby, I had to hold off. This I-pod cozy is made from the end of the sleeve of a felted wool sweater. You can alter this tutorial to fit any kid of small electronic device - I-pod, I-phone, or use the entire body of the sweater and make one for your I-pad or Kindle.This present was given to my husband from his two little girls - the gift tag said "Dad, you rock!"Felted I-Pod CozySupplies:1 felted wool sweater sleeve (click HERE to learn how to felt)1 button1 … continue reading

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