60 Days Until Christmas

If there are 2 Months...

60 Days...

1,440 Hours...

86,400 Minutes...

left until Christmas. So why is every single store at the mall already decorated for Christmas? Have we forgot about Halloween and Thanksgiving?

I couldn't find one bag of Halloween candy in Wal-Mart this weekend. A week before Halloween, I should be able to find something, right? This is getting out of hand people!

Candy Corn Cake

My right thumb is green. Literally. In the world of food coloring, green and pink make orange. Huh? It worked, so who am I to question the food coloring gods?

So anyway, here's why I broke out the food coloring before Easter...

I saw a candy corn cheesecake online today and thought I could do a little twist on the rainbow cupcakes that are all over the place. Like here, here and here. But instead of cupcakes I went the easier route and make my candy corn cake in a bundt pan, smothered it in white icing, some festive Halloween sprinkles and voila!



Admittedly, this didn't totally turn out the way I wanted this to, but it was still festive and fun.

Wish List I

I have a craft wish list that is about a mile long, but at the top of that wish list is the mother of craft tools. The Cricut.

I want one so bad. I hunt them down at stores like I'm Lindsay Lohan looking for her next fix. I oggle them online and at Michael's, AC Moore and Hobby Lobby. I dream about the things I could make and try to justify the the cost, which is essentially a car payment for a new Honda Civic or three months of my household electric bill.

I need a part time job to pay for my part time hobby.

Real or Fake?

Looks pretty real doesn't it?

But, it's as fake as Joan River's face.

I snagged this Styrofoam beauty at Michael's for a few bucks, found a free stencil online and carved this out in about an hour and a half. It was surprisingly easy to carve too. I might have to get another one to add to my Halloween decor collection.

Orange Nightmare Cookies

I'm a sucker for making stuff I can giveaway. What can I say, I'm a giver. But why wait until Christmas? Here's a fun, little project that makes a great little gift.

What you need:

1/2 cup powdered orange flavored drink mix, such as Tang
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups vanilla baking chips
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 quart sized Ball Jar
scrap fabric
ribbon
black and orange cardstock

Combine the flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Layer the ingredients in a clean glass wide mouth quart sized jar, starting with the Tang, then sugar, vanilla chips and ending with the flour mixture. Press each layer firmly in place before adding the next ingredient. Attach a recipe card with the following instructions to the jar.

Orange Nightmare Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Empty contents into a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg slightly beaten and teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix until completely blended.
3. Roll heaping tablespoonfuls into balls. Place 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12 to 14 minutes or until tops are very lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes on the sheet then remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes 2-1/2 dozen

Here's the finished product I made and gave to the girls I work with.

Only Part Time

In a dream world, I would get paid handsomely to stay home and do arts and crafts all day long.

A girl can dream, right?