Monster Cookies

Halloween treats are a bit tricky for little kids. How scary is too scary? How much sugar do can they eat before they go completely crazy? How much food coloring do you want them to eat?

I signed up to bring in treats for The Belly's Halloween party at preschool this year and started going through my Pinterest board, to see what I'd pinned, then promptly forgotten. Her older sister was looking over my shoulder and declared I should make the Ooey Gooey Monster Eye Cookies. They're cake mix cookies, with a good dose of cream cheese for extra chewiness, and fun colors and sugar eyes. I found a set of the smaller eyes and we did a practice round. Just to make sure, you know?

From Minus Minions

I wasn't crazy about the cream cheese flavor, but I think that's just a matter of personal taste. They were a big hit at the party. Just the right balance of fun and spooky. You can find the candy eyes at craft stores (and even Target) so it's a great recipe for a monster-themed birthday party or for one of those days you need a smile.

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Vogue 8942: The Frog Purse

  Sometimes I'll make something just for the experience of making it. I know I probably won't use or wear it, but something inside me told me to sew or bake or cook it, regardless of the benefits. This is one such project.

I know that I am most likely too old to carry off a frog purse. I also like my clothes and every day accessories streamlined and easy to wear. None the less, when I saw this Vogue frog purse pattern, I knew I had to make it. Just like the frog quilt from a few months ago.

The pattern has a lot of pieces, especially small pieces, but they slide together fairly easily. If you do decide to make this, or the owl version, use denim (or other sharp and strong) needles. I broke at least three universal needles trying to sew through a zipper tape/interfaced wool/tri-folded suede sandwich. Also, as you can see a bit in the second picture, my suede tended to fray, but the pattern doesn't call for encasing the raw edges, so either break out the Fray Check or serger, or choose a fabric that won't fray easily.

Time will tell if this cute guy gets any use. It has three pockets in addition to the main opening, which is always a bonus. Maybe I'll take it for a trial run when the weather gets colder. Wool houndstooth, even in frog form, is not made for 90 degree days.

Ottoman Slipcover, aka lemonade out of lemons

 We have some nice, club-style leather furniture in our family room: a loveseat, sofa and chair set. I got The Boy a somewhat-matching ottoman a few years later. We have some red suede throw pillows for accents and it all looks really nice and cozy.

From Minus Minions

However, the ottoman got worn and developed a rip in the top. There was a suggestion for a slipcover and I got right on it. I figured, "Hey, how hard can sewing a basic slipcover for a cube be?" (Cue evil laugh from sewing gods.)

I measured and made some sketches. After some rudimentary math, I left the girls with a babysitter (since The Boy was out of town) and headed out to thefabric  store. I found some red suede that looked like it would match the throw pillows and some dark brown cord trim to tie it back to the chair. I was all ready to sew five pieces of fabric into a simple geometric shape. It would be a cinch! Yeah, no.

I soon realized I hadn't bought enough fabric (or a few notions for another sewing project). After a little sulking, I figured I'd just order fabric from Fabric.com, enough to start the whole thing over. Well, a few days later, I got an email from them saying one thing I'd ordered was out of stock and did I want the rest of my order or to just cancel the whole thing? I saw this as a sign, packed up the girls and made the quickest fabric store visit I could.  

Unfortunately, I got the wrong color of red suede fabric, more of a cherry red than a dark red. After a few choice words in my head, I decided to just make it work. I cut the fabric into strips to make a tone-on-tone stripe. And it actually looked really good! I had a bit of trouble with the cording, breaking a few needles along the way, and accidentally sewing it around a side instead of the top, but I worked though it.

From Minus Minions

I'm honestly surprised by how well it turned out. Granted, I can see all the little imperfections and know how long it took to make, but I'm pleased overall. It really looks nice with the dark furniture and light carpet. Just the right touch. 

Soot Sprites

  I'm a sucker for animation and the girls have inherited this trait. Somehow we introduced them to The Secret World of Arietty, which led to  Ponyo, which led to My Neighbor Totoro, which led to Spirited Away. If you haven't seem them, I highly recommend a trip to the library to check some of these out. 

There are these little fuzzy creatures, called Soot Sprites, in Totoro and Spirited Away, that crack my kids up. They scurry around on spindly legs and have large, saucer-like eyes. Basically, like spiders but much cuddlier. I found a tutorial and decided we needed to have some of our own.

They're insanely easy and cute. I'd bought some stuffing, fuzzy black fabric, black cording, white felt and black beads but didn't get around to making them until one day when we all had a bit of a cold and I thought the girls needed a bit of cheering up. 

I highly recommend dipping the ends of the cording in glue, modge podge or clear nail polish to keep them from fraying. I had to do some emergency amputations of two soot sprites after quiet time that day.

This has been one of my most re-pinned Pinterest entries, and it makes me very happy to think of all these little guys hanging out around the world.

Rock Candy Experiment

The egg shell geodes were such a big hit, the girls wanted to make them again, only bigger. I got the idea to make rock candy--in other words, geodes they could eat!

I raided out cabinets for glasses that were narrow and tall enough for the string to be covered in enough sugar syrup. Three champagne flutes and a glass mug worked perfectly.

It was difficult to keep the girls from wanting to eat the candy until it was ready. Patience doesn't come easily to four- and five-year olds. After about five days, though, there were enough crystals to see and eat and there was much sugar-fueled rejoicing.

It was a fun experiment and next time, if there is a next time, I'd try wooden sticks or try to find a way to keep the string straight instead of curling up. It did take longer for the first crystals to show up and I wonder if that's because the cups were near the air vent in the kitchen and it was a bit more humid with the AC on.

Now, what to do next...

Homemade Marshmallows

  The girls have been on a marshmallow kick lately. No roasting or toasting required, just eating one or two straight out of the bag for a treat. For the 4th, we were going to have friends over for grilled steak, wine and sparklers, so I figured we'd set up the fire pit and make S'mores. So I decided we could make homemade marshmallows for a fun activity.

Between trying to keep kids away from the boiling sugar syrup, beaters and other kitchen dangers, I didn't get any pictures of the process. But, the Barefoot Contessa's recipe isn't that difficult (and doesn't use egg whites, for those who sure vegetarian  or have allergies), just fairly sticky. Next time, I'll probably spray the pan with vegetable oil, then dust with powdered sugar because mine stuck to the sides and wouldn't slide out of the pan when I turned it upside down.

Tip: Use a pizza cutter (or thin, sharp knife) sprayed with vegetable oil and cutting is a breeze. I tossed them in a little more powdered sugar and had no problems with them sticking together.

Everyone agreed they were the best marshmallows they'd ever had. My friend's toddler kept grabbing the bag and stuffing them in her mouth (which is one way to keep little ones awake for fireworks).

I think these need to be part of my holiday baking routine, maybe flavored with peppermint and dipped in chocolate. 

Eggshell Geodes

  Summer has sapped my will to write. It seems more important to sit on the porch playing a hidden object game or take the girls to the pool. I have been crafty, but just don't have the willpower to write about it.

Anyway, the girls love geodes. Their granpa gave them a big, purple one and they have to see all the "shiny rocks" when we go to the science museum. I found a homemade eggshell geode activity in my Pinterest list and decided the girls would love it.  They did; infact, they loved it so much we did it 2 weeks in a row.

I found a recipe on The Happy Scientist that uses epsom salts instead of borax or alum. The first time we did this, I used 6 eggshells. They worked really well, but don't hold up well in little hands. The second time, I raided our stash of plastic easter eggs, sticking some duck tape on the bottom to seal up the holes.

It was a lot of fun and the girls were incredibly excited to see how everything turned out. I think I didn't get the water hot enough the first time as the crystals didn't turn out all that well. The second try was much better. And now, I have lots of epsom salts for a relaxing bath. It's a win-win!