Last Minute Gift Idea

Need a last minute gift and no more time or money to buy one?   How about a gift in a jar?

Just take a quart size canning jar and layer the ingredients in the jar.    Add a recipe card or tag with the directions for making the food item.   Tie a bow around the lid.   


Here are a couple ideas for you but you can find tons of gift jar recipes if you search the internet.


Double Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Brownies

Layer in a quart jar: 
1 C & 2 Tbsp flour 
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 C brown sugar 
2/3 C sugar 
1 tsp baking powder 
1/3 C baking cocoa 
1/2 C chocolate chips 
1/2 C mini marshmallows

Attach to jar:   
Brownies Directions: 
beat together: 
3 eggs, 2/3 C oil and 1 tsp vanilla. add brownie mix and stir together. Spread in 9X9 greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 34-38 minutes (or until toothpick tests clean). 

Crazy Cake Mix In A Jar

Layer in Jar:
2 cups flour 
2/3 cup Cocoa Powder
3/4 tsp. Salt 
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder 
1 1/3 cups Sugar 
I
Layer ingredients in jar in order given in a 1 quart canning jar. It is helpful to tap jar lightly on a padded surface (towel on counter) as you layer the ingredients to make all ingredients fit neatly.
Use scissors to cut a 9 inch-diameter circle from fabric of your choice. Center fabric circle over lid and secure with a rubber band. Tie on a raffia or ribbon bow to cover the rubber band.
Attach a card with the following directions:

  Crazy Cake
This is a crazy cake because you mix the cake all together in the pan that you bake it in. Pour contents of jar into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan, and then add the following ingredients: 3/4 cup Vegetable Oil 
2 tsp. Vinegar 
1 tsp. Vanilla 
2 cups Water 
Stir cake ingredients together using a wire whisk or fork, making certain that all ingredients are completely mixed together. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Frost as desired or serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Thanks for visiting today.
Bette

Tuesday Tutorial - How To Make a Pillow Box

Today, we'll show you how to make this cute pillow box using a free printable from www.ewenmeprintables.com The printable file can be downloaded by CLICKING HERE.

Things you’ll need:
Pillow Box Printable PDF File  (click here to download free printable file from www.EweNmePrintables.com)
Card Stock or Heavy Weight Paper to print on
Printer with Ink
Bone Folder (or household butter knife)
Scissors
Cutting Mat (optional)
Glue or Double Sided Adhesive Tape


Let's Begin:
Print the pillow box printable on cardstock or a heavy weight paper, and trim the pillow box image with scissors so none of the unprinted edges show.

Once the image is printed and trimmed, lay the unfolded printed box on a hard surface or cutting mat.
With your bone folder or the BACK SIDE of your butter knife. Score the oval and straight edges of the pillow box.

Crease the edges where you scored so the folds are folded inward.

Add glue or double sided tape to the printed edge of the straight flap.

Attach the flap to the other side of the box. Make sure the flap is on the INSIDE.

While holding the box on the straight edges, with thumb and forefinger, gently push to "puff up" the box.
 Fold the oval flaps inward to close the box on both sides. It's not necessary to add adhesive to the oval flaps, however you can if you desire.

That's it!! Your pillow box is now complete. Be sure to put something special in you box before you fold in the flaps.

Content and Photos ©2010 Deena Davis, www.EweNmePrintables.com


Thanks for joining us!
Deena Davis
www.byyourhands.blogspot.com

Holiday Organizing - Getting It All Wrapped Up

Do you have your gifts wrapped yet? If you dread the task, here is a video with some ideas for gift wrapping you might find inspiring.

Thanks for joining us!
Deena Davis
www.byyourhands.blogspot.com

Christmas Recipe --------- Candy Cane Cookies

Here is a christmas cookie recipe for you today.   Fun to make and they can also be used to decorate the tree.

Candy Cane Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
red and green food coloring

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.In a large bowl, combine butter, confectioners' sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla extract. beat until smooth. Mix in flour and salt.
3. Divide dough in half.   Set one half aside.   Divide one half of the dough in half again.   Add a few drops of red food coloring to one half and green to the other.
4.Break off about a tablespoon full of red dough and oll into a 5 inch strip.   Do the same with the white dough.  Place them side by side and roll together like a rope. ( You can also do them with red and green dough)
  Pinch the ends together, place on baking sheet. Curve top down to form the handle of cane.
5.Bake in preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes. 

Today's Featured Artist --- Tins and Treasures

Today's featured artist is Natalie Geffre from Tins and Treasures.

Natalie is a wife, mother of two beautiful daughters, crafter and also is a full time Family and Consumer Science teacher in South Dakota.
Natalie likes to make a variety of crafts.

She started crafting when she was about 8 years old. She started making doll clothes by hand, and her mother taught her to embroider on dishtowels.
She learned to sew on a machine when she was 10 and her 4-H leader taught her to knit.
In college she majored in Textiles and Clothing, where she took every class possible in Clothing Construction and Fiber Arts.

  She started her craft business locally 15 years ago,  calling it Tins and Treaures partly because of the unique tins she makes.    Treasures encompasses a  variety of other handmades.    She started selling online when she opened her Etsy shop over two years ago.

Her husband,  Scott helps her in the business and makes their popular bottle necklaces.

Their wood items are a joint effort with Scott cutting them out,  staining and assembling them and Natalie does the painting and embellishing.

Natalie's inspiration came from her grandmothers. She  says, "The women of their generation had large families and no convenience foods or appliances available to them.   They milked the cows, gathered the eggs, tended their gardens, kept the fire going in the stove, picked berries and made jelly, baked bread,  washed clothes on a washboard.....need I say more?    But yet they found time to make beautiful quilts and crocheted bedspreads and even embroidered the days of the week on their dishtowels."

Natalie can be found online here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/tinsandtreasures
http://www.etsy.com/shop/nataliesnotions
http://www.tinsandtreasures.blogspot.com