Chocolate Dipped Cinnamon Bears

Yummy treat... cinnamon bears. Their chewy cinnamonny sweetness! Awesome!
What could make them better? Ummm... duh! Chocolate! That brown gooey goodness makes everything better. The kids and I spent an hour or so making these little gifts for their school teacher.

Start with melted chocolate and a bag of cinnamon bears. You can melt the chocolate in a double boiler or an easier way is to do it in the microwave. Chocolate can burn easily so it is best to reduce the power of the microwave. Of course all microwaves are a little bit different so keep a close eye on the chocolate if it's the first time. I will microwave the chocolate for about a minute at a time at 60-70% power, stirring in between each interval. Then when most of chocolate is melted, I like to pull it out and stir it until the last few lumps melt so that the chocolate doesn't get tooo hot. When it's all ready, toss one of the bears into the melted chocolate bath.

Cover the bear up with a fork. Pick it up and tap it on the edge of the bowl and let the excess chococlate drip off back into the bowl.

Slide the bear off the fork onto a piece of parchment paper. Check to make sure that on the side where the bear slid off the fork it is covered up with chocolate.

The proceed to cover each little bear, one after another...

After all the bears had been dipped, for some fun I put the leftover chocolate into a pastry bag and drizzled it onto some of the bears. You could use a contrasting colored chocolate, white or some Wilton melts in any color to suit the holiday. This was just an easy way to add more chocolate to the bears.

I thought about only doing half the bear... but that was just crazy. Every part of the bear wants to be covered in the silky warm chocolate. It wouldn't be fair to leave out half of the bear.

After the bears take their warm chocolatly bath, it was time to let the bears cool off in a cool place (such as a refrigerator).... and then when the chocolate gets hard and set... you now it is time for the party in your mouth to begin! Mmmm.....

I put some chocolate covered cinnamon bears into the bag and then mixed them up with some plain cinnamon bears. I wasn't sure the teachers position on cinnamon bears. I thought... this way they'd have a choice... some with chocolate and some without.

I made a hand written tag using the Sale A Bration Stampin' Up set, which included the cellophane bags, the long striped tags the hexagon tags and the glittery heart stickers.

Valentine Boxes

Our School Valentine boxes this year... Jared picked making a purple minion and Samantha decided to make her own Olaf box. The openings for the valentines & treats to enter the box is the mouth on both boxes.

Making the boxes...

It was pretty simple to make the boxes. We just used an empty 12 can soda box. We put packing tape over the openings (the one to carry the box & also the corner one where the soda comes out) so the box would be flat and easier to cover with paper. It took about 4 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 inch papers to cover the box & they overlapped on the sides. We just used hot glue to hold the paper onto the box because it would dry quickly and hold strong. Once the boxes were covered, we were ready to embellish them.

Embellishing the boxes...

For the Purple Minion, we started by covering the bottom with some black to make the overalls. Two one-inch strips were put in the front and around to the back for the straps of the overalls. Next we moved to the top of the Minion. I cut strips of paper 3/4 to 1 inch wide, from 3 different shades of purple. Then we crimped the strips quickly and randomly by hand and covered the top of the box with the folded strips to make the Minions crazy hair.

Next it was time to add the eye. A stripe of black paper around the top that was about 2 1/2 inches big. I used a silver mason jar rim as the goggle. Then we put a circle piece of clear window sheets (from Stampin' Up). Punched a white circle that would fit the eye goggle and that was the back of the eye, followed by a black pupil and a purple half circle for the eyelid.

Last it was time to make the mouth. Using a craft knife, we cut the half circle for the mouth and then used white paper and cut out crooked teeth and glued those on.

Done! Ready to fill with many treats!

Olaf: Samantha basically made this on her own. After I covered the box, she used white cardstock to cut out pieces of Olaf's body. Black paper for the buttons and mouth. Brown paper for the stick arms, eyebrows, and crazy hair on top. She used a sharpie to draw on the face and a piece of orange paper for the carrot nose. After the face was drawn on, her Daddy cut out the mouth spot so that her Valentines would make it safely into the box. She put a square piece of paper into the mouth and glued it to the inside of the box, only on the top edge. This was to make sure the mouth was dark. She did an amazing job on it.

Turkey Magnet

Want to make a cute little paper turkey to put on your fridge. Or without a magnet, you could attach it to a small gift. They're just so cute. Everyone loves them.

I just use the simple flat magnets. I've even saved the flat advertisement magnets that come in the mail and then will tear the paper off of them, cut them up and glue them on the back of paper crafts I've made so they can stick to the fridge.

Here's a larger Turkey. It uses the scallop circle punch that is 2 3/8 inches to make all the feathers of the turkey. Punch out a variety of scallop circles from a variety of orange, yellow, red, brown, tan, etc paper/cardstock. Paper will be more flimsy and the cardstock will make a more sturdy turkey. But either way they are adorable. The body of the turkey is a 1 3/4 circle punch. The head of the turkey is the 1 3/8 inch circle punch. The buttons on the body of the turkey are made using a 1/4 inch circle punch. The hat is from a black piece of scrap cardstock.  The beak is just a simple triangle cut from orange. You can punch a small square and cut it in half, if you wanted to make sure they are all consistent. Finally the feet, you can punch out the large flower from the Boho Blossoms flower punch. Then cut out a piece that only utilizes the 3 little toes. Eyes are googly eyes.

Here's a slightly smaller Turkey. It uses the scallop circle punch that is 1 3/4 inches to make all the feathers of the turkey. Punch out a variety of scallop circles from a variety of orange, yellow, red, brown, tan, etc paper/cardstock. Paper will be more flimsy and the cardstock will make a more sturdy turkey. But either way they are adorable. The body of the turkey is a 1 3/8 circle punch. The head of the turkey is the 1 inch circle punch. The buttons on the body of the turkey are made using a 1/4 inch circle punch. Use the 1/8 inch circle punch in black to make the little eyes. The hat is from a black piece of scrap cardstock.  The beak is just a simple triangle cut from orange. You can punch a small square and cut it in half, if you wanted to make sure they are all consistent. Finally the feet, you can punch out the large flower from the Boho Blossoms flower punch. Then cut out a piece that only utilizes the 3 little toes.  

1.  Gather your supplies for the turkey and punch out the pieces. Begin to assemble.
2. Using the scallop circle put 5 together and over lap them slightly. This is the back layer of feathers.
3. The second layer of feather is 3 scallops. 
4. Put them on top of the previous 5. 
5. The third layer of feathers is optional depending on how many layers you want. Take one scallop circle and cut it into 4 pieces. 
6. Put them on top of the 3 previous scallop circles
7. Attach the body, head, eyes, beak, hat, buttons, and feet.
8. Add a magnet to the back and you are Done!

Because you are using punches. They really are super simple to make. You can make a bunch in a small amount of time. Gather your supplies and start punching & gluing away. With Thanksgiving only a few days away, these are a great last minute paper craft to add a cute little touch to any Thanksgiving day get together. 

Pumpkin Candle Gift

This super sweet gift is perfect for this time of year. Use as a visiting teaching gift and add a lesson to go with it. Teach about how important it is to be a Christian and how much our Heavenly Father loves us. Or give as a neighbor gift/teacher gift. Everyone loves to receive a sweet smelling candle. And any gift is better when there is a sweet thought behind it. One that makes us feel better about who we are.

Here's a close up of the quote.

Here's the printable... Click on the image and then save it. Print it out on a 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper and cut it up. Embellish it with a pumpkin sticker or something. You can laminate it and add a magnet to the back so that the recipient of the gift can remember the saying by putting it on their fridge or magnet board.

Add the candle into a cellophane bag, add the magnet quote and tie up the gift with a ribbon.

Flying Monkeys- New Free Halloween Printable

Made another printable. Wanted to share. Halloween is getting close. We're counting down the days here til the candy festival begins.

I've had a bit of theme lately... they all seem to revolve around the Wicked Witch. I think she's adorable. These should be able to print out at 16x20... that's what I created them for or any related size down such as an 8x10 or 4x6.

Free Halloween Download- A Witch, Her Little Monsters, One Handsome Devil

Okay.... I've decided.  I'm coming back. I've been gone away for waaaay too long from my craft blog having babies and doing lots of other stuff... but there has been some thing missing from my life. I miss making things and sharing them up here on my blog. I guess I have still been making things, but I just haven't been able to find the time to document it up here on the blog. It's such a great way to remember all the fun things we do together as a family.

A new thing that I've been dabbling in, has been digital scrapbooking & art. I've made a few Halloween printables and thought it would be fun to share them up here. (free printable no longer available) They should be able to print out at 16x20, but I've only printed them at 8x10. You can also print them at 4x6 if you wanted... (Maybe make them into a card??? I might have to try that one.) Anyways....They're all the same ratio, so it should work.

I made three variations....

All orange.

One that is Gray & Purple.

One that has Orange and Purple.

Happy Halloween!

Church Quiet Book... ready in 5 minutes!

This was a quick and easy quiet book that I made in about 5 minutes.....

I actually made it right before church.... Using 4 simple items...

1- plastic badge holders (this particular set was purchased at Office Max, 10 for $4.99, but you can buy them cheaper at Wal-mart for around $1.69, however the plastic is lighter-weight).

2- Circle Binder Clips (Purchased a variety pack of 8 silver rings at Target for around $2)

3- Ribbon... any size, color, texture, etc.

4- Pictures (I used a variety pack of pictures that measured 3x4 inches)

I inserted the picture into the badge holder (the picture was the exact size of the badge holder and since there was a saying on the back, I didn't mount the picture or add any embellishments. I simply slipped the picture in).

Next I put the pictures onto the binder ring and closed it.

I tied on a bunch of ribbons to embellish the quiet book and VOILA!!! It was done!

Quick... easy... and the kids enjoyed looking at the pictures and the older kids enjoyed reading the sayings.

5 minutes... done!

Simply Scrappin' Cards

Here are some easy cards that you can make using a Stampin' Up Simply Scrappin' kit. The kit is usually used for scrapbooking. The kits comes with cardstock, patterned papers, die cut stickers and images. Instead of making a scrapbook page from the kit you can make cards, lots of cards. Add some ribbons, brads or other embellishments and you have beautiful cards that are easy, quick and simple.

Lotion Bottle

Took a lotion bottle and stripped off the original label, added some strips of patterned paper and then glued it on with sticky strip. I wanted it to be in the guest bathroom so I wanted to make sure it was waterproof. I added a strip of packing tape over the top of it! Ta Dah! Add some ribbon at the top and it was ready to go!
Here is the before and after shot...

Mini Paint Can

Only measure about 2 1/2 inches tall but it is so darn cute and fun. I took some patterned paper and wrapped only a single layer around the can since there wasn't much room for a lot of embellisments. Then on the top I cut two circles, one in black and the other in the same patterned paper. I punched out three flowers, 2 pink and one green from a coordinating paper that came in the same patterned paper pack. Layer the flowers on top of each other and pierce the center with a piercing too. This makes it easier to push the jeweled brad through the top. The brad goes through the center of all three flowers and the two different circle layers. Pull up on the flowers to add some dimension. Finish the can off with some adorable ribbon, fill the can with some candy or a piece of jewelry and then it is done! It took less than 10 minutes to decorate this small paint can.

Birthday Favor

We made these Birthday favors for my daughter Samantha's 7th Birthday. She took them to school to share with her friends. I started with a small brown paper bag and I cut off the top third of the bag to make them smaller, then used a Jumbo Stampin' Up Wheel and Real Red ink to decorate the bag. It makes it so quick and easy. The wheel just rolls right over the bag and there is no precision required.



Then I printed a "Happy Birthday Samantha" from the computer and cut them out. Pasted them onto a piece of Real Red Cardstock, folded the paper in half and stapled it on the top of the bag to keep it closed. And Voila! They were done! The bags were filled with a variety of goodies for the kiddies.

Mother's Day Cards

Here are the mother's day cards that I made this year for my dear sweet mother, and mother in laws. I wanted to have some sparkle so I added some glitter to both the flowers and the butterfly. They are essentially the same card, only differnt color scheme.

Tissue Box...

Also known as the "Mom, I'm Bored!" box....

This box is going to come in handy when Summer comes, but is also helpful on the weekends. Basically how this works... a plain old tissue box is wrapped in paper and then inside, strips of paper are added with ideas of fun things for the kids to do. The activities can include family things or simple ideas just to get them excited about something. And somehow when they pull the idea of coloring a picture out of a box it is more exciting than just Mom telling them to go color a picture.

I used the Walk in the Park designer series paper set from the Stampin' Up Occasions Mini Catalog that will be available from April 1 until June 30, 2009. I used a full 12x12 sheet of paper, plus a little bit extra. The first sheet I wrapped around the tissue box and then pressed and cut the corners so it would lay flat. I had to use a little bit extra for the second sheet just to cover the small parts that weren't covered. Then I used sticky strip to make it stay put. Around the hole on top, I taped the paper down and then ripped the paper away (or you can cut it away for a different look). Finally to cover up some of seams I took a pink piece of paper and made a belt around it. I embellished the back with a button and the front I used the stamp set "Wagon Full Of Fun" from the mini catalog. It was a fun project and it will be put to good use with the kids.

Plate of Cookies.....

Ready to make your own designer plates that you can change depending on the occasion?

I purchased these glass salad plates for $1 at Wal-mart.


A handy little tip....The easiest way to remove those pesky bar code labels is to use a product called DeSolvit. I put the item in the sink, spray the chemical on the label and in one or two applications it comes right off with no sticky residue left behined. It is FABULOUS!

Here is a piece of designer scrapbook paper in Brown and cream... you can use whatever that will suit the party or occasion.


The next secret to this fabulous plate is spray on adhesive. You spray the plate with the adhesive and then smooth the paper on to it... (or you can wrinkle the paper onto it if you want that different effect. Or you can do multiple pieces of paper for a mosaic look.)

Here is the plate with the paper on it. After the paper is on the plate you can rip it or cut off the excess paper.
Then I took some fortune cookies from Panda Express and I wanted to turn them into a more gourmet cookie. In California there is a restaurant called Panda Inn (a formal sit down version of Panda Express... very good) and they bring out fortune cookies dipped in white chocolate and wrapped in colorful foil. So good! So I melted some white chocolate, dipped half of the cookie in the chocolate and then.... Mmmmmm... Delish!

Here is the final product.... Cute plate and yummy cookies.