Cardigan Pillow Tutorial

Hi, Everybody! I'm so excited to share this Cardigan Pillow Tutorial with you today! I love wearing cardigans; paired with a cute tank top, a pretty pin and some skinny jeans, it's my favorite kind of outfit! Consequently, I have lots and lots of them in my closet, especially since I hate parting with old clothes! As I was going through my closet this weekend, taking out some things to donate, I came across this pink cardigan that I haven't worn in forever and thought... hmm, I know what I could use this for! And viola... I made this Cardigan Pillow!

This is a really fun, easy project that anyone with basic sewing skills can make! All you need is a cardigan (preferably with nice buttons), a sewing machine (and some pins, scissors and thread), a pillow form (or polyfill to stuff your pillow cover with) and a pretty pin of your choice (I picked this white flower pin because I used to wear it on this cardigan a lot). Here's how I made this pillow...

CARDIGAN PILLOW TUTORIAL

1. First, lay your cardigan out on a table (buttoned up), and measure out a square (with the line of buttons running down the center of the square). Since my pillow measures 14x14 inches, that was the size of my square, plus I added an additional half inch to each side. Cut out two squares (one will be the front part of the cardigan, the other will be the back part).

2. Then, place the two outside sides together (as if you turned the pillow inside out), and pin down the sides so there's no movement when you sew. Sew down all the sides leaving a half inch border, then unbutton the buttons and turn the pillow out (the buttons don't only serve as decoration, but as the "envelope" part of the pillow, you can put your pillow form in this way).

3. Put your pillow form inside and button the "cardigan" back up! Then, find a nice pin or any other decoration you might like to put on and attach it to the pillow case! And that's it! So easy, so cute!

I love pretty pillows and soft cosy blankets, there's nothing that feels more like home to me than that! So the next time you want to throw out an old cardigan, try doing this project instead! Another fun idea would be to make a "keepsake" pillow like this - for example, if one of your kids has a cardigan but has grown out of it, make a pillow out of it and keep it as a memory for when they get older!

Happy Crafting, Everybody!!!

I will be linking to:

The Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, My Romantic Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, Skip to my Lou, Cosy Home Scenes and Tip Junkie.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Hi, Everybody! I know I've been posting recipes for lots of healthy snacks and treats lately, so I have to warn right away - this is not one of those recipes! I'll give you one hint - butter. Lots of butter. As Julia Child said, "With enough butter, anything is good!" And these Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies are more than good! They are absolutely delicious; they're sweet and buttery and just melt in your mouth!

CHOCOLATE CHIP

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

(Recipe adapted from Ina Garten)

*Makes 12 cookies*

YOU WILL NEED:

6oz (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, combine butter and sugar in your electric mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla. Then, with the mixer running, slowly begin to add the flour and salt, and mix until a dough begins to form. Add the chocolate chips (you can add more than 1/4 cup if you prefer more chocolate).

2. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of wax paper and form into a log. Wrap it in the parchment paper, twisting the ends, and place it in the freezer for a couple of minutes, until it's firm enough to slice easily.

3. Preheat your oven to 350 deg F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With a sharp knife, cut the log into 1/2 inch thick slices and place onto the baking sheet. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.

PS. Look at these amazing flatbread triangles that my husband made the other night! They were so good with some kalamata olive hummus! I would post the recipe, but there isn't one... he just made it up as he went along!

Happy Baking, Everyone!

Have a great week!

I will be linking to:

Cozy Home Scenes, Tip Junkie, Mangia Mondays, The Shabby Nest, Lady Behind the Curtain and Skip to my Lou.

Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Happy first day of Spring, Everyone! I hope you've all had a great day! It was another beautiful warm and sunny day here, and I was so excited to get my flip flops out of my closet.... that's always a sign that the summer is on its way! Plus it means a trip to the nail salon, which is even better! I had the most delicious breakfast this morning, and just had to share the recipe with you! I made some Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal this morning, and it was ridiculously good! It's sweet, has that warm cinnamon-y taste (and delicious smell!) and the fresh apples add juicy flavor to every bite! Not too long ago I shared my Baked Blueberry and Banana Oatmeal recipe that I love with you, and this one is just as good, if not better! If you're looking for a good breakfast, make this, and you definitely won't be disappointed! Here's the recipe...

BAKED APPLE CINNAMON OATMEAL

(Recipe from Two Peas and a Pod)

*Serves 6 - 8*

YOU WILL NEED:

2 cups rolled oats

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1/2 cup apple sauce

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbs unsalted butter, melted

1 large apple (a tart apple works well) peeled and diced

1/4 cup raisins

*Optional - pecans, walnuts, dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, peel, core and dice your apple and soak your raisins in boiling water until they are plump, drain them, and then set both the apple and raisins aside. Preheat your oven to 350 deg F, and spray your baking dish with cooking spray (8x8inch pan).

2. Next, in a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a different, smaller bowl, whisk together the milk, apple sauce, egg whites, melted butter and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir well. Add your diced apples and raisins.

3. Pour the mixture into your baking pan and bake for 20 minutes, until the oatmeal turns beautifully golden brown and no longer jiggles in the center. Serve warm on its own, with some milk or fruit!

This breakfast is the perfect start to your day! I hope you all love this Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal as much as I did! Happy first day of spring, Everyone!

Have a great rest of the week!

I will be linking to:

Easter Ruffle Wreath

Hi, Everybody! I hope that you all had a great weekend and that the weather is just as beautiful where you are as it's been here in New Jersey! It feels more like the beginning of summer, not spring here! I'm loving it! I realized that Easter is just three short weeks away... time to get started on some Easter decorations! I'm so excited to share my Easter Ruffle Wreath with you today, and teach you how you can make your own! I used the same technique as I used on my Silk Ruffle Wreath, and embellished it with an Easter egg nest and some ribbon. Here's how I made it...

EASTER RUFFLE WREATH

TUTORIAL

For this project, you will need a wreath form (I didn't have one on hand, so I cut one out of a piece of cardboard!), some burlap and two other different colored fabrics (about 1/4 yard of each), a little nest, three faux eggs and some ribbon! And don't forget your glue gun, of course!

First, prepare your fabric strips. You will need three different kinds of fabric, you can pick whatever kinds and colors you like. Cut them into 2 x 8 inch strips. Begin making your ruffles by taking a strip of fabric, folding it over and creating layers and bunching them together in the center. Glue each ruffle down onto your wreath form using your glue gun. Continue making ruffles and attaching them to the form, overlapping them slightly, as the picture shows, and cover the whole wreath with the ruffles. Now, use hot glue to stick the eggs inside the nest, then using hot glue again, attach the nest onto the wreath. Now pick some ribbon that complements your wreath and use it to make a bow and to hang your wreath up! Here are some more pictures of the wreath...

I hope you are inspired to make your own wreath, and customize it to fit your taste! I love the neutral colors I used, and they fit perfectly into our living room! And the best part was... I already had all my supplies and didn't have to go out to buy anything! The fabric was all scraps I found in my craft room and I already had the ribbon, eggs and little nest!

Have a great week, Everyone!

Happy Crafting!

I will be linking to:

Skip to my Lou, Tip Junkie, The Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, My Romantic Home and Dear Lillie.

Little Molten Coffee-Chocolate Cakes

Hi, Everybody! I hope that you are all having a great week and have had a good start to the month of March! Although, it felt more like May here today, with the beautiful sunshine and high temperatures! I love March, it's one of my favorite times of the year because after months of dark winter, the world outside begins to burst with beautiful colors again. I'm so happy that spring is finally on its way! I have a great recipe to share with you today - Little Molten Coffee-Chocolate Cakes! These are absolutely delicious little cakes that make for a great little dessert when served warm with some ice cream melting on top, or for an afternoon treat just by themselves! These dense cakes have the most deep, rich coffee and chocolate flavor, and are wonderfully smooth and soft in the center. Absolutely delicious! They only take about a half hour or so to whip up, making them the perfect dessert for a night when you don't really have lots of time to bake! If you are a coffee lover, you will LOVE these! Happy Baking, Everyone!

LITTLE MOLTEN

COFFEE - CHOCOLATE CAKES

(Adapted from Dinner at Home)

*Makes 6 Cakes*

YOU WILL NEED:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

4 tbs (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips)

1 tbs instant coffee powder (or instant espresso powder)

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, prepare your chocolate. Coarsely chop the bittersweet chocolate, place it in a heatproof bowl, and set it over a pot of simmering water. Stir until you get a smooth chocolate sauce, making sure that none of the water bubbles over into it. Once done, set aside and let cool for a while.

2. Next, preheat your oven to 400 deg F and line a muffin pan with six muffin cups. In a small bowl combine flour, coffee powder and salt. Then in the bowl of your electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until you get a light and fluffy mixture. With the mixer going, add your eggs one at a time, then add vanilla extract and mix until all ingredients are well mixed.

3. Slowly begin adding both the flour mixture and the melted chocolate, and mix until you get a smooth, chocolaty liquid batter. Divide the mixture between the six muffin cups equally, then bake for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the center of the cakes no longer jiggles (they will rise slightly). Let the cakes cool for a couple of minutes on cooling racks before eating!

The insides of these little cakes are wonderfully smooth and soft, especially when eaten warm! The amount of instant coffee powder in the recipe gives them quite a strong coffee flavor, so if you would prefer just a hint of coffee, reduce the amount. These cakes would be delicious with any sweet ice cream to complement the deep taste of coffee; vanilla would be a perfect choice!

And what else is sitting on my tray along with these delicious little cakes? The beautiful white roses that my husband got me for my 25th birthday (which I celebrated last week!) and The World of Downton Abbey book, of course! If you are (an obsessive) Downton Abbey fan like me, you need this book! It was one of my birthday presents, and I'm almost done reading it already!

Happy Baking, Everyone!

I will be linking to:

Tip me Tuesday at Tip Junkie, Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest, Makin' You Crave Mondays at Mrs. Happy Homemaker and Crazy Sweet Tuesday at Crazy for Crust.

Pink and Gray Bow Pillows

Hi, Everybody! I hope that you have all had a great week and have some fun plans for the weekend! Today I wanted to show you some Bow Pillows that I recently made for a customer. She requested gray pillows with pink bows, a color combination that I love! Here are some pictures of the pillows that I made for her!

All of the pillows are made according to my own design, and every part of them is handmade. It's a pretty simple design that consists of a classic envelope pillow cover with an oversized bow that is sewn into the sides of the pillow case. I love the pink and gray together, I think it's such a pretty color combination. It looks soft, elegant and sophisticated, and I love how the pink bow pops on top of the gray background.

I hope you all liked these bow pillows and that they make their new owner very happy! If you are interested in purchasing one of my Bow Pillows, just visit my Etsy Shop! Lots of colors to choose from! Have a great weekend!

Happy Crafting, Everyone!

I will be linking to:

Skip to my Lou, Tip Junkie, The Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating and My Romantic Home.

Baked Blueberry and Banana Oatmeal

Hi, Everyone! I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend! I have a great new recipe for you today! As I've mentioned before, I've been trying to come up with new ways to get myself to start my day off right, and to eat a healthy breakfast. I like incorporating oats into my breakfast, because they are a good source of fiber and protein, which means they get your body going and give you energy for the morning. I never have an appetite in the morning, so I need to trick my body into thinking it's hungry by preparing something delicious... like this Baked Blueberry and Banana Oatmeal! I never have regular oatmeal for breakfast because I don't like it at all, but this baked oatmeal is so good! It's sweet, smooth and chewy, and warm from the cinnamon, with an unexpected burst of freshness from the blueberries! Not to mention that it makes your kitchen smell like warm gooey oatmeal cookies in the morning! And besides it being a really tasty breakfast, it's also good for you. Oats are a great source of protein, and contain Vitamin E, zinc, iron, magnesium and other nutrients, they reduce harmful cholesterol, and they are a good way to get fiber into your diet. As for the fruit in the recipe, blueberries are antioxidants, and bananas are a great source of potassium.... an awesome breakfast treat! If you're looking for something different to make for breakfast this week, try this!

BLUEBERRY BANANA

BAKED OATMEAL

*Makes 8 servings*

YOU WILL NEED:

2 1/4 cups rolled oats (uncooked)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups fat free milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 medium sized banana, mashed

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

*Other things you could add: dried fruit, raisins, nuts, honey (instead of brown sugar)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir well. Preheat your oven to 375 deg F and grease your baking pan (I used an 8x10 inch pan).

2. Next, in a different, smaller bowl, whisk together milk, egg and vanilla, then pour that into the oat mixture, and stir until all ingredients are well combined. Mash your banana and add it to the bowl, and then at the very end, add the blueberries and stir carefully so you don't smash them.

3. Pour the oatmeal mixture into your greased baking dish, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the center no longer jiggles. Serve warm with some fruit, or in a bowl with some milk and fruit!

And that's it! So quick and easy! I like to make a pan of this baked oatmeal at the beginning of the week, and then heat up a portion every morning. I hope you like it as much as I do! Also, did you notice the my beautiful tulip covered tablecloth?? My mom made it for me, she is very talented with cross stitch embroidery, and makes the most beautiful pictures and tablecloths! This one is one of my favorites, and I love using it for spring and Easter! I found some beautiful yellowish red tulips at the store the other day, and love that they look just like the ones on the tablecloth! I'm so glad that spring is finally on its way, it's my favorite season! I hope you all have a great rest of your week, thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Happy Baking, Everyone!

I will be linking to:

Cozy Comfort Food: Cauliflower and Leek Gratin

After a long day, what I really crave is some soothing comfort food. Something warm and familiar, that brings back happy memories. And that's exactly what this Cauliflower and Leek Gratin is - it's a comforting and satisfying side dish, and it's so quick and easy to make! There seems to be this idea that comfort food is always heavy and high in fat, but that doesn't need to be the case! Whenever I'm cooking, I'm always looking for ways to lighten things up, so I used fat free milk and low fat cheese in this recipe... it's still just as creamy and delicious, with wonderful flavor added by the leeks. If you are looking for a good, vegetarian side dish to add to your dinner table, try this one out! Here's the recipe...

CAULIFLOWER & LEEK GRATIN

(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

*Serves 6*

YOU WILL NEED:

1 head of cauliflower

2 leeks

2 small shallots

1/4 tsp dried thyme

Red pepper flakes (quantity depends on how much heat you want in the dish)

3 tbs unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk (I used fat free, and it was still very rich and creamy!)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used mild cheddar)

Salt and pepper to season

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, prepare your cauliflower. Cut into florets, and wash well. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, and cook the cauliflower for 3 minutes. Then, take the florets out and wash them under cold water, place them in a large bowl, and set aside.

2. Now finely dice your shallots, and slice your leeks (use white and light green part of the leek) into 1/4 inch wheels. Melt the butter in a small pot, and add the shallots and leeks, as well as thyme and red pepper flakes. Cook this for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are nice and soft. Then, stir in the flour and stir well, cook for a minute to let the flour taste cook off, then slowly begin adding the milk, stirring constantly, until you get a nice smooth sauce type consistency. Turn the heat up to a boil, and cook at a boil for 2 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Remove from heat. Preheat your oven to 350 deg F.

3. Once you have removed the pot from heat, stir in 3/4 of shredded cheese, and season the sauce well with salt and pepper. Now pour this over the cauliflower and stir until all the little florets are coated. Butter or spray your baking pan, and transfer the mixture into it, then top with the remaining 3/4 cup of shredded cheese. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 deg F, then, broil for another 5 minutes, until the cauliflower begins browning slightly. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving!

Happy Cooking, Everyone!!! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and that March has been off to a good start for you!

I will be linking to:

and Foodie Friday.