Ring in the Holidays with a FREE Ring by isewcute!

I'm giving away jewelry!!!

A free sprinkles dome ring with every order no matter how big or how small from my etsy today and today only!

Limit only one per household.

http://www.isewcute.etsy.com/

Today is cyber Monday & I thought I'd do a special from 12:01 a.m. to 11.59 pm EST.

You cannot buy this ring in my shop & I will only be making a limited amount of them for this special promo.

Some details about this sweet sprinkles ring:

The ring base is silver plated & adjusts to fit most.

The dome is handcast resin with real rainbow cupcake sprinkles.

It measures app. 3/4" across.

It would make a perfect stocking stuffer or treat to put in your advent calendar!

Old Fashioned Home Made Holiday Hard Candy ...by isewcute

I've been busy in the kitchen making huge batches of old fashioned holiday candy for a local craft bazaar ....& some for gift-giving too.
I use an old family recipe, but if you'd like to try making hard candy, there are some recipes printed within the packaging of some of the flavor oils you can buy in the candy & cake decorating sections of your local craft store.
Besides the ingredients you'll need to make the candy & the flavor oils, you just need a heavy pot, a candy thermometer, kitchen shears for cutting the candy, a cast iron skillet to pour the melted candy onto, powdered sugar to keep the pieces from sticking to one another after it's cut, & jars to store the candy in.

Each of the jars is embellished with a label I created which has a drawing of my hubby's grandma on it. (it was her recipe after all...so credit is given where credit is due)

...a tag is also added to each jar with twine... calling out the flavors included in each mix.

I absolutely love making it! You can just imagine how the smell of candy just fills the entire house! It smells like Christmas to me...& it lingers too for a couple of days!

If you're local to the Dayton, Ohio area... you can get some! It's available now at the State Road Methodist Church in Germantown... 15020 State Rt. 725... the craft bazaar is going on today & tomorrow!

It makes a great holiday gift for a hostess, teacher, coworker, friend, & family.

Getting Crafty with Leaves...How to Embellish a Shirt for Fall

Please excuse the wrinkles... I was so excited at how well this turned out that I didn't bother ironing before taking photos!
This is a shirt I embellished for my mother in law by printing a pattern along the neckline using real leaves.

Materials to make this project include:
a shirt,
some fabric paint,
a sponge brush,
scrap paper,
something to line the shirt with to prevent the paint from bleeding through (I used a plastic lid from a storage bin)
...and of course a selection of leaves. Make sure your leaves are not too dried out...you don't want them to crumble mid-project!

After preparing the shirt by lining it with my storage bin lid & smoothing out the neckline where I wanted my leaf pattern to go, I mixed up a palette of fabric paints in fall leaf colors. The brands of paint I used were matte Tulip brand soft fabric paint & Lumiere Metallic Acrylic...mixed together for added glitz.

I brushed the color on thick...coating each leaf evenly.

Then lay the leaves onto the shirt...paint side down in the pattern you desire.

To get the pattern to transfer well...you'll want to cover the leaves with a piece of scrap paper...and burnish the back of the paper gently yet firmly... with your fingertips, but be sure to not move the leaves out of their position or you'll get a smudgy pattern.

Finally lift off the scrap paper carefully...and then pull up the leaf by the stem slowly...so as to not smudge the design.

I think this project came out so nice & this color green really sets off the contrasting color of the leaves nicely.

My mother in law looks really good in green! I can hardly wait to give it to her!

:o)

Recipe for Nuts and Bolts aka: Chex Party Mix

I just made a double batch of chex mix this morning... & toasted our pumpkin seeds using the same seasoning & thought I'd share my version of this yummy snack with you all!




Nuts & Bolts (aka chex party mix by isewcute)

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick of margarine
2 Tbsp. Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. onion powder
3 cups corn chex
3 cups rice chex
3 cups cheerios...we like them better than the wheat chex in the original recipe.
2 cups mixed nuts...sometimes I just use cashews only...they're soooo good!
2 cups pretzel sticks...broken in half


Melt the margarine in a saucepan & add the seasonings. Blend well with a small wisk. Remove from heat. Mix all the cereals & nuts & pretzels in a large bowl....then spread it out on a couple of baking sheets. Use a basting brush to brush the liquid onto the cereal & nut mix...be sure to coat evenly.


Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours... but be sure stir it about every 15 min. or so ... that way it toasts evenly & the seasonings are well blended into the mix.


Let cool & store in an airtight container to maintain freshness. Enjoy!
*I always double this recipe because it goes fast & it's great to share!



My grandma & great aunt used to call this mix 'Nuts and Bolts' ...it was a real treat to go over to their house as a kid & find they had made up a batch!

:o)

Sesame Street Has Been Around for 40 Years! Can you believe it?

This is the stuff I grew up on!
I entertained myself for hours as a preschooler... listening to Sesame Street records. Sesame Street sure has come a long way since the 1970's.
Now I get a real kick out of the album art & how styles & characters have changed in 30+ years.

Oscar was orange? I don't even remember that... must've been before I was born....and check out the mutton chops!

Big Bird looked so awkward....and his voice had a goofy twang to it in some of the songs he sang.


Elmo wasn't around until 1983.

...and who can forget Mr. Hooper?

I think it's wonderful that Sesame Street has been around so long...and I hope they'll be around for another 40 years teaching kids to read, share, and have fun learning.

:o)

Corn Bread Recipe ...goes real well with chili!

Some folks have asked me for my cornbread recipe... so here goes:

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups of yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup shortening
3 Tbsp. molasses
1 egg - beaten
1 cup milk

Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl & set aside. In another bowl... blend together the dry ingredients then cut in the shortening with a pastry blender. Add the wet ingredients & mix just until everything is blended... don't over mix.

Pour into a greased 8 x 8" square pan & bake at 425 degrees for 20-27 min.... until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!