day fifty five: peanut butter cookies with m&m's

the picture doesn't do these cookies
justice ... they look beautiful and
golden :)

day fifty five and we are leaving for singapore in less than 24 hours :) ... ok enough about my excitement and on with todays p365!  some really yummy looking peanut butter cookies with m&m's pinned to my recipe must do's board from the lovely website blog chef.  this website has a huge archive of recipes ... i am sure you could do a recipe a day from the blog and love every one for a year :)

did you know one large packet of m&m's equals one cup?

this recipe DOES require heavy machine ... a mixer to be exact so be aware you will need to clean the mixing bowl and the beaters for this one once you have pulled it out of the back of the cupboard and hauled it onto the bench ;)  very easy recipe though, all the wet ingredients get beaten together and then you fold in the dry ones with the m&m's (which are optional ... that really wasn't an option in my house!).  then spoon the mixture onto the trays and flatten down a tad ... into the oven and about 12 minutes later you have yourself some very good looking cookies.

cookies in the oven :)

outcome:  outstanding ... if you like pretzel hugs (melted chocolate on pretzels) you are going to LOVE these, they have the same salty and sweet thing going on ... so good.  i have hidden some for tomorrow otherwise i suspect they may all be gone burgers by nightfall!

this is an awesome recipe from blog chef and if all their recipes are this good, i may never by another recipe book again!  a big thanks from my family and i for sharing such great recipes :)

our plane to singapore leaves tomorrow morning so i will be up early creating something quick! catch you all tomorrow, have a wonderful day wherever in the world you are :) 

day fifty four: travel activity packs

travel activity packs ready to go :)

day fifty four and can i first say to all the new people stopping by ... THANKS for taking the TIME it means a lot :)

** update: full tutorial at the end of this post **

today we are continuing on for taking pinterest 365 on the road in a couple of days to singapore!  but first we need to get there and entertain the kids on the way so it will be a pleasant 10 hour flight without whinning ... right kids?  actually they are very good travellers and while they have travelled this amount of time in a car plenty of times, it will be their first long haul flight, so best to be well prepared!

luckily pinned to my home school projects board are lots of travel games and travel kit ideas .. thank goodness for pinterest in moments like these!  i am going to use the lovely stitch craft creations idea of a travel game folder and the ideas from the original cloth one by creating my way to success.  both of these girls have fantastic sites if you love crafting or sewing :)   i am also using the free printables from free puzzles, family fun, and game ideas for kids.

the basics for what you need to make the fabric folder and
some of the free games i printed out in A5

first up i printed all my free (love that) travel printables at A5 size so the travel folder will be about 15" x 10" when laying open and flat ... i thought if it was any larger it wouldn't fit comfortable on the tray table on the plane :)  the kids then chose the fabric and ribbon they wanted and i began cutting all the material contemplating the number of straight sewing lines i would have to undertake for this project. luckily most will be hidden :)

pinning the pockets to the inside panel

once the pockets were sewn down the side of the inside panel, i pinned the two full panels together right sides together and sewed around the outside (make sense?) ... ooohhh and don't forget to add the ribbon that will tie your folder together at this point.  i left a small gap so i could turn it out the right way, which was then hand sewn together.  i then measured and pinned a halfway line, closed my eyes and hopped for a straight sewing line as there was no way of hiding this one and put my foot down on the sewing machine!  luckily the middle seam is straight enough that the kids won't notice any of the small deviations :)

pinning the dreaded straight seam required down the middle!

i waited until the kids were busy and then filled the pockets with the printables, some new books, pencils, and other goodies so when they get them on the plane it will hopefully be a nice surprise for them.

all the goodies for inside the travel folder

outcome: we shall wait and see ... from a making point of view i am completely happy with the outcome and love how easy it was to fit SO much stuff into them without it all rolling around in their cabin bags ... all sorted and all in one easy pull out folder, love that!  whether they work as activity packs, i'll let the kids assess that for you in two days time :)

thanks so much to the wonderful creations from stitch craft creations and creating my way to success, i have made some travel activity packs i am really proud of ... their websites are full of fantastic craft creations which are totally inspiring.  and thanks to some awesome free printables from ree puzzles, family fun, and game ideas for kids these folders were a breeze to fill with fun games :)

updated full instructions:

You need to cut five pieces of fabric and one piece of stiffening:

·         2 pieces of fabric 15” x 10” and one piece of stiffening the same size . 

·         1 piece of fabric 15” x 7” … with this piece iron in half right side out so you have a piece that is 3 ½” x 15”

·         1 piece of fabric 15” x 11” … and do the same with this piece, iron in half right sides out so you end up with a piece 5 ½” x 15”

·         1 piece of fabric 15” x 16” … and do the same with this piece, iron in half right sides out so you end up with a piece 8” x 15”

·         Cut two pieces of ribbon 12” each

Once you have all the pieces cut go to your ironing board or a flat surface as we are going to put the top and pockets together before you start sewing.

·         Start with the piece of 15” x 10” piece right side up

·         Next put the 8” x 15” piece so the bottoms match up, there will be about a 2” gap at the top, pin in place

·         Next the 5 ½” x 15”  piece so the bottoms match up once again, pin in place

·         Next the 3 ½” x 15” piece so the bottoms match up, pin in place

It should look like this:

pinning the pockets to the inside panel

Then sew ¼” seams down the short sides,  this will attach your pockets in place

Next step is to add the back, interfacing, and ribbon

·         If you have iron on interfacing, iron it onto the piece of 15” x 10” yet to be used on the wrong side, obviously!

·         If not using iron on interfacing, using a flat surface again place the interfacing down

·         Then lay the unsewn piece of fabric 15” x 10” on top right side facing up at you

·         At half way along the shorter side put the ribbon on each side so that an inch is out past the width of the fabric … this will sew the ribbon in place

·         Then grab the piece of fabric with the pockets and place it right side down to finish the material sandwich 

·         Pin all pieces together around the outside.  If you pick it up you should have interfacing on one side and the wrong side of the fabric facing you on the other side, with an inch of ribbon hanging out at either short side J

·         Sew around the perimeter of the sandwich but leave a 3” gap so you are able to turn it inside out once sewn.  Sew using a ½” seam.

·         I then zigzagged around the entire perimeter (except the gap) to reduce any fraying.

·         Before turning inside out cut off the corners, being carefully not to cut into your stitching … this step is totally optional but it makes it less bulky in the corners when you turn it right side out J

Once you have sewn around the perimeter, turn right side out and iron.  You may need to poke the corners out with a pencil or closed scissors or something similar.  Hand sew the gap used to turn your creation inside out.

The final step is to pin down the centre of the travel pack and sew the straightest line you can!

Once this is done you are finished!  Good luck and if you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to email me  J

day fifty three: peanut energy bars

peanut energy bars :)

day fifty three and i am SO excited to see my sister and her family ... only three days to go so its time to start thinking about travelling and packing :)  we are flying the ultimate in cheap airlines, no hospitality, no inflight services, but it does mean we could afford to get to singapore! so i need some good things to take on the flight to entertain and feed my children!

today we are starting with the food because, lets face it, if you don't feed a child for 10 hours it could be a REALLY long flight!  pinned to my recipe must do's board are peanut energy bars from the eating well website that look ideal for travel.  if you have a peanut allergy and can't use this recipe there are so many wonderful recipes on this site for healthy eating you will find something to satisfy you i am sure!

the dried ingredients

this is one of those wonderful one bowl wonder recipes too!  i did actually use a small pot as well, the microwave and i have a love/hate relationship so i melted the sugar, honey, and peanut butter on the stove (just make sure if you do use the stove to stir it continuously and have the heat at medium high).  i made a couple of changes to the recipe for personal choice and because of what was in the cupboard :) i used two cups of dried cranberries instead of the raisins because we love them, unfortunately didn't have any wheat germ or sunflower seeds so i used chopped roasted almonds instead.  i also used honey because, well, our bees make fantastic honey in nz so it seemed like a top idea :)

the cooling slab of energy!

outcome:  oh so delicious :)  actually my mum and husband declared they were better than the lemon and blueberry bars that were demolished yesterday .. my kids however disagreed and said the lemon blueberry bars were more delicious ... so i suggest everybody go and make both and then you can decide yourselves!  the energy bars are totally delicious and i have wrapped the rest, ready for our munchies on the plane :)

thanks so much to the eating well website for an awesome recipe, i don't need to buy muesli bars any more ... your recipes are fantastic and its good to know they are healthy too :)

day fifty two: lemon and blueberry bars, and a pillow for valentines

pillows for valentines :)

day fifty two and i had time to make a couple of creations today ... i LOVE time!  pinned to my recipe must do's board was a lemon and blueberry bar from the gorgeous blog for the love of cooking ... it looked so good and after the success of the lemon blueberry yoghurt cake with the family i decided this was a good thing to attempt today!  as i had time to sit and do some sewing today, i decided a pillow i have been pondering making all week would finally be made today. pinned to my holiday goodness board is a gorgeous valentines/love pillow by blueberry park.  karen at blueberry park is clearly incredibly talented and her blog is full of wonderful products and inspiration.

lemon and blueberry slice fresh out of the oven

first to the lemon and blueberry bars ... you make the crust first and bake it (if you don't like to get your hands messy, drag out the food processor and whiz the base up in that) ... then add the topping and bake again. i used frozen blueberries and plopped them on frozen too!

ready to eat ... they were so good!

lemon blueberry bar outcome:  seriously so good ... the crust has a little bit of a chew to it which works really nicely with the topping ... family was once again delighted with another pinterest recipe! thank you so much to pam from for the love of cooking, it was (yes that does mean its already completely been eaten!) a delicious slice and i definitely plan to make plenty more of it :)

the basic's for the pillow

ready to sew on the fabric strip

on to the pillow and lets remember i am not a seamstress so i need all the help i can get with pillows like this! i can't draw either so i printed off a heart shape from clipart, then traced the heart onto heat'n'bond so i could fix it to the white material before sewing!  who knew such great stuff existed, not i before pinterest (i clearly have lived a sheltered life)!  anyway i stitched in the side fabric, and then ironed on the heart into the white space before sewing around that as well.  added the backing and stuffed before hand sewing the stuffing opening.

the finished pillows for valentines day

valentines pillow outcome:  i was so stoked with the finished product i made two!  they are certainly happy pillows to look at and the heat'n'bond made it relatively simple to attach the hearts.  can't wait to put them out with the rest of the valentines decorations!  many thanks to blueberry park's karen for such an awesome idea, her blog is completely inspiring and has lots of ideas for purchasing and making!

that's if for today folks, enjoy the rest of your weekend :)

day fifty one: bunting cards

bunting cards ... these made me happy :)

day fifty one and i need some thank you cards but we had a lot on today so it needed to be something quick!  pinned to my paper crafts board was the ideal card ... a simple bunting card idea from the australian made it website by seller zippyzippy. she has absolutely lovely stuff for sale and if i lived in australia i would definitely be making more than one purchase!

supplies

the card idea by zippyzippy involved some sewing, which wasn't on the agenda today, so i went with the same design but using only paper and glue :)  the triangle size i used was a 1" depth and then i played around with patterned and solid colour papers!

i'd be happy to have this card!

outcome:  fantastic looking cards, easy to make if you are in a hurry and don't want to spend $8 on a card and this one will probably be appreciated more because it's made with your very own hands .... for me the best part of the card is they are really easy to co-ordinate with your wrapping and the age/gender of the recipient ... ie: you can use this card design for ANYONE!

if you live in australia, head over to zippyzippy's site for some awesome products or her blog which is just full of crafting eye candy ... thank you so much zippyzippy, your designs are amazing :)

off now half time in the rugby and the all blacks need my support!

day fifty: a pencil vase or lolly container

the finished container filled with lollies!

day fifty ... ooohhh how exciting, fifty down and plenty of inspiring ideas and days still ahead :) today we are delving into thank you gifts for teachers or those who would appreciate a vase or container wrapped in pencils!  this gift idea is pinned to my home school projects board and is from the blog of 1 wasabi mommy. cool website love all the different ideas she has posted there for all kinds of things ... especially the teacher appreciation ideas!

the original concept is a vase surrounded in pencils, i thought i would like to fill mine with lollies instead of flowers for my lovely friend who helps us with our home schooling resources.

what you need .. a word of advice, i actually had to call my
sweet husband to get more pencils on the way home from
work because a circumference of even a small glass is a
long way round for pencils (this one took 30 pencils!)

attaching the pencils to the glass with
hot glue

i used hot glue to attach the pencils around the glass and the ribbon to the pencils :)

filled and ready for giving :)

outcome: totally stoked!  it was actually really hard to get started because i had trouble getting the first pencils straight up and down ... i know it looks easy but the first couple took a little bit of getting and then the rest were a breeze!  can't wait to give this to our lovely friend :)

many thanks to 1 wasabi mommy for taking the time to find such wonderful ideas and filling her blog with such awesome inspiration ... it is definitely worth a peek-a-boo if you love pretty things you can make yourself!

day forty nine: lemon blueberry yoghurt cake

blueberry lemon yoghurt cake :)

day forty nine and its time for some baking for the hungry munch-kins on holiday! pinned to my pinterest recipe must do's board is a lemon blueberry yoghurt cake from smitten kitchen (adapted from an ina garten recipe) ... the pictures on smitten kitchen look delectable so i figure the cake would be too!

the ingredients for the cake

yeehaa for another cake recipe that doesn't require heavy machinery, you only need two bowls and a whisk for the batter and a little pot for the syrup ... totally loving the recipe so far!  it is a quick and easy whisk together batter and then into the oven for about 70 minutes (the recipe says 50 plus minutes and mine was definitely in there over an hour). i left my cake in the loaf pan and poured the syrup over it in there so i didn't get syrup every where :)

the just drizzled cake :)

outcome:  lemon and blueberries are one of those food combinations that just taste like heaven together.  this cake is very nice, very moist, and has a really nice tartness to it. i am thinking i might try this in muffin cases next time and put a lemon butter cream icing on top :)

my sincere thanks go to smitten kitchen for a positively awesome recipe. i absolutely loved all the variations given with the recipe so you can truly make it your own ... smitten kitchen has heaps of wonderful looking recipes, i will definitely be trying more :)