Unicorn Cake

I still need to catch you up with all of the cakes I've made! And this one was really a masterpiece, if I do say so myself.

It's the UNICORN CAKE!

It was for my friend's little girl's first birthday. This kid is getting spoiled with all of the cakes her mom dreams up for me to make her.

Mom, my fondant expert took care of making the horns and the ears. She used fondant and then colored it with gold food coloring. She made them a few days in advance to give it time to harden.

I got to the baking. The cake was vanilla, but it had to be unicorn-y, so I added color to each layer. This was the first time I was doing this, but you can't go wrong with that Wilton color. It makes the colors vibrant and doesn't water down the batter.

And then I had a bunch of frosting in all the different colors to make the unicorn's mane. The key here is really making it all random, harder than it seems for me, but I got the hang of it.

We assembled the cake when we went to drop it off. It was HEAVY! The bottom layer had the same colors, but was covered in gold sprinkles. I drew on the eyes with a paintbrush and some black food color, and we put in the ears and horn and piped in some more flowers to bring it all together.

And you just can't beat the look of those colors all together in one cake. I love how bright and fun it looks together.

Another cake challenge thrown down, and another cake challenge conquered.

Wide leg pants

I've been getting back into my sewing lately, and have been making myself a few things to wear. I saw these kind of wide-leg pants at a boutique I shop at and decided to try making a similar pair.

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I found a pattern, Simplicity 8605, and got some fabric a JoAnn's. The best part of the pattern was the pockets! Gotta love pockets.

Putting the pants togther went very smoothly, but the hardest part was getting the elastic through the 2 channels. Getting them both to come through at the same time without losing one of the other was one of the most time consuming parts of making these.

My fabric choice didn't make this any easier. It was a little too heavy for this project, but it worked. Between the pockets in the front and the waistband, there was a lot of fabric to deal with.

These are super comfy, kinda like pajama pants, but the fabric made them good to wear to work.

It was great to whip up something that came together so fast. I think I'm gonna have to try my hand at making something else soon.

Handmade Halloween

When Halloween rolls around for me it means picking out that costume and making it. My friends have asked me over the years why I don't just buy a costume, but buying a costume just doesn't feel like part of the holiday.

I was everything over the years....

a cheerleader,

a pumpkin,

a cavegirl, and so many more...

And this was the year, Mom tells me, that I insisted on a store-bought costume. Anyone else remember those terrible masks?

Since I was a little girl, Halloween was always a handmade holiday. I remember going to the fabric store and pouring over the pattern catalog until I found just the right costume. I'm thankful that Mom and Grandma were my costume magicians, making anything I wanted appear. Now that I can make my own costumes, I still love picking just the right one, and making it. It just feels right to me. Going to the store for a packaged costume is just not an option.

Anyone else have handmade costumes back in the day? How about now? Any ideas for this Halloween?

Makeup Brush Roll Tutorial

I got a special reuqest from a friend recently to make her a makeup brush roll. Like so many of us, she does her makeup on the go, but wanted a good way to carry around all of her brushes. I was more than happy to whip up this simple project.

Here is how you can make your own makeup brush roll. This is a pretty easy project, and would be great for a beginning sewer--only straight lines here.

First here is what you will need for this project:
1 9" x 15" piece of fabric
1 9" x 15" piece of interfacing (optional)
1 9" x 15" piece of lining fabric
1 10" x 15" piece of fabric for the pocket
18"-20" piece of ribbon or bias tape 
Sewing machine (can also be hand sewn)
Scissors
Thread
(The fabric can be different sizes to work for whatever you need.)

Take the pocket piece, fold it in half lengthwise, and iron it. Then top stitch the pocket along the fold line. Pin the pocket to the lining fabric, and sew along the sides and bottom of both pieces. Use a scant 1/8" seam (this will insure that this line of sewing will be hidden once it is finished).

Now it's time to mark your pockets. You can customize these pockets to what ever size you need. I made a few 1 1/2" pockets, and then varied the sizes (from 3/4" to 1") to be able to accommodate a variety of brush sizes. I marked them with a pencil to be able to see it on my fabric.

Sew the pocket markings from the bottom to the top. This will ensure that you don't have any bubbles or puckering at the bottom of the pockets. Remember to back stitch at the top to reinforce those pockets.

Next take your ribbon or bias, fold it in half and sew along one side of your lining/pocket piece. Sew it so the tie lies on the inside of the fabric.

Now with the right sides together, place the exterior fabric on top of your lining/pocket piece. Sew along the sides and bottom of the roll.  Then sew along the top, leaving an opening for turning.

Turn out the pouch and iron it. Iron in the seam allowance for the opening. This will make it easier to top stitch. Now, top stitch (stitch very close to the outer edge of the pouch), starting at one of the sides. When you get to the opening, top stitch which will close the roll completely.

Now it's all ready to tote your favorite makeup brushes. I like to keep my liners and mascaras in the roll too.

You can also adapt this to make a crayon or pencil roll, perfect for back-to-school.

Pokemon Cake

Mom and I are getting better at this whole cake decorating thing. This cake only took us a few hours (some others have kept us up all night!)

Our friend's son is all about Pokemon and Pikachu right now, so we made him a Pikachu cake! It's a vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream. The real fun was the decorating. We traced a Pokemon, colored him with edible markers and put him on the cake.

Can I tell you how awesome the edible markers are? It made it so easy to give Pikachu his face. I don't know why I hadn't bought them before.

Another cake in the done column. Each cake we make has a new set of challenges and a new technique or two to try out. This one was definitely fun, especially since I got to color.

If you could get a cake with a character on it, who would you pick?

Sharpie mug

The sharpie mug is a craft that's been rolling around the internet for a while, but I had never given it a try. I needed a new mug for the new office, so I figured it was a perfect time to make my own sharpie mug.

I got this mug at Dollar Tree, for, you guessed it, a $1. Can't beat that. I already had sharpies at home, so all I had to do was come up with a design. Deciding what to draw was the hardest part for me.

Luckily, even though it is sharpie, you can erase. (Thank God for that!) I drew in pencil, then wiped off. Then I finally went over something in sharpie and didn't like how it came out. Just use a little rubbing alcohol and your sharpie will wipe right off of the ceramic.

I finally decided on the "drink me" tag with some little accent dots. Then I added some dots along the bottom of the mug too.

The other two sides were too empty, so I added a little dotted heart on one side.

And on the last side, a little dotted D, cause I had to initial it.

And some dots along the handle too.

After all the designs were done, I baked my mug at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I made sure to let it cool completely before using or washing it. It's best to hand-wash your mug to not mess up your design.

This was such a fun, easy project. It's not my usual craft, since I got to draw (which is not my strong point), but I liked making it. It would make a great gift for any occasion and would be good to try with kids.

Have you ever made a sharpie mug?

Cake time: Oreo cake and Chocolate Raspberry Cake

It's been a while since I've done some baking, but it was time for cake. I can't take all of the credit, mom did some of the baking too.

First was my brother, Angel's, birthday. Mom made him an "Oreo" cake. And it had a racecar theme, since he loves him some Nascar. And yes, the race track was made out of crushed up oreos.

 

Once you cut into the cake, you could really see why it was an "Oreo" cake. There were two layers of chocolate cake, and in between a layer of vanilla. It looked like a big oreo cookie. And the best part was the oreo buttercream that Mom put in between the layers. I love cookies and cream, and it was like that, but in frosting form.

It was a very yummy cake.

I couldn't let Mom do all the baking, and I also made a cake this week. I made a chocolate raspberry cake for the office.

 

It was chocolate cake filled with raspberry jam, and topped with fluffy white frosting. I used some cake crumbs on the side of the cake (this is a lot harder than it seems!), and then decorated the top with some more raspberry jam. The cake was moist and delicious.

Making cake was a nice change from making cupcakes all the time. I love cupcakes, but sometimes you just want a big fat slice of cake.

Do you like cake or cupcakes better?

Quick baby blanket

There seems to be a baby boom around me, and that means making baby gifts for me. There are so many things that are so cute to make for little ones. I made a blanket like this one for my niece when she was a baby, and she still loves it now that she's 2. This little blanket is also perfect for the stroller or car seat, plus the minky fabric is so soft against the baby's skin.

This quick baby blanket is easy and comes together in no time. You need only a few simple supplies:

• 3/4 yard of fabric
• 3/4 yard contrasting minky fabric (you can also use flannel or anything soft)
• double fold bias binding (one package or enough to cover the edge of your blanket)
• thread
• sewing machine

My blanket is a rough measurement, but it's about 27 inches by 24 inches. Cut one of the fabrics to the measurement then lay that fabric on top of the second fabric and cut them to the same size. Pin around both fabrics to make this easier.

Take both fabrics, and while they were still pinned together, serge around the edges. If you don't have a serger, you can just zig-zag around the edges. Now, remove all of the pins.

Next, take the bias binding and wrap it around the edge of the blanket.  Sew the binding around the serged edge. (If you have trouble making the corners square and neat, just round the corners and the bias binding will curve around it.)

And voila! That's all there is to it. You have a great easy blanket that is a perfect baby gift.

With some basic sewing knowledge, this project shouldn't take more than about an hour. And the result is so cute, who wouldn't want one.

Have you ever made any baby gifts?

Handmade holidays: Etched glass candle holder

I thought I'd give you some ideas in the next few weeks to make some great handmade gifts. Handmade gifts can really get you into the holiday spirit, but don't have to take long to make. This  project is inexpensive and quick, but looks like it costs way more.

All you need is a glass candle holder (I got mine at the dollar tree), a paintbrush, tape or stickers (to make your design and Armour Etch (<-- affliate link). This is an etching cream that will "etch" your glass in just a few minutes.

I got my glass candleholder at the Dollar Tree. You can find the best things there for only $1!

 

The first step is to tape up your design.  You have to remember that the etching will happen anywhere that is not covered by tape. Make sure the edges of your tape are really pushed down, so the etching liquid doesn't seep underneath (Note: I didn't do a good job of this!).

 

 

Then paint on the Armour Etch. I apply it really heavy to make sure that the etchin really takes hold of the glass. Then just leave on the etching medium for about 5 minutes.

After that, take it to your sink and rinse off the Armour Etch.

Peel of your tape and/or stickers, and voila... etched glass!

It really makes a plain candle holder have a little more design to it. This is a great easy project that you can whip up in no time once you have the supplies on hand.

This is just the first of my handmade holiday posts, check back next week to get another great handmade holiday idea.

Costume time: Wicked Witch of the East

Everyone seems to know her very famous green sister, but the Wicked Witch of the East was also a force to be reckoned with in Oz. And I thought she would be a great inspiration for this year's Halloween costume.

All we ever see of the Wicked Witch of the East is her stocking and shoes (the famous ruby slippers), so I got to use some artistic license when making the rest of the costume.

I figured she should wear an awesome witch hat. That part was easy, but I attached her impending doom to the hat, the tornado with Dorothy's house. Getting that tornado to stay upright was no easy feat, but with some wire and a strategically placed headband underneath the hat it all worked.

Then for the dress, I made a skirt out of this awesome "decorated" organza. Doesn't it look like little funnel clouds? I thought that would be a cool wink to the Witch's ultimate demise.

All witches should be fashionable, so she had to have a ruby cape to match her slippers. And then I wore my newly glittered shoes, which made the perfect ruby slippers.

So what did you think of my costume this year?

What was your Halloween costume?