Sunday, February 28, 2010

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

If you have been reading/following this blog for a while, you probably know about Sweets on Sunday. Every Sunday, (or most Sundays) I would try to post a real-super-duper-yummy-delish-recipe that I have tried and want to share with you. It usually involves-butter, sugar, chocolate-the yummy-but-not-good-for-you-stuff.  (If it was possible for you to jump through the computer screen and have a taste or eat the thing for me- I would so be on board with that!) My lack of Sweets on Sunday posts lately has been due to the fact that I eat enough crap I mean, sweets, and I have enough weight to lose and really need to lose it! My baking addiction does not help in that department.  So I made this super-delicious dessert- and said- "I'm not eating it, I'm just going to post it- and all the boys at my house have to eat it." Yeah, fat chance of that happening. I ate some. And some more. Starting over tomorrow. HA! So if the Sweets on Sunday posts dwindle, it is because there is one momma trying to get her body back after baby . :)




Without further ado, here is the yummy recipe that ruined my "diet" yet again.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled (I used a  1/4 cup margarine instead.)
1 cup pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell (or see note below)

For the crust, I made a graham cracker crust. The recipe calls for a frozen pie crust, or you can make your own. The graham cracker crust got a little brown on the edges, but still yummy.


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Mix sugar and flour together in a bowl. Add eggs, butter, pecans, chocolate chips and vanilla. Mix all together. Pour in the pie shell. I used a graham cracker pie crust recipe.  I also added shredded coconut to the recipe. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until set.


This is super easy and fast to make. It is really rich too. Thanks to my sister-in-law Jill for the delicious recipe. You should eat this with some ice cream or cold milk.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Because I have a sense of humor

I try not to take myself too seriously. And I know this is mostly a craft blog...and we shall return to that shortly. (I have about a dozen 1/2 finished projects in the works...)
But because I am a mom, and most days don't go as planned, I thought I would share a few things that have made me laugh lately.

The other night I took  friend out for her birthday- we both needed some time out of our house without children, and we did a little shopping. We were at Old Navy and saw these t-shirts for all of 97 cents.

How could we pass it up? And yes, my husband thought it was very funny. (Anyway it is appropriate-as I have 3 little boys... but I think it will just be pajamas. I got some CUTE p.j. pants for 3.97 too. Love you Old Navy and your clearance!)

And if you have been following me for a while, you know I like comics. So here are a few funny ones just for you moms:






And in case you are forgetting to laugh at yourself and your life- which is easy to do - when things are CrAzY....here is a great reminder for all of us:

And now I will go back to cleaning my very cluttered kitchen at 11:30 at night... :)
Have a Great Weekend...and remember to laugh!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

A Good Buy: New Lamps!

Sometimes you buy something because you NEED it. And it turns out to be a good investment. Other times, you buy something because you WANT it. Sometimes it is a mixture of both-a want and need.  I am no Thrifty Decor Chick (she is amazing :)), but I have been known to make some good- GREAT purchases in my life. Being that I am married, I often have to convince my husband that my "purchase" is a great buy. And usually, I am right-about the great buy-and my husband will agree. ☻
 Case and point: the story of the lamps. For a long time I have been wanting, NEEDING new lamps. Well, a few weeks ago I found these beauties at Home Goods for 29.99 each, after looking all over for some lamps. I bought them. Even though my husband wanted me to sell our current lamps first. (then we would have no lights in our great room-so I had to do it my way. Plus, when you see something for a good price, you buy it, if you need it, right?) Well, 29.99 isn't fantastic, but it is decent for a lamp. These were solid and and good size, and after looking, the price was right. Well now here is the AMAZING part of the story (but you will have to scroll down to see the picture....)


Our current lamp, below, I bought when I purchased my first home. They were on clearance, at ShopKo. (oh how I miss you - ShopKo....) While they did not really fit my style, I liked kokopelli's at the time (2001), and the price was right: all three were a total of $30. THAT was a very good purchase. The day after buying my lamps above, I sold these for $50 on Craig's List. I had a line-up of people who wanted them too. Dang- I could have asked more $....but oh well.  I was only asking $40, but so many people wanted them. (I live in the Southwest, so these are the style here....)
So the grand total for my new lamps was $10.  Now that is a GREAT BUY! (I'm so glad my husband listens to me when it comes to these things....:))

Monday, February 22, 2010

I Need You at My Little Gems :)

OK- so I wasn't sure what to call this post...but I am making some little changes/improvements here on this blog and I really need your support/help to make it happen!!
I am going to start a few things- one at a time- and we'll see how it goes!

FIRST- FRIDAY FEATURES: You know you love seeing what others are creating! I certainly do. So I would like to feature you. I am especially interested in those of you that have tried my projects and posted them on your blog. I see them all the time. You have great twists and ideas on things I come up with, and I want to share that with my readers. :) I am also interested in your original ideas too.

SECOND- GUEST BLOGGERS: If you have a craft/kid/sewing/creative blog, I would love for you to be a guest blogger at My Little Gems. It can be a post you did in the past, or a current post. It can be a modge podge of several things you have created, or it can be a tutorial. It can be a totally original idea, or an idea you got from another blogger or magazine, etc. (Just make sure the correct credit is given).  As always, you it will be linked to you and your blog.  I would also like to introduce you too. I am especially interested in my readers, followers, and all other creative people that are alive at this moment. (OK you know what I mean right?)

THIRD- SPONSORS-GET THE WORD OUT-  I am throwing it out there- I have many wonderful online shops that I shop at and browse, and I would LOVE to feature yours and share it with my readers. It can be an etsy shop, or a website, fabric shop, photography, digital design,  or anything...  If you would like to also advertise your shop or business, for a very very small fee-I'm talking almost free..., I would love to post an add for you. ** I am also interested in someone who would like to trade advertising,  to help me with a blog make-over....as in making this site look more appealing. :)

So if ANY of those sound even a LITTLE bit interesting to you....PLEASE email me at
little gems crafts (all one word) {at} gmail {dot } com.  I am really looking forward to getting to know you all better and see the incredible things you are creating!

Happy Crafting!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

A Rainy Day and a few questions...

just a few rhetorical questions about motherhood....
WHY IS IT that when you have a long list of projects you would like to do, you can never find the time, much less the kitchen table to use as a surface to do the projects because it is covered with newspaper and dishes?

WHY IS IT that when you need to be somewhere on time, you have two children with poopy diapers right when you are trying to walk out the door? Do they know that you are trying to go somewhere and are they trying to stop you??

WHY IS IT that when daddy is out of town, and everyone is clean and in their jammies, a few naughty boys flood the bathroom and cover themselves in water?
and WHY IS IT that the moment you sit down to feed that baby and put him to bed, the other children decide they have to poop at the same time and have a poop fest together?
WHY IS IT that when daddy is gone, and you are unable to talk to him at all because he is gone saving the world, your baby is once again, sick, sick, sick?

Such is motherhood. Such is life. If there is anything I keep learning over and over and over {apparently I haven't learned it yet} it is that I should cut out everything that doesn't really matter and just focus on what really matters. Because right now that is all I can do-focus on caring for my children.


When it rains it pours, right?
Speaking of rain-- it is actually pouring today-something I wish would happen more often in this Arizona heat!


HERE is the little guy a few day ago- now very sick and hardly wants to leave his mother's arms.
if He looks big to you, He IS! A 23 lbs. at 8 months-{everyone GASP here and say to yourself, "that baby is HUGE!" granted, he was a 10 lb. baby....with health problems, so we aren't complaining about his size. But he is giving his brothers a run for their money! Watch out! }

So all those late nights for crafting, yeah, they aren't happening right now. The projects are piling up too. Anyone want to come make them for me?

AND I just have to say how grateful I am for GOOD FRIENDS. I have one- Rainy- and she is actually "rescuing me" today. First she came over this morning and helped me get my kids ready so I could rush to the doctor. Now, she is  going to get bread and a prescription for my baby....not to mention the fact that she is going to  watch my kids later today too.  And she has 3 kids of her own. Thank goodness for friends like her! Everyone needs a friend like Rainy for those days when it "rains".
Happy Weekend.

Monday, February 15, 2010

DIY Play Kitchen from a Nightstand {in progress}


I have been keeping my eye open for an old nightstand....and I found one for 6.50. I only wanted to pay $5, but oh well. With the help of my amazing husband, and all the others who have made a play kitchen out of a nightstand and shared their ideas, we decided to do the same. Who says kitchens are only for girls?? Well I have thought it over long and hard, and I think it is O.K. if we have a play kitchen in our house. ☻

We used a lot of scrap wood, and after looking everywhere for a bowl for the sink, We found one for a few dollars at Goodwill. We did buy a few things like hardware, screws and bolts, paint, etc. - and I'll show you all that later. We just made a hole for the sink. ....

And now I've gotta go spray paint a few parts and help my husband prime this baby. Can't wait to finish it and show you what we come up with! (I don't think this will be our only kitchen we make....DIY is just too fun!)

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Happy {LOVE} Day



I have some photos of him smiling but I couldn't resist posting this one- because I just love that little face!
NO... I did not forget about Valentine's Day. Sorry no crafts and stuff this year. We did fun stuff, I just didn't have time to post it.
AND I've been having a large dose of REALITY lately.
A heavy heart for many loved ones-friends and family, and even some people I don't know;
An absent husband due to a crazy work schedule that leaves me doing everything 24/7;
A 2 1/2 year old that is pretty much potty training himself because his mommy is too tired to try;
Tired isn't the right word- exhausted doesn't even say enough :)
An almost crawling baby (army scooting everywhere) which means I have to keep the floor cleaner than it's present state;
A pile of projects in a room I don't want to enter because it is pretty cluttered up.
Discouraged- because of the large amount of weight I have to lose from this last baby and it isn't
coming off as easily as it has in the past;
YEAH, just REALITY. Just life. Just stuff. You know.
And I remember that
"Nothing is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse."

So I won't whine. I'm just sayin'- lack-of-craft-posts- is-due-to-realities-listed-above.
BUT...you wanna see something unbelievable??
MUST CHECK OUT THIS PLAYHOUSE.
Yeah, we are getting a new house built right now- and I'm really excited. (Sorry if this morphs into a decorating blog...when that happens...)
But after seeing that playhouse, I want to move there!

OH..and I finally found a nightstand to make a toy kitchen from! (Yes I am easily distracted...)

HOPE YOU HAVE A FABULOUS VALENTINE'S DAY!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Quiet Activity Book from Place Mats {part one}

Want to make a Quiet Activity Book for your kids but don't want to do all the work? You can take a short cut by using place mats from the Dollar Store. I hope you aren't sick of place mat crafts...we'll take a break from them soon-but here is one more.☻ Since it is "BOY MONTH" and I have three boys, many of the things I have shared and will share this month, will be for the boys. "Let's hear it for the boys...."  Here is a little bit of my quiet book {3 pages} and I'll share more with you later.




Tool Box Page- {felt sewed to the place mat to form a tool box, with sewed-on letters, and velcro to close up the tool box}
Completed with three felt tools-machine sewed using two pieces of felt and felt scraps
LAND BEFORE TIME DINOSAUR PAGE- {used felt to make a dinosaur-time scene, and sewed a pocket on the other side of the page for the plastic  toy dinosaurs} I was going to make felt dinosaurs, but we already had a ton of plastic ones and they fit in the pockets- so that is what the boys are using- and they love it! This is probably their favorite page so far.
UNDER THE SEA PAGE: This page has a pocket sewed on -the dotted fabric is a pocket for storing the finger puppets. The felt represents the ocean water and has little slits to put the finger puppets through. The felt is just sewed on the edges.
To make a quiet book out of place mats, there are a few things to keep in mind:
When you sew on one side of the place mat, the stitching will show on the other side. So plan it out carefully, if you don't want the stitching to show. Depending on the page, I did not care on some, but on others it mattered, so I just put a pocket on one side.
When you have your pages complete, you just iron a seam in the middle of each place mat, and sew them all together down the middle like a book. I added a ribbon closure to tie it all together.
For this book, I used 3 place mats, for 6 different activity pages. I'll show you the other three soon and maybe I'll finish the cover too!
And if any of this was "clear as mud" please let me know if you have questions!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Make a Chore Chart from a Place mat

So if you read the post right below this one, you can probably guess that a "Chore Chart" is desperately needed in this house. {Although if you are a mom of young kids, you know that you do most of the "chores" anyway.}
Well no more in our house! {yes, insert laughter here}
My four-year-old son wanted a chore chart. {yes, we'll see how long that lasts...} And I wanted to make stuff out of dollar store place mats. So we both win. ☻
HOW TO MAKE A CHORE CHART FROM A PLACE MAT:
1. Using the backside of the place mat {all these crafts are the same type of place mat from the Dollar Tree}
I simply sewed some pockets. I used a pocket off of some old toddler jeans, and cut the others to match from fabric I had in my stash. Pockets make this chore chart very versatile. You can change and update the jobs/chores anytime.
2. I used my favorite "Wonder Under" to attach the numbers to the front of the pockets.
3. A cut up plastic tape measure makes the handle. I also sewed a strip of the tape measure along the bottom, sewing at every inch, so that it made little loops. This is where the "stars" go when all the chores are done.
4. This is light enough that it can be hung with some magnet clips on the refrigerator, or it can be hung up on the corner of a chair, a hook, anywhere you want to put it so that your child will see it.

5. The job charts are chipboard, with modge-podge paper on each side, and hot-glued to a Popsicle stick. When one job is complete, the card flips over to say "done!". I plan to replace these or update these, but we needed a job chart now- because mommy is tired of doing all the chores and...I have a very anxious 4-year-old who wants one.
6. The stars are for when all the jobs are complete for that day. I cut a star from felt and hot-glued it to a paperclip. The paper clips clip right onto the yellow tape measure loops at the bottom.
7. WOW- looks like someone did all their jobs! The little denim pocket (from an old pair of jeans) at the end of the tape measure is to store all the stars.  When he completes his little chores, I told him he can have a quarter. When he gets 4 quarters, we'll go to The Dollar Tree and buy more place mats. Just kidding. He can buy a dollar toy. Let's hope this works. He is excited to do chores, and now he has a super cute chore chart. Maybe he'll want to do chores all day! ha!
I'm thinking maybe I need to make another one for potty training my 2 year old....except I'm not ready to potty train him....yet. But He is totally ready.
There are some super cute chore charts on Tip Junkie. HERE is the link for more ideas for Chore Charts.
I have one more fun place mat craft coming up soon!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

You Know Your House is a Mess when..

You know your house is a mess when
It takes you all day long just to clean the kitchen...
Your four-year old comes home from a trip to Costco with Dad and walks in and says,
"WOW...It looks good in here. (long pause) It's CLEAN!"
yeah, we've got "messy house issues over here...." just sayin'.

I think I have a {blog button}

Everyone else is doing it or has done it.... {ha ha} but I think I finally have a blog button-not that you need another one....there are so many out there already it can be overwhelming. BUT...if you like what you see on here please grab a button. I'm working on the html code box. This is a learning thing for me. ☻ Button is posted on the side. Thanks so much for reading! I have another great place mat craft coming soon!
maybe someday I'll even join Facebook.   Someday... and maybe...I don't have enough time in my day as it is right now ☻

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Make a Toy Toolbelt from a Place mat

Continuing on with the place mat crafts, here is another one for boys that takes 10 minutes to make. I used another dollar store place mat. Note: make sure you pre-wash place mats from the dollar store. I am so glad I did this. Some of them have colors that bleed, and they are so much softer and easier to work with after washing.
Here is what you need to make a super-cute-and-super-easy toy tool belt for your little guy.
Instructions:
Sew the sides. You can sew right sides together and flip it, or the edges are already finished, since it is a place mat, so you can just sew the edges. I sewed right sides together, sewing my hammer loop into the seam, and flipped it inside out. Then I simply sewed some straight lines to form pockets, and added a strap (with some stuff I already had) and some Velcro so my little guy could wear it.
Now I'm off to make another one so there is "no fighting" over it...and heaven knows we have more than enough toy tools around here! More placemat/boy crafts to come! And I'm finally linking something up with Get your Craft On on Today's Creative Blog. 
Check out all the fun crafts today by clicking below.



Monday, February 1, 2010

Make a Car Cozie {Car Cozy} or Roll-up from a Place mat

Haven't made a car cozie yet? What are you waiting for?? Now you have no excuses! This past week, I played around with place mats from the Dollar Store, and let me tell you, so simple, so affordable, and there is so much you can do with it! Why didn't I think of this before?


You can use my car cozie tutorial, or you can use this one from Homemade by Jill. I used her number idea. As I was making this, I thought it needed something extra, and I remembered her cute numbers she put on her Cozy Car Caddy.

Here is the easy-peasy 411:
How to Make a Car Cozie or Roll-up from a Place mat:

1. Buy a place mat that is at least 18 inches long. I got mine at Dollar Tree.
2. Pre-wash it. Iron it.
3. Fold it where you would like your pocket to be. (If you want to make an art supply roll-up, there are photos below.)
4. Mark it evenly with pins as seen below:




5. Sew straight lines and back-stitch and over-stitch for your pockets. (see tutorial for more details)
6. If you want to apply numbers, you can refer to Jill's tutorial. She provides a template. I just picked a font on my computer and printed out numbers. If you want the exact font and size, email me and I'll let you know. (It's on my other computer and I'm too lazy to turn it on and check.)  I used Wonder Under to iron them on. I may have sewn them on too, but my pockets were already sewn when I decided to add the numbers.
7. Cut a strip of denim or other fabric for the road.  (Who says the road has to be black? ☻) Add yellow lines. (again see tutorial)
8. Sew on a closure- I used ribbon because I already had that. ☻
9. Enjoy your new toy!


Here it is all rolled up. It is smaller than my regular car cozie/cozy that I was selling in my shop.
Cars aren't your thing but art supplies are? How about making an art supply roll-up from a place mat? This place mat was just the right size for markers!
Here it is all rolled up:
OOOHHHH the things you can do with a place mat! I have lots more "place mat crafts" to show you later!
Now don't run to Dollar Tree and buy out all the place mats... O.K.... you can buy some...but please save some for me. ☻



The Girl Creative