Feeling Crafty

Apparently, when holidays roll around, I get on a kick to make things. And one of the perks of my internet addiction is exposure to all kinds of new projects, ideas, crafts, recipes, and tutorials. I figure by linking back to some that I've especially appreciated, I can let the other sites know how much they're appreciated and inspire someone else to try something new.

One of my long-time favorite sites is No Time for Flashcards. I couldn't even imagine attempting crafts (beyond "here's some crayons and white paper") with my two-year old, but Allie's tutorials have taught me that a little bit of adult prepwork with scissors and glue can go a long, long way. Her Puffy Paint Ghost inspired these Snowmen on a particularly cold morning last week, and the wreath and tree were similarly inspired by her site.




I have Babycenter moms to thank for a yummy toffee recipe those ladies like to call "Christmas Crack." If you're lucky enough to taste some, you'll know where it got its name. In the directions of the recipe I linked, I'd modify "boil for 3 minutes" to read "Heat slowly until soft crack stage, or about 275 degrees on a candy thermometer."



And even though I will never be as artistically gifted as Bakerella with her fancy cupcake pops and cake balls that were featured on the Martha Stewart show, ...

...my humble snowballs were gobbled down pretty quickly at our family Christmas gathering! These beauties start with a mixture of crumbled cake and frosting, so one of my sisters had the brilliant idea of making them out of an already decorated (i.e. leftover) cake. I made a batch before and after David's birthday, and while the consistency might have been a little different, my voracious nieces and nephews didn't seem to notice the difference.


Oh, and I almost forgot the homemade baby leg warmers, made from ladies knee-high socks. I'm a little late to jump on the BabyLegs fashion trend, but it was cold when I wanted to start potty training Noah, and it's not like we were leaving the house or anything. ;) Just don't tell his fiancée down the road that he wore Mia's pink ones too. Conceptually this project was really easy, but I found it difficult to keep all the edges lined up when stretching the socks over my sewing machine, so using a huge seam allowance (and hence a narrower cuff) worked for me.


There were a couple of other projects caught my eye, but now that Christmas vacation is over, chances are slim that I'll be adding to this list anytime soon. Heck, it took me a week just to put together and post this wrap-up!