Reindeer Cookies

My kids love making these cookies... simple... no bake... fun.. and yummy to eat!

Ingredients:
1 Package of Nutter Butter Cookies
1 Bag of Pretzels (original or christmas tree shape)
1 Bag of Chocolate Melting Chips
1 Cookie Icing with built in tip
1 Green or Blue Icing Writer
1 Bag of Christmas Plain M&Ms (Red and Green)
Cookie Sheet lined with wax paper

Instructions:

Break the pretzels in half to resemble reindeer antlers. Melt the chocolate in a bowl and dip the pretzel ends in the chocolate and lay on the wax paper to dry.  For faster drying, you can put the chocolate dipped pretzels in the freezer.

For the base of the reindeer face, lay out your Nutter Butter cookies.

Apply a small dot of cookie icing at the bottom of each Nutter Butter.  The Cookie Icing will act as a glue for all the pieces to stick to.

Place a red M&M on the cookie icing dot for the nose. Apply to small dots of the green/blue icing writer in the middle of the cookie for the reindeer eyes.

Apply cookie icing to the top of the Nutter Butter to attach the pretzel antlers. Do not worry about the excess cookie icing that shows... that is the snow that falls on the reindeer's head.

Now your done! Fun project to make with your kiddos. Eat and enjoy!

New Arrival...

Roman James Yosten

December 5, 2011 at 1:17pm
7 lbs. 7.5 oz. 20" long

9 months.

You know how on a turkey, the thermometer pops out when the turkey is done?  Well... I think the same goes for pregnancy. My belly button has officially popped out and I think this little turkey is just about done! This week marks 38 weeks... FULL TERM!  YEAH! I am in the safe zone.  This little boy is welcome to show up anytime now. :0)

It's amazing how much your belly grows in such a short period of time.  Look at just the last week from 37 weeks to 38 weeks... is it just me or does my belly look bigger than last week!? I know my lower back and my pelvic bones are definitely feeling the added growth. Just one more week, and my new little guy will be out of the oven and in my arms. He is scheduled to arrive on December 5 {next MONDAY!!} through a repeat c-section. {My oldest, Paige, was delivered by emergency c-section after 23 hours of labor... not going through that again.}  I can't wait!!!! So anxious and excited for him to be here!

A Thanksgiving Day Recipe

It's Thanksgiving Day and I want to say Thanks to all of my readers that visit my blog.  I really appreciate all the wonderful comments and support I have received through my blog and have made many new friends that I cherish always.

To share in the Thanksgiving, my daughter wanted to share her delicious and fool proof recipes that she came up with at school.  ENJOY!

 Translation... First get a turkey. Then I go to the farm. I make a turkey. I cook it with pumpkin, pepper, eggs, 2 cups of sugar. Put it in the pan. Put it in the oven. I eat it.

Translation... Paige's pumpkin pie

1 cup of frosting
1 cup of vanilla
1 cup of pumpkin
2 eggs
2 spoons of salt
2 spoons of sugar
3 cups of chocolate
4 teaspoons of flour

mix it together, put it in the oven, bake it at 2 degrees for 3 hours. Eat it.


{LOVE HER!}

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

A Ruffled Knit Shirt Tutorial

 

Go check out my latest tutorial posted on the Janome website!  Featuring Moda knit fabrics by Oliver + S and a fun and quick way to use your Janome Serger and CoverPro machines. Add the ruffles and tie to a long sleeved shirt or turtleneck for the upcoming winter months!

LEGO Party Invites

My kids love to play with LEGO's, so when I was trying to come up with an idea for the LEGO Party invites, I came across this version of invitations which inspired me to come up with some for Matthew's Party.  The kids loved them and they were super easy to make.

What you need:
Invite Templates | Red and/or Blue
Cardstock Paper
Assorted LEGO's
Stapler
Cellophane bags that measure 4" across

Instructions:
I have made up some simple templates in red and blue that all you have to do is enter your information in the provided fields and Print them out onto cardstock paper. Cut along the lines and fold your card in half.

Add an assortment of LEGO's into each cellophane bag for each invitation.  I used 5 different colored LEGO's because Matthew was turning 5.

Place the open end of the cellophane bag in between the open end of your folded invitation and staple on the lower portion of either side of the card to hold your bag of LEGO's in place.

Hand out to all your friends to come for an awesome LEGO Race Party!

A Lego Birthday.

My little lego man turns 5 today!  Happy Birthday, Matthew! 

I found these shirts on Etsy by Made by Morgan and they are sooo cute!  She will customize the shirts with any number or add a hair bow to the lego figure for girls.  The kids loved their shirts!

To celebrate his birthday we had a Lego Race Party... and it was so much FUN!

For the cupcakes, I simply went to Brookshires and let them do all the hard work. I ordered a cupcake cake that was a Disney Cars theme and I asked them to leave their cars off of it.  I simply ordered the cake decorated like a race track.  I then purchased some LEGO Cars, built them, then added them to the cake.

CAUTION WHEN CONSUMING: Black frosting will turn your mouth and teeth... BLACK and BLUE!

Just a few highlights from the party...
Be sure to check back for some fun Lego Tutorials and Printables coming this week.

Also check out more Lego fun on my Pinboard.

Modern Blocks Book

The new Modern Blocks book is arriving this week! I am super excited about this book, partly because I am one of the contributing authors and I have 2 quilt blocks published in the book.  The book is published by Stash Books and can be purchased here.

Here is a little peak at one of my blocks in the book... Line Up.

This block was inspired by a tuxedo shirt and can easily be made for any gender or generation with just a quick change of fabric choice. Here is a fun little layout of how you can mix and match fabrics and embellishments.

I am joined by many other talented designers in this book.  There are so many great blocks in this book, it is so hard to narrow down my favorites, however here is a sneak peak of just a few...

A Twist of Lemon by Ellen Luckett Baker

Checkered Fields by Yvonne Malone
Please note that there was a misprint in the book that says this block was designed by me (Angela Yosten), when it was not.  This fantastic block was designed by talented Yvonne Malone and all credit should be given to her. The publisher knows of this misprint and has corrected the name in the electronic version of the book and it will be corrected in all future prints of the book.

Fussy Cut by Susanne Woods

Lemons and Limes by Latifah Saafir

Missing your Kiss by Penny Michelle Layman

8 Months.

8 months down... 6 weeks to go! I cannot believe there are only about 6 weeks left before our new baby boy will be here.  I am so excited and am finally getting the baby room put together. Procrastination? Not really... just extremely busy!  There just is not enough hours in a day to get everything done that I have on my to do list.

I am hoping to have all the baby bedding made very soon so I can share.  The furniture literally just arrived last weekend. It is actually starting to look like a baby room now. YEAH! Anyway... more to come.

Giveaway! Teacher's Pet Skirt

UPDATE: Congratulations to the Skirt WINNER:

rebekah said...

I'm a fan of yours and Shabby Apple's. My favorite teacher was my high school physics teacher. She was a sarcastic hoot.

Rebekah... Please be sure to contact me with your contact, mailing and size info!  Congrats!

I am sure you have heard of Shabby Apple by now if you read my blog. Their clothes are fabulous and the fit is exceptional. Well, I have an exciting giveaway to share with all my readers.

Teacher's Pet Skirt by Shabby Apple

How to enter:

1. "Like" my Facebook Page
2. "Like" Shabby Apple's Facebook Page
3. Leave me a comment letting me know that you did #1 and #2 and tell me about your "Favorite Teacher" memory.

For example:  "I am a fan of your page and Shabby Apple.  My favorite Teacher was Mrs. James in 2nd grade.  She let us write notes to our friends and we had our own mailboxes in class to mail them to each other. She made learning fun and I still remember the sign language she taught us in class."

One lucky winner will be selected on Monday, October 17, 2011.

Tutorial: Retro Pot Holder & Towel Set

Supplies:
1 Hand Towel {featured: Family Recipe Towels by Moda Home}
1 Pot Holder {featured: Family Recipe Pot Holder by Moda Home}
1 Medium size button {The button you select will need to be able to fit in the loop of the pot holder.}
Fabric pen or pencil {I like to use the Sewline Fabric Pen}
Pins
Coordinating Thread
Ruler or Measuring Tape

Instructions:

1. Fold your  hand towel in half, short ends together to find the center. Make a crease or draw a line down the center using a straight edge and fabric pen.

2. Using a basting stitch on your sewing machine, stitch down the creased or drawn line in the center of your towel.  Back-stitch at only one end.

3.  From the end that you did not back-stitch, pull the top thread to create a gathered effect. The gathered length should measure the same width as your pot holder width when folded.  See step 4 to find the appropriate size for your pot holder width.  Tie off the thread to hold the gather in place.

4.  Your pot holder should have one corner that has a loop built in to hang from. Fold your pot holder in half so that your loop becomes the top of the pot holder. Measure the folded edge of the pot holder so you know how much to gather your towel in step 3.

5. Pin your pot holder in place at the top corner. Then pin each folded edge to the gathered ends of your towel.

6. Take the pin out from the top corner and open your pot holder so that it lays flat on top of your towel. Pin the center of the pot holder along the gathered center of the towel.

7. Stitch your pot holder to the towel along the center fold of the pot holder.

8. Attach a decorative button to the top corner of the pot holder, that does not have the loop.

9. Fold the pot holder in half and use the loop as the closure around the attached button.

 Hang and enjoy the multi-purpose pot holder and hand towel in your kitchen.

7 months.

This week marks 7 months of my pregnancy and the beginning of my third trimester. Only 2 more months to go!  I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone by already.  Some days feel longer than others but when I look back at the months, they have flown by.  So far I have only gained 20 lbs with this kiddo... which I have to admit, I am very excited about.  My other two kids... let's just say I gained quite a bit more with them. Drinking lots of water, eating fruits and vegies, and yes... CHOCOLATE! This last month I have craved chocolate, dairy products like cottage cheese and milk, and beef.  Mmmmm.

A Shabby Apple Dress

If you are ever looking for a dress for going out, to work, or simply for a casual occasion, you must check out Shabby Apple!  I am in love with their dresses.  The dresses made by Shabby Apple are made for real women.  You may have seen a post before I got pregnant about a dress I purchased to wear for Easter. Tailored with simple, clean lines that are flattering to any body type. So you could just imagine how ecstatic I was to find out that they also have maternity dresses! 

 

Most dresses made for maternity are very baggy and feel like you are wearing a sack. Not their dresses... the fit is perfect and makes you feel absolutely beautiful! 

 

Pictures courtesy of Shabby Apple, http://www.shabbyapple.com

 

I have the Aphrodite Maternity Dress and absolutely love it! It is made from poly/rayon/spandex jersey blend fabric and is stylish and comfortable. The eggplant color is absolutely gorgeous and is also available in a dark teal color, the Odyssey dress {shown above}. I especially love the details in this dress with a long tie beneath the bust line that wraps around the waist several time and can be easily tied in the front or back. 

 

 

Shabby Apple also focuses on helping women worldwide. Through their charitable work with women throughout Asia and Africa, they are able to convert dress sales into lifestyle changes for women and children.

 

The children dresses are especially cute and well made as well.  My daughter has this dress from the Shabby Apple line and she loves to wear it!

Pictures courtesy of Shabby Apple, http://www.shabbyapple.com

Best of all... Shabby Apple is offering all my readers a special 10% off discount!  How great is that!

Simply enter angelayosten10off in the discount code when you checkout. Hurry... This offer expires at the end of September!  Great time to buy your holiday dresses for Thanksgiving and Christmas parties.

Also, be sure to "Like" Shabby Apple on Facebook to stay up to date with their latest styles and promotions.