Secret Recipe!

By request I have decided to let everyone know the secret recipe for the Sticky Buns that my family makes for Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:
-1 frozen bread dough (found in the frozen section at the grocery store)
-Light Brown Sugar
-1 Stick of Margerine or Butter
-Cinnamon
-Nutmeg
-Nuts (Walnuts or Pecans)
-Flour
1. Defrost bread dough and let it rise.
2. Roll out bread dough on a floured surface. This takes a while and a lot of muscle, but you can do it! Make sure the dough is pretty flat and kind of a rectangle shape.

3. In a sauce pan melt the stick of butter, once it is melted you can add about half a cup of brown sugar, a few shakes of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. I never measure but basically you want the mixture to be goopy.
4. Sprinkle the bread dough with cinnamon and nutmeg then pour almost all of the butter and brown sugar mixture onto the flat dough.
5. Roll the dough into a tube, make sure the butter doesn't spill out!
6. In a 9x9 glass pan spread chopped nuts on the bottom of the pan. Or if you don't want to use nuts you should just spray the pan with Pam.
7. Cut the tube into 1.5 inch sections and lay the sections into the pan. Be sure to spread them out so they aren't touching. Then you can pour the rest of the butter/brown sugar mix on top of them.

8. Cover the buns with a dish towel and let them rise for about 15 minutes. (If the oven is on I usually put them on top of the stove so the heat will help them rise)
9. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until the edges are golden.
10. Once the pan has cooled a little flip the buns over onto a nice plate and enjoy!!!!

I made a frosting for these ones, that isn't in the family recipe but Charlie and Lizzie wanted frosting so I made it. The frosting was made with half a stick of melted margarine, some milk, vanilla and confectioner sugar, just stir in those ingredients until you get the right consistency.
I hope you all enjoy my recipe and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Lauren

** Edit: November 27th.
I have added this to the "Sew-N-Tell over on Amy's Blog which for this week has been converted into a "Bake/Cook-N-Tell". I'm looking forward to finding some new delicious recipies for next year or for Christmas, alhough I will probably make Charlie cook them!**

Giveaway!

I have heard through the blogosphere, as Charlie likes to call it, that there is a giveaway over on Penny's blog. She is trying to get enough virtual signatures to get a fabric line that I had never heard of reprinted, because it was so popular. I just looked at some of the fabric, called Flea Market Fancy, and boy oh boy can I see why it is so sought after, it's great! To enter the giveaway you have to "sign" a petition and then you can get entered to win 29 fat quarters and quilting books! Who wouldn't want to enter? Click the link below, you know you want to.




Have a good night! And everyone please be sure to enjoy your Sunday, because I will be stuck inside a classroom learning all day, breath some fresh air for me!
Lauren!

It's Done! Friday Sew-N-Tell

Last night I was puttering around and my advent calendar was in the corner of my sewing area (I say area, but it's more like a huge messy pile). Then I realized how few days there are until the 1st of December and that kicked me into high gear to finish the advent calendar. And last night at 11:30 I did!:

*Thanks to my long john wearing helper for holding it up for a photo shoot

moments after waking up.

I ended up tying the quilt, I loved all the ideas everyone posted last week, but I just had the need/desire to try tying a quilt. It was harder than I thought, but I like how it turned out. Someone asked last week if the fabric was Figgy Pudding and the answer is yes. I love it. I wish I had yards and yards of it.

I decided to make a list of things I learned when making this calendar so that I could have something to look back on in case I forget:

• Tying takes less time that machine or hand quilting, but you should still use a hoop to keep it tight, otherwise you will snip about half of the ties because they are too bumpy.
• When doing applique, leave a little bit of applique paper and fabric extra from your cut out design so that when you peal the paper off the fabric that you want to show doesn't fray, and you can just snip off the extra fabric that may have frayed a little. Also don't cut your fingernails before trying to peal off applique paper, that will just drive you crazy.
• Use a zigzag stitch around the appliqued fabric to keep it from fraying.
• If you don't have a pattern be sure to stop before every cut and make sure you aren't going to totally screw something up.
• Hand stitch the binding, it really doesn't take that long, and you can watch the Project Runway finale while you do it.

Speaking of hand stitching the binding does anyone have any hints for doing the corners of the binding? I always try to miter the corners but they turn out a little more messed up than I like to admit. I would love to hear any suggestions or tips. See....I need help!

Now I just have to get my dad to cut me a strip of wood to use to hold the calendar to the wall, then start filling it with goodies. Charlie and I have agreed to take turns filling the pockets, he get a gift one day, I get a gift the next and so on until Christmas!

Can't wait to see everyone else's finishes over at the Sew-N-Tell.

Lauren

Friday Sew-N-Tell (Friday the 13th!!)

I can't show any projects that I am making for the holidays for my friends and family, but I can show things I made for myself for the holidays! Here is the top of an advent calendar that I have been working on.I didn't realize how crooked day 23 was until I took this picture, oh well, now you know it is homemade. I used fat quarters I got in NC and I spent about 30 minutes searching a quilt shop with my mom for an olive green color for the backing. And the yard of fabric that I "ruined" was going to be the backing of the calendar, but like I said I ruined it, so I ordered more online, and it came in yesterday. I will prewash it tonight and then get "quilting" tomorrow, and it will hopefully be done by December 1st so Charlie and I can start adventing. If anyone has any ideas on how to "quilt" this I would love to hear them. I was thinking of tying it, but haven't decided yet.

I didn't use a pattern (see reason why here) , I just based mine on a picture I found online and used almost every single scrap of fabric I had since I totally guessed about the yardage I would need. Call me crazy, I told myself I was insane at least 10 times during the making of this project.

I can't wait to see what everyone else has made over at the Sew-N-Tell.

Have a great day everyone!

Lauren

Thank You

Thinking of all the veterans in my life who I love and respect.

Lauren

Ornament Exchange? Why not?

I, much to my surprise, had most of the day off today. After spending much longer than I should have trying to figure out what to wear, and then settling for a sub par outfit, forcing Charlie to make me lunch since I was running late, and realizing my car was running on fumes and stopping to get gas, I checked my phone and had a message telling me that everyone was out today and I would have no supervision; and therefore didn't have to go to the school. To think of all the time i could have saved... oh well, a happy surprise. I only had class from 8:40 until 11 and then a free day at my fingertips. Which is lucky based on how yucky I have been feeling the last few hours. Anyways, it was also lucky that I had the time off because I was able to come straight home and got a to chat online with Lorelei!!! Hurray. It was certainly the best part of my day.

Then I started feeling crapy and searching for fun ideas online; if you can't do anything crafty you might as well think about crafty things and find crafty ideas. And then I stumbled upon these holiday themed tutorials and this, an Ornament Exchange. How exciting. I'm number 133. You should all join, it sounds like a lot of fun (plus then I can share some of my holiday ideas with people I don't know and not ruin the holiday surprises I have in store for my family and friends.) I can't wait!!

Off to hydrate myself and pray I am not dying, and also search the web for more awesome Ideas.

Lauren!

Friday Sew-N-Tell

I was so inspired by Amy's post about sewing a dress to wear tonight, that yesterday when I read it I decided I should make something. I have been working on Christmas presents, but can't show them off so I thought it would be a nice break to make a little something for myself. And who doesn't love that?

I dug through my box of fabric and came upon an orangish fabric that I have had since high school probably and was never really fond of, until last night! I have seen a cool little clutch somewhere that is basically just a tube that folds down and buttons closed. Sans pattern or measurements I set out to make one and an hour later voila!

I found the button in my button tin, which I acquired from the dump a few years ago and have added to ever since. It is the spare to a sweater that I have, I hope I don't lose one off the sweater and have to replace it with this one, because I really like the way it looks!

The button and loop are a little off center, but I like to wonky look (and it's a good thing, since most of my projects tend to turn out a little wonky!)

I look forward to Fridays a little bit more now that I can see, and be inspired by everyone else in the Sew-N-Tell.

Have a great weekend!

Lauren

Recent Oversight

I have been working away feverishly on things for the Handmade Christmas, and then it stuck me....everyone I am making present for reads my blog. Drat. Guess I won't be posting any tutorials or fun pictures of all of my handmade gifts until after Christmas.

Also I recently destroyed a yard of fabric, I'm not very happy with myself. And now I am contemplating whether or not I should go searching for a replacement fabric or just order the one I want online and pay shipping. Decisions decisions.

Lastly, my very bestest friend Lorelei left the U.S. to go to Iraq this week. I am sad that she left but mostly I am very proud of her. Lorelei likes quilting too, she's much better than me, and she took supplies to make 3 quilts while she is gone. My only fear is that I will be sending packages of thread, wonder under, and scraps of fabric to her every other week. I think (and hope) she is prepared, but I will send her anything she wants or needs! *hear that Lorelei!

Anyways, now that it is November I think it's okay to tell everyone I am working on Christmas things, but like I said, I can't show you any of them! All I can tell you is that I am working on them :) And you'll just have to wait.

Have a good day!

Lauren