Sunday 21 August 2011

Variety Card Packs

Crafty item #2 that's for sale! I finally found enough time to make enough of one sort of card that I could sell.  Hopefully this is the first of many!


This set includes 8 different cards for different occasions- 1 each of birthday, Christmas, baby, wedding, thank you, miss you, friends, and thinking of you. Each are hand made by yours truly, and are blank inside. This 8 pack is $20, and includes envelopes. Let me know if you would like one and we can arrange something. If not, I hope you at least enjoy looking at them!



Side Rant: Why I make all my cards blank inside
It always drives me crazy when you get a card from someone who spent $6.95 on it and all they did was write your name at the top, and theirs at the bottom. I'm sure they mean whatever Hallmark employee #908 wrote on the card, but I find it much more personal when you write your own message inside. So please, buy my cards (at a cheaper rate), and put some real thought into your card-giving. :)

Thursday 11 August 2011

Make-Your-Own Flower Headband

Here's instructions for how to make a trendy flower headband for your (or a baby's) hair. This was fairly easy, and didn't take too many materials. The fabric is actually from the bottom of my curtains!


What You Need:
-1 strip of sheer material, approx 2" x 12"
-1 strip of sheer material, approx 3" x 18"
-1 piece of ribbon, approx 36" long
-1 button
-needle, thread, scissors

1. Get the needle and thread ready, and tie a knot at the end of the thread, leaving about 2".
2. Starting at the end of one of the strips about half a centimeter from the bottom edge. Sew in and out about half a centimeter apart along the edge lengthwise.


3. Scrunch the fabric as tight as you can as you go along. When you are done, scrunch it all together into a circle, and tie the thread with the other end.
4. Repeat with the other strip. Sew the smaller flower into the center of the larger one.

5. Sew on the button, and sew the finished flower onto the ribbon, off center. Trim any remaining threads.
6. Wear and prepare to be complimented. :)

Friday 5 August 2011

Oreo Chocolate Marble Cheesecake

Here's another yummy cheesecake recipe! I made the crust from one recipe, and the filling from another. I added extra Oreos from the crust on top just to make it extra delicious. The filling recipe I found online wasn't very good. It didn't mention that you need to add the cream cheese or the sugar. I figured out the cream cheese part but almost didn't catch the missing sugar! That would have been gross! So my lesson here is, always be careful with recipes you find online!




Oreo Chocolate Marble Cheesecake

  • 24 Oreo cookies
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted
  • 3 pkg (750 ml) cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • ½ tsp vanilla


For the crust, place 16 of the Oreo cookies in a large ziploc bag, and roll with a rolling pin to crush finely. Mix with the melted butter and press into the bottom of a springform pan.

Beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and 2 tsp vanilla until well blended. Beat in the flour, and then beat in the eggs.

In a separate bowl, mix 1/4 cup each of cocoa powder and sugar together. Add in the oil, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and about half of the cheesecake mixture.

Alternate spooning in the plain and chocolate cheesecake mixtures on top of your crust, ending with dollops of chocolate on top. Use a knife to gently run through the cheesecake, creating the marbled effect. Add some of the extra crushed Oreos on top.

Bake at 450 ºC for 10 minutes. Without opening the oven door, lower the temperature to 250 ºC and bake for 30 minutes, and then turn off the oven and leave it for another 30 minutes. Loosen the sides with a knife and cool.