Creations by Kara

Creating a home. . . with a can of spray paint in one hand and a measuring cup in the other.

Look What I Made Link Party 5-16-2012

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linky-party

Welcome back ladies! Thanks to everyone who links back. The more people who join the party, the more exposure your projects will get. So PLEASE link back to the party! It helps all of us!

The most viewed link last week was:

Delectable Cheesecake "Dibs" from Tempting Thyme
recipe-linkyHere are a few other highlights from the party:

Strawberry Scones from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
recipe-linkyHope Chest Makeover from Saving 4 Six
diy-paintingDIY Canvas Art from Natalie's Sentiments
diy-decoratingDecorative Faux Window from Today's Fabulous Finds
diy-decoratingStrawberry Lemonade from One Sweet Appetite
recipeFabric Covered Cans from Pincushion Creations
diy-organizing

Congrats ladies! Feel free to grab a "featured" button. :)

Thanks to my fabulous sponsors!!:

The Plaid Barn: amazing daily deals on craft supplies and DIY kits
Scrap 4 Hire: digital scrapbook kits, classes, and retreats
Peek a Boo Patterns: cute sewing patterns for little ones
My Memories Suite: digital scrapbooking software (use code STMMMS96603 for $10 off)

Here are the rules for playing nice:

1-Add a link to your specific post, not the main page of your blog. Please don't link the same project week after week. Everyone wants to see new stuff!
2-Add a short description of your project Ex: (table makeover)
3-Link back to this party from your post. It's the nice thing to do.
4-Visit some of the other links and make sure to leave nice comments. You know we all love them. :)

You know the drill. Link up your latest projects and recipes. No more than 2 link-ups per person please.

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Toffee Chocolate Chip Scones

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Today is Chocolate Chip Day.

I don't know who came up with the idea, but I'm all for having an excuse to eat chocolate! I thought about sharing a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies, but decided to go with a more "off the beaten path" recipe. Toffee Chocolate Chip Scones. I orignially saw the idea from my friend Leigh Anne over at Your Homebased Mom.  I didn't have enough cream to make her recipe, so I adapted and added the chocolate chips and toffee to one of my favorite scone recipes.

Huge success! These are the most decadent scones that I have ever tasted. They are loaded with chocolate chips and toffee, which happen to be two of my favorite things. And they are tender and buttery and practically melt in your mouth. I forgot to sprinkle sugar on the tops of mine, but they were still sinfully yummy. So go ahead, indulge. Make some Toffee Chocolate Chip Scones. It's not every day that you have an excuse to eat chocolate chips. ;) toffee chocolate chip scone-recipe
Toffee Chocolate Chip Scones
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
5 Tbsp butter- frozen or very cold
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
1/2 cup Heath toffee bits
1 cup cream (don't skimp or dough is dry)
Sugar for tops
Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Grate the butter in. (You want it very cold!) Stir in the chocolate chips and toffee bits. Add the cream and stir gently. Knead a few times till dough comes together. It will be crumbly at first, but it will come together. Pat into a 1" thick circle. Cut in wedges and place on a cookie sheet about 1" apart. Brush tops with cream or milk. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400° for about 15-18 minutes or till light golden brown.

Here are a few more recipes featuring one of my favorite ingredients of all time–Chocolate Chips!
chocolate-chip-recipes1- Toffee Chocolate Chip Bars

2- Chocolate Chip Cake

3- Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Pie

4-Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hope you all have a very happy Chocolate Chip Day!! :)

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How To Cover a Book With Fabric {Decorating}

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I hope you all had a fabulous Mother's Day like I did. I even got to enjoy breakfast in bed.  And it included chocolate covered strawberries. You can't really start the day better than that can you? I sure love my awesome husband and my kiddos!

Project "Decorate the Living Room" is in full swing. And when I say full swing I mean I'm tackling one project a day because I spend most of  my time chasing around a one year old that can climb like a monkey and has more energy than a tornado. I'm working on one of the side tables. I put my framed printable on it, but it needed a little height. I decided to wrap some books in fabric and stack them up as a base for my frame.

I found a couple tutorials for wrapping books, but they involved spray adhesive, and I was working during naptime, so running to the store wasn't an option. I came up with my own method for covering books with fabric. And all you need is a hot glue gun. No running to the store, no laying down drop cloths, no having to spray outside. Easy peasy-ness. I like easy peasy when it comes to decorating.

How To Cover a Book With Fabric

Supplies:
-an old book (duh)
-fabric of your choice (I used a canvas drop cloth)
-scissors
-hot glue gun
-butter knife
-candle, jar, can, or something else to hold your pages upright
-Optional: popsicle stick, iron

Instructions:

Lay your book spine down on your fabric and open it up. To help it lay flat, use something to weight it down. I used a candle, but a glass, a water bottle, or even a jar of peanut butter will work. Cut your piece of fabric about an inch larger than the book on all four sides. Tip: If your fabric is wrinkly like mine was, you should iron it first.
decorating-how-to-cover-a-book-with-fabricRun a squiggly line of hot glue down the edge of the book and fold the edge of the fabric over tightly. Repeat on the other side of the book. Tip: If you are using a light weight fabric, use a popsicle stick to help you press the fabric down so you don't burn your fingers.
decorating-how-to-cover-a-book-with-fabricNow cut a notch in that end piece of fabric to remove some of the bulk. (This will help it lay more flat.) While you've got the scissors in hand, cut two slits from the edge of the fabric to the spine.
decorating-how-to-cover-a-book-with-fabricSqueeze a little dab of hot glue into that notch space and pinch it down to hold the fabric in place.
decorating-how-to-cover-a-book-with-fabricNow run some glue up the edge and fold the fabric over just like you did on the side.
decorating-how-to-cover-a-book-with-fabricRepeat the process on the other three ends, and you will be left with just two tabs sticking up at the spine of your book. Trim them to about 1/2" tall.
decorating-how-to-cover-a-book-with-fabricTake a butter knife and push that fabric down into the space between the book spine and the binding.
decorating-how-to-cover-a-book-with-fabricThat's it! Now you have some beautiful books that can be used on shelves, bookcases, or stacked on a table to add height to a decorative arrangement. I made three for my table, and I love how they not only add the height I need, but they add some texture. And I whipped up all three in under an hour. Gotta love that!
tutorial-how-to-cover-books-decoratingI've got one more DIY project to tackle, and then I can show you my whole table arrangement. Can't wait!

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Chicken Pillows

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It has been a ca-razy week at our house. Between track meets, piano lessons, basketball practice, scouts, and baseball games, we have been running around like crazy. Dinner was sandwiches not once, but twice this week. And they were eaten on the run. Yikes! As I was driving to and fro doing the mom thing, I was thinking that I really need to make up some freezer meals for days that are over the top crazy. If you've got any favorites that freeze well, feel free to leave a comment!

I have never actually tried freezing this recipe for Chicken Pillows. Heck, we didn't even eat it this week. Sandwiches, remember? I've had on my computer for ages, and thought it was about time I shared it. If you live in Utah, you are probably familiar with Chicken Pillows. If not, you may have no idea what the heck they are. But you should, because they are super yummy! Traditionally they are made with Cresent Roll dough and topped with sauce made from canned cream of chicken soup. That's how I grew up on them, and it is delicious. I just wanted to come up with a homemade version. But if you are having a week like mine, you can sub two cans of crescent rolls for the homemade dough, and use the canned soup. I won't judge.

The traditional recipe just calls for chicken, cream cheese, and seasonings for the filling. But we like them with the celery and cashews. They add good flavor and a nice crunch! I actually forgot to add the cashews when I made them, and my boys totally noticed. Which surprised me because usually they inhale things so quickly I'm not even sure their taste buds even register what they're eating. ;)

chicken-recipe

Chicken Pillows
For dough and topping:
1 batch of Soft Garlic Knots (just the dough)–or 2 cans of Crescent Rolls
2-4 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Filling:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
8 oz cream cheese, softened (I use light)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 tsp dry minced onion
1/2 cup salted roasted cashews, coarsely chopped

Sauce:
4 tsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/3 cup milk
1 tsp chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sour cream (light or fat free works fine)

Prepare dough, cover, and set aside. For filling: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir till thoroughly combined. Break off a piece of your bread dough and roll it out into a circle (mine were about 5" across). Place a large scoop of filling in the center and wrap the dough up around it. Pinch the edges together to seal and place seam side down on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat for remaining dough and filling. Brush the tops of the chicken bundles with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 375° for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk in the flour. Whisk in the milk, bouillon, salt, and Worcestershire. Cook and stir over medium heat till thick and bubbly. Boil for at least 1 minute to remove flour taste. Add cheese and sour cream and stir till melted. Serve with the chicken bundles.

Note: My boys prefer to eat these without the sauce, so I usually just make half a batch. They make great leftovers sans sauce and can be eaten like a sandwich if you like.

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