Random DIY: Do you like pie crust?

What is your favorite part of a pie? Is it the filling or the flaky crust? The husband and I love the crust. :) The set up begins with me inviting my parents over for dinner. I already had dinner cooking in the crockpot, but I was at a loss when it came to dessert. I did not want to go out to town again, so I decided to used what was in my pantry. I noticed a refrigerated rolled pie crust tucked in the back of the refrigerator, and started thinking. I came up with the following recipe.

Ingredients:
Refrigerated pie crust
Butter
Cinnamon Sugar

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush refrigerated pie crust with butter. Slice pie crust into 1/2 inch strips. 

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. (Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon cinnamon)

 Roll strips and smush down. Brush with butter again. Bake for 20 minutes.

 Results:

 Yummy flaky cinnamon deliciousness. SUCCESS.

DIY: Crochet Christmas Stocking fail/success?

I started crocheting in college. A girl in my Greek Mythology class crocheted and peaked my interest. I went to Michaels and purchased a single crochet hook and a bunch of yarn. I sat at my laptop and watched YouTube videos for hours and learned to crochet! :) I started out making scarves. I now have added beanies, dog sweaters, and bunny rabbits to my repertoire.

This year, I am trying to make most of my Christmas decorations. In the spirit of the season I decided to make some Christmas Stockings. Easy enough right? Eh. Wrong. I used/tried to use this pattern:  http://www.redheart.com/files/patterns/pdf/LW2634.pdf

It looked easy: I am familiar with all the stitches and abbreviations. The first part of the pattern was simple... then I came to crocheting the heel. The wording of the pattern did not make sense. I crochet the heel about five different times. I kept telling myself I should take pictures of the disasters, but I just could not bring myself to do so! Sharing your failures is humbling!


Long afternoon shortened: I ended up not following the pattern and doing my own thing. The results aren't terrible as long as you don't look closely. Needless to say, I will not be displaying it anywhere.

Please note the failed section of the stocking located directly above the heel. :/ I ended up sewing that part together. I have not idea where I went wrong. I figured since I have crocheted a few stuffed animals I could handle a large sock! Perhaps it was the patterns fault? Yeah, I just blame it on the pattern. FAIL.

DIY: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love pumpkin, but I dislike pumpkin pie. Weird huh? It has something to do with texture and the added spices. I found this recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies on Pintrest:

Pumpkin and Chocolate? Why did I not think of this before. The recipe is super easy and the results are delicious! I have made these at least six times since the end of October!

Give this recipe a try! I am sure it will be a SUCCESS!

Fail: DIY Bread Bowl

 Making bread from scratch is cheaper than buying a loaf at the store. However, there are some barriers to creating a warm delicious hunks of flour goodness. Temperature, too much flour, too little flour, too much kneading, too little kneading etc etc etc. Aware of the barriers I was determined to make bread bowls for our guests last night. I sought out a recipe and found this one:

I read through all of the recipe's comments taking notes. I got all of the ingredients ready determined this DIY was going to be a success! I used my KitchenAid mixer to help me mix and knead. I set the dough in a warm place to rise and waited... and waited.. and waited. Nothing happened. I knead the dough some more, prayed over the dough, and waited some more. The dough was supposed to double, and mine grew a total of one inch (yes I measured!). I baked them any way. Here is what mine looked like:

They tasted good, but were very dense. This, my friends, was a big FAIL. Perhaps I used too much flour. Or maybe using the KitchenAid mixer was not such a great idea? Conscious of the possibility of failure, I started baking early in the afternoon allowing time to run to the local grocery store. The guests never knew the difference, but I admit I was very disappointed. I am determined to attempt this recipe again. Any ideas on why they did not turn out?

DIY: Hemp covered Christmas Ornaments

So, I pin. Do you pin? It is oh so trendy! :) Pintrest is a great place to find inspiration for DIY projects. Many pins link back to instructions for the project. While browsing I found these:

I have seen similar decorative items as center pieces in stores such as Pottery Barn. I love the rustic look of the twine. The month was October, but I was already thinking about the Christmas season. The Hubby and I had already decided to have a low key rustic Christmas decor (to match our living room). I had also decided to make most of our ornaments in an effort to save money. See where this is going?

For this project you need:

• Hemp/twine (color and width is up to you!)
• Hot glue gun
• Round Christmas ornaments

I used hemp as I could not find twine to my liking. I purchased various round ornaments at the Dollar Tree. The hot glue gun was borrowed from my Mother (I need to get one!). Instead of buying colored hemp I bought spray paint and painted the finished product.

1. Start with a "dab" of hot glue at the top of the ornament. Hold the beginning of the hemp until dry (careful not to burn yourself!). Slowly start winding the hemp/twine around the ornament adding dabs of glue every so often.

 As you get to the center of the ornament you will need to use more hot glue. After the third or forth ornament I had a glue system down.


 Here is the finished product! If you want to add some color see the next step.

 

 2. Select your preference of spray paint. I used:

 I used an empty egg carton to assist me in the painting process.

 Let the paint dry, grab an ornament hook, and Ta-Da! 

I also wrapped a star ornament.

Semi-finished decorated tree:

I hope you are inspired to do a few of your own DIY ornaments! This project is deemed a SUCCESS!

Successful fails

Successful fail: a project/event/conversation etc that is planned and hoped to be successful, but ends horribly. I have many successful fails throughout my day. They shape me into who I am today. Through this blog I hope to share my genuine successes and my successful fails. Entries will vary from DIY projects to general life. So follow and plan to laugh, smile, and cringe. :)