DIY Collage Art for Kids

If you’re a regular reader then you probably already know I’m a scrapbook paper addict. I have way more paper than I’ll probably ever be able to use so when I come across a project that calls for a collection of pretty paper, I’m on it! This elephant collage is based on a template from Martha Stewart (there’s also an owl and a bulldog) and this project could not be easier to make!

Once I had downloaded the template and knew how many pieces I’d need I chose a collection of matching papers from Suzy Ultman’s Lion Sleeps collection (sadly, I don’t think they make this anymore but I still see the pads in the clearance aisle at Walmart so you could try there if you like the patterns pictured). Then I cut out each of the template pieces, traced them onto my patterned paper and cut out all my final shapes.

I changed up Martha’s project a bit. Instead of mod podging my elephant on an 8x8 wooden art board, I glued mine on to an 8x10 piece of paper so I could frame it. The only alteration to the template required is extending the two ground pieces so that each one is 5 inches long.

This project literally came together in about half an hour so, when I was finished with this pink version, I made a blue one for Nathan. It’s already in its frame.

 

I love how this simple little project will have big impact hanging on the wall in a child’s room and I think these collages would make great gifts!

 

P.S. Linking up with Someday Crafts, Clean & Scentsible and Free Pretty Things For You.

By the Batch - Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes the simplest recipes can be the most delicious. I think that's definitely the case with these Martha Stewart Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. 

According to Sarah:

These cookies could not be simpler to make and the ingredients are probably ones you already have on hand. I followed the recipe exactly and yielded about 3 dozen cookies that are still soft and chewy a week later. Pair these cookies with a cold glass of milk and you've got a winning pair. I'll be honest and tell you I don't know how we manage to have any left after a week ;)

Free Halloween Printables Round-Up

Halloween is little more than a week away - are you all set? If you're looking for a few last minute ideas nothing says cheap and easy (but still awesome) like printable freebies from around the internet. Here are a few of my favourites.

These mini Halloween cards from Babalisme are too cute and so easy. All you need to do is print, cut and fold in half. Be sure to check out her Halloween paper dolls while you're visiting - so adorable!

The Martha Stewart website has a ton of Halloween templates and clip art like these Jack-o-Latern Party Favours. Visit Martha's Halloween page for many more great ideas.

Freak out - or just entertain - family and friends with these free printable labels from Funkytime. Your kids will love eating Brain Jam or a jar of Spill Your Guts. And I love that Sibylle even took the time to put nutritional information on all the labels as well!

Another great place for free Halloween printables is the HP Creative Studio. I'm loving these awesome pumpkin carving templates. I think I just might try the owl this year.

And this is just a small sampling of all the fun and easy printables and projects that are available all over the web. Seriously, do a Google search and get busy crafting this weekend!

DIY Halloween Luminaries

Looking for clever and easy ways to enhance my outdoor Halloween decorations this year I've fallen in love with luminaries! There are so many variations and you can make them from many different materials. And the best thing is that you probably have most of the materials already lying around your house. Here are a few of my favourites.

These luminaries are made with jars, mod podge, tissue and construction paper. Gleeful Things has a full tutorial. Love that pumpkin face!

These ghost luminaries are also made using jars but they are painted. Check out Family Corner for the simple instructions. Your kids could get involved by helping you to draw the faces.

I love that these luminaries look a bit fancier but are actually made with dollar store cylinder vases! Visit Me and My Bucket to see the full how-to.

If you like the idea of luminaries but you're not quite ready for Halloween then this paper bag variation is for you. Martha Stewart's site gives directions for making these with nothing but fallen leaves and some paint and water in a spray bottle. So simple!

I think I'll be raiding our recycling bin for glass jars when I get home tonight. I can't wait to line my porch with luminaries.

Fall Inspiration

The leaves are starting to change colour, the days are getting shorter and blogland is full of great ideas to help you celebrate the start of fall! Here are some of the projects and ideas I'm drawing inspiration from this season.

I love this adorable paper apple book from NoBiggie. It's just the right subject for early fall before you really want to pull out the pumpkins :)

While we're on the subject of apples - check out these yummy chocolate covered Oreo Apple Pops from Shindig Parties TO GO? They were obviously made with teachers in mind but who could resist them?

There are a ton of fall wreath ideas out there but this one from O. Alouette is my current favourite. I'm completely enamoured with these paper pinwheels and have been eyeing up a scoring tool of my very own.

Last, but not least, I absolutely love the look of these cornhusk votives from Martha Stewart. They are a simple way to add a little romance and elegance to your fall decor.

Hopefully you're inspired! I can't wait to start pulling out last year's fall decorations and to get started on some new ones for this year.



P.S. Don't forget to enter my My Memories Suite giveaway before the deadline on Friday!

I'm told some people are having trouble leaving comments. Don't forget that you can always leave Anonymous comments as long as you leave some way for me to contact you in the body of your comment. There are only 3 entries so far so your chances to win are good!

By the Batch - Coconut Macaroons

This week's cookie, Coconut Macaroons, have been at the top of my husband's wish list ever since I bought Martha Stewart's Cookies. I'd been selfishly putting off making them since I'm not really a coconut fan but decided that a cookie I don't really like is a cookie that I won't eat and a whole whack of fat and calories that I won't ingest!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, coconut, egg whites, vanilla, and salt. Using your hands, mix well, completely combining ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips.

Dampen hands with cold water. Use 1 1/2 tablespoons to form mounds; place on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart.

 Bake until golden brown, 16 to 17 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool on a wire rack.

According to Sarah Christopher:

These cookies don't look like much but Chris insists that they are delicious. I like that they required hardly anything in the way of ingredients and they came together quickly without having to use a mixer. If you like coconut then this is definitely one to try. Chris has already made me promise to make this recipe again!

By the Batch - Chocolate Thumbprints

It's been quite a few weeks but I finally got reacquainted with my Martha Stewart Cookies book today - got to love not having to go to the office on a Monday! I didn't feel like making a trip to the grocery store so I picked Chocolate Thumbprints because I already had all the ingredients on hand.

Ingredients:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1 stick butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in flour, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium high.

Roll dough by teaspoonfuls into balls, and place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and press thumb into tops of cookies to make indentations. Return to oven, and bake until light brown on the edges, 7 to 9 minutes more. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Combine chocolate, 4 tablespoons butter, and corn syrup in a small heat-proof bowl. Set over a pot of simmering water; stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Allow to cool slightly. When cookies are cool, fill the thumbprints with the chocolate mixture.

According to Sarah:
These cookies were really easy to make and came together very quickly with few ingredients. The only really time consuming part was rolling all the little balls - the recipe yields over 4 dozen cookies. The one strange part about the recipe is that it calls for sticking your thumb into the cookies after they've been in the oven for ten minutes. Maybe I'm a wuss but I tried it and it hurt! After about half a dozen cookies I switched to making the imprints with a 1/2 teaspoon. But burning my thumb a bit was well worth it since these cookies are really good. They are basically shortbread filled with chocolate and how can you go wrong with that? :)

By The Batch - White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This weekend, after a little hiatus, I went back to my Martha Stewart Cookies book and decided to try White Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

According to Martha:
A glass of milk is the ideal accompaniment to these drop cookies. Besides white chocolate, the cookies are also chockablock with oats, coconut, golden raisins, and walnuts.

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups good-quality white chocolate chunks
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

I didn't have access to chocolate chunks so I just used white chocolate chips. I also omitted raisins since I'd have to buy a giant bag and knew they'd probably go to waste.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs one at a time until combined. Stir in vanilla.

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Gradually stir into butter mixture until combined. Stir in oats, chocolate, coconut, raisins, and walnuts.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake cookies until golden, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

According to Sarah:
These are a pretty basic drop cookie and very simple to make. Once you've added all the oats and nuts the batter gets incredibly thick so you'll need to mix it by hand instead of using the mixer. The batter was so thick that I broke my cookie scoop! As for taste, I have to admit that I don't really like these cookies all that much. The flavour is pretty bland and the texture is like you're munching on a mouthful of oats. Chris likes them though so maybe they're just not for me. If you're a regular reader you know it pains me to pan something made by Martha but I guess there's a first time for everything. These will not be added to my repertoire.

By the Batch - Chocolate Crackles

While new and different cookies are all well and good, sometimes you just want to sink your teeth into a traditional and typical chocolate cookie. That was the mood we were in this weekend when my husband picked Chocolate Crackles as this week's cookie.

I should note that the version on Martha's website is slightly different from the one in her Cookies book. I made the version from the book.

Ingredients:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring. Set aside and let cool. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla, and then the melted chocolate.

Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk. Divide dough into four equal pieces. Wrap each in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F. Divide each piece into 16 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar to coat, then in confectioners' sugar to coat.

Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake until surfaces crack, about 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

According to Sarah:
While these cookies were a bit time consuming what with chopping chocolate and refrigerating dough, I didn't mind a bit because they turned out so delicious. They are like really light and fluffy brownies in the shape of a cookie. Our house smelled amazing and Chris is already putting in requests for a second batch - I will definitely make these again!

I did substitute semisweet chocolate and skim milk because they were what I had on hand but I doubt it made much of a difference. Not one that bothered us anyway :)

Upcycled Bottles

I mentioned in a previous post that I was headed to the antiques market to hunt down some old bottles for a project I saw on Martha Stewart's website. As luck would have it, I found quite a few and at really great prices so I busted out the enamel this weekend and gave upcycled bottles a try.

I'm very happy with the results but it wasn't as easy as Martha had me believing. After washing with soap and water and then prepping with the surface conditioner, the instructions said to pour in the enamel and swirl to coat. Sounds simple but the enamel was much thicker than I'd expected and mostly refused to budge from the place it was poured. I ended up having to use a paintbrush to try and spread it around. This proved especially difficult with the shape of the big vase but I managed it - using way too much enamel in the process.

Once I turned the bottles upside down to dry that enamel that didn't want to budge suddenly decided to move and soaked through the layers of paper towel to coat our kitchen counter. Luckily I was checking frequently so it was all wiped up before it had a chance to dry.

All told, I would try this again but with different expectations. It did create some pretty vases and I especially like how the little jar turned sort of green because of the tint of the glass. I wish I had some better photos to share with you but it was nighttime and I couldn't put anything in the bottles because, after more than 48 hours, the enamel is still wet!

By the Batch - Langues de Chats

Between Valentine's Day cupcakes and then last holiday Monday I'd gone two weeks without baking anything from Martha Stewart's Cookies. Yesterday it was time for that to change so I made up a batch of Langues de Chats or Cat's Tongues. Unfortunately, I don't have a link for you since the version on Martha's website is very different from the one in the book.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375° F. Sift together flour and salt in a bowl.
Put butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and creamy. Mix in confectioners’ sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Fold in flour mixture.

Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch plain round tip. Pipe 2 3/4-inch lengths about 3/8 inch wide (the ends should be slightly wider than the centre) onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing about 1 inch apart.

(Sarah's note - If you don't have the proper tip then you could easily pipe these through a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off so don't let lack of equipment deter you!)

Bake until just golden around edges, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool on sheets 3 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool completely. Makes 5 dozen.

According to Sarah:
These were very easy to whip up but, on their own, these cookies are nothing to write home about so at first I was disappointed. It was only when I realized that they are the same taste and texture as a funnel cake that I figured I was on to something. I served them last night with warm strawberry jam, some whipped cream and a dusting of icing sugar and they were fantastic!

While not really an every day cookies (they're no chocolate chip!) I will keep this recipe on hand the next time we have dinner guests and I want to serve something unique for dessert.