Creative Team

DIY Chunky Crocheted Vase Sweater

0 · Oct 14, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Hi all! Shannon from eat.sleep.make. here! I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only person that is suffering from being overrun by generic glass vases that you've never used again since their first appearance housing a gifted bouquet of flowers. I have a ridiculous amount. I've been trying to figure out something "sustainable" to do with them. You could always spray paint them… or… spray paint them.. That was all I could come up with, but then what do I do with a plethora of spray painted, oddly shaped vases? I get exhausted just thinking about it all.

So, the round up I put together last of DIY Harvest Centerpieces inspired me. Specifically, the repurposed sweaters as vase covers. However, not wanting to cut up any of my sweaters, I decided to create my own. I always have plenty of yarn stashed away… finally, the solution to my hoards of vases (and hoards of yarn) seemed easy, attainable… and attractive!

If you don't know how to crochet, I'll point you towards some great tutorials to help you. I don't think I'm anywhere near proficient enough to teach someone the basics. But, if you already know how to chain your first row and the basic crochet stitches, you'll be good to go!

I chained just enough to slightly stretch around the circumference of the base of the vase. You want your vase sweater to squeeze slightly so it will stay in place. Once you get your chain long enough, connect the end to your loop. You will have a circle.

Next, chain 3 up and do a triple crochet stitch. I find this gives such a great chunky feel to it, leaving the yarn with space between stitches without getting too tight. Once you come full circle, do a single crochet stitch to connect the ends of that row. You should have a seemless connection. Just repeat that until your sweater is as tall as you need it to be to cover your vase.

Sources for Learning to Crochet:

Learn How to Crochet Part 1 – This video is very well done and I think pretty easy to follow. Give it a shot if you want to learn the basics of crocheting.

Futuregirl Craft Blog – I've been following Alice for over 6 years now. She's the one that inspired me to learn to crochet to begin with. Her blog offers some amazing tutorials and ideas!

The Happy Hooker – This book will teach you SO easily how to read crochet patterns. Honestly, I never thought I'd understand all the weirdness that is a crochet pattern, but with this book, I was making flowers in no time.

**Disclaimer: The above mentioned sources are not promoting this post. I am simply mentioning them because they work. I've tried them myself and I think they can help you all become awesome Hookers, too!

Thanks for stopping by! Check out some of our other fun and easy fall projects over at eat.sleep.make.

Needle Felted Acorns DIY Felt Moccasins Harvest Napkin Rings

Apple Butter Recipe

4 · Oct 1, 2013 · 4 Comments

Apple Butter Recipe // Ahhhh fall. So many great things to look forward to this time of year. Boots, comfy sweaters, Halloween, Thanksgiving, pumpkins, changing leaves, apples…I love all of it! It also seems to be the time of year where we see a lot more of our friends and family, and that means the opportunity to eat and share lots of good food!

So this is the perfect time for me to try out some new recipes, and do some planning for the upcoming holiday season! When I'm putting together appetizer and meal ideas for company I really try to keep things simple, and use ingredients that most people love.

This recipe is one of those dishes! Apple Butter is the perfect thing to keep on hand for a number of different occasions. It's great served on top of Brie for an appetizer, or spread on a ham & Brie sandwich for lunch, or scooped onto ice cream for dessert. It's so versatile!

Apple butter is made in the crockpot over a 10-12 hour period, so that the apples and spices have time to come together and make a smooth apple spread. Don't be afraid of the length of time it takes to make Apple Butter, it's really very simple. All you have to do is put the ingredients into a crock pot and let it simmer during the day or even overnight. Then you have the most delicious treat!

Ingredients: (Makes 1 – 2 cups) 6 medium/large apples, cored and peeled and chopped 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 to 2 tsp cinnamon pinch nutmeg pinch allspice dash salt 1 tsp vanilla (optional) Instructions:

In a crockpot, mix together the chopped apples with the sugars and spices. Mix well.
Cook in the crockpot on low for 10 hours, stirring occasionally if you can. Let the mixture cook until it is thick and dark brown.
After the 10 hours, remove the lid and blend the apple mixture with an immersion blender until smooth.
Then cook uncovered in the crockpot for an additional 1 – 2 hours.
Store in sterile jars in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Serving Ideas:

Serve on a brie cheese wheel (see below).
Make a ham and brie cheese sandwich, and spread on some apple butter. You could cook it like a grilled cheese sandwich. Yum!
Serve alongside roast or BBQ'd pork.
Serve on vanilla ice cream.
Spread on toast.

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Now because I have an obsession with anything having to do with Brie cheese, I wanted to give you an option on how to serve some of your Apple Butter. Apples and Brie are a match made in Heaven. Major deliciousness going on here.

Actually the whole inspiration for me to make Apple Butter was just imagining it baked onto some Brie cheese. I thought it would make a perfect fall appetizer…apples, cinnamon & spices with cheese…a delicious seasonal dish. Mmmmmmm!

But you may notice in this picture that the apple butter is not smooth. I wanted the mixture to be chunky on top of the brie…I just like the texture better. All I did was take about a 1/2 cup of the apple butter out of the crockpot before I blended the rest. This step of course is entirely up to you.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Place a brie cheese wheel in an oven proof serving dish. Score the top with a knife, then place it in the oven for about 5 minutes, until the brie is softened.
Then mound about 1/2 cup of the apple butter on top of the brie, and bake for about 3-4 minutes more.
Serve with crackers or chunks of bread.
Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy these recipes for Apple Butter!

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For even more delicious appetizers, come on over!

Cedar Planked Fruit & Wine Brie Bites | Artichoke & Spinach Dip | Tomato & Basil Bruschetta

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Have a delicious day!

Brown Butter White Chocolate & Cinnamon Chip Cookies Recipe

1 · Sep 24, 2013 · 6 Comments

// Brown Butter White & Cinnamon Chip Cookies Recipe //

Thanks again Heather for having me!

When September arrived a few weeks ago, I absolutely loved knowing my nieces, nephews, and dear little friends were starting up school again. This time of year is so nostalgic for me. It's hard to beat the thought of freshly baked cookies ready at home for our hard-working school kids, right? My little ones aren't quite there yet, but before I know it I'll be sending them off to school, and I hope they'll enjoy coming home to a sweet treat every once in a while.

I recently discovered Hershey's Cinnamon Chips (I've only been able to find them at Walmart) and wanted to try them in cookies. Brown butter anything is a winner in my book, so I looked up my favorite brown butter cookie recipe found here and adjusted the recipe a bit. They have a delicious nutty flavor, rich with the white chocolate, and the cinnamon chips add a wonderful fall flavor. I think they'd be a great after school snack, for kids and parents!

BROWN BUTTER WHITE CHOCOLATE & CINNAMON CHIP COOKIES

{Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen's Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter + Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies}

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoons of salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt or sour cream

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

2/3 cup cinnamon chips

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam. Make sure you whisk constantly during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown and give off a nutty aroma–smelling heavenly. Immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

With an electric mixer (I used my kitchen aid with the paddle attachment), mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low-speed just until combined. Gently fold in all the chocolate chips.

Chill your dough in a covered container for about 2 hours in the refrigerator. Just before the dough is done being chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Scoop balls of dough (about 2 tablespoons) onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes (a little more or less depending on your oven). They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but will continue to cook once out of the oven. Let cookies sit on baking sheet for a minute or two, then remove them and let them fully cool on a wire rack. Or, if you're like us you'll enjoy one or two straight off the pan, being sure to "blow blow blow" as my little boy would say. 😉 Repeat with remaining dough and enjoy!!

xo,

Haley

And here are a few recipes and projects that make my autumn-loving heart all sorts of happy:

Roasted Peach & Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

Festive Mantel with Silhouettes and a DIY Halloween Photo Banner

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

Free Halloween Printables

6 · Sep 18, 2013 · 8 Comments

Free Halloween Printables // Hi it's Jenn from My Fabuless Life and I'm excited to be back this month to share a couple of fun Halloween printables. Can you believe that it's almost October?!!

I love Halloween! I admittedly am not much of a dresser-upper, but I love the magic of Halloween, the colors, the chill in the air and smells of fall, decorating (of course)–basically, everything.

I've created a Halloween printable for you in some of my favorite Halloween color combos. Enjoy!!

{DOWNLOAD}

You can head over to my blog for another Halloween printable (that I used on my Halloween mantel).

Happy Halloween decorating!

halloween mantel // haunted houses // halloween decor

Creative Team

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