Crafts

Pie Crust the Perfect Canvas // Mini Cherry Pies

91 · Dec 13, 2013 · 28 Comments

This post brought to you by Crisco // It's no secret that I LOVE pie! I love making pie, I love eating pie. As far as I'm concerned pie crust is the perfect canvas to make what ever you want! A few weeks ago I created a post about some of my favorite tips for making Picture Perfect Pies. It all starts with my favorite simple pie crust recipe from Crisco. Once you have that down you can make anything. You can make sweet pies or savory pies. Last night after a day of pie making, I decided to whip up some more crust dough and make some Taco Pies in my new Breville Personal Pie Maker. The family LOVED it!! I will post the recipe soon, promise!

While I was working on this week's pie project, I thought I would make a little video on Instagram on how I make my pie crust.

Kinda fun… thanks to Rhonna Designs and Mindy Gledhill for letting me use some of their talents for the video.

So, I had a thought. Since I just adore pies… Why not make mini pies to give as neighbor gifts for this Christmas season?

Now, these couldn't be any easier… With a great pie crust recipe, some simple store bought filling and the Breville Personal Pie maker. Nothing too crazy here, I gathered my pie crust ingredients…

Click Here for the Recipe

If you still have any questions about making Pie Crust, you can always call the Crisco Pie Hotline 1-877-FOR PIE TIPS (877-367-7438) for all kinds of around the clock PIE help this holiday season!

Next, I took some store bought cherry pie filling and supplemented it with some frozen sweet black cherries. The color contrast makes the filling really pretty, plus I LOVE black cherries. I used one 12 oz. bag of frozen cherries to 2 cans of cherry pie filling.

Then, I rolled out my pie crust and cut it using the special cutter from Breville machine, here is a quick video on how I did that as well.

Didn't they turn out CUTE?! They fit right inside those clear cellophane bags that you can find any where these days. Then I added some holiday greenery to make it look festive.

These cute little mini pies are just so fun and so easy to make…

The are just scrumptious!! Crisco has made pie making so easy these days.

They have a Crisco Picture Perfect Pie Pinterest board that has all kinds of fabulous recipes.
The Crisco Kitchen has teamed up with Michele Stuart owner of Michele's pies in Connecticut, she is over at Crisco's site sharing all kinds of fun pie tips and ideas.
Crisco is hosting a fun Rate & Review contest for a chance to win a Michele Stuart pie prize pack. Visit the Rate & Review site to rate your favorite pie for a chance to win!

Crisco is giving away a fabulous Perfect Pie Prize Pack to one of you!! Here is what you will win…

A Prize Pack valued at $200!! Follow the directions in the Rafflecopter box below to enter. This giveaway is open to those with a shipping address within the United States and will be open from November 27-January 2 with the winner announced on January 3rd.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer // This post is sponsored by Crisco. I did receive payment for development of this post.

The Party Bunch Link Party // no. 8

0 · Dec 13, 2013 · 7 Comments

The Party Bunch Link Party // Hey Friends… It's finally FRIDAY!! This week has been a bit of a roller coaster. Earlier in the week, my daughter's high school theater group won their district competition… YAY!! They are actually headed to the state competition today. I'm so excited for these kiddos! Then on Wednesday I hit a low point. We had our first snow here in Lincoln this last Sunday and the side streets are still snow packed. Yea well… I was in a bit of an accident on the way to taking my youngest daughter to school and now it looks like my car is going to be totaled. SUPER BUMMER! Talk about ripping the Christmas spirit right out from under you. Anyway, I'm getting back on track and I'm not going to let something crazy like that ruin the season.

Soooo, I'm excited to see what you've been up to. Last week's Party Bunch was epic as always. There were so many fun ideas, it was so hard to pick just a few. Below you will find all of our favorites, but you can also find some more Party Bunch fun on The Party Bunch Pinterest Board!

Amy from The Idea Room, Mique from 30 Handmade Days, Heather from Whipperberry and Desiree from The 36th Avenue want to thank you for partying with us… You guys are the best!

Here are some of our favorites!

Heather’s Favorite

Hot Cocoa Bar from Clean and Scentsible

Love this fun idea for having a winter Hot Cocoa Station!

Mique’s Favorite

DIY Vintage JOY Marquee from Love Grows Wild

I love anything vintage and these JOY letters are fun and perfect for the Holidays!

Amy’s Favorite

DIY Paper Christmas Tree from Place of My Taste

I am in love with these trees! I want them on my Christmas Mantle!

Desiree’s Favorite

Brown Paper Packages Advent from Carolyn’s Homework

I love this! Such a simple and creative way to present your advent calendar!

Thank you so much ladies for all of these adorable Christmas diy projects!

We hope you take a minute and button up here!

Also we want to invite you to click here and follow

The Party Bunch Favorites on Pinterest.

We are also featuring more of our favorite projects and recipes from the link party on this board!

Here are a few things to remember before you link up!

- - Please make sure to share the love and grab a button here to let your readers know that you linked up with us!
  - By linking up with The Party Bunch, you are giving permission to any of us to feature your projects and recipes on our social media with a link back to you.
  - Link up your specific post.
  - Have fun!

Basswood Trees with eat.sleep.make.

1 · Dec 12, 2013 · 1 Comment

Hi all! Shannon from eat.sleep.make. here! So excited to share this inexpensive and easy project with you! All you need is a sheet of basswood, a craft knife, a rule, pencil and some paint!

First – Decide how big you want your tree to be. My first one I made 6 inches tall and 4 inches wide. Mark the wood and draw your triangle

Second – Use your ruler and craft knife to cut along the lines you drew. It may take several scores with the knife to get through the wood. Don't press too hard or you may crack the wood.

Third – Draw a line half way up from the middle of the base on one triangle. Then draw a line half way down from the tip of the triangle on the other. Use your craft knife to cut a slice about 1/16 to 1/8 inch where the line was.

Fourth – Slide your pieces together to make sure they fit.

Fifth – Paint a fancy little design on it!

These take little time to make, but turn out so adorable! It would even be fun to cut them out and let the kids paint/color/glitterfy them.

Stop over at eat.sleep.make. and check out some of our other Christmas projects!

Celebrate the Light Canvas

DIY Rosette Tree

DIY Snow Globe Necklace

DIY Lace Flower Pots

7 · Dec 10, 2013 · 3 Comments

This post is brought to you by Elmer's Glue // I'm super excited to share this idea with you guys today! This time of year I am ALWAYS looking for fun handmade gift ideas. Gifts that are easy to make but huge on the WOW factor. These DIY Lace Flower Pots fit the bill just perfect!!

These are PERFECT neighbor gifts, teacher gifts… anyone really. Add a poinsettia or a festive evergreen and it's a stylish gift for anyone. Here's what you need to make them…

Lace Flower Pot Supplies

Terra cotta pots – any size.

Lace – for smaller pots, you can use scraps, larger pots will need possibly a yard or so. You will have to measure your pots for exact measurements.

Elmer's Craft Bond Fabric & Paper Glue

Scissors

Lace Flower Pots Instructions

First you need to measure the lace and make sure that it will fit your desired spot on the pot. Then generously add glue to the pot in small sections and lay the lace down.

Use your fingers to work glue around the lace. Don't worry about the white color. This type of Elmer's Fabric & Paper Glue dries clear. Make sure that all of the lace is covered in the glue and then move on to the next section.

NOTE: You may want to wear disposable gloves when working with the glue. I didn't and it took a bit to wash off my hands.

Trim the lace so that the seam doesn't show and then smooth everything down. Let dry over night. The next morning, you will have the most beautiful lace flower pots. It's just that easy! Now, all you have to do is figure out what you want to fill the pot with. You can fill it will any kind of indoor plant or you could fill it will a scrumptious batch of cookies. It's your call!!

You will be amazed at how strong the glue is! I actually tried to pull the lace off once it was dried and couldn't. I ran water over it and it still looked like new when it dried. Gotta say… Pretty happy with this gift idea!

What would you fill your DIY Lace Flower Pots with?

Disclaimer // This post is sponsored by Elmer's Glue. I am a member of Elmer's Craft it Crew and received payment and product for this post. Rest assured, I will never work with a brand or product that I don't whole heartedly endorse and use in my every day life.

Gingerbread Granola

3 · Dec 10, 2013 · 2 Comments

I’ve known for some time that I want to recreate this recipe. Gingerbread has been on my mind a lot recently with the holidays. My two flavor staples for this time of year are gingerbread and eggnog. So when I tried out a granola that incorporated one of those I became giddy with the thought of building a recipe around the product! This gingerbread granola is now a staple in our home. Mainly because it’s so quick to prepare and packages up beautifully for last minute neighbor treats!

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or a baking mat.

Mix all of your ingredients together in a large bowl. Spread into an even layer on your prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through the baking time. Allow to cool completely and enjoy!

While this bakes you get the wonderful smell of the Holiday’s floating through your home. It is so wonderful to wake up to and seems to last for days! We like to double the batch otherwise it never seems to make it to our friends and family!

Try it out on top of cereal, yogurt, fruit… or just on it’s own. It is unbelievably delicious and helps spread Christmas cheer whenever you decide to share! If you liked this recipe, check out these:

Coconut Macaroons // Easy Orange Blossom // Cranberry Bliss Bars

Crafts

Lace Flower Pot Supplies

Lace Flower Pots Instructions

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