Valentines day shirt!

CUTE AS CUPID SHIRT

Its that time of the month!! Its my silhouette monthly challenge! This months theme was fabric. And there is actually so many projects that can be done on the silhouette machines using fabric. I choose to cut a heat transfer pattern out and make my daughter a t-shirt. The hardest part of this was that my flocked Heat transfer vinyl took a lot more time under the iron then the suggested time. Yep that means this was easy!


TIP: Always remember to mirror your image when using heat transfer.

Make sure when you put the vinyl in your machine you have it the correct direction. I used silhouette flocked HTV my directions said to have the shinny side down. I did not use a mat and used the recommended cut settings by silhouette. 

 I started with just a pink shirt. 

 This is the vinyl after it had been cut you can see its mirrored.

 And this this it before I ironed it on you can now see that it will be on the correct direction.

 Here is the cute shirt finished!!

Here is my sweet girl who did not wake up from nap in a modeling mood. Apparently wearing a cute shirt and having your picture taken is torture....

44 bloggers total joined this months Fabric challenge!! Check out their awesome projects below! Don't forget to pin!!!! 

1. No-Sew Valentine's Day Pillows by A Tossed Salad Life
2. No-Sew Interchangeable Fabric Bunting by unOriginal Mom
3. Monogrammed Burlap Garden Flag by The Turquoise Home
4. Crawl, Walk, Bike by It's Always Craft Time
5. Freezer Paper Stenciled Tote Bags by Weekend Craft
6. DIY Bleach Spray Shirt by Practically Functional
7. Stenciling Sherlock by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
8. Felt Star Wands by Cutesy Crafts
9. Yoda Kid's T-Shirt by Architecture of a Mom
10. Mark Your Territory- Dog Flags by Black and White Obsession
11. Nautical Pillows by Lil' Mrs. Tori
12. Big Sister Gift & Silhouette Cut File by Creative Ramblings
13. Nerdy Baby Onesies + Free Cut File by Essentially Eclectic
14. Easy Easter Bunny Onesie - Silhouette Cameo Craft by Adventures in All Things Food & Family
15. Fabric Envelopes for LEARNING LETTERS! (& cut file) by From Wine to Whine
16. "Good Morning, Sunshine!" Memo Board by Tried & True
17. Hearts-A-Lot Burlap Pillow Cover by My Paper Craze
18. Baby Quilt by Dragonfly & Lily Pads
19. Surprise Holiday Banner by Whats Next Ma
20. "Team Betty" Tote Bag by The Thinking Closet
21. DIY Sock Minion by Create it. Go!
22. Pretty Up Some Organza Bags by Getsilvered
23. Easy Heart Appliqued Onsies by Create & Babble
24. Bleach Pen Gel & Freezer Paper Stencils Made with the Silhouette Machine by Bringing Creativity 2 Life
25. Valentines Baby Onesie & Boy's Shirt + Free Cut Files by The Frill of Life
26. Valentine's OWL Always Love You T-shirt by My Favorite Finds
27. DIY Screen Printed Curtains by Chicken Scratch NY
28. Fabric Painted Quilted Wall Hanging by Terri Johnson Creates
29. Glitter Iron-On Top by Simply Kelly Designs
30. DIY Monogrammed T-shirts with Silhouette Heat Transfer Material by Pitter and Glink
31. Birthday Challenge by Fadville
32. Machine Applique with SIlhouette Cameo by The Sensory Emporium
33. Fabric Applique Valentine's Day T-Shirt by DailyDwelling
34. "Cute as Cupid" shirt by crafts, cakes, and cats
35. Sew Cute Applique by Life After Laundry
36. Rhino Onesie by It Happens in a Blink
37. Upcycled Birchbox Cameo Accesory Organizer by Cupcakes&Crowbars
38. Customizing textiles with Heat Transfer Vinyl (working title) by feto soap
39. Easy Fabric Art by McCall Manor
40. Lady Bug Tote Bag with Silhouette Rhinestones by Ginger Snap Crafts
41. Mommy and Em's Coordinated Aprons by TitiCrafty
42. Canvas sketch project and a share by Clever Someday
43. Foxy Lady Pajamas by Mabey She Made It
44. Teddy Bear by Work in Progress

Dry Fried Calamari

Do you have an all time favorite appetizer to order when you go to a restaurant? I would say my husband and I usually choose calamari. Its always hit or miss where you go because just cooked a few seconds too long and it gets chewy.

And I bet you never thought it would be easy to make at home the right way! But it is, we follow Alton Brown's recipe over at foodnetwork.com. We really like this dry fried way, its basic and you can spice it up your own way. The key is to cook it for no long than 60 seconds!! No joke I time it on my phone while my husband cooks.

What you need
1 pound squid ( we get tubes and tentacles and buy it at whole foods so far the only place we can find that has it)
2 quarts oil, peanut or vegetable
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup corn meal
salt, pepper, and what ever other seasonings you want to add

Heat oil to 375, make sure to use a thermometer and do your best to keep it at that temperature while cooking. Rinse your squid really well and pat dry. Cut the tubes into 1/2 inch rings and set aside with the tentacles. Mix together your flour, corn meal, and seasonings. doing a small handful at a time dredge the squid in the mixture and set aside.

Cook squid in oil in small batches for only 1 minute( 60 seconds), no joke use a stop watch!!!

Let cool on a cookies sheet lined with paper towels to soak up the oil.

Dip in your favorite tartar sauce or cocktail sauce. My husband loves to add siracha hot sauce to the cocktail sauce.

 

Crock pot chicken tortilla soup

So I finally made a crock pot meal as requested!! And then my memory card went on vacation that day so I had to use my phone...so we have one not so great picture but i can promise it tastes amazing!! And because its crock pot its easy!

What you need
3-4 chicken breast cubed (not cooked)
1 bell pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 jalapeno pepper chopped (leaves seeds if you like more heat we removed them because I am a big baby)
3 garlic cloves diced
1 large can diced tomatos
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to your taste
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 26oz carton of chicken broth or stock


What to do
Toss together and cook on low for 6-8 hrs!!

Top your bowl off with a dollop of sour scream some shredded cheese and some nice slices of avocado!! And if you are my husband a couple dashes of cholula hot sauce.

Weekly vinyl wall calendar

So I am doing a challenge! A challenge to use my silhouette cutting machine in 12 different ways. This months challenge was for organization!! We all need a little organization in our lives right? Well for me I really want to get better at my meal planning! So I came up with this vinyl wall calendar to write down my meals and other things going on during week. The only thing is I need to get a chalk pen because the regular chalk is not working with my textured walls. 

What I did was pick my shape and write out my days.  The shape was cut using chalkboard vinyl and then the days were cut from just a colored vinyl. What's great about this project is you can customize it  to fit your style!  

The wall I picked for my calendar is big and empty. It's by my daughters toys and our computers so I wanted it fun!!!! 

Since I have a a silhouette SD my shape is only 8 inches wide but I went 11 inches long to cut. Then turned sideways on the wall and I have lots of space to write! The only thing to keep in mind is the regular chalk does not work if your wall is textured like mine. I still have to go out and pick up a chalk marker. 

To put on my wall I used Glad press and seal for the kitchen instead of traditional transfer paper and it worked great!

Please check out below for what my fellow challengers did to organize their lives a little by using their silhouette cutting machines. And stay tuned for the monthly challenges, next months theme is FABRIC I have no idea what I will do yet but I can't wait to see what everyone else does!!!

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration!

1. DIY Window Shutter Mail Organizer by Weekend Craft
2. Kids' Art Wall by Tried & True
3. Organizing Silhouette and Craft Supplies by The Happier Homemaker
4. Simple Recipe Organization by It's Always Craft Time
5. Put a Label on it! Herb Names for Plant Stakes by Get Silvered
6. Super Simple Linen Closet Labels by Two Purple Couches
7. Beware of the Animals Vinyl Toy Box by A Tossed Salad Life
8. Child desk accessories by Architecture of a Mom
9. Organizing & the Important of Labels by The Turquoise Home
10. Index Card Organizer for Easier Meal Planning by Chicken Scratch NY
11. Create Craft Room Labels by Dragonfly & Lilypads
12. Simple Storage Solution for your Christmas Ornaments by Vintage News Junkie
13. Organize this: DIY Planner Covers, Tags & Dividers (made with Cereal Boxes) by Black and White Obsession
14. How to Make a Cut File into a Print & Cut by Create & Babble
15. Simple Chest Freezer Organizational Board by Nearly Handmade
16. Vinyl Your Kitchen Canisters! by From Wine to Whine
17. Nursery Closet Dividers & Silhouette Cut File by Creative Ramblings
18. Make Custom Box Templates with a Silhouette for Drawer Organization by One Dog Woof
19. Organizing the Craft Room by What's Next Ma
20. Vinyl Wall Calendar by Crafts Cakes and Cats
21. Personalized Toy Storage Bins by Lil' Mrs. Tori
22. Personalized Routine Chart by Work in Progress
23. Blog Planner Sheet Dividers + Free Cut Files by TitiCrafty by Camila
24. Simple Project Calendar by Little Blue's Room
25. Dry Erase Photo Frame Menu Board + Free Cut File by Essentially Eclectic
26. Receipt Organization with Free Cut File by The Thinking Closet
27. Cute and Easy Labels by Life After Laundry
28. "What's For Dinner?" Menu Planning Board by unOriginal Mom
29. Mixing Organization and Function: An Easy Conversion Chart by My Paper Craze
30. Why do my cookies taste so bad? A lesson in baking. by The Life and Times of a TAP
31. Custom Drawer Dividers by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
32. The evolution of my labeling system by feto soap
33. Ikea Drawer labels by McCall Manor
34. Glass Etched Vinegar  & Oil bottles by Terri Johnson Creates
35. Organize It: Bathroom Closet by The House on Hillbrook
36. Ombre Butterfly Magnet Board by Sowdering About

Heart Cake Pops

I have never made cake pops. But when I saw these heart shaped cake pops in the family circle magazine I had to give them a try. Now I wouldn't say they were hard but I had some adjustments to make. The first set I did (they were pink I wanted both red and pink) I didn't have my sticks far enough in my cake so they would fall off when I dipped them into the melted chocolate :( Oh well you have to learn some how.  Now I know and I actually think I would like to try my hand at some more cake pops. I need more practice but they are fun!!! So these may not be magazine picture worthy but I had fun with them!!


What you need
Wilton Petite silicone heart pan (Like this one)
lollipop sticks
candy melts (pink and red)
1 prepared cake (I used a marbled cake)
1/2 a can of frosting (I used chocolate)
sprinkles to decorate

What to do
Crumble your cake in a large bowl and mix in the frosting. Use about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cake mix in each heart cavity. Freeze for one hour. Melt a small amount of candy melts, dip your stick into the chocolate than insert it deeply in to your frozen cake heart. Once those are done put back in the freezer on a plate for 30 minutes. Finish melting you chocolates and then dip the hearts in  and decorate. place back on plate and in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes to allow chocolate to harden. ENJOY!!

Lemon Poppy Seed bread

My lemon tree finally decided to give us lemons again! We have been looking at all these green lemons on the tree for a couple months now just waiting for them to be ready and its finally happening!!! So after shipping some back east to family I still had enough (with more to come) to bake something yummy!! Oh and I was impatient and wanted to do it right then so it had to be something I had everything for. 


What you need

BREAD

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup oil

3 tablespoons poppy seeds

zest of one lemon

DRIZZLE

1/4 cup lemon juice

powdered sugar (about 5 tablespoons). The amount depends on how thick and sweet you want the drizzle.

What to do

Preheat oven to 350°, and flour your loaf pan. TIP** I always put parchment paper in the bottom of mine after flouring and then spray it with cooking spray. 

In a medium bowl mix together your flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In you stand mixer beat together you eggs and sugar. Add your butter, vanilla, lemon juice, oil, poppy seeds and zest. Slowly mix in your flour mixture.  Poor into your prepared pan and back for 45 minutes. 

When you remove your loaf from the oven mix together your drizzle. The amount of sugar depends on you. I like mine with more lemon flavor and to soak in. If you do more sugar you will get a thicker sweeter drizzle. Once your bread has cooled enough to touch and remove from the pan, place on a cookie sheet or plate and add your drizzle. 

Potato and Ham soup

Its a new year! Happy 2014 everyone!! Do you have and new years resolutions? I would just like to work on getting things more organized around my house and just life haha. So hopefully I will find some ways to include some of that into my little blog here. I feel like just this week my life has changed like crazy, my daughter turned 1 and became a full time walker!!!

This soup is a great way to use the ham I know you have frozen in the freezer from Christmas and are wondering what to do with it!!

What you need
4 yellow chopped potatoes
2 leeks chopped
1/2 of an onion chopped
2-3 celery ribs chopped
2 cups cooked chopped ham
48 oz chicken stock or broth (I use no salt added or low sodium)
1 cup water
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper for taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil


What to do
 First a tip, have you ever cooked with leeks? I actually love them in soups but they are dirty and can be hard to clean. The best way I found is to cut them up and put them in a bowl and fill with water. Once in water move them around seperate them from each other and let them sit and the dirt will fall to the bottom. Remove with your hand gently and put on a paper towel to dry.

In a large soup pot heat oil and add your onion, leeks, celery, potatoes, salt, and pepper and cook until your onions are transparent. Add your ham, chicken stock, and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Towards the end of the 20 minutes in a separate pan melt your butter and stir in your flour. Cook the flour for about a minute then stir in your milk. Stir until thick, then pour into your large pot of soup warm through and serve with a little bit of cheese on top!