Blog - Gluesticks Blog

Easy Knit Receiving Blanket

October 28, 2013 By Brandy 1 Comment

Every baby deserves a soft, cuddly, handmade blanket just for them. I love making baby blankets, especially receiving blankets. Lately I have found my love for working with knit fabrics. I didn't think that would ever happen, but I have found that knit actually isn't that hard to work with. If you find the right weight. I like sticking with light-medium or medium weight knits. They don't curl as you sew and the medium ones feel like I'm sewing cotton.

Dallin's teacher is pregnant with her first baby. She loves owls and has them all over their classroom. So that is where the scheme for this blanket came from. Owls are very easy to find these days! I received a knit "burrito" blanket with Dallin and loved it. All of my babies loved to be swaddled. The burrito blanket stretched and stayed put. A nice little baby burrito. Using the same technique as I did in the Flannel Baby Blanket tutorial, I got started on Mrs. Darnell's blanket.

I found these 3 coordinating knit prints from Girl Charlee fabrics.

{The fabrics I used were Linden Green Chevron, Linden Green Owls, and Royal Blue/White Stripe Ponte de Roma.}

I used the striped knit for my bias tape, which actually isn't cut on the bias so it is just trim. Since knit is nice and stretchy, I just cut it in strips, pressed it and pinned it around the edges of the blanket.

In no time, this blanket was finished and we couldn't wait to give it to her.

Wrapped in tissue paper and some extra scraps of trim, we headed to school to drop it off before she went on maternity leave. She absolutely loved it. We can't wait to see pictures of her new bundle of joy!

To make your own darling knit or flannelÂ receiving blanket you can follow my quick tutorial here!

Easy Princess Cake

October 17, 2013 By Brandy 2 Comments

Our baby turned two years old and is quite the little girlie girl. She needed a cake to match her cute feminine personality. Since she is an October baby and absolutely loves going to the pumpkin patch, we decided to have her party there with our family. Cinderella seemed like an obvious choice for a cake. I made her the tiniest Cinderella cake and served the guests chocolate cupcakes with the mellowcreme pumpkins on top.

This little cake is made from 2 cupcakes. A jumbo cupcake with a regular sized cupcake (both upside down) and stacked on top of each other. Then I used a star tip and edible pearls to decorate the dress.

My insert was made using my Cricut! I used the Paper Doll Cartridge for the cut out and glued a skewer in between the layers of card stock in the back.

This was one of the easiest cakes I've ever made. It was perfectly tiny for my little 2 year old, but could easily be made larger using a bigger cricut cutout and using the Pampered Chef batter bowl (following the doll cake baking directions).

Here is another cake I made with the help of my cricut!

Cookies & Cream Popcorn

October 8, 2013 By Brandy Leave a Comment

I've said this before, but we are popcorn fanatics over here. As in, my husband and kids eat it every single night! Here is a SUPER easy and delicious way to mix things up. Cookies and cream popcorn! If you are a fan of Hershey's Cookies 'n' Cream candy bars you are in for a real treat. Pick up a couple XL ones the next time you are out. You won't be sorry!

You will need 1 (4 oz.) XL bar for every 2 quarts of popcorn you pop. I air pop 6 quarts when I make this and use 3 XL bars.

Break up the candy bars and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Continue microwaving in 10 second intervals until the white chocolate isÂ smooth.Â Put your popcorn into a huge bowl or divide into two bowls and pour your chocolate over the top. Stir with a rubber spatulaÂ (or use your hands. That's what I do) until evenly coated. It won't look like there is a lot of chocloate on each piece, but you don't need a lot. Just a light even coat.

Line a flat large, flat, surface with wax paper and spread your popcorn across in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt, to taste. The sweet and salty combo is amazing! Let it sit until it is set, about 30 minutes. We don't wait that long before digging in, but it is messier if you don't wait for it to set up a bit!

It was the perfect treat to have while watching Tom & Jerry after dinner!

What is your favorite way to have popcorn? We'd love to try a new variation!

2 Minute DIY Scarf

October 3, 2013 By Brandy 15 Comments

Can't sew? Not sure how to knit? No problem! This no-sew DIY scarf is made out of fleece and comes together in 2 minutes and only requires a few cuts with scissors! Make a bunch for yourself and friends!

I love scarves!Â They are so much fun and add color and style to any outfit.Â My kids have always worn scarves. TheyÂ are so easy to make andÂ require hardly any fabric so it just made sense to make them vs. buy them. I can't for the life of me knit or crochet, nor do I have the desire, which is probably why I haven't learned how! I just don't have the patience for that, but I have friends who can do that and don't know how I have the patience for sewing. So it all works out!

But I can cut...and that is all you need to be able to know how to do to make this fun little DIY scarf.

2 Minute DIY Scarf

I cut a strip of fleece 5"x48" and cut the bottoms up 4" to create fringe. That was it!

A 2-minute scarf for about .25. Can't beat that! We made several more to go with her winter coats. These make great gifts, too!

Vintage Inspired Silver Pumpkins

October 2, 2013 By Brandy 13 Comments

Ruby and I made a quick stop at Michael's the other day while Derrick was in Home Depot. We had fun browsing the aisles of fall decor and couldn't pass up some fun brown craft pumpkins that were ready to be decorated.

I've seen a lot of silver pumpkins lately, my favorite being the ones at Pottery Barn in their window display right now. I love the look of the mercury glass, but sadly, cannot afford to spend that much on a glass pumpkin. I saw some spray paint recently that gives the look of a mirror. It's called "looking glass", but you have to use it on glass. Since these were paper I came up with another alternative.

Good old fashioned spray paint.

I don't know if it matters which kind you use. These are just some I found in our garage. A black and a metallic silver.

pumpkin sprayed with first coat of black

I sprayed each pumpkin in a nice layer of black spray paint and let it dry completely.

pumpkin painted with second coat of silver paint

Then I sprayed a very LIGHT coat of silver on top so that the black still came through a bit (giving it the vintage look). It's hard to see the contrast in the photos since the metallic is so shiny, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results!

My silver pumpkins rang up to $2.99 a piece. That I can afford.

How to Can Homemade Salsa

September 26, 2013 By Brandy 11 Comments

Fresh salsa is amazing, but you simply can't store it. This canned salsa is absolutely delicious and has a fantastic shelf life. It definitely rivals any salsa you'd get in a restaurant! I'll show you how to can salsa like a pro with a few simple steps.

This post contains affiliate links.

Canning salsa is easier than it sounds. Just chop and simmer. Not like making spaghetti sauce and having to peel tomatoes or canning peaches and having a sticky mess all over the kitchen. We won't talk about the spaghetti sauce I canned a few summers ago except to say that it was awful. There's nothing worse than spending an afternoon peeling tomatoes and sweating up a storm in the kitchen only to have the fruits of your labor not turn out at all!

I love making fresh salsa (pico de gallo) and blender salsa because I like to avoid the canning process whenever possible, and they always turn out great, but this salsa was fairly quick to make and turned out absolutely delicious! It's a keeper, for sure, and if I could just get a handle on not bawling my eyes out while cutting onions it would be even better.

Anyone have tips for an onion cry baby like me? It's awful!!

I only purchased one tomato plant for our garden this year because I am the only ones who likes tomatoes in our family. Then I received two plants from a gal at church who had way too many starts. I figured I'd get a few tomatoes from each plant since that has been my experience in the past. Well, these 3 plants were good to me this year and grew like CRAZY. Between the 3 tomato plants, and theÂ pumpkin plant that spread across the back of the house creating a huge pumpkin patch, our "little" garden has taken over. I couldn't keep up with just adding them to sandwiches and salads and wanted to preserve them somehow. Luckily Derrick likes salsa too, so now we have a nice supply to share.

You can use any combination of tomatoes, veggies, and spices. The canning process is the same. Use this recipe as a base to come up with a family recipe that you'll want to make over and over! Give this one a chance to simmer down, then add more sugar or salt if you'd like. You can also add a bit of cumin, pepper, or any other spices. I like mine with just a bit of salt and sugar to allow most of the flavor to come from the veggies and tomatoes.

How to Can Salsa

I filled a large stockpot with all of my veggies. Tomatoes (red and yellow), bell peppers, jalapenos, onions, garlic, and apple cider vinegar. I let it simmer until it started to break down into a desired thickness.

Water Bath Canning Salsa

New to canning? Here is a great resource to get you started in the processs of water bath canning.

After the salsa had a chance to simmer and be tasted I ladled it into hot canning jars (that had just been washed) and added the lids and rings. I ran them through a quick 35 minute process in my water bath canner. If you haven't canned before, a water bath canner is the way to go. You can can most fruits and jams/jellies this way. It is just a huge stock pot; large enough for quart sized jars to fit inside.

Once the timer went off, I pulled the jars out and carefully moved them to the counter on top of a dish towel to cool. You'll know they are sealed when the lids make a popping sound and there isn't any give when pushing the lid down in the center.

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How To Can Salsa

Fresh salsa is amazing, but you simply can’t store it. This canned salsa is absolutely delicious and has a fantastic shelf life. It definitely rivals any salsa you’d get in a restaurant! I’ll show you how to can salsa like a pro with a few simple steps.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

water bath canning 30

Total Time 1 15

Servings pints

Calories 36kcal

Author Brandy Nelson

Equipment

5-6 pint sized jars
water bath canner
jar tongs

Ingredients

5 pounds of tomatoes diced
2 cup bell peppers diced
2-3 jalapeño peppers seeded, diced
2 cup onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp. sugar

Instructions

Prepare canning lids by sterilizing them in boiling water.
Clean jars.
Place all ingredients in a large stock pot.
Simmer 20 minutes. (Remember, it will continue to cook in the water bath canner)
Give your salsa a quick taste and extra sugar or salt, if necessary.
Ladle salsa into canning jars, leaving about ½" space at the top.
Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp towel to clean, if necessary. Screw on lids, being careful to not screw them on too tight.
Process salsa in a water bath canner for 35 minutes.
Remove jars and place on a towel on the counter.
Listen for the jar lids to "pop". This means that they have sealed. Any jars that don't seal can be reprocessed for another 15 minutes or placed in the refrigerator to be eaten.

Notes

Salsa that has been processed with a good seal has a shelf life of 18 months.

You can use a food processor to making chopping and dicing easier.

Nutrition

Serving: 100g | Calories: 36kcal

Salsa that has been processed with a good seal has a shelf life of 18 months.

You can use a food processor to making chopping and dicing easier.

Have you canned any of your summer bounty this year?

Beach Themed Birthday Party

September 23, 2013 By Brandy 5 Comments

Last year it was 90 degrees on Kaylee's birthday. I remember thinking how fun it would be to do an outdoor water party for her sometime. We bought the kids a big blow up water slide this summer and it has been a hit. I figured I would get it out, invite 15 of her closest friends and grill hot dogs. EASY party. Minimal set up. With the weather being in the high 90s lately, I thought that surely we would be fine with planning the easiest birthday party ever! Fast forward to the night before the party. The forecast went from sunny and in the 70s earlier in the week to 63 and cloudy, and finally settled at 60 and thunderstorms. I was in a panic. Almost everyone had RSVP'd that they were coming. 15 kids inside our house on a rainy day. We were scrambling with coming up with activities! We came up with "Hot Octopus" (passing around the octopus puppet to the music instead of hot potato), animal charades, freeze dancing and making oceans in a bottle (photo at the bottom of the post). We served lunch. We opened presents. We ate cake. Everyone went home. It was a whirlwind!

If you are interested in the details of the treats, keep reading!

This cake was so much fun to make. I stacked two square cakes and iced it using a fun scallop technique. Then I used a tiny round cake that had been cut on an angle for the island. The island is covered with white frosting and graham cracker crumbs. The little creatures are made from chocolate molds and colored melting chocolate. I love it when I don't have to use fondant to get the look I am going for. I much prefer using butter cream.

Instead of passing out treat bags, we sent each child home with a cupcake.

I picked up these darling cupcake boxes, along with the cupcake liners and masking tape, from Wholeport. Their masking stickers are one of my favorite products. I use them for so many things.

My husband came up with the "Ocean in a Bottle" activity and helped the kids make them. He ran out of mineral oil and had to use vegetable oil for some (hence the yellow). They filled them with food coloring, glitter, jewels, ocean foamies, water and oil. They are fun to shake and fun to look at. He sealed each cap with hot glue and electrical tape.

The party was a success. The kids had fun and even though it rained we were still able to have a beach party. After it was over...I took a nap.

This post contains sponsored product (cupcake boxes).

Dessert Pizza Cinnamon Roll Style! A 90-Minute Recipe

September 13, 2013 By Brandy Leave a Comment

Cinnamon roll dessert pizza! Delicious sweet dough topped with butter and a gooey brown sugar and cinnamon topping. Then finished off with a vanilla glaze.

You might also like our cinnamon rolls with caramel frosting or our pumpkin cinnamon rolls!

If you've tried our 90-minute cinnamon rolls, you know how simple and easy this recipe is. Rolling it out into a pizza is just a fun variation

Serve warm with a cold glass of milk. It will melt in your mouth. I promise.

Cinnamon Roll Dessert Pizza

(Scroll down for a printable version)

¾ cup milk

¼ c. margarine, softened

3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 (.25 0z) package instant yeast

¼ cup white sugar

½ tsp. salt
¼ cup water
1 egg

Topping

1 ½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup margarine or butter, softened

Vanilla Icing

2 T. melted butter

1 c. powdered sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

1 T. milk

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 ¼ cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Press and roll out dough on a 16" large pizza pan that has been greased or sprayed with cooking spray. Spread dough with margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on the edges.

dessert pizza

Combine ingredients for icing. Drizzle icing across top. Serve warm.

Cinnamon Roll Dessert Pizza

Cinnamon roll dessert pizza! Delicious sweet dough topped with butter and a gooey brown sugar and cinnamon topping. Then finished off with a vanilla glaze.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 349kcal

Author Brandy Nelson

Ingredients

¾ cup milk
¼ cup margarine softened
3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 .25 0z package instant yeast
¼ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
1 egg

Topping

1 ½ cup brown sugar packed
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
¼ cup margarine or butter softened

Vanilla Icing

2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 Tbsp. milk

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 ¼ cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
Press and roll out dough on a 16" large pizza pan that has been greased or sprayed with cooking spray. Spread dough with margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on the edges.

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcal

Garlic Fries & Fry Sauce

September 4, 2013 By Brandy 1 Comment

I ventured to the State Fair this summer with my 4 kids. We had a great time seeing the exhibits and going on a few rides. One of the things people always talk about when going to a fair is the FOOD.Â All of the yummy fried foods. We splurged and decided that we would share an order of garlic fries. I saw an add for them in the flyer we got at the main entrance. We searched all over and finally found the booth that sold the "famous" garlic fries. We waited over 10 minutes for them to be made and carried our little bucket over to the shade to enjoy them. I took one bite of my first ever garlic fry....and was SO disappointed. It was hard. And not like an over-fried hard, but a cold hard. Like it was still frozen! I thought maybe it was a fluke and so I grabbed a few more. They were mushy. The kids thought they were fine and by this point I was not going to go back and wait in line for more. $7 for a bucket of mushy and half-cooked french fries. I was done with garlic fries.

Then I went to Trader Joes and saw them in the freezer section. $3/bag. I decided to give them another shot. This time we had success! They were so amazing and we all agreed that they were 500% better than the State Fair flops. I decided that we needed to figure out how to make our own. Here is our version. Use fresh potatoes to make your fries, or your favorite brand of frozen french fries. Either way, they are yummy. If you only clicked on this post for the fry sauce, scroll down to the bottom!

frozen fries, parsley, garlic, butter and salt

Garlic Fries

gluesticksblog.com

2 lbs. frozen french fries (I like these kind)

3 T. fresh parsley, chopped

3 T. minced garlic

3 T. butter, melted

sea salt to taste

Arrange your fries on a baking sheet and cook according to package instructions. Make sure they are nice and CRISPY! You can even broil them for a few minutes after baking them to make sure.

Melt butter in microwave and add garlic, parsley and salt (about ½ tsp.) and add more after the fries are baked.

Pour into a large bowl.

As soon as fries come out of the oven, dump them into the bowl and toss with tongs until completely covered. Add more salt if necessary.

Serve immediately!

Perfectly crisp (not undercooked) and full of garlic flavor. We couldn't get enough of them!

Be sure to serve them with your favorite sauce. Ranch, ketchup, or fry sauce. I love Chick Fil A's fry sauce and this one comes close (at least I think it does).

Fry Sauce

gluesticksblog.com

½ c. mayo

1 T. bbq sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is our favorite)

1 tsp. ketchup

Mix and refrigerate 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.

What is your favorite dipping sauce for french fries? Do you have another variation for fry sauce? I'd love to try it!