Pinned It.Tried It. Loved It. {Thanksgiving Edition}

It's been a while since I posted a "Pinned It. Tried It. Loved It.", but I tried a few pins this weekend that I'm dying to share!

Source: ourbestbites.com via Erin on Pinterest

If you've been on Pinterest much, I'm sure you've seen these little darling Oreo turkeys. I made some this weekend, and they turned out great! Sara's instructions are just perfect. If you can still hunt down some candy corn (I found mine at the dollar store), you should try making these. They're pretty tasty too!

Source: ohbiteit.com via Erin on Pinterest

Don't these Apple Pie Cookies look to die for? I don't even like apple pie (well, any fruit pie), and I thought they looked good. My husband is crazy about apple pie, so I made them for him. He's not too big on sweets, but he couldn't stop eating them. I'd say they must be pretty yummy! I know they smelled fantastic. I made mine with homemade pie crust, so you can do that too if you don't care for the store bought stuff listed in the original post.

Source: butterwithasideofbread.com via Erin on Pinterest

These Pumpkin Pretzels may be a little more for Halloween than Thanksgiving, but since we were at Disneyland for Halloween I didn't get a chance to make them until now. Aren't they cute?

Technically, I'd have to qualify this one as a big "fail" on my part, but I still love the original. I learned a few things I didn't know before: 1) white dipping chocolate can seize 2) liquid food coloring causes white dipping chocolate to seize 3) you have to use a powdered or gel food coloring to dye white dipping chocolate. You learn something new everyday, right? 

Only a couple more days until Thanksgiving! Are you ready? 

Make Your Own Kindle Cases {Christmas Gift Idea}

 

My husband and I bought Kindles for each other this year, but we just couldn't spend what can sometimes be $30+ for a case. I decided I'd make them myself and was thrilled when I found this post from Whipstitch. The really awesome thing? You may already have all that you need to make these cases which would make this project FREE! Oh, and wouldn't these make a great Christmas gift?

The cases are just as good, if not better, than one you can buy. The corner pockets hold your Kindle in place as you read while the elastic holds the front cover back:

When you're not reading, you can slip your Kindle into the handy dandy pocket for more secure storage...

...and close the front cover with the elastic, so it won't slip out.

They're so easy to make that I was able to make two in no time!

You basically need a fat quarter worth of fabric, some interfacing, batting, and elastic. If you're missing a few of those supplies like I was, here are some substitutions you can try: fabric for interfacing, fleece for batting, and and elastic hair band (they're like a giant pony tail holder) for the elastic piece. One tip: if you're using fabric for interfacing, don't interface the fabric pieces for the corner pockets (the little triangles).  They'll be pretty thick if you do. Head on over to "Whipstitch" for the tutorial if you'd like to make one!






I'm linking at these great parties:
Mondays: Sweet Sharing Monday *  The Girl Creative * Destination: Cutesy Monday * What's In The Gunny Sack *  Made by you Monday*Make It Yourself Monday*Mop It Up Mondays*Make The Scene Monday*Make It Pretty Monday*
Tuesdays: Riverton Housewives Roundup *  Show Me What You Got * Tuesday Time Out  * Tasteful Tuesdays * Too Cute Tuesday*Tuesday's Treasures*Crafty Tuesday* Trendy Tuesday
Wednesdays: Super Link Party * Show & Share * {Wow Me} Wednesday *From Dream To Reality*Create & Share*What I Whipped Up Wednesday*What We Wore & Made Wednesday*The Creative Spark Wednesdays* Milk & Cuddles*Made By Me Wednesdays*Adorned From Above*
Thursday: Pin'Inspirational Thursday * Recipe Roundup *A Crafty Soiriee * Creative Thursday *Taylor House Thursday*Transformation Thursday*Hookin Up With HoH*Creative Juice Thursday*Live Laugh Linky Thursday* Link Party Thursday*Taking A Time Out Thursday*Eat Make Grow*
Fridays: Delicately Constructed Fridays * Flaunt It Friday * Financial Friday Link Up  *Friday Fun Party* Friday Flair*Pity Party*Frugal Friday*Friday Favorites*Weekend Craft Soiree*Weekend Warmth*One Creative Weekend
Saturdays: Strut Your Stuff Saturday * Once Upon A Weekend * Sharing Saturday * Dare To Share Saturday * Craft, Create and Inspire * A Pinteresting Party*Serenity Saturday
Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday * It's Overflowing Sunday Party  * Cooking & Crafts Party

Thanksgiving Countdown Tree {Tutorial}

If you've been around Taking Time To Create a while or maybe have browsed the archives, you may remember me mentioning this little Thanksgiving Countdown once upon a time. It almost pains me to link to that old post...I've learned so much since writing it!

I never actually did a full post on it, but with Thanksgiving around the corner, I thought I'd pull out these old pictures and share it with you. They are old pictures, so keep that in mind. :-) I've also learned a lot about taking pictures over the last year.

I originally saw this post at Lil Luna (Rachel from Family Ever After was actually guest posting). I've always loved Christmas countdowns, so naturally I was drawn to a Thanksgiving countdown. This one uses leaves to countdown to Thanksgiving. You move a leaf off the tree and to the "ground" everyday. On Thanksgiving, you shouldn't have any leaves left on the tree. 

The original post has a really great tutorial, so check that out, but here's how I made my version:

I started with a base fabric that measures 10.5 x 19 inches once hemmed all the way around. I folded my hemmed edges over twice, so I wouldn't have raw edges on the back, so my original piece was probably about 11.5 x 20 inches. 

I added "loops" at the top. Mine are a little less than an inch wide and probably about 1.5 inches tall when they're folded over (you can see them best in the picture above). 

I cut out letters from felt (after printing the words from Word to use as a template) and then cut out two background pieces--one for each word. I just cut out background pieces big enough for my words; the sizes will vary depending on your words. I sewed the word background pieces (the dark brown) onto the base. Then I sewed each letter onto the word background piece using a zig zag stitch. 

And now for the fun part: the tree!

I found a bare tree silhouette and printed it in Word to fit on my base. It printed on two pieces of paper, so I taped it together. 

I cut the tree out and laid it on the wrong side of my fabric to trace the outline onto the fabric.

Once it was trace, I cut out the tree and then attached it to the fabric base using a zig zag stitch.

Now for the leaves!

I cut out lots and lots and lots of leaves from felt. You want to be sure you'll always have enough! I stitched around the edges and through the middle of each leaf to add the leaf detail. If you're using a sewing machine, this really isn't too painful to do (maybe just a little tedious).

In the original post, Rachel hadn't quite figured out how to attach the leaves. I believe she was using tape until she could figure something else out. My solution? Safety pins! Using embroidery thread the same (or similar) color as the leaf I attached a safety pin to the back of each leaf. This was a long process, but totally worth it! They'll last for years to come. 

There are only 8 more leaves left on our tree, but that's plenty of time to make a Thanksgiving Countdown Tree of your own. They'd even make a cute gift  for your host(s) if you're going to someone's house for Thanksgiving dinner. 




I'm linking at these great parties:
Mondays: Sweet Sharing Monday *  The Girl Creative * Destination: Cutesy Monday * What's In The Gunny Sack *  Made by you Monday*Make It Yourself Monday*Mop It Up Mondays*Make The Scene Monday*Make It Pretty Monday*
Tuesdays: Riverton Housewives Roundup *  Show Me What You Got * Tuesday Time Out  * Tasteful Tuesdays * Too Cute Tuesday*Tuesday's Treasures*Crafty Tuesday* Trendy Tuesday
Wednesdays: Super Link Party * Show & Share * {Wow Me} Wednesday *From Dream To Reality*Create & Share*What I Whipped Up Wednesday*What We Wore & Made Wednesday*The Creative Spark Wednesdays* Milk & Cuddles*Made By Me Wednesdays*Adorned From Above*
Thursday: Pin'Inspirational Thursday * Recipe Roundup *A Crafty Soiriee * Creative Thursday *Taylor House Thursday*Transformation Thursday*Hookin Up With HoH*Creative Juice Thursday*Live Laugh Linky Thursday* Link Party Thursday*Taking A Time Out Thursday*Eat Make Grow*
Fridays: Delicately Constructed Fridays * Flaunt It Friday * Financial Friday Link Up  *Friday Fun Party* Friday Flair*Pity Party*Frugal Friday*Friday Favorites*Weekend Craft Soiree*Weekend Warmth*One Creative Weekend
Saturdays: Strut Your Stuff Saturday * Once Upon A Weekend * Sharing Saturday * Dare To Share Saturday * Craft, Create and Inspire * A Pinteresting Party*Serenity Saturday
Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday * It's Overflowing Sunday Party  * Cooking & Crafts Party

Duct Tape Crayon Roll {And My Secret Obsession}

I’m obsessed. My parents and sisters will tell you it’s something I’ve always been obsessed with these wonderful, colorful things. Yes, folks. Crayola crayons. I love them. No other crayon compares. Those other crayon companies should just give it up, because they’ll never match up to Crayola. Anyone else out there with me? Maybe?

Well, now that I have that out there, you can probably understand why I absolutely had to make these crayon rolls when I saw them at Tutus and Tea Parties. 

They’re a fun way to package up a few crayons and even make a cute little present. Oh and patterned and colored duct tape? Yes, please! This was my first duct tape project, but I’ll definitely be doing more. Some of the patterns and colors are so fun (although I’m going to have to avoid the Justin Bieber duct tape I saw the other day—yeah, that one was a little…interesting).

There you have it. A little project all tied up with ribbon to feed my obsession. :)

I'm linking at these great parties:
Mondays: Sweet Sharing Monday *  The Girl Creative * Destination: Cutesy Monday * What's In The Gunny Sack *  Made by you Monday*Make It Yourself Monday*Mop It Up Mondays*Make The Scene Monday*Make It Pretty Monday*
Tuesdays:  Show Me What You Got * Tuesday Time Out  * Tasteful Tuesdays * Too Cute Tuesday*Tuesday's Treasures*Crafty Tuesday* Trendy Tuesday
Wednesdays: Super Link Party * Show & Share * {Wow Me} Wednesday *From Dream To Reality*Create & Share*What I Whipped Up Wednesday*What We Wore & Made Wednesday*The Creative Spark Wednesdays* Milk & Cuddles*Made By Me Wednesdays*Adorned From Above*
Thursday: Pin'Inspirational Thursday * Riverton Housewives Roundup *A Crafty Soiriee * Creative Thursday *Taylor House Thursday*Transformation Thursday*Hookin Up With HoH*Creative Juice Thursday*Live Laugh Linky Thursday* Link Party Thursday*Taking A Time Out Thursday*Eat Make Grow*
Fridays: Delicately Constructed Fridays * Flaunt It Friday * Financial Friday Link Up  *Friday Fun Party* Friday Flair*Pity Party*Frugal Friday*Friday Favorites*Weekend Craft Soiree*Weekend Warmth*One Creative Weekend
Saturdays: Strut Your Stuff Saturday * Once Upon A Weekend * Sharing Saturday * Dare To Share Saturday * Craft, Create and Inspire * A Pinteresting Party*Serenity Saturday
Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday * It's Overflowing Sunday Party  * Cooking & Crafts Party

Related articles

• Disneyland Countdown
• Happy, Happy Hippo {A Freezer Paper Stenciled Shirt}
• Leaf Stamping?!?

Happy, Happy Hippo {A Freezer Paper Stenciled Shirt}

 

I’m loving freezer paper stenciling! It’s so easy to make one of a kind custom shirts which is a good thing, because how many hippo shirts do you come across in Target? Yeah, not too many.

My little guy still loves hippos, so I made him this shirt to wear at our day at the San Diego Zoo. This is my first attempt at layering different colors of fabric paint, and I couldn’t be happier with the results!

I also used a different technique to apply the main color of the hippo. I sponged on three different colors to give this hippo a different look. It was also a good way to work in a little purple for my little guy (his favorite color right now). Can you see the little bits of purple? I love the dimension the technique created.

I used this clipart to create the hippo shirt. Such a cute face!

I'm linking at these great parties:
Mondays: Sweet Sharing Monday *  The Girl Creative * Destination: Cutesy Monday * What's In The Gunny Sack *  Made by you Monday*Make It Yourself Monday*Mop It Up Mondays*Make The Scene Monday*Make It Pretty Monday*
Tuesdays: Riverton Housewives Roundup *  Show Me What You Got * Tuesday Time Out  * Tasteful Tuesdays * Too Cute Tuesday*Tuesday's Treasures*Crafty Tuesday* Trendy Tuesday
Wednesdays: Super Link Party * Show & Share * {Wow Me} Wednesday *From Dream To Reality*Create & Share*What I Whipped Up Wednesday*What We Wore & Made Wednesday*The Creative Spark Wednesdays* Milk & Cuddles*Made By Me Wednesdays*Adorned From Above*
Thursday: Pin'Inspirational Thursday * Recipe Roundup *A Crafty Soiriee * Creative Thursday *Taylor House Thursday*Transformation Thursday*Hookin Up With HoH*Creative Juice Thursday*Live Laugh Linky Thursday* Link Party Thursday*Taking A Time Out Thursday*Eat Make Grow*
Fridays: Delicately Constructed Fridays * Flaunt It Friday * Financial Friday Link Up  *Friday Fun Party* Friday Flair*Pity Party*Frugal Friday*Friday Favorites*Weekend Craft Soiree*Weekend Warmth*One Creative Weekend
Saturdays: Strut Your Stuff Saturday * Once Upon A Weekend * Sharing Saturday * Dare To Share Saturday * Craft, Create and Inspire * A Pinteresting Party*Serenity Saturday
Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday * It's Overflowing Sunday Party  * Cooking & Crafts Party

Related articles

• Disneyland or Bust {Freezer Paper Stenciled Shirt}
• A {Simple} Mickey Mouse Costume
• Road Trip Entertainment {For Kids}

Road Trip Entertainment {For Grown Ups!}

Yesterday I shared some fun ideas to entertain those little ones on a road trip. Grown-ups need a little entertainment too, though, right? Here are a few ideas for ya!

Magnetic Travel Board Games

 

Thrive has a good post about creating magnetic travel board games. I just did one but the one game looks like a lot of fun!

I found a Monopoly game board to print and gathered up all our cards, dice and instructions.

We’ll use pen and paper to keep track of money, and I placed the “board” in a page protector, so we can use markers to mark when properties have house/hotels on them.

I even made some magnetic game pieces out of colored and patterned duct tape!

It should be lots of fun!

Battleship

Along with the board game theme is this fun Battleship printable from Mom’s Minivan. There are lots of fun games for in the car to be found here.

Instead of printing a bunch of the sheets, I printed 2 and then put them in page protectors to use with dry erase markers. We can use the same sheets over and over again!

Good Old Card Games

Card games are always a fun option. You can use the cookie sheet from the Magnetic Board Game for something to play on.

Books

If all else fails…read a book. If you have something like a Kindle, you can have hours and hours of entertainment that takes up very little space.

I'm linking at these great parties:
Mondays: Sweet Sharing Monday *  The Girl Creative * Destination: Cutesy Monday * What's In The Gunny Sack *  Made by you Monday*Make It Yourself Monday*Mop It Up Mondays*Make The Scene Monday*Make It Pretty Monday*
Tuesdays: Riverton Housewives Roundup *  Show Me What You Got * Tuesday Time Out  * Tasteful Tuesdays * Too Cute Tuesday*Tuesday's Treasures*Crafty Tuesday* Trendy Tuesday
Wednesdays: Super Link Party * Show & Share * {Wow Me} Wednesday *From Dream To Reality*Create & Share*What I Whipped Up Wednesday*What We Wore & Made Wednesday*The Creative Spark Wednesdays* Milk & Cuddles*Made By Me Wednesdays*Adorned From Above*
Thursday: Pin'Inspirational Thursday * Recipe Roundup *A Crafty Soiriee * Creative Thursday *Taylor House Thursday*Transformation Thursday*Hookin Up With HoH*Creative Juice Thursday*Live Laugh Linky Thursday* Link Party Thursday*Taking A Time Out Thursday*Eat Make Grow*
Fridays: Delicately Constructed Fridays * Flaunt It Friday * Financial Friday Link Up  *Friday Fun Party* Friday Flair*Pity Party*Frugal Friday*Friday Favorites*Weekend Craft Soiree*Weekend Warmth*One Creative Weekend
Saturdays: Strut Your Stuff Saturday * Once Upon A Weekend * Sharing Saturday * Dare To Share Saturday * Craft, Create and Inspire * A Pinteresting Party*Serenity Saturday
Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday * It's Overflowing Sunday Party  * Cooking & Crafts Party