Super Saturday Dessert Class

A couple of months ago I was in charge of the Dessert Class for Super Saturday for our Church Womens Organization also known as Relief Society.

For those of you that don't know about this organization it is a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Every year, we women get together and craft, do a humanitarian project, and enjoy each others company. It is lots of fun.

I was asked to do the class on Dessert/Candy. I have never made any candy so I decided to go with something easy (because it is a demonstration), something everyone can do, and most importantly something not messy.

One of my favorite desserts of all time are Hello Dollies (also known as 7 layer bars). I have often used what ingredients I have at the time to make them. Like if I don't have graham crackers then I would use store bought cookies (like those vanilla ones that are like oreos) or Vanilla Wafers.

Below are the different variations that I came up with. I hope you enjoy them, and Sorry that I don't have a picture of them. As a heads up for Christmas this year (since my family/friends don't read this blog that I am aware of) I will be making the white chocolate and cranberries variation for them. Then I will wrap them in cellophane and tie with a pretty bow. They are easy and my FIL thinks that I should sell them (thats how good they are)


Seven Layer Bar Dessert Variations
Bobbie Stucki
Super Saturday 2009

Basic 7 Layer Bars Recipe

2 c crushed graham crackers
1 cube butter
1 c chocolate chips
1 c coconut
1 c nuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk


1. Crush cookies
2. Melt Butter
3. Mix cookies and butter together and press into 9x13 pan
4. sprinkle nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut over the cookie crust
5. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over the entire pan
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

Variations:
White Chocolate and Cranberries

2 rows of Vanilla Crème Sandwich cookies (instead of graham crackers)
1 c dried cranberries
1 c white chocolate chips
1 c coconut
1 c apple chips
1 cube butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk


1. Follow basic bar directions, but first layer the apple chips then the other ingredients.

Caramel Bars

2 c crushed graham crackers
1 cube butter
1 c chocolate chips
1 c coconut
1 c heath bits
1 c caramel bits
1 can sweetened condensed milk

1. Follow basic bar directions.

Peanut Butter Layer Bars

2 rows of Vanilla Crème Sandwich cookies (instead of graham crackers)
1 c chocolate chips
1 c coconut
1 c peanut butter
1 cube butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk


1. Follow basic bar directions
2. save 1/2 of the chocolate chips for later. Bake as directed.
3. While bars are baking melt remaining chocolate chips with peanut butter.
4. After removing bars from oven spread the peanut butter mixture over the top of the bars. Let set before serving.
Other suggestions:

Butterscotch chips
Peanut Butter chips
Raisins

Oreos
Dried Fruit
Other cookies crushed for crust

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Notes:

Craft Shows and Odds and Ends

My booth from the Unique Boutique. I was able to complete 17 blankets in 1 week. That was amazing to me. I was dead tired and needed all of last week to catch up with everyday life, but it was well worth it!
My sister has been sharing the booths with me and this is what she has been selling. The Proclamation to the family, the Living Christ, and the LDS Temples. It is on wood painted either black or brown and then antiqued. They are gorgeous. I love them and many others did also. She has them in her shop available to you. Let her know that I sent you to her. Her shop address is www.nettiholdaway.etsy.com
This is our booth at the Rigby Craft Fair. It also turned out great! And that is my 3yr old in the hat inspecting everything. My car seat (the flower pink and brown one) has been recovered with a matching cover for the seat so I would flip up the corner of the blanket so customers could see. My 3yr old thought that the blue one also needed to be like that, the only problem is that the blue tent is on a pink car seat. She cracks me up :)

Went black friday shopping at Joanns. My MIL went with me even though she swore up and down that she would never go to that store again on black friday, but she loves me enough to sacrifice and go with me to stand in line. We were out of there by 8:30. It was great. On my last trip to the back of the store I happened upon the zebra print. I have never, ever seen the zebra print at Joanns so I took the entire bolt. Sorry everyone, ITS MINE!
This is also part of my stash from Joanns Black Friday. I definitely scored.
Here is all of my haul. I was so excited!
Oh and this little wonder was a custom order. I don't know how I happened to not prewash the flannel. It bled onto everything white. I was so bummed so I bought more fabric to redo this order and lo and behold the customer liked this one better. I am so glad I did not actually start on it! It did turn out cute though.

And that folks is the last few weeks in a nutshell.

Happy Thanksgiving

I just want to tell all of you out there that I am thankful for EVERYTHING that I have and am. I am even grateful for the hard times. Right now things have not gone for us as hoped but we are surviving because of our family.

I am so grateful...so, so, very grateful

Cyber Monday and Black Friday Deals in my Etsy Shop

Just an FYI I am doing buy 1 get 1 free on all patterns in my shop from today until monday. In celebration of Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Hope to see you there!

Thats what I get...Catch Up Time

So today I finally have a minute to sit at the computer while I try and figure out if the baby's crib that I just put her in for the night has been recalled...scary...sort of...

So while I wait for the page to load because apparently everyone else in the world wants to know if their baby is safe tonight also, I decided to do a little catching up on my blog reading...only 750 posts to read...thats what I get for being to busy to check up on them.

Last weekend I did a huge boutique and it went really well. I was excited to see how receptive everyone was to my quilts.

Now I have several orders that I need to get done, but my poor sewing machine is still throwing a fit at the doctors (or I guess the Sewing Repair Man) I hope they get it fixed really soon. Like yesterday would have been great :)

So, even though I spent a million hours sewing last week I am feeling a bit lost not sewing right now. How does that work?

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving...it will be great to spend time with family...love it

sorry! Absense is so bittersweet

Ok so I have been gone for a little while. I promise I have been so busy and baby just does not nurse long enough for me to do all my computer stuff anymore :) (that is really great but it does have its downside) Sorry if that is to much information.

Last Saturday I participated in a Craft Show. My 2nd one. This time me and my sister sat at our booth and sold like crazy. I never anticipated how many people would want to buy what I have to offer. Wow. I took like 12 car seat tents and all but 3 sold. Amazing.

So after our huge success for first timers we decided to try and pull a few strings and get into a huge craft show that is tomorrow. This one is the motherload of craft shows in our area.

I did not find out until 1/2 hour ago that we could actually get into it, but this whole week I have been planning on getting in. That way I would be prepared when today rolls around and I find out that we are in.

Each car seat tent takes me approximately 3 hours to complete. This week I have sewn 16. I am dying...I have 4 bandaides on my fingers cause of the scissors digging into them and needing the padding (oh and cutting my thumb 3 times in a row)

Needless to say I have been up late for what I normally do and I have been sewing away.

My machine died halfway through the week. Well, more like is throwing a tantrum from being overworked. So thanks to my MIL I am using her much slower machine (but it works and that is what is important and man am I grateful)

So now I will be pulling an all nighter to try and get everything ready. Wish me luck. I have a huge goal tomorrow and I will achieve it....let you all know how it goes :)

Oh and remember about the giveaway on Get your craft on. Check out the link below because time is short and you know how it is....make sure to enter because only 47 entries are there. You have a great chance!

A Giveaway

Lynette at Get Your Craft On is hosting a giveaway for me. So if you have been eyeing one of my patterns in my etsy shop head on over and enter in the giveaway! I am way excited for this!

She is giving away 3 patterns of your choice. So go on and enter!

So thanks Lynette for doing this for me and thanks to all of my readers for being there!

Featured! Wahoo!

A few weeks ago, I was in the Etsy Forums browsing around when I found Simply Inviting Cards wanting to feature some sellers on Etsy. I instantly convoed her and she liked what she saw. She has written up a tidbit on my Etsy Shop and I would love for you all to check it out!

I am so excited for this opportunity.

For a link to her blog and the article she has written check it out here.

Thanks a ton for the Feature!

Toddler Dress

I am in the process of making a new dress pattern.
My daughter loved it but she definitely has some critiques.
When I get it done is there anyone out there that wants to test it for me?!?

What do you all think!

My Week

This weekend I have a craft fair coming up so I have been busy getting ready for it. I still have 3 blankets to clip and maybe (hopefully) a couple more to make.

I just have not had time to change all my listings on Etsy so the BOGO sale is still on. As soon as I have an hour or two to myself I will be taking it down.

I am hoping to put away 2 weeks worth of laundry today. Yes I don't mind washing or drying the clothes but I hate, hate, hate putting laundry away.

Oh and I don't really mind having a cluttered mess around me. I just dislike not being able to find anything so when clutter gets to disorganization then I clean.

Now you know my faults (at least a couple of them) :)

Christmas Already?!?

So Christmas is coming upon us really fast.

I was looking through my pictures on the computer for something to post about today and this is what I found.

This cake was fun to make and really easy.

How to make a Cupcake Christmas Tree Cake
Instructions
1. Bake 2 pans of cupcakes
2. make regular frosting (or use the store bought kind)
3. dye frosting 2 different colors-green and brown
4. Dye some coconut green (put coconut in a ziplock bag, or a sealable bowl with a couple drops of food coloring shake until it is all colored)
5. I use either a piece of cardboard or a cookie sheet turned upside down wrapped in tin foil for my decorative cakes
6. put a dab of frosting where each cupcake will sit so they dont fall off the pan
7. frost 15 cupcakes green and top with coconut
8. frost 4 cupcakes brown and run a fork through it to create the wood grain look
9. place cupcakes in a tree shape on top of dabs of frosting
10. Decorate with round hard candys or whatever you have on hand (chocolate chips, marshmallows, whatever works)

BOGO Sale still happening in Etsy Shop

For all of my new readers...I am still having the BOGO 1/2 off sale in my etsy shop

The link is www.avisiontoremember.etsy.com

I hope you all have a great Fall!


Also, go check out my sisters new shop...give her some love it is www.nettiholdaway.etsy.com

Ribbon Tutu

I made this ribbon tutu out of organza ribbon. That is what I had on hand this summer when we were getting ready for our family pictures. The 3 yr old wanted EVERYONE to be butterflies for halloween and so I knew that I would just use what I already had for her costume.

I used the same method as the no sew tulle tutus. Some instructions can be found here on Ehow for the ribbon tutu (I did not use these instructions but its the same way that I did it).

On a side note I would definitely use heat seal or something else to seal the ends of the ribbon. I did not and the whole day I kept pulling off strings.

Infant Swimsuit--From Yoga Top

For Halloween we decided that we would go swimming at a local hot pool rather than do the every day trick or treat/trunk or treat thing. As you saw we did do the dress up costume thing though. My oldest (3 yr old) went to the primary activity that morning in her costume plus we stopped at a few family members homes to trick or treat there.

This summer I never found a swim suit that would fit baby (she is now 5 1/2 months old how time flies). So while I was out shopping on Friday I found a spaghetti strap yoga top that was the perfect material for a swimsuit. Plus it was only $2.99. So I bought it and turned it into a swim suit for baby.

I thought that I had left my camera home when we were swimming and was so disappointed but today when I was looking for the camera I found it in no other place but the diaper bag...ugh...I missed babys first swim on camera plus you don't get to see how it all worked out..bummer

It was a little big in the upper back area, but that can easily be fixed:

HOW TO
I laid out the smallest swim suit that I had on hand from my 3 yr old. I believe it was a 3T. Cut the yoga top to the same size. Used the straps from the yoga top for the straps for baby. Some how, but I can't figure out how I did it. I ended up with only one seam in the back. Which was totally fine because there were no seams in the yoga top (only at the top and bottom)

What I think I did was cut the top following the swimsuit as a guide and then continued the under arm part by just going straight back until I thought it would be wide enough (which I over guessed).

Then I sewed up bottom and the back so it looked like a bag.

Then I cut out leg holes. The front had a higher/steeper slope than the back, just like a normal pair of panties/swimsuit.

Then I sewed up all the rough edges

And finally I sewed back on the spaghetti straps