Easy Peachy Cinnamon Rolls

Here is the recipe if you’d like to try them yourself:
Roll Ingredients:
2-3 Tablespoons butter
2 packages of the regular canned biscuits, 10 per can (Don’t get the big ones – the small ones work better)
1/2 cup regular sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 can chopped peaches (drained)
Glaze Ingredients: (if desired)1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons peach preserves
Directions:
(We used 2 of the extra large muffin tins. But you could also half the recipe and use a regular size muffin tin. You’d still have 10 rolls, they would just be smaller)
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Put a small amount of butter (about a 1/2 teaspoon) in each muffin tin and rub it all around the inside.
Mix up the two sugars and the cinnamon in a bowl. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of the mixture into each section. Spoon the chopped peaches evenly into each cup. We ended up with about 4-6 peach pieces in each section.
Take two biscuits at a time and drop them into the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture. Roll them all around to make sure they are all covered. Put the two biscuits into one of the muffin cups. Repeat this for all the remaining biscuits. (If you are using the regular muffin tin, you could cut each biscuit in half before you coat it, so you have more cinnamon/sugar coverage.)
Sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon/sugar mixture over the biscuits. It ended up being about 1/2 Tablespoon per muffin cup. (This sounds like a lot of sugar but it makes the rolls crispy/sugar on the bottom. More yumminess. :)
Bake the rolls for 11-14 minutes, depending on your oven.
While the rolls are baking, make your glaze if you are using it. Add the powdered sugar to a bowl, then mix in the milk. When it is smooth, mix it in the peach preserves. If your glaze isn’t the consistency you like, add in a little more sugar or milk, as needed.
Once the rolls are out of the oven, quickly flip them over onto a plate or platter. You don’t want the sugar at the bottom to harden. Drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls.
Enjoy – and try not to eat them all.

Spa Scrubbie and Tropical Bath Tea Soak!

Let’s start with the bath scrubbie! You’ll need:
Small piece of Cotton (enough for back of scrubbie and two pieces for strap)
Click here for the PDF PatternPiece of towel – cut out 1 piece double the width of the scrubbie back piece
Piece of lace – cut length of strap.

Start with the strap. Sew the piece of lace to one piece of the strap, down the center.

Place the two strap pieces, right sides together, and sew the long top and bottom sides. Leave the two short sides open.
Turn right side out and press.

Pin the strap to the right side of the oval cotton piece, in the center. Sew the two short sides to the oval piece with a small 1/8 seam allowance.

Now we’re going to work on ruffling our towel. This can be a little tiny bit tricky.
Normally to gather material, you set your sewing machine to the longest stitch length and sew a line of stitching. You can either hold the thread spool as you go and it will ruffle itself, or you can gather it by pulling lightly on one end of the thread.
Neither of these methods worked with the towel. It was too thick.
So I ended up bunching up the towel as I sewed, kind of forcing a gather, and that seemed to work best. I just pushed the fabric up into a gather and sewed a regular sized stitch over it. Not very technical or fancy but it worked. :)
I ended up sewing rows of gathering about 3/4″ apart, all down the length of the towel piece.

Pin the right side of your cotton piece to the right side of the ruffles. Don’t worry about the corners, we’ll trim those off soon.

Sew around your oval with a 1/2″ seam allowance, leave a space open at the bottom to turn it right side out.

Trim all the excess towel off.

Turn your scrubbie right side out. I did a small stitch around the edge (but not over the strap) to help hold it together and to sew the opening closed.
This got a little thick for my machine in places. If you want to skip this step, you can just sew the opening closed by hand.

Cute huh? Your hand just slides right in!

Now let’s make the Tropical Bath Tea Soak - so we have something yummy smelling and soothing for the water.
I originally found this recipe here, and just tweaked it a bit for the scent I like. :)
Ingredients:1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup dry milk
1/2 cup oatmeal
2 teaspoons green tea with mango leaves
2 teaspoons peach tea leaves
(If you don’t have loose tea, I found 3 tea bags is about 2 teaspoons. Or close enough anyway. :)
Directions:Begin by grinding up your oatmeal. A coffee grinder works great for this.
Add your oatmeal and other ingredients to a food processor and whiz them up all together.

Add 2 Tablespoons to warm bath water!
That’s it! So easy.
If you tea leaves are big and flaky, your can grind them up in your coffee grinder too, or when you take a bath you can add the 2 Tablespoons to an Organza Drawstring Bag, like this one:

and add the bag to your bathwater. They sell those at craft stores – usually near the wedding supplies.  You could reuse it too – just rinse the tea out after each bath.
I poured the Bath Tea into a bottle I had, and of course dressed it up to match our set. :)
I glued a strip of the cotton around the jar, then glued a strip of lace over that.
I tied a jute string around the neck to hold a tablespoon too.

I found this on www.flamingotoes.com .... plz check her out. She has some really nice list of tutorials.

Sweet Watermelon Sign (summer craft)

Nothing says summertime like fresh, juicy watermelon. A regular menu item at picnics and barbecues and a popular summer decorating theme makes this sweet watermelon sign from Amanda Formaro a great popsicle stick craft.
 

 
Materials:

• 9 jumbo craft sticks
• Scrabble tile letters*
• 12" piece of raffia
• Pink button
• 24" craft wire
• White craft glue
• Brown or black Sharpie marker
• Hot glue gun
• Scraps of felt
•  Paints: pink, green, dark green, black and white

*Note: You can use actual recycled scrabble tiles from an old board game, or purchase these alphabet tiles at your local craft supply store.

Instructions:

1. Paint three of the craft sticks green and the remaining six pink. When dry, use the handle end of a paintbrush to add seeds to the pink craft sticks with black paint. Use a liner brush to add dark green small triangular shapes along one side of each of the green craft sticks.
    
2. Dry brush** the alphabet tiles with white paint and go over the letters with a Sharpie.
    
3. With a piece of scrap paper underneath, glue the pink craft sticks together, side by side.
    
4. Glue one of the green craft sticks to the left of the pink ones with the dark green triangles facing to the left. Glue a second green craft stick to the right side of the pink sticks, this time with the green triangles facing to the right. Finally, glue the last green craft stick to the bottom all the others with the green triangles facing downward. Let dry.
    
5. Peel as much paper off the back of the plaque as you can, though you may want to leave some in place as it an help to hold the item together. Dry brush white paint onto each craft stick.
    
6. Hot glue the alphabet tiles to the front of the plaque.
    
7. Thread the raffia through the button holes and tie into bow. Trim the excess and hot glue to the upper left corner of the plaque.
    
8. Wrap the craft wire around a pencil or the handle of a paint brush. Slide the coiled wire off and stretch it out. Curve into a hanger, trim if needed. Turn the plaque over and hot glue the ends of the hanger to the back of the plaque. Cut small scraps of felt to cover the ends of the wire and hot glue in place. This will protect the wall from being scratched by the wire ends.
    
9. Hang!

**Dry brushing means to add paint to your paint brush, then wipe the excess off of the brush onto paper towel. Use the 'dried' brush to lightly stroke the paint onto the surface giving it a soft, wispy appearance.

Seashell Charm (summer craft)

Bring the beach to you with this Seashell Charm. This textured seashell is perfect for embellishing handmade greeting cards or other paper crafts. It's a fun summer craft that will remind you of days spent at the beach.



Materials:

• Chipboard
• Texture paste
• Sand
• Paper piercer
• Brown ink

Instructions:

1. Take a blank piece of chipboard (already in a shell shape or cut one out)
   
   
    
2. Cover the chipboard with texture paste. You can use your finger, it has the consistency of frosting.
   
   
    
3. Sprinkle the texture paste with sand. Use a paper piercer to draw lines. Sprinkle again to fill in the lines a bit.
   
   
    
4. I distressed the edges a bit with brown ink.
   
   

 

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Neon Jersey Rug (crochet craft)

Brighten up any room in your home with this colorful and fun Neon Jersey Rug.  Made with strips of jersey fabric, this DIY crochet rug pattern is soft on your feet and comfortable to sit and lay on.  This pattern is great for beginner and advanced crocheters alike.  You can make your rug striped like this one or use a single color to make a solid rug that will liven up your living room or bedroom.

Materials:

• Dressmaker Shears (9")
• 7 yards of tan jersey knit
• 5 yards bright yellow jersey knit 
• Crochet hook N (9.00mm)

Instructions:

1. I bought several yards of jersey knit from the fabric store. Jersey knit can be bought at a very reasonable price if you shop around. I think the tan knit I bought was $3 a yard and the bright yellow was $2 a yard, making my project cost about $30 total. However, as with many crafts what you save in money you spend in time!
    
2. To cut the fabric into yarn, it is necessary to have a pair of long, sharp scissors. You are going to be doing A LOT of cutting and it makes sense to have the scissors do the work – not you! I used my favorite 9” Dressmaker shears, with its long blades that cut easily through 2 layers of fabric with very little strain to my hands.
   
    
    
3. I began by folding my fabric in half over my cutting table and starting at the raw edges, cut across the fabric towards the folded edge about 1” in from the bottom.
   
   
    
4. Stopping ½ ” short of the folded edge, I turned my shears back towards the direction they had come from and cut 1” above the previous cutting line.
    
5. As I reached the raw edges opposite the folded edge, I again stopped ½ ” short of cutting through to the end, removed the shears and brought them back around to the outside of the raw edges and cut again.
   
   
    
6. I worked back and forth in this manner for about 1 yard’s length of fabric, at which point I cut the line completely at the folded edge, to remove the fabric from the remaining yardage.
   
   
    
7. Next I had to cut into the fabric to create one long strip which I did by finding the folded edges I had left, and snipping them apart through the fold.
   
   
    
8. To make the jersey more ‘yarn-like’, I pulled it tightly through the handles of my scissors (for friction) to make the edges curl. This turns the fabric from strips into something resembling twine or string.
   
   
    
9. I then rolled the yarn into a ball and repeated the process for the remaining yardage.
   
   
    
10. Ch 5. Sl st into 5th Ch from hook to form ring.
     
11. Ch 2. 11 dc in ring. Join to ch 2 with sl st. (12 st)
     
12. Ch 2. Dc in same stitch. 2 dc in each stitch around. Join to ch 2 with sl st. (24 st)
     
13. Ch 2. Dc in same st, dc in next st. *2 dc in next st, dc in next st* all the way around. (36 st)
     
14. Ch 2. Dc in same st, dc in next 2 st. *2 dc in next st, dc in next 2 st*all the way around (48 st)
     
15. Ch 2. Dc in same st, dc in next 3 st. *2 dc in next st, dc in next 3 st* all the way around (60 st)
    
    
     
16. Continue to increase according to pattern until you get to the desired size. I changed colors whenever I felt the need. Because the stitches are large and the yarn forgiving, I simply cast on the new color yarn by tying it on to the previous strand, hiding the knots on the underside of the rug.

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Simple Sea Shell Cake Stand (summer craft)

Make this Simple Sea Shell Cake Stand for some seasonal decor at your next summer party! It's so simple to do that you can throw this.home decor project together minutes before your party starts! This great quick project is from is from the magazine Holiday with Matthew Mead Summer edition.

Materials:

• Glass cake stand
• Ribbon
• Assorted sea shells
• Hot glue gun

Instructions

1. Use a hot glue gun to adhere thin ribbon around the cake stand's edge.
    
2. Hot glue the clean shells to the ribbon in the order of your choosing.

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Colorful Summer Beach Mat (crochet craft)

This Colorful Summer Beach Mat from Bernat Yarns is great to bring to the beach...or just to add some bright colors to your home!  Perfect for those who are new to crochet, this crochet mat is easy to make and fun to display!  Great for summer, spring, or anytime!

Materials:

• Bernat® Handicrafter Cotton (50 g/1.75 oz)
  • Main color (MC)  (Blue) 5 balls
  • Contrast A (Green) 4 balls
  • Contrast B (Orange) 4 balls
  • Contrast C (Pink) 4 balls

Size 4.5 mm (U.S. 7) crochet hook or size needed to obtain gauge.
MEASUREMENTS:  Approx 28 x 60 ins [71 x 152 cm].
GAUGE:  14 sc and 16 rows = 4 ins [10 cm].
 
Instructions:

1. Note: When changing colors, work to last 2 loops on hook of last st, then draw new color through rem 2 loops and proceed.
    
2. With MC, ch 99.
    
3. 1st row: (RS). 1 dc in 4th ch from hook (counts as 2 dc). 1 dc in each ch across. 97 sts. Join A. Turn.
    
4. 2nd row:With A, ch 1. 1 sc in each dc across. Join MC. Turn.
    
5. 3rd row:With MC, ch 3 (counts as dc). 1 dc in each sc across. Join A. Turn.
    
6. 4th row: As 2nd row. Join B. Turn.
    
7. 5th row: With B, as 3rd row. Join C. Turn.
    
8. 6th row: With C, as 2nd row. Join B. Turn.
    
9. 7th row: As 5th row.
    
10. 8th row: With C, as 2nd row. Join A. Turn.
     
11. 9th row: With A, as 3rd row. Join MC. Turn.
     
12. 10th row: With MC, as 2nd row. Join A. Turn.
     
13. 11th row: As 9th row.
     
14. 12th row: With MC, as 2nd row. Join C. Turn.
     
15. 13th row: With C, as 3rd row. Join B. Turn.
     
16. 14th row: With B, as 2nd row. Join C. Turn.
     
17. 15th row: As 13th row.
     
18. 16th row: With B, as 2nd row. Join MC. Turn.
     
19. 17th row: With MC, as 3rd row. Join A. Turn.
     
20. Rep 2nd to 17th rows for Stripe Pat until work from beg measures approx 57½ ins [146 cm] ending on a 4th row of pat. Fasten off.
     
21. Edging: 1st rnd: With RS facing, join MC with sl st to any corner of Mat and work 1 row of sc evenly around outer edge, working 3 sc in corners. Join with sl st to first sc.
     
22. 2nd rnd: Ch 1. Working from left to right, instead of from right to left as usual, work 1 reverse sc in each sc around. Join with sl st to first sc.
     
23. Fasten off.
     
24. Ties: (make 2) With MC, make a chain 36 ins [91.5 cm] long. Turn ch sideways and sl st in each ‘bump’ at side of chain. Fasten off. Fold each tie in half and sew to short end of Mat 2½ ins [6 cm] in from side edges.

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