Mother's Day Bake Sale 7

I used deeper more square boxes without a window on top for the chocolate, chocolate chip cookies. Before I loaded the cookies into the boxes, I lined each box with butcher's paper - heavy white paper that is waxy on one side. I figured this would reduce "greasy" spots on the boxes and help keep the cookies fresher.

I still struggle with getting cookies the right amount of crunchy and chewy in our oven. Some of these cookies felt a little too crunchy for my taste. I decided they still probably tasted just fine so I included a serving suggestion on their tags: Microwave for a couple seconds, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and make a sandwich!

Sooooo good!

I learned an interesting baking tip from this recipe. I typically line my cookie sheet - I don't have any of those fancy silicone liners or air-bake sheets cause I don't bake enough to justify that type of gear - with wax or parchment paper. For whatever reason, the paper sometimes makes the smoke alarms ring. I can't figure out why this happens as there is no smoke and no burning smell. Using the vent hood doesn't seem to help. At any rate, this recipe recommended lining the cookie sheet with aluminum foil. It worked like a charm and no blaring smoke alarms! I'll definitely try this tip from now on!

Mother's Day Bake Sale 6

Sugar Crusted Raspberry Muffins packaged up all pretty.

I found these girly looking tags in the scrap-booking aisle of the craft store. I always keep plain tags in white and cream on hand in case I need to label something or to use as gift tags.

I decided to use one of each tag. On the plain tags, I wrote a description of the baked good. In a wine-encouraged moment of shameless self-promotion, I also included my blog's URL. I then layered the printed girly tag on top. I left these tags blank intentionally in case someone wanted to use it as a gift tag. . .as in "To Mom, Love your Darling Son." :)

I opted for feminine colors for the ribbons in keeping with the Mother's Day theme but these boxes would look gorgeous with simple hemp cord or kitchen twine and craft paper or plain cream colored tags.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 5

Boxing up the bake sale goodies. As I mentioned, my baking skills are average so I wanted my packaging to really make a good impression. Of course C said I was going way overboard. Needless to say I felt quite smug when I learned one lady on our block baked 60 pound cakes. . .That's right 60. Compared to that effort, I look like a slacker!

I have never explored the baking aisles at the national craft store chains (Michael's or JoAnn's) because I typically don't bake. However, I was very pleased when I started looking around. One of my concerns was how to package the goodies. Luckily, they make these very professional looking bakery boxes in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

And yes, I probably did go a little overboard in terms of purchasing packaging. . .but I didn't want to be stuck with too few. This you will find, is a common theme with me. . .If 12 boxes are good, 20 would be better!

I won't let them go to waste. Just yesterday, I baked the shortbread again for a friend. She appreciated the packaging.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 4

Both recipes were relatively simple to follow. These are the Tilghman Treats. You roll the dough into a log, refrigerate for a bit and slice little rounds and bake until they are golden and crunchy. I was tempted to try these myself. They reminded me of a cheesy whole wheat crouton.

I mixed up the batter for the muffins and I used a mini muffin pan figuring these would be easier to feed a dog. A whole muffin might be a little much. I specifically went to the store to purchase mini muffin cup liners so they would be all cute and individually wrapped. They seemed to bake just fine and I packaged everything up and went to bed. . . .

The following afternoon, I decided to let our dogs taste test the extra dog treats. That's when I noticed the error of my ways in terms of the muffins. The paper liner cups were impossibly stuck to the muffins! This of course was quite disappointing since I had already packaged up a bunch of treats. Ugh. There was some debate about how much a dog would care about a little paper stuck to their banana carrot muffin. But C and I ultimately decided we would hate for that paper to be somehow detrimental to a dog (thinking intestinal obstruction) so only Tilghman's treats made it to the sale.

I would make the muffins again but obviously omit the paper liners. The dog muffin batter isn't quite the same consistency as a typical muffin batter or cake batter and I suspect that's what contributed to the major malfunction.

If you'd like the dog treat recipes or any other bake sale recipe, post a comment with an email address or other contact info and I'll pass them along.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 3

Paw prints on the "Doggie Bags." It's not extremely original but still seemed very appropriate.

So my plan was to load these bags with a combo of both types of treats. I thought I'd use these clever little printed cards with Molly and Tilghman's photos on them to remind folks the treats are all natural and contain no preservatives so they should be enjoyed quickly or frozen for later, etc.

My plans seldom ever go according to plan. . .

Mother's Day Bake Sale 2

I opted for two types of dog treats. One was a banana carrot muffin. The other treat was a cheesy biscuit. I can't take credit for either recipe. I located both online. I opted for these two treats because they seemed relatively simple to prepare. I was surprised to see how many dog treats require yeast and a more involved baking process.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 1

Every year on Mother's Day weekend, our block has a bake sale. We use the proceeds to help fund our summer block party. Unfortunately, in years past I've been unable to participate because we have been out of town. This year everything worked out. I have a tendency to over-commit but it typically works out.

I made an ambitious list:
Lemon Chamomile Shortbread
Sugar-crusted Raspberry Muffins
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
and. . .
DOG TREATS!

I figured the folks in our neighborhood are pretty wild about their pets so perhaps homemade dog treats would be a good item.

You should understand I don't find baking that enjoyable. It's much too precise for my skill set. I can typically crank out something average however. So in order to set my goods apart I went with something I'm much better at: Presentation.

Here you see some of the packaging for Molly's Muffins and Tilghman's Treats. These never actually made it to the bake sale unfortunately. . .

Ikea. Really?

found these lovely accent pillows and matching lampshades at Ikea. They coordinate nicely with the prints hanging above the bed. A nice find in an unexpected place.

Closet Case #92

I had an extra small fabric covered ox from Ikea so I fashioned a "Just in Case" case. It's stowed on the very bottom shelf of our closet.

The just in case case contains items some might keep in their nightstand. Since we don't have conventional nightstands, we lack adequate storage space in that location. I filled the box with a flashlight, batteries, important emergency numbers, matches, a few first aid items, etc.

Consider making your own "Just in Case" case.

Consider spending part of a weekend getting important documents in order.

Consider keeping $20 stashed somewhere in the house. It can be a lifesaver if you're running late and don't have time to stop at an ATM. Don't keep too much on hand though. That's what banks are for.

Consider taking photos of your house occasionally as well as new high ticket items. Share them with your insurance agent so you are sure you are fully insured. Keep a copy on disc or CD in your safe deposit box. Also, consider keeping digital copies of all your photos with friends or better yet with an online photo service/file storage site. If anything should happen, you can have your photos reproduced.

Consider keeping flashlights, fire extinguishers, extra batteries, matches, and candles in an accessible location on each floor of your home so you're always prepared.

Don't forget the pets! If you're making lists of emergency contacts and medications, be sure to include your furry housemates.

Closet Case #73

Things in the closet were coming together at this point. The black and white floral covered boxes are from Ikea. They were a real find! Very reasonably priced, easy to put together, sturdy and pretty. Since the boxes are not see-through, I added a tag for each box for ease in locating items.

More frequently used items obviously go on the lower shelves for convenience. The very top shelves are only accessible by ladder so anything that goes up there is really only used on the rarest of occasions.

I Just Loooooovvvvveee Pigs!

Th


Found these sublime little Bellek little pigs in an antique shop in Westminster the other weekend while shopping for something that we could repurpose as a counter top table.

Goes like this:

C patiently looks through the extensive inventory with me.

Owner explains he is going to his office to take a phone call.

C sees the light of the exit. . . .

I stop.

I see the luminious glow of the fine glaze on the porcelain of these delicate little pigs.

d to C: Please go get the guy. I want these pigs.

C to d: Do you know how much they are?

d to C: I know nothing about them. They are in a display case marked, "Please ask for assistance." I want assistance.

Owner: You have a good eye.

d to self: No expletive.

Hahaha.

I went home with two pigs and I don't regret it!

Closet Case #08

Tools for the fun part of organizing a closet. . .If there is such a thing!

Closet Case Continued

Once you get your pouch all ready, you can finish it with a some beautiful ribbon, or a button, or a toggle, or a lovely broach. ALWAYS add a tag so you know what is in the pouch for easy dressing and creative wardrobe "malfunctions." hee, hee

Closet Case #06

Once you have the item centered on the fabric, "eye ball" or pin the folds. Iron lightly on the folds.

Then "unfold" the material.

Place the fusing bond close to the edge of the fabric but inside the hemmed edge. If you are using unfinished fabric cut it with pinking shears to reducing fraying and place fusing tape about a 1/4 to 1/2 an inch from the outer edge.

Iron the fusing tape until a bond forms.

Reminder!! Your goal is to basically make a "pouch" or envelop for the accessories so you want to leave room with your fabric for a flap that will fold over the top of the items inside.

Closet Case #05

These dust covers are not an exact science. Take the bag or shoes or any other object you desire to be protected and "measure" it up v your fabric. You might need to fuse several pieces together to form an adequately sized cover.

Aside? This is a $12 purse from Target. I carried it on my wedding day. (Married in Vegas. . .it worked. Trust me).

Closet Case #07

Dust cover? Inexpensive fabric? Inexpensive, easy, dust covers!!!

Needed (no sew way!!!):
1. Light weight towels/bar rags, car rags, old sheets, etc.
2. Sharp Scissors
3. Fusing tape (iron on seam bond)
4. Iron & board (safe ironing surface)

Optional:
5. Buttons, ribbon, other accessories
6. Tags for labeling
7. Sharpie or other permanent marker
8. Amusement (Like a funny movie or radio to listen to for fun while ironing)

Closet Case #11

We went to Ikea a few weekends ago. You never come out of Ikea without at least a Fleeger-haukn-malta-blorger.

I found some excellent light weight vintage looking tea-towels. They were priced at 49 cents apiece.

Cha-Ching.

When you find this sort of item, you scoop it up by the arm-load. It's the kind of item that just screams: I'm economical, I'm pleasing in my timeless simplicity, my quality is average. My price is right. Buy me now, think later.

Buy, buy, buy indeed.

Closet Case #10

Situation: Lower-end purses and shoes do not come with dust covers. But that doesn't mean I love them any less.

Resolution: Make your own dust covers. . .

Closet Case #27

This is still in the early stages. . .

How HomeEckWreck runs a closet (since middle school - no joke):

1. Organized by color
2. Needs to be neat, pleasing to the eye, and inspiring
3. Needs to make me feel like I'm shopping in a high end boutique
4. Respect the clothes - proper hangers, tissue paper, cedar chips, sachets, etc
5. Don't forget the accessories

Our closet is open to our bedroom by design. C and I are both neat nicks and I can lie in bed in the morning surveying my wardrobe, looking for inspiration. An open closet is good for our space constraints and it's great for my lazy "what to wear" habits.

I'm ruthless with my editing. If it hasn't been worn in a year, it's gone. I give all my clothes to my Mom. My family gets to check it out and she takes the rest to a consignment shop where all proceeds benefit the Humane Society.

Closet Case #36

We are blessed with a lovely custom cedar closet. How it's utilized is an embarassment. I've been on a mission to change that. . .