Tammy Mitchell Photography» handmade

Let’s Party: Kid’s party ideas: Throw a bakery birthday

Tammy — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:32:20 +0000

Throwing this little party was SO much fun!!! And, believe it or not, it was surprisingly easy too. If you’re looking for a fun and easy idea for your little one’s birthday this year, maybe this will work for you too!

I wanted the house to resemble a bakery counter. I made a simple sign with cardstock and some poster board and the help of my great neighbor Karen’s cricut machine. I set the island full of cookie sheets of homemade cookies, cupcakes to be decorated, donuts…etc. When the girls arrived they were each given a cute apron and a chef’s hat with a matching yoyo on the front to wear while they were baking. The talented Bobbi from Bobbityboo on etsy made the aprons and hats…they were SO cute!

We kicked things off by making sugar cookies. The girls rolled the dough, cut the shapes and made a giant mess…they were having so much fun!

Once the cookie fun was done I whisked them away to bake them while the girls decorated pink bakery boxes. I picked them up at my local donut shop for $1 a piece. They probably would have sold them to me for 50 cents, but since the lady looked at me like I was nuts when I told her I wanted to buy just boxes…not donuts, I offered her $1 a piece.

I collected stickers, rhinestones, glitter, die cuts and all sorts of other fun scrapbook supplies from my never ending stash and let the girls go to town. I labeled each box with a blue polka dot flower that had their initial stamped in the center to identify them and tie them into the rest of the party decor.

then we played pin the sprinkles on the cupcake… By then the cookies were baked and cooled and I brought out the decorating supplies. We spent some time decorating cookies and cupcakes, sang happy birthday and ate till their bellies were full and opened presents. Each guest then took their pink bakery boxes that they had decorated and filled them with goodies that they had made and some from the bakery counter to take home and share with their families.

Ashley STILL talks about it. I have to say that aside from making some cookie dough and cupcakes ahead of time, there really wasn’t a whole lot of prep. It was fun and easy and a lot of “bang for my buck.”

I hope you are feeling inspired to throw a birthday bakery! If you do, send me some pictures so I can see it!!

Do you have a great party to share? I’d love to see it! Check out the submission guidelines and send it on over so I can feature you here on the blog!

Have a great Monday!

-t

Hostess with the Mostess: Baby Shower Idea Vintage Dick and Jane Style B is for Boy

Tammy — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:10:58 +0000

One of my cute friends is having a baby NEXT week!!! We had to get together to celebrate the arrival of this sweet little boy into house full of all things girly!

You know me, when somebody says party my brain goes into overdrive!! When planning a party I always think about a theme first. Whether that theme is a color palette or a style doesn’t matter….just something that makes bringing everything else together easier. I immediately thought of a vintage baby boy theme since I have some cool vintage glass plates and cups that I have been DYING to have an excuse to use, so this was perfect! You can find them pretty easily at most antique stores.

I found this cute little shop online, Pretty Little Studio, that makes the most adorable vintage baby flashcards and all kinds of fun stuff. I had her custom make some invitations for me and I think they turned out SO cute!!

We served simple breakfast foods that were yummy…a parfait bar with yogurt, fresh berries and granola, bite sized cinnamon rolls and other pastries, and a yummy drink. To go along with the theme I made a little label for each food item

I just made them in photoshop and printed them out on cute scrapbook paper. I also made one for the gift table:

Now my favorite part…the favors!! John thinks I’m crazy because I spend hours making things like this, but this is honestly the most fun part for me. These are very easy and inexpensive to make, but they are time consuming. If you have the time and love to be crafty then these are perfect for you!

to make the giant cookies find the recipe here

for the bags you will need:

a roll of parchment paper

thread

a sewing machine

ribbon

a hole punch

pinking shears

any deocrations you want for the bags

Cut parchment paper into 6.5×14″ strips. fold in half and stitch the sides up using a colorful thread and a zig-zag stitch. trim off the excess on the sides with the pinking shears. slip a cookie into the pouch. fold the top of the bag over and punch two holes at the top about an inch apart. feed the ribbon through the holes and tie into a bow on the front sideof your bag. decorate as you like.

like I said, pretty easy, just time consuming but I think the result is WELL worth it!

It’s easy to do this for any shower boy or girl, or even if you don’t know what it is just make a mix of boy and girl vintage tags! It would also be cute for a little girl’s birthday party if you played some vintage games and added a few more decorations and changed the food a bit!

Hopefully that gets your creative juices flowing for your next party!

Have a great day!
-t

make this: super cute fabric flowers

Tammy — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:59:42 +0000

I saw these and thought they were too cool so I had to share! Thanks to Blue Cricket Design for the idea!

supplies

jersey knit

tape measure/ruler

scissors

hot glue

cut two pieces of jersey knit about 1.5″x20″. lay them on top of each other

cut 1/4″ wide slits about 1″ down

from one end, start rolling the fabric. use hot glue to secure it every so often.

hold on to the “stem” and “fluff” the flower piece

how easy is that?? and so cute! i can think of a million uses for these! have fun crafting!!!

have a great day!
-t

{Picture Perfect} Online Digital Photography Classes and a family favorite recipe

Tammy — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:59:05 +0000

If you’ve been trying to decide whether or not to join us this session, you only have 3 days left to decide!!! You CAN learn how to use yor camera and take better pictures in this 6 week, low stress, flexible and fun class. Class starts Saturday. Only 2 spots left!! You can register and find more information here:

{Picture Perfect} Class Info and Registration

And, just because I have a hard time posting without a picture, I thought I’d share one of our favorite recipes. If you don’t have Tyler’s Ultimate Cookbook, I HIGHLY recommend it. I make more stuff out of that book than probably any other and my kids scarf it down!! Here’s one of our favorites that I made last night…bon apetite!

Tyler’s Ultimate Rustic Rigatoni, Sausage and Eggplant (we don’t like eggplant so I omit it!)

Ingredients

Kosher Salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
6 links fennel pork sausage (about 3/4 pound)
1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large can (28 ounces) peeled whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
Leaves from 1 small bunch basil
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound fresh mozzarella
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the pasta. Get yourself a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

Heat a 2 count of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and toss in the hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes, you want them nicely browned on the outside but still rare on the inside. Put the sausages in the baking dish.

Turn the heat down to medium. Add a generous 1/3 cup of oil to the skillet and get it hot. Add as many eggplant pieces as you can comfortably fit in a single layer and sprinkle well with salt. Cook, turning, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the eggplant is nice and browned, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Use a spatula to put the eggplant into the baking dish with the sausage. Cook the rest of the eggplant pieces, adding more oil to the pan, as needed, and putting the finished eggplant into the baking dish.

Add another 2 count of oil to the skillet, then your onion and garlic, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Dump the whole can of tomatoes and their juices into a bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands to break them up; add that to the pan with the basil and cook it down until pulpy and relatively thick. This will take about 15 minutes.

By this time your pasta water will be boiling. Add the rigatoni, give it a stir, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, it should be slightly firm as it will cook further in the oven. Ladle out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve; the drain the rigatoni.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Chop the sausages into nice big, bite-size chunky pieces and return the pieces to the baking dish. Add the tomato sauce, rigatoni, and the reserved pasta water. Break up half the mozzarella over the mixture, season with salt and pepper, and gently mix with your hands or a spatula. Dust with the Parmigiano and drizzle with more olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Spread the remaining mozzarella in an even layer over the top and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Yum!! Have a great day!
-t

Make This: Cute Crafty Ideas for Easter

Tammy — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 09:57:46 +0000

Andy has Friday off for his birthday (at least that’s what he thinks…actually it’s for Good Friday, but when you’re 7 it’s more fun to think it’s for your birthday! ) so I’ve been trying to come up with some fun Easter ideas todo that day. Here are a few of my favorites so far:

from Ladies Home Journal the bunny pop…if you don’t want to go through the hassle/mess of making rice krispie treats omit the first four ingredients. Pre-made rice krispie treats make these a breeze!!

Ingredients

Vegetable cooking spray
10 cups Rice Krispies® or any crisped-rice cereal
2 packages (10 oz each) marshmallows
6 tablespoons butter
1 lb semisweet chocolate, melted
1- 1/4 lbs white chocolate, melted
Red food coloring
30 popsicle sticks

Directions

1. Lightly coat a 15-by-10-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Place cereal in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; set aside. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add marshmallows. Stir until smooth. Pour over cereal and stir to combine. Spread out in prepared pan and press firmly to flatten. Let stand until cool, about 1 hour. Trim edges and cut into 30 3-by-1-1/4-inch bars. Push a popsicle stick through one narrow end of each bar.

3. Using an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of white chocolate over tops of 15 bars. Repeat, using semisweet chocolate for remaining 15 bars. Transfer to a baking sheet and refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes. Place a wire rack over another baking sheet. Dip the white bars in white chocolate and the semisweet bars in semisweet chocolate; place on rack, allowing excess chocolate to drip off bars. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Makes 30 pops.

4. To paint faces on bars: Add 1 or 2 drops of food coloring into remaining white chocolate and stir to combine. Using the tip of a wooden skewer or a paintbrush, dip in pink chocolate, then paint ears and nose on bars. Use semisweet chocolate and white chocolate to make eyes. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. (Can be made ahead. Store in an airtight container, in a single layer, in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Serve cold or at room temperature.)

5. Per semisweet chocolate bar: 280 calories, 12.5 g total fat, 7.5 g sat fat, 123 mg sodium, 44 g carbs, 17 mg calcium, 7 mg chol, 2 g protein, 2 g fiber

6. Per white chocolate bar: 310 calories, 13.5 g total fat, 9 g sat fat, 152 mg sodium, 42 g carbs, 51 mg calcium, 12 mg chol, 3 g protein, 1 g fiber

OK, how adorable is this??? This comes from the brilliant minds over at eighteen25. If you can believe it it’s a tray from the $1 bin at my favorite place, Target, spray painted robin’s egg blue and the bunny silhouette was added. You know how I feel about silhouettes!!!

And finally, Andy came home with one of these today and I was in love. John has a REAL weakness for these things. I don’t particularly care for them, but when I saw this idea I HAD to share it because it’s pretty stinkin cute best of all there’s a free download so you can make your own! Download them here

I’ve got a few more things up my sleeve…stay tuned!

Have a great day!

-t

make this: homemade valentines

Tammy — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:56:39 +0000

I’ll admit it…I LOVE valentine’s day. Not so much for the mushy romantic stuff, mor for the fun, cute stuff. It gives me a great excuse to make all kinds of cute, kinda cheesy stuff that you can get away with on a day like this.

This year my valentines have taken on a beach theme. I didn’t really plan it, I was just working around things that I had around the house. I’m fortunate in that both of my kids are at small schools with teeny classes…so I can make slightly more elaborate things without breaking the bank. I definitely wouldn’t be doing these things for a class of 35, but they are fun for the special valentines your kids may have. The other thing I love about these is that they are both great for boys. Girls are easy, because they can give things that are in primary colors and nobody thnks anything of it, but boys are hard. So much of the valentine’s stuff out there is pink and purple and mushy. I’m happy to say these are BOTH great for the little guys (and gals) in your life.

i dig u

i hit the dollar bins at michaels and found some cute shovels to make these with. Here’s what you’ll need:

-inexpensive shovels

-small clear bags of some sort

-candy(i bought cady that had wrappers that were in primary colors so they would match my shovels…something to think about. it’s a sickness…I know. )

-ribbon

-cut out heart shapes (an extra large heart punch or die cut machine of some sort works great for these!)

-alphabet stamps (or you can print on the paper with your computer before you punch out the hearts)

-a hole punch

-scissors

-tape

1. put you candy in the bags and seal. punch two holes at the top of the bag about an inch or so apart.

2. string ribbon through hole on the right

3. place candy bag in your shovel and wrap the ribbon around the back of the shovel handle.

4. pull ribbon from behind shovel handle through the hole on the left hand side ofthe candy bag to bring the ribbon together in the front so you can tie a bow.

5. cut out your hearts and stamp with “i dig u”

6. tape hearts to front of candy bag

7. hand out and enjoy!

have a ball, valentine

supplies:

-beach balls

-tags

-ribbon

-string (i used embroidery thread)

-tape

-hole punch

these are super easy! i found my beach balls at walmart for 77 cents each. my ribbon is from a giant spool at costco and the tags I made in about 5 minutes in photoshop…good news…here’s a free download of the tags for your own use!

Have a Ball

1. take beach balls out of their package and roll up. tape into place.

2. tie ribbon around balls

3. cut out your tags and punch a hole in the top

3. use the string to tie your tags around the knot in the bow to secure them to the balls.

done!

Hope you have a happy valentine’s day!!

-t

Make This: How to Make Adorable Matchbox Valentines

Tammy — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:11:20 +0000

I have been saving this one for you for almost a year!! I ran across it last year just after valentines and saved these pictures to share this year just in time for valentines. They are seriously SO cute and easy. I am headed to albertsons today to grab some matchboxes (about $1.50 for 10 boxes) and make these myself.

Grab some scraps of paper and ribbon, some tape and a heart punch and you’ve got yourself some homemade valentines in minutes…

Thanks to inchmark for the cute idea!

Have a great Thursday!!

-t

Buy This: Bobbity Boo ADORABLE skirts and a GIVEAWAY!

Tammy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:49:49 +0000

I’ll admit it…I have been listening to Christmas music for the last week. All 6 cd’s in the car…Christmas. In the house…Christmas music…on my ipod…you get the idea. I LOVE Christmas!!! So you can imagine that doing this shoot made me want it to be here even more!

When I ran across this cute little shop I just KNEW I had to share it with those of you that have little girls. These are the CUTEST skirts!! BobbityBoo (LOVE that name!!) is the vision of sweet Bobbi. In our conversations over email I can just tell that if she lived nearby we would totally hang out! She is SUPER great to work with and just makes SUCH fun stuff…she is defnintely doing her best to live up to her slogan…”do your part to make this world a cuter place to live!” See what I’m talking about…

seriously, wht little girl doesn’t want a twirly skirt like this??? and check out some of these other cuties..

I want to plan a hoedown just so I can have an excuse to buy that black skirt…who am I kidding, why do I need an excuse?? Something I absolutely LOVE about Bobbi is she keeps her prices EXTREMELY reasonable!! She has fun sharing her talents and recognizes that times are tough. It is amazing to me that you can get a CUSTOM HANDMADE item for less than stuff in the stores!!

I just can’t tell you HOW fun these are on!! They make for GREAT pictures! Wouldn’t they make for fun gifts. She is more than happy to make custom creation for any need you may have.

So, do you want to win a handmade creation from Bobbi?? The lucky winner will get to pick ANY SKIRT FROM HER STORE!!!! Yes, you read that right…any one you choose!!! You know the drill…visit her store and leave a comment telling me which one of the skirts you would choose.

If you FaceBook or blog about the giveaway, leave another comment letting me know you did for an additional 5 entries per blog/FB post.

Winner will be announced Tuesday. Winner must contact me with their shipping info to claim their prize no later than the following Friday, or another winner will be chosen!

Have a great weekend!

-t

Make This: DIY How to make Stamped Onesies–A great baby gift!

Tammy — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:28:08 +0000

When I ran across these a few weeks ago, I couldn’t help but think–GENIUS!! They are super cute, aforadable, and you can make them in any shape or color. Your baby can have handmade clothes that are super cute and easy! It doesn’t get better than that!

How about having the supplies on hand and making it baby shower activity? Let each of the guests create their own unique onesie for the mom to be.

I’m always looking for fun and unique gift ideas and I think these are perfect!! Just a warning though, if you show up with a couple of these at the next shower, be prepared to be invited to many more!!!

Check out the tutorial on the American Crafts blog.

Happy Crafting!

-t