Recipe: Sugar Cookies

Today we are going to make sugar cookies.  This is my go-to recipe whenever I want to make cut out cookies.  So yummy and easy to make! 

Skill Level: Easy
Items Needed:

Mixer

Baking Sheet

Parchment Paper (if desired)

Cooling Rack
Plastic Bag/wrap

Rolling Pin

Cookie Cutter

and Ingredients (only 6)!

Average Time: 45-60 minutes

 

Get a Little Buddy to Help out

Ingredients:

3/4 cup soft butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar

Add vanilla and egg

Add flour and salt

Mix until you have a dough. Divide and flatten into discs.  Put the discs into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface

Let little helper try it too!

 

Use fun shapes.  Since it's still fall, I used leaf cutters.  But this recipe is so easy to use for all season and holidays!

Score the "leaf" with a knife so that it looks even more realistic.

Bake in the oven at 325F for about 13-15 minutes.  Cool on a cookie rack and enjoy!

Make lots of different shapes for variety.

Put it in a nice tin and bring it to your next party!

Happy Thanksgiving to our Cousins down South

Happy Thanksgiving!  Yes, I know we already celebrated Thanksgiving last month but any excuse to have turkey, right?  Here's another pic of me and Monkey this past October.

Today Monkey was concerned that the squirrels weren't getting enough nuts for their winter storage.  So, we ended up leaving some snacks.  He also thought they might like some cheerios and goldfish.  Afterwards, he stomped on some more nuts because he knew they didn't have a nutcracker.  He's so sweet!

Gobble gobble to everyone out there celebrating Thanksgiving!


In celebration of Thanksgiving for my US customers, Josh and Teo is holding a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale.  All toy leashes in my shop are on sale.  Use coupon code BLACKFRIDAY10 for a 10% discount.  If you like me on Facebook, find the coupon code and save 20%!  Happy shopping!!!

Under 50 Bucks - Bag it!

Another day, another lovely treasury.  I love ETSY people.  They really know how to search for really cool items.  My Josh and Teo stroller bag was included in this treasury of bags.  I love love love the grey shoulder bag with the rose detail.   Here's a link to ETSY.

It's been a crazy crazy week and I have yet to post some of our adventures.  Reason?  I just discovered Pinterest and Twitter.  More things to distract me :o)

Josh & Teo was Featured in Chatelaine Magazine!

I'm doing a happy happy dance.  Why?  Because the December 2011 Chatelaine Holiday Issue just came out last week and my internet shop:  Josh & Teo was featured!

This is my first feature in a National Magazine!  If you someone told me a year ago that I would be doing this, I would have laughed.  I had just had Baby Bunny and was so tired.  But this past April, with the support of amazing hubby, I opened up my online shop.  When I sold my first item, both hubby and I jumped for joy.   Monkey thought we were crazy.   That was then and this is now!

I even saved the screenshot from my first sale!

My first feature is in the Family Travel 2011 Edition.  It's all about 1" tall!  But it's such an honour to be chosen amongst all of the other amazing shops out there on the internet.   I hope that the magazine's online site will feature it too.

This is the toy leash that sparked their interest.  It's amazing that we first started conversing about this in June - 2 months after I opened shop.  

Can you see it?  How about now?  There's my website!

I'm going to be in the magazine again in February 2012.  However, it's not going to be a feature but a correction.  Aaah... the world of publishing.  Sometimes mistakes are made and this one happened to be that the wrong picture was used.   While it was upsetting at first, the positive outcome is that I will get a correction printed with the correct picture and my website.  So, it's like two times the exposure!

I'm starting to believe that anything can happen if you stay positive and work hard.  Either that or I'm just humming the theme song to "Timothy goes to School". 

Black and white stripes with scent of red

I love ETSY Treasuries.  I don't like making them because there are just too many nice things to choose from.  So I'm really happy to be featured by others!  My little toy tether is featured amongst a really cool collection of stripes with a hint of red.  

Here is a link to the ETSY Treasury.  Thank you to Zita!

Royal Ontario Museum... again!

Last week we went to the ROM again.  The kids cannot get enough of this place!

This time we decided to take it slow and we mostly stayed in the biodiversity section.

Here are some random pictures... Monkey was very upset when he saw the video with the trapped turtle.  We watched it many times.  He just couldn't understand why anyone would do that.  He's so sweet!

Then we went to the Discovery Gallery for some more fun

My budding paleontologist

Here is bunny hiding behind the abacus

I wanted to get this at lunch but forgot

Mammoth tooth!

Triceratops or Styracosaurus? 

Kids love to touch stuff!

We saw this guy in the elevator

Joshie's fave!  He calls it the "Lemon/Lime"

Pretty fall day

Heading home...  kids are asleep... aah!!!

Candy Canes and Christmas Trees

Not to worry, I am not that far ahead.  This is the name of a really cool ETSY Treasury.

Click here to access the actual products.  Or take a peek below.

p.s... love the legs on those Candy Cane baby legs.  I just want to bite them!

 It's beginning... we went to visit Santa already!

Free Stuff - Yes I got Free Stuff!

The last couple of days has yielded me some free stuff.  Who doesn't like free stuff, right?
(Actually, one was a replacement item but I'm counting into this happy post)

The kids got some free stuff too.  Bubble wrap!

Popping Hands!

Stomping Feet!

Item 1:  Designer Travel Wipes Case with Diaper Strap - Dinos in Black     

                         

I entered a web contest from A Sprouting Acorn to win a Dinosaur wipes case from an ETSY shop called Playful Peanut.  Kids are into everything Dinosaur.  Remember the post about Danny and the Dinosaur?   Although I haven't been contacted to provide my details, I hope to hear soon as the kids are going to be so happy to see this.


Item 2:  A Hanky Book





L'il Sugar sponsored a giveaway from a company called Hanky Book.  It's a fabric book that you can use like a hanky, and then toss into the washing machine!  Cool, huh?   Here's a link to Hanky Book's website.  They asked me to pick 3.  These are the ones I chose.

Last but not least...

Item 3: Replacement Scissors from Fiskars

Awesome customer service from Fiskars.  I purchased a pair of new scissors and I sent them a note because the scissors were really hard to open and close.  I had already used them so I wasn't sure what to do with them.  Well, they sent me a replacement pair at no extra cost.  I love you Fiskars!

Tutorial: Onesie Extender

Today we are going to make a onesie extender!  This handy little thing will help extend the life of your baby's onesies.  My kids are both tall and were outgrowing their clothes too fast.  I wanted them to stay in their cute clothes just a little bit longer.

Skill Level: Easy
Items Needed:

Old onesie

Ruler

Fabric pen

Pins

Sewing machine or needle/thread

Average Time: 10 minutes

Find a onesie that you don't need anymore.  This one had a stain that we couldn't get out. 

Make sure that the snaps are the right size.  Snap the onesie to other onesies.  Not all onesie manufacturers use the same size of snaps.

Decide how long you want the extender to be.  I used 2" in this example but 1"-2" would be fine too.  Draw a square.

Cut out your square.  Do the same for the back piece.  Next, fold in the edges of the the squares you just cut.  Note the direction of the fold.

Pin the two pieces together.   Make sure that the folded edge is turned under when you pit it to the other piece.  Here is the front view and the back view

Follow the fold line and sew a straight line.  Do this for both sides.

Now it's a little bit of a mess so trim the edges with a pair of scissors.  When you have finished trimming, use a zigzag stitch to bind the sides together.

Voila!!  The finished product.  The best part about this project is that it doesn't have to be perfect.  No one will see it but you!!

Happy Sewing!