Easy Dinner Rolls

I used to be afraid of making rolls.

There.... I said it.  It's out there now on the interwebs.

I feel free admitting that actually.  A weight has been lifted.

Are you the same way?  Do they freak you out?  I think my biggest hang up has been that it seemed like every recipe required "scalding milk."  When I googled how to scald milk it said you heat it up until right before it boils.  Well, I can't predict the future so how am I supposed to know the precise moment before it boils???  Also, a lot of roll recipes make you do that thing where you have to dissolve the yeast in a cup of warm water to a certain consistency/frothiness that I knew I would mess up.  So yeah, scary.

That is all in the past now.  My SIL taught me this recipe years ago and I have made it no less than 200 times since.  Really.  There was a period of time where I would crank these out every 10 days or so! Now it's once every couple of months.  They freeze great and can be pulled out of the freezer and thawed to perfection in a couple of hours.  Best part?  No scalded milk or dissolving the yeast.  Hooray!

So here is Landee's Easy Dinner Roll Recipe... just in time for a few practice runs before the holidays!

Ingredient List:

1 can evaporated milk

1 C. warm water

1.5 sticks butter (melted)

3 eggs (beaten)

1 T. salt

1/2 C. sugar

2 T. yeast

~6 or 7 C. flour

Step One:  Mix evaporated milk and water in bowl and warm in microwave (about 1 minute).

Step Two: Pour mixture in mixer (I use my Bosch), add melted butter, beaten eggs, salt, and sugar.  Mix for about 30 seconds.

Step Three: Add yeast.  Mix for a few seconds.

Step Four:  (This is where you need to watch it.)  Switch to your dough hook and turn on mixer.  Add flour a cup at a time until dough begins to pull away from sides of bowl.  MIX FOR 5 MINUTES.

(See how it's still kind of stuck there on the bottom of the bowl?  That is how you want it.  Not too sticky but sticky enough.  Too much flour just makes your rolls taste like bread rather than yummy yeasty rolls).

Step Five:  Transfer dough into a large greased bowl, cover with towel and allow to rise for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.

Step Six: Punch down dough and divide into 4 even clumps.

Step Seven:  Roll out each clump into a circle.  Cut into fourths and then cut each fourth into thirds using a pizza cutter. (I like cutting them this way because I am guaranteed 4 dozen rolls each batch)

Step Eight:  Then, starting at the wider end, roll each triangle up into the cutest little crescent roll you've ever seen, making sure the tip is tucked under the roll.

Step Nine: Place rolls on cookie sheet and allow to rise again (although I've had to skip this step on occasion and they still turn out splendidly as they rise in the oven during baking).  

Step Ten: Bake at 375 degrees for 12-13 minutes.

Step Eleven:  Impress everyone you know with your mad roll baking skills since from now on you will volunteer to bring rolls to every dinner/potluck/special occasion!

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Today's Creative Blog,  Thrifty Decor Chick

Pantry Makeover-- Interlocking Circles Vinyl Design

While I was out visiting my awesome sister-in-law (and amazing business partner with Landee on Etsy) a couple of weeks ago, we had a sudden epiphany as we were getting cereal out one morning.... her pantry needed some help.  She has a beautiful home, every inch is thoughtfully decorated.  Her pantry, however, looked like this:

Functional?  Yes.  But sometimes "functional" ::yawn:: just doesn't quite cut it.  We wanted to make this space (which is opened and looked at many, many times a day) just as beautiful and inviting as the rest of her home. 

A large part of this process was simply organizing and sorting.  Guess how much stuff was EXPIRED!!  

Hint:  This much stuff.

We then decided to add some pop to the backs of her shelves.  We used the same pattern of vinyl as I used on my mirror makeover... interlocking circles.  We cut it out in brown and wow!!  Love the end result!  We may have stood back and hugged while looking at it for a good solid 3 minutes when it was all finished.

 We've had many requests for instructions on how to hang our quatrefoil backsplash.  Since the same principles apply here we decided to make a little instructional video for your viewing pleasure.  It's totally embarrassing but I did it for you.  ALL for you.  :) (view HERE if it's not showing up in your feed)

This design is now available in our shop HERE!  

We also made some cute red labels for her canisters for some pops of color.

And since I'm sure you love before & afters as much as I do, here you go!

I can hardly believe that is even the same space but I promise you it is!  The only problem I can see going forward is that she is never going to want to close those doors again.  ::sigh::  This is her trial now.  :) 

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Today's Creative Blog,  Thrifty Decor Chick

Motivational Posters

The minute I pinned this image of Neil Patrick Harris, I knew I wanted to use it in some way.

I love him.  And I love this.

So I decided to use it, along with other sayings I had pinned, in order to create some fun posters of my kids.  Since we just started school on Monday I thought this was the perfect time for them to get a little boost in their confidence and take the new school year by storm!   I also needed to switch out the giant posters I had of Elle & Spencer in my Ikea Ribba frames (for her shower)... it was starting to look like we were a little obsessed with them.  :)

Anyway,  using Photoshop Elements, some digital scrapbooking papers and some photos I snapped of my kids a couple of weeks ago after church, I made these!

Eeek!  I love them!

I love the color it added in the family room!  Not to mention the adorable faces.  In case you can't see them very well because of glare (there's no getting around that in there, sorry), here are the digital images.

   

Here's What I Love:

1.  My kids think they are awesome.  My 2nd son, Tanner, keeps reading his out loud ("The only thing that keeps me going is how brilliant and amazing I am.") every time he walks in there.  Hey, if he gets that stuck in his head and believes (knows) that he is, in fact, brilliant and amazing then all the better!

2. At $8.99 each from Costco, this was such an inexpensive way to bring some fun color and style to the room.  I could choose whatever patterns and color palette I wanted.

3.   There are many ways you could do this!  Smaller format, vinyl lettering, scrapbook paper, cut out photos (like, literally cut... like, with scissors) and paste them on.  These could really be fun works of multi-media art if you wanted!  If you do it my way, it requires minimal Photoshop skills.  If you have any Photoshop experience, give it a shot!  

Basic Photoshop Steps:

1. Open new "blank file" in desired size (mine are 20x30, 300ppi).

2. "Place" digital scrapbook paper of your choosing and resize to fit background.

3. "Place" photo of child and use the Erase tool to erase any background of that photo you don't want.  I erased everything but their heads and shoulders.  Make sure the "layer" of that photo is selected over the the right as you erase so you aren't accidentally erasing the digital paper!

4. Add text as desired.

5. When it's all how you like it, "flatten" image and save as a jpeg.

6. Upload to your favorite photo lab for printing!  (I always use Costco)

Hopefully this inspires you to make something motivational with either your mad Photoshop skills or crafting skills!

PS Don't forget to enter the Massive End-of-Summer Giveaway HERE!  There will be 50 winners! Check it out!

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Today's Creative Blog,  Thrifty Decor Chick

Massive Giveaway!!

The end of summer is drawing to a close, and what better way to go out with a BANG than to have a massive giveaway? I banded together with some of my favorite handmade shops and bloggers to offer this giveaway worth nearly $1200!! The most exciting part? We'll have 50 winners total! Do you want to see what is up for grabs?!? 1. Orange Blossom 11x14 Frame 2. $100 gift card to Vintage Rose Wraps 3. $75 gift card to Lisa Leonard Designs 4.Bake it Pretty best ever icing kit & decorative liners 5. 2 ($50) gift cards to Hoop-La Earrings & Accessories 6. Love Stitched Statement Necklace 7. Photography books & Mentoring from Kristen Duke 8. Silhouette Rhinestone Starter Kit from The Crafting Chicks 9. Mini Harmonica Necklace from Kid Chatteroo Apps 10. $100 Gift card to Landee See, Landee Do vinyl shop 11. Riley Blake Designs Fat Quarter fabric bundle 12. (3) 11x14 prints from ReStyle Design Prints 13. Camera strap cover & list taker from Knitty Bitties 14. Owl Necklace & craft paints from The Crafting Chicks 15. (10) hair tutorial e-books from My Yellow Sandbox

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Now let me introduce these friends to you. I highly recommend you go check on each of these links, and sign up to enjoy their RSS feed if they have a blog. I'm sure you'll love them just as much as I do. Here are the blogs/sites/shops behind the giveaway. In alphabetical order:

Bake it pretty~Sweet Supplies for inspired bakers

Capturing Joy with Kristen Duke~Lifestyle blogger and photographer capturing joy in food, family, home projects. Skype photography mentoring sessions, and her books teach photography to beginners.

Hoop-La Earrings~Intricate, lightweight, and colorful vintagae style earrings and accessories to jazz up any ensemble. Etsy shop.

Kid Chatteroo Apps~Days away from release!!! A fun app that allows you to Create and capture the moments that make life sweet. Create conversation with your kids and capture the memories at the same time!

Knitty Bitties~Handmade fabric desings in an array of patterns. She is a girl doing her best to live with joy {and a lot of iced tea} in the everyday. Sewing her heart out and running to eat more dessert. Etsy shop.

Landee See, Landee Do~Your source for all the latest trendy vinyl designs, signs and home décor. We are always looking for new and creative ways to use vinyl (such as our quatrefoil backsplash!). We also do custom designs as well, shop here.

Lisa Leonard Designs~creates handmade jewelry and gifts out of her San Luis Obispo workshop. Blog.

Love Stitched~A list making, country music listening, vintage knob collecting, cereal mixing, craft store addict, Friday night jammies and a movie watching craftaholic and organizing fanatic who lets out her creative side with my etsy shop, here for accesories and accents for the home or around town.

My Yellow Sandbox~Fun and easy hair tutorials from Abby, you'll also find a few beauty tips, crafts, and stories about life as a mother of two.

Orange Blossom Shop~Chunky, fun and adorable frames made from wood and hand painted to perfection.

Restyle~Retro posters, art prints inspired by Scandinavian design for kids, kitchen, and other home decor. Etsy shop.

Riley Blake Designs~Innovative fabric manufacturer with vintage sensibilities and modern attitude. Full of color, vibrant but with restraint, resulting in versatile prints for quilting, clothing, or home décor. Shop.

The Crafting Chicks~5 clever & creative gals who love sharing crafts, recipes, and other fun tips and ideas to help inspire you to "CREATE your life." They are a blog dedicated to everything DIY, crafts, home decor, and the family.

Vintage Rose Wraps~Elegant, vintage, whimsical, & fun head wraps & belts to add flare to any ensemble. shop.

The way this giveaway works, is you simply LIKE our Facebook pages, using Rafflecopter below. Make sure you are signed into Facebook first, and it will be a cinch! This giveaway runs one full week, and ends next Wednesday, August 22nd at midnight. You will get up to 14 entries for 50 different prizes, ready...go!

Scroll down past the prizes to enter. a Rafflecopter giveaway

**************EDIT!!*******************

If you do NOT have a Facebook account you can still enter to win with one entry by checking off the last Rafflecopter option (use your email) and then leaving a comment here as to what you'd most like to win!


Good luck!!

Butterscotch Potato Chip Cookies

Is there anything better than that wonderful combination of salty & sweet?  Me thinks no.

So when I came across a recipe in the lastest issue of Martha Stewart Living called Potato Chip Cookies I was intrigued.  I also like the idea of making my junk food with other junk food. :)

I modified the recipe a bit by substituting butterscotch chips in place of toasted pecans because after reading through the recipe I thought it could use a little more sweet.  Plus I LOVE Oatmeal Scotchies cookies and I was thinking these could be a fun little twist to those.  I also adjusted the baking time... Martha said 18-20 minutes at 375!  Wha? Have you ever heard of such a thing for cookies??  I trusted her though and my first batch was completely burned.  It must be a typo, right?  Martha doesn't make mistakes.  Either way, I've figured it out for you. :)

Here you go....

Butterscotch Potato Chip Cookies
(modified from Martha Stewart Living)

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. coarse salt
4 cups coarsely crushed salted potato chips, divided
1 cup butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Beat together butter and sugars with mixer on high speed until fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs and beat on medium speed until just combined.
3. Add flour, baking soda, and salt and beat on low speed until just combined.  Stir in 2 cups potato chips and butterscotch chips.
4. Roll dough into 2 inch balls and then roll balls in remaining potato chips to coat.  Place cookies 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.

5. Bake 11-13 minutes (until golden) and allow to cool completely on baking sheet.

I think they turned out delicious!  And fun to experiment with an unusual ingredient such as potato chips.  If you try these you'll have to let me know what you think!




Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Lolly Jane, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Today's Creative Blog,  Thrifty Decor Chick

Wedding Shower Decorations

I posted earlier this week about the banner and mantel decorations I made for a wedding shower I threw this past weekend.  I didn't want to cause extreme scrolling wrist pain so I broke it up into two posts.  Here is the rest of what I did to make the shower as festive as possible!

If you saw my banner post, you'll recall that I purchased a pack of coordinating scrapbook paper and based all of my colors/feel on its designs.   Elle (the bride) loves the shabby chic look so I decorated accordingly.   Besides the mantel banner, I created a cute garland which I strung around as I saw fit.  It was VERY fun to make and gave me an excuse to dust off the ole sewing machine!

A One Minute Tutorial:

1) Gather scrapbook paper of your own choosing (or cardstock) and punch many, many circles/shapes/etc. using the punches you have on hand or have purchased for just such an occasion.   My punches were 2 and 3 inches in diameter.  I did mine during the Bachelorette finale (if you look closely you'll see tear drops on some of the circles as I listened to Jef's sweet proposal.  #teamjef #ariesfamilywascreepy #iftheyeverbreakupiwillcryfor3daysstraight)

2) Put your circles/shapes back to back (so you don't have to worry about them flipping around. If you use cardstock, no need for the back-to-back action) and feed them through the sewing machine, one after the other.  You'll feel like a seamstress!

3) Proceed to string the garland around anywhere you see fit to bring a festive feel to the party!

I have had a lot of fun switching out the huge Ikea Ribba frames I have over my family room couch.  My Christmas Art, my Valentine's Day photos of my kids and now these for Elle's bridal shower.  I really don't know how to make a bigger impact that giant 20x30 photos of the bride-to-be and her fiance!

I also pinned some of the garland around the serving table...

...and hung it around wherever I felt like it...

...and put small sections of it on top of the serving table as well.  It just tied everything together nicely. I bought those fun decorative paper medallions at Michaels. They are the Martha Stewart brand.  I just couldn't figure out how to make them and plus I was running out of time.  They are so cute though, so well worth the money, in my opinion.

I also made some cute vinyl decals for the drink dispenser using my Silhouette.

As far as food goes, we decided on a light lunch which consisted of two salad choices (a Chicken & Pear Chopped Salad and a Caesar Salad), breadsticks and mini-cupcakes.  I guess I'm biased but I thought it was perfect. :)

I also loved my little place marker frames.  They were at Michaels for $1.50 each.  But they started out looking like this:

So I spray painted them and added some more of the coordinating scrapbook paper to make them fit my color scheme better.  Loved what they added to the decor!

And finally, the yummiest little cupcakes ever... my friend made these Lemon Keylime Cupcakes which were to die for.  She candied those little pieces of lemon on top.  Yeah,  I know.  Maybe I'll get her to give me the recipe to post on here.  They really were delightful.

And, because it's always hard to get photos as the party is going, I quickly snapped some photos with my phone as people were watching Elle open her gifts.   About 40 people showed up so it was awesome and Elle felt so loved!  Here is the Instagram I put together of the festivities (username landeelu):

Due to the sheer numbers of attendees we didn't do any games or anything.  I had gotten some blank cards and everyone wrote down a piece of advice for Elle and her new husband.  I then put all the cards in a photo album for them to have.  I randomly put them in the album but there is one card that says "Never go to bed angry!" and then the very next one says "It's ok to go to bed angry!"  I got a kick out of that.  Poor Elle is going to be so confused.  :)

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Lolly Jane, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Today's Creative Blog,  Thrifty Decor Chick