giggleface studios

Coconut Macaroons Again?!

That's right...It's that time of year when Hershey's puts out there ohhh, so tasty Coconut Creme Kisses! I made their recipe for Coconut Creme Macaroons last year and fell in love with them (and gave myself a big stomach-ache). This year I grabbed two bags of Kisses so that I could make one batch now and save one for later...turns out I ended up just doubling the batches and made both bags yesterday! I had a great time baking and spending some one-on-one time with my daughter. I thought it would be fun to add a little Springy-ness to our cookies by tinting the coconut Teal. Two drops blue one drop green...stir and you have teal...well kind of! The kids loved it anyways.

Go to the store today and get yourself a bag. I swear, even if your not a fan of coconut you will like these...it's the only way I can get my kids to Try let alone Eat coconut!

Coconut Creme Macaroons

1/3 Cup Butter, Softened                        1 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
3 oz. Cream Cheese, Softened                 2 Tsp. Baking Powder
3/4 Cups Sugar                                       1/4 Tsp. Salt
1 Egg Yolk                                               48 Hershey's Coconut Creme Kisses
2 Tsp. Almond Extract                             5 Cups Sweetened Coconut Flakes,
2 Tsp. Orange Juice                                   Divided

Directions: Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a bowl until well blended. Add egg yolk, almond extract and orange juice; beat well. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in 3 cups coconut. Cover, refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.

Remove wrappers form chocolates. Heat oven to 350F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in remaining 2 cups of coconut. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven; immediately press chocolate on top of each cookie. Cool 1 minute; carefully remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Yield 4 dozen cookies

Fabric, Fabric & More Fabric!

The first round of Quilt For Kids quilts are done! They have been quilted and bound and are ready to be packaged and sent out. My sister did a fabulous job quilting these, as always! I love to bind my quilts using bits and pieces of leftover fabrics from the quilts. It gives the quilt some movement and a hint of whimsy-patchwork. One of the perks of making quilts is that you get to name them...how fun is that?

I chose to name this quilt: Over the Rainbow, because I believe that this is what you would find somewhere over the rainbow...unicorns and bubblegum!

This quilt was the kit that I requested from Quilt For Kids and named it: Purrfectly Perfect! I know that some child is going to love snuggling in these quilts, because I had a hard time trying to pry these from my daughters fingers. Oh, the power of a quilt!

On a separate note, but still fabric related...

A Touch of Comfort

There is nothing more comforting than a warm quilt wrapped around you when you are sick. It provides reassurance and a sense of protection. Each year more than 6 million children are hospitalized away from home with serious and life-threatening illnesses. Downy and Quilts for Kids have come together to help provide a touch of Home and Comfort to these children by handing out handmade quilts, and the best part is that you can be part of this amazing program by donating and volunteering your time by....QUILTING!

To get you started request a Quilt Kit free of charge and shipping costs. It comes complete with simple pattern instructions, label, pre-cut fabric for the top and back. You only need to provide the batting. The quilts need to be machine quilted due to daily washings. When you return your quilt you can donate another quilt made from your fabric stash (we all have them), because it costs the same to ship one as it does two. Why not double the love? I requested my kit a week ago, and within two days it was on my front door step!

These quilts are just the right size for piecing in an afternoon. This particular one measures approximately 44 1/2" x 38 1/4". My sister and I are "sharing" in the quilting process. I enjoy piecing quilt tops, and she enjoys quilting + she has a long-arm quilting machine which makes for easier quilting!

Remember this quilt top I mentioned earlier? I love putting fabrics together to create fun quilts, but I must say that we have reached a limit of quilts and blankets at our house. I'm so happy that I can sew and make quilts to my hearts content and give them to someone who needs warmth and comfort! After making the quilt from the kit I couldn't just stop there, so I went to the fabric store and stocked up on some great fabrics for future quilts. One yard or less is all you need to make a 38"x 45" crib/lap quilt or 36"x36" NICU quilt.

I encourage you to watch this short Downy Touch of Comfort documentary and the Quilts for Kids video to get a better idea of how much these handmade quilts mean to children and their families. Also there are some great stories, quilt galleries and free patterns to download. You don't have to turn out quilt after quilt to make a difference. I know that realistically I can only complete 1-2 quilts a month. Don't let quantity stop you from sharing your love. ONE is better than NONE!

Coloring & Cheap Therapy!

Thanks for all the Birthday Wishes everyone! As I stated in my last post I spent the day coloring in my new coloring book with my new Ultra Fine Tip Sharpies and Prismacolor Colored Pencils. I colored like a MADWOMAN too...I was unstoppable! This page took a few hours to color because of all the little details, but I was determined to finish it before turning in for the night. I couldn't/wouldn't stop to make dinner, so Honey ordered pizza instead!

I am really liking how it turned out! You know how it is sometimes when you are in a frenzy, and you don't really see what you are doing...you have to take some time away and then come back to see what you have actually done! I decided to frame this coloring page in a frameless-frame that I had boxed away. I just cut out some card stock that compliments my colors and used some double-sided tape to hold it down and...

Ta-Da! Instant, Cheap, Fun Art!!

Here are some of my favorite coloring books: Charley Harper Coloring Book, Mexican Folk Art, Mary Engelbreit and Art Masterpieces to Color. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I don't actually color inside any of these books...instead I copy/print the page I want on some white card stock. That way I can color to my hearts content the same page over and over and over again!

Oh, and I see that there are some fans of Sharpies too, so if you haven't see this go check it out! Also, the Sharpie blog and gallery.

HAPPY COLORING!!!