Pin Tested: Carissa Approved! Owl Hooded Towels

Have you ever seen a project on Pinterest and wondered "Is it really that easy?" or "I wonder if that really works"?  Me, too!

So I'm going to start a new feature segment of my blog called "Pin Tested: Carissa Approved!" for projects and recipes I try from Pinterest that are worth your time.

Pinterest Project: 

Owl Hooded Towels from Crazy Little Projects

I saw the whole series of these towels on Crazy Little Projects and LOVED them. Amber does such a great job showing you how to make these and makes the whole thing look super easy. I decided to make one for my son's friend who turned two this week.

I think it turned out pretty good. Here's mine:

Project Review:
The instructions are great. Make sure you read the original hooded towel tute she has for the frog first to get more details on how the whole process works. I used polar fleece(purple, black) and parts from a washcloth (white) to make the eyes. I didn't add heat and bond until the end - which was a mistake. I'd made the three layer eyes first and then used it to help adhere the eyes to the towel. I should have used it for each layer of the eye to make them smoother and prettier so I'll definitely do that next time.

Also, if you've never appliqued before, I would do a test project on a piece of plain woven fabric to try out the technique first because appliqueing with terry cloth would be a horrible first project since the fabric can be kind of wonky. You'll want to have an idea of what you're doing first!

But overall: Fabulous project! Inexpensive. Not hard. Took me about 90 minutes and most of it was spent making and appliqueing face parts.

Check out the full tutorial and pin it yourself from Crazy Little Projects.

Pinterest Scavenger Hunt: Week 4!

Have  you guys been participating in the Pinterest Scavenger Hunt? It's fun way to check out some of the cute seasonal crafts from around the blogosphere and win prizes at the same time.

And boy are there prizes!

There are some grand prizes PLUS weekly prizes. In general, I'd say your chances of winning something are pretty good. Plus it's like going on a walking tour of CraftBloggerLandia. Winning all around.

Want to Play?

Check out the first post for more details but here's the gist:

• Create a new Pinterest board specifically for this Scavenger Hunt
• Each day, a new clue will be revealed on the Host blogs as well as the Rafflecopter entry form. With the clue, a link will be provided to the blog with the photo to be pinned.
• To be eligible to win, you must pin a photo from each clue provided
• There are also many additional ways to earn extra entries, so be sure to give them a try!

There is a Rafflecopter box near the bottom of the first post (really, it's huge and hard to miss). Head there and as you do each entry, click on it on the Rafflecopter board to get your corresponding entries. 


Did Someone Say Prizes?
Why yes I did!  Check out the prizes for week 4 winners:

Sponsor One:
Suzy's Sitcom Store

Prize: Patridge and Pear Faux Stained Glass Kit (value $20)
Great patterns, Ukrainian eggs, gifts, and much more!


Sponsor Two:
DIY Fluffies 

Prize: DIYFluffies Cotton Whale Toy Sewing Kit  (value $24)
Mariska Vos-Bolman is a dutch soft toy designer, and a graduate from the Utrecht school of Arts. In her Etsy shop customers can purchase ready made Fluffies, complete sewing kits for soft toys, rag dolls, softies, and stuffed animals, as well as downloadable PDF patterns patterns!
All e-patterns are available in English and Dutch, some in German or Spanish.
Her creations are inspired by her sons, as well as her many years of work history in the video game industry.

Pinterest Scavenger Hunt

I'm excited to announce my participation in a fun new project that will be fun for you and will give you a chance to win some great prizes as well. Read below for how to participate and check out the Rafflecopter entry form as well. Good luck!

Now without further ado, I introduce.....

Welcome to the Fall Pinterest Scavenger Hunt and Giveaway! Pin to Win one of five prize packages with a total value over $275!

Hosted by ArahBellas, All Done Monkey, and Just a Little Creativity

Here's how to Play-

• Create a new Pinterest board specifically for this Scavenger Hunt
• Each day, a new clue will be revealed on the Host blogs as well as the Rafflecopter entry form. With the clue, a link will be provided to the blog with the photo to be pinned.
• To be eligible to win, you must pin a photo from each clue provided
• There are also many additional ways to earn extra entries, so be sure to give them a try!

You Could Win One of These Five Prizes-

One Grand Prize Package

$40 Target Gift Card courtesy of MyArtsyBaby

Artistry Essentials hydrating skincare system or an Artistry balancing skincare system from Chris & Niki's Online Store (ARV $50.45)

$50 Gift Certificate to Bowdabra

{Total Grand Prize Value $140.40} 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One Week 1 Sponsor Prize Package
 $20 Gift Certificate to Cherished Bliss 
One Week 2 Sponsor Prize Package
Coilbound Documenting Book from Paper Coterie (Up to $32 value)
  One Week 3 Sponsor Prize Package
Blog Header Redesign from Simply Klassic Blog Design Ad Space on CherishedBliss.com {Total prize value $56}
  One Week 4 Sponsor Prize Package
Partridge and Pear Stained Glass Kit from Suzy's Sitcom Store
  Cotton Whale Toy Sewing Kit from DIYFluffies a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

More about our Grand Prize Sponsors-

MyArtsyBaby

Quality, hand painted art for your little one. Specializing in custom wooden and canvas growth charts and canvas wall art. Each piece is affordable, and 100% handmade and original, no prints or giclee reproductions. Made to order to your exact specifications. Any design you imagine can be painted on either wood or canvas charts, as well as gallery wrapped canvases.

Chris and Nikki's Online Store

If you enjoy finding new products that fit your lifestyle, you’ll love what’s “in store!” Chris and Nikki started their online store with a belief in their products and potential of their business. With the flexibility they have as entrepreneurs, they are able to spend more time with their two amazing kids.

Bowdabra

Bowdabra bow and craft tools... are unleashing creativity all over the world, from beautiful bows for gifts to elegant bridal accessories and home decor, the crafting possibilities are practically endless with Bowdabra. Bowdabra bow and craft tools...With its simple-to-use "goof proof" design, Bowdabra is for people of all ages; even children. Families seeking fun and affordable activities can spend some quality time together using Bowdabra products to create unique crafts and wonderful memories. Bowdabra bow and craft tools...Bowdabra products come with a VIP Pass to the membership site, containing craft articles and videos presented in an easy to follow style.

 

  This blog is not responsible for prize redemption, and was not compensated for participating in this sweepstakes.

Peppermint Pretzel Rods - Nailed It!

My good friend Niina who blogs at the Niche comes over to my house once a month or so with her husband and daughter. We usually make dinner together while the kiddos play together. Once dinner is done, we bust out our favorite card game of all time: Dominion.

This week, when they got to my house Niina told me she brought pretzel rods, chocolate chips and Andes mint baking chips because for dessert she wanted to try and recreate some dipped pretzels she had seen on Pinterest.

Photo and tutorial of non-fail pretzel rods from Rhodey Girl Tests

How hard can this be, right? Obviously we don't need to look at the recipe.

So we dumped the bag of chocolate chips in a glass measuring cup and put it in a pan of boiling water to do something kind of double boiler style without, you know, a real double boiler.

And it started to work but the chocolate needed to be thinner.  Thinking the thickness of the glass was what was preventing it from getting meltier (that's totally a word), we popped it in the microwave.

And a weird thing started happening....the chocolate actually started clumping together and getting lumpy and hard.

So we put it back in the "double boiler" but it was no use. The chocolate itself kind of tasted like fudge but wasn't going to be suitable for dipping.

So we moved on to plan B: I had some pink colored "white chocolate" candy wafers in the back of my pantry. The instructions on the bag specifically said you could microwave them.  So we put them in a bowl and microwaved in 30 second intervals until they were melty. But after dipping a couple of pretzels, we realized it really wasn't very runny so we tried microwaving some more to make it melt again....and the same thing happened! It started getting clumpy and hard. We managed to salvage some of the clumpy dip...got it on the pretzels and sprinkled it with chopped andes baking mints.

 And they tasted awesome. But they were definitely not a pretty sight. Puke on a stick, anyone?

I hope I've inspired you to laugh at your own cooking and craft blunders this week. For more awesome Craft Fail moments, check out my friend Heather's website --> CraftFail.com.


This craft fail was too bad to not share with:

* Show Off Your Stuff Party at Fireflies and Jellybeans * Friday Free for All at Young and Crafty *