Brownie Pops!

 

Last week I had to make some baked goods for a Girl Scout bake sale. When I asked Kailani what she wanted me to make she said, "Brownies......but not just ANY kind of brownies." I had to laugh. She wants "crafty" brownies. ;)

After scouring the web for ideas I decided to make Betty Crocker's Brownie Pops. They turned out pretty cute and sold out FAST!

 

As a matter of fact they turned out SO cute that Kailani wanted me to make more for her end-of-the-year class party!

While you can find the recipe here I made a few changes after reading some of the reviews:

• to make the brownies thicker (and easier to slide a craft stick into) I doubled the brownie mix recipe
• baked in a 9x13" pan (have to bake a bit longer - I found it was about 10 - 20 minutes more!)
• instead of chocolate chips I used chocolate flavored almond bark
• since you have to lay the brownies flat for the chocolate coating to dry I found it's only really necessary to put candy coating and/or chocolate dip one side of the brownie. The other side is going to get smooshed.
• I cut the 9x13 pan of brownies into 24 pieces - fit perfectly into little bags!

Ohhhhh...the potential to change things up! White chocolate dip! Double dip! Definitely a recipe to keep! 

PS Have anything pretty and/or pink to post? Link up with the "Pinkalicious Thursday Blog Party" hosted by "Frugalicious Me!" And don't forget to check out all the handcrafted ideas at "A Crafty Soiree" hosted by "Katie's Nesting Spot!"

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Winner!

And now for the winner of the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway! 

Drum roll please..........

CONGRATULATIONS to #51 - Michelle from "Daydream Believers!" 

Congratulations Michelle! Please check your email to find out how to claim your mermaid towel!

I want to thank everyone for taking their time to stop by and enter my giveaway and for leaving some of the sweetest and most inspiring comments. I am beyond grateful! THANK YOU! :)

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway!

It's time for the "Sew, Mama, Sew!" giveaway!

I want to take a second and say "ALOOOOOHA!" and WELCOME to those stopping in for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! Best of luck to you and I hope you win some fabulous prizes! 

While I hope to be on the winning side of things (Fabric! Handmade items! Supplies!) I will also give away my most requested item - a mermaid towel!

Here is a sample:

The winner will receive one mermaid towel - the color will be a surprise!

You have several chances to win! Please leave a separate comment for each and be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner! I am happy to ship worldwide!

Here's how to win:

1) Simply leave a comment!

2) Become a follower of this blog (comment if you already are)

3) Become a Facebook Follower (Happy Hapa)

Giveaway runs through Wednesday, May 25th - midnight Hawaii time (that gives most everyone a little extra time to enter!) Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be announced here on this blog as well as via email....so please be sure to include your email address with your entry!

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!  

PS Can't wait? Want a mermaid towel now? I have one left in my Etsy shop! 

Wordless Wednesday - Goggles

 

This girl cracks me up! Never a dull moment! 

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

Craft Hope - Orphan Outreach

The last time I participated with Craft Hope was back in February of 2009. I can't believe it's been over two years! Back then they were asking for handmade dolls to be sent to an orphanage in Nicaragua. Here's what I sent in: 

(You can find my post about the dolls here.)

This time around they are asking for handmade bracelets to be sent to an orphanage in Russia. What a coinkydink! I just so happen to have everything we need to make some bracelets. I let Momo (4) give it a shot:

And the girl has been addicted ever since:

Watching her "string" the beads through the wire by herself got me thinking. If it was easy enough for my 4-year old to do what about other kids the same age? I decided to host a play date and have some other kids (and moms) make some more....and here's what everyone did:

Aren't they pretty?

Thanks to my friends and their kids from "Aloha Moms" for helping out!

But while the bracelets are done they aren't quite ready to be shipped. That would be because:

Yeah. She's STILL beading!

When I explained to her why we were making bracelets and who would be receiving them she said, "Mommy, I know! Let the kids with no mommies and no daddies come live with us!"

*Heart Melt* 

Since that's not going to happen she's decided to make more and more bracelets for the orphans. She has become a beading beast! Luckily the deadline for the bracelets isn't until June 15th so if you want to participate you still have time! 

For more information on Craft Hope and this project (or others) check out their website:

Wordless Wednesday - Same Towel

Some six and a half years later!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

Simple Skirt - by Made

I know Easter has come and gone but I did make some skirts for the girls. They are definitely not your typical Easter skirts. As a matter of fact the only Easter thing about them is the color and....hmmmmm....that they wore them on Easter day! Does that count? 

I made the skirts using totally irresistible fabric, "Thunder Flower" by Alexander Henry in pink (you HAVE to see the red!): 

Oh yeah. These anime girls kick bootie like my girls do:

 

HAI-YA!

I tried using the "Simple Skirt" tutorial and this is how it came out:

 

It turned out cute, but I after I was done and Kailani tried it on I realized I should have made the top layer longer (like in the tutorial). Can't make the bottom layer shorter as she is tall and her legs go on for days! Next time I will tweak it a little bit. Regardless, SHE really likes it.

(Update: I pinned the bottom layer to see how it would look altered. MUCH BETTER! Don't mind the pins in the pic:)

For Momo I just made a gathered skirt with the same fabric but with a pink hem:

 

 

Pretty sweet!

If you want to make one head over to "Made" for the free tutorial! She has instructions to make both a single layer and a double layer simple skirt! Thanks Dana!

PS And for more handmade inspiration check out:

 

Wordless Wednesday - YAY! It's May!

 

May is here which means SUMMER VACATION is right around the corner! Nobody around here is excited. ;)

Click here for more -----> "Wordless Wednesday."