46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest Recipe: Parmesan Crusted Veggie Spirals

So guess what? Remember last year when my mom (Grandma Jane) made it into the finals of the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest (see post here)? She flew to Orlando, FL to compete for the $1 million dollar prize and unfortunately, she didn't win with her Biscuit Corn Cakes with Goat Cheese in Blackberry-Thyme Sauce. However, that didn't stop her from wanting to go again this year! She entered several different recipes into this years competition (46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest) and she has made it into the semi-finals with her Parmesan Crusted Veggie Spirals! Yay!

They are doing things a little bit differently this year and they are choosing the finalists based on online voting rather than picking finalists in-house like they did last year. So, with that being said.......Grandma  Jane NEEDS your vote! The online voting is only open for 10 more days (through June 27th) and I would absolutely love if you would head over and vote for her recipe: Parmesan Crusted Veggie Spirals.

I decided I had better try this recipe myself and thought I would share it with you all here on the blog.

You are going to love it!

Parmesan Crusted Veggie Spirals

MAKES 20 SPIRALS

I guarantee that this will be a go-to appetizer recipe for your family! You can also change up some of the filling ingredients and really get creative with this recipe to make it your own.

So will you help a girl out and help me send my mom (Grandma Jane) to the finals of the 46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest? I would really, really appreciate it! And so would Grandma Jane.

You can go over and vote for her recipe (Parmesan Crusted Veggie Spirals from Jane Michel from Houston, TX) by clicking HERE. You will have to fill in your email address to enter, but they won't start sending you things unless you opt in. Feel free to 'pin' this recipe, share on facebook or twitter or anywhere else you can think of that would help spread the word.

Thank you so much and I hope you'll give this recipe a try.

You're going to love it!

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Daphne Wrap Dress and Top Pattern from The Cottage Mama: Now Available!

And here it is........the final pattern in The Cottage Mama summer collection of sewing patterns. The Daphne Wrap Dress and Top (size 6 month - size 10) is now available in PDF and will be available in paper around the end of June!

Daphne Wrap Dress and Top

SIZE 6 MONTH - SIZE 10

DESCRIPTION:

The Daphne Wrap Dress and Top is the perfect casual wardrobe essential for your little one. It is a semi-fitted, A-line, wrap dress that is fully lined, wraps around back and is secured with two buttons in back and two buttons in the front. View A can be made as a dress or top and has a pieced front with a curved yoke and an adorable ruffle or piping added into the seam. Optional piping trims the entire dress for amazing attention to detail. View B, the Daphne pocket dress, has a solid dress front with a sweet kangaroo style pocket. And View C, is the solid dress variation, which can easily be made reversible with the addition of more buttons or snaps on the lining. View C can also be cut as a top for perfect pairing with pants or capris.

All design variations are fully lined with contrasting fabric for total comfort for your little one. This is great pattern for confident beginner sewers and offers many ways to get creative with your design!

Here is my sweet Savannah Rose wearing the new Daphne Dress (View A) that I made for her. This piece is perfect for spring and summer and will transition beautifully into fall and winter by layering it with long sleeves and tights or leggings.

The Daphne Wrap Dress and Top Pattern has so many different possibilities. You can make it as a dress or top. You can do a solid front, or a pieced front with ruffle or piping or do a solid front with a kangaroo pocket. The pattern also includes tips and tricks on how to use piping throughout the entire garment. Piping is entirely optional, but it's a sweet little way to add some interest and detail!

This pattern is a really quick sew. I think you will be surprised how quickly it comes together!

Here is my little Matilda sporting her new summer play outfit. You can pair the Daphne Wrap Dress and Top with the new Skip and Play Pants and Capris Pattern (Size 6 month - size 10) from The Cottage Mama. This version was made using piping around the top of the garment and an additional loopy trim around the hem. The capris are made from woven cotton and seersucker.

The front yoke on View A of the Daphne Wrap Dress and Top offers a great spot for embellishment. Here is a version from Katie Romagosa (Leave You In Stitches) where she added a machine embroidered monogram. You can also see how adorable this dress is layered with long sleeves!

The Daphne pattern also has a kangaroo style pocket (View B).  This is another fun variation that gives the dress an entirely different look! The two above are from Katie Romagosa (Leave You In Stitches) and Ellen Balzer (Ellzabelle).

This little cutie is wearing the Daphne Wrap Top with the Skip and Play Pants and Capris. This outfit was designed by Tanya Coffey (Sidewalk Chalk Designs).

And finally, I'll leave you with this little cutie from Crystal from Stitched by Crystal. This sweetie just melts my heart. She is absolutely precious in her Daphne Wrap Dress!

If you would like to purchase your own copy of the Daphne Wrap Dress and Top Pattern (Size 6 month - size 10), you can find it HERE.

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Skip and Play Pants and Capris Pattern from The Cottage Mama: Now Available!

I am pleased to announce the third pattern from The Cottage Mama Summer Collection, the Skip and Play Pants and Capris (Size 6 month - size 10)!

These are the first pair of pants and capris offered from The Cottage Mama. You can layer these under dresses and jumpers or pair them with a little t-shirt and cardigan. However, your little lady decides to wear them, they will surely get noticed!

Skip and Play Pants and Capris

SIZE 6 MONTH - SIZE 10

DESCRIPTION: The Skip and Play Pants and Capris are the perfect wardrobe essential for your darling little one. The pants and capris feature a flat front waistband with elastic in the back, several contrasting cuff options and a sweet ruffle in the waistband for added whimsy and detail. View A, the double wrap cuff variation, features a bottom cuff with a wrap around top cuff that can be trimmed out with a button on each side. View B is a ruffle cuff variation that mimics view A; however an adorable ruffle replaces the wrap around cuff. And View C, the basic variation, eliminates the ruffle in the waistband and is perfect for an older girl who might prefer a more mature style pant or capri. No matter what variation you choose this pattern will take your child through all seasons.

This is great pattern for confident beginner sewers and offers many ways to get creative with your design. Consider mixing and matching these pants and capris with many other designs from The Cottage Mama collection of sewing patterns!

There are two different cuff options with these pants and capris. View A is shown in the picture above.

The top waistband of the pants and capris has a sweet little ruffle; however, View C can be made without the ruffle for a slightly older girl or for those that don't care much for the ruffle look.

These are View B from the Skip and Play Pants and Capris pictured with the Miss Matilda Dress and Top pattern. This outfit was created by Melissa Myers and features a side bow embellishment in addition to the buttons on the capris.

Here is another variation of View A in the capri length paired with the Miss Matilda Dress and Top (Size 6 month - 10 years) made by Katie Romagosa from Leave You In Stitches.

FIT: The fit is probably my favorite part of these pants. They are a flat front pant and capri with elastic in the back waistband. These pants are a more slim fit through the hip. The goal was too create a more fitted pant which is  a little bit harder in the sewing pattern market today. All of the testers really loved the look. It is important to mention that when selecting the size for your little lady, you will need to pay careful attention to her waist measurement. Select the size based on waist and adjust for length. Doing so will ensure a perfectly fitting pant or capri!

To purchase the Skip and Play Pants and Capris Pattern, please click HERE.

PS: I will have more pictures of the pants and capris once the final pattern is released. They look so darn cute with the final piece in this collection!

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Summer Rag Flip Flop Tutorial

So it's finally summer around here and I was asked by the folks at Joann Fabric and Craft stores to come up with a summer craft project inspired by their new summer catalog, Cape Discovery. If you like crafting with your children, this is a great place to gather up some new ideas. The girls and I flipped through this catalog to find our inspiration project:

After looking at all the different project ideas in the Cape Discovery Catalog, we chose to create some 'Summer Rag Flip Flops' for the girls. My girls definitely love a good craft!

These were such an easy, inexpensive craft project that is perfect to work on together with your little one. This project takes a small amount of fabric and a few other supplies found at Joann's and you've got a pair (or two) of festive shoes for the summer!

Summer Rag Flip Flop Tutorial

from The Cottage Mama

Supplies:

1 pair flip flops

1 - 2 fabrics (fat quarters or 1/8 yard each)

1 set Clip-Eez sparkle clips (found at Joann's)

Scissors or rotary cutter

Instructions:

Gather your supplies. 

I selected three 'Lisette' fabrics from Joann's. Since I was trying to be good (I'm currently on a fabric diet), I only purchased a 1/4 yard each (since that's the smallest amount you can have cut). I kind of wish I had more since I really love these colors.

The girls loved these sparkle clips when we were shopping at Joann's. And they were 40% off that day, so they were a real deal. They had tons of other different styles of clips that were really cute.

Cut your fabric on the fold into 1" strips. I used 8 strips per pair of flip flops, but I'm sure that will vary depending on the size sandal you are using.

Cut your 1" strips of fabric into 7" pieces.

Pile up your fabric strips and get ready to embellish your flip flops!

Start tying knots on the straps of the flip flops with your different fabrics. You can use one print or many......it's entirely up to you. Leave a little room at the very front for your sparkle clip. This is a great step to work on together with your little one. If they can tie a knot, they can do this project!

Once you've finished both sides of the flip flops, you will need to add the sparkle clip to the center. Open up the clip to apply.

Here is what the front of your flip-flop will look like after you have applied your pretty sparkle clip.

And here are both of your completed 'Summer Rag Flip Flops' with sparkle clip and all!

And if you have two girls, you might need to make two pairs........we don't want anyone feeling left out now, do we?

Here is a little side-by-side shot of the inspiration sandals from the Joann's catalog.

Then let your girly pick her favorite pair to wear this summer!

We had a great time making these flip flops and there are plenty of other Summer Fun projects that I would like to do with my kids this summer break. Don't you just love summer? I'm so glad it's here!

You can check out plenty more summer DIY projects to do with your little ones in the Cape Discovery Catalog from Joann's. And if you want to stay up to date with Joann's, sign up for their Discover Connect and you will receive a 20% off coupon. Pretty nice, I'd say. You can sign up HERE.

Happy Summer!

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