Reader Guest Posts - The Idea Room

Giveaway Winners & Gabe’s Gift Blanket Linky

I was brought to my attention that I apparently never picked a winner for our Vintage Pearl Giveaway a couple of weeks back…*gasp*!! So sorry about that! I hope many of you haven’t been waiting on me…but I am sure you have. So I apologize again. I really thought I had picked one but could not find it anywhere. So…today I have picked a winner via Random.org.

The lucky winner is commenter #188…

Congratulations Emily! Send me an email {2theidearoom{at}gmail(dot)com} and we will get you your gift certificate. Thanks Erin from The Vintage Pearl!!

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I have also chosen a winner for the giveaway sponsored by Silhouette for the Magnet paper and $10 gift card.

According to random.org the winning comment is…

Congratulations Lyndee! Send me an email and I will get you in contact with Silhouette so you can get your new magnet paper and make job charts a reality for you and your family! Thanks Silhouette and I {Heart} Nap Time for sponsoring this fun giveaway!

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Hey guys, It’s Amanda with Gabe’s Gifts! It’s the end of the month – which means blanket party time! Don’t forget each Monday you can see a special blanket tutorial at Today’s Top 20, We’re the Joneses, and This & That Creative!

For anyone new – I’ve started a blanket drive this year to raise blankets for Project Linus. Why? To donate blankets in my son Gabe’s name. I lost our baby in August due to a miscarriage. I really wanted something positive to be associated with his name. And giving back is the best way to do that.

Project Linus is such a great organization. They donate handmade blankets to kids (newborn – teens) who need them the most. I’m really happy to be working with them.

I am so happy to say that I have recieved over 50 blankets for Project Linus. WOW! Thank you so much!!! I really am just so grateful. :) Thank you, thank you! thank you.

So link up any blanket project you’ve got. Mail me your blankets to get donated. Email if you are interested in guest posting a blanket tutorial (it will be seen at Today’s Top 20, We’re The Joneses and This & That Creative).

Can’t wait to see your projects!!

And don’t forget the 31st is the Blogger of the Month Party at Today’s Top 20. Come link up your favorite. project you’ve made in March for a chance to win a great prize from My Vinyl Designer as well as a month’s of advertising at Today’s Top 20!

Cookie Dough Truffles

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Hey Readers! We have one more great Idea Room Reader Project to share with you today! This time we have Lisa from Lisa’s Recipe Cards. She will be sharing with us a fun recipe for Cookie Dough Truffles. Yum. How fun would these be to give to someone for Christmas or a Birthday? Here’s Lisa…

They are really easy to make, but they do take some time to make. I like to make these on a day when I am home doing laundry or on a lazy Sunday afternoon when I am just chillin with my family.

First things first – make this awesome cookie dough recipe. This recipe is by far the easiest recipe I have found to make that does not include eggs. AND remember that because this cookie dough is eggless, it means it is safe to eat and makes it perfect for gifts and bake sales.

Then make dough balls using a Cookie Scoop. This will help you make uniform dough balls. Place the dough balls on a small cookie sheet, lined with parchment or wax paper, and place in the freezer for a few hours.

Now it is time to coat the balls. I like to use chocolate bark because it melts easy and drys fast. (You can find chocolate bark in the baking isle in any major grocery chain.)

The easiest and fastest way to melt the bark is to do so in the microwave and in a coffee mug. Melt the chocolate in 30 second intervals – stirring each time until your chocolate silky smooth. The mug gives a deep dipping well without using a ton of bark. Plus when I am done with my dipping, I cover the mug with tin foil and save for my next use.
Now it is time to dip the dough balls. Dip the bottom and place back on the cold cookie sheet (lined with parchment or wax paper). Stick dough balls back in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Time to dip the tops. After the whole ball is coated, shake off all the excess bark and place back on the cookie sheet. When you are finished dipping the tops, DO NOT place back into the freezer or you will get condensation on your truffles. (Yup – I learned the hard way – as you can see.) When the bark has completely hardened, you can start decorating.

I don’t have any fancy cake decorating tools so I use a Ziploc bag and scissors. I like to use white chocolate bark to decorate my cookie dough truffles. Melt the white chocolate as mentioned above and let cool for a few minutes. Then place melted bark into the Ziploc bag. Cut off a tiny corner and you have just made a piping bag. My little girl likes the swirl effect and my little dude likes the lines. Be creative and have fun with this part.
That’s it – you have just made Cooke Dough Truffles that will make you a baking rock star.
Remember that this cookie dough is also great when it is used as a frosting like I did here.

Cookie Dough Frosting

Another one of my new favorite creations in the kitchen is cake balls, cookie cutter style. Here is the link for my post for Mario Stars.

Thanks Lisa for sharing your yummy Cookie Dough Truffles with us today! Be sure to head on over to Lisa’s site Lisa’s Recipe Cards for some more great stuff!

★Amy

October 8, 2010 · Filed under: Birthdays, Christmas Gifts, Reader Guest Posts, Reader's Links, Recipes, Treats Tagged with

Printable Halloween Paper Dolls

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Today I want to share with you another great project from an Idea Room reader {you people have some serious talent}! This project is from Gwen over at Gwenny Penny. Who has a ton of other great projects. I got lost for a little bit browsing her blog the other night! Thanks Gwen for sharing with us today!

I’ve been doing a lot of fall projects lately (like this, this, and this), but I’ve decided that I need to switch gears and start thinking about Halloween. I started working on this printable almost three weeks ago, and although I absolutely love the result, boy am I glad it’s finished! So without further ado, I present to you a set of Halloween paper dolls!
There are two dolls: one boy and one girl.

There are six costumes: a boy superhero, a girl superhero, a pirate, a fairy, Frankenstein, and a princess.

Aren’t they cute? You could also use these paper dolls for scrapbooking!

Click HERE to download the Halloween Paper Dolls PDF.

Instructions: Print on white cardstock at 100% (no scaling). Carefully cut out each paper doll, base, and costume. Cut slits in bases on solid black lines. Fold stand bases on dotted line. Match up slits in doll bases and stand bases to assemble. Fold back all costume tabs to dress dolls.
All printables are for personal, non-commercial use only.
After I finished the designs and printed them, I was faced with the task of cutting them out. Even though I specifically designed these dolls and costumes to be scissor friendly, I was dreading it. I timed myself, and it only took a little over 20 minutes! I was expecting at least an hour, so I was very happy. Also, I wanted to give you a tip…my cardstock was a little flimsy, so I added a craft stick to the back of each doll to stiffen them up a bit.

Hope you enjoy the paper dolls! My three year old can’t wait to get her hands on them. Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks so much Gwen! I know my readers will love it and I am sure they will leave you a lot of comment love. Head on over to Gwenny Penny and check it out!

Come see a couple of my other projects!

1. Reversible Rick Rack Apron