handmade

THE BEST SPICED COOKIE RECIPE

If you saw my last post on hand lettered recipes, you’ll know how much I’m obsessed with Alyssa Makes Something‘s work! This order was super special. My husband and I had a friend, Jeani Cooney, who passed away this year. She was the mother bear of his whole office and was beloved by every single person who knew her. At company softball games she would bring her famous “sports cookies” and they are SO GOOD. And I am a major cookie snob. Oats, chocolate chips, and spices of cinnamon and nutmeg are a surprising and delicious combination. The cookies are dense and chewy will make your whole house smell like Christmas. 
We purchased the digital option of the hand-lettered recipe and had it printed as a keepsake for the entire office to enjoy for the holidays. I made the cookies this holiday season with my five-year-old and told him all about Jeani and about how we will always thing of her when we make these sweet cookies. So happy to pass on our memories of her through this recipe.
Download printable recipe hand lettered by Alyssa Makes Something right HERE.
* TIPS: All I had at the time was margarine and not Crisco, but it worked just as well. I use a little less nutmeg than Jeani calls for, and I also sprinkle the top of the baked cookies with a little fleur de sel or kosher salt right after taking them out of the oven. Like any cookie dough, it’s way better the next day and even better on the second or third day. We make the dough and just scoop out what we want to eat that day. Leave the rest in the fridge with saran wrap pressed against the dough.
Hope you can make these cookies and share them with the ones you love!
xo
-L

MOTHER’S DAY CRAFT – TEA TOWELS

Mother’s day is quickly approaching…grab your kid and let’s get crafting! 
We’re making hand print embroidered tea towels- WAIT! Don’t leave the page! I swear it’s a lot easier than it sounds. You don’t need to know how to embroider or sew to make this project. Just a little practice. Another option- use a fabric marker. That’s easier, right?
Jenni and I made these for our moms and mothers-in-laws 2 years ago and they were a hit! 
Here’s what you need: 

– Tea towel (Any will work. I got mine from Hobby Lobby)
– Embroidery hoop
– Embroidery floss and needle
– Teeny hand

Instructions:
1. Trace child’s hand on paper and cut out the traced shape
2. Stretch tea towel and fasten tightly in embroidery hoop
3. Trace hand shape on the towel with a pencil (easier for wriggly kiddos than to trace directly on towel)
4. Embroider: for the hand and name use a split stitch (tutorial HERE). For the heart, draw a little heart outline with pencil then use a satin stitch (tutorial HERE). To make the heart puffed up like I did, do a split stitch outline of the heart FIRST then cover those stitches with the satin stitch. 
5. Give to your deserving mama and tell her now you know how it feels to love your kid more than life itself. Oh and sorry for all the teenage years.

Love & Lion Mother’s Day circa 2012! Look at our little babies!!