Christmas Potpourri

In hunting around for nice gifts to give my staff this year, I searched high and low on Pinterest.  I finally settled on this simple but classic gift: Christmas in a jar, via Nest of Posies.  I enjoyed the free printables, too!  All you do is put some spices, a small orange, and rosemary in a jar.  Bring a pot of water to a boil, dump out the jar contents, and simmer all day.  Definitely an easy way to get the house smelling perfect for the holidays.
Now, I couldn't find mulling spices at the grocery store, but raiding my spice cabinet did the trick just fine.  I'll be sharing these with my group tomorrow, so fingers crossed that they enjoy the gifts!

Cranberry and Brie Pastry Bites

Today's update is to share a really easy, quick appetizer recipe I made over Thanksgiving.  I've been wanting to make this for ages, but in my household cranberries and brie just aren't appetizing for some reason.  So instead, I made this as an appetizer Thanksgiving day, which was happily gobbled up by my in-laws, and again that same week for a family game night.  Trust me- tuck this away for future reference when you need a nice, impressive snack with minimal effort!  The original recipe comes courtesy of Yummy Mummy Kitchen's blog, and she has plenty of other good things to check out as well.

Cranberry and Brie Pastry Bites
Makes 16

Ingredients

• 1 puff pastry sheet, thawed (I use Pepperidge Farm)
• 1 4-oz wedge Brie cheese, or 1 container of snack-size Brie wedges, opened and divided into 16 portions
• 1/3 cup homemade or store bought cranberry sauce (whole berry; not jelly)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry rectangle.  Using a pizza cutter, cut into 16 small squares.
3. Place pastry squares into muffin tin, pressing down gently in each opening.  Bake 8 minutes or until pastry begins to turn golden brown.
4. Remove muffin tin from oven and use the back of a spoon to gently press down in the center of each pastry square to create room for filling.
5. Place a portion of brie onto each pastry square.  Top with about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cranberry sauce.
6. Place muffin tin back into oven for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is soft and pastry is golden brown.
7. Remove from oven, gently remove from muffin tins and cool on a wire rack.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Optional: Top with toasted pecans and/or sugared cranberries.

Carpenter's Star Christmas Quilt Part 1

If there's one thing I've learned from my overdue blogging, it's that I forget the details from my crafts and recipes.  Trying to avoid that, I'm going to start detailing some of the exciting specifics as I begin piecing together my newest quilt!  It's a gorgeous carpenter's star I first saw on this quilt on Pinterest.  I figured out my own pattern from that (sadly, the link only showed the final quilting- not the pattern), and I made a quilt for my mother-in-law last Christmas.  A couple more baby quilts later, I wanted to revive the carpenter's star pattern for a red and white Christmas quilt for my family.  I am well aware that it is still summer, but I like having plenty of time to poke around and work on a quilt.  I made the one for my mother-in-law in a breakneck 6 weeks last winter and I have no need to repeat that frenzy.

So, those details I mentioned:

Pattern:

Fabric (for twin size quilt)

[Note: will result in plenty of extra fabric (~1/3 yard per color), which I count as a good thing for inevitable bad cuts, poor calculation (cough cough), stains, loved ones running off with bits of fabric, or other quilting- or life-related issues.)

• 4 yards white fabric
• 4 yards red fabric
• 1/2 yard binding fabric
• 4 1/2 yards backing fabric
• Twin quilt batting- high loft
• Red thread
• White thread

For the quilt top, I ended up getting 4 different patterns of red fabric (1 yard each), 3 patterns of white fabric (1 yard each), and 1 pattern with holly leaves- a mix of red, white, and green, as an accent stand in for some white parts of the star (1 yard).  I got a different red for the binding, and am using one of my red quilt top patterns for the backing (so for that pattern, I got 5 1/2 yards of fabric total).  With a 20% off coupon, the supplies all cost ~$80 I think.

Squares and Half-Square Triangles (HSTs)

• For each color, cut 12 squares and 24 HSTs
• Squares measure 5 1/2" square
• HSTs cut from 5 7/8" squares; end triangle measurement is 5 7/8 x 5 7/8 x 8 1/4; HSTs sewn together will measure 5 1/2" square, the same as your regular squares

I definitely needed to capture these measurements because I did NOT remember my sizes from the last star quilt.  I tried looking up some handy dandy charts online, and unfortunately the one I followed was off, perhaps because I wasn't cutting my HSTs the same way they were.  There are a lot of great tricks to save you time, but they require you to have multiple triangle pairs of the same two fabrics, which is not the case in my quilt.  What I did was cut each larger square, and cut it in half to get 2 triangles.  That likely threw off my end measurements to be bigger than the blossom heart quilts table.  Live and learn, right?  I had a lot of excess fabric so I cut new squares (now 5 1/2" square) to match my larger assembled HST squares.

After hours of cutting and laying out the pieces in the pattern, here's where I wound up:

As you can see, my designated spot in the living room was too small, so I had to lay out portions on the couch.  That's ok.  :)  You can see the few spots where I swapped out an all-white portion for the holly pattern.  I originally had the holly scattered throughout the white parts and it was too distracting, so I consolidated into designated groups and was much happier.

I currently have 4 or 5 rows sewn together, so I'm about 1/4 of the way through the quilt top rows.  Onward and upward!

Ornament Wreath

 

I have been wanting an ornament wreath for years now.  Each fall/winter I see Pinterest blow up with these awesome looking wreaths, but I can never find inexpensive shatterproof ornaments to do it myself.  I'm also not ok with shelling out $100 for one of these store bought guys.  This year, I finally found it- $5 for a set of 12 shatterproof ornaments at Bed Bath & Beyond.  Yes!!!  And of course once I clued in to the term "shatterproof" I saw tons of listings on Amazon to get anywhere from 60 to 100+ of these bad boys.  Anyway, now that I'm in the know, I'm happy to share my great wreath with you.

Supplies

• 4-6 dozen shatterproof ornaments
• 2-3 dozen mini ornaments
• Foam wreath form
• Hot glue gun and glue
• Knife

Directions

1. Cut hole in wreath form large enough to fit the top of your large shatterproof ornament into (the part you normally put the hook in).  Put a dab of hot glue in the hole, and set the top of the ornament into the hole.  Hold a minute to set.  Repeat times a gajillion until the wreath form is evenly covered in larger ornaments.
2. Hot glue a circle around the top of a mini ornament and glue into gaps between the large ornaments.  Repeat times a gajillion until gaps are well filled in.
3. Hang!  Bow optional. :)

This really isn't a complex project.  The key is to varying the placement of your ornaments so they have a pretty organic flow and don't look like perfectly lined up rows of ornaments.  You want them to look random and bubbly, and you use those small ornaments to fill in the spaces so you don't see your wreath form underneath.  That's it!

First layer down.  Looking good!  The base is well covered, I alternated red and silver, shiny and matte, and the inner part of the wreath out to the edge.

Now we've got the mini ornaments layered on to fill in those gaps.  I even pulled out and rearranged and added more of the larger ornaments as I went.

Mini Ornament Christmas Tree

 

This is such a super cute, easy project you can do in less than 30 minutes.  A friend and I each made these at our recent Christmas crafting Pinterest party, and I love the end result.  This is a great decoration for the holidays, and I think it would even be a special gift.  Lots of wow for the beginning crafter.  :)

Supplies

• 2-3 dozen mini ornaments
• Picture frame or other solid surface
• Hot glue gun and glue
• Optional: Star ornament for the top of the tree, cut branch or twig for your tree stump, scrapbook paper presents under the tree, paint words onto the glass, draw on the glass with sharpie, etc.

Directions

1. Remove the toppers from all of your mini ornaments.  Lay out ornaments in your pattern, arranging colors, matte vs shiny, etc. to get nice variation in your tree design.
2. Hot glue the top of each ornament and glue onto the glass of your picture frame.  Hold in place a couple seconds until it sets.  Repeat until all ornaments are glued in place.

THAT'S IT!  Seriously, it can't get much easier than that!  Yes your ornaments will roll around a bit as you get things in place, and yes you may get some off-centered situations going, but it's all ok.  This craft is all about simplicity and not over complicating things.  Love it and display with pride!

Fab!

Copycat Pottery Barn Glitter House

Continuing my trend of redoing Pottery Barn decor for a fraction of the price, I bring you my $2 glitter house!  That's right- instead of spending $30-$40 for a flimsier version from Pottery Barn, you can make your own sparkly gorgeous glittery houses for just a couple dollars each.
I first fell in love with the idea of a snowy white gingerbread house when I saw an adorable pin on Pinterest a couple years ago.  The link it went to is now defunct, but you can still see the picture here.  This has been at the back of my mind since, and when I came across a super cute plain gingerbread house at Michael's, it all started to come together.

Supplies

• Unpainted wood house from Michael's (usually ~$5; take advantage of sales and coupons to get it for just $2)
• White craft paint
• Mod podge
• Fine white glitter
• Clear spray paint

Directions

1. Paint the whole house with white paint.  Let dry.
2. Coat in Mod podge, small sections at a time, and sprinkle with glitter before glue dries.  Let dry all over.
3. Spray with clear spray paint to set the glitter, so it doesn't come off every time you touch the house!

Suggestions: Add small bottle brush trees, use silver glitter for accents like the roof and windows, hand paint designs in contrasting colors like green or gray.

Ooooo.  Aaaahhhh.

Peppermint Chocolate Cake Roll

I have been meaning to write up this recipe for weeks!  I pinned this amazing dessert about a year ago and couldn't find the right opportunity to make it until this year's office holiday party.  It was a HIT.  I was also reminded of Buche de Noel (Yule Log).  While this really isn't one (different ingredients, not at all decorated like a log, etc.) it still fits the bill of "cake filled with nummy icing and rolled up."
Part of the reason I wanted to write this up is because the original pin is a bit of a wild goose chase taking you to two different pages in order to make everything.  It will be nice to have this all written up in one spot, along with notes from my experience (e.g., don't let the cake hang around in your fridge for a day).

We'll talk about the rectangle shape later in the post.  But believe me, it tasted amazing.

Ingredients
Cake

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for parchment and pan
• 2/3 cup sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1/3 cup sifted cocoa powder, plus more to dust cake for handling
• Pinch of baking soda
• 6 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 5 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped Peppermint Andes (I used the Peppermint Crunch ones), plus more Andes to finely chop/shave for cake topping

Chocolate Pouring Sauce

• 2/3 cups dark chocolate (1 large chocolate bar, chopped)
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons confectioner's sugar, sifted
• 4-5 tablespoons warm water

Directions

Cake

1. Heat oven to 350°.  Butter a large Pyrex dish (mine is 11" x 15").  Martha Stewart's cake recipe recommends a 10.5" x 15.5" x 1" jelly roll pan.  I'm not a fan of using specialty pans/equipment for a one-time recipe, so I just used my large Pyrex and it worked just fine.
2. Line with parchment paper.  Butter the paper and coat with flour, tapping out the excess flour.
3. Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda together twice into a medium bowl then set aside.  Now, this step is deceptive because I actually needed two bowls.  I sifted the mixture into bowl #1, but then needed to pour the mixture back into the sifter and sift again, without losing any of my mixture.  I just placed a small bowl under the sifter to catch any mixture that fell through during transfer, then resumed sifting into the newly-empty bowl #1.
4. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Skim off the white foam with a spoon, and pour the clear yellow butter into a small bowl, discarding leftover white liquid at the bottom.  Set aside in a warm place (like on top of the preheated oven).
5. Set a small pot of water to simmer.  In a medium heat-proof bowl that will fit on top of the pot without touching the water, whisk together the eggs and sugar.  Set the bowl over the simmering water, and stir mixture until it is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (3-5 minutes).  Remove from heat, and beat on high speed in a stand mixer until thick and pale and has tripled in bulk, 5-7 minutes.  Reduce speed to medium, add vanilla, and beat 2-3 minutes more.
6. In three additions, gently fold flour mixture into egg mixture with a spatula.  While folding in the last addition, dribble melted butter over the batter and fold in.
7. Spread batter evenly in pan, leaving behind any unincorporated butter in the bottom of the mixing bowl.  Tap Pyrex dish on counter several times to remove air bubbles.  Bake until cake springs back when touched in the center, 15-20 minutes.  Don't overbake or cake will crack.  Let sit in pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle (~1 hour or more).
8. Dust surface with cocoa powder.  To make rolling easier, run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen from the Pyrex dish.  Cover cake with a sheet of waxed paper and a clean, damp dish towel.  Invert onto a work surface, and peel off the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake.  Dust with cocoa powder.  Starting from one long end (the 15" side, not the short 11" side), carefully roll up the cake in the towel.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use, but no more than a couple hours.  If you let the cake sit for a day or more, it is going to harden more into its shape and be difficult to roll later, hence the odd rectangle shape I got rather than a nice circular roll.  Still, it all tastes the same in the end so don't sweat it too much.

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth.  Try not to eat it all.

Chocolate Pouring Sauce

1. Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water.  Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring.  Then slowly stir mixture until well combined.  Add confectioner's sugar and mix to combine.  Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition, until pouring consistency is achieved.  It should be the texture of chocolate syrup (not watery).  Set aside and let cool until it is merely warm (not hot).

Assembly

1. Unroll the chocolate cake and spread with buttercream filling, to about 1/4" thickness.  Make sure you spread filling evenly over entire cake.  Roll filled cake from long end to long end, just as you did when you chilled it.  Trim ends for clean finish (and so you can get the very important tasting pieces).
2. Place fully assembled roll on a serving platter (or on a cooling rack if you want to pour the chocolate sauce, then transfer to another plate for serving with a clean presentation, which I clearly did not do).  Pour chocolate on top.
3. Sprinkle with peppermint Andes shavings.

So. Delicious.

Candy sleigh gifts

So we all run into that situation where you need a little gift for your coworkers, a neighbor, or acquaintance to show that you care without breaking the bank.  Especially when you need to make multiples of said gift!  Cue this adorable idea I got from Pinterest last year, modified to be more affordable and use tape instead of hot glue.  The original pin used full size candy bars with pyramids of candy on top!  Maybe that works if you're making just one or two of these cute sleighs, but when you have to make a dozen, break out the mini candy.  I was able to put all 12 of these together for less than $20, with supplies to spare.  Also?  Mine have little sleigh drivers who bobble and sway for your gift givees, which is a bonus dash of holiday cheer.  ;)

Supplies (for 12 sleighs)

• 24 full size candy canes
• 12 pieces of cardstock, cut approx. 3" x 4" (just large enough to be a base for your sleigh)
• 12 mini Reese's peanut butter trees
• 1 bag of Kit Kat minis (enough to have 24)
• Toy toppers (I got mine from Oriental Trading Co.)
• Ribbon
• Tape

Directions (photos to follow)

1. Tape two candy canes to a piece of card stock.  I recommend taping each candy cane at each end of the card, rather than at just one spot, so your candy cane doesn't tip over.
2. Tape the Reese's to the card stock between the candy canes.
3. Tape the Kit Kat minis on top.
4. Tape the toy topper at one end to the candy.
5. Wrap your ribbon around the sleigh multiple times, and tie with a bow on top.  (Optional: slide a gift tag on the ribbon before tying, or place a sticker for your recipient somewhere on the sleigh.)

Tape candy canes in place one at a time, at each end of the card.  You want the candy cane near the edge.

Other candy cane in place, and Reese's tree taped in the middle.

Layered on the Kit Kat minis and our topper- almost done!

Make it festive with a bow, and this guy is ready for business.

Snowflake Stamp Ornament

So this simple idea dawned on me after the last Pinterest party, where I never got around to using my snowflake hole punch to make pretty garland for the kitchen windows.  I still wanted to use it, but switched it around to make an ornament with the snowflake cutouts.  I glued the center of each flake to a foam ball, and ta da- gorgeous ornament.  It was so simple, my 3-year-old could help, though.  I'd dab the glue on the ball, he'd plop a snowflake down, and we'd move on to the next.  Easy peasy!

Supplies

• Snowflake hole punch
• 5+ sheets of white paper (I just used printer paper)
• Medium foam ball/ornament
• Hot glue gun and glue
• Ribbon or string to hang the ornament
• Long pin, like for a boutonniere 

Directions

1. Punch out at least 50 snowflakes from the white paper.
2. Fold the edges of each flake away from the center.
3. Place a dab of hot glue on the foam ball, and glue the center of the snowflake in place.  Repeat, clustering the centers of the snowflakes closely together (nearly touching) so that the arms of the snowflakes mingle a bit.
4. Repeat until entire ornament is covered.
5. Place a dab of glue on the ornament, and pin the ribbon in place.  Let dry before hanging.

Christmas Crafts!

Hello, Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?  Mine is SPARKLES!  Ok maybe I'm not that extreme, but I have no shame in getting started on Christmas things a bit earlier because 1. Momma has a busy schedule and 2. It was an excuse to have a few quiet hours with friends on a Saturday.

Fist up, a tasty but unfortunate looking pinstrosity in the form of an apple tart.  It had all things fall going for it, but with a phyllo dough crust it just didn't break up into squares well.  You know what would be fun and evil?  Putting out this beautiful dessert and letting your guests feel the guilt of massacring it.  Then you don't have to make any half-hearted attempts to say how pretty it was when it came out of the oven.

Before cutting.  Oooh, ahh, the beauty!

After cutting.  Why do you hate us?

Next up is the insanely simple and adorable batch of Christmas cards I made.  I found a pack of 50 blank cards at Michaels- already with a fold in place and envelops and everything!  I thought I was going to have to use raw card stock for these, and it was a happy surprise to find a kit all ready to go.  Drew on the cute lines and bows with thin sharpie, wrote Merry Christmas with a nice thick silver sharpie, and hot glued red and green ornaments all over the place.  Ta da- adorable and simple.

Last up was my wreath.  I made this wonderful candy corn wreath for Halloween, and really loved the technique.  I had a clear vision of a similar wreath, all in white, with these squares of shiny patterned snowflake fabric interspersed throughout.  A pretty red ribbon gives the idea of a candy cane without being precisely literal.  Now, I was only able to get about 1/3 of the squares pinned during the party.  The rest were done catching up on The Vampire Diaries, SNL, Big Bang Theory, and watching what was left of The Dark Knight Rises because I was too indifferent to channel surf much.  Anyway, end result is pretty adorbs.

And last up, this was a Sunday craft that I didn't get to during the Pinterest party.  Happy buttons hot glued over a foam ball, in a couple strategic layers to cover up the gaps.  That thing is heavy.  I could whack a burglar pretty hard and at least give him a black eye if he gets too close to my Christmas presents.  You know, once I have a tree and presents out.  Christmas ornament/mace: what every crafty mom needs.

Ok, time to put down the peppermint mocha.  This Christmas/winter-time post has gotten me too wound up!

Winter in a Jar

Ever since I made my creepy pumpkin diorama, I wanted to translate that idea to a wintry display.  I knew I wanted to use something with a lid, elevated (think cake stand), with fairy lights hiding in the lid to create a pretty glow.  I was momentarily tempted by this adorable idea involving scrapbook paper and kind of a pop up book arrangement, but didn't see any scrapbook paper that fit the bill.  Going back to my original idea, I didn't like any of the miniature figures I saw in the craft stores.  They looked plasticy and oddly painted and just not the feel I wanted.  I decided I wanted a cute cabin in the woods- simple and sweet.

I was all set on my plan, ordered the fairy lights from Amazon, and went to Michael's yesterday.  I couldn't find this dome on a stand thing I'd conjured in my head, and was starting to feel let down at the end of my excursion.  Then within about 5 minutes, it all started coming together.  I had to let go of the odd specifics I'd worked up in my head, and instead see possibilities in the materials I actually had at my disposal.  A footed jar with a dome could work, even if it didn't have a perfectly flat base.  A funny centerpiece with bottle brush trees could be cut down to size, as could a plain wooden bird house ornament to serve as my cabin.  Little Christmas light buttons could be glued to the cabin to look just right.  Yes- it was coming together!

Within a couple hours (to let things dry), and for less than $25, I ended up with this:

Success!  Also a 100% original creation, which impressed my husband and made me feel proud.  :)  I'm so excited to share it with everyone!  Please share pics if you make one.  I'd love to see what other people do with this idea.

Supplies

• Medium or large lidded jar
• Cotton stuffed animal stuffing
• 3 bottle brush trees, painted green with white snow, various sizes
• Small cabin ornament, 3-d sticker, or even a tiny bird house
• 1 popsicle stick
• Elmer's glue
• 1 pack of Christmas light buttons.  Sequins or plain buttons could also give the same impression in a different style.
• Hot glue gun and glue
• 1 small strand of white fairy lights (like these)
• Silver glitter
• Glue
• White paint or white spray paint
• Paint brush
• Small stick or velcro to secure fairy lights to lid
• Optional: paint for cabin, if you buy a plain one (brown for walls; green or red for roof and windows)

Directions (pictures below)

1. Tilt lid upside down, and paint the inside of the lid with glue.  I chose just to do a large splotch in the center, not the whole thing.  Pour on glitter and shake off excess.  Set aside to try.
2. Break a popsicle stick in half, to be your cabin's chimney.  Place a little bit of cotton stuffing trailing past the top of one half, then glue the other half on top (wedging the stuffing in between but floating out the top of the sticks as the chimney's smoke).  Let dry.  Glue to back of cabin and let dry.
• Alternative: paint a straw to be your chimney, add cotton "smoke," and glue to cabin.
3. If necessary, paint cabin.  Set aside to dry.
4. Paint rest of lid with white paint or spray with spray paint.  Set aside to dry.
5. Hot glue the Christmas light buttons to the cabin.
6. Twist the fairy lights inside the dried lid, taping in place as necessary so they won't pop down into your display (unless you want that!).  Secure the battery pack in place, switch still accessible, with a popsicle stick wedged in place or by affixing velcro to the lid and battery pack.
7. Hot glue the cabin and trees to the bottom of the jar.  Place cotton snow around and under the pieces.
8. Turn on your lights, put the lid on, and smile like a fool.  :)  Look what you did!

Glue and glitter on the lid.  This will look like happy snow when done!

Painted lid.  Spray paint may have been better, but I'm ok with this.  Wintry AND hiding the fairy lights: double win.

Cabin cut down to size, with popsicle stick chimney and cotton smoke, painted, and button lights glued in place.

Fairy lights twisted around so the whole lid is covered, and battery pack wedged in place.

Pieces hot glued to the jar and snow arranged around everything.  I even put some snow on the cabin.

Close up of the little happy scene.

This happy piece of winter looks great on the bookshelf, way out of reach of my 3-year-old.  :)