Swowman

Swowman: My made up word  for a snowman made from a sweater. This is exactly what I just made. I'm loving the way he turned out. I'm loving my personalized buttons too. They can be purchase from wearhouseindustries. I use them on my crochet coffee cozies.

I was cleaning out a closet and came across a little knitted shawl that belonged to my daughter years ago. My favorite knitted colors are beige or tans so I wanted to transform it into something.

I thought first that I could use this shawl to cover a pillow but I couldn't find a pillow anywhere to use. Then another thought came into my mind. I have been looking for a simple decoration to use in my daughters room for Christmas. This worked perfect!

What happened is, I cut the fringe off the piece of knit and cut out enough to sew down one side and across the bottom. Once that was done, I stuffed him with some stuffing I had on hand. Next, I sewed the end shut (like making a pillow) then I took some yarn and stitched and gathered the middles. Nothing fancy or neat. I am definitely not a seamstress. Then for the fun part, I used some scrap yarn and crocheted him a hat and scarf. 

Waaa laaa, meet woolly the swowman.

Ive shared this at:
before-after-wednesday at thededicatedhouse 
thursday-favorite-things-blog-hop at katherinescorner  
worthwhile-wednesdays at craftyallieblog 
weekend-bloggy-reading-link at serenitynowblog
snickerdoodle-sunday at 2crochethooks FEATURED
nifty-thrifty-sunday at niftythriftythings
amaze-me-monday at dwellings-theheartofyourhome
cityofcreativedreams.

Little Paper Houses

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend because my recently moved away daughter came to stay with us for four days! I miss her so much even though she's only 45 minutes away.

Its our tradition to put up the tree on Thanksgiving night after we are all stuffed and tired from all day visiting and eating. We turn on the Christmas music and get to work on decorations while drinking hot chocolate. Just puts you in the mood.

My daughter and I wanted to do something crafty during the weekend so I found this cute template on Pinterest to make paper houses. Simply cut them out and add a battery operated tea light inside to make them glow.

I used to have a Christmas village I would sit out and add a little to it each year. That ended a few years ago when my Christmas stash was accidentally sold in our garage sale. Imagine the feeling I had. A lot of memories went down in history now adorning someone else's tree. That's over now so there is no use crying over spilled milk. We just started a new collection and let it be a lesson learned.

Making the paper houses or paper villages would be a great craft to do with children. I left the paper white and plain but they can also be colored or painted and decorated. This will keep them busy for a while. An adult will need to cut out the houses as you will need a razor blade to do so.

first you will need:
Template

Card stock paper
scissors
razor
wax paper
glue or tape
battery operated tea lights.

I found my tea lights at the dollar store. They were two for a dollar and seem to burn a long time. They will get you through Christmas and then some.

On a cutting board, cut out the template. Using your razor blade, cut out the windows. Now cut some wax paper and glue to the inside so the windows will have a frosty glow. This is not necessary but makes it look better.

Then you fold the houses and tape or glue into place, add your tea light under them. I swapped the paper trees out for dollar store trees. They stood in place better.

In no time you will have a luxury village you can simply smash up and throw away at the end of the season.


Ive shared this at:
inspire-me-monday at create-with-joy.com- FEATURED
tuesday-pin-spiration-link-party at thestitchinmommy 
thursday-favorite-things-blog-hop at katherinescorner 
Worthwhile-wednesdays at craftyallieblog 
Weekend bloggy reading link up at serenitynowblog
nifty-thrifty-sunday at niftythriftythings
snickerdoodle-sunday at 2crochethooks

Italian Almond Biscotti

Every year at Christmas I make goodies to share. One year it was cheese balls, the other it was pecan cookies, etc....But this year I decided to make some Italian Biscotti. My Husband is from an Italian family and I sure would have loved to get a hold of some of his grandmothers recipes. He will often mention the frittata and sugary pastry twist that were favorites along with other unique and special dishes. Most of the time she would make them without a recipe. She had them all in her head and as far as I know, she took them with her to the grave.

Biscotti is an Italian word that means twice cooked. These cookies were twice cooked (or baked) so they would keep longer and hold up when dipped in coffee.

I got this recipe from learnfromyesterday.com. The only thing I did different was I used almonds instead of walnuts and I used 1 teaspoon of anise and 1 teaspoon of vanilla because she said either one would work and that just meant I had to make a choice and I'm not good a making my mind up so I did both. It turned out delicious!

This recipe makes A LOT of Biscotti. I will have biscotti until Easter! When I was making the dough, I felt like Lucy in one of the "I Love Lucy" shows.

However, It ended up doing just fine and made 4 perfect loafs and about 100 pieces. I didn't actually count them and I would eat the broken ones. But I'm pretty sure It made about that much.

I left most of them plain but I dipped a few of them in some chocolate dip to add extra sweetness to these not so sweet cookies. They are perfectly sweet when dipped in coffee. Perfect for a quick breakfast during this fast pace time of the year. And to my surprise, they do not have a lot of calories.

Ive shared this at:

ladybug-blessings

nifty-thrifty-tuesday at linda-coastalcharm

whatd-you-do-this-weekend at tumbleweedcontessa

full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage

thecraftyblogstalker

showcase-your-talent-thursday at whatscookinglove

freedom-fridays at myturnforus



Pecan Brittle

Peanut brittle has always been a favorite during the holiday season. I decided to make my own but all I had was pecans so I'm calling it "Pecan Brittle".

 

This is the first time I've tried this. For some reason, I had a recipe for brittle that only called for sugar and butter.???....Yea, I know, right?. I got it from my mom... I think. I knew this could not be right. I must have started writing a recipe and never finished or my mom knew some magic trick to it. She can always come up with the best recipes and most are in her head.

By now the craving for some brittle was getting more intense. What do I do? I logged quickly onto Pinterest and found a recipe, or should I say, "many recipes".

I didn't use only one recipe but got ideas from several and made my own. Well, mainly because I didn't have all of the ingredients to complete any single one so I scrapped it, and to my surprise, it turned out really good! The best part is that I did it in the microwave! Worst part? I had to chisel the remaining mess off my glass bowl! That was a job in itself!

Pecan Brittle

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup Karo syrup( light corn syrup)

1/4 Tbs salt

1 Tbs butter

1 Tbs vanilla extract

1 cup pecans (or any nut)

In a glass bowl, combine: nuts, sugar, syrup & salt.

Microwave 4 minutes. ( mixture will be bubbly).
Stir in butter and vanilla and cook another 4 minutes.

Quickly pour onto a greased baking sheet. (Be careful not to get any one you because it will blister you like a glue gun on steroids). 

Cool about 15 minutes then break into pieces and enjoy.



Ive shared this at:
inspire-me-monday at create-with-joy
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage
kitchen-fun-crafty-friday at kitchenfunwithmy3sons
ladybug-blessings.

Christmas Parade

Great Day for a parade! Not exactly! Our towns Christmas parade was this past weekend. It was so cold...wait....let me go back a day, Saturday it was 56 degrees. Sunday (parade day) it was 34 degrees. It was very cold with a misty rain. That did not stop us for going to the parade. I don't go every year but I was free, and hey, a parade is something you don't see every day.

It was a rather nice parade but I noticed a lot of the regulars were not participating and I'm sure it was due to the forecast.

After church, me and my daughter eat a bite of lunch and headed to the parade. We knew it would be cold so we piled on the jackets and scarves and then made hot chocolate to take with us. I'm fixing to get to  the parade but first let me tell you about the hot chocolate we made. We had just finished talking about peppermint mochas at a local coffee shop when the idea hit me to make our own. We used just regular packs of cocoa mix from the grocery store that you just add water to. We added the water but we also added a peppermint Hershey kiss and a spoon of cool whip to it. It tasted just like a creamy peppermint drink you would buy in a fancy coffee shop. It was delicious and just hit the spot while we waited on the parade to start.

Now, here are a few pictures I took of the Christmas parade. I did the best I could considering the rainy weather and frozen finger tips. Enjoy.

 waiting

 Our police department color guard always leads the parade.

 Our fire department loaded with children on top.

Its Frosty on a tractor! A tractor that was also on a tractor.

Gotta love the cotton candy man!

Hunter Huss High school marching band and the Huskey mascot



We all know who this is!!

"Who ya gonna call? Ghost busters!!"

Liberty Tax balloon.

Ronald McDonald. He was so funny.

The Grinch again.

The parade always ends with Santa. This Santa was hold a little baby. ???

After I got home and thawed my toes, I wrote Christmas cards to mail. I normally mail about 30 each year. I sometimes think I will not send any cards out, but then I do. We look forward to sending them out every year. We make it part of our tradition. So what if we don't get many back. Its sharing our Christmas cheer and love to everyone dear.



What I love (and hate) about Christmas

Its that time of year we Celebrate the birth of Jesus. I love Christmas time. I will not say its my favorite holiday because actually my favorite is Easter. I'm a spring time person.

There is things I love about Christmas time:

I love that's its all about Christ. His name is spoken of every time someone wishes me a merry Christmas.
I love the smell of Christmas trees and pine.
The excitement I see in children everywhere I go.
Shopping for others. I love buying gifts if I know its something they really want or need.
The smell of Christmas candles.
Special church services.
Time with Family.
Christmas Cards.
Downtown.
Baking delicious goodies
and Christmas songs.

On the other hand. There are things I hate about Christmas time:

I hate when someone puts an "x" in front of "mas" as a short cut. I don't care what it could also mean in Greek or that's its just easier. It does not need to be there.
Black Friday and the stories about it.( I stay out of this whole ordeal).
I hurt when I see or read about needy people (especially kids).
I hate Green and Red! and the two together is just tacky!
Tinsel
and Glitter!

Now its time for me to get with it and start my baking. I'm a little behind on the decorations too. I still have to decorate my bathroom for Christmas! And I just actually thought of that. eeesh!

I also cant wait to share some new recipes I've dug up! Just trying to find the time to get to them.

What are some things you love (or hate) about Christmas time? Go ahead, just spill it out here.

Christmas Wreath Redo

Every year we head out to the stores to purchase a new wreath for the front door and a few new Christmas decorations. It never fails, we go into the store, see the wreath we want, and it cost way to much for our budget. That's when  my creativity thoughts will often kick in.

I normally use the traditional greens and reds and I always opt for white lights over the colored ones, but the candy colors caught our eyes this year. My husband wanted to do colored lights and Christmas balls in the candy color pinks, blues, and greens. I went along with it.

We headed to the tree decorations to get some more ideas. We grabbed some balls in the colors we wanted. When we got home, my husband took down the old wreath. I was either going to save it or throw it away. It was worth a shot.

I happened to have some floral wire at home and used it to tie on the balls around the old wreath. We even put lights on it so it will light up at night.

I like the way it turned out and I didn't have to spend a fortune. I can now afford to get more decorations for the my tree and mantel to match the theme.

 

My Daughter helped also by adding the same balls to the bells that I plan to hang on the windows.

 

 

I cant wait to start decorating. I always wait until after Thanksgiving to put up Christmas. Do you decorate before Thanksgiving?


Ive shared this at:
the-diyers at homecomingmn
Handmade Tuesdays at ladybug-blessings
Nifty thrifty tuesday at linda-coastalcharm
Made by me at jaqsstudio

Peppermint Sugar Scrub

Somewhere between doing the laundry and doing the dishes, I decided to make a sugar scrub. Yes, that's how I work. I'm pretty sure the sink was still filling up with soap water while I was actually getting the ingredients out. I stopped everything I was doing and made this sugar scrub in about 3 minutes.

Sugar Scrub

 

2 Cups Sugar

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/3 cup Coconut Oil

Food Coloring (optional)

Fragrance

I used Peppermint extract for my fragrance since its Christmas time, but you can get some essential oil of any fragrance you like. Just a drop will do.

The nail salon I attend uses a pineapple fragrant sugar scrub on my hands to make them really soft. I have purchased this from them in the past but I wanted to make my own for half the price.

I was afraid it would be sticky but it was not.

Just put a small amount in the palm of you hand and water will activate a wonderful scrub you can use on your whole body if you want to. Its perfect for feet.
It doesn't even leave your skin greasy. Just very very soft.

Incase your wondering, The amount of food coloring I used did not stain my hands at all. But If you use to much, I guess it might.

Now make some for yourself or to give as a gift. You'll love it.

(Originally found this recipe and got the idea HERE)


Ive shared this at:
submarine-sunday at usscrafty
sunday-show-off-llinky-party at twiggstudios
inspire-me-monday at create-with-joy
the-diyers at homecomingmn
make-it-pretty-monday at thededicatedhouse
Handmade Tuesdays at ladybug-blessings
nifty-thrifty-tuesday at linda-coastalcharm.
made-by-me- at jaqsstudio
blog-stalking-thursday at thecraftyblogstalker
thursday-weekly-creative at craftionary
 

Christmas Through Lens



Finally, after about five years, we went to see Christmas lights. I know, that's a long time, but with our work schedule, our daughters school schedule, shopping, cooking and everything in between, we just never find the time, or if we do find the time, we do not want to sit in the one hour long traffic to see them.

We happened to be lucky enough to live just 8 miles from Christmas Town USA. Unfortunately, this is the lined up traffic I was talking about, therefore, we usually skip this show and go 10 more miles down the road to Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens . Here you walk through what looks like a never ending winter wonder land. I would say its about a mile walk. Maybe longer. They also have horse buggy rides (lost that photo) keep reading.

While we were walking through, and after I had taken many pictures, my memory card got an error.  "Blogger nightmare". Lost it all. Once we completed the walk through, I got it back to working. So, we went through it again. Christmas lights are hard to take photos of and of course my camera even lost all my settings so the resolution, size, etc. was all messed up and it was so dark other than the lights, I did the best I could. Here are a few picture I took. Enjoy.

This is the Entrance before you go into the gardens. Inside you will find a gift shop, coffee shop, Santa Claus, live music, and crafts to make!

I took this photo through a door from outside of a teenager talking to Santa.

 

Some of the cute stuff in the gift shop. (cell phone picture, ha)

In the garden there was live music, and a wonderland of lights, a fire pit, tropical hot house, water falls, lighted tunnels, bridges and even some mazes to go through.

 

 

 Art sculptures along the way were fun too!

 

 Children love running through this water tunnel. Barely getting wet.

 

fa la la la la

Pet Paw Stockings

Seems like everyone now days has a dog except for me and I'm OK with that. Really.

People treat there pets like there own children. My sister is one of them. She has two Shiz-Shus and a few cats too.

The other day she sent me a picture of some stockings she said she'd love have.
I'm always looking for a crochet challenge, so I found a free pattern HERE and got to work on them. It took about two hours to do each one. I hate sewing and these required to much needle work for me. That's why I only made one pair. But shes my sister and so it was worth it.

I like the way these Pet Stockings turned out.

 

 

She liked them too. Now all the stocking are hung with care in hopes that St. Nick will soon be there
.

Ive shared this at:
lil-luna-link-party
blog-stalking-thursday at thecraftyblogstalker
Farm-girl-blog-fest at fresh-eggs-daily