Decorating Gingerbread Men on Christmas Eve.

This Christmas season seemed full to bursting with sewing for the shop, cleaning, cooking/baking, and the general busyness of homeschooling. I really wanted to make an effort to spend some quality time with the kids; even though I work from home and homeschool, finding time for quality time can still be ridiculously tricky this time of year. Thankfully we managed to squeeze in some gingerbread-men-decorating time on Christmas Eve. I wasn't sure I could make it happen, but I'm so glad I did! I didn't want to buy one of those terrible tasting houses, so I opted for homemade gingerbread and icing (thanks, Jill, for the easy recipe!), and purchased some candy from the bulk section of our local Wegman's.

It really was a sweet time of slowing down and having fun together (plus it was tasty!). I do believe we'll be making this a Christmas-time tradition. I hope you all had some extra-special moments during your Christmas celebrations!

Stylish Gift Wrapping Round-Up on Hand and Seek.

// This is just a sample of the goodness! Read on for image links and complete round-up. //

Hi there! Just popping in to let y'all know that I've put together a round-up of stylish DIY gift wrapping ideas over on the Hand and Seek blog. Hop on over and get wrapping!

Merry Christmas!

Felt & Sequin Snowflake Tutorial

I put this tutorial together last year for Gathered by Mollie Makes. It was actually my first foray into the world of sequins, and it was a lot of fun to play around with something sparkly. Sequins are perfect for catching and playing around with light. As a result, they work well with Christmas lights! You're guaranteed a white Christmas with a couple of these shimmery felt snowflakes floating around on your tree. (Please forgive the dark photos.)

YOU WILL NEED:

-1 sheet, or 4x6 inches, of white felt
-5mm clear AB sequins
-775 DMC embroidery floss
-8 inches of jute twine (or thin ribbon)
-embroidery needle
-scissors
-snowflake template (below)

Step 1:

Cut out two snowflakes from the felt using the template; one for the top and one for the backing.

Step 2:

Attach a sequin to the center of the top snowflake piece using one strand of embroidery floss. (Fold snowflake in half to help locate the exact center- see inset.) Work out from the center to make an “x” shape, alternating sequins with a small straight stitch. 

Step 3:

Fill in the rest of the snowflake. Start from the center sequin and work outward, alternating stitches and sequins in a pleasing pattern.

Step 4:

Layer the snowflake pieces (sequins facing up) and stitch them together using two strands of embroidery floss. Be sure to securely attach the jute twine loop at the top of the snowflake (see inset).

Merry Christmas and happy crafting!  

A New Christmas Tradition // Waiting for Baby Jesus

We don't have many Christmas traditions, but this year we began a new one. We were very aware that the reason we celebrate Christmas has been getting lost in buying presents and the focus on my business. Sure it's fun to buy gifts for our children, and the boost my handmade business gets from holiday shoppers is critical, but it is really important to us that we don't forget the Christ child and his birth. 

My husband suggested that we put an empty manger under the tree, so that we could wait for baby Jesus to arrive on Christmas morning. It would be a visible reminder, and would add an element of anticipation for both us and the kids. Sean spent some time in the basement with his stash of scrap wood, cutting and hammering, and emerged with a rustic manger.

Up until Christmas Eve the manger remained empty under the tree. On that night, after the kids went to bed, we put a small baby doll in the manger. Having a visible reminder and reading a chapter of Luke every morning really helped us to redirect our focus during the holiday season this year. But best of all, we know that after that first Christmas all those years ago Jesus is with us always if we'll just ask him to live in our hearts. We don't have to wait for Christmas anymore.

Snowflake Ornament Tutorial for Gathered by Mollie Makes

image via Mollie Makes

I was tickled pink when Mollie Makes asked me to design a snowflake ornament tutorial for their iPad magazine, Gathered. Issue 8 of Gathered by Mollie Makes released yesterday, and is sure to be full of all kinds of goodness! I'm just sad I don't have an iPad yet.

Family Photo Fun with Twinkle Photo

It seems that there is always some extra expense that keeps me from splurging on things like family photos. Not this year! I was determined to hire my friend Tassia of Twinkle Photo to photograph our family even though a lot of things seemed to come up in the last few months. Boy, am I glad I did! I tried not to stress too much over our wardrobe; I just went through our winter clothes, took note of what color most of us had (3 out of 5 of us had gray shirts, and of course we all had jeans), and took a run to the store to fill in the rest. Even though I prepared by bringing a hair brush, extra layers (it was a wee bit on the cold side), and baby wipes for dirty faces, all of those things were forgotten and I was able to relax and enjoy our time together. Being outside definitely helped to keep the kids happy! Tassia was so flexible with our kids' needs, which totally helped to put me at ease.

Tassia did a wonderful job of capturing our family dynamic. I think the photos of the kids just being crazy are my favorite! As an added bonus, we were able to capture a few moments of just Sean and I; we celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary this year, and only have semi-professional images from our wedding day, so this was a priority for me! Now I just have to painfully choose which images to print and frame for my limited wall space!

// All images copyright Twinkle Photo.

Christmas + a New Blanket.

This year I decided that I wasn't going to get all crazy trying to take photos of the kids while they opened gifts. It's pretty much all we can handle to keep the baby from going berserk and ripping into everything she can get her hands on! Plus I wanted to be more in the moment and really be able to focus on what was happening. Sadly I forgot to take the camera with me at all when we went to my parents house Christmas morning after we finished up at our house. Looks like this is going to be the Christmas of very few photos! Thankfully my Dad took a fair few; all I need to do now is get some of the files from him.

This year my Grammy crocheted Sean and I a new blanket. I got on her about it after she gave two of my sister's blankets for their weddings in the last two years. Our ten year anniversary is coming up in June, so I kindly asked her to make one for us as a special gift. She surprised us with it a little early! It's perfect and cozy, and keeping us warm on these cold winter nights.

I hope everyone had a blessed and memorable Christmas!

Peppermint Bark Recipe.

Last Christmas was the first time I ever made peppermint bark. It was so super easy and the kiddos really loved it! Plus, I love it because it's got the flavor of a candy cane that the kids love without as much mess and stickiness as a candy cane! This time when I went into the kitchen to make peppermint bark, I thought I'd mix things up a little by adding a layer of milk chocolate to the bottom. While it worked out in the end, I did encounter a few wee problems trying to whip this together as fast I could and take photos while all three kids kept climbing onto the table to stick their hands and faces in it.

Peppermint Bark Recipe.
 
INGREDIENTS.

12 ounces of milk chocolate chips
12 ounces of white chips
1/2 cup (7-8 regular sized) candy canes, crushed
1 tsp peppermint extract


Unwrap all of the candy canes and smash them into bits. I've tried various methods. I once put the candy canes into a large plastic freezer bag and whacked them with a rolling pin; my kitchen table is pine so it left a few dents. The sharp edges of the candy canes also tend to puncture the bag. This time I put them in my blender for 2-3 seconds on the chop setting. They were pulverized. It worked well enough, but if you want the peppermint bark to have slightly larger chunky pieces of candy cane you may want to find another way. (Ps. if you have a good method for crushing candy canes please tell me in the comments below.)

Line a baking sheet with foil, set aside.

In a microwave safe glass bowl, melt the milk chocolate using 30 second intervals, stirring between each so that the chocolate melts evenly and doesn't burn (about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes all together). Spread the melted chocolate onto the foil lined baking sheet as thinly as possible. Place in the refrigerator to harden.

Once the milk chocolate has set, put the white chips into a glass bowl and microwave to melt in the same manner. When the white chips have melted, stir in the peppermint oil. Note that the white chocolate may begin to appear a wee bit curdled; do not try to melt it any further to smooth it. This does not work and will only overcook the chocolate. Spread the white chocolate over top of the milk chocolate at no greater than 1/4" thickness.

Gently press the bits of candy cane into the top of the chocolate. Put in the refrigerator to harden. It won't take long! Once set break the bark into pieces to enjoy. 

Peppermint bark is a nice companion to hot cocoa! It also makes a lovely handmade gift when placed into a fun food-safe box and tied with pretty ribbon.

DIY Christmas Yarn Tree Tutorial.

The Christmas bug bit me a little bit harder this year, and I decided that I wanted to do just a wee bit more decorating than usual. My great-grandmother had beautiful dark green ceramic Christmas trees in her house when I was growing up. An electric candle went inside, and when lit the dark, richly colored bulbs would cast a dull, warm glow. I am blessed enough to have one of those trees now, but the candle is missing, and I'm always afraid to put it out for fear one of the wee ones will knock it over and break it. So this year I thought it would be fun to re-create the look of that tree with yarn and pom poms. One trip to the craft store later, and I had all the materials I needed to create a couple of fun yarn trees inspired by my great-grandmother's vintage tree decoration!

SUPPLIES.               styrofoam cones (mine are 6" and 9")
                  yarn
                  felt to match yarn color
                  small pom poms (I used 10mm)
                  hot glue gun
                  scissors

If making a star for the top you'll also need: felt, matching embroidery floss, sewing needle, a wee bit of polyester fiberfill, toothpick.

To start, cut two circular pieces of felt that will cover the very top and bottom of the styrofoam cone. Adhere them using hot glue.

*A note about using hot glue with styrofoam: exercise great care not to melt the styrofoam by touching it with the hot metal tip of the glue gun.

Run a bead of glue along the bottom of the cone to keep the yarn in place, and then proceed to wrap the rest of the cone with the yarn. Once at the top of the cone cut the yarn and use hot glue to keep the end in place.

To create the look of lights, put a dab of glue on the back of each pom pom and stick it in place. Then, starting at the uppermost pom pom, take a piece of yarn and run it from one "light" to another, wrapping it once around each pom pom in the tree as you pass it to create a "string of lights". Once you have the string arranged in a way that looks pleasing put a dab of hot glue at the beginning and the end to hold the string of yarn in place.

If you decide to add a star to one or more of your trees, you can use the template below. Be sure to click on the image and print it in original size so that the star will be the correct size.

Once you've printed the template cut two stars from the yellow felt, and stitch around the edges. Lightly stuff the star with fiberfill before stitching it shut to give it a bit of dimension. Slide the toothpick into the star, and then gently push the toothpick into the styrofoam on top of the tree.

I did the smaller tree first with my four-year-old daughter, and we went a little crazy with the pom poms. When I did the larger tree I placed the pom poms farther apart, and I believe I like that better. However you decide to do it, have fun, and I hope that these little trees add more merry to your holidays!