Craft Show + Lots of Christmas Baking - Countdown to Christmas - Day 7

On the seventh day of the Countdown to Christmas, we would have enjoyed staying indoors in the early morning. We woke to -20 degrees below zero...the temperature - not the windchill (which was even colder).

By the time we were ready to leave around 7:45 a.m., it had warmed up a few degrees to -16 degrees. It hovered there for much of the morning.

When the car temperature gauge reads -16 degrees, 

it's one of those days that staying inside looks very good.

Activities

Today was the Student Christmas Boutique at the homeschool co-op. Sophia and her friend Talia sold jewelry and other beaded items they made.

Sophia just learned to make beaded jewelry this year, and has enjoyed doing a variety of patterns.

 

This is the same pattern, but it has two different looks 

because of the types of beads that Sophia used.

She does  a lot with seed beads and other tiny beads versus the larger-size beads.

This is another bracelet Sophia made.

That being said, she also tried her hand at necklaces using larger beads.

This is a necklace Sophia made.

She also taught herself how to make earrings.

These are earrings that Sophia made.

Sophia also made some beaded key chains.

This is a key chain that Sophia made.

 In the afternoon, I made a variety of cookies for the Christmas play and fundraiser tomorrow.

Christmas pinwheels filled with raspberry jam.

I made a new recipe that I  used to create the pinwheels and cut-out cookies.

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
about 1/3 cup raspberry jam

Mix sugar, shortening, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Roll about 1/3 of the dough at a time into a 10-inch square on a lightly floured board. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares. Cut squares diagonally from each corner almost to the  center. Place about 1/2 teaspoon of the jam on the center of each square. Fold every other point to the center to make a pinwheel. 

Place pinwheels on an ungreased cookie sheet. (Note: I sprayed the cookie sheet lightly.) Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 6 minutes. Makes 4 dozen cookies. (Note: I made the squares smaller, but would be surprised if that many cookies could be made. Maybe the dough needs to be rolled out very thin.). 

Cut out cookies with sprinkles.

Found a recipe for peanut butter cookies that requires no cooking - just mix the filling and dip in melted almond bark.

No-cook peanut butter snowballs.

No-Cook Peanut Snowballs:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 pound white almond bark

In a bowl combine sugar, peanut butter, and butter. chill. Shape into balls. Place balls on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Chill until firm. Melt almond bark according to instructions on package. Dip balls into melted almond bark and place them on wax paper until hardened.

Since the peanut butter cookies didn't use a lot of almond bark, I wanted to find another recipe that would the rest of it up. So, I made another recipe that used Spanish peanuts and pretzels covered in the almond bark.

Almond bark with pretzels and Spanish peanuts.

White Chocolate Pretzel Candy

1 pound white chocolate
1 cup Spanish peanuts
2-3 cups thin pretzel sticks, broken into pieces (I used 3 cups)

Melt chocolate in microwave or in double boiler. Mix the melted chocolate, the peanuts, and pretzels together. Spread mixture on greased cookie sheet. Refrigerate for two hours and break into pieces.

Another new recipe I tried was a four-layer fudge. Layer one is chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. The green layer is white chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, food coloring, and mint extract. The third layer is chocolate chips and a bit of shortening. The top layer are Andes mint chips. Needless to say, the fudge is delicious.

Andes mint fudge.

2.5 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk, divided
1.5 cups white chocolate baking chips
1 teaspoons peppermint extract (or more, go by your taste preference)
2 drops green food coloring
1 teaspoon shortening
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and/or Andes Creme De Menth Baking Chips (I used the latter)

Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Spray paper with non-stick spray and set aside.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt 1.5 cups chocolate chips with 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, stirring occasionally. Spread melted chocolate mixture into pan and chill for 5-10 minutes.

In another saucepan, melt white baking chips and remaining condensed milk, stirring until completely smooth. Remove from the heat and add peppermint extract and food coloring. Spread mint layer over chilled chocolate layer. Chill for 5-10 minutes as you make the final layer.

Melt remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips with 1 tsp shortening in the microwave in 30 second increments. Stir until completely smooth. Spread over chilled mint layer. Top with mini chocolate chips and/or Andes baking chips. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until fudge is completely set (could take up to 4 hours).

Cut into squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to two weeks. Fudge will freeze and thaw well.

I also made a caramel popcorn recipe using the fake popcorn which turned out well. Found out that this "popcorn' is good for people who have diverticulitis and can't have seeds, nuts, or popcorn. Someone we know has it, and she can only have this type of "popcorn."

Caramel corn, Andes mint fudge, and 

almond bark with pretzels and Spanish peanuts.

Old Dutch Caramel Corn

1 (9 ounce) bag of Old Dutch Puffcorn Curls
1/2 cup butter (not margarine)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda

Place puffcorn curls in a large roaster pan. In a two-quart saucepan cook together for two minutes the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and baking soda. The baking soda will cause the mixture to foam, so a two-quart saucepan is necessary.

Pour the caramel mixture over the curls and stir until mixed. Place in a 250 degree oven for 45 minutes. Stir at least every 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, pour on wax paper, and break apart.

On the sixth day of Chalica, we focused on the Unitarian Universalist principle of world peace, liberty and justice for all. One of the ways we can do this is through environmental justice. We talked quite about about clean, accessible water for personal and domestic use. We all decided that it is something that we want to explore and potentially support during 2014.

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Advent Reading

Luke 1:24-25 - After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.”

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Christmas Joke

What’s the difference between Santa’s reindeer and a knight?

(One slays the dragon, and the other’s draggin’ the sleigh.)

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Christmas Fact

Today we learned about poinsettias:

A mass of poinsettias. The only place we can enjoy these is 

when they are displayed somewhere else. Poinsettias are toxic to cats.

With five cats, we don't want to take a risk of

having these beautiful plants in our home.

America’s first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, is the namesake for this native Mexican plant which he brought to America in 1828. The plant was likely used by Mexican Franciscans in their 17th century Christmas celebrations. Mexicans thought the plants symbolized the Star of Bethlehem, leading to its association with Christmas.

Miniature Thank You Cards - Art Every Day Month - Day 23

Today I started going through some "to do" bags I have in my closet. There are quite a few projects that I have in progress...just need to make some time to complete them.

So, first on the list were 11 sets of thank you cards. The cards were folded and the front decorative paper already glued on.

I just needed to cut the white pieces of paper, hand-stamp them, and then affix them onto the card using a three-dimensional foam piece between the white and decorative papers.

I'm going to start uploading them into my shop, Harvest Moon by Hand. It seems like around the holidays there is an increased need for thank you cards.

These little 3"x 3" cards that are blank on the inside make just the right size for a quick thank you note.

I'm happy to have all these sets of cards done. Now, I think I'll move onto embroidery.

Waldorf Window Stars - Art Every Day Month - Day 22

Today I finished the big order that is being sent to the early education program in the Arctic.

It is such a relief to have 23 window stars done for that order!

Had another order come in last night for one window star that I completed this morning.

The stars I worked on today were light yellow and white.

The sun began peeking out behind the clouds today, but when I took these photos it was overcast and the sun wasn't shining.

I continue to be amazed at how even simply light can transform the paper into a vivid sun catcher.

Now that I'm done with orders, I can do some other creative projects that I've been wanting to do during Art Every Day Month. 

More Waldorf Window Stars - Art Every Day Month - Day 21

I'm continuing to fold more window stars. This marks the third day of folding the stars. For the 19th and 20th days of Art Every Day Month, I completed two orders that came in through my shop, Harvest Moon by Hand.

Today, I'm working on finishing a very large order that will be sent to an early education program in the Arctic. Hopefully the window stars will brighten the center where the program is taking place.

The majority of the stars that were purchased are red.

I'm surprised at how vivid the sun catchers look even though the sun isn't shining today. It began snowing in the mid-afternoon, so there was no sunlight.

Even with an overcast sky, I was happy with how they turned out.

I'm hoping that the children, their families, and the teachers enjoy the bright colors on days that are snowy and overcast in the Arctic.

There are only two stars left and all 23 are done with this order. They will have to wait until the morning. My back and arms are hurting, and I need to take some pain medicine now.

Who would have thought that folding window stars would be painful? I guess if you're doing the same thing for the majority of the day, muscles are bound to get sore.

Waldorf Window Stars - Art Every Day Month - Days 19 and 20

For the 19th and 20th days of Art Every Day Month, I've been making window stars.

These are the stars that I sell in my shop, Harvest Moon by Hand.

I had three orders come in during the past few days - two of which are rather large ones.

One of the customers will be using the window stars for a backdrop for her holiday photo cards. She's going to have her children stand in front of the window stars.

The other customer who placed a very large order will be using the window stars to decorate a bank of windows at an early education center.

The center is in the Arctic - so I'm sure this time of the year things are pretty cold and barren.

Hopefully the window stars brighten up the center for the children and their families who go there each day.

As a side note, I tend to take photos of the completed stars. Every once in a while, though, I like to take a picture of a star in progress.

Some of the points are attached to one another...while others are sitting to the right ready to be glued.

It's time to rest now so I can begin working on the remainder of the stars for one of the orders (the one to the Arctic) early tomorrow morning. I'd like to complete them by tomorrow afternoon so I can do some other creative projects that I wanted to do during Art Every Day Month.

Countdown to Thanksgiving - Day 5

On the fifth day of the Countdown to Thanksgiving, we read and did the following:

Thanksgiving Fact:

The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition began in the 1920's.

Recipe of the Day: 

Today Sophia, Olivia, and our friend Mary made Great Pumpkin Dessert. It is absolutely delicious!! Everyone who tasted it liked it.

Great Pumpkin Dessert that Sophia and Olivia made.

The recipe is from a pin that I saw on Pinterest that led to Taste of Home. The dessert makes enough to serve 12-16 people.

The girls brought pieces to share with some people at church: Sophia's violin teacher; and some adults involved with the Christmas play - the children's choir director, his wife, and son; and two pianists. All were very appreciative that the girls brought the treats for them.

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (we used 1 teaspoon each of:  cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger)
• 1 package yellow cake mix (regular size)
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts (we did not use walnuts)
• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Directions

In a large bowl, beat first five ingredients until smooth.

Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cake mix and drizzle with butter. Top with walnuts.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Gratitude Quote: 

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. ~ Robert Brault

Today's Activity for the Day: 

We had an activity planned for today, but Sophia and Olivia needed the day to focus on homeschooling, and I needed to make quite a few window stars for several orders so we did that instead.

Three window stars that I made today.

Thanksgiving Joke: 

What always comes at the end of Thanksgiving?  (The letter G!)

Summer of Color - Week 5 - Candy Apple Red and Yellow

For the fifth week of Summer of Color, the color inspiration was Candy Apple Red and Yellow. I am happy with this color combination since I have translucent kite paper in both colors.

Last week, the color combination was gray and pink. Looking at the supplies I had on hand, I couldn't come up with anything that I wanted to create. The translucent kite paper comes in pink, but not gray. I had gray wool felt, but not pink.

So, rather than create something I didn't need or want, I waited until this week to participate again, and was so happy to see these bright colors as the chosen color combination!

I made three window stars this week. One combines both colors and is a pattern that I used before. It is about 9 inches wide and has 19 folds per point. With 8 points, that's 152 folds to make the star.

The other two window stars are patterns I have not made before. The little yellow one is about 4.5 inches wide. For each point, there are 17 folds. With 8 points, that's 136 folds to create the star.

The red one is 6 3/4 inches wide. Each point requires 15 folds. So, with 8 points that's 120 folds to create the star.

I like the stars within a star look of both of them; and am happy I tried two new patterns this week.

Summer of Color - Week 3 - Lime Green & Purple

The Summer of Color for Week 3 is Lime Green and Purple. I made three window stars again this week because I had the translucent German kite paper in both the featured colors of the week.

It's interesting to look at the photos because the purple paper looks almost navy-blue. In reality, it's a dark purple.

The first star has 16 points. Each point is folded 12 times. So, to see the star pattern, I made and glued 192 folds. This star is the largest one of the trio, and measures 11 1/2 inches wide.

The next star is similar to the 16-point one in that each point is folded exactly alike with the exception of the last two folds. In this case (with the 8-point star), there are two less folds per star, so only 10 folds per point. With 8 points and 10 folds, this star required 80 folds. This star is about 9 inches wide.

The last star I made had 10 points. There are 8 folds per point, or 80 folds total to create the pattern. It measures about 5 1/2 inches wide.

I think my eyesight is getting worse. I didn't notice a gap in the middle of the 10-pointed star until I was done and it was on the window.

The gap is about 3/16" wide x .5/16" wide. (Yes, that's .5 and not 5.) To me, though, it looks like it is significantly bigger than that. This is something that is destined for the trash can since it doesn't line up like I would like I want it to.

At any rate, these stars mark the third week of the Summer of Color. It seems like the weeks are passing by so quickly! Three more weeks and color combinations to go!