Cinnamon Salt Dough

Here's a quick, easy, and festively fragrant alternative to traditional salt dough ornaments:

(No painting required!)



::: Cinnamon Salt Dough :::

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup cinnamon
1 1/2 cups water

Mix dry ingredients together and add water to form a pliable dough. Knead several times before rolling out. Cover tightly until ready to use. Dust work surface with cinnamon and roll to a 1/4"-3/4" thickness, depending on your preferences. Use cookie cutters or paper templates and remember to poke a hole or two in each ornament before baking. Bake at 300º for 45-60 minutes, watching carefully toward the end of the baking time. Allow to cool and harden completely before hanging. May be sealed with wax or poly if desired.

(click here for printable recipe)

'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving ...

Here, as promised, is one last look at fall, my friends. Enjoy ... and have a lovely weekend!

::: Homemade Holidays :::

Welcome to another installment of our Homemade Holidays Recipe Swap! Come join the fun... and let the recipe swapping begin!

I hope everyone enjoyed yesterday's feasting and family gathering fun. We sure did! And now we're looking forward to Christmastime ... and the getting ready for Christmastime. Which is why today's offerings are all about gingerbread. One new-to-us favorite and one tried and true Christmastime crafting staple. Just in case you're new here and you missed it last year.

::: Holiday Gingerbread Muffins :::
(based on a recipe from Recipezaar)

1 egg
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. clove
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup boiling water
sugar, for sprinkling


Preheat oven to 350º and grease muffin tins. In a medium bowl, whisk egg, applesauce, molasses, and sugar.. Combine dry ingredients in another bowl and add to wet mixture. Stir in water, mixing well. Fill muffin cups two-thirds full and lightly sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Ornamental Gingerbread Dough

3 T shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup water
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. each: ground cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg

Beat shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in molasses. Mix dry ingredients together. Stir them into sugar mixture and gradually add water. Dough will be very stiff. Refrigerate overnight.

Heat oven to 350º. Cut dough into three pieces. Roll one piece at a time (between two pieces of waxed paper) to a thickness of about 1/4 ". Cut out desired shapes and patterns. {*** If you are planning to hang these ornaments, poke holes in the shapes now with a straw or toothpick.***} Bake for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool and harden for several hours or overnight.

Finished ornaments can be painted, sealed, or dipped in melted wax. The possibilities are endless...

(click here for both printable recipes)

Have a lovely post-Thanksgiving weekend, my friends. And enjoy those leftovers and Black Friday Bargains. I'll be back soon with one last look at Thanksgiving decor and then it's onward to the Christmas Season and all that is so special and meaningful about this time of year. Thanks, as always, for stopping by. I so enjoy your recipes, comments, and visits...

Wax-DIpped Salt Dough Bowl Fillers Tutorial

Well, friends, we are busily preparing for our Thanksgiving hosting duties here in Mid Coast Maine. There will be nine of us here on Thursday, along with too much food and lots of excitement. My "to do" list is thankfully growing shorter, but much of what remains to be done can't be completed today. Or at least not right now. (I only want to clean once ... if you know what I mean.)





So I thought this might be a good time to offer up a little salt dough bowl filler tutorial, since several people have asked me some "how to" questions recently. And a little crafty break is always such a welcome thing around these parts -- especially with Christmastime looming.


You will need:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup warm water

cookie cutters
rolling pin
freezer paper/aluminum foil
baking sheets

craft paints
paint brushes
paper towels
sand paper

wax
old canister
medium sauce pan
tongs





Mix flour and salt together, combining well. Add warm water and stir (I use my hands) to form a slightly stiff dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead several times until smooth. Return to bowl and cover tightly if not using right away.




When you're ready to start making your bowl fillers, roll out a small piece of dough on a lightly floured surface. I like mine to be a bit on the thick side, but you can experiment and make yours as thick/thin as you like.




Use your cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes. I often make a variety of larger and smaller-sized bowl fillers. You can re-roll the used dough once or twice, but if it starts to crack, move on to a fresh ball of dough.




Arrange salt dough cut-outs on your cookie sheets and bake at 300º for 45-60 minutes. Keep an eye on them toward the end so they don't get too brown or crispy. I often arrange them on top of a piece of foil -- which I re-use later for the painting and wax-dipping steps. Your cut-outs can be fairly close together as they will not spread.



When your bowl fillers are baked and cooled, paint them as desired using slightly diluted craft paints. Allow to dry and, if you wish, sand lightly for a worn or aged look.




If you'd like to further age your bowl fillers, dilute some dark brown craft paint with a bit of water and brush on a few ornaments at a time. Let them sit for a minute.




Then dab and/or wipe off the excess paint with a paper towel. Set aside to dry.




Now it's time to dip your bowl fillers in wax. I'm sure there are many ways to complete this step, but this is how I do it. First place an old canister in a medium-sized saucepan. Pour a few inches of water around the canister and set it on the stove top. Turn on the heat to melt old bits of candle wax or other wax you have on hand. This usually takes about 5 minutes. (I use the dregs of old jar candles or the wax from candles that just didn't have a strong enough scent to enjoy burning.) Watch the wax carefully and turn off the heat when it has liquefied in the canister.


Use your tongs to dip each ornament in the melted wax. Make sure the ornaments are face up and be sure to tap off the excess wax before placing it on your aluminum foil or freezer paper to set.




After dipping, place each ornament on your aluminum foil or wax paper. Allow to set for at least a few minutes.




Once they are set, you can enjoy them or package them up to give away. It's as easy as that, my friends! With a little imagination, time, and patience you can create some lovely and lasting decorations or gifts -- for pennies.


I hope you'll have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and families this year. Enjoy the food, festivities, and fun. And be sure to stop back on Friday for more Homemade Holidays. I am thankful for many things this year ... and your friendship and visits are among those blessings, my friends.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

::: Homemade Holidays :::

Welcome, once again, to another installment of our Homemade Holidays Recipe Swap! Come join the fun... and let the recipe swapping begin!

If you love the combination of salty and sweet, then this week's recipe is for you! We often makes these treats for Christmastime gatherings or as part of a food gift basket or two. Just in case you're looking for some easy-to-make ideas...

But watch out -- they're oh-so-addictive!

Pretzel Treats

1 bag twisted or waffle-style pretzels
1 bag Hershey's Kisses, unwrapped
1 bag M & M candies

Heat oven to 220º. Arrange a single layer of pretzels on a baking sheet and top each one with a Hershey's Kiss. Bake for 4-5 minutes to soften chocolate, remove from oven, and top each Kiss with an M & M. Cool and store in an airtight container.

(click here for printable recipe)

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends! Todd and I are getting ready to head out for our annual weekend of kid-free fun and Christmas shopping in North Conway, NH. I can't wait!

Whatcha Working on Wednesday

Happy Wednesday, friends!

I hope every one's week is off to a good start. Are you busy getting ready for Thanksgiving yet? I know I am!

And yet there's actually been quite a lot of crafting going on here lately. Which is always good for the soul -- especially when things get busy and I need a little break from the routine. Most of the creating has been for a Christmas Swap though ... so I don't have much I can share. I do, however, have a sweet Thanksgiving project to show you this week. It was actually inspired by one of Julie's recent headers. When I saw it a few weeks ago, I just knew I had to make a pilgrim-themed stitchery for my three little sweeties. I love how it turned out and it's so nice to have something extra special on display for Thanksgiving. I may have to come up with something similar for Christmastime as well, especially since the kids love seeing their names on display.

Here's a closer look:

I'll be back on Friday for more Homemade Holidays. Until then, enjoy the rest of your week and don't forget to check in with Leslie for more Whatcha Working on Wednesday fun.

Thanks, as always, for stopping by!

One Last Visit

Though we've had a few beautifully mild days here in Mid Coast Maine as of late -- especially for November -- we're still getting down to the last bits of fall. And, as we do every year this late in the season, we recently headed out for a morning's worth of fun at the Maine WIldlife Park in Gray. One last time before winter settles in.

As always, it was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours together as a family. Everyone enjoyed the crisp weather, frisky animals, and nearly deserted pathways. The day-after-Halloween pumpkins were quite a hit as well, along with the lone (and very antisocial) moose.

Thank goodness for life's simple seasonal pleasures and the opportunity to enjoy some family favorites one more time before winter.

What kind of family fun are you enjoying these days?








Connor checking out his (ever-growing!) wingspan




Learning about leaves and trees




Brendan's favorite



Looking for fishies




How to use timber efficiently



One last smile

I'll be back on Wednesday (if not before) with more crafty goodness. Have a lovely week!

::: Homemade Holidays :::

Welcome, once again, to another installment of our Homemade Holidays Recipe Swap! Come join the fun... and let the recipe swapping begin!

This week I thought I'd share two family favorites that will be making their way onto our Thanksgiving table again this year, joining our nearly 25 pound turkey (yep, it's a really big one) and several other traditional must-haves. These recipes are easy to prepare and can be made ahead of time. I love that -- especially when things get busy right before the big day.

What family favorites are you serving up this year?

Party Potatoes

10 potatoes, mashed
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. onion salt

paprika

butter

Combine ingredients the night before. Dot with butter and sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 1 hour at 350º.

(click here for printable recipe)

Squash-Apple Bake

1 medium buttercup or butternut squash, peeled and thinly sliced
2-3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries, optional

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Spray pie plate (or a larger 9x13 dish) with Pam. Arrange squash, apples, and dried cranberries. Dot with topping. Bake covered for one hour at 350º or 400º.

(click here for printable recipe)

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

Rag-Tied Twinkle Light Garland Tutorial

I don't know about you, but I love going to craft fairs. Especially this time of year. There's always so much to admire and see. And inspiration abounds. Sometimes I buy a few things, but often I leave thinking "I could make that." And then I never seem to. Until now.




These rag-tied twinkle light garlands seemed to be all the rage this weekend as I made my way around the craft fair circuit. I loved the idea and thought they would be so simple to make. And they are! As long as you have patience and time, this is the project for you. Just imagine the possibilities!


You will need:

fabric yardage/scraps (enough to make roughly 270 1.5 in. x 6 in strips)
scissors
measuring tape
one set of 35 twinkle lights (or larger if you prefer)

First, choose your fabrics/scraps.

Then lay out each piece of fabric and make cuts about every 1.5-2 inches.





Next you'll need to rip the fabric into strips and pick off the loose threads.

Then you'll need to cut your rag strips into 5-6 inch lengths. I cut through several longer strips at a time to make this step go a little bit faster. Next time I might make the strips shorter and wider for a slightly different look.





When this step is complete, you'll be all set to get started. Find a comfy chair for this next part. It takes a while.




Test your twinkle lights to make sure they all work. Now you're ready to start tying! Take each strip and tie it tightly to the wires in between the twinkle lights. There's no need to double-knot them so long as they are secure. After you've tied a few, push them together a bit so that there aren't any gaps or wires showing. You can tie them in a specific order to make a pattern or you can be random, whatever your heart desires.




Continue tying until you reach the plug. And that's it, my friends. You can make these for everyday use or you can make them specifically for a certain season or holiday. Enjoy!

And speaking of craft fairs, I'll have to share some Christmastime goodies with you next time. They are from my trip to The Primitive Country Bug in New Gloucester, Maine on Sunday. Birgit opened her home this past weekend as part of a collection of Holiday Open Houses and I am so delighted that my Mom and I had the chance to stop by and shop. I am even more delighted that I finally had the pleasure of meeting Birgit in person. And, yes, she is as sweet, welcoming, and talented as she seems, my friends.

Until next time... Thanks so much for stopping by!