Jancey Craig

Whoopie Pies or Gobs?

2010-07-23T14:17:00.012-04:00

When I was in the Pittsburgh airport a few weeks ago, I grabbed a local newspaper. In the food section was a story on "Gobs" or "Whoopie Pies", a fluffy white icing sandwiched between two chocolate cake-like cookies. Being from the northeast, I grew up with gobs. My Grandmother makes the most amazing gobs! Much to my suprise, she uses a box mix. And although her recipe is simple, I haven't ever been able recreate them exactly like hers.

The article mentioned this new cookbook called "Whoopie Pies" by Amy Treadwell & Sarah Billingsley, a Pittsburgh native. So, when I got back from my trip I decided to try their recipe for chocolate gobs and paired it with my Grandmother's vanilla icing.

After you mix up the batter, drop it by spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

They should look like this after about 10-12 minutes, don't worry if they have cracks.

Let them cool for about 20-30 minutes, in the meantime, mix the icing.

Be sure to beat the icing on high for at least 10 minutes, I think I beat mine for about 15 minutes.

Here is what they look like, assembled.

I wrapped them like candy with waxed paper.

Then I boxed some up as a "Thank You" for our neighbors who took such great care of our fish & flowers while we were gone.

Classic Chocolate Whoopie Pies

from Whoopie Pies

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

4 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, sift together, flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl, beat butter, shortening and sugar with a mixer on low until just combined. Increase speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes.

Add egg and vanilla and beat for two more minutes.

Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk and beat on low until incorporated. Repeat with remaining flour and milk and beat until combined.

Using a tablespoon, drop batter on baking sheet two inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes each or until pies spring back when pressed gently.

Remove from oven and cool for about five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

1 Tbsp of batter should make about 48 two-inch cakes or 24 pies.

2 Tbsp of batter should make about 30 four-inch cakes or 15 pies.

Vanilla Whipped Icing

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter

1/2 cup shortening

4 Tbs flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup milk

3 Tbs powdered sugar

Combine all and beat on high speed for at least ten minutes.

The cakes were not real sweet, but the vanilla icing made up for that. I will be adding this cookbook to my wishlist!

How to keep a toddler entertained on a long trip

2010-07-21T21:33:00.005-04:00

My 2 year old son & I took a trip to PA & IL to visit my parents and my in-laws. We flew to each state on 3 flights. I wanted to be prepared to keep my toddler busy, incase he didn't sleep. Over the past month, I’ve collected a variety of items that I thought would entertain him. I picked them up at the Dollar store and Target (check out their $1 section). Before the trip, I separated them into 5 Busy Bags. So, I could just pull out each bag filled with items and stick it in the seat pocket for easy access.

Busy Bag #1

Since we’ll mostly likely be sitting on the runway, I had to think about small items we could keep with us until we are cleared to get larger items out.

Includes:

A slinky

Some matchbox cars

Coloring pages

Triangle shaped crayons (so that they won’t roll)

Busy Bag #2

This bag is filled with things to do with our hands.

Includes:

Lacing Cards (super easy to make, I’ll show you how in an upcoming post)

Playdough & Playdough tools

Busy Bag #3

Entertainment

Includes:

Pepperidge Farm Fish (Smores flavor, which will be a new thing for my son)

101 Dalmations

Toy Story

(Since we have a layover on our return flight, I thought I’d pack 2 movies, just incase)

Busy Bag #4

Again, this bag was for decending/landing. Items that they won’t make us put away.

Includes:

Highlights Magazine

Picture Book (easy to make, I will show you how to do it in an upcoming post)

Busy Bag #5

This is an extra bag, just incase.

Includes:

Fishing Game

Dry Erase Board

M&M Pretzel bites (put in a tin for extra fun)

Picture Book

Snacks

I packed some different snacks that my son had not had before and probably will only have on occasion in the future.

Pepperidge Farm Smores Fish

New M&M’s pretzels

Reese’s Pieces

Nabisco Wheat & Cheese Crackers (something a little bit healthy)

Tips for packing busy bags:

Find items that your child has not seen before. You don’t have to buy all new toys. Try looking for items at the Dollar Store, thrift stores, yard sales or even borrow/swap toys with your toddlers friends. You could also try taking household items and repurposing them. One suggestion from Vanilla Joy, was take a muffin tin, your husbands golf tees, playdough and a play hammer, put playdough in each muffin cup, and let them hammer the tees into the playdough!

Be creative and think outside the box. Ask friends and family what they do to keep their kids entertained. You’ll be surprised. One of my friends even suggested little scissors with bundles of yarn, let them cut through the bundles. She said it’ll keep them busy for a while.

Think about snacks that they haven’t had before. Snacks that they haven’t seen before can be very entertaining. Don’t forget the lollipops, I think it really helped his little ears during take off & landing.

Remember to pack comfort items such as pacifiers, blankies or their favorite stuffed animals. My son is only allowed to have his paci at bedtime, but it kept him quiet on the plane and he ended up going off to sleep.

Most of all, be flexible with them. Being strapped in a carseat for long periods of time is not fun!

For this trip, I must say I was a little over packed. We really only used 2 or 3 of the items, since he slept for most of the duration of our flights. But I always say it’s better to be over-prepared rather than underprepared!

Ice Cream Cake

2010-06-20T15:12:00.006-04:00

This past week has been a hot one here in Florida. It's been in the mid 90's but has felt like it's in the 100's. So, as I was thinking of what sweet I wanted to bake for Father's Day....I could only come up with cold ideas. I decided that buying an ice cream cake was out of the question. No matter how close the ice cream shop was, I would end up with a milk shake by the time I got it home. My Mom used to make her own ice cream cakes, so I thought I would try it.

Here are the instructions:

1. Pick your pan, you can use a bread pan, an bundt ban, or even a spring form pan as I did.

2. Pick your ice cream and toppings, any goes!

3. Pick a crust base (I used oreos and a little bit of butter)

4. Start layering your ingredients.

5. Freeze for 30 minutes after each layer.

Here is how I assembled mine:

1. I started with a spring form pan

2. I mixed (almost) an entire package of mashed double stuffed oreos with 3 TBS butter

3. I layered the oreo crust in first, being sure to come up the sides a little

4. I froze the crust for 30 mins, while I let my first layer of ice cream thaw

5. I layered in the chocolate ice cream

6. I froze the chocolate layer for 30 mins

7. I dumped some of the oreo mixture on top of the chocolate ice cream. Then I put the hot fudge in the microwave for 30 seconds, and then poured it on top of the oreos

8. I froze the cake again for 30 minutes, while I thawed the last layer of ice cream

9. I layered the vanilla ice cream on top

10. I froze the cake for 48 hours before serving

Tips:

-If you are using a pan that will turn upside down, be sure to start with your top layer and end with your crust base

-Be sure to thaw your ice cream at least 30 mins in order to make it form to the pan

-Thaw the cake for 15 minutes before serving

-Run a knife under hot water and wipe dry before making each cut

This is a great treat for any holiday. My Mom used to make them for my birthday. She would give me a list of all kinds of ingredients and I got to choose what I wanted. Each year I chose something different. Here are some ideas:

Ice Cream:

Chocolate

Vanilla

Strawberry

Cookie Dough

Fudge Swirl

Butter Pecan

Layers:

Fruit

M&M's

Reeses Pieces

Peanut Butter Cups

Heath Bars

Peanuts

Pecans

Walnuts

Coconut

Pretzels

Marshmallows

Chocolate Chips

Butterscotch Chips

Snickers

Sprinkles

Peanut Butter

Hot Fudge

Caramel

This choices are endless. Use your imagination and have fun!

How to throw a simple dinner party

2010-06-15T20:13:00.006-04:00

My husband and I have been doing a lot of entertaining lately. I’m one of those hostesses that always finds a new recipe to cook everytime we have people over. I don't have any "go-to" recipes that I can whip up. I usually spend all day prepping/cooking and wearing myself out. A few weeks ago we had my husbands boss and a few co-workers in for dinner. I came up with this elaborate menu, a fillet of beef, mashed potatoes with roasted broccoli, and chocolate soufflé for dessert. What was I thinking? The recipes were not simple. I spent the better part of 2 days in the kitchen. In fact, when our guests arrived I was still in the kitchen, knee deep in a three course meal! Then when I sat down to eat, I wasn't that impressed with it.

About a week later I found myself watching “The Barefoot Contessa” as she made Lobster Mac-n-Cheese. When she was done, she said “this would be a great meal to serve at a dinner party, as you can prepare it ahead of time”. I looked at my husband and said, “that’s what I’m doing next time we have a dinner party”. So, last week we had some good friends of ours in for dinner. I was able to prep everything that afternoon, while my toddler napped.

The Menu

Crudette with Ranch Dip
Lobster Mac-n-cheese (actually, I used snow crab instead of Lobster)
Mixed Green Salad with Balsalmic Vinagrette
Vanilla Ice Cream with Homemade Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip cookies

(Thanks to Food Network for this photo of the lobster mac-n-cheese)

No summer meal would be complete without sweet tea!

This meal was delicious. The Crab Mac-n-Cheese was creamy and rich, so make sure you serve it with side items that are light. I have finally found my "go-to" meal for dinner parties. Thank you, Ina!

And They're Off! Party

2010-05-21T22:21:00.006-04:00

This year we held our very first Kentucky Derby Party. We had a small but enthusiastic crowd. We enjoyed the food, the race and the company. Here's a look at our party.

Our guests in their finest hats:

Since we're not real big on Mint Juleps, we mixed up a mojito punch for our guests.

I printed up some derby icons for our glass charms.

The Kentucky Derby pie was delicious!

Of course, no Kentucky Derby Party would be complete without red roses!

Testing my Photoshop skills

2010-04-21T19:12:00.003-04:00

I'm trying to learn to put photos into collages. Thanks to the Pineapple Princess for the instructions!

Kids table & chairs

2010-04-19T20:42:00.004-04:00

When my parents came down for my son's birthday last month, I requested that my Dad make my son a child size table. He made a sweet little table for my son and brought these 2 chairs that he found in the attic. They used to be mine when I was little. They've held up rather well, just a little rust and a few tears in the seats. So, I disassembled them, and made them over to match the table. This project cost maybe $10 ($6 for white spray paint, $4 for material).

Here is the before:

And the after:

This is just one of the projects I've been working on in the last few weeks. I will post more this week.

Antiques Week

2010-03-29T14:17:00.011-04:00

This is antiques week in Roundtop, Texas. Every spring & summer this small town, just 73 miles east of Austin puts on the mother of all antique shows. The show(s) lasts for 10 days, and hosts over 1000 merchants and is spread out over 4 towns including Roundtop, Warrenton, Carmine & Shelby. (Be still my beating heart!)

My Mom, sister-in-law, and I made a trip out there last year. We had so much fun searching for bargains.

I’m really sad that I couldn’t go this year. So, I’ve been living vicariously through some of the vendor blogs that I keep up with. Like the Junk Gypsies, this roudy group of gals are so inspiring. You may have seen them in Country Living, when they made over Miranda Lambert’s tour bus. Their merchandise is one of a kind, I love their “Mama Tried” t-shirts. They host a really cool party one night at the show called the junKoRaMa PRom, it is one event you really have to go to at least once in your lifetime. Even though I won’t be attending this year, I went ahead and picked out an outfit anyways! Here are some photos from last years prom.

Another vendor that is one of a kind is Robin Brown of Magnolia Pearl. Everything she makes is amazing. Here is a photo of her talking with customers.

In honor of antiques week, I went antiquing today with my toddler. Actually it was more like we went to visit a baby boutique that was having a huge moving sale and I actually found some bargain antique items. First I found this adorable little booster seat. My son noticed it as soon as we walked in the door, he loves chairs that are just his size.

Then I found this storage box, it has this bird house covering. The woman said they used it for displaying stuffed animals. I'm sure it would look great in a little girls room. I'm not quite sure yet what I'm going to do with it, but I'll come up with something. For now my son likes to call it a boat and sit in it with his toys, snacks & juice.

I'm still dreaming about Roundtop & hope that next year I will have the chance to visit again.

Train Birthday Party

2010-03-22T14:40:00.008-04:00

Our son turned 2, two weeks ago. He loves all things trains. I wanted to throw him a train themed party, but something more original than Thomas the Train. I found inspiration one night while I was up late, thanks to Joyful Weddings & Events!

For the invitation, I used the computer to create a vintage train ticket. Then I glued them to colored cardstock.

For the décor, I used old suitcases and crates to get a rustic train station feel. I used the many train sets that we had to set around the room.

I used a wooden stick runner down the center of the table with a tin train filled with candy for the centerpiece.

I think picking out the favors and assembling them was my favorite part. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money, but I wanted to give the kids something they would use again and something that would last for a while. I ordered engineer hats & train whistles from rtd trading company. (They were the only site I could find that allowed me to order less than a dozen of one item, they were also fast. I received my order within 3 days.) Then I found red & blue bandanas. I got some chocolate coins and wrapped them in tea stained burlap.

I put the whistle, hat and train coins in the middle of the bandana and then tied them up like a hobo sack. I used the computer again to print out vintage luggage tags with each child’s name.

For the food I wanted to choose something that the toddlers would like. What toddler doesn’t love McDonald’s? We ordered hamburgers and cheeseburgers and then made the fries at home.

For the cake, I made chocolate & vanilla cupcakes with vanilla icing. I used a vintage wooden locomotive for the cake topper.

When I think about a child’s birthday party, I think the simpler the better. Birthday parties can be overwhelming for small children and expensive for the parents. I grew up having small family birthday parties and feel that is a tradition I would like to continue with my family. I always want our party guests to feel like they are special to us, and not just invited because of the gifts.

Find the green shake

2010-03-17T14:21:00.006-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We started the day off with shamrock shaped pancakes, and ended the day with cottage pie, Irish soda bread, a lager and for dessert, a shamrock shake. I don't have any pictures....our camera batteries are dead and we can't find the chargers. (Thanks to Coveiter for the photo.)

McDonald's shamrock shake reminds me of my childhood when I would get to go to McDonald's along with my cousin and a dear old family friend, to celebrate our March birthdays. In college, we would add a little Absolut to them. These days the shake is hard to find, especially here in Florida. I did find this great website www.shamrockshake.com were you can track recent sitings of the sweet treat. The closest siting to us was about 20 minutes away, so we made our own. They didn't quite taste the same as Mickey D's version, but the smell flooded my mind of sweet memories of my dear family, whom I miss so much.

Slainte!

How to make a Prayer Tree

2010-02-25T19:49:00.004-05:00

Everyone's been asking for this information, so here you go.

I googled "wedding wishing tree" and found some great pictures for inspiration.

Supplies:

2 Large Branches (either from your backyard, like I used or you can order Manzanita branches online)

1 can white flat spray paint

2 strands of white mini lights (order from www.save-on-crafts.com)

1 Large Urn or Vase filled with rocks to hold branches up

Embelishments (I used strands of silver beads)

Steps:

1. Cut down your branches and strip the leaves off.

2. If you are using several branches, you'll need to tie them together (I used zip ties)

3. Spray the branches

4. After the paint is dry, put them down inside the urn or vase and get them to stand up using rocks

5. String Lights

6. Layer the embelishments

Voila! You have a prayer tree for your event.

Here's the before:

And the after:

The Dessert Party/Baby Shower

2010-02-18T14:44:00.003-05:00

Here are more details about the baby shower I hosted for my friend last week.

Most etiquette books will tell you that having a shower for the second, third, fourth and beyond baby is a no-no. I used to agree with this rule, but now I see there can be a few exceptions. For one, maybe there are so many years between the children, that the parents need new updated equipment/things for the new baby. Or maybe the baby will be the opposite sex and they need some boy or girl specific items. Or maybe you do what we did; we decided we wanted one last night with our friend, to celebrate the her and the baby. We took the focus off the shower and put it on the mother-to-be, our friend.

For our theme, we chose to have an Elegant Dessert Party. We had it on a week night, after dinner. We decided on black & white for the color scheme, which would make the party not so gender specific.

For our menu, we chose black & white desserts. To make the evening more elegant, we wanted to have a sit down “dinner” feel. So we divided the desserts into a first course & second course.

First Course:
Peanut Butter Brownie Cups
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Chocolate Cake Pops

Second:
Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake
Chocolate Souffle
Vanilla Ice Cream

Beverages:
Hot Tea
Coffee
Milk

Since this was the mother-to-be’s second child, and this will be her second boy. There’s not much that she needs. So, we asked the guests to bring a package of diapers & wipes.

For more tips & information on how to throw the perfect shower see my post from February 13th.

How to throw the perfect Baby Shower

2010-02-13T16:33:00.005-05:00

For the past month I've been working on putting together a baby shower for a friend of mine. A film crew from Oviedo Chicks came out this week and filmed me talking about how to plan a shower. Watch "How to throw the perfect baby shower" and let me know what you think!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie

2010-01-21T20:53:00.004-05:00

So, ever since the cupcake disaster last week I've been trying to redeem myself. I think I've succeeded this week. I found this Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe courtesy of the New York Times. It is the best cookie I've ever made & tasted. I've made 3 batches in the last 6 days! I recommend measuring out each cookie before starting the baking process, that way all the cookies end up the same size. Also, I used a 50/50 mixture of semisweet & bittersweet morsels. I will warn you the batter & the final cookie are addicting. Don't eat alone!

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Jacques Torres

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)
Sea salt (your best)

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day

New Year, New Possibilities

2010-01-15T13:59:00.002-05:00

Well, it’s been 3 weeks since I’ve posted something. I didn’t mean for it to be so long between postings, but with traveling for the holidays, and entertaining family I’ve spent the majority of the last two weeks trying catch up on cleaning, laundry and chasing after a 22 month old boy who has gotten into the habit of picking up toys & other household items and hiding them in strange places. This week I found a sippy cup in the laundry hamper, Mr. Potato head parts in the refrigerator, and his little broom in my tub. I’m still looking for an oven glove & whisk that seem to have vanished.

Also, this is the first year that I noticed a little seasonal depression set in right after January 1^st. I’ve always heard of people having it, but never understood it until now. I usually leave my decorations up through January to help extend the season a little. But this year I’m actually ready to take the decorations down. I’m ready to get on with the year and start fresh. Our tree in our living room was really dried out and dead, I couldn’t bear to look at it anymore, so yesterday I literally yanked it through the front door & drug it down the sidewalk and put it out of its misery. It was a good tree, and lasted almost 8 weeks. But it was a constant reminder that the season was over.

With a new year brings a fresh start and with that comes a whole new list of projects I want to complete. The ideas bouncing around in my head are overwhelming. I’ve got crafts I want to do, sweets I want to bake, things I want to sew, rooms I want to paint, furniture I want to rearrange, and the list goes on and on and on…… Today I decided to start with baking. I thought a nice chocolate cupcake would be the perfect start to the weekend, so I got out my new Martha Stewart’s Cupcake book and decided to try the one bowl chocolate cupcakes. When I opened the oven I found this:

I overfilled the cups and the batter rose over the edge and turned into one big cupcake mess. So, we won’t be having chocolate cake this weekend. If I learned anything from this mistake, it's that I may need to add a baking class onto my list of things to do for the year.

Happy New Year everyone! Hope your new year is off to a great start!

What Christmas is all about....

2009-12-22T15:21:00.005-05:00

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. - Luke 2:8-14

This is perhaps my favorite passage, especially when Linus quotes it in "A Charlie Brown Christmas". It is plain and simple, and truely is what Christmas is all about. Jesus was sent to earth to save us all. May we remember that He is the light of the world this Christmas season!

Have a Merry Christmas!

Tablescape Thursday

2009-12-11T13:51:00.005-05:00

Ok, so Tablescape Thursday was yesterday. I created the tablescape for a dinner party that we had with friends last night. After our company left I had too many dishes to do so this did not get posted on time.

Here is my wintery tablescape. I'm originally from Pennsylvania, and every Christmas I miss the snow. This year, I put snow in almost every decoration I have, so I decided to include it in our tablescape too. I apologize for the blurry pictures, I would blame it on the camera but I believe it's more the photographers fault (me). Maybe I need to ask Santa for some photography lessons!

Tablescape Thursday

2009-12-09T21:45:00.002-05:00

I will be participating in Tablescape Thursday tomorrow. Please check back tomorrow when I'll post pictures of my winter tablescape idea for a dinner party.

Christmas Decorating Blog Party

2009-12-05T21:00:00.006-05:00

Christmas is a special time for me. I grew up in a wonderful family, and have wonderful memories of decorating, baking, and large family gatherings. Now that I’m grown up and have a home of my own, Christmas decorating is an event that I look forward to all year long. I’m not the type of person who puts the same decorations in the same spot every year. If I did it might save me some time but I would probably go insane, so I prefer to do new things every year. I like to start early, like the weekend before or after Thanksgiving, that way I can get everything out and see what I have to work with.

I get my inspiration from different magazines like Pottery Barn, store displays like Anthropology, and even flea markets that I’ve attended over the last year. I also shop after Christmas sales to get new decorations for cheap, then put them in the attic and when I get them out the next year I get a surprise!

Here are some of my Christmas decorating projects that are completed. The first is a rustic display on top of a bookshelf in our living room. I bought the old cabinet door at this years Christmas at the Cabin for $3. The ice skates are mine from when I was about 10 and took ice skating lessons. I like this display because it is simple.

This is one of my favorites that I do every year. I display old and new Christmas photos. I used another cabinet door. I put a song sheet in the middle, put a green wreath over top and taped the photos to the door. Each year I add photos, this year I will add my sons first photo with Santa.

This display took me an entire day to do, I’m still not sure it’s complete. I may have to add to it. After being on the ladder all day, I felt like I had been to a step aerobics class! The birdcage & clock were also found at Christmas at the Cabin. The antlers were from one of the first deer my maternal Grandfather got. I love using antique pieces that have been in my family.

Oh, Christmas Tree! Oh, Christmas Tree! I love searching for that special tree every year. I don’t think I could ever buy a faux tree, not that there’s anything wrong with it, it’s just not me….too perfect, I guess. I love imperfections! And the search for the “perfect” imperfect tree is all part of the whole Christmas experience my family. I love looking back at pictures and seeing the different shapes and sizes we’ve had through the years. Every year when the needles and falling off and my husband finally convinces me that it is time to say goodbye to the tree, we cut a piece off of the end and write our names & the date on it and keep it. This year I went with red & gold ornaments and added fluffy snow to the ends of the tree. My Mom was here when we got the tree and she helped me get the lights and decorations on it. Thank you Mom! I’m still working on something for the top.

Here is a new piece that was added to my collection for me, my Mom bought this Santa at shop in PA and gave it to me. He’s ready to play 18 holes. I think his little wrinkly face is so cute. I might just have to leave him up all year long.

Speaking of Santa’s, here is another one in my collection. He is hand painted by a very talented family friend. He stands about 6 feet high.

Last but not least is the shelf above our tv, which I tend to refer to as our mantle. I had an old wreath that is on it’s last leg, so I spray painted it silver and worked some white, silver and gold into the mantle to go with it. This was probably my favorite project this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Cheap Easy Christmas Centerpiece

2009-12-04T21:50:00.005-05:00

Three years ago my husband's employer hired me to create a centerpiece for the tables at their holiday party. After several prototypes, this is what I came up with. Total cost should be less than $20.

The materials you need:

(1) Glass vase, about 6-7 inches wide & about 10" high

(1) Christmas tree candle, about 6 inches high (I bought mine at Pottery Barn at the after Christmas Sale)

(1) Bag of Color Fill, you can find it in the vase filler section of any craft store. You will only need about 1/2 the bag for this project.

(1) 30" piece of 2" wide wire ribbon

Fill the glass vase with 1/2 the bag of color fill. Insert the candle and then tie the ribbon around the vase.

Whalla! You have a beautiful Christmas Centerpiece!

2009-12-01T21:46:00.003-05:00

Attention all bloggers!

Your invited to attend a Christmas blog party.

Saturday, December 5th.

Go to Bella Dreams blog for all the details.

Christmas at the Cabin 2009

2009-11-15T20:39:00.005-05:00

After months of crafting and creating, it was time to pack everything up and head to Pennsylvania for this years Christmas at the Cabin sale. I started packing on Sunday, and that night I realized not everything was going to be able to make the plane trip with us. We were flying Southwest, so that would allow for 4 checked "free" bags. I eliminated the "unnecessaries", then I cried and pleaded to my husband. So, he went to Target and bought some large totes and he was able to pack everything but 2 swags. We did end up with one extra piece of luggage. Then we had to phone a friend and ask for help with getting all the luggage to the airport. That morning was a little hectic with running errands and trying to get last minute items for the trip. Here is the scene before we left for the airport.

When we got to the airport, we got checked in and headed to security. I reached down, took my shoes off and put them up on the belt to be x-rayed....there it was, I had 2 different sneakers on! My husband and I burst into laughter and couldn't stop laughing all the way to the gate.

Here are some photos from the event. Hope you enjoy them!

We ask two of our helpers to model in some photos for us. This is Eva, a very sweet young lady. She was a bit camera shy, but as you can see she's an excellent model. Our other model is Jack, he's an antique dealer with a great sense of humor!

After it was all over and the money was counted, the workers feasted. We had a sit down dinner outside, similar to that in the movie "Chocolat"....complete with jango music and triple chocolate cake for dessert.

Eat your heart out, Franck Eggelhoffer

2009-10-12T14:20:00.005-04:00

Last week I had the chance to play wedding planner again. I must admit, I had fun! Our friends DJ & Shannon got married on Saturday and she asked me to help with some planning. I’ve helped with some planning for the last year. We met a few weeks ago to go over the final details, and I got to take on some of the crafty projects that she didn’t really have time to do. So, first project was centerpieces. We had met a few months ago to set up mock centerpieces and this is the one she decided on. On Monday I decided to set them up again and take some pictures so I could remember on the day of. The photo shows them grouped together, but actually each vase will go on a table, on top of a mirror with votives around it.

Second, was the wedding bells to be rung after the ceremony. The Groom is Irish, and one Irish Wedding tradition is ringing of bells. The chime of bells is thought to keep evil spirits away, restore harmony if a couple is fighting, and also remind a couple of their wedding vows. Giving a bell as a gift has become an Irish tradition. I did something similar at my wedding, so this was just and easy changing of the names & date and then assembling.

The third project was placecards. It’s a small wedding, only about 20 adults, but she decided to do placecards since it is a sit down dinner at a fancy restaurant. We decided to use a wine cork to go along with the elegant theme.

And last but not least is the wagon. We came up with this idea so that the Bride & Groom would not have to carry their 22 month old son up the aisle when the ceremony was over. This was my favorite and the most time consuming project. I was up until 2am putting this sweet ride together. I was most impressed with my ingenuity on this one, I ended up using paper clamps and a hot glue gun to attach the flowers and bows.

I always say my creativity kicks into high gear late at night. But once the clock struck midnight, I really went to the far side….

The Bride & Groom were very happy with the way these things turned out. May God Bless your union DJ & Shannon! It was a fantastic day!

Christmas at the Cabin Sneak Peek

2009-10-02T13:54:00.005-04:00

Some of you have asked what I've been working on for the Christmas at the Cabin sale coming up in November. I'm still in the middle of many projects. So, here are a few projects that I've finished.

The first is birdcages. I have a few different styles, in different colors that I've embelished. Here is one of my favorites, it's gold with red ribbon.

Another craft I've been doing is painting signs on glass windows and picture frames. Here is the first one that I did on a picture frame (it's a 5x7). I've done some with french bakery names, bible versus, and sayings I've picked up along the way.

This project was just finished yesterday, and I'm really happy the way it turned out. I can't wait to create a few more. It's a baby sock advent calendar.

I should have some more things complete next week, which I will post.

Gilded Pumpkins

2009-09-26T09:58:00.006-04:00

Last year Country Living had a picture of gilded pumpkin decorations for your front door. The instructions looked like alot of work, so I tried to come up with an easier more cost effective way of doing it. I think my way was cheaper but definitely not easier. I used 3 different spray paints, gold, silver, and bronze. I used a wreath that had been on our front door last year but with the hot Florida sun had faded.

Here is the faded wreath before I started.

I careful wrapped different pieces with plastic grocery bags.

Then sprayed one paint at a time, letting each section dry before going on to the next color.

This was the final result, which I was quite pleased with. (Note: I only sprayed the pumpkins, and left the leaves their original brown/orange/yellow color.)

For the pumpkins on the doorstep, I used those plastic carvable pumpkins. I took a large one and sprayed painted it gold. After it dried I used a pencil and lightly wrote out our house # and street name, then painted over it with brown acrylic paint.

I used a medium size and sprayed it silver, let it dry and then painted “BOO!” on the front of it with black acrylic paint. And the third pumpkin I just spray painted bronze.

Here is the final picture.