In my family growing up we had a tradition that I loved. On Christmas Eve my mom would make a bunch of appetizers, snacks, and sweets and we would just munch on them all throughout the day. No particular meals were planned, we just snacked. Then, on Christmas day my mom would make a nice dinner.

I loved the variety of foods we got to taste and some were such favorites that they made an appearance every year. This year I have been planning what foods to make for my family on Christmas eve. We are still narrowing it down, but here are some of our favorites.

One thing we have to make each year are my mom's Sloppy Joe Turnovers. Remember these?


Another thing I love to make is English Toffee, a recipe from my Aunt.


English Toffee
1 cup sugar
1/2 lb (2 cubes) butter or margarine
2 T. water
1/2 bag milk chocolate chips or 5 Hershey bars
finely chopped walnuts, optional

Cook sugar, butter, and water over medium-high heat stirring constantly until golden brown (this happens very quickly so keep your eye on it). If butter separates just keep going, it will go back together. Part butter and part margarine separates less than all butter. Pour quickly onto an ungreased cookie sheet. While hot, sprinkle chocolate on top of candy. Wait a minute or two for the chocolate to soften then spread evenly with a knife. Top with nuts, if desired. When cool break into small pieces and eat like crazy!



And another favorite at my house, and probably at your house too, are Oreo Balls. They are kind of like cake pops...maybe even a little better!

Oreo Balls
1 package Oreos
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 package dipping chocolate

Crush Oreos in a food processor until very fine (you could also use a blender). Mix in the cream cheese. Form into 1" balls and chill for 1 hour. Melt chocolate and dip the balls. Set on wax paper to cool. Drizzle with melted white chocolate, if desired. Refrigerate.



For something new this year, these chocolate candy cane cookies from The Pioneer Woman look absolutely divine! I might have to give them a try. Enjoy your holiday cooking!

Another quick and easy neighbor or teacher gift for all you last minute crafters! I cut Christmas trees out of fabric using my Slice machine and the Fa La La design card (did you know that thing could cut fabric? Sweet!) and appliqued them on flour sack dish towels, which I found in a pack of 5 for $5.50 at WalMart. This is a fun way to use up your fabric scraps--they don't even have to be Christmas patterns. Green and red will do! Then I added a little ribbon, trim, and buttons. Seriously, the hardest part was threading the needle to sew on the buttons!






The only trick to know about cutting fabric with your Slice is that you need to iron on some Heat 'n Bond iron-on adhesive on the back first. Leave the paper on the back while you cut, then peel it off and iron your shape on your fabric. I use the Heat 'n Bond Lite so I can zig zag stitch around the shape. But if you don't own a sewing machine, you could still do this project using the no-sew Heat 'n Bond Ultrahold. They even have it in tape for the ribbon! When cutting fabric with the Slice, I think the less intricate your shape, the better. If you have a Slice, you have got to try this!

I know, I know, some of our recent tutorials are really cutting it a little too close to Christmas. The problem is that we are documenting our real life adventures in crafting, which means we don't often do things very far in advance! So we apologize if you love an idea you see here but don't have enough time to make it before Christmas. I guess you'll just have to bookmark it for next year! Or, if you're really behind, this is a last minute neighbor gift that you could give as a 'Happy New Year' gift and totally get away with it!

Mini Calendar Magnet Tutorial


Supplies you'll need:
*Mini calendars--look for these at office supply stores. We found ours online at SkyBluePink.com. Or make your own by printing mini calendars and making a pad using padding compound and our tutorial
*Chipboard cut to 4"x4" (you could use a cereal box for this, too)
*Patterned paper
*Paper trimmer
*Craft glue or Mod Podge
*Exacto knife & mat
*File or fine sandpaper
*Ribbon, buttons, etc. for embellishing
*Crop-A-Dile (optional)
*Corner Chomper (optional)
*Magnet

(Sorry for the weird pictures. I've been crafting at night and the light in my house just isn't right for photography! Also, I have weird spots on all my photos, and I've cleaned my lens. I think they're on the inside. Any suggestions out there?)

Okay, let's get started!

1. Cut your chipboard to 4"x4". Cut your coordinating paper to match. Gather your embellishments.


2. Glue your paper to the chipboard. I love Tombow's Mono Multi Liquid Glue. I usually apply my glue to the chipboard rather than to the paper.


3. Smooth your paper on the chipboard.


4. Turn over and use an Exacto knife to clean up any overhanging paper edges. If you want to, round your corners using the Corner Chomper. Or leave them as is.



5. Lightly sand your edges in a downward motion with a file to make the paper become one with the chipboard.


6. Adhere your calendar to chipboard.

By now you probably know that we are fans of Klutz. Well, they recently sent us a copy of their Fancy Friendship Bracelets book and we were not disappointed. We love this book. We thought the pictures in the book were great and the directions easy to follow. They also have a nice variety of styles you can choose to make so each friendship bracelet can have its own personality. We thought the instructions on how to make each bracelet were clear and there were lots of nice step by step pictures. As usual, we think the best part of the book is that you have the supplies right there so you can start right away on your project.

We were so excited to find this idea from Living the Swell Life to make these darling birdie ornaments! We cut out our own similar pattern on thin chipboard and used sheet music patterned paper from October Afternoon (instead of decoupaging small pieces of real sheet music). But we did use Mod Podge! We also tried our gold shimmer Mod Podge which is gorgeous. it gives it a nice gold shimmer that is very subtle but pretty. We also added a small jingle ball on a jump ring for extra cuteness. These make great ornaments or gift tags!

Silver glitter wing


Felt & button wing


Antique gold wing with gold shimmer Mod Podge (it's hard to see in the picture, but it is so pretty in real life!)


Red glitter wing with gold shimmer Mod Podge

SPOILER ALERT! If you're the grandparent of the children in this photo, turn away from your computer screen now! If it's too late, will you please e-mail me what size you'd like? Yes, this is what the grandparents are getting for Christmas this year. And you won't believe how cheap and easy (and fun) they were to make!

Photo Block Tutorial

What you'll need:

*Block of wood--ours measure about 5.5"x5.5"
*Acrylic paint or spray paint
*Acrylic gel stain (optional)
*Fine sandpaper
*Distressing file (optional--can use sandpaper instead)
*Foam brushes (at least one wide brush)
*Mod Podge
*Photo that will fit on your block (IMPORTANT-ink jet printed photos will not work. Get a professional print with a matte or lustre finish-not glossy!)
*Patterned paper
*Ribbon
*Ribbon slide or other embellishment (optional)

1. Cut and route your blocks. Stacy bought a board at Home Depot and they graciously cut it for her for free (although she thinks they weren't supposed to). Then her husband routed the edges, but this isn't necessary if you don't have access to a router. You could also check craft stores for pre-cut and sanded wood blocks. Paint your blocks--do a nice job on the sides and back. The front doesn't matter much. Sand the edges for a shabby look. I applied a gel stain on top of the sanded edges to finish them.


2. Cut your photo to fit on top. I started with a 5" wide photo. Using a foam brush, apply a layer of Mod Podge to the back of the photo. Place on block and smooth down with the side of your hand. Allow to dry about 10 minutes.


3. Using a distressing file or fine sandpaper, lightly sand the edges in a downward motion to make the photo become one with your block. Be careful not to rip the edges!


4. With a wide foam brush, apply a thick line of Mod Podge.


Brush across in a horizontal direction to cover photo with Mod Podge.


Then, WITHOUT applying more Mod Podge, brush in a vertical motion. This will give your photo some texture, like it's printed on a canvas.


Allow to dry about 15 minutes.


5. Measure and cut a piece of patterned paper for the bottom of your block. Using more Mod Podge, adhere it to the block. I didn't apply Mod Podge to the top of the paper, but you could if you wanted.


6. Attach coordinating ribbon, ric rac, or other trim around middle where photo and paper meet. This will hide the line. I used Glue Dots to stick my ribbon on, but a double-sided tape like Tacky Tape would work as well. I also used ribbon slides from Stampin' Up!'s Hodge Podge Hardware set to dress mine up. Making Memories used to make these, too, but they're getting harder to find!






That's it--you're done! The great thing about these blocks is that they stand up on their own. Instant home decor, and cheaper than a photo frame!


An alternative to the wood block is a tile, as in the ceramic tiles you find in home improvement stores. Thanks to our friend Andrea Sorensen for this great idea! Use the same technique used in the photo block tutorial (minus the painting and sanding). These range in size, but we like the 6"x6" tile, the 8"x10" tile, and the 12"x12" tile. You will need a small easel to hold your tile.

This is the 6x6 tile.


This is an 8x10 tile.



Here are a few that Stacy made on 6x6 tiles. I love the embellishments she used in place of the ribbon slides. You could use anything in place of them--buttons, flowers, bows, metal embellishments, monogram letters, chipboard accents. . .



Merry Christmas, Mom & Dad!

Last week at my book club, my friend Juleen brought some treats. One thing she brought was delicious wassail and everyone really enjoyed it. It smells so amazing with all the spices that are in it and it tastes just as great. It is the perfect drink for the holidays and is sure to warm your homes.

Wassail
2 1/4 cups white sugar

In large saucepan, combine sugar and water. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add all spices.


Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Add juices and bring to a boil, remove from heat, strain and serve!

I found these simple wood frames at Michael's for $1 each and decided they would make a quick and easy Christmas decoration or gift. They are already sanded and ready to paint, so I just gave my frame a couple quick coats of acrylic paint on the back and edges only. Then I traced the frame on a piece of patterned paper and cut it out. I used my best crafting friend, Mod Podge, to adhere the paper to the frame. When it had dried, I used an Exacto knife and a cutting mat to clean up the edges. I lightly sanded the edges, too. Then another coat of Mod Podge on top. I added a little felt sticker from Making Memories and voila! Ready to display this year's Christmas card photo. You really can't get much easier or cheaper for a custom photo frame!