Warm wishes

{top- relaxing by the fire at Amy's. bottom- the papercut bird ornament I made displayed on our tree}

Happy Holidays!

I am counting down the days (2 more to go!) until we fly to Newfoundland for the holidays! It will be my first Christmas with my new newfie family, and the first away from my own. As sad as I am that I will be miss seeing my own family, I know that Dave and I will "have a time" on the rock!

Hope you all enjoy the holiday with family and friends too! 

{This year's Christmas card I made. The banner reads "From our home to yours"}

Hooters!

Found these tiny canvases on sale at Loomis and made some lil owlies as gifts. Made with watercolour, paper and glue.

Hand-carved stamps

Oooh this looked so fun! Came across Geninne's Art Blog (via vale design), where she has a tutorial on how to make hand-carved stamps out of erasers or artist carving block. So many ideas already!

Christmas Baking

Every holiday season, my mother would make the same holiday cookies and treats in large batches then freeze them so they would actually last until Christmas. My dad, sister and I would inevitably get frost-bitten fingers from sneaking so many treats out of the deep freeze. To me, Christmas isn't the same without shortbread cookies, peanut butter balls, peppermint bark, butter tarts and nanaimo bars. And to this day, I still prefer them all in their frozen form. However, now that I am trying to be gluten free, it means that I am going to have to find some alternatives to these... for now though, at least I can still have the peanut butter balls!

Mom's Peanut Butter Balls
Ingredients
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup fine chopped walnuts
1/2 cup rice crispies, crunched
6 squares semi sweet chocolate
1 tbsp butter

Method
1. Mix peanut butter, icing sugar, walnuts, and rice crispies. Chill for 15 minutes.
2. Melt chocolate and butter over hot water (dutch oven)
3. Roll dough into balls and dip into melted chocolate
4. Chill on wax paper

DIY Snow Globe

Using a recycled glass jar, attach pieces of a small plastic landscape (available at toy and novelty stores) and a figurine onto the lid with Krazy Glue or other epoxy that won’t dissolve in water. Fill the jar with water and a sprinkle of glitter. Once the glue has dried completely, place the lid on the jar and tightly screw it on. Use more glue to make a leak-proof seal. A collection of the mini-dioramas adds magic to a mantel.
{found via Mint}

Delicious Paper

Mmm, what a yummy calling card...not only is this letterpressed on super thick soft cotton cover stock, but it is tiny- only 1.5" x 2". The owner likes mini things, just like me! Card printed by Lunalux Letterpress

It's raining, it's pouring...

It's pouring here in Halifax today. Although I can't say that the rain makes me smile, this illustration does. I can't wait to get home, put on my comfies and cuddle up with hubby. So cozy.

{illustration by Heidi Burton)

Loyal Loot

Combining the natural beauty of logs with a high gloss varnigh, these handmade bowls make me drool. Each bowl is handmade by Loyal Loot crafts people using only locally reclaimed trees of all varieties. Beautiful.

This is a yummy chicken recipe that is easy to make with ingredients that you will likely have on hand. Nothing fancy, but tastes delicious!


Ingredients
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tbsp grainy dijion mustard
2 tbsp minced fresh dill (or 1/4 tsp dried dill)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken

Method
1. Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Arrange chicken breasts in a baking dish that is just large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer. Pour marinade over chicken and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hr.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove plastic wrap ad place dish in middle of oven. Bake uncovered for about 35 mins until chicken is cooked.
3. Spoon sauce from bottom of pan over chicken and serve immediately.

{found on the simple celiac}

Love you like...

 poster by Erin Jang {found via happy lady eats}

Gorgeous chair

 I want this chair for my living room! Anson chair from Room&Board

{stumbled upon via Little Brown Pen}

 
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, peeled, diced
1 large red pepper, seeded, diced
1 large yellow pepper, seeded, diced
1 med red onion, chopped
1 med zucchini, chopped
1 large portobello mushroom, chop
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp basalmic vinegar
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
1/2 cup feta cheese or 1/3 cup parm
1/4 cup fresh basil or mint, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, toss together all vegetables, chickpeas, olive oil, balsamic, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Spread vegetable mixture in a large roasting pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Roast for 25 mins, stirring once or twice, until veggies are tender.
3. To serve, combine hot veggies, couscous, feta, and basil in a large serving bowl and toss well. Add a bit more fresh pepper to taste. Mix with cooked quinoa.

How cheeky!

Dirty postcards by spread the love

More holiday paper crafts

Some more ways to use my scrap paper:
An origami wreath ornament tutorial by domesticali

and a pretty paper wreath tutorial by razzle dazzle crafting

{found via papercrave}

 Wreath tutorial on the Red Thread.

Soft cozy bracelets

These are gorgeous! She uses super soft merino yarn that is hand dyed in beautiful colours. Check them out on her etsy shop.

Wonderful Watercolours

miss capricho {via Oh Joy!}

Another holiday craft

These would be a great use for all the left over scrap paper I have from my recent paper cutting adventures. Cute in a bowl or hurricane jar, or strung together in a garland. I might even package these up flat and send to my mother and sister with instructions how to unfold. See tutorial on the Creative Place. 

{via Design Crush}

Creme brulee is my husband's favorite dessert. If a restaurant is serving it, no matter the flavour, he will order it. Even though I was hosting "ladies night" last night, I really made the dessert for him :)

It is very easy to make, and it was hit with hubby and the ladies! The only tricky thing is you need the little ramekin dishes to make them in. And if you do not have a blowtorch, you can put the desserts under a broiler until caramelized (a few minutes).

Ingredients:
1 large lemon
3 cups heavy cream
About 10 tablespoons sugar
6 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Method:
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325F.
2. Finely grate 2 tablespoons zest from lemons into cream in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in 7 tablespoons sugar and a pinch of salt. Heat mixture over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until almost boiling, then remove from heat.
3. Lightly beat yolks in a bowl, then gradually whisk in hot cream. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a quart-size glass measure and stir in vanilla and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice. Divide among ramekins.
4. Arrange ramekins in a roasting pan and bake in a water bath (water halfway up the ramekin) until custards are just set around edge but centers wobble when pan is gently shaken, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool custards in water bath 20 minutes, then remove from pan and chill, uncovered, at least 4 hours. (Custards will set completely as they chill.)
5. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon sugar evenly over each custard, then move blowtorch flame evenly back and forth close to sugar until sugar is caramelized. Let stand until caramel is hardened, 3 to 5 minutes.

I served mine with fresh raspberries on top- yum!

{recipe found on epicurious}

Non-traditional embroidery

Would never think to embroider wood panels, but these pieces by noshii are so cool!

via {freshly blended}

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

Not only am I thinking about making Christmas gifts, I am also starting to think about my holiday decorations this year. We plan on putting up our tree on December 1st, but I think I might be able to put up some more subtle seasonal decorations even sooner than that. Perhaps something like this pine cone decoration from Sweet Paul.

via {design crush}

Paper Cutting

I have been inspired lately by scherenschnitte (paper cutting) artists. I have created a few pieces based on templates that I plan on giving as Christmas gifts (photos to come!).

I love these from Jayme McGowan:

 

I also love these hand-cut topography pieces by crafterall

And a few pieces from Helen Muselwhite

Paul Smith for Evian

A lovely package design. So aesthetically pleasing!

Typography Accessories

Stumbled upon this lovely Etsy seller who make some really unique jewelry. My fav is the ampersand necklace!

 {via howaboutorange}

  
These saucy shrimp spiked with cinnamon, allspice, and feta quickly disappeared last night at supper. We found the dill really added a nice flavor!

Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained, reserving juice, and chopped
Pinch of sugar
1 1/4 pound large peeled and deveined shrimp
1/4 pound feta, crumbled (2/3 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped dill

Method
Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
Cook onion and garlic in oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in spices and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes with juice and sugar and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Season shrimp with 1/8 teaspoon salt, then stir into tomato sauce. Transfer to a 2-quart shallow baking dish and top with feta. Bake until just cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve sprinkled with dill.

{From epicurious }

Pretty cute

Aren't these just so sweet! I have seen these vases posted on various other blogs, but thought I would add them to mine as well. I would love to have one of these cuties in my own home.

Lovely!

Painted and clear coated pieces of elm makes for very lovely wall display!

by focus line art via freshly blended

Candy Hangover

Ugh! I have a post-Halloween candy hangover! This year I decided to make treat bags for the little goblins. With 100 treats bags already stuffed, we learned from the neighbours that last year (our first year in our home) was a slow Halloween with 120 trick-or-treaters. So off to Walmart we went to get some extra goodies- 75 Maynards treats (my fav) and 75 bags of Doritos (Dave's choice) among the left over tootsie pops we had from the treat bags. We ended up having 157 kids coming by, with the treat bags gone by 6:45pm! Even with that many kids, we still have too many treats left over, which is bad news for me as I have zero self control. My stomach has been in cramps since yesterday, and I am sure my body hates me.

I also just ready that every .3 oz of sugar depletes your white blood cells by 50% for up to 5 hours! No wonder I feel like crap :(