Traditions

It is July! My Shasta Daisies are in full bloom. How else would I choose a winner?

16 people entered. I am counting to 16 over and over until the last petal.

Almost there!

I do not believe it! The last petal is number 1! Lolly! You are the winner!

Congratulations!

A huge heartfelt thank you to all of you who entered and joined me in celebrating Christmas in July!

I am on a mission! A Winter Holiday Cookie Mission!

On December 5th - St. Nicholas Eve - Gingerbread Snowflakes is going to host a Holiday Cookie Recipe Swap!

My hope is to host cookie recipes (or special holiday treats) from as many different countries around the world as possible. Google Analytics tells me that I have readers all over the world, so I am hoping many will join in and share a favorite cookie recipe that is a part of their family holiday traditions.

To participate, all you will have to do is to post your cookie recipe on your own blog on December 4th or 5th. You can make a "how-to" post or simply post the recipe with a photo.

There will be a special link system set up on my St. Nicholas Eve post that will allow you to copy and paste your photo and your post URL and through the magic of the internet, your recipe photo and the link will appear on my post!

Readers interested in making any of the goodies can simply click on the link back to the site to get the recipe!

I realize there are tons of recipes available on the big recipe sites! But I have been discovering that it is those lovely family recipes that are the real gems. And I am hoping that sharing our recipes on the swap and then baking some of them for our own families will give all of us an opportunity to share in each other's cultures and holiday celebrations.

If you have spent any time at all with me, you know I am all about that!

There is nothing to do right now! Just, please, start thinking about what recipe you would most like to share, and mark your calendar. I would love it if you would e-mail me and let me know if you will be joining me in December, but it is not necessary.

I will be posting a reminder in late November.

I hope to see each of you right here on December 5th!

 Since so many of us seem to love collecting ornaments, Christmas In July Giveaway #2 is a collection of ornaments made just for Gingerbread Snowflakes holiday posts these past two seasons.

And to give them a little more "history" they have already been a part of Christmas celebrations at our house.

Added 7/23:  After reading several comments, I am concerned I did not make it clear that the winner will receive one of each of the three ornaments pictured - three ornaments in all plus the wheat kit.

So, without further delay - let's just get right to the good stuff!

Japanese Inspired ornament

I haven't the heart to ask Diane to try to unpack all her holiday ornament boxes to find these, so I promise to make one very, very similar! In fact, if you tell me which style you like best of the three pictured, I will make that style!

Yarn Star

Pick your favorite from this image!

Punched Tin Butterfly

I still have the little guy on the left, made just for this post! So my sweet sample butterfly could soon be all yours now!

Wheat Stars

 I am also including one of my little wheat star kits. The kit includes instructions and materials to make a Wheat Star. And... I am going to send along an additional bundle of wheat stalks for making more. Just tell me if you like the single or double star.

All you need to do to enter the giveaway is leave me a comment! As long as the words "Winter Holidays" or "Christmas" appear in the comment I will be happy! Oh and leave me an e-mail address!

Giveaway ends on July 25th at 6:00pm PST. (July 25th! only 5 months until Christmas Day!)

The giveaway is open to everyone! So if you live outside the USA, don't hesitate to enter! I will be happy to ship your ornaments!

Added 7/23:  And it is also open to all my internet buddies!  Don't be shy!  This giveaway is for everyone!

Happy Christmas in July! And good luck to all!

I just finished making my very first snowman. He has been smiling at me from my desk for two days now! I can't help but smile back and return to what I am doing in a happier mood.

I must admit, I have become a fan of snowmen only recently, having been a collector of Santas for over 25 years. At first, I was quite offended as manufacturers began replacing my beloved Santas with snowmen as the collectible symbol of the season. (Snowman, of course, appeal to a wider audience).

In time, realizing that snowmen could be displayed until late February without visitors looking at me as if I am a nut case, I began to appreciate their importance in the scheme of things and began a small collection. But then I realized how much more fun it would be to create and make my own!

In this post, I am sharing an easy, peasy way to make snowmen - of any size or shape you like - 3" to 3' - plump or not so plump!

Making the pattern

1. Head. Using any object you have on hand that is the size you want the head, trace the object onto the paper you have chosen for your pattern.

For the snowman above, I used a piece of 8 1/2"x11" scrap printer paper. But for larger snowmen, you could use tissue paper or newspaper or butcher paper. Drinking glasses and cookie cutters work fine for smaller head shapes. Dinner plates and platters will work for really big snowmen!

2. Body. Draw a curved line as shown starting at the head. The shape of the line will determine the shape of your snowman. Mine is fairly slim, but you could make yours nice and round if you like!

  3. Neck. At the point where the body and head come together, draw a little curve.

4. To Make a symmetrical body. Fold your pattern in half, making sure the right and left sides of the head line up with each other.

5. Cut out your snowman pattern following the head and body lines you have drawn.

6. Open your pattern! A perfect snowman!

7. Make the base. Measure across the bottom of your pattern and make another circle about 1" less in diameter than the bottom measurement.

8. Arms. Totally optional! But if you want arms, draw a simple arm on your pattern paper. I choose to add a mitten shape to my arm, but arms can just be rounded on the end.

9. Cutting. Lay your pattern pieces on your fabric, and cut. You will need two body head pieces, one base, and four arms.

I added a 1/4" seam allowance as I cut the pattern. But you could just as easily include it in the pattern as you are making it.

Assembling your Snowman.

1. Stitch around the snowman using a 1/4" seam allowance. Leave the bottom open. If your fabric is loosely woven or ravels easily, stitch along the seam allowance a second time to give strength.

I cut a sample snowman from muslin so I could use a dark thread to show the stitching lines, but when stitching your own snowman, use a matching thread.

2. Stitch around the arm pieces.

3. Cut tiny triangles and slits into the seam allowance on all curves. Make lots of cuts as shown. Otherwise, your seams may pucker when you turn your snowman inside out.

Base construction - alternative #1

Fold the "base circle" into fourths and finger press to make faint lines.

Place pins at each line.

Divide the bottom edge of the body into four parts.

Pin the base and the bottom of the body together, matching the four marked points. Add additional pins in between as needed to hold the two pieces together.

Stitch around the base leaving most of one side open.

Turn your snowman inside out!

In her e-book "Stitch Village", Joan Gorman shared a tool for turning small items that is absolutely fabulous! How I have struggled all these years trying to turn a thin strap or casing. If only I had known about hemostats! My sweetie found mine at Harbor Freight for next to nothing. They make all the difference when turning stuffies.

Stuff your snowman with your favorite fiber fill, packing the head fairly tight and the body a little less tight.

Now stuff in a little bag of rice or beans (as shown below in Alternative base #2). This will give your snowman stability and allow it to stand without support. Whip stitch the opening closed.

Base construction alternative #2 - My preferred way to do this because it is so easy!

1. Make a pouch. Using a long running stitch, stitch around the entire outer edge of a square of muslin or other scrap, lightweight fabric. Draw the "pouch" slightly together by pulling on the thread. Fill with rice or beans. Draw the thread tightly closed and secure the thread by making several small stitches to hold it closed.

Your pouch does not need to be pretty or neat.

2. Using a long running stitch, stitch around the entire bottom edge of the body. Draw the thread up as shown and secure.

3. Stuff your "bean bag" into the opening. You may have to remove a little filling because you don't want the little bean bag to protrude beyond the base. It's whole purpose is to provide stability so that your snowman can stand without support.

4. Attach the base to the body. You can either whip stitch it into place or simply glue it into place!

Note: Keep in mind that if you are making a tiny little snowman to hang as an ornament, you will not need to add the "bean bag".

I prefer to attach the arms after the snowman is stuffed. 

If your fabric is fairly thin, you can fold under the raw edge and slip-stitch into place.  If the fabric is fairly thick, as mine is, just whip stitch the raw edges right at the side seam.  I tacked my arms into place (near the "elbow" so they wouldn't flop around!

Now you are ready to make hats and scarfs for your snowman! This is my "snowman clothes" stash of felted sweaters that I picked up at SCRAP recently. They were already felted for me! Most are discarded leftovers from other felting projects, so I guess this becomes a reuse, reuse project!

You might recognize the hat and scarf I used on the little guy at the top of the post! Remember my Easter Bunnies? The sleeves of that little felted sweater worked perfectly to make a hat and the scarf.

Create a little face!

ACK! @%&#* I just realized I forgot a carrot nose! Ooops! I can't believe that in the past two days I haven't even noticed something was missing! That cute little face must have wrapped me in an enchantment!

Little black beads are perfect for the eyes. Stitch a little mouth using embroidery thread. If you want, you can anchor the threads in the back of the head since it won't show once the hat is placed on the head!

I used one of those wonderful blue line pencils that wipes away easily with a damp cloth to create the little face before stitching. Good thing too, because my first attempt at a mouth looked pretty stupid! Just ask for a Water Erasable Marking Pen at any craft or fabric store.

The nose - I'm working on it! Any suggestions?

I plan on sharing more of my snowmen in November so be sure to check back! And if any of you make snowmen, please post them on my Flickr with a link to your site. They will appear at random on my sidebar flicker.

I always appreciate and enjoy your company. Thank you so much for joining me for Christmas in July!.

The winner of Joan Gorman's fabulous e-book "Stitch Village" is:

Number three from the bottom - Christephi. (I discounted Joanie's comment because she probably doesn't want to win a copy of her own book!)

My sweetie said to be sure to tell you that his eyes were closed very tight when he selected the winning number!

Christephi writes a delightful blog called Sprouting Flowers. And if you will take a little look at this recent post for making the cutest mother pig in the world with her tiny brood of precious baby piglets, you can see that she will no doubt put Joanie's e-book to good use!

If you didn't win the giveaway, you can still order a copy of Joanie's lovely e-book right here! I have learned so many new tips and trick that have made my crafty so much easier than ever before. I know you will love owning a copy.

Thanks to all of you who entered and shared your plans for making gifts for holiday giving. I hope you will send me pictures.

Be sure to drop back by on July 20th for Christmas in July giveaway #2.

Ok!  So I am a MOM!  And that entitles me to share a few of my "Mom Treasures" - handmade gifts from my own children, Diane and Michael!

Diane took photography in high school. This one is one of my favorites - her instructor gave this image 10 out of 10 for both composition and print making. I love the feeling of depth and mystery.

Here is proof! Diane has been into PC for a long time!  This beautiful box has been in constant use for over 25 years! Having such a crafty daughter, my house is full of treasures! And these are some of my favorites.

The butterflies in the background are actually painted on a framed mirror - the design first scratched through the mirror coating on the back and then painted. Personally, I think Diane should treat her fans to a tutorial for this technique!    

My beautiful, origami lilies! I use them often in bouquets, wreath decoration and shelf accents. She actually made them as the topping for a package!  Can you imagine the hours it took her to wrap that package?

I can not look at these clay creatures without smiling!  Diane wishes I would get rid of them!  Can you believe that! I don't think she has a clue when it comes to understanding "Mom Treasures".

My son, Michael, who insists he is not artistic, made this print for me when he was in grade school.  Apparently the design was carved into linoleum, inked and applied to paper.  He told me he made it for me because he knew I loved American Indian pottery. Mike has more artistic ability than he wants to admit.

I have to admit, when I opened this gift from my 6 year old son, I was taken aback for a bit!  Having been accustomed to "girl gifts" from my daughter, I was startled by this monster staring up at me from the tissue!  Of course all these many years later, he too brings a smile every time I see him sitting among my house plants!

Ok all you Moms out there!  Why not share some of your "Mom Treasures!"

My Great Grandmother Grammie had a huge impact on the person I am today.  She taught me to sew, cook, bake, embroider and garden.

I grew up on a lovely property that had room for an orchard full of cherry, apricot and apple trees and a huge garden where Grammie grew strawberries, raspberries, beans, peas, tomatoes, grapes, rubarb and many other good things that have faded from memory.  The property was large enough that she had her own cottage and so she could be a part of our lives every single day.

There are more memories than I can count attached to every one of the pieces in the photo.

Although I am certain she would also beat eggs and meringue using the "egg beating" jar on the left, my favorite memories are of the times she would bake up a pan of shortcakes, let us pick strawberries in her garden, and then pour cream and sugar into the jar and let my brother and I take turns whipping the cream until it was just right for strawberry shortcake.  I can not look at it without being transported back to those golden afternoons in her kitchen.

The glass plate with the little dividers always sat on the big dining table at every family celebration and it was heaped full of her bread and butter pickles, dill pickles and spiced peaches. I always have it out during winter holidays.

Family celebrations in our family - there were many!  Every Christmas, New Years, Easter, Forth of July, Thanksgiving and of course every birthday.  With 9 total family members, there were plenty of birthdays to fill in the gaps between holidays.  And then in the summer, there were always picnics, and in the fall a trip up to the mountains to see the aspens turn.  At each celebration, four generations of family members came together to share each other's company and delicious food. 

For my siblings and me, these celebrations brought us our greatest joys and happiest memories. And, although at the time we were unaware of it, these times of togetherness provided a constant in our lives - something we could count on and look forward to throughout each year. Grammie was a very big piece of seeing that each of these celebrations took place... and she provided most of the home cooked food!

Everytime I look at any of these treasures, I am reminded of how very, very lucky I was to have have been able to share my childhood with a close knit, loving family that included grandparents and a great grandmother that we dearly loved.

My Grammie. Thank you for allowing me to share her with you. I wish everyone reading could have had her strawberry shortcake - oh and her garden fresh peas... OMG and her lemon pie on a warm afternoon while sitting in her big metal chairs in the shade of the big, old walnut tree.

PS. Sonja left me a comment on my Colored Mod Podge Glass Jar post and told me that the little pink dish and the pink goblet are actually depression glass which was often sold in grocery stores and purchased using collected stamps.  To be honest, I had never given their origins a thought!  They belonged to Grammie and were a part of my childhood! 

Sonja made me realize there is more to the story, and has peaked my curiosity.  If anyone would care to share anything about the other pieces included in the photo above, I would appreciate it very much as those little bits of information add to my understanding about the woman she was before I knew her.

I always celebrate Cinco de Mayo by setting out my much loved Mexican painted wood trays and my sweet little Mexican pottery creature colletion. 

I have several trays and quite a few birds (and one frog) - all rescued from thrift shops and garage sales over the years.  I can't bear to leave them sitting unhappily in those musty places where they are not appreciated.  I have to give them a good home!  Just HAVE to!

And THIS year, I am also celebrating by making my very own crazy delicious Enchiladas inspired by both my Santa Fe roots and my friend Angie who recently shared her own version of enchiladas on her blog At Home in Mexico.

Angie's Enchiladas are filled with potatoes and carrots!  I just HAD to try out the unusual filling, and my sweetie and I both liked it very much! Angie's use of potatos and carrots inspired me to try making mine with a sweet potato filling!  OMG. Sooooo good!

Of course, we ARE huge sweet potato fans - sweet potato pancakes, sweet potato fires.... Sigh!

Our techniques vary a bit, but on the whole are quite similar.

(And to my secret sister in chard, I am making these again next week and adding a layer of cooked chard!  Will let you know!)

Pamela's Enchiladas! 

I know, I know - my egg did break into two pieces as I was hurriedly transferring it from the pan. So - maybe not the greatest "food shot" you've ever seen.  But take my word for it, these enchiladas are absolutely delicious.! 

I have prepared these for dinner 3 times in the last week.  We just love them that much!  But every time I made them, I had trouble with my eggs!  Don't know why they are fighting me but I give up! Never, ever fried a photo perfect eggs.

Eggs?  Enchiladas?  YUP!  In New Mexico, we like our enchiladas stacked rather than rolled, and many of us consider them best with a fried egg placed right on top of the stack! 

You don't have to make everything from scratch like Angie and I do. If you prefer, you can substitute several items that are available in most grocery stores. I will point them out in the recipe.

So - lets make Pamela's Enchiladas!

Recipe makes enough for four people, one stacked enchilada each. (Trust me, they are filling so start with one each.)

Ingredients

Corn tortillas (fresh if you can get them!) Figure two per person.

1 large sweet potato (Don't used canned sweets - not at all as good.)

1/2 teaspoon Penzey's Chile Con Carne seasoning

2 Tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 to 2 cups red chile sauce  (Angie and I make ours from scratch* but if  you wish you can substitute canned enchilada sauce. I had to substitute a can for the "real" thing last fall and I was pleasantly surprised!)

2 large garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano  (not the same as turkish oregano or Greek oregano - totally different flavor.)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 cups grated cheddar cheese (more if you really like lots of cheese!)

4 eggs

Red salsa (I use Trader Joes - see below - when in a hurry or it is winter and no good fresh tomatoes are available

Green tomatillo sauce ( Again, Trader Joe's brand is very good if you don't make your own)

LET'S MAKE ENCHILADAS!

1. Prepare the enchilada sauce.

        If you are opening a can of sauce, this is easy!  If you want to make the sauce from scratch, see the notes at the end of the post.

Place the sauce in a small skillet ( a little larger than the size of your tortillas).  Add the garlic and Mexican oregano. Add salt to taste.

Bring to boil and then simmer on low for about 10 minutes while preparing the other ingredients. Thin as necessary with a little water to keep it from getting too thick.

2.  Prepare the sweet potato.

Scrub the sweet potato, cut off the ends and bake in a micro wave oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, turning the potato over about half way through the cooking time.

Let cool slightly, remove the skin and mash. 

Add the chile con carne seasoning, butter and salt and pepper and mix with a fork.

Set aside until ready to use.  I always like to reheat mine in the micro just before I add it to the enchilada plate.

3. Finely chop the onion.  If your family loves fresh onions, feel free to use more than the recipe suggests.

4. Grate the cheese.  I prefer using the large opening on the grater, but the fine grater makes cheese that melts faster.

5.  Get everything ready to go in an assembly line because once you start, things move quickly!  Start frying your eggs just as you are ready to begin assembly.

ASSEMBLY!

Dip a corn tortilla into the hot bubbly sauce for about 30 seconds - just long enough for it to become soft.  Don't leave it so long it breaks apart.  Angie and I both use our fingers - but you may prefer to use tongs.

Place the tortilla on a serving plate.  (I like to pre-warm my plates in the oven to help keep everything hot.

Place about 1/3  cup of mashed sweet potato on the tortilla and spread it evenly over the surface.

Sprinkle with onions.

Add cheese.

Dip a second tortilla into the sauce until soft and place on top of the stack.

Add more cheese!

Place a fried egg on top of the stack.  (I like mine over medium) 

Add red salsa and green tomitillo sauce.

You could always garnish with sour cream and avacados, but these are very filling without those additions.

OMG I am getting so crazy hungry right now.  I should have eaten before I started writing!

A little plug for my favorite "store bought" salsas for when I don't have time to make my own.

Enjoy!

Notes about red chile puree (chile caribe) or guajillo sauce

Angie's instructions and pictures are perfect for making red chile, which is the base for making enchilada sauce.

Place dried red chiles in a large pot and cover with water.  If you can get New Mexico dried red chile, they are the best - in my opinion! You can order them on Chimayo To go right here.  (You can also order guajillo chile on this page if you prefer.)

Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Let cool slightly.

Place chiles and a little liquid into a blender and blend until smooth.

Strain over a large bowl.  The pulp will go through the strainer into the bowl and the tough skin will remain in the strainer.  Discard the skin. 

I usually process 60 to 80 red chile at a time and then freeze in 1 cup glass jars. Just so you know,  it takes about 10 to 12 dried red chiles to make 1 cup of red chile puree.

Usually, the puree is too thick to use for enchalada sauce, so I thin it with water, adding 1/2 to 3/4 cup water to create a nice thin sauce.

And now, you are ready to add seasonings - Mexican oregano, chopped garlic and salt! Let simmer a few minutes.

This isn't the only unusual filling I put in my enchiladas - but you have to wait until next fall to get another enchilada recipe!

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!

        .

Just finished making these Easter Bunnies! 

The two in back now live with Diane!

The pattern was given to me by Sally at Polliwog's Cakewalk.  Sally's bunnies are BEAUTIFUL!  She found the coolest sweaters on the planet to felt for this project.  Don't miss seeing them!!

The pink bunnies were made from a felted wool sweater I found at the Goodwill bins. I am planning to make little snowman hats out of the sleeves!

The nubbly bunnies were made using the fleece lining from a moth eaten Pendleton vest rescued from the bins.  The felted wool top layer will be a teddy bear one day!

Did you know that in Sweden, today is Skartorsdag!  In short, Swedish children dress up as adorable little witches and go from door to door asking for candy!   Here is another peak at the little witches! So cute.

To celebrate Skartarsdag, I am sharing a lovely new friend with you!  Sasha writes a blog centered around her children's lives called Squashed Tomatoes and I encourage everyone reading this to take a minute to visit and maybe even take an extra minute and say hello.  

To see how much fun they have together check out Dinosaur Mountain and this project made after a visit to a fire station!

I leave you with a few Easter pictures from her site (with her permission, of course!)

Swedish Easter Tree.  I love the feathers!  And she adds butterflies too!

And check out the Lego playground the children built for the chicks.

Discovering Easter flowers!  Sooooo sweet.

Happy Easter everyone!

I know!  A lot for one post!  But Easter is almost here so what is a girl to do?  I promise - this is a short post!

All you need to make a mosaic egg like this one is a blown out egg shell, Mod Podge, a brush, and the shells left from peeling your Easter Eggs!

It was hard enough to crack and peel my Kool-Aid colored Easter eggs, but tossing out all those colored bits was impossible!  I saved them in a jar while thinking about what I could do with them.

A happy accident pointed me in the direction of creating a "southwestern" mosaic egg!

I dropped the little plate I was saving shells on into the basket of blown out natural hens eggs I put out every spring.  After a few appropriate comments about the mess I was about to be cleaning up, I noticed how pretty the colors appeared next to the natural egg shells.

So, I broke the Kool-Aid colored shells into tiny little pieces!

I blew out a brown egg from the fridge, covered a small area with Mod Podge and began pressing my little shell bits on to the surface.

I love the contrast!

I set the egg in an egg cup (OK, OK it's a jigger) and let each section dry before moving onto another.

Just before hiding the bottom hole with a bit of shell, I ran a loop of yarn through the egg because I wanted to hang my recycled mosaic eggs on my Easter Tree.  If you plan to display yours in a nest or basket, cover the holes at each end with shell bits.

Once the Mod Podge is dry, brush a heavy coat over the surface of the egg.  (Do this in sections if you didn't install a hanger.)

Certainly white eggs or blue eggs would work well.  Use your imagination and make each a single color or even - if you are very ambitious- create a little picture using your colored shell bits!

A little follow-up on the Kool-Aid egg coloring post.

One commentor suggested I try black cherry to achieve pink! Sounded like a very good possibility! Another had very good results achieving a lovely lavender color on yarn by dissolving grape Kool-Aid in distilled water and suggested I give it a try.

I think the results are pointing me back to square one!

I have come to the conclusion that every red Kool-Aid, no matter the flavor, contains the same dye formula.

And although so many of my readers love my brown grape eggs, I still can't get excited!  But, it was worth a try!

Hummmmmm.......  But now that I think about it, the brown eggs would make great backgrounds for mosaic eggs!

I'll let you in on a little secret!  I didn't hard boil all the eggs I tested!  The last two tests, I simply colored raw eggs and then broke them open and used them for breakfast!

So, you can color your eggs and then blow them out and use the colored shell as decoration! Or for CASCARONES!

CASCARONES

I have had several readers ask me about how to make Cascarones - confetti filled eggs some Mexican people love to crack over each other's heads at Easter! I put in a plea to Kathi Kraftyzales to share how it is done!  And bless her heart, she replied by posting a link to making Cascarones on Suite 101. She also posted a little how to of her own in the comments on this post.  And be sure to read her warning about washing the eggs out thoroughly after blowing out the contents. If you are planning to crack them open, thoroughly cleaning the inside with soap and water is VERY important.

Thank you Kathy for taking the time to share..