Save those Christmas Cards

And recycle them into a Christmas ABC book!

When we were expecting our first daughter, my husband's mom gave us an ABC book that she made out of Christmas cards. She had made one for each of her children when they were young and was passing down my husband's to us. I decided then I wanted to make one for my nephew. I started collecting our Christmas cards. And my parents'. And my husband's parents'.

Five years later, I had enough cards.  I'm telling you...it took forever because so many people send out family picture cards or Christmas emails.  So now it is no longer just my nephew in that family, but 2 nephews and a brand new niece.  I do have some left over cards, but you need a ton to be able to choose for each letter and then the number.

My husband's mom made hers in 1" binders with page protectors and red and green paper.  I made mine in an 8x8 scrapbook with page protectors (had to buy 2 refill packs to add to it) and Christmas scrapbook paper.  Both are super easy.  Hers has more room on a page and is cheaper by far.

The one I made for my nephews and niece

The one made for my husband

Here are some hints I used/realized:

• Group similar cards (i.e. angels, snowmen, etc.)
• Leave letters that have multiple words (S is for Shepards, Star, Snowman, Snow, Snowflake, etc) for last
• Use a business card template for the wording, I only had to cut a few smaller
• Wish I would have used less patterned paper for the backgrounds, some are too busy to read
• Let glue dry for a at least 45 minutes to ensure it doesn't make the page protectors go wavy.  (You can see it in mine on pages "X" & "Y")
• I had to go to the dollar store and pick up a few cards for letters I didn't have, like "Y" (yule log).

The kids loved these books and gazing at each picture.  It does take some effort in collecting and sorting out each letter, but it is pretty simple after that, just cutting and gluing.

Here is the Christmas ABC document I created to help me sort out cards.  It is just what I gathered from here and there so it is rough.  There are repeats, some very closely worded, and some without rhymes.  You can really do whatever you can come up with.  The ones in bold are the ones I ended up using with the cards I had.

Start collecting those Christmas cards now (ask family and neighbors for the fronts of theirs too), or your kids might be graduating from high school by the time you get enough.

Heads up: Also you may be able to score cheap some cards the day after Christmas at the store.  And  I saw a Christmas card at Wal-mart that had children holding hands around a world - perfect for letter "U".  Don't know how much it was though.  Some cards are way too expensive.

Christmas Wreath...

I love decorating for Christmas, it is my favorite holiday, and I like to do a few new things every year. This week I worked on this wreath to put above our fireplace. It was really simple and worked up pretty fast.

Here's what you need:

Hot Glue Gun and Glue

Cardstock or Cardboard for wreath base

Scrapbook paper (I used 4 sheets of double sided Christmas paper)

Large Circle Punch (or scissors and patience)

The first thing I did was make my base. I had originally dreamed this wreath would be made on a foam wreath form. Unfortunately, the store I usually get them from doesn't carry them anymore and the next closest store is and 1 1/2 hours away. So I improvised. I used a piece of heavy brown cardstock. I used a large dinner plate to trace the first line and then a bowl for the center line. Then I just cut it out with my scissors.

 Next you need to make the 'leaves'. I used a large (3 inch-ish) cirlce punch. You could free hand cut them if you are patient enough or use a craft cutter. The punch worked great for me. I cut a large circle first.

Then slide the circle back into the punch, but only part way to make the leave shape. I could get 3 large leaves out of each circle or 4 smaller ones.

To give the leaves shape, just pinch one end of the leaf. Then start gluing leaves around the outside of the wreath edge.

 This is how the first layer looks around the outside edge.

 The second layer I flipped the leaves the other way and glued them in bunches of 2 leaves and then 3 leaves. Layer 4 was the same direction as Layer 1, but I put the leaves on an angle overlapping the the previous one. And the last Layer, over lapped the previous leaf and then I folded just a little bit under and glued towards the back of the wreath.

And here is the finished wreath!. I hung it with a thin gold wire to the front of an antique cupboard door and then set it on our mantel. I hope you all have a fun time decorating and creating for Christmas!

Pumpkin Streusel Pie

Well I am gearing up to make pies for Thanksgiving this year. Over the weekend I practiced making a new crust and a new Pumpkin pie recipe. First, you must start with the crust. This is a delicious, no-trans-fat recipe that will melt in your mouth. I got the crust recipe from a friend at work--thanks Ruth. The pumpkin streusel I found at this website.



Crust:
2 2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup OLIVE OIL (regular, not light tasting or extra virgin)
4-5 TB ice cold water

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir to incorporate. Then add your oil and 4 TB water. Mix to incorporate. Try not to overmix or it will make your dough dry and less flaky once cooked. If your dough looks dry, add UP TO 1 TB more water. Once everything is mixed in, cut ball of dough in half. Roll out one half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the plastic wrap, flip crust into pie pan. If you need a pre-baked crust (such as for a cream pie), bake at 475 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Pumpkin Streusel Pie
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin, or 2 cups puree
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 400°. In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices, and salt; blend well.


Pecan Streusel Topping
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup firm butter (I thought this was too much, my mixture never got crumbly so I would suggest starting with 1/3 c butter)
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup macadamia nuts chopped
1/2 cup coconut (sweetened flaked shredded)

Streusel topping: Combine brown and white sugars, vanilla, and flour; cut in the butter until crumbly. Stir in chopped pecans, macadamia nuts, and coconut. Set aside. (I used chopped walnuts and almonds and it was still yummy).

Pour pumpkin mixture into the unbaked pastry shell. Place a rack in the middle of your oven and one a step or two higher. You want the pie to fit on either rack because you are going to move it to the top rack at the end of baking.

Bake for 15 minutes on middle rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Bake for 25 minutes longer.

Next sprinkle streusel topping over pie. Move to higher rack and continue baking at 350° for about 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until golden brown and the filling is set.

I had several people who are not Pumpkin pie lovers tell me this pie was not too pumpkiny. They really enjoyed it. Delicious with ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!

Christmas Wreath 2....

I had to smile when I saw Megan's post about her Christmas Wreath.... because I have been making some myself! I thought I would just add to her post the pictures of my wreaths. Christmas ornaments are on a HUGE sale right now (I acutally bought and made these all after Christmas and New Years). This first wreath is for Valentine's Day, I actually wrapped a foam wreath form with ribbon and then hot glued all the ornaments on, it was pretty time consuming, but I really like how it turned out.

 This is our front door. I Love the bright green, I will probably leave it up through January. I love the bright pop of color it adds to the front of our house.

Here is a picture of where the Valentine's Wreath will be in our entryway.



Christmas Wreath

Yes I realize Christmas is over... but I have to back track and blog about all of the gifts I made so bear with me. This wreath just might be the perfect thing to make right now actually. I am pretty sure all the leftover Christmas bulbs are on clearance and there may be more time for projects now that the festivities are over. I found this super easy idea at Hope Studios... See her more detailed instructions HERE.

For this project you will need:
A wire hanger-- I would actually recommend skipping that and just getting regular wire at a craft store. Those wire hangers are seriously strong and hard to work with!
Tons of Christmas ornaments-- I bought all of mine (about 60-80 regular sizes bulbs) at dollar stores.
Glue gun! Don't skip this item!

First, hot glue all the tops of the ornaments together. I HIGHLY recommend you do this! We had a bit of a disaster when I dropped the wreath and lost most of my ornaments. It would have been so much easier to work with if the bulbs were all glued and stable!

After all the ornaments are glued, you just slide them one by one onto the wire. Ta Da! It's really that easy. Tie the top of the wire together and affix a ribbon to the top if you want. If you need more detailed instructions, check out Hope Studios blog. Merry Late Christmas!

4th of July pastry

My husband's family had a little 4th of July barbecue over the weekend and I was told to bring dessert. I started looking through some cookbooks and ironically enough, this is the first dessert I looked at. It was really easy to make and looked beautiful, perfect for a summer barbecue. This recipe is called Berries 'N Stars and it is in the Pampered Chef stoneware inspirations cookbook.

Ingredients:

1 package (17.25 ounces) frozen puff pasty sheets, thawed (you can find these by the pie crusts and whipped cream in the freezer section)

2 lemons or I just used 1/4 cup lemon juice

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 quart or about 3 cups sliced strawberries

1 cup blueberries

Powdered sugar

1) First make sure you thaw your pastry sheets, it takes about 40 minutes. They are easier to work with when they are cold, but obviously not still frozen. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take one pastry sheet and roll it out on a floured surface to be a 13X10 rectangle. Put the pastry on one side of the baking stone. Take the other pastry sheet and roll it out to be a 13X10 rectangle as well. Cut four 1 inch strips lengthwise from this sheet. Reserve the rest of the dough for decorations. Brush the outer edges of the pastry on the baking sheet with water. Arrange and press strips around edges of pastry, forming an even border. It will look like a picture frame. Prick the entire bottom of pastry with fork. Cut 16 stars from the remaining pastry dough using a small star cookie cutter. Arrange the stars along the side of the baking stone next to the pastry. Now bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

2) Juice your lemons or just put 1/4 cup of lemon juice in a medium bowl. Whisk in the can of sweetened condensed milk. When mixed, gently fold in the whipped topping until all combined. Put about 1 1/2 cups of this mixture in a decorative bag with tip to make the swirls on top if you want.

3) Fill cooled pastry within border with remaining filling. Slice the strawberries and arrange them over the filling. Arrange blueberries on top of that. Garnish with rosettes using filling in your decorative bag. Arrange the pastry stars on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve and then lightly sprinkly powdered sugar on top before serving. Serves 16.

That's it! The dessert was delicious and it got tons of compliments at the barbecue. Sorry I didn't post this BEFORE 4th of July but I think it would be great any time of the year. Enjoy!

This is a picture of the pastry covered in powdered sugar... yum.

Easter Decorations

Easter has come and gone, and it left a bunch of plastic eggs. I decided to make myself some Easter decorations. All you need is your leftover eggs, a glue gun and stickers.

I arranged mine in a pattern and glued the bottom row together first. Then I glued the top eggs individually to the bottom. Then I added the stickers.


It didn't stand up on its own so I did have to add eggs behind to help it stand up.

I had even more eggs so I decided to make a wreath. All you need for this project are your plastic eggs, a drill, gauged wire (20 or 22 gauge), ribbon and a glue gun just in case.
I started by drilling holes in each end of the egg. Then I threaded them onto the wire. I tied the wire ends together inside of an egg so it would be hidden.
I did add a little glue to help them stay a little better.
Then I added the bow.

I tried using only glue, but they kept breaking apart and it was harder to get them even. By threading the eggs on the wire, it will help it to last longer.

-Lindsey