Christmas in July at my Etsy shop!

 
Yes!  Now through July 24, I'm running a sale at my Etsy shop, A New Hampshire Attic!  You can take 25% off on every listing in the Vintage Christmas category.

Most of the listings are Christmas cards both new and used, from the 1920s through the 1970s. 

 

I also have some vintage Christmas stickers listed and some handmade vintage felt ornaments,

 

 along with a holiday feltcraft booklet, a poinsettia themed pocket calendar, a vintage Christmas paper sachet and some Christmas candy boxes.  Maybe a few other goodies as well!

If I find time, I will also add a few more vintage Christmas items to this category of my shop for your browsing and shopping pleasure.  Even if you don't buy anything, you are sure to enjoy your trip down Vintage Memory Lane!

A fun paper doll to download and print

 

 Oh, how I loved paper dolls as a child!  I spent hours with them, even making my own at times.  I would trace around existing paper dolls, using colorful magazine photos for the "fabric".  A photo of carpet, for example, would provide a nice large amount of area to cut clothes out of.  When I acquired a wonderful Betsy McCall Fashion Designer Kit, I traced and cut out paper dolls from the figures provided.  I then made outfits using the vast array of components provided -- skirts, blouses, dresses, slacks, jackets, and much more, tracing, coloring, adding tabs and cutting them out.

I actually have an entire Pinterest board called Fun with Paper Dolls. A screenshot of part of it is at the top of the post.

Here is a fun free download from Poppie Cotton: Betsy's Sewing Kit.  This would be a sweet treat for a little girl in your life.  It includes an adorable doll and a few chickens, plus two dresses, overall shorts, and rubber boots. The description reads "Ready for work, play, and church after chores."

 
 It coordinates with fabric of the same name, Betsy's Sewing Kit.  This fabric is designed by Lori Woods.  The Poppie Cotton website explains, "  Betsy’s Sewing Kit is a nostalgic memory from the McCalls magazine that used to come to your home each month. There was an iconic paper doll call Betsy McCall. This collection reaches into the past to bring relevance to what Betsy would have in her sewing kit. The beautiful color palette of navy blue, bright reds, pinks, teals, mints and yellows are a glorious combination that makes you want to head to your sewing room to play all day. There are darling strawberries, quilt patterns, baby chicks, tea kettles and many floral designs."  The fabrics are indeed absolutely adorable and fun.

Have fun with this freebie paper doll set!

Christmas memories of my dad

 

 Today, July 8, is my dad's birthday.  He would be 101 years old if he was still in this life, but he passed away a few years back at 94.  In the photo above, he is the handsome gent at far right.  I have mentioned him many times in my Christmas memories, for he played a large part in all that went on in that jolly season.  But I thought I would do another short post about him, since this is his birthday.

My kids remember my dad at Christmas sitting in his recliner, and reading a newspaper, or a new book he'd received as a Christmas gift.  He didn't seem to enter into the excitement of gifts given and received, but was just a little removed from it.  

The above photo is from 1979 and he has obviously just laid aside his reading material (I think I can see a book in the chair beside him).  He wore glasses only for reading, so it's pretty clear that's what he had just been doing.

In my younger years, though, my dad took a pretty active part at Christmas.  He and my mother often worked on handmade gifts together, and one of the best-loved, and most-used gifts of my childhood was a little plywood room made especially for Barbie or Jill dolls.  They covered the walls with floral contact paper, put a carpet scrap on the floor, added trim pieces to the windows, and so on.   

I also remember how he used to cheerfully make rounds on Christmas Eve in the family station wagon, usually with one or two children in tow, to deliver homemade goodies to our neighbors.  I've shared countless times about my mother's fabulous kitchen gifts for neighbors and friends: Christmas cookies, cinnamon swirl bread, maple fudge, and more.  Of course I'm sure that my dad came into his fair share of samples of all these goodies!

For many years he patiently waited while my mother examined the Christmas trees he and my brother cut from our family's wooded property.  Often they didn't make the grade and it was back to the woods to try again!

I've written an entire post concerning my dad's red Christmas vest.   I'm sort of surprised he's not wearing it in the 1979 photo, but maybe it didn't fit at that point.  But that was always a festive touch that he usually made sure to add.  In the photo below he added another festive touch by placing a just-opened gift -- a handmade tea cozy -- on his head.  I promise he had had nothing stronger than coffee to drink when he did this!

And of course there was my dad's famed appetite for Christmas dinner at my grandmother's house.  All of my uncles (these would be my mother's brothers and brothers-in-law, most of whom shared my dad's sense of humor) teased him a good bit about how much he could eat.  It was a running joke that resulted one year in the Thanksgiving turkey being placed in front of him, not to carve, but as if it was just for him to eat.

Just a few Christmas memories of my wonderful dad.

Chocolate Graham Toffee Clusters -- a fun kitchen gift to try now

 

Photo from Inside BruCrew Life

 Here's a nifty snack that would make a wonderful kitchen gift.   I've shared so many recipes found on Jocelyn Brubaker's Inside BruCrew Life, and I've mentioned that Jocelyn has never steered me wrong.  I've never tried a recipe of hers that hasn't turned out well and been delicious.  I'm sure this Chocolate Toffee Graham Clusters recipe (which I haven't yet tried) will be no exception!

This simple recipe has only four ingredients: Golden Grahams cereal, dry roasted peanuts, Heath toffee bits, and chocolate melts.  It looks easy and so scrumptious!

You could package this in a number of ways for kitchen gifts.  Tins, either square or round, would work well, or you could use paper bags like the type coffee is packaged in, only with a cellophane window to show off the contents.  You can find tins in the dollar store, Walmart, craft stores, and even thrift stores.  

(A quick note that wherever you buy your tins, you will need to wash and dry them before packing kitchen gifts in them.   Wash it like any dish, but to dry it place both tin and cover in the oven and set the oven temp at 290º or so.  Less than 300º, anyway.  When the oven reaches temperature, turn it off.  Leave the tin, or tins, there until the oven cools down.  It is now ready to use.)

Here's one source on Amazon for the kraft coffee bags with windows: Coffee bags for kitchen gifts.  I'm sure they can be purchased in many other places as well.  Here's a screenshot:

 

Happy snacking and gifting!

Once Upon a Christmas

 

Christmas fabric is so much fun! I especially love those with a vintage look.  I always like seeing new fabrics for each Christmas, and I've been seeing quite a few in emails from the Fat Quarter Shop.   Above is a screenshot from their site of Once Upon a Christmas, by Sweetfire Road for Moda Fabrics.

I think it's not only the beautiful designs but the magical colors of this fabric that speak to me.    Below are some screenshots.

Peppermint Stick in the Evergreen colorway

Evergreens with the Snow background

Baubles on Branches in the Mistletoe color

Poinsettias in Princess Pink

The designer, Jackie MacDonald, commented in her blog that as she worked on designing this fabric line, "It was the fragrances of the season that kept sneaking in to my imagination and inspiring me.  Peppermint sticks, freshly baked sugar cookies (with sprinkles!), Evergreen boughs and the scent of snow before a storm danced in my head.  And Once Upon a Christmas was born.  I designed it in hues that remind me of happy childhood memories... Crisp evergreen, Christmas red and a delicious candy pink."  

So beautiful!  This is some of the most inspiring Christmas fabric I have seen.  I would love to make a stocking in either the Poinsettia or the Evergreen design and edge it with a cuff of the Peppermint Stick!  Wouldn't that be pretty?  What would you make with this fabric?

Mrs. Santa's Recipes

 

 I grabbed a vintage international cookbook out of my stash to share with my daughter back in June (it had some Scandinavian recipes I thought she might like to try) and found something very unexpected tucked in the front of it.

I guess it had probably been a school project of mine way, way, back in the day.  It was three index cards stapled together, with the title "Mrs. Santa's Recipes".  I'm assuming it was a project that one of my teachers had us do during December, serving the dual purpose of practicing neat printing and creating a Christmas gift for our moms.  

 
As you see,  the first recipe was for Christmas Sand Tarts, which are actually a cutout sugar cookie flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg.  My mother didn't really make very many cutout cookies that I remember, and I don't recall her ever making these.  But I might try them!

The next recipe was for Spicy Punch, made with cranberry juice, whole spices,  plus citrus juices.  It can be served either hot or cold -- and I think the hot version would be quite delicious.

Lastly,  there's a recipe for Ice Cream Flowerpots.  Ice cream is served in paper cups and decorated with gumdrop leaves and flowers on lollipop stick stems.  This sounds like a fanciful treat straight out of a North Pole kitchen, for sure!

What do you think?  Would you try one of Mrs. Santa's special recipes?

 

USA Christmas stamps I've recently unearthed

 

 Of course you know I had to find some sort of USA tie-in for a Fourth of July post!  These stamps were a recent find, mixed in with other old stamps that had been saved.  I snagged these because the designs are so much fun.

Isn't this sleighing scene so pretty?

 
I love the blue sky and the stately evergreens and all the rest of the wintry farm scene.  This is also the newest of the three stamps, as it cost 25¢!

This little stamp featuring glass Christmas baubles is beautiful too.

It's a little bit older since it cost only 22¢.

And lastly is this one featuring a Christmas tree laden with toys.

 
It's obviously the oldest of the three, since it cost only 8¢!  It has an interesting background that almost looks like cloth.  Maybe it is supposed to look as if it has been cross-stitched.  Very pretty, anyway.

I wish they made Christmas stamps with designs like this nowadays, don't you?

Twelve Treats of Christmas

 

It's so much fun to take a look back at vintage cookbooklets from Christmases past!  This is one I've recently listed in my Etsy shop.  It's by Duncan Hines and is called the 12 Treats of Christmas.  It isn't that old, probably from the 1990s, but it's a vintage one nonetheless.  

Each recipe has a red icon or emblem which relates to one of the 12 days of Christmas.  On the front, that's simply a pair of festive bells with some holly.  The little blurb on the front reads: "To help you bake your moist delicious best,  Duncan Hines is proud to offer you some of our favorite recipes for your family to enjoy.  From all of us at Duncan Hines, we wish you a very happy holiday season!"

 

Peanut Butter Sparkle Cookies are first.  Aren't they festive?

And next there is Rich Double Chocolate Cream Torte.  This is one I've made a number of times, though I didn't know it was a Duncan Hines recipe.  I found it in Taste of Home.  Absolutely delicious.

Brownie Hot Fudge Sundaes offer another festive hit of chocolate.  That's a scrumptious-sounding Fudge Sauce, made with chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk.

Lemon Blueberry Poppy Seed Bread could be made in several smaller loaf pans to make some impressive additions to a gift basket.

How pretty is this Candy Cane Cake?  The recipe shows you just how to cut a 13x9 cake to make this candy cane shape.  I think it might also be pretty using red (and/or green) M&Ms to decorate rather than the maraschino cherries.

The Gingerbread Men recipe sounds like a good one, starting with a spice cake mix.  But this is the ugliest gingerbread man I've ever seen!  I think they could have come up with a nicer looking one to make this recipe much more appealing.

 

 

  Above, the Cherry Christmas Wreaths are  beautiful cakes -- chocolate with cream cheese frosting and a topping of cherry pie filling.  Yum!  I don't use mixes much anymore, but I'd love to try duplicating this recipe with a scratch cake and frosting.

The Individual Cheesecake Cups are fun little cheesecakes made in regular muffin pans.  It makes 24.  One uses either a chocolate or yellow cake in making the crust.  Notice the milkmaid illustration here!

The Peppermint Marble Angel Cake is so pretty!  Wouldn't this be fun to serve with peppermint stick ice cream?

I think this Blueberry Sour Cream Coffeecake would be wonderful for Christmas breakfast, or for giving as a kitchen gift. 

 The above photo (which is the back cover of the booklet) shows two recipes: Chocolate Cherry Cordial Drops -- essentially chocolate chip cookies with chopped maraschino cherries, coconut, and pecans -- and the Festive Coconut Macaroon Cookies, which start with a sugar cookie mix so are not quite like a traditional macaroon.  They do look good though and I think might be nice with a dab of jam in the center in place of the candied cherry half.

And there you have the 12 treats of Christmas!  They've given me some good ideas for December.

A lovely vintage Christmas card ~ "Merry Christmas"

 

In scanning items to list in my Etsy shop, I came upon this beautiful vintage Christmas card and thought it would be perfect to share for Christmas in July.  It's probably from the late 1950s or the very early 1960s.  What a lovely classic look it has!

The creamy card stock has a slight moire effect.  The die-cut scalloped edge and gold trim give an elegant old-fashioned look.  At lower left is a pretty scene of snow-covered trees and homes, and a red covered bridge.  But it's the lantern at upper right that is the real star of this show.  It's an elegant brass lantern fitted out with a lighted red candle.  It's trimmed with a large red bow, lots of pine branches, red berries and green leaves, small red and green apples (or possibly they're ornaments, but the leaves look like apple leaves) and a couple of pine cones.  This is one of those nostalgic scenes that can almost move me to tears.

But there's more!  Inside the card, amid fancy swirling lines and a simple sketch of a lantern, is this lovely bit of verse:

"A lantern shining in the snowy eve,
Lighting the way to happiness and cheer ... "

 
Okay, if I thought my eyes were misty before, this one really did it.  I have tried to find the source of those beautiful words, but to no avail so far.  And if you know me very well, you know that I also love the idea of being a light shining in a stormy place, lighting the way to true peace and joy with God.

To top it all off, when I saw the signature, this card had been sent by my Great-Uncle Jim and his wife Irene.  Although we saw Jim less frequently than some of the other great-uncles, he was easily our favorite and we all loved it when he dropped by our house for a visit.  On a few occasions we stopped in to visit him and Irene, and that was a delight as well.  I wish I had gotten to know them better, but as a child one isn't aware of the need for such things.  We just knew we loved them, and that they loved us.

Come on into the Christmas kitchen! It's time for Christmas in July!

 

 Welcome to my Christmas kitchen!  I've oiled the hinges on the kitchen door, brushed down quite a few cobwebs, and hope to be here each day in July.  I have a few posts written and scheduled, but many more will just have to appear serendipitously along the way.  And they probably will.

There will hopefully be recipes, vintage goodies and cookbooks, maybe some poems, memories,  craft ideas, and more. 

 One thing I thought I would share today is this Christmas in July crafting challenge from Craftsy.  It starts on July 8, so there's a little time to think about it and consider whether you'll try some of these projects.  I haven't decided yet, myself, but I thought it sounded interesting and worth sharing.  As the description on the sign-up page reads, 

"It's never too early to get started on everything that goes into an amazing holiday season!  Celebrate Christmas in July and join our instructors to craft one-of-a-kind holiday gifts, plan crowd-pleasing recipes, and find amazing DIY decor inspiration all month long."

I did download the holiday craft bundle (it's free!) and will look forward to the emails.  It remains to be seen if I will have time to get involved.  I may be too busy writing Christmas in July posts!

See you all tomorrow!

never too early to get started on everything that goes into an amazing holiday season! Celebrate Christmas in July and join our instructors to craft one-of-a-kind holiday gifts, plan crowd-pleasing recipes, and find amazing DIY decor inspiration all month long.  never too early to get started on everything that goes into an amazing holiday season! Celebrate Christmas in July and join our instructors to craft one-of-a-kind holiday gifts, plan crowd-pleasing recipes, and find amazing DIY decor inspiration all month long.

Christmas in July starts tomorrow!

 

Yes, Christmas in July starts tomorrow here in my Christmas kitchen!  Again this year,  I'm making the attempt to celebrate Christmas in July here in this festive space.  We will see how it goes, but the plan is to be here in the kitchen every day with some (hopefully) interesting content to inspire you for Christmas.

There will likely be recipes, handmade or other gift ideas, kitchen gift ideas, paper treasures, vintage goodies and maybe a poem or memory or two.  We will see.  

See you tomorrow as I brush off the cobwebs from the door to the Christmas kitchen!

Perfect Rhubarb Muffins

 

 Some readers may remember that a couple years ago, I featured a muffin recipe every month with the idea of freezing some to use as kitchen gifts at Christmas time.  Recently, I came upon this recipe from one of my favorite sites, The View from Great Island. I was looking for rhubarb recipes, not necessarily for muffins but more for dessert.  Sue Moran's recipes are always outstanding.  She has never steered me wrong.

This recipe for Perfect Rhubarb Muffins jumped out at me as a potential kitchen gift to post about here.  

Screenshot from The View from Great Island

I really don't know how well rhubarb muffins will freeze.  They may be fine.  One reviewer said she had frozen them and they tasted fresh when reheated.  As far as making them in rhubarb season though, and trying to freeze until December, that would probably be a little long to keep them frozen.

So, since rhubarb season is in full swing, I'll probably bake these muffins and we'll eat them fresh.  I'll justify their inclusion on my Christmas blog by the fact that rhubarb is red and green.

Three recipes worth a trip down the chimney

 

 Yes, that is the whimsical title of a Hershey's ad I had clipped and saved some years ago.   In case you missed it, I thought it would be fun to share here in the Christmas kitchen.  I cropped each one out of the ad to make the recipe easier to read.

First is Santa's Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies.  This sounds pretty amazing -- a chocolate cookie with melted vanilla chips swirled on top, then sprinkled with toffee bits and, if desired, a maraschino cherry half.  How festive!

Cherry Cheesecake Bars are next.  I always like a good bar cookie, and cherry cheesecake is a favorite.  This is a brownie with a baked on cheesecake topping which includes chopped maraschino cherries and almond extract.

And lastly there are Holiday Mini Kisses Treasure Cookies.  These are made with graham cracker crumbs, sweetened condensed milk and coconut, making them sound a bit like the Magic Cookie Bars of days gone by.  But they are not at all similar.  These are a drop cookie and are baked.  (Regular semisweet chocolate chips can be substituted for mini kisses.)

I'm thinking I may try one of these for Christmas 2024.  What do you think?
 

Quick and Easy Christmas -- another Gooseberry Patch book review

 This cookbook interested me, and I loved the cover art, so I found one for a super reasonable price on Thriftbooks.  I figured it would make a lovely display piece at the very least, but upon receiving the cookbook I found it to be filled with recipes that I would actually use. 

This cover has so many fun details! In the foreground is a plate with a pretty red and white rim, containing two scrumptious looking cinnamon rolls and a red, white and green candy stick.  It's garnished with festive greenery and red berries.

To the left is a jar of gumdrops turned into a jar candle.  With its gift tag and ribbon, it's obviously intended to be given as a festive gift.  In the background is a wooden fence with a runner sled propped against it.  The entire scene is framed in birch twigs and has a few blue snowflakes scattered here and there.

 

The cover blurb specifies, "Over 220 Christmastime recipes ... most in 30 minutes or less!  Plus simple decorating ideas & gifts."

 

The dedication reads, "For those who take pleasure in preparing a homestyle Christmas ... and make time to enjoy it too!"

 

There are six chapters: Breakfast & Brunch; Snacks & Appetizers; Soups, Sides & Salads; Mains; Desserts; and Slow Cooker.

For Breakfast & Brunch, there's everything from Creamy Cinnamon Rolls to pancakes, quiches and other egg bakes, French toast, biscuits, fruit dishes and more.  Strawberry Cheesecake French Toast sounds amazing!  The Yuletide Orange Smoothies are a recipe I often made for brunch guests back in the day.  Donut Hole kabobs, in which a variety of donut holes are skewered and then placed in a vase for serving, is just one of the fun ideas suggested at the bottom of each page.

For Snacks & Appetizers, there are meatballs, dips and cheese balls, snack mixes, cheese logs and more. The Mexican pinwheels is a recipe I've made and they are delicious.   I really want to try the Glazed Walnuts, which are made with maple syrup instead of sugar and sound scrumptious.  They would make a great kitchen gift.  Bacon Cheddar Appetizers with a base of shredded wheat crackers sound good, as do Feta Squares with party pumpernickel bread squares as the base.  There's even a homemade summer sausage!

Soups, Sides & Salads contains many yummy looking recipes for these items.  The one for Oven-Fried Potatoes is very similar to the potato wedges I often make, except that my recipe calls for less oil.  And I find it works much better to stir the potatoes with the oil and spices in a bowl, or to shake them together in a plastic bag, rather than brush them on the potatoes.  I've also made the Sweet Potato Casserole for Thanksgiving many times and it's very good.  There's a Tortellini Broccoli Soup that sounds easy and so good.  An Easy Cheese Orzo might make a great potluck side.

The Mains chapter is filled with recipes that sound so good.  A Crabmeat Casserole is tempting and so is Cheesy Sausage, Noodle & Broccoli Bake.  Taco Pasta Skillet sounds tasty.  I would leave out the corn.  This might be a meal I will try for my volunteer cooking gig.  Curried Chicken Broccoli Casserole is one I have made many times and have devised a number of variations on it as well.  Trim-the-Tree Casserole has chicken and broccoli, Swiss cheese and is topped off with stuffing.  Yum!  Just my kind of dish, though I ordinarily avoid stuffing due to the carbs.  Chicken & Rosemary Pizza is another want-to-try, as is Turkey Meatloaf with Cranberry Glaze.

 

A fun idea from this chapter is to display holiday cards, attached to strips of holiday ribbon, in every room in the house.  My daughter attaches ribbons to her kitchen cabinets and to areas in her living and dining areas as well, for this very purpose.   It adds such a festive touch and it's fun to look at the various cards her family has received.

The Desserts chapter is also a winner.  Holiday Cranberry Trifle is made with a real homemade cranberry mixture and real whipped cream and sounds absolutely scrumptious.  That may be something I try for next Christmas.  Cherry Cheese Pizza sounds delicious and so festive.  The Chocolate Fudge Pie is one I've made a few times.  It's so good and easy!  Lemon Fluff starts with a lemon cake mix and is layered with a cream cheese lemon pudding mixture, then whipped topping.  Fastest Cheesecake is an easy cheesecake pie made in a chocolate crust and topped with raspberry preserves and whipped cream.

I'm always up for trying a new Christmas cookie recipe, and Grandma's Kolachy Cookies (made with yeast!) sound so good and pretty too.  Molasses Popcorn Balls sound just like the ones my Gram used to make in her New Hampshire farmhouse.  One of the fun ideas in this chapter is to give a family a gift of a board game, or a couple of card games, along with a tin filled with homemade popcorn balls for the next snow day. 

Lastly is the Slow Cooker chapter which has everything from dips to desserts.  I love my slow cooker and would be tempted by many of these recipes.  A Broccoli & Cheese Casserole includes rice and cram of mushroom soup and sounds like a good potluck option.  I've made a baked recipe for Festive Apples & Squash many times, but never a slow cooker option -- so I'm thinking about trying that.  I've made a similar recipe to Italian Sammies, too, but this one differs slightly from mine.  Just a good Italian beef that would make great sandwiches!  Garlic Chicken Alfredo is a quick easy meal I'd like to try, as is Mediterranean Pork Tenderloin.  Among the desserts, the Apple Peanut Crumble stands out.  It's a slow-cooker apple crisp with a bit of peanut butter added to the topping.  It would be fabulous with vanilla ice cream!

 

You can probably tell that I would highly recommend Quick & Easy Christmas!  It would be so much fun to use in decorating -- but it's also filled with amazing recipes.