 |
| Product photo from Amazon.com |
Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book 12 is one of Gooseberry's series of Christmas books produced in collaboration with Leisure Arts. I have ten of these books and I cherish every one of them. They are filled with not only the tips, hints, recipes, crafts and more that make all Gooseberry Patch books special, but also with gorgeous, inspiring photographs and step-by-step craft instructions and many full size patterns. If you haven't seen these beautiful books, I highly recommend building a library of them.
Book 12 contains 14 chapters:
Oh-So-Festive Felt is just what you'd expect: sweet ornaments, decorations, stockings, gifts, and even a tree skirt from wool and felt. There are some great ideas here. Two that I want to try are the Ski Pals -- cute little wood and felt figures complete with skis and poles -- and the Sweet Gift Card Holder -- such a fun way to present a gift card.
The Twelve Days of Christmas features projects with the theme from that Christmas song. There are ornaments, place cards, napkin rings and so on. Also in this chapter are instructions for six adorable aprons made from vintage tablecloths and fabric.
Woodsy Welcome is a fun chapter filled with ideas inspired by the forest. There's a woodsy welcome sign, plus wreaths and feeders for the birds. Birch bark candles and a log tote look easy and fun to make. And the gorgeous crocheted Woodland Throw is one project I really want to make.
A Skater's Christmas is all about childhood winter memories. There are knitted ornaments -- mittens, scarves, etc. -- and a simply beautiful Ice Skating Scene covered with a glass dome and ringed by vintage ornaments in icy colors. Recipes for Spicy Cake Donuts and Hot Caramel Apple Cider would be perfect for warming up hungry skaters.
Sharing the Best Christmas is a chapter filled with handmade gifts. This past Christmas I made 2 of the Personalized Aprons for my older granddaughters.
Give it with a Festive Flair is all about gift wrapping and presentation, just as you might guess. It includes tags and cards and even a couple of yummy sounding recipes for kitchen gifts.
Crafty Kid Stuff is a short but sweet chapter filled with decorations and gifts that kids can make. My daughters and granddaughters lliked the Spool Family and the Fleece Hat and Scarf Set.
Gifts of Goodness from the Kitchen has page after page of kitchen gifts plus creative ways to package them. My daughter wants to try the Carrot Cake Jam since her hubby loves carrot cake. The Graham Cracker Fudge and the Snickerdoodle Coffee Mix sound wonderful too -- in fact, every recipe in this chapter sounds great!
Casual Holiday Gathering offers recipes for those comfortable times with family and friends. The Spinach & Clementine Salad, the Cranberry-Glazed Ham, the Butternut Squash Soup, the Crabby Artichoke Spread are all on my list to try!
A Very Merry Brunch is filled with recipes for just that. I don't eat wheat so I was delighted to see a couple of brunch recipes I can make rather than traditional egg bakes which often include bread or croutons. The Mini Spinach & Bacon Quiches are crustless, baked in mini muffin pans. And the Company Breakfast Casserole includes hash browns!
All the Sweetness of the Season includes desserts and sweets of many sorts. The Candy Cane Puffs and the Frosted Mocha Brownies would be a hit at any cookie exchange! There's a red velvet cake, chocolate covered cherry cups and much more.
Oh, Slow Good is a small collection of slow cooker recipes to rely on during those busy December days. It includes main dish, side dish, and dessert recipes.
The More Cooks, the Merrier suggests involving friends or neighbors in a supper swap. These recipes would be fun to try under any circumstances, though -- the Caramel Coffee Tassies would be a good cookie swap possibility, and the Sausage & 3-Pepper Penne might be nice for a tree-trimming party.
Delicious Dishes from Your Pantry is the final chapter and shares ideas for last-minute recipes you can make from what's on hand -- there's a little bit of everything here, whether you need cookies for an exchange or bake sale, a snack mix to serve or gift, or a just a main dish for supper.
As you can tell, I love this book. I heartily recommend it to you!
**This post contains affiliate links.**
Can't wait to read that book! recipes, crafts, tips... yay!
ReplyDeleteI hope you can get your hands on a copy of this book, Luludou! All of the books in the series are great. I don't think you would be disappointed with any of them. Happy Christmas cooking and crafting!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the link; that really is a great price!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it? The used copy I bought last fall was even a better price; think it was around $6 and was a hardcover edition! But this is a fantastic price too.
ReplyDeleteFor years, I could find the softcover versions of each year's numbered Gooseberry Christmas books for $9-$10 at Walmart in the late summer or early fall. Not sure if they still carry them yearly or not. I would usually see them in the craft department.