Sing Out the Carols of Old

Vintage Christmas carol book from my personal collection

Here is another lovely Christmas poem by Mildred L. Jarrell.   Enjoy!

Sing Out the Carols of Old

Let us have music for Christmas ...

Sing out the carols of old,

Rejoice in the birth of the Christ Child,

The most wonderful story e'er told.

Sing with a heart filled with gladness

And love for the Heavenly King ...

Lift up your voice with song and praise

Until the rafters ring.

Let us have music for Christmas

In the glow of candlelight,

Mingled with snow and mistletoe

And shepherds that watch by night.

Sing of the star and wise men too,

And angels watching above ...

Bring once again to the homes of men

The gift of wondrous love.

Let us have music for Christmas ...

Sound the trumpet of joy and rebirth;

Let each of us try, with a song in our hearts,

To bring peace to men on earth.

~ Mildred L. Jarrell

I love that, especially the lines "Let each of us try, with a song in our hearts, to bring peace to men on earth."  Oh, how people need to know the peace of God today!  Let's purpose to share His incomparable peace with a song in our hearts!

Embroidered felt gift tags ~ a fun little project!

Photo by Flamingo Toes

I'm not even sure if I should admit this, but I have over 1000 unread emails in my Yahoo inbox.  I subscribe to a lot of blogs by email, and some of them publish every day, so that's a lot of mail.  I try to keep up with the ones that come in each day, but inevitably during holiday time or busy seasons of life, there are those I don't get to.  Then when I have time, I go back and look through the ones I haven't read.  I nearly always find things to try, pin, or save.

It's sort of neat that right now, while I'm trying to come up with posts for Christmas in July, I'm looking through the unread inbox items from last December.  And I found a keeper that I want to share with you all -- lovely gift tags made by embellishing felt shapes with beads and embroidery.  These are the work of the amazingly creative Bev at Flamingo Toes.

Flamingo Toes is one of my favorite creative blogs.  If you have never visited, do go over and spend some time looking around.  You are sure to be inspired!  Bev dreams up some fabulous creations and she does beautiful work.  She does a lot of hoop art and I am wanting to make some of that myself.  But these Beaded Embroidery Felt Gift Tags are what I want to share with you today.

There's a snowflake, a holly berry, and a monogram tag.  These will add beauty to any gift, and I think the recipient might even like to use them as ornaments another year.  The felt shapes are neatly backed with kraft paper to cover the back side of the stitchery.  Aren't they pretty?  You might even think of variations of your own that you would like to try.  Have fun!

How to finish off a cross-stitch Christmas ornament, method #2

 Here is how to finish off a cross-stitch Christmas ornament, method #2!

This is quite easy, being mostly done with hot glue and a few other simple items.  It is a little harder than just popping it in a frame as in finish #1.

You will need:
* Scissors
* Ruler and pencil
*Poster board or cardboard (I like to use the shiny metallic back of a recycled Christmas card.)
* Glue gun and glue sticks
* Glittery Christmas trim or rickrack
* Metallic cord for hanging

In addition to your finished stitchery.
Start by trimming your finished stitchery so that it is a nice even size and has at least 1/4" to 1/2" of unstitched area around the design.  Measure your trimmed stitchery piece, and cut a piece of cardboard or posterboard to the exact same size.

Cut a small piece (maybe 2 to 3 inches) of metallic cord to make a hanging loop.   Place  the cardboard square wrong side up on your work surface.  Fold the metallic cord in half, and glue the ends of it to the top part of your cardboard square, letting the loop part extend above the square so it forms a hanger for your ornament.  (If you prefer, you can simply glue the ends of the loop to the back of the ornament, but it doesn't look quite as neat from the back.)

Now, take your stitched ornament piece and glue it, wrong side down, over the glued cord ends, matching the stitchery and the cardboard piece as evenly and neatly as possible.

Lastly, you are going to cover the raw edges of your stitchery with the glittery Christmas trim, braid, or rickrack.  Probably the easiest way is to cut the top and bottom pieces and glue them neatly in place.  Then, when those are in place, cut the side pieces and glue them neatly in place as well, paying special attention to the corners where the pieces of trim come together.

You are finished!  I've finished off many cross stitch ornaments this way, and they are quick and easy to do.

If you wanted a more rustic look, you could back the ornament with cardboard and glue twigs around the edge instead of the metallic trim, using twine or jute for the hanging loop.

I must say, though, that the quick and easy frame method #1 is my personal favorite way to finish off  a cross stitch ornament.  The method I've shown here is quick and inexpensive, but the purchased frame is more foolproof.  

Whatever method you choose, I hope you will try making some cross-stitch ornaments this Christmas.  So much fun!

Christmas poem: "I'm Thankful"

Vintage card from my collection

Here is another lovely poem from The Blessings of Christmas, which I found in the attic I've been clearing out.  Enjoy!

I'm Thankful

I'm thankful for intangible things

    Like faith, and hope and love --

These things that fill our life with joy

    Are blessings from above.

I'm thankful for faith, the bulwark of

    My very heart and soul --

Faith in God and those I love,

    And hope as my highest goal.

I'm grateful for love of friend and kin,

    For all those I hold dear,

For courage and strength they share with me,

    Along with bits of cheer.

I'm thankful on this Christmas Day

    For spiritual help through prayer;

Intangible though these things may be

    I find them everywhere!

~ Georgia B. Adams

Free printable Christmas labels to print now!

Image from World Label Blog

Just think, you could print out these fun labels anytime and have them ready for Christmas!  I'm sharing links to 2 different sets of labels from World Label Blog, a fantastic resource for ordering all shapes, sizes and types of labels which also boasts an amazing array of gorgeous freebies to download and print.  You can even customize many of them with your own choice of wording and fonts.  If you have difficulty finding a good variety of labels at your local stores, I suggest you try World Label Blog.

Here's the link for the first set (pictured above): Holly Jolly Labels by Ink Tree Press.  I printed out the address labels with my name and address last year and was very pleased with them.  So cute!

And here's the link for the second set (pictured below): Happy Holidays labels by The Shy Socialites.  These are very nice also and even include such extras as labels for water bottles, CDs or DVDs, and tags for candy canes.  How fun!

Image from World Label Blog

Have fun with these!  I love free printables, don't you?

My Heart Goes Home for Christmas

Oh, my.  I have found a new favorite poet via the older Christmas book I acquired, The Blessings of Christmas.  It contains several poems by Mildred L. Jarrell.  They are lovely and evocative and just touch a nostalgic chord in me.  Here's a real favorite of mine:

My Heart Goes Home for Christmas

My heart goes home for Christmas, 

For there I long to be,

Together with my loved ones

Sitting 'round the Christmas tree.

The little farmhouse nestled

Near a snow-clad country lane,

And dear familiar voices

Raised in carols once again.

I can see the fireplace gleaming

With its cheery flickering glow,

And candlelight a-beaming

Through the windows on the snow.

The road that leads me homeward

Is filled with memory

And I recall each blessing

Of those days that used to be.

My heart goes home for Christmas

And though we're miles apart,

My thoughts go winding onward

And I'll be there in my heart.

~ Mildred L. Jarrell

Isn't that pretty?  I love the line about the candlelight beaming through the windows on the snow.  It reminds me of the colorful electric "candoliers" my grandmother always put on her window sills at Christmas time.

In From the Cold -- a fun fabric panel from Moda

Pinterest

Let me say right up front that I don't believe in either luck or coincidence.  But I have had the blessing of somehow winning a number of giveaways -- books, handmade soap, cereal bars, fabric, Christmas magazines, a Jo-Ann's gift card ($100), and even a $125 gift certificate to Fabric.com!  That last one was a giveaway from Sew4Home, a site where so many people enter the giveaways that I never dreamed of actually winning one.  I have won two giveaways there over the years, so this proves to me that those random giveaways really, really are random indeed.  It's taken me awhile to spend the gift certificate, but back in early June or late May, I forget which, I actually finished it up.  Quite a bit, but not all, of what I bought was Christmas fabric on sale.  I'll be showing you the rest of it at a later time.

This "In From the Cold" panel by Kate Spain for Moda is truly versatile, with lots of fun options.  The directions for each project are right on the panel.  Here are some options:
Option A: Placemats
Option B: Table Runner
Option C: Small Pillows  (I think the rectangles for this might also make cute mug rugs!)
Option D: Round Coaster Set
Option E: Square Coaster Set

Maybe you would like to get one of these, too.  I know I'll have fun using the one I bought.  I couldn't find the panel again at Fabric.com,  but they did have some other "In From the Cold" items like a jelly roll, charm pack, etc.  You might also check Fashionable Fabrics, which did have some of the panels last time I looked.

Candy Cane Fudge

As most of my readers know, I am always on the lookout for good recipes for kitchen gifts.  These might include cookies, cakes, breads, muffins, jar mixes and more -- plus, of course, candy.  This Candy Cane Fudge, which I found in a back issue of Country magazine,  looks like a keeper.

This fudge looks to be delicious, and is said to be easy.  Even better is how pretty and festive it looks.  I'll be trying this one for sure!

Christmas is Always

I'm not sure how to title this; it's not really an essay, but it's a little more than a simple quote, by Dale Evans Rogers.  I found it in The Blessings of Christmas, an Ideals type magazine I found while clearing out an attic.  Here is what Dale Evans Rogers wrote:

"Christmas was not just a starlit night in Bethlehem: it had been behind the stars forever.

"There was Christmas in the heart of God when He made the earth, and then gave it away -- to us.  When He sent us His prophets, that was Christmas too.  And it was the most magnificent Christmas of all, that night in Bethlehem when He gave us His own son.

"As Jesus grew up, Christmas was everywhere He went, giving food, giving sight, giving life.  For Christmas is giving.

"But Christmas is also receiving.  In the Bible it says: As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.*

"As many as received Him!  When we understand that, we understand that receiving can be even more important than giving -- at Christmas!  When we receive Christ, we experience completely the gift that is Christmas.

"Then, for us, Christmas is truly always, for Jesus said, Lo, I am with you always** ... And Christmas is Jesus!" ~ Dale Evans Rogers

* John 1:12
** Matthew 28:20

Trim the Christmas Tree ~ a vintage children's book

Pinterest

I've saved most of my Little Golden Books from childhood.  Recently, though, I threw one away.  Trim the Christmas Tree had clearly been an an adorable book in its day, but it had been used and loved pretty much to death.  Both covers had been reduced to scraps by the punching out of a Christmas tree and stand; most of the pages were missing completely, and the few remaining ones were torn.  Still, the illustrations were beautiful and the story looked good.  I wanted to share the book with you all, and a Google search yielded copies available on eBay, Etsy, and so on.  I pinned the book to my Vintage Christmas
Pinterest board, and this is the link to the specific pin: Trim the Christmas Tree.

So you can get an idea of the beautiful illustrations, here are a few which I scanned.  You will see  how torn and tattered they are.

The story line seems to center around a family that has recently moved into a  new house.  Here the children have just come inside after helping their Dad cut a Christmas tree.  You can see  him through the window bringing the tree to the house.

They search all the moving boxes and barrels but cannot find the Christmas decorations.  So their Aunt Kass teaches them to make their own.

Snowflakes

Paper birds -- this page was two-sided

Busily crafting

Decorating the tree with their handmade ornaments

Hope you have enjoyed this look at a fun little book!

Christmas Everywhere

I've always loved this little card from my collection of vintage Christmas cards.  I love the colorful bells, but especially the saying "Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!".  I didn't know it was a line from a poem by Phillips Brooks, until I came upon the poem, or part of the poem, in the book I described earlier, The Blessings of Christmas.  Here it is:

Christmas Everywhere

Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

Christmas in lands of the fir tree and pine,

Christmas in lands of the palm tree and vine,

Christmas where snow peaks stand solemn and white,

Christmas where cornfields stand sunny and bright ...

Christmas where peace, like a dove in his flight,

Broods o'er brave men in the thick of the fight;

Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

For the Christ-child who comes is the Master of all;

No Palace too great, no cottage too small.

 ~ Phillips Brooks

How to finish off a cross-stitch Christmas ornament, #1

Years ago I used to love making cross-stitched ornaments, and have made many over time.  This past winter I stitched up a couple of simple designs, but hadn't finished them off.  I decided to do so in time to share for Christmas in July.  I'm planning to share three simple ways to finish off a cross-stitch ornament, and will start with the simplest -- just popping it into a frame.

Here is the ornament before anything was done to it.

            I may have mentioned that I'm in the process of clearing out some unneeded items at my dad's house.  I'm finding many craft items  from both my mother's and my sister's stashes.  I came upon some brand new frames just perfect for  ornaments.  There was a red one and a green one, among others. 

Obviously, in framing your ornament, you want to use a color that echoes or complements the colors in your design.   I chose the green  because I wanted to point up the green lettering, and felt that the red would be just too much red.  With this type of frame, all you do is snap off the back, trim your stitchery to fit the frame, and snap it in place.  So easy!

I wish I had taken a picture of it at that point, unembellished.  I decided that it needed something more, and thought I would add a snip of red ribbon and a jingle bell.  But in looking through my box of embellishments, I found a package of these pre-made red bows.  You can't really see in the photo, but the print on this ribbon is musical.  Perfect!  And there are some green touches to the print as well.  I tried threading a jingle bell onto the bow, but it wasn't working out.  I had been thinking all along it might be fun to attach real jingle bells to the stitched bell strap, but was afraid it might be too much.  Now I decided it would be just the touch that was needed.  So I took the stitchery out again and sewed the real bells in place before re-framing it.                                           

I think it came out really cute.  And it was so easy!

Stay tuned for methods #2 and #3 later in July ...

Nurturing kids' creativity with Christmas in July

My impatiens a few years ago.  Their petals might be pressed and become the start to a lovely little gift.

Did you ever think of putting the above two concepts together -- nurturing kids' creativity and Christmas in July?  I must admit I never had.  I was looking through a favorite reference of mine, Victorian Family Celebrations (formerly published as Mrs. Sharp's Traditions) by Sarah Ban Breathnach, for quite another reason, when I found that the book includes a page on Christmas in July.  The author writes, "Observing Christmas in July was the custom of resourceful Victorian mothers who started thinking about Christmas long before Thanksgiving."  She notes that summer "affords us a wonderful bounty of present-making materials as well as the luxury of time to begin our work."

Now I must say that I don't really feel I have the luxury of time any more in summer than in the rest of the year -- but the days are longer, and that helps.  I do like her thought of beginning to make gifts in summer; in fact, I try to do so all year long.  I know people who start their Christmas gifts, so to speak, when they plant their gardens, planning to give jars of salsa to everyone on their list.  Others go berry picking and plan to make jelly, jam, and chutney for gifting.  Sarah Ban Breathnach suggests getting kids involved.  What a great idea!  Kids enjoy gardening, crafting, and cooking, so why not let them help with plans for creative Christmas gifts?  They could press flowers to make bookmarks, note cards, and more, or make picture frames using seashells and bits of sea glass.  For kitchen gifts, some jar mixes can be made ahead, as well as spice or herbal blends to use in cooking.  When you think about it, the possibilities are nearly endless.

One more quote from Victorian Family Traditions: "Celebrating Christmas in July keeps youngsters as busy as Santa's elves, while nurturing a gift that will last a lifetime: their creativity."  So true, don't you think?

Painted Holiday Delights

Photo by Taste of Home

 When I was a child, one of my favorite cookbooks (yes, I had a small collection of them even then!) was the Betty Crocker Cookbook for Boys and Girls. 

I still have my 1957 edition of this classic cookbook!

 I would page through it by the hour -- and of course I actually cooked and baked from it too -- and one recipe that always appealed to me was one for sugar cookies decorated with egg yolk paint.  However, at that stage of my life I hated eggs, and egg yolk paint just didn't sound good to me, so I never tried that recipe.

Well, these Painted Holiday Delights cookies are even prettier.  Just lovely.  The designs, painted with a fine paintbrush (or even a toothpick) on icing, are so delicate.  And I like the fact that these are sandwich cookies, shortbread with jam in between. I've been thinking about trying these cookies for a few years now.  Maybe this will be the year I paint some.

A Christmas poem

The lovely graphic is by Little Birdie Blessings.   These young ladies certainly have love tucked in the Christmas packages they are carrying.

 I may have mentioned that I am cleaning out the attic at my dad's home.  My mother saved many things, often new items she planned to use for gifts, but also many other things that may not have needed to be saved.  I am the only child left and so it is going to be up to me to clean out the house.  I decided to start now while I have the energy.  There are many things in the house that he doesn't need or even know about, and he is happy to have me give things away to folks who might use them.

One of the things I found was a nice book called The Blessings of Christmas -- similar to the Ideals books and magazines.  It contains many lovely Christmas poems and essays in addition to beautiful photos and pictures.  I plan to share some of the writings with you for Christmas in July.

Here is one of the poems, by Lucille Crumley.

Love Tucked In

When your gifts are wrapped

And gaily ribbon tied,

Please remember to enclose 

A lot of love inside.

The gift may be quite simple;

But love tucked in with care

Can change it to a priceless thing -- 

An offering, rich and rare.

The gift itself may soon be worn --

Its usefulness be past;

But of this you may be sure

That love tucked in will last.

~ Lucille Crumley

More to follow!

Great kids' craft idea -- coffee filter snowflakes

Photo by Laura's Crafty Life

Wow!  I would never have thought of this, but I'm so thankful there are creative minds out there, like Laura of Laura's Crafty Life.    What a terrific idea -- teach kids to make paper snowflakes using coffee filters.  Starting with paper that's already round will really help with the process.  Here's the link to Laura's post: Coffee Filter Snowflakes.

If you have young kids or grandkids, you will want to file this idea away to try as Christmas approaches!  I pinned it to my my Kids' Crafts Pinterest board so I can't possibly misplace it!

Patriotic Christmas cards

Image courtesy Vintage Holiday Crafts.com

 I've mentioned before how I acquired a lovely collection of vintage Christmas cards, but in case there should be new readers here, I'll share it again.  Many years ago I worked at a Christian school my girls were attending, and one of my duties was to teach art once a week or so.  Of course there was no real budget for art; I brought supplies from home if anything outside of the usual school supplies was needed.  I told a few people that I could recycle used greeting cards for a number of projects, and ended up getting bags of them.  Surprisingly enough, among them were many vintage cards from various sources -- most of them Christmas cards. 

Obviously I didn't have the kids cut up these gorgeous old cards for art projects; there were plenty of newer ones that worked great for the purposes I had in mind.  I kept the vintage ones and display them seasonally on ribbon boards.

I always found it interesting that some of the vintage Christmas cards had a patriotic theme.  The only one of mine that really fits that description is this one:

I've always liked the watercolor look of this one.  This is the message inside:

I did just a tiny bit of research to learn more.  In a post titled "Long live the tradition of sending Christmas cards!" a British blogger  for the UK White Pages blog noted, "During the wars of the 20th Century, Christmas card designs took on a patriotic edge in order to remind people of their absent friends and family during the Christmas season."

I also read the following in a history of the American Greetings card company:       
"Before World War II, Americans were usually married and buried in the same towns in which they were born. They didn't travel much and had little need to communicate in writing. The war changed that. People were often separated from their families, and used greeting cards to stay in touch. Now known as American Greetings Publishers, [Jacob Saperstein's] company had six artists creating red-white-and-blue cards with patriotic rhymes to help families connect the home front with the front line." 

Wow! Six artists just creating the patriotic cards.  There must have been a real demand for them.  In light of that, I'm sort of surprised that I only have one.

I do have one other red-white-and-blue Christmas card; it's a favorite of mine but not really that patriotic looking.

Happy Fourth of July to you!


Images courtesy Vintage Holiday Crafts.com

Fun Christmas fabric!

This cute retro fabric, depicting a festively decorated street filled with Christmas shoppers, is called Merry Main Street and is by Alexander Henry Fabrics.    It looks to me just like magazine ads from the 1960s -- very colorful, "modern", and whimsical.  Notice how even though it is presumably December, all of the ladies and girls are wearing dresses!  It is just a fun fabric.

I always like to check out the remnants at Fashionable Fabrics because I can nearly always find some really nifty pieces of fabric at a small price.   This particular remnant is a long skinny piece of Merry Main Street fabric for which I paid $1.90!  I think it will work very well in mug mats and/or coasters for Christmas giving.  A small indulgence, buying this fabric, but I will have so much fun with it!

Tart Cranberry Butter

Photo from Taste of Home

For today I thought I would share a kitchen gift that's on my want-to-try list: Tart Cranberry Butter.  This is not whipped butter with cranberries in it, as you might guess, but is a tart cranberry spread, somewhat like apple butter.

Wouldn't this be a good kitchen gift, perhaps tucked in a basket with a half dozen cranberry-orange scones or some baking powder biscuits?  Sounds good to me!

(Of course, it would also be nice on a turkey sandwich, as in the photo!)

Welcome to Christmas in July in my Christmas Kitchen!

Poem by me, but the pretty red house is from The Graphics Fairy

Yes, I'm really tackling it.  My life is busier this July than it's been in a long time, but some of you have encouraged me to do Christmas in July posts again this year, so here goes.  I may not post every day in July, but will give it a good try.  I have lots of simple posts in mind to share, so we will see where it goes.

I thought I would start with a simple graphic featuring a poem I wrote for Christmas in July a few years back.  If you would like, you may borrow or adapt the poem for your own Christmas in July use.  The pretty Christmas house graphic I used is from The Graphics Fairy.

Happy Christmas in July!

Stay tuned for Christmas in July!

This little card (from my personal collection) with its patriotic look, seems perfect to introduce Christmas in July!

Well, I may be crazy (some would say there's no question about it!) but I'm moving ahead with plans for Christmas in July.  I may not get to post every day in July, though I'm hoping I can.  The posts will be simple -- recipes, poems, simple craft and decorating ideas -- but it will be fun for me and,  I hope, for you as well.  Lord willing, I'll see you tomorrow here in my Christmas kitchen!

Rudolph Day for June

How, oh how did we ever get to the midpoint of the year?  I cannot believe it is June 25 already.  Many of the Rudolph Days this year have passed unobserved by me, but I'm bound to do something Christmasy this time. 

Here's my plan:
* Drink some Candy Cane Lane tea (which is my favorite all year round.  I have quite the stockpile of it in my pantry!)
* Listen to some Christmas music
* Work on making a couple of Christmas ornaments
* Go over my Christmas crafting lists and update (make that create) my timelines
* Write and schedule several blog posts for Christmas in July ...

... for yes!  I've decided to observe Christmas in July again this year in my Christmas kitchen!  Looking forward to having all of you visit!

Contemplating Christmas in July

I own this Gooseberry Patch book and love it.  Lots of great ideas here!

I know... I know... it's still only June (and isn't that a good thing?).  Why would I be contemplating Christmas in July?  Well, for the past couple of years I have posted every day (or nearly so) in July here on my Christmas blog.  This year, I sort of thought I wouldn't do it.  My eldercare responsibilities have increased greatly in the past month, and I'm not finding a lot of time to blog.

But recently, I've begun to think Christmas in July might be a possibility here in my Christmas kitchen after all.  I've found a few lovely Christmas poems and some intriguing recipes, plus a vintage Christmas find or two, and now I'm thinking ... it just might work.  Stay tuned!

Layered Mint Candies ~ a Christmas candy recipe to try

Continuing on with my sporadic recipe posts, here is a candy recipe I want to try: Layered Mint Candies.  I'm pretty sure I tried these once a long time ago, but can't remember for certain.  They look good, so I want to give them a try again.  We always buy quite a bit of almond bark when it's on sale after Christmas, so I have the ingredients to try this recipe any time.  These look so pretty and would make a lovely kitchen gift or an addition to a gift basket.

Peppermint Brownies

Photo from Taste of Home

I'm trying to get back on track posting a few recipes I've seen that I'd like to try for Christmas 2014.  I actually planned to schedule them before our vacation in Nevada, but it just didn't happen.  Then I thought I'd post while we were out there, but that didn't happen either.

These Peppermint Brownies look so scrumptious.  I've made mint brownies many times -- the type where you add a green mint frosting and then a layer of melted chocolate and cut in tiny squares.  But these Peppermint Brownies are quite different and look so festive.  They're going on my "want-to-try" list!

Almond Chocolate Biscotti

Photo scanned from Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen

Here's another recipe that looks as if it would make a great kitchen gift!  One of our friends keeps an eye out for older cookbooks and cookbooklets for my collection.  Recently he brought me a small stack that included the Taste of Home booklet, Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen.  You can be sure I pounced on that!  Kitchen gifts are some of my favorites.

This recipe is made with a chocolate cake mix, so I think the biscotti could easily be made gluten-free by just using a gluten-free cake mix.  One of the reviewers suggested a variation she had tried -- skipping the almonds and almond extract, and substituting peppermint extract and sprinkling crushed candy canes over the white drizzle.  It seems to me that this would work out very well and be pretty, too.  I'm definitely planning to try this recipe.  Maybe you'd like to add it to your 2014 baking list as well!

A nice kitchen gift -- homemade Butterfinger®-type candy bars

Photo by Taste of Home

I spotted this candy recipe -- Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy Bars -- in a Taste of Home December/January issue quite a few years ago.  To me, the recipe sounds as if the candy would taste quite a bit like Butterfinger® candy bars.

I hope to try it sometime soon.  Candy thermometers always intimidate me a bit, but this recipe sounds so good that I just have to try.  Maybe you'd like to give this candy a try also.  There's always room for another recipe in one's kitchen gift repertoire, don't you agree?

Felt play mats ~ a fun gift idea for kids!

Back before Christmas, I was talking with my Nevada daughter on the phone and we were discussing potential gift ideas for her kiddos.  She had seen these adorable felt mats to use when playing with matchbox size vehicles, and thought her kids would love one as a group gift.  Here is the link: Felt Play Mats.  I asked my local daughter if she thought her kids would like one of these too, and she thought they would.  My reasoning was that if I was going to make one, I might as well do a second at the same time.  (Not the most logical reasoning I have ever used.)  Needless to say, this project was not as simple as it looked and the mats were not completed before Christmas. 

I finally did complete them and got them to the recipients in February/early March.  I can say for sure that kids enjoy them.  Here is the first one. 
 
And here is the second one.

I used a lot of the same ideas as the designer of the Felt Play Mats, but added quite a few of my own ideas as well.  One of the buildings I liked the best was this brick library

which I made for the second mat since it looks more like the one in their town. I was also pleased with how the donut shop turned out. 

These were fun to design, but not so much fun to put together.  I used white glue to assemble the buildings and then a glue gun for everything else.  I'm quite sure my white glue was too old, because although it seemed to work and hold things in place just fine, once the kids began playing with the mats, some of the smaller pieces began to come loose.  So, if you try this project, be aware of this possibility.  Use fabric glue, tacky glue or even a small glue gun to attach small pieces.

If you follow the link to the Felt Play Mat, you can scroll down and see other mats that the designer is featuring -- a princess one, a pet shop one, even Gotham City.  Have fun!

Dipped Cherry Cookies ~ a recipe to make again!

Photo from Taste of Home

I came upon these pretty cookies in an older November/December issue of Country Woman as I was browsing through.  I had clipped the recipe but didn't think I had tried it.  However, I just did a quick search here in my Christmas kitchen and found that I had indeed tried this recipe in 2009, and that we liked it a lot.    This would be a nice cookie for Valentine's Day, too (or even at a bridal shower, come to think of it, using white sugar or edible glitter for the finishing touch)  and would probably go fast at a bake sale.  Here's the link: Dipped Cherry Cookies.

I think they would be perfect for a cookie exchange, as they are quite different from the usual Christmas cookie!

Cucumber Canapes ~ nice appetizer for a Christmas buffet!

Photo from Taste of Home

I don't know about your family, but ours always enjoys the occasional festive meal of just appetizers.  We will sometimes do this for New Year's Eve, for example, or other times when the family is all together.  Recently, in my browsing through older November/December issues of Country Woman magazine, I came upon this delicious-sounding recipe for Cucumber Canapes. 

I've made a similar recipe in the past, but this one sounds even better.  And it would be so festive at Christmas time with the red-and-green garnish of dill and pimiento.  When I make these, I will probably just use the party rye bread rather than cutting rounds out of regular rye bread and having all those trimmings left over.  The rounds are very pretty, though.

Often at Christmas time, we're invited to gatherings where we're to bring along finger foods.  This would be a perfect appetizer to bring along for an occasion like that.  I'm posting it here so I don't forget where I put the recipe.  Maybe this would be a nice addition to your appetizer line-up, too.

Cookie recipe to try -- Christmas Sandwich Cookies

Photo from Taste of Home

As I continue looking through older November/December issues of Country Woman magazine, I'm finding fresh inspiration for Christmases to come.  I always like to try out new cookie recipes -- often, one will become a family favorite.  This recipe is one I've noticed before -- it's from a 2000 magazine -- and I've thought about trying it but just haven't done so.  I decided to post it here and on my Pinterest board and that way, hopefully, I can find it again when I have a moment to try it out.  Here's the link: Christmas Sandwich Cookies.

As you'll see, this is a shortbread cookie simply cut in rounds and, once baked and cooled, sandwiched together with raspberry jam and with a simple Christmas tree design piped on top.  I can see these being a very nice cookie for other occasions too -- like a shower, wedding, or tea party -- either with a different frosting design or a simple dusting of powdered sugar on top.  Maybe you would like to try these, too!

Another marvelous Christmas poem ~ "Festive Christmas"

Small vintage card from my collection

I'm continuing to browse through those older November/December issues of Country Woman magazine.  The 1992 issue has been a real treasure trove of poems and recipes.  The Readers' Poetry Corner featured another poem by Shirley Harvey.  Here it is:

Festive Christmas
The town is dressed in Christmas fare
With stars and tinsel everywhere,
Bright lights strung around the yards,
And folks all writing Christmas cards.

A dust of snow is on the hills,
Red candles shine from windowsills;
And stockings hung on mantel places
Will soon bring smiles to little faces.

Loved ones come from far away
to share the blessings of the day --
This special day of Jesus' birth,
This time of joy and peace on earth.
-- Shirley Harvey
    Barre, Vermont

Again, Shirley Harvey's Christmas poetry touches a nostalgic chord in me.  Stars, tinsel, Christmas lights ... and my childhood home had hills ringing it where a dust of snow would be simply beautiful, especially the season's first snow.  I picture the colored candoliers shining from my grandmother's window sills in the old white farmhouse ... oh, how times have changed.  We have lost so much of the innocent beauty of days gone by.  I, for one, intend to keep doing all that I can to keep it alive.