Last Batch....Pistachio Nut, Cranberry, and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ah, the rush of Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, and baking is finally over.  Here is the last batch of cookies I made this year. I found the recipe in a magazine but unlike the last batch I featured on this blog, this one turned out to look very similar to the magazine photo. The cookies are a bit darker because I extended the baking time by two minutes as I needed the cookies to be sturdier for packing.  These cookies taste absolutely delicious!  I think the salt from the pistachio nuts really helps to balance the flavor of the cookies.

As with crafting, baking becomes more enjoyable when you experiment a little.  Thinking of variations is probably my favorite part of baking.  I'm sure this recipe would work well for Halloween by replacing the cranberries with chopped apricots  and the white chocolate chips with dark chocolate ones.  I hope in the coming New Year you will try new cooking and craft projects.  When you discover something new I welcome you to write to this blog.  I will continue to post the new products, projects and creations that I discover in 2025 so please take the time to visit the site often. Thank you for your support! 

Snow on Fruit Mountain Cookies

 'Tis the season that I stop crafting and start baking.  This year I got a late start on crafting and cooking due to a lengthy trip to Japan in late Nov. to early Dec.  This first batch of cookies don't look delicious but they really ARE!  I found the recipe in a magazine and chose it because it looked scrumptious. However, I think the food stylist for the magazine must have doctored up the cookies, adding more color and moistness.  My cookies were rather bland looking so I sprinkled them with powdered sugar and renamed them Snow on Fruit Mountain. LOL!  What they lack in looks they make up in flavor so I am happily giving them to friends and family.  I found the perfect treat bags at HM Ben Franklin Crafts...Snow Much Fun! I am happy that I was able to pivot and as the old saying goes, 'turn lemons into lemonade'.  In cooking and crafting it is important to remember to stay positive and not get discouraged.  Life is better when you are optimistic. I'm positive that Santa will come again this year! Merry Christmas!

Xmas Honey Fruit Bread

 A recent trip to Japan enabled us to sample lots of delightful, tasty treats.  There was a fruit bread that we especially enjoyed from a European bakery (lots of them in Japan).  I made it my mission to recreate the taste of this bread.  While my version doesn't have exactly the same look or taste, it is pretty close. The Japanese version was darker and more packed with fruit.  I liked the rustic look of the Japanese loaf but felt it was too dense with fruit.  My husband and I both think that my version of the fruit bread is as good as the Japanese one. He says it tastes even better....what a nice guy!  I am happy that I was able to recreate a pleasurable treat and now I am able to make it in the future for friends and family.  Happy Holiday Baking !

Gnomes for Xmas

Recently, I traveled to Japan and was surprised to see Xmas was in full swing there.  Not unexpected, there were Santas everywhere and strangely there were lots of gnomes, too. I suppose it must be the European influence....lots of Swedish and French products for sale.  Of course, I purchased a few small gnomes and stuffed them into my already bulging suitcase.  Wanting more gnomes, I decided that I could probably make my own...so I did!  

I started by blending white Hearty clay with a bit of red and orange Hearty clay.  When I achieved the flesh hue I desired, I formed three cone shaped bodies and three little ball noses.

Next I cut some green felt into skirts....no need to be perfect as gnomes are the older, grungy version of woodland fairies..LOL!  I cut wired extra wide Xmas ribbon to form the pointed caps.  (I used a pencil and Fabri-tac glue to shape ribbons into conical hats.) I cut off the wire on the top of the cap but left the wire on the bottom edge to add some support.  The gnomes were easily assembled with glue once the Hearty Clay was dry. I used wool roving for the hair and beards. (Sometime you can find wool roving at HM Ben Franklin Crafts but you can always just pull apart fluffy yarn.) If you feel your gnomes might encounter moisture you can coat the exposed clay surfaces with a clear matte acrylic sealer.

My family of gnomes is large now but I am already planning the next gnomes...perhaps bigger with movable arms (pipe cleaners inside a sleeve?).  Hope you'll be GNOME for the Holidays!

Gnome-made Goodie Boxes

Do you save empty cookie or candy boxes in the hope of repurposing them?  I do!  I am especially fond of the boxes from Asia because they are so cleverly designed and very sturdy.  This first box is a slider so it was easy to cover it.  I simply wrapped the outer part with Xmas wrapping paper that I purchased from HM Ben Franklin Crafts in Mapunapuna.  This wrapping paper is from Japan and comes in large, flat sheets. There are many printed papers to choose from and they all have the benefit of being strong and thin...just what you need to paper over cardboard boxes.

For additional decoration, I stamped, colored and fussy cut out a Whimsy gnome image.  I adhered the gnome with foam dots and added an oval label from my stash.  For extra cuteness I printed out 'gnome-' and added it to the label. Get it? "Deliciously Gnome-Made For You" A ribbon was added to balance out the design of the box.

This second box was easy to paper over after I carefully took it apart and flattened it. Then I glued the unfolded box onto the wrapping paper and trimmed away the excess paper.  I refolded and decorated the box similarly to the first box (adding some clear sparkle glitter hear and there).

The inside of this box had some dividers to separate the treats.  I think I might make chocolate covered candied ginger or dried apricots to fill this box.  The first box seems perfect for my homemade Xmas cookies.  I am proud that I was able to recycle these boxes into some pretty, festive containers.  I hope that you will try to do some repurposing and not just toss away perfectly good boxes.  Don't forget to save the boxes from your holiday treats this year! Recycle!

Hello Kitty Baby Card

In the last six years, my husband's side of the family has welcomed eight babies into the clan.  Of those eight only two of the babies are girls, so I was happy to have the opportunity to make a baby girl card.  I chose a Hello Kitty theme because I have always been a fan of hers and I recently heard that she's celebrating an important birthday.  It was fun to look into my drawer of HK crafting supplies and dust off the dies that I purchased from HM BFC a long time ago.  With this Hello Kitty fairy die I was able to quickly assemble the card using a single sheet of K and Company Itsy Bitsy Baby Girl paper.  (The back side coordinated with the front.)  I tried to use plain white paper for Kitty, but it didn't show up well so I switched to a pearlized white DCWV paper from a 6x6 pad. In the photo the white paper still doesn't stand out but at different angles it does shimmer and sparkle.  I didn't want to make Kitty's whiskers black because that made them too obvious so I just colored them in with grey ink.  Finally, for the fairy wand I decided that a frosted sticker heart would be perfect for a topper. It was a very easy, quick card to make for the newest addition to out family.  I hope she likes it..... especially since her initials just happen to be HK! 

 

Autumn Secret Gift Card Tags

When I first purchased this i-crafter tag die set I did so because it was a good size and had some good words and images to die cut on the tags.  However, on closer inspection, I realized that there was a putt- out tab that could turn the tag into a surprise gift card holder....so neat!  After cutting the front panels using the putt-out tab  and the 'For You' dies, I die cut a second tag from brown card stock.  The printed front tag and back tag were adhered to each other with thin double stick tape on the bottom and two sides of the tags. Leave the tops of the tags open so that you can insert the gift card.  Finally, I chose coordinating twine, yarn or cording and attached them to the tags.  I also added some matching Simple Stories washi tape (from HM Ben Franklin Crafts) to the back of the tags for added interest. I heard that the i-crafter brand/company was discontinued so I think you'll need to quickly shop at HM Ben Franklin Crafts before all the lovely die sets sell out. I know you'll make good use of this tag set if you purchase it.  I'm already planning some Xmas gift card tags.  Maybe you'll get one!