Peppermint Marshmallows

This year I decided to try making some treats other than cookies. Martha Stewart demonstrated making marshmallows on her TV show and it looked easy. They came out great and taste marvelous. I mixed in Wilton red food color paste at the end before putting the batch in the pan because I thought the plain white was boring. This treat is perfect for those watching their cholesterol because it has 0 fat calories! Another recipe I tried was the MS mini fruitcakes and they were so tasty and easy. The recipe did use a whole bottle (a small one) of apricot brandy. I'm not a drinker, so I was surprised that I liked it. You can find both recipes on the Martha Stewart website. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the fruitcake and now they have been given away or eaten. The bottom photo shows how I packaged the marshmallows in MS boxes.

Ribbon Stocking Ornament

I can never resist buying the wide ribbons from Ben Franklin Crafts. Each wide roll has so much yardage (to use as a garland on your tree) at a fabulous price. I think they are a bargain for crafters, particularly if you need to make multiples of a card or decoration. Anyway, after vowing not to buy more ribbon rolls this year, I broke down and bought some. This stocking ornament uses three ribbons, a crocheted doily (a stained donation from an aunt), a Hero Arts felt poinsettia, and a plastic cameo charm (a freebie from a collectible shop). Besides the fact that this ornament can hold a small gift, I like that I made use of Xmas ribbons in a different way and recycled what others were going to throw away. Ornaments are perfect ways to preserve a memory because they are cherished and put on display once a year. Be sure to tell your children the story behind the ornaments so they will pass them on to the next generation. (Instructions and a template for this ornament will be on our craft club website, www.bfcraftclub.com), as soon as possible.

And the winner is........

Drum roll please............the winner of our Christmas giveaway is.........LORNA!!!!!!!!! Thank you to all who entered. We appreciated all the informative comments. Because so many of you entered this contest and because it's the holiday season, we pulled 5 more names......Bel Adcock, faithatuabc, scrapnhawaii, JanBond, and tracizuni. These five winners will receive a $10 BFC gift card. Lorna and the five other winners you need to send us your mailing address so we can mail you your prizes. Send your address to (contact@bfcraftclub.com).
For the last three Christmases I have been trying to perfect a Springerle cookie recipe for my neighbor. This year he said I got it almost perfect except this recipe didn't have the anise seeds in it. The hardest part was getting the crunchy outside texture but keeping the cookie chewy inside. Another difficulty I had in previous years was finding the mold and a dough that wouldn't stick to it. A company called House on the Hill sold the molds and provided a recipe. Next year I plan to make the cookies thinner and add more anise flavoring and seeds. It's fun doing this project each year and it helps my elderly neighbor remember the taste of his childhood favorite Xmas cookie. Isn't it interesting that many of our holiday memories revolve around food? That's why it's so important to keep traditions alive. Bake something good today...make a memory!

Polar Bears.....Last Day to Enter Contest

I wish I could say that this was my idea, but I got the project from Martha Stewart. The large needle-felted polar bear was on her website (12/3/09) and possibly in her magazine. The baby cub was my creation using a single pipecleaner and wool fleece (available at some BFC stores). The large glass pebbles and the felting tools are at Ben Franklin Crafts too. These felt animals are lightweight so they would make good ornaments. I'm thinking of making some sheep using black pipecleaners as the base so that the legs would not need to be felted. I will try to get some directions on the craft club website (www.bfcraftclub.com) ...... I know, I know, I haven't posted the instructions for the shaker card holder yet....I will.....soon. I'm into my cookie baking mode and that's time consuming. I'm excited because my Springerle cookies may actually come out right this year. Don't forget to enter our BFC craft club blog contest giveaway. (See earlier post for information.) The deadline is midnight TONIGHT!

Girly Gift Tags.....Still Time to Enter Xmas Giveaway

I just had to play with my new nestible Spellbinder dies. Although I could cut only one cardstock tag at a time, I had fun making these tags. The rubber stamp images are by Penny Black. I used Copic pens to color them but watercolor pencils would be good too. To add some sparkle I used the Martha Stewart glue pen and glitter. Plus for more texture I added white fun flock and rhinestone sticker stars. I think it's the little touches that make the tag fun and since these are really big they'll stand out on Xmas wrapping paper. After I finish all my wrapping and before I put away my supplies, I hope to make more tags and cards to prepare for next year. Since many of the gifts I give need to be mailed, it never hurts to work ahead.....Christmas seems to roll around faster and faster every year. I'll start crafting earlier next year.....yeah right.....oooooh, there goes a flying pig!!!!! (Scroll down to find out how to enter the drawing to win our Christmas giveaway prizes.)

December Blog Contest

!!!!!! CONTEST TIME! !!!!!! To win the items pictured above, leave me a comment (by midnight of December 10, 2009) telling me your most useful crafting tool or favorite craft item from Ben Franklin Crafts. You may enter only one time. The winner will be selected by a random drawing of the names of those who left a comment on THIS blog post. It is important that your comment include some way of identifying you so we can contact you. We have the e-mail addresses of craft club members. I will try to announce the winner by the 12th of December. Oh, if you click on the photo you can see the prizes more clearly. Besides the $25 gift card, there are embellishments (including an assortment of red,green, and white dew drops), a hot/cold insulated Hawaiian print bag, rubber stamps, and a pack of red cards with envelopes. Good luck to all! Enter NOW!

Contest Starting Soon

Please be patient if you are waiting for the contest to begin. I need to get a couple more prize items and photograph them. I will try to get the information about the contest posted by tomorrow. In the meantime, think about what your favorite crafting tool is or the best craft item you've purchased from Ben Franklin Crafts. To enter the contest you will need to submit this information to the comment box on my blog.

Yesterday I was in Honolulu and had a chance to do a little shopping at our Craft in the City store on Bishop St. Pictured below are some of the goodies I found there. The store had the latest Spellbinder's Nestibles, a system that works with the Big Shot machine to cut and emboss basic and fancy edge shapes. Also shown from the store are some of the great K and Co. and Colorbok rub-on and sticker sets. I was impressed with the neatness and organization of the store. For a tiny store there is a great assortment of our most popular craft items including a terrific selection of Christmas items. (I bought a blinking snowflake necklace and penguin Xmas socks for me.) Well, please check back to learn how to enter our Christmas giveaway contest (includes a $25 gift card).