Today: A 'sexy' Santa, pampered pooches, and the world's highest-scoring goalie retires
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The Crafty Cryptids Advent is coming this December from Blackbird Sycamore Yarn! This is a made to order holiday box with mystery yarn mini-skeins, meant for one package to be opened each day leading up to the Christmas holiday, but you can open yours however you like. Each box will also include a large sturdy handmade drawstring project bag with a wrist strap, wool wash, and an assortment of curated progress keepers, stitch markers, notions, and goodies. This year's box will be a more woodsy, rich, and earthy pallette, with an assortment of tonals, semi-solids, speckled, and lightly variegated colorways. It will include 25 hand dyed mini skeins on your choice of yarn base: SUPER SOCK (75% Superwash Merino Wool, 25% Recycled Nylon, each skein is approximately 88 yards, 20 grams, 4 ply) or DIVA DK (75% Superwash Merino Wool, 25% Recycled Nylon, each skein is approximately 49 yards, 20 grams, 4 ply) Pre-orders are open now. The box will be shipped out in early October so that it can get to you in time to start opening it on December 1st. I will send you a message through Etsy to update you when your box ships!
You'll be surprised at the taste of this rich and cheesy easy potato soup. It really is the best potato soup recipe, ever. I came up with it after enjoying baked potato soup at one of our favorite restaurants. I added bacon, and we think that makes it even better. —Coleen Morrissey, Sweet Valley, Pennsylvania
Here’s why your holiday meal will end in tears.
we met for our art group last week and i taught everyone how to make these halloween witches. their bodies are made with wool or cotton wrapped pipe cleaners. i thought you might like to make one of your own, so today's artful thursday project will walk you through the steps to make a wool wrapped doll for you to decorate for any holiday. the basic supplies you will need to make the doll are wool roving, cotton pipe cleaners, and a paper face. for decorating you might gather bits from your little art shop: crepe paper, vintage book paper, tinsel, stamens, lace, stars, felt, anything sparkly, and some tiny trinkets. step 1. fold two 6 inch cotton pipe cleaners in half and shape into a body by twisting the two pipe cleaners as shown. my pipe cleaners are the ones really used to clean pipes made by dill's. step 2. start wrapping your wool roving on the figure in this order: arms, legs, then the body. start at the end of the hand or foot and wind your way into the body with thin wisps of wool pulled off your roving. never cut the wool fibers as they won't wrap back and catch on themselves as well. you can get some great wool roving at ornamentea. step 3. wrap wool roving around the head to finish the figure and tuck the ends around the neck. use a bit of spray sealer to hold the wool in place if you need to or i like just a bit of tacky glue smeared on my fingers to tuck in any stray bits. step 4. start designing the clothing. i made a little crepe paper skirt and glued it in place. step 5. glue on little sleeves. i used some vintage loopy trim tucked over each arm. step 6. glue on a bodice. i used a piece of halloween garland from last year. the tiny stamens are just glued in place with a black bit of seam binding tied around the middle for a sash. the sparkly tinsel is glued on top. step 7. make a little witch hat. cut out a cone shape and glue the ends together. i decorated this one with a bit of ribbon trim and a glittered star. the black paper is vintage photo album paper. add a circle base to the hat if you like. glue on your paper face for your doll and then the hat. any old photo copied onto paper will do well. my face is about 3/4 inch tall. here are the spooky girls made by some of the gals in my art group. i usually don't bother to take photos as the building we meet in has horrible overhead lights and a bad background. this time i just went for it. it was totally fun using just the stuff on the table to set up the photo. thank you my art friends for such a lovely evening! this one is by Diana and photographed on her gorgeous carpet handbag. with roller skates and a lovely porcelain head, this little witch is by cheryl. this sparkly baby with all the ruffles is by candice lori made this darling doll using a vintage jello mold! amandas happy girl holds the cutest mask... heidi was making a doll for each of her kids in their favorite costume. luke skywalker was going to be next, awesome right. this cutie by lorraine looks like she just won the trick or treat pageant amazing how each one is so different even though we started out with the same kit. this little pumpkin fairy i made for my pretty little felts book. her pumpkin is a wool bead with a bit of embroidery. hope you enjoy this project. spooky wishes, julie
The tradition of the Oplatki originated in Poland during Early Christian times. This Christmas Custom began with a simple white wafer, baked from flour and water. The wafers are wonderfully designed to display Christmas images, such as the Nativity. HOW TO CELEBRATE THE OPLATKI TRADITION The Oplatki are enjoyed by families, typically right before the Christmas Eve meal. The entire family will gather around the table with the Oplatek. Generally the eldest member of the family will begin the ritual by breaking off a piece of the wafer and passing it to another family member with a blessing. This blessing can simply consist of what you desire for your loved one in the upcoming year – whether it be good health, success, or happiness. The purpose of this act is primarily to express ones unconditional love and forgiveness for each member of his or her family. THE SYMBOLISM The significance of the Oplatki Christmas wafer is in that it shadows the Eucharistic meal that Catholics participate in at each Mass. Just as we share in the Eucharist as one family in Christ and receive Christ’s love through the Eucharist, the Oplatki allows for one’s immediate family to come together and share the love they have for one another. This symbolism is deepened by the fact that the name of the town where Jesus Christ was born, Bethlehem, means "House of Bread," which makes the Oplatki tradition an especially beautiful way to celebrate the charity and unity so characteristic of the Christmas season. YES, EVEN FOR FAMILY PETS! Although this tradition is primarily enjoyed by the human members of the family, even the family pets can partake in this meal. Traditionally, this corresponds to the animals that were the first to greet Christ at his birth.In current times, this can also represent the important role that pets play in the family. Whereas the wafers are generally white in color, there are colored Oplatki made especially for pets (although both colors are edible by people). Our packs of 10 Oplatki wafers contain 8 white ones for the humans and 2 pink ones for the family pets. A SYMBOL OF FAMILY UNITY The Oplatki tradition is one that is easy, fun, and deeply meaningful to introduce to the family anytime during the long Christmas season. All it requires is a simple wafer paired with love and affection, and the willingness to share it. This is a heartwarming tradition that will complete your family’s time together during the Christmas season. Order Your Oplatki Now! OPLATKI FAQ: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: WHAT IS OPLATKI? A: Oplatki are thin wafers, similar to Communion hosts, which measure 5 1/2in. x 2 3/4in. The wafers have four beautiful Christmas images stamped into them. The images include the Nativity, the Star of Bethlehem, or the Holy Family. Each set of wafers comes in an envelope with the Oplatki tradition printed on the back. Q: HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE IT? A: The authentic Polish pronunciation is O-pwaht-kee. This is the plural form of the word. One wafer it is called Oplatek (O-pwah-tek). Q: ARE THERE OTHER NAMES FOR THIS TRADITION? A: Yes, in Lithuania the wafers are part of the Kucios meal and can be called by many names, including: plotkele, paplotelis, or plokstainelis. Depending on where the family is from they may even say kaledaitis. Slovaks call the wafers oblatky. In America the tradition is often called Christmas Wafers. Q: WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE CHRISTMAS WAFERS? A: Just before the Christmas Eve meal (in Polish called Wigilia) the entire family will gather around the table with the Oplatki. Generally the eldest member of the family will begin the ritual by breaking off a piece of the wafer and passing it to another family member with a blessing. This blessing can simply consist of what you desire for your loved one in the upcoming year - whether it be good health, success, or happiness. The wafer is passes from person to person until all have had a piece and all have been given blessings. The purpose of this act is primarily to express ones unconditional love and forgiveness for each member of his or her family. Q: WHY ARE SOME WAFERS WHITE AND SOME PINK? A: Although this tradition is primarily enjoyed by the human members of the family, even the family pets can partake in this meal. The Pink Oplatki is made especially for pets. Traditionally, this corresponds to the animals that were present at Christ's birth. However, in current times, this can also represent the important role that pets play in the family. Q: HOW DID THIS TRADITION START? A: The tradition of the Oplatki originated in Poland during Early Christian times. This Christmas Custom began with a simple white wafer, baked from flour and water. The wafers are wonderfully designed to display Christmas images, such as the Nativity. The Tradition is popular throughout eastern Europe, including Lithuania and Slovakia. Q: WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE? A: The word Bethlehem means "House of Bread." The breaking of the bread is a sign of charity, unity, and friendship. The Oplatki Christmas wafers also remind us of the Eucharistic meal that Catholics participate in at each Mass. Just as we share in the Eucharist as one family in Christ and receive Christ's love through the Eucharist, the Oplatki allows for one's immediate family to come together and share the love they have for one another. Q: OUR FAMILY ISN'T POLISH - CAN WE STILL HAVE OPLATKI? A: YES! This tradition can become a part of every family's Christmas traditions! Q: I LIVE FAR AWAY FROM MY FAMILY, WHAT CAN I DO? A: Many families purchase Oplatki and include the wafers in Christmas cards to family members in distant locations. The tradition can easily be shared in this way with anyone around the world! Q: WHAT IS THE SHELF LIFE OF THE OPLATKI WAFERS? A: Oplatki wafers stay fresh for a long time. It is safe to store the oplatki for several months, preferably in a sealed container.
Twelve Handmade Things to Buy at the Finders Keepers Markets
I don't know about you, but this year has gone way too fast! I can't believe it's already November, which means, it's time to seriously start thinking about handmade Christmas gifts and other Christmas-type ideas. Sometimes it's hard to come up with something new, unique, and memorable so I go looking for inspiration online. Here are a few great ideas I've found so far. I've wanted to make one of these scrappy photo collage stars for a few years now and finally found a tutorial! Yay! I'm in love with this personalized monogrammed tote bag. Elegant, easy, and best of all, inexpensive. Check out this goodie box! Filled with cookies or other yummy treats, it would be perfect for coworkers, neighbors, church members, etc. It's made out of a single sheet of 12x12 paper. So simple and adorable. Check out the tutorial here. Paper Pals has so much cute double-sided Christmas paper to choose from. SPECIAL NOTE: Speaking of cute boxes and packaging for Christmas, Paper Pals has got a class coming up called Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More! where Karen will teach you how to make unique and fun Christmas packaging. Here's a great project for the kids in your life - page corner bookmarks. They would have fun making these for their classmates or maybe even a teacher. Here's another project to get kids involved. They can make their own bows! Give them a sheet of white paper, have them go crazy drawing and/or stamping on it and use that for the bows. What could be simpler? You could also use scrapbook paper that coordinates with custom tags! I love these glass candle holders! These glasses can be found at any thrift store or dollar store. Take rubber bands and stretch them around the glass at different angles, then take a can of spray paint to it. Wait for it to dry, then remove the rubber bands. Easy peasy! This may be the most brilliant idea I've come across and I WILL be doing it! Transfer a photo onto a block of wood. AWESOME! Here's a great little video tutorial. I had no idea it was so simple! Now before you go thinking 'I don't knit,' this scarf is super easy and doesn't require any knitting. Isn't it adorable?! I'm thinking this might be a good gift for the nieces this year. These ornaments are absolutely adorable and what better way to use all that fun Christmas scrapbooking paper you have? I absolutely LOVE these little guys too! Clear, glass ornaments decoupaged with vintage papers, sprinkled with glass glitter and tied with a "Noel" stamped tag. The Lost & Found Christmas collection by My Mind's Eye that is currently at Paper Pals would be PERFECT to make these. I thought this was a cute idea for the envelopes for Christmas cards this year. Mix up the tree decorating with this fun and easy twisted felt garland. What a cute idea! I came across so many great ideas. There's no way I could share them all, but hopefully these few I chose will inspire you.
Instead of being boiled and then transferred to a hot oven to be glazed, I cook the ham so, so slowly, in the oven, wrapped in foil, so that it steams sweetly in the low heat. I then remove the ham from the oven, take off the rind, stud the layer of fat on top with cloves and cover with a mustardy black treacle glaze, and put the joint briefly back in a very hot oven. Cooked like this, the meat is astonishingly tender and carves into thin slices with ease; there is also very little shrinkage, and no wrangling with large joints of meat in boiling liquid.
This decadent cookie starts with a cream cheese-based dough and whatever filling you can dream up. Honey-walnut or chocolate are good places to start!
At-home brunch means no waiting in line, plus: eating in pajamas! These leisurely homemade brunch ideas will help you do it up in style.
The BEST homemade kolache recipe on the Internet! Light puffs of sweet, buttery dough filled with your favorite fruit fillings just like you'd find in donut shops all over West, Texas. They are best eaten warm the day they are made.
No matter who the little girl looks like, she is stunning!
We sell Savannah's finest Candy, including Pecan Pralines, Pecan Pies, Chocolate Fudge, Turtles, Divinity, Candy Gifts, Gift Baskets, & more.
A traditional European crescent cookie recipe for Kifle Christmas Cookies with a sweet apricot filling.
When I first started with Poshmark, the only thing visiting my closet was crickets. Now I'm selling every day. Here are my best Poshmark Tips.
How To Make a Maypole May Day is just around the corner (May 1st), and is a traditional Spring holiday in many European countries in celebration of Spring through dance. Learn how to make a Maypole for your May Day festivities. Usually we go around on May Day and hang a bouquet of flowers on...Read the Post
An end of year celebration, unlike any other staff Christmas party!
