A Christmas Treat for All to View

Well it is getting close to December 25th.  Oh the bright lights and celebrations and wonderful childhood memories all come back to you.   I certainly remember one Christmas, I think and not sure about the location but think we lived in Tacoma Washington at the time and the Department store was so beautifully decorated and the long line to see Santa and everything looked like a fairy land.  A night time parade and being with my Daddy and Mother and siblings, the excitement was more that our little hearts could take.  This was probably in  1949ish.  I was about 4 or 5 as best as you can remember way back then. 

Christmas cards are such a delightful part of  Christmas , well so many events happen during the season but this is one that gets to be written about today.  I do love sending them out and receiving them is a treat.  Seeing what the postman brings us in the mail is like getting a present.  The e cards are also a treat and we did get a beautiful one or two of those.  Such technology for today.   OK a bit of silliness-do you think when the Indians sent smoke signals around the Southwest that they would have ever thought about the Internet sending the e cards?  Can you imagine how pretty they would have been floating in the sky?  I mean they created some pretty awesome pics in the sides of stones.  OK, sorry about that had to stray a tad there. 

If you remember I had posted about the White Donuts and how that sharing of them helped me find some long lost Aunts and Uncles and Cousins over in England and Australia  .   Well in the mail I received one beautiful card, not that we ever get an ugly one and I think the ones that send them to us know our personality and they all are perfect for us. I save everyone of them and look at them during the year also.  I just had to share this card, we have never seen one like this and so beautifully sewn with jewel toned threads and the sine of them.  You know how I love bling. 

This is from cousin Janet in England and I asked her if it was OK to post this.  I just had to share it with you all.  So Merry Christmas to all and please enjoy this card.

This is the whole card, I couldn't believe it when we opened it, the sewing skills it took and the hours to create this. 

Trying to get a different view so you can see all the stitching done with love.  What a talent.

One more view all sewn by hand and on paper. 

One more view.  

So there you go, my little treat to you all.   We are wishing you all a Merry Christmas and my goodness what will 2012 bring to us?   I can bet some wonderful experiences.  I don't know if I will post again until 2012  but if not have a Happy New Year and thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world. xoxoxox

The Princess Package

It is funny how things are changed or re purposed or morphed into something else.  Now I am not talking about the beautiful butterflies that go from a caterpillar into something graceful and light as the wind or how a little black seed turns into a fragrant flower.   It is hard to imagine how all that comes about, at least to me it is.  I know it is suppose to in God's plan of life and I certainly believe in the miracles of God.  It is still a beauty to behold though. 

   I guess how I reuse "things" now is morphing into something beautiful.   We use to call it make do but now it is called recycled.  So what ever it is I am doing some of it now.   One time sweet grandson called me a trash digger with his winning  smile and I just smiled back and said yes I guess that is my new occupation now.   Eldon even puts things by the trash to make sure it is trash or one of my treasures that I must play with. It certainly makes me think of what can I do with this?  

Day before yesterday my friend, Alexis, first texted me and asked was I up and home and then called me and she had found a beautiful site on the Internet.   On the site of Bluepurpleand scarlett.com she had found something to do with old newspapers.  Well I certainly have lots those little critters, they are like rabbits and coat hangers they just multiply like crazy.  We recycle them like good little troupers but still have an abundance of them.  My package flowers are not exactly like demonstrated and I added some pearls and some lace but certainly was a great inspiration for me. 

So wanting to make something pretty for the Princess, I made the package of all packages.  It is truly Princess worthy. 

I first dyed the paper with food coloring but the color wasn't deep enough on the pink/red so I used some of my old photography dyes and mixed with a little water I was a newspaper  dying mad woman.  I was spraying ink and water everywhere.   It took longest for the paper to dry.  I then tore it up in strips and made "roses", now I use that term loosley because I just kind of rolled and wadded them up and thank goodness for glitter, it hides all sins.

So here you go the Princess Package.  

A closeup of some of the newspaper tearing, I guess I liked it because it is  just tearing paper and I can do that like a pro.

The "Roses", I think I need to go to you tube and study a bit but certainly enjoyed doing this and with my trusty stapler, I got it done, well and my B6000 glue.

One more view, I used some of burlap for the base of it and pulled out some of the strings for a little interest. 

Here you go the finished Princess Package, afterwards I thought should have made it Christmas looking but guess the glitter will have to work double time on this one.

Thanks for stopping in and seeing what is going on in my world today.  We even got maybe 1/2 of an inch of rain.  Yea rain.     xoxoxoxo

It's Foaming !!!!!

Now in my cooking experience, which started in 1961 with NO experience what so ever- nada.  I would read my cookbook like a school history book from cover to cover.  I have only had one cooking experience that made me panic.  The cooking of gravy ?  Nope, not even when I tried making it for the first time and used like 1 cup of flour in 1 tablespoon of cooking grease.  Grease back then it was called.  Talk about a glob of mess and I mean a glob.  Looked something like the Blob, if you ever saw that old horror movie.   I didn't even panic when I tried frying Eldon an egg and it turned out like some horribly deformed alien. 

Now what do you wonder could make Annette panic ?  I mean I love horror movies and not one of those treasures made me panic or think anything other than great movie.  

It was cooking Peanut Brittle. Yes, a sweet sugary concoction of Peanut Brittle.   I followed the recipe Eldon's mother gave me, which was given to her from my brother -in- laws mother.  I was feeling pretty cocky, thinking man this is so easy.  Well when I put baking soda in the pan I was not prepared for what happened.  It made the golden brown sweetness turn white and foamed and foamed some more even to the top of the large pan I cooked it in.  I thought what have I done?  Have I  totally ruined my sugar and corn syrup ?   Well, after collecting myself together ( I was probably 18 at this time) I poured it into the buttered cookie sheet and immediately called Eldon's mother.  She just laughed and laughed and said yes it is suppose to do that and it was not ruined.   The soda just helps make it crunch and I cooked it correct so will not be gummy.   Whew that was a relief. 

Now here is what the brittle looks like when cooking to the correct temperature of golden brown.   You will notice that I use pecans instead of peanuts.  Seems after growing peanuts for so many years and eating the goobers  Mr. Eldon is allergic to the peanuts.  Not like he is to onions to the point of throat closing up but close.  So pecans to the rescue.   I did not take a picture with the foaming of it, goes to fast and sorry it was either good brittle or a picture for you.  

Here it is, so good and crunchy and no calories at all, at least in the picture.  

Now it was snowing that day so candy or some kind of cooking is what I like to do on those days or make bread.   I felt sorry for the fur babies and let them in.  They look like they are planing something here and I caught them red handed, but no they are actually on point waiting for me to drop something so it can be swept up with the lick of a tongue and a wag of the tail.

   Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world.  xoxoxo

10 Seconds on the Lips and 10 Years on the Hips

I just love that saying.  10 seconds on the lips and 10 years on the hips.    I believe my friend Jane from Italy said that one.  I actually know who one of the "they" are.   A very talented  artist  also I might add.   It doesn't seem fair that things that are good are either fattening and or not good for you.   Now they have all the good food groups but guess the way they are put together is what makes it bad for you.   Kind of like Chocolate cake,  eggs and milk are certainly good for you but when thrown into a CAKE, it  seems like it turns on you.

OK enough of the rationalization of goodies.   Here is another one that I am not crazy about making and are a time consumer but oh my they are good.  Yes you can buy them ready made but just not the same I am thinking. 

Now candy making and baking is definitely an art, just like cooking and the kind of art that gets the fingers messy with paint and glue.   I love love love to do candy creating and baking but there comes a time, sadly that your body just can't handle a lot of it.  So just enjoy looking at it and no calories will fly off the screen and hook itself to you.  I do firmly believe though that when you lose weight the same little innocent pounds just hover around you like a little cloud and if you let your guard down-poof it attaches itself back on you.  I am not a scientist but do think in my heart that is what happens.

So what is on the agenda for today you ask?   Millionaires.  A good little combination of pecans, chocolate and carmels.  Now that is Eldon's job to unwrap the carmels.  I don't count how many is in the package so not sure if some sneak into his mouth while doing that job for me. 

The shine on them is the combination of melted chocolate chips, shortening and paraffin.  Yes paraffin the kind you can melt and put on top of homemade jelly to seal it.  Don't put to much of the parrafin  in the melting bowl and it will bind the chocolate perfectly. 

I just had to share what the inside looks like.  See no calories at all.  Sorry Santa had to tell a little story there. 

There you go, when it is cold or ugly outside I like to cook and this is my tidbit for today.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today .   xoxoxox

Who Names These Anyway?

You know it is funny the names "things" come up with.  You wonder who names them and how do they come up with the names?   There is a poem or saying that says a Rose by any other name would still be a Rose.  Now I could get carried away with this, but for the sake of Christmas I will not.   Maybe. 

I am on a cooking roll, that time of year where you hips say no and you mouth say YES !!!! I do  hope you don't get tired of looking at some of them. 

These treasures are called New Zealand Holly Cookies, so that made me wonder do they really eat these in New Zealand?  Are they a tradition and Santa won't come see you if you don't make them?    It takes a while to make them, so I only make at Christmas and only if I have time and not mess around with anything else that day.   You make a sugar cookie kind of concoction and gotta have tops and bottoms, then jam between the layers , then frost and top with Red Hots and then the fun part ----- paint the holly with a little brush.   Oh I know it is a job and doesn't make many but they are good.  The crunchy cookies soften to wonderful goodness with the jam in the middle. Well you are suppose to use raspberry jam but Eldon likes strawberry and I had a little of that and a lot of Apricot jam so a combo of all.  No not all flavors on one cookie but each 1/2 teaspoon of jam on each cookie.  

So I had to show them to you they are so pretty.  I put them on a plate I had china painted years and I mean years ago.   I had hoped to do a whole set but by the time I finished 12 plates I thought hooey with that. 

There they are, now it makes more that this but I didn't want you to have Holly overload. 

Now if you want the recipe just tell me and I will post here somewhere. 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what going on in Annette's World today.  xoxox

Christmas Angel with Texas Hair

Well Ho Ho Ho to y'all.  You know Texas Hair is big or so they say, whoever they are.  The big and poofy hairdos?  Now I am not saying we all have hair like that nor do we carry six shooters and ride horses everywhere.  I guess we could if we wanted but our personal  steel stallion has about 405 or 406 horse power,  Now if you think about it you would get a big chuckle of us, I guess like the chariots, riding a metal thingie with 406 horses my goodness that would stir up a tad of dust.

I took a class off of Christy Tomlinson named She Art 2.  Now a sweet friend, gone to heaven now, had told me about this class so when part two came up I figured that was a sign to take it.  A lot of the techniques is what Zinnia on Roses on My Table taught us so it was like old home week for me.  OK enough babbling and wandering.  So where is she you ask? She a comin I promise.   I also took some close ups so you could see all the textures in it.  In the Artful Gathering that Zinnia taught a class in and ramrodded she taught us about lace and textures so I think these gals are all so talented and just share all they know to us. 

Canvas was suppose to be the base of this but I didn't have one so some hard board was the next best thing.  Use what ya got.  Right?  So here in the next few pics are some close ups with the textures, glitters and just stuff.  

There you go, now that is some texture isn't it?  I cut up, gasp, some old Christmas cards and just used pieces of them for the skirt.  I believe Christy said her husband thought of that.  This is just a fun thing to do and certainly won't shake the world but thought you might like a bit of whimsy for today.

Thanks for popping in to see what was going on in my world today.  Wait til you see what Zinnia has cooked up for us this time.  I will be getting back to my painting soon.  A new computer makes things actually flow like it is suppose to.  It is not like a battle royal every time you turn it on.   Course I can't complain it was over 8 years old. 

Thanks again and see you next time xoxox

December for Green Paper

OK I am on a roll,  well sort of.   Mary Green has a monthly contest if you will.  We take her furnished images and play with them and then post on her blog.   It is just a fun thing to do and sometimes my muse works overtime and other times it is there and makes me do it myself.   I personally think Muses are little fairies that just play with you.

So we were furnished a little calling card with a hand and roses, a black and white Victorian lady and a world map.  This is my rendition of it.  I also used a stencil with words and keys, printed up the card a couple of times for the hat and bottom of the bodice and some fun feathers I have been anxious to use.  I wanted to play on the idea that she was a traveler or a dreamer of traveling and I think they gussied up.

Where is this smashing lady you ask?   Ready for a grand entrance?  


Taa Daa here she is.

I just had to add some color to the little thing and make her some hair.   I don't have a clue how they could wear those giant hats but they were tough.   

That is what is going on in my world today.  Thanks for stopping by.   xoxo