Old Man Winter

Today...it's a blizzard, and just to let us know that he was serious Old Man Winter showed his face at the front kitchen window this morning!   

 He looks mean, doesn't he?  I'm feeling very lucky right now to be safe in our warm, cozy home...with power, cable and internet intact, no less!  (Knock on wood!)  My son, on the other hand, is stranded away from home as he was on call for the utility company he works for and was required to venture out.  He just reported that all east/west roads are closed with five foot snow drifts.  The roads are littered with semi trucks and passenger cars.  Please pray for safety for everyone dealing with this MONSTER storm!   

I'm popping in to share a couple of holiday cards that I made a few weeks ago.   

Both of these cards use PTI cardstock, Signature Greetings sentiments, Ink and accessories and Cosmo Cricket (Mitten Weather) DP.  

Now it's time to get some sweet treats baked for the coming week! 

Thanks for stopping by, and God Bless!

Marmalade

I love marmalade...when I'm in a restaurant I've been known to search through every jam packet on the table for the little marmalade beauties.  It's totally a bonus if I find more than one, and if there's none at my table I'm not above searching any and probably every unoccupied table near mine.  Seriously, I should just carry my own jar!  Hehe. 

To make my marmalade, I use the recipe in the Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook.  It's AMAZING!  Well, I love anything from the Barefoot Contessa, but I'll save my love for her for another day...today, it's about the marmalade. 

I was surprised at how easy this is to make - oranges and lemons, sugar and water...that's it.  I think the hardest thing is cutting the fruit thin enough.  The first time I made it, I didn't do a very good job, but I just ran it through the food processor each time I would open a jar.  I think I did much better this time around.

There's a lot of cooking and stirring.  

And then you get this - yes, magnificent!

 

I paired jars of marmalade and jam to put together a sweet gift.  My goal in packaging was to do something rustic and wintery and something that would show off the sparkling jars.  These little wooden berry baskets were perfect!  I found them at the local Tractor Supply store (more on that another day, too).    

 

I added a simple striped grosgrain ribbon, and in keeping with the rustic and wintery theme, I stamped this adorable snowman from Papertrey Ink's Holiday Tree stamp set on a kraft tag and attached it with red and white baker's twine. 

I always make a card that matches my gift packaging, and this was perfect and super easy to boot! 

I'm keeping this little packaging station ready to go for an easy gift that can be ready in minutes as the holidays get closer.

Thanks for stopping by, and God Bless!

Just Stuff

Don't know how it happened, but Thanksgiving totally threw me for a loop this year!!  For the first time in many years I didn't cook on Thanksgiving Day, and you'd think that would have made my life easier, but every day since then has been crazy and full of just "stuff".  Thankfully a great deal of that time was spent with my fabulous grandson, Timothy - he's so absolutely amazing! 

I cannot even describe how wonderful it is to spend time snuggling and reading with him and rocking him to sleep. I miss him so much when he's gone! Unfortunately, I have also spent a great deal of time with a major headache, and I have barely had any time in the crafty room. But here I am, fulfilled as Grandma and head feeling better - not so happy about the snow and cold here in Northern Illinois, but that I'll just have to live with - hehe.
I have a fun little project to share today that I think would be a perfect holiday gift for your little one's favorite teacher!

I am a huge fan of giving consumable or usable gifts - something that the giftee doesn't have to find a place for, doesn't have to dust and for teachers, can be useful in the classroom.  This little apple is a post-it-note holder, and I think it's just as cute as can be! 

This apple is totally different in that it's dressed up in Cosmo Cricket (Jolly by Golly) paper for the holiday or winter season.  I didn't add a specific sentiment so that it would be appropriate for a teacher of any faith, and the ribbon and button could easily be replaced with baker's twine for the gentlemen teachers. 

I have two of these little cuties, and they will be my first items posted in my Etsy shop later this week! 

Thanks for stopping by, and God Bless...

PS - Tomorrow I'm making marmalade, and I can't wait to show you how I'm packaging those beautiful jars of goodness with the jam I made just before Thanksgiving!  I think you'll love it!

Supplies:
(All supplies are PTI unless otherwise noted)
Stamps - School Time
Paper - White, Cosmo Cricket (Jolly by Golly) DP
Ink - Basic Black (SU!)
Other - Pure Poppy Satin Ribbon, Raspberry Fizz Vintage Button and Button Twine, Accucut Apple Die, Nestabilities Tag Trio