Peppermint Bark

I made peppermint bark to include in christmas gifts this year.
I loved the look of the empty tray.

Peppermint Bark
4 Candy canes
1 bag Dark chocolate chips
1 bag white chocolate chips

Crush the candy canes by putting them in a freezer bag and either rolling over them with a rolling pin or beating them with a mallet/rolling pin/baseball bat/whatever you have to beat things with.
Melt the dark chocolate, 30 seconds at a time in the microwave, stirring after each 30 second interval. It's ready when it's spreadable - do not over heat, you can burn chocolate.
Spread on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. sprinkle a little bit of the smallest pieces of candy on top. Put in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to harden.
Melt the white chocolate the same way you melted the dark chocolate. Spread on top of the dark chocolate. Sprinkle the rest of the crushed candy canes on top. Press the larger pieces in to ensure they stick.
Refrigerate until firm, break into pieces.
When peppermint bark is made with chocolate chips it needs to stay in the fridge lest it melt. (I prefer to eat it cold anyway)

Enjoy!

Christmas Lights

Christmas Ornaments with Kids

Hurricane Irene took our Christmas Tree and all our ornaments in the flooding she left behind.
It's a blessing in disguise because we really need to build a collection of ornaments that are OURS and not what either of us ended up with from our previous lives.

I like the idea of a coordinated tree. I love the shop displays that have a tree with only one or two different colors of ornaments on them. But I also value handmade... I came up with an idea to help keep my tree looking sharp, while still remaining a tree with handmade ornaments.
I have a WIDE variety of crafting supplies and sewing notions. So I picked up some clear glass ornaments. (8 for $2.99 was very affordable!) And I raided my stash (and my friend's stash) for white things that would fit inside.
T had a blast helping me put things in the ornaments. She happily put beads in one of them one at a time. Kept her busy long enough for me to make several others!

Pipe cleaner - be careful with these. If your pipe cleaner is too stiff it will poke a hole in the glass.

Beads - this was a great way to keep T busy while I made others.

Feather - this one is my favorite by far. It's just a single craft feather.

Ribbon - I chose a wide satin ribbon, but it would look cool with a thinner one too!

Zipper - I had to use a zipper with a small head, the other one I had wouldn't fit.

Yarn - I fed cotton yarn into the ball until I was happy with the look then I cut it. Rather than cut a length and have it be too short.

Salt Dough Ornaments- Saturday's Activities

When Hurricane Irene came through we lost all our christmas decorations. I've decided that it's far more meaningful to make decorations and trade homemade decorations with friends than it is to buy decorations.
Salt Dough is a cheap and easy way to make ornaments. And it's lots of fun to include the kids!

To make Salt Dough
1 cup of Flour
1/2 cup of Salt
1/2 cup of water

Stir until a dough forms, knead for 5 minutes until the consistency of playdoh.
Roll out and cut dough into desired shape.
Bake at 200F for 5 hours. (I flipped mine after 3 hours)