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Membrillo

February 8, 2012 By Jeanne Leave a Comment

You may notice that this is the second quince paste recipe on the blog. My friend Barbara made the first one, and my taste buds know how wonderful her quince paste turned out. But I made some too, and packaged it up differently from hers, so you can pick which version you want to make and package it up her way or my way. Or do something completely different - and if you do, please let us know! Barbara and I met over quince paste and membrillo. She calls it quince paste; I call it membrillo, because … [read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Christmas & Holiday, D.I.Y. Ideas, Featured, Food & Drink, Gifts & Favors, Holidays, Jams & Preserves, Unique Packaging Ideas, Wedding Tagged With: food, gift, handmade, homemade, labels, recipe, weddings

Hot Chocolate Mix

December 23, 2011 By Anna Leave a Comment

Nothing beats curling up in your favorite chair with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book on these cold winter days. Surprisingly, nothing beats homemade hot chocolate mix. It is very easy to make up and you can tweak the flavor of the drink so that it is just as you like it. When paired with marshmallows, this mix makes a wonderful holiday gift. I chose a jar that could be used again and again after the chocolate mix was gone. I found them at Sur La Table (about $3 for a .2 liter jar). Creating … [read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Christmas & Holiday, Featured, Food & Drink, Holidays, In-A-Jar Recipes, Nonalcoholic Drinks, Occasions Tagged With: beverage, chocolate, christmas, dessert, food, gift, holiday, homemade, labels, Occasions, recipe

Cream Cheese Mints

December 21, 2011 By Barbara 1 Comment

I make these every year for my holiday cookie trays. They are easy and fun to make. You don’t need to make very many. Just a few mints look great on a tray or by themselves. Trade them at a cookie parties or give them as gifts. Recipe: • 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese • ¼ c. soft butter • 2 boxes powdered sugar 2 lb. (plus 1 box on hand for rolling) • Food coloring (Try the gels if you haven’t yet. You can control color intensity better than with liquids.) • Various extract flavors … [read more...]

Filed Under: Baby Shower, Blog, Bridal Shower, Christmas & Holiday, Featured, Food & Drink, Gifts & Favors, Holidays, Occasions, Treats & Desserts, Wedding Tagged With: candy, dessert, favors, food, gift, holiday, homemade, labels, recipe, weddings

Peppermint Bark

December 19, 2011 By Lindsay 1 Comment

Peppermint bark is a special holiday treat that I look forward to every Christmas, and this year I've seen several tasty homemade versions featured on some of my favorite blogs. While each recipe I've encountered is ever so slightly different, all tout peppermint bark as simple, quick, and well worth the small amount of effort it takes to make. So after doing a little research, I found myself a recipe that, while slightly more complex than the standard, is actually still ridiculously easy to prepare, … [read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Christmas & Holiday, Featured, Food & Drink, Holidays, Treats & Desserts Tagged With: christmas, cookies, food, holiday, homemade, recipe

Baked Clay Ornaments

December 16, 2011 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

My husband and I are really fond of Christmas, so we always decorate our home just as soon as Thanksgiving dinner is over. This year, after all of our Christmas decorations were up, we realized that our Christmas tree was looking a little sparse. Perhaps some of our old ornaments were broken or lost, or maybe we never had that many to begin with. Either way, we decided we needed more decorative attire for our tree, and came across this fun idea for baked clay ornaments. We went to the craft store … [read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Christmas & Holiday, D.I.Y. Ideas, Decorations, Featured, Handmade Gifts Ideas, Holidays, Kid Craft Ideas, Occasions Tagged With: christmas, craft, DIY, favors, gift, handmade, holiday, kids, labels, Occasions, tags, tutorial, winter

Simple Gifts: Gift Coasters

December 14, 2011 By Jeanne Leave a Comment

One of the simplest of gifts to create, but the important ingredients of affection and thoughtful effort are present in the result. Choose a photo that you love, about the people you will be giving the coasters too... this could be a photo of them, or their house, their pets, their children or grandchildren. It could be a photo detail of a part of their lives - a beautiful plant in their yard, fruit on a tree, a fountain, a bird in their birdbath. Once you have chosen the photo, then choose a … [read more...]

Filed Under: Anniversary, Blog, Christmas & Holiday, Featured, Holidays, More Ideas, Occasions, Simple Gifts, Thank You Tagged With: coasters, gift, Occasions, personalized

DIY Christmas Paper Garland

December 9, 2011 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

I'm having a Christmas party this December, so I want to make something fun to give away as favors to our guests at the end of the night. Lucky for me, an idea struck just as I was preparing this year's Christmas decorations: paper garland favor boxes! I make paper garlands all the time, but never thought to give them away as gifts until now. They're so simple to make, taking very little time and money so long as you have a sewing machine. If you don't have paper circle punches at home, you can … [read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Christmas & Holiday, D.I.Y. Ideas, Decorations, Featured, Holidays Tagged With: christmas, craft, decorations, DIY, favors, handmade, holiday, labels, Occasions, party, tutorial, winter

Gift Tag Ornaments

December 7, 2011 By Anna Leave a Comment

While brainstorming about what delightful Christmas goodies I could pack away in my little Christmas Cheer Packets, I hit upon this idea: personalized handmade Christmas ornaments. Flat ones, of course, so that they could be sent in the mail. Custom hang tags from My Own Labels made up half of this gorgeous and easy little project. After ordering and receiving the tags, one only has to find a decorative paper to hang behind the tag and look beautiful. The paper I found at a local craft store to … [read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Christmas & Holiday, D.I.Y. Ideas, Decorations, Featured, Holidays, Unique Packaging Ideas Tagged With: craft, decorations, DIY, favors, handmade, holiday, Occasions, tags

Holiday Bazaar

December 2, 2011 By Sarah 1 Comment

It's that time a year again, and a lot of folks are busy with their crafts. Every year my mother-in-law Judy and her friends, dig through their totes of made and almost done craft projects, gather up all of their wares and head to the holiday bazaars. If you've ever been to one, you'll know how much fun they are! A lot of time and work go into these fairs, and it's all worth while when an item that they've made sells to a happy costumer. Judy spends most of the year knitting and crocheting hats, … [read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Christmas & Holiday, D.I.Y. Ideas, Featured, Holidays, Unique Packaging Ideas Tagged With: christmas, craft, handmade, holiday, labels, Occasions

Italian Feast Gift Basket

November 30, 2011 By Jeanne Leave a Comment

This is a gift I have been wanting to put together for probably ten years. Now that I found the time and opportunity to do it, it was so amazingly easy! Most likely because I have spent so much time thinking about it, all the problems have been worked out. And also because I have the tomatoes all canned, the pesto all made and in the freezer, and the big plus - I harvested a nice big crop of oregano this year. You can make your Italian Feast Baskets as easy or as complicated as you want; you can … [read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Breads, Crackers & Pasta, Christmas & Holiday, Condiments & Flavorings, Featured, Food & Drink, Herb & Spice Mixes, Holidays Tagged With: basket, canning, christmas, food, gift, holiday, homemade, labels, Occasions, recipe
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