Erik HOMEMADE

Recycled Gift Bow Ornament craft project

 

What to do with all of those quintessential gift bows stuck to all of our holiday presents? It is a shame just to throw them away...Here is an idea that will brighten any Christmas tree or other locale where you decide to display it! These are so easy to make, you will want to make more to deck your halls!

For each ornament you will need

1 styrofoam ball, large enough to accomodate bows
Lots of gift bows in various sizes and colors
extra gift ribbon, for hanger
bobby/hair pin, for hanger
straight pins
tacky type craft glue, scissors

Using pins dipped in glue, pin the bows to the styrofoam ball, covering it entirely. You may need to remove the cardboard square on the bottom of the bow in order to get the pin through the bow. If so, do so carefully, leaving the staple. Allow to dry.

Ice Box Gingerbread Cookies recipe

 

Old world gingerbread is delicious, but it can be time consuming to roll out and cut the cookies. This quicker version uses a variety of spices for a great gingerbread taste, without the fuss of rolling out and cutting the old-fashioned way! Use dark brown sugar for the rich molasses flavor...make the dough one night, and bake it the next!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 tspn salt
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 tspn baking soda
2 tspns gound cinnamon
1/2 tspn each: ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, ground black pepper
4 cups all-purpose flour
decorative sprinkles

Cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, salt, vanilla extract, and baking soda; blend throroughly. Add spices and blend thoroughly. Add flour, one cup at a time, until thoroughly blended.

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow recipe

 

Make someone on your holiday gift list these chocolate covered beauties! A few drops of peppermint oil added to the melted chocolate will turn any mug of hot cocoa into something extra special! Package the precious little candies quickly because you will be tempted to sample them all!

You will need

good quality chocolate chips, we used white and semi-sweet chips
marshmallows
peppermint oil (not extract), if desired
wooden skewers

decorative sugar crystals and decorations*, we used "Confetti", "Hot Pink", "Electric Blue", "Popsicle Orange" sparkling sugars and "Send in the Clowns", and "Winter Wonderland" party decoratifs from India Tree.

small bowls, to catch sugar/decorations that do not stick to chocolate
wax paper, spoon, paper candy cups, candy boxes, desired packaging

Follow package directions to melt chocolate chips. Allow chocolate to cool slightly so as to not melt marshmallows when they are coated. If desired, add 3 to 4 drops of pepperment oil; stirring thoroughly. Using a wooden skewer, roll marshmallow through chocolate, covering sides completely, but avoid covering the top.

Frosted Candy Cane Ornament craft project

   

It is so easy to create visions of sugar plums like these tasty looking frosty canes! All you need is some plastic candy canes found at the dollar store and some white caulk! Change the color and shape of your beads for an even sweeter temptation--but do not bite into one! They are strictly for decoration!

For each ornament you will need

1 plastic candy cane ornament
white paintable caulk, "for kitchen and bath"
glass seed beads
8-inch length of 1/4-inch ribbon
scissors, plastic knife or wooden craft sticks
heavy glass, jar, or mug
small bowl, to catch beads

With plastic knife, or wooden craft stick, carefully spread caulk over the short end and curve of the plastic candy cane as shown. Holding candy cane over a bowl, quickly sprinkle seed beads onto the wet caulk, covering as desired. Allow the beads that do not stick to fall into the bowl so that they may be used again. Continue to sprinkle beads onto the wet caulk until you are satisfied with the results. Gently press the beads into the caulk.

Shooting Marshmallows, recent photo shoot

 

It is always an event at Erik Homemade (R) when we take photos for an upcoming post! Our chocolate covered marshmallows that we will be posting soon in the Treats Category is no exception! We had a wonderful time putting these little beauties in paper cups, candy boxes, and of course, in a mug of cocoa! Take a look behind the scenes...

BowDabra Bowmaker product review

  

BowDabra Bowmaker, Favor Maker, & Craft Tool

by Darice, Inc.  Reviewed by Erik

I am the first one to admit that I dread making bows...I have a very hard time getting them to turn out "just so" yet I will go out of my way to find just the right ribbon for any project needing a bow...and then I will probably never get to finishing the project simply because; it needs a bow!

Then I met the BowDabra! I was hoping to find a bright pretty Holiday plaid bow, pre-made, to finish an upcoming Christmas centerpiece post. I could not find anything that was narrow enough, Christmas-y enough, nor pretty enough. I was forced to face the fact I was going to have to make my own bow. I mean, I can make a nice bow, but with a certain amount of concentration involved.

A Victorian Christmas book review

 

A Victorian Christmas, Sentiments and Sounds of a Bygone Era

by Lucinda Cockrell; mandolin by Butch Baldassari, published by Thomas Nelson

As crafters we find we are constantly looking for inspiration for many different reasons for many different projects. At the holidays there are always verses to be found for greeting cards and scrapbook pages or just the right little sentiment to be jotted down on a gift tag or at the end of a letter to a dear friend; the right words can be so meaningful...

SEI Iron-On Art (Graphicwear) Letters craft product review

 

One of the most wonderful things about being creative is the abiltiy to express oneself, even if it is on a simple t-shirt. That is just what we decided to do when we found these iron-on (fusible) letters from SEI at our local craft store! We knew we wanted to "express" our new web address and be creative at the same time! Each set of letters comes with the full alphabet and a few extra letters, so you will need to know beforehand what you are spelling out so you can be sure that you have all of the needed letters.

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