Happy Halloween!!

I am majorly suppressing the desire to take down my Halloween stuff today! We celebrated last night, with the trick or treating and everything. I really just want to put up my dang cute wreath for Thanksgiving, don't remember it? Check it out here.

So until I can I thought I would share some of my latest creations....

Thanksgiving quilt top...this is for my mom...all thought I really want to steal it and add it my Holiday Quilts...but she did pay for it...so I guess I have to give it to her!

Over on my favorite swapping site, Two Peas I am hosting a 12 days of Christmas quilt squares. There are 6 people participating and each person choose two numbers to represent in a 12x12 quilt square....I had 11 pipers piping

9 Ladies dancing.

I also made some Christmas tags for swap I am in, the themes were

red, white and silver

Nativity

and penguins, which I did cause Gunner LOVES penguins!

Well hope you all have a Happy Halloween, I am off to play in the craft room!

Merry Christmas from the Toadly Crafty Family!

Cookie Exchange: The last chapter

I must apologize for not getting this last post up quicker! I had the stomach flu from heck....it kicked my butt, my kids butts and poor Mr Toadly Crafty's too. At least we got past it before Christmas!

This is the invite I sent out..

the little paper clip is removable so that they can keep as a paper clip in their cook book.

Today was the official party or I should say parties as this year I hosted two of them. It was a lot of work, but oh so fun! And I have goodies to last a life time, unless Little G doesn't stop eating them, then they may only last through the night!

Look at all the yumminess....






Rosy Cheeks cookies.

Gee, who got a hold of my camera....Teisha!!

Third place for best packaging.



Winner of best packaging.

Second place for best packaging.


For the party favor I did the scrabble tile necklaces with gingerbread buttons. I removed the little loop on the back with a pair of pliers. I have found that if you coat the side of the scrabble tile with modge podge along with under and on top of the paper it prevents the resin from soaking underneath the paper and causing it to look stained. After the cured for a day, I drilled down through the top of the tile
I have seen lots of these necklaces down with bails, but I could not find them in my local craft store and all the ones on line were expensive. So I drilled the whole and used a post that is used on earrings. Then I made a simple loop and strung them on ribbon. Super cute, easy and inexpensive with out looking it party favor!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

I finally got tired of my 3 kiddos telling me and the hubby that we were the most un decorated, un holiday spirit house on the block! So this weekend I tackled the decorating. I am not talking one small box of decorations...oh no...we have 9 big boxes of Christmas decorations. I like to do it up big!! Each room in the whole house gets at least a touch of something Christmas in it! And I do the entire living room, family room and kitchen! I must admit that the tree is not quite done yet, but that is only cause half the lights are not working and lights fall into Mr Toadly Crafts area... and the poor man has been working all weekend. But he swears he will get to them tomorrow, since he finally gets a day off.

Here are the highlights.

I started with the front table.

I moved the "J" wreath featured in my last post to the mirror. Then I added my beloved garage sale finds, the apothecary jars. In one I put a silk poinsettia, in the other I put some small glass balls and in the other a strand of beads. I used a couple of Christmas books stacked up, to ad some height. The 3 pictures are off my babies. It was my tradition to take a picture of them on their first Christmas in the wrapping paper.

Then I added a small tree. I used this to display my charms from my last swap, which was a vintage Christmas charm swap. Last is a 6x6 page from a Christmas countdown, also from a swap.



Ah the nutcracker...

this is Big G's. He got him two years ago. He had studied and watched the Nutcracker ballet. He LOVED it! One day at the evil W store, he saw him on a shelf and begged to have him. At first I said no, we were tight on money, I wasn't even sure how Christmas was all going to come together at this point and it was $25 I didn't have. But asked again and the look on his sweet face, I caved! I could not say no to my sweet oldest son, who does so much to help me and rarely and I mean rarely asks for a special treat like this. Now, today, I am glad I caved. He still LOVES this and he will dig in the boxes until he finds it. He received another, smaller one, last year from Santa and I have a feeling Santa will bring him one this year too.

I love to get a real poinsettia every year for the house. But I always feel so guilty about spending the money on something that dies. I was not planning on getting one this year, thinking I could put that money towards stocking stuffers or something instead. But then Mr Toadly Crafty came home from work with this!(Mr Toadly Crafty works at Lowes)

You have to know he never buys me flowers! And never anything like this!! It is big, it is gorgeous! When I tried to say he shouldn't have, he said he knew I wanted one, that I was not going to buy one and he knew I would miss it...plus it was on sale for a really great price! lol! Got love the man!!

Apologizes, for the ramble post..just a few fun stories behind some of the decor, but I really should not post when I am feeling so nostalgic!!

Not your ordinary Christmas Wreath

I know that the monogram is a huge trend right now. And I have seen a few monogram wreaths out there in blogger land. But I was so inspired by this one (scroll down some)at Rosy Cheeks cute blogs. And maybe that is because I have seen this one in person, every Sunday when I go to her house for dinner (Rosy Cheeks is my mom!)

At first I tried to tell her it would be really easy to turn that "T" into a "J", that didn't work. So then I asked my dad if I could have it, and he said "Sure!" But mom caught me trying to take it off her door.

So I gave up and made my own!



I used a piece of cardboard to make the J. Then I bought the garland from Jo Ann's with my 50% off coupon. I just wrapped it around it, pulling as much of the strands to the front as I could. I had seen the beautiful poinsettias at Jo Ann's also, all glittery and sparkle. But they were to much. So imagine my delight and excitement when I saw them on sale for 60% off at the day after Thanksgiving sale. I HAD to buy them, they were so cheap!

Here is a close up of the flower part.


I originally had it on my front door, but it kept getting blown around. Plus I always have a fresh pine wreath on the door and I can't break the tradition, so it has found a spot in on my front entry mirror.

On a nother note, this was asuper productive weekend! I got activity day invites made, Cookie Exchange invites made and made the scrabble tiles for the party favor...I will be featuring the cookie invite and scrabble tiles in an upcoming post...so stay tuned!

Holiday Yummies: Bacon Wrapped Chestnuts

2 cans of whole chestnuts
1 package of bacon
toothpicks

1 C of ketchup
1/4 c brown sugar
Tabasco sauce, to taste

Cut the bacon in to thirds. Wrap one chestnut in one slice of bacon. Secure with a toothpick and place in a 9x13 pan. Continue until all the chestnuts are gone.

Mix the ketchup, brown sugar and Tabasco sauce in a small bowl. Drizzle over the bacon wraps. Sometimes I double the sauce if I feel they don't have enough. Bake at 400 degrees until bacon is cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Transfer to a pretty serving tray. You will be surprised how quickly these disappear!

Cookie Exchange: Part 2

On the To Do:
* Plan a menu
* Start planning party favors.

I unusually keep the menu to savory appetizers. I figure everyone just spent a lot of time making 10 dozen Sweet's I am sure the sampled them and are probably sick of sweet stuff.

This years menu will more than likely consist of Bacon Wrap Chestnuts, (A yummy recipe that is a tradition in my family)Stuffed mushrooms and probably a fruit dip. I know that leans to the sweet side but at least it is healthy.

I have seen other hostesses who have everyone bring an extra dozen of the goodies so that everyone can sample them at the party. Others have a contest for the best tasting so after everyone samples each goodie they vote secret ballot style.

I always ponder too long on the drinks. I know I don't serve anything sweet, but we all do nibble on some of the goodies. So I need milk, no cookie is complete without milk! For religious reasons, I don't serve alcohol or coffee, but have seen these suggested on other sites. I usually opt for hot chocolate, egg nog and Pepsi. The last one is for my mo, Rosy Cheeks cause if she does not have her Pepsi, watch out! (Love you, mom!)

So I have also been pondering the party favors. This is something I added just a few years ago. Last year I had cute red serving spoons and tongs tied up with a cute ribbon. This year, I am leaning towards Scrabble tile pendants with a cute ginger bread man (cause of the whole theme) on them. I was also thinking about homemade bath fizzies in a cute paper crafted box. The third possibility is a tea towel apron. Not sure which one yet. I think I may try a sample of each one over the weekend to get an idea of which I like best.

The other thing on the To Do list this weekend is finish up the invites and get them mailed out.

Up coming post
* Decor
* Party favors and prizes

Cookie Exchange part 1

Each year I host a cookie exchange party. This year will be my 7th year! I must admit there is a bit of selfishness behind the idea....get 10 dozen assorted cookies. It would take me days to accomplish that much variety on my own!

Over the years, my party has become a bit more elaborate then the first year. I have added things like a little party favor and a couple of prizes. I have also refined the "rules of the exchange". But rather than give you information overload, I am going to divide it up into a couple of different posts.

Today's post will cover setting a date, invitations and suggestions on the "rules".

Date
Today, I set the date. (I will actually be hosting two this year. One for the craft group and one for my neighborhood friends.) So to save myself from having to clean my house twice, I am going to do them back to back. I selected December 19th. I selected this date for a reason. This is the last Saturday before Christmas. There for most people will be having get together and parties through the rest of the week and can serve the cookies at these functions or they can save them for Christmas and they will still be fairly fresh.

I know this is a busy day, but the party only usually lasts an hour, at the most. I host it early in the day so as not to conflict with any other evening parties and last minute shopping.

Once I set the date I sent an email to the ladies I plan to invite.

This is the email:
I would like to have a Cookie Exchange party on Dec 19th that is a Saturday @ 1 (please be on time!) I know this is a busy day for most, but the cookie exchange usually goes really quick. If this does not work for the majority of the group I will rethink it.

Here is how it works. In addition to the craft group I am inviting my BFF and my moms BFF. That is 10 cookie makers.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU GET BACK TO ME ASAP IF YOU DON’T PLAN ON PARTICIPATING SO THAT I CAN FIND AN ALTERNATE FOR YOUR SPOT!

Each person makes 10 dozen Christmas cookie/candy/treat (I will define this in a moment) and brings them with them to my house. If you can’t make it that day but still want to participate, drop your cookies early and I will exchange them for you. But please let me know if this is what you will be doing. In addition you will need to bring a large tray, box, tin to place your cookies in as we exchange them. Planning on using the tray you bring the goodies on does not work as that one is full of cookies. (You will be getting back one dozen of your own.)

Cookies: All cookies/candy/treat MUST be homemade, no store bought allowed. Doctoring up a store bought item (IE: dipping pretzels/candy canes in chocolate) does not count. (Do not confuse this with Kiss cookies, M&M cookies and those awesome Reese Peanut cup cookie tart things) All cookies should be completely cooled before they come to the party.

Serving size: Take in to consideration a serving size. When you make that treat how many do you eat in one serving? A large cello bag full of white chocolate popcorn or muddy buddies does not equal one dozen. If you plan on doing an item like white chocolate popcorn or muddy buddies, then a small cello bag would be considered one item (so you would need 9 dozen small cell bags to equal nine dozen cookies) Also consider the size when cutting items into pieces (IE: Brownies, fudge, etc) If you have questions about what a serving size, please ask in advance. Making a dozen sugar cookies is a lot of work and then being handed 12 small chocolate turtles in exchange is very disappointing.

Quantity: I know that 10 dozen may seem like a lot. Please don’t let this be intimidating. It really is not that bad once you start working on it! And the reward is well worth it! In the past we have done 5 dozen and every one got a half dozen of each, but it you think about it that is only 6 cookies, which is only one per each person in most of our families.

Presentation: Arrange your goodie in a cute, unique and/or fun manner. A prize will be awarded for the best!

* No duplicates are allowed. So let me know early what you want to make.
* Please email me a copy of the recipe that you will be making by Dec 14th.
* Wear your Christmas attire, a prize will be awarded!

I know there is a lot to this, but This will be 7th year hosting a cookie exchange and I have learned as I have gone! Please email me your address so that I can get an invitation out to you.

Thanks! Shilo


I know it is alot of words to process, but the more clear and up front on the "rules" I am the better the swap goes.

So on the To Do list today:
* Set a date and Time
* Send an email or a quick phone call to give each potential attendee a heads up.

Invitation
The one consistent thing through each year is my theme, Gingerbread Men. I love the little guys! My kitchen is all deced out in Gingerbread Men any ways so the theme seemed to fit perfectly. I start introducing the theme in the invites. I wish I had saved one from each year, but I only have the past two years. Here is the one from 2007.
Front:


Back:


I have just begun this years, but will post them as soon as I am done. A e-invite would be cute to do, but I like to have a paper copy too. Every invite I send, birthday party, BBQ, etc. I put a magnet on the back so it can go directly on the fridge of the invitee.


"Rules"
Like I said before, the "rules" have evolved a bit.
But basically they include:
* All cookies must be homemade.
* All cookies need to be completely cooled before the party.
* No husbands/kids
* No duplicates (Who wants to go home with 5 dozen pieces of fudge)
* RSVP, ASAP

I am a big stickler on the RSVP. The earlier I know the sooner I can start looking for a substitute if necessary.

I will never forget the year that one lady made 10 dozen beautiful divinity. They were beautiful and tasted heavenly! And knowing how difficult and fussy divinity is, I can only imagine her thoughts when seeing that one of the other swappers had brought a small stick pretzel, not a large rod, dipped in chocolate. Hence the reason I am a bit picky about what a goodie is.

A great sight for other ideas and "rule" suggestions is www.cookieexchange.com

There are lots of variations out there, so look around and decide what works best for you and your friends. But most important have fun, that is what the holidays are all about!


Up coming posts will include
* Refreshments and beverages
* Decor
* Party Favors
* Contests and Prizes

I just can't wait for Christmas!

Look at this cutie! I will post more about it after Thanksgiving, but I wanted to give you a little sneak peak!