Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

 

 

Good morning, my dear friends!

I can’t believe it’s been over a week since I posted last…way too long!  I’ve missed you all & hope you’ve all had a wonderful Thanksgiving…

Here’s a wee peek at our feast:

…another beautiful, successful turkey—thanks to sweet Marie (The English Kitchen)!  Here it’s getting one last squirt with the baster…..mmmmmmm!

All carved up with some lovely veggies & fresh thyme…

…and one of the yummy pies…Pumpkin Pie Supreme, to be precise!

We had such a great time this last week—and so busy every day!  My husband’s mother, brother and sister’s family came, my college girl was home, and lots of visiting from good friends…and oh, so much food…a fabulous holiday!

Well, now we’re on to Christmas, aren’t we?!  What a wonderful time of the year!  On to decorating our homes, beloved Christmas music filling the house, sweet smells from the kitchen, remembering family and friends, the traditions of our childhood…doesn’t get any better than this!

A little card I made yesterday to help ring in the season…

This wonderful Santa image is from Crafty Secrets’ newly revised “Calendar” Creative Scraps…isn’t this the perfect Santa?!

And with all the snow swirling around him, I just HAD to make a few chunky snowflakes to go with it…

…a few jingle bells added to herald the arrival of the Jolly Old Elf…

Isn’t it amazing how this time of year just brings out the kid in us all?  No matter how old I get, I still get that thrill of anticipation…that glow of excitement…I’m so glad I haven’t grown up yet!

I love this photo from my childhood—1970--my two brothers, Steve and Scott, and I…sitting by the fire…I can just remember the joy we felt as the big day approached!

Do you remember whispering together and talking about the toys you hoped would be coming down the chimney Christmas Eve?  Falling asleep just imagining all the wonders you’d see when you came down the stairs the next morning!  Aaaah…magic!

Santa Claus came for a visit the next year…so many years my parents arranged this…what a wonderful thing to have done!

What a happy face on red-headed Steve!  Scott not quite sure what to make of it all…!

Again…don’t quite know how my bangs were always rounded like this…Mom?

**I’m re-posting this today, as I forgot to add these this charming Christmas card sent from one sweet little girl to another way back at Christmas time, 1935…

Isn’t this just adorable?!  Scotty dogs were so big in the 1930’s, which was partly due to the Roosevelts, who owned two while in the White House.

I have SO many more Scotty Christmas cards I’ll be sharing with you as we go through the season…some of my favorite images!

Isn’t this fun?  “To Gladys from Evelyn Grant”, written in pencil in little-girl handwriting…precious.

“When it’s Santa

Claus time

In merry December

There’s a dear

little Girl

I like to Remember

with A VERY MERRY
CHRISTMAS”

I love these stickers—still just as vibrant as can be!  And did you notice the interesting shape of the envelope flap?  Cards from the 1930’s are so amazing—can’t wait to share more of my collection with you!

Well, that’s all for me today.  Off to begin my decorating…and dreaming.  I hope it’s a wonderful day for all of you—the last day of November—where does it go?!

I’ll see you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,The English Kitchen,Christmas

Crafty Secrets Design Team Challenge…Christmas

Good morning, my friends!

Another month, another fun challenge for the Crafty Secrets Design Team!  This month we’re focusing on all the new & fabulous Christmas products…so many to choose from!

I’ve already shared a couple of pages from my Christmas chipboard album with you…here it is all together:

First, a couple that you’ve already seen:

Okay…here’s a new one.  This is me talking to Santa…my brother Steve waiting for his turn right behind me…about 1969…

This little sweetie is one of my favorite Crafty Secrets’ images…from the “Christmas” Creative Scraps.  I just had to add a little pom-pom to her hat…

I decided I’d better have a page to represent my husband Roger’s childhood Christmases as well…couldn’t be ALL about me, right?!  Here he is, a sweet little 5-year old in his striped Christmas jammies, along with a postcard to Santa, from Crafty Secrets’ “Christmas” Creative Scraps…

The last page…this cute little vintage image is from Crafty Secrets’ “Christmas” Images & Journal Notes booklet.  The first time I saw it, I thought of this photo of my brothers and me coming down the stairs the first Christmas morning after we’d moved to Ohio…1969…

I put my new jingle bell punch from the fabulous Miss Martha Stewart…love these!  Covered with some chunky glitter, of course…

I really enjoy seeing these little mini albums all bound together…the chunky boards, the multi-colored pages full of memories all tied together in one fun bundle!

This album—and the others I’ve used this year—are all from Maya Road and are available through Crafty Secrets.

I’ll be doing more of these for sure—I’m hooked!

And last, another view of Christmas…

The beautiful illuminated-style Nativity illustration is from Crafty Secrets’ “Christmas” Images & Journal Notes booklet…

…the beautiful angels watching over the scene are from the very new “Angelic Blessings” stamp set…such an elegant set!

 

I stamped the angels a few times on white and cream cardstock, cut out the pieces, layered them and popped them up…

…had to add copious amounts of iridescent glitter to the wings, of course!

The only problem with close-ups is that I can now see where I needed to trim this a little closer!  Oh well! 

I hope you’ll stop by and visit each of the other  girls on the Design Team…they always have such beautiful inspiration to share!

Vicki Chrisman Team Leader

Pam Hooten

Heidi Blankenship

Linda Duke

Michele Kovack

Melissa Phillips

Flo Teixeira from France

Julie Campbell—me!

Mary Hamer

Anna Wight (November Guest Designer)

Since my college girl is home for the week and my husband’s family is coming for the big day, I’ll be taking a bit of a blog break until just after Thanksgiving, so here’s wishing you all a most wonderful holiday week with family and friends!

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Design Team Challenge,Christmas album,angels

On the Road to Happiness…

Good morning, my friends!

Just about to head off to the craft fair that’s been occupying ALL of my time preparing for this week!

Sorry I haven’t been a very good visitor lately…I’ll get back to normal after Thanksgiving! 

Just a couple of things to share with you today…

First, a little card:



A wonderful vintage image from Crafty Secrets’ “Vintage Photos” Creative Scraps…I love this cute little couple! 

Of course this reminded me of another cute couple…



My grandparents, Dow and Velda, absolutely loved taking vacations.  I have so many photos of them on trips together all over the world.

They were always together.  I rarely remember one of them doing anything where the other wasn’t very close by…whether cooking, doing the dishes, reading the paper…or just taking a relaxing drive, they were side by side…



I love this photo!  They came for a little visit when I was about two years old…they lived in Phoenix, we were in southern California at that time…a fairly quick trip.

When it was time for them to go, Mom says I wanted to go with them, so they put me in the car, drove me around the parking lot of our apartment complex a few times, then dropped me back off with my parents…apparently that was enough to keep me happy!

These next pictures are so sweet of them…while not in a car, they’re awfully fun…and they’re together…



Not sure where this is taken, but it’s probably in Canada…they visited there often, as Dow’s family lived there at the time…



Don’t you just love the ‘50’s?  Dresses were just what you wore…even while taking a joy ride out on a lake!

Okay, now for a little treat!



 TWIXY SHORTBREAD BARS

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 can dulce de leche
3/4 cup whipping cream
6 Tbsp. light-color corn syrup
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 tsp. vanilla



In a large bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla; beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer; stir in any remaining flour.  Cover and chill for 30 to 60 minutes or until dough is easy to handle.

Line a 13x9” baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan.  Press dough evenly into bottom of prepared baking pan.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned.  Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Spread dulce de leche in a an even layer atop cooled crust.  In a medium saucepan, heat whipping cream, 6 Tbsp. butter, and corn syrup to boiling over medium heat, stirring to dissolve syrup.  Remove from heat.  Add chocolate and vanilla to saucepan.  Do not stir.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Stir until smooth.  Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature to cool slightly.  Slowly pour chocolate mixture over dulce de leche layer, spreading evenly.  Cover and chill 1 to 2 hours or until chocolate layer is set.

Use the foil to lift uncut bars out of pan.  Cut into bars.  Makes 48 bars.

(Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens “Christmas Baking” magazine)



YUM.  If the title of a recipe has the word “shortbread” in it, I just have to try it!  These are simply decadent. 

Well, I’m off to the Craft Fair—wish me luck!  I’ll show you my little booth next time…until then, I hope you have a most wonderful weekend!

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Dow and Velda Ostlund,Twixy Shortbread Bars Recipe