Jen Bowles Design

My Gingerbread in Ruins

The other night the children got to decorate their $2.99 deluxe Wilton gingerbread houses.
I picked them up on clearance at Michaels.
I was in charge of assembling the houses in the afternoon so that they would be dry and decorate-able by evening.
Unfortunately I only bought 3 kits.  For my 3 children.
And since they are all quite capable of using candy as a decoration, I was pretty much left out in the cold save for the occasional assistance with piping the royal icing.
What was I thinking??
I really wanted to play so after they finished up, I busted out the graham crackers to make my own house.
Unfortunately I thought I could forgo the drying time.
Not so.
Oh well, instead of decorating a gingerbread house, I decorated my gingerbread ruin.
And let me tell you, it was fun!     Reminded me of when I was little and my mom used to decorate cakes as a home based business.  Often times when she was done with the parchment tubes of frosting, I'd get to take over.  I'd flip an empty cake pan over and go to town.  The frosting tips and colors would all still be in place so let me tell you, I created some masterpieces.
At least one or two anyway ;  )
And here is my latest...

It's good to know I can still amuse myself!

Holiday (Art) Gathering

Hope everyone (who celebrates) had a wonderful Christmas.
As I'm sure is the case for many, the celebrations and get-togethers just  keep on coming : )
Yesterday I loaded up the children and a tub of gifts and headed to my mom's for a gathering of
some of our more artsy family members--Pen, Audrey and Catherine.
The funny thing is, whenever we all get together we incorporate some sort of project for our 'crafting day'.
Since this was so close to Christmas, it was decided that, eh, we'll just visit, chat, eat and open gifts.
No crafting necessary.
Uh huh.
That lasted about an hour and a half.
By then the rumblings of needing to be creative overcame us and Bubbe busted out the supplies.

The project:  Paper Quilts
The supplies:  wrapping paper & tags (from the just opened gifts), assorted scrapbook paper and a few choice ribbons.
Much fun was had by all (of course!).  In all, we completed 6 paper quilts (including one by Will) and a fabulous and fashionable outfit for her new wooden paper dolls by Ebby.    

Check out a few more pictures of the day on my flickr photostream : )          

And next time, we won't kid ourselves.
We'll have a project ready from the get-go!            

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a wonderful day!

The Stockings Were Hung...

Finally, after at least 2 years of procrastinating, I made new stockings for Ebby, Will and Cuyler.

I used my stocking (that my mom made, of course) as a pattern and then just made up the rest as I went along.  I did have a few requests...

Ebby wanted pink and black and hearts.
Here is her new stocking:       

 

Next up, Mr. Will.  He requested blue and a snowman.  The snowman is his Christmas theme.  I got some inspiration from  a snowman stocking in a Target ad.        

Finally, Cuyler.  His Christmas theme is Santa.  However he is currently enamored with reindeer so he requested green and a reindeer.  Thank you Crate and Barrel catalog for the inspiration.                  

Now that the stockings are done, I must attend to the rest of the wrapping : )
Cheers!

Candy Cane Popcorn

Yes, that's right, Candy Cane Popcorn.
Whilst shopping in Target a few times during the holiday season, a certain item from the 'gifts of food' section caught my eye. 
That's right, Candy Cane Popcorn.
I never even picked up the package, I just admired the very thought of it.
I seem to be a bit candy cane obsessed this season.
I've been crushing candy canes like a crazy person, sprinkling them in everything from melted chocolate to cookie dough.
Today I made Candy Cane Popcorn to give to some of our friends and neighbors.
And if you'd like, someday you can make it too.
That's right again.
I took pictures.

Presenting...a Candy Cane Popcorn tutorial!

What you need:  popcorn kernels, oil, popcorn popper, 1 bag candy melts, 4-6 candy canes, peppermint extract

Pop your popcorn.  No microwave junk here, use the good stuff.  I even broke out my Theater II Popcorn Popper for the occasion.   After popcorn is popped, spread it out on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper.

Crush the candy canes.  I've been using the hammer and baggie method (put candy canes in a baggie, smash with a hammer) but I'm not too pleased with it.  Gets the job done but I always end up with annoying little tears in the bag.  Any suggestions?

Melt your candy wafers.  I used one package of white candy melts from AC Moore.  I always melt mine in the microwave.

Once the wafers are completely melted, stir until smooth.  Then add 1 tsp peppermint extract and the crushed candy canes.  Mix well.  

Next comes the messy part.  At least for me it is.  Pour the melted candy mixture over the popcorn.  Try to spread the mixture evenly over the popcorn.  Use your (very clean) hands to mix and combine the popcorn and candy in order to coat as much of the popcorn as possible.

Now just let your popcorn "dry" for a bit, add a few more crushed candy cane bit if you'd like.  They are pretty after all ; )

Finally package up your Candy Cane popcorn in clear cellophane bags tied with tulle, ribbon and a curled pipe cleaner (that's what I did).  Garnish with a whole candy cane.  Hope that your neighbors are patient when it comes to untying knots....

Don't forget to save some for yourself!

(Makes Me) Happy Friday

I haven't done one of these posts in a while but it's the Friday before Christmas and we've got a foot of snow on the way.  What's not to be happy about??...

• The bathroom at Magic Beans.  Went here yesterday with Will & Cuyler.  They were supposed to be shopping for Ebby but you can imagine how that went (two 8 year old boys in a toy store...).  When Cuyler said he had to use the bathroom I had no idea how cute it would be.  Thank goodness for the camera phone!  These were vinyl decals that were all over the walls.  I didn't get a chance to ask if they were available for sale but I loved 'em.  
• Yarn wreaths (not from Starbucks).  I first saw them on Katie Runnels blog, as pictured in the window at shopSCAD.  Check out her flickr photostream for some wonderful samples!

• Christmas cookies from my mom.  She and a friend baked for two days and she just dropped off a box full of goodness for us to snack on while getting snowed in this weekend.  Yuuummm!

• Christmas shopping is done but crafting is not.  Wishing you a happy, cozy and productive weekend!
       

Ginger Betty's

Imagine a place where the scent of gingerbread hangs so heavily in the air you struggle to stay standing.
A place where there is gingerbread in endless shapes and sizes as far as the eye can see.
A technicolor world of candy and frosting and supersized gingerbread houses!
Are you there yet??
If you're at Ginger Betty's you are!

Perhaps there's a bit of hyperbole there, but it was my first trip to a gingerbread bakery and frankly, I was overwhelmed.  As were my companions, Ebby, Cuyler and Bubbe.  So much sugary goodness, so much sensory overload.
We took in the sights and smells, marveled at the sheer number of gingerbread creations, and Cuyler even had his picture taken with Santa.  We did manage to leave with two gingerbread treats--a large snowflake for Ebby and a giant gingerbread oval with 2 snowmen for Cuyler (he was supposed to share it with Will).
At $15 it certainly wasn't the best deal of the holiday season, but totally worth it.

We'll definitley have to be returning for Valentine's Day...

Happy Little Jolly House

Look at what I got in the mail today from my pal Lori at Whimsy Studios...
Isn't it  adorable?!!
We did a little swap, I sent her one of my felted flower brooches and she send me this wonderful little hand painted whimsy holiday house.  Lucky me!  She also tucked a few extra goodies in the box including 3 ring pops for my little darlings and a set of handmade gift tags with an original Lori McDonough illustration.   As I said to Lori, I guess that means I have to start wrapping soon : )
Thanks so much Lori, I love my goodies!!

P.S.  While my jolly house is one of a kind, Lori has some other holiday houses available in her etsy shop!

Snow Cute

Just look at these adorable snowman cupcakes we saw today at GingerBetty's!
And there was a very cute snowman cake that Cuyler was wanting us to bring home as well.

More pics later of some of the other delights we saw.  Feeling under the gun with shopping and projects--bet that feels familiar to many! 

Deep breaths, keep smiling, be merry!

Scenes from the Garden Center

Maybe if I keep taking pictures of the decorations when I'm out and about, I might just get motivated to do some holiday decorating at home.
This weekend, I can feel it. 
This weekend....

Until then, some lovely shots of the goodness at a local garden center (Kennedy's) where they did not have a blown glass flower ornament. 
Just to save you the trip ; )