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{subtitle: cookies inspired by sheets}

Here's a sign you've become cookie obsessed.  When you're looking at sheets in the Garnet Hill catalog and think..."now, that would be a cute cookie."

{I think Meaghan from The Decorated Cookie is genius at transforming things into cookies: breakfast, jean pockets, donuts...}

My favorite part of this cookie? The scarf. :)

I sure hope Santa likes them!

{PS...I promise these are my last "play on word" cookies involving sheep.}

You guys have a very merry Christmas!!!  I hope your holidays are filled with laughter and love and all things SWEET!

10 Vegetarian Christmas Recipes

Here are a hand-picked few of my favorite gluten-free vegetarian recipes.

Winter Solstice- with a spectacular lunar eclipse- has blessed us with a turning point. Daylight now grows longer inch by inch. Or is that minute by wintry minute? In spirit, I suspect, it is both. Christmas is almost here, and the season celebrating rebirth, light, and sliding into credit card debt is in full swing. Carolers are caroling. Gift wrappers are gift wrapping. Egg noggers are nogging. The shiny New Year crouches right around the corner. And recipes are flooding my in-box for... ham? Roast beef? Rack of lamb? Wait a duck fat glistening minute, here.

Where are the vegetarian Christmas recipes?

I can't be the only person not forking a slab of meat on Christmas day. I can't be the single solitary soul who doesn't treasure bacon fat like it's a princess tiara. I'm not alone in my imaginings of a fresh and healthy vegan Christmas dinner--- am I?

Okay. Okay. I get it. I honestly do. I realize I'm in the minority here. That to most folks celebrating the winter holidays in all their myriad and nuanced diversity, meat is the centerpiece of celebration. I acknowledge that. I even accept that. Just because I've been a vegetarian 78% of my life doesn't mean I bury my head in the sand of denial. I cope. I deal. I go with the flow.

But just so you know? The UN thinks vegetarianism is not only a cool idea, it may be necessary to save the planet. So here's ten of my favorite vegetarian and vegan recipes for Christmas. With love.


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Baking day treat box

Today was the first of two Christmas baking days at our home.  I started old fashioned over night yeast rolls that will be baked on Thursday morning (and they are heavenly), magic bars, and tea balls.  I had hoped to finish more baking but my older son and his lovely girlfriend arrived mid afternoon to visit for a few days.

I was thrilled to see Aaron and Crissie, but especially Crissie.  This is going to be a horrid holiday season for her and I knew she would need lots of hugs.  Crissie's father passed away unexpectedly last Monday (the 13th) and she is still in shock. Also her mom is too hurt to even consider Christmas at their home so I know this is the closest to real Christmas as she will get this year.

I have several things planned to keep Crissie busy, but also lots of quiet time so that she can talk.  Tomorrow (or is that later today?) we plan to have the annual cut out cookie decorating event.  It is an activity that we all enjoy - decorating the cut out cookies as crazy and funny as we can make them!  (I will post photos later in the week).  Tonight we went out for a lovely dinner at a nice restaurant followed by a short shopping trip.  Later Crissie and I talked for about two hours.  Tomorrow she will be helping me bake as well as seeing a bit more of the Aiken and meeting more of Aaron's old friends who are also home for the holidays.

In the meantime, I mentioned at the beginning of this post that today was day one of two baking days.  I am making the rolls to share with neighbors (in the decorated paint cans I posted recently), as well as a few friends.  I knew I would need a couple of small treat contains for our single neighbors.

I used the popcorn box from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More to cut my base box.  I welded the scallop from Plantin Schoolbook together in a pattern similar to the the angle of the popcorn box.  This allowed the cut scalloped trim to fit the popcorn box nicely.   I also made a matching flat strip to wrap the middle of the trim.

I cut a layered snowflake from Accent Essentials and tied it on to the corner of the box.  I added layered prima flowers in the corner as well.  I finished the popcorn box with holly peelies and green tissue.  I will be adding treats and a handmade card before delivering the box to my neighbor!

Hopefully I will be back tomorrow with photos of this annual crazy cut outs adventure to share!

Merry and Bright Cards

What happens you combine Echo Park cardstock with a Stampin' Up stamp and Spellbinder's Nestabilities?  You get fun Christmas cards that are as cute as they are easy!  Including stamping, heat embossing, cutting out the elements and assembling, I made these two card in about thirty minutes!

I began by stamping the Merry and Bright Stampin' Up phrase in embossing ink on smooth white cardstock.  I topped the embossing ink with bright red embossing powder and heat embossed.  Using round nesties, I cut out the Merry and Bright phrase.  I used red chalk to highlight the edge of the white circles and then I used Nestie's Lacey Circles and cut out the lacey matting.

I affixed the Merry and Bright circles to a fun snowflake print by Echo Park atop a glittery blue mat.  Stampin' Up ribbon was added, as well as fun glittery corners and then the entire card front was mounted onto a red card.

The inside of the card was stamped with a Stampin' Up Christmas greeting and two little red snowflakes.  The cards have matching red envelops that were stamped with white snowflakes. 

And now I have to go wrap the two items that UPS delivered after dinner.... And I had foolishly thought I was finished wrapping!!  I checked my list and discovered that I have three more items due in this week and UPS confirms that they are on their way!  So five more packages to wrap and THEN I will be done!!

Peppermint Bark with a Little Somethin' Somethin'

{I just asked kiddo if a "little somethin' somethin'" was an expression. His response..."maybe for people your age." Someone is getting coal in his stocking.}

Anyhoo....this might not be the prettiest Peppermint Bark in the world.  (My friend Cheryl makes the prettiest peppermint bark.)  I think it's one of the yummiest, though.

It has a secret ingredient.....RICE KRISPIES!


Peppermint Bark with a Little Somethin' Somethin'

1 pkg. Starlight Mints (peppermint candies)
16 oz. bittersweet (or semisweet) chocolate, chopped
2 c. Rice Krispies
16 oz. white chocolate, chopped

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Crush the peppermint candies.

{Those little suckers are HARD...I used a hammer.}

Place the crushed peppermints in a fine sieve over a bowl and shake out all of the fine powder, leaving only the chunks.  (You can stir that powder into hot chocolate.)  Set aside.

In a bowl over a pot of simmering water, melt the bittersweet chocolate.  I like this Ghiradelli Bittersweet Chocolate...it's in the baking aisle.

Once melted, gently stir in the rice krispies.

Pour onto the prepared pan and spread with an offset spatula.

Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.  Pour over the bittersweet chocolate.  Sprinkle on the peppermint chunks.

Refrigerate 30 minutes until set.   Break into pieces.  Take to the neighbors. :)

{PS....if you are shipping cookies with week, but sure to check the vlog post at University of Cookie on packing and shipping cookies.}

What are YOU baking this week?

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes!!!

Happy Holidays, friends!!! It's almost Christmas and I hope you have all your shopping done, and are enjoying your holiday with your friends and family! With it being Tuesday, that means it's time for a new challenge from Papertake Weekly. This week, we're being sponsored by the fabulous Katharina at Whiff of Joy! Since it's so close to Christmas,  the challenge this week is "anything goes". So link away my friends!!   For my creation today, I'm showing you a card I was asked to create for a friend at work using this adorable image, #492 Lion from Magnolia-licious.

He's stamped twice onto Xpress It Blending Card, and then fussy cut once to pop him up from the bottom image. He's colored with Copic markers.  The papers are some I've had for forever in a Debbie Mumm stack, and thought they were perfect for this adorable lion. The heart border was created using a Martha Stewart border punch and the ribbon is from Stamp and Create. I also colored and cut out another image of him to place on the inside of the card.

Please pop over to Papertake Weekly to see the rest of the awesome creations by the fabulously talented design team, and then we'd love it if you'd grab your paper and glue and play along with us. Thanks so much for stopping by to see me today. I wish you and yours the most blessed holiday season. May it be filled with love and happiness (and of course lots of crafty prezzies!), and I thank you for your continued friendship and support. You are what makes this entire process so fun and fulfilling! Please take care and have a a Very Merry Christmas!!! Sending you lots of love and hugs!!!!

Festive Holiday Lighting for BBTB2

Merry Monday scrappers!  It is our last week of Bitten By The Bug 2 for 2010.  We are going to have a  nice break for the holidays but before we bid adieu to 2010 our sweet design team sister Julie has selected a final festive holiday challenge - the Gingerbread Man from Just Because Cards.

I decided to use the Gingerbread people to dress up my dining room light fixture.  First I added faux greenery to the fixture.  Next I made a four to five foot long paper chain (while watching a movie) and added that to the greenery.  I purchased traditional looking Christmas balls and using wire ribbon I affixed the ornaments to the light fixture.  And finally I added the Gingerbread people. 

Using Design Studio, I cut six Gingerbread People, three men and three Gingerbread Women.  I used Everyday Paper Dolls to create hair for each Gingerbread person as well as aprons for the women. I used Peachy Keen face stamps to add faces, black eyes and red mouths.   And though you cannot see it in the photographs, I embossed the hair so that it looked more like frosting.  I added red Stickles over the mouth stamps and a bit of white doodling to the aprons and buttons.

This may be the last of the BBTB2 pre-holiday projects, but it is not the last of the Busy with the Cricky pre-holiday posts.  I will be back with a couple of more holiday projects to share!  Be sure to drop by Bitten by the Bug 2 and check out the other Gingerbread projects!