On the twelfth day of Handmade Christmas, Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

On the twelfth and final day of Handmade Christmas, I’m going to go with chocolate dipped pretzels. This is the most simple handmade gift I’ve discussed so far. Buy any rod-shaped pretzels at your supermarket. Melt semi-sweet chocolate chip in your microwave until melted. Dip the pretzels into the melted chocolate, and sprinkle with your favorite topping. I sprinkled chopped peppermints on mine. I’m going to make them with white chocolate next time and sprinkle with chopped Oreos. I’m throwing my husband a 40th birthday party this weekend, and I’m going to make a bunch of these and display in a vase to sit on the serving table. I can’t wait to bag some of these up for Christmas gifts too.

P.S. I know I’m a day late on this post, but I was preoccupied yesterday with a pre-screening of New Moon, which will not be released until this weekend. I loved the movie, and I can’t wait for Eclipse to be released in June.

 

On the eleventh day of Handmade Christmas, Hot Fudge Sauce!

I had several homemade gifts in the pipeline for this post, but I dropped them all when I saw this recipe in the latest issue of Southern Living. I don’t know anyone who dislikes Hot Fudge Sauce. I made the sauce last night, and it filled 4 small ball jars. Of course, I kept one for myself. It is wonderful especially if you are a chocolate lover. Wrap some fabric around the lid with some twine, and pair some other goodies in a basket for the perfect homemade gift. This stuff would be great with cookies, cake, ice cream, sweet bread – you choose. I even think it would be cute wrapped up with a handmade towel from the “Tenth Day of Handmade Christmas.” Whatever you decide to do, just be sure to save one for yourself.

On the tenth day of Handmade Christmas, Kitchen Towels

I am a kitchen towel addict. Seriously, I wear my kitchen towels out. And I love to get new ones. I saw some similar to these in a home store the other day, so I decided to see if I could replicated the look at home.  There is so much room for creativity here. I purchased a pack of plain white kitchen towels. I picked out some cute fabrics, and in no time, I had pulled these together. I was thinking these would be a great Christmas gift alone, or you could even wrapped up a loaf of bread in them. It would be cool if you paired these up with a homemade oven mitt and hot pad as well. Check out Jandi’s blog for some great tutorials. Although I didn’t do it, you could always embroider or embellish these for a great personalized gift. Either way, who doesn’t love a stylish kitchen towel?

Supplies: Plain white kitchen towel, Fabric of your choice, Thread (White for the bottom of the towel, and a color to coordinate with your fabric)

Step 1: Prepare your towel by ironing out any creases. Measure the width of your towel. The towel I used was 21 inches across.

Step 2: Cut a strip of your fabric 4 inches wide by the width of your towel plus two inches. For example, I cut my fabric 4 inches wide by 23 inches long.

Step 3: On the long sides of your fabric, fold fabric under  by 1/2 inch and iron in place. On the ends, fold under 1/2 inch, press, fold under another half inch, press.

Step 4: Place fabric on front of towel, and fold ends under the towel. Pin in place. Top-stitch close to the edges completely around the fabric on your towel.  Your towel is finished!

 

On the ninth day of Handmade Christmas, Framed Embroidery

Okay, so I’ll admit I’m not the best hand embroiderer ever, but I do really enjoy doing it. I completed this project in less than an hour the other night while sitting on my sofa listening to the Top Chef on television. I’ve been seeing stuff like this in home stores and thought it would be so easy to replicate. You can embroider any message you would like on a thick piece of canvas or any fabric really. Frame it, and you have an instant personalized gift with a great message. You can find inexpensive frames all over the place too. I found this one at my craft store. It just so happened the day I was there, all frames were 50% off, so I got it for $2.50.  Here are some messages you could possibly use.

peace.joy.love

Welcome friends who enter here, we wish you joy & Christmas cheer

live well, laugh often, love much

 

On the eighth day of Handmade Christmas, Stenciled Napkins

This was a new project for me. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but I am very pleased. I purchased a package of napkins at a home store. If you buy a package of 12, they are really inexpensive. If you have extra fabric around, you could always make your napkins too.  I picked up some fabric paint for about $1 for each color and a stencil for about $2 at the craft store. Taping the stencil down to the corner of the napkin, I took a foam brush and painted over the stencil. I love how they turned out, and I’m excited about making some more. Wrapping these up and giving them as a hostess gift would be so cute. This would also be a great gift for someone who recently got married, or even a housewarming gift. Plus taking the time to personalize them yourself, the napkins are extra special.

On the seventh day of Handmade Christmas, Mixed Berries & Pistachio Bark

A few years ago, during the holidays, I took everyone in my office a mini Chinese take out food container of peppermint bark. It was a big hit. Peppermint bark is like potato chips, you can’t just eat one piece. Since then, I have a couple of variations I use with dried berries & pistachios. You can wrap this stuff up in anything and make it look beautiful. I used the Chinese take out containers, but you could just wrap it in parchment paper and it would look great too. A friend of mine made these with her daughter when she came home from college for Christmas break.  I think small kids would enjoy helping make these as well. So if you are looking for a quick last-minute gift, melt some chocolate and get busy!

Berry & Pistachio Holiday Bark

1/4 Cup chopped Pistachios

1/2 Cup chopped dried mixed berries

12 0z. package of vanilla chocolate chips

2 Tbsp dark chocolate chips

Place a sheet of wax paper on your countertop. Spread just a few of the chopped pistachios and dried fruit on the wax paper. Heat vanilla in the microwave according to the directions on the package. Pour melted chocolate over the pistachios and fruit on your wax paper. Top with the remaining pistachios and dried fruit. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave and drizzle over the white chocolate. You can leave the bark on your counter to harden or place in the refrigerator. Once all the chocolate has hardened, break the bark into small pieces.

Peppermint Bark – The same recipe as above except replace the mixed dried berries and pistachios with 3/4 cup of chopped peppermints.

On the sixth day of Handmade Christmas, Coffee Cozy

Carry your coffee in style! I came across this tutorial for a handmade coffee cozy using one of the sleeves from your favorite coffee shop as a pattern. Keep one of these in your car for the next time you get a hot beverage to go. Not only will your drink stay warm because of the Insul Bright lining, but you will have a unique and distinct cozy. Remember from my “Holiday Coasters” posting that the Insul Bright keeps the hot or cold in. Be creative with this project too. Embroider a name or design on the front of your cozy. I’m making one of these for all of my friends at work who meet every morning to chat over coffee.