A Few Little Crafts for Christmas

I find blogging to be so inspirational.  I've gotten so many ideas from all the wonderful blogs out there and I wanted to share a couple little things I made this year as gifts.

First, I always make something for ALL the staff at my school - from teachers to cafeteria workers to nurses to psychologists to -  I could go on and on with all the people who help make a school run.  I've made everything from coffee mixes to chocolate spoons to mini bundt cakes to what I made this year.  You might have seen it earlier this month.

I gave clothespins decorated with Christmas paper.  When you work around paper you can always use another little doodad to keep them together.  I cut out a little scalloped circle with the glorious Cricut and wrote a quick message to all.

Now I have to apologize for the quality of the pictures here.  I forgot to give them their proper close-up before wrapping them to give to my friends the Singing Nun and the More Creative Friend.

You need a little history for these....

The More Creative Friend used to always make candied orange peel for our Christmas Bake-a-thons.  For many years she always brought the orange peel almost done and she'd finish it up with us.  It was always so delicious and then we'd dip it in chocolate and it would be more delicious.  To honor this tradition of getting together for 20 years I painted this frame red, then rubbed a candle on it in a few spots and then painted white over the top.  Then the white paint rubbed off for that distressed look.  I couldn't leave well enough alone so I had to glitter the frame too.  I typed up the recipe for the orange peel in a pretty font and then put it on a piece of scrapbook paper and ...voila....a personalized little gift for the More Creative Friend.

Don't worry the Singing Nun got one too, only her recipe was for Rice Krispie Treats which she has a tradition of making.  Again, sorry the quality of the picture isn't better but I hope you can get the idea.

Simple ideas and fun to make!

Thank you so much for stopping by for a little visit.  Hope to see you again soon!

All I Want for Christmas Is...One Quiet Night!

We have been super busy!

On Friday, my school's Christmas Party was at our house.  I missed getting pictures of that.

On Saturday, the 20th Annual Christmas Bake-a-thon was at our Candy Cane Sweet Bee Cottage.

On Sunday, the Sewing Bee came over and we hand dipped peanut brittle in dark chocolate.  Oooooo! Yummy!  Then we watched White Christmas for the first time.  I thought we'd seen it many years ago, but I think I'm thinking of Holiday Inn.

Today the Reader Bee, Cutter Bee, and Baby Bee made gingerbread Christmas trees.  I used kits I got last year at half price. These kits keep just fine and who cares if they're stale?  We're definitely not going to eat them!

Reader Bee

Baby Bee

Cutter Bee

Tomorrow Baby Bee and I are are going to tea with Sewing Bee, Reader Bee, and Cutter Bee at a delightful little tea shop in Old Town Clovis.  Last year we went for the first time and it's become a tradition apparently.  Isn't it funny how with children you do something once and it's a tradition?  I'll be sure to take lots of pictures tomorrow to share with you.

We also had our winner of the giveaway!  Congratulations to .............

Her package will be on its way tomorrow morning!

Thank you for stopping by!  I still have more to share for Christmas!

I'll be keeping the hot chocolate warm for your next visit.  Do you want marshmallows on that next time?

Last chance for MY FIRST giveaway!

I had so much fun with my little banners, I decided to share one with a lucky reader.  I also found a little pumpkin that looks so cute keeping little witchy poo teapot company that I'm including it in MY FIRST giveaway too.  So now, if you enter by commenting HERE you might win the whole assortment.  Get your entry in by 6 PM PDT on Wednesday, October 28 and Baby Bee will draw the winner!  Good luck!

I also promised to share some recipes from the 20th Annual Halloween Bake-a-thon.

(I think if something has reached its 20th year it deserves capital letters, don't you?)

Remember this delightful concoction?  Still wondering what it might have become?

Why it made the most amazingly tasty flavored popcorn!  Out of good old-fashioned jello!  Who'd a thunk?  We even made chocolate peanut popcorn with chocolate instant pudding.  Crazy times here at the cottage.

Fruity Popcorn

10 cups popped popcorn

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 3 oz. package orange or lime flavored gelatin

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon light-colored corn syrup

1.  Discard unpopped kernels.  Spray a 17 x 12 x 2 inch roasting pan with cooking spray.  Place the popped popcorn in the pan.  Keep warm in the 300 degree oven while making coating.

2.  Butter the bottom and sides of a 2-quart saucepan.  In the pan combine remaining ingredients.  Cook mixture over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly.  With a candy thermometer clipped to the side of the pan, stir constantly until the thermometer reads 255 degrees (hard-ball stage), about 10 minutes.

3.  Remove from heat and pour mixture over the popcorn in the warm roasting pan.  Stir gently to coat.  Bake in 300 degree oven for 5 minutes.  Stir mixture and bake 5 minutes more.

4.  Pour mixture onto a large piece of foil and cool. When cooled, break into pieces.

Can't you just picture making red and green fruity popcorn, putting it in a canning jar and decorating the jar with Christmas motifs?  What a perfect gift for a neighbor, dog walker, etc.  Count on seeing that idea showing up sometime in December.

Chocolate Peanut Popcorn

10 cups popped popcorn

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup honey-roasted peanuts

1/4 cup butter

2/3 cup light-colored corn syrup

1 4-oz. serving-size package instant chocolate pudding mix

2 teaspoons vanilla

1.  Discard unpopped kernels.  Spray a 17 x 12 x 2 inch roasting pan with cooking spray.  Place the popcorn and peanuts in the pan.  Keep them warm in a 300 degree oven while making the coating.

2.  In a medium saucepan melt the butter.  Remove from heat.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Pour syrup mixture over popcorn and with a large spoon, gently toss together to coat.

3.  Bake uncovered in 300 degree oven for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.

4.  Pour mixture onto a large piece of foil and cool.  Break apart when cool.

Thanks again for stopping by!  Guests are always welcome here at Sweet Bee Cottage.  Hope you can come back again!

Halloween Bake-a-thon! Remember the Giveaway!

It all started here on Saturday morning.......

I just couldn't decide what to make, even with all these to serve as inspiration.  The More Creative Friend faced the same dilemma and after much searching we both decided to make one of the same recipes!  In all these years that has never happened.  The Singing Nun made her always popular rice krispies treats.  We can always count on The Singing Nun to make something with marshmallows!  She even tried to get Baby Bee hooked on marshmallow creme when BB was a toddler!

We started with this....

Moved onto this....

Then we had all these done....

Don't you want to know what this ended up being?

At the end of the day, everything was all packaged up for sharing with friends and family.

Check back soon for recipes and details!

Also, don't forget to enter my Witchy Poo Teapot Giveaway! The winner will be drawn on  Wednesday, October 28.  Go to this page to enter it by leaving a comment.  Baby Bee is looking forward to pulling out your name!

It's almost time for the 20th Annual Halloween Bake-a-thon! Giveaway alert!

Yum!  Delicious!

This adorable little treat was a product of the 19th Annual Halloween Bake-a-thon.  What's a Halloween Bake-a-thon?  It's where two or more friends get together and create, bake, and make Halloween goodies.  I can't believe it's actually been 20 years.  We started the very first year Worker Bee and I were married.  Somehow it has turned into one of my favorite days of the year.  (We also have the Christmas Bake-a-thon to look forward to.)

The 20th Annual Halloween Bake-a-thon is this Sunday and I must decide what to bring to make with the More Creative Friend and the Singing Nun.  Any suggestions?  We always love cute and chocolate!

Thanks for dropping in!

Oh, before I forget, to celebrate the start of my blog I'm having a little giveaway.  I'm giving away this little witch teapot.  If you would like to be entered to win this teapot, please leave a comment with a way to get in touch with you.

 

So sorry, but entries are limited to the United States and Canada.  The winner will be drawn on Wednesday, October 28 and their name will be posted that same day.  Good luck!