W is for Wreaths

I can't believe there are only 2 letters left in Handmade Holiday project: W and Y. Looks like I will be writing about Yule logs later on but today it's about:

Here are my favorite ideas:

• CONSTRUCTION PAPER WREATH - a great project to do with children.  Thank you, Rachel!

• An unusual and fun CHRISTMAS STRIPED STRAW WREATH.  Jen from Tatertots and Jello  shares a tutorial.

• Two Junk Chix made a fun SNOWBALL WREATH with balls of yarn.  Perfect for a knitter or crocheter.

• An easy and stylish PAPER WREATH at The Red Thread. 

• I absolutely love classy golden, white, and silver CHRISTMAS WREATH by Brenda from Deck The Halls of Home with Joy 

And don't forget to take a look at my "W" Pinterest board

T is for Trees

Time to talk about the main guest of Christmas season: the Christmas tree!

Even if you have a big, beautiful decorated Christmas tree, these little wonders will add festive spirit to your house.  They come in all styles, shapes, and sizes - pick your favorite one and start creating.

• Cute and easy-to-make CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS by Jennifer Johner

• Stylish LAYERED RIBBON TREES from Sparkle Pants Girl

• A DIY version of ANTHROPOLOGIE TREE by Dana at The Wonder Forest

• Amazingly cool FUNNEL TREE by Beth at Patina White

• Adorable MINI-TREE ORNAMENTS from The Sweetes Occasion

I also absolutely love Curbly's 12 UNCONVENTIONAL CHRISTMAS TREES

S is for snowflakes and stockings

We are less than a week away from Christmas.  Time to hang your stockings and look for beautiful snowflakes. 

Surprisingly, here in Montreal, we've been having very little of those ...  I am still hoping that Christmas and New Year eve will be white this year.  Well, while waiting for the real snowflakes, I will be making some of my own, following my favorite snowflakes tutorials:

• I absolutely love these SIMPLE SNOWFLAKES from Sinnen Rausch blog.  The tutorial is in German (I think) but step-by-step images make it easy to follow.

• Katie shares her tutorial for the RUSTIC SNOWFLAKE

• As a paper crafter I can not wait to make my own WOVEN STAR (tutorial at House Revivals)

• And do not forget about stockings.  With Amy's SIMPLE STOCKING TUTORIAL you can easily make a dozen over night!

• If you don't like paper and if you are not very good with a sewing machine, try making CROCHET SNOWFLAKES this season.  Hearthandmadeuk shows you how.

SAS's Snowflakes and Stockings Pinterest board has more ideas!

R is for Reindeers

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph....  I will be honest, I had to look up names of Christmas

And now it's your turn to look at my favorite Reindeer projects:

• A beautiful HOLIDAY PAPER REINDEER POSTCARD from Eat Drink Chick

• Super cute idea of REINDEER NOSES from A Personal Touch

• Another cute idea: REINDEER COCOA CONES at Little Wonders' Day.  The whole posts is about reindeer-related kids activities, so take a look!

• A gorgeous SET OF CARDS from Mulberry Muse on Etsy.

• PEANUT BUTTER REINDEER COOKIES from Bakergirl.

As usual, more projects are on my Pinterest board.

Q is for Quite moments

Although Holiday season is filled with music, laughter, chiming, conversations and carols it is also time to enjoy:

 I am building a collection of peaceful, quite, winter images over at Pinterest, like this beautiful photo by Lucy Snowe that you can purchase in her Etsy store

Photo by Lucy Snowe

Peace and love to all of you this holiday season!

P is for Presents

For the letter P which is about

I thought of bringing back an article I wrote a couple of years ago for PassiFlora magazine.  I've mentioned this project in the past - an online magazine, created by Eric, Liza, and me about all things green and eco-friendly.  Here are several ideas for eco-gift wrapping.

Christmas tree and sparkling decorations, cookies and milk, gift boxes and stocking stuffers are all part of the holiday seasons. However, most of the gift boxes, wrapping, and even decorations end up in the garbage day after the big celebration. This year make your holidays greener by incorporating these fresh ideas in your gift wrapping.

Be creative by using recycled and recyclable wrapping available at your house. For smaller gifts use brown lunch bags decorated with natural elements like pine cones and pine brunches. You can use figure-scissors to add a little twist to your packages.

If you want to be more creative paint bamboo-skewers and use them as fastening for the gifts. Make sure to use non-toxic environmentally friendly dyes. Simply create a pattern with the hole-puncher and “weave in” the skewer. It could be a nice way to get your children to help you.

Here is another great way to involve your children in gift-wrapping. Use plain brown paper to wrap the boxes and decorate it with children’s seasonal drawings and appliqués. Or you can release your inner child and do it yourself.

If opting for a traditional printed paper make sure to use the recyclable kind that is painted with non-toxic natural dyes. Try using strings and bows made out of natural materials such as hemp and cotton.

Another way to reuse this season is making gift tags from old Christmas and New Year holiday cards. Use the template provided below to cut the tags out of cards. If using signed side of the card glue two tags together. Punch a whole in the tag and embellish the gifts.

I really hope that these simple fresh ideas not only help you to make your holidays greener but also show that green holidays could be beautiful too.

Downloads

MITTEN TEMPLATE and TAG TEMPLATE

And do not forget to check out my Pinterest board for more ideas of handmade and wrapped presents.

What handmade presents are you giving this season?

O is for Ornaments

My second favorite thing after Christmas lights is Christmas

I specially like handmade paper ones, but I tried to be fair and include all types in my today's selection.

• FELT SNOW BALLS ornaments from Purl Bee would look so cute on my Christmas tree this year

• You can hang this ORIGAMI WREATH on a tree, use it for gift wrapping, or pop it into Christmas card for a little surprise.  Want to make one?  Domesticali has a tutorial with step-by-step photos

• I am in awe with WOVEN PAPER ORANAMENTS from The Cheese Thief.  I HAVE TO make some!

• Another simple and beautiful ornament idea: SECURITY STARS from Maya Made

• And last but not least: cute CINNAMON ORNAMENT from The Pink Couch

As usual, I have many more ideas pinned on my Pinterest board - make sure to check them out.  

Are you making any ornaments this season?  I would LOVE to see your creations and feature them on my blog.  Leave a comment with a link or email the Handmade Holidays project (handmadeholidays@gmail.com)

N is for Notes for friends and family

Did you start sending Christmas cards yet?  I am SO behind (like usual) with this ....  The only excuse I have is that there are too many beautiful handmade cards to choose from.

• Cindy Lawrence demonstrates how to make a SANTA CARD

• I am absolutely in love with Lucy's CHRISTMAS SWIRLS CARD

• Jen's RIBBON TREE CARD - so cute

• My simple BELL CARD from last year

• Connie's FOLDED CHRISTMAS TREE card with instructions

And I have more beautiful cards pinned on my Pinterest board.
What are your favorite handmade Christmas cards?

M is for Music, Movies, and Mulled wine

Favorite holiday album?

• Michael Bublé's CHRISTMAS and my collection of good old Christmas classics

Favorite holiday movie?

• LOVE ACTUALLY

Favorite holiday drink?

MULLED WINE aka GLINTWEIN

Mulled wine is an aromatic alcoholic beverage made with red wine, sweetener, and a mix of spices. Grog, punch, and glentwein/glintwine are all types of mulled wine. They are usually served in winter and come from mountain regions of Germany and Scandinavia. The main ingredient of mulled wine is red wine. Since spices and sweeteners are added to the mix you do not have to splurge on the expensive bottle. For a vegan version of glintwine substitute honey with brown sugar or agave nectar and make sure to get a vegan bottle of red.

What you need

1 (750ml) bottle of red wine
2 cinnamon sticks.  More for serving
½ vanilla bean (optional) could be substituted with ¼ tsp of vanilla extract
7-10 cloves
½ star of anise
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2-3 tablespoon honey (or vegan sugar)
1 orange, sliced
st of ½ orange
½ cup water

What to do

• In a small saucepan combine all the ingredients besides wine and heat slowly until boiling.  Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes.

• In a bigger saucepan combine wine and the spice mix.  Warm it up on the small heat.

• Do not let the mulled wine boil!!!

• Serve in a thick-walled glass garnished with a cinnamon stick.

L is for Lights

What do you like best about holidays?  Christmas decor is my favorite.  And how can you decorate without lights?

Here are several ideas from my Pinterest board

• Originally spotted at a wedding reception this LIGHTS UNDER THE TABLE idea is great for a Christmas supper

• Apartment Therapy describes how to make beautiful GLITTERING LIGHTSCAPE

• Make your own WINTER LUMINARIES following Amanda's tutorial

• A shiny alternative to a traditional Christmas tree: LIGHTS AND TOMATO CAGES TREES 

• Absolutely gorgeous VINTAGE VOTIVES from Annaboo's house  

K is for Kris Kringle

Time to get back to our HANDMADE HOLIDAYS project.

Christmas is less than 2 weeks away and Santa is getting ready:

Image via Pinterest

Just remember:

IRON ACCENTS

If you want to make your own Kris Kringle, check out a collection of tutorials on my Pinterest board.

J is for Jingle Bells

I had to take a couple of days off my blog - my term paper was due this week and I spent all my free time working on it.  I promise to catch up with all the "missing letters" over the next few days.  Today it's about:

Not sure what to do with all the pretty bells this season?  Why won't you ...

• Make a beautiful BALL AND BELL GARLAND, following the tutorial at Two Shades of Pink.

• Use small bells to SPRUCE UP YOUR GIFT WRAPPING (via A Gift Wrapped Life).

• Make cute JINGLE BELL FLOWERS.  The Crafty Crow got step-by-step instructions.

• Tie several bells together to make a MINI WREATH ORNAMENT.  Stephanie Lynn shows you how.

• Or maybe you are looking for a SIMPLE HOLIDAY GARLAND for your house decor?  Sarah from CozyCottageCute has a tutorial for you.

And if you want more ideas, take a look at my Pinterest board.

I is for Inspiration

 Today I want to share some inspirational websites with you:

• SWEET PAUL MAGAZINE

• Irina's livejournal NICETY (the blog is in Russian but you do not need to speak the language to enjoy beautiful images.  My favorite part is CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR DECOR)

• HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDES (via August Empress)

• RUCHE's A HOMEMADE HOLIDAY

• PINTEREST (I even made a CHRISTMAS INSPIRATION board)

And where do you get inspiration for your holiday projects?  Leave a comment or email me.

H is for Hannukah

Here are some of my favorite Hannukah DIY projects:

• Cute blue and white HANNUKAH GARLAND via Design Sponge

• An easy and stylish GLASS BOTTLE MINORAH by ReadyMade

• Beautiful blue and white WREATH by Felt So Cute

• Simple STAR OF DAVID ornament - a perfect craft to do with young children 

• Origami 6 POINT STAR from Art Platter

• Stunning yet easy to make GUILDED MENORAH by Aunt Peaches

For more Hannukah ideas, take a look at my Pinterest Hannukah board.

G is for Garlands and Ginger houses

• Beautiful PINECONE FLOWER GARLAND from Two Shades of Pink

• SNOWY WINDOWS GARLAND from Christmas Your Way

• MODERN CHRISTMAS GARLAND tutorial at FunkyTime

• GINGER HOUSE RECIPE AND TUTORIAL from Globetrotter Diaries

• A STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL AND TIPS FROM A PRO at Frog Princess Paperie

Would you like to participate in Handmade Holidays project?  Leave a comment or email handmadeholidays2011@gmail.com

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F is for Feast (Cranberry sauce)

This is by far the easies cranberry sauce to make.  If you can't find fresh tangerines use orange juice and replace tangerine zest with orange zest.

TANGERINE CRANBERRY SAUCE

original recipe from VegunYumYum

What you need

16 oz fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

juice from 1 tangerine (about 1/3 cup)

zest from 1 tangerine

What to do

• In a medium sauce pan, heat all ingredients over medium high heat.  Cook until cranberries will "pop" and sauce thickens (10-15 minutes).  Stir occasionally

• Remove from heat, chill, and serve.

I would love to know what are your favorite Christmas recipes.  Leave a comment or email handmadeholidays2011@gmail.com

F is for Feast (Pecan stuffing)

Stuffing is my favorite part of Christmas dinner.  Last year I was hoping to make a "proper" Chestnut stuffing to go with the rest of the dishes.  Unfortunately I could not find fresh chestnuts.  After some debate I decided to use pecans instead and the result was quite satisfactory: I liked the crunch pecans added to the dish.

PECAN STUFFING

(loosely based on Martha Stewart's recipe)

What you need

1/2 loaf good-quality white bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped into 1/4 inch dice

4 oz mushrooms, quartered

1 medium onion, cut into 1/4 inch diced
1/2 cup red wine (optional)

1 cup vegetable stock

2-3 tbsp (each) of chopped fresh herbs: thyme, sage, marjoram, parsley

salt and pepper

What to do

• Dry bread cubes overnight.

• Heat oil in a deep skillet.  Saute onions and celery until translucent.  Add mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add herbs and mix well.  Add wine and pecans and cook for 5-7 minutes.  If not using wine, add broth instead.

• Add broth and raise heat to hight.  Bring broth to boil, remove from heat.

• Transfer the mix into a baking dish, add bread cubes, mix well and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.  I like to stir mu stuffing every 10-15 minutes to prevent bread from darkening too much.

• Serve sprinkled with chopped fresh parsley.

F is for Feast (Gravy and Mashed Potatoes)

Mashed potatoes and gravy is staple of our Christmas dinner.  For several years I've been making vegan miso-mushroom gravy but last December I decided to try something different and made the easy and flavourful vegan gravy spotted at OH SHE GLOWS

MASHED POTATOES

I never bother writing down my recipe for mashed potatoes.  I usually play it by ear and adjust amounts of milk, salt, pepper at the end.  However, a couple of years ago my friend shared a little secret with me:

• when boiling potatoes add several peppercorns, 2-3 bay leaves, and 2 smashed garlic cloves.

• remove all spices and garlic before mashing potatoes.  

• Add milk or cream while mashing to achieve desired consistency.  And do not forget to add a little bit of butter for extra creaminess.

• I also added 1 bulb of roasted garlic to my Christmas mashed potatoes last year it added rich, roasted flavour.

VEGAN GRAVY

(Adapted from Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan)

What you need

1 cup vegetable broth

¼ cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 tbsp tamari

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder

2 tbsp tahini

1 ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 ½ tbsp blackstrap molasses

½ tsp agave nectar

2 tbsp olive oil

What to do

• Combine and puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor.

• Pour gravy in a small pot and heat and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low, cook stirring frequently until thicken.

• Taste and adjust seasoning.

MISO-MUSHROOM GRAVY
(no picture yet)

What you need

2 tbsp olive oil

4-5 green onions (scallions), minced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz button mushroom, sliced (you can use a little bit of shiitake mushrooms for extra flavour)

3 tbsp flour

1 cup vegetable broth (non salted)

3 tbsp miso paste

2 tbsp fresh thyme

What to do

• Heat oil in a sauce pan.  Cook garlic and green onions, until fragrant.  Add mushrooms and cook 3-4 minutes.

• Sprinkle mushroom mix with flour and mix thoroughly.  Slowly add broth and continue mixing.

• Add thyme, bring gravy to boil, reduce heat and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until thicken.  Remove from heat and stir in miso paste (I like to dilute miso in 2 tablespoons of hot water before adding it to the gravy).  Taste and adjust seasoning.

F is for Feast (Green Beans with Celery-Mushroom Gravy)

Life's events sometime have a mind of their own ... I know I promised to put up recipes for my Christmas feast yesterday, but unfortunately by the time I got to the computer it was almost midnight and I was quite exhausted. So I decided to post all the wonderful recipes today, and tomorrow I will have a double-post for letters G and H.

Let's get to cooking. Time for a

Green beans are not very popular at our house.  As a child, Eric had too many of them and today his enthusiasm for these green guys is quite low.  Yet, every year he is looking forward to my Christmas green beans.  What's the secret?  I think there are two: crispy onions that top the dish and savoury mushroom gravy that adds creaminess and flavour to the recipe.

HOLIDAY GREEN BEANS

(Lightly adapted from VeganYumYum)

I usually begin by making fried onions.  They take a little bit of time to soak and the frying process is not my favorite.  I make them the night before and store in an air-tight container.

FRIED ONIONS

What you need

2 medium onions

2 cup of milk

about 1/4 cup pf flour

oil

salt/pepper/favorite spices

What to do

• Slice onions thinly into half-moons.  Try making them quite thin and uniform - that will ensure that they will cook evenly

• Soak onions in milk for 10-15 minutes.  I usually leave them longer, and get to chop veggie for the gravy or clean and cut beans while waiting.

• Once onions are soaked, it's time to cook them.  Pour a generous amount of oil in a skillet or wok.  Heat it up.  You do not have to put your heat to maximum, onions should be cooking over time, but not too slow.  I find that a medium or medium-high setting on my stove works the best.  Meanwhile, coat onions in flour: just grab a handful, shake off excess milk and mix with flour to coat evenly. 

• Fry onions in batches.  You are looking for a caramelized, golden brown colour.  Stir them occasional to ensure even frying and be careful not to burn them.

• Dump cooked onions onto a paper towel to get rid off extra oil.  Sprinkle with salt/pepper or your favorite spice blend.
  

• I like to wipe the excess of burnt oil and bits and pieces off my skillet with a paper towel between batches.
  

CELERY-MUSHROOM GRAVY

What you need

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

2 celery ribs, diced

4 tbsp butter or vegan margarine

4 tbsp flour

1 cup milk (soy milk for a vegan version).  You could use a mix of milk and broth for  a less rich version of gravy

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp thyme

What to do

• Saute mushrooms and celery until tender.  Season with salt.

• Remove vegetables from the skillet. In the same pan melt butter.  Add flour and mix thoroughly over low heat.  You will get a golden roux.

• Slowly add milk, while constantly whisking to avoid clumps.  Turn the heat up and continue stirring until gravy thickens up.

• Once the sauce is thick, add mushrooms, celery, thyme and other herbs, if using.
  

 GREEN BEANS

What you need

1lb green beans (you can use yellow beans as well)

salt/pepper

ice bath

 

What to do

• Rinse green beans and remove ends with a sharp knife or scissors.

• Bring a big pot of salted water to boil and blanche beans (they should keep their bright green colour and stay a little bit crispy).  To stop the cooking process, place beans in an ice bath (big pot filled with cold water and ice).

• Drain beans and set aside.

• Alternatively, you can steam green beans and then lightly fry them in a small quantity of oil or butter.
  

To assemble the dish, ladle 2-3 tablespoons of gravy, than put several beans and top with fried onions.

F is for Feast

Holidays are not possible without a big feast.  For today's letter, I decided to share my favorite menu items and recipes from our Christmas celebration last year.  I am hoping to post all four recipes throughout today, so check back once in a while.

Note: All recipes have a vegan option.

GREEN BEANS

MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY

PECAN STUFFING

TANGERINE CRANBERRY SAUCE