BFF Open House Link Part #128

Can you believe Halloween is a week from today? Guess what? I've got something even scarier. Two months from today is CHRISTMAS EVE eeek!!! Hanukkah comes early this year converging with Thanksgiving...barely one month from now. Scared? Mwaaaaaahhhhhhh. 

Now that I have you terrified, let's see some highlights from last week's party :) 

Amaranth and Kale shared these wonderful brown paper bag leaves. Would you have guessed that these started out as brown paper bags? 

Wouldn't this coffee filter and burlap wreath look great next to a garland of those paper bag leaves? Go visit Crafts a la mode for the how to. 

Still looking to add to your Halloween decor ( or pin for next year)? Check out these no sew pillow covers from 24 Cottonwood Lane. NO SEW!

And this week's chocolate feature is courtesy once again of Karyn from the aptly named Dieter's Downfall: 

OK now for this week's treats!

Wishing You A Happy Thanksgiving

When we host Thanksgiving, I like to have a quote expressing gratitude, thankfulness etc. as part of my place setting. I used PicMonkey to create this one.

Wishing you all a day filled with family, friends, food, love, and happiness. Grateful for all of my readers and BFFs here.

Easy Cranberry Sauce From Scratch

Whenever I tell people I make cranberry sauce from scratch they think I’m nuts (the reason they give me is the making from scratch part anyway) but I can’t think of an easier thing to make.  So I’m sharing here in case anyone thinks this is really hard. Of course when you make it and people like it, it was really really really hard. You know, like you picked each berry by hand hard.

I shared the recipe straight from the Ocean Spray website last year but this year, I remembered to take pictures while I was making it.

For this you will need:

• Fresh or frozen whole cranberries. I used Ocean Spray
• Sugar
• Water
• Orange peel ( optional)

You need 1C Sugar for each bag of berries. I used two bags so 2C. Same amount of water. Put those in the pot, bring pot to boil. I like to add fresh orange peel to mine:

Photographed here before adding the water.

Once boiling, add berries. We have lots of cranberry bogs here in WA and we pass them on the way to visiting my father in law. So if you see this on your bag, we probably drove by them!

Mr. Chocolate loves cranberry sauce as its own dish. Not as a condiment. He will literally eat a bowl of it. So this time of year I stock up and throw bags of berries in the freezer.

Here they are in the sugar/water/orange peel. You want them to come to a boil and they’ll get a bit foamy. You do want to watch this pot boiling though because the berries will foam up and can bubble over. 

As they bubble, they’ll turn a darker shade of well, cranberry. I let them go until they just about reach the top of the pot and then turn off the heat. Let them come to room temp or mostly cool off. Go make crafts.

Once they’re cooled down, pour into bowl, cover, refrigerate. I leave the orange peel in until I ladle into my serving dish to let the flavor set.

Seriously. Easy. And the recipe’s from the back of the Ocean Spray bag!

BFF Open House Link Part #77 Wrap Up and Features

Thanks to everyone who linked up to last week’s party ! You all are way ahead of me on Thanksgiving and Christmas ideas! Here are just a few to share:

Let’s start with this gorgeous burlap wreath from My CreativiT:

I am in love with all of those gorgeous ruffles!

Would you believe these leaves are made from brown packaging paper? Me either!

Go visit Twigg Studios to learn how to make some of your own.

Jenn, over at One Thrifty Chick, gave out mulling spices to teachers for Halloween. I love this idea as something you could send home with guests at Thanksgiving ( or take as a hostess gift).

Rachel over at Holy Craft shared how to make these lovely twine and book page pumpkins:

Jumping ahead to Christmas, could this be more adorable? The idea and the model?  Visit Cherished Bliss to get the hat pattern. You’re on on your own for the model.

Awwwwwww!

And finally, this week’s chocolate feature. OMG:

Cookie Dough Truffle Cake Balls from Lemons for Lulu. There are no words to describe how yummy these look!

Thanks again for choosing to share your creativity here at The Answer Is Chocolate. Make it a creative week!

Mod Podge and Tissue Paper Pumpkin Tutorial

I’m finally getting around to some Fall projects. I’m a late bloomer. This is something that’s super easy and can stay out from Halloween through Thanksgiving. You will need:

• Paper Mache Pumpkin (the one I used is about 6 inches across)
• Tissue paper (I used 2 sheets, 12x12)
• Mod Podge

I started with a paper mache pumpkin I found on sale after season last year. I’ve seen them this year at Michaels, JoAnn’s etc.

On one of my recent Michaels trips, I discovered packs of Recollections printed tissue papers in the scrapbook paper aisle. They were $1.99 for a pack of 5 regular price.

For this project, I chose the script paper. This is a good project to do if you’re in a bad mood. Not saying that I was, just saying. Why? Because you get to scrunch and tear stuff! Tear all four edges of your papers first. Then:

Wad, scrunch, ball up your paper. Unwad, then tear into smaller pieces:

The reason you’ll want to have torn your edges first is that they blend better when podging.

Apply Mod Podge ( I used Matte Finish) to the back of your paper pieces, then apply your paper to the pumpkin. Since tissue paper is thin you don’t want to oversaturate but it’s also very forgiving and gets in the creases of the pumpkin unlike stiffer paper would.

I was conscious but not OCD about making sure the script was all going the same way.

In some spots, paper got layered  making things more opaque, and in others it didn’t and I liked the effect of some of the naked pumpkin showing through.

Once you’ve got all of your paper on, coat with Mod Podge and just wait for it to dry.  I’m working on another variation so check back soon.

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Giving Thanks

I'm sure everyone is busy cooking baking, packing, or traveling ....maybe all of the above. I've been up since before the sun came up and the cranberry sauce is done, the pumpkin pie and chocolate pecan tart baked, the turkey brining, and the bread dough rising. But before I sit down to peel apples and the day gets any further away from me, I wanted to pause and say thanks.

I  love this time of year which reminds us to stop and think about all the things for which we really have to be grateful. Included in the many many things for which I will give thanks tomorrow, I include you all. Truly, the talented, supportive, creative, funny, and smart people I've met through blogging are among my blessings. I read every comment left, recognizing that someone took time out of their day to share a thought with me. I appreciate that you all put up with ( and get!) my cheesy puns and sense of humor. I am so very thankful to have a creative community that constantly inspires me. My husband's grateful that I have people who get as excited as I do about how many things you can Mod Podge and glitter, and who understand why it's not redundant to need more than one die cutting machine.

I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving, filled with great food shared with those you love. Thanks for enriching my life!

Our Thanksgiving Table

Cleaning out and cleaning the refrigerator don’t count as creative projects. Necessary, but not creative! But I did also set our Thanksgiving table so I did do get to do something a little creative.

We’re not super formal on holidays but Thanksgiving and Christmas are the two times a year I at least get to break out the wedding china. This year I went for a mix of nature and glitz.

Our menu is pretty traditional. Herb roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, glazed carrots, fresh homemade cranberry sauce, and an egg bread I’ve been baking since I was 16.  I’m one of “those” people…I cook it all and I love it. For dessert there will be pumpkin and apple pies, vanilla whipped cream, and a chocolate pecan tart.

I’ve had these raffia bows forever and this year I used them as chair decorations, with metallic organza ribbon and mini Indian corn.

For my table runner, I used a woven chocolate brown and gold giant ribbon roll I found at JoAnn’s for 70% off!!! $3 for my table runner ! I also found these felt maple leaf place mats at Bed Bath and Beyond for 2 for $3. I bought 2 in maize and 2 in dark brown and just angled them along the runner.

Here are the Thanksgiving candles and place cards I shared earlier.

For napkin rings, I just used mini grapevine wreaths I found at Michaels for $.49 ea.

I don’t put out all the flatware that you’re “supposed to “ for a proper place setting because the unused stuff ends up getting scooped up between dinner and dessert and I end up starting all over anyway. SO it stays put and I get it out when its needed. Sorry Emily Post.
I filled my table favor cones with Hershey’s Toffee Crunch Nuggets wrapped in cone shaped cellophane bags that fit perfectly in the favors.

I’ll leave you with this recipe because every time I mention I make cranberry sauce from scratch, people look at me like I have three heads. It is SO SO EASY ( but you can definitely let people think it’s hard). Mr. Chocolate eats this stuff as a side dish so I start stocking up on fresh cranberries as soon as they hit the stores, freeze them right in the bags, and make this several times during the year.

Picture and Recipe, courtesy of Ocean Spray’s website

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 12-ounce package Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

Directions:

Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil; add cranberries, return to boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes 2 1/4 cups.

Can it get any easier than that? I usually add some fresh orange zest or even just strips of peel to the sugar / water before I add the cranberries, or if I don’t have oranges on hand, reduce the water by 1/4C and replace with orange juice. You could also add a cinnamon stick or cloves if you want a little spice.

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Thanksgiving Table Favors “Cone-u-copias”

I always like to have a little something on the table for guests. Like most of my projects, this idea just kind of came to me and I ran with it hoping it would pan out.

Since cornucopias are such an iconic symbol of Thanksgiving, I thought paper cones were in order.

You’ll need:

• Lightweight cardstock cut 6x6. I used a metallic gold by Recollections from Michaels
• Jute twine
• Embellishments
• Die Cuts

I formed my cone shape and taped and stapled together.

Pretty boring right? I had this package of leaf shaped doilies I found on one of my Dollar Tree trips and thought hmmm….maybe they would work here.

I just ran a line of tape down the center of my cone and stuck a doily about halfway in. Better. Still kinda boring. In lieu of a doily, you could use a big die cut.

What isn’t made better with jute? Ran a line of hot glue down the back of the cone starting about 1/3 of the way from the bottom and then wrapped my jute around ending at the bottom.  Had some more glittered turkeys from other projects ( Recollections) and glued one on top of the twine.

Then die cut oak leaves using the Memory Box Leaf Trio die I used on my place cards and candles and scraps of Core’dinations glittered paper, made and glued on a jute bow at the stem, and glued to the cone. Done and done!

Haven’t decided yet what I’m going to fill them with…thinking a mix of seasonal chocolates and spiced nuts or garlic pretzels….

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