My nephews asked sweetly if I could make them stuffed dragons with their names on them, adding even more sweetly that “they would make REALLY good Christmas presents… if I needed any ideas or anything”. I told them I’d think about it, but what I didn’t tell them was that I had never actually made a stuffed ANYTHING, and that I wasn’t really sure I knew how. This post is less about the specifics of the dragons themselves, and more about how I patterned them and how you could use the same techniques to pattern any animal! Continue reading
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DIY Stuffed Animals: How I Made Two Awesome Dragons
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DIY Truffles
Truffles are the easiest candy to make at home, they are basically composed of only two ingredients and you can flavor them in a million different ways…which makes them the best Christmas gift EVER!
I carved a large stamp for the truffle boxes (click the image for the video tutorial), stamped one in red on white paper, scanned it and printed a bunch on sticker paper. They still look hand stamped but they are all perfect and low maintenance.
Since truffles are mostly just heavy cream and chocolate, you can either pre-infuse the cream with flavors by using a steeping method (whole ingredients left in hot cream for 30 minutes and then strained out) or you can add flavorings or liqueurs to the melted mix.
The basic ratio for the simplest truffle is 1 cup of heavy cream to 1 pound of chocolate (a mix of bittersweet and semisweet). The basic method is this: heat the cream to boiling, remove it from the heat for 30 seconds and then pour it over the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Add a tablespoon of dark brewed coffee and a little vanilla to heighten the chocolate flavor. Let sit at room temperature until firm, scoop and form into balls and roll in cocoa powder or powdered sugar.
SUCCESS! Left to Right: Holiday Spice, Peanut Butter and Pretzel.
I decided to make 3 “truffles” this year as my Christmas gift using the steeping method…although one is really just a classic peanut butter ball! After successfully making a delicious Cinnamon Toast Ice Cream this summer by steeping the cream with buttered cinnamon toast croutons, I thought, “why not try this same technique with pretzels?” The resulting “Pretzel Truffle” is subtle, but delicious, while the other “Holiday Spice Truffle” is punchy and perfect with every one of my favorite flavors this season. How you can make your own truffles and my recipes from this year after the jump! Continue reading
Give Love!
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DIY Christmas: Amazing Gift Wrapping
Gifts spend 99% of their life wrapped, under a tree, and exposed to the world…so why not make them look just as incredible and festive as the rest of your decorations? And don’t you just LOVE opening up a fantastically packaged gift, even if it’s not really what you “always wanted”?
Brown Kraft paper is cheap and a perfect base for stamps and (very) glittery ribbon. You can buy it in the mailing section of any store that sells boxes or padded envelopes.
Some years, I come up with 2 or 3 different wrapping themes and stick to those so everything coordinates beautifully under the tree. That way, I also only have to buy a few different papers, ribbons and toppers.
Twist tinsel-like pipe cleaners into cursive gift tags!
This year, I decided instead to use up a bunch of Christmas ribbons and decorations I’ve had around for years. I limited the paper choices so they still belonged to the same “world”, but otherwise, I went all out! Here are some of my favorites:
This woodland paper is adorned with a plaid fabric ribbon and I used a red pipe cleaner to simultaneously decorate and attach a large bottle brush tree and plastic deer. Paper from The Container Store.
I jazzed up this navy and white ski lodge paper with tinsel yarn, lots of glittery floral picks and glittered bells. Paper from The Container Store.
I finally got to use these silly plastic Santas and 1950’s-looking holly! I love how they perfectly coordinate with the simple red and white polka dot paper. Paper from The Container Store.
Give Love!
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Your Next Christmas Mission
(I’ll be peppering all of my posts this month with my favorite things to buy this holiday season! Click on the images to buy them yourself.)
Artwork by Erin Rachel Hudak. 100% of the profits will go to the Humane Society Disaster Relief Fund to help displaced animals after the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey.
Rosella eco resin rings with gold flakes
It’s the second week of December, so here is your mission for this week: Get those cards and gifts written, packed and shipped! I know it might still seem early to you, but I promise this is definitely the week to get your homemade cookies, cards and gifts out there so they arrive on time. Shipping now means you can take advantage of First Class Mail (packages under 13 ounces) and Parcel Post (packages over 13 ounces), which is WAY cheaper than Express or Priority…and don’t be duped by Flat Rate boxes!! If you don’t have something heavy to send, this will sometimes be 5 TIMES the price of weighing and shipping normally.
This year, (after a huge baking disaster last year), I will be making truffles on Tuesday for some far away friends, so my photos and recipes will be coming soon! Jeff and I had a hilarious time shooting our photo for our Christmas card this year and I promise to reveal it once I get the actual cards sent later in the week.
Gift Shop Brooklyn sparkly clutch.
Here’s my own To-Do list for this week:
- December 10th: Make truffle grocery list and shop for supplies. Photoshop labels for truffles. Finish shopping for Jeff and Joan (my mom).
- December 11th: Make truffles all day!
- December 12th: Pack truffles and wrap. Fill out Christmas cards and address. Prep to ship everything.
- December 13th: Ship all Christmas goodies. Make party grocery list and prep charts. Pull together Christmas party outfit.
- December 14th: Party prep. Design and print food labels. Start decorating house and set up photo booth.
- December 15th: CHRISTMAS PARTY! Prep and cook all day.
This is our 2011 Christmas card “album”. Just a little teaser for what’s to come!
Give Love!
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Santa’s Coming!
Flying Bear from Mt. Royal Mint
(I’ll be peppering all of my posts this month with my favorite things to buy this holiday season! Click on the image to buy it yourself)
It’s officially December, so it’s time to ask yourself, “How far behind am I?”
Every year, you have a choice. Embrace the crazy and learn to absolutely love it or complain for 2 months straight and make everyone around you miserable. If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE IT and I have some ways to make things a little easier for you this month. Do these three essential things (after the jump) this weekend and I’ll have more fun stuff throughout the month! Continue reading
Give Love!
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Party Planning: ALL Your Ducks in Row
The invitations are out…so now I just have to plan it!
As I started to plan my third baby shower of this year, I realized that I should share a bit of my process with the world since I have party-throwing down to an art form! If you don’t know this already, soirees of all sorts are kinda my thing, from my own wedding to showers to our annual Easter and Christmas parties. They all get the same attention to detail and I use the same paperwork for every single one. My famous (within these 4 walls) party charts are after the jump! Continue reading
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Booze Makeover
When my good pal, Arthur, sent me this project, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it for my own bar! Like him, I also hate looking at ugly food labels on things exposed in my kitchen (which is why I’ve transferred all of my flour and grains into matching glass containers). Aesthetics aside, his bar-bottle-makeover-project is brilliant for another reason too. No one will ever have to know how cheap your alcohol is! Here are his instructions, with my own side bars (hee hee) in red.
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Beef Jerky: A Gruesomely Delicious Project
I knew something was wrong when my brother sent me a terrifying photo of hanging, dripping meat strips in his oven and my mouth watered. Homemade beef jerky completely appeals to my love of the pioneer spirit, practical DIY projects, and a desire to get into the holiday spirit! Click here to see how we our own heaping pile the tasty, peppery snack and Happy Halloween!!
Give Love!
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DIY Wedding: The Week Before (And Lessons Learned)
The "prep crew" enjoying my dad's AMAZING dinner!
As far as weddings go, I’m pretty sure ours was as do-it-yourself as you can get. I’ve had a few weeks now to think about how it all turned out, so before I post the official photos, I thought I’d share with you how we pulled it off (and some lessons learned). Maybe our experience will help you decide to (or not to) take on your own wedding! Continue reading
Give Love!
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delia-hauser.com 