The Hallelujah Eggs

We're having a family Christmas dinner for twelve today.  Now everyone in the world may already have known this but I didn't so I went to ehow.com to find out the best way to peel an egg.  I love deviled eggs but absolutely hate making them.  Most of the time my eggs don't peel easily (or they come out looking like egg salad) and half of them aren't even usable.  I know how to cook 'em, know to put 'em in cool water for awhile before peeling, even know you should 'crackle' them before trying to peel.  But the secret I didn't know was that after you crackle them, if you roll them in your hands like you're rolling a meatball for a few seconds, it will loosen the membrane under the shell and it will peel easily.  I JUST PEELED A DOZEN PERFECT EGGS!!!!!!!!!  Hallelujah!!!!!!!!  Let's eat!!!!!!!

One World One Heart 2011

Oh my gosh I'm so excited and can't believe it's that time of year already!  Thanks Georgina for reminding me about this.  One World One Heart will take place between January 30th and February 17th 2011 and this will be the fifth and final year for it.  Last year over 1,000 bloggers participated.   It's almost impossible to visit that many blogs but Lisa keeps the list out there for a year so you can always go back and visit later. 

It's so that bloggers can meet other bloggers (via their blogs) and it's so much fun and so inspiring.  I met the most incredible people last year and hope to meet even more this year. 

You can go here to read all about it.

Un Quartetto Di Alberi

For some reason (could it be Christmas?) I've been on a create-a-tree spree!  These are made with cardboard spools, yarn, and whatever whimsies I could find.  Fast, cute, and perfect for giveaways or door prizes. 

Enjoy!

Sparkly Christmas Tree Tutorial

I made a little sparkly Christmas tree today - although it's hard to see the sparkles in the pictures.  But medium cut German Glass glitter in clear was used and it really does sparkle in the light.  All you need is:

A spool and a dowel

If your dowel doesn't fit tightly into your spool,

you can tape a tiny nail to the bottom side of the dowel

Be sure to use a nail with no head

Then glue the dowel into the spool and it will fit tightly

Cover the sides of your spool with glue

and sprinkle heavily with the German glass glitter

Then let dry before you begin putting the coffee filters over the dowel

A few unbleached coffee filters

I think I ended up using about five or six

and my tree is eight inches high including the spool

Cut through the coffee filter to the center and then cut the center out

(I put several coffee filters together before cutting)

Wad the centers up into a ball, straighten them out,

then cut scallops around the edges

(these don't have to be perfect)

Cut the fluted coffee filter edge into pieces big enough

to cut a circle out of

Depending upon the size of your spool,

the coffee filter bottoms (that you scalloped)

should be big enough for the bottom of the tree

cut smaller circles as you go,

putting eight to ten of each size circle on the dowel

(again this will depend upon how tall you make your dowel)

fold the circle in half and snip the center

(so it will fit over the dowel)

Cut two stars out of the coffee filter centers to fit the top of your tree

Cut a tiny square from a little piece of white cloth or cardstock

Put dabs of glue around the edges of your circles

and dip them into German glass glitter

Shake them off and put them on your dowel

with the sparkly side up

starting with the larger circles at the bottom

and smaller circles going up the tree to the top

Leave a little room at the top of your dowel for the star

Put glue all over one side of the star and dip in German glass glitter

Glue one square of cloth or cardstock in the middle of 

the non-glitter side of your star

Place a dab of glue on the cloth/cardstock and glue to dowel

You'll have one star on each side of dowel

Then you can put a teeny dab of glue on each of the top three star points

and glue them together.

Add a ribbon to the spool if you wish

and even a sequin or 'jewel' to the middle of the star

And by the way, Diana at Splinters And Rags is where I've always bought my German glass glitter.  She's great to work with and has loads of colors and types as well as mica and other items.  Her store and email is here:  http://splintersandrags.com/ and her Ebay store is here:  http://stores.ebay.com/Splinters-and-Rags-Crafts

Christmas Gift Exchange

Tuesday night our rug hooking group has our annual Christmas party where we eat, laugh, and draw for gifts.  The gift has to be something to do with wool and hand-made.  Somehow I always manage to come up with something that ISN'T simple LOL  So this year I went with an appliqued wool box.  Chipboard pieces covered with wool and hand-stitched around the edges.  Then each is stitched to the other to make the box.  The button strings weight the lid closed.  And no, the tiny tree on top isn't hand-made but I need to figure out exactly how it was made because it's really cool.  I think teeny tiny ribbon was wound around wire and then made into a tree.  Or maybe the tree was made first and then they wrapped the ribbon.  No matter, THAT'S something for next year LOL    Oh and Santa baby, if you can find our chimney, I'd love a new camera for Christmas.  The side that has the Santa baby verse really is a fireplace with two tiny stockings hanging down.

Enjoy!

And We Have A Giveaway Winner!

The random generator gave me number 20 so...

Mya at elbows on my windowsill

won the wool box giveaway!  Mya, if you'll email me with two of your favorite colors, I'll get started on your prize.  Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments on my blog. 

Santa Baby, Hurry Down The Chimney Tonight...

Santa, I want a bone and a bag of dog treats and a dog bed and a blanket, oh and did I say a bone?  And a daily ride in the car and a daily walk, oh and did I say a bone?  Uh, Santa, maybe two bones?  Whadda ya mean I'm heavy?

Aw come ON Shadow - it's my turn, my turn, my turn - I want bones too.

And Santa wants a bigger chair!