Little bits of this and that...and a winner!

 Hello friends, (to read this blog post in your browser, please click on the title)

This week I have a variety of projects to share with you. As you know, I have kicked my Christmas crafting into high gear because we need to send our presents across the border and that sometimes can take a little longer than expected. It is hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it's sunny and warm though, so I was perfectly happy when it was rainy, dark, and turning cooler this past week...way more conductive for getting in the Christmas spirit! Dark and stormy days also put me in the mood to bake so our kitchen has been very much in use this week. I really want to share these 2 recipes with you all. The Christmas Cracker Toffee is SO good ( and addictive~ don't say I didn't warn you!), and you could make it to fit any celebration ( I made it for Halloween this year, using halloween candy sprinkles, and it was a big hit). The Cranberry Cake is super easy and disappears in a flash in our home so be prepared to not have that around for long either ;).

Christmas cracker toffee 

( image source)

Ingredients:

• enough graham crackers to fill a jelly-roll pan ( or use 50 saltines)
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1/2 – 1 cup of toppings ( nuts, M&M’s, Heath bits, candy bits, whatever you like!)

1. Line a jelly roll pan with foil and spray with non-stick spray.
2. Lay crackers out on foil, filling in all spaces as much as possible.
3. In pan, melt butter and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over crackers and spread out evenly.
4. Place pan in 325* F oven for 5-6 minutes.
5. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle 2 cups of choc.chips over top. Let melt for a bit and spread evenly.
6. Sprinkle with your chosen topping.
7. Place in freezer for 30 minutes at least.
8. Remove, break into chunks, and store in fridge ( will stay fresh for 1-2 weeks, but it won’t last that long!)

Cranberry Cake

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 cup sugar ( I use a little less and add a tsp of vanilla instead)

1 cup flour

1/3 cup melted butter

1 3/4 cup combination of cranberries ( I use frozen), chopped apple, and white chocolate chips.

1) Preheat oven to 350* F and grease a 8x8 pan.

2)Beat eggs until thick; gradually add sugar and vanilla.

3)Stir in flour and melted butter.

4) Fold in cranberries, apples and chocolate chips.

5) Spread evenly in pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. Let cool and cut into bars.

About 16 servings.

In between baking I have been finishing up my table runners ( all done!), 

and started quilting my next Jelly Roll twist quilt. 

I am free-motion quilting this one in chunks and then will sew the blocks together, add a backing, and quilt a few more stabilizing lines. Doing it this way makes a project so much less bulky and easier to handle. ( And I always love looking at the back to see what interesting doodles I create ;) )

I also started a 3rd(!!!) Jelly Roll Twist quilt, this one for our home, because I love the pattern and the ease of construction so much! And just look at the great fabric I'm using....drool! 

( click here for a similar look)

And as if I needed to add more projects to my list, I just couldn't resist signing up for a mixed media class through the Maker Beehive. It is just a recorded class that was live in the summer at some point, but I had fun watching it and making this: 

It was super fun and I'm sure I will have to make more in the future!

So, what's next on the agenda? Well,  I might have to make a few of those ornaments I shared in last week's blog post to use as present toppers, and I still need to incorporate all those bee embroideries into gift bags, but then my Christmas "makes" will be pretty much done ( unless I decide to add another project, which has been known to happen.....) 

Okay, and now the moment you've all been waiting for....Thank you for leaving your comments about what Christmas projects you are working on! I enjoyed reading them. I randomly picked a winner from all of you who commented and will be sending this book to

..............drumroll please......Roseanne! Please send me your mailing details via email ( contact info can be found on right hand side of this blog post) and I will get it out to you ASAP. 

Until next time~happy creating!

Monique