Mini Stocking Advent Calendar

I'm basically in love with Advent calendars. I've been making semi-permanent iterations for the past several years...each one lovely in and of itself, but not quite "perfect." Then I found this version at Crate and Barrel. Obviously one hundred dollars for a few pieces of felt and some string is, if nothing else, a wee bit optimistic so I naturally decided to make my own. 

You will need:

*felt in coordinating colours (I used pinks and cream)

*embroidery floss or iron-on felt numbers

*sewing machine, pins etc

*Pattern

*twine

Step One:

Copy and paste the pattern into Microsoft Word or your preferred program. Re-size it to the desired size of your stockings.

Step Two:

Step Three:

Stitch numbers one to twenty four onto each of your stockings using a basic back stitch. If you don't know how to back stitch watch this video first. If you are using iron-on felt numbers, adhere them here according to manufacturer's instructions.

Step Four:

You can do this step by hand or by machine.

Step Five:

Step Six:

String them up and admire!

You could fill these with candy, little trinkets or my personal favourite: a little daily family activity to get you all in the spirit. For great family-friendly ideas check out Andrea's Quiet Fish blog.

Cashmere Pocket Hand Warmers

Felting old wool sweaters you aren't going to be wearing anymore is a great way to recycle and repurpose materials. I am a hopelessly horrendous knitter, but using felt allows me to create "knitted" items easily and without any unnecessary knitting needle-related injuries! It's incredibly easy to felt a wool sweater. If you're like me with laundry, chances are you've done it once or twice already completely inadvertently. 
                         
How to Felt a Wool Sweater

You will need:
- several 100% wool sweaters (no acrylics or blends)
- washer and dryer
- laundry soap

Directions:
- Wash the sweaters along with a load of your regular laundry on HOT setting with a COLD rinse. Use laundry soap/ detergent as usual. The friction provided by the other items in the washer help the felting process. Don't use too much water. The more friction, the better.
- Dry the sweaters along with the rest of the load on HIGH.
- Test the sweater is felted by cutting a snip into the fabric. If it frays, toss it back into the washer for another cycle or two. If it holds a crisp edge, you've got yourself a piece of felted wool.  

These Felted Cashmere Pocket Hand warmers would make an excellent teacher, hostess or thank you gift. As a teacher, I can attest to how much they are appreciated on those blustery January yard duties. Include a pretty tag explaining how to use them, and you're done!

**Repeat the entire process with the other hand warmer**

Heating and Use:

Heat in the microwave on HIGH for 30 second intervals until desired temperature is reached. Do not exceed 2 minutes or rice may burn. Place one warmer in each pocket and enjoy the warm, toasty experience as you brave another chilly Canadian winter. 

The Ultimate Roast Chicken!

I'm not gonna lie to you here, and I'm not gonna be humble. I make a damn good roast chicken. I've perfected this recipe by carefully layering techniques I've come across throughout my cooking experience, and trial and error. Lots and lots of error. This recipe is easy and quite adaptable. You can change the entire meal simply by varying the herbs. Tarragon, sage or rosemary would all work really well. I'm partial to a mix of thyme, rosemary and lemon when it comes to chicken, though. Classic. There is nothing like sitting down with the family on a chilly fall Sunday evening to a perfectly roasted chicken and root vegetable dinner. Pure comfort food.

Ingredients:

- one 3-4 lbs roasting chicken (preferably kosher, if you can find it)

- one medium lemon

- 2-3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

- 2 or three sprigs of rosemary (leaves only)

- 2 each: intact sprigs of thyme and rosemary

- 1 tbsp olive oil 

- Salt and pepper

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 425 degrees

- Rinse chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towel

- Remove the zest from the lemon and quarter it

- In a small bowl or ramekin  mix the zest, thyme and rosemary leaves and 1/2 tsp coarse salt and pepper.

- Starting at the cavity end of the chicken, slide an index finger under the skin gently prying it away from the flesh. Do this all over the chicken, keeping the skin intact.

- Under the skin, rub the zest, herb, salt and pepper mixture over as much of the meat as possible. 

- Brush the skin liberally with olive oil

- Generously sprinkle the bird with salt and pepper inside and out

- Stuff the cavity with the lemon quarters and whole sprigs of thyme and rosemary

- To roast, place the chicken on its side. Roast on one side for 25 minutes, then switch sides and roast for another 25 minutes. 

- Finish roasting breast side up until the a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 170 degrees and the juices run clear (not pink). This method of roasting allows the fat to redistribute throughout the flesh during the cooking process. This results in a much juicier and more flavourful chicken. 

- Allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving. If you want to know why this step is essential and not-optional, I suggest looking here.

I suggest serving this with a nicely peppered arugula salad with a mustard vinaigrette and some sweet roasted root vegetables. A mix of carrots, parsnips and potatoes is my personal favourite.

Crafting Your Way to Christmas: Cute, Plushy Owl Tutorial

via favim.com

This cute little plush owl is the first in my "Crafting Your Way to Christmas" series. I'll be featuring crafts I've done (that you can do too!) as well as free printables, recipes and ideas I've culled to get yourself into the Christmas spirit. I have tons of decorating and gift ideas in store, so check back often!

This project was inspired by this adorable owl caddy by Three Sprouts. We got it as a gift for Baby Dragon and I loved the simple, clean lines. I thought the design would be totally easy to turn into a plush toy...and I was right! Follow along and see how I did it.

You will need:

two copies of the free pattern by Toad's Treasures

three coordinating pieces of quilting weight cotton

two pieces of felt (I used cream and brown)

basic sewing accouterments

fibre fill of your choice 

READ: From the first copy of the pattern cut all the pieces except for the wing. Cut the outer eye piece slightly larger than in the pattern (see picture below). From the second copy, draw and cut the wing as indicated in the diagram above. Cut the inner eye piece slightly larger and without the notch. It should just be a plain circle. This will be the second layer of the eye. Our version has a three layer eye, while the original only has a two-layer eye.

You should have all of the above pieces. Before you continue, make sure! 

This little guy will be waiting for baby girl under the Christmas tree on her first Christmas morning...I know she won't remember it, but I'm kinda excited!!

Tutorial: Ribbon Blanket for Baby

These little ribbon blankets (also called tag blankets) are a super-cute handmade baby shower gift idea. They are a nice sensory toy for young babies because they are light, easy to grasp and full of different textures. You can use any fabric and ribbon you have on hand. The finished blanket can be any size, as can the ribbon tags- no need to be too precious here with exact measurements. I recommend using a soft flannel, fleece or minky for the blanket in coordinating fabrics and a variety of different sizes and textures of ribbon to keep it interesting. Since you know this is going into baby's mouth, I highly recommend at least a double row of top stitching to secure the ribbons. 

One of my friends got a handmade ribbon blanket for her baby girl and to quote her: "It's kind of her favourite thing." Let's get started!     

You Will Need:

Instructions:

Finished!

Maple Pumpkin Butter

After a family trip to Whittamore's Farm earlier this month, I found myself with a few extra Sugar Baby Pumpkins on hand. I'm talking about the mini pie-making pumpkins here, not the giant, pulpy Jack-o-Lantern-destined pumpkins. I also picked up a jar of Pumpkin Jam while at the farm, and I immediately fell in love with the spicy spread...but at $3.99 for the tiniest jar you've ever seen, I knew I'd have to sate my pumpkin cravings with a rendition of my own.

This recipe positively tastes of fall! It's essentially a spreadable pumpkin pie filling, but it's actually healthy for you! Despite its name, there is absolutely no butter in Pumpkin Butter. Think of it as Apple Butter's lesser-known cousin. Pumpkin butter is an exquisite addition to your morning bowl of oatmeal, Greek yogurt (with or without granola), spread on toast, crackers or quick bread or as a topping for pancakes. There are innumerable ways to use this delicious spread. It turns everything it touches into pumpkin pie.  

This recipe makes enough Pumpkin Butter to fill about six pint-size Mason jars. You can easily halve the recipe to make less, but it freezes beautifully and makes a lovely hostess gift! If you aren't in the mood to roast your own pumpkins, feel free to use the canned variety. One 15 oz can equals approximately one small pumpkin. Be sure to pick up pure canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. 

Ingredients:

• 6 lbs Sugar Pumpkins (approximately three small pumpkins) or three 15oz cans of pumpkin puree
• 2 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tbsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cloves and 1/2 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg)
• 3/4 cup sucanat (or brown sugar, unpacked)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 cup apple cider (or real apple juice such as Simply Apple)
• 3 cups water
•  pinch of salt

Enjoy!