Embroidered Dove Garland - White Christmas in July - Day 1

For the first day of White Christmas in July, I made an embroidered dove garland.  The doves' bodies are cut from a felted wool blanket.

Part of the hand-embroidered, felted garland I made.

The doves are made from a felted wool blanket.

Each dove is embroidered with a simple Scandinavian design. I had hoped to trace the designs onto the bodies with a disappearing ink pen. No such luck. The felted wool sweater is so thick that even with the pattern on top of a light board, the image was impossible to see.

A few more designs on the doves.

All of the embroidered designs are free-handed. I looked at the designs and tried to replicate them as I went along.

The last four hand-embroidered doves.

To make the garland, the doves are evenly spead along a piece of ribbon.  Although I would have preferred to use another type of ribbon, I've been committed to using what I have on hand rather than purchasing new supplies. So I ended up cutting a narrow strip from a 2" wide piece of a soft-textured, almost velvet-type ribbon. 

The garland by the woodstove.

Each dove is hand-sewn in place so it doesn't shift when the garland is hung.

I'm happy to have the garland done and ready to be used in December when it will be time to decorate for Christmas. 

Ribbon Pouch Tutorial - White Christmas in July - Day 2

Today I made gift and candy pouches from ribbon scraps.  I've made gift bags from fabric and fabric scraps that I have had on hand, but never ribbon pouches.

To make a ribbon pouch, you'll need 2-3 inches wide ribbon scraps. Align ribbons, perhaps pairing sheers with solids so the treats will be visible. Pin the lengthwise edges together.

Two pieces of ribbon pinned together and ready to be sewed.

Trim ends with pinking shears, and stitch together lengthwise. 

Sew the ribbons together along the lengthwise edge.

Cinch one end of the pounch with narrow ribbon or yarn. Slip in mints, gumdrops, or peppermint sticks. Tie the other end.

Completed ribbon pouches.

I've been wanting to do this project for a long time now, but it seems like when the holiday season arrives this gets put to the bottom of the priority list. By crafting in July for Christmas, it's a way to enjoy the process of creating...without the pressure of the holidays.

Tomato, Basil, & Mozzarella Salad - White Christmas in July - Day 3

With fresh tomatoes and basil ripe in the garden, it's the perfect time to have a red, green, and white salad.  This recipe for Italian Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Salad is from Quick Free Recipes.

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Italian Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad
(serves 3)

Ingredients

3 beefsteak red tomatoes
Approximately 3 ounces fresh sliced mozzarella
1 handful of shredded basil leaves
2 teaspoons olive oil
Cracked black pepper (if desired)
Crusty bread to serve

Directions

1. Slice tomatoes crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices.

2. Arrange each sliced tomato on each salad plate. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top of each tomato, then put the fresh basil leaves on top each tomato also.

3. Drizzle olive oil over the tops and add a dash of pepper. Enjoy! Serve with crusty bread.

Red, White and Blue Flag Cake

4th of July is upon us yet again, but this year I wanted to make a different cake than the one I usually serve, which is a flag cake made out of strawberries and blueberries OR using blueberry or cherry pie filling to make the stars and stripes.

I searched around online and then I saw it.  My jaw hit the ground and I thought "NO WAY".  I was just completely taken with the cake and even more so when I realized that the creator is none other than Elissa from 17 and Baking.  Yeah folks, a now 19 year old, Elissa and her dad came up with this creation for the 4th of July and if you've never seen it before, you're going to flip out.  Just imagine your guests reaction when you serve them a slice of this cake.

Red, White and Blue Flag Cake

Credit:  Elissa

Baking Directions:
To make this cake you will need three full layers of white cake, all the same height (make two recipes of cake or two cake mixes - you will end up with four layers so use one for another purpose). One layer will need to be white, one layer will need to be red and one layer will need to be blue. Use food coloring to get desired shade. Bake the layers in 9" round greased and floured rounds. Let cool. Freeze the layers to make them easier to work with during assembly.

Assembly:
Split the white layer and the red layer in half horizontally using a long serrated knife. (You can also use a cake leveler to help keep the cut even.) Do not split the blue layer. Start assembly by placing one split white layer on a cake plate. Frost the top of this layer using white icing. Place one of the red split layers on top of the frosted white layer and frost it with icing. Set aside.

Place the remaining red split layer and the remaining white split layer on top of the full blue layer. Place a round bowl (or paper pattern) approximately 5" diameter on the top of the cakes in the center and cut through all the layers using the bowl as a guide.

You should now have a circle cut through the layers. Keep the center red circle, the center white circle and the outer (approximately 2" wide) blue cake ring. Set aside all other cake pieces for a different use.

Place the outer blue cake ring piece on the iced white and red cake layers.

Carefully spread icing around the inside of the blue ring.

Insert the round white cake piece in the center of the blue ring and ice. Insert the red round cake piece making sure it is flush with the blue cake ring.

You should now have a complete cake ready to ice. Finish by icing the entire cake with white icing and decorating as desired.

To serve, cut into slices and be amazed at the cool flag each piece becomes!

Healthy (and Fun!) Holiday Eating - White Christmas in July - Day 4

Even though I have multiple files filled with ideas for celebrating Christmas, I always enjoy looking at other ideas.

Last year, Sophia, Olivia, and I did a lot of cooking and baking.  We all enjoyed our time together in the kitchen trying new recipes - like these for chocolate cookies made in a waffle iron.

Calendar of Healthy Eating Ideas

This year, I'd like to incorporate some healthy foods into the Christmas season. One way to do this is by using the 25 Healthy Days to Christmas PDF from Nourish Interactive. The calendar has lots of great ideas that would appeal to both children and adults. 

Edible Christmas Tree

For a holiday gathering, this is a clever way to display fresh vegetables. The person who created the edible Christmas tree used a mix of cauliflower from the gardenia mix, broccoli, and boccoflower for a contrast of color.

Edible Christmas Tree.

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She recommends quickly blanching the broccoli and broccoflower heads for a few seconds in salted boiling water and then chilling them to brighten the color.

To assemble the edible Christmas tree, you need a Styrofoam cone and toothpicks. I would cover the cone with saran/clear wrap so none of the Styrofoam gets on the vegetables. Serve with a healthy dip on the side.

Muffin Tin Meals
After a busy day, sometimes it's nice just to have a simple dinner or light snack. One of the ways to do this is to serve a meal in a muffin tin.

Christmas theme Muffin Tin Meal.
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The muffin tins can be lined with a cupcake paper liner. Not only does this add some color to the meal, but it helps reduce clean-up time.

There are a variety of cutters available - either for cookies, appetizers, or bento boxes. These help reinforce the theme of the meal.

Doing a muffin tin meal in a trio of colors (red, green, and white) or single color would be another option that would be fun for a child to look at and eat.