Christmas Felt MADness

I love me some holiday felt! Felt ornaments, felt stockings, felt holiday banners with reindeer, Santa and candy canes, felt wreaths and lately felt Pinecones which I'm simply going GAGA for.

Here's my first FELT MADNESS page:

Whaddaya think?

Rockerfeller Christmas 2010

My first 3D felt project. AND I learned a new stitch to do it. "Learning a new stitch" is totally easy (I found) if I use a patient teacher- YOUTUBE. Gulf Coast Cottage has super simple videos that are short so even the simple minded (ME) can view them 50 times in order to learn.
Here's a link:
Blanket Stitch tutorial


Normally I wouldn't go to Rockerfeller Center because the crowds make using a stroller safely impossible but we needed a family photo with holiday flavor. Luckily "Real Simple" Magazine had pro shooters set up in key areas around the tree. Our guy was so over it by 4pm that all the photos were fuzzy. I made him redo our shot (it cost 21 dollars for 1 stinking print!) but Lola refused to look at the camera so this unfocused shot is the best of the bunch.

Close up- stitches and awesome tag I got FOR FREE

Michelle WHY did you cut up the background paper? Because I'm crazy. I thought weaving the paper would look cute. What I didn't consider was that the paper was so busy it would compete with anything you put in front of it (and look horrible). But I loved the paper so I used it cut up and attached it using mini heart brads.

Items used: Making Memories mistletoe paper, Celebrate It! glitter pine cone garland from Michael's, scallop circle from Dusty Attic painted gold by Making Memories acrylic paint, Making Memories circle flowers and a couple of dollar store doilies I painted gold with a Color Box Cat's Eye pad and Tattered Angels Mist in "Sand" and "Iridescent Gold". The beautiful tag came with an Etsy order a while ago- wish I could remember the maker so I could link them up...

Tim Holtz tape makes the back interesting

That's it- I've edited this page a bunch of times already.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

M.

Craft Elf! No- craft GREMLIN...

Lola is a constantly amazing me. Naturally I think she's a genius and incredibly fascinating- and funny- and adorable- the most lovable thing since sliced bread with lemon curd and cool whip on top.

Here she is casing the join for paper to DESTROY. This is her new hobby- make Mommy scream in anguish. I love her- this is proof- anyone else going into my plastic cases would get the ol' heave ho.

I created this page for the PAPER ISSUES Christmas Challenge. Go check this website out- there are so many spectacular projects there I can hardly stop reading and looking to make my own.

Craft Elf using Pencil Lines sketch 215 by Jennifer Matott

The circles have photos of my favorite ornaments.

Here are Lola's:

These are constantly coming off the tree and traveling to far off places- like the bathroom. 
I love felt ornaments. The more rudimentary they look the more I want them. This year I'm stalking West Elm and Lord & Taylor- when they have their 75% sales I am SO there!

For the second Christmas page I used Core Impressions Cosmo Cricket neautrals. The paper is Turquoise but of course the scanner turned it green. I had a devil of a time trying to turn it back and didn't succeed. I really need to take some advanced photoshop courses...

Anyways I also used some felt, some wire ribbon for the borders and strips, a Jillibean soup kraft tag and packaging for the journaling and my new favorite embellishment string. The gold border is German and I got it from Vintage Images In Time- an Etsy shop.

I love stitching! It allows me to talk, listen and think but not watch tv- it's the ultimate zen craft.

Talking to Santa Giraffe 

MuChOs SmOoChEs!!
M.

HoliDAZE! And Guineitos en escabeche (pickled green bananas)

Our Tree, 2010

This happens every year- I put off thinking about the holidays then feel like they pounced. I love the family gatherings but I hate the crowds, the clueless gift shopping, the MUSIC, the expectations... AAAARGH! I'm a scrooge at heart.

So this year- in order to break out of a particularly long introspective funk I put up our tree early. And I feel like I failed to take a good photo AGAIN.

Busy busy busy- all these trinkets to remove...
and DESTROY!

For every item I put up Lola took down 2 so it took 2 hours versus the usual 20 minutes- the tree is tiny just like our apartment. I've been ready for Lolster's tree shaking self for YEARS- all the ornaments are felt. I LOVE felt ornaments.

I KNOW Annalee is only for ladies with 3 cats but my Mom loves them so I get them when she repeat buys.

JC Penney was having a sale and I bought that awesome moving tree topper- the only thing more perfect would be if it was motorized and had lights.

The other thing I've been struggling with is my cook traditional Puerto Rican food 3 times a week vow. I barely cook ANYTHING twice a week so it's time to buckle down and DO THIS.

Here is my recipe for Thanksgiving:

Guineitos en Escabeche

Ingredients

• 4 pounds of true green bananas, not almost green, GREEN 
• 2/3 cup of rice vinegar (that's what I used- recipe calls for regular white vinegar)
• 1 2/3 cups of olive oil- (I probably used way more than that OOOPS
• 2 onions, peeled and cut into thin slices. I tried frying the first batch and BURNED IT- rookie mistake)
• 1/2 cup of alcaparrado (olives and capers mixed with red pepper)
• 4 bay leaves (I used like 6)
• black pepper to taste
• flakes sea salt to taste (I LOVE FLAKE salt- it's an EXPERIENCE)
• 2 pounds of chicken gizzards (yes you heard right)

Boil the GREEN bananas for 25 minutes- in salted water (I forgot to salt the water). Do not cut the skin before boiling or your pot will get this ICKY black ring that's almost impossible to remove- that is LA MANCHA DEL HIBARO!!! The hillbilly's spot. Anyway..

After your boil them babies, let them cool a bit, peel them and cut them into rounds. Add the other ingredients and let sit over night for best results. Boil the chicken gizzards for 30 minutes in salted water and add as well. I did not boil them- I sauteed them with garlic and onions- which was my classic mistake- DO NOT DO THE FOLLOWING...

Saute chicken gizzards in olive oil for like 15 minutes get distracted by Dancing With The Stars and add the onions and garlic too early using HIGH HEAT. They will inevitably burn and RUIN THE TASTE of those already iffy gizzards. 


DO THIS: Let the gizzards pan fry for at least an hour on low heat- this will make them soft. Repeat DO NOT add garlic and onions until the very end. Cut the gizzards down to bite size pieces and add to salad. CHOMP!

That's it- super easy animal entrail salad- if chicken gizzards make you wanna puke don't add them- try your chicken muscle of choice.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!!

M