Tree Trimming with Auntie Robin

Today Auntie Robin shares one of her Christmas Traditions.
While I have only two daughters, my extended family is very big. I have been an aunt all my life and now have 76 nieces and nephews!! That’s counting my nieces and nephews, their children and even their grandchildren! Hence the name of my etsy shop, Auntie Robin.
With such a large family, buying that many Christmas gifts is out of the question. Many years, ago I started making Christmas ornaments every year for all the kids. I try to make something different each year with fabric, felt, and/or embroidery. My favorites so far have been little fabric stockings and wool felt ice skates. I’ve made personalized snowmen, gingerbread men, mittens, candy canes, you name it! Everyone thinks it’s fun to see what this year’s ornament will be. I usually sweeten the gift with a little cash or candy.
I love making the ornaments and other gifts. It’s heart-warming to hear that these are some of the kids’ favorite ornaments. One of my adult nieces has a separate tree in her home decorated only with ornaments I’ve given them. She has five children so over the years they’ve received a lot of them! A couple of years ago another niece gave away all their ornaments except for the ones I’ve made them. Now that she has little ones of her own, she appreciates that these ornaments can’t be broken!
It’s time for me to start making ornaments for this year’s gift-giving. I won’t mention what they are, but I’d better get busy!
During the Christmas in July sale, use Coupon Code CHRISTMAS15 to get 15% off all your in stock orders.

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Tutorial:: Beeswax Ornaments

This tutorial comes from Ann of Harvest Moon by Hand. It was one of their family advent activities. The results are beautiful and we are so pleased Ann is sharing how to make these charming ornaments.

These beeswax ornaments are made by pouring melted beeswax into ceramic ceramic cookie molds. The mold designs lend themselves well to the ornaments, and in the window, the sunlight reveals the pattern. It takes about a pound of wax to make eight ornaments.

The first step was to melt the wax. My daughter, emptied a huge can of black beans and washed out the container. I put the wax into the can and then into a heavy pot with a few inches of water.

The next step, once the wax was melted, was to pour it into molds. Initially, we poured the wax directly onto the mold. It ended up sticking. One of the ornaments came off easily, but the rest stuck. After getting the wax off, I put some vegetable oil onto the molds. We re-melted the wax and tried again.

This time, there was too much oil and the ornaments looked greasy. Removed all the beeswax and re-melted it. Wiped off some of the oil so there was barely any there.

Third time...re-poured the wax in the molds and put little holes where the ribbon would go through.

The beeswax hardens quite quickly. For the initial ornaments, we made holes with toothpicks through the wax so a ribbon would go through them. For the last batch, I put the ribbon in the back of the hardening wax.

If we had trouble taking any of the ornaments out of the molds, we put them in the freezer for a few minutes. Then they would come out easily.

After drying them for a couple of days at room temperature, I took a paring knife and cleaned up the edges as well as put a ribbon through the holes for hanging them.

My daughter and I enjoyed making these ornaments together, and look forward to making more of them.


Many thanks to Ann for sharing one of her projects for the holidays. Ann's shop, Harvest Moon by Hand is participant in our Christmas in July Sale. Save 10% on everything in her shop by using code EKCIJ10 (products only; not on shipping).

If you love these Beeswax Impressions but aren't up for making them yourself, you can purchase them in her shop here.



Follow Ann's articles and photos about homeschooling; arts and crafts; cooking; nature walks; natural living; needlework; and see what inspires the creation of products available through Harvest Moon by Hand by reading her blog.

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Michelles Zoo

Today's Christmas contribution is from Michelle's Zoo.

One of my favorite things about Christmas when I was little was pulling out the stockings that my Grandmother hand made for us. All of her kids and grand kids had handmade stockings that she made out of felt and and sequins. By the time her great grandchildren (my kids and my nieces and nephews) came along she started making needlepoint-cross-stitch stockings. My grandmother taught me to needlepoint/cross-stitch when I was very young. I love doing all kinds of crafts, but needlepoint is probably my biggest love!!

I love giving homemade gifts. Christmas, birthdays, any excuse I can find. I started making stuffed animals in February 2010 when my niece had a baby girl. I made my first stuffed animal ever for her nursery, a pink giraffe with purple spots. Everyone in my family, my mother, especially my sister and her three kids (17, 19 and 23) love all the stuffed animals I make. Every time I make a new stuffed animal I send them pictures or post a pic to Facebook. I swear they are worse than little kids (especially my sister who happens to be 43 years old). I want it, I want one, I want that. Needless to say, there are not enough birthdays and holidays to meet their growing wish list. They definitely keep me in stitches!

Since I started making stuffed animals a year and a half ago, I have given over 50 away as gifts. I love making these adorable little stuffed animals!!! They thrill me to no end when they are finished and show up with their own little personalities. The only reason I sell them on Etsy is so that I have an excuse to keep making them. Every animal I have listed is ready to ship, which translates to my cozy living space being overrun by stuffed animals. Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Michelle's Christmas in July sale is 20% off your entire purchase. Use coupon code CIJ20 at checkout.

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Easy Oreo Truffles

I love a good truffle – I make chocolate chip cookie ones every year when I do my holiday baking. So, it goes without saying that I was super excited to try these Oreo Truffles at a meeting of my MOMS Club a few weeks ago. My friend served them as pops with sticks in them (so cute!), which I will do the next time.

These are super easy. Start them now, and they’ll be ready to eat in just a couple of hours. I’ll be making these again soon, perhaps trying a different kind or flavor of sandwich cookie.


Oreo Truffles

16 oz. package of Oreo cookies, crushed in food processor (or in a Ziploc bag with a wooden spoon)
8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

Mix the cookies and cream cheese together. Form into balls (I used a melon baller for size), and place on wax paper on a cookie sheet. Freeze until set. (I left mine in about two hours.)

Melt chocolate (white or semisweet), and dip the frozen truffles into the chocolate. While the chocolate is still soft, decorate with seasonal sprinkles, colored sugar, etc. (I'm already thinking that this recipe will come out again at Christmastime.) My chocolate coating ended up a little messy. Next time, I’ll use block baker’s chocolate rather than chocolate and white chips.

Chill in the fridge to set the chocolate. Then, try to limit yourself to just one. Or two.


Enjoy! -Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

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