Sugar Sugar

I'm taking a break from sugar abstinence.  The urge to bake is just too overwhelming this time of year. And the urge to eat… well, that's another blog post.  

My cookie hero is San Francisco's Jean Scardina. At 79, in 2008, she was interviewed by Amanda Hesser regarding her astounding annual cookie production—500 dozen, 16 varieties, a christmas tradition dating back to 1951.  My favorite quote from the article… "This is my own madness, and I can't see dragging anyone else into it", when queried whether she ever accepted any help in producing this staggering output of neatly decorated cookies.

Anyway, mine don't look as good as hers, but they'll do. I'll have a half dozen tins of assorted to give away, and then put the cutters away for another year. 

Chocolate Jitterbugs (from the Ikea Fika book)

Dough | 1 cup (225ml) all purpose flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 100g. butter, 1/4 cup superfine sugar, 1/2 an egg yolk. Meringue | 1 egg white, 1/2 cup superfine sugar

Method: Sift dry ingredients, mix with room temperature butter, yolk and sugar. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. Roll dough inbetween parchment sheets to 6 x 12 inch rectangle. 
Beat white till foamy, incorporate sugar slowly. (For firmer meringue do this over water in a double boiler). Spread cooled meringue over dough, roll up lengthwise, wrap and chill at least 15 minutes.
Cut slices approx. 1/3 inch thick, place on parchment covered sheet, bake off in a preheated 350 F. oven for 10-12 minutes.

Um, Christmas

Thinking about these cookies. 

I refer to my Um Christmas Pinterest board, and a link to a recipe for a basic rolled gingercrisp courtesy of Babes in Boyland. 

Never having owned any of those quintessential granny cut-glass tumblers or juice glasses needed to emboss the pattern onto the dough, I made a quick trip to my favourite thrift shop that yielded 8 super sweet plastic mugs with a pattern on the bottom fit for a angel.

Let the baking commence.

Christmas Crafts book review

I was originally drawn to this book by Kajsa Wikman because of the scandinavian tomtes featured on her blog. But there is much more to glean from this lovely book. Her angels with unruly hair and birds with dangly legs evoke a naive and charming esthetic.  

These graceful bird forms were derived from artwork she and her daughter were working on.

The birds were drawn and coloured, and Kajsa stepped away to check the laundry. On her return— she found that her daughter had added the whimsical legs and beaks to the flock!
There is more Kajsa-of-Helsinki goodness to be had at her blog, Syko. She also has an Etsy shop and fabric designs at Spoonflower.

Fly Away Home

Santas flying planes…

Best of the season to all from our airport town… 

Sidney, British Columbia, Canada

Colours of christmas

Yellow-Gold, Green, White, Red, Silver, Blue, & Glitter.

Too Soon?

Is it too soon?

Is it time to let some christmas totschkes out of the bag(s)?

1) vintage spun cotton snowman

2) velveteen flocked Japan mice

3) plastic doily, pissed-off pixie and happy santa

Special angel brooch and the gang.

… all ready to hang-out.

Xmas bits and bobs II

Dingly danglies inspired by Dottie Angel's 12 Days of Joyfulness.
They are fun to make, either with coat hangers or with a twig, a screw hanger from an old embroidery hoop, and tiny red paper bead finials held on with t-pins. As Tif says, "easy-peasy".

Xmas bits and bobs

Tis the season and time to think about unearthing the cheery bits from storage.
Scrappy garlands inspired by Tif are so much fun to put together it's hard to stop at just one.

Um. Christmas trees

If memory serves the first version of the trinkets-shaped-as-tree goes back to Jane Schouten of All the luck in the World in 2008 (via apartment therapy).

Since then it has popped up in various versions;  in my asperger-y way I wish I had kept images of them all,  pPb [possible Pinterest board!] of interest to bits and bobs fans like myself. What better way to corral the explosion of tiny things that emerge from my christmas storage bags every year?

All The Luck in the World

The wonderful Elsie Marley, no christmas slouch herself as evidenced by her charming pom pom garland, paint chip snowmen, and the adorable half-eaten gingerbread man; posted this (bottom) more minimalist tree last year. She found it on Pinterest via another blog superstar I've read for years, Not Martha. 

It's a Graphics Fairy free printable reminiscent of the treasured Albrecht Durer tree (middle) I've had sitting in my pictures folder for eons. Both beautiful images.