CHRISTMAS tutorials and recipes

Hi everyone! Hopefully you don’t have stress with your Christmas schedule and preparations! I haven’t done any so I thought I could share my earlier Christmas makings because there is still one week to bake coocies, make decorations, sew something …

Last two Christmases I have made many needle felted decorations with dog hairs. When I brush Nero and Hanna, I collect the ‘wool’ from the brush. You can make also yarn from that and my mom used to do that. I makes the most warm yarn! But to these balls now …

You know my sweet Golden Retriewer friend London. When I have been taken care of her, I kept some wool to make Christmas decoration to her mom. I made something very simple and natural. Few branches from cypress, ribbon cutted from fleece, paper ‘ribbon’  and paper cord … two woollen balls … almost like snow balls …

I add also very thin metal wire for hanging and if you like you can add beads etc. for extra festive look. Next photos show one that I have made with Nero’s wool and the materials you need (needle for needle felting and those very light balls). You can make also hearts, wreaths etc.

Crochet snowflakes are different project – great one – for those you can find good tutorial from Lucy at ‘attic 24′.

Last year I made little, white Christmas tree which became very famous and loved. It is really cute and easy to make. You can read all the post where I show how I made it HERE.

This year I have been sewing a lot, but not Christmassy things. Last year I made lots of mini-mini quilts, mug rugs, Christmas mats and tutorial how to make them.

One small decoration I made suddenly and with a moment’s inspiration, was this felted cover for candle glass. HERE you can see how easy it is to make.

And then lets start to bake … oh I can smell Christmas … my ‘must’ bakings are Ginger Coocies and Christmas Stars. I do hope I shall make them also this Christmas!

Here you can see the recipe for Christmas coocies and here how to make Christmas Stars.

Oh how I wish I had now those stars with my afternoon coffee! I have bought all the things I need to make them, so perhaps I shall have tomorrow baking day instead of cleaning!

Every Friday I’m happy to join linky parties at ‘Natural Suburbia’ with Linda , ‘Felicity Quilts’ with Felicity and at ‘Wisdom begins with wonder’ with Andrea! Thank you ladies for hosting lovely parties!

When I was looking for these Christmas photos I ran to one with Hanna. I just have show you her sweet face and with this Hanna’s relaxing moment, I wish you wonderful week and do try to relax even I know you are very busy! Thank you so much for visiting my little blog and for leaving always so appreciated and enjoyable comments! See you soon!

TEJE & HANNA

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FELT COVER FOR CANDLE GLASS – tutorial

Hello my Dear Friends!

Today I show you how I made this easy cube from felt. This is very easy and quick project! Don’t worry, you don’t need to felt. This material is not wool but something synthetic and you can buy ready sheets in many colours. I happened to have dark brown and it’s good colour because I got the idea from here …

First I cut 4 squares 4″ x 4″ and then I drew stars and hearts on them …

When you start to cut the figures, you may need small scissors to make the first hole.

After cutting the pieces decorate them by stitching or something else – use your imagination!

When you have the four ‘walls’ finished, sew them together keeping the shape of cube. If you like you can add also bottom to make a box.

I wish I had this material also in white because it would be so beautiful with red stitching and some red wooden beads! Go to see also what my dear Finnish friend Mia has made for her candle glasses! Oh, so beautiful – at ‘HandmadebyMia’!

And here it is ready with the candle glass! I think it’s quite nice! That photo which gave me this idea is from the Country Homes & Interiors. Last week I was lucky to get all these great magazines !

If you like to get new recipes for your Christmas baking, you find my Finnish Christmas coocies from this post, Christmas Stars from here and Finnish cinnamon buns from here! I have add also buttons to my side list for a while. Have fun and enjoy!

Have you ever done paper stars? I haven’t but I like them very much and always wanted to try. Now I found very good tutorial! It’s super simple and easy to follow! Visit ‘Annakata’ to read her tutorial!

I wish you wonderful week with your last Christmas preparations! Enjoy and have fun - no stress!

Thank you for your visit and your sweet comments! See you soon!

TEJE

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Garden Day and Cinnamon Buns

Hello Hello Hello!!! It’s  spring and me and my dogs have been outside all the day!

I washed all the balconies and verandas. Even Nelli kept us company. These days this is her favorite place.

Everyone enjoyes the warm sunshine after the cold winter months.

She wanted me to smooth her. Then I went to buy bread …

… I know, you can’t see any bread … I needed cloves for the garden works and I needed also desperately one tiny beautiful flower in a pot … I knew it was a ‘mistake’ to go to the garden shop because you would like to get everything … flowers, herbs, salads …

We had lovely coffee brake in the garden. Nero and the girls have always their own coocie box with them.

Then some of us had a short nap and I was drawing … I don’t show it because I’m not at all happy with that. But I hope it was at least a lesson.

Nero wants to tell you something …

Hello, it’s me Nero – Neruli (they call me also like that – it means like small Nero ?! – it really means that they love me!)

You know what happened yesterday? In the evening I came home from my last checking trip in the garden and Teje was looking at me and asked: what you have on your head, is it a leave or what?

I couldn’t see what it was because it was just in the middle of my head … then it started to move and tickle me … it was a baby snail!!!

I couldn’t stay still and the photos didn’t come very good. But Teje said that it was really qute! Too bad my Garden quilt is ready and I can’t put my snail there.

Back to work … the afternoon passed with raking and collecting more grass.

This was our wonderful spring day in the garden! These beautiful flowers with those sweet colours made me so happy! I was thinking how sometimes small things can be so important … perhaps especially when there are so big difficulties around!

With the change of colour I change  subject … I haven’t forget … but sometimes I just can’t make myself to do something … and it has been ages since I last time baked these! I remember that you dear Val asked the recipe, I’m so sorry for being so late … finally I baked for all of you!

I write first all the things you need and then I show with photos what to do.

FINNISH SMALL BUNS – CINNAMO BUNS

1/2 litre milk (warm about +37 C degrees)

50 gramme yeast (I used now dry and it’s good even I prefer the fresh one)

2 teaspoon salt

2 decilitre sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons cardamon (powder)

200 gramme butter or margarin

1 kilogramme flour (this is about, it depends a little bit of your flour – I like to leave the dought quite soft and if needed I add more flour on the table when I’m baking the buns)

Put the warm milk on a bowl, add yeast, salt, sugar, eggs and cardamon.

Add some flour, soft butter and the rest of the flour.

Cover the dought with your lovely kitchen towel and leave it to rise.

Then take the to half of the dought and knead it on the floured table. (if you like, you can add now raisins). Then make it thin like this …

Spread over it soft butter, cinnamon and sugar (as much as you like).

Roll the sheet and cut it slides. Brake one egg in a cup and pass it with brush over the slides. Add sugar grains or almond flakes.

Make the other half of your dought with the same way or bake two bunloafs.

Leave them again to rise for a while, before baking  about 10 – 15 minutes in +230 C degrees.

Enjoy with your favorite tea or coffee!!!

It was lovely to spend time with you! I’m a little bit nervous about my ‘count down’ – I’m almost there and still haven’t decided … fortunately Nero promised to help me! With him by my side, I don’t worry! We wish you sunny spring days!!!

TEJE & NERO

Ps. I got the bread, too … and now it’s ’98′ …

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Bake Christmas Stars!

Happy Saturday evening!!!

How nice to see you! Today I have been sewing place mats for my dear friend and I have been baking! It’s time for ‘Christmas Stars’ - one of the most traditional baking for Finnish Christmas!

Christmas corner in the kitchen! This crochet table runner I have made (too) many years ago, dare I say, …. years ago! Small figures have gathered during the years…

For the Stars you need the dough like for croissants and marmelade. Now adays you can find very good dough from the market so these Stars are the most easy and quick to make. Traditionally we use plums for filling but you can try any other fruit you like.

I made these stars few days ago and again today, so I have photos from both of them. First time I used cherry marmelade and today I had dry plums (without stones). I boiled the plums with some water (not too much) till they became quite soft. You can mass them a little bit with the spoon. The plum ‘marmelade’ should be thick.

Here you can see how to cut the scuares and how much to put filling.

Turn every second corner like this and the star is born!

You can make also triangles!

The filling with plums looks like this – quite thick!

Before you put the stars to the oven, spread them with egg.

These  Stars are just perfect for the Christmas time! They are not too sweet and the plum is good after eating too much and heavy food!

Enjoy The Christmas Stars with icing sugar and coffee or your favorite tea!!!

I like to thank you all for the most sweet words about Nero’s Blanket!!! It was so much fun to make it and plan how to do it! I have got some question about it and I shall add more details to the last post ‘Nero’s Blanket’. Nero is also so happy for all your recovering wishes and his feet is now fine and he enjoyes running around and brings us all the toys to play!

I just can’t believe that there is only few days till the Christmas! Still few days to make Christmas things, to open the advent calender and to look lovely blogs with their advent calender! 

Hope to see you soon again!!!

TEJE

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Christmas COOCIES

Good morning!!! Lovely sunshine outside and a beautiful day with all the lovely things waiting for us!!!

Today I’m waiting you in my kitchen! It’s time to make traditional Finnish Christmas biscuits! Please join me…

I’ll show you how you make the dough today, but then unfortunately you have to keep it in cold for the next day to be able to make the biscuits.

 

To make these coocies we need following things:

- 200 gramme butter or margarin

- 200 gramme sugar

- 1,5 decilitre sirup (or honey, but it’s more sweet so then use less sugar)

- 1 dl creme

- 450 gramme flour

- 2 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon

- 1 teaspoon cloves

- 1 teaspoon allspice

- 1,5 (half) teaspoon ginger

1. Melt the butter in the pot (don’t boil)

2. Add cinnamon, cloves, allspice and ginger

3. Add sugar, sirop and creme – mix well!

4. Mix soda with small part of the flour and add this to your dough

 

5. Add the rest of the flour – don’t mix too much not to make it tough

6. Leave the dough in the fridgerator till the next day! I hope there is some left tomorrow…

Next day you are ready to bake the  biscuits! Heat the oven + 190 degrees. From the following photos you can see how to make thin ginger biscuits!

It’s better to make the dough in two parts and keep the other half in the fridgerator. If it’s too warm and soft you can’t get the biscuits out from the table! Also if you feel that it’s difficult to make them even the dough is cold, you can add still some flour.

Those left over pieces you make again ball and thin sheet and more biscuits!

Bake your biscuits in +190 degrees. They don’t need long time so don’t go to your computer…even Nero didn’t want a black biscuit…The biscuits shouldn’t be soft when you take them from the oven. Leave them to cool…

My Snowman is waiting to get his stomach full of buiscuits! I would love to see where you keep your Christmas coocies!

Today we can have our coffee outside with beautiful sunshine!!! But…who knows…perhaps tomorrow we shall have quite cold weather with rain. Today we got oil for the heating – can you believe that we haven’t used the heating even once yet (since last april)!

When I was baking the biscuits I was looking for new (for me) blogs and I found Sarah. She makes quilts with wonderful fabrics and lovely colours…and she has a giveaway…so go quickly, it’s till 10. of December!

Many of us loves pigs! Mia has made today wonderful pig! An other most sweet pig you can enjoy with Vanessa! Look also her latest posts with new animals!

I’m prepering the recipe for my traditional Finnish Cinnamon Buns! coming soon…

Have a lovely, lovely time with all wonderful Christmas things and enjoy your buiscuits!!!

TEJE

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