December 2010

Christmas is a time for not only making memories but for remembering. Certainly, when we look back on Christmases past, we are sure to conjure up some memories of food. In just about every conceivable celebration, you will find food. Not surprising... food sustains life. Since eating is necessary, even on special days, we tend to include food, often special foods, in our celebrations.

Every Christmas I bring pictures of Grandma Pearl, Bushia and my Mom into the kitchen. (Read Grandmas in the Kitchen.) Although my grandmas have long since passed, memories of them are strong at the holidays. Many of the foods that I make are foods that they, and my mom, made at the holidays. Making "their" foods helps me keep them rooted in our celebration and their spirits fill me with warmth and joy.

Conversely, I have few memories of my Dad in the kitchen. I suppose he must have cooked SOMETHING from time to time; perhaps throwing together a sandwich or opening a can of soup when my mother was sick, but I just can't visualize it. My strongest memory of him in the kitchen, was at Christmas, when he and my Mom would make Chrusciki (Polish), better known as Angel Wings. Angel wings are a delicate pastry, covered in powdered sugar, that explode in your mouth. The pastry is "tied" before deep frying, making them look like wings... well, sort of!

My Father's involvement with Chrusciki began early in his life. Best I can tell, my father always worked. He was a child during the Depression, and began a paper route in elementary school. By the time he was in high school, he worked at a corner Polish bakery. He would get up in the wee hours of the morning, and go work before going to school. One of his jobs was to make Chrusciki. He learned to roll the elastic dough unbelievably thin, resulting in an unbelievably delicate cookie. When he and Mom made these cookies, he always had the job of rolling out the dough and cutting them into PERFECTLY uniformed sizes. (He was an engineer... need I say more?) They were my very favorite Christmas cookie!

While making these cookies, I think back to those days of my childhood. My Father is still alive, but Alzheimer's has long since claimed the Father I knew. The memories that flood my thoughts while making Angel Wings are of a Father full of vitality and purpose. I think of my Daddy; his goodnight kisses, playing with us on the front lawn in the summer, helping me with homework, and walking me down the aisle when I married. I am delighted that I associate Angel Wings with him, because now, as I look at the frail man before me, I would like to think that he is surrounded by angels.

All night, all day, angels watching over me, my Lord.
All night, all day, angels watching over me.
Sun is a-setting in the West; angels watching over me, my Lord.
Sleep my child, take your rest; angels watching over me.

All night, all day, angels watching over me, my Lord.
All night, all day, angels watching over me.

ANGEL WINGS - CHRUSCIKI
Ingredients:
12 egg yolks (well beaten)
4 T. sour cream
Flour (enough until dough is stiff enough to roll, should be elastic like - start with 3 3/4 cups) 
Powder sugar

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except powdered sugar.

Roll dough real thin.

Cut in 6 x 2 inch strips. (Save the scraps and deep fry with the wings. They are just as yummy!)

Cut small slit in center and tie into bows.



Deep fry in very hot shortening on each side, turning when light golden. 

Drain on paper towel and generously sprinkle with powder sugar. 


The cookies taste the best if allowed to "age" for a day or two, but feel free to eat all the scraps now... YUM! 


 

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For a long time now I've been meaning to turn some of our applique blocks into coloring pages. Well, today when Michelle and the wee ones were over, Pixie was looking for something "crafty" to do, as Pixie often does, and I thought this week's Primitive Angel Block would be a great place to start.

So I took the pattern, enlarged it, took off the stitching lines and wreath, and added some fun new lines. Pixie and I grabbed our water color pencils and got started. I think the results are beautiful! Of course you don't need to water color the pictures; markers or crayons would work just fine. Here are our directions. Enjoy!

Materials:
Copy of Primitive Angel Coloring Page
Permanent Water Proof Marker to extend lines (I love Micron's Archival Ink)
Water Color Pencils
Water Color Paper cut to 8 1/2" x 11"
Paint brushes and Water

Download the pattern HERE. I suggest you print it first on a piece of regular paper before you print on water color paper to make sure it is printing correctly.

I was able to cut a piece of water color paper to 8 1/2" x 11" and run it through my printer. The lines will not go all the way to the edges, so before you start coloring, extend the lines using your marker.


Color your picture with water color pencils.
 

When finished use water to paint over the entire picture. You want to use a wet brush but it should not be dripping. Paint like colors at the same time and clean your brush well each time you change colors.

Allow to dry completely. You may need to weight the paper after it is dry to help flatten your work.

PLEASE NOTE: Coloring pages are copyrighted designs and are meant for personal use only. They cannot for duplicated nor can  projects made from the patterns be sold without our permission.

The complete list of our Advent Celebration activities can be found HERE.

Poinsettias and candy canes, mangers and evergreen trees are all symbols that have come to be associated with Christmas. Some symbols are pulled from history, others from fantasy, and some have been borrowed from other celebrations. Just like learning about how Christmas is celebrated around the world, learning about the significance and origins of the symbols associated with Christmas is fascinating and meaningful. This second week of Advent we are using The Legend of the Poinsettia to begin our discussion on Christmas symbols.

WEEK 2 - Symbols of Christmas
The book: The Legend of the Poinsettia
The craft: Weaving a small blanket (scrap yarns for a 3" x 5" blanket)
The applique: A poinsettia
The recipe: Sopapillas

I can remember as a child wondering if Jesus had a Christmas tree and what kind of gifts he wanted Santa to bring. There are so many traditions and customs associated with Christmas that it is almost impossible for a child to separate secular from religious. Let's face it, it is hard to do as an adult!  And there are so many icons that have become synonymous with Christmas like trees, wreathes, candy canes, presents, angels, and even poinsettias that their significance is often lost.

Whether you celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus or simply embrace the season, I think it is important for children to understand why certain icons are associated with this time of year.  Sharing both fact and legend helps us all better understand  the season and helps delineate between secular and religious celebrations.

There are many wonderful Christmas books for children that share both fact and legend. One of my favorite authors/illustrators of children's literature is Tomie dePaola. His bold, beautiful colors and folksy illustrations are so appealing to children. As a starting point for discussing Christmas symbols, we read dePaola's The Legend of the Poinsettia.

In this book dePaola shares the Mexican folk tale of how a little girl's loving heart brings about a miraculous event. When the local priest asks the little girl's mother to weave a new blanket for the parish's Baby Jesus figure to be used in the Christmas procession, they are thrilled and honored. They will present this blanket as a gift the night of the Christmas procession. When the little girl's mother becomes deathly ill, she tries to complete the blanket, but ruins it instead. Crushed and embarrassed, she hides out the night of the Christmas procession. When a mysterious old woman tells her that "Whatever you give, the Baby Jesus will love, because it comes from you", the little girl gathers up some weeds that she takes as a gift. That night, a miracle occurred, turning a gift of weeds into the beautiful poinsettia plants.  The poinsettia, which is said to resemble the Christmas star, has become one of the most famous symbols of the Season.

Do you have suggestions for other books that discuss the sysmbols of Christmas that your family enjoys? 

Tomorrow... weaving a small blanket

In The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola, a little girl named Lucida lives in a small village in Mexico. Her family is asked to weave a new blanket for the Baby Jesus figure that is carried in the Christmas procession. Her mother sets to work, but when she becomes gravely ill, Lucida tries to finish the blanket for her.

This week, the wee ones were busy making mini blankets that will be used with our Advent Week 4 project. However, these woven blankets would also be great in a gnome or doll house as blankets or rugs if you add tassles! The children used heavy yarns. I made mine with very thin weaving thread. I think both turned out great!

NOTE: Looms can be made out of heavy cardboard. It just so happens we had scraps of hardboard left over from another project which Tim cut up for us. Below I give directions on how to make a loom from hardboard. In the photos, however, Tim is cutting out several at one time, and the scraps were bigger than described in the directions, but in the end he cut them down to the sizes indicated below.

To make the looms out of heavy cardboard:
Cut the cardboard 5 1/2" x 4". On either short end, make marks every 1/4". On each mark cut down 1/4" creating slats.

To make looms out of hard board:
Cut hardboard 6 1/2" x 4".

On either short end, draw a line across the board 1/2" from the edge. On each end, along the line, make marks every 1/4".

Using a 1/8" drill bit, drill a hole on each mark on the line.

Using a table saw, on one short end cut through the holes so you leave 2/3 of the hole on the loom. Do the same to the other side.


To weave:
Add the warp by wrapping the front of your loom by going up and down around the slats or holes. When the hole thing has been wrapped, on the backside tie off the two ends securely.


Using different colored yarns or strings, weave over/under, until the whole loom is filled.




HINT: If you start colors in the middle of the loom, and overlap new colors, all loose ends will be in the center back. By overlapping new thread 3 or 4 warps, they will be secure and will not require tying off.

When the whole loom is full, simply pop the warp threads off the loom. Clip loose ends left.

My mom made a request, actually it was more of a passing comment... she wanted a Wee Folk Art tote bag to carry around some of her crafty supplies. So I went off and designed a logo to have printed on a tote bag for her. Before ordering the bag I ran it past her just to make sure it was what she had had in mind. Well she loved it and also needed a coffee mug and a mouse pad and a sticker for her guitar case... see where this is going. LOL. No problem, I can do that!

So with that in mind I set up a Cafe Press Shop: Wee Folk Art Gnomes featuring our "Gnome Love" banner on a variety of gift items including tote bags, coffee mugs, SIGG water bottles and a variety of organic t-shirts. If you share our love for all things Gnome we thought you might like some Gnome Love too.

Please note, we have not received our order yet... so we have not yet seen the finished product in person but (we just got the stuff and it looks great... photos to come) we wanted to make sure we shared the link in time for anyone who wanted Gnome Gear for Christmas. We will share photos once we get our items.

Print out our Poinsettia Coloring Page on regular or water color paper. Instructions for water coloring can be find HERE. The Poinsettia Coloring Page can be found HERE. Enjoy!



PLEASE NOTE: Coloring pages are copyrighted designs and are meant for personal use only. They cannot for duplicated nor can projects made from the patterns be sold without our permission.

WEEK 3 - Celebrating With Family
The book: Christmas in the Big Woods
The craft: A Gingerbread House
The recipe: Pancake men
The applique: a log cabin

Over the years I’ve made this observation… the way people celebrate the Holidays is almost as unique as their own fingerprints. Oh, sure, there are many family traditions that get incorporated into our celebration, but in the end, Christmas observances are fine tuned to reflect the uniqueness of each family. The food that is eaten, who we visit, the amount and type of gifts that are given, and establishing a balance between religious and secular that works for us is solely distinctive to our family. But I have made another observation… and that is that no matter how we may choose to celebrate the season, at the very core, the common thread that seems to unite us all, is the importance that seems to be placed on family. Christmas is a time for family, a time to connect with our ancestors, and in Christian households, a time to ponder the beginnings of The Holy Family.

When you think about it, the birth of Jesus was not just the birth of a baby, but it was also the birth of a family. If God had wanted to he could have sent his son to Earth as a grown man. But he didn’t; he chose instead to give Jesus the whole human experience, and at the center of that experience, there is the family. Jesus grew up in a family. He understood the love of parents. He understood the joys and trials of growing up. And, he understood the peace that comes from being in a nurturing environment, being loved and cared for in a family. By sending his son to Earth as a baby, I believe God wanted us to understand the importance that He placed on the family.

Advent is a wonderful time to talk “family” with our children. Where does our family come from? How did we celebrate Christmas as a child? What are the special things we do as a family to celebrate the Season? There are many wonderful books that share how different families celebrate Christmas. The story, Christmas in the Big Woods, adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder, talks about a Christmas celebration in the mid 1880s. Children will undoubtedly notice similarities to their own celebrations, and discover some differences. This is a wonderful time to reflect on the importance of family, and how as a family, we celebrate Christmas!

Every family has their favorite traditional foods they make for Christmas. In Michelle's house, Christmas breakfast always includes a birthday cake for Baby Jesus. Although pancake men are not a part of our holiday celebration, the children enjoyed them just the same :)

In the book Christmas in the Big Woods,

"For Christmas breakfast Ma made each child a pancake man. All the children held their plates next to the stove and watched while Ma made their pancake men one by one out of the pancake batter. Peter ate his right away, but the girls ate theirs slowly to make them last."

Not a shocker that you could have changed out Peter's name for Bug, and the above statements would be true! Bug tends to devour the things he loves to eat, barely coming up for air, while the girls tend to savour their treats!

Below is the recipe I always use to make pancakes from scratch:

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 beaten egg
1 c. milk
2 T. melted butter or margarine

DIRECTIONS
Mix flour with baking powder, sugar, and salt and set aside.
Combine egg, milk, and butter and add to dry ingredients, stirring just until combined; do not over mix! The batter will be lumpy.

Heat a lightly greased griddle or skillet over medium heat (375*F - 400*F). The griddle is ready when a few drops of water bubble and dance across the surface.

For each pancake man, pour about 1/8 cup batter onto hot griddle. Then pour the head, legs and arms. Cook pancakes until surface is covered with bubbles and appear dry around the edges. Turn and cook other side until golden brown. 

Optional: Add chocolate chip or raisin eyes, nose and mouth.
 

Whether you live in an apartment, condo, or house, the place we call "home" is often an alias for "family". Our home is where we gather with our family at the end of the day. Our home is where we keep the things that are most important to us. And our home is where our life long values are instilled. When we think of going "home", especially when we talk about "going home for the holidays", it really isn't a building we are talking about, but rather a sense of belonging, love and happiness that can be found in a loving family.

This week we have been talking about the importance of the family in our lives. When reading Christmas in the Big Woods, it is apparent that Laura's Christmas was filled with happiness, excitement and family. As parents we all have tales of how we spent our Christmases. Some stories may even be sad, but I'm willing to bet most of your stories were about things done with family. We created a Log Cabin Applique Block that resembles a house Laura might have lived in. It was designed to fit a 6" x 6" block but can be enlarged or reduced to meet your needs. The block can be found with our FREE Appliques, or the 2 page pattern can be found here:

Page 1
Page 2

We are hoping that everyone will be "home for the holidays... if only in their dreams" :)

The Give Away is now closed to new entries. The winner will be announced tomorrow, Tuesday, December 21 :)

For subscription info for Living Crafts click HERE!

Okay... are you ready for the bestest give away ever? Well, the totally awesome folks at Living Crafts Magazine, the lovely editor Pardis Amirshahi in particular, have teamed up with Wee Folk Art for an unbelievable give away for one lucky winner. To quote Pardis: 

We are giving away Five Years of Living Crafts magazine. It includes 3 years of back issues, right from the first Premier Issue, all the way to a 2-year subscription that starts with the Winter Issue [with Wee Folk Art's Mitten project in it] and ends with Fall 2012 issue.

Can you believe how generous THAT is? As we mentioned before, we had a project featured based on the book The Mitten in this Winter Issue, and if you haven't gotten the magazine already, here's your chance to get it, plus FIVE YEARS of Living Crafts. Unbelievable, right?

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment here. If you would like a second chance to win, head over to Living Crafts new Blog, and leave a comment thanking Pardis and her crew for this super give away, then head back here and leave a second comment letting us know you visited Living Crafts Blog. While you are there, make sure you poke around. The Living Crafts Blog is full of lots of extras not featured in the magazine, plus enough give aways to make your heart flutter!

And, if that isn't enough, Pardis also offered:

Using the Offer Code of W11WEE your readers can enjoy a FREE Winter 2011 issue, IF they purchase a one-year or two-year subscription. They should just type W11WEE in the Offer Code!

So there you have it. You have two chances to win FIVE... yes, that's right, FIVE years worth of Living Crafts Magazine. And, for all of us that don't win, we can get the Winter 2011 issue FREE, which includes our Mitten project, by purchasing a 1 or 2 year subscription.

The contest begins today, Saturday December 18, and runs through 9:00 pm EST, Monday, December 20. The winner will be selected at random. The winner will be announced on our blog and they will be sent an email. The winner will have 1 week to send us their snail mail address or a new winner will be drawn. As soon as we get the address, we will send it off to Living Crafts Magazine, and they will send the winner the back issues and start their 2 year subscription. Good Luck to one and all... and thanks, Pardis, for a totally awesome give away.  

WOW! Judging by how many people entered this give away, it's easy to see that you share our love of Living Crafts Magazine. It is obvious the moment you pick up a copy and start leafing through the pages, that you are a part of something special. Not only does the magazine share amazing crafts, but it is sharing a philosophy. We feel blessed to be associated Living Crafts, and we were delighted to share their generous give away with you! Thanks again to Pardis Amirshahi, editor of Living Crafts, and the entire staff. 

The lucky winner, drawn at random was... 

Summer on Sat, 12/18/2010 - 16:32.

Oh, do you know how many times I have perused Living Crafts website? I always look through the back issues too, looking for those that I would love to have!

What an incredible giveaway!

Thank you and Merry Christmas

Congratulations, Summer. Just send your snail mail address to weefolkart@yahoo.com and we will send it along to Living Crafts Magazine. Make sure you contact us by December 28 or a new winner will be drawn.

Thanks to everyone that entered, and thank you to Pardis and Living Crafts Magazine for sharing this generous give away with us all!

REMEMBER this offer from Pardis...

Using the Offer Code of W11WEE your readers can enjoy a FREE Winter 2011 issue, IF they purchase a one-year or two-year subscription. They should just type W11WEE in the Offer Code!