The Best Intentions... and Merry Christmas from Snaps of Ginger

I had such plans for the Christmas season on this blog!! Several fun crafts, an outfit or two, some gorgeous jewelry... Then I had to go and get sick and now I am so, so behind in everything.

The good side of this is that it forced me to slow down and focus on the important things and remember why Christmas is so special.


First I want to share some fun Christmas crafts, ideas, last-minute-I'm-freaking-out-rescues, etc:



Christmas Tag Printables via Uncommon Designs




Have bored kiddos? Stormy weather? Snowed in?
 Here is a round up of Christmas coloring pages from Nest of Posies




Need a last-minute gift? Forget someone? JC Penney has $10 express shipping and great sales going on.



 Need a last-minute decoration or craft? How about these snowman paper luminaries from spoonful.com?




And finally, I am so very thankful for the true meaning of Christmas. I hope you all have a very wonderful and special holiday!!!

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Cranberry Walnut Bread

The holidays always make me want to bake. I was really craving some cranberry bread like my great aunt makes so I decided to give it a try. It was much more simple than I thought it would be and turned out great. It's my family's newest request for when I go home for a visit.

Yummy!!!!

(the salt and butter are missing from this photo. Sigh...)

Add all the dry ingredients and mix together.


 

I roughly chopped the fresh cranberries in the blender, leaving some whole.


 

I mixed in the rest of the ingredients. I love all the bits of cranberry, orange zest, and walnuts!


 

 Put batter in a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for 55 minutes.

 

 

Recipe via Ocean Spray:

 

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 tablespoons shortening (I use 3 tablespoons of extra soft butter instead)
1 egg, well beaten
1 1/2 cups Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped nuts

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan.

Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Wrap and store overnight. Makes 1 loaf (16 slices). 

 

 

 

DIY Jeweled Belts

 

Thursdays on the blog are going to be devoted to being thrifty. Money saving DIYs, crafts, tips, etc.

To start the series off I decided to create 2 DIY jeweled belts. We all need a little something sparkly and special to pump up an outfit for the holidays. It's even better when you have everything you need to make it!!

I am a bit of a jewelry freak. I have tons of it and that is not an exaggeration! A year or so ago I bought some gemstone brooches from a local boutique. I wasn't quite sure how I would wear them but figured they would come in handy. Well I have worn them exactly 0 times... until now!

Supplies:

• Belts - I used a wide, stretchy one for version 1 and a skinny one for version 2
• Brooch Pins -  any type will work.

Version 1: A wide stretch belt

I chose to create a cluster with 4 brooches but the options are endless really. You could line multiple ones up in a row, use one big brooch, create a square "buckle" shape, or cluster different shapes and sizes... Just use your imagination and you can have a different look every time.

My belt has a metal clasp so I twisted it around to be in the back instead of the front. I simply pinned the brooches in a cluster in the middle of the belt.

 

Version 2: A narrow skinny belt

For this version I decided to use 3 of the brooches lined up in a row. I again turned the belt so the buckle would be at my back, then pinned each brooch around the belt as shown below.

 

 

 

What I love about this project is that it doesn't ruin the belts or pins. I can take them apart and wear them separately or change them up any way I want. And it only takes minutes!!