Merry Chocolate Chris-Mousse!

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Nowwww then…

What could possibly be better than Chocolate Mousse for Christmas, eh? These cute little guys are actually dolled up draw-string bags that hold the ingredients for a basic Chocolate Mousse mix. The “Chocolate Moose” is a plus.

To make our sweet little “Chocolate Moose” bags—

you will need:

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two 7’’ x 8 ½ ‘’ pieces of Christmas type fabric

four 3’’x 6 ½’’ pieces and two 4’’ squares of brown felt,

thread to match fabrics

23’’ of ribbon, cord or shoelace

polyester fiberfill

a small brown pom pom

2 small roly eyes

1 small pkg instant chocolate pudding

1 pkg instant whipped topping

instruction tags

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1. For moose arms and legs fold each 3’’ x 6 ½ ‘’ piece of brown felt in half lengthwise, sew along long edge.

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Knot the ends of the arms and legs.

2. Matching raw edges, pin one arm to one long edge of one fabric piece 3 ¼ ‘’ from one short edge (top); baste.
Repeat for remaining arm and other long edge of fabric. Matching raw edges, pin each leg 2’’ from one long edge on
bottom of fabric piece; baste.

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3. Place fabric piece together, with arms and legs between layers of fabric. Leaving top edge open, sew pieces
together, being careful to only sew the ends of arms and legs in seam.

4. To form bottom corners of bag, match each side seam to fold line at bottom of sack; sew across each corner 1”
from end. Fold top edge of bag ¼ “ to wrong side; press. Fold edge ¼ “ to wrong side again; press. Sew close to top
edge.

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Turn bag right side out.

For head, use pattern (from the PDF below) and 4” squares of felt and cut out 2 head pieces and four antlers pieces

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Sew two antlers together using a close zig zag on the outside edge.

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Sew two head pieces together leaving the bottom edge open. Turn the heads right side out.

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Stuff head with fiberfill. Sew final closure by hand. Hot glue eyes and pom pom nose in place.
Tack antlers to back of head.

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Fold ribbon or cord in half; tack fold to side of back at seam 2 ¼” from top. To be honest–I used hot glue.

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Place Mousse Mix in bag–one bag of instant chocolate pudding and one bag of whipped topping.

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Tie ribbon, string, or cord in a bow at center front; knot and trim ends–if you need to.

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Hot glue head to front of bag. Print the tag from the PDF below and tie around the little dude’s neck. I haven’t done it yet–but you’ll see how it works in the PDF.

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Now go pass them to all your neighbors and watch them grin!

Merry Chris-Moose!

Click HERE for the PDF pattern and Chris-Moose Instruction Cards!

Sock Top Totes

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Teeny, tiny ones. Draw string bags, actually. Reminiscent of the little sacks with Gold Mine Bubblegum Nuggets inside. Remember that? Ahhh…maybe you’re too young.

If you suffer from cute-sock-addiction, then it is likely that you also have a hard time just throwing them away when your toe starts to poke out the top–or your heel is bare. I mean, seriously–the cute part is still cute, right? Of course right. So here’s one really fun, EASY answer and a great gift idea at the same time!

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Cut off the adorable tops…

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Turn them inside out and sew a sturdy zig zag stitch across the bottom.

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You can even assembly line the process and do a bunch at once.

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Turn the sock right side out again and make a VERY small snip in the top casing. Make sure you are using a sock that actually HAS a folded over casing or this won’t work. Most of them do, but you may want to check first.

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Now, using a small safety pin, guide a shoe lace or cord through the casing, around the whole top and back out the same hole.

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Tie a knot in the cord and–DUDE–you are finished.

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Well, except for the filling it with candy…

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or gift cards…

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or incredibly expensive jewelry part.

Dang.

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I guess I need to “get me a husband” for that last part.

Rats.

Christmas Close-up

We all feel the holidays in our own way. At our house…it’s everywhere…

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Oooh. Great-grampa’s honey cake. When it’s cooking the whole neighborhood smells like Christmas.

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The ancient handmade ornaments that were made out of scraps and necessity, all those Christmases ago–and hung more tenderly each year.

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Making Gingerbread men in Grampa’s shop on Grampa’s crazy “glazed” pans. I swear we could hear him behind us singing and laughing the way he always did. How can we possibly have Christmas without him?

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Our tiny little Camelot in the snow.

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Milk. Chocolate. Fudge. Trust me.

Nothing more needs to be said.

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My very favorite thing–opening the marshmallow cream. Something about it poofing out of the bottle makes me laugh every darn time.

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What is it with babies and sprinkles? He played with them for an hour! Maybe he thought they were tiny gumballs or something.

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Every year, when I was a kid–without fail, there was a soft, shiny orange in the toe of our Christmas stocking.

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Oh, yes. Please do come visit us. We have snow and Chex Candy to share…

although, the clock might just be ticking on the candy!

It all comes together in different ways for all of us–doesn’t it–this lovely thing called Christmas?

Family, tinsel, candy plates…

Hmmmmmm…..

What is it that makes the holidays sparkle at your house?

A Chocolatey Christmas

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It is a well-known and highly documented fact…

that the best kind of friend in the world…

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sends…

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you…

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CHOCOLATE!!

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For big occasions…

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for little occasions…

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and better yet, no occasion at all.

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My wish for you this holiday season–is love, hope, rock & roll and a big box of chocolate under your tree…

after that…

world peace is a given.

Poinsettia Pilates…

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Is that what it takes to keep these darn things alive? I used to think so, but in honor of National Poinsettia Day–today–I’ve been doing a bit of research. Apparently, it’s not as hard as I thought. In fact, it is positively possible to keep this little baby alive clear until next Christmas. No lie.

What? You’re a non-believer? Well from what I’ve read–it’s not a bit hard. You just have to know what you’re doing.

In the November/December 2003 issue of Country Woman Magazine a reader writes:

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Q. “I have the most beautiful poinsettia. Is there a way I can keep it alive and thriving for next Christmas?”

A. “You certainly can! And you’re not alone in wanting to do so. We and many others like to keep the plants blooming as long as possible, too.

To be honest, it really isn’t all that difficult to take care of a poinsettia. Place the plant near a bright window but out of direct sunlight and make sure the temperature indoors isn’t too high. The flowers prefer cool conditions.

Most importantly, never let your poinsettia dry out. Water it daily–but don’t let the soil get too soggy or leaves will turn yellow and fall off.

Around the beginning of January, add some all purpose houseplant fertilizer. if you notice that it’s starting to look a bit leggy by the middle of February, cut it back to about 5 inches high.

When spring arrives, remove leaves and branches as they start to fade of dry out. You can add more soil if the level looks low in the pot and continue to keep it in a bright location.

In early summer, trim off 2-3 inches to promote a fuller look and repot the poinsettia in a larger container. Once the weather is consistently warm, move it outside where it will get lots of sun, then water and fertilize regularly.

Starting on or near the first day of fall, you’ll want to bring the plant inside and put it in a closet or in the basement at night to ensure it gets 13 hours of uninterrupted darkness. During the day, it should receive about 11 hours of light.

By the end of November, you can stop the short day/long night routine, place the poinsettia in a sunny spot…and watch it turn colorful once again!”

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I’m up for the challenge–I’ll let you know how it goes.

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Happy Birthday my sweet April!