Candied Orange Peel and Chocolates for Christmas

Happy Monday!  Today, I've got a variety of chocolate candies to share with you.  To make your own, you will need:

• Candied orange peel
• Melting chocolate or chocolate chips
• Waxed paper
• Crock pot or double boiler

This is such a yummy treat, and it makes a great gift!  I found my recipe for candied orange peel over at The Food Network.  Basically, you boil your orange peels a few times, and then cook them in simple syrup.  They are so delicious!

As yummy as these are on their own, I wanted to add some chocolate for an extra sweet treat.  Fill up some mason jars with your chocolate chips and then leave then in a crock pot full of water on the high heat setting.  Stir occasionally until it is melted.

While you're waiting for the chocolate to melt, set up your work space.  Pick out the prettiest orange peels to dip in chocolate and line them up on a sheet of waxed paper.  Lay out a clean sheet next to the orange peel.  This way, the excess sugar from the candied orange peel won't get all over the chocolate.

To get a nice coating on your orange peel, I found that tapping the excess sugar off and then laying the rind in your stirring spoon worked best.  Then lay them out on your clean waxed paper to let them cool and harden.

You can also chop up the orange peel into small squares.  Use these to make little chocolate buttons by simply putting a dollop of melted chocolate onto waxed paper and placing orange peel in the center.

If you're feeling extra ambitious, use silicone ice cube trays and put candied orange peel or candy cane pieces inside.

Fill with chocolate, tap out the air bubbles, and let firm completely.  Then simply pop them out of the tray!

Thank goodness these make for lovely gifts!  Otherwise, I would have eaten them all myself...

Saturday Snapshot: Christmas Decorations

(Playing a bit with lights and lighting)

DIY Recycled Card Gift Tags

This DIY takes a little foresight... You have to have your Christmas cards (you know, all those ones from friends and family) from last year hanging around.  If you didn't hang onto to them, hop over to a store and pick up a small assortment of cards.  The point is to have variety.

You will need:

• Christmas cards
• Luggage tags
• Scissors
• Glue

A good starting point is to cut out all the usable pieces.  Lay them out so you can see your options.

Next, just add layers!  Variety is key, so mix it up with color, texture, shapes, and size.

And you're ready to add it to a gift!  It's such an easy way to add a personal touch.  Plus, it saves last year's Christmas cards from the recycle bin :)

Super simple, totally doable!

DIY Snowflake Gift Topper

Aren't these cute?  I brought supplies over to my friend's house for some wine, snacks, and crafts.  We made them in minutes!  So easy :)

You will need:

• Sculpey clay (we used white, pearl, and a sparkly light blue)
• Snowflake cookie cutter
• Pointy tool (I have no idea what it's called- you could even use a toothpick)
• Rolling pin or smooth glass
• Optional: letter stamps

First, you'll need to soften the clay by kneading it in your hands.  Make sure you take off any rings before you do this!

Roll the clay out to about 1/8 inch (or slightly thinner) and use your cookie cutter to cut out the snowflake shapes.

We didn't have a rolling pin or a smooth glass, so we used a beer bottle!  Whatever works :)

Once you have your snowflake, you can add some texture to it.  I used my pointy tool (metal toothpick on a stick) to draw some lines and patterns.

Finally, poke a hole through the top so you can thread it onto a gift.

For some variety, you can use the letter stamps to put little phrases on the gift tag.  One of my friends even mixed up the clay colors for a neat effect.

Now, they're ready to bake!  275 degrees for 15 minutes, or according to your clay's instructions.  Just be sure to keep a close eye on them so they don't brown in the oven.

Attach to a gift, and the recipient can use it as an ornament, too!

DIY Snowman Ornament

I've mentioned this before, but for as long as I can remember, I have made Christmas ornaments as gifts every single year.  And of course, this year is no different.  I've got some snowman ornaments made of clay this year, and you can make your own, too!

You will need:

• Sculpey clay (or something similar) in white, silver, black, orange, and one more fun color of your choice
• Toothpick or some similar tool
• Bobby pin
• Screw eye hooks (I was out, so I used some jewelry findings instead)

Now, some key things to keep in mind when you work with this clay: take your rings off and work from lightest to darkest.  The dark colors have the tendency to rub off on your hands and then off onto the lighter colors.

First, roll out a piece of white clay into a ball.

Next, make a tear drop shape out of the orange clay for a carrot nose.

Use your bobby pin to dab around a small, circular indent in the middle of your snowman's face.  Stick your carrot in and press down gently but firmly.

Now, roll out a silver worm thin enough to be the connector on a pair of earmuffs.  Lay it across the top of your snowman's head and gently press down to flatten it slightly.

Next, make your earmuffs!  Roll out two small balls and press them to either side of the snowman's head at the end of your silver stripe.

Now add a scarf by rolling out a thick worm and flatten it out.  Wrap it around the base of your snowman's head, laying the ends over each other.

Add texture to the earmuffs by using a toothpick and making repeated small jabs.

Add texture to the scarf by drawing your toothpick smoothly around the scarf.

Roll out two small black balls for the eyes.  Follow the same process as you did for adding the nose.  If you'd like, you can drop two even smaller white balls onto the black spots to add some dimension.

If you'd like, you can throw in a little smile, too.

Now just add in your hardware.  If you're using a screw eye hook, which is my preference, simply press it into the top.  You can also thread a silver stick up through the bottom of the ornament if you don't have screw eye hooks.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 275 degrees.  Let it cool, and then add a loop at the top by using a round nosed pliers if necessary.  Then just hang it on your tree and enjoy!

I made a few snowmen and a couple of reindeer this year :)  These are totally doable!  Just give it a try!