Saturday Snapshot: Christmas Market

When I visited Germany during law school, I was lucky enough to go to a Christmas market.  As you know, I LOVE Christmas, so the market was an amazing thing to experience.  It just gave me warm fuzzies :)  Well, now Minneapolis has its own Christmas market, and I am happy as an elf buried in candy canes.

They had Glühwein, hot hard apple cider, and hot cider

Over the weekend, Minneapolis opened its brand new Christmas tradition: a Christmas market, open on the weekends leading up to Christmas.  It has gifts, music, and lots and lots of food.  While I'm sad that the Holidazzle parade the city used to put on is over, this Christmas market is a great replacement.  I can't wait to see how it develops over the years- and I can't wait to share some pictures from it over the next few weeks!

These candied almonds were amazing!

These cookies always look so pretty!

Have you ever been to a Christmas market?

Vi's Poor Man's Fruitcake

I feel like it's been forever since I posted a Granny recipe!  And I guess this isn't even technically a Granny recipe since she got it from Vi... But at any rate, this is the first of three fruit cake recipes I'm going to share with you this month (three!!).  It is super easy to make and tasty to boot!

You will need:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup candied fruit (your choice!)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

I went with a mixture of lemon peel, orange peel, and citron for the candied fruit.  But you should use whatever you like best!

Combine the flour and baking soda in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Except for the walnuts, combine the remaining ingredients in a sauce pan and stir together over medium heat until boiling.  Once it boils, remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

Pour the fruit mixture into the flour mixture.  Add in the nuts and stir together well.  Pour into a greased and floured 8x8 baking pan.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

If your top starts to brown early like mine did, place foil over the top.  But, don't be like me and let it touch the batter... 

Whoops!

Slice, serve, and enjoy!

DIY Christmas Tree Gift Tag

 
It's December!  Can you believe it?  Where has the year gone....

Here is a cute gift tag for you to try- it's covered in jingle bells, so it's extra festive :)

You will need:

• Red stiffened felt
• White stiffened felt
• Red embroidery floss
• Tiny jingle bells
• Needle
• Hole punch

First, draw a Christmas tree in pencil on your white felt.  You can go crazy making it detailed, or you can go old school with a triangle and a rectangle on the bottom.  Cut it out, then trace the tree onto the red felt and cut it out as well,

Next, use your hole punch to put a few (3-5) holes in each tree.  These will be ornaments because the other color will peak through.  So, make sure you don't let your holes overlap.  Also, this takes a little muscle power... crafting isn't for wimps!

Now, take your red embroidery floss and use a running back stitch to sew the two trees together.  Start in between the two layers, so the knot at the end of the thread won't show.  Then, work your way across the trees in a zig-zag line.  The embroidery floss will look like garland going across the trees!

As you work on sewing the trees together, add in a couple of jingle bells!  I used three on each side.

Once you reach the top, thread the embroidery floss through the top of the tree to make a loop.  And you're done!

Totally doable :)

Saturday Snapshot: Life Lately

1 & 2) We had a beautiful BEAUTIFUL autumn in Minnesota.
3 & 4) The leaves are all gone now, though, and winter is officially here.

It's been a while since I did a life lately post!  So much has changed in the last several months.  We moved into our new home, I started a new job teaching, and John got a new car (yay!).  Then again, the more things change, the more they stay the same.  We've been taking a lot of walks and hikes, I put up our Christmas decorations VERY early, and of course, I've been eating too many sweets :)

1) Inga looking cute (and miserable) in her festive sweater
2) Stockings and a really chimney to hang them by!
3) Maybe my new favorite ornament- the Eiffel Tower bought from Gilt

1) Poached pears
2) Cupcake and hot cocoa
3) Trader Joe's macarons- check them out!
4) Caribou coffee and donuts

What have you been up to?

Follow @goeslightly on Instagram for more like this.

Being Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to thank my regular readers for being such great friends- whether we have met or not!  I love making things to share with you all, and I'm so excited for the year to come.  I hope that you are able to spend today with loved ones, and that you are enjoying all of the little things we have to be thankful for.

Of course, I am thankful for my wonderful husband

My family, here in front of our old home on the couch my grandparents refurbished.  The home was in our family for 46 years

And this little peanut, Inga, who I can't believe was ever so small

Have a wonderful wonderful day.

Golden Holly Leaves Ornament

I am absolutely in the Christmas spirit!  I have our tree set up, the mantle decorated, the stockings hung, and I'm well into my Christmas shopping :)  I just can't help myself- maybe I'm part elf?

Today I've got another simple ornament DIY for you to try.  The thing I like best about this one is that because the glass is left clear, you really only have to do about half the decorating! ;)  Now, I did this on a smaller ornament, but you could easily do it on a larger sized ornament as well.

You will need:

• Glass ornament
• Martha Stewart's glass paint in an opaque gold
• Glass paint in a translucent gold glitter
• Paint brushes
• Red ribbon
• Tiny jingle bell

Simply paint ovals in sets of three using the opaque gold glass paint and a small, flat brush.  You will probably want to do two coats to be sure it looks solid.  Paint sets of three all over the ornament.

sorry for the blurry photo!

Next, take a smaller, pointed brush and add three spikes on each side of each leaf.  This makes it look like holly!  Again, you might have to double up on coverage.

Then, take the applicator of the opaque gold to squeeze curly lines from one cluster of leaves to another.  This is easiest if you are always moving the bottle from the bottom of the ornament to the top, in an upward movement.  It helps keep the lines smooth.

Finally, once the opaque gold has dried, paint on some gold glitter.  Let it dry, then add a red ribbon and a jingle bell.

It's ready to hang on the tree or get wrapped as a lovely gift!

Merry One-Month-Til-Christmas!

Saturday Snapshot: MCAD Art Sale

Last night, John and I had the opportunity to go to the annual Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) Art Sale.  It's such a fun event that displays and sells student art.  It is always packed, and there are always pieces that elicit a strong response- whether it be grotesque, funny, or breathtaking.  Last year we picked up a watercolor that we still need to get framed.  This year, we nabbed two pieces.  I'm thinking maybe an art wall is in the cards for our new home...

Blues 02, Mixed Media Screenprint, Watercolor, Ink by Donna Johnson

Spider Friends, Ink and Cut Paper by Sarah Evenson

I hope you all have a happy weekend!!