Have you seen my new blinkie? and TCR #88 Joyeux Nöel and some Christmas inspiration

Another week to tick off in the calendar and we're another week closer to Christmas. If work can get any crazier than it was in November, we certainly are approaching hurricane status at the moment.

Have you seen my new blinkie over there to the right? CSI - Color .. Stories .. Inspiration.

If you're curious to find out some more about this new challenge site that will be launched on 6 January 2012, go have a looksie  HERE   You might find some familiar names if you check out the list of DT members!

Friday also means release day over at TCR. This week we're in the family room with Shimmerz as sponsor, which means we have wonderful shimmering colours in the palette: Santa Baby, Egg Noggin, Frosty's Got the Blues and Grinchy Green. Don't you just looove those names!

Here's Lydell's fabulous inspo picture:

I totally fell for the Grinchy Green and the Egg Noggin, and of course I had to have some Santa Baby too.

This time I haven't used the multiple layers that I normally do, instead I let the tree be in focus. I fussy cut the pointsettias from last year's K&Co Evergreen papers. The toy parade at the bottom and the little squarelets to the left, are also from the same collection. Got to be my all-time fave Christmas collection! full of old-worldly charm and details.

Show any Swede one of the chocolates in the photo, and they will instantly tell you its name. They come in two layers in the box, and each family has its own rules for whether it's permitted to start picking from the bottom layer while the not-so-popular chocs are still left on the top layer. I say GO FOR IT! ;))



The chippie title is from the French online store Embelliscrap that I have mentioned several times before. I painted it in Shimmerz Frosty's Got the Blues and then I sprinkled generously with Shimmerz Enamelz in Jack Frost and zapped it with my heat gun. F-a-b-u-l-o-u-s glitter IRL!



The Dusty Attic snowflake was covered heavily in Stickles Diamond and then I sprinkled large glitter flakes on top and let it dry. When dry, I glued a Prima button on it and finished with a large diamontée jewel.



And finally, the tree itself. I cut a styrofoam cone in half using a very sharp knife. If your knife is dull, you'll have styrofoam pieces flying just about everywhere!

Then I dressed it in white lace German scrap alternating the layers with punched out strips of green paper from the K&Co Evergreen collection. Instead of tinsel, I wound strips of scalloped German scrap in gold. Stars with bling centres and pearls in white and the creamy golden colour of Egg Noggin.



I have also been making Christmas cards these passed few weekends. This week I'll share some old-fashioned ones with you. At the end of this post I will also give you the recipe for the "glögg" that I mentioned in my previous post.



Papers are from Swedish Pion Design. I made that little book, can be anything from a hymn book to a book of Christmas tales.



You have no doubt already guessed that the "God Jul" is Swedish for Merry Christmas. The "god" is pronounced with a long "o" just as the English word "food". So no religious connotations whatsoever. The "Jul" is pronounced with a long "u" just like in the English name "Julie" but skipping the "ie".

In Finland we say "Hyvää Joulua"!



More from Pion Design. Dusty Attic chippie flourish covered in white acrylic paint, glitter and Stickles. The roses are from KaiserCraft and the small white crocheted doily is from Leean Pearce's Etsy shop now closed for Christmas.

Do you see the white button that I have used as centre in the white rose? it's handmade by wonderfully talented Ivana Camdzic and can be ordered directly from her. Her email address is in my previous post. 



Papers from another Swedish designer, Maja Design. A chippie flourish from Dusty Attic and brown Prima alphas. The white stuff around the card is my much loved "snowpaint".



More Maja Design. The roses are from KaiserCraft, the lace at the bottom is German Scrap from Australian online store Meg's Garden, also mentioned in my previous post.





Going back to Swedish Pion Design in this one.



On this one I've used molding paste and a stencil to get the relief effect on a very heavy handmade cream coloured paper.

Aaaaand if you'e made it to the very end, here's the recipe for glögg:

For about 6 servings, you will need 2 dl (200 ml) of unflavoured pure vodka and 1 bottle (75 cl) of red wine. The wine doesn't have to be an expensive one, but it has to be soft and fruity, not spicy. Lots of bramble, raspberry, fudge, vanilla tinges in other words.

On day 1 take a container that has a lid and can be shaken without the liquid coming out. Pour the vodka into the container and add 3 pieces of dried whole ginger snapped in pieces, 2 dried pieces of bitter Seville orange (not the peel from 2 whole oranges!), 4 whole cinnamon sticks, 1 small coffee spoon of whole cardamom seeds and about 12 pcs of dried clove. Shake and set aside. Shake a couple of times a day for 2 days.

On day 3 remove all the spices, you need to squeeze the orange peels to get out the liquid. The liquid should be rather dark golden brown by now. Pour the alcohol liquid which should measure roughly 1,5 dl (150 ml) and the bottle of wine into a saucepan. Add 2 dl (200 ml) castor/granulated sugar and about 2 table spoons of vanilla sugar/powder. Bring to simmer, not boil. Taste to see if it's sweet enough for your taste, some like it rather sweet. Pull aside and let cool before pouring it into a bottle with a cork/cap that can be pulled tight. You will need an additional small bottle as you will have 75 cl + 15 cl of liquid. Let mature for about a week.

Before drinking, gently heat in a saucepan. It is not to be drunk in wine glasses or tea mugs as one serving is normally only about 6-8 cl. Put some raisins and peeled almonds in your cup before pouring the glögg on top. Beware! highly addictive and a splendid remedy for insomnia! Do not drive after you have drunk it as this beverage is 30% pure alcohol.

With the warmth of the glögg, scent of hyacinths, shimmering candle light and a photo of a typical shabby Swedish country window dressed for Christmas that I found on internet, I promise I have come to the very end of this looooong post!

Enjoy the weekend and 3rd of Advent! xoxoxo Eila