Let's celebrate!

Happy New Year to you all. I wanted to give my heartfelt thanks to each and everyone of you who have taken time to read and comment or read silently. I truly enjoy spending time blogging and I look forward to sharing more with you in 2010.

Image via Elle

Happy Holidays!

Dollar Family Gingerbread House 2009

Mum (me) and Aunty Sam baked and assembled the house. We had to remove the roof though, as we left the cans of soup we used to keep it upright whilst drying inside. I cannot tell you how much we laughed last night while we assembled this house. Decorated by Olivia (5 years old), William (3 years old), Cullen (7 years old) and Matt (5 years old).

Next year I'll also decorate one all by myself. Call me selfish, but I NEED to make one of these and I must have total artistic control! I've already started to brainstorm ideas for a sugar cookie Easter Bunny house - cute, cute, cute!

Wish we were here

Next year maybe? It's confirmed. I'm in the wrong hemisphere.

Image Conde Nast Traveller

Festive Inspiration

A collection of images that I've fallen in love with this holiday season. You can see why ......

Vintage ornament wreath

I was introduced to Shiny Brites last year by Hayley and Tracey at Porchlight Interiors just in time for Christmas. So off I went searching Ebay USA for these sparkley little treasures. I found some just in time for the big fat man.

This year I added a few dozen more to my collection and thought my 2008 wreath was in need of a little facelift. So last night at 10pm I decided it was now or never.

First I got out my hot glue gun and secured all the metal caps to the baubles. These little things are far to precious to me and I've lost a few that weren't secured well enough.

Next, I mapped out the colours and placement of the baubles on the coffee table whilst watching re-runs of Sex and the City.

After an hour of carefully tying them back on the wreath, this is the finished product.

Hope you like my vintage wreath as much as I do.

Christmas Cookie Mix Jars

A few months back I fell in love with these cookie mix jars Bakerella made and knew straight away that I wanted to make them for Christmas.
I showed a friend of mine (Leanne) and she fell in love instantly too. Leanne took the gorgeous photos of Olivia's birthday party earlier this year.

We sourced some jars locally, Leanne created the gorgeous labels and we used fabric and twine from my stash. The major hurdle to overcome was getting the MM's. Luckily I have a very generous friend in the USA that shipped them to me. For those of us in Australia, Mars decided in their wisdom, not to produce the Christmas coloured packs of MM's this year. So your options are to get a friend to send them from the States or to pick through the normal packs of MM's. Good times!

If I were to make these again (and I most likely will) I would only put half the amount of flour in the bottom of the jar and then place the remainder on the top to even the layers out.

I'm in the middle of gifting these to teachers, neighbours, friends and family and I must say the response has been lovely.

Christmas Cookie Collection

I've been inspired by so many of my American friends and their winter Christmas, that last night I decided to make Winter Wonderland Gingerbread Cookies. I love the way they turned out.







I used the Gingerbread Cookie Recipe I posted earlier and covered them in fondant and sprinkled with a little edible disco glitter! You've got to love that sparkley stuff!

Christmas preparations

Between ballet concerts and kindy breakups we have been busy putting together our homemade gifts for family and friends this Christmas.

Hope your preparations are going well!