Vintage Chritmas Wrapping

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Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses, with blue satin sashes
Snow flakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites, when the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
Like silver white winters that melt into springs
And then I don’t feel so bad
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I simply adore this song.  I love hearing it come on the radio this time of year, recalling memories so vivid they instandly bring a smile to my face.  One line that always stood out to me was Brown Paper Packages Tied Up with String.  I just love packages wrapped in bown paper, even as a little girl I would cut open paper grocery bags and steal my moms cooking twine to wrap my gifts under the tree, I was always an odd duck.  My husband, knowing me all too well, now wraps all my gifts up with twine and brown paper.  Even though it’s so simple, there is something so beautiful about it.  It’s classic, and nostalgic, and, well perfectly, perfect.  They seem to come from another time.  With this nostalgic idea in mind I set out this year to put a spin on that idea, upping my game from simple brown paper and string, to a package looking like it’s been delievered striaght from the North Pole .  With just a few tools you too can put a fun and festive twist on an old classic this holiday.
I love vintage stamps and finding them is half the fun.  For this craft I scoured Etsy finding old gorgeous holiday stamps to slap onto the gifts.  It’s so fun to see the stamps of Holidays past.  Just add a little festive baking twine, some adorable stamps, (these found on Amazon) a few retro stickers and you have a package fit for St. Nick’s sleigh.   These gifts are charming and sure to make the recipiant smile from ear to ear; after all the wrapping is part of the gift giving process! Not to mention it will save you more than a few pennies not to buy all that fancy shiny wrapping paper.  I bought a large ream of this brown paper at my local hardware store in the painting department for $10 and I didn’t even make a dent in it this holiday season.  This is also adorable on envelopes too! Imagine receiving a card in the mail looking like it has been delievered from another time.
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You will need
  • Brown paper
  • Baking twine
  • Stamps and stickers
  • Siccors
  • Pen
How to
  • Wrap
  • Tape
  • Tie
  • Decorate
  • Give
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Wrap it up!
Marcella  Rose

Eggnog

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Fluffy, creamy, light as air and bursting with nutmeg-gy goodness, oh, Eggnog and I most definitely have a love affair. Nothing brings about the holidays and all that is merry quite like a mug of its creamy delight.  It is almost a requirement for this time of year and the uses in my house are limitless.   Take cream in your coffee?  Use Eggnog to take your coffee from every-day to holiday!  Want to take your pumpkin pie to the next level?  Make your own evaporated Eggnog to replace that canned, evaporated store-bought milk.  Need a perfect holiday dessert?  Turn that Eggnog into ice cream and you will be in heaven! Now you can go out and purchase Eggnog at your grocery store but I swear, if you make it from scratch once, you will never go back.  Also, it’s so simple you will be shocked that you haven’t made it from scratch before!  So grab a carton of eggs and take a few moments to make this decadent holiday drink from scratch.  Your holiday just may never be the same.

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This is traditional eggnog, the kind that your grandma used to make and pour into her huge crystal punch bowl, set out next to her aluminum tree with tinsel and twinkle lights aglow.  There are of course, many recipes online for cooked eggnog that you should consume if you are a child, pregnant or have a compromised immune system.  So do search out those recipes if you are any of the above, if not, enjoy this fresh liquored up kind.  Oh and please, for the love of everything holy this holiday season, do not, I repeat, DO NOT use store bought ground nutmeg.  If I give you one gift this holiday season let it be the gift of freshly grated nutmeg.  Try it, you’ll know instantly what I am talking about.  The first moment you rub that whole nut across your zester or mini grater you will smell the difference and your holiday nog will be the stuff of legend.   Oh! Also, if you are trying to decide between rum or brandy for your nog why not choose both! I love White Christmas, it’s inexpensive and gives just that perfect balance to your Eggnog.

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You will need

  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup rum, brandy or a mixture of the two
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated eggnog

How To

  • Place egg yolks and sugar in a stand mixer and beat until eggs are creamy and light in color
  • Add cream, milk and liquor
  • Pour mixture into a bowl and set aside
  • Clean out your mixer and add in egg white
  • Whip until soft peaks form
  • Fold into yolk, milk and liquor mixture
  • Top with nutmeg, drink, breathe and enjoy

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To a grand holiday for all,

Marcella Rose

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