Sights of the Season

I made a pretty long list of things I wanted to accomplish this holiday season. While I couldn't check off everything this year, many memories were made and my pictures below captured the sights this season.

 

Hot chocolate with extra mini marshmallows and whipped cream in festive mugs.

My open house Jingle & Jewels invitation

Handmade jewels deck the tree for Jingle & Jewels

Beaded Expression by Marla boxes for Jingle & Jewels

Mistletoe kisses with Gracie

My gingerbread house this year was far better than last year's collapsing cul-de-sac, but not nearly as great as the Salezze mansion my aunt had professionally made for our indulgent pleasure.

Last year's collapsing cul-de-sac

Salezze gingerbread mansion: What every gingerbread house aspires to look like

The Nutcracker curtain

Gracie enjoying one of the many snowfalls this year

Champagne in monogrammed glasses

We were nice!

Waiting for Santa by the fire

Greeting card photos

Hope you had a wonderful, blessed holiday season with family and friends!

Let it Bead,




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Poinsettia Punch

This fragrant and refreshing holiday drink is such a crowd pleaser. It's both delicious and decorative as the finished product resembles a deconstructed poinsettia plant floating in the punch bowl. It's easy to prepare and will add to your table-scape this holiday season.While serving a punch is certainly a throwback, it allows for self-serve so you can host or hostess with bells on!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 750ml bottles chilled brut Champagne
• 1 1/2 cups white rum
• 1 1/4 cups pomegranate juice
• 1 large lemon, thinly sliced
• pomegranate seeds
• fresh mint leaves
• 1 ice block

Preparation

Bring 1/2 cup water and sugar to boil in small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Cool syrup completely. 

Combine Champagne, rum and pomegranate juice in punch bowl. Add enough syrup to sweeten to taste. Mix in lemon slices, pomegranate seeds and mint leaves. Add ice block to bowl.

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Let it Bead,


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Making a List, Checking it Twice

It's hard to believe it's almost the middle of December. If it wasn't for the frigid temperatures and beautiful dusting of snow along the trees and sidewalks and the shimmering light from holiday decorations, it almost wouldn't feel like it's time for Christmas to be right around the corner...but, alas, it is. 

Christmas really is one of the most wonderful times of the year because the message of faith, hope, love, peace and joy are so strong. 

This holiday season, my family is starting new traditions to celebrate Christmas. While there is much to look forward to with these new plans, there is a sense of longing for the old traditions we won't be celebrating this year. 

My family is not exchanging presents, we will not be waking up Christmas morning in our childhood home, we won't even be waking up in a home with a Christmas tree. While I know Santa always has some tricks up his fur lined sleeves and won't leave us completely hanging this year, I do want to spend the next few days taking full advantage of activities and amusements that compliment the good tidings of our traditional Christmas.

So I made my list and I checked it twice:

• Hang stockings by the fireplace
• Watch Elf and Home Alone
• Sip a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Latte or a Hot Chocolate spiked with Peppermint Schnapps
• Host a Holiday Open House
• Bake cookies
• Celebrate St. Nick's Day
• Attend a presentation of The Nutcracker
• Host or Attend an Ugly Sweater Party
• Make a gingerbread house (that does not fall apart AND looks aesthetically pleasing)
• Make a Christmas wreath
• Take a family Christmas photo
• Mail above-mentioned family Christmas photo to friends and loved ones
• Make Poinsettia Punch
• Walk around the Promenade Shops and/or Downtown Bethlehem
• See Pip the Mouse at the Allentown Liberty Bell Museum
• Create a beaded snowflake necklace, bracelet and earring set

Let it Bead,


What are some holiday traditions--new or old--that contribute to the good tidings of your holiday season?

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Fall Checklist

I'm a big fan of lists: To Do lists, grocery lists, laundry lists...you get the idea. So it's no surprise that I made a Fall list of things to do and experience to savor the season. Here's a recap of my Fall checklist. 

Visit a Pumpkin Patch. For the Lehigh Valley locals reading this, we went to Grim's Greenhouse to pick our own pumpkins and gourds, gather delicious Honeycrisp apples, and snack on mouthwatering apple cider slushies and warm apple fries with caramel dipping sauce. Yum!

 

 

Enjoy a getaway in the mountains. This mini-vacay was made even better because it was spent with a group of my favorite beaders making beautiful beaded jewelry. There is nothing better then spending an entire weekend sitting around the kitchen table in your PJs and beading away with delicious food, kind friends and relaxing scenery. 

Host a Halloween costume party. My brother and I pulled this one off together. It was a fun and frightful night spent with family and friends all decked out in some really creative and clever costumes. From Snow White and ballerinas to bubble baths, loofahs and Mr. Clean.

Try a spiked cider recipe. I love apple cider; I love apples; I love sangria. So when I stumbled upon this Apple Cider Sangria on Pinterest, I knew it was the winning recipe. I made it for our Halloween costume party and despite the fact that I accidentally quadrupled the amount of ginger flavored brandy--I know--It was still pretty amazing.

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Hold a pumpkin beer taste testing. One of the things I love most about Fall is that it is totally acceptable to have pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING! With the plethora of pumpkin beers available this year, I had to try them all and determine a winner. From Shocktop Pumpkin Wheat to Pumpkin Harvest Ale to Tommy Knocker Small Patach and Pumpkin UFO Brew, Traveler's Jack-O Pumpkin Beer won. Apparently most people agreed with me because it was already sold out everywhere by the first week of October.

What fun activities did you enjoy this Fall?

Let it Bead,


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Beaded Bangle Trio in Bead & Button

It's official, my beaded bangle trio was published in Bead & Button magazine!

Using bracelet blanks from Nunn Design, I created three separate beaded bangles that can be worn alone or together in a color coordinated trio.

Three bezel bangle using circular peyote around 12mm crystal rivolis.

 Channel bangle using peyote stitch.

Aster charm bangle with a double sided bead embroidered focal.

The designs are showcased in the Bangle Blanks Design Challenge of Bead & Button's October 2013 issue.

Bead & Button subscribers can download the instructions to make the bracelets at www.beadandbutton.com/free projects.

 Let it Bead,


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Look What We've Been Working On

As some of you might know, I was selected to be on the 2013 Nunn Design Innovation Team. Along with four other very talented and creative jewelry designers, I create handcrafted jewelry and wearable art using the incredible supplies in the Nunn Design collection. I combine my love for seed beads and bead weaving with mixed metal components and findings to make pieces that hopefully inspire and encourage other jewelry makers to do the same.

In an effort to highlight some of the unique jewelry making skills and areas of interest the Nunn Design Innovation Team members have, Nunn Design created a "Look What's on My Work Table" weekly column. Head over to the Nunn Design blog to see my guest blog post and to discover what's currently on my work table. (Preview below!)

Here is a glimpse at some of the beautiful jewelry creations made by the other Nunn Design Innovation Team members using Nunn Design components and findings. To discover what's currently on the other Innovation Team's work table, head on over to the Nunn Design blog.

See more of Debora's work here. 

See more of Karen's work here.

See more of Lorelei's work here.

See more of Stephanie's work here.

Let it Bead,


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