Homemade Mitten Ornaments

     Every Christmas for the last 20 years, my fiance's family organizes a homemade ornament exchange. And every year, I scramble to come up with a fun, creative and inexpensive ornament just weeks before the exchange. This year, my inspiration came from mitten shaped gift tags from Target. Using the gift tag as my guide, I created my very own mittens which I embellished the with colorful pom pom trim, sequins and sparkly gems.


To make your own mitten ornaments you will need the following:

 

Spool of pom pom trim
Spool of black satin or sheer ribbon
Spool of decorative trim
Assorted Craft Gems & Sequins
9"x12" Felt Square
Hot Glue
Scissors
Colorful thread
Sewing Machine

Mitten Template

 



1) Fold the longest side of the felt square in half
2) Pin the mitten template to your felt square. Cut around the mitten, making sure to cut through both layers. Once you are done cutting out the template, you should be left with two pieces (a front and back)

*Keep in mind one felt square will make 3 mittens, or one and half pairs of mittens.

  3) Pin the two pieces together and carefully sew around the edges - make sure to leave the bottom opening untouched.




4) Measure your pom pom and trim against the length of the mitten's opening, add a quarter inch to each end for safety and cut accordingly.

5) Using a hot glue gun, glue the pom pom & trim to opening of your mitten. *Note: you only need to decorate one side of your mitten.
6) Embellish each mitten by gluing sequins and gems to the center in any design you'd like.
7) Cut a 6" piece of black satin ribbon. Carefully dab hot glue on one end of the ribbon. Tuck the glued end of the ribbon a half inch into the mitten's opening. Make sure to tuck the ribbon opposite the thumb end. Repeat on the other side.

HAPPY CRAFTING!

Holiday Party Recipe: Sausage Strata

 
  You know it's the week before Christmas when you start getting piles of invitations to holiday parties. And if you're like me, you never arrive empty handed. Whether you're hosting or attending a holiday party, this Sausage Strata recipe is simple, savory, and best of all it can be prepared the night before.
   
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound of ground sausage
6 slices of bread cut into medium sized cubes
2 cups of shredded jack cheese
6 eggs
2 cups of milk
1 cup of fresh chopped basil
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook sausage in a medium size skillet until evenly brown

2. Place cubed bread, cooled sausage, basil and cheese in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

3. Layer mixture in a rectangular casserole pan.
4. In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat together eggs, milk and salt and pour over bread mixture.
5. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Please note this dish can be refrigerated the night before you plan to bake it.
6. Preheat over to 350 degrees F
7. Bake for 45 minutes. You will know dish is ready by inserting a knife into the middle of it. When the knife comes out clean, it's ready to removed from the oven.
8. Let stand for 10 minute before serving. Enjoy!