Everyday Beauty

Candied Pecans

If you're looking for a quick and easy little homemade gift to give, I don't think you can go wrong with these Candied Pecans. But be careful....you might find yourself eating them up before you can package them and tie the bow.

You will need:

4 cups (1 lb.) pecan halves
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spray a large metal baking sheet with non-stick spray.
Place pecans in a large mixing bowl. Beat egg whites and vanilla in a small bowl, and pour the mixture over pecans. Mix well until all the pecans are coated. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and salt, and pour over pecan mixture. Toss and mix well to evenly coat.

Spread the pecans on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 1 hour, turning and tossing every 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before packaging them in small tins, bags or paper-lines boxes.

Now that there are only 4 days until Christmas (YIKES!) I am off to bake some more. And wrap. And bake. Oh, and I'm thinking of finishing the stockings I started making years ago......I'll let you know how that goes!

xo Andrea

Chewy Sea Salt Caramels

This week I made some Chewy Sea Salt Caramels that I wanted to share with you. Since I can't give you each a piece, I thought I'd give you the recipe so you an whip up a tasty batch for yourself.

You will need a candy thermometer and a bit of patience, but it's worth it. They are chewy and delicious, and I have yet to meet someone who doesn't enjoy them. I'll be including a tin of these with the gifts I put together for my children's teachers. The babysitters in the nursery at church will also be getting some, as well as famiy and friends.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 pound light brown sugar

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup light corn syrup

1 pinch of salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 to 2 Tablespoons coarse sea salt

 

DIRECTIONS

Generously butter the bottom and sides of a glass 9x13" baking pan.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients EXCEPT for the vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Heat until the temperature on your candy thermometer reaches between 235 and 24o degrees F. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes at this temperature. You have to stir constantly, scraping the bottom so the mixture will not burn. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Carefully pour the VERY HOT liquid caramel into your buttered glass pan. Wait about 1 minute and sprinkle coarse sea salt on top of the caramel, using your preference of how much salt you want to add. The contrast of the sweet caramel and the salt makes for a wonderful combination of flavors.

Allow it to cool completely at room temperature. Then remove the caramel slab from the pan and cut into squares using a large sharp knife or strong kitchen scissors.

Wrap each piece in waxed paper and twist the ends.

Enjoy!

Visions of Sugarplums

In the midst of the wonderful hustle and festive bustle of the season, I decided to make one last collection of jewelry in time for Christmas delivery. There are new Ear Drops and necklaces and lots of winter sparkle.

As long as orders are placed by Sunday, Dec 16th, I will ship in plenty of time for Christmas gift giving!

I hope you're loving this wonderful season and enjoying the company of family and friends as we prepare for December 25......only 14 more days!

Holiday Picture?

Considering using this one to include in our Christmas cards this year. It is quite comical and quite typical. Sofia is 2 going on 16. Heaven help me. As you may know, trying to get a great photo of multiple children is like trying to herd cats. But I have to say, I laugh out loud everytime I see this picture.

Just thought I'd share my laughing moment with you!

New Holiday Ear Drops

I have been a busy girl making this collection of fancy new Ear Drops just in time for the holidays. I'm so happy with the way these pieces turned out, with that little extra sparkle, wire wraps and soft pastel palette. I happened to have extra quantities of a few of the components and was able to make 2 sets of some of these designs.

If you want to have a look, click here to visit The Shopette.

Thank you to all of you gals who have placed custom orders. It's been such fun creating special pieces for you!

Made-To-Order

For a few years I have been asking myself if I should consider taking custom orders for jewelry designs. Truth be told, there was always that little bit of fear that it would become a "job". I worried that I'd lose the passion I have for designing and creating as my form of artistic expression.

Well, I have quietly been accepting custom jewelry requests from customers for the last few months, and to my great surprise.....what a JOY to be able to design a piece that is exactly what these customers are seeking. I am loving it.

Now that 2 of my children are in school, at least part time, and Sofia still takes a nice long nap, I am so enjoying sitting down at my jewelry table and feeling inspired and excited about what I am doing.

So, it's a big step for me, but one I am really excited about taking!

If there is a piece you have seen in my Shopette that you liked and would like something similar, I can do that. If you want a necklace with specific colors, charms, medals....I can do that also. As long as it's something that is true to my design style, I would love to create a piece for you!

The Made-to-Order Menu includes: Necklaces, Bracelets, Ear Drops, Bookmark Baubles, and Rosaries as well.

Simply contact me through the "Say Hello" link on my home page. My business has been quite an evolution, and I am so grateful that it has led me here. Thank you friends, for your support and encouragement all these years!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from our home to yours!

There's Still Time to Sign Up!

Week One is underway, but you can still sign up for Creatively Made Home! It is so inspiring, and I am loving it. Jeanne really outdid herself this time!

Click here to sign up for the 5 week e-course.

Riding Creative Waves

I just added 5 new necklaces to the Shopette. It's funny how creativity has a mind of its own. Some days I couldn't piece a necklace together if I tried, and then there are other days. I wake up and just know that I need to create something. And it all flows and works together, for the most part. I wish I knew the answer to this mystery! In any case, I try to take it a day at a time and ride the wave of creativity, as it comes and goes, with all its calm and all its wonderful fury.

A Pair of Bracelets

Just a little post to let you know I made a couple of new pieces that are now in the Shopette. You can find them here.

It's amazing what can get done when I wake up at 1:30 in the morning and can't get back to sleep!

xo Andrea