Sunday, November 11, 2012

Very Merry Holidays

Today is DAY 2 of the Very Merry Holiday Party. I share the day with Jill Finley so after you leave here be sure to check her out!
I am excited to be a part of this fun hop. Be sure to check out each blog as well as the Henry Glass blog every day. There will be lots of prizes and the Grand Prize will be huge. I will be giving away a copy of my 2 books, A Year of Cozy Comforts and Inspired to the Grand Prize winner.
The theme this year is favorites.
Favorite Decoration:
That is a hard one. It varies from year to year. I have a thing for themed Christmas Trees. My current year is always my favorite. These trees are very varied. I am a control freak particular about my trees. My boys have never decorated the trees. I do it and they snack and watch. Back some years ago my living room had some pinks in it and so my tree was done in pink ornaments with a Victorian feel.
Then I had a tree that hung upside down with folk art ornaments on it.
And recently I have had a vintage aluminum tree.

We are getting ready to move into a new house, so I don't know what it will be this year. 
Favorite food at the holidays:
Well I am a baker and my family has southern roots so that means I only make stuff that is loaded with butter and gooey goodness. My go to recipe at the holidays for some years now has been Apple Spice Cake with Caramel Swirled Icing. I found the recipe about 6 years ago in a magazine and everyone loved it. 

This is also the most requested dessert in my family along with my apple dumplings. The recipe is a mile long so you can print it HERE. It is to die for.
Favorite holiday tradition:
My favorite holiday tradition is one that we no longer participate in. All my life, growing up and into adulthood my extended family would get together on Christmas Eve at my grandmas. Many generations would pile in and share food. and laughter. It was a chance to catch up with everyone and it was what Christmas was all about. This tradition ended when my grandmother passed away. I suppose one of us could have taken over but somehow it just wouldn't be the same. I think this is one to treasure as a memory.
Holiday project:
And finally here is my project to share with you. I made a wool candle mat. It is fast and fun.



I am a crappy photographer and it has been cloudy and rainy here so it is actually alot cuter than it looks. You can get the directions HERE and the template page HERE.
Thanks for sticking around through a LONG post and be sure to check out all the designers. Have a Very Merry Holiday.
Happy Quilting, Dawn

64 comments:

  1. Thank you for the Apple Spice Cake. My family does a test receipt every year and this is the winner!

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  2. Love your project but am very anxious to make your cake. I have a potluck coming up and now know what I'll be making.

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  3. Love the wool candlemat. Thank-you for the pattern. I have been loving working with wool. Would love to win your books. They look beautiful.

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  4. Thank you for the project! I love it! The cake looks yummy too - going to give that a try! happy holidays!

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  5. You just know I love your style no matter! Are you ready for the holidays? Gosh they are here so fast again.

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  6. That cake looks to die for, I can understand why it was popular :) The project is cute, I love wool candle mats. Thank you for sharing!

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  7. Love the project and the cake Dawn.

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  8. Your tree traditions are so fun. It must have been a challenge to hang one upside down! But totally charming.
    Thanks for your sweet pattern.

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  9. The cake looks delicious and the pattern is great. Thank you so much!

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  10. Wonderful project and great for a quick gift idea.
    Love the upside down tree, I have seen them in the store and maybe that is what I need, to keep the cats from climbing it, lol.

    Debbie

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  11. That cake looks dangerous!! Love the wool project!

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  12. What a cute pattern. Thanks for sharing

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  13. Dawn, your trees are great. I would love to have one of the silver trees. I have seen a few in antique stores but way to expensive.
    thanks for the sweet pattern.

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  14. What a delicious looking cake- Your candle mat is lovely too.
    Thanks for participating in the blog hop- It is such a fun event.
    Regards from Western Canada,
    Anna

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  15. That cake looks sinfully delicious!

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  16. I miss those Christmas Eve family gettogethers also. My cousins and I have all moved away from the town we grew up in, and have lost that tradition.

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  17. I have to laugh at you and your trees because I'm a bit the same way. I did let my three boys decorate the tree each year as they were growing up and didn't bother with the gorgeous trees like you see in the stores during the holidays when they were young. I knew that either one of them would break something or the cats would. I waited until they were grown to have "MY" tree. Oops. That lasted two years because now I have a Granddaughter living here with us and her parents that just turned 9 months old yesterday so it's back to the cheap ornaments this year for sure since I know she will be totally interested in all those sparkly pretties and the lights. I will still have my gorgeous purple tree however. :)

    Oh my gosh Dawn! That cake looks just amazing. I'm a baker also and always look for something new to make. I do that even with our meals. My poor husband I don't think had the same meal twice in the first two years of our marriage because I want to try new ones all the time. LOL But, I think maybe I've found the new one for this year. That cake looks so yummy and that frosting HAS to be just amazing. Thank you for that.

    Thank you for the very pretty wool candle mat as well.

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  18. Thanks for the pattern! I've knit with wool yarn, but never played with wool fabrics before. Guess I'll have to give it a try one day.

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  19. Great pattern. Thank you!
    Your cake looks delicious - can I come over for Christmas????

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  20. Your favrite family tradition is mine, also!! Everyone gathers at MY house and we talk, laugh, eat and visit!! My very favorite tradition! Your candle mat is fabulous!! Ho cute would that be on a coffee table or as a rug design!! Thank you for sharing! Boy oh boy!! What a cake!!

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  21. Such a great mat, thanks for sharing with us. My favorite memory is also of going to my grandmother's house on Christmas Eve. Once she passed, an aunt took over and it was still fun but not the same. Happy, happy memories.

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  22. I love looking at your trees from past Christmas's. My mom has done theme trees for years. Yes even and upside down tree. This year she was stumped, after all she is 83 years old and has had a few theme trees under her belt. I suggested she put together little craft frames with family photos as ornaments this year....she liked the idea. It will be fun to see all the pictures of us though the years. Sandi

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  23. Thankyou for the great ideas and yummy cake recipe. I'm new to your blog and will definitely be following along now.

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  24. I am a real sucker for Christmas trees. Recipes aren't bad either!

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  25. I love all your trees. I usually put up 2 or 3 trees a year but they are usually the same each year.

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  26. Lovely cake and lovely candle mat. My tree is the same every year.

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  27. Thanks for the candle mat pattern and the yummy looking cake recipe.

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  28. Thanks for the Candle Mat pattern. I love working with wool and this is definitely on my must-do list. Your recipe also looks so yummy!!!

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  29. What an adorable candle mat. Thank you for sharing this with us. :)

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  30. Thanks for this beautiful candle mat!!

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  31. Thanks for the project! I love working with wool!

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  32. Dawn, The cake looks super delicious. And the wool project is very cute. Christmas is a favorite holiday. It is hard to belive that it is just weeks away. Thank you for a chance to win. Janita

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  33. HI! WHAT A NEAT POST! THE CAKE LOOKS DELICIOIUS+THE CANDLEMATS ARE ADORABLE>YOU'VE GIVEN ME A CHRISTMAS HINT!

    msstitcher1948@yahoo.com

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  34. Thanks for the recipe,looks delicious.And your project is very cute.Thanks for sharing your pattern!!

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  35. Oh nice! I have been wanting to try a spice cake recipe... thank you for sharing yours, it looks wonderful! Your holiday mat is adorable... I printed that you also! My fingers are crossed for a chance to win! Happy holidays! I am so glad that HG designers are doing this hop! It should help keep me in the holiday spirit!

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  36. Hi, Your trees and decorations are beautiful. The cake sounds so good.

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  37. Thank you for that gorgeous candle mat design. I love it.

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  38. Kaye M. tkmattson@hotmail.comNovember 12, 2012 at 3:13 PM

    The wool candle mat design is beautiful and would be great to use all winter. Your apple cake looks "sinfully" yummy!

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  39. Love the candle mat! Thank you for the pattern. The cake looks super super yummy! Can almost taste it! Thank you for the blog hop!

    Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

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  40. Lovely candle mat pattern, the cake looks sinfully delicious.

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  41. Spice cake is one of our favorites, thanks. Love your candle Matt.

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  42. The cake looks delicious and the mat is a winner.Thanks for sharing with us.

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  43. I live in the South and I love the looks of your cake! Thanks for the recipe and the cute project.

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  44. I'm getting that spice cake recipe! Thanks for sharing instructions of the project and the HG blog hop too.

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  45. Por aqui também teve todo tipo de árvore,já fui perguntada :como será a árvore maluca da doida???....Obrigada.tiacarminhapezzuto@gmail.com

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  46. Thank you for the pattern and boy does that Apple Spice cake look YUMMY!!!!!!

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  47. I love your candle mat! Thank you for sharing it.

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  48. I just picked the last of our apples off the tree and I am going to make this cake for Thanksgiving at our son's. Thank you for sharing it and your candle mat is adorable. Thank you for the pattern. You rock kiddo.

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  49. I love the candle mat! I'll be making that! It's so cute!
    hulseybg at gmail dot com

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  50. I love your pink tree. Maybe I will put pink ornaments on my white tree this year. You are certainlyh in the holiday mood - free apple spice cake and your window cottage candle. Thank you for sharing both of these with all of us.

    Sandi T.
    sandit1@sbcglobal.net

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  51. I would love a pink, girly girl tree but I don't have room for any more (I have 8 right now). Maybe out in the new wool barn!

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  52. LOVE your candle mat design. HOpe to create it soon. Thank you. Your cake looks to die for (or from!). If i'm serving a large crowd, I'll make it, otherwise I would eat most of it I think!
    Pam Peterson

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  53. My tree is decorated in a hodge podge of ornaments. Some I made, some the kids made, some we bought, some were gifts. Each year I unpack the memories and hang them on the tree. It's messy but it's ours. (I do suffer from tree-envy when I see lovely ones like yours, though.) Thanks for the fun mat pattern! pbstrand@msn.com

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  54. Thank you for sharing your favorite Christmas tradition. Many of my favorites are just memories now, too. Happy holidays to you and your family.

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  55. Your candle mat is very cute..thanks for sharing!

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  56. I love little stitchery projects to give as gifts. That cake sounds amazing!

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  57. That cake look to die for, thanks. I like your project. Happy Holidays

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  58. Your gooey cake looks delish, Dawn. I am so enjoying the Henry Glass Very Merry Holiday Party Blog Hop!

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