Wednesday 25 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - day 25 Merry Christmas in July!!

This is the last day of my CIJ posts – it was fun to find all those things to put in my blog. For the last day I thought I’d post some Christmas window displays – they do bring out the Christmas magic!


Fortnum & Mason – London (Source: http://tchoubi.blogspot.com/search/label/No%C3%ABl )



Tiffany’s
http://iloveshoplifting.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/christmas-at-tiffanys-tiffany-co-holiday-2010-fifth-avenue/












Hamley’s
http://www.pureholidayhomes.com/article/christmas-in-london-shopping-and-days-out-in-the-capital/112


Galeries Lafayette (Source: http://www.doitinparis.com/weekend-getaway/christmas-paris-6608/)









Ogilvy (Source: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2746/4199886245_4cd72dc187_z.jpg)










Barney’s NYC (Source: http://www.maricazottino.com/blog/?p=2015)










Fendi NYC (Source: http://nyclovesnyc.blogspot.com/2010/11/fifth-avenue-christmas-holiday-window.html)










Selfridges London http://www.handbag.com/fashion/features/top-10/top-10-festive-shop-windows-92765









Tuesday 24 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - day 24 Treat Tuesday

Source : http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Hawaiian-Dessert
Hawaiian Dessert Recipe













Prep: 20 min. Bake: 15 min. + chilling
Yield: 24 Servings

Ingredients
• 1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
• 3 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 cups cold milk
• 1-1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, well drained
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped and sweetened
• 2 cups flaked coconut, toasted

Directions

• Mix cake batter according to package directions. Pour into two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pans. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until the cakes test done. Cool completely.

• In a large bowl, combine pudding mixes, milk and coconut extract; beat for 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat well. Stir in pineapple.

• Spread over the cooled cakes. Top with whipped cream; sprinkle with coconut. Chill for at least 2 hours. Yield: 24 servings.

Monday 23 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - day 23 Merry Monday

Last week of CIJ 2012!! Merry Monday


I’m thinking of some more party themes – Mele kalikimaka is a good one… Merry Christmas in Hawaiien. Beach Christmas. Love that song in the ‘Christmas vacations’ movie.

Santa ornament (Source: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Santa-Claus-Gone-Beach-Christmas-Ornament-/290725769597). I’m thinking I can MAKE something that looks like this… would be great for the kids next year (already working on this year’s ornaments).














Movie : Christmas vacation














Song:   Mele Kalikimaka (A Hawaiian Song)

*pronounced meh-leh kah-lee-kee-mah-kah

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day
That's the island greeting that we send to you from the land where palm trees sway
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas to you

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas day
That's the island greeting that we send to you from the land where palm trees sway
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas to you

Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas to you

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day
That's the island greeting that we send to you from the land where palm trees sway
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas

A very Merry Christmas, a very, very, Merry, Merry Christmas to you

Can be downloaded on Amazon : http://www.amazon.com/Mele-Kalikimaka/dp/B000W0CT9I

You can listen to a sample here : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W11HJ0/ref=dm_mu_dp_trk6


Sunday 22 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - day 22 Suprise Sunday

Gingerbread craft!! Now there are LOTS of Gingerbread crafts on the web! Here are a few different ones:


Source: http://embroiderygarden.blogspot.ca/2009/10/new-holiday-towel-ginger-legs.html













Can be bought here: http://thewoodshopintn.com/catalog.php?category=11&page=all



And don’t forget the half-eaten gingerbread men… like the ones I made for the teens last year.
See post from…July 30th 2010

Saturday 21 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - day 21 Santa Saturday

Love this cake! (Source: http://cakesbymay.blogspot.ca/2010/12/five-tier-wedding-cake-this-cake-says.html) of course, it is a bit too complicated for me but it would be a great cake for Christmas.. the kids would love it.
Source: http://cakecentral.com/gallery/92690/sleeping-santa



I might manage one like this one though:
Source: http://spoonful.com/christmas/christmas-recipes/christmas-desserts/santa-cake/8663





Friday 20 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - day 20 Fa-La-La Friday Family Film

I’ve got an idea with all the Gingerbread & sweets this week. It’s not really a Christmas movie per say but it’s got the ‘Christmas Spirit’


Chitty-chitty-bang-bang. I love this movie, it is magical

 



 Some fun information: (Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062803/trivia )


Lionel Jeffries played Dick Van Dyke's father, despite the fact that Dick Van Dyke is actually six months older than Jeffries.

Phil Collins claims he was one of the children storming the castle at the end of the film but was edited out because of a rather large and unsightly bandage on his head that was covering a cyst.

Baron Bomburst's castle is Neuschwanstein, built between 1869 and 1886 for the Bavarian King Ludwig II, "The Mad King of Bavaria". This castle is also famously known as the model for the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, which was the symbol of the Disney Television programs Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color and it's successors "Walt Disney Presents (1958)" and "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1962)".

The musical number 'Toot Sweets' took three weeks to film and involved 38 dancers, 40 singers, 85 musicians and 100 dogs.

The name Toot Sweet is a play on "tout suite", a French expression meaning "right away" or "quickly".

Thursday 19 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - day 19 Tradition Thursday

Gingerbread houses are a tradition in many families.


Source: http://www.gingerbread-house-heaven.com/pictures-of-gingerbread-houses.html






I love the log cabin!!


 
Easy Gingerbread house to make with kids… I think even I could make this one!
Source: http://www.cookingwithmykid.com/holiday/easy-gingerbread-house/



Tuesday 17 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - day 17 Treat Tuesday

Gingerbread cakes – makes 8
Source: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/23446/little+gingerbread+cakes

Ingredients
• 125g butter, chopped
• 2/3 cup golden syrup
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 2/3 cups plain flour, sifted
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• Lemon zest, to serve
• Lemon icing
• 2 cups icing sugar mixture, sifted
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons boiling water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease an 8-hole, 3/4 cup-capacity mini loaf pan.

2. Place butter, golden syrup, sugar and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until butter has melted and sugar dissolved (do not boil). Remove from heat. Add bicarbonate of soda. Stir to combine. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

3. Add egg. Whisk to combine. Add flour, ginger and mixed spice. Whisk until smooth. Spoon mixture into pan holes until half-full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre of 1 cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Make icing Place icing sugar, lemon juice and boiling water in a bowl. Stir until smooth. Spoon over cakes. Stand for 5 minutes or until icing starts to set. Top with zest. Set aside until set. Serve.







Monday 16 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - Day 16 Merry Monday

CIJ 2012 – day 16 Merry Monday – Gingerbread theme


I love the Gingerbread theme… for me gingerbread = Christmas (even though I am not crazy about the taste of gingerbread)

Love this garland (and one of these days I’ll make one!)
http://finishingtouchinteriors.blogspot.ca/2011/12/create-magical-christmas.html












There is also this one… love the mix with apples
http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.ca/2011/11/gingerbread-man-garland.html






Sunday 15 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - day 15 Surprise Sunday

In staying with this week’s them I’m thinking of a Grinch craft.


Grinch pills
Source: http://scrapcationgetaway.blogspot.ca/2010/10/grinch-pills-free-scut-file.html


 

Whoville hat (see post of December 20th): http://www.somethingshinymoved.com/page/7/




Saturday 14 July 2012

CIJ 2012 – day 14 Santa Saturday


Thinking about doing this craft – in fact I’ve already drawn a pattern … I need to prep all the stuff needed to do this in a Ziploc, ready to go when I want too 

Santa hat ornies (Source: http://www.etsy.com/listing/57278464/primitive-santa-hat-ornies )


If you make a google-search for Santa hat ornies you will find different ones but I like these ones on sale on Etsy.

Friday 13 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - day 13 Falala Friday - family film

You guessed it! This week will be the Grinch! There is the original cartoon version or the version with Jim Carey. We have the Jim Carey one.




Trivia (Source : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0170016/trivia)
Some fun facts & trivia about the movie:

Everything in the film revolves around a swirl, the same as in the original drawings of the book. This includes the clouds. If you look closely at in several scenes, several times the initials "C.H.", "J.C.," and "R.H." briefly form as the clouds move. This stands for actor Clint Howard (Whobris), actor Jim Carrey (The Grinch), and director Ron Howard.

The sound stage for the Whoville set measured around 30,000 square feet.
Share this Hide options
The prosthetic make-up Jim Carrey wore took 3 hours to apply. Carrey felt so horribly confined and uncomfortable in the latex skin he needed counseling from a Navy SEAL who taught him torture-resistance techniques.

Jim Carrey's Grinch suit is covered in yak hairs, which were dyed green and sewn one by one onto a spandex suit

Jim Carrey's yellow contact lenses proved to be so uncomfortable that he was unable to wear them at times during filming. This required that some shots of his eyes be colored in post-production.

Suss Cousins, an L.A. based sweater designer (whose first name is pronounced just like Dr. Seuss), along with two other knitters, produced 250 pieces of original knitwear for this movie (including 8 identical red-striped sweaters for Jim Carrey) in four months. That works out to 83.3 sweaters a person in just 120 days which is quite amazing as all were hand-knit.

The photo of The Grinch in the Whoville newspaper has The Grinch in the same pose as an infamous alleged photo taken of the "Yeti" or "Sasquatch."

Ron Howard's family shows up in several spots in the movie: his father is the elder Who that shouts "Put him in the Chair of Cheer!"; his daughter shows up as the red-head Who in the quick shot after the Grinch turns the lights in Whoville back on; his wife can be seen holding hands with the Elder Who when all the Whos gather around the tree.

The Whoville set was built mostly on the backlot of Universal Studios behind the still-standing Bates Motel. During a break in filming Jim Carrey surprised and scared tourists on the Universal Backlot Tour by running out of the hotel wearing a dress and brandishing a knife. Nobody recognized him, and the tour guide at Universal Studios will tell you the story when you pass by the hotel on the Backlot Tour.

Many Cirque du Soleil performers were used for the more acrobatic tricks and stunts in the movie. They can be spotted in the beginning as some of the Whos in the parade.

There are many more fun facts on the same site, but here’s a very important one:
Top-selling movie ticket of 2000 - 50 million sold.
Great Christmas movie!

Thursday 12 July 2012

CIJ 2012 – day 12 Tradition Thursday

I thought I’d post ideas for some family Christmas traditions.

Make a few handmade holiday cards this year as a family. I’ve always wanted to make some, would be fun to make – maybe with mom, sis & Joannie.

Create or purchase new ornaments each year for the tree. I do buy new ones for the kids every year – when the leave the house they will take their ornaments with them.

Enjoy a Family Night with special holiday crafts or games.

Start a Christmas themed puzzle somewhere in your home. It is very relaxing be it for you or your guests.

What are your favorite holiday memories? You may be surprised at the special memories that have nothing to do with gifts or elaborate events.

Keep a "Joy Journal" this holiday season, in which you record the funny things your kids say, joyful times you share, your favorite things to do with your family (and by yourself), and all the things for which you are grateful. Use your Joy Journal as a reminder of the facets of your life (and this holiday season) that are really important. – I need to do this!!

What family traditions do you have?

Wednesday 11 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - day 11 Winter Wonderland Wednesday


Some nice winter pictures (just don’t think of the cold temps that go with them ;) )




N.B.: I have taken these from Pinterest, I don’t have the sources but if one of these is yours, don’t hesitate to send your link.

Tuesday 10 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - day 10 Treats Tuesday

Continuing on 'The Grinch' theme:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Grinch-Punch



http://itthing.com/10-most-popular-holiday-drinks



Grinch cookies:

Source: http://cookincowgirl.blogspot.ca/2011/12/how-grinch-crinkled-christmas-cookies.html

Monday 9 July 2012

CIJ 2012 - Day 9 Merry Monday - Theme 'The Grinch'

Some ideas for a different Christmas party Theme – The Grinch.
Décor – Grinch tree

Source: http://www.marilyn.ca/Holiday/segments.aspx/Daily/December2011/12_06_2011/GrinchTree


Grinch frame:

Can be bought here: http://www.lacybella.com/item_2719/Merry-Grinchmas.htm

Grinch wreath:

Source: http://www.obseussed.com/2011_12_01_archive.html