Christmas Inspirations 2013

Only 7 days more to Christmas! And if you still haven't already started your Christmas baking/decorations, here are some ideas from my favorite pinners to share. Most of these are budget-friendly and super easy to make.

Strawberry Santas

via Driscoll's

Tiny Teddy Sleighs

via It's All About Us

Colourful Pinecone Wreath

via FB

Ice Skates Ornament Made From Paper Clips!

via SkunkBoy

Festive Table Setting

via Fancy Deco

Pine Cone Elf

via Martha Stewart

Snowman Fridge

via http://www.pinterest.com/pin/249598004321350196/

Pine Cone Christmas Tree

via Crafter's Delights

Gingerbread Cookie Stack

via MadBaker

Berry Holiday Tree

via Driscoll's

Poinsettias

I love poinsettias; they are such an essential part of the Yuletide season. An old Mexican legend has it that in the 16th century, a young girl  who was too poor to buy a gift for the Christmas celebration was inspired by an angel to collect the roadside weed and offer it at the church altar. Red "flowers" miraculously sprouted and the poinsettia was created.
You don't find poinsettias here on our side of the pond. Our poinsettias in Malaysia are grown in the highland greenhouses. We call them 'bunga Krismas' in Malay which literally translates as Christmas flower.

I am having fun experimenting with buttercream icing and made these poinsettia cupcakes - my first attempt. 

Sharing this  video by Xanthe Milton. I love her cupcake decorating tutorials.

Christmas Treat Ideas 2013

Can you believe it's already time for Christmas cookies? 'Tis the season to be baking ... Fa La La La La La La La La......!   I'm listening to this carol as I'm typing this!

And if you're in need of some inspiration, here are some cute ideas to share.

Family Tree Cookies

via Glorious Treats

Christmas Eve Mice

via The Not So Fascinating Life Of Tabitha

Crispy Christmas Cottages

via LandOLakes

Crunchy Cereal Wreaths

via Parents

Pink and Purple Penguin Cookies

via Glorious Treats


EDIBLE RUDOLPH CUPCAKE WRAPPERS
Yep, you read it right! These adorable cupcake wrappers are totally edible and made from modeling chocolate.

via Hungry Happenings

POLAR BEAR CUPCAKES
You can see from the tutorial that these are wayyyy much easier than they look!

via Family Fun

Ornament Cupcakes

via Duncan Hines

Santa Stuck In Chimney Cupcake

via Bakerella

Frosty Snowmen Pretzels

via Hungry Happenings


Christmas Tree Cupcakes

via Just A Taste

Fondant Snowman Cupcakes

My neighbour who has just migrated to Austrialia left me a big tub of fondant that I had no idea what to do with. I've never worked with fondant before. My clumsy fingers couldn't handle anything else other than rolling balls and stacking them together so I ended up making these snowmen.

Fondant is kinda like grown-up play doh!

No Bake Christmas Hedgehogs

While I love decorating cookies, I hate having to bake from scratch. And these hedgehogs on oreos are just my kind of thing.

Ingredients

• Oreo cookies
• Melted chocolate
• 1 small tube green icing
• Red cachous
• Kraft Soft Caramels
• Chocolate rice sprinkles
• 1 black edible food marker

Directions

1. Carefully twist cookies apart.
2. Use the halves with cream filling.
3. Pipe leaves on the cream with the green icing.
4. Place 3 red cachous between the leaves for berries.
5. Shape hedgehog from 1 1/2 caramel squares.
6. Dip hedgehog in melted chocolate.
7. Coat the wet chocolate with sprinkles and gently place the hedgehog on a Oreo cookie.
8. With a toothpick dipped in chocolate, make a dot on the nose.
9. Use the black edible food marker to dot the eyes.
10. Let stand until set.
11. Store in an airtight container.

Aren't these perfect for Christmas?

Turkey Cake Pops

We don't celebrate Thanksgiving over here on our side of the pond; I just made these turkey cake pops for fun.

Like them?  These are supposed to be roast turkeys on a bed of lettuce. The green thingys are cornflakes tossed with green frosting.  I got the idea from those adorable turkey cupcakes I stumbled upon @ Taste Of Home. I couldn't find any Kraft caramels in the local supermarkets and ended up making these turkey cake pops instead.

Pinstrosity - When Pinterest Projects Go Wrong

I've tried many Pinterest projects and some have failed miserably though all evidence was destroyed as I only showcased the few successful ones. It was so comforting to know that I was not alone when I stumbled upon this blog called Pinstrosity. If you haven't heard of them already, it’s a blog of photos and stories submitted by Pinterest lovers and their Pinterest fails.

Here are some of my faves from their blog.

The Original Pin

The Pinstrosity

The Original Pin

The Pinstrosity

The Original Pin

The Pinstrosity

The Original Pin

The Pinstrosity

The Original Pin

The Pinstrosity

The Original Pin

The Pinstrosity

The person who submitted this described his pinstrosity as zombie ducks! LOL!

The Original Pin

The Pinstrosity

"Our punch was a polluted mess! The color of the "bath water" turned out to be more of a green-brown murky color! Then, we put the rubber penguins in and they all fell over...
The bright side? It was delicious and quite hilarious. We named this new recipe 'Global Warming Punch.'"

The Original Pin

The Pinstrosity

The Original Pin

The Pinstrosity

More fun pics @ pinstrosity.blogspot.com

Queenie Liao - Wengenn In Wonderland

When Adele Enerson's book titled "Mila's Daydreams" (a compilation of photos of whimsical backdrops created around her napping daughter that were orchestrated from clothes and household objects) was published, many moms were inspired to craft their own sceneries. This prompted the author to host a competition among her fans to submit their sleeping baby images. Queenie Liao was the first place winner with her Valentine’s Day dinner theme.

Here are some of her other creations

More adorable pics @ Queenie's Facebook Fan Page.