Ever since Vanessa from Coco Rose Diaries shared her Pip Studio china collection on her blog, I’ve been obsessively crushing on it!
It’s kind of girly, but the red and white checkered border is sending me over the moon!
I know I don’t get out much, but I’ve never seen this china in the States! I’m going to have to do some research on where to find it. So cute!
all images Coco Rose Diaries
Excessively drooling babies usually herald the arrival of cute, but very sharp, baby teeth. Help those babies cut their teeth on these darling teethers…
Making gingerbread houses at Christmas time has been a family tradition since I was very small.
Most were given away to friends and neighbors, but we always kept at least one. Mom made us wait until after Christmas to eat it, although there were always candy pieces that mysteriously disappeared from seemingly discreet places.
The recipe below is my mother’s recipe and it is AMAZING. I use this same recipe for cut-out gingerbread cookies. If you know the gingerbread houses won’t get eaten, you can substitute vegetable shortening for the butter to cut costs.
One recipe will fill a 18″ x 13″ x 1″ cookie sheet and is enough to make 1 large gingerbread house. Double the recipe and you can make 5 mini houses in two cookie sheets. Score the cookie dough with the pattern pieces before you bake the cookie sheet and then score the pattern again IMMEDIATELY after you take them out of the oven.
Gingerbread House Recipe
Makes one large gingerbread house
Preheat oven to 350º F
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup dark molasses
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Cream butter and sugar. Add slightly beaten egg and dark molasses. Mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Cookie dough should pull away from the edges of the bowl, but should not be too dry (If you are rolling out the dough for cut out gingerbread cookies, add a bit more flour so that the dough is stiffer). Turn out dough onto an ungreased 18″ x 13″ x 1″ cookie sheet and flatten dough, completely covering the bottom of the pan. Smooth, lay out gingerbread house pieces and score the pattern with a sharp paring knife.
Bake for 12 – 14 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Gingerbread is done when the top is golden brown. As soon as you remove the cookie sheet from the oven score the pattern pieces again. Allow cookie sheet to cool 15 minutes. Carefully remove the excess gingerbread pieces, then using a metal spatula carefully remove the gingerbread house pieces to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Use a meringue powder royal icing as “glue” to construct the house and attach the candies. If you aren’t able to find meringue powder at your local grocery, craft, or baking store, use an egg white royal icing recipe. Please note that your eggs must be very fresh if the icing will be eaten by young children or anyone whose health could be compromised. You can be as simple or fancy as you want. When the kids are decorating, I just fill disposable plastic pastry bags with meringue powder royal icing and cut the tip of the bag off so that they can pipe the icing themselves. Use plastic bread bag closures or twist ties to secure the top of the pastry bag. Don’t overfill bags! Little hands forget to squeeze from the top down.
 |
| Gingerbread houses don’t last long at our house any more! |
Gingerbread House Recipe
Gingerbread House Template
 |
| Itazura Kitty Cat Coin Bank |
Have you seen these adorable banks? When you place a coin on the top of the box, a little animal peeps it’s head out and it’s little paw steals your coin! It’s so cute!!
 |
| Christmas 1976 |
 |
| Custom Play Kitchen |
 |
| Pottery Barn Kids Red Retro Kitchen |
 |
| Ursa the Bear and Ursa Minor |
I just discovered these amazing wooden toys designed by David Weeks for Areaware!
 |
| Hattie the Elephant |
Made of sustainably harvested new growth beech wood and jointed together with durable elastic bands, these gorgeous wooden toys can be manipulated into many poses and will withstand years of play.
 |
| Hanno the Gorilla |
Inspired by Japanese Shinto Kumi-ki puzzles, this large robot is signed by the designer and folds back into a cube when play is done. Simply amazing.
 |
| Extra Large Cubebot |
A gorgeous, imaginative, well crafted alternative to the majority of cheap, plastic, and garishly colored toys available today.
 |
| Free Knit Pattern |
Thank you to all the veterans that continue to allow us the freedom to vote, to worship, to work, to bake, to craft, to create, to sell, to enjoy, to play, and to be.
 |
| Flying Flingshot Monkeys |
 |
| When Pigs Fly… |
 |
| Flying Monkey Spacemen |
 |
| Polka and Bloom Calavera Skull Embroidery Pattern |
Today I’ve been thinking about Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. The Mr. lived quite a few years in Mexico as a preteen, and then for two years as a missionary for our church. He has a deep love for the people of Mexico, their food, and their culture. Ask the children what one of the favorite things they love to do with their father, besides fishing, and they will say, “making bolillo,” a traditional Mexican crispy crust bread roll. Last week we used the last of our tomatoes from the garden to make a roasted tomato salsa in our molcajete. Our favorite soup? Caldo de Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup – someday I’ll share my recipe with you!).
 |
| Sweet Sugar Belle |
Last year I attempted to make Day of the Dead cut-out cookies. They did NOT turn out as amazing as these cookies by Sweet Sugar Belle. (But go check out this amazing tutorial she posted!!) I think I like Day of the Dead traditions because the holiday celebrates the amazingly vibrant colors of Mexico and it emphasizes the importance of family and ancestors.
 |
| Frida Kahlo Mexican Tile |
One of my favorite artists is Frida Kahlo.The way she embraced her ethnic roots, the uncompromising honesty of her artwork, the way she wore her hair!! And her unique perspective.