DIY Holiday Gnomes

This simple, affordable and fun project is sure to delight your little ones!  Here is an easy tutorial on how to make these cute little holiday gnomes.

Image © Natureal Mom 2012

You can either use wooden Peg People which come in different shapes and sizes or old-fashioned wooden clothespins.  Peg People and Wooden Doll Pins can be found at your local craft store or there is a nice selection here and on Etsy.  You will also need some pieces of Eco-fi felt, a hot glue gun and a pair of scissors. I chose three different colors of felt for Hanukkah. Red and green would be festive for Christmas or Kwansa :)

Image © Natureal Mom 2012

First, I made the little cloak by cutting a rectangular shaped piece of felt long enough to fit around the wooden body.  I rolled it around the body and secured the edges together in the back using a hot glue gun.

Image © Natureal Mom 2012

Next, I made the little gnome hat by cutting a triangular shaped piece of felt, making sure it was just the right length to fit over the wooden head when glued together.

Image © Natureal Mom 2012

Using the hot glue gun, I glued the two sides together. Then I put just a dab of glue onto the inside of the hat and positioned it onto the gnomes head so that it was tilted slightly backward.

Image © Natureal Mom 2012

Isn’t he a cute little fellow?  He’s ready to spin some dreidels and eat some latkes!

Image © Natureal Mom 2012

Happy Winter Crafting!

Recipe: Strawberry Blondie Bars with Chocolate Chips

Hello & Happy Fourth of July! Fresh local strawberries are in season and are the star ingredient in these delicious strawberry blondie bars with chocolate chips. Enjoy them warmed up with a scoop of coconut ice cream or at room temperature with a cup of tea ❤

Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup of melted butter or Earth Balance
  • 2/3 cup of granulated sugar (I used Sucanat. You can also use maple or date sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs or equivalent using a natural egg replacer
  • 1 cup of all purpose flour (I used white unbleached whole wheat flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 cup of diced strawberries
  • 1/4 cup of regular or vegan chocolate or white chocolate chips
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350′F. Using a strip of parchment paper, line the bottom and two sides of an 8 X 8 inch baking pan. Set aside.
  2. Combine the melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Add the pure vanilla extract and the egg or egg replacer. Whisk until well combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder.
  4. Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Note: the batter will be quite thick. If the mixture appears a little too thick, add another tablespoon of water.
  5. Gently fold in the chopped strawberries and vegan chocolate chips. Spread batter into prepared baking pan.
  6.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the blondies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a tooth pick inserted in the middle yields moist crumbs.
  7. Remove blondies from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove blondies from pan using parchment paper and allow them to cool on a wire rack. Once cool, cut blondies into squares.

Note: I doubled the recipe and used a 9 X 13 inch baking pan.

Recipe credit: The Fig Tree ~ celebrating the best of both vegetarian and vegan cuisine.

Enjoy!