Our winners are

Many Thanks to all for participating in our holiday giveaway! 

Our winner of the French postcard set is:

The Refeathered Nest

And the winner of the Cat and Macaron painting is:

Pat in NY

....but since it's more fun when everyone wins, Botanic Bleu and Moments in Grace will be getting a mini 3 pack of my French postcards as a runner up Prize!

Simply send me a message in my contact form on the sidebar stating where you would like your prize sent and I will get them out ASAP.

*Please note: Mother nature has doused us with unusually heavy snow so my trip to the post may have to wait until our town thaws out!

Wishing Everyone a Happy Holiday Season and please check back later in the week for the 1st annual cookie exchange!

Sneak Peak

I'll be making Coconut Truffle Mice

For a full list of bloggers and a fabulous cranberry pecan cookie recipe from from The Everday Home, click here

Joyeux Noel Giveaway

With the season of giving upon us, I thought a giveaway, however humble, would be a fun choice to coincide with the announcement of my new Etsy shop,
Le Beau Chaton

 While admittedly warned as a young student, not to pursue the career of "starving artist", few things compete with the delight of creating items by hand and being able to share them with others even if your boutique is only a small corner in cyberspace.

Le beau chaton features affordable original paintings,

 whimsical handcrafts and photography 

designed to add a little Joie de Vivre to your day.

 I'd love you to drop over for a visit!

The Giveaway

Joyeux Noel Postcards

This set of six postcards printed on linen finish paper features an original antique toned photograph with vintage graphic and french holiday greeting. They come with envelopes and can be mailed as a Christmas card, used to spruce up a gift, or even hung on a tree or garland.
or.....

Miniature painting 
Fluffy and the Macaron Tree 

This original painting was created on a mini 2x4 canvas and features a curious cat eyeing a tree of delicious Macarons. The painting was done in acrylics with vintage inspired stamped accents, metallic gold paint and a fun Pom Pom hanger. The pastel colors are reminiscent of the famous french confectionery.

To enter the Giveaway, simply leave a comment below stating which prize you'd prefer to win by December 9th 2013 and two winners will be chosen via a very random and low tech "name in a hat method".

Thanks so much for visiting!
 Make sure to pop back for 
more holiday fun!

Coming Soon

If holiday planning has you working up an appetite, don't miss the Everyday Home's First Annual Cookie Exchange with a delectable selection of holiday cookie recipes from 30 bloggers. I'm so thrilled to be included in this fun event!

Wishing everyone the happiest of holiday seasons

A Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you and yours the Happiest of Thanksgivings

I am so grateful for my wonderful blog friends and followers and for their wonderful support and feedback during the first year of my blogging adventure!

and to our non-U.S. readers, Happy Fall!

Vive le Macaron - faux French sweets

   

There is much debate as to the date the famous Macaron (or macaroon) was invented, some tracing the treat's origin to as early as the 1500's some claiming a later 1700's date. Regardless of its origin, centuries later, this wildly popular colorful and elegant confection is having a hayday, starring in cookbooks and  confectioneries and being reinvented in hundreds of unique new flavors.

Since several attempts to create these heavenly sweets in my own kitchen resulted in a charred sugary disaster and three ruined cookie sheets, I figured my best bet was to go the faux (and calorie free) route with air dry clay and craft paint 

You'll need:

For macarons

Air dry clay

Gloss pastel colored paints

Glossy Puffy paint in coordinating colors

Photos of Macarons or the real thing for reference 
(This delightful book is from my local library)

old toothbrush, plastic knife or paintbrush with fine point end

 for packaging

Empty candy boxes (yes I have a sweet tooth)

scrapbook or decorative paper

printables

I started by shaping the clay onto Macaron shapes making the tops as smooth as possible. Using a small toothbrush I created texture around the center to simulate filling, pressing into clay firmly to define.

 Using the end of the dull side of a plastic knife, I made a small indent around the cookie in the textured filling area where the puffy paint "ganache filling" will be applied.

Allow to dry thoroughly.Patience required: Mine took over 24 hours.

Once the clay was completely dry I covered them with several even coats of gloss paint in flavorful colors, allowing to dry between coats.

Pipe Puffy paint around center to create filling and let dry.

Laduree window, Milan Italy CPaul2013

Macarons are often displayed in shop windows on cone shape trees so I thought I'd try it with my faux sweets version. I simply painted a cardboard craft cone and hot glued sweets in place.

You can also pop them into an apothecary jar or arrange on a decorative plate (to avoid unnecessary dental drama, make sure family or guests don't mistake them for the real thing)

Elegant Packaging is part of the joy of indulging in a fancy treat. A fun addition to your project is to create your own logo and label.

 You can cover empty box lids with scrapbook paper and add your own printable and ribbon if desired. I used vintage images from the the Graphics Fairy to create my own faux confectionery brand. When the paper didn't work for the larger box, I spray painted it with white primer instead before adding label. To my surprise it worked.

Faux Macarons make fun decor for a tea or dessert party. Serve the real thing with tea in coordinating pastel tea cups.

                                                                                   

  Laduree tea room and shop, Champs-Elysees Paris CPaul2013

Macaron gift shop, Versailles Paris CPaul2013

Fancy fast food:even French Mcdonald's serve macarons! Oo la la!
source: flickr

How about them Apples

If Fall had a flavor I would be hard pressed to find a better one than crisp bright apple. Right up there with changing leaves and cozy sweaters, this favorite of fruits with its red, green and golden hues epitomizes Autumn.

As a child, a sweetly coated caramel or candy apple was a special seasonal treat, although rarely completely eaten in one sitting. Sadly they don't store particularly well once bitten into, resulting in a discolored gooey mess and pouting faces the next day. To the rescue: the popular mini apple caramel treats showing up everywhere on recipe websites.

For my version, I switched out caramel for a more dental friendly peanut butter coating in the same toasty color and added a sprinkling of crushed peanuts.

You'll Need

Large ripe apples - any variety

Melon baller

Meltable flavored disks 

Oversized toothpicks or lollipop sticks

Fall leaves or accents

Easy as....

1) Using melon baller, scoop ball shapes out of widest part of apple

 2) Insert toothpick in mini apple and swirl in melted peanut butter mixture covering any peeled portion but leaving a bit of skin peeking out for that authentic caramel apple look.

3) dip into crushed peanuts and Voila!

 Let cool on wax paper or place them in mini cupcake liners, if desired

 I created a quick label using vintage images from the Graphics Fairy and hung from mini clothespins

There are lots of fun and fancy Fall party picks available at party and gourmet stores, but I opted to simply spruce up some of the oversize toothpicks with pressed small leaves from my yard or a few knots of twine.

If you have leftover melted peanut butter coating and crushed peanuts, you can make a quick peanut butter bark. Stir crushed peanuts into melted coating and spread onto wax paper

 Let cool completely and break into smaller sections

serve with the mini apples or pop in a mason jar as a sweet gift or favor.

PennyWise Tips

Waste Not: After creating mini apples with melon baller, the extra unused apple scraps can be diced and added to muffin batter or other recipes

White or dark chocolate or other flavor melts can be used as an alternative, if allergies or taste rule out peanut butter. sprinkles, walnuts or mini chocolate chips can stand in for crushed peanuts.

Thanksgiving Light

I'm so delighted to be included in the 
Thankful at Home Tour. 

From November 4th through the 8th, 25 bloggers will be sharing ways in which they add personal touches to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. Speaking of gratitude, a big thank you to Julie of Lilacs and Longhorns and Kelly of My Soulful Home for organizing this tour!

Don't Miss a thing! 
Click Here for a complete list of  participating blogs.

As part of the tour, I thought I'd share a quick and easy DIY that won't take too much time away from the turkey

While Thanksgiving is a holiday which focuses on traditions, sometimes adding a new element can create wonderful new memories to accompany the time honored turkey and pumpkin pie. 

With a few simple supplies you can add a little glow to your holiday decor while letting friends and relatives take a moment to express a personal timely message of thankfulness and maybe even start a new holiday tradition. 

You'll Need

Clear clean jars in any size or a variety of sizes

I had some mason jars and also reused tomato sauce and baby food jars (we had an aged cat who ate baby food) 

(*With baby food jars make sure votive fits properly inside some have smaller openings)

Assorted light colored scrapbook or white paper cut to the appropriate size(s)

Faux leaves, ribbon or twine

Decorative accents

Flameless votives

Basic art supplies

While kitchen duties, football, conversation and catching up often keep many revellers busy on Thanksgiving, a decorating station set up in a quiet area with precut paper strips and simple art supplies, allows guests to come and go and get creative at their own pace.

Laying a sheet of freezer paper down first prevents oopses on your furniture

I slipped a swatch of ivory burlap under the glass of a thrift store frame and penned a sharpie (easily erasable) message for inspiration.

In keeping with the season, I chose scrapbook paper with Autumn tones, family themes and nature inspired patterns

Oh so basic supplies include: sparkly gel pens, colored pencils, markers, scissors and glue sticks
tarnished pieces from an old tea set and a rustic basket keep supplies in easy reach.
Last years DIY burlap banner adds a festive touch

Simply have guests write their name,

date, and a quick word or phrase on the cut paper strips or let we artsy types create an image representing something we are grateful for, anything from serious or sentimental to silly. 

Once done, slip paper into the jar, pop in a flameless votive and replace lid. 

I spruced up the lids ahead of time with some simple faux leaves, rustic natural accents and hot glue and spritzed a few with hammered metallic spray paint

As daylight wanes and plates are cleared (weather permitting) lanterns can be displayed outside on a patio....

inside on a windowsill,

or mantel,

or hung from a porch or tree

If planning to hang lanterns you can place a loop of twine over jar opening and carefully screw on lid, securing in place or attach hanger using a strong glue or alternately wrap with wire.

Wishing Everyone a 

Wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

and for foreign PennyWise readers and friends

a Happy Fall!

Pennywise Tips

After the holiday, if desired, you can remove and keep gratitude messages and place in a scrapbook or keepsake box, reusing jars for next year.
 Have fun seeing how the messages change from year to year.
   

Or send guests home with their lanterns as a memorable favor 
   

Assign Kids or bored Tweens the job of helping to  assemble and hang or display jars

For more Thanksgiving projects and ideas pop over and visit

previous Pennywise posts.

Fall in love with Burlap

Fall into Sweet Treats


Thanks to all my readers

for making my first year of 
blogging such a delightful experience!