Happy New Year!

Here's hoping that 2009 will be your best year ever!

Debbie @ Cozy Cottage

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and the best of New Years!

Debbie

Show and Tell Monday.....Cozy Cottage Chairs....a Christmas present to me! :)

"All I want for Christmas is......" these adorable chairs, perfect for my Cozy Cottage! I was shopping a local thrift store a few days ago and there they were....just calling my name. I tried to be strong thinking I should be buying gifts for others right now....and even left the store without them, but the next morning I was back again, and claimed the pair as mine! Best of all, when I got them to the cottage I discovered that I have fabric just like the foral on the cushions so I can make skirts for both chairs.....I think they will be perfect then!

If you like my cottage chairs you should hop on over to my Patchouli Rose blog and see the fainting sofa I bought at the same time!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, good times with your friends and family, and a special present just for YOU!

Show and Tell Monday......Patchouli Rose update and a recipe

I've been hard at work the past week getting my studio ready for upcoming Patchouli Rose creations. I went through the fabrics I've been buying up for the past month....thrift store and estate sale finds that will be repurposed into gorgeous Patchouli Rose designs! Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite....

Now I'm organized and ready to get started.....once the holidays are over (which I intend to enjoy to the fullest!) my sewing machine will come out and I'll be ready to make a little magic with those stacks of gorgeous fabrics!




RECIPE OF THE WEEK.........

This week's recipe is another quick and easy one. With the holiday season in mind, here is a recipe for delicious fudge that you can make in about 5 minutes!

FABULOUS FUDGE

16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Stir together in microwave safe bowl and cook for 90 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir well. Replace in microwave and cook for 90 seconds longer. Remove from microwave and stir until all chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and creamy. add 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla flavoring and chopped walnuts, if desired. Pour into buttered pan and let cool before slicing.

SEASON'S GREETINGS FROM MY COZY COTTAGE WORLD

Pink Friday - Our Gift to YOU!

Please visit Cozy Cottage and the other participating boutiques at Make Mine Pink as we present some of our favorite gift wrapping and holiday decorating ideas ~ our Christmas gift to you! We believe that the giver may get as much pleasure from giving a beautifully wrapped gift as the recipient gets from opening it.

Wishing you the happiest of holiday seasons!

Cozy Cottage Gifts and Decor
and
Patchouli Rose Home Decor & Fashion

Show and Tell Monday

Hello everyone!


I saved the announcement of something big for Show and Tell this week.....the opening of my newest website Patchouli Rose, where I will offer bohemian style home decor,and fashion items. After the first of the year I will be adding my own designs, handmade from repurposed fabrics and embellishments, and they are going to be full of bohemian elegance.

Meantime, it's business as usual at Cozy Cottage Gifts and Decor where I've been packing and mailing orders like crazy the past couple of weeks. Thank you so much to all of my good customers! The brick and mortar shop has been busy too. We had Christmas Open House a week ago and that really put me in the Christmas spirit!

Now for the RECIPE OF THE WEEK.......

KANADLES

This recipe for German dumplings is handed down by my husband's family. They are "old Germans" and have lots of good recipes but this is one I just had to try. It is what I call a "leftover recipe" and is a good use for leftover holiday ham and dry bread.

1. Preparation.

Boil leftover ham until it falls off the bone. You will need a large pan of broth so keep adding water while the ham is boiling. Let broth cool. Remove bone and discard. Crumble the ham into tiny pieces.

2. Make the kanadles.

Crumble day-old bread or left-over rolls into a mixing bowl. Add chopped onion to taste. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the crumbled ham. (If there seems to be too much ham for the amount of bread you have, just put the extra ham back into the broth after you make the kanadles. Pour ham broth a little at a time into bread mixture until it forms a sticky ball. Bring the remainder of the broth (and extra ham, if you had any) to a full boil.

3. Cook the kanadles.

Make small balls from the kanadle mixture, about 2 inches in diameter. Bigger balls won't cook completely and the centers will be dry. Place the kanadles in the boiling broth and cook for about 10 minutes or until centers are moist.

4. Serve kanadles.

Place kanadles and a dipper full of ham broth in a bowl and enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

Pink Friday - Last minute gift ideas!

This week's Pink Friday features Last Minute Gifts.....do you need some? Cozy Cottage Gifts and Decor and other boutique owners at Make Mine Pink understand, because we are not only boutique owners, we are wives, mothers, daughters, and friends. We know what it means to find the perfect gift for that special person. We too shop at the last minute, at odd hours, or in our jammies.....and I can say from personal experience that the quality and customer service you will get from the boutique owners at Make Mine Pink is top of the line! Go fix your favorite warm drink, pull up a chair and join us this Friday for some serious last-minute shopping on Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink.

Look what I got!

I love it, love it, love it! My father-in-law found this shabby Victorian style mantel curbside today and of course, when I saw it I just had to have it! The smaller part sitting in front goes on top of the mantel and the mirror will have to be replaced but I can already see it installed in the living room at my cottage shop. I will paint it to match the walls and then load it up with all sorts of treasures for my customers. I'll post an "after" picture when I have it all ready. :)