Carolyn’s Journal a Warm Heart Bears magazine
White Christmas Issue 4 - 2017
Cover photography by Carolyn Robbins Graphics by Raspberry Road Designs
From the Editor. . .
Having been born in Colorado, my Christmas season includes snow! I cannot imagine what it would be like to live in a place where it did not snow in winter.
My favorite Christmas movie would have to be White Christmas. Watching that movie each year has become a tradition. Spending time with Bing and Danny is a lot of fun and definitely brings Christmas Cheer.
This film has inspired the White Christmas collection. You will notice that most of the bears have been named after a character or actress in the movie. If you have not seen this holiday classic, I can highly recommend it to you.
May you all have a blessed Christmas season.
Hugs, Carolyn You can connect with me at Website - http://www.warmheartbears.com Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/WarmHeartBears Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/WarmHeartBears
Winter Wonderland
Contents Bears Anne Betty Emma Judy Rosemary Mary Samantha Susie Vera
Recipes Snowglobe Dessert Meaghan at The Decorated Cookie http://thedecoratedcookie.com/2016/12/ice-box-cakesnow-globe-dessert/ Snow White Roll Cake Shinee at Sweet and Savory https://www.sweetandsavorybyshinee.com/snow-whiteroll-cake-with-white-chocolate-mousse-filling/ Walnut Snowball Cookies http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/walnut_snowball _cookies/
Craft Projects Bookpaper Angel Jodi at Dancing in the Rain Blog http://dancingintherainjb.blogspot.com/2011/12/vintageangel.html
Let it Snow Ornament Crafts by Amanda - Amanda Formaro https://craftsbyamanda.com/let-snow-scrabble-tileornament/
Inspiration Pier One Imports https://www.pier1.com/
Home DĂŠcor Table Settings Dr. Christmas Bob Pranga and Debi Staron http://www.drchristmas.com/index.html The Grace House http://www.thegracehouseinteriors.com/blog/winterwonderland-tablescape Founterior https://founterior.com/add-a-classic-touch-to-yourchristmas-table-decorations/ My Soulful Home http://mysoulfulhome.com/christmas-in-the-kitchen/
Anne
Anne was named for the actress that portrayed Susan Waverly, the grand-daughter of General Waverly. Anne told me the other day, “I love snowmen and cannot wait for it to snow so I can go outside and make one�! The origin of the name Anne is Hebrew, meaning grace.
Ice Box Cake Snow Globe Dessert You may use any size wine glass for these, although you may have to adjust how much whipped cream you use. The bigger the wine glass, the more whipped cream, of course. But this recipe below should give you enough for any size wine glass. If your wine glasses are on the smaller side, you will have whipped cream leftover.
The best part about this dessert is that you can make it the day before. Prepare the wine glasses with the ice box cake and refrigerate. Prepare the candy clay snowmen and let them sit at room temperature. (If you’re using store-bought decorations or cupcake picks instead of the snowmen, then you don’t have to do anything there). Right before serving, sprinkle powdered sugar over the glasses and pop the rosemary “trees” and snowmen in the glasses. That’s it!
Ingredients: 32 Famous Chocolate Wafers 2 cups heavy whipping cream dash of vanilla extract 2 teaspoons sugar disposable decorating bag or Ziploc bag candy clay snowmen (see below) rosemary sprigs powdered sugar 8 wine glasses
Directions: Pour the heavy cream in a large bowl. With a standing mixer fitted with the wire whip, or with an electric hand mixer, whip the cream on high until stiff peaks form. Stir in the vanilla and sugar. Spoon some of the whipped cream into the disposable decorating bag and secure with a rubber band. If you use a Ziploc instead, the freezer-safe ones are best as they are thicker. (You will need to refill the bag.)
Snip 1-inch from the tip of the whipped cream and pipe a dab of whipped cream at the bottom of the wine glass. Place two chocolate wafers on top of the dab of whipped cream. Try and keep one wafer whole, the other you can break in half. Pipe whipped cream to cover the wafers. Add two more wafers (breaking one in half) and top completely with the whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining wine glasses. Refrigerate for 4 hours to overnight.
Just before serving, sprinkle some powdered sugar on the inside of the glass, add the candy snowmen and insert a sprig or two of rosemary.
Candy Clay Snowmen Ingredients 1 bag of bright white candy melts 1/4 cup light corn syrup black and orange food writers whole cloves (optional)
Find the candy melts and food writers in the craft store. Candy melts can resist food writers, but Americolor Gourmet Writers work well. Alternatively, you can use black and orange food coloring and a very small paint brush to make the faces.
Pour the candy melts in a microwave-save bowl. Heat at 70 percent power for 90 seconds. Stir, and continue to heat at 15 second intervals until the melts begin to melt. Use the residual heat and stir until fully melted. Slowly stir in the light corn syrup. Pour onto a surface and knead until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and let cool before using. For full candy clay making instructions (recommended for important tips), visit Hungry Happenings.
When the candy clay is ready, roll balls of candy clay and stack to make the snowmen. They should stick to each other, but if not, use a dab of honey or light corn syrup. Draw the faces and, if desired, insert cloves for arms. Just be sure to tell guests to remove the cloves before eating.
Instead of the candy clay snowman you could make your snowmen out of marshmallows. Hold them together with a bit of icing or toothpicks. You can also add any other decorations you like. Tiny gingerbread houses would look great too. Holiday candies or Christmas themed cupcake picks would also look lovely.
Betty Betty was named after the character in the movie named Betty Haynes. This character was the older sister. Betty the bear loves the lights of Christmas. She said, “I cannot wait to hang this string of lights in my home�.
The origin of the name Betty is Latin, meaning loyal
Wouldn’t it be fun to have Christmas Dinner in this room? Such a beautiful Winter Wonderland!
A beautiful place setting
Emma
Emma was named after the character in the movie who was the housekeeper for General Waverly. Emma loves the beautifully decorated trees of the Christmas Season. She said, “I could not believe I found this beautiful white tree with the lovely soft blue and green ornaments�. The origin of the name Emma is Teutonic, meaning wisdom.
Bookpaper Ornaments Materials Plain Christmas balls, scissors, old book pages, diluted white glue or Mod Podge, sponge or paintbrush, glass glitter, balsa wood scraps, felt-tip pen, x-acto knife, string
Directions Purchase a set of plain Christmas balls at a craft store, or use old ornaments that you want to spruce up.
Cut up the pages of a book into small squares or strips. Vintage books with unique fonts work best, but any page with writing will do.
Decoupage the pieces of text onto the ornaments. To decoupage, simply brush slightly diluted white glue or Mod Podge onto the ornament, lay the paper onto the glue, then brush glue over top.
Once the entire ornament is covered, add fresh glue where spots have dried and dust the entire ball with glass glitter.
Cut a thin piece of balsa wood into a rectangle and write “Noël” or a preferred phrase onto the wood with a felt-tip marker.
Cut a small hole in the end of the wood with an x-acto knife and tie the wood to the top of the ornament with string.
God Bless us Everyone!
Judy was named after the character in the movie Judy Haynes. She was the younger sister to Betty. Judy loves white ornaments and was so pleased to find this glittery white one. She told me, “It will look lovely on my tree this year�. The origin of the name Judy is Hebrew, meaning honor
Judy
Book paper Angel Materials: Book Paper Dies from Cheery Lynn Designs or paper doilies Wooden disc covered with book paper. Black flat back rhinestones or pearls for eyes Paper Roses Twine
Using pages from an old book, cut the body from English Tea Party Doily, and the arms are the small center doily from Polynesian Sails Oval. After gluing them in cone shapes and attaching together, Create the wings by scrunching the center of the Italian Flourish doily.
Add your paper roses and twine for embellishments. Glue head to top of angel and add a loop hanger and halo made of twine.
Angels we have Heard on High
Christmas Snow Village
Rosemary is the namesake for Rosemary Clooney who portrayed Betty Haynes in the movie. She loves snowflakes and told me, “I enjoy looking at the frosted windowpanes and the detail of each little snowflake�. The origin of the name Rosemary is English, meaning crowned one
Rosemary
Best of all are the decorations the grandchildren have made ~ fat little stars and crooked little Santa’s, shaped out of dough and baked in the oven. Gladys Taber
Let it Snow Ornament SUPPLIES Scrabble tiles that spell "let it snow" Snow texture paint Ribbon Paper plate Felt White craft glue
DIRECTIONS On top of a paper plate, line the scrabble tiles up so that they spell "let it snow". Use a pen to trace around the shape of the tiles onto the paper plate (this does not have to be perfect). A rough outline is what you are looking for.
Cut the shape out, cutting it smaller than the actual outline by cutting inside the lines by about Âź-inch. You want the shape to be large enough to glue the letters to, but small enough that they don't overlap or show from the front of the ornament. Apply glue all over the template then press the letters in place.
Place something heavy on top of the letters, like a bottle of craft paint, and let them dry for 2-3 hours.
The weather outside is frightful‌ Let it Snow!
Apply snow texture paint to the top edges of the letters to make it look like they have freshly fallen snow on them. You can use a palette knife, paintbrush or even your finger. Be sure to wash your hands when you're done! Let the snow texture dry for at least an hour (or as bottle directs).
Once the snow texture paint has dried, cut a piece of ribbon and fold into a loop. Glue the ribbon hanger to the back of the ornament. Cut a piece of felt the same shape as the ornament and glue it to the back, covering the hanger. Let everything dry before hanging on your tree.
Susie
Susie was named after Miss Susan Waverly in the movie. Susie told me the other day, “I cannot wait to try the new recipe I found for a Christmas Roll Cake.� She enjoys the delicious treats of the Christmas Season. The origin of the name Susie is Hebrew, meaning gracious
Snow White Roll Cake
With White Chocolate Mousse Filling
Ingredients: For cake: ¼ cup milk (I used whole milk, but 2% will do) 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 4 large egg whites 1 ½ cups Pillsbury Moist Supreme White Premium Cake Mix 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar, for dusting only
For filling: 1 ¼ cup heavy (whipping) cream, divided 4oz white chocolate, chopped M&M’s Holiday Minis, crushed for decorating
Directions: ● Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet (16.5 x 11.38 x 1 inches) with parchment paper, or silicone mat and spray with cooking spray. ● In a glass, mix together milk and butter. ● In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. ● Add milk and butter mixture and dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites. Using a spatula, carefully fold the batter until smooth. ● Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet, and spread it evenly all over the sheet, using an offset spatula. It’ll be thin layer, which is exactly how we want. ● Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. The cake looks lightly golden, but not browned. ● While the cake is baking, prepare a lint-free kitchen towel on a flat surface and generously dust with powdered sugar.
● When the cake is done, carefully invert the cake onto the prepared kitchen towel and tightly roll the cake from the short side, while still warm. Cool completely on wire rack for about an hour. ● To prepare the filling, microwave ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream until hot, about 30 seconds. ● Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl and pour hot cream over it. Let it stand for a minute and stir until chocolate is fully melted. Cool completely. (You can put it in the fridge for a few minutes while working on the next step.) ● In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the remaining heavy whipping cream until hard peaks form. ● Add cooled white chocolate mixture into the whipped cream and carefully fold until well combined. ● Once the cake is completely cooled, carefully unroll it. ● Generously spread white chocolate mousse on the cake, reserving about ½ cup of filling. Spread thinner layer of filling on outer end of the cake. Then tightly roll the cake. ● Spread the reserved mousse on the outside of the roll and cut the ends off. Sprinkle some crushed M&Ms for festive look. ● Refrigerate until ready to serve. The cake is best when served the same day. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Samantha is a squishy bear that loves all the wonderful floral accents of the Christmas Season. She told me, “I was so happy when I found these blue fern branches. They make a lovely addition to my home décor”. The origin of the name Samantha is Aramaic, meaning listener
Samantha
Walnut Snowball Cookies Ingredients 1 cup all-purpose or cake flour 1 1/2 cups walnuts, finely chopped 2-3 Tbsp sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 pound butter (at room temperature) Pinch of salt Powdered sugar, to coat (about 1 cup)
Directions 1 Preheat the oven to 300°F and prepare a large cookie sheet. 2 Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, walnuts, salt, sugar) in a large bowl. Add the vanilla extract. Add the butter in little pieces, and combine everything together with your (clean!) hands until the mixture looks like a coarse meal with nut bits in it. Form the dough into small balls no larger than a walnut and place on the cookie sheet, spaced at least an inch apart from each other. 3 Bake for 35 minutes. When they are still warm, but cool enough to touch, roll the cookies in some powdered sugar. Set aside on a rack to cool completely. When cool, dust again in powdered sugar.
For somehow, not only at Christmas but all the long year through, the joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you. John Greenleaf Whittier
Cookie Inspiration
Mary
Mary was named after the wonderful actress Mary Wickes who played Emma in the movie. Mary enjoys all the different kinds of ornaments. “Each Christmas Season”, she said, “I enjoy choosing one new ornament to add to my Christmas decorations.” The origin of the name Mary is Hebrew, meaning blessed
Gingerbread
I thought maybe we could make gingerbread houses and eat cookie dough, and go ice skating
cake made with molasses and flavored with ginger. fancy decoration, especially on a building. "a high-gabled gingerbread house"
In the Bleak Midwinter BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain; Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign. In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.
Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day, Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay; Enough for Him, whom angels fall before, The ox and ass and camel which adore.
Angels and archangels may have gathered there, Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air; But His mother only, in her maiden bliss, Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.
What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.
Vera Vera was named for Vera-Ellen who played Judy Haynes, one of the Haynes Sisters. Vera loves all of the music of the Christmas Season. She said, “My favorite song of the Christmas season is The First Noel�. She starts playing Christmas season in October! The origin of the name Vera is Latin, meaning truth
Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.�
Carolyn’s Journal a magazine by Warm Heart Bears
Editor and Creative Director: Carolyn Robbins Email: carolyn@warmheartbears.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.come/WarmHeartBears Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/WarmHeartBears Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/warmheartbears
Copyright: All images and content contained in Carolyn’s Journal magazine are covered by International Copyright Law.
Reproduction of any part of this magazine without prior written permission is prohibited.
warmheartbears.com carolyn@warmheartbears.com 2017