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Popsicle Stick Christmas Ornaments

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It's November, which to many over-enthusiastic holiday lovers means CHRISTMAS! Yes, I love Thanksgiving as well—it's just one big holiday celebration for me from now to the end of the year. So far, I've refrained from putting up my Christmas tree, but that doesn't mean I can't prepare, right? This past weekend, I spent some time making some ornaments. I love to create handmade ornaments to add to my little tree each year. 
Lately I've been interested in popsicle stick crafts. I found some super cute ideas on Pinterest (see the links to my Holiday Crafts and Food board and specific posts below). I like that such a simple material can have so many possibilities. Just add paint and glue!
I was able to get my kids involved for part of my craft day. They are ages 2 and 3, so they didn't do much beyond just paint a few popsicle sticks. I turned these painted sticks into little Santa Claus ornaments—two for each daughter as they're bound to ruin some of them …
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April Fools Cake

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Spring is officially here (finally!), and we are approaching the final days of March. This Friday is April 1st, a.k.a. April Fools Day. What better way to end a cold, dreary winter than with a day of silliness. Here's a fun dinner idea to celebrate—a meatloaf "cake" with a mashed potato "sundae."

For the cake, I pressed the meatloaf mixture into two six-inch round pans lined with parchment paper (about a pound of meat in each). I baked them at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. I ended up with two "cake" layers, which I assembled with a layer of mashed potato "frosting" in the middle.



I then spread mashed potato over the entire meatloaf cake so it resembled a frosted cake. I piped more mashed potato decoratively around the cake, just as I would with regular frosting, and embellished with peas and ketchup lettering.




And, of course, cake is always better with ice cream. I created a mashed potato "sundae" with gravy "chocolate sauce," a dollop of sour cream "whipped topping," and colorful veggie "sprinkles."



Life is short. Have lots of fun, and eat cake for dinner. :)
Happy April Fools!
Niki

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**UPDATE - 2015** The miniature sweater knitting pattern has been revised.  View/Download the new pattern here:
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A gift tag template for creating a Christmas ornament from this sweater can be found on my Templates and Patterns page. Additional sweater patterns are available for sale in my Etsy shop.


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