Virginia's Vodka Christmas Cake Recipe

Well, okay, it's a bit early yet but I am here (along with my mother's help) to make your Christmas season an absolute enjoyment, so without adieu, I give you Virginia's Vodka Christmas Cake Recipe.  Enjoy your holiday season! 

Once again this year, I’ve had requests for my Vodka Christmas Cake recipe so here goes. Please keep a copy in your files as I am beginning to get tired of typing this up every year! (Made mine this morning!!!!) ~Virginia

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup water

1 tsp. salt

1 cup brown sugar

Lemon juice

4 large eggs

Nuts

1 bottle Vodka

2 cups dried fruit

Sample a cup of Vodka to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the Vodka again to be sure it is of the highest quality then Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. 

At this point, it is best to make sure the Vodka is still OK. Try another cup just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 eegs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Pick the fruit up off the floor, wash it and put it in the bowl a piece at a time trying to count it. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit getas stuck in the beaterers, just pry it loose with a drewscriver. 

Sample the Vodka to test for tonsisticity. Next, sift 2 cups of salt, or something. Check the Vodka. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. 

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. 

Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the Vodka and wipe the counter with the cat.

Obviously this recipe is in jest, Please do not follow the directions and do not drive a mixer or anything else when you try this recipe!  

Happy early Thanksgiving!

*hugz n blessingz*

~Elizabeth~

Come and Join in on the Fun!!!

(steps up on my soapbox)

HEAR YE-HEAR YE!! ANNOUNCING THE NOSTALGIC DREAMS HALF HOUR OF VINTAGE SHARING!!

Each night, Monday through Thursday at 8 p.m. EST, I will be sharing some of my vintage finds and also some of my creations via my Nostalgic Dreams Facebook page so that you can purchase them for yourself or as a gift for someone.  

Items shown will be available for purchase and afterwards will be available for pick-up anytime from my home, meeting either Friday or Saturday each week or I can poste them to you via USPS or UPS. Other arrangements may be undertaken but must be stated at time of purchase.  It will be fun and laid back and I will have quizzes and give-aways occasionally as well so come and join in the fun!!  

There is no need to register for anything and we take all major credit cards and accept Paypal as well for your purchases.

Thanks ever so much for listening to me while I am up on my soap box and please, share with your friends, the more the merrier!!!

*hugz n blessings*

~Elizabeth~

P.S. If you need to contact me, please call: 717-816-5699 or email admin@nostalgicdreams.com!

Pinterest

I don't know about you but I have found a wonderful site that provides inspiration of all aspects by the name of Pinterest.  Pinterest is a site where you create a personal area which you create "boards" on, in order to "pin" items to them both from the Pinterest site itself AND from the internet.  It doesn't take rocket science to use and will provide HOURS of entertainment IF you let it.  I know this from experience.  lol  

My username on Pinterest is NostalgicDream1 and you are more than welcome to "follow" my pins when you create your own boards.  The way that it works is:  You contact Pinterest and tell them that you would like an account and they will in turn contact you with log-in information so that you can create your own Pinterest account.  After this is done, they provide you with a little bit of information that you can "pin" or move to your bar just below the page url and then all you do when you are out browsing is click that button and it will provide all the photos on the page for you where you "pin" it to the desired "board" you have created.  I have several boards, "Words of Wisdom" that I put sayings onto, "Nummies" is where I put all my recipes that I find and want to keep track of on the net, "My Style" is where I put anything that sends me over the top and really speaks to me.  I also have one for "Art", one for "General DIY" and so on, you get the idea.  

I have added the links to my categories should you like to go check things out before you jump in with both feet.  I hope you enjoy the different tastes and sites from all over our universe that are included there.  

*hugz n blessings*

Elizabeth

True Love

I have decided to share my favorite chapter in The Bible with you for my Valentine's Gift to you.  This is my favorite because I believe this is how My Heavenly Father loves me.  He is all this and more to me. 

*hugz n blessings*

Elizabeth

1 Corinthians 13

1 If I speak human or angelic languages but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.

3 And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited,

5 does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs.

6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.

7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end.

11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.

12 For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.

13 Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.

But the greatest of these is love.

Sweetheart Pillow

Okay, I promised you I would be back on the bandwagon this week and here I am!  I spent some time letting my soul sing in my craft room yesterday; it is something that I haven't done in a bit but when I get an idea and the mind to do it, I set out on my quest.  Ask my husband...my quests are a tad dangerous at times but most times they are fun and pay off.  I thought I would give you an early Valentine's Day gift in the way of instructions so that you might make one for YOUR honey too!  I did not make a tutorial per say, but I am giving you the instructions AND the wording so you can just print it off on your printer and be on your merry way.  I used Word Perfect to create the lettering.  I LOVE WP for it's abilities, it is so much more "user friendly" than Word but hey, they both have their good points.  Here we go!

For this project you will need:

2 pieces of linen or your favorite fabric.  I cut mine 13" x 13", however, you may want yours bigger.  

1- 3" square of your favorite fabric (for the heart)

At least 12 inches of 1" satin ribbon.  Again, use your favorite that will coordinate with your heart.

Thread to match your linen

Thread to match your fabric for applique

Thread to match your ribbon (it is sewed on, not glued)

Iron with cotton setting

Ironing board

Polyfil

Pillow case or pressing cloth

3" square of Wonder Under

1 sheet of Print and Press (you can find at Walmart, JoAnn's, etc- OR you could use CitraSolv to create your lettering, however, you would need to turn your wording around before you printed it off.)

1 3-4" Skeleton key

1 sewing machine

1 needle

Scissors

Lettering jpg and heart jpg- printed to desired size

 

Okay, let's get started.  

Cut two 13" x 13" squares for your pillow.  You may want them larger, depending on the size of pillow that you desire.  Next you will want to iron your 3" square of wonder under onto the back of the fabric that you will use for your heart.  Now print off the lettering to a piece of "print n press", ensuring that you print on the side of the paper that has NO LINE on it.  Follow the manufacturer's directions on ironing on the transfer- onto your fabric, ensuring that you use a pressing cloth so that you don't get "hot spots".  After you have ironed on the first transfer, go ahead and place the heart where you want it then peel off the backing of the Wonder Under and press in place BUT!!!! make sure you use the print and press paper on top of it so that if you have some of the "transfer area" under your heart, it will not come off onto your iron and ruin your design.  

After you have finished the ironing, you will need to applique your heart to your linen.  I find it easier to use my zig zag stitch and open the stitching so that I can just push it around the heart.  You may want to practice a few times on another piece of fabric to get the hang of it, or even just use embroidery thread and button hole stitch it to the fabric.  It will not look as elegant but instead have a more prim feeling to it.  When this is done, pin if necessary, and sew together the two piece of linen leaving at least a 4" space opening so you can stuff the pillow without having to bunch it up too much- also round the edges if you can, it seems to look better.  You don't want to have to re-iron the applique again.  Turn and stuff, stitch up the opening with thread matching the linen.

Now to the key area.  You will need to have at least 12 inches of ribbon to create your bow.  You may want to double the ribbon as i have.  Tie the ribbon onto the key-add a dab of tacky glue in there so your ribbon won't slide around too much.  After this is done proceed to attaching the key area to the linen where you want it to be placed, tack it down very well- you may even want to tack the shaft of the key down but I chose not to do so.  

And you are done!  This is my early Valentine's Day gift to you.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it.  Please let me know what you think of the instructions and if you have questions, please use the comment form below and ask!  That is why I am here!

If you would like one of these made for you, just let me know.  The keys are from Europe (I have quite a few) and it will be $35 with free shipping in the Continental US and free delivery within 25 miles of Cascade, Maryland.

*hugz and blessings*

Elizabeth