A New Year

Happy New Year to all of you! I hadn't realized quite how much time had passed since my last post. My absence was unplanned - but necessary! The holidays were quite busy with lots of family and friends in town (not to mention trying to finish up all the gift-making!).

The start of the new year is always a new year for me in more ways than one, since December 31st is my birthday.

So in addition to my annual holiday party and Christmas, I had a birthday party to plan, as well. Some years I have done a big party, but this year I wanted to go simple. Family and friends came over for dinner, drinks, and cupcakes! It was a lovely celebration.

I made these cupcakes from the book Holiday Cupcakes (one of my Christmas gifts this year - I love it!).

They really turned out quite well! Very similar to the photo in the book, which doesn't always happen when you're going all fancy and decorative.

(I may have gotten a bit snap-happy with my camera...)

In addition to the cupcakes, I made cherry ice cubes (which I first wrote about here). Yum!

I put the ice cubes in lemon spritzer, and it turned a lovely shade of pink...

I also made an ice globe lantern for the first time. These are so cool!

I put it on my front steps to welcome guests as they showed up for the party.

The whole process of making them is quite fun:

If you'd like to make your own, you can visit Wintercraft online.

There has been a lot of crafting, gifts, and excitement happening around these parts. Lots more to share with you! I'll be back before long. In the meantime, here's hoping you're having a wonderful start to your new year!