love shacks
Hey, thanks to you all for the awesome comments on my mommy freak out "I have no time to craft" post. It made feel feel so much better and so not alone. Which is wonderful. So, thank you. A whole lot.
We made these up at Grandma's this week. She went out and got the candy with the girls while the houses were drying and what a perfect selection she brought back! Red hots are the best. We made them using the holiday cinnamon graham crackers and this fabulously disgusting product. (Mine was a bigger size than shown, BTW) There was no way I was going to make royal icing, shove it in a bag, and get it all over myself and someone else's kitchen. Not with one hand. So, this glue (I mean frosting) worked great. Because these are not going to get eaten, I can't recommend it enough. I got my supplies at Target.
Here's the village. Of course it was inspired by this great spread last year in Martha's holiday issue. Ours is a bit more . . . casual. It's more like a shanty town that's been hit by a storm, but I guarantee our parties are way more fun. Oh, and two words here. Serrated knife. I glazed over this detail when I started ours and after swearing and wasting about 4 crackers remembered this important tool for cutting the gable ends. It works like a charm. It takes about an hour for these to set before little hands can press the candies on.
While working on this project I was chasing M&Ms with stick pretzels and was struck by the crazy/delicious combination it made in my mouth. And yet it was familiar . . . and then realized it tasted like this heavenly treat I posted about last year over on Kiddley. Ugh. These are so good but take you on a one way train to Sickville. I'm not sure I can go there again this year. But they sure are fun to make.
I love the whole idea of making a series of "love shacks," the name itself makes me smile. Your creations look adorable.
Posted by: June | December 12, 2007 at 07:42 AM
oh my...pretzels and M&M's...that's how I studied in college. Try dipping them in peanut butter - straight into the jar - no need to dirty dishes right?!
Posted by: Adrienne | December 12, 2007 at 07:51 AM
these "love shacks" are great! Much better than perfect little MS crafts. sick on candy...my favorite!! ;)
Posted by: amyehodge | December 12, 2007 at 08:05 AM
Haha - shanty town. I think they are darling. I'm sure your parties are much more fun, too.
Posted by: Miss Sassy | December 12, 2007 at 08:30 AM
Ah, red hots. Or, "hot fires" as they're referred to in my house... very cute houses, I bet you all had so much fun!
Posted by: Michelle | December 12, 2007 at 08:36 AM
loving the love shacks! very cute!
Posted by: DaisyCake | December 12, 2007 at 09:09 AM
I like yours much better than Martha's -- yours looks like you could eat it, if you wanted to. Hers just looks like decoration.
Posted by: Annika | December 12, 2007 at 09:39 AM
Your shanty town comment had me cracking up! Love the little cottages.
Posted by: Julie | December 12, 2007 at 09:41 AM
How funny is it that I just yesterday came up with chasing the pretzel with too many m&m's thing?
Great post-gold rush shanty town, btw.
Posted by: Marissa | December 12, 2007 at 09:50 AM
how adorable!! love how cute they turned out!! I will have to try your recipe for the chocolate pecan pretzel things too! :-)
Posted by: britt-sparkled vintage charm | December 12, 2007 at 11:28 AM
Yum!!! I also like the combo of waffle pretzels, peppermint hershey kiss with 2 M&Ms pressed into when right out of the oven.
Posted by: Cristie B | December 12, 2007 at 12:53 PM
I made these too. A pic of mine is at my blog. cheers :)
Posted by: Anu | December 12, 2007 at 12:58 PM
Your little town turned out great, and you had fun, right? That's all that matters ;o)
Posted by: Ram in the Thicket | December 12, 2007 at 04:14 PM
Hello. I love salty and sweet as well...my favorite is vanilla bean ice cream with pretzels.
In the course of reading your entry, I followed your link to Kidley, and was wondering if I can ask a non-craft, non-kid, non-cooking question. There is a very good-looking watch on the adult hand in the photo on the Kidley site...is this a hand that you know and love? Would you be willing to share the brand of watch on that hand? The hand is awfully good-looking as well :) I'm on the hunt for a new watch for my husband, and am hyper focused on watches.
Thanks so much, if you have the time to respond.
Posted by: Patty | December 12, 2007 at 04:53 PM
ha! "a bit more . . . casual" I love it! way more fun is right :)
Posted by: Kelly | December 12, 2007 at 05:02 PM
your village is great!--so much personality. i love how you can turn anything "casual" into something with playfulness and visible love of process. i think i get too product focused.
wanna see mine? http://gracelaced.wordpress.com/2007/12/01/gingerbread-lane/
i live in the southwest,so i made an adobe!
Posted by: Ruth Simons | December 12, 2007 at 09:53 PM
oh--and look at THIS disgusting product that Wilton's came up with--in a glue bottle!
http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product.asp?pn=IN0481-WHT&bhcd2=1197525260
Posted by: Ruth Simons | December 12, 2007 at 09:56 PM
I love it! A Christmas gingerbread shanty town!!
Posted by: Di | December 12, 2007 at 11:36 PM
Oh, I love that Kiddley post. I made those last year for Valentines day, and they were so so delicious. I didn't realize that was your post until I followed the link-- It was all very early in my discovery of the craft blogs and I didn't know who Angry Chicken was yet(!).
Posted by: Mary Beth | December 13, 2007 at 05:01 AM
I'm so glad you posted the link to those heavenly treats again! My daughter and I made them last year and they were FABULOUS! I wanted to make them again this year - and this time give credit to the genius who created them - but I couldn't remember where I had found the link. Thanks!
Posted by: Wendi Gratz | December 13, 2007 at 06:08 AM
I'm so glad you posted the link to those heavenly treats again! My daughter and I made them last year and they were FABULOUS! I wanted to make them again this year - and this time give credit to the genius who created them - but I couldn't remember where I had found the link. Thanks!
Posted by: Wendi Gratz | December 13, 2007 at 06:08 AM
So, so darling! The kids will remember this for always!
Posted by: Jane | December 13, 2007 at 06:38 AM
hey there patty!
it's a Kenneth Cole watch I got pete about 4 years ago at Nordstrom--I have no idea if they still have them, but if not they'll have other real nice one too, I'll bet. . .
Posted by: amy k. | December 13, 2007 at 06:59 AM
Oh my goodness were those treats last year?!?! I remember reading about them. Time sure does fly. I love your shanty town. Can I come to the parties? (^_^)
Posted by: amigurumigirl | December 13, 2007 at 07:24 AM
External validation does wonders!
Posted by: Marianne | December 13, 2007 at 08:06 AM
we are making these at our next camp fire meeting, love seeing yours!
Posted by: leslie | December 13, 2007 at 08:13 PM
we are making these at our next camp fire meeting, love seeing yours!
Posted by: leslie | December 13, 2007 at 08:15 PM
these are so cute...i remember making those long ago in girls scouts! and last year my daughters bought the ones you buy and then put together, then after christmas didn't know what to do with them, so they put them on the deck and let the birds and squirrels nibble at them. but we also had a few bigger wildlife show up for a snack as well! (opposum and raccoons)
Posted by: cindy | December 17, 2007 at 01:46 PM