Sweet Treats Blog Hop

Hello Blogger's

Several members of the Center Stage Spotlight Team have joined together to share a special Christmas Treat Recipe Blog Hop event with everyone tonight! They have whipped up some treats in their kitchens and their stamp rooms over the past few weeks so we could compile our very first Recipe Book for StampTV!

Welcome to the Sweet Treats Blog Hop. Do you cook up a storm at Christmas? It's part of the tradition really isn't it..... Here of course it's also our Summer with holidays at the beach to look forward to. Seafood and salads are the order of the day and all the stone fruit are available, mango's, peaches, cherries. Trouble is I was brought up in the UK where we had Hot Lunches of Turkey, Pork followed by steaming Christmas Pudding and custard, fruit mince pies with brandy butter!!!!! I'm torn every year, this year we're going away so someone else gets to do the cooking and I'll be happy with whatever is served.

I thought for my treat I'd go with a very traditional Aussie favourite and chose Anzac Biscuits....never a cookie these are biscuits. This is the recipe a neighbour gave me when we first arrived in Sydney. She suggested I make them for an Australia Day picnic but they are so good I make them much more often!

I decorated a presentation box for these cookies so they could be given as a thank you or taken as a gift when you call into friends over the holidays.

I've used digi paper from Theresa Momber available here. Don't you just love digi stuff, stored on your computer to print whenever you need it..... I do.

The stripe and dots were printed onto GKD Layering weight card. The gold, red and lace punched card are all from scraps.

The biscuits are sealed into a cellophane bag to start.

This clear box is, I have to admit, a re cycled box that one of the panel blinds we've just hug came in .... perfect, I just cut it down to the size I needed ! I know Gina sells these containers too, so check out the store here.

I simply made a sleeve to wrap around the base of my box and decorated it with a punched lace border then added the bow. The gold and red tag was stamped with a sentiment from GKD Holiday Hospitality and attached with fine foam tabs.

For the lid I measured the area I needed to cover and added an inch and a quarter all round for the lip. You can also find a template here you might just have to adjust the sizes to fit your box. I used my corner rounder with the guard removed to punch the scalloped edge for my lid.

I had fun decorating the top of my box, I started with a tag cut from a scrap of Rocket Red and using the snowflakes from the same Holiday Hospitality set, stamped them in gold across the tag.

I stamped the bauble twice onto some gold card and cut this out. Adding red and green satin ribbon before adhering the two cut outs back to back. Then a punched snowflake to finish ...... the back is where I'll write my message.

I've used some pretty lace to cross tie over the tag and bauble, adding a small gold bell with some gold thread. To finish I slipped the candy cane under the lace.

Hope you like this gift box, I've made a couple in different sizes, using different card and they are fun as each one looks different finished, oh and they look great lined up on the coffee table!!!

If you're interested in the history of the Anzac Biscuit (and it is interesting) click here.

I'm off to make a cup of coffee and enjoy just one...... while I check out these designer's blogs for the sweet projects they've designed around their treats:

Carolina Buchting
Carla Suto
Deb Felts
Donna Baker
Giovana Smith
Jennie Harper
Jessica Fick
Joy Hadden
Karen Knegten
Kay Simmons
Lee Murphy
Linda Payne
Lori McAree
Melissa Cash
Pam Imholz
Selma Stevenson
Sue Morris
Sue VanDeVusse
Sue Walsh
Vicki Dutcher

Then, stop by GinaK's blog for a super sweet give-away she has tonight in honor of the hop!

The Recipe Book will be available as a free download PDF on StampTV tonight as well. Look for it on the Freebie Tab link.

Enjoy.........

Edit: I had a question from Nancy asking what to use in place of Golden Syrup - I understand it's not easy to get hold of in the US. Check out this link for some suggestions.