Start a Family Tradition
by Creating Holiday Craft Projects

(ARA) – With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it is sometimes difficult to spend quality time with your family. Start a new family tradition by creating handmade projects for this holiday season. To make greeting cards, decorations or even wrapping paper, all you need is a little inspiration, easy-to-follow instructions and the right glue.

“Instead of spending time fighting the crowds at the mall, why not enjoy an evening at home making your own unique decorations,” says Sandy Moran of Perfect Glue, a trio of adhesives from the makers of Liquid Nails.

Perfect Glue offers the following ideas for personalizing your holiday season with family handmade projects:

* Holiday cards and invitations: Make the season bright with old-fashioned greetings made from recycled wrapping paper, ribbon, tissue paper and glitter.

Materials needed for glitter cards: Perfect Glue 1; cardstock or blank cards; foam stamps; glitter; small paintbrush; ruler

Directions: Brush a thin coat of Perfect Glue 1 onto foam stamp. Cover all raised areas. Press firmly onto card; lift stamp away. Sprinkle “stamped” image with glitter. Dry for a few minutes before shaking off excess. Dry for an hour before excessive handling or mailing. To make a border around card -- brush on a thin line of glue around card edge. Sprinkle with glitter and allow to dry.

* Heirloom-quality holiday décor: Glue decorative papers to a Styrofoam cone for the perfect-sized evergreen or put a twist on the traditional poinsettia with patterned red paper and floral wire.

* Decorative Gift Boxes

Celebrate the gift-giving season by adorning unforgettable presents with bows made of various textured papers or create tiny treat boxes covered with decadent fabric and ribbon.

* Advent Calendar Garland

For over 150 years, holiday advent calendars have been used as a special way to count down the days of December. Different methods have varied from drawing chalk lines and lighting candles to opening tiny doors to find a small piece of candy.

It is easy to create your own Advent Calendar that your family will treasure for years to come. This version includes 24 handmade paper stockings that can hang as garland or ornaments. Instead of candy, family members can write “gifts of kindness” on thin strips of plain paper. Examples include: “Tonight Dad will read Jack a bedtime story” or “Tonight we’ll play a family game.” Mix up the strips, slide one into each stocking and place the stockings in numerical order. Each night, a family member can pull one.

Lap Trays / Crayon 4 Pack / Double Stick Tape

To ensure project success and longevity, use high-quality materials, such as Perfect Glue. Perfect Glue provides solutions for 99 percent of all household gluing needs covering a variety of projects, repairs and surfaces with three formulas. For more information, holiday project ideas and tips, visit www.perfectglue.com or call (866) 321-GLUE. Courtesy of ARA Content

Easy and Elegant Holiday Chocolates

(ARA) – Want to take an impressive dessert to your next holiday party? Chocolate is a contender but, combine chocolate and hazelnuts and you have a champion. Elegant and delicious Hazelnut Butter Cups will dazzle the crowd.

Looking for easy gift ideas for friends, neighbors and co-workers? A selection of Hazelnut Butter Cups in dark and white chocolate is sure to be a hit. They look great in a clear cellophane bag tied with a festive ribbon. They also make excellent hostess gifts!

Here are some easy-to-follow recipe ideas:

* Crunchy Hazelnut Butter Cup

Hazelnut Butter Cups will make it seem as though you have been toiling in the kitchen for days, but they are actually simple to create. All it takes is a little patience to make this delightful hazelnut treat. Beautifully wrapped in alluring chocolate, these treats can be topped with a touch of edible gold dust to complete the package! These are sure to be the star dessert at your next gathering.

Ingredients:
2 cups hazelnuts, blanched, toasted and chopped
1/3 cup hazelnut liqueur
16 ounces (16 squares) Semisweet or white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped, divided
3/4 stick paraffin wax, shaved, divided into 1/2-stick and 1/4-stick portions
2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Stir hazelnuts and liqueur together in medium bowl. Spread onto parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes until nuts are dry and toasted, stirring occasionally. Cool.

Place 10 squares of chocolate and 1/2 stick shaved wax in a microwave-safe bowl.

Microwave on high 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds, until most of chocolate is melted. Do not overheat; chocolate lumps will melt when stirred.

Place 1 teaspoon melted chocolate in paper candy cup. Spread chocolate on inside of cup with butter knife, working on 1 cup at a time. Set in cool area until firm, 1 to 2 hours.

Place hazelnuts and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in food processor. Process to fine texture (meal), scraping occasionally. Remove 3/4 cup to medium bowl.

Add remaining tablespoon cornstarch, confectioner’s sugar, salt and oil to mixture in food processor. Process 5 to 8 minutes until mixture becomes shiny, liquid paste, scraping occasionally. Add to bowl of reserved hazelnut meal; stir until blended.

Press 1 teaspoon hazelnut mixture into chocolate coated cup, forming flat top. Place remaining 6 ounces of chocolate and 1/4 bar shaved wax in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds, until just melted.

Spread melted chocolate over hazelnut filling to edge of cup, working 1 cup at a time. Garnish tops with whole hazelnuts, chopped nuts or chocolate drizzle. Set in cool area until firm, 1 to 2 hours. Makes about 3 dozen.

* Sherry Cherry Hazelnut Cups

Prepare as directed above, except substitute cream sherry for hazelnut liqueur and increase confectioner’s sugar to 1/4 cup. Stir in 1/4 cup dried, diced cherries and 3 tablespoons cream sherry.

* Berry Chocolate Hazelnut Cups

Prepare as directed above, except substitute berry flavored liqueur for hazelnut liqueur, increase confectioner’s sugar to 1/3 cup and do not add cornstarch. Stir in 1/2 cup cocoa.

To keep things interesting, try arranging dark, milk, and white chocolate cups on a tray, and vary the toppings a bit. Put whole hazelnuts on some, chopped hazelnuts on others, or use drizzle of chocolate. Don’t limit your creativity -- the combinations are endless, like a semi-sweet chocolate bottom, Frangelico crisp inside and white chocolate top.

If you plan to give them as gifts, you can add variety to the gift bag with the addition of Hazelnut Cappuccino Cookies.

Recipes for these and other hazelnut treats can be found at www.hazelnutcouncil.org. Courtesy of ARA Content

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