From Idea to Book: American Homestead Christmas (Plus a recipe!)
Posted by Ellen Murphy on Aug 4th 2015
My second book, American Homestead Christmas, has just been released. It is filled with projects to make for Christmas or any time of year. I'm often asked, "Where does the idea for a book start?"
If I am to be completely honest, I would have to say it really started way back when I was this age (far left). The creative bug hit me early, and I was always cutting felt, gluing on sequins, and trying to teach myself embroidery stitches. I had a NEED to create.
After all, I came from a very artistic and theatrical family.
As I got older my creative pursuits became a bit more serious, and I got a degree in Fine Art. Many years went by, I raised my kids, and I stayed creative, and I was dreaming of starting a quilt pattern design business.
Just about this time Mr. Wonderful and I went on a Viking River Cruise to see all the Christmas Markets along the Danube to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.
I don't know about you, but when I travel I always need to bring along some small projects to work on because creativity never takes a vacation. Since this was a Christmas Market cruise, I made up some felt ornaments that I could stitch as we sailed along the river.
One day while I was stitching in the lounge a ten-year-old girl plopped down next to me and asked, "What is that?" Well, that was the start of a fun stitch fest. I taught Olivia to embroider on that trip, and we would meet after dinner or stitch on bus trips and we got to meet everyone. People were so interested in what we were doing.
When I got back home I showed my friends the ornaments I had made and everyone loved them. That's when a lightbulb went off, and I thought, hey, maybe I should make patterns for the ornaments. Since they also make great pincushions, I thought they might be popular.
So I went off to my very first International Quilt Market, and the wool appliqué pieces were a huge hit. Those patterns outsold the quilt patterns 100 to 1. It was an eye opener. At Quilt Market I met people from C&T Publishing and in the next year I wrote my first book, American Homestead Quilts.
In my few free moments in that year I kept designing new wool appliqué patterns, and on the night before I flew to Quit Market, I snapped a few photos of the new ornaments. At Market I showed the photos to Amy and Gailen from C&T, and that's when the excitement really started. We were dreaming up ideas; I still love Amy's idea of decorating cookies to look like the ornaments and hope to have the time to do that this Christmas season.
And this is what came from that initial conversation we had. There are 21 projects in all (far right), and many of them can be used throughout the entire year, not just for Christmas.
In my book proposal I wanted to include some recipes for my favorite Christmas cookies and treats, but they didn't end up in the book. So I'll share one with you now!
SNOW-COVERED POPCORN
-2 bags microwaveable tender white popcorn
-1 cup pretzel sticks, broken
-1/2 of a 12 oz. bag white candy melts
-1 cup M&M's (I used the peanut butter)
-colored sprinkles
Microwave the popcorn according to the manufacturer's directions. Carefully remove the popped kernels to a large bowl; try to keep out the unpopped kernels.
Stir in the pretzel sticks.
Melt a half bag of the candy melts according to the directions on the package. When melted, pour into the bowl and stir to try to coat everything. If you feel there is not enough candy on the popcorn, you could always add more.
Line a large rectangular pan with parchment or waxed paper and spread the mixture out on it in an even layer. Sprinkle the M&M's over it and then sprinkle with the colored sprinkles. Allow to set and then serve in a bowl or package in bags for gifts. Store any leftovers in an airtight bag or container.
Enjoy!
And remember ~ all of your life's experiences can add up to making your dreams come true!
All the best,
~ Ellen
You can pick up a copy of American Homestead Christmas right here!
