Holiday Archives - Playtography

I do have affiliate links within the post, this means, if you click on the link, and if you purchase the item, I will receive some spending money to buy a few more crafts.

Do you like sweet and sour, just sweet, or salty & sweet? I love each combo, and crave a sweet and sour, especially if sour granny apples and caramel are involved! I usually associate caramel apples, with being a festive Halloween Treat. Growing up, there was a neighbour across the street, that made caramel apples on Halloween day, but if you weren’t there at a precise time, you missed out! I missed out, too often! Anytime, I go to a fair, where there are candy or caramel apples, I can not leave without buying one.

Here are two simple caramel dip recipes, where one doesn’t even have to buy the ingredients to make this delicous caramel, as it comes premade.

Let’s make a Valentine Gnome Treat, a Gnome Caramel Apple!

Ingredients for Valentine Gnome Caramel Apple

Peters caramel loaf, 5 lbs
cotton candy
fresh, washed, take the stems out, granny smith apples or your favourite apples
Marshmallows
Skewers
cable knit fabric roll
parchment paper
cookie sheet

A 5lb loaf, can make up to about 32 dip apples, but one doesn’t have to use it all in one sitting. You can cut off a chunk, and save it for some time later. I used about 2/3 of the 5 lb package. It made me 5 apples, and then I also dipped another 2 1/4 bags of synder pretzel rods. It would be quicker to pour on these thin pretzels instead though!

If doing apples and pretzels. I would start with the apples first, then dip the pretzels, as you might get some salt off the pretzels into the caramels.

Wash your apples, take out the stems, and then put a skewer in each apple.
Put the caramel in a pot, and let it melt over low heat. Try to not let it boil, as it will eventually make the caramel too hard. This takes about 18 minutes.
Hold the apple with the skewer, and plunge it into the melted Peters caramel to cover the apple fully. Lift up the apple, let some of the caramel drip off, and then place on a parchment paper on a cookie sheet. This caramel will dry quickly, in about 15 minutes, and doesn’t stick when bagged.
Take a handful of cotton candy, the length of the apple, and rip it into the shape of a beard. You can push it directly onto the caramel, if you do it right after dipping, as the caramel will set fast! You can also just poke a hole through the top of the cotton candy, and have the skewer hold it. Only make these the day of, as the cotton candy will shrink half the size, the next day.

5. Take a little bit of caramel, and stick it to one marshallow, and place it up near the top of the cotton candy for the gnome nose.

6. For the no-sew hat, I cut the fabric knit roll, double the length of the skewer, with a bit to spare. I had these clips hanging around, I just folded over the knit fabric roll with insides facing each other. I found the cable knit roll in the ribbon department at Michael’s the craft store. Clipped the edges around the sides, and then turned right side out, and placed over the skewer. One could stitch it, with a sewing machine, or a needle and thread, or tape. It doesn’t have to take much to do this quick. If your children, really liked marshallows, one could take a small baggie, full of marshmallows and place inside the hat, for an extra treat!

Place the cable knit hat over the skewers, with the marshmallow just below, and viola, you are done!

Caramel Pretzel Rods

Another great way to use the caramel is by dipping pretzel rods into it.

Peters caramel loaf
Skor bits, semi sweet chocolate chips, m&m’s, even fun sprinkles.
Snyders Pretzel Rods

Dip the rod into the Peters caramel, and then hold the rod with the caramel up, so gravity will pull the caramel down on the rod. Place on a parchament paper to dry.
Just want caramel, leave it or add candies before it dries in 15 minutes.
If wanting to have chocolate. Melt chocolate in either a double boiler, or in the microwave, and spoon over the caramel, once the caramel is dry.
Then sprinkle, your favourite candies or themed sprinkles on the chocolate, and let dry.
Package up in either aMiss Chrissy

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I do have affiliate links within the post, this means, if you click on the link, and if you purchase the item, I will receive some spending money to buy a few more crafts.

Each year, it seems, that we are seeing more of these gnomes, and styles throughout the year. It doesn’t take much imagination to see their personalities shine through with the way they groom their beards or wear their colorful hats.

They can be created for all occassions, and on a relatively affordable budget, depending what you can source from your home first, before heading out to a dollar store.

Gather your supplies

Items that can be used for your dyi sock gnome

Solid socks (choose some solid colors for the body, as you won’t see much stripes when covered by the beard)
Colorful Socks for the hat.
Faux fur for the beard
Elastic bands/or you can use your hands to tie a knot to hold the filling in place in the sock
cotton balls or stuffing for the nose and the hat
nylon stockings to cover the nose
hot glue gun to glue the hat, beard, and nose
glue sticks
scissors
a filler: rice, wheat, or beans to fill the socks

Step 1: DYI Gnome Body

Take a solid colour sock, and put some rice in it. To make less mess, use a funnel. It takes around 1 cup of filler. Too big, it won’t sit nicely.

Once, you filled the desired the amount, either use an elastic band to tie off the sock, or just knot it. Then cut the rim of the sock off. For some, I folded down the extra material over the knot, and glued, so no rice would escape.

Step 2: DYI Gnome Beard

I found two rolls of faux fur, one brown, and one white, from a dollarama store in Canada, for $4 a roll in the ribbon aisle. The roll was only about 2.5 inches wide, perfect for these socks. You can also try the fabric or craft stores if you were wanting wider sizes. I cut a strip about 3 inches long, and trimed it on an angle to give it a bit of style.

The straight edge faux fur, was placed at the top right up to the elastic or end of the knot. Therefore, the angled edges are facing down to the body. However, if you place the grain of the fur opposite, it will look funky, and show a bit of personality of a gnome, that had a bad hair day, or has that natural cow lick that wouldn’t stay down.

Step 3 : DYI Gnome Nose

I used 2 cotton balls for one nose, gathered the nylon around, and hot glued it. Then centre the nose in the middle of the beard, and hot glue it down. You can use other items, like felt balls, wooden beads, but I’m always a bit conscious of younger children. Therefore, I don’t want to add something that could cause a choking hazard, if it got loose and in the wrong hands.

Step 4: DYI gnome hat

With this gnome, I glued down the sock, around the knot on its head.

I used the entire kids sock, by knotting the heel for the hat. I stuffed cotton balls, even unrolled the cotton ball, and also tried using stuffing inside the sock. Then I added hot glue, around the head, making sure that the nose and top of the beard were covered.

For others, I took the sock hat, knotted it, and then cut of the toe part. Fluff the beard a bit, and Ta da!! You are done!! Now what, would you name this cute one?

Miss Chrissy

Valentine Gnome Treat!