Less than two hours to go before a chat opens up between the Magical Holiday Home Ornament Swap participants and I'm gonna be there to listen in! Sophia is off out to eat with her friends and then to the midnight showing of the latest Harry Potter movie so it's me and MudLynn for the evening.
It's been a busy day. I got up early - taking a nap yesterday and going to bed early left me super alert first thing this morning and I've been going like the Energizer Bunny all day. I let Sophia sleep in since she'll be up half the night so I enjoyed The Santa Clause with breakfast. We ran a couple of errands once she surfaced and then we sat down this afternoon to enjoy The Santa Clause 2 while having a craft session. I finished off the Quilted Ball ornament and knitted some more on my scarf while Sophia worked on her beaded jewelry. Shameless plug here -if you like beaded jewelry, check out her page on Facebook "Bella Sophia".
Here's the Quilted Ball:
Here is the finished product - you run a band of ribbon around the center to cover where the edges of the fabric on each side meet - I'm not happy with the ribbon I chose as I think it needs to be a bit wider and heavier - the ribbon I used is wired but it's also a bit sheer. I added the pearl embellishments, not sure if I like them or not.
Here is a view of the top - I like this because I seem to have the symmetry right and I added the little pearl in the center to cover where four pins are placed. I used dressmaker's pins but I realize I should have used bridal/lace pins which have smaller heads. Lesson learned for next time.
I added a hanger by unpinning one of the red pieces of fabric on top, running the ribbon underneath, and repinning it. It holds it quite nicely. 
A close-up of the finished ball - it's lost some of its roundness, I think perhaps from my holding it too firmly or running the ribbon too tightly. I also don't think that I need to fold the fabric over twice - I think that the whole ball would be lighter and easier to make if I just used rectangular pieces of fabric and made one fold. I'll experiment with that another time.
Good grief, I am critical, aren't I?
Today's recipe was Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Rolls. My whole kitchen smells like an upscale pizzeria and they were delicious. Here's the recipe from Woman's World magazine, December 21, 2009 issue:
1 tube (11 oz) refigerated breadstick dough
1/2 cup sun-dried tomato pesto **
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbs shredded Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp crushed dried rosemary
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
Assorted fresh herbs and ribbon bow
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. On lightly floured surface, unroll dough. Spread pesto over dough, sprinkle with cheeses, parsley, rosemary, and pepper.
Separate dough at perforations. Beginning at short end, roll up each dough strip jellyroll-style. Arrange, spiral side up and sides touching in tree shape on pan. Brush with egg. Bake 25 minutes or until golden. Serve garnished with herbs (along sides of rolls) and bow (at the bottom of the rolls).
Serves 12.
Rolled up, arranged in tree shape and ready to bake:
The finished product:
** I found the sun-dried tomato pesto at my local supermarket but if you have any difficulty, you can order it from Pastene. It's under Shop USA and then Sauces.
Looking forward to chatting all about your lovely ornaments.
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