Christmas Decorations -
1950's Style
1950's Style
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These cookies for your tree are all decorated with simple candies: gumdrops, jellybeans, licorice, sprinkles and silver dragees.
To bake the cookies, you will need:
3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Work shortening until creamy, add sugar gradually and mix thoroughly. Stir in unbeaten eggs, vanilla extract and flour mixture until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours.
When firm, roll dough 1/4" thick on a lightly floured cookie sheet. Lay paper patterns on dough and cut around edges with a sharp knife. Scrape away surrounding dough, and bake cookies in a 375F or moderate oven for 7 to 8 minutes. Cool, then remove from baking sheet.
To fortify cookies and attach cords for hanging to tree at the same time: Cut another copy of cookie pattern from strong paper. Cover back of cookies with coating of frosting, press 2 lengths of narrow ribbon or cord into frosting and paste on the cutout.
Now you're ready to frost and decorate cookies.
You will need:
2 1/2 cups sifte confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 egg whites
Mix confectioners' sugar and cream of tartar together in a bowl. Add the unbeaten egg white and beat with an electric mixer or rotary beater until mixture stands in stiff peaks. To keep surface from hardening while you frost cookies, keep bowl covered with a damp cloth.
Now divide into separate bowls and tint different shades with any food coloring you like.
To bake the cookies, you will need:
3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Work shortening until creamy, add sugar gradually and mix thoroughly. Stir in unbeaten eggs, vanilla extract and flour mixture until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours.
When firm, roll dough 1/4" thick on a lightly floured cookie sheet. Lay paper patterns on dough and cut around edges with a sharp knife. Scrape away surrounding dough, and bake cookies in a 375F or moderate oven for 7 to 8 minutes. Cool, then remove from baking sheet.
To fortify cookies and attach cords for hanging to tree at the same time: Cut another copy of cookie pattern from strong paper. Cover back of cookies with coating of frosting, press 2 lengths of narrow ribbon or cord into frosting and paste on the cutout.
Now you're ready to frost and decorate cookies.
You will need:
2 1/2 cups sifte confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 egg whites
Mix confectioners' sugar and cream of tartar together in a bowl. Add the unbeaten egg white and beat with an electric mixer or rotary beater until mixture stands in stiff peaks. To keep surface from hardening while you frost cookies, keep bowl covered with a damp cloth.
Now divide into separate bowls and tint different shades with any food coloring you like.
A glistening flurry of paper flakes to decorate a wall, hang in clusters from lighting fixtures or trim your tree. Try making each one a different size or shape like real snowflakes, spray with snow. ... It's easy.
Step 1: To make a 4-inch flake, cut paper strip 2 inches wide and 12 inches long. Mark off in 1-inch sections; accordion-pleat. Cut pointed design, with lacy detail in the folds opposite ends marked red.
Step 2: Bring ends together to form continuous folds and sew with overcasting stitch, as shown. Any thin paper that folds crisply and is strong enough to hold stitches can be used successfully.
Step 3: Spread open with points out. Turn over to back of snowflake where sewed ends show. Run thread through ends of 6 center folds and draw ends together evenly to form center of snowflake.
Step 4: Turn snowflake over and run thread through remaining center folds. Draw together.
Opulent angels are made from bottles. Pick a pretty one, swish paint inside. For the head make very stiff dough of half salt, half flower, a little water. While soft, mount on nail in cork and pin on scouring-pad copper curls, notary seal halo. Let harden, paint features. Glue on pipe-cleaner arms, wings. Decorate with sequins, ribbons
Bell-pull card holder is a strip of felt or heavy material. Pink edges; use dowels top and bottom. Pin on or staple on cards as they arrive.