Scandinavian Christmas: Day 4

 Hello! Welcome back to the Scandinavian Christmas series! Today I'm so excited to welcome Kareena over from Let's Go Fly A Kite! Last year, Kareena shared how to make these adorable Lucia figurines and the year before this delicious Kransekake recipe. I'm so thrilled she's joining us again this year with another fun project!

Hello! My name is Kareena  and as a hobby I post about the crafty side of family life over at let’s go fly a kite.  My paternal side is Norwegian and I always try to include Scandinavian goodness in our family’s Advent celebrations. I have participated in the Pickled Herring’s Scandinavian Christmas for the past three years. Some  posts which Pickled Herring readers may find interesting are my visits to Bergen and Iceland, baking krumkake and kransekake, and making Santa Lucia dolls (here and here) and crowns.

This year, my daughters and I have been working on some crafts inspired by The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking, by the late Swedish author Astrid Lindgren.  We have been reading the Puffin edition at bedtime.  (If you are looking for an illustrated version, the Lauren Child version on the left is a lovely choice).  

My 9 year old daughter recently finished reading the new Pippi Moves In, a graphic novel.  My dad gave this as a gift  after he saw it reviewed in the New York Times book section. I highly recommend this version if you have a young reader who enjoys graphic novels.

Inside, there is a funny scene of Pippi rolling out pepparkakor gingerbread on the floor.  This is the scene which inspired a recent crafternoon.

For our crafternoon, the girls invited a young friend who also has visited Sweden and we created some Pippi-inspired gingerbread ornaments for our tree using cinnamon and applesauce dough.  I found the basic recipe on the McCormicks site.  We found that four cups of cinnamon and 200 ml (1 cup or so) of applesauce rolled out fourteen 3 inch hearts.  

The ornaments baked for about 3 hours.  The house smelled delicious.   After the ornaments cooled, I applied a thin coat of sealer (this is not necessary).

They are really quite sturdy.

And finally, a photo of Pippi climbing the tree. (My husband was in Stockholm earlier this year and brought home Pippi and Horatio!)

This is a fun and simple ornament craft and appropriate for most ages.  If the cinnamon is purchased in bulk the supplies costs approximately five dollars. 

Thanks for hosting this Scandinavian Christmas Kathryn and God Jul!