Creative Party Ideas by Cheryl

Candy Heart Barrettes

2012-02-10T17:44:00.000-05:00

Easy and Fun!

We made Conversation Heart Barrettes...

Simply hot glue candy hearts to plain barrettes

My Daughter;s Birthday is Valentine's Day...How perfect are these to share with her friends?

xoxo

52 Reasons I Love You Cards... tutorial with ideas

2012-02-09T09:49:00.000-05:00

I saw this idea on Pinterest and had to make my own!

It was hard at first to make the list but then I got on a roll and had plenty of ideas!

My Husband is going to love this! (Who wouldn't love to get this made from the heart Valentine???)

This is Very Easy and cheap!

I used a deck of cards (we already had), mailing labels, sharpie marker, hole punch, and metal rings from office store (actually had on hand)

It took me a while to write down 52 things. I love my husband, but coming up with 52 reasons written was not easy. My best advice is to think about little things, be original and creative. Put something silly he does all the time or even something that mildly irritates you. Make it personal!

here are some ideas for "52 Reasons I love you...."

You sing in the shower

You make me laugh

You are an amazing Dad

You can make me smile for no reason

You always make me laugh

You make me think positive when I’m negative

You can see the best in me

You cook me dinner sometimes

You always come up with crazy things to do

You’ll watch girly shows with me

You push me to do my best

You can make decisions when I can’t

You are not afraid to be silly

You have beautiful eyes

You still open the door for me

You can always calm me down

You make yourself laugh

You make me feel safe

You hold my hand when we’re walking

You have made the last 15 years amazing

You are not afraid of what others think

You always kiss me goodnight

You don’t mind when I don’t cook dinner

You’re proud to have me as your wife

You try to help around the house

You always say what’s on your mind

You stare at me lovingly

You like to surprise me with little things

You try to better our relationship

You like to shop with me

You are very creative

You have great taste in Music

You always stand by my side

You take time to call just to say hi

Simply because you are you

On the Queen of Hearts card:" You treat me like the Queen of Hearts"

On the suicide King: "You would take a sword for me"

This should help get you started...throw in some personal ones....Have Fun!

Cute Valentine Ideas for Friends and Teachers

2012-02-08T22:35:00.001-05:00

How cute and easy!

I am making these for the teachers (I found $1.00 rulers in Target)

Idea from Friskars

another cute idea with glow sticks

this idea is also from Friskars

One of my favorites...Bee Mine

and Free Printable from Pizzazzarie

click here for printable

also from Pizzazzarie

click here for Free Printable

xoxo

Peanut Butter and Jelly Valentine Idea!

2012-02-07T09:42:00.000-05:00

I know what my Valentine is getting in her lunch tomorrow!

Peanut butter and Jelly is a fav around here,

and this surprise will make both my daughter and husband so excited!

This cute idea is from Oopsey Daisy

and here is her cute free printable

(I love that she printed this on cute paper)

click here for printable

print / cut / staple to sandwich

p.s. I like Homemade PB&J but you can use "Crustables"

Beer for your Valentine!

2012-02-06T20:14:00.000-05:00

This is such a cute idea!

Beer for your Valentine...

Valentine's Day is usually for chocolates and flowers, but how about your husband or boyfriend? Nothing says "I Love You" like beer!!!!

Just kidding, but I love this unique idea, purchase a six pack of your favorite, or mix it up with six different kinds of beer and make these cute labels.

Add your own style and make some cute labels.

Cheers!

source:Make the Best of Everything.blogspot.com

Fast and Easy Game Day Brownies

2012-02-05T10:28:00.000-05:00

This fast and easy "last minute" brownie idea is from my friend Betty.

Betty Crocker!

A store mix and ready made icing!!!

I would place them on a green napkin to resemble a football field or on a team color napkin.

Ingredients:

1box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

Betty Crocker® white decorating icing (from 4.25-oz tube

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Line 9-inch square pan with foil, letting foil hang 2 inches over sides of pan. Spray foil with cooking spray.

In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, chocolate syrup, oil, water and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan.

Bake 34 to 37 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

Using foil to lift, remove brownies from pan. With football-shaped cookie cutter, cut brownies into football shapes. Pipe on decorating icing to look like football laces.

(No football cookie cutter? You can use a knife. Just cut the brownies into 8 rectangles (4 rows by 2 rows). Trim corners of each rectangle to make a football shape.

For smaller footballs, cut brownies into 2x1-inch rectangles and trim to make football shapes.)

The Best Football Party.... FREE Printables!

2012-02-03T08:52:00.000-05:00

Thank You Hostess With The Mostess

for the best Football Party FREE Party Printables EVER!!!!

These are so cute and can be used for Superbowl Party, Birthday Parties, Tailgate Parties...

Add your own Team Colors with food, tablecloths, etc.

Add your own touches and you have an instant party!

These FREE Football printables include:

Beverage Labels (Beer or Cups!)

Cupcake Toppers (Footballs)

Pretzel Bags

Popcorn Boxes

Snack Boxes

Click HERE for more photos and Downloads

Free Superbowl Party Printables

2012-02-01T23:04:00.000-05:00

Easy and Fun...

Celebration Shoppe has a FREE Superbowl Party Printables!!!!

NY Giants vs. New England Patriots!

The Giants will be wearing their away white jerseys (white chevron wrappers) and the Patriots will wear their blue jerseys (blue chevron wrappers). You can use them all, or just your favorite team. The set also includes a 11×17 football field mat and a 11×17 green grass chevron mat (great for a backdrop for your stadium).

Note: the bottom right hand corner has the printable cupcake wrappers used as snack containers

and she used a wire spice rack as stadium seats!!!!

Click here for more info and the FREE Download!!!

Ground Hog Day Cupcakes and Treats

2012-01-30T21:15:00.000-05:00

Groundhog Day is February 2nd. It is said that if the groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of bad weather, and if he doesn't, that spring will be here soon.

How Cute is this??? Bloom Designs did it again! She posted the cutest tutorial for Ground Hog Day Cupcakes (who said Teddy Grams won't work for ground hogs?)

Frost cupcakes and then add green sprinkles leaving the center open

Smash a handful of the Teddy Grahams to make dirt and then sprinkle it in the center of the cupcake.

Stick in your little groundhog (teddy bear). You may need to add more dirt around him.

How Cute!

Thank you Bloom Design (again!)

This cupcake is from Dozen Flours

The cupcake is buttermilk chocolate-almond cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting (which is suppose to be snow). The little guy in the center is made from Tootsie rolls, regular size and mini chocolate chips, white candy melts, and cocoa. The cake crumbs around his head are suppose to be the dirt from his burrow. Yum!

both of these could be topped on pudding cups as well...get creative and enjoy!

Welcome Spring????

Sweetheart Candy Wreath

2012-01-29T12:43:00.000-05:00

Cousin Jen and Cousin Lil O made this beautiful Candy Heart Wreath!

Cousin Jen has a blog "Upcycled Education", I shared a link with her a couple of days ago for Classroom Valentine Treats (sending more ideas to her soon!) Now it is her turn to share a craft with us!

Instructions:

It is super duper easy to make. Start with a round wreath form, Then wrap the wreath in strips of pink tissue paper. Hot glue rows of Sweethearts on all sides and finish it off with a pink ribbon.

I found that it was easiest to make one row of hearts all the way around the wreath, and then move on to the second and third rows (rather than gluing three across, then three below that row, and repeating the process all the way around the wreath).

Thank you Cousin Jen and Lil O

xoxo

Bread Pudding Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

2012-01-29T11:51:00.000-05:00

These are yummy!

The very best part is the icing...the addition on cinnamon in cream cheese icing is awesome!

Best way to enjoy these treats is warm, right out of the oven...

Bread Pudding Cupcakes

makes 9 cupcakes (fast and easy)

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

5 slices cinnamon raisin bread, cubed 1/2 inch

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and add cubed raisin bread to batter.

Pour in cupcake wrappers, make only 3/4 full (I used a slotted spoon to place the bread cubes in evenly, then poured the remaining egg mixture over all the uncooked cupcakes).

Bake for 25 minutes or until done.

Incredible Cream Cheese Icing with Cinnamon

Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese

3 tablespoons butter

2 1/2 cups powered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon milk

directions:

cream all ingredients together...warning, there will be a fight over who gets to lick the beaters when done!

can you smell these yummy muffins (or cupcakes)?

This picture does not do justice to the yummy goodness (the icing was melting on the warm bread pudding!!!!!!)

xoxo

You Make My Heart Glow Valentine Idea

2012-01-27T08:12:00.000-05:00

My cousin Jen has a Blog for Teachers, Upcycled Education, it is a great blog with lots of ideas for teaching, etc.

One thing she promotes is NOT rewarding students with sweets! (Love that idea!)

This clever Valentine Idea from The Teacher Wife is perfect for students or friends.

Here is a free printable from The Teacher Wife.

Simply purchase the glow sticks (can find them at the dollar store, with more than one per package...yea!), print, cut out, tape to glow stick and give

xoxo

Valentine S'mores

2012-01-25T06:50:00.000-05:00

These Valentine S'mores are from Two Shades of Pink...

She used little bags to throw heart marshmallows in, then a smores idea sounded so cute so she added graham crackers and valentine Hershey kisses.

How about this...

"Every Day I Like You Smore!"

These are from my friend at Bloom Design

Go to her blog and she has instructions on how to get the cute labels for free!

Supplies: cellophane bag, Hersey Kisses, Kraft HeartMallows, graham crackers

Assemble all the fixin's for a strawberry s'more treat

Thanks Bloom Design

xoxo

Superbowl Party Ideas

2012-01-23T17:41:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of cute ideas I saw on Pinterest.

Time to start planning Superbowl Sunday!

Chinese New Year: Year of the Dragon Party Ideas

2012-01-19T16:20:00.000-05:00

this awesome party is from Kara's Party Ideas!

I LOVE the cake!!!!

this is from another post from Kara's Party Ideas

Make Fortune cookies from cupcake wrappers

this is so easy and cute (year round!)

instructions here at Family Fun Magazine

Make Paper Lanterns from Family Fun Magazine

Bruce Lee Movie

"Enter the Dragon"

A recipe for

"Magic Dragon Puffs"

from Pillsbury.com

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup butter or margarine, cut up

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS

1 Heat oven to 425°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper. In 2-quart saucepan, heat water, butter and salt to rolling boil over medium heat. When butter is melted, remove from heat; stir in flour all at once until blended. 2 Return to medium heat; cook 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly, until dough forms a ball and leaves a slight film on side of pan. 3 Remove from heat; stir in eggs, one at a time, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Stir in Parmesan cheese, chives and basil. On cookie sheets, drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart into 1 1/4-inch mounds, making 30 mounds. 4 Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown and set. Remove from oven; with tip of sharp knife, make small slit in side of each puff to allow steam to escape. Bake 5 to 8 minutes longer or until dry and firm.

These airy little puffs can be cut in half and filled with 1 tablespoon of your favorite salad such as egg salad, tuna salad, ham salad or seafood salad.

Puffs can be baked in advance and stored in airtight containers. Reheat on ungreased cookie sheets at 350°F 5 to 10 minutes.

Happy Year of the Dragon!

(This is special because I am a Dragon and so is my Daughter!!!)

I heart Dragons!

Starburst Valentine Card

2012-01-18T16:48:00.000-05:00

Cute and Easy!!!

another cute Valentine Idea to give to your friends.

This is from Better Homes and Gardens

and free printable label, too!

Friendship Bracelet Valentines

2012-01-16T10:44:00.000-05:00

Dandee-Designs.com made these cute friendship bracelets with her daughter.

I wanted to post these early so we would have time to make these as well.

(This is our arts and crafts project for today, we are making "friendship bracelets")

Dandee-Designs was kind enough to post a free printable for the tag.

Happy Braiding!!!!

xoxo

click here for downloadable tag

xoxo

Cheers to Love!

2012-01-15T11:18:00.000-05:00

Easy!

Chalk board paint on recycled bottles.

"Cheers to Love!"

xoxo

Free Valentine Subway Art Printable

2012-01-14T01:30:00.000-05:00

Time to decorate for my favorite holiday...

Valentine's Day!!!!

this cute FREE printable is from

Bonjour!Blog

there are even options for different colors and sizes to print

I have plenty more Valentine's ideas to look forward to...

xoxo

Japanese Sushi Party

2012-01-12T00:39:00.000-05:00

This is an easy and fun party to plan for just a few friends, your family or a large group of people...

just add more sushi or less sushi to your party depending on how many guests you have.

I created this party for our family only.

This is a fun way to enjoy sushi and a unique way to make dinner extra special!

My family gets excited about "theme" nights and my husband has plenty of Jui Jitsu Gear...(enough said!)

this is a very easy party to set up (and a good excuse to use my new square plates)

The mini take out boxes make a fun inexpensive centerpiece.

I also bought a bulk package of chop sticks, but you can get those free when you buy sushi.

Hot Tea is a nice touch,

I have had this glass tea pot for a long time, and I am glad to finally use it.

The Sushi is from our local grocery store, I just arranged the sushi on other plates

Cut up fruit....easy!

And the best part....

DESSERT SUSHI!

YES, TWINKIES, HO HO'S AND MINI DONUTS!

Click here for the easy tutorial for Dessert Sushi!

we had a contest to see how many mini marshmallows we could pick up using chop sticks

and the biggest hit of all

Origami!

We started easy with cute hearts and moved on to cranes

In Japan, it is commonly said that folding 1000 paper origami cranes makes a person's wish come true!

We started our cranes...but, we have a long way to go to 1,000!

Dessert Sushi Tutorial

2012-01-12T00:35:00.001-05:00

This is an EASY but not too healthy Dessert!

It will be a huge hit with everyone,

and I have to admit, I love mini powder sugar donuts!!!!!

Ingredients needed ( sugar overload....)

(I have to admit your grocery cart looks very unhealthy buying all these items!)

HoHo's or Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls

gummi worms (I went for the neon ones!)

Twinkies or Little Debbie Cloud Cakes

Mini Powder Sugar Donuts...yum

Swedish Fish Candies

Fruit Roll Ups (I bought the variety pack and preferred the tie-dye ones!)

First Up Swedish Fish, fruit roll ups on a powder sugar donut

Directions:

Cut donuts in half

cut strips of fruit roll ups into thin strips to wrap around fish and donut

How easy is that?

p.s I only liked the way the orange fish candies looked...but feel free to try all!

Next is Ho-Hos's and gummy worms!

This is the easiest one:

Slice Ho Ho's and cut gummy worms into tiny pieces

Insert gummy pieces into frosting!

Last Sushi is the

"Twinkie Sushi"

you need Twinkies, gummy worms and fruit Roll Ups

Wrap the fruit roll ups around twinkie, slice the "Twinkie Roll" into sushi slices and insert cut up gummy worms!

Voila! Dessert Sushi!

Click here for Sushi Party Pictures and Ideas

xoxo

Organizing School Lunches

2012-01-08T09:46:00.000-05:00

Trying to get ORGANIZED is an ongoing process at our house!
I figure January is a good moth for cleaning out, I came upon this great blog, I Heart Organizing,and I love this idea for making school lunches faster and easier:
A school lunch packing station!

Create a lunch making station in the fridge!

Make a place where you could just easily grab foods and snacks in a place that has all the things you use each time you make up lunches.

So I just took a cheapo plastic basket that we already had, added a quick laminated label, and filled it with all sorts of lunch making goodies!

I am hoping that having all of their items in one easy to find place, it will make lunch making an easy breezy process!

When it comes to actually packing their lunches, this year I want to purchase these from Amazon:

Happy Organizing!

Cute Ways to Organize

2012-01-06T08:57:00.000-05:00

Spaghetti jar used for cupcake wrappers-genius!

I am on my way to Target right now,

spaghetti jar aisle here I come!!!!

organize ribbon!!!

plastic bin aisle...here I come!!!

source: Pinterest

Free 2012 Calendar

2012-01-04T16:55:00.000-05:00

Here is a FREE simple but elegant printable calendar from

the TomKat Studio.

I love her parties and ideas (She is one of my "blog Heroes")

click here for free 2012 Monthly Wall Calendars

Happy 2012 and Thanks TomKat Studio!

What to do with Old Christmas Cards!

2012-01-03T06:52:00.000-05:00

have you been wondering what in the world you're going to do with all the nice picture Christmas cards? not really wanting to throw them away but also not wanting the hassle of scrap-booking them.

simply take your hole punch and line the card up so that it punches just the TWO holes evenly on the card.

then get some clasping metal rings that you can find at almost any store -and voila!

easy, fun and organized!

source: Close to my Art

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T16:49:00.000-05:00

source: vol25.typepad.com/vol25/

xoxo

Family Fun on New Year's Eve

2012-01-01T01:11:00.000-05:00

2012 NYE

An Inexpensive Family Party Night

My daughter made our special New Year's Resolution lists...

"This year I will...."

One of our favorite things to do is read back our "blessings"

Throughout the year we write down special"blessings" and put them in our Blessing Jar.

On New Year's Eve we read back our blessings (we sometimes date our thoughts and blessings)

We also like to look back on our year with our favorite photos from the past year.

A sweet end to 2011!

Welcome 2012

Happy New Year!

xoxo

Happy New Year! Words to Live by in 2012

2011-12-31T08:52:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

Thank you everyone for a Great Year.

May all your dreams come true in 2012!

xoxo

Free Party Hats!

2011-12-30T09:57:00.000-05:00

click here to download Free Printable hat

source and for more instructions go to Ellinee.com

Happy 2010!

xoxo

NYE free Subway Art

2011-12-29T18:24:00.000-05:00

Thank You eighteen 25 for this free printable!

This will make our NYE table special!

Click here for the free download

"Birthday Chocolate Bark" or "New Year's Party Bark"

2011-12-28T23:27:00.000-05:00

I happened upon this recipe from How Sweet it Is and it’s my new favorite idea. Just a spoonful of cake batter and a rainbow of sprinkles turns this holiday staple into a fantastic birthday treat. Perfect to give away as a party favor or packaged in a tin as a cheerful gift...

Cake Batter Chocolate Bark

Ingredients

6 ounces high quality dark chocolate

12 ounces high quality white chocolate

3 teaspoons yellow cake mix

sprinkles of your choice (at least 3 tablespoons worth or more)

Directions

Melt dark chocolate either in the microwave or a double boiler. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour chocolate on. You can smooth it with a spatula to the thickness you desire. Stick in the freeze for 20 minutes.

Melt while chocolate. Whisk in cake mix slowly, stirring well until no lumps remain. Let it set for 3 full minutes (or at least until it slightly thickens). Remove baking sheet with chocolate from the freezer and immediately pour white chocolate on top. Sprinkle on sprinkles. Freeze for 20 minutes.

Once set, break into chunks. Keep refrigerated.

source: How Sweet It Is

Party Hats for NYE (or to celebrate your birthday!)

2011-12-28T08:09:00.000-05:00

Time to Celebrate New Year's Eve...

or "Happy Birthday to Me!"

Yes, today is my Birthday, and I always get to celebrate 3 days after Christmas and 3 days before New Years Eve.

To celebrate a birthday or New Years, a pretty Party Hat is important, at Oh Happy Day, there is a tutorial for Party Hats. click here for instructions.

Happy New Year's!

New Year's Eve Party Ideas

2011-12-27T06:22:00.000-05:00

I love this idea from Real Simple Magazine, I will have everyone put thoughts, wishes ideas for 2012

last minute New Year's Card idea...

great decoration ideas with bubbles

from Fiskars.com numbers on corks, cut out use small star punch and voila!

also the party fans turned into clocks, so clever....

I must make these! how easy and cute...

Images via Pinterest!

Happy NYE planning

Christmas Pajama Party

2011-12-26T21:07:00.000-05:00

Our own Family Pajama Party 2011

Donut reindeers

Penguin Cupcakes!

Hot Cocoa Bar

Veggie Christmas Tree!

Entertainment by an elf...

Christmas Tree Cup stacking Contest

Can-you-stack-the-cups-with-one-hand-in-a-minute game.

Reindeer Antler Game:

Hand each team one pair of panythose --

Also hand out one balloon to each team player. If the teams are small give 5 balloons per person (each team should have about 10 balloons).

When you say "go" the teams race to make "reindeer antlers" by blowing up the balloons and stuffing them into the pantyhose.

Then one team member wears the "antlers" and sings the first verse of Jingle Bells.

The first one to do so wins for the team and even after one team wins, let everyone complete the task for a reindeer group picture.

Merry Christmas 2011!

Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

2011-12-24T17:13:00.000-05:00

This is what we always have on Christmas morning...super easy and has become a family tradition...

From our family to yours,

Happy Holidays!

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork sausage

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

6 slices white bread, toasted and cut into cubes

8 ounces mild Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Crumble sausage into a medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly brown; drain.

In a medium bowl, mix together mustard powder, salt, eggs and milk. Add the sausage, bread cubes, and cheese, and stir to coat evenly. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Cover, and bake 45 to 60 minutes. Uncover, and reduce temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until set.

That's a Wrap

2011-12-23T11:40:00.000-05:00

I love this idea...Photos or copies of photos on plain craft paper!

another great idea! Names on packages, could even use sticker letters!

That's a Wrap for today...

Happy Holidays to all...

xoxo

Hot Cocoa Mugs made with Marshmallows!

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Simply melt the chocolate as directed and dip the marshmallow into the melted chocolate. I made them in two ways. I added the candy canes and the mini marshmallow when the chocolate was still melted and I also did it when the chocolate was hard. Even though it was harder when the chocolate was still melted, the results were a lot better!

Great idea from Crissy's Crafts

xoxo

Time To Bake with Candy Cane Kisses and Mint Kisses

2011-12-20T06:42:00.000-05:00

Time to Bake!

I love Hershey Kisses. There are so many different flavor Kisses...These recipes from Recipe Girl use both Hershey Kisses Candy Cane Kisses and Hershey Kisses Mint Kisses (yummy!)

Candy Cane Kisses Cookies

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 12 min These are an incredibly delicious flavor delivered by the Hershey’s Kisses people. And they’re amazing tucked into a cookie too.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/4 cups butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon peppermint extract, optional

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Candy Cane flavored Hershey's Kisses, finely chopped

granulated sugar

additional, unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses- about 30

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make room in either refrigerator or freezer for your cookie sheet.

2. In large mixer bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, extracts and egg. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy (2-3 minutes). In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to wet mixture and beat, scraping bowl often until well blended (1-2 minutes). The mixture will be a bit crumbly. Stir in chopped Kisses.

3. Shape dough into 3/4-inch to 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. As soon as they come out of the oven, press a Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie. They'll crack a little around the edges, so just use your fingers to kind of hold the cookie together while you set the kiss inside. Put cookie sheet (with cookies) immediately into the freezer (preferred) or refrigerator so that the Kisses will set quickly. As soon as you press them into the cookie, they will begin to soften... so if you can get them into the freezer then they will keep their Kiss shape.

4. Store in a covered container- at room temperature for up to a week. In the freezer they should be ok for a couple of weeks.

Tips:

*The addition of peppermint extract is completely optional. The cookie gets plenty of peppermint flavor from the addition of the chopped kisses, but if you’d like it really minty then go ahead and add the peppermint extract.

Source: RecipeGirl.com

Chocolate Mint Kiss Crinkles

chocolate crinkles with mint truffle kisses

Yield: About 60 cookies

Prep Time: 25 min + chill timeCook Time: 12 min

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups granulated white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoon green colored sugar (optional)

bag of mint truffle flavored Hershey's Kisses

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, and eggs until well mixed. Whisk in extracts.

3. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into 1/2 Tablespoon balls. Roll balls into mixture of powdered sugar/green sugar. Place on cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until cookies crackle and dough doesn't look raw. While cookies are baking, unwrap the kisses and make some room in your refrigerator or freezer for the cookie sheets. When the cookies come out of the oven, immediately place a kiss in the center of each cookie and press lightly. The kisses will start to get melty, so it's best if you are able to place the cookie sheet (with the kiss cookies still on it) directly into the freezer or refrigerator until the kisses can cool off and set up.

Source: RecipeGirl.com

Reindeer Beer Gift Idea and Reindeer Rootbeer Gift Idea!

2011-12-19T12:13:00.000-05:00

What a perfect Neighbor gift, Hostess Gift, etc!

just wrap brown pipe cleaners around the tops of the bottles, with twisted smaller pieces around to make antlers. Then hot glue on googly eyes and red pom poms on, easy peasey!

Thank you Life Of a Modern Mom!!!!

Super cute and fun!

xoxo

Reindeer Peeps

2011-12-16T09:34:00.000-05:00

This cute idea is from Bloom

Reindeer Peep Bags are super cute and easy to make treats that everyone will love. They are perfect for the kids in your neighborhood or for your childrens' classmates. Best of all, if you are a Bloom follower or sign up to be one, She will send you a personalized pdf file of the labels for you to print. Just leave a comment with your email and the name or names you want on the label! Click here for more info... Merry Christmas, peeps!

Click here to see more Bloom blog and her great party ideas

Supplies; Reindeer Peeps, M&M's, double stick tape to attach the labels (Target),

cellophane bags, labels

Reindeer Thumbprint Ornaments and Snowman Handprint Ornaments

2011-12-15T08:50:00.001-05:00

A simple Family Craft!

We made Reindeer Ornaments with Thumbprints and Snowman Ornaments with our Hand Prints!

Very Easy and Inexpensive...

Glass Ornaments (all on sale now!), inexpensive paints, and a sharpie (we used an empty egg carton as a drying rack.

this project is originally from Little Bit Funky and I merged her "professional photos" with our family photos!

We made our reindeers using white ornaments (the pretty photos are from Little Bit Funky, and they used blue!)

brown paint on finger (hello FBI!)

Sharpie Eyes...

Sharpie marker name and age is a great idea!

Sharpie Antlers and red paint nose....

that is all!

Now for the Handprint Snowman Ornaments:

Once again, the Red Snowman Ornaments are what we made and the pretty tutorial photos are from Little Bit Funky

hand print on ornament...

Sharpie Hats, scarf, face, scarf, etc...and a small orange paint nose!

Thank you Little Bit Funky for a Cute family Craft night!

xoxo

Free Holiday Cards and Gift Tags

2011-12-14T17:37:00.000-05:00

Beautiful Cards and Labels

Two colors to choose from!

click here for the link to print these!

Thank You Hello Monday!

Reindeer Noses

2011-12-12T23:24:00.000-05:00

I have been waiting to make these!

I love the idea of the 8 brown and then the 1 red (Rudolph's!) nose!

This was first spotted here on this site:A Personal Touch.blogspot.com

I plan on using Malted Milk Balls and a Red Candy I found at Party City.

I was searching and found these free printable labels:

Free Printable labels from Craftaphile.blogspot.com

I found this link for bag toppers to purchase on Etsy here

(by the way, I like this cute idea of using all Red M&M's!)

Santa Hat Pretzels

2011-12-12T02:17:00.000-05:00

Very Easy!

Bite-sized bits of North Pole magic are just what your holiday party needs! This delectable balance of salty and sweet is a wonderful way to give everyone an irresistible taste of the Christmas spirit.

Ingredients

Mini Twist Pretzels

White Chocolate Almond Bark

Red Sanding Sugar

Mini Marshmallows

Directions

Melt the white chocolate almond bark according to the directions on the package.

Dip each mini twist pretzel halfway into the melted white chocolate almond bark.

Dip each almond bark covered pretzel into the red sanding sugar until only a small amount of the almond bark is showing. Place on waxed paper.

Cut the mini marshmallows in half. Use additional melted almond bark to adhere a mini marshmallow half onto the side of each pretzel. Allow time for the almond bark to set.

source: Oriental Trading

Hot Cocoa Party

2011-12-09T00:13:00.001-05:00

This amazing party is from Shindig Parties.

I will be re-using these ideas and am going to purchase these printable labels from here.

This is such a fun and inexpensive idea for holiday parties. Include lots of candies and sweet toppings for family or children's parties or add some mix-ins like Kahlua or peppermint Schnapps for adult parties. It comes together quickly, too, with mostly store-bought products.

Peppermint marshmallows, chocolate covered peppermint sticks and chocolate peppermint spoons were placed close to the cocoa mugs for fun stirrers.

Covering peppermint sticks with white candy coating and adding some sparkling sugar makes wonderfully sweet cocoa stirrers.

Thank you Shindig Parties for a great Party idea!

also there is a tutorial for the Snowman used on the Cocoa Table and more photos...enjoy

xoxo

Holiday Teacher Gift Idea

2011-12-06T23:31:00.000-05:00

I love the felt scarves!

This cute idea is great for teachers, friends, anyone!

A re-useable cup is a great present, it is practical and easy to put a gift card or a another small gift inside. I think the cup by itself is thoughtful and useful but Lisa Storm of Friskars.com added a packet of Hot Chocolate! How Cute! This presentation is what makes this cup extra thoughtful and fun....

This cute idea is From Friskars (yes, the scissors)

For instructions click here!

Christmas Reindeer Mini Donuts

2011-12-05T13:02:00.001-05:00

How simple, cute and yummy!

I heart chocolate donuts!

Whip up a batch of these salty and sweet delicacies to keep your herd of party guests satisfied. Don’t forget the milk!

Ingredients

Chocolate Frosted Mini Donuts

Peanut M&M’s

Round white Sprinkles

Mini Pretzel Twists

Directions

Press a red peanut M&M into the hole of the chocolate frosted mini donut.

Press two round white sprinkles into the chocolate frosted mini donut for the eyes.

Break a mini pretzel twist in half and press them into the top of the donut for antlers.

source: OrientalTrading.com

Easy Gift Idea! Printable Artwork

2011-12-03T10:11:00.000-05:00

EASY! FREE! PRETTY!

Great Gifts for teachers, co-workers, friends, family, (yourself)....

Check out Laura Winslow's Memorable Words Monday - lots of great, free printables, great printables to give away as gifts or keep!

click here for this print....

click here for this print or go to her website for more options!

Click here for this print...

p.s I found plain frames at a good price at Target!

also want to Thank Jen at Upcycled Education for this great find...check out her blog, this month is "Craftification Nation Month!"

xoxo

Santa's Beard Countdown to Christmas

2011-11-30T22:22:00.000-05:00

I Love this!!!!

Today I got a nice comment from Craft-Interrupted.blogspot.com and she liked the Good Deed Jar Idea.

I went to her blog (which is great) and I saw this adorable, clever Santa Beard Countdown Calendar!

There are no instructions, the blog is in Italian, but it looks easy to replicate.

Thank you for this fun idea.

Easy Christmas Countdown Calendar

2011-11-28T08:23:00.000-05:00

This is a super easy Christmas Countdown Calendar

You just need a clipboard,(this is a small 8 x 6 clipboard) 1 sheet scrapbook paper and glue!

If you want to get real fancy, a matching ribbon!

1. Glue the background paper to your clipboard and then trim around the edges.

2. Click here for number cards or make your own using Photoshop, stickers, or scrapbook letters. These were created by using Photoshop, a large font, and a free Christmas background to fill in the letters.

3. Cut out the cards, glue a "Days until Christmas" title at the bottom, and tie on a cute piece of ribbon.

This easy and cute calendar is created by:MilkandCookiesBlog.com

(I can't wait to make one!)

100 Ideas of Christmas Wonderful

2011-11-27T03:47:00.000-05:00

Stop on by Design Dazzle for 100 Ideas of Christmas Wonderful...

I submitted these two ideas!

24 Days of Christmas Good Deed Jar

Countdown to Christmas with Christmas Books

xoxo

Penguin Cupcakes!

2011-11-26T11:39:00.000-05:00

I LOVE these and couldn't wait to share!

Penguin Cupcakes

MAKES: a dozen penguins

12 cupcakes

1 cup marshmallow crème

12 Oreo cookies

Candy eyeballs (preferably Wilton)

Large round orange sprinkles, for the beak

¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut

Small white sprinkles, for decoration (optional)

1. Frost each cupcake with 1 tablespoon marshmallow crème.

2. For each penguin: Separate 1 Oreo cookie; the half with the cream filling with be the head, cut the half without the cream in half to make 2 wings using a sharp knife (it's okay if the edges crumble, you can hide it with coconut).

3. Make the head: Spread about 1 teaspoon marshmallow crème over the cream filling of the Oreo. Gently press 2 eyeballs into the crème, then use orange sprinkles to make a beak.

4. Assemble the penguin: Press the head into the marshmallow crème near the top of the cupcake, then press the wings into the cake until they're secure. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut and white sprinkles, if desired.

Source: Foodfemininty.blogspot.com

xoxo

Pumpkin Streusel Bread and Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

2011-11-26T01:02:00.000-05:00

I thought I was finished posting Thanksgiving but I spent my Thanksgiving morning baking and I wanted to share these delicious recipes....

Pumpkin Streusel Bread

Ingredients for Streusel:

2 1/2 Tbs. light brown sugar

2 1/2 Tbs. flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

2 tbs. cold unsalted butter

Ingredients for Bread:

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

2 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

Position Rack in lower 1/3 of oven. Preheat 350.

Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

Make streusel:

In medium bowl whisk sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 forks until mixture resembles coarse meal. Reserve until later.

Bread:

In large bowl whisk pumpkin, sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. In medium bowl whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt, baking powder. fold in pumpkin mixture with flour. Pour into greased pan. Sprinkle with Streusel.

Bake until pick inserted in center comes out clean and top is browned. 45 minutes to 1 hour.

cool completely.

(this recipe is from Paula Deen in Woman's World Magazine)

Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Ingredients

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

APPLE CAKE BATTER:

1 cup finely chopped pecans

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup canola oil

3/4 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups peeled and finely chopped Gala apples (about 1 1/2 lb.)

PRALINE FROSTING:

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Prepare Filling: Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended.

2. Prepare Batter: Preheat oven to 350º. Bake pecans in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Stir together 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in eggs and next 3 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans.

3. Spoon two-thirds of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of pan. Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife. Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese Filling.

4. Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).

5. Prepare Frosting: Bring 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 Tbsp. milk to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake.

Robert Kindred, Seagoville, Texas, Southern Living

SEPTEMBER 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T23:53:00.000-05:00

I am so Thankful for all my readers, followers and friends...

Happy Thanksgiving!

With Sincere Gratitude!
xoxo

DIY Thanksgiving Vases

2011-11-22T22:54:00.000-05:00

This is an easy craft tutorial for making colorful "THANKS" Dollar Store Vases!

I bought 6 Vases for $6.00 and 6 acrylic paints from JoAnn's ($0.59 each!), then I cut out letters using my Cricut. You could easily just use vinyl letters from the Dollar Store.

Pour the acrylic paint into the vase or bottles then swirl around to cover completely, turn the vase to drip the remaining paint out. Turn back over to dry completely.

Affix the letters....hmmm...I see many possibilities..."NOEL", "LOVE".....

Have Fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo

Pilgrim Hats Marshmallow Pops

2011-11-21T22:14:00.000-05:00

These cute Marshmallow pops are cute. easy and yummy!

Ingredients:

Large marshmallows

Famous Chocolate Wafers (or something similar)

Lollipop sticks

Melted dark chocolate (about 1 pound for 24 marshmallows)

Melted chocolate of a contrasting color

Marker with edible ink

Dip the tip of the lollipop stick in melted dark chocolate … then poke it in the marshmallow … set it aside to firm up. This will help prevent the marshmallow from slipping around on the stick and create a clean line of chocolate on the stick …

Dip the marshmallow in the chocolate … tap off excess chocolate and place in styrofoam or similar holder. Then pop them in the fridge or freeze for a few minutes to firm up …

Lay out some chocolate cookie wafers on a cookie sheet (break off any uneven pieces) … dip 1/4 to 1/3 of the chocolate marshmallow in a contrasting color … then place it on top of a cookie …

Use the marker (edible of course) to draw a buckle …

credit: SweetSimpleStuff.com

Super Cute and Easy!

Free Thanksgiving Printables

2011-11-18T00:37:00.000-05:00

These are Toothpick Flags!

Just Print, cut, fold in half and attach to Skewers or Toothpicks.

You can use these for cupcakes, desserts, appetizers...

Click here to go to Somewhat Simple and download the free printables!

I love this saying.

This is a great gift for a hostess, teacher, friend, or just use this for part of your thanksgiving table.

Click here to get free printable from Somewhat Simple.

Pumpkin Spice Donuts

2011-11-15T21:51:00.000-05:00

I am in the mood for some comfort food!

These will do the trick!!!

I also have a new "want" either the mini Donut Maker or a mini donut pan...

Petite Pumpkin Spice Donuts

Makes 24 mini donuts

For Donuts:

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoons ground cloves

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup milk

For Coating:

1/2 cup butter, melted

2/3 cup sugar

1-2 tablespoons cinnamon (more if you're a cinnamon lover)

Preheat oven 350 F. Butter a mini donut pan and set aside.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and spices together and set aside.

In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the mixture and stir until just combined, careful not to over mix.

Using a pastry bag or a steady hand and a spoon, fill each donut cup with the batter. The donut cups should be fairly full, but not overflowing. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until donuts spring back when gently pressed (if you're using a larger donut pan, allow them to bake for 12-15 minutes). Turn donuts out onto a wire rack and allow to cool for a few minutes.

While the donuts are cooling, melt butter in one bowl and combine the sugar and cinnamon in another. When donuts are still hot (but not too hot to touch), quickly dip each donut in melted butter, then coat in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve immediately.

*Note: If you're not going to serve the donuts immediately, you can bake them up to a day in advance and store them in an airtight container. Do not coat them in the butter/cinnamon-sugar mixture until just before serving or they may get soggy.

You can also adapt this recipe for mini muffins. Just bake muffins for 10-12 minutes then follow the same procedure for coating.

credit: Blue Eyed Bakers

Thanksgiving Pie or Cake Topper

2011-11-12T13:07:00.000-05:00

This beautiful Pie or Cake topper is from Oh Happy Day.

Here are instructions to make a heartfelt Thanksgiving pie topper.

Materials: 4 x 8 inch piece of heavyweight dark gray paper, 2 x 8 inch piece of heavyweight light gray paper, sage green and gray ribbon, 2 wooden skewers, pencil, ruler, white glue, scissors, Alphabet Pasta, print-outs or color copies of bird illustrations (with 1 x 2 inch birds), mini-clamps.

Step 1. Begin with your gray paper – draw an upside-down rainbow shape, starting from the top left hand corner, to the center of the bottom side (marked with a ruler), back up to the top right hand side of the rectangle. Do this on both the dark gray and the light gray paper. You will have one deep rainbow and one shallow rainbow. Cut out a 1 inch strip following your pencil line, with both colored papers.

Step 2. Spill out a pile of alphabet pasta into a saucer or tray. Search for your letters and set them aside to glue. (You can write anything you want! I love what she wrote here!) Place little dots of white glue on the paper and carefully put your letters into place. You may have to use a pencil tip to nudge them into the right position. Let dry.

Step 3. Cut out two bird illustrations. Make sure they are facing each other. She used an old bird guide book , but Vintage Printable has a great selection of birds. You may have to re size your images to get the right sized birds.

Step 4. Cut two 8-inch lengths of each ribbon, so you have four pieces of ribbon total. Cut your skewers to be roughly 8 inches also.

Step 5. Layer your bird, letter swags, folded ribbons and skewer, in that order. Place glue in between every layer, and clip them together to dry. Be sure to angle your skewers slightly inwards.

Step 6. Bake, or buy, a pie! Insert your topper into your pie and enjoy!

With some leftover alphabet pasta, She made some quick place cards for the table. I see lots of potential with these pasta letters, and there are a about a million in each little box.

"With a Grateful Heart

Be Conscious of Your Treasures"

Easy M&M Candy Turkey Treats

2011-11-10T09:17:00.000-05:00

How cute! M&M Turkey Treats

I found this cute tutorial here at The Party Animal Blog

Supplies:

M&Ms of course – Fall Color Mix of regular and added in a small amount of Peanut M&Ms in too.

Brown Netting (Tulle)

Pipe Cleaners – Fall Colors – Brown, Orange, Red & Yellow

Goggle Eyes

Glue Dots

Small Rubber Bands

The first step is creating your Turkey Head. For this you will need a Brown, Orange & Red Pipe Cleaner. I love playing with Pipe Cleaners they are so easy to work with and if you make a mistake you just bend it back. So starting with the Brown – Cut it in 1/2. Roll the top edge down a bit for the head. Then take your Orange and feed through the head and bend and cut off excess. Fold up and form your Beak. Then taking the red do the same above the beak, but leave a piece sticking down for the Snood and Cut. That is it.

Then take your Brown Pipe Cleaner Body and fold up on more time so it is double and give it a twist. Now take your Glue Dots and add on your Google Eyes. Set aside. Next it is time to create Turkey Feet. Take a Yellow Pipe Cleaner and start by folding up some Toes – make 3 of them. You can some of the excess Leg off the top so you have maybe 3 inches left. Set aside.

Now cut some 12″ x 12″ Squares from your Netting(tulle). Measure out about 1/2 Cup of your M&Ms for the middle. Place in and close with your Rubber Band.

Assemble Time !!! Cut off the excess Netting leaving enough to resemble your Turkey Tail Feathers. Then just stick your Turkey Body into the netting on the front. No Glue Needed – it will stay there. Then stick in your Turkey Feet the same way and you are done !!! How Simple is that?

Thankful Wreath

2011-11-09T08:54:00.000-05:00

Wreath of Thanks

Create a wreath that shows off everyone's reasons to be thankful. Wrap a simple foam wreath with brown linen. Fray edges for a rustic tone, and secure the linen ends to the back of the wreath with glue or a pin. Print out the leaf patterns on decorative papers. Add each family member's name to the leaves using a printer, rub-on letters from the crafts store, or a marker. Cut out the leaves. Ask the kids to write words of thanks, and attach each leaf to the wreath with a decorative pin or a dab of crafts glue.

credit: Better Homes and Garden (click here for leaf pattern)

Chocolate Acorn Cookies

2011-11-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

These treats are so simple, yet adorable and I have to admit a bit yummy (minus the licorice, it’s a personal thing).

You’ll need: "MINI" Keebler Stripe cookies, Hershey’s Kisses and a small piece of black licorice for your stem. They are attached with a small dot of icing and done. Gotta LOVE a simple treat!

Credit: Kim at The Celebration Shoppe

Pie Crust Cookies

2011-11-03T14:08:00.000-04:00

Not Martha is a Rock Star!

I LOVE this genius idea....Warm Apple Pie (cider) and Pie Crust Cookie!

These cookies are made from pie crusts and served over Hot Apple Cider!

What a perfect Thanksgiving Dessert!

Roll out two rounds of dough, rolling each between two layers of parchment will make this super easy. Cut into strips.

Move the strips apart carefully.

Fold back every other slice.

Lay down one strip of dough from the other section of dough.

Now fold the other strips of down back over the one you just laid down.

Put down another strip of dough from the other set.

Fold the strips back flat.

Continue on like that until you’ve got a full lattice.

Cut out the cookies, and…

… remove the excess dough from around them instead of trying to move them. Ta da! (They are also dabbed with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar before baking.)

What a great tutorial for making any lattice crusts!

enjoy

xoxo

Healthy Thanksgiving Appetizer-Cutest Veggie Platter!

2011-11-02T05:34:00.000-04:00

Ingredients:

Romaine or leaf lettuce

1 cucumber, sliced

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

Baby carrots

2 black beans

Toothpicks

1/3 celery stalk

Directions:

1) Slice the bell peppers crosswise and then cut each circle in half. Cut one 1/2" piece off of one of the red pepper slices and set aside (this will be used for the face). Set aside the bottom part of the peppers for the turkey's body.

2) For the feathers: Cover a platter with the leaves of lettuce. To make the turkey's feathers, start with forming a circle with the cucumber slices towards the bottom of the platter. Above the cucumbers, form a semi-circle with the red peppers, then the yellow peppers, then the green peppers. Place the baby carrots vertically above the last row of peppers.

3) To make the turkey's body and face: Break two toothpicks in half. Put two of the toothpicks where the eyes will go. Push the black beans onto the toothpick making sure that the toothpick doesn't go all the way through. Cut a triangle out of the leftover bottom from the yellow pepper. Attach with a toothpick below the eyes. Attach the reserved red pepper piece to the left of the yellow pepper "beak".

4) For the Legs: Cut the piece of celery in half lengthwise. On each piece, carefully slice lengthwise from the end of the celery piece to almost the center. Do this twice on each piece. Place the celery in ice water and place in the refrigerator until the ends curl. When curled, nestle the un-curled end under the cucumbers.

Serve with hummus or dip.

original post from: Eating With Food Allergies

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T07:02:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos from our Family's Halloween night...

As you see, ideas from the previous posts and other Halloween Ideas came together for a fun

Halloween night with friends and family!

Happy Halloween!

Are you ready for Thanksgiving and Fall entertaining ideas?

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T16:12:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween to Everyone!

Taking today off and baking, decorating and trick or treating...

Enjoy Today!

xoxo

Skull and Cross Bones Candy

2011-10-29T14:10:00.000-04:00

If I find the skull and Cross bones ice trays on sale (after Halloween) or remember to buy them next year, I want to make these:

Ingredients for the Skull

Skull Ice Tray from the Dollar Tree and white chocolate

Just melt the white chocolate, pour into the skulls and put in the freezer until it gets hard.

Ingredients for the Bones

pretzel sticks , mini marshmallows and white chocolate

Just assemble the bones and skull together and voila!

Skull and bones treat!

thanks Crissy Crafts for such a cute tutorial

Last minute Halloween Hats!

2011-10-28T00:30:00.000-04:00

Warning: this post is for our advanced crafters!!!

I love this cute tutorial for "Hat-ettes"

This is from Delia Creates and the photo is Delia!

I love her cute Hat-ettes and her cute photos of herself modeling them!

I can't wait to make the flower one....

a little pumpkin hat

materials:

felt, cardboard, glue, thread and ribbon...

a witches hat

cardboard, felt, lace, glue, thread and a plastic spider

a pretty flower hat

cardboard, felt, glue, ribbon and tulle

click here for the full tutorial

Fast and Easy Halloween Treats

2011-10-26T01:38:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! I want to apologize if you haven't gotten any updates from Feedblitz for a while, it seems for the last couple of weeks quite a few of my posts haven't been sent to your email accounts.
Hopefully everything is fixed.
Just incase, keep reading previous posts to see if you missed any spooky Halloween ideas!
Also click like on my Facebook page for updates and join me on twitter!

Now, on to business as usual...

mummy pretzels

by Midwestern sewing girl

spider web pretzel snacks

by Momendeavers.com

Melted Witches

2011-10-21T23:08:00.000-04:00

Ding dong the witch is dead...

I love these!

I am going to make these next weekend, but I wanted to give you time to get your supplies ready...

You need, Kisses, Oreos, Pretzels, green and brown candy melts and yellow Laffy Taffy

Click here for instructions.

This cute find is from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.

DIY Monster Candy Jars and DIY Monster Candy Bags

2011-10-18T21:31:00.000-04:00

my favorite is the Frankenstein!!!!

You need candle sticks, glass bowls, heavy duty glass glue and plain black vinyl sticker sheets. I bought my candle sticks and glass bowls from a dollar store. Last but not least lots of candies!

The candies here were marshmallows and sixlets candies.

For more information and a full tutorial is here at Celebration Shoppe.

Now for extra cute DIY candy gift bags:

The fabulous thing is, these aren’t only cute. They’re super simple. All you’ll need are pretzel cello bags from the craft store, and a wide tip Sharpie! Crafting doesn’t get much easier than that.

I just filled each with candies (orange gumballs for my jack-o-lantern, green and white sixlets for my Frankenstein and mini marshmallows for my ghost), tied them with pretty ribbons and done.

Thank you Celebration Shoppe for this extra cute DIY project! I love both and can't wait to make these!!!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

2011-10-16T13:02:00.000-04:00

PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE BREAD

FILLING:

1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

BREAD:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 to 1 1/4 cup(s) pumpkin puree, canned or homemade

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

CINNAMON GLAZE:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 to 2 1/2 Tablespoons milk or cream

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 x 3-inch loaf pans. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, egg, and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy. Set aside. In a large bowl, blend 1 2/3 cup flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon,pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg; set aside. In another medium bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, oil, eggs and sugar; beat well. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture just until combined. Fold in the chopped pecans or walnuts.

Pour half of the pumpkin bread batter evenly into the two prepared loaf pans. Spoon cream cheese mixture on top of the pumpkin batter layers in each loaf pan and then spoon or pour on the remaining pumpkin batter (if you don’t have enough pumpkin batter to cover the cream cheese layer entirely, that’s okay, because you’ll be swirling them together anyway). Take a knife and stick straight down into the top pumpkin batter layer and middle cream cheese layer; swirl the knife around in these two layers, creating a marble effect; this will give the cream cheese filling a nice swirly shape as it bakes.

Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes; remove to a rack to cool completely. While waiting for the bread to cool, mix your cinnamon glaze: combine powdered sugar and half & half, blending well; then add cinnamon and mix until smooth and creamy. Note: the cinnamon makes this glaze darker in color, so if you want a lighter, creamy color glaze, just add a dash of cinnamon to the mixture. Drizzle over completely cooled bread loaves and then sprinkle on nuts for garnish.

note this makes 2 8 inch loaves

this is adapted from: NancyCreative

also click here for a delicious Pumpkin Spice Cupcake Recipe with Cream Cheese Icing

Cupcake Wrapper Witches Hats

2011-10-13T14:58:00.000-04:00

This cute tutorial is from Half Baked-The Cake Blog

Cupcake Liner Witch Hats

Tools:

Cupcake Liners

Mini Cupcake Liners

Double Sided Tape

Toothpicks

Scissors

Instructions:

Grab a regular sized cupcake liner. Fold liner in half. Fold in half again, creating a pie-like wedge. Tape the two flaps together using double sided tape, so that you have one solid triangle.

Fold in half again. Tape again. Now you should have a tall skinny wedge that is 1/8 the size of your original circle. If your liner is now a flat triangle due to folding, fluff it up with your finger so that it makes a cone.

Insert a toothpick into your cupcake and place your cone on top of the toothpick. This is the body of your hat. The toothpick will help your hat stay in place.

Grab a mini cupcake liner. Cut a hole in the middle of the liner. I found it easiest to do this by folding it in half and then cutting out a ‘C’ shape on the folded edge. Open up liner and slightly flatten with your hand. This will be the brim.

Slide the brim down over your cone to complete the hat. Smush and crinkle to add character. Bend the tip of the hat, if desired.

Halloween Gift Idea

2011-10-10T20:39:00.000-04:00

Germs are Scary!

Hurry!

Bath and Body Works Halloween Soaps are

50% off!

Thank you Eighteen25.blogspot.com for these cute printable tags

and this awesome idea!

click here for the free "Germs are Scary" Printable tags

p.s cute Halloween ribbon is on sale at Michaels's for 40% off, too!

Free DIY Creepy Halloween Labels

2011-10-09T05:00:00.000-04:00

Thank you Design.Wash.Rinse.Repeat...

go to blog posted here and click on bottom of photos where it says FREEBIE!

I was looking for FREE, yes, free labels for my apothecary jars that I posted on last post.

enjoy!

DIY Apothecary Jars and Spell Books

2011-10-07T10:45:00.000-04:00

Design DNA has the cutest tutorial for DIY Apothecary Jars and DIY Spell books all made from Dollar Store stuff and a thrift stores.
These are a great Spooky Find...

Candy jar and candle stick holder form the Dollar Store

Each specimen jar consists of:

A candle stick (Dollar store and Savers)

Jar with lid (Dollar store and Savers)

Wooden finial (Hobby Lobby) - Chess pieces would work!

Wooden base (Hobby Lobby - she only used a base for 3 of the jars)

She primed everything with the exception of the clear jars - then sprayed them with a combination of black matte and black stone spray paint

With a heavy duty glue (she used E6000) adhere all of your pieces together.

"The base bone's connected to the candle stick, the candle stick's connected to the clear jar, the clear jar's connected to the lid, the lid's connected to the finial....."

The labels are from the Martha Stewart Collection at Michael's

and The body parts are from the Dollar Store

Now for the spell books

you need old used books and black spray paint

She painted the books with 2 layers of black acrylic paint.

She found these foil embossed stickers at the Dollar Store (painted them black). They were exactly what the books needed!

Scrapbook sticker letters were used to spell out the book titles.

Googly crafty eyes fit perfectly in the center of the dollar store stickers!

I can't wait to make these jars!

Halloween Spirit Jugs

2011-10-04T21:56:00.001-04:00

Start saving your milk jugs...
I am posting this early so you have time to save milk jugs.

This cute ghostly idea is from Eighteen25.blogspot.com, but the original tutorial is from Family Fun's website.

what you'll need:

clean gallon milk jugs

black permanent marker

craft knife

string of clear low-wattage christmas lights

step one: draw some spooky faces on your milk jugs.

step two: let your kids color in the faces

step three: using the craft knife (mom), cut a hole in the lower backside of the jug. about the size of a half dollar (or maybe a little bigger since i couldn't picture a half dollar).

step four: line all of your ghosts up and stuff several lights in each one.

step five: place your group of glowing spirit jugs along your walkway or front porch to welcome those cute little holiday guests.

Star Wars Party Ideas

2011-10-03T00:52:00.000-04:00

This post is for a friend who is having a Star Wars Party for her son.
Here are some ideas for your party:

these cute snacks are from Sandytoesandpopsicles.blogspot.com

She has the cute labels available to print here

even more food and snack ideas from

Kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com

( I love the Hans Solo Rolos!!!)

these ideas and free printables are found at

blackberryvine.blogspot.com

click here for more details

finally, time for game ideas...these cute ideas are from

TipJunkie.com

click here for more details

Light Saber Training

* Make a light saber for each child, swimming noodle

* Inflate several balloons

* Keep balloon off the ground

* Play Star Wars music in background

Clone Wars:

* Relay Races.

* Two teams: Droids & Clones.

* Hide cards that say Clone & Droid, have them find them

Pin the Saber on Yoda

Star Wars BINGO

Save Princess Leia:

* Put a figurine of Princes Leia in a balloon. And blow it up.

* Blow up several balloons and put them in a garbage bag.

* Dump out the bag and start an egg timer to see if they can rescue her by popping all the balloons to find Leia before time runs out.

Gungan” Water Balloon Fight

Defeat the Death Star

* Draw three death stars in chalk on driveway.

* Draw for three teams

* Stand at boundary line a few feet away and try to erase the other teams deathstars by throwing water balloons.

Release Han Solo

* Freeze two Han solo figurines in a rectangular container filled with water.

* In the movie “The Empire Strikes Back” Han was frozen in carbonate and we are going to release him from his icy prison.

* Divide into two teams and form a bucket brigade line by dunking small buckets (one to each team( into large water-filled buckets. Pass down the line and pour over frozen Hand.

* The first team to release Han won.

Present each child with a

Certificates of Jedi Completion:

The Jedi Council of the Turk Galaxy Presents (child’s name) the title of Jedi Master in recognition of your excellence and bravery in fighting the dark side and defending the Universe. (red ribbon around each)

Happy Birthday Liam!

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

Owl and Spider Rice Krispie Treats (Cocoa Pebbles)

2011-09-29T08:37:00.000-04:00

Halloween Goodies made with Rice Krispie treats (actually Cocoa Pebbles treats!)

this is from Cookies and Cups.com

The thing about these treats is they’re super simple, the kids will love them, they are a no-bake treat , and they look like spiders and owls.

First you need to make your krispie treats. You use Cocoa Pebbles instead of rice krispies.

Simple Recipe for Cocoa Pebbles Marshmallow Treats:

6 cups Cocoa Pebbles

1 (10.5 oz) bag of mini marshmallows

1/4 cup butter

Spray a 9×9 pan lightly with cooking spray

Melt butter over low heat in large saucepan

When butter is melted stir in your marshmallows until melted.

Remove from heat and stir in your Pebbles.

Press into prepared pan.

Let cool for 15 minutes and cut using knife or cookie cutter.

Number of servings (yield): 12

make treats then use a 2 inch cutter to make circles

for spiders:

Then you’ll need some pretzel sticks, mini marshmallows, a black food writer and if you’re feeling extra creative I used vanilla Tootsie Rolls (flattened for fangs)

Using a rolling pin, flatten the mini marshmallows…

Then you can cut your fangs from the Tootsie Rolls

Now for the adorable Owls

You make them just like the spiders…same eyes and all…just no fangs or legs.

I used an orange Tootsie Roll for the beak…

Break two pretzel sticks and put them in the top like ears or horns…which I totally know owls don’t have horns but it just made them look more Owl-ish, this is not science class, people.

This adorable tutorial is from

Cookies and Cups.com

Tailgate Baby Shower!

2011-09-28T07:01:00.000-04:00

I recently got the nicest email from Taylor Etchison, she is a graphic design artist and creates creative, fun, and unique Invitations.

she writes:

"I wanted to share with you the invitations I recently made for my upcoming baby shower. Not really into traditional baby showers, I begged my family and friends to do something a little different. So in October, we're going to tailgate at my Alma Mater's homecoming football game! We're calling the party "Beer, brats, baby."

I love her color combinations!
Here is her design for her Baby Shower Tailgate Party..."Beer,Brats,Baby!"

She wanted to capture an athletic theme that paid homage to the school the couple loves so much, without any tacky colors or football turf. The balance she found was to go vintage — really vintage. The invitations are designed around a 1900s football theme. The four-panel invitation opens up to reveal all kinds of helpful information about lodging, things to do if you don’t like football (or BG, I guess!), directions and shuttles.

The RSVP helps carry the old school feeling through, with a photo of a real 1900s game, leather helmets and all, gracing the back side.

I can't wait to see photos of this creative and fun Baby Shower!

photos and website: TaylorEtchison,wordpress.com

etsy store for more designs:Etsy designs/Taylor Etchison

Football Tailgate Party with Custom Team Labels

2011-09-26T21:24:00.001-04:00

Here is another Football Tailgate Party.
This cute Party found at Amy's Party Ideas, has the links to order her cute labels and party flags.
The labels and party flags are DIY printing and can be custom made for your favorite team.

This tailgate party is planned around the team colors and her foods match the colors! Go Orange and Blue! I love the fruit salad...this is because my team colors are also
ORANGE and BLUE....GO GATORS!!!