Here come the holidays!

Tis the Season! board by Kelly. See more Minted.com

Patriotic BBQ Planning

We cannot wait for 4th of July. We are going to be at my parents cabin in the mountains. There will be lots of family time, relaxing, BBQ's, patriotic parades, swimming and all things red, white and blue! I am so excited. Here are a few of the things I have planned for our celebration.

 From top left - Berry Parfait, Bright Blue Poms, Berry Salad, Red and Blue Lanterns, Patriotic Straws, Tin can craft, Fruit Pops.

We will have lanterns out on the deck with tea lights. We are planning to try the tin can craft this week and those will be on the deck too.  The bright blue poms add a great pop of color. Lots of fun, festive fruits to add color coupled with good old fashioned BBQ foods. I love the fourth more and more each year. Everyone is in a great mood and it is a fabulous time to celebrate the start of summer. Can't wait!

Happy Celebrating!

Easter Bark

I love easy recipes. Recipes that I almost cannot call a recipe because they have so few ingredients. Yes. Those are the ones I love! I thought this bark was adorable and festive. So easy to make. The kids think it is neat because of the bright colors and if you made a double batch you could break it into pieces, put it in a pretty glass bowl and have it on the table as a focal point for your Easter party.

I used these jelly beans. If I make it again I will use smaller, more vibrant colored jelly beans.

Click here for the recipe from Nestle. 

Balloon Birthday Surprise!

Our twins birthday is December 23. I think this is possibly the busiest day of the year. There is always the hustle to get all last minute things done before the holiday actually begins on this day. Plus it isn't ideal to have your birthday so close to Christmas, especially when you are a kid. But it is what it is and so we are making the best of it!

I wanted to do something special for their day and really make their birthday stand out. Our entire house is decked out in Christmas decor so we needed to go big. I found a fabulous party decor website on Pinterest - Polka Dot Market and ordered balloons, frilly streamers, paper lanterns and custom cupcake toppers. They were so prompt and their products were awesome. I will definitely be using them again. Check them out if you need party supplies.

We rented a helium tank from our local party supply company and after the little people went to bed we went wild decorating. It turned out so great and they thought it was amazing the next morning. I am so glad we put in the extra effort to make their 2nd birthday extra special. I had as much fun with it as they did, we will probably do this or something similar each year!

Here are links to a few ideas that inspired me -  Waking up to balloons in your room and covering the bedroom floor with balloons. My only issue with this was I didn't want to go in their actual room for fear I would wake them. I wanted them to sleep! That was why we decorated OUTSIDE of their room. See below for pics of the finished product.

Some of the goodies from Polka Dot Market. Polka dots make everything more fun!

Balloons, balloons, balloons.

We attached balloons to their toothbrushes. They loved this.

We put bunches of balloons any where we could.

We decorated Twin Town with streamers and lanterns and of course more balloons.

They had party hats waiting for them on their high chairs with streamers and more balloons.

A little bit of Christmas and a lot of birthday! It was a success!

Happy Celebrating!

Holiday Card Keepsake Book

I absolutely love receiving holiday cards. I enjoy reading the stories our friends and families share about their year. The picture cards are so great because you get a peek at what people near and far enjoyed in the past year and how much the kids grew up and changed. I have always saved the cards we received until last season. I didn't have a creative way to store them or a neat way to display them. So I got rid of all of them. I am so bummed now that I found this simple, amazing idea on Pinterest!

Starting this year I am making a Holiday Card Keepsake Book. I will make it at the end of the season and include all of the cards for that year. We just received a Happy New Year card this week so I want to make sure to do it late enough to include all of the cards. My plan will be to put out the books in December with our holiday decor so we can look back through the years. I am so excited to start this new tradition!

Supplies Needed:

-  card stock - any color or pattern you choose

- metal rings - I found mine at Target

- scissors and a hole punch

- stickers, markers, embellishments to decorate your cover

- Glue Dots - LOVE these - found mine at the craft store

I decided to use only pictures and picture cards in my book. You may want to include letters and non photo cards also. Just depends on your preference.

I sorted my cards by size and then did a pattern of picking up one card of each size and repeating until I had used all of the photos.

After I had my cards stacked I made a template with two holes and went through and punched each photo using the template to ensure the holes were the same distance on all of the cards.

I decided I am going to put our family card for the year as page 1 of each book. It will be fun to look at our cards as the little ones grow and change each year.

I made a front and back cover out of card stock. I made my covers slightly bigger than the biggest cards. I wanted the year on the front cover and I used some fun ornament stickers to add some flair. You could also incorporate your family card on the cover for each year. Whatever works for you.

Happy Memory Making!

Pinterest Favorites - New Years Eve Style

Happy New Years Eve! This last Pinterest favorites post is in honor of the fabulous way we end each year. Celebrations, time with friends and loved ones and of course a little shimmer. See below for details on these NYE inspired pins.

- Earrings - I am loving this style of earring right now. Bigger than a stud but not a hoop or a dangle. But it still packs a lot of punch. And gold is so warm for the holidays. Perfect!
- 2012 - This is a great, festive idea. Wrap tinsel around cardboard numbers (or letters for another holiday).
- Cell Phone Case - This shimmery case is perfect for a night out on the town celebrating the new year. Plus it won't get lost among the rest of the phones - this one sparkles all on its own.
- Sparklers - I don't think you can see a sparkler and not think celebration. They are a staple on the 4th of July, more and more people are using them at their weddings and now NYE - what a perfect way to light up the night!
- Champagne Bubbles and Dancing on the Table - A traditional NYE isn't complete without a little bubbly. And sometimes the bubbles can lead you to do things you wouldn't normally do. Like dancing on the tables. Let loose and have fun!
- A Festive Toast or two - Whether your night involves living it up on the town or movies at home snuggled up on the couch, a toast to reminisce the special moments of 2011 or one to dream and wish about 2012 is always in order.
- The Dress - If you are ringing in 2012 out on the town, a fabulous dress is always a must. And this sparkly number is a hit!
- The Shoes - Need I say anything about these shoes? FABULOUS!

Hope this inspired your night!

Happy Celebrating!



Reindeer Kisses

I made Elf Kisses in early December. You can see the recipe here. They were tasty but didn't end up looking exactly as I hoped. This recipe was the perfect solution to my issues with the way the Elf kisses looked. Reindeer Kisses. Another simple and delicious treat!

Ingredients:

Square pretzels - they look like a small grid

Rolos

*M&M's - I used the mint holiday version.

* The mint M&M's were perfect for two reasons - neither of which I knew when I purchased. It was pure luck! These M&M's are a little fuller, not as full as peanut one but bigger than a regular. The size was perfect. And the hint of mint really made the treat.

- Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

- Unwrap all Rolos and place on pretzels on a cookie sheet

- put in oven on the top rack for 3 minutes

- remove from oven

- place an M&M on each Rolo and push down slightly. The M&M fits perfectly on the top of the Rolo

- place entire cookie sheet in the fridge to cool down.

- Enjoy!

Yum!

I am going to make these for Valentine's Day with red, white and pink candy. Versatile, simple treat!

Happy Baking!

Reindeer Chex Mix

Another easy and delicious treat. I don't know about you but holidays are synonymous with Chex Mix for me. I cannot think of a Christmas season that went by without having Chex Mix. I really enjoy the traditional mix but I also wanted to try some of the new fun mixes. This is simple, quick and it makes a lot.

Ingredients needed:

6 cups Corn Chex

1 bag white chocolate chips

1 box of peppermint candy canes crushed (place unwrapped canes in a plastic bag, seal and tap with a metal spoon - easy, tidy candy cane crushing!)

Melt white chocolate. I melted mine in the microwave. You can also do it on the stove in a double broiler.

Pour the melted white chocolate and half of the crushed candy cane over the cereal. Mix until completely covered.

Spread out on a cookie sheet or wax paper on a flat surface. Sprinkle the rest of the crushed candy cane over the mix.

Wait until it hardens (you can put it in the fridge if you are in a hurry). Break into pieces and you are done!

Great for neighbor gifts. Put the mix in cute to go boxes and tie with a bow. Or perfect to have in easy to reach bowls at a holiday party. People will devour it!

Happy Baking!

Elf Kisses

These are SO simple. The most time consuming part of the entire recipe (if you can call it that) is unwrapping the Hershey Kisses. My kind of recipe.

Unwrap an entire package of Hershey Kisses. I chose the white chocolate mint flavored. Any of the solid kisses will work.

M&M's. Any of the flavors work as long as they are the plain M&M's, not the peanut or almond varieties.

Heat oven to 275 degrees. Place the kisses on top of the mini pretzel twists.

Put in the oven for three minutes.

TIP - put your cookie sheet on the top rack. This worked the best.

Press an M&M into each kiss right as it comes out of the oven.

TIP - Put the entire cookie sheet in the fridge to cool as soon as your M&M's are pressed into the kiss.

Ta Da! You are done. They are perfect bite size treats. Place them in a festive bowl for people to grab at any holiday gathering.

Happy Baking!

White Chocolate and Friends - A Great Mix!

My fabulous friend Alissa came over for a fun night of chatting and baking. We went on a blitz and made four different types of holiday treats! All are simple to make and tasty. We made these to package up for neighbor gifts but they would be perfect to throw together for a cookie exchange party or any holiday gathering you may have at your home.

Theme of the night - white chocolate and peppermint! Yum!

All of the supplies. Candy canes, tons of white chocolate and almond bark, sprinkles, pretzel sticks, Peppermint Jo Jo's and red hots.

I found these adorable aprons at Crate and Barrel.

Let the crushing begin. We used a heavy duty gallon size zip lock bag and tapped on the candy canes with the back of a metal spoon. They crushed very easily. And by using the heavy duty bag you don't have any pieces poking through the plastic.

Fresh crushed peppermint. Pretty and it smells good! Each recipe we were making used peppermint as one of the main ingredients. We needed a lot of peppermint!

I went to six different stores looking for peppermint sticks and couldn't find them anywhere. My husband suggested I cut off the cane part and cover that end in the chocolate and no one would know. Brilliant! (He was probably tired of driving all over town with me looking for peppermint sticks and was desperate for an idea!)

We scored the cane with a knife and then broke the pieces in two with our hands. Once you score the cane, it snaps apart very easily.

First recipe: White chocolate dipped peppermint sticks with white sprinkles. We melted the chocolate in the microwave and it melted so much better than using the double broiler we tried at first. We just dipped the canes in the chocolate and sprinkled with the white dots. I found these sprinkles at Michael's. They were pretty difficult to find.

Perfect hot cocoa stir stick!

Next up was the white chocolate dipped pretzel sticks. We dipped the sticks in melted chocolate and then sprinkled with a variety of different festive sprinkles. We laid them out on wax paper and it was perfect once they cooled to easily peel them off the paper.

Peppermint Jo Jo's Dipped in White Chocolate and Crushed Candy Cane - My favorite recipe of the night. I got these cookies at Trader Joe's. They have them each year and they are delicious right out of the box. But I love to dip half of them in white chocolate and then roll them in crushed candy cane. They are delicious and look adorable packaged up with a red bow. Once I get my goodies packaged I will add more pictures. YUM!

Last but not least - Peppermint bark in the shape of Christmas trees. I used a Christmas tree mold and we poured in the melted chocolate mixed with peppermint. We waited for them to chill and then popped them out of the molds. Perfect little trees.

All of the goodies!

Baking holiday treats is always fun but doing it with a friend makes it that much sweeter!

Happy Baking!

Organizing Holiday Baking Items

I have been doing so much baking for the holidays and I am enjoying every minute of it. I have accumulated so many baking items over the last few weeks. I decided to put them all in a bowl to help organize them a bit. It makes it so simple to grab the bowl (you could use an old shoe box if you have one) and get to baking. The holiday items are all there and within reach and my pantry doesn't look like a bomb went off because the items are contained!

Check here for some of my favorite recipes of the season!

Happy Organizing!

Letter Ornament

This project is so easy and the finished product is adorable! By changing the paper and ribbon you can completely change the theme of each letter. These are great for gifts and/or for yourself. I made one letter with our family name and one with each of my kids first initials. And now I am working on more for holiday gifts.

Supplies needed:

- wooden letters (found mine at Michael's)

- scrapbook paper (I used the holiday package I had on hand)

- Modge Podge

- paint brush & scissors

- small screw in hook (I bought a set of 4 types of hooks and hangers at the dollar store for 79 cents!)

- ribbon of your choice

I like greens and vivid pinks for holiday pops of color. You can use anything that works with your theme.

Directions:

1. Flip your scrapbook paper over and trace the front of your letter on paper. Cut out the letter.

2. Apply a light layer of Modge Podge to the face of the letter. Apply the scrapbook paper. Make sure all edges are attached.

3. Screw in hook to the top left corner of the letter. This makes the letter hang on an angle on the tree. If you do not like that style, insert your hook in the top center of your letter.

4. Tie ribbon through the hook. Double knot and tie a bow. Voila! You are done!

My letters.

On the tree!

Happy Crafting!

Sparkle Candles

This was such a simple, fun project. Kids could do this as a fun craft project. And who doesn't love glitter and sparkles?

I found this glitter at Michael's. It was very fine, rectangle shaped glitter. Plain candles and double sided tape. I found some of my candles at Michael's and some at the Dollar Tree.

I love this iridescent glitter. It has been great with so many projects.

You just wrap the double sided tape around the candle in any pattern you like. Sprinkle on the glitter and you are done. I made my candles on a cookie sheet to try to contain the glitter. My house is still a bit shimmery but I don't mind.

My tree has lots of bright jewel tones so I thought the bright pink and green was perfect. I just picked my wrapping paper theme for the year and let's just say - the candle matches!

Traditional and festive red and sparkle.

Happy Glittering!