Category: Holidays
Create, Holidays

Thinking Ahead to Easter Fun

March 13
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I know St. Patrick’s Day hasn’t quite passed yet but it’s never too early to be thinking about all the festive springtime occasions that are headed our way!  And usually the Easter goodies are in the stores as soon as the lucky Leprechaun items hit the shelves which can make it easy to stock up early for those holiday celebrations to come!  You know by now that I can’t pass by the dollar spot shelves without spying an item or two that inspire me!  Such was the case when I found several bright and happy goodies that I plan to use for several family celebrations and throughout my home to create some springtime displays!  Today I’d like to share some easy projects you could use for a party or just to brighten your spaces for the upcoming season!  It can be really easy to pull together some Easter fun pretty effortlessly and I love to share DIY ideas that can double duty as fun kid projects too…so get ready to countdown the days to Easter with some fun and simple crafts!

springtime in the carrot patch!

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Create, Holidays

Cereal Topper

March 9
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Today I want to share a really fun and easy  DIY cupcake topper.  You could make one for any special occasion…or just because it’s adorable!  It would make a fun kid-project too so you could keep the kiddos busy in the kitchen creating some edible fun!  All you need are some simple crafting supplies and cereal…so keeping it short this Thursday, let’s have a

“cereal-sly” good time!

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Create, Holidays

Here Comes Peter Cottontail!

February 27
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Easter is late on the calendar this year but that’s no reason to put off getting ready for some bunny lovin’ fun!  In a way it’s kind of nice that the holiday will be late…1:  it will undoubtedly be warmer for enjoying egg hunts, services, and festivities, and 2: it gives us more time to enjoy the season and all the decorations that go with it!   I received some darling supplies the other day from Oriental Trading and I can hardly wait to get started on some spring-inspired projects and party ideas!  Today I’d like to share a whimsical centerpiece that I plan on using on my Easter buffet!  A really easy way to combine table decor that double-duties as favors for your guests…and you can create it with the simplest supplies too!  Take a peek at what’s…

hoppin’ down the bunny trail!

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Create, Holidays

Springtime Snack

February 20
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After a long day of yard work on what might have been the most beautiful February afternoon I can remember, I whipped together an easy snack for grab and go munching.  It really wasn’t much, some sparkling waters and mini cookies & marshmallows.  It kind of reminded me of a s’more minus the chocolate!  But what that simple snack really did was inspire me to make an even better one the next day!  This incredible warm spell in the dead of winter is making me believe it’s already April, and even though I know Easter is a long way away and it most likely WILL snow again before the springtime holiday arrives…I’m going to go ahead and enjoy some sneak peeks of the new season to come!  So today I’d like to share this sweet and EASY snack that you can serve in the days leading up to Easter…or whenever you want a little treat!  Get hoppin’ and whip up some…

bunny s’mores mix

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Holidays, Savor

Cakes for Cupid!

February 13
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We have a fun Valentine tradition…in stead of going crazy on lots of holiday candy, I serve up one of my family’s favorite cakes instead!  It might surprise you to hear that this cake, that’s an anticipated treat in my household of boys, is a Lavender Poundcake!  I know it sounds a little dainty and sweet, and I have served it to my gal pals and at baby & wedding showers…but this mini cake sure packs a punch of buttery goodness and density that will satisfy any guy in a big way!   And because it’s such a rich dessert I usually save it for special occasions…like Valentine’s Day!  So each holiday I try to come up with a new look for our miniature cake…which for me is almost as enjoyable as eating it!  Today I’d like to share with you the recipe for this fun and unique poundcake…plus another recipe for an equally festive dessert that’s more semi-homemade but still perfect for Cupid!  So find your apron and get the kitchen ready for some baking joy and…

share some Valentine sugar!

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Create, Holidays

Easy Valentine Treats

February 9
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Valentine’s Day is only a few days away!  But it’s not too late to still think about preparing special snacks…there’s plenty of simple fixes to make a treat table pretty even if it’s last minute!  Making food look festive can be so simple and create a holiday display that’s Cupid worthy in a matter of minutes!  I love simple snacks for any time of the year.  And as much fun as fancy desserts can be, using traditional favorites can be equally tasty and often times nostalgic too!  So keeping it short today, let me share with you some favorite supplies that can transform the ordinary into something pretty sweet!

spread the love…

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Celebrate, Holidays

Year of the Rooster!

January 30
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We have a lot of family celebrations that have now become much anticipated traditions…Chinese New year is one of our favorites!  Even when our boys were little, they were pretty adventurous eaters so it was always easy to introduce new cuisines and celebrate with food!  I love all the opportunities to have meals around the table together…whether it’s big celebrations like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter…right down to our corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day,  a Mexican feast on Cinco DeMayo, or all the Asian choices for Chinese New Year!  Over the past several years we’ve invited friends over to enjoy the Chinese New Year with us.  It’s a fun celebration to get a little creative and since the theme changes with the zodiac calendar, each year is something new until the cycle repeats itself!  But this holiday we kept it simple and decided to celebrate with just the four of us and place a take-out order from one of our favorite Chinese restaurants!  And since I didn’t have to prepare any food…I had a little fun making our table just as festive as if we were having guests!  By recycling my supplies I saved a lot of time and money creating a simple but fun table!  If you think you missed out on the Chinese New Year celebrations, not to worry!  They’re not over for 15 days into the new year so you’ve got plenty of time to break out the chopsticks and still have some fun!

Celebrating the Chinese New Year!

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Celebrate, Holidays

Love & Conversation!

January 25
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In addition to my love of celebrations, I also love to have simple conversations with my boys.  That seems easy enough but as kids get older it gets increasingly more difficult to have heart-to-hearts on a regular basis!  But fortunately, in my house, there’s a pretty simple solution…food!  It’s true that the best conversations happen around the dinner table…so why not the snack table as well!  It’s now paczki time, and if you’re not familiar to this Lenten season sweet treat…you should discover it–soon!  Pronounced pawnch-ki, or punch-key, they’re similar to a jelly or custard filled doughnuts and are only served up until the first day of Lent then vanish until next year.  So when we see them in the bakeries and grocery stores for the first time…it’s pretty exciting!  I decided to create a Valentine table filled with goodies for a family treat and an opportunity to savor some sugary favorites and open the door to some good conversation!  And since “conversation” was the intended goal, I used plenty of those sweet little candies to inspire the theme!  Let me share some easy ways to create something special that just might get the conversations flowing!

be mine    xoxo   let’s chat…

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Create, Holidays

Hand Out Smiles!

January 20
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My boys are past the days of creating and handing out those adorable classroom Valentines…but that’s no reason to stop making some simple tokens of love for all the special people in your life!  I don’t make bunches of love notes anymore either, but I still create some fun little gifts for my family and a girlfriend or two!  I want to share a really fun DIY valentine that you could make for kids or adults…and with plenty of time to get your hands on the goodies I created them with!  Have a look at a whimsical way to make someone smile on Valentine’s Day!

#makesmesmile

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Create, Holidays

A Little Paper Love

January 16
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I had so much fun with all the paper hearts in custom colors for my sun room the other day…I actually went a little crazy customizing the rest of my home!  I LOVE decorating with paper so much because it’s really inexpensive and you can make a simple display look like a million with very little effort!  And since the papers for my raspberry and black sun room decor were from a scrapbook supply pack, I had plenty more patterns to choose from to create some Valentine joy for my living and dining rooms too!  The other day I bought an adorable garland of glitter arrows and hearts at the Target dollar spot…it’s so sweet but I was really hoping to use some spring inspired colors for the holiday this year.   So the purchased hearts became a template for all the pretty paper ones I cut from the pad!  Take a peek at how a little paper can add lots of love…

paper and strings make wonderful things…

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