1.29.2013

25 - Valentine's Day Sweet Treats



Looking for something to make for that extra special romantic Valentine's Day dinner with your special someone?  Or maybe your looking for a sweet treat to make for the family to show your love.  Well I've got you covered!  Today I'm sharing 25 Valentine's Day Sweet Treats.  There's a little bit of everything to choose from.  It's all sweet, and it will definitely make that special someone feel the love!



1.28.2013

Polymer Clay Feather Necklace



Happy Monday!  It has been raining like crazy all weekend and I've been busy painting cabinets.  I can not wait to be done with that project.  While sitting last night watching Downton Abbey I thought "hey...I should throw something together for a post tomorrow since I'm seriously slacking".  So I did.  I love making my own necklaces since it's hard for me to find the length I like.  I made this Polymer Clay Feather Necklace last night in 30 minutes, and today I'm sharing it with you.  This is an easy project and a great way to get a custom piece for your wardrobe.  

What you need:
-  Polymer Clay
-  Accent Beads
-  Length of Jewelry Chain
-  Jump Rings to match Chain
{I prefer thicker ones so it holds up well}
-  Head Pins
-  Pliers
-  Clasp
-  Xacto Knife
-  Paper Clip or Toothpick
-  Rolling Pin

Start by rolling a big chunk of your polymer clay out to a thickness of about 1/8" thick.  Next cut your feather (or leaf) shape.  Remove excess clay.  Using either your toothpick or straightened paperclip create your center vein line on the feather from top to bottom.  Then begin making all your feathering lines.  Do that until you get the look you want.  Lastly make a hole with your toothpick or paperclip at the top of the feather for your jump rings.  Bake for 10-15 minutes at 275 degrees on parchment paper.  Watch closely that they don't burn.  

{Note:  My peach clay turned bright orange when baked, so I decided to use a white feather instead.  And unfortunately my toaster oven that I was using is acting up and burned my tips a tiny bit, not too noticeable though.}

1.23.2013

French Fry Cookie Valentines


Good morning friends.  A few weeks back Pick Your Plum was offering up some adorable French Fry containers, and I jumped on them.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them as soon as I saw them. Some of them are saved for a future party, but the rest I used to make these French Fry Valentines!  Aren't they cute?!  

I'm sure you have all seen the "Today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry" quotes on pinterest.  I love that little saying, so I gave it a little vamp for Valentine's Day and it was perfect.  All I did was whip up a quick batch of sugar cookie dough, rolled it out and cut it in to long strips to be my french fries.  I just added some washi tape to my french fry containers to add a pop of color.  Then I made these little tags and just taped them to my containers.  I made some fake ketchup dipping sauce with this icing recipe found HERE and colored it with my red gel coloring for dipping the cookies.




So do you love them?!  Cute right?!  The kids will love this.
Feel free to use this image for tags if you'd like, just right click and save it.  




Linked up at the following parties:



1.22.2013

DIY Foam Stamps


Hi Friends!  Today I'm sharing a really fun way to personalize packaging.  I'm showing you how to make your own DIY Foam Stamps.  I recently made two different styles, a chevron print and a striped version.  These stamps are really easy to make and you probably already have enough supplies at home to make them.  

What You Need:

- Craft Foam Sheets 
(the kind kids make fun crafts out of, you can typically find it by the felt at Michaels)
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Marker or Pen
- Paint or Stamp Pads
- Foam Craft Paint Brush or Foam Craft Paint Dobber
- Something pretty to stamp it on
- Glue Gun
- Foam Core or A Small Piece of Wood

I had a bunch of small 4 x 6" craft foam on hand from my kids stash of craft supplies.  So that's what I grabbed and it was perfect for my Brown Paper Kraft Bags that I wanted to stamp on.  I began by finding my center point and making a small dot with my marker.  I then found the center point on both sides of my original center line, and then once again I found the center mark to those second set of dots (make sense?)  It should look like my foam below when your done marking it vertically.  

I then found all my center points horizontally and drew those lines.  It will look like this second picture below where I started marking my chevron points.  My chevron zig zags are about 1/2" wide.

With my ruler I just connect the lines diagonally.





It will look like this when you are done drawing all your diagonal lines.


I then cut it all out with my scissors.  There is something about cutting craft foam to me that is therapeutic, it just cuts so smooth.  When your done cutting you'll have a ton of chevron stripes like this.

I then used what I had on hand (which was foam core board), you could use that or if you have some nice scrap pieces of wood that you could make custom sized blocks that would be perfect and make it washable.  I however did not have that on hand.  So mine aren't washable, but that's ok.

Now you just hot glue your chevron stripes on to your firm surface, be sure to space them evenly.  And your done with your stamp.  For my striped stamp I just measured and cut my strips.  Super easy.



I wanted to create something I could use as packaging for my son's class treat for Valentines Day so I chose a red & white acrylic paint to use when stamping on my bags.


I just used a round foam dobber paint brush and applied the paint to my foam stamp then stamped my bags.  Carefully lifted my stamps up and let my bags dry.




I love how these bags turned out.  I think I did to make some polka dot bags next!  Hope you like them.

1.20.2013

Quick & Easy Chili-Mac


The other day I shared my recipe for my Crockpot Game Day Chili in my Celebrating the Big Game with World Market post.  So today I thought I would share this Quick & Easy Chili-Mac that I made using the leftover Chili.  I always make a ton of food, so we always have leftovers.  Leftovers are perfect for this meal idea, it makes it a quick weeknight meal, and super easy.  All you need is your favorite pasta, I chose Barilla's Cellentani pasta.  I love the curly shape of the pasta and this pasta holds up really well with the thick chili.  All you need to do is cook your pasta in salted water to al dente, then drain.  Add your leftover chili and cook over medium heat until the leftover chili is warmed through.  Serve, and you can top it with shredded cheese if you'd like.  Enjoy.  



1.18.2013

Fortune Cookie Valentine's



A couple of years ago when my oldest was in 1st Grade I made these Fortune Cookie Valentine's for his classmates.  I thought it would be fun to make them again, so I did.  I started by creating a tag by using some clipart that I googled for the fortune cookie, and then just added "Fortunate that I can call you my friend!", and a message on the fortune cookie clipart.  

To make the fortune cookies you will need:

- Fortune Cookies
{you can find these at grocery stores, or Asian markets}
- Bakers Chocolate or Candy Bark
{vanilla or chocolate}
- Sprinkles
- Wax Paper
- Cellophane Treat Bags

Simple prepare the bakers chocolate or candy bark per the packages instructions in a small bowl.  Then dip your fortune cookies so that only half the cookie is coated.  Place it on a sheet of wax paper, but be sure to add your desired sprinkles to the cookie before the chocolate hardens.  Once they are completely set, just place 2 or 3 cookies in each bag and either add a tag or topper to the bag.  That's it, super easy.




I hope this fortune means I will meet many new friends next month!  

1.16.2013

Pantone Color of the Year for 2013 - Emerald



Most of you have probably heard that the Pantone Color of the Year for 2013 - EMERALD.  If you haven't yet heard the news, well there you go...your welcome.  What does this mean?  Basically you will see Emerald Green everywhere from runways to kitchenware.  What does it mean for you?  It means there is a beautiful jewel tone for you to incorporate in to your wardrobe in 2013.  

Whether it's with accessories or denim you can bring this color in very easily.  Emerald looks good on almost everyone, and it pairs beautifully with gold accents.  So since this is the color of the year do you already have a head start by owning some fabulous Emerald Green pieces in your wardrobe?  If your looking for an inexpensive way to bring this color in, may I suggest hitting up your local goodwill or thrift shop and searching for some great bargains...that will help keep you on track with your new year budgets!  Here are 45 items I found that you can use for inspiration.


3.  Journals




12.  No Source

1.15.2013

Celebrating the BIG GAME with World Market


With the BIG GAME just a few short weeks away I thought today I would show you how Celebrating the Big Game with World Market will make your party a hit! 

I headed to my local World Market to get some ideas for my game table table set up.  I literally looked around the store for over an hour because they have so many great finds, and I just love every bit of it. I knew I wanted to keep things simple since our little ones will have their hands in everything.  So I purchased these baskets, knowing that I could turn them over and use them to hold the crockpot full of warm chili, that way little hands won't be able to reach the warm container.  You could also use the basket to hold chips or popcorn if you line it with a nice cloth napkin or tea towel.  We made a quick and simple banner and some paper chain to add to our Game Day decor.  I also lined the table with brown kraft wrapping paper.

I found these really cute simple white bowls that were perfect for all the chili fixings.  I also grabbed the super cute polka dot paper trays for the kids hot dogs.  And how could I pass up the squeeze bottles for my ketchup and mustard.  


My boys always beg me to buy soda in the bottles, I have to admit it is fun to drink out of the bottle every once in a while.  So I made sure to pick up some fun choices for the family.  World Market has so many fun bottled soda choices.  Orange is a favorite of my hubby and the boys.


For the peanuts I just used some plain brown paper lunch sacks and folded the tops down and filled with peanuts.  Before I opened the bags I used a foam stamp I made and stamped the bags to just give it a little flair.


I grabbed these football pretzels, I knew the boys would love them.  All I did was take some white to-go containers and line them with a french fry liner paper, then poured in my pretzels.

I grabbed some other snacks to go with our game day spread, these cheese flatbread crackers go perfectly with the chili.  Warning: they have a little heat to them, they don't say that on the front of the package but the ingredients list cayenne pepper.  They are super tasty.  I also grabbed the white cheddar & kettle corn popcorn.


Since I knew I wanted to make the Chili for our game day table I knew World Market would have great ingredients to help make it super tasty.  So I grabbed some of their Mutti Peeled Tomatoes & Tomato Paste, along with some smoked paprika and chili powder.

Here's the recipe for our Crockpot Game Day Chili:

Grocery List

-  2 lbs Lean Ground Beef
-  2 Cans Mutti Peeled Tomatoes
-  3 TB Mutti Tomato Paste
-  2 Packages Dry Chili Seasoning {mild}
-  1 Can Pinto Beans
-  3 TB Butter
-  1 TB Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil
-  1/2 Large Sweet Onion {diced}
-  Smoked Paprika, Chili Powder, salt, pepper, & Garlic Granules

Start by melting your butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add your oil.  Saute your onion to a nice golden brown, then set aside.  Add ground beef to the pan and season with salt & pepper lightly, garlic granules, and add about 2 Tsp. smoked paprika & 2 Tsp. chili powder to the ground beef.  Continue to brown the ground beef until cooked.  Drain and pour in to your crockpot.  Now add your 2 cans of peeled tomatoes, 3 TB of tomato paste, and your can of beans.  Stir in the 2 packages of chili seasoning.  Finish by stirring in the onions.  Cover and set on low for 4-6 hours.  

Top with anything you like, we love cheese - sour cream - and scallions in our house.  

Would you like to Host the Ultimate Football Viewing Party?! Enter the World Market Football Party Sweepstakes. Head over to World Market on Facebook for your chance to win one of (10) $500 World Market gift cards to purchase all snacks, drinks, and treats for the Ultimate Football Viewing Party.

{Sweepstakes ends on January 25th, 2013}
{Must be a Cost Plus World Market Facebook Fan to enter the sweepstakes. Entry form is not available unless you are a fan.}


Be sure to visit Cost Plus World Market on


World Market has much more than great supplies for the Big Game, the furniture and accessories are amazing.  Be sure to head in to your local store and take a peak around, I promise you will fall in love.


This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™, but all my opinions are my own. http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO