Food

Stylish Christmas Neighbor Gifts + Free Printable Gift Tags

2 · Dec 1, 2015 · 1 Comment

+ This Stylish Christmas Neighbor Gifts post is brought to you by Michaels +

One of my favorite things to do is creating fun new little ways to show your friends and neighbors how much they mean to you during the holidays. It doesn’t need to cost a lot, nor does it have to take a whole lot of time & effort.

This month my Michaels Makers Challenge was to create three different, simple gifts that would be perfect for friends, neighbors, teachers, the mail man, the bus driver, your hair stylist… Basically anyone. Challenge accepted!

I went to Michaels and found some fun mugs and cute cups to create some easy, fun gifts. Then I created some stylish tags to add to the mugs and cups.

You can download the free printable gift tags HERE

You can print them on white label paper or you can print them on Printable Gold Foil from Silhouette (I love this stuff!) You can find it at Michaels too. All you need to do is download the PDF file and print out your labels…

I’m cutting these out with just a simple pair of scissors, no cutting machine required.

Now, I know that a lot of people love their sweets when it comes to Christmas, but not everyone appreciates ALL of those sweets. I thought I would come up with a non-sweet gift that will still be a fun gift to receive.

Everyone’s in love with the Buffalo Check this year and Michaels is right on trend with these fun cups. They even have some awesome Buffalo Check socks in the dollar section… PERFECT! I placed some matching socks into the cute cups and added the “Merry Cozy Christmas” Label on the front of the cup… 1st gift finished! Can’t get any easier than that!

Next up, the classic hot cocoa mug with a cute little twist.

I filled a large cone shaped cellophane bag with some hot chocolate mix and tied it with some buffalo check ribbon. I put it into a large buffalo check mug and then I added a cool battery powered set of star lights to the mug to add a little whimsical element. I love how it turned out… 2nd gift complete!

Last but not least I found another mug at Michaels that’s a great plaid mug. I noticed some Lindor Truffles up at the front of the store that matched the plaid pattern on the mug. I thought it would be a PERFECT pairing with the plaid mug.

Adding the gold foil gift tag just makes it look so classy!

3rd gift down and it didn’t take any time at all. All three are great, stylish gifts that anyone would love!

Michaels has tons of holiday project ideas and instructions on Michaels.com, including gift wrapping, home décor, last minute gift ideas, hostess gifts and more. Don’t forget The Glue String, Michaels blog full of even more great ideas for the season.

Circle – The One Gift EVERY Family NEEDS

1 · Nov 30, 2015 · 1 Comment

I’m so excited to FINALLY reveal what I wanted to shout from the rooftops! Check out Circle with Disney, the only gift I can basically guarantee won’t give you buyer’s remorse. Yes, it’s that cool.

Raising a family in the digital age is SCARY! As our family gets older and the kiddos are more and more computer savvy, My husband and I have been scratching our heads trying to figure out how to handle this challenge in our home. How to keep the crud out of our home and how to keep all of these devices from taking over our family. It’s a tough balancing act. I’m thrilled to finally have a solution to so many of these troublesome issues…

Every family needs this in their home.

Don’t believe me? Watch this video clip and you’ll be sold too.

Best part…

It’s on sale today!

$85.00! (regularly $99)

Are you tired of letting the Internet dictate what your family is exposed to? Not Anymore! With Circle, YOU are the boss!

4 Awesome things you can EASILY do with Circle:

Set appropriate filters for EACH DEVICE.

Use the pre-designed ones or customize your own.

Track where your family is spending their time online.

Give your devices a BED TIME!

PAUSE the internet! Yes. you. can.

If you are still not convinced, read what these Circle customers are saying about it:

“As the father of four kids from elementary through college age, I am not exaggerating when I say Circle is EXACTLY the device I have been looking for to control the internet in my house. Circle truly is peace of mind in a little white box.” – Wayne Stocks

“Circle has literally changed our lives and how our family spends time on the internet. My worries of what my children could be exposed to online has changed overnight by the use of Circle. I can pause the internet anytime making getting chores or homework done much easier these days.” -Terra Nyce

“Circle makes it easy for me to protect my kids online, monitor usage across all our home’s devices, and create conversations with the entire family. It’s rare that something is simple and effective, but Circle is both.” — Michael Lukaszewski

Get control of the Internet and give your family this gift.

Click HERE to take advantage of this amazing offer on Circle

+ Disclaimer – This is not a sponsored post however I am a member of the Circle Affiliate Program +

Holiday Nog Panna Cotta Topped with Bischoff Cookie Crumbles

23 · Nov 29, 2015 · Leave a Comment

+ This Holiday Nog Panna Cotta Recipe Post brought to you by the folk at Silk +

It’s here, it’s HERE!

The Holiday Season is in full swing and that means it’s…

Holiday Nog TIME!!

Our family ADORES Egg Nog, I mean really, who doesn’t? It’s rich and creamy and has all of the flavors of the season. The thing is… with all of the other goodies of the season, traditional Egg Nog may not be the best choice. A few years back I was introduced to the Silk Holiday Nog and our family hasn’t ever looked back!

With Silk Holiday Nog you can ring in the season with notes of nutmeg and cinnamon, and a smooth velvety flavor. You can raise a festive glass or two without feeling naughty because it’s made without eggs, dairy or saturated fat. This year they have a few additions to the Holiday Nog family, Almond Holiday Nog & Almond Holiday Nog Pumpkin Spice Flavor.

I’ve loved creating all kinds of Holiday Nog goodies throughout the years. Here are a couple of my favorites… Spice Cookies with Holiday Nog Glaze & Holiday Nog Pull-Apart Bread.

Today, I’m sharing my Holiday Nog Panna Cotta recipe. Holiday Nog is perfect for Panna Cotta because traditionally Panna Cotta is a rich creamy eggless custard. If you were making this with regular Egg Nog, you would be introducing eggs into the mix. With Holiday Nog, you can have all the flavor without the addition of eggs.

This recipe is PERFECT for the busy Holiday Season. It’s a cinch to make and it really has a huge bang for your buck. Forget slaving over a pie or cookies… Take a few minutes to whip-up a Holiday Nog Panna Cotta Recipe and you’re GOLDEN!

Holiday Nog Panna Cotta Recipe

2 cups Silk Holiday Nog

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract – Homemade is the BEST!

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

2 packets of Knox Gelatin (aff link)

4 Bischoff Cookies (aff link)

In a medium sauce pan add your sugar,

Cream,

Holiday Nog,

vanilla,

and nutmeg.

Place over medium heat and bring to a light simmer. Once it starts to simmer, remove from heat and whisk in your gelatin. Pour into small 1 cup serving bowls and place in the refrigerator for at least three hours to set. Once the Panna Cotta is set, top with whipped cream and crushed Bischoff Cookies.

This recipe serves four.

It really can’t get any easier that that!!

Give it a try, your friends and family will LOVE YOU!!

For more Holiday Nog ideas and coupons visit the Silk Holiday Headquarters!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk . The opinions and text are all mine.

Simple Kid Friendly DIY Christmas Village

3 · Nov 28, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Who’s looking for something fun & simple to do this Christmas? Something even the kiddos will love!

This year, I’m looking to simplify. I want to simplify everything, the gift giving, the message, the decor. I want the Holidays to be more about the family and the true meaning of Christmas. Several years ago my family spent a month in Germany in December and we had a chance to enjoy a European Christmas that was simply magical. For the Germans the holiday is all about nature, simplicity & family. We fell in love! Ever since then I have wanted to create more of an old-world Christmas experience and this year is finally the year… I’m so excited!!

It’s all starting with my simple kid-friendly DIY Christmas Village. I wish I could take all of the credit for this, but I can’t. I was inspired by a friend of mine here in Lincoln from Little Red Cabin. She has this beautiful shop where she sells simple, yet stunning decor items for the home. She used to sell these Christmas Villages in her shop but she no longer carries them, therefore I had to make one of my own and of course put my WhipperBerry spin on them. It’s really quite simple, you only need a few items.

Christmas Village Supplies

2×2 Select Pine Board

BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder

Behr Premium Plus Sample Pots FLAT – Mink & Decorator White

Krylon Premium Metallic Spray Paint – Copper Foil

DIY Christmas Village Instructions

The trickiest thing with this project is getting access to a saw. If you don’t have a saw, hit up your neighbors or family members. I’m sure someone has something you can use. I have a Rigid 10 inch Sliding Compound Miter Saw and it works like a dream for this project, but it isn’t the only saw that will work.

All you need is to be able to cut at an angle for this little village. There is no rhyme or reason when you’re cutting the little buildings. I made the little buildings roughly 3-4 inches tall, with all different types of angles for their roofs. I mostly used a 30-40˚ angle when cutting to tops of my buildings.

The only one that needs to be exact is the larger building in the center that you place your stencil on. For that one I used a 35˚ cut and made sure both sides of the building were the same hight.

Sand your blocks if needed. My wood cut so nice that I didn’t really need to sand them at all.

Now it’s time to paint your village. I knew that I wanted to keep some natural wood, Faux Stain some building with BB Frösch & then spray some of the buildings with copper spray paint for a metallic accent. I’ve see others use puffy paint for these kinds of projects but I liked the spray paint instead. If you have kids creating these then you can use puffy paint instead because they love it. I wrote a post about how to make your own puffy paint too!

Faux Staining & Painting with BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder

This to me is my favorite part… I LOVE working with Chalk Paint! I use BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder when I’m crafting. Typically Chalk Paint is too expensive for crafting, but not when you use BB Frösch. I mix the chalk paint powder with a sample pot of Behr Premium Plus Flat paint from Home Depot. The BB Frösch turns the regular paint into CHALK PAINT for a fraction of the cost.

It’s so easy to mix-up your chalk paint, here’s a quick video showing you how to do it.

For the White buildings, I just brush on the Decorator White BB Frösch Chalk Paint and because it’s has the all-natural mineral additives, it dries super quick! I don’t really bother to wax these guys, they don’t really need it. Plus, I like the look of the flat finish.

Now for the Faux Stain… You use this technique that I created when you want to see the natural wood come through. Traditionally people would use Stain for this, but I use BB Frösch because it’s so much easier. You can visit this post on WhipperBerry to learn how to Faux Stain.

I love how the faux stain turns out for this Christmas Village. I use the color MINK from Benjamin Moore for most of my Faux Staining. YES, I use the sample pots of Behr at Home Depot, but they have the color recipe for the Benjamin Moore colors in their computer. Just ask for Benjamin Moore Mink and they will be able to look it up.

Copper Buildings

Now for the copper, I use Krylon’s Premium Metallic Spray Paint in Copper Foil. It’s super simple and adds that little pop of copper that is so hot right now.

Just spray paint a couple of your buildings for that accent color.

Stencil

Now for the stencil…I’ve used a Swiss Cross, but you can use whatever you like. A star, snowflake, heart… Whatever you come-up with really. I cut my stencil out of vinyl on my Silhouette CAMEO but you can either buy a pre-made stencil or create one of your own.

I put the two pieces of cut wood together and then place the stencil on top.

Then paint with your desired color. ALSO, don’t forget that you can use both the positive and negative parts of the stencil. That way you don’t have to waste anything!

Peel-off the vinyl once it is dry and voilá… You have a stylish decorated building for your set.

You can also drill a hole into one of your buildings and add a star. I just glued a star ornament from Michaels to the top of a dowel and it fit perfect with the village.

I love this simple decor that is kid friendly. So many Holiday decorations are breakable and we’re constantly following the kiddos around telling them not to touch… With this simple Christmas Village they can touch and play with it all they want!

+ This was originally a guest post on 30 Handmade Days +

Silhouette Black Friday 2015

2 · Nov 26, 2015 · Leave a Comment

It’s the best time of the creative year!! It’s the Silhouette Black Friday Event!

If you entered this weeks CAMEO Giveaway, you learned once again how much I LOVE my CAMEO.

There are so many options out on the market for this type of creating and hands-down… I pick Silhouette. I’ve drawn the line in the sand and made my choice. I use my CAMEO all of the time. It is the first thing I pull out when I sit down to create a project. Now with a whole family of creative machines the folks at Silhouette have you covered!

Here are a few signs that I’ve been making for the Holidays this year that I’ve used my CAMEO to create…

I’ll be sharing how to make this fun BB Frösch Mistletoe sign on Tatertots and Jello next week.

I’ll even be sharing my Silhouette Studio files for the design, so I’ve got you covered! Here are a few more that I had a ball creating with my CAMEO…

No other cutting machine has the kind of software to allow you to create your own designs like the Silhouette Studio. It is by far the best software out there!

Here are the deals for this year’s event…

Click HERE to go to the Silhouette Black Friday Event

Remember to enter WHIPPER at checkout to receive all of those amazing deals.

To get the 20% off the Silhouette Design Store Subscriptions, you’ll need to enter BLACK

The free shipping on orders over $50 is for the continuous United States only.

Disclaimer – This is not a sponsored post. I am however a member of the Silhouette Maker program which has an affiliate program as well.