Christmas

Original Chex Mix Recipe + Merry Chexmas Printable Gift Tag

123 · Dec 10, 2015 ·

Who doesn’t love a classic?

So many times I find myself drawn to the classic recipes. They are tried and true, they are what brands are built on. I’m totally that way with my Chex Mix as well. I have childhood memories of sharing Original Chex Mix with friends at sleepovers and at our first “boy/girl” parties. Remember that? It was such a fun new idea back in the day.

The thing about classics, they NEVER go out of style.

The classic white shirt, classic cars, black pumps, jeans… the list can go on and on.

Today, I’m sharing a fun way to take the classic Original Chex Mix, package it up and give it as a fun gift for friends & neighbors this Holiday Season! You know… Not everyone on your list LOVES sweets!

First you need to mix up a batch of Original Chex Mix, you can find the recipe HERE.

Then you need to gather some jars. I found some fun gifting jars at Target that have a flat surface on the sides so that they are easier to add labels to. They are in the holiday baking section at Target.

I designed this fun label that you can print on either card stock and tie onto your jar OR you can print it on label paper and stick it to the side of your jar.

Click HERE to download the printable Merry Chexmas tag.

You can either print it on white label paper OR I love the Printable Gold Foil that Silhouette makes.

All you need to do is cut around the edges, leaving a little border around the edge and then affix them to your jars. It couldn’t be any simpler. Fill your jars with your Original Chex Mix…

And then top it off with a bow…

I also spray painted my lids gold so they wouldn’t clash with my gold label, but that’s not totally necessary. Now you have a GREAT savory gift that is perfect for friends, neighbors, teachers, the office, the mail man, your bus driver… Basically ANYONE!

You can do all kinds of other stuff with this idea… Layer some Original Chex Mix with some Muddy Buddies for a savory & sweet treat. You can find all kinds of other ideas at Chex Mix. You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest. They even have a whole site devoted to all things Chex Party Mix!

You’ve been armed… What are you going to gift this Holiday Season?

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

How to Create Damage Free Holiday Decor

0 · Dec 6, 2015 · Leave a Comment

+ This How to Create a Damage Free Holiday Decor post is brought to you by the folks at Command™ Products +

It’s no secret that I love to decorate for Christmas… Most of us do typically.

I start dreaming up my Christmas decor around September and it’s always grand with all kinds of fun elements that typically aren’t possible in nature or would require some home modification. Then I whittle my crazy ideas down a bit and come up with a more feasible plan and typically my Husband will say, “You can’t do that, it would put too many holes in the wall!”

Anyone with me on that?

What is it with men and nail holes in walls?

In years past that would mean that one of us would win… Either I would get to place nails to my hearts content to create the scene that I had envisioned OR… My husband gets his way and I pout for a few days. Neither option wasn’t great in my mind.

That is until I discovered how to have a damage-free Holiday with the Command™ Products!!

How to create DAMAGE-FREE Holiday Decor

I LOVE these little gems!! They have saved my bacon AND my Christmas dreams on countless occasions.

I use them ALL THE TIME when I’m creating fun vignettes around the house. They really come in handy around the holidays. This year, I have been wanting to create a kind of simple Scandinavian feel for Christmas. Simple colors, simple decor.

To me when I think of Scandinavian decor I think of red and white felt ball garlands and I wanted to create a fun little scene in my living room with some garlands. The problem was, the room I wanted to decorate doesn’t have a mantle or anything to hang the garlands from. I initially thought that I could place little nails on the wall and it would do the trick, BUT… I didn’t want to rock my husband’s world.

I turned to my favorite decorating tools, Command Hooks so that I could do a little damage-free holiday decorating …

I even hung our stockings right on the wall and they look great!

I love that you can get Command Hooks that are CLEAR so they don’t distract from what you are trying to create.

Now here’s the deal… I wanted to create my scene with my chalkboard wall, this wall has chalk all over it. Normally that would be an issue with any type of adhesive. All I did was clean a little spot where I wanted to place the hooks with alcohol, place the hooks, wait for an hour and then hang my display.

It’s that simple!

Here’s a little secret… I also used some Command Hooks to hide my cords from the tree and the lights.

I used a couple of hooks on the underside of my buffet to tuck those cords away out of site. LOVE IT!!

Want to know my extra special secret… I even hung my light fixture and wreath with a Command product but that’s a post for another day!

So… How are YOU going to have a damage-free holiday?

+ Disclaimer // I am proud to be a Command Brand sponsored blogger, and as part of my responsibilities, I get the opportunity to evaluate Command Brand products. Opinions are my own and additional products used in the project were selected by me.+

The Party Bunch Link Party // no. 110

0 · Dec 5, 2015 · Leave a Comment

It’s time to party but first let me introduce to you The Party Bunch!

…….

Amy from The Idea Room, Mique from 30 Handmade Days, Heather from Whipperberry and Desiree from The 36th Avenue want to thank you for partying with us… You guys are the best!

Here are some of our favorite projects from this week!

Heather’s Favorite

Printable Advent Tags at Finding Home Farms

These are so adorable!

Watercolor-Printable-Advent-Calendar-Farmhouse-Style

Mique’s Favorite

Reindeer Cookies at This Mama Loves

These may be too cute to eat!

Amy’s Favorite

Milk and Cookies Bark at The Crafting Chicks

Santa is going to be one lucky guy this Christmas!

Desiree’s Favorite

DIY Rustic Wood Stocking at Live Laugh Rowe

I love this! Great Holiday decor!

DIY Rustic Wooden Stocking with attached tin can to display a festive floral arrangement! Perfect addition to your rustic holiday decor. livelaughrowe.com

As always thank you for so may fabulous projects and recipes!

We hope you take a minute and button up HERE!

Also we want to invite you to click here and follow The Party Bunch Favorites on Pinterest.

We are featuring more of our favorite projects and recipes from the link party on this board! Now it is time to party!

TPB Party Bunch Link Up... Every Friday to Sunday link up your projects over at theidearoom.net , thirtyhandmadedays.com , whipperberry.com or the36thavenue.com Four bloggers = ONE BIG PARTY! We can't wait to see your projects!

Here are a few things to remember before you link up!

Please make sure to share the love and grab a button here to let your readers know that you linked up with us! By linking up with The Party Bunch, you are giving permission to any of us to feature your projects and recipes on our social media with a link back to you. Thanks!

An InLinkz Link-up

Christmas Morning Cheddar Breakfast Sausage Recipe

4 · Dec 3, 2015 · 3 Comments

This Christmas Morning Cheddar Breakfast Sausage Recipe is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Hillshire Brands Company. All opinions are entirely my own.

My sisters and I would stay up all night on Christmas Eve…

Well we would try to anyway. The anticipation for Christmas morning just a few hours away was almost too much to handle. What would Santa bring us? Would he bring us that magical toy that we had been dreaming of for months? How big would the pile of presents be under the tree? What would I be able to show-off when school came back into session in a week or so? What was Mom & Dad going to make for Christmas morning breakfast?

Yep, the 2nd most magical thing about Christmas morning is our Christmas breakfast that has been a tradition for years in our house. It all started with my Dad who is a waffle aficionado. This man can make a mean waffle & his pancakes are pretty amazing as well. One year he decided to come up with the most decadent Christmas breakfast and he hit it out of the park. He would make Belgium waffles topped with strawberries, vanilla ice cream & fresh whipped cream…. Yum!

Now when it comes to breakfast in our house my parents are a matched set. My dad excels in the waffle/pancake arena, while my mother has the savory options locked and loaded. She of course had to come up with a savory companion that could stand-up to this over the top sweet Christmas treat. She discovered a recipe for Cheddar Breakfast Sausages that fit the criteria perfectly!

Together these two savory and sweet treats made Christmas morning for our family almost as exciting as discovering what Santa had brought us for the holiday!

The tradition has followed me as I became a Mother and married a waffle loving man as well. Together we too are a matched set. Mike makes our waffles, the very same ones my Dad used to make when I was young and I handle the savory treat that my Mom used to make, her Cheddar Breakfast Sausages.

To be completely honest, and I mean no disrespect to the waffle loving men in my life… I look forward to the Cheddar Breakfast Sausages more than I look forward to the waffles. I LOVE them!

The other day my little guy and I headed off to Wal-Mart to grab our supplies so that we could make some Cheddar Breakfast Sausages to share with you, maybe this savory treat will make it into your Christmas morning line-up as well.

Of course we had to start with our favorite Jimmy Dean® Premium Pork Sausage!

They are super easy to make, and the really nice thing is… They freeze beautifully! You can make these days or weeks in advance when you have a few extra minutes in the middle of the holiday rush and you’ll be all-set for Christmas morning!

Here is what you’ll need…

2 lbs. Jimmy Dean® Premium Pork Sausage Regular

16 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups all-purpose baking mix

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375˚

In a large bowl combine sausage, shredded cheese, baking mix, onion, celery and garlic powder. Using clean hands mix ingredients just until fully combined