Yummy Treat Recipe!



If you are dieting or on a health food kick, LOOK AWAY! This is a delicious treat that's quite addictive. My husband ate at least 1/2 of it and he doesn't even like cranberries. Yeah, it's that good. The other 1/2 was protected to give as gifts. OK, now that you've been warned...

 

White Chocolate Holiday Crunch

("Holiday" because you just change the colored M&M's on top for the appropriate season!)

 

This yummy stuff is Rice Krispies, white chocolate bark, toasted almonds, dried cranberries, seasonal M&M's and semi-sweet chocolate drizzled on top. It's not healthy. If you want the recipe, you can find it HERE. I found it on Pinterest and tried it- it tastes fantastic, it's easy, and makes a great gift for friends, neighbors and teachers.

I packaged mine in cute, hot pink chevron bags and sealed with a "hug & kiss" sticker. Once it was gone, my husband started begging for more. Sorry, babe, gave up sweets for Lent. ;)

Do you have any yummy recipes to share? I'm always on the hunt for good ones- as long as they are easy! I have tried some crock pot recipes (found on Pinterest) that are really good and my kids will eat them! I'll post those another day. ;) Enjoy!

Happy {Heart} Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! My Valentine's this year also included a picture of the kids, and Walter dog. Look at Walter's face... he's so ticked off that I made him get in the group photo. He wanted a solo shot. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of my homemade Valentine, but I did remember to photograph the gift I made.

 

I made some really cute lavender filled sachets for gifts.  

 

Each muslin bag was stamped with hearts on the front and back. Then, I filled the bags with dried lavender. I used a tapestry needle to attach the felted balls to the strings of the bags. They turned out really cute and smelled heavenly!

 

Then, I wrapped them up in a pillow box, tied with satin ribbon and attached my own personalized sticker. 

 

I think the gifts were a hit! I love to make stuff, and I think it's even more fun to give the gift when a friend isn't expecting one. How did you spread the love this Valentines Day?

Making Tile Coasters

Good morning, friends! Last week, I had a friend over and while we drank coffee, nibbled treats and chit-chatted, we made some tile coasters! It was so much fun and so easy! I made several sets at once to save for gifts. So, I'm going to show you my easy as 1-2-3 step process:

Gather your materials:

4.5 inch square tiles from Home Depot- $0.16 each!

1 jar of Mod Podge- we used the matte finish- $6.99

1 Can of Krylon Sealer to spray over the finished coasters

1 Bottle 3in1 Glue by Beacon

Sponge Brush

Pretty Scrapbook Paper

Felt (for the bottom of the coaster)

First, I decided what paper I wanted to use. Then, I got into my felt stash. I have so much felt that I was able to match my paper to the felt. I cut all my paper in 4.25 inch squares and then used my paper as a guide to cut my felt squares.

Then, I glued my felt to the bottom of each tile. Use your 3in1 craft glue for this part. 

After your felt is glued to the bottom of your tile, you're ready to adhere your pretty paper. Apply a coat of Mod Podge on top and then lay your paper on to adhere it. Smooth it out with your fingers and then add another coat of Mod Podge to the top and edges.

Once the first layer of Mod Podge is dry, add another coat and then repeat. You should do at least 3 coats of Mod Podge.

When you're finished with your last coat of Mod Podge and it's good and dry, take all your tiles outside and line them up. I put mine on our deck. I placed them very close together and then sprayed the Krylon sealer on them. I went back and forth a few times to make sure that I got them all real good. 

The spray finisher dries very quickly, about 30 minutes. Once the tiles are dry, you can stack them and package them any way you like. This is how I did mine:

Simply tied with beautiful satin ribbon in a coordinating color. This set was done with the owl paper and moss satin ribbon from Paper-Source.
This project did take some time, but I also made 7 sets of 4 coasters. So, if you plan to make a bunch as gifts, set aside a full day and do the process with a friend or while you have a bunch of laundry going! ;)
Enjoy your day!

Handmade Gift Giving

This week has been quite productive. Since I got all my shopping done before the kids got out of school, it left me with a week of stress free baking and crafting! It has been so refreshing to actually make things that I want to make. I love to wrap beautiful gifts and tuck something handmade inside. It's not what you spend, but the thought.

So, are you wondering what's inside the pretty box? A set of handmade stationery for each of my girlfriends. I added their monogram to the top of each card and coordinated papers for a fabulous envelope liner. I made several sets and each of them are different, depending on the recipient.

All papers, boxes and envelopes came from Paper Source. I hope my girlfriends will love them! The best part? We don't exchange gifts... so they will really be surprised! Merry, Merry Handmade Holiday!