Peppermint Tiered Serving Tray!

 I received this Three Tiered Peppermint Server from Oriental Trading Company in exchange for this review. I've always loved and bought kids party supplies, movelties and toys from them... but hadn't considered them for quality "long lasting" party supplies.  This tray is ceramic! It's sturdy and screws together, and apart  for easy cleaning and storage. I love that touch of whimsy it gave my party!  It's the perfect size for cookies, cupcakes, rolls...or, like we've been using it as a festive fruit bowl! Check out Oriental Trading Company, they really have everything you need for the perfect party... and what you need for Christmas and New Year's! All orders $49 and up ship free! This post published on Doodlecraft first

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Gratitude turns what we have into enough. It's easy to let the excitement of the Christmas  holiday keep us busy! Like, busier than the rest of the year combined, busy!   Take some time to be thankful, Think of others  and spend time with loved ones.   "Time is your most precious gift  because you only have a set amount of it.  You can make more money,  but you can't make more time.  When you give someone your time,  you are giving them a portion of your  life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life.  That is why the greatest gift you can  give someone is your time. It is not enough to just say relationships  are important; we must prove it by investing  time in them. Words alone are worthless.  "My children, our love should not be  just words and talk; it must be true love,  which shows itself in action."  Relationships take time and effort,  and the best way to spell love

Jingle all the Way Vinyl Sign!

 Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you are enjoying some family, food and fun time. Jingle all the Way Vinyl Sign! You wont need much to get started with the Silhouette Cameo. Paper is good start. My favorite medium is vinyl. It's easy to work with and adhesive,  so it makes application a breeze.  I had my cameo cut some gold vinyl. For vinyl cutting you don't need to use the mat! It just feeds into the machine and can cut huge lengths at a time! (perfect for wall art) I used some transfer tape on the vinyl...  To apply to the leaf green painted board... After peeling off the transfer tape, I  added some white vinyl that reads Jingle all the way!  Done! Took me less than 20 minutes!  Perfect for Holiday decor!   Let's talk Silhouette for real.   My love for Silhouette happened back in the days of the SD. Which is similar in size to the Portrait. I bought one for under $200 and loved it. Then the Cameo was released...right

Thanksgiving Fun!

  We love Thanksgiving! The first thanksgiving that my hubby and I were married we  wrote/composed a wonderful Thanksgiving song. We sing it every year, complete with actions...which are just silly hand gestures! Everyone in the family either loves it or despises it...but can't wait to hear it! The kids love it too--they loved it when they didn't even know the words. Here are my 2 oldest...looking like slobs, but having a great time singing it! It's a typical home video...baby crying in the background and mom prompting kids along...ahh, the olden days. Here's the totally in depth lyrics: Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, there's turkey all around Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, a gobbler on the ground. Hail to the happy chopping block, brings us all a feast. Stuff the bread inside the beast, eat creamed corn! Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, the pumpkin pie is round Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, whipped topping all around. Just about sums up Thanksgiving righ

Homemade Hot Chocolate Cocoa Mix!

 Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix. Perfect Hot Cocoa for cold mornings... or a great neighbor gift idea! Ingredients: 3 cups nonfat dry milk powder 2 cups powdered sugar 1½ cups cocoa powder  Stir or sift ingredients together.  Once mixed, store in an airtight container. Easy peasy! Great gift idea too! Oriental Trading Company has these  short plastic jars that are FOOD SAFE! They have much taller ones too! And would be perfect for a layered Hot cocoa gift! Add marshmallows, sprinkles or even some crushed candy canes! The jars are flexible plastic, not super rigid...like a soda bottle. Bear this in mind. My original plan was to fill these jars with things and mail them as is with the label taped to the jar. I am not sure they would survive the mailing process... so instead, I boxed them prior to shipping. I was given jars free of charge for my honest review. They ended up being larger than I expected...so always read the  measurements before or

Peanut Butter KISSES® Cookies!

This post brought to you by CVS . All opinions are 100% mine.  Do you have a recipe that just SCREAMS the Holidays to you? For me, it's these peanut butter Kisses Cookies. I loved them when I was little...they remind me of my grandma. They are the perfect cookie that both my hubby and I can agree on. He loves Salty Peanut cookies...and I need chocolate. Here they blend in perfect harmony!  (speaking of blend...my new mixer I won!) Just mix: 1/2 cube...or 1/4 cup of butter 1/2 cup of peanut butter 1/4 cup of peanuts (optional, but oh so yummy!) 1/2 cup of brown sugar 1/2 cup of white sugar 1 egg 1 Tablespoon of vanilla 2 Tablespoons of milk 1 teaspoon of baking soda 1/2 teaspoon of salt 2 cups of flour   Roll out into balls on a cookie sheet. Bake them at 375* for 8 minutes.

Terrarium in a Bottle Necklace!

 This was so simple to make and looks adorable! Uses the same bottle charms as these TARDIS necklaces.  This is a perfect little reminder of life...of Spring or Summer! Perfect for cold winter days...  You will need:   Bottle with cork charms mine are from Oriental Trading Company ($6.50 for 6) Sheet moss or ground cover (I found some ground cover at an apartment complex and took a bunch) Different sizes of sand, pebbles, and rocks. I used tiny polished or river washed stones. (all found in the road or yard) You'll also want some tweezers that can  fit down into the bottle.  Open your jar and layer it like a trifle. Add the finest grains of sand first. Then add in the smaller pebbles.  Add your larger rocks around the edge of the bottle. Leaving a small opening for a tuft of ground cover. Use your tweezers to set a tuft inside.  Then use the tweezers to nuzzle the rocks around the tuft of moss. This will hold it in place and look like the pla