Crafts, gifts and a whole lot of love
I really love the artisanal or rustic loaves with the crunchy tops and the flour-dusted bottoms. These loaves tend to be a bit more (ok a LOT more) dense than the Wonder White Bread you find in the grocery store, but they are SO good. Plus, they make for really tasty sandwiches along side a bowl of piping hot soup. YUM
I’ve been making these easy breakfast-in-a-bowl meals for a while now and still think they’re genius. Who likes a lot of fuss in the morning? Not me, that’s for darned sure. The only thing I really want to worry about when I get up in the morning is whether my favorite coffee mug is clean and there’s coffee ready. This working from home thing has its perks, but I’ve also lost some of my prior enthusiasm for getting up early and seizing the day. Heck there are days when the cup of coffee in my hands is the only thing keeping me moving toward my office chair. Enter the easiest hot breakfast you will ever make.
Hello everyone! It’s officially November and before we know it, holiday shopping will begin in earnest. Are you ready? Are you a last-minute “there’s plenty of time” shopper who scours the aisles just days before Christmas or are you a list-maker with a closet full of gifts just waiting to be wrapped? Maybe you’re somewhere in the middle?
Me, I’m a list maker. I am also guilty of picking up gifts or components for gifts well ahead of the holidays because they fit in with my big ol’ master plan. I am also guilty of changing my mind at the last minute and going off in a completely different direction. Ah well.. Such is the life of the planner. LOL
I know it seems early for this sort of thing, but really, if you ARE a planner, this is probably pretty timely. If you’d rather put things off for a bit, that’s ok too. This post will be here for whenever you are ready! If you’re still with me, I have a few ideas for you that I think you might like and I promise they really don’t take a ton of time to assemble. I’ve curated all of these ideas from Pinterest, which as I am sure you are aware, is both a fountain of ideas, and a huge rabbit hole. I figure if I am going to get lost for hours somewhere, I should at least have something to show for it, so I am pointing you toward a few ideas that I think are pretty easy to do. The three I am featuring here are all from one fantastic site called One Good Thing. Jillee has some of the cutest ideas and they’re easy to do. Finally if you want to visit my Giftacular Ideas Pinterest board, there are lots of other ideas saved there.
So, let’s get started shall we? Of course, to begin you need something to put your goodies in, but the good news is that you can use lots of different things. Some you may even have on hand already. Any of these ideas will work in baskets, small wooden crates like these that you can find at Michael’s (Here’s a tip for ya, use a coupon!) or, like the photos show, a big glass jar. You can get the ones that look just like the ones pictured below at Target, and I’m sure other places carry them as well.
Oh, I am so glad you asked! These ideas are perfect for any of the following:
I love this idea and I used it a couple of years ago for my daughter in law. She’s quite the clever baker so I thought she would enjoy a jar full of cookie makings supplies. I kept the cookie mixes to the dry varieties because I didn’t want to have to refrigerate the jar. Keep that in mind if you try this one. Jillee shows the refrigerated kind of cookie dough in hers. I also tied a cookie cutter to the ribbon I used around the neck of the jar and added a couple of others inside along with the sprinkles, a couple different rubber scrapers and the cookie mixes. You can also add in a cute kitchen towel, a pair of oven mitts, an apron or anything else that your baker would like.
This would also be a fun idea for teens or fledgling bakers. Give them the supplies and then schedule a day to get together with them and teach them the ropes!
I really love this one because I have a LOT of guys on my list and they are the absolute worst to shop for. No amount of begging, pleading, bribing or cajoling will get them to make a wish list and then their enthusiasm is somewhere between lukewarm and I really don’t care. Grrrr. I figure I can’t really go wrong with this sort of idea.
This one is made up mostly of snack items and beverages. If you can lay your hands on some authentic glass bottle coca-cola you can dial in on a little nostalgia while you are at it. Pair your bevvies with some beef jerky, chips, dip and maybe some microwave popcorn and you’re set. Heck, toss in a DVD too while you are at it! If your target recipient is 21 or older, swap out the soft drinks for a couple bottles of fancy beer instead. Ta da! No more grumbling from the man cave!
Ok, really, who wouldn’t love this one?
Ice cream for many is a year-round treat. Even up here in the frozen tundra that we like to call home, so this jar of goodness seems like it would be a sure-fire winner and if you want to add in some extra special toppings consider including these oh-so-yummy sauces from Ghirardelli or tuck in a few alcoholic ice cream topping recipes from Yummily. Yum.
Other ideas include paper ice cream bowls like these cute Christmassy ones from Hobby Lobby. Those appeal to me because those ready-made cones are kind of fra-geee-laaay, and the cups aren’t. Of course you will want to include various types of sprinkles (extra points if you put them in the fancy tins) , chopped nuts (as long as allergies aren’t a concern) and a can of Whipped Cream. The recipient will have to supply the ice cream, but other than that they’ll be set.
Still looking for more ideas? Well, as I mentioned earlier I have saved to my Giftacular Ideas Pinterest Board a boatload of other ideas for gift giving and of course be sure to check out all the other fantastic ideas over at One Good Thing too.
I hope you’ve found some inspiration here today. I am now off to compile my lists. It’s what I do… *wink* Catch ya later!
These midi-zip pouches are about the same size as a quart-sized zip-loc bag so they’re just the right size for your overnight bag, school back pack or desk drawer. Tuck your personal items, makeup, hair scrunchies or whatever else you need inside, zip and go.
At the time that I was searching for this recipe I had company coming for the weekend and I wanted something special. I was also in search of something I could make that would solve the age-old issue of getting my entire breakfast on the table at one time.
I know what you are thinking. I can almost see the eye roll. Because, why would I be talking about Christmas when we haven’t even made it past Halloween yet? Those who know me, know that this sort of thing usually bugs the heck out of me, but here’s the deal. I am not a fan of Halloween. Autumn, falling leaves, golden yellows, rusty oranges and vibrant reds, pumpkins, Pumpkin Spice? Heck Yeah! I LOVE all that stuff, but Halloween. Not so much. My goal every Oct 31 is to squirrel myself away in my craft studio with a Hallmark movie and an evening of creativity. Occasionally, the hubby and I go out for dinner and a movie. See where I am going with this? I would just as soon skip All Hallow’s Eve in favor of Autumn. Just Autumn in all it’s glory and that means I have a Thanksgiving table to decorate, a family meal to plan and make and, time with my hubby, kids and friends.
Right on the heels of Thanksgiving is the Holiday Season and I love that too. Maybe even more than Autumn. Our tree generally goes up the weekend of Thanksgiving or the weekend after and from that point on, I’m on a mission to transform the rest of the house for the holidays. This is also the time when I tuck away the autumn scented candles (which, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, will be departing the store on November 30th) and pull out the Winter scents. See what I did there? This is my not-so-subtle segue into the point of this post.
Sooooo, before you read any further…
Hop over to the candle section of my shop and grab your Autumn candles now before they go away for the season. Autumn, November Morning, Oh My Gourd and Orchard Spice will only be available until November 30th. Go ahead. I’ll wait. *wink*
Oh Yay, you’re back! Well, I am thrilled to announce that I have four, count ’em four, new Winter and Holiday scents hitting the store this week and I bet you can’t pick just one. From clean fresh pine, juniper, and eucalyptus to more complex cinnamon, orange, pine and fir, you can’t go wrong. Of course I have my favorites, but there’s something here for everyone. Keep reading for some early details on each of the four new scents coming this week.
Christmas Eve
You know that scent of cinnamon, ginger, orange and fresh cut fir in the living room that heralds the Christmas season? That’s Christmas Eve and it’s one of my absolute favorites. The slightly heady scents that this candle offer will have your house smelling fabulous, and will leave family and friends dreaming of sugarplums. Light it in the morning and bring the holidays home.
Fuzzy Mittens
One of the best things about welcoming the Winter season is that I get to pull out all my softest sweaters, warm slippers and the woolen mittens I have stashed away in the closet. We tend to bundle up here in the frozen North when the snow flies but that just means we’re surrounded but all those lovely textures. Fuzzy Mittens will make you think about fresh, frosty mornings, sledding and warm nights by the fire. The overall scent of this candle is cool and clean with hints of fir, cypress, black amber, plum and cinnamon. Welcome the season and may it be bright with cheer.
Ski Chalet
Imagine a fresh blanket of snow in a forest of pine, blue spruce and white birch. Now strap on your skis and take a morning run over that field of pristine white and before you head back up to the Ski Chalet for a hot toddy, breathe deep. Ski Chalet offers a cool, crisp and fresh blend of all of the best scents of Winter. It’s sure to be a favorite well beyond the holiday season.
Snowfall
Maybe this one should have been named Sugarplum Fairies. Snowfall is a delightful mix of traditional Winter pine, Douglas fir, spruce and eucalyptus with the semi-sweet addition of sweet raspberry and mandarin. I love it for snow days and the weekend when the only things on my agenda are which book I’m going to read, which fuzzy blanket I’m going to curl up under and making sure my cup of cocoa stays full and warm. Like Ski Chalet, you’ll be burning this one beyond the holidays. Curl up and enjoy.
Aaaaand, that’s a wrap folks! The new holiday scents will be available in the store later this week, so be sure to stop back. I’ll also have another great recipe to share with you. This one is an incredibly delicious recipe for Peaches & Cream French toast. Sounds yummy right? Yeah, I’m already drooling.
Catch ya later and be sure to snap up some of those Autumn scented candles before you go.
When I was a kid, my mom worked out of our house. She had her own drapery business in the basement and did a pretty brisk business honestly. She did jobs for Ethan Allen Home Galleries in Fargo when their usual crew couldn’t handle all […]
If you have some paperclips, ribbon, buttons and a hot glue gun lying around, gather them and the kiddos for a easy and fun project that’s perfect for back to school!
We’re starting to see more and more cooler evenings and early mornings these days which means Autumn weather and chili season are here. Yay! I love all things Fall. I’m probably repeating myself telling you that, but bear with me. What’s not to love about all the glorious Autumn colors and the fresh nip in the air? I know, I know, Father Winter is just waiting to poke his nose into our business, but until he does, why not enjoy this beautiful season?
For me, that means a big pot of chili, some cornbread and my fuzzy socks and thanks to my mother, I have the easiest chili recipe ever to share with you. It’s quick to toss together, can be adjusted as needed for heat level, pairs well with cornbread or sourdough and tastes even better the next day. You can’t beat that folks! Especially if you are at the end of the week and your wit’s end for ideas or have a bunch of hungry guys coming over to watch the football game. Are ya with me?
If you want to give it a try, hop on over to the recipe box for the recipe and snag a copy, and, as always, have a fantastic weekend!
Since I had a fair amount of time on my hands, I spent some of it working on new stuff for my store and today I am happy to report I’ve got a really cute zippered bag to share with you. I styled it after the traditional Dopp kit so it has a nice boxy shape to it and it’s big enough at 8 x 6.75 x 6.75 inches to hold any number of things – toiletries, small toys for the littles to play with in the car, etc. I’m offering it in two fabric options right now with two more coming soon. Check them out in the store!