EAST COAST ROCKS!!

So I'm part of an AWESOME group of party lovers at Children's Party Network and we recently wrapped up a challenge to benefit Project Night Night, a sweet charity that donates books, stuffed animals, and blankies to homeless children. It was the East Coast vs the West Coast, and we split up in teams to design tablescapes to raffle off to benefit PNN. Our theme was black & white with some colorful comics thrown in. I was SPEECHLESS when I saw the finished setup from the East Coast ladies .....

I provided the pouches of confetti. I was excited just to be a part of this!

SO many great details ... where to start?!

didn't Kristy do a fabulous job getting this all put together?!



Go HERE to place your vote & check out more pics, and also to check out the adorable submission by the West Coast team!

Easy Peasy Holiday Craft

As soon as I spotted this crafty creation on AllYou it immediately got my attention. Looks pretty simple to make ... possibly time consuming, but it definitely would be worth it for me. All you need is a mirror, some paint, ornaments, a glue gun, masking tape, and a drop cloth.

.... I wonder how heavy this baby is?

Gifts in a Jar

image from Flickr.

Looking to save some money, but still send gifts the recipient will love? Consider putting together a Gift in A Jar. They're inexpensive, easy enough to make that even the little members of the family can be involved, and they're something that most, if not all, recipients will use! Just add the ingredients in a mason jar, and tie a card with the baking instructions onto the jar.

Squawkfox has an awesome recipe for Smores in a Jar.
Ingredients:
Layer in a large wide mouthed 1 quart mason jar:

•1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (one sleeve of crackers, crushed)
•1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows.
◦•1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or mini Hershey Kisses or M&M’s
•1/3 cup brown sugar

Combine all items (reserve marshmallows) in the jar with a 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 tsp vanilla. Press mixture into a 9in baking pan and cover with marshmallows. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, let cool completely, and then cut into bars.

Also, found over at Squawkbox: a recipe for chocolate chip muffins:
This recipe makes a single batch of muffins.

Ingredients:
Layer in a large wide mouthed 1 quart mason jar:

•1/3 cup sugar
•2 cups all-purpose flour
•1 teaspoon salt
•2 teaspoons baking powder
•1 cup chocolate chips, or substitute raisins, dried cranberries, or nut.
Combine sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder. Place in quart mason jar. Add chocolate chips.

Mix 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 egg in a bowl. Gently mix in the ingredients from the jar, then spoon the mixture into muffin pans. Bake for 20-25 mins.


Hot Chocolate in a Jar is a pretty popular choice, here's something with a little extra spice, found here.

Cinnamon Hot Chocolate Jar Mix Recipe

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups nonfat milk powder
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup nondairy creamer
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup miniature marshmallows
optional: 2 or 3 cinnamon sticks to decorate the jar
You will also need 3/4 cup of hot milk.

In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together milk powder, sugar, cocoa, creamer and cinnamon. Gently stir in marshmallows. Pour Cinnamon Hot Chocolate Mix into an airtight jar. Can be stored in a cool, dry place for about three months.


Chicken noodle soup in a jar? Pefect for this time of year. Also found at Squawkbox.
This recipe makes a pot of soup.

Ingredients:
Layer in a 1/2 quart (2 cup) glass jar:

•1/4 cup of red lentils
•2 tbsp dried onion flakes
•1 1/2 tbsp chicken bouillon granules
•1/2 tsp dried dill weed or dill seed
•1/8 tsp each celery seed and garlic powder
•1 cup medium egg noodles
•1 bay leaf
In a 2 cup glass jar, layer from bottom in the order listed above.

In a saucepan, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Stir in soup mix from jar. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf and stir in 1.5 cups of mixed vegetables, and 2 cups of cooked, diced chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Hope the ideas above gave you a little inspiration? Kitchenlink has a HUGE list of recipes and ideas for Gifts in a Jar. Go check it out!

LOVE this time of year!

I love almost everything about this year - holiday music, holiday parties, continuing family traditions, all the great sales .... lol. I think the only thing I dont love about this time of year is the weather. I hate waking up to frozen windshields and icy roads! But I digress - I wanted to do a couple of posts this month relating to my favorite things about the holidays. Lets start with Christmas tree ornaments. I scoured the internet to find some of the ornaments I'd love to have hanging from my tree!

No longer will you only find these creatures under the sea! Find them at Pier1

Oh NO SHE DIDNT complain about the weather and then choose a sno-cone?!

Lol yep I did. & I'll take one of these!

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE video games? Well, mainly Super Mario. Check this guy out. On sale at Amazon for $14.99.

I love ANYTHING Sex and The City. On sale here for $49.99 for the set of 4.

Have yourself ... a Couture Christmas! Love the bling!

Is there any other word for this ornament besides .... YUM?

Ok I'm done. Maybe next I'll tackle the stockings!