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Friday Favorites

December 17, 2010 1 Comment

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I just wanted to remind everyone who may come by today that I’m not a hosting a Friday Favorites Party this week!  Instead I invite you to link up to my Christmas Recipe Party.  The party will be open through the 22nd, and when you link up you’ll qualify for some great prizes!  Old and new posts are welcome, so get to linking up!
As for Friday Favorites, it will return next week, and I’ll be featuring some of the posts that were linked up here last week at that time.  Since it will be Christmas Eve, I don’t expect to get too many visitors, but I don’t want to skip 2 weeks in a row, so it will be here for anyone who wants to come by. 
Also, just as a heads up to everyone who was sweet enough to stop by today, I’ve got a really awesome Christmas giveaway coming next week!  It should be up on Monday or Tuesday if everything goes according to plan! And you’ll have a chance to win some great Baking Supplies for your kitchen worth over $100! Very exciting! 
Hope you have a lovely weekend!

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Filed Under: announcements, Friday Favorites

I’m Loving Christmas Projects! {Last Day of Holly Bloggy}

December 16, 2010 2 Comments

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Hey guys! If you came by today expecting to see my usual Friday Favorites Party, you won’t find it.  But it will be back next week!  Till then I invite you to link up a recipe to the Christmas Recipe Party that I hosted on Thursday for the Holly Bloggy.  (If you link up, there are some super prizes involved!)
And you can also link up your posts to the final Holly Bloggy Christmas party!  Today we are joining Cheryl at Tidy Mom for a Christmas edition of her I’m Lovin’ It Event.  At this party you can pretty much link up any kind of Christmas-related post you like.  Plus, there’s three more great giveaways, including a set of items from my very own etsy shop!
By the way, I’ve put up a special coupon code in my shop today in honor of the Holly Bloggy.  The code will be up through the weekend, and it will get you 15% off your order at my shop, Simply Sweet Creations.  Just use the code HOLLYBLOGGY15 at checkout!

Now for my post! I already bombarded my blog with posts this week, but I wanted to be sure and do a unique post for each party, so for my I’m Lovin’ It post, I’ve decided to link back to my other posts from this week and some other Christmas posts of mine, just in case you missed it!

For the Recipe Party I shared 3 of my favorite holiday treats.

I divided my home tour into 2 posts this year, one post for the Living Room Tour
And one post for the Kitchen Tour

For the craft party on Tuesday, I shared a tutorial for this very easy and inexpensive Christmas Wall Art that I made.

For the homemade gift party I showed how to make an easy no-sew Christmas Scarf.

Last week I shared my Mouse Tree, highlighting some of my favorite ornaments! 

I shared a fun, new way to make Monkey Bread for your holiday breakfasts and brunches!

What’s the Christmas Season without at least one Christmas Wreath post?
And of course, I shared this yummy (and easy) recipe that I invented for Chocolate Truffles.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Holly Bloggy Christmas Recipe Party

December 15, 2010 49 Comments
Thursday is Day 4 of Holly Bloggy Christmas, which means it’s time to share our Christmas Recipes! For me, one of the best things about the Christmas season is the food!  I always enjoy munching on my traditional favorites and finding new favorites as well!

For the last few years I’ve been making Christmas candy boxes for neighbors and close family members.  For my gift boxes, I always try to include 3 or 4 different things.  I always include my absolute favorite Chess Bars, and then I try to do some type of candy ball or cluster, and then some kind of cookie. 

Today I’ll be sharing recipes for the 3 treats that I gave away last year: Devil’s Food Cookies, Chess Bars, and Peanut Butter Krispy Balls. Hope you enjoy them!

Recipe for Devil’s Food Cookies:

Ingredients:
1 Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
candy sprinkles (optional)

Directions: Mix eggs, water, oil, and cake mix. Refrigerate dough for a few minutes to prevent it from sticking to your hands.  Roll into balls or cut with cookie cutter and place on greased cookie sheet or cookie a sheet lined with parchment paper. Place about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. (Makes 2 dozen round cookies)

Recipe for Chess Cake:

Ingredients:
For Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1 stick margarine (softened or melted)

For Icing:
8 oz cream cheese
1 stick margarine (softened or melted)
2 eggs
1 box powdered sugar

Directions:  For cake – Mix together the cake mix, eggs, and margarine. Press into a 9×13 inch pan. For icing, cream together cream cheese, margarine, eggs, and sugar. Pour over cake mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. (It should come out lightly browned and gooey.) Cut into squares and enjoy!

Recipe for Peanut Butter Crispy Balls:

Ingredients:
1 cup Light Karo syrup
1 1/2 cups White sugar
1 1/2 cups Peanut butter
5 cups cereal (Original recipe calls for Special K cereal, but I used a combination of Rice Krispies and Corn Flakes.)

Directions: Bring Karo syrup and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until dissolved. Slowly mix in cereal. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto waxed paper. Then mold into balls.
Tip – You can also spoon the mixture into a 9×13 dish if you prefer to serve these as bars.

And if you’d like to know what’s going in the boxes this year, check these out!

Easy Chocolate Truffles

Place these treats in cute box or bag, and you’ve got a yummy Christmas gift!

HOLLY BLOGGY GIVEAWAYS!
Lisa Leonard is known throughout the blogosphere for her beautiful, one-of-kind jewelry. You can choose something cute that fits your style from her inspired necklaces. Or you can create a custom piece of jewelry! Each piece is hand-cut, hammered, antiqued and is polished sterling silver. Beautiful!
Connect with Lisa Leonard on Facebook and Twitter.
Prize: $50 gift certificate

Twelve Crafts offers cute jewelry, flower pins, sachet pillows, and other fun gifts and accessories.  They come in bold, beautiful colors and designs that you just have to see! The owner of this shop, Elizabeth, also has a great blog where she shares her latest projects and tutorials.
Connect Twelve Crafts on Facebook and Twitter.
Prize:  Pretend and Play Chef Set
Hope Abound Boutique
Another cute etsy boutique!  If you like bows, you should definitely visit this shop.  Hope Abound offers lovely accessories from bows and clippies to brooches and pins.  These come in a variety of styles, colors, and materials, so you’re sure to find something you like! 
Connect with Hope Abound Facebook and Twitter
Prize: A Set Christmas Bows
How To Enter:
Bloggers: If you link up a project, you will automatically be entered for all the giveaways.  (For an additional entry, you may leave a comment saying that you linked up.)
Non-bloggers: If you DO NOT have a blog, you may still enter. Just visit one of the sponsors and leave a comment telling me something you like.
Additional Entries:
1 entry for EACH sponsor you follow on Facebook or Twitter. (Links provided above)
1 entry if you subscribe to my blog by email.
1 entry if you follow my blog.
1 entry if you follow SimplySweetHome on twitter.
1 entry if you like Simply Sweet Home on facebook.


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Linky Party! I can’t wait to see what kind of goodies your cooking up this holiday season! Please link up the url to your Christmas Recipes below! The linky and giveaway will be open for entries through December 22. And winners will be announced the week after Christmas.
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Filed Under: Christmas, cookies and candy, Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash, recipes

Christmas Kitchen Tour {Holly Bloggy Decor Party}

December 14, 2010 10 Comments
Here’s the continuation of my home tour for the Decor Party at Shabby Chic Cottage. 

By the way, don’t forget to stop back by my blog tomorrow for a Christmas Recipe Party!

For this part of the tour, we start with the fridge, which is topped off by my little kitchen tree. Last year it seemed to be everyone’s favorite thing in my home tour (and my fave too), so it makes a return this year!

I added some cards to the fridge just to give it some color.  And I bought the Christmas Countdown Sign at the Dollar Tree last year for 50% off.  I added some magnets with a little hot glue, and it was perfect for the fridge.

This is one of my favorite displays for this year.  I had the cake place and the balls in cups last year.  Then I got the rainbow at the Dollar Tree (again for 50% off).  I had no idea what I’d do with the rainbow tree, until I found these adorable cupcake ornaments at K-Mart a couple of weeks ago.
 I used this rainbow garland above all the cabinets in the kitchen.

A bunch of different plates, figurines, etc. always seem to find there way on the counter this time of year.

The Christmas Tree Plate is one of my favorite pieces.  Hubby bought it for me from Cracker Barrel. 

The tour wouldn’t be complete without a picture of my Mouse Tree! 

And here’s the dining rom table.  It’s the same tablecloth from last year, but the I added a bunch of stuff to the center.

More balls in cups and cone trees!  And if you check out my Christmas Craft post from yesterday you can see how I created the sign.

And that’s it for the kitchen.  If you haven’t seen the living room tour, please check that out too.  And don’t forget to come back here tomorrow for the Christmas Recipe Party!

Also, linking up at these parties.

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Filed Under: Christmas, decorating, Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash

Christmas Living Room Tour {Holly Bloggy Decor Party}

December 14, 2010 3 Comments


Wednesday is Day 3 of the Holly Bloggy Event, and we’re sharing decorations and Home Tours.  Be sure to go over to The Shabby Chic Cottage to share yours!  Also, come back here to Simply Sweet Home tomorrow for a Christmas Recipe Party!

I had a lot of stuff I wanted to share for this year, so I’ve actually decided to divide my tour up into two posts.  There will be one for the living room and one for the kitchen/dining room.

First I wanted to share this cute Teddy Bear set.  I got these at Hallmark a few years ago but I’ve never actually gotten them out till now. They were made to commemorate the100th birthday of the teddy bear.  
These are more Hallmark creations.  I put these near our front door so they can give our guests a warm welcome.

Cone trees and a Christmas Flower Arrangement! (Try to ignore the stereo.  It doesn’t really go with anything in the room, let alone with the Christmas stuff, but it’s kind of hard to hide. lol.)

If you visit regularly, you’ve already seen this wreath.  I have it hanging on the door of our coat closet. 

I always hang our stockings on my “treasure cabinet.”
Happily I got 2 new cat stockings on sale last year after Christmas at Cracker Barrel. I also got the candy canes for half price at Dollar Tree!

One of my favorite things as of late is the fabric I used to cover the coffee table.

Back to the “treasure cabinet.”   I decided to share my Rudolph figurines.  This is my third year to do a home tour on my blog, and I don’t think I’ve ever shared them.  My best friend from elementary to high school bought me these several years ago because it was always one of my favorite movies!

Last in this room is the snow buddies and snowman candle set. 

I especially love this candle set. I always love blue and silver together!

Please check out my Kitchen Tour—coming up next!

Don’t forget to link up your decor at The Shabby Chic Cottage. I’m also linking up at parties.

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Filed Under: Christmas, decorating, Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash

Christmas Wall Art {Holly Bloggy Christmas Crafts}

December 14, 2010 7 Comments

Today we are sharing Christmas Crafts for the Holly Bloggy Christmas. You can link up your project with Nicholette and Vanessa at Craft Envy.

I think you’ll find my project very interesting. I had created this really cute Christmas display in my kitchen, but unfortunately it was set right in front of this apple sign, which as cute as it is, has nothing to do with Christmas. I didn’t really want to take it down, and I didn’t have anything I could replace it with either. So I got to thinking of ways that I could cover it up temporarily during the Christmas season. (After all, how can I share my cute Christmas display with my bloggy friends if there’s a picture behind it that doesn’t even match. Haha!)
So after going through a few ideas in my head, I came up with this idea that resulted in the piece of art that you see here. In my tutorial, you’ll see how I created this temporary piece of art with my favorite office supply (tape), but I’ll also give you some instructions to help you create a more permanent (and I would also say, a bit more conventional) piece of Christmas art!

What You Need:
Wall Art, Sign, or Picture Frame
Fabric or scrapbook paper
Ribbon
Christmas Balls
Garland
Scissors
Glue, tape, and/or hot glue
Wire & wire cutters (optional)
Step 1 – Find a piece of art to cover. This may be something that’s already in your house, which you will cover temporarily. Or you can find something to cover permanently. A picture frame or old piece of art that you don’t want would be great. And you can always find something cheap to use from the thrift store. It doesn’t matter what it looks like because you are going to cover it anyway.

Step 2 – Measure your fabric or scrapbook paper to fit the center of your frame or piece of art. Then attach it to the piece of art. Use mod podge or glue stick to create a permanent piece of art or use tape to create something temporary.

Step 3 – Next add your garland. For my particular piece, I put the garland around the brown vine on my sign. To attach it to the vine, it used little pieces of wire and tied it around the garland and the vine. But more than likely you’re piece will not have this vine. So your best option would be to use hot glue to bond the garland to the frame itself. (But if you’re like me and don’t want to permanently alter your piece of art, I’d suggest skipping this)

Step 4 – Cut out some ribbon. This will be used to hang the balls on your piece of art. You’ll need to cut them in varying lengths. You’ll want some of the balls to hang near the middle, while some will be higher, and others will be lower. Use your piece of art to get a good idea of what sizes you need.
Step 5 – Now loop the ribbons through the balls. To attach them you can either tie a small knot or you can use hot glue or tape to affix the ribbon to itself once it is looped through.

Step 6 – Attach the balls to your piece of art. Again for my temporary piece, I simply used tape to attach the ribbon to the frame. And I was able to place it in such a way that you can’t even tell that it’s taped. But if you want something permanent, you should attach the ribbons with hot glue.

Now you should have a fun piece of Christmas wall art that you can use year after year (or just for this year)!
I’m also linking up to these weekly parties.

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Filed Under: Christmas, crafts, decorating, Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash

Christmas Scarf Project {Holly Bloggy Homemade Gifts}

December 13, 2010 3 Comments

Monday is the first day of the Holly Bloggy Christmas. The first event is the Homemade Gifts party being hosted by Jen at tater tots and jello. 

For my homemade gift, I decided to share a fun scarf-upcyle project!  I just happened to have 3 red scarves in my possession, and I decided to transform one of them into a Christmas themed scarf.  Of course, I don’t recommend that you give your old scarves away to your friends!  But if you like to make homemade gifts you could easily buy a plain scarf or some fabric and do this project!

(By the way, if you came by to see my weekly recipe, it’s been postponed this week. Please come back on Thursday to see it and link up for the Christmas Recipe party.)

What you’ll need:
Scarf (or scarf-like fabric)
A piece of Christmas Themed Fabric
Scissors
Mod Podge and/or Hot Glue Gun
Buttons (or other embellishments)

Directions:

Step 1 – Get your scarf ready.  If you don’t have a scarf, I’d suggest getting one from a store like Ross, Marshall’s, or Burkes.  They usually have nice clothes and accessories for cheap!  You may also try Walmart or perhaps even the dollar store. 
Alternatively you could buy a piece of fabric from Walmart or the craft store.  (The scarf in these pictures measures 12 inches by 63 inches, but if you were making it for a small child, you make it about half that length.)  After cutting your fabric just cut some fringe on each end.  The fringe on my scarf is 3 inches.
Step 2 – Take your Christmas themed fabric and cut out the shapes that you’d like to have on your scarf.  This will be the dominating image for the scarf.  In order for the shapes to show up good from a distance you need to cut out shapes that are 3 inches tall or more.  Depending on the size of the images, I would cut anywhere from one to four images out for each side of your scarf (2 to 8 images total). 
As you can see I didn’t cut the images out so they’d be absolutely identical.  For one thing, I’m a terrible cutter, and I knew I’d drive myself crazy trying to get them exactly the same.  And secondly I thought it would give the scarf a little more character if they were a little different.
After you’ve cut out the big images arrange them on your scarf.  Then attach them using either mod podge or some hot glue.

Step 3 – Add Embellisments.  I love buttons, so I added 4 coordinating buttons to the scarf, two for each side.  And I just added these with hot glue, no sewing needed!  You could also glue on beads, jewels, or pom poms.  Or if you’re fabric has some smaller images on it, you could cut these out and add them as well.
Step 4 – Finally just wear it and enjoy.  Or wrap it up and place it under the tree!

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I’m also linking up at these parties.

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Filed Under: Christmas, crafts, Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash

Retro Yoohoo & Friends Review & Giveaway

December 12, 2010 45 Comments
This week I’m bringing you our third holiday gift giveaway from Aurora World.  You may remember the Yoohoo & Friends giveaway I had on my blog last spring.  Well, now I’d like to present these Retro Yoohoos!
These little are guys very cute. They are around the same size as the original Yoohoos. (You can get them in the 5 inch or 8 inch size.)  And they feature the same brightly colored fur, big eyes, poofy tails, and fun sound effects.
But unlike the Original Yoohoos, these guys are dressed up for a funky night out on the town.  Just imagine your favorite character from Saturday Night Fever or Footloose transforming into a cute and cuddly stuffed animal. (Sounds fun, huh?)

I think kids will love these. For some reason kids always seem to like retro stuff.  And the Aurora company has created a Retro Yoohoo to fit anyone’s taste, from Pammee Pop Singer to Lemmee Punk Rocker.
For my review I received Yoohoo 60’s British Rocker and Lemmee Disco Dancer.  Both of these are simply adorable.  You can look at them immediately and tell exactly what they’re suppose to be.  It’s definitely a very unique twist on the original Yoohoo & Friends.  My favorite thing about them is their big eyes and poofy striped tails. It just makes them so cute!
I think these would even be a good gift for the young at heart.  If you know an adult who loves stuffed animals and also grew up loving the Beatles, why not get them the 60’s British Rocker Yoohoo?  Or how about theYoohoo 80’s Dancer for your 80s kid?
Buy it! You can purchase your Retro Yoohoos online at Aurora World.
Connect! Became a fan of Yoohoo & Friends on Facebook or follow @yohoofriends on Twitter.

Win it! One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a Retro Yoohoo & Friends Toy.
Giveaway closed. Congrats to Liza at Giveaway Blogs to Win!
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Filed Under: Giveaways, product review

Friday Favorites – Week 42

December 9, 2010 8 Comments

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Hey guys! Thanks for stopping by for week 42! Just as a reminder, we are having Holly Bloggy Christmas events all week next week! You’ll find some fun Christmas themed linky parties and giveaways being hosted by myself and 4 other fantastic bloggers.
The Christmas Recipe Party will be held here at Simply Sweet Home next Thursday (linky will actually go up on Wednesday night), and I hope that you will all attend! Not only will you get a chance to share your own recipes and see what everyone else is cooking up, but I’ll also be sharing a few of my favorite Christmas treats with you, and I’ll be giving prizes away from Lisa Leonard Designs , Twelve Crafts, and Hope Abound Boutique! Plus, the following week, I’ll be featuring some of my favorite stuff from all the linky parties! It will be some super fun, so I hope to see you here next week, a day early!
Also, with the Holly Bloggy going on next week, I’ve decided to skip Friday Favorites for next week.  I was going to run it anyway and just host 2 parties next week, but after giving it a second thought, I’ve decided that the Friday Favorites party might take traffic away from the Christmas Recipe party or even confuse a new visitor that comes by for the recipe party.  (By the way, if you’ve got a super cool post that you’re linking up this week, never fear….I’ll still be choosing some posts linked up this week to feature.  I’ll just feature them when Friday Favorites returns the week after next!)

Now check out this week’s featured bloggers!

Peace Wreath from In His Grip
Snowflake Frame from Sassy Style Interior Redesign
Book Page Wreath from Just a Happy Housewife
Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Pie from Find Your Happiness
Red & Reindeers Table Setting from The Tablescaper

I’m looking forward to seeing your posts from this week!  Link up your post urls below! Please include my button or a link to my site somewhere in your post or on your blog so that your readers may find this party. Thanks!

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Filed Under: Friday Favorites

A Mousey Tree

December 8, 2010 21 Comments
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is decorating the Christmas tree.  And now I get to add to that tradition by sharing my tree with you each year!  Originally when I started collecting ornaments I intended to have a mouse themed tree.  (For some reason, a glass or plastic mouse on a box of candy, an ice cream soda, or a stack of postage stamps just thrills my soul!) 
But if you check out my former tree posts, you’ll notice that other ornaments have made their way onto the tree each year.  But not this time! When I decorated the tree over the weekend, I included nothing but mice ornaments!
These little guys, combined with some brightly colored rainbow garland, colored lights, picks, and a brand new multicolored star topper, make for a very fun and festive tree!  

Each year I like to share some of my favorite ornaments:

I just love this “World’s Greast Crafter” ornament, featuring a mouse and his craft supplies!

These teapot mice are just adorable.  The teabags read: “You and me – the perfect blend,” and “Heart to heart and Hand to friend.”

This mousey sits on top of what’s suppose to be a jar of layered cookie ingredients.

This “Christmas Together” ornament features a mousey couple sip an icecream soda with two straws.

This is actually first time to use this Hallmark mouse from 2001.  I don’t know why.  You know I love cookies! And he’s such a cutie!

Rebel loves to sit under the tree.  I’ll give you three guesses why!

This has got to be one of my favorite Dixie Belle pictures!  She loves sleeping under the covers, and the Christmas tree skirt makes for a great hiding place!

I’m linking this post up to my weekly linky parties and the Christmas Tree Party at Thrifty Decor Chick.

Hosting a Christmas Tree or Christmas Decor party?  Let me know about it in the comments, and I’ll come link up with you too!

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Filed Under: Christmas
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