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Holly Bloggy Christmas – Next Week!

December 8, 2010 2 Comments
hollybloggylarge

Get your Christmas posts ready!

The Holly Bloggy Christmas is next week!

It’s 5 days of Christmas linky parties and prizes!

Check out the schedule and join the fun!

Monday, Dec. 13 – Homemade Gifts – The best Christmas gifts come from the heart. Whether you sew, bake, paint, or glue, a homemade gift is always unique and special! Come join Jen at tater tots and jello and share your homemade gifts.

Tuesday, Dec. 14 – Christmas Crafts – Christmas is a wonderful time for crafty people to show off their skills. Do you make your own Christmas decorations? Ornaments? Cards? Something else? Come and show off your crafts with Nicholette and Vanessa at Craft Envy.
Giveaways: Up to My Knees in Crafts, Scrapbook Circle, Pure Sugar

Wednesday, Dec. 15 – Christmas Decor – It’s so amazing to see everyone’s unique decorating styles, especially at Christmas time. And we can’t wait to see yours! Share your Decked Halls, Christmas Trees, Mantels, Home Tours and more with Gina over at The Shabby Chic Cottage.

Thursday, Dec. 16 – Christmas Recipes – Food and the Holidays go hand in hand. Come and share your favorite Christmas recipes with Jerri over at Simply Sweet Home. Whether it’s an appetizer, a dessert, or the main course, I’m sure we’ll all be hungry for seconds!
Friday, Dec. 17 – I’m Lovin’ It – Cheryl at Tidy Mom will host a Christmas edition of her I’m Lovin’ It event. Share anything from a product, to a recipe, a picture you took, a project, or even your children or family…..really anything Christmas-related that you are loving right now!
Hope you’ll join us for a week of fun, friends, and a cup of good cheer!

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Filed Under: Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash

Aurora Cheeky Charlie & Carmen Review & Giveaway

December 7, 2010 43 Comments

As promised, here’s another fun holiday review & giveaway from our friends at Aurora.  This week I’m sharing the adorable Cheeky Charlie and Carmen line with you!
As you probably guessed already, Cheeky Charlie and Carmen are monkeys! These guys are of the same high quality that I’ve come to expect from Aurora World.  And like other Aurora collections, they come in a variety of sizes and styles.  They are a very soft and cuddly plush toy, and they come in bold, beautiful colors.
So what sets Cheeky Charlie & Carmen apart from other toy monkeys you may find.  Again, these are some really adorable monkeys, from their cute little eyes and big smiles to their long tails, which believe it or not, actually hold a little surprise!

For example, I  received Wrangler Cheeky Charlie and Carmen BFF.  Wrangler Cheeky Charlie holds a rope in his tail, while Carmen holds a banana in hers.  Too cute!  It’s just another one of those little things that the guys at Aurora have done to make these toys extra special!

Another thing that sets these guys apart from the competition is that they wear little outfits, complete with headgear.  Wrangler Cheeky Charlie has on the cutest cowboy pants and vest, a red bandana, and a cowboy hat, while BFF Carmen wears a cute orange & pink flower shirt with a matching headband.
And there are a lot of other styles available, so you should be able to find something for everyone on your list!
Buy it!  Purchase your Dreamy Eyes and other great toys online at Aurora World.
Connect! Check out Aurora on Aurora World on Facebook

Win it!  One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a Cheeky Charlie & Carmen toy.

Mandatory Entry:  Be a follower of my blog.  Then  visit the Cheeky Charlie page at the Aurora site and leave me a comment telling me which one is your favorite. Deadline: Dec 21 (US only)

Extra Entries: Leave a comment for each.
-1 if you follow Simply Sweet Home on Twitter.
-2 for subscribing to Simply Sweet Home via email.
-2 for “liking” Simply Sweet Home on facebook.
-1 for subscribing to my RSS feeds through Feedburner.
-1 for sharing this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook.  (Sample Tweet: I want to win a Cheeky Charlie Toy! http://bit.ly/h5L58B @SimplySweetHome #HolidayGiftGuide #giveaway) (Limit one entry per day.)

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Filed Under: Giveaways, product review

Auntie Anne’s At Home Baking Kit Review (Featuring Monkey Bread)

December 6, 2010 8 Comments
I was very excited when I recieved an Auntie Anne’s At Home Baking Kit in the mail.  I’m sure many of you have a had a freshley baked pretzel from Auntie Anne’s before.  If not, check your local mall, or look for one the next time you’re at the airport.  And even if you don’t have an Auntie Anne’s in your area, you’re in luck! Just in time for holiday baking, you can make your own pretzels (and other great stuff) using these Baking Kits from Auntie Anne’s.

I found some great recipes to make using this kit, but since it’s so close to Christmas I decided to try out the Monkey Bread.  I know a lot of people who have a big family breakfast or brunch on Christmas morning instead of the traditional dinner, and I think Monkey Bread would be perfect to serve for those!

The kit comes with everything you need to make pretzels and almost everything you’ll need to make this yummy Monkey Bread.  The instructions are very easy to understand, and unlike a lot of breads and things that you make, involving dough and yeast, it’s not a long drawn out process.  In fact, you could even turn this into a fun activity with the kids.
In my excitement, I forgot to take pictures of the entire process.  I only remembered as I was getting ready to put the bread in the oven! Instead I’ll tell you just how easy the process is.  In the kit you recieve a yeast packet, which you dissolve in some water.  And then you add the dough mix.  You mix it with a spatula until it forms a dough ball, and then you knead it for a few minutes.

After letting the dough rise for half an hour, you pull off little pieces of dough, roll it into balls, and dip them in some melted butter, followed by a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.  Then throwsthe balls into a greased bundt pan.  Bake it for 30-35 minutes and then your done! Very Easy!
I also made a little icing for my bread, using 2 oz. of cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of milk, and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.  This made it extra delicious.  But it would be great without icing too!

As much as I loved the monkey bread, I knew the real trial would come when my husband tried it.  If he doesn’t like something, chances are I won’t be making it too often!  Luckily for me, even though he doesn’t like pretzels, he does love cinnamon rolls, so I was hopeful that he would really enjoy this.  And I was right! He loved it!  Not only did he enjoy it, but since he’d never seen monkey bread before, he was really impressed by the way the dough balls form a bundt cake. He liked it so much that he made me fill up a container so he could share some with his buddies at work.  They’d never had monkey bread either, and they all gave it their seal of approval!

Buy it!  You can Purchase you At Home Baking Kit at your local Auntie Anne’s or at these retailers.

Connect! Check out Auntie Anne’s On Facebook or follow Auntie Anne’s on Twitter

I’m sharing this post for this week’s linky parties.

Don’t forget to come by here next Thursday for my Christmas Recipe party!
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Disclosure:  I received a free At Home Baking Kit to try for this review.  The opinions expresses here are my own.

Filed Under: Christmas, desserts, product review

Site Problems Fixed

December 6, 2010 Leave a Comment
Hey guys.  If you came by here earlier today and things were looking a bit “shabby” I apologize.
I had exceeded by bandwidth at photobucket and needed to upgrade to pro.  Had I known how close I was to exceeding, I would have upgraded sooner.  But the good news is that if my bandwidth was exceeded, that only means that people are actually placing my buttons on their sites.  So I guess I should thank you! lol.
Anyway, if you visited your own sites earlier today and my buttons didn’t load properly, they should all be working now!  Thanks for understanding!

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Filed Under: announcements

Friday Favorites – Week 41

December 2, 2010 8 Comments

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Happy Friday! Hope you’re all enjoying your holiday season!  I’m really loving this time of year!  Not only is the Christmas feeling in the air with 24/7 Christmas music on the radio and decorations galore, but it’s also finally cold enough for me to wear sweaters and scarves, not to mention, fuzzy pjs and fuzzy socks! Yay!
By the way, if you haven’t been checking out my Holiday Gift Giveaways, please do!  There’s a giveaway for a Make Your Own Candy Kit.  Winner will choose between the gummies kit, a chocolate kit, or a gum kit.  This one will be open through Monday.  And this past weekend I actually launched two giveaways for this week.  One is for a copy of  The Magic Warble, a fantasy book, perfect for kids or adult fantasy readers!  And the other is for a  Dreamy Eyes Toy from Aurora! 
And stay tuned, because there’s more to come!  And if you really love giveaways, you need to come by for the Holly Bloggy, Dec 13-17.  I’ve lined up 15 giveaways for the event! And it’s going to be some great fun, so go check out our party themes and get your posts ready!
Now onto this week’s featured posts!  Thanks to everyone who took the time out of their busy schedule last week to come by and link up!
Purple Flowers and Ribbon Decor from Cheri Quite Contrary
Pear Harvest Salad from The Delshad Duo
Apple Crisp Cheesecake from Inside BruCrew Life

Personalized Colored Ornament from Pitty Pat Paperie

I can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on this week.  Link up below!
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Filed Under: Friday Favorites

Christmas Wreath Upcycle

December 1, 2010 9 Comments
Wreath’s may very well be my favorite year round decor.  Today I’m sharing this wreath that I put together a few days ago.  This wreath has actually been seen here before in different forms.  Originally my mom made the wreath with a bar theme for the restaurant where she worked, but when they downsized on their Christmas decor, she gave it to me, so I transformed it into a Mouse themed tree (because I collect mouse ornaments).  But last year instead of the ornaments, I decided to just add some gold elements. 
Then this year when I got the wreath out (with the gold stuff still attached), I just felt that it looked so plain, so I added some poinsettas that I just happened to have, and we now have a beautiful, new wreath, without me having to spend any additional money! 
I could hardly believe my own eyes when I looked back at the old wreaths.  Check out the tranformations:
The Bar Wreath:

Mouse Wreath – For 2008:

Gold Wreath – For 2009:

And finally Red & Gold Wreath – For 2010:

Wreath Tutorial

To make your own wreath like this, simple by some simple gold ornaments.  The ones I used are gold balls, pine cones and leaves.  I got these off of a predecorated tree that I bought at Walgreens a few years ago.  But I’m sure you can find something simple like this at Hobby Lobby or even the dollar store.
To add the ornaments, use ornament hooks or bead wire, and loop it through the ornament.  Twist the wire a few times to make sure the wire is secure on the ornament.  Then weave the wires through the wreath, and twist the two ends of the wire together to secure the ornament in place.

For the flowers, I simply took two bunches of poinsettas that I got for 94 cents each at Walmart.  Cut the flowers from the bunch and then just stick them through the wreath.

No glueing involved, so there’s no mess, and you can always change the wreath up later!

I’m linking up at this week’s parties.

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Filed Under: Christmas, decorating, Wreaths

Simply Sweet Creations Sale & A Giveaway Winner!

November 29, 2010 Leave a Comment
Hey guys!  I wanted to take a minute today to announce the Christmas Sale at my shop.
From now until New Year’s you can get 10-15% off select items in my shop. 
No coupon codes needed!  And all sale prices will already appear in the shop.
Also, I’ll be changing up the sale items throughout the month of December and adding new items too, so keep checking back to see what’s new!
Giveaway Winner
I wanted to take a minute to thank Summer from Sumo’s Sweet Stuff for hosting a great giveaway for my shop a week or so ago.  And if you went over there and entered, thank you for supporting me!  And of course, I have to congratulate Maloree, who was the winner of the giveaway.  She received a $15 gift certificate to my shop, and here are items she selected:

Thank you for supporting Simply Sweet Creations!

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Filed Under: jewelry, Simply Sweet Creations

Easy Chocolate Truffles

November 29, 2010 18 Comments
If you like chocolate truffles, you are going to love this post!  As much as I love truffles, I don’t really love their price!  So a couple of weeks ago I got inspired to invent this great recipe.  I’m not going to say that they’re as good as Lindor’s, but they are tasty and cheap alternative!
This was just a trial run so as you can see they’re not as beautiful as I would like! (ie – I didn’t chill them long enough before dipping, and they started to melt on me.)  But the taste is incredible! So I just adjusted the freeze time for you, and voila!
The secret ingredients to this cheap alternative are brownie mix (one box will make about 3 batches or so!), and mayonnaise.  (Yes, you read that right! Mayonnaise!)  I started out adding water and oil to brownie mix, and it just didn’t taste right.  Then I remembered that a Wise Man, who I affectionately call My Dad, once told me that you could substitute mayonnaise in the place of egg (because the mayonnaise contains eggs).  So I tried this, and I was amazed at the change!  You can’t taste the mayonnaise itself, but it does give the brownie batter it’s proper taste and consistency that you usually get with eggs. And thus, it’s a big key to these semi-homemade truffles!   Hope you enjoy the recipe!

Recipe for Easy Chocolate Truffles:


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups brownie mix (I used Betty Crocker Original Supreme)
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
2 or 3 squares of almond bark (or chocolate chips)
candy sprinkles (optional)

Directions:  Measure out your brownie mix and place in a bowl.  Add water, oil, and mayo.  Mix well.  Batter should be extra stick, so that you can roll it into balls. (If it doesn’t appear thick enough, add extra batter.  If it’s too thick, add a very small amount of water.)  If the batter seems too sticky for rolling, you can place the batter in the refrigerator for a few minutes before rolling. 
This recipe should make 12 truffles, measuring 1 1/2 inches wide, or 18 truffles measuring a inch wide.  After you’ve rolled the batter into balls, place them on a plate lined with wax paper or parchment paper.  Chill in the freezer for a few hours or overnight.  (Note: If you don’t let them chill long enough they will start to lose their shape and melt when they are dipped in the chocolate.)
When you’re ready to dip the truffles, melt the your almond bark or chocolate chips.  To do this, just place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl  and heat it for a minute or so.  Very Important: Check it every 15 seconds and stir to prevent scorching.  (Note: If the chocolate starts to harden during the dipping process, simply reheat again in 15 second increments.) 
To dip your balls, you can use a couple of different methods:  You may use a candy dipper to dip the balls.  Or you may also place them on a spoon if you don’t have a candy dipper.
My favorite dipping method is the toothpick method.  Before freezing your balls, just poke each one with a toothpick.  (Sticking them with the toothpicks before chilling will prevent the balls from falling off the toothpick once the balls are dipped.)  The only downside to this method is that there will be a hole when you take the toothpick, but you can get rid of this by simply spooning a tiny amount of melted chocolate over the balls.
To decorate the truffles, you may either place the sprinkles in the bowl and dip them or you can pour the sprinkles over the top of them.  Just make sure that you do the sprinkles immediately after the truffle has been dipped in the chocolate, because it will harden in seconds and the sprinkles won’t stick after that.
Place on a tray to serve to your party guests, or place in a cute candy bag or box to give as gifts.

I’m linking this up for this week’s parties and  The Holiday Recipe Exchange at Food, Fun and Fotos.

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Filed Under: Christmas, cookies and candy, Recipe of the Week, recipes

The Magic Warble: Book Review & Giveaway

November 28, 2010 40 Comments
Just in time for Christmas gift giving, I’m excited to bring you this book review and a giveaway.  I haven’t done a lot of book-related posts on this blog, but when Victoria Simcox, author of The Magic Warble, contacted me about reviewing her book, I was thrilled!
Being a huge fan of Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and other fantasy books, I knew this book would be right up my alley.  And it did not disappoint!  My husband and I both read and loved the story.  In fact, after my husband (and in-house fantasy expert) read the book he said, “This is the closest thing to C.S. Lewis that I’ve ever read!”  This is a HUGE compliment coming from him because not only is C.S. Lewis one of his favorite authors, but as I said, he’s an expert of mythology and fantasy.  We’re actually both English majors, but I have to confess that he’s read exponentially more books than me, especially in the genre of fantasy!
Synopsis:
“Dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals, and an evil queen – all these and more can be found in The Magic Warble, an enchanting tale of adventure and friendship.
Twelve-year-old Kristina Kingsly feels like the most unpopular girl in her school. The kids all tease her, and she never seems to fit in. But when Kristina receives an unusual Christmas gift, she suddenly finds herself magically transported to the land of Bernovem, home of dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals, and the evil Queen Sentiz.
In Bernovem, Kristina not only fits in, she’s honored as “the chosen one” the only one who can release the land from Queen Sentiz’s control. But it’s not as simple as it seems. To save Bernovem, she must place the gift she was given, the famous “Magic Warble” in its final resting place. And she must travel through the deep forest, climb a treacherous mountain, and risk capture by the queen’s “zelbocks” before she reaches her destination. Guided by her new fairy friends, Clover and Looper and by Prince Werrien, a teenage boy, as well as an assortment of other characters, Kristina sets off on a perilous journey that not only tests her strength but her heart.”

Victoria Simcox weaves a wonderful fantasty tapestry. She takes a girl (Kristina), who’s an unpopular outcast in our world and transports her to Bernovem, where she’s popular and well liked.  She also takes a group of popular wealthy brats and by transporting them to a magical world where they’re wealth means nothing, she shows their lack of character. 

Written on two levels, the exterior storyline’s  plot and characters create emotions that will make the reader feel the fear and embrace the joy that is contained within the book’s pages.  While the interior storyline (the one that is developing in the reader’s mind), is a good depiction of the rewards and punishments that should be associated with good and evil behavior.

The classic struggle between good and evil, combined with a world inhabited by mythological creatures, and an unlikely “chosen” hero, will make you want to read into the wee hours of the morning and is sure to be loved by children and adult fantasy lovers alike!

Buy a Copy:  Just in time for the holidays you can order your copy directly from the author  or at Amazon.

Connect: Check out The Magic Warble on Facebook
Follow Victoria’ Simcox’s Blog

Win it!  One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a copy of The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox.

Giveaway Closed. Congrats to Larissa!

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Disclosure: I received a free copy of the Magic Warble to review. The opinions are mine.

Filed Under: Giveaways, product review

Aurora Dreamy Eyes Toy Review & Giveaway

November 27, 2010 91 Comments

I absolutely love all the different toys at Aurora!  Previously I’ve had the opportunity to review toys from their Yoohoo & Friends line as well as Milly the Pinkest Kitten.  And now, just in time for the holidays, I will be presenting you with not one, but three different Aurora toys that will be just perfect for your gift list! And the best part is that you’ll have the opportunity to enter to win each of these toys!

The first collection of toys from Aurora World that I’d like to introduce to you is Dreamy Eyes.  These are just about the cutest plush toys I’ve seen!  Each toy is 10 inches long and is soft and fluffy with big “dreamy” eyes.  And there is a large collection of toy animals available from cats and dogs to farm and jungle animals.

The toy I received is Lea Lamb.  She is absolutely adorable!  I was very impressed by how soft and cuddly she was! (She’s so soft, when my husband saw her, he even cuddled her, but shhh, that’s a secret!)  And of course, I can’t help but love her big eyes, which I think make her look like, not just a toy, but a sweet little friend (if that makes sense).
She’s also the perfect size for all ages.  I typically think of stuffed animals being for toddlers, but I think that older children will also love cuddling with a Dreamy Eyes toy.
Dreamy Eyes toys would also be ideal if you’re looking for some stuffed animals to place in a new nursery.  They would be so cute on a shelf or on top of a dresser in your baby’s room, and they’re perfectly soft so the baby can play with them when he/she gets a little older. 
And speaking as someone who intends to decorate a nursery in the near future (ahem), I would love to have more of these and would definitely recommend them to you this Christmas season!

Buy it!  Purchase your Dreamy Eyes and other great toys online at Aurora World.
Connect! Check out Aurora on Aurora World on Facebook

Win it! One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a Dreamy Eyes Toy, a $12 value. (For US Residents only)
Mandatory Entry: To win, check out the Dreamy Eyes line, and then come back here and tell me which animal is your favorite. Deadline to enter: December 12
Extra Entries: Leave a comment for each.
-1 if you follow Simply Sweet Home on Twitter.
-2 for subscribing to Simply Sweet Home via email.
-2 for “liking” Simply Sweet Home on facebook.
-1 for subscribing to my RSS feeds through Feedburner.
-1 for sharing this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook.  (Sample Tweet: I want to win a Dreamy Eyes Toy http://bit.ly/e1P6Tg  @SimplySweetHome #HolidayGiftGuide #giveaway) (Limit one entry per day.)
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Disclosure: For hosting this giveaway, I received a free Dreamy Eyes toy to review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways, product review
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