Archives for 2010

My Ultimate Wish List

November 27, 2010 2 Comments

Today Jen at Tater Tots and Jello and Beckie from Infarrantly Creative are hosting a Holiday Meme Party.

One of the choices of topic to post on is: What is on your must have Christmas List?

So here are a few things I’d love—LOVE to have!!

1. New Laptop!! Seriously! I’m using my old desktop because my laptop, beyond needing to be fixed, also needs a new battery, and it could use a new cord as well. By the time, I got all this done I could have a new one! So I’m just using the old desktop for now! I know Santa probably won’t be able to get me one this year (but maybe some time next year?)

2. The Cricut – I’m totally jealous of all you Cricut owners out there! In fact, I talk about what I would do with the cricut so much that it’s probably on my husband’s wish list as well!

3. Digital Camera – I’m kind of clueless about technology, so I just assumed that our digital camera was a pretty good one, and I guess it was when we bought it in 2007. (yeah, 2007…it’s ancient!) But then I started seeing all these awesome pictures on the blog (of the quality that my camera is just simply incapable of taking.) Then last year my nieces got digital cameras for Christmas and I looked at the megapixels and other specs on their cameras, and I realized they were about twice as good as mine! So for my blogging purposes, a new camera would be awesome!

Of course, I could always name more, but those are my Big 3!

I am participating in Infarrantly Creative and Tatertots and Jello’s Blog Hop for a chance to win a Mint Cleaner. It is the revolutionary machine that cleans your hard floor surfaces for you.

Click here to join the blog hop and a chance to win! Mint_cloth2

The Mint Cleaner is available at the following places:

Filed Under: Christmas

Friday Favorites – Week 40

November 25, 2010 3 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you’re all enjoying your holiday weekend! I know everyone is busy this week entertaining guests and eating turkey, pumpkin pie, etc, not to mention that many of you are out braving the stores this weekend, so I’m just going to cut right to chase and share these wonderful posts with you. Enjoy!

French Toast Cupcakes with Maple Frosting from Christina’s Taste Test Project

Peanut Butter Balls from Stuff and Nonsense

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies from Sweet as Sugar Cookies

Frozen Cranberry Salad from Fresh from the Farm

Linen Towel Tutorial from ceo a’s draiocht

I can’t wait to see your posts from this week. Link them up below! Please include my button or a link back somewhere on your site so that others can join the party!

Filed Under: Friday Favorites

Introducing Our Holly Bloggy Giveaway Sponsors

November 23, 2010 5 Comments

I am so excited about this year’s Holly Bloggy Christmas!

What could be better than 5 days of Christmas themed linky parties?

And to make the event even sweeter, we have 15 awesome giveaways! (That’s 3 for each day!)

In the previous announcement I listed our lovely sponsors for this event, and now I am offically announcing the prizes that will be up for grabs and giving you the scoop on these fantastic sponsors!

But first, here’s a quick reminder of the event schedule, just in case you missed it:

Holly Bloggy Christmas 2010

Monday, Dec. 13 – Homemade Gifts at tater tots and jello

Tuesday, Dec. 14 – Christmas Crafts at Craft Envy

Wednesday, Dec. 15 – Christmas Decor at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Thursday, Dec. 16 – Christmas Recipes at Simply Sweet Home

Friday, Dec. 17 – Christmas Edition of I’m Lovin’ It at Tidy Mom

Now check out these fabulous event sponsors and prizes!

Scentsy Consultant Jonnie Mellen

I’m sure by now you’re all familiar with Scentsy. They are famous for their lovely scented candles and warmers which come in an array of colors and designs, suitable for any home. Scentsy Consultant Jonnie Mellen is offering 2 giveaways! One is a full size holiday warmer and 3 scents worth $40. And the second is a plug in size warmer with 3 scents worth $25.

Lisa Leonard Designs

Lisa Leonard is known throughout the blogosphere for her beautiful, one-of-kind jewelry. Choose something cute that fits your style from her inspired necklaces. Or create a custom piece of jewelry! Each piece is hand-cut, hammered, antiqued and is polished sterling silver. Beautiful! Lisa is generously giving away a $50 gift certificate for her website.

Yummy Cuppy Crafts

Decorate your cupcakes with fun and fabulous cupcake wrappers from Yummy Cuppy Crafts. There are designs for all holidays and occasions, and you can even order custom designs to fit your party theme! Other fun seasonal crafts are also available at this adorable etsy shop! Kim at Yummy Cuppy Crafts is offering a 6 month membership to her cupcake wrapper of the month club, valued at $50. It’s a giveaway that keeps on giving!

Hun…What’s For Dinner?
Hun…What’s for Dinner? is a fantastic blog featuring some yummy recipes. Seriously–every time I stop by this blog, I find something that I want to make, from chicken spaghetti to apple cake with caramel frosting! Defintely a must-see for all foodies. Cindy at Hun…What’s for Dinner? is offering a Wilton Chocolate Pro Melting Pot and 2 Bags of Chocolate Melts worth $48. Sweet!

Up to My Knees in Crafts

Up to My Knees in Crafts is a lovely etsy shop that offers beautiful clothing for babies and children. They have everything from stylish jackets and dresses to adorable onsies, and even tutus! And there are so many lovely designs and colors available. Barbara, the lady behind these lovely designs, is offering a $35 gift certificate to her shop.

Lavender Cottage

You’ll absoultely love the jewelry over at Lavender Cottage. Everything is handmade by Cheryl, a full time metal-smith. And each piece is made of sterling silver. I’ve been proud to feature the unique and beautiful jewelry of Lavender Cottage on my blog in the past, and I was thrilled when Cheryl agreed to give away one of her Soaring Free Pendants worth $32.

Twelve Crafts

Another cute etsy shop! Twelve Crafts offers cute jewelry, flower pins, sachet pillows, and other fun gifts and accessories. The owner of this shop, Elizabeth, also has a great blog where she shares her latest projects and tutorials. Elizabeth is giving away her adorably cute Pretend and Play Chef Set (pictured above), worth $30.

Scrapbook Circle
If you like scrapbooking, you’ll love this sponsor! Scrapbook Circle offers a unique scrapbook kit for each month of the year. Each kit offers an array of patterned paper and embellishments. I was lucky enough to win a kit from SC on another blog, so I can testify that the kits are great! SC also has a blog to give you some great layout ideas! The site’s owner Lisa Andrews is giving away her December Kit worth $29.95.

Kinley Lane Designs
You may remember this sponsor from a recent giveaway here at Simply Sweet Home. This lovely boutique features fashion, cute accessories, and more! Lacey flowers adorn everything from tops to headbands, and even rings. And new for the holidays, Kinley Lane has a line of bobble necklaces that you just have to see! Tricia at Kinley Lane Designs is offering a $25 gift certificate to her shop.

Pure Sugar

I had a huge collection of bows as a kid, so I was very excited to find this wonderful etsy shop. It features some really cute hairbows in lovely designs, and some great colors and patterms, from solids to polka dots, and more! Carol, the shop owner, also has a blog that you can check out. Carol is offering a set of holiday bows (that’s 3 bows, plus two mini bows) and a $5 gift certificate to her shop, a total value of $20.50.

My Dream Sample Box

Talk about a great gift idea! Inspired by her own party planning business, Cindy Soto, has put together a lovely concept: a Dream Sample Box. Each month samples from contributing companies are all put together in a fun box. Samples include bath & body products, gourmet foods, jewelry, party favors and more! Cindy at my Dream Sample Box is offering a festive Christmas ornament that is perfect for the savvy blogger! It’s worth $14.95.

Best Bath Store

Bath and body products always make for good Christmas gifts. The Best Bath Store sells luxurious handmade bath products, including soaps, scrubs, lotions and salts, but also shampoos, conditioners, and bath accessories. They even have a collection of facial care products which features a line of acne treatments! The Best Bath Store is offering their Holiday Soap Gift Set worth $13.95.

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 and feature a variety of materials, so you’re sure to find something you like! Kristen at Hope Abound is offering a lovely set of Christmas bows worth $13.50.

Simply Sweet Creations
Simply Sweet Creations is my shop where I sell my handmade jewelry and accessories. You’ll find earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and keychains. I’m also in the process of adding some decor items, including some handmade wreaths. I’m offering a bundle of jewelry worth $17.

So get your posts ready and join us for the Holly Bloggy Christmas!

Don’t forget to grab a button for your posts & sidebar!
Thanks to Sarah Meyer for letting us use her adorable elements for the button!

Can’t wait to see you there!

Filed Under: Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash

Making Your Own Gummies (Review and a Giveaway!)

November 22, 2010 90 Comments

Looking for a fun and unique Christmas gift for the kids? Or a fun homeschool activity? Then check this out! Over the weekend I got a chance to make my very own Christmas Gummies using a Make Your Own Gummies Kit from the makers of Glee Gum!

“Available in Make Your Own Chocolate, Make Your Own Chewing Gum, and Make Your Own Gummies, these activity kits are all-natural, educational, and eco-friendly. With pre-packaged ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions, everyone aged 8 and up gets a real kick out of making candy from scratch. Focusing on the history behind and the origin of these candies, each kit is designed to captivate your interest, connect you to the global community, and create something yummy to eat in the process.”

As you all probably know by now, I’m always excited to try new recipes and food products, so I was really psyched to try out this kit. I was very intrigued by the process in which these candies are made, particularly by the use of powdered seaweed and a piece of actual seaweed! And I think kids will really love this activity. After all, what kid doesn’t love to mix and make things? (And since there’s candy involved, that will make it an even more exciting experiment!)

And you’ll be happy to know that you don’t even have to cook it on the stove! The gummies can be made in your microwave, and beyond the kit, the only ingredient you need is water. The process by which the candy is made is very quick and painless too! I don’t know about you, but sometimes candy making can be a little intimidating for me (when you have to get the temperature and consistency just right and so on). Thankfully that is not an issue with this project at all. The step by step instructions were very easy to follow, and the process was so simple!

So this kit allows you to try a new activity with your kids, make a little a candy, and have fun, without making a total mess of your kitchen, taking up your entire afternoon, or costing you a lot of money! Excellent!

And the taste? Yummy! The kit comes with sour-sugar so that you can coat the gummies, and I have to tell you, the taste took me back. In my teens I used to love eating sour gummies, but I haven’t had them in years! And if you’re not in to the sour stuff, I did try eating a couple of them plain, and I thought they tasted good too.

Buy it! To find Glee Gum and these great Make Your Own Candy Kits check out this store locator. Or you can order online.

Connect! You can connect with Glee Gum through their Facebook and Twitter pages.

Win it! One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a Make Your Own Candy Kit. Winner chooses between the Gummies kit, the Make Your Own Chocolate kit, or the Make Your Own Gum kit. (Giveaway is for US residents only.)

Giveaway Closed. Congrats to Gabrielle at California Monkey Momma!

I’m sharing this post at these food and project parties!

Disclosure: I was given a Make Your Own Candy Kit of my choice for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Filed Under: cookies and candy, Giveaways, product review

Cradle Rock Giveaway Reminder

November 19, 2010 Leave a Comment

I just wanted to remind all of you about the Cradle Rock Giveaway going on at my blog this week. There’s only a few entries for this giveaway, which is very surprising because it’s really cute prize. The winner will get 3 Cradle Rock cds! If you are a new mom, a mom of small children, or a mom-to-be, please enter. Or enter for someone you know who may be one of these three things. The cds would make a lovely gift!

To win these, please go over to the giveaway post and leave a comment. Giveaway will be open through next Wednesday!

Filed Under: Giveaways

Friday Favorites – Week 39

November 18, 2010 11 Comments

Hello everyone! And thanks so much for stopping by today! I have to tell you, I’ve been so thrilled these last few weeks to see the linky list growing! I’ve been so super busy working on stuff for my Christmas event that’s coming up in December, and also getting ready for the holidays at my house, that I haven’t been able to get around to as many sites as I’d like, but I am trying! So if you’ve linked up or commented here in the last couple of weeks, and I haven’t replied or visited you yet, please know that I will stop by and see you soon! And I appreciate all of you for coming by each week!

Before we get to this week’s featured posts, I have to do one quick plug. I’m sponsoring a giveaway this week over at Sumo’s Sweet Stuff. The winner gets a $15 gift certificate to my etsy shop. And if you’re a follower you can get extra entries. So please go over there and enter. Please? Oh! And did I mention that there’s a pretty low number of entries right now, so the chances of winning are really good! And….umm….so please? Please enter! (Thanks a bunch!)

Thanksgiving Mantel from It’s The Little Things that Make a House a Home

Easy Christmas Decor from Junkdog Design

Candy Turkeys from Craftberry Bush

Salt Dough Ornaments from And Baby Makes Five

Mod Podge Fall Leaves in Frames from Food, Wine, & Mod Podge

I can’t wait to see your posts from this week! Link up below!

Filed Under: Friday Favorites

Sweet Thursday: Holiday Favorites Edition

November 17, 2010 4 Comments

I have a wonderfully scrumptious collection of desserts for you today. The fall season and the holidays seem to bring out the best in everyone when it comes to baking. I’ve seen so many great desserts over the last several weeks. Too many to name! But here are just a few…and just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday next week so you have an excuse to “splurge” on these, so to speak!

Next Month’s Event: Because I’m diligently working on Christmas stuff for my blog, and especially the Holly Bloggy event, I’ve decided not to do a dessert round-up for December. Instead for my part of the Holly Bloggy, I’ll be hosting a recipe party on December 16, so I invite everyone to come by at that time to link up recipes. For this you can link up anything, not just desserts! And as always you can come by on Friday to link up your recipes and projects for Friday Favorites!

Chocolate Mousse Torte from Feels Like Home

Cheesecake Brownies from The Tidy Nest

Blue Ribbon Coffee Toffee Pecan Pie from Shockingly Delicious

Apple Pie Cheesecake from Food for My Family

Easy Pumpkin Dessert from Easy Pumpkin Dessert

Apple Butterscotch Bars from Baking Junkie

Pumpkin Pecan Bars from Our Family’s Journey to a Healthier Life

Orange Dream Pie from Simply Sweet Home

Have a yummy dessert to share with us? Link it up below!

Filed Under: Christmas, Sweet Thursday, Thanksgiving

Christmas Traditions Event

November 17, 2010 1 Comment

I was honored when Elizabeth at Twelve Crafts Till Christmas asked me to be a guest contributor for her Twelve (plus) Days of Christmas Traditions event!

For this event, I’ll be sharing a tree trimming tradition called “The Christmas Keys.” It’s a very fun and meaningful tradition that we’ve started since we got married, and I think you will enjoy it.

Please head over to Elizabeth’s blog to check out my guest post. And keep visiting throughout the month, as there will be lots of guest recipes and tutorials through December 3!

Big Thanks to Elizabeth for hosting this!

Filed Under: Christmas, decorating, Guest Post

Simply Sweet Creations Giveaway

November 15, 2010 Leave a Comment

I’m very excited to be sponsoring a giveaway this week over at Sumo’s Sweet Stuff.

For this giveaway, one person will win a $15 gift certificate for my etsy shop, Simply Sweet Creations. Giveaway will start on Wednesday, November 17 and will be open for one week.

And contestants qualify for extra entries if you are a follower of Simply Sweet Home or if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook. So if you’re not a follower yet, please check out the links in my sidebar and follow me! Then head over to Sumo’s Sweet Stuff and enter!

Use this gift certificate to purchase one of my beaded bracelets, some fun dangle earrings, a cute necklace, or one of my wreaths for you home!

When the post is up, I’ll update you with the URL. I just wanted to make sure I got this up early so that the information could go out to my email subscribers. this week.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Simply Sweet Creations

Holly Bloggy Christmas – Dec. 13-17

November 15, 2010 5 Comments

Mark your calendars!

The 2010 Holly Bloggy Christmas is December 13-17.

it’s a week of fun

with 5 holiday linky parties

and fabulous giveaways!

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.

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!

Giveaway Sponsors will include:

Scentsy Consultant, Jonnie Mellen