Christmas Wreath Upcycle

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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Easy Chocolate Truffles

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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My Ultimate Wish List

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:

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Sweet Thursday: Holiday Favorites Edition

sweet Thursday

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

Orange Dream Pie from Simply Sweet Home

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

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Christmas Traditions Event

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!

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Peanut Butter Cereal Ball Candy

Is everyone ready for Holiday baking?  One treat that I always love to make this time of year is Special K Candy.  It’s very similar in taste to my absolute favorite, Peanut Butter Balls.  But these are a lot easier and faster to make.  And they are just scrumptious!
I’ve also changed the recipe up a bit, making it with a mixture of Corn Flakes and Rice Krispies, instead of the Special K.  In the future I may do a batch using just the Rice Krispies too because I really liked the consistency that the Rice Krispies brought to the mix.
Recipe for Peanut Butter Cereal 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.

I’m link this post up for this week’s linky parties.

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Holly Bloggy Christmas Crafts

I don’t do very much crafting…probably because in school my art was never very good. I always excelled more at music and writing. I just started making jewelry this year, and in the past I’ve occasionally done a craft project or two. But I do want to try more stuff. I see so many tutorials out there, and I think to myself, “I can do that! It may not be as easy for me as they make it look, but still I think I could possibly do this!”

So one of my goals next year is to try some of these projects, or at least start small: try one or two and get really good at them. Then that should make it easier for me to learn more things in the future. Heidi from Blue Eyed Blessings hosted a fabulous craft party for us last week. Today I’m featuring just a few of the projects that were submitted to the event. I know you guys will love these! And after you check these out, be sure to go over to Heidi’s blog and check out all the other wonderful ideas! It may be too late to make some of these. Although if you’re needing a last minute gift, several of these are actually projects that you can do fairly quickly. And if all else fails, you’ll get some fabulous ideas to bookmark for next year.

Jingle Bell Shadow Box from Blue Eyed Blessings

Elegant Pine Cone Ornament from A Scrap Mom’s Musings

Monogram Ornament from: Sweet Pea

Decoupage Ornaments from: Sweetly Southern

Light Bulb Ornament from: Crafts by Amanda

Blue & Silver Wreath from: Eug

-Jerri


Holly Bloggy Christmas Trees

I just love Christmas Trees! It’s always been one of my favorite things about the season. If you haven’t been by A Baby Changes Everything to see all the great trees from the Holly Bloggy, you should definitely stop by. (Not to mention, Teresa has a Tree Decorating business, and the trees she shares on her blog every day are amazing!)

Again today, it was very difficult just picking a few trees to feature! In fact, several of the ladies featured here today have more than one tree in their home, so in some cases it was even difficult picking just one tree from a single post! So be sure to visit these ladies and take a look at their beautiful work. (And go by the party too b/c everyone did a great job—it’s just impossible for me to feature everyone!)

Pez Tree from Hoosier Homemade

From Perfect Harmony

From: The Adventures of Miss V

From: Adventures in Decorating

From: A Mommy’s Blessings

Embellished Bayou

From: A Baby Changes Everything

-Jerri

Holly Bloggy Christmas Recipes: My Famous Chess Cake and Other Holiday Favorites

It’s Recipe Day at the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash. Be sure to link up below and leave a comment so you can be eligible for all the prizes we’re giving away! The linky will be up through next Friday. I can’t wait to everyone’s recipes!

Since I’m hosting today, it would be improper for me to hold back and not share the recipe that is most near and dear to my heart! So today I’m sharing my famous chess cake!

My mom used to make this every year around Christmas time, and it was always so good! It’s actually a perfect dessert for any occasion, but I still associate it with Christmas to this day, and of all the desserts I make, this one is definitely the most requested!

Today I’m also featuring some photos and links of some of my family’s favorite holiday appetizers and desserts! Hope you enjoy!

Don’t forget to stop by Tidy Mom tomorrow for the Holly Bloggy Christmas Memories and Traditions event!


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. Cut into squares and enjoy!


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And Here Are Some More Of Our Holiday Favorites:

Creamy Salsa Dip

Black Bean Spirals

Sausage Balls

Crunchy Cheese Crisps

Christmas Pinwheels

Sour Cream Pound Cake (hubby’s fave)

Egg Custard Pie (Dad’s Fave)

Congealed Salad (aka – That Green Stuff)

Cake Mix Cookies

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Thanks so much for stopping by my party!
Merry Christmas!

-Jerri

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I’m linking this post up at Blessed with Grace, 11th Heaven’s Homemaking, and Beauty and Bedlam.


Holly Bloggy Christmas Crafts: Beaded Mouse Ornaments

For day 3 of the Holly Bloggy we are sharing crafts! If you have a Christmas craft to share, be sure to link up over at Heidi’s blog: Blue Eyed Blessings. And don’t forget to come back here tomorrow to share your Christmas recipes!

I’ve had a lot going on at our house in the last few weeks, and I didn’t have the time to make anything new, but I really wanted to post something for the event, so I decided to share these beaded mouse ornaments that I made a while back.

As you know I have a big collection of mouse ornaments. Well, when I found a mouse ornament kit at Wal-Mart I just had to have it! Today I’ll be posting a tutorial on how to make your own mice ornaments. Please keep in mind that craft instruction is not my forte, and on top of that I have no photos of the mouse making process…..however I will try my best to make my instructions as clear and easy to follow as possible.

Here’s what you need to make one mouse:

23 clear, round beads (4 mm)

3 clear “star” beads (20 mm)

1 clear “star” bead (10 mm)

2 red “star” beads (10 mm)

1 round bead (10 or 12 mm)

1 pipe cleaner

1 piece of string

String one 4mm bead on the pipe cleaner. Loop the end of the pipe cleaner around the bead so that the beads don’t fall off. Add one of the red star beads. Add 10 more round beads. Bend the pipe cleaner, making a 90 degree angle. Add the three clear star beads (20mm), followed by the 10mm clear star bead, and then the red star bead. Add the 10mm round bead.

At this point you’ve made the mouse tail, body, and head. Next add 6 more 4mm beads, and loop the pipe clear around so that it looks like an ear. Twist the pipe cleaner around itself. Then add 6 more beads. Loop the pipe cleaner around again to make the second ear. Then twist the pipe cleaner around itself again, so that it’s tight and the beads won’t fall off. If you have excess pipe cleaner, use wire cutters to remove it. Then take your string; loop it through the mouse ears and tie it in a knot. Finally bend the tail into your desired shape/position.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you tomorrow for the Christmas Recipe Party!

-Jerri