COAL DIRTY SANTA GIFT

Candy Canes and Glitzy Shortbread covered in Icing and Sprinkles are a holiday staple but what about the not so sweet side of the holidays? Even the Naughty Deserve Something Nice!  Check out this super cute and easy Dirty Santa gift!

 SUPPLIES:  BALL JAR.  CANDY COAL. MASON SOAP PUMP LID. TWINE. PRINTED TAG

RESTORE CAST IRON

Check out how I restored my favorite Emeril Cast Iron Pan with just two household ingredients! Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and leave me a comment!

We're  super excited to feature some of our favorite influencers and their ëtips!

C: "The winter time is all about having healthy none dry looking skin so my tip would be to add a drop of oil in your foundation if you have dry skin and add the illuminater on the skin before foundation if you are oily to get that glow from within look. Nothing is worse than having dry flaky skin under your foundation. "

Head over to Pink Lux PL for more makeup tips with Christina!

We're  super excited to feature some of our favorite influencers and their ëtips!

M: "My organization tip is to pick out your week's outfits Sunday night. I have 5 command hooks in my closet where I hang up my work week clothes. It saves me so much time in the morning and gives me one less thing for me to worry about!"

For more organization tips and all things creative with Madison, check out Keeping the Creativity!

KITCHEN ORGANIZATION HAUL

SHOP: MY KITCHEN HAUL 

Drawer Spice Rack: Bamboo Spice Rack Drawer Tray (similiar)
Lasagna Container: Large Storage Container

Small Bean & Rice Container: Small Storage Container

Flour & Sugar Container: Dry Food Box with Lid

Cork Liner: Drawer & Shelf Cork Liner (similar)

Recycle Bin: Recycle Bin with Lid

Grocery Bag Holder: Wall Mount Grocery Bag Dispenser

Check out my haul purchases in my kitchen on Facebook now!

SUBSCRIBE: FREE GAME DAY RECIPES

Subscribe and get awesome Food, Style, and Design tips sent directly to your inbox! Sign up now to get a couple of my favorite GAME DAY recipes! 

ëtip: Rubber Kitchen Mat

KISS THE COOK: Add a rubber kitchen mat to your last minute Thanksgiving shopping list! I promise the cook's feet will be grateful! 

ËTIPS: BUYING A CONDO

Not all Realtors are cut from the same cloth. Ideally I would suggest doing business with a realtor and a loan officer that has a background in purchasing condos/townhomes. However, if you connect with the realtor and they seem motivated, do not be afraid to make that commitment. Just know, like  in any relationship, there could be bumps along the road to ownership.

DËSIGN MASHUP: DIY GARMENT RACK

Sometimes it's not about reinventing the wheel more so just spinning it in a different direction. As a crafter by heart, I'm a sucker for a DIY! I spend hours scouring popular sites like Etsy and Pinterest looking for ideas to make my life easier and keep my pockets full of more than just lint. Google image search is my go to if I can't figure out how to put my problem into exact words and 9 times out of 10, after hours of research, I get close but not exact! So... I'm super excited to share with you some of my favorite DIY MASHUPS!

1.IN HONOR OF DESIGN: DIY GARMENT RACK

2. ETSY: RUSTIC INDUSTRIAL RECLAIMED RACK
*. URBAN OUTFITTERS: INDUSTRIAL STORAGE RACK

GIFT: CHIC TRAVEL KIT

Always the gracious guest, I never like to show up empty handed! So when I accepted a spur of the moment invite to a going away party I was scrambling for an appropriate gift for the traveler.

LOOT: Airborne. Vaseline. Kleenex Pocket Pack. Altoids. Nivea. Mini Lint Brush. Sephora Beauty on the Fly clear makeup bag.

ëTIP: Winter Blooms

Fresh cut flowers are a great pick-me-up for this stubborn winter weather! Well designed flower arrangements can dig deep into your pockets.  Here are a few tips on creating beautiful arrangements with a simple trip to your local grocer!

1. Head straight to the Floral Department for a deal!  Look for  single stems or flowers by the bundle. 

2.  Pick  2 or 3 different blooms.  A larger bloom like a Hydrangea is  a great complement to Petite Roses.

3. Think simple when choosing a color palette. You can never go wrong with  soft classics like pink, white and cream.  Solid color themes like all red, all white or shades of green, may seem simple but make for a beautiful clean presentation. 

4. If you decide to go for a prearranged bouquet, step up the wow factor by purchasing 2 to 3  identical or similar bundles.  Combine them in a vessel to create a dramatic oversized arrangement.

5.  Choose your container! Don't limit yourself to a simple vase! You may not have vintage punch cups laying around so look in your fridge! Pasta Sauces often come in well designed glass bottles! Peel off the labels and rinse! Empty wine bottles and clear plastic cups are great vessels as well!

6. Prep your flowers! Cut stems on a diagonal and remove leaves and thorns as needed. As a rule of thumb, remove all leaves that may end up submerged in the water.

 7.  Remember, you can always take more stem off but you can't put stem back on. Start with large blooms and begin to fill your vessel! Fill in and snip down stems as needed.

Sometimes the most beautiful arrangements come from random placement!  Choosing to use one type of flower and keeping the color palette simple will camouflage amateur arranging skills.  Use your smaller blooms to fill in empty spaces and to shape your arrangement.

8. Water properly. If you plan on transporting your arrangement, a funnel is a good investment. Fill your vessel only half way to avoid splashing and use a funnel to add additional water at your final destination. 

ëTIP: This plastic cup fits perfectly into the mouth of the  pitcher.

The secret to a beautiful flower arrangement  is having fun! 

Relax and don't over think it!

Stop and take a step back every so often.  Flower are a natural occurrence and there is beauty in every flower! So there is no way you can go wrong! 

Send us some snap shots of your fresh flower arrangements!

FOODIË:Chicken Spinach Alfredo Calzone

I have to admit leftovers don’t really get me excited but I also don’t like being wasteful! So when I recently made this amazing chicken & spinach calzone! I knew as I made up my “Stuffing” that I had way to much chicken for just one calzone but a repeat the next day wasn’t really on my culinary menu.  Here are a few of my tips on making leftovers exciting!

• Turn it into a snack: Making pasta for dinner? Save some of that penne for a pasta salad for snacking or even a lunch treat!
• Make something that’s freezable: Don’t be pressed to eat those leftovers the next day! Dishes that are time consuming or that you don’t make often could be a great treat on a lazy weekend!

• Be conscious of the seasoning and preparation of your meal: I turned my extra “Stuffing” into Chicken Spring Rolls! Before I added my Alfredo sauce I separated some of the stuffing  and added some feta cheese to it. I rolled it with organic salsa in flour tortillas and grilled them until they browned dolloped on some sour cream and had a super yummy lunch!

Ingredients

1/3 Pizza Dough (Publix Bakery)

Olive Oil

Bell pepper diced

Onion diced

4 Chicken Breast Strips

Garlic Powder

Ground Black Pepper

Spinach ( Frozen or Fresh)

Alfredo Sauce

Oregano

Classico Traditional Pizza Sauce

Basil

FOODIË: WATERMELON LEMONADE

Ingredients
*1/2 cup of Simple Syrup 
4-5 cubes of Fresh Seedless Watermelon
1/2 cup of  Cold Water
1/2 cup of Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 cup of Ginger Ale


*Check our recipe for Simple Syrup via our Facebook page

ëntertainment tip: BAKERY EDITION

Ask the right questions and don't be afraid to make special request when visiting the grocery store bakery. Try different icings like a rich cream cheese for cakes or buttercream piped with a round tip for cupcakes. Add an extra layer or two to cakes and bypass the staple shell border, ask for a beaded border instead. Serving cupcakes? Take a step out of  the baking process and order them "naked" and ice and decorate them yourself! These options usually range from a few extra dollars to no extra charge at all! The results will rival a classic bakery buy!

ëntertainment tip: Hors d' oeuvre

Aidell Chicken Meatballs + Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce: DIP ONLY THE BOTTOM of the Meatballs in sauce and add fork toothpicks to serve!