Simple Gift: Stained Glass Hard Candy

This gift stemmed from reviving an old, childhood tradition at my house - making hard candy.  As an adult, the part I remember most is the wonderful scent of wintergreen and cinnamon infusing our entire house.

This year, I decided it was time to introduce this tradition to my kids.  I want them to know the smell of Christmas as I knew it when I was growing up.  So during our traditional Christmas weekend with my family, we got to candy making.

It’s a really simple process.

Here’s what you need:

• 4 cups of granulated sugar*
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp. of the flavoring of your choice
• food coloring
• candy thermometer
• powdered sugar
• foil

* Near the end, we used only 3 cups of sugar because we were running out and it worked out great. It made the flavor stronger. Wished we did that with the cinnamon. That was the one flavor that was barely there for some reason.

Here’s what you do:

• Cover your kitchen table in foil.  Dust it with powdered sugar.

• Combine the ingredients in a sauce pan.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Boil until the candy thermometer reaches 310 degrees.
• Add food coloring and flavoring.  It will spatter a bit when you mix it.
• Pour it directly on your foil creating long ribbons of candy.

  

• Wait for it to cool, then crack into bite size pieces.
• Mix it around with the powdered sugar leftover on the foil.

• Package it up and you’re done!

I packaged it up in a mini paint can from Target’s dollar section and filled it with the blue wintergreen candy.  Taped a snowflake ornament to it along with a little tag of holiday greetings using glitter tape.  Perfect for bus drivers, teachers, neighbors – anyone you want to give a little sweet sentiment to for the holidays.

taking a moment

Today I found myself staring at my kids desperately trying to memorize their faces and every move.  Memorize the feel of their hugs knowing that life can be taken at any given moment.  I felt tears welling up as I walked away from the bus.  I found comfort that I got to keep my youngest home (sick) just because I would have him nearby.

I’m praying so hard for those directly effected by the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary. 

I’m praying so hard for anyone suffering a loss, pain or illness.  For the children around the world that live in fear and battle zones on a daily basis.  For the children who dread Christmas vacation because the only meals they receive are at school.  For those trying to figure out where the next paycheck will come from, finding a way to make the best life for their family.  For those fighting demons inside, may they find the help they need.

For anyone that has lost the joy of the season because it will now serve as a constant reminder of loss and pain.  I pray that you will find comfort and peace and someday joy once again.

Duct Tape {Hair} Bows

The other day I came home to my daughter and her babysitter creating duct tape hair bows and I fell in love.

They are too cute and better yet, super easy!  Which reminds me, I’ve been wanting to share this awesome gift idea with you since…ooh…April.  My daughter received a bin full of duct tape with a few instructions of how to create things with it.  How cool is that?!  Great gift idea for a wide age range too.

Okay, now back to the bows.  This too, would be a super sweet gift to give to the girls in your life.  My daughter was so excited about them, she started making one for anyone she could think of…including her grandmas.  I cannot wait to see the bows in their hair!!

here’s what you need to get started…

• duct tape
• scissors
• bobby pins, hair clips or headbands

STEP 1

Cut a 3 inch strip of duct tape.

STEP 2

Stick the 3 inch strip to the duct tape still on the roll - sticky side to sticky side.

STEP 3

Then cut it off so you end up with print on both sides of a 3 inch strip.

STEP 4

Fold it like an accordion, just like when you made homemade fans as a kid.

STEP 5

Cut a small strip of contrasting tape to wrap around the middle to create the bow.

STEP 6

Slide a bobby pin under the strip.  Boom, you’re done!

 

You can use clips from Michael’s or thin headbands too.

 

Variation:  the “double-decker”

Just add a smaller bow to sit on top of the bigger one.

A couple other options would be to glue the bows on shoe clips to jazz up some shoes or attach them to gifts, make a pin, so many options.

Have fun!

-Kim

Gussied Up Brownies

It’s funny, the other day my husband asked me what was going on.  Hadn’t made brownies in the last 10 years and suddenly I’ve made them twice in the past two weeks.  It’s true.  I’m really not a big baker, although making chocolate chip cookies with my mom was one of my favorite pastimes.  So when asked to bake something, I get a bit nervous they won’t taste quite right or something will go awry…like my mangled mess of brownies.

I’ve learned a couple things from making these recent batches of brownies.

• Make sure they are COMPLETELY cool, otherwise you will end up with a mangled mess when you try to cut them.
• Throw them in the freezer to make for easier cutting.  It says this right on the box and still I didn’t do it. 
• Use a plastic knife. I’ve never heard of this, but a couple people told me about it and swear by it. Next time, plastic knife!

Okay, so now let’s talk about getting them all fancied up to go out on the town.  A friend of mine tipped me off to this clever idea.  One of those, "why didn’t I think of that?” ideas. 

• Put them in cupcake liners. Too cute and added bonus – makes for easy distribution at class parties.  I did that for pudding cups, but somehow the light bulb didn’t go off for brownies until I saw my friend’s.  Thanks, Emily!  
• Gussy them up with frosting and sprinkles.

Don’t these brownies look extra special all dressed up and ready to go?  These are the brownies my friend made that tipped me off to jazz up my next batch of brownies.

I decided to Christmas-fy mine with some crushed candy canes and silver cupcake liners.

If you sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top while the brownies are still warm, you won’t need frosting.  The warmth of the brownies combined with the sugar of the candy canes keeps them stuck on without frosting.

You almost can’t tell how mangled they are. 

One last tip - transporting these guys.  Grab a cupcake courier of some sort.  You can find them most anywhere – Target, Home Goods, etc.  I’ve been wanting one, except most of the time, they only hold 24 cupcakes and most classrooms have over 24 kids.

Emily received this one that holds 36 cupcakes by The Cupcake Courier.  This link is just the home page, not a distributor, but I found some on Amazon.  I’m sure you could run a Google search to find them elsewhere.

I suppose you could always buy two sets of 24.  One option I found that seemed flexible was one from Snapware.  You would still need to buy two sets for more than 24, but it offers the option to click a layer on or off to fit your needs.  Most of the ones I’ve found can also convert for cake or cookie transportation.

So have you baked anything and fancied it up lately?  Send us the link in the comments so we can check them out!  Or email me a picture.

How to Keep Your FB Feed Coming

Hi there.  You may or may not have noticed that Facebook updates are not as frequent as they used to be.  A friend of mine thought I just took a break from blogging, but the thing is, Facebook requires us to pay if we want our feeds to go to our entire list.  So that means only a certain percentage of people receive the feeds.  Which means it’s hard to tell you that if you aren’t getting the feeds to begin with.

Anyhow, Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick explained it all so well, I’ll send you over there.  She explains how to make sure you receive your Facebook feeds.  Go check out this post for more info.  And you’ll probably end up sticking around for a bit because she’s always got some fun going on.

PS – make sure to spread the word to your friends.

Have a fantastic weekend!

I’ve got my sisters, brother, nephew and parents all coming over for a slumber party starting tonight and ending Sunday!!  So it’s about to get nutty over here.  Hope you get to have some nutty fun too!!

- Kim

Christmas Mantel O’ Natural

Sticking with my simplicity kick, the mantel is just that.  Simple.  It all started with a bundle of pine from the garden store.  Tucked a little here and a little there, threw in giant sugar cones from our tree cutting day and that was it.

I got hooked on a nature inspired Christmas while I was at the garden store the other day.  The natural beauty of the plants themselves just made me happy.  So I grabbed a paper white for the mantel and a couple plants for other spots around the house too.

I’m loving how fresh and crisp they look up there, however I’m not so sure I like the scent of the paper whites.  So this may be the first and last year for those.  And there’s also the fact that I’m not sure I can keep them alive.  This photo was taken the day I got them.  Since then, they’ve gotten all flopsy on me.  They may not even make it to Christmas.

Typically, I use a faux pine garland, but I’m digging this naked, o’ natural look this year.

Oh, and remember how I said that it was possible I might go hog wild after I brought up the bins from the basement?  Well, I started to, but when I stepped back for a look, I took it all down.  It just wasn’t working for me.

But of course, the mantel has to have stockings, so those stayed along with just a few glints of shimmery ornaments.  You can see the paper white getting flopsy in this photo.  What do I do with this thing?  Anyone?

Oh, and look, just like Halloween, I decorated my magazine pile again.  Yep, they’re still there.  With that basket of ornaments and greens, you can’t even tell it’s on top of a clutter pile.  Well, that’s what I tell myself anyway.

I really am lovin this simple approach to Christmas decorating this year.  And I’m amazed at how one little bundle of pine managed to decorate my entire house.  I’ll show you where else it pops up next time.

Have a great day!

Kim

Linking this up here and down there.

   

 

{rerun} Teacher Gift: Snowglobe Gift Cards

Original post here.

Teacher Gift: Snowglobe Gift Cards

Last year, we presented gift cards to our teachers in DIY snowglobes. You can create a dry or wet snowglobe. I read an article that said they tested putting a gift card in water for a week, but I really didn't want to chance it, so I kept our snowglobes dry.

Supplies:

• jar (I used salsa jar,already had silver lid too)
• mini snowmen (craft store)
• trees (dollar store or craft store)
• fake snow
• snowflake confetti
• glitter
• glue gun
• gift card

So all you need to do is glue your trees and snowmen to the bottom of the lid, add snow and you’re done.

To attach the gift card to the lid, just run a thick bead of glue onto the lid and stick it in. I did a test run and found it took some muscle to pull the gift card off, so I traced white cardstock and folded it up about a 1/2 inch in the front and covered the entire back of the gift card with the cardstock.

The cardstock would be easier to break free and I simply put a glue dot on the back of the gift card so the cardstock stayed attached like a one sided envelope. You can certainly do it without the cardstock.

Aren't they cute?

I made one for myself while I was at it! For mine, I used a pickle jar and wasn't so lucky with the lid color, so I painted it silver. And I decided to experiment with glue dots instead of the glue gun to adhere the tree. It worked! Love those glue dots!

 

These would make great gifts on their own without a gift card.  They would also make fabulous hostess gifts to bring to a holiday party.  Inexpensive, easy and very fun! LOVE – LOVE – LOVE!

Linking up at Centsational Girl, my linky tab list and Hi Sugarplum! on the button below.

{rerun} Water Bottle Snowman Craft

Original post.

Water Bottle SnowmAn Craft

Supplies

• brown pipe cleaners
• black and orange beads
• glue dots
• cotton balls
• black paint
• black construction paper
• 2 inch hole punch and/or scissors
• garland or ribbon for a scarf

We were working on limited time and with a group of kindergartners, so I did a bit of prep work. I painted the lids black and tied on the scarves.

For the arms, I cut one pipe cleaner in half, then folded each piece in half and twisted it around itself until I had a "y" shape.  Then I used a razor to create slits on each side of the water bottle to insert the arms.

I used glue dots to stick the beads on strips for each child. This way there was no glue mess or dry time time to contend with. It was also helpful because it provided each child the amount of beads they needed without beads rolling around everywhere.

I also pre-packaged sandwich bags with 10 cotton balls each because you know they would stuff that water bottle with as many cotton balls as they could if given the option:).

The rims of the hats were two inch circles of black construction paper with a hole the size of the cap in the center so it could be slipped right on top. (I used my two inch hole punch, then traced the cap in the center, then cut out centers.)

We had a volunteer to lead the craft at each table, so I gave each volunteer a grocery bag with all the supplies needed for that table. It was a lot easier to have a person at each table teaching six kids, rather than one person trying to keep the attention of all 24 kids at once. I will definitely do that again!

Sandwich bag with 6 bead strips and 6 hat rims ready to go
in a grocery bag with the other supplies.

When the kids got their supplies, they just needed to stuff the water bottle with cotton balls, slide the hat rim on and create a face with the beads.

To avoid snowman mix ups, we gave each child a white lunch bag to decorate with a snowman face and their names. That way they could pop their little snowmen in the bag for a safe ride home. Added bonus: if any body parts fell off, they would fall into the bag for repair when it got home.

I also made glitter and peppermint scented play dough as a back up in case we had extra time. But the snack and craft were just enough. You could also make snowmen out of the play dough with the same supplies.

Happy Crafting!

Kim

Linking up at Centsational Girl, the usual places here and at the Christmas party below.

{rerun} Disassembled Snowman Snack

I think I’m declaring this week rerun week.  If you are looking for winter party ideas or just some fun stuff to do with the kids, you may want to try this Disassembled Snowman Party my co-room mom and I did last year.  It was a long post, so this time around, I’ll break it down into snack, craft and teacher gift separately.  This snack is too easy and hits all the marks - sweet, salty and healthy.

The Disassembled Snowman Snack

• Carrot Noses
• Melted Snow (Ranch dip)
• Coal Eyes & Mouth (mini Oreos)
• Stick Arms (mini pretzel sticks)
• Hats (crackers with cheese cube stuck on top with squeeze cheese, could also do with fudge cookie and smaller cookie on top, but we needed to balance the sweet and salty)
• Snowballs (powdered doughnut holes)
• Juice and water (we were going to do hot chocolate, but logistically, juice and water were easier)
• Optional, but cute – signs for the snowman’s parts

I used a dispenser for the water, rather than water bottles to give kids the choice between juice or water. My jug looked too much like summer, so I wrapped it with a white towel and cut out foam shapes for the face of a snowman and added a hat I had from a snowman kit.

This year, our school is doing a school wide type of party.  Each class will sing holiday songs in the halls, then have milk and cookies while watching Polar Express in their pajamas.  I have to be honest, I welcome the simplicity of it.  No pressure to think up a cute craft or game and I’m sure the kids will be happy to lounge around in their pajamas watching a movie.   And simple seems to be my state of mind this year.

In the next post, I’ll share the water bottle snowman craft we did with the kids last year.

Craving Simplicity

Ever since Halloween, I couldn’t wait to get all the stuff down and just keep things around me simple.  I found it such a relief to have only a few hints of Thanksgiving moments around my house.  I felt more focused on just being thankful, rather than rushing around to make a cute little bunting sign to hang across my mantel or something else I might have pinned.  Such a relief.

And now that the Christmas season has begun, I’m still craving that simplicity.  Right now, it could be simply because I’ve just come off a two week whirlwind that had me in high anxiety mode.  Traveling, hospitals, Thanksgiving, birthdays, Christmas tree cutting, oh my.  Lots going on all at once.

I’m longing to devour the meaning of Christmas and embrace family moments.  I want to go back to my roots and do things I remember from my childhood.  That’s not to say I won’t be incorporating a couple new things, but I’m happy to keep things on the simple side this year.

Yesterday, I was super excited to add just a few simple touches around the house that infused some Christmas. 

I haven’t even brought up my big rubber bins of stuff and I already feel like my house is done.  It’s really refreshing.  Tonight we’ll be decorating the Christmas tree with my mom and my dad and the big rubber bins will be coming up.  I guess that could change everything and I might go hog wild.  But right now, I’m happy with a few simple moments.