Football Party Craft Idea

I had so much fun with my #GameDayGrubMatch project earlier this month, and as I was shooting those images, I shot a few extras to show you just how fun and easy it is to customize your party by adding something extra special to the food you're eating!

I used these cute food containers in my project for PepsiCo and their #GameDayGrubMatch contest! They would fit your popcorn chicken, snacks, and more! Read the whole post here.

MATERIALS 

French Fry containers, Football Stickers (I like the 3-D ones), green ribbon, clear tape, double sided tape, and scissors. I found the fry boxes at Hobby Lobby, and they are so cute! 

Cut a length of ribbon that will wrap around the fry boxes. 

Attach the ribbon to the front of the fry box with double stick tape. Then, wrap the ribbon around to the back, and tape the ribbon with the regular tape. 

Simply, attach the football stickers to the front of the fry boxes and fill with your game day snacks! 

Maple Walnut + Caramelized Banana Oatmeal Recipe

Oh my, this recipe tastes SO good! Especially on a chilly morning when you don't exactly want to get out of bed but have to...this yummy oatmeal recipe would also be really great as a midnight snack! 

INGREDIENTS (1 Serving)

Oatmeal, Milk or Water, 1 Banana, 2 Tbsp Butter, 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar, 3 Tbsp. Maple Syrup, 1 C. Walnuts, Waxed Paper

INSTRUCTIONS:

- (For The Walnuts) In a skillet over medium heat, warm 1 Tbsp. butter, brown sugar, and syrup, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved, and when the liquid starts to reduce/dry a bit, add your walnuts. Transfer warm walnuts to waxed paperWhen I first created this, I did not use butter, and wow, these were so sticky and almost hard to separate from one another. The butter should help with that a bit! Set the incredibly tasty walnuts aside, and let's start on the bananas!

- (To Caramelize The Bananas) Rinse your skillet, because we are going to use it again! Melt the second 1 Tbsp. butter in the skillet and add a bit of the brown sugar (1-2 Tbsp). Slice the bananas about 1/2" thick (mine were almost too thin, but sure looked pretty!). Lay the banana sliced on the skillet, and let them begin to caramelize. They don't take long, so make sure to watch them closely. Maybe 1-3 minutes on each side. These added so much flavor to my oatmeal! 

- Heat milk or water, and add oats, as per instructions on container. I also added some sugar into the oatmeal, because sugar makes everything better. 

That's it folks, enjoy! If you wind up creating this awesome dish, add a link below, or tag me on instagram as @lilythewanderinggypsy

Nature Hills Nursery - A Special Plant Delivery, and an IZZE Cocktail Recipe!

Over the holidays, Nature Hills Nursery sent me the most adorable mini Christmas tree ever. Now, they surprised me with something much larger! This gorgeous philodendron arrived at my doorstep and I absolutely love it. It's on sale for over half off right now, Find It Here! These plants are gorgeous, and arrive at your doorstep super quickly. 

*VALENTINE'S DAY GIFT IDEA*

I think larger, more mature plants would make an amazing Valentine's Day gift! Send one to your loved one's office, or home, and brighten their day! Every time they see this gorgeous plant (it will last for years, believe me...), they will think of your love :)

Tropical Charm for Inside or Out

Split Leaf Philodendron, Philodendron selloum, is one of many varieties of Philodendron plants with tropical allure and a hardy nature. Place one of these indoors where it will have space to climb and you can enjoy watching its progress.

Split Leaf Philodendron has been a favorite of gardeners for years—as a garden plant, but also as a lovely, indoor houseplant. The heart-shaped leaves are huge (almost 3-feet long), with an appearance reminiscent of something you’d see in a rainforest.

It’s like bringing a bit of the tropics into your home! Split Leaf’s delightful green leaves are deeply-lobed with a glossy finish that easily catches the light and presents a vibrant appearance wherever it’s planted.

In optimal conditions, your Split Leaf Philodendron will reach 12 feet with a 15-foot spread. Split Leaf Philodendron is a vigorous grower and easy to care for. It prefers humidity, but will tolerate some dry conditions. There are no pest or disease concerns and Split Leaf is quite hardy.

Split Leaf Philodendron’s positive features make it easy to see why it’s so often the choice of homeowners for both inside and out. Even if your climate isn’t appropriate for a Philodendron to live outside, why not bring one indoors this year. You’ll soon view it as one of the best houseplants you’ve ever owned!

*Evergreen
*Cold hardy
*Great for containers
*Grow Inside or Out

I also thought that this fun IZZE Cocktail would look superb along side of the philodendron. 

INGREDIENTS:

IZZE Sparkling Raspberry, Frozen Blackberries, Vodka or Tequila (Optional), Cute Glasses

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Fill glasses half way with ice, pour in 1 shot of alcohol (Optional), add IZZE Sparkling Blackberry (love the fizziness of this drink!), and garnish with 2 frozen blackberries!

Note: This drink is not incredible sweet, which is nice. But, you could add a tiny bit of Agave if you want! Enjoy!

#GameDayGrubMatchEntry with PepsiCo!!! Are You Ready For Some Football? Three Game Day Recipes

One of my favorite collaborations to date, I had the honor of creating recipes with PepsiCo products in honor of having the best Football Party Ever! I am also currently working on a Dedicated Board, that showcases all sorts of amazing recipes, and party ideas.

I created three recipes for project, and they all turned out really well! And, more info about the rules is below!

"Share your best game day dish using 2 or more @PepsiCo products. Enter by using #GameDayGrubMatchEntry. Such a fun contest, with big prizes too!"

Visit The #GameDayGrubMatch official site here! 

RECIPE 1: SUN CHIPS POPCORN CHICKEN + TROPICANA FARMSTAND DIPPING SAUCE

INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN:

One full size bag (11.5 oz.) of Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips

4 Chicken Breasts

1 Cup of Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Salt To Taste

1 C. Flour

4 eggs

A food processor

Ziploc Bags

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.) Fill the food processor with chips, and pulse until they are a breadcrumb consistency.

2.) Put the Sun Chips with the Shredded Parmesan and salt, into a bowl and set them aside.

3.) In a shallow bowl, beat the 4 eggs.

4.) Slice the chicken into bite sized pieces.

5.) Place the flour into a Ziploc bag, and put pieces of chicken into the bag to coat chicken. 

6.) Dip each piece of floured chicken into the egg, making sure to let the excess egg drip off.  Then dip into the crushed Sun Chips, coating evenly.

7.) Place each piece of breaded chicken onto the baking sheet and bake 20 mins. at 350 degrees

INGREDIENTS FOR FARMSTAND DIPPING SAUCE

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Yield: about 1 1/4 cups of dipping sauce

INGREDIENTS FOR SAUCE:
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 small lemons)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 5 small limes)
1/4 cup Tropicana Farmstand Juice
1/2 cup superfine sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:
Place all ingredients in a saucepan, and heat until it boils. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 more minutes. To adjust recipe yield up or down, just use this simple formula: 2 parts lemon juice, 2 parts lime juice, 1 Tropicana Farmstand Juice, 2 parts superfine sugar. To alter the sweet/sour ratio, just use less or more sugar, to taste.

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RECIPE 2: 3-INGREDIENT SIERRA MIST BERRY CAKE WITH QUAKER OATS CRUMBLE

INGREDIENTS:

(For The Cake) 1-2 Cans Sierra Mist, 1 Box White Cake Mix, 2 Bags Mixed Frozen Berries.

(For The Crumble) 2 Cups Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, 1/4 Cup (or less) Melted Butter, Cinnamon and Sugar.

INSTRUCTIONS:

(For The Cake) - This is SO incredibly EASY! Whip this up in a matter of minutes :)

- Spray cake pan with non-stick cooking spray, and dump 1 1/2 half bags of frozen berries into cake pan. Spread them out evenly. 

- Dump the cake mix onto the berries. Make sure there are no big pieces of cake mix left, and just break them down with your hands. 

- Now the most important part! Open a can of Sierra Mist, and gently and evenly pour the soda over the cake, making sure to soak every inch of the top. Do Not Mix! If you need to open a second can of soda, go for it! I used about 1 1/2 cans, on my second try at this cake. 

(For The Crumble) - on a small baking sheet, lay down foil, and spread out the oats evenly. pour the melted butter over the oats, and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. bake for 10+ minutes on 350 degrees. Top Cake with crumble. 

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RECIPE 3: PEPSI GLAZED BACON + SABRA HUMMUS JALAPENO POPPERS

INGREDIENTS FOR JALAPENOS:

Olive oil
10 (or more) jalapenos, sliced in half, seeds removed
1 cup plain Sabra hummus
salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS FOR JALAPENOS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place jalapenos on a baking sheet. Drizzle tops with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes or until soften. Remove from oven and cool. Place peppers on a plate. Place hummus in a Ziploc bag, cut the end corner off, and pipe the hummus on top of the jalapenos. Top with Pepsi Glazed Bacon. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS FOR PEPSI GLAZED BACON:

½ lb thick-cut applewood smoked bacon

¼ cup Pepsi®

¼ cup whole grain mustard

¼ cup brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BACON:

1. Cut bacon into 2 inch strips

2. Lay bacon out in single layer on a rack over a sheet tray.

3. Bake at 325°F until crispy.

4. Meanwhile, combine the Pepsi, mustard and sugar in a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved.

5. Remove bacon from oven and drain fat from sheet tray. Brush on Pepsi glaze. Return to oven until lightly browned, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until glaze is darkened and bubbly.

6. Allow to cool before handling. Cut into pieces to put on top of Jalapeno Poppers. 

* Update 2/4/16 - PepsiCo has gotten over 4,700 Repins on the recipe and image I provided, that's incredible!!! See the image below, and check out the pin here. 

Blood Orange Martini

A lovely, refreshing cocktail just for you! Our local Co-Op has so much great citrus fruit right now, that I was inspired to create this drink recipe, and the taste test proved that Blood Oranges are even better when mixed with a bit of Vodka, ha! Check out the recipe, below, and let me know if you try it out!

INGREDIENTS (PER 1 DRINK)

- 2 fl. oz. Fresh Squeezed Blood Orange Juice (Organic Preferred)

- 1 fl. oz. Stirrings Blood Orange Martini Mixer

- 1.5 fl. oz. Vodka of your choice

- Ice

- Red Sugar Sprinkles + Organic Cane Sugar (or white sugar)

INSTRUCTIONS:

- In a shallow dish, mix a bit of red and white sugars. 

- In another dish or plate, add a bit of water, to coat the bottom of the plate. Dip rim of martini glass(es) into sugar, as evenly as possible to avoid clumps.

- Mix ingredients + ice together, and pour into glass, using a metal strainer (or martini shaker). 

- Thinly slice the Blood Orange, and put into the martini for an extra bit of garnish!

Shop This Post: Martini Glasses // Stirrings Blood Orange Martini Mixer

Get Cozy! Fashions To Keep You Warm This Winter

It's THAT time of year again, when it's more fun to stay inside than to go outside! Let's spend our extra time inside just being comfy and cuddling puppies :) 

Comfy Sweatpants (Shop Similar Here)

Ready For Winter! Patagonia Synchilla Fleece (Similar Here) 

Nike Zip Up Sweatshirt (Shop Here)

Patagonia Synchilla Fleece (Shop Here)

I'm Heading To Create + Cultivate!

Create + Cultivate is less than a week away and I am so excited! This will be my second conference, and I have been following their social accounts religiously. I am always so concerned with what to wear to events like this, so I got myself a couple of new dresses and cannot wait to get packed for Dallas! 

Shirt Dress - Found Here

Short Sleeve Stretchy Patterned Dress - Found Here

These are the two dresses I got, one for the Friday night happy hour, and one for the event on Saturday. I love that these dresses won't wrinkle in my suitcase, too. I will be looking for some cute heeled booties to go with both of them! I also need to find myself an adorable new notebook, spiral preferably, and a new purse! Since I work from home, I do not traditionally wear office attire on a daily basis, so I always have to get something new when I am attending anything dressy. Totally fine with that, though :) 

Shop These Boots

Shop These Boots

I also got myself some new business cards from moo.com! They are triple thick, with a neon pink layer in the middle. They are so great! Last time I got a simple black layer inside, but the pink is even more eye catching in s fun and unique way. Click To Get 10% Off Your First Purchase! 

My New Business Cards! Find Me On Instagram Here. 

Can't wait to share some pictures of the event soon! 

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Oatmeal Recipe

Hearty, Yummy Oatmeal! This recipe tastes as good as it looks!

INGREDIENTS:

Oatmeal

Milk or Water (for oatmeal)

2 slices bacon

Red and Green Peppers

2 Eggs

Shredded Cheese

Salt and Seasoning To Taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

- Cook desired amount of oatmeal, as per directions on container, using either milk or water.

- Meanwhile, cook or bake bacon until it is crispy. You can also use bacon bits, but I cannot resist the smell of fresh bacon! Chop up bacon into small, bite sized pieces. 

- In a separate skillet, scramble 2 eggs, and season with salt, pepper, and your other favorite seasonings. Add chopped up green and red peppers to your eggs if you wish.

- Pour finished oatmeal into a bowl, and top with scrambled eggs and peppers, sliced pieces of bacon, and finally, top with cheese!

Enjoy!

Natural Grapefruit Cocktail Recipe + Winter Citrus

These drinks tasted really incredible. This was one of the first drinks I have ever sweetened with Agave, and it was perfect.

We juiced the 2 types of grapefruits (by hand, without a juicer!). One was a "normal color, orangey on the outside, and fruity pink inside, and another type that looked like a giant lemon when you cut it open. Also, after adding just a little bit of the agave nectar, the flavors were balanced perfectly! The sugar around the rim is a fun flavor addition as well. I always love sweet and tart together. 

You can drink the juice by itself, or add a little bit of sparkling wine or gin if you wanted to. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 part grapefruit juice (we used 1 1/2 C.)

1 part sparkling wine (dry and less sweet would be better) or sparkling water

2 tsp. organic agave nectar

Jars or fancy glasses of your choice

Organic Cane Sugar for Rims

INSTRUCTIONS:

- Mix grapefruit juice, sparkling wine, and agave in a pitcher or similar. 

- Grab your jars or glasses, and add sugar to the rim. To do this, I put some water onto a plate, and dipped the glasses in the sugar. I love the way the sugar helped add even more sweetness to a tart citrus flavor. 

- Fill glass a bit over half with ice. Pour the grapefruit juice mixture over the ice, and garnish with a wedge of grapefruit. Love the color of these drinks! 

Fun Fact: Citrus is a great way to help boost your immune system! 

"This large subtropical fruit known for its slightly bitter and sour taste is called a grapefruit as it grows in clusters like grapes. High in enzymes, water content and having less sodium, grapefruit helps accelerate weight loss. It also helps in cancer prevention, boosts immune levels and aids digestion. It is rich in vitamin B, magnesium, iron, folic acids, manganese, calcium and potassium." - StyleCraze

Fashion & Beauty Finds For Valentine's Day

Whether you are wanting to get all cute and festive for Valentine's Day, or just want to give your sister, mom, or friend something cute for Valentine's Day, here are some awesome finds! Click the items to shop!

Help your girl keep her nails looking good!

essie Nail Polish - $8.50

butter London Nail Polish - $22.00

TopShop Glitter Nail Polish - $4.50

And make sure she has the reddest lips of anyone in the room

Burberry Lip Gloss - $29.00

stila Lip Gloss - $24.00

Urban Decay Lip Gloss - $22.00

help her keep her paycheck safe in a new wallet

Forever21 Wallet - $9.99

Kate Spade Wallet - $88.00

Quilted Crossbody Purse $14.90

make sure her hands aren't freezing this winter

Marled Mittens - $13.99

Pinwheel Pusher Gloves - $22.00

Forever 21 Gloves - $6.99

2015 Year In Review

I had an incredible year, last year, and I think it will be great to share all of the fun things with you. Sometimes, I think I am never doing enough, completing enough, scratching a line through enough items on my endless to-do list. Do you ever feel that way? I think this post will also be an amazing way to look back at all of the wonderful places we went, and things I accomplished throughout 2015. It is so important to share the things you are thankful for, and I am thankful for health, happiness, and all of the fun opportunities I had last year. Here's to another circle around the sun!!! 

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JANUARY

In late January of 2015, I decided it was a good idea for me to move over to a .com from my long-standing blogspot blog. I am still very happy that I chose to go to a .com! My previous blog was - http://lily-the-wandering-gypsy.blogspot.com/. Throughout the whole year of 2015, I had over 150,000 Page Views on lily-the-wandering-gypsy.com, and I am so happy about that!!! I also started my super popular Group Pinterest Board, called Inspire Me. 

I also created some pretty awesome things, like my Mixed Berry and Banana Smoothie Recipe, and this Beautiful Fleece Cowl Scarf. 

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FEBRUARY

I had the experience of a lifetime in February when I went to Laguna Niguel, CA to speak at The Re/Code Media conference at THE RITZ (!!!) on a panel of "New Influencers". This was a monumental trip that you can read all about here. 

This month, I also ramped up my holiday-inspired posts by making a few Valentine's Day Posts. I had lots of traffic from my post about Beautiful Bacon Roses and still love them so much! Another super popular post was my Candy Heart Tutorial. I photographed some beautiful goodies from Brightly Twisted, too! I also started a blog called Bisque This! (which I later turned into Bisque-This.com). This definitely marked a point where I began creating some really nice recipes and posting them. 

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MARCH

Some of the posts I made in March were these Bacon Wrapped Pineapple Rings, and the Tater Tot Horseshoe. We also created some gorgeous styled photos for Alice & Marie! We got out of the cold Illinois weather this month and headed out to Arizona!!! For some reason, I was silly and didn't post much about it on my blog...probably because of the complete lack of good internet while we were galavanting around in the desert? Who knows, but we had such an incredibly time, we are going back in March of 2016! I promise I will post more along the way this time around...PROMISE! 

The places we visited in March on our Southwest Road Trip include: Truth or Consequences, NM, Saguaro National Park, Cave Creek, AZ. Read about Utah Below...

AND ANOTHER THING...

Bobby and I also got to work on an amazing project for L'Oreal Advanced Hairstyles while we were in Arizona. I could not think of a more gorgeous place/backdrop for photos! View my portfolio here. I also created a Dedicated Pinterest Board, called Style It - Change It - Own It, which I had a lot of fun with! 

OFF TO UTAH

We had an amazing time doing each and every National Park in Utah - so glad we had a National Parks Pass. Zion National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Escalante, Canyonlands, Kodachrome Basin, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Moab, UT. What an unforgettable time!

Escalante National Park

Escalante National Park

View fullsize

Bryce Canyon National Park - Click To See Larger

Our Trusty Prius At Kodachrome! 

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APRIL

In April, the weather finally started to warm up here in Illinois, and I was creating even more content. I also started (another) blog for fashion-only, called She's So Chic (which I need to revisit pretty badly...). 

Bobby and I also created some more content and a Dedicated Pinterest Board for L'Oreal Infalliable Makeup. Another incredible and honorable projects that I was so happy to create.

I also created this DIY Daily Planner post, which remains my most popular post to date! I also created this Festival Ready Flower Crown, in honor of Coachella and Bonnaroo. 

I visited the Nashville Country Living fair with my mom and sister, and had a great time! 

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MAY

Another fun month! I collaborated with Sony Pictures to help promote their movie, Aloha! We have been to Hawaii three times, so I thought this was a really fun and inspiring project. Check out the Dedicated Pinterest Board and Blog Post talking more about the project. I was also named in the Top 100 Pinners of 2015 by Daily Tekk. I also created this Tassel Earrings Tutorial, and photographed Emblem Eyewear Sunnies.

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JUNE

In June, I created a great post for HelloSociety about my Top 5 Pinterest Tips! It was shared quite a few times!!! I also created another boho tutorial, showing how to embellish the cutest boots ever! I also created some adorable onesies, and took some photos at our amazing Farmer's Market, one of which was featured on the VSCO blog! 

Speaking of Farmer's Markets, Carbondale gained a new Farmer's Market this past summer, and they had a great selection of local veggies. And, check out my favorite Bloody Mary Recipe ever! 

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JULY

This month, I worked with Nordstrom Rack to help promote their clothing on Pinterest! I created a new Tumblr site, called Wandering Gypsy Fashion Blog, to focus one site on fashion-only. I also photographed this organic lotion line from Ayushi Woods. We also gave a $100 Gift Certificate To one lucky winner! I also created this fun Raspberry Mint Spritzer Recipe. 

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AUGUST - OUR BIG ROAD TRIP + MORE

Things heated up this month with an amazing collaboration with Ulta Beauty Hair & Cosmetics. I also created an amazingly delicious No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe, perfect as individual servings! 

 The second week of August, we took the biggest road trip we have EVER taken!!! Again, I did not really post much about this on my blog, but I promise to blog more on upcoming road trips, promise! 

OUR ROAD TRIP...

We spent about 6 weeks on the road throughout August and September. We visited places in Colorado like Glenwood Springs, Crested Butte, Silverton, Ouray, and Silverton. I got a few photos, but this was when Lily was having a really hard time, so it's very hard to even go back and look at photos from this time...We lost one of our very best friends on the trip, though, and I have still never felt the same without her. Lily the AmStaff will always be loved and I am happy she had such an adventurous life. 

OFF TO CALIFORNIA

Lake Tahoe

San Francisco

Westport

OREGON

Waldport

Cannon Beach + Portland

WASHINGTON

Olympic Peninsula - Kalaloch Lodge 

Whidbey Island

MONTANA + IDAHO

On the way back home, we drove through Ketchum, Idaho, and Missoula, Montana. 

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SEPTEMBER

Some of the photos from August actually took place in September, but this month, I wanted to feature the projects we completed in August and September. We worked with Bacardi (!!!), Missouri Department of Tourism, Emma Stine, and the FYI Network for their show Style: Unzipped. 

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OCTOBER

Another pretty incredible month. While working on Halloween projects, I got an email from HelloSociety and Skype, asking me if I wanted to visit New York City (in a few days...), and help with a Skype Halloween Party for The Lower East Side Girls' Club! They flew me out, and then put me up in a (hotel). i had an amazing time and learned so many new things. Check out my tips for a great Halloween Party With Skype, and my trip to New York City! (Thanks, Skype!!!!)

I also created some amazing photos for Sony Pictures' movie, Burnt. This was one of the hardest projects I have ever done and loved learning so much from it. 

I also created a few photos for Toad&Co. 

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NOVEMBER

Going back to loving to cook, I created a great Stuffed Squash Recipe, a 7 Can Soup Recipe, took photos of Fall Ice Cream Treats at Cold Stone Creamery, and also shot some gorgeous photos for Erin Pelicano Jewelry. Her work is beautiful! I also created this gift guide, and also shot a few photos inspired by e.l.f. cosmetics for their #PlayBeautifully project. 

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DECEMBER

Wow, I did quite a bit this month! Christmas and the holidays were such a great inspiration for me, and I actually worked with Harley-Davidson! I think we got some great photos and I also made them a Dedicated Board. I also styled up a beautiful watch by JORD Wood Watches, made in St. Louis, just 2 hours from here. 

I also created some awesome DIY Gift Bags, an Ugly Christmas Sweater Dog Bandana, Pumpkin Oat Dog Treats, Holiday Decor with Nature Hills Nursery, Red Cocktail Recipes, Frozen Hot Chocolate Pie (YUM!!), Soft Gingerbread Cookies, Sugar Cookies From Scratch, styled up some more e.l.f. makeup, and also styled a cute New Year's Eve Party, which was featured here on Kara's Party Ideas.

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Whew! So, that's my last year in a big gigantic nutshell! I hope this inspires you, I know it will help me keep motivated to continue to create new things and travel to new places! 

This post was inspired by This Post from Inspired By Charm! 

Real Strawberry Muffins With Pink Icing

I wanted to make something with strawberries for Valentine's Day and here they are! The muffins don't need the icing, but it sure made them cute. I used mini muffin tins, and they were perfectly bite sized. These muffins were very moist, so make sure you cook them thoroughly. 

STRAWBERRY MUFFINS FROM SCRATCH

2 C. all purpose flour

1/3 C. sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 C. milk

1/4 C. vanilla yogurt

1/2 t. vanilla extract

1 1/2 C. fresh strawberries, hulled and finely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix all ingredients except for strawberries. 

Here is my muffin batter before I added the strawberries and sugar. 

Below, I pureed the strawberries and added them to my batter. I also added 2 drops of food coloring to enhance the pink color for the photos :)

Bake the mini muffins for 15-18. Now, make your icing. 

I made a simple icing in my food processor. Add all ingredients, and process until combined. Scrape sides to incorporate any extra ingredients. Pour into smaller bowl to spoon onto muffins. 

ICING INGREDIENTS -  Original Recipe

1 Tbsp Butter - 1 C. Powdered Sugar - 1-2 Tbsp milk - 1/4 tsp vanilla - 2 tsp. fruit - Food Coloring

Have fun with this recipe, and enjoy!!

Quaker– Bring Your Best Bowl – And Coffee Infused Oatmeal!

This post is in partnership with The Quaker Oats Company.

I absolutely love the way a warm bowl of oatmeal makes me feel – and I personally tend to be more full than if I eat a cold bowl of cereal or a granola bar. So, I created an awesome recipe that combines the warm and cozy feeling of a bowl of oatmeal, with just a hint of hazelnut coffee! Below, you will find out how you could have the chance to see your very own oatmeal flavor in stores, and win big. 

Oatmeal is incredibly versatile, and I found a way to enhance it! I created a recipe that adds the flavor and aroma of coffee, and a dash of Hazelnut. It’s so easy, with hardly any prep work.

Better yet, Quaker is offering one lucky winner $250,000 to create a flavor of your own! Enter your own submission for America’s next great oatmeal flavor, using 2-5 ingredients. It’s that simple! Let your imagination run wild.

 As a consumer, you probably already know what you want, so let’s share that with the world.

Just think - you could have your new flavor on shelves across the whole country!

So, let’s do this! $250,000 could be yours!! Enter your flavor submission here and learn more. Ends 3/12/16.  Also, feel free to follow Quaker across the web, on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook! 

 My friends at Quaker helped me make this post possible! And, all opinions are my own. 

COFFEE AND HAZELNUT INFUSED OATMEAL RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

·       Quaker Old Fashioned Oats

·       Milk

·       Instant Coffee of your choice

·       Hazelnut Coffee Syrup

·       Brown or White Sugar

 INSTRUCTIONS: Boil milk or water, and 2-3 tsp (or more) or instant coffee grounds. Add oatmeal, and let cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, let sit for 5 more minutes, and add 1 tsp Hazelnut Coffee flavoring, and stir. Enjoy!! 

I can't wait to see what you create! Feel free to share a link to your recipes, or a description of what ingredients you used! 

Smoothie Time! Mixed Berry and Banana Smoothie - Negative Calorie Recipe

Smoothies are so refreshing and actually filling! Here is an idea for a quick "power meal in a smoothie"! I always buy organic fruits, vegetables, and produce, and it makes me feel that I'm not getting a bunch of unnecessary chemicals from pesticides. Another great thing, is that (besides the yogurt), every ingredient in this recipe are Negative Calorie Foods! Meaning they take more calories to burn than they contain. So cool. Well, enjoy your smoothies!

INGREDIENTS for about 2 smoothies:

1 Cup Ice - (blend this in the blender before adding fruits and spinach)

1/3 pint blueberries

1/3 C. raspberries

2 bananas - cut into pieces

A small hand full of spinach, chopped or ripped into small pieces

1/4 - 1/2 Cup Pineapple Juice (or any juice you have on hand)

1/2 C. - 1 C. Vanilla or Strawberry Yogurt 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Crush ice in blender. Add fruits and spinach, and blend for about 30 seconds, or until completely combined. If you want a thinner smoothie, just add more juice.

This smoothie was very tasty. You get a nice taste of each of the ingredients, without tasting the spinach too much :) I am sure you could use frozen fruit as well. 

I hope you enjoy these, they kept me more full than expected!

Hot Chocolate With A Hint Of Bam!

I love a good hot chocolate! I would take a mug of hot cocoa over coffee any day! It's just something about steamed milk and chocolate that make me feel so warm. 

HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPES:

BASE HOT CHOCOLATE (1 SERVING):

Fill a mug with milk, and pour it into a small lidded sauce pan. Begin to warm the milk on medium-low heat for 4 minutes, with the lid on. Add 3 Tablespoons of chocolate syrup to the saucepan, stir, and heat for another 2 minutes. Wait a few minutes until is has cooled a bit, and pour the hot chocolate back into your mug. Top with a generous amount of whipped cream, and enjoy! It will be very hot, so please be careful! 

VARIATION: MOCHA CINNAMON

Add 2 ounces espresso and 1 tablespoon cinnamon simple syrup to each mug of hot chocolate. 

VARIATION: CHAI SPICE

Add 2 pods star anise, 10 cracked cardamom pods, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, 1 tsp grated ginger, 6 ounces strong black tea, and 3 Tbsp. dark brown sugar. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, without letting the mixture come to a boil. Strain spices, and ladel hot chocolate into mugs.  

Enjoy!!

Anthropologie Beauty 2016

I recently received an email from Anthropologie showing off all of their awesome beauty products. I hope to grab a few of these items for the new year ahead! 

Create + Cultivate Conference

I am super excited to be attending the Create + Cultivate Conference in Dallas, at the end of this month. I know time will fly, so I am trying my best to get prepared for it. The tickets have already sold out, so they are announcing the next location pretty soon. Looks like such a fun time, I cannot wait!

Create & Cultivate Chicago 2015 from create cultivate on Vimeo.

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This conference also looked like a contender for next year - Thrive Blogger Conference. It is January 31, 2016. It costs about $150 for a ticket, which I am sure would be well worth it. It's held at The Embassy Suites in The Woodlands area of Texas.  

Check Out My DIY Page!

I just created a new page that helps you find all of my DIY projects in one place. I had so much fun going back through all of the fun projects I had created in 2015, and thinking about all of the great things I want to make, design, and share in 2016. If you have any requests, or ideas for me, just comment below! Happy Crafting!!

DIY Super Easy Champagne Flutes

I had a blast working on this fun tutorial! I thought these would be adorable for a party of just about any sort. Whether you actually put champagne or sparkling wine in these glasses, or if you decide to create mocktails, suitable for all ages, these would be great. This of how cute these would be if you made them for a bridal or baby shower, holidays, birthdays, and just fun days you want to be more fancy than usual! You could also find monogram stickers and use those as fun gifts as well. Check out the full New Year's post Here. 

So, this project is one of the easiest ones I have ever created. So great that they wound up looking so great on top of being So easy! I wound up finding these amazing sticker/decals at Hobby Lobby. Of course, I couldn't find the exact stickers that I used online, but I used Stick-A-Bilities for this project. They were about $2.49 for the package, and I like the little bits of gold, pale pink, and mint in these stickers. They are kins of retro while still looking elegant and modern! The circle stickers ranged from about 2"-2.5" across, to give you an idea of what worked so well.

I found the plastic party champagne flutes for about $1.00 each at Party City. Here is the link to the cups in Clear and Gold. Whatever you wind up using, just make sure the plastic glasses have straight sides so the stickers fit best. 

It's so simple, just make sure you stick the stickers to the flute glasses as straight as possible, and without any bubbles. 

Until next time, have a happy and healthy 2016!!!