Easy Peasy Fudge

 

Yesterday I shared my easy chocolate peanut butter nut cups recipe. Today I will share an easy fudge recipe with you! Believe me, if I can make this you can too.  Let's get started.

Here is what you will need:

Easy Peasy Fudge

3 cups sugar

1 and 1/2 sticks of butter

16 oz of semi sweet chocolate

1 7oz jar of marshmallow cream 

1 can (5oz) evaporated milk

1 tsp vanilla

nuts if you like

The first thing you need to do is line your dish with foil

In a medium sauce pan bring your sugar, butter and milk to a rolling boil and stir it constantly.  Once it starts to boil set your timer for 4 min and continue boiling and stirring.

Now that you have boiled everything and stirred it constantly for 4min (and I know your arm is about to fall off!)  remove it from the heat and add your chocolate and marshmallow cream.  Stir until everything is all melted.  Now add your vanilla.  You would also add your nuts at this time if you like.  I personally do not like nuts in my fudge.

 Now pour it into your pan and let it set up.  Just a tip, I usually cut mine before they are completely set.  It makes for easier cutting. 
 

YUM YUM!!! Enjoy!

Remember to save some for yourself because this is what the plate will look like once your family and friends get a hold of these babies!

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Nut Cups

So, it's that time of year again and I am in the kitchen making my favorite neighbor gifts.  Why is it my FAVORITE neighbor gift you ask???  Well it is because these little things are sooooooo yummy and not only that they only take about 5 minutes to make!  As my gift to you, I am going to share this awesome little treasure.  Here is what you need!

These are the ingredients you need.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Nut Cups

small candy cups
1 bag mini chocolate morsels
1 bag reeses peanut butter morsels
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 12 ounce can salted cocktail peanuts (I don't usually use the whole can)

Now let's get started!

 Place all your little candy cups on a cookie sheet.

Place all your ingredients except the nuts into a microwave safe bowl. 
Microwave for about 1min 30 secs or until all ingredients are melted.

Once everything is melted stir in your peanuts and then fill your candy cups.

YUM YUM!!!

And that's it!  Once they are done let them sit in the refrigerator to harden up.  I usually store my in the refrigerator as well.  These things are sooo yummy!!!

ENJOY!

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Style Your Bookshelves Like A Pro

 source: house beautiful

Every home I visit the first thing a client wants me to do is restyle their bookshelves.  A well styled bookshelf filled with collectibles, books and family treasures adds warmth and interest to any room.  Use your bookshelves to display pretty vignettes of your favorite items.  Here are some examples of great bookshelf styling and some of the tips I follow whenever I am styling them myself.

COLOR THE BACK: It is always a plus when the back of the bookshelf has some color or texture.  Color and/or texture makes everything "pop".  If you are not ready to make the commitment to paint, cover a piece of foam board with your favorite fabric and place it in the back of the shelf.  No commitment there!  If you decide you don't like it, just take it down and recover the foam board with something else.

 Source: Martha Stewart 

Show off Your Collections:  Pull out the items that you love and put them on display.  Your shelves should be a reflection of you and your family.  In this photo a collection of pottery that feels like is has been collected over time is not symmetrical but yet still completely balanced. The varying heights of the object give visual interest while the similar colors bring everything together. Whether you collect birdcages or buttons, sculpture or shells, transferware or teacups, any collection you love deserves pride of place in your home. Plus, there's power in numbers: "Anything looks better as a collection," says Mary Carol. "The different sizes, shapes and colors play off each other, and grouping a collection together gives it emphasis." Gather up your treasures around the house and mass them for a stunning display.

 Source: HGTV

 Group Like Items: Create unity in your shelf displays by grouping items by theme, color, shape, texture or material.  Like items grouped together will give you the biggest bang.  The picture below is a perfect example.  Each shelf is linked together by either color, shape or texture.

 Source: KimStephen Interiors

Go Big:  A bookshelf filled with a plethora of smalls will look cluttered and distracting.  Instead use Big Bold accessories to mix in with your smaller items. If you think something is too big, trust me it's not.  Bold accessories stand out.

 Image Source: Style at Home

Mix Up The Height of Your Items:  A big no no is to line up a shelf with items that are all the same height.  This makes the items seem boring and unattractive.  Instead vary the height of the items in your shelf to keep the eye moving across it.  You can increase the height of an item just by placing it on a book.

 Image Source: Ikea.com

USE BOOKS: A said before, one way to increase the height of an item is to place it on a book.  Also when you place it on a book it seems to give it a bit of importance and bring some attention to it.  I also like to use books because they bring color and texture to the vignette.

 Image Source: Lonny

CREATE LAYERS IN YOUR SHELVES:  Consider depth when accessorizing your shelves.  Depth is the placement of items from front to back.  Use pictures trays and plates to stand up in you shelve to add depth to them.  Layer small shorter items in front of the larger items you have stand up in the back.  Consider the pieces in the back as a backdrop to the smaller item in the front.

 Image Source: DimplesandTangles

VARY YOUR BOOK DISPLAYS: Not all your books have to be standing up or laying flat.  Use them both ways.  This is a great way to increase the color and texture in your display as well as fill up empty space. "Display some books up and down and others laid on their side," says Nancy. "And group books by subject — mass all the photo books together, for instance — or by size, which instantly creates a sense of order." As for those tatty paperbacks, get rid of them or hide them in good-looking boxes or baskets tucked into your bookshelves. Design by Emily Henderson.

 Image Source: PorchlightInteriors

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Natural Christmas Wreaths

I just love those Christmas Wreaths made with natural elements.  Here are some great examples, try your hand and making one yourself!

 Source: Southern Living

Large and small pine cones wired onto a grapevine wreath with christmas tree springs nestled in between.

 Source: Southern Living

The acorn wreath.  Acorns and nuts hot glued onto a wreath and finished off with magnolia leaves!

 

source: Etsy 

Boxwood Wreath.  Adorn your door with a natural boxwood wreath.  Save trimming from you box wood bushes and wire them on to a grapevine wreath.  Finish it of with pretty bow!

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Making Gift Baskets

Today I put together the cutest little gift basket for one of my favorite little girls, Sofi, who is turning 10!  Instead of just giving her a boring gift card, I found inexpensive items at Tuesday Morning, Walgreens, Hobby Lobby and the Dollar Store and created a Pink and Green Gift Basket for her birthday.

Gift Baskets are so fun and easy to make you just need to keep a few things in mind.  After you come up with a Theme for your basket, keep these few things in mind and you will have an awesome looking gift for someone!

• One trick is to fill the bottom of the basket with packing peanuts or old newspaper. This will give the illusion of a fuller basket and make the gifts easier to see.
• Over the 'peanuts', place a thick layer of basket filler. This can be colored shred or tissue paper. Overfill the basket as it will be weighted down as items are added.
• Begin adding the biggest and tallest items toward the middle or back.
• To hold some items in place, use tape to attach them to each other or to the container. The deep filling makes it easier to keep things still by "sinking" them in a bit.
• Continue arranging gifts and then "fill out" the look of the basket. Make sure the paper or shred shows through. Fill in with more, if necessary. Add little items such as wrapped candies, silk flowers, Christmas ornaments, pine cones or whatever works with the theme. 
• Finally you will need some cellophane to complete the basket.  I used shrink wrap that I have to say is soooooo fun to use.  Tape your shrink wrap around the basket, then get your hair dryer and watch the magic!  

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Outdoor Living Rooms

As the weather cools it makes me want to grab a glass of wine, invite friends over and relax outside. Whether it is an extravagant outdoor living room or a small nook in the backyard make a space that is welcoming and inviting and you will visit it more often.

 Take what you love about your dining or living room and apply it to the outdoors. Throw away the plastic folding lawn chairs and think outside the box. Make your patio an extension of your home by decorating it the same way you would one of the rooms of your house.   Create an outdoor living room and visually increase the square footage of your home.  Below are some great examples of inviting outdoor living spaces.

image source: ballard designs

image source: crate and barrell

 via: pinterest

via bhg

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Wordless Wednesday

source

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Pumpkin Decorating

I love these gorgeous decoupaged pumpkins created by FunkyTime. 

You can find the full DIY at Funky Time

I am definitely going to make these!

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How to Make a Stretch Bracelet

Oh, those trendy stretch bracelets how I love them!  Stack them or wear them by themselves, I gotta have them.

Ok you are seeing them everywhere these days and especially on your favorite celebrity.  These bracelets have come a long way from those of the past.  You can find them made with high end gemstones, swarovski crystals and adorned with sterling silver and gold vermeil charms. Check out the wrists of your favorite celebrities these days - chances are you'll see their wrists full stackable stretch bracelets! These bracelets are so much fun to make however there are some tricks to making stretchy bracelets that will last.   I have made a few stretch bracelets the past few days and I will share some of my secrets with you.

Coral Beads with hand wrapped mother of pearl briolette

The beads might be wooden, semi-precious stones, or even metal or crystals.  Some of them even have a charm hanging from them.

 Coral Beads with hand made sterling silver charm

Here are the materials you will need to make your bracelet:

STRETCH CORD: Some of the common brands include Stretch Magic, Powercord and Opelon. Many of the Jewelry and beading supply companies seem to have their own brand name and at least one brand can be found at your local craft store.  As with all stringing materials they come in different mm thicknesses.   For most of my stretch bracelets I like to use a .7mm.   They knot easily and fit through most of the holes in the beads I used  

BEADS: Well of course you are going to need beads.  I used all the left over beads I had from previous projects. 

GS HYPO CEMENT:  I use a drop of GS Hypo cement on everyone on of my knots.  Just to make sure the knot will stay.  I like to knot my bracelets.  You will see some bracelets that have a crimp bead to close the two ends.  Personally I don't like seeing the crimp bead on my bracelets all I want to see is a bracelet filled with beautiful beads.

 Amonzite beads with coral pendant

Now let's make our bracelet!

1.  Choose your beads.  Decide if you will arrange randomly or use a pattern.  Personally I just arrange randomly and I like all my beads to be the same.  

2.   Pull enough stretchy cord off the spool to start putting your beads on it.  I don't cut my string off yet.  I use the spool as a stopper for my beads. 

4. The average sized bracelet is 7" - 7.5" (17.78cm - 19.05cm)

5.  Once you have the bracelet the way you like it, take each side of the stretch cord and tie one overhand knot and pull it tightly – as hard as you can.   Tie a second overhand knot and pull it tightly.  Or tie a surgeons knot once.

  

 

6. Apply a drop of GS Hypo cement to the knot and let it dry for at least 2 hours.

7.Once dry cut off the excess cord from the knot.

AND that's it.  Now you have a cute stretch bracelet just like the celebrities!

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Halloween, Umbre Pumpkins

Forget about decorating your pumpkin the ordinary way, I just love these colorful funky pumpkins! You can find the full step by step process at Funky Time

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Wordless Wednesday

source: tumblr

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Arranging Living Room Furniture

Living rooms serve different purposes for different people. In some homes they are the main gathering area for family, in others they are only used when company comes over. Either way, there are certain issues that always come up when trying to arrange living room furniture.  Here are a few tips to use when arranging your furniture in your living room.

 via: pinterest

via: pinterest

 Make sure to establish a focal point in your living room and arrange your furniture around it.  Many people have fireplaces and that becomes the natural focal point of the room.  If you don't have a fireplace create your own focal point with a large piece of furniture like an armoire.  If is is your family room, you may decide to use your television as the focal point of the room.

 via: Bunny Williams

Create conversation areas in your space.  People should not have to strain their necks or shout to talk to one another.  If you have a very large living room, create several conversation areas.

 via: Lauren Conrad

Consider traffic flow when you arrange your living room.  Leave enough room for people to walk around furniture so they can easily get from one side of the room to the other. 

via: cote de texas

Move your furniture away from your walls.  Having furniture in your room with their back touching the walls is a big mistake.  Moving the pieces away from the walls creates a more intimate space.  If the back of the piece of furniture is finished off there is no reason not to show it off.

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Homecoming MUM Time of Year

Well it's that time of year again.  The BIG Game!  You all know what I am talking about that HOMECOMING Game.  Well down here in the south that homecoming game is a BIG, no HUGE deal.  Not only the game, but those beloved mums!!!  Yes, I had my ribbon, trinkets, bells, stickers and anything else I could think of out today to clue on a round disk to make that gaudy, oh I mean BEAUTIFUL homecoming mum.  Here in Texas, the BIGGER the BETTER!  Here is a look at the one I made today.  If you can staple and hot glue you can make one too!

 

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Fall Inspiration

A few autumn colors finds to get you in the fall kind of mood.

Handmade soap by  LippincottSoapCo on Etsy
Autumn Photograph by Photography by Karina on Etsy
Cute kitty via tumblr
Felt pumpkins by FeltJar on Etsy
Fall Tutus by All Dressed Up Couture on Etsy
Pumpkin Garland via Tumblr
Candy Corn via Pixlr

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