Sugar Scrub Party Favors

 For my sister's Bridal shower I decided to make each guest a small jar of sugar scrub as a party favor. I used baby food jars to put the scrub into, just spray painted the lids teal first. The sugar scrub was a peppermint sugar scrub, you can find the recipe below. To make the jars you will need he following:

• Baby food jars, cleaned with labels removed
• Spray paint
• Address labels
• Pipe cleaners or ribbon
• Sugar scrub recipe (see below)

1. Once all of your baby food jars are cleaned remove the lids and spray paint the tops and sides the color you would like. Let them dry.

2. Next print your labels for the jars. If you're using the Avery address labels you can download the template online here, and easily enter your text. I created my text in picnic and inserted the image into the template. You can find and save my image below.

3. Make your sugar scrub and fill each jar. Wrap a pipe cleaner around each jar, or tie with a ribbon. 

4. Place a label on each jar and you're done.

Peppermint Sugar Scrub Recipe

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract
• 8 vitamin E liquid capsules (cut open and add gel)

Mix together ingredients in a large bowl. Fill each jar with sugar scrub. Recipe can be easily doubled to fill more jars. This sugar scrub is great to use on your feet.

Linking up HERE!

Creative Gift Wrap Ideas

Decorate boxes with flowers made out of cupcake liners

Use doilies

Make paper or fabric monograms to tie to each gift

Put your little ones to work, making homemade wrapping paper

Easy to make fabric gift envelopes

Decorate boxes with different types and colors of yarns

I love all of these creative gift wrap ideas! You can find instruction for these and many others on Martha Stewart's website.

Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn Mason Jar Gifts

Here is another mason jar holiday gift idea, great for neighbors, teachers, or friends and family. This cinnamon sugar popcorn recipe is amazing! I have shared the full recipe before here. I made up some of these jars for another holiday boutique and thought I would share the idea with all of you. They are really simple to make, here's what you'll need:

• 8oz Mason jars
• White popcorn kernels
• Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Twine
• Glittery card stock paper
• small plastic bags to hold the cinnamon sugar mixture (you can find small ones at Hobby Lobby)
• hole punch
• paper cutter or scissors
• printed label and directions (you can save my image below and insert into word doc)

You will place 1/2 cup of sugar into the bottom of each jar, then follow with 1/2 cup of the white popcorn kernels.  Place the lid on the jar and tighten. Measure out the cinnamon sugar mixture for each bag. You will need 4 tablespoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix it together and place in the small bag. Each jar makes about 7-8 cups of popcorn.
Next you can print the cinnamon sugar popcorn labels and write the directions on the back card stock. You can find the image that I used below. Just save and insert into a word document to print. You can drag the image smaller or larger depending on the size of the label you want to make. Then cut out the label and glue to the glittery card stock. Hole punch the corner of each label.
Next, hole punch two holes on each side of the top of the small bags and thread the twine through the holes and around the lid of the jar. You will also want to make sure to thread the twine through your label. Then you're done! Make sure to make a batch for yourself too, it will make a good snack for while you're filling the jars. :)

Broccoli Pesto

I made this broccoli pesto last night and tossed it over orzo and steamed broccoli florets, then topped it with avocado slices, pine nuts and freshly grated Parmesan. It was soo yummy! The recipe came from a new cookbook I picked up at Anthropologie. It's called super natural every day by Heidi Swanson. There are lots of great healthy recipes in it, and I can't wait to try out more of them. This broccoli pesto is really simple to make and easy to toss over your favorite pasta.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of broccoli, blanched
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor, except the olive oil and milk. Once all the ingredients are in the food processor stream in the olive oil and milk while pulsing the other ingredients until smooth. The original recipe called for creme fraiche, however I did not have any so I just used whole milk. It came out great!

Bruschetta with Pears, Fontina, and Pistachios

We made this bruschetta on Thanksgiving as an appetizer and it is AMAZING! My Mom shared the recipe and I am not sure where it originally came from, but it is one that I will be making again! I love the combination of the sweet pears, creamy fontina, and salty pistachios. Yumm!

Ingredients:

• 1 baguette, sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 9 oz fontina cheese, sliced
• 1/4 cup pistachios, shelled and chopped
• 2 pears (one red, one green), sliced
• freshly ground salt and pepper

 Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and line a baking sheet with foil. Slice baguette.

 Lay slices on the baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until bread is toasted.

 Top with freshly chopped garlic and the sliced fontina cheese.

 Sprinkle the pistachios on top, then place back in the oven for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

 Remove from the oven once the cheese is melted and top with pear slices. Serve while still warm.

 

Linking up HERE!

Advent Conspiracy

Last year Mission Community Church set a goal to feed 1,500 orphans in Chikudzulire, Africa…that goal was far exceeded to feed 4,700!!! This year their goal is to provide nutritious meals for 5,000 orphans for all of 2012. You can give online here (login to your Mission account or create an account, and select "Advent Conspiracy" for the fund).

Advent Conspiracy 2011 at Mission Community Church from MISSION on Vimeo.

Teal Sprinkle Rimmed Glasses

We celebrated my sister last night at her Bridal Shower, and we had a lot of fun! Our friend Andrea from Lime Flower Studio took lots of pictures of the evening, and I can't wait to share them! These were the only pictures I took yesterday and thought I would share them. My sister's wedding colors are teal and silver, so I rimmed some glasses in teal sprinkles for a mudslide punch! I also rimmed some others in silver sanding sugar for the Coconut Mojitos. My sister-in-law made the mudslide punch and I plan to share the recipe soon. They were really yummy!

 

Just two simple steps to make these:

Step one: Dip the rim of the glass in melted white chocolate almond bark.

Step two: Dip the white chocolate into the sprinkles until covered.

The teal sprinkles are from Sweet Estelle's Etsy Shop and the grey striped paper straws are from my Etsy shop here. I would love to have an assortment of sprinkles in my shop, so fun! And these were the perfect color for the shower!

Linking up HERE!

The Holiday Shoppe Vendor Spotlight

I want to introduce you to a few of the lovely vendors that will be at The Holiday Shoppe in just over 1 week!

 

 Hi, I’m Liz. The Blue Eyed Owl is a blog about all things vintage, handmade and my life as mom, wife and indie business owner. I run an online vintage and handmade boutique with retail space at The Main Street Antique Mall near my home in Mesa, AZ. I love to connect with readers & other indie business owners and would love to hear from you!

 

Visit Liz here... {BLOG} {SHOP} {FB} {Twitter}

Three girlfriends who share a common bond of always wanting more junk in our trunks. Their booth will be full of chippy, rusty and unique vintage items. As well as handmade barn signs and personalized pillows.

Visit them here... {BLOG} {SHOP-1} {SHOP-2} {FB} {Twitter}

Bonnie combined her love of shopping for dismissed furnishings and a keen eye for style, to create Bonnie Inc. Distinct Refurbished Furniture & Interior Design. She will be selling holiday decor, vintage dishes, books, & linens, a few furnishings, lamps, frames/art, handmade gift bows.

Visit Bonnie here... {BLOG} {SHOP} {FB} {Twitter}

My name is Ashley and I am the designer at The Pink Ruffle. I am a mom to the sweetest little girl and love making her headbands! I always am asked where she gets them, so decided to share the love with everyone! It is my joy to make something special for your little one, older one or even you!I will be selling baby, child and adult headbands, bowbands and hair clips. Visit Ashley here... {BLOG} {SHOP} {FB} Don't forget to RSVP to the event here.  If you can't make it, I would suggest checking out the vendors online shops for some amazing holiday gift items!

Hot Cocoa in a Jar

 I recently made these jars with hot cocoa mix in them to sell at some holiday boutiques. I think they would make great gifts for teachers, neighbors, or friends and family. I tied some paper straws to the jar with twine and put a tag on each jar with the directions on the backside. There are lots of homemade hot cocoa mix recipes online, so you can try out different ones. When I made mine I didn't write down a recipe, but the next batch I make I will make sure to write down my recipe!

 I added mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows to half of the jars.

 Then I added crushed candy canes and mini marshmallows to the other jars to make a peppermint flavored hot cocoa. 

DIY Glitter Frame

I made this frame for my sister's bridal shower coming up. It is a cocktails and cupcakes shower with lots of shiny, sparkly, glittery decorations! Can't wait to celebrate with her and all the girls!


I bought the old frame for $0.75 at Goodwill and used some silver spray paint I already had. The tacky spray and glitter I bought at hobby lobby on sale and with coupons and I have lots leftover for more fun projects. The printable in the frame I found at Salt & Paper, an adorable online store with all kinds of printable art and stationary. You can find the Keep Calm printable HERE, for free! You can even customize the color of the printable from many selections before downloading.

 Linking up HERE!

Turkey Craft

This is another activity that Hudson was sent home from preschool with, but it would be easy to create at home with your kids. He was given the turkey template (which you can draw your own or find one online) and told to disguise Tom Turkey so he is not caught on Thanksgiving Day. You can get creative and use things around your house to disguise him. You could disguise him as anything your child would like, such as another animal. Hudson of course wanted to make him a Superhero!

We used markers, felt, glitter, scissors, and glue to disguise Tom Turkey.

First Hudson colored him with the markers.

While Hudson colored I cut out a mask, cape, boots, and superhero emblems to disguise Tom with.

Once Tom was colored we cut him out and then Hudson glued the felt superhero costume onto Tom.

We went back and also added glitter and Hudson made him some wrist bands too. :)