white chocolate peppermint pretzels {and $100 Dollar Tree Gift Card Giveaway!}

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Dollar Tree and Blueprint Social. All opinions are my own.

Have you heard about the Dollar Tree Value Seekers Club? It is a club full of crafts, recipes, décor, tips, contests, insider information, frugal fun ideas, and more! I recently signed up on the Dollar Tree website and I love it. There are so many fun project ideas and great inspiration for holiday gift ideas that are very simple and inexpensive to make. Membership is free and the content changes each month so there are always new, great ideas to try. The project sheets can be saved or printed which is perfect so that you can take it to the store as a shopping list and also have the instructions right at your fingertips when you begin your project!

I saw the White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzels Recipe and knew it would make the perfect project to make with my kids and deliver to some of our friends for the holiday season. I am a total sucker for chocolate covered pretzels, so I am sure a few of these treats will stay right at home with me!

This project was so simple and inexpensive to make. My favorite part about the Dollar Tree Value Seekers Club is that you can buy all the supplies or ingredients you need at Dollar Tree, which saves so much money! I know we are all looking to save money at the holidays and find great gifts that we can make without breaking the bank. I picked up all the supplies I needed and got to work with my dipping!

freezer pasta sauce and tortellini recipe

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Barilla, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #JoytotheTable http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

I know it is the busiest time of year and I try to do anything I can to simply! Today I want to share a great recipe for bulk pasta sauce that you can prepare in advance and freeze, as well as some cheesy tortellini that is super simple and can help you get a meal on the table in no time when life is really hectic.

crochet chain necklace {free pattern}

It's the middle of December already and I barely have time to breathe let alone create handmade gifts for the people on my list. But this is one crocheted item that you can crank out in no time at all: The Crochet Chain Necklace. Not only that, it is absolutely the EASIEST crocheted item you will ever make. It is literally the most beginner pattern you can find (if you can really call it a pattern). In fact, this is an awesome way to practice making crochet chains before you start learning real stitches.

holiday cottonelle tip {and a coupon}

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Cottonelle, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CottonelleHoliday http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

Two weeks until Christmas! I am super excited but there is still a lot of prep work to be done at my home. There are treats to be made, gifts to be mailed and my house to clean. I always love to get my house really clean before Christmas so that I can just sit back and enjoy the holiday and not feel stressed about my home being in disarray.

One thing that's for sure, is there are always a lot of people coming and going at my home for the holidays. We usually have guests, and visitors all throughout the holiday season. Does anyone else find that you are constantly trying to keep your bathrooms cleaned and toilet paper filled? Honestly, I am in a house with three boys and I feel like all I do is put new toilet paper rolls on and when we have guests it is even more true!

Finding this is a regular occurrence in my home... 

WE'VE Built {holiday gifts}

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and WE’VE Built but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #GiftaStory http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO


I am really excited to share with you a great website that I have just discovered that I think is so wonderful! It is called WE'VE Built. Beauty of craft meets power of story.

This is a great site that offers handmade artisan products, and when you purchase them you support these artisans, their families and communities through craftsmanship, job stability, and job creation. I love buying products that I feel are helping a bigger cause! WE'VE's philosophy is simple. In one word it boils down to "collaboration," but collaboration that incorporates sustainability, technology, storytelling and design. WE'VE is a community for connecting diverse, highly-skilled people together, where beautiful relationships and objects emerge.

how to create a tablescape {thanksgiving}

The following is a sponsored post as part of Jo-­Ann Fabric and Craft Stores® Celebrate the Season campaign. All opinions are my own.

 I was surprised to learn recently that my oldest son's favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Not Christmas? I'm sure that's a close second, but after thinking about it I had to agree. Thanksgiving has all the warmth, family, and good food of Christmas without all the stress. So I decided to put a little extra into my Thanksgiving decorating this year. I give you my Thanksgiving tablescape! More than a centerpiece, a tablescape is a grouping of items that gives you an opportunity to really decorate a dining table, a console table, or even a entry or coffee table around a theme or season. If you haven't done it before, here are a few tips for creating a tablescape.

How To Create a Tablescape

travels with gannon and wyatt book series {& giveaway!}

My boys love to read! That makes me so happy because I love reading and I know it is such an important part of learning and development. Having a 9 year old boy, I have learned that it can be hard to find fun books for his age that he can get enthralled in and that will challenge him (his perspective, his vocabulary, his reading level, etc).

I was excited when I heard about Travels with Gannon & Wyatt. Travels with Gannon & Wyatt is a middle school adventure book series that takes children to exotic locations around the world. Each novel entertains through fun tales of exploration, while promoting an understanding of world geography, cultures and wildlife. I knew my 9 year old would love this! He loves adventure and I knew it would be so neat for him to learn about different places and cultures.

There are three books in the Travels with Gannon & Wyatt series. Botswana, Great Bear Rainforest, and Egypt (to be released in January 2014). The first book is Botswana and my son loved it! When Gannon and Wyatt travel to Botswana for an African safari, they hear that a poacher has shot and wounded a lioness. They set off into the wild in the hopes of saving the mother and her cubs before the poacher finishes the job.

michaels dream tree challenge {reveal}

 This post is sponsored and written as part of a campaign with Michaels, but all opinions are my own.

Remember how I told you I was a part of Michaels dream tree challenge this year? I promised you I would reveal my tree on November 1st. Well, guess what folks? It's November 1st! That came along faster than I anticipated but that seems to happen to me quite often. Well, it has been like Santa's workshop over here and I am excited to share my tree with you.

Michaels sent me a pre-lit tree so the first task was unboxing it, setting it up and making sure the lights all worked. That's my least favorite part about decorating a tree so I had my little elf (actually big) help me. He's always willing to do the dirty work for me.

Lovely lights that are all in working order!

happy halloween!

Happy Halloween from my bunch of ghouls to yours! Candyfest '13 was a doozy. My hot dog, ninja, and minion increased their candy intake this year probably two-fold. Heaven help me. Thank goodness for the ongoing "candy tax" imposed by Mom and Dad.

My big boys with their cousins headed to school this morning. Heaven help those teachers!

My favorite part about Halloween this year was my front porch. All the color made me so happy! I stole the Ikea orange and white polka dot rug idea from cute Jen at Tatertots & Jello, and the wagon full of pumpkins from Miss Sassy herself, Tausha at Sassy Style Redesign. Thanks for the inspiration, ladies! If you don't already follow them on Instagram, you should.

my allergy defense {kleenex}

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Kleenex but all my opinions are my own. #KleenexAllergy #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

I have a home filled with people suffering with allergies--big and small. My son suffers from asthma and last year we decided to have him allergy tested so we could know exactly which pollens trigger his asthma. Well...the poor guy was allergic to EVERY single weed and grass he was tested for. Man, that's the pits! My husband also suffers from allergies but not as severely as my son, at least not now that he is an adult.

I have learned over the years to put up a good defense against these allergens because I just don't want my poor family suffering more than they have to! I have allergy medicine constantly stocked in my cabinet and I make sure to keep my son away from freshly mowed grass and other weeds when they are really circulating outside. But one of my biggest defenses...Kleenex. The truth of the matter is that you just can't avoid allergens all the time. Especially with kids who love to run and play and be outdoors! I don't want to miss out on fun family memories at such fun times of the year because I am worried about allergies. So I keep my Kleenex close at hand and we don't have to!

I have Kleenex all over my house. Let's be honest. When you feel a sneeze coming on, you need some Kleenex very nearby, otherwise all that junk is ending up in your sleeve or on your hand. Kleenex has such nice patterned boxes that I don't feel bad keeping it around my home and it is so gentle on those little runny noses.

The Kleenex pocket packs are my best friend. I carry them everywhere I go. Seriously. Ok, I will prove it. Look inside my purse.

I didn't just put those in there for your benefit. I actually caught a friend peaking in my purse one time and when I asked her what she was looking for she said, "I just wanted to see just how many Kleenex packages you had in there!" After several kids sneezing, having runny noses, and watery eyes, I just learned it is best to keep these in my purse all the time. They are a real lifesaver. The adorable patterns don't hurt anything either.

halloween burlap table runner {tutorial}

Easiest. Project. Ever. This Halloween burlap table runner doesn't need much of a tutorial. It honestly took me about 10 minutes to make. And it really makes my Halloween table display pop.



I found this printed burlap fabric at Hobby Lobby and bought two yards. I bought 3 yards of pom pom trim from the upholstery section of the sewing department, but I only used about 2.5 yards. The rest I used on my burlap Halloween banner.



Using this easy cutting method from my burlap wedding banner tutorial, I trimmed the short edges to make sure they were straight and even. Then I overlapped the pom pom trim over the short edges and zig-zag stitched them in place. The edges were already frayed a bit so I left them that way. That is seriously it. It doesn't get much easier than that, my friends.

One of my favorite parts of my Halloween centerpiece is this adorable "Frank" doll made by my friend Dana Engemann. I love the bolts coming out of his head and the little zipper "cut" above his eye. Her owls are adorable, too! (If you're a Utah local you can also take amazing classes from Dana--check out her Web site.)

My other fave is this vintage Halloween book page art I made. Just take a piece of dictionary paper or other book page and print a vintage Halloween image in the middle and frame it. This bat image is from The Graphics Fairy (I used it on my Halloween tea towels, too!)  I love fast and easy projects like this! I think you'll be seeing something similar on my Thanksgiving table. . .

You still have time to decorate for Halloween--I put together this Halloween centerpiece using mostly stuff I already had, plus a few super fast projects like these. Happy Halloween!

michaels dream tree challenge

This post is sponsored and written as part of a campaign with Michaels, but all opinions are my own.

I was recently asked by Michaels to participate in a dream tree challenge this year. I know, it seems a little crazy to start thinking about Christmas already, but you know it will sneak up on us...it does every year! And if you are going to be inspired to decorate your own tree, I need to give you time to do it!

I went to Michaels today to start getting inspiration for how I want to decorate my tree and boy is this going to be a true challenge! There are so many wonderful items and you could decorate a tree in so many different ways. Michaels already has many aisles of Christmas decor so it was fun to get some ideas.

 

See what I mean? Christmas galore!

Look at all those ornaments!

If you want to get inspired for the holidays, Michaels is definitely the place to be. Stay tuned for my Christmas tree reveal on November 1st. I will post the items that I found and how I went about decorating my tree so you can get inspired and have time to design your own tree for Christmas!

burlap halloween banner {tutorial}

More last minute Halloween DIY decor! I saw the cutest burlap Halloween banner in the Pottery Barn catalog recently, but it's no longer available. So what are you going to do? Make it yourself, of course!

I decided to stencil the letters on burlap for an aged look. I used the same method as I showed on my burlap wedding banner with a few additions.

halloween pumkin cauldron {tutorial}

I know I can't be the only one still looking for fun Halloween ideas, am I right? One of my favorite Halloween resources for years has been Martha Stewart's Halloween issue. I am amazed that her staff is still coming up with such gorgeous and creative ideas. I am especially loving this pumpkin cauldron from the 2013 Halloween issue, and Martha is letting us share the fun tutorial with you!

 Photo by Lucas Allen. Courtesy of Martha Stewart Halloween Special Issue. Copyright ©2013.

spooky spaces decor {from JoAnn}

The following is a sponsored post as part of Jo-­Ann Fabric and Craft Stores® Celebrate the Season campaign. All opinions are my own.

Halloween is right around the corner! My kids have already been wearing their costumes around the house in anticipation of all the festivities coming up. I wanted to feel as festive as my kids, so I decided to get going with some new Halloween decor. With a little help from Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft, I set out to create a spooky space in my home.

Have you visited the Halloween section of Jo-Ann yet this season? They have some really fun, festive decor. Here are just a few of the things I picked up.

I love this tablecloth I found. I decided to use it as a runner on my console table to set up my spooky space.

halloween burlap mini banner tutorial {how to print on burlap}

Most craft bloggers will probably tell you that it's not hard to create a project for a post (because that's the part we love), but for some reason that last step of actually creating the blog post takes a Herculean effort. Take this Halloween "boo" bunting I made as gifts for some friends I visited in Seattle last week. I was so proud of myself for getting 17 of these babies done before October even began, but it's now a week in and I still haven't posted the tutorial (editor's note: it has now taken me three days to finish this post!). Maybe I need to hire an assistant. . .



Anyway, you will be amazed at how quick and easy these little burlap Halloween banners are to create. I have been wanting to print on burlap for ages, but I was afraid it would gum up my printer and my husband would ban burlap from our house. I'm here (and so is my burlap stash) to say it was a success! I ran over 50 pieces of burlap through my printer and didn't have so much as one piece get jammed. I printed on paper right after and it was smooth as silk--no burlap fiber stuck in the ink or anything. Printing on the burlap saved me hours of stenciling like I had planned. Here's a quick tutorial for printing on burlap--you are going to love this!

game day appetizer recipes {best dips ever}

It's game night. And this game night is one we Utahns wait for all year. The so-called "Holy War" between the University of Utah and BYU. You might remember my family bleeds red (16 years and probably around $80,000 at the "U" between my husband and me make us true believers). But whatever team you side with in your team's rivalry game, you are going to want to have these amazing football game appetizers at your next game day party. Trust me. Best. Dips. Ever.

This first recipe is a new discovery for me, but a fast favorite in our extended family. I'd even venture to call it a new football game staple (or summer BBQ staple, or New Year's Eve staple--really the must-have dip at any get-together you have planned). It comes from my friend Danielle, so I often refer to it as Danielle's Famous Pickle Dip. But if you don't know Danielle you can just call it Game Day Pickle Dip. Either way it's outrageously delicious. I usually double this recipe for larger crowds.

DIY Halloween Costumes {and a contest!}

Have you started thinking about your Halloween costumes for this year? I always get a little overwhelmed by how much it can cost to buy everyone in my family a costume. Luckily, I can pass them down through my three boys each year. There are also so many great ideas out there for DIY Halloween costumes. We have featured several ideas on our blog in the last few years that you can check out and I also wanted to share a few fun and clever ideas with you.

My brother and sister-in-law are Halloween costume pros! Every year they come up with some really fun idea for costumes and they make them or find pieces to put together themselves.

 

One year they were Mickey and the broom from Fantasia. They found a few components and then put the rest together themselves and it was so fun and creative!

easy weeknight meals with help from pillsbury {and a free recipe booklet}

With school well under way, my schedule fills up so quickly each night. There are school activities, homework, scouts, church events and more! It can be really hard to get motivated to make dinner with so much else to worry about and it can also be hard to find the time! Mealtime is really important to me and I like to sit down with my family and have some time to talk about our day and spend time together. That means I cannot spend a lot of time cooking dinner on nights that we have to rush off to activities. Enter Pillsbury.

Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits provide a variety of family favorite recipes, ready in under 30 minutes, that are delicious and have a little twist to help keep dinner fun, not boring. I love using these biscuits for all sorts of meals. You can really get creative with them and they save me a lot of time!

This week I made the Easy Grands! Chicken Pot Pie. My family loved it and it was so easy to make. Plus we had leftovers so it saved me another night of cooking!

carved faux pumpkin {and michaels great pumpkin event}

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Michaels. All opinions are my own.

I cannot believe we are half-way through September! Fall is right around the corner and I am already getting my holiday crafting on! Michaels has a wonderful selection of craft pumpkins for all sorts of decor ideas as well as Fall craft projects.

I let my kids help me design and carve a pumpkin that we could keep out all month! I love that you can come up with decor ideas that will last for all of Fall. Typically we do real pumpkins and they rot pretty quickly! Michaels also has a fabulous hot tool that can carve these faux pumpkins easily! 

free crochet headband and cuff {pattern}

The first week of September and it's still in the 90s here, so it's not necessarily crocheted accessory weather yet. But it is the time to start crocheting accessories because those cool fall temps will be here SOON. So I have two exciting things for you. First, it's a big sale in my pattern shops! Buy 3 get 1 free pattern in my Etsy and Ravelry shops through the end of the summer (September 21, 2013)! That's 4 patterns for only $12. And both Etsy and Ravelry offer instant download now, so you can start working on your projects, like now!

I also have a new FREE crochet pattern to share: the Criss-Cross Cuff & Headband pattern. It's a quick and easy way project to get ready for fall and winter. Perfect for last minute Christmas gifts, too. (How awesome would it be to get a few of those done before December? Hey, I can dream, right?)

a nautical baby shower with help from oriental trading {and a giveaway!}

 Oriental Trading provided products for my review. All opinions are my own.

I helped my friends throw a baby shower for our sweet friend, Jenny and we wanted to do a nautical theme because Jenny decorated her little guy's room in that theme. With so many talented people around me planning this event, it turned out wonderfully and was such a special evening!

We knew we wanted the night to be very festive and fabulous, but we also didn't want to break the bank. We turned to Oriental Trading for some of our decor. I was so happy with what we were able to find on their site. They honestly have such a great selection of products and always at really affordable prices!

My friend bought these lanterns to hang in her home where the shower was hosted. They were very inexpensive but added such fun to the room.

We also bought some adorable patterned paper from Oriental Trading that fit our nautical theme perfectly! We used the patterned paper for a "message in a bottle" table where we had guests write a message to Jenny that we then put into baby bottles for her to take home.

We 

back-to-school {teacher gift ideas}

It's back to school for us this week, and in two days of the big kids being gone all day, I've already completed three projects that have been sitting on the back-burner while we lived it up this summer! That must be some kind of record. These are my monkeys on the first day of school. . .

game day activities {and a fabulous Tide product}

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Tide through their partnership with Circle of Moms. While I was compensated to write a post about Tide Plus Febreze Freshness Sport, all opinions are my own.

Football season is upon us! Although still in pre-season, I am getting super excited about watching football games. I love this time of year! My family loves to sit around and watch games together but sometimes my kids start to get a little antsy, especially if it isn't a very exciting or action packed game. We try to come up with some extra activities to keep kids busy on game day.

First off, we always make sure we have plenty of game day treats on hand. Check out our past post for

some favorite game day recipes! We also love to have some activities. If you search online you can find some bingo sites where you can make your own bingo cards and my kids love this! You can choose a sports theme so that it fits perfectly in with game day and you can play while you are watching the game. We also have our kids do a football scavenger hut and have them search for particular items to show up on the screen while we are watching. It is a great way to get everyone involved and to allow parents to keep watching the game while keeping the kiddos occupied!

I know it is also the time of year that many of us have our own kids in sports so there will be plenty of time spent at sporting events. I know this time of year always brings plenty of wash for me to do with all the uniforms, jerseys, and practice clothes! 

winnie the pooh character party hats {and some movie treats}

This post is written as part of a sponsored campaign with Disney and The Blueprint Social. All opinions are 100% my own.

Winnie The Pooh. Winnie the Pooh. I can't hear those words without singing the little song in my head! Did you know The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is being released on Blu-ray Combo Pack and HD Digital August 27th? In honor of the release, my kids and I had a Winnie the Pooh viewing party for a fun Summer activity!

I wanted my boys to get into the adventure and imagination of the movie, so we made some Winnie the Pooh character hats to have a fun craft and to wear them while watching the movie.

I found this pack of party hats and the dollar store and brought them home to make into fun characters. All you need is some card stock or construction paper (colors of pink, black, darker pink, a golden color and orange), tape and if you want you can either make your own drawings of the characters or you can find some free templates online.

albion fit swimwear {giveaway & coupon}

It's the last week of summer for my kids. I'll admit I am ready for them to go back so I can get. something. done. But I also get sooo sad when summer is over. No, I am not looking forward to "sweater weather" and the leaves changing color like most of you (although ask me about hot chocolate weather and you'll hear another story). I love having adventures with my kids, sleeping in, the warm summer nights, the impromptu s'mores get togethers. So we've been cramming as many activities into this last week as humanly possible, including tons of water activities. Which means I NEEDed a new swim suit (my one Target cheapy was not cutting it, sorry to say).

the kalli cap crochet pattern {kalliStrong fundraiser}

Today is the first day of the Kalli-Strong fundraiser I told you about last week, and that means it's time to release my newest crochet pattern: The Kalli Cap! I designed this with my friend Kalli, who is fighting breast cancer for a second time, in mind. It makes a great chemo cap, but it's a darling pattern for all babies, girls, teens, and adults.

jellys are back

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Jelly Beans but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #JellysAreBack http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

I have a lot of fashion memories from when I was a kid. Pegged jeans, scrunchies, saddle shoes, and a lot of hairspray...just to name a few. One of my absolute favorite items growing up was the jelly shoe. I had pink ones and clear ones and I remember wearing them and thinking I was pretty hot stuff. Well, guess what. Jellys are back.