LOLLI-POP, FIZZ & CLINK | NYE DRINK FOR KIDS

There is nothing fancy about this drink, but it sure was fun for my 4 year old to make. Any chance for that girl to get her hands on a lollipop... sheesh!

 What you need:

- Lime (for "salting", but really sprinkling the rim)

- Sprinkles

- Sparkling juice of your choice

- Lollipop of your choice

- A fun drink stirrer or straw

CHAMPAGNE SLUSHIE + DIY DRINK STIRRERS

What is NYE without a cocktail? A slushy to get sloshed perhaps? And what is a cocktail without a fab little drink stirrer? Don't worry! We have you covered. These take no time to whip up, just a little planning ahead. 

You will need: paper straws, ribbon, washi (optional), tissue paper and scissors. I fell majorly in love with the Christmas gift wrap from Sugar Paper for Target, so that is what I used! :)

   Now for the drank recipe!

(fills 4 champagne flutes)

- 1 package of strawberries. I used fresh, but you could definitely use frozen if you are pressed for time.

- 1 quarter lime

- sugar ( I used coconut sugar)

- CHAMPAGNE!!

Simply puree the strawberries with half of the champagne bottle. Pour into ice trays and freeze! Then, blend them again after they are frozen with the remaining champagne. Add a squeeze of lemon and about a teaspoon of sugar to taste. Pour and enjoy!!

Drink responsibly friends!

NEW YEAR'S EVE LOOKS| ALL UNDER $100

Who is going out on NYE? Raise your hand if you wish you were...(I am totally raising my hand right now). There is something so fun, comfortable and sweet about staying in and sipping mocktails with your kiddos in your pjs while garnished in all of the tacky New Year's $1 bin items. However, it has been quite a while (basically since our baby boy was born, which was 7 months ago) since my husband and I have been out on an actual date. You can imagine how much I am fantasizing about the one night where wearing sequins head to toe is acceptable. Here are a few looks that I would definitely feel comfortable wearing out. Somewhat sexy, but something that my "mom bod" would feel comfortable in.

ASOS

 This beauty of a playsuit would look stunning with a sleek black (or navy) blazer. I think it would class up a piece that is on the short side and shows a little more cleavage than normal. ;)

NORDSTROM

TARGET

I have been DYING for an ostrich feather skirt, or even a fringe skirt (loving this one), and this one seems to fit the bill. Can't get enough white, ya'll!  ;)

EXPRESS

FOREVER 21

If you have a little girl, this is just too cute to pass up!

H&M

Happy New Year everyone! We hope it is a fun and safe one for you!! We are definitely looking forward to 2016!

BTW, have you purchased your NYE tats from our shop yet? Hurry!!

THE BEST SPICED COOKIE RECIPE

If you saw my last post on hand lettered recipes, you'll know how much I'm obsessed with Alyssa Makes Something's work! This order was super special. My husband and I had a friend, Jeani Cooney, who passed away this year. She was the mother bear of his whole office and was beloved by every single person who knew her. At company softball games she would bring her famous "sports cookies" and they are SO GOOD. And I am a major cookie snob. Oats, chocolate chips, and spices of cinnamon and nutmeg are a surprising and delicious combination. The cookies are dense and chewy will make your whole house smell like Christmas. 

We purchased the digital option of the hand-lettered recipe and had it printed as a keepsake for the entire office to enjoy for the holidays. I made the cookies this holiday season with my five-year-old and told him all about Jeani and about how we will always thing of her when we make these sweet cookies. So happy to pass on our memories of her through this recipe.

Download printable recipe hand lettered by Alyssa Makes Something right HERE.

* TIPS: All I had at the time was margarine and not Crisco, but it worked just as well. I use a little less nutmeg than Jeani calls for, and I also sprinkle the top of the baked cookies with a little fleur de sel or kosher salt right after taking them out of the oven. Like any cookie dough, it's way better the next day and even better on the second or third day. We make the dough and just scoop out what we want to eat that day. Leave the rest in the fridge with saran wrap pressed against the dough.

Hope you can make these cookies and share them with the ones you love!

xo

-L

HOLIDAY CARDS WITH MINTED.COM

Have you ever used Minted? Ok, click HERE and you're welcome. Oh and pppssst! 20% off your holiday cards through today at noon PST with discount code: CM2015.

Minted did my holiday cards this year, and I am beyond grateful!! I could just rave about the whole process forever, but I'll try to keep it brief. First of all, the quality is SO good. My cards have silver foil, people! The options are endless depending on your photo and the number of photos you want. It's all tailored to you with ease. I had too many good photos to chose from (captured by the brilliant Kate Davis! Family photo shoot HERE) so I chose a backing with space for 6 more photos. My favorite part? The envelopes are pre-addressed for you! For free. Whaaaat?? And the wraparound labels with my return address just make the whole card come together like a little package. Could not be happier! You can purchase my holiday card design HERE.

Happy Everything!

xo

-L

A B&W PLAID AND GREEN THANKSGIVING

Is it really Thanksgiving week you guys? Just like every holiday, it feels like this one really snuck up on us. I just wanted to share a couple of "unbloggy" (that is my new word  for non photoshopped and under styled) photos of my tablescape. To give you all the low down, Thanksgiving is at my wonderful MIL's home. She recently broke her ankle and is recovering from surgery and 85% of my kitchen is packed up for our move, so we will be ordering in for the most part. I love doing a table every year, but this year had to be super simple and inexpensive. Between the dollar section at Target (holla!!) and what I had on hand, I was able to do something a little different. I knew I wanted plaid in there somewhere. I ended up going with a b&w plaid + green theme. Luckily, I found these uuuhmaaaazing placemats and water glasses in the dollar section. Literally, everything else is stuff that I have used years in the past. 

As for the centerpiece.... ha! Green apples and artichokes just seemed like the answer. No flowers over here this year. Super casual and perfect for us!

I took time to add a "thankful" tattoo to a black place card. I wrote to each guest letting them know what about them I was thankful for. It really is the better option for me because I am a crier, so I never make it when we go around the table to actually share what we are thankful for. Ha! Hope they like it! :)

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! There is NO doubt we are incredibly thankful for you all! 

Be sure and take advantage of our 30% shop discount here for the month to show our gratitude.

xo!

-J

GIFT GUIDE: HAND LETTERED RECIPES

 Most thoughtful holiday gift ever! 

Etsy shop, Alyssa Makes Something, creates custom prints from your own recipes! Just send her the recipe, and she will turn it into a treasured family heirloom. You can even get a digital copy to share with the whole family or even print on tea towels- wouldn't that be cute? Her hand lettered, watercolor recipes are the sweetest (pun intended) gifts you could give. Turnaround time is 1-2 weeks for the original print and 3-4 weeks for the digital version. It's first come first serve, so get on it, people! Alyssa is a working mama just like us. We love supporting small businesses and momtrepreneurs!

I had this challah print above made for my mom. It is the BEST. The recipe is actually by our close family friend, Carol, so of course, she and her daughters are getting a print too! Carol made this challah for everyone at my wedding. Like every single table got one. Seriously. Not only do I love eating it, but I love the memories we have surrounding it. Friday nights with family and friends, eating this soft, chewy bread, spread with butter or dipped in honey... drool. Every time my mom would make challah, the whole house was filled with the smell of baking bread! That's probably my favorite smell in the whole world. That and my newborn babies. Equally delicious. 

Full recipe below.

RECIPE: 

Mom's Famous Challah

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp honey
1 pkg yeast
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 c bread flour
1 egg yolk

Dissolve 1 tsp honey in 1/2 c. warm water in large mixing bowl which has been rinsed with hot water. 

Sprinkle yeast on top, mix, let stand 10 min.
Stir in oil, 1/2 c. warm water, sugar, 1 tsp honey, salt, eggs, and 2 c. flour. Beat well. 

Stir in remaining 2 c. flour. Dough will be sticky. 

Knead 2-3 minutes with a bread hook attachment or turn onto a floured board and knead. 

Round up in greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 2 hrs. Gently put finger in top; if dough stays indented, it's finished. If it bounces back, continue to rise.

Punch down, cover, let rise again 45 min. 

Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Divide into three sections and loosely braid*, tucking in the ends. 

Cover, rise 20-30 minutes. 

Brush with beaten egg yolk and 1 tsp water. Optional: sprinkle with poppy seeds. 

Bake 400 degrees 15 min. Put a toothpick in the center of a braid and check for doneness. My mom and I like to under bake it just a tad so it doesn't dry out- we like it a tiny bit gooey but it's all to your preference.

Eat! Delicious with butter and/or honey. Perfect the next morning for french toast.

*Traditional challahs are braided in one row as shown in the watercolor print. On holidays or special occasions, it's made into a circle. I actually prefer to bake in a circle because the width is consistent all the way around and will bake more evenly.
*I used THIS hair tutorial for a 4 strand braid lol!!

I also had this recipe made for a surrogate mom, Karla, who always bakes for our family!! Her cinnamon spice bread is my FAV. You have to try it.

Alyssa killed it on these prints! On to order more......

Now stop reading and go bake these recipes!

-L