I try my hardest to not keep candy around the house, but when it comes to Christmas, I simply can’t resist. Hershey’s Kisses, M&Ms, Andes Mints and Reeses Pieces are a few of my favorite treats to keep in the candy jar during the holidays. Oh, and candy canes, of course!

This year, my new favorite candy treat is the perfect combination of salty and sweet, mixing pretzels with Hershey’s kisses and festive M&Ms. I originally saw the idea for this sweet treated used for Valentines Day on the blog g*rated. Since then, I’ve made them for several other holidays, including Halloween and Thanksgiving.

This time, instead of using Hershey’s Hugs (the black and white striped cousin of the Kiss), I found these yummy and festive peppermint kisses. The red and white stripes were the perfect seasonal update to the snack.

Beware: this snack is absolutely addictive. You seriously cannot eat just one. But worry not, it’s still December and those New Years resolutions don’t kick in until the first!

Christmas-Inspired Pretzel & Chocolate Button Bites

• 1 Bag of Snyder’s Butter Snaps
• 2 Bags of Peppermint Hershey’s Kisses
• 1 Bag of Christmas colored M&Ms

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lay the butter snaps out into rows, leaving space between the pretzels to prevent them from melting together. Add a peppermint kiss to the top of each pretzel. Put the cookie sheet into the oven for 3-5 minutes. The kisses should get warm, but you should take them out before they start melting and losing their shape. Remove the sheet from the oven and immediately press green M&Ms into the kisses. Before removing from the tray, allow the bites to harden. It helps to put them into the refrigerator for 20 minutes or so.

Tips & Tricks:

• You can use regular pretzels instead of the butter snaps, but I have found that the butter snaps taste better and since their holes are smaller, easier to manage with melted kisses.
• Instead of setting the oven timer and walking away, keep an eye on the snack as it bakes. It’s pretty easy to tell when you should take them out if you keep an eye on them.
• The peppermint kisses took a little less time to melt than the hugs usually do. More on the 3 side of 3 to 5 minutes.

It’s long been a holiday tradition in the Shiffler family to make homemade gifts for friends, coworkers, teachers and neighbors during the holiday season. Last year, my mom inspired a new edible treat that I decided to make my signature holiday gift: Homemade Steak Rub.

I started by shopping at the Dollar Store and Walmart where I found I could buy the spices I needed in bulk for a fraction of the cost of regular grocery stores. If you are making large batches, I also suggest checking out Sam’s or CostCo for your bulk buying needs!

Next up was selecting the perfect spice jar. Finding and designing packaging that would suit my discerning tastes and limited budget was quite the project! I searched high and low, online and off for a suitable choice. I went between plastic and glass, big and small, round and square. I ended up finding two nice solutions at World Market. They didn’t have enough of each, so I got 12 of one and 10 of the other.

Stainless Steel & White Lidded Spice Jars, $0.99 each or 6 for $5.95 at World Market

The jars were the perfect size and the right price! Truthfully, a dollar a jar seemed a bit steep, but I was able to use a $10 birthday coupon (yay for November birthdays!) that they emailed me, which made these much cheaper than any other option.

(Note: This year’s birthday coupon from World Market was not nearly as helpful! 15% off furniture, decor and more and 10% off food and non-alcoholic beverages…I miss the $10 coupon with no restrictions!)

After selecting the packaging, it was time to actually make the steak rub. My mom found a recipe for Texas Steak Rub online that looked good so I went with it.

Texas Steak Rub

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Mix ingredients together stir well. Rub spice mixture on each side of steak at least 30 minutes before grilling. Can also be used on chicken, pork and hamburgers.

First, I measured and I mixed up all the spices in a bowl.

Next, I whisked them together so they would be well blended.

Lastly, I poured the mix into each of the spice jars using my trusty funnel. (Oh, I forgot to mention, I washed and dried all the spice jars by hand before filling them.)

The only task left was to design and print labels for the spices. I wanted something with a vintage yet Texas-like look. I was super inspired by Eat Drink Chic’s Vintage Apothecary Labels and decided to use those as inspiration for my packaging. Luckily, Amy was kind enough to share the fonts she used in the comments. I ended up using Mouse Deco, EcuyerDAX and Cheboygan, all available at dafont.com.

I designed two labels: one for the front, and one with directions and ingredients for the back. You can download an editable PDF to customize the city and state for yourself. Just make sure you have the Cheboygan font installed first!

Download Free Texas Steak Rub Labels

For the stainless steel lidded jars I printed the labels on a natural colored card stock, like this one available at Office Depot. For the white lidded jars, I used white cardstock.

Cutting the labels was tedious but made easier by the help of my Fiskars straight edge cutter. I experimented with how to adhere my labels to the jars, and after failed attempts with hot glue, a glue stick and double sided tape, I hit up Google to see how other crafters had solved this problem. Luckily, I found the perfect solution! Xyron makes a product that allows you to make a sticker out of any shaped object. Since my labels were small, they fit perfectly into the 1.5 Inch Create-A-Sticker maker. Just run the labels through the x-shaped device and you get a perfectly sticky label!

I finished the gifts off with a raffia bow for a little extra holiday flare. I was so happy with how they turned out and my coworkers were very impressed! I got nice notes from a few friends commenting that the steak rub was delicious, so it’s a good bet that the recipe is worth trying again!

Have you seen those adorable vintage marquee signs on Pinterest and Etsy? Well, today I’m going to tell you how to make one! This was a big learning process so bear with me through the details. If you have any ideas or suggestions on how to make this project easier, prettier or cheaper, I welcome your input!

When embarking on this project I searched the internet tirelessly for a good tutorial. Unfortunately, I could only find DIY and How-To articles for letters and symbols made of foam and cardboard. I knew I wanted something more durable, so I set out to figure out how to do it the old fashioned way: trial and error.

Luckily, I was able to recruit my boyfriend, Andrew, to help on the project and, honestly, I couldn’t have done it without him. His keep mathematical skills, well stocked toolset and patience would be vital to getting the wonderful final product that we did!

To start, I had to decide what sort of shape I wanted to take on. I easily decided on an arrow. Sticking with straight lines and a symmetrical shape seemed like a good idea for a first attempt, plus, I am a Pi Phi and so I love to decorate with arrows!

Next, I gathered all my supplies. Well, not all of them. If I’m being completely honest, this project took a good three trips to the Home Depot, one to Target and another shopping venture on Amazon.com. Here is the list of tools and supplies you’ll need to create your own vintage marquee arrow:

Supplies

• 2 pieces poster board, $0.99 each at Walmart
• Pre-cut Birchwood Board, Home Depot
• Nickel Furniture Nails, Home Depot
• Frosted Globe Lights, $9.49 on sale at Target
• DAP Contact Stik 2-1/2 ft. Adhesive Repair Strips, $4.98 at Home Depot
• 4×10″ Alumnium flashing, $3.23 on Amazon.com

Tools

• Extra long ruler or straight edge, $0.69 at Home Depot
• Drill and 1/4 inch drill bit
• Circular Saw or Jigsaw
• Hammer
• Grinding Point Tree, $3.47 at Home Depot (optional)

1. Trace - Using your computer or free hand, create a template for your arrow. Copy it onto poster board and cut it out with scissors. Trace your shape in pencil onto the wood. I found using a long ruler to be helpful during this process.

2. Cut – Clamp the wood to your work table. Using a circular saw or jigsaw, trace the lines you just drew, cutting your arrow out of the wood. We used a circular saw so we could keep our lines straight.

3. Sand – Sand the edges of the arrow. You don’t want any splinters!

4. Draw – Using a ruler and/or your keen eyeballing skills, draw out where you want the holes for your lights to go. Be sure to measure distance between lights as well as distance from the edge to make sure things end up looking consistent. If you’re making an arrow, make sure your lights on the top and bottom are parallel. Ours ended up off a bit because we didn’t quite take our time with this step!

5. Drill – Clamp your shape to the table and using a drill bit a teeny bit bigger than the socket of your lights, drill holes where you marked them for your lights. We used a drill bit the same size as our lights, so we ended up having to buy a grinder and use the drill to widen each hole a little. Also, we learned that it’s better to drill from the front to the back. On a few of the holes, the drill splintered the wood on the back side — not something you want showing on the pretty face of your marquee!

6. Sand Again – Give your arrow a good sanding. Clean it with a wet cloth to prep it for painting.

7. Paint – Using spray paint, coat the front and sides of your arrow. You can do the back as well, but it’s not necessary since no one will really see it. Depending on your color, you might wish to add a second coat. Let the paint dry completely.

8. Edge - Starting at a less visible part of your shape (we chose the back side of the arrow), begin molding the aluminum to outline the edges. We ended up using sticky thingies that we found at Home Depot to adhere the metal to the wood before nailing them together. This helped us ensure the flashing was centered all the way around the shape. If you follow our process, you’d adhere the stickies on one edge, then go back and tack the wood aluminum together with upholstery nails, until you have gone around the entire shape.

9. Finish Edging – Using regular scissors, (we were happily surprised that the flashing cut really easily!) cut the remaining flashing off, leaving about two inches of extra. Bend the remaining flashing and tuck it under the starting point. Tack in place.

10. Light it Up! – Carefully stick the light sockets from your string lights into the back of the arrow. Screw the light bulbs into the front. (Note: you may have to remove some hanging clippy things from the lights to make sure they’ll fit through the holes.) Since we had 24 lights and only 16 holes, we started at the top of the string so we’d have extra cord to plug it in.

And there you have it! A retro-looking marquee sign that is actually brand new. I put mine above the cabinets in my new apartment. It is a total focal point in the kitchen that just about everyone comments one. It looks so nice, hardly anyone can believe that Andrew made it since it looks so professional!

Last weekend, my boyfriend Andrew and I traveled to Beaver Creek, Colorado to catch at little R&R, hang out with his family, and escape the outrageous Texas heat. Though we were only there for a long weekend, we crammed in all sorts of fun activities! We enjoyed several scenic mountain hikes, took in a concert at Vail’s Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, ate a few fabulous meals and enjoyed a picture perfect lakeside picnic.

With the sun shining and temps in the mid 70s, an afternoon picnic with Andrew’s parents was a perfect excuse to get outside and experience the great outdoors. It was also a great reason to enjoy an afternoon snack! As opposed to a traditional picnic lunch, we opted to go with an antipasto and cheese spread. Here’s what we used to create our perfect picnic:

• Cured Meats – We chose two of my favorite cured meats – sopressata and pancetta — to snack on. We bought the Boar’s Head pre-sliced variety which was very picnic friendly.
• Cheese – To me, cheese is the most important part of a great antipasto platter. Tillamook’s Medium Cheddar and Pepper Jack cheeses complemented our spread perfectly.
• Fruit – Grapes, cherries and a red apple were great for snacking and deliciously in season.
• Bread & Crackers – A fresh baguette from the bakery was just the right vessel for a well stacked meat and cheese bite. We also had a box of wheat thins on hand and some sweet scones to nibble on.
• Beverages – A refreshing red wine and cold Sawtooth Ale from Colorado’s Left Hand Brewing Co. were the beverages of choice.

After putting together a savory picnic basket of treats, we had to find a good spot to set up. On the recommendation of Andrew’s sister, we chose Nottingham Lake in Avon, CO. We found a nice grassy spot in the shade of a lovely tree where we set up shop.

Before we started snacking, we set up our spread to try and capture the perfect snapshot for Tillamook’s #picnicpic contest. We started out perfectly posed…

But the more wine we drank…

the sillier we got!

At one point, I started laughing so hard, I had tears in my eyes.

Andrew’s dad was all laid out on his stomach in the grass trying to capture the perfect photo. I wish I had gotten a pic of that! Once we got too silly, I took over camera duties and got some super sweet shots of Dr. and Mrs. Bode.

After all those photos, we worked up quite an appetite! We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying our picnic, chatting, eating, drinking and taking in the beautiful scenery!

It was really a terrific trip and

A few years back I hosted a 4th of July themed party for my sorority’s junior alumni group. Our club hosts monthly wine nights, so given the proximity to the Fourth of July, and focus on wine, I decided to make the theme “Red, White and Wine.” As is protocol with our group, guests were invited to bring their favorite red or white wine to share with the group and I was to provide snacks.

Most of what I found for this party came from one single trip to Michaels and Target. Target had tons of patriotic partyware and Michaels, as always, was stocked with the tools I needed to pull the rest together.

The theme started to come together quickly at Target. I fell in love with these cute red tins with stars punched out. They were only a dollar a piece, so I stocked up. I’ve ended up using these for various parties throughout the year and was glad I snagged them when I did! (I have seen these tins in blue available at Target this year, for those who are interested in purchasing them.)

At Michaels, I purchased red and white polka dotted paper as well as a set of matching notecards for a dollar that I used as a base to paste on custom food labels I designed.

The beginning of my buffet was anchored by a frame that showed off a patriotic print I designed. You can download my “Home of the Brave” poster, free here. I put red plasticware (also found at Target) in one of my new tins and displayed perfectly ripe strawberries in my favorite red colander.

Disposable blue star plates were on theme and made for easy post-party clean up. I used American flags that I found in the dollar section of Target scattered around my apartment to bring a true fourth of July feel. White hydrangeas added a feminine touch to the buffet.

For food, I wanted to go simple but filling. Everyone was coming over work and I wanted to make sure they got something solid in their stomach before downing too much wine! Sliders were perfect for this group. They were filling enough so that I didn’t have to provide a full meal, but still bite size, so guests could eat while mingling. I adorned each slider with an American flag toothpick and I provided different condiments in coordinating white ramekins.

Strawberries, watermelon, and my aunt’s Perfect Pasta Salad, rounded out the food offerings.

For dessert, I whipped up some deceiving yet delicious apple pie cupcakes. That’s right! They may look like mini blueberry and apple pies, but these are actually cupcakes! To make them I made the cupcakes really small then filled them with pie filling and piped on the icing to give it the basket effect. I used this tutorial at Everyday Celebrating to make mine.

The piping was easier than I thought it would be, but still very time consuming. The biggest issue I had was that my icing was too hot. You need to make sure it’s good and cold so that it doesn’t melt. Melted icing makes piping super hard!

Next to the cupcakes, the second most time consuming part of the party was creating the “Red, White and Wine” banner. Using scrapbook paper, my circle cutter, ribbon and white sparkly chipboard letters, I created a themed sign to hang on the drink table. I thought it turned out to be super cute and I’ve re-used the banner and the chipboard letters for future parties.

Red, white and blue balloons also gave the room a festive feel.

For the drink station, I found white metal buckets at Target and used them to house the various wine bottles guests brought. I was happy to get some use out of the pretty red wine glass my sister got me for Christmas.

For the non-drinkers, I offered cold water out of my Crate & Barrel beverage jar. I love to slice lemons and limes for the water to give it a fresh, flavorful taste.

It was a fun party with a great turnout! Everyone enjoyed the food and the ladies drank PLENTY of wine! (That’s Pi Phis for ya!) Here is a pic of some of the ladies who attended.

Are you throwing a Fourth of July Party? I’d love to see links to your party decor ideas or pinterest boards!

I just adore Free People. Their girlie hippie fashions have a retro vibe, yet are entirely fashion forward. The sister brand of Urban Outfitters, which at one time could only be found in department stores, now has over 40 stores across the country.

This Saturday, February 11, in what I find to be a super savvy marketing move, the boho boutique is inviting customers to join them for an afternoon shopping and crafting. From noon to 3pm guests will be able to make something special for their Valentine, and pick up the perfect outfit for their date at the same time. That’s quite an attractive offer for craft-loving gals like me!

Each store will be hosting one of four different DIY events. In addition some stores will be featuring live music, refreshments, food, or special raffles. You can see what will be going on at your closest Free People boutique at www.freepeople.com/valentines-day-handmade-love.

I was happy to learn that the Free People at NorthPark in Dallas will be making these adorable embroidered cards. They’ll also be offering food and beverages for thirsty shoppers.

If you stop by, don’t forget to tweet pics using the hash tag #FPHandMadeLove. I can’t wait to see the creativity that comes out of this event!

Last night I laughed myself to tears watching Fox’s New Girl. Though the show got sort of a slow start, I stuck with it and boy am I glad I did! Something about the episode really struck a chord with me and I felt compelled to share my thoughts on it with my fellow entertaining enthusiasts.

Last night’s episode, “Jess and Julia,” focused on the conflict between the show’s heroine, an adorkable, ribbon-loving, polka dot rocking Jess (Zoey Deschanel) and her roommate Nick’s new girlfriend Julia, a smart, pant suit wearing lawyer. Jess’s sugar sweet demeanor irritates Julia who is not very girly and doesn’t like dessert.

Things come to a head when Jess finally snaps back at Julia’s passive agressive comments:

“I brake for birds. I rock a lot of polka dots. I have touched glitter in the last 24 hours. I spend my entire day talking to children. And I find it fundamentally strange that you’re not a dessert person. It freaks me out.  I’m sorry that I don’t talk like Murphy Brown. And I hate your pants suit. I wish it had ribbons on it or something just to make it slightly cuter but that doesn’t mean I’m not smart and tough and strong.”

Something about Jess’s mini monologue really hit home for me. Lots of times people think that just because I am a girly girl that I am not tough and strong and smart. But that couldn’t be further from the truth!

I love to bake, ribbons make me happy and I rocked a polka dot shirt just yesterday. At the same time, I am gainfully employed, own my own business and serve in leadership roles in a variety of professional and community organizations. I speak a second language and have a college degree.

Sometimes girly girls can be underestimated but, just like Jess proves, when we want, we can be a force to be reckoned with!

There’s nothing wrong with pant suit wearing, Murphy Brown talking girls. The world needs us both! But I agree with Jess, I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t like dessert. It really freaks me out.

I love pinterest. It provides an endless supply of inspiration for just about anything and everything my heart desires! Lately I’ve been trying to stop pinning and start DOING, taking the inspiration I’ve found on pinterest and turning it into real DIY projects, outfits, etc.

My first pinterest project was easy, I admit. But you’ve got to start somewhere, right?!

Inspired by this pin, I transformed a swing-arm pants hanger into a ribbon organizer. I love ribbon and can hardly resist buying more every time I make a trip to the craft store. Instead of having it all raveled up in a box, I now have all my spools easily accessible, color coordinated, and ready for use! It fits perfectly in my craft closet (aka laundry closet) and can be grabbed for quick use at a moments notice. No more digging through a messy ribbon box!

Do you want to know the best part of this solution? My mom had an extra hanger that she brought for me to use, so my first project was absolutely free!

Earlier this week my friend Rick invited me to join him for a Gingerbread class at the Crescent Hotel. A second date, I was a bit nervous that I would scare him off with my OCD crafting tendencies, but as it turns out he’s a bit of a perfectionist himself, so things went super smoothly!

Neither of us really knew what to expect, so when we arrived we were excited to find not only pre-constructed gingerbread houses but also a well stocked bar! We grabbed some wine and settled in to get the scoop on the evening’s activities from Erica and Juan, the Crescent’s executive and pastry chefs.

They showed off a towering rolling cart with candy, gave some piping tips, and then let us alone to decorate as we saw fit. Rick and I started with a plan to tile the roof in grey M&Ms, but after a few rows we scrapped that idea and opted to start over.

Our second stab at the roof was much more successful. We coated the entire roof in red icing then smooshed candy cane crumbles on top. (Is smooshed a word? Maybe not, but I’m going with it.) We outlined the roof with alternating red and green M&Ms to look like Christmas lights.

Next, we decided to put a wreath over the front door. Rick had insane piping skills so he was tasked with creating the wreath. (Not until after I had him practice on the table cloth, that is. I’m such my mother’s daughter.) While he took care of the wreath, I used a half strand of red candy tape to create a lovely little bow. I LOVE how this part of the house turned out, and I am proud that we did it all by ourselves!

For the back of the house we didn’t have enough faith in ourselves to pipe the snowflake what we desired, so we recruited Erica – a piping pro – to work her magic. While she worked on the back, we added a marshmallow lined pathway, red twizzlers to the door, and brown swirly “flower beds.”

A few short minutes later Erica revealed her amazing creation! Not only did she make an incredible snowflake, but she also added super cute icicles.

It’s hard to see in this picture, but we made little flower boxes to sit in each window with green icing and red flowers out of M&Ms. We lined the outside of the house with white Christmas Tree shaped pretzels. We also went back and made our pathway red to make it pop a bit more.

For the finishing touch, we spread white icing over the entire base, covering it with granulated sugar to make it appear glittery. A huge fan of things that sparkle, this was by far my favorite part! Using powdered sugar, Rick coated the Christmas tree in front with snow and used more white icing to create realistic looking snow drifts. We also lined the entire thing with red berry candies, which was a great accent.

Here is a snapshot of Rick and me with our completed gingerbread house! Although it’s hard to be unbiased, I thought ours turned out the cutest of any house there.

The evening was so fun and I would recommend this class to anyone! In fact, I think it might need to become a holiday tradition!

This year I’ve been super inspired by all the fabulous gift guides that my favorite bloggers have been posting on their sites and pinterest. I have been running a gift guide series on my work blog, LowerOakLawn.com, and I’ve been having so much fun I just couldn’t resist the idea of putting together some entertaining focused gift guides for my readers over here.

I have a fairly well stocked set of party ware, so I am excited to guide other gift givers to some of my favorite finds! If anyone else is like me, they’re watching their purse strings this holiday season. As such, all the gifts listed below come in under $30. Despite their economical price tag, I think all these choices feel like big ticket items!

Entertaining Gift Guide: Under $30

1. Gala Wine Glasses - Any entertainer can attest that you can never have too many wine glasses. Pick up a set of six Gala glasses (I prefer the 16 oz. versions) for just $24. I love how wine tastes out of them — they’re nice and thin. And with a price tag of less than $4 a piece, I don’t feel as bad when I break one! $3.95 a piece // Crate & Barrel

2. Giada Gourmet Panini Maker - I walked away from our family white elephant exchange with one of these puppies and now I’m obsessed! It works just as well as the more expensive models and grills everything from chicken breasts to sandwiches in a jiffy. It’s fun to feel like you’re having a gourmet sandwich every day of the week! $29.99 // Target

3. Oster Electric Wine-Bottle Opener - Every hostess loves a good gadget. This is the niftiest one I’ve found yet! Easy to use and practically foolproof, Oster’s electric wine bottle opener takes the hassel out of uncorking your favorite bottle of vino. My family gifted several of these last year and not only have they gotten rave reviews, they’ve held up too, standing the test of time! $19.49 // Amazon.com or your local grocery store

4. Chargers - Chargers are a fun, inexpensive gift idea for your favorite tablescaping friends. Assemble a set of 6 to 12 depending on your budget and package them with a cute bow. Chargers are something fun to have but I never think to buy them for myself. Several retailers sell chargers in a variety of great colors and I have seen these on sale frequently at craft stores this season. $1.50 a piece at Michaels // $1.99 a piece at Hobby Lobby // $ a piece at Walmart

5. Le Creuset Stoneware Mini Pitcher – I received one of these cute little pitchers as a gift and use it literally all the time. I use it mainly to water plants and hold little flower arrangements, but my favorite use is to serve wine. When I traveled to Italy this spring they would use pitchers like these to serve wine and I love to mimic this tradition for small, casual occasions. It’s less fancy than a decanter, but a nice change up from serving wine out of the bottle. They come in many colors (I have red) and you can find them for cheap at discount retailers like Home Goods and TJ Maxx. $9.99 // Home Goods or TJ Maxx