Organize Christmas Decorations

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!  We had a wonderful time with family, and the kids were excited to see that Santa didn't place them on the "naughty list" this year.  Unfortunately, I always dread the time to put the Christmas decorations back in the attic.  And every year I say that I am going to organize it better.  Well here is one organization tip on what to do with those Christmas lights.

   Good Housekeeping

Wrap those lights around a coffee can.   Then cut a little spot at the top and stick the plug through.  Very simple and keeps all my lights from getting tangled.  

Check out more great holiday storage ideas from our friends at Good Housekeeping   http://Goodho.us/6266dwnQ 

Give Thanks

Thanksgiving Fall Wreaths

Thanksgiving is a time to think about all the little things that make life great!  Family and friends, loving pets, good health, yummy food, beautiful crafts and good times! 

If you feel those creative juices flowing, check out these paper made wreaths.  

 by Martha Stewart

by Corner House

 by Lia Griffith

by Wayfair.com

Click each link for directions on how to make these beautiful wreaths. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

DIY Kids Halloween Costumes

Few days left before Trick or Treat time.  Here are some DIY costumes you could whip up for those last minute ideas.  Thanks to the DIY Network for all the inspiration.  To learn how to make these great costumes go to DIY Network.  Let us know how it turned out!  

Halloween Party Treats

I have been contemplating on whether we are going to have a Halloween Party for the kids this year.  So during all this deciding, I did my homework on some cool new Halloween treats.  Of course you have the typical "spider cupcakes" etc.  I was looking for something with ingredients that most kids would enjoy.  You can't usually go wrong with either M & M's or any type of chocolate candy bars.  

Here are a few ideas that I found.  Easy, and fun to make!

Snickety Whip

by www.brightideas.com

• 6 SNICKERS® Bars
• 3 Bananas
• 1 Tub of whipped topping

• 1. Slice all SNICKERS® Bars into small pieces
• 2. Slice all bananas into small pieces
• 3. Combine whipped topping, SNICKERS®, and bananas into a large mixing bowl. Stir and serve

Scary Ghost Cookies

by www.brightideas.com

• 3½ cups chopped TWIX® Cookie Bars
• 10 pieces graham crackers
• 3/4 cup peanut butter, reduced fat
• 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 ½ cups prepared vanilla frosting
• ¼ cup mini M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies
• Ground chocolate cookies, optional
• Wax paper
• Sheet pan
• Wire rack
• Food processor

• 1. In a food processor or blender, pulse TWIX® Cookie Bars with graham crackers until fine.
• 2. Remove the mixture and put it in a bowl. Add the peanut butter and confectioner’s sugar to the bowl and blend together.
• 3. Divide the mixture into 16 pieces. Shape each piece into a ghost. If too sticky, add extra confectioner’s sugar as necessary. Place the ghosts onto the wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• 4. Heat the frosting in the microwave for approximately 10-20 seconds, until thinned and looking slightly like whipped cream. Place the ghosts on a wire rack over a sheet pan lined with waxed paper. Spoon the heated frosting over the ghosts until completely coated. If the unused frosting begins firming up, simply reheat it for 5 to 10 seconds. Place 2 M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies on each ghost for the eyes.
• 5. Sprinkle the ground chocolate cookies on a plate like it is "dirt" if you want. Nestle the ghosts in the "dirt".

Harvest Apples

by www.brightideas.com

• 12 small apples, washed and patted dry
• 1 bag soft caramels
• 2 tablespoons water
• 36 pieces SNICKERS® Brand Miniatures, roughly chopped
• 12 craft sticks
• Cookie Sheet
• Reynolds® Parchment Paper

• 1. Press the craft sticks into the tops of the apples.
• 2. Melt the caramels with water in a 4-cup, heat-safe glass measuring cup for 1 - 2 minutes in the microwave. Stir occasionally until smooth.
• 3. Dip the apples into the caramel, rolling each apple to cover. Immediately roll in the chopped SNICKERS® Brand Miniatures. Set on a cookie sheet lined with Reynolds® Parchment Paper. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Vampire Bites

by www.brightideas.com

• 1 ½ cups flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• Red food coloring
• ¼ cup red decorator’s sugar
• 24 pieces MILKY WAY® Minis
• 1 tube vanilla frosting
• Plastic wrap
• Electric mixer
• Large bowl
• Medium bowl
• 2 cookie sheet pans

• 1. Combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• 2. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg; beat well. Slowly add the flour mixture into the dough until blended. Add enough food coloring to tint the dough a bright red. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• 3. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line the cookie sheet pans with the parchment paper.
• 4. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out 24 lip shapes. Otherwise, you can form the dough into 24 balls and flatten each slightly to create free-form shaped lips using your hands to pinch and shape the dough. Transfer these to the prepared cookie sheets. Re-roll the scraps if necessary.
• 5. Sprinkle the cookies with red sugar. Bake 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and immediately press a MILKY WAY® Minis into the center of each cookie. Cool completely. Use vanilla frosting to pipe fangs over the candy.
• Tip: If short on time, consider using store-bought refrigerated sugar cookie dough. Begin by kneading 2/3 cup of flour into the dough, then roll and cut according to the above directions. One roll of cookie dough makes approximately 18 cookies.

Enjoy!

Scrapbooking Retreats Florida 2014

We have some great news for the upcoming 2014 year! 

Scraptabulous Getaways is growing, so we have added More Scrapbook Crops, More locations for our retreats, and More Space!

Lets face it.  Anyone who has ever been to a Scrapbook Retreat knows you have so much Stuff, to bring.  So we are adding more space for all our guests!  More room to move around, have enough space for our chairs, and more room for all our STUFF!

Just remember space is still limited and fills up fast.  Pre-register at our website www.scraptabulousgetaways.com .  If you are booking a room at the Hotel to stay, the earlier the better for the best rate. 

Looking forward to a great 2014!  Hope to see all our friends and meet new friends in the upcoming year.  

So lets get SCRAPTABULOUS !

 

 

 

 

Rubber Stamp Cleaner

After some serious research and trying different combinations, I have finally found a wonderful homemade rubber stamp cleaner. 

Using quite a few of the store bought cleaners, I had decided to try to find something a little less expensive and that would last longer.  Lets face it, I use a lot of ink, and different colors, and those roll on cleaners just were not cutting it anymore. 

So I have decided to share my combination with all my friends. Now, I have tested this out for a few months and I love it! The ink just seems to run right off and it does not dry out your rubber stamps either.  

What you'll need. 

1.  Simple Green.  You will most likely find this at Ace Hardware, or a Auto Part Store. 

2.  Pure Glycerin.  Walgreens, and CVS carry this in the beauty section.  Just make sure it is 100% Glycerin.  It is a clear, oily liquid. 

3.  Any spray bottle.

4.  A cleaning pad.  I used "Scotch Brite Dobie"  It will last a long time when scrubbing your stamps.  You can also find these at Ace Hardware, or the Dollar Store. 

5.  Distilled water. 

After you gather all your ingredients, add a 1:1 ratio of the Simple Green and distilled water into your spray bottle.  You then add two tablespoons of the pure glycerin and shake well.  The glycerin is what protects your rubber stamps from drying out. 

When applying the solution to your stamps, just spray, then dab excess off onto a paper towel.  You may have to do this a few times depending on how much ink is on the stamp.  Then using your cleaning pad, scrub the stamp a few times to reach in between the groves, spray a little more solution, then wipe clean. 

Voila! Clean Stamps. 

 

Halloween Wreath

Check out this great tutorial from our friends at The 36th Avenue on making a Halloween Wreath.  So pretty, yet still got that spooky look!

Create and Enjoy!