Feb 11, 2014

A "Simply Sweet" Day of DIY Valentine's Meals & Treats

Are you looking for some simple, yet sweet Valentine's Day culinary creations to DIY, give & enjoy this year?  If so, you've come to the right place!  Here a few to consider that we did in the Wylie house last year...
 
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A "Hearty" Breakfast (see pic above) - a simply scrumptious but hearty meal!  Why not treat your loved ones to a Valentine's breakfast with this sweet gesture that's sure to make them smile & leave the table feeling satisfied?!
Needed: 1 slice of bread, 2 eggs, a splash of milk, *cinnamon, *butter, *salt & pepper, 2 1/2 strawberries, syrup, large heart shaped cookie cutter, (*optional)
Directions: use the cookie cutter to cut out a heart shape in the bread & cook the heart shaped piece as you would cook your French toast, then use the remaining outer edges of the bread to crack an egg into the center & cook.  Cut the tops of the strawberries & cut in half lengthwise, then cut a v shape at the top of each half to form it into a heart.
 
Dolphin "Pair"idise Lunch Snack Tray (see pic above) - a sweethearts delight!  This simple tray takes fruit & sandwiches to a whole new level with a fun Valentine's twist!
Needed: 1 banana, 2 kiwis, 1 sm. can of mandarin oranges, 2 slices of bread, sandwich filler of your choice (we did tuna), dolphin shaped sandwich cutter (we got ours from Walmart in the bread aisle)
Directions: cut dolphin shapes into the 2 slices of bread with the sandwich cutter & fill to make 2 dolphin sandwiches & one heart sandwich.  Slice banana in half lengthwise and cut into slices.  Cut kiwi into slices that look like palm leaves.  Arrange on a plate or platter as seen in pic.
 
My Hearts Desire Dinner (see pic above) - a fun way to dress up dinner dining for Valentines!  You could take this basic concept & apply it to many other foods of your choice as well!
Needed: lasagna, garlic bread, peas, carrots, *parsley, large heart shaped cookie cutter, (*optional)
Directions: use cookie cutter to cut bread into heart shapes.  Before slicing a large carrot, cut a v shape out of it the whole length of the carrot, so that when you slice it, each slice resembles a heart.
 
Cuddle Cupcakes Dessert (see pic above) - a lip-smackingly sweet treat for your Valentine that they are sure to hug you for!  We used red velvet cake and added a Hershey hug to the middle of each for a sweet chocolaty surprise center!  Click here to see how simple that sweet surprise center is to do! 
Needed: cake mix or recipe & ingredients, pink frosting, red sprinkles, white frosting in a tube, Hershey hugs, valentine print cupcake liners 
Directions: follow the directions on your cake mix or recipe, but add in the Hershey hugs as directed in the link above.  Once cooled, frost according to picture.
 
Pretzel Raspberry Hugs (see pic below) - a perfect blend of simple, sweet & salty!  These little dandies are sure to be a BIG hit with your family, friends, neighbors, & sweethearts; plus we think you'll LOVE them too!!
Needed: bag of pretzels, bag of Hershey kisses hugs, bag of raspberry flavored M&M's, baking sheet, cooling racks
Directions: lay out pretzels on a baking sheet & top with hugs; place in oven on low until hugs just start to glisten (this is important as you don't want to over melt); remove from oven and carefully push one M&M into the center of each hug (the hugs should be melted just enough to squish down when you press the M&M's in, but not so much they squish out everywhere & make a mess); let cool partially then move them to a cooling rack to cool completely through or place in fridge to speed the cooling process.
 
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 We hope you've enjoyed your visit with us & invite you to come back again soon!  Feel free to bring along some friends too :)

 

Jun 23, 2013

Children's Bedroom Makeover: Accessory #1

Are you getting anxious to see some of the projects for the Children's Bedroom Makeover we've promised you?  Well if so, you're not alone!  We too are eager to see everything complete!  While few things spell fun better than a little family DIY, seeing the finished project can be so rewarding.  It has been a crazy time here at the Wylie house trying to bring some of the many DIY projects to a close.  Between vacations, birthdays, tea parties (can't wait to share that with you all!), sickness, a few minor injuries, and our computer crashing, we have continually been pulled in other directions.  Such is life.  However, we do have a few of our smaller bedroom projects done and I would like to share one of those with you all today that I think is sure to please.  I just love it and couldn't be happier with how it turned out.  But more importantly than that, our daughter love's it - success! 
So roll out the red carpet, here comes Children's Bedroom Makeover Accessory Project #1... 

What does every great kids bedroom need?  Think smaller than the obvious here...it's something that doesn't even technically go in the room...figure it out yet?  It's a door sign!  What kid doesn't love announcing to the world that it's their room; especially in a fun and creative way that show's a bit of who they are/what they love?!  For our daughter that means horses and the color red, and while we could've transformed her old rectangle door sign to match the new theme, we ended up finding a hidden treasure at our local Goodwill store for just $5 - score!
Thrift Store find - Before
 
I'm willing to bet bunches of people passed this up due to it being so dirty and not to mention, way out of date!  Ick!  However, a good tip when you're going thrift shopping is to go with an open mind and think outside the box.  If you do that, you can end up with some really awesome projects once transformed!  A little vision and some paint can go a long way.  Just check out the transformation...

Jun 1, 2013

Patriotic Proud DIY Decor Project #2: Candle/Plant Holders

It’s a beautiful sunny day here in the Seattle area; especially for the first day of June.  I’m taking advantage of this rare warm & dry weather by typing this post from my lounge chair outside B-)…now if I only had an ice cold sweet tea to sip on!  Ahhh, then today would almost be as glorious as the 4th of July.  Can you believe it’s only a little over a month away?!  I just love the 4th - the yummy BBQ food, fireworks, and all the red, white, and blue – such a fun day and way to celebrate and honor our great country! 

What do your plans involve for the holiday?  Could you use some inexpensive, fun, and easy ways to liven up your backyard/patio for the festivities?  If so, I have a DIY project for you to consider: PATRIOTIC CANDLE/PLANT HOLDERS.  The basic idea was taken from a favorite of mine on pinterest, and then given our own patriotic twist.  I couldn’t find the original source of the basic idea to share with you today, so if any of you know, please share it with us in the comment section of this blog so that we can give them the proper credit.

Patriotic Candle/Plant Holder
 

*What you’ll need...