Spanish Moss Topiary Redo

A couple weeks ago I showed you a Spanish moss topiary that I had made and gave you directions to make one. You can find that post here if you want to go take a look. While I did like this project, the black planter it was in just kept bothering me. It just wasn't right. So I painted that little baby with some ivory spray paint and then sanded it to give it a distressed look. Now I love it! It stands out more on my shelf and goes well with the other ivory accent pieces in the room. This is why spray paint is my friend. You can transform just about anything with it!

Snow Day

Last Friday was our "Snow Day 2010." I'm calling it that because we usually only see one snow day per year here in central/south Alabama. School was cancelled for the kids so they got to stay home and we all played in the snow for a little while. It's a big deal for them since they rarely see the white stuff.



Our snowman before the face, arms and hat were added. Part of him still hasn't melted. He's holding on strong in our yard.

Sealed With A Kiss Centerpiece & Turtle Fudge Cake

Well, I said I would post some last minute Valentine ideas on Saturday, but it just didn't get done. So sorry if anyone came looking for those ideas. I know V-day is over, but I wanted to share this centerpiece I made for our Valentine table and a sweet dessert.

I made a special Valentine's dinner last night for our family and the missionaries from our church. Laci and I set a red and white themed table with this "sealed with a kiss" centerpiece. It's cute and easy. I just filled a vase with Hershey Kisses and then stuck some faux roses down in the center. It was a conversation piece for us, too.


For dinner we had homemade lasagna, salad, garlic bread and this little creation I call Turtle Fudge Cake for dessert. It's somewhat like Pampered Chef's Turtle Fudge Skillet cake, but it's not made in a skillet.... and it's bigger..... and fudgier. Okay, so maybe just a little like it.(I served it on my favorite red scalloped cake plate. It was so cute!) I thought we needed a decadent dessert since it was Valentine's day and this was definitely decadent. Very rich and chocolatey. I think this will have to be a special occasion cake.


To make this Turtle Fudge Cake, just bake a devil's food round cake, torte or cut each layer in half making four layers, and frost between each layer with chocolate icing. Melt 1/2 c. chocolate chips and 1/2 c. caramel ice cream topping in microwave for about 35 seconds, stirring until completely melted. Pour over top of cake. Sprinkle chopped pecans over fudge topping. Drizzle with warm caramel just before serving.

Be My Valentine

Today I'm sharing a couple of ways to say "Be My Valentine." First, with a box of homemade candies for your sweetie. Now my husband would prefer a steak over a sweet any day, which he'll probably get to have this weekend. But, he does love him some coconut. So I made him these Coconut Joys, which taste like an Almond Joy, and I packaged them up in an old Ferrero Rocher candy box. I put them in mini valentine cupcake liners and made a tag to cover the old label. Ca-ute!


These coconut joys are very good and simple to make. Give 'em a try!

Coconut Joys
1/2 c. butter or margarine
2 c. sifted powdered sugar (I did not sift)
3 c. flaked coconut
1/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat or in large bowl in the microwave; remove from heat. Stir in sugar and coconut until well blended. Shape into 3/4 inch balls. Chill until firm.
Melt chocolate morsels in a disposable decorating bag in microwave at 30 second intervals, kneading morsels after each time until melted. Snip off tip of bag and drizzle chocolate over balls.You can also melt chips in saucepan over low heat.



This next idea is a great way for kids to say "Be My Valentine." They are Valentine butterflies made with a Tootsie pop. My daughter and I made these for her class mates. I saw this idea on Skip To My Lou. Just checkout her Valentine section for these. She even has printouts for the butterfly . Sweet! Laci's class mates will have to wait until Monday to get their Valentine. We have a snow day today! Yep! It's snowing in sweet home Alabama.

Come back tomorrow for a couple of last minute V-day ideas!

Cake Mix Cups With Marshmallow Lollipops

Today I want to share a cute and different treat idea for your Valentine party. Cake mix cups with heart marshmallow lollipops. Let me just say this cake mix does NOT have eggs in it. So, you won't have to worry about getting any kind of food poisoning from eating the raw eggs. I saw this idea in a magazine a while back and they were suggesting it for a movie night, but I thought it would be good for any kind of party. Just mix up your favorite flavor of cake mix, leaving out the eggs, spoon or pipe it into small cups and enjoy. I also stuck one of those cute, pink heart marshmallows on a lollipop stick and put it in the cup. So cute!! And I mean who doesn't like cake mix. I know my kids...... and me too, love to lick the beaters after mixing up a cake. It is a very sweet treat so pace yourselves. BTW, I used a Valentine Funfetti cake mix that I found at Target. Enjoy!

The Music Of Love

Ahhh, the music of love. And what says love like chocolate? Well, there are lots of other things. A lot more important than chocolate. But most of us like to eat chocolate and receive it, so why not make your own this Valentine's day. I made these musical chocolates for Laci's piano teacher with a candy mold I purchased from a local store that sells candy and cake decorating supplies. I like to use Wilton's premium candy melts to make my chocolates. Just put a handful in a disposable cake decorating bag and microwave at 30 second intervals. Be sure to knead the chocolate around after each time until they are all melted, cut off the tip of the bag and fill each well. Pat the mold down on the counter to get out all of the air bubbles and to flatten out the chocolates. Then just pop them in the freezer for about 5 minutes. Super easy, but makes a big impression.

I packaged the chocolates in a candy box that you can usually find in the Wilton section at Michael's. A red and white polka dot ribbon added some Valentine cuteness. Laci's piano teacher was thankful to get them and opened them at class last night. She named all the notes and even quizzed Laci on some of them.


I also made some KISS chocolate suckers to give to my special Valentines. Again, these are so, so easy. Really. Go out and get you a cute candy mold (their pretty cheap) and start making some chocolates. It's so fun to make these for different holidays and occasions.

Valentine Fun

Okay, I know I said I would would be showing a Valentine idea each day, but the one I planned on showing today is still not finished, so I'm going to show you an idea from last year and give you a sneak peak of what is not finished. The little container above was Laci's Valentine for her teacher last year. I found the cute container at Hob Lob and filled it with strawberry milkshake whoppers. Then we punched out a scalloped tag, stamped it, and embellished it with a shiny brad and heart. Cute and her teacher liked it!!

Now for the sneak peak. It involves these foil cupcake liners and ribbon. Any ideas?? Hopefully it will turn out cute. I'll show you when it's done.


Also,last night was our family night, so for our activity we all decorated heart shaped sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles. The kids really get into this. Okay, um, the mom and dad do to. It was sprinkles galore!! We had fun decorating and eating our big heart cookies.