Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Soon after my Hubby and I got hitched, he asked me what my/our holiday treat was going to be. Meaning, what was I going to make that looks pretty and tastes yummy that we give to our family and friends in fancy little tins and cellophane wraps? I was really surprised he asked me this, because I thought boys didn’t care about that kind of stuff, but I guess I was mistaken. I tossed out a couple of ideas, such as mint candy bark and such, but wasn’t sold on anything special. That is until now. A couple of days ago I found a How-To make chocolate covered pretzels tutorial on Love from the Oven and got very excited. I love this idea because first of all I love chocolate covered pretzels, and second they are so easy to customize for every holiday. They are perfect for Christmas, St Patty’s Day, 4th of July, Birthdays and even days like today, Valentine’s Day. Fabulous!  Here is the How-To…

Ingredients

• Pretzels
• Chocolate
• Sprinkles

Directions

1. Set up work area. Have pretzels open and ready, sprinkles open and ready, a pan to sprinkle over and plenty of wax paper to sit the pretzels on after they take a dip in the chocolate.
2. Next, you will want to melt your chocolate according to the package directions.  Two things to NOT do – over cook the chocolate or add water.   I usually cook mine for one minute in the microwave at 50% POWER, than stir. They usually are barely starting to melt at this point. Then I return them to the microwave for another 30 seconds at 50% power. I usually stir it really well, than go for one more spin in the microwave.
3. Dip pretzel in the chocolate and then gently tap of extra chocolate and scrape excess off the back on the side of the bowl.
4. Hole pretzel over bowl and sprinkle with sprinkles.
5. Place on wax paper and let set.

How-To Video

Valentine’s Day Treat Packages

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. Moms are you prepared?!? If not, that is okay. We all know you are busy. You can go to the store and buy generic valentines, which is totally acceptable and allowed, or you can make these little packages of awesomeness with a tad more time an effort. However, you will get to skip the CVS last minute Valentine’s Day lines, which is a huge plus. These are a super simple Martha Stewart project that you can throw together in no time, but still feel like you went above and beyond with personalized treats. Check it out… Happy Love Day Eve my friends!

Supplies

• Picture of your child
• heavyweight matte paper or card stock
• Scissors
• pinking shears
• Stamps (optional)
• Cellophane bags
• Preferred treat (candy, cookies, etc.)

Directions

To make these Martha Stewart custom treat packages, cut out a picture of your child, scan it, and print onto heavyweight matte paper. Cut tags using pinking shears for the bottom edges, draw hearts, and stamp or write a message on each one. Fold the tags and tape them to cellophane bags filled with sweets.

Love That Never Expires…

The day of love gets closer and closer every day. For some reason that seems to freak most people out. I sort of understand and sympathize with all of the Hallmark Holiday complaints. It is no fun to think companies cash in on a required expression of love, but I have a different take on the whole day. First off I don’t think there is anything wrong with devoting a day to love. Don’t get me wrong, I think you should express how you feel on the other 364 days as well, but taking one day out of your busy life to give a little extra to the ones you love is not a bad thing. However, “a little extra” doesn’t mean you have to celebrate by buying fancy gifts or expensive dinners. Somewhere along the line showing your love got translated to $$$, which is not cool. You can tell someone you care for little to no money at all, especially when you express your feelings with a homemade gift, which brings me to todays DIY project in the Valentine’s Day countdown.

This one is an oldie, but a goodie… Printable Love Coupons. Remember making these handmade coupons for your mom when you were like seven with 32 cents to your name? Well, now you are 27 going on 28 and may have a little more cash in your pocket, but like I said before, $$$ ≠ LOVE.  However, since you are little older now, we can up the production value of our love coupons and even make them a little more “interesting” if you know what I mean. Feel free to get as risqué as you like. Don’t have glitter thumb for DIY, no worries. I stumbled upon these wonderful FREE printables by Key Lime Digital Designs, via Tatertots and Jello. On a totally unrelated note, I would just like to say I love tatertots. If my Hubby really wanted to say he loved me, he would cook me a whole bag of tatertots for dinner on Valentine’s Day. (I guess it was not such an unrelated note after all, just totally random and a little sad.)

Okay back to the coupons. These are awesome. You can give them to your man/lady or even family or friends (some say things like a free meal or movie). If you have any kiddos you can give them the ‘free chore day’ coupon. I am sure they would love that one. I don’t have and children yet, so I may keep this one for myself and spring it on my Hubby on a day I am feeling tired. See the coupons can be for everyone, but be sure to save the kisses and back rubs for your lover or it may get a little weird. There are also a couple of blank ones that you can spice up if you like Enjoy!

CLICK HERE to get the FREE printable pdf!

Valentine’s Day Heart Garland

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I thought I would help everyone get in the lovey dovey mood with some DIY heart garland. I found These super simple guys on How About Orange. This would be perfect for decorating a classroom or even an office. It is a great way to celebrate without having to say, “Will you be my Valentine?” in sparkly glitter. it is much more subtle.

Supplies

• Quilting fabric
• Fabric stiffener
• Sewing thread

Directions:

First you must treat the fabric.

Spray both sides of a piece of quilting weight fabric with fabric stiffener until it was thoroughly wet and do as directed on bottle. Or if you are super impatient, lay the fabric on a paper towel and microwave it for 30 seconds. Press it for a couple of seconds with an iron to smooth out any bumps.

Once all your fabric pieces are stiff, start by making a set of paper templates. I layered and cut four identical heart shapes, then progressively shaved more off the sides of each one.

Trace the four heart shapes onto the back side of a piece of stiffened fabric and cut them out. Fold all but the largest piece in half, then layer them onto the largest heart. Stitch a seam up the center to create a “book” and tie off each end. Press the folds with an iron if desired. Once the ironed fabric cools, it will hold its shape nicely.

Use these as Valentine package decorations or string them into a garland by running a thread through the bottom-most heart shape.