Tree Top & Jenny Cookies Holiday Party

12 / 14 / 166 / 22 / 17

This past weekend I had the opportunity to host another party with Tree Top, this time to celebrate the holiday season! If you aren’t familiar with the company, you’d more than likely recognize their products. Tree Top is an apple juice and sauce company located here in Washington in the town of Selah. Tree Top benefits more than 1,000 fruit growers in the Pacific Northwest as a grower-owned co-op.

Our party had originally been planned as a family day at a local tree farm…but the weather had other plans. After a site visit a few days before the event, it was clear that it would be too chilly to host the event at the tree farm. We’d all be seeing our breath!

We quickly shifted gears to host in a studio location instead, in the heat. I’m so glad we did because it was warm, cozy and inside, which made all the difference!

As guests arrived, we had a variety of activities to keep the kids entertained. I like to make sure there are a lot of things to keep the kids busy so parents are able to chat a bit without having to hover over their kids.

First on the kid’s agenda was gingerbread house making. The kids absolutely loved it. It was chaotic and noisy, but not a difficult crowd! Each child found a seat and got to work. They did such a great job!

Parents mingled and snacked from the dessert table made up of treats from my new bake shop!

To wash down all of the sugar, we offered guests a hot apple cider and coffee bar. It may have been white and bright in the studio, but it was pouring down rain and dark outside. Hot apple cider was the perfect drink to warm everyone up!

The hot apple cider was made by simply heating Tree Top’s Honeycrisp Apple Juice. Nothing else!! I normally don’t like to drink my calories (I like food) but I sipped down two copper mugs full of it! Tree Top is the only major brand that uses 100% USA apples for all of its apple juice. Super impressive!

The kids moved on to decorating sugar cookies as they finished their gingerbread houses. We baked gingerbread shapes and let them use their imagination for decorating.

The kids decorated cookies to place on the cutest personalized Cookies for Santa plattters (by Arla Creations).

After all the messy cookie and gingerbread decorating, the kids got creative at our crafting station. We made Santa’s Sleigh out of Tree Top’s Apple Sauce Pouches and assorted holiday candies.

Tree Top’s Apple Sauce Pouches provide an easy way for your kids to enjoy fruit on-the-go. They are excellent sources of Vitamin C; contain no high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors or colors; and are BPA free. They are also mess-free, easy to pack and TSA-friendly, making them a delicious snack option if you’re traveling by car or plane to see family or friends this holiday season!

I love a good party favor so this party was no different. Each guest went home with a personalized Santa bag (by Poofy Cheeks) filled with an assortment of my favorite Christmas items.

Highway 3 has the softest blankets, great for cuddling up in this winter. We personalized blankets for our little guests, who were absolutely thrilled to find their names on the blankets.

We also included a Gingerbread Cookie kit by Food Stirs. My sweet friend Sarah Michelle Gellar owns this awesome new brand. Her cookies are delicious! Other items in the bags were personalized Tiny Prints wrapping paper, thank you cards and 2017 notebooks. You can never have enough places to jot to-do lists! With Pinky Up Tea and coordinating spoons, Bissinger’s Chocolates and Gummies, the yummiest smelling candles by Candelles, and cinnamon and apple sauce ornament recipe cards, our guests are now set for a cozy holiday at home!

The party was filled with holiday cheer, laughter and plenty of treats. Many of the kids expressed to me that it was the “best party ever!” It never gets old hearing that!

After all the gingerbread houses had been made, cookies had been decorated and the dessert table was wiped clean, we sent everyone home with a snack for the road. There’s nothing fun about leaving a party and having your kid announce they didn’t eat anything but sugar at the party. We packed Tree Top Apple Sauce Pouches, Tree Top Organic Apple Juice, string cheese, goldfish crackers and other little treats to enjoy for the car ride home.

It was such a fun afternoon, I’m already looking forward to next year’s party!

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Photos by Kelly Clare Photography

How to Throw a Family Movie Night | The Secret Life of Pets

12 / 8 / 166 / 22 / 17

This post is in partnership with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

It’s been pretty crazy around the Keller Farmhouse the past couple of weeks. Jenny Cookies Bake Shop opened last weekend in Old Town Lake Stevens with a line wrapped around the building and customers shuffling in all weekend long. To say I’m absolutely exhausted would be an understatement. I could literally crawl in a hole and sleep until next year.

But since I have two small kids, crawling in a hole probably wouldn’t be ideal, so we settled on a family movie night to celebrate the shop opening and spend a little time together as a family.

The kids chose The Secret Life of Pets which just came out on DVD and Blu-ray December 6. They were so excited to cuddle up on the couch and have a movie night.

Even without the never-ending to-do list of the bake shop. this time of year is busy for everyone. It’s nice to take a breather and plan a simple family movie night together.

We organized our movie night menu around our favorite movie snacks. Pizza, soda and popcorn! We ordered pizza from one of our favorite restaurants and had a tray of soda ready to go.

For our snack, I made a huge batch of my favorite movie night popcorn mix. It’s super easy to do and everyone loves it! It’s a combination of sweet and salty treats. (See recipe below).

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS POPCORN MIX

Ingredients:
2 (2.9oz) bags of salty and sweet kettle corn
1 (12 oz) package of blue candy melts
1 (8 oz) package of Snickers bites
1 package of Trader Joes Chocolate Cat Cookies
1 (8oz) package of Twix bites
1 package Pretzel Flipz

You will need:
wax paper
bone/pet paw mold

Directions:

Pop the popcorn according to the package directions. Lay flat on waxed paper to cool.
Lay snickers and twix bites on waxed paper.
Melt the blue candy melts in microwaveable bowl in 30 second increments at 40% power for about 1 1/2 minutes, stirring as needed until smooth. Drizzle blue candy over the popcorn and candy pieces. With remaining colored candy, fill mold cavities.
Once molds have been filled, pop into freezer for about 5-10 minutes. Remove from molds.
Mix all of the ingredients into a large bowl and serve.

We couldn’t leave our pets out, so we made a little snack for them as well. Using a dog bone and pet print mold (found on Amazon) we mixed peanut butter and plain yogurt together in a small bowl. To speed up the time to fill each mold cavity, fill a piping bag with the mixture and pipe into each tray. Once the mold is filled, place in the freezer for 1-2 hours to form it’s shape. Once frozen, pop them out of the tray and serve!

Our cat Charlie was pretty excited to find a treat just for him!

Once everyone had their snacks and dinner in hand, we plopped on the couch for our movie.

Ever wonder what your pets do when you’re not home? The Secret Life of Pets is a darling animated movie that features an all-star voice cast including Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Steve Coogan and Albert Brooks. In addition to all the brilliant voices, the new release features nearly an hour of bonus content, including three hilarious mini-movies. Plan your next family movie night and pick up a copy on Blu-ray or DVD this holiday season.

I’m pretty sure my cats sleep most of the day…but I could be wrong! They seem to look like this the majority of the time:

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Photos by Kelly Clare Photography

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST. JENNY COOKIES HAS RECEIVED PAYMENT, TRADE AND/OR PRODUCTS FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT IN EXCHANGE FOR PROMOTING, HOWEVER ALL OPINIONS STATED ARE MY OWN AND I ONLY PROMOTE PRODUCTS/COMPANIES I LOVE.

How to Host an Ugly Sweater Making Party

12 / 7 / 166 / 22 / 17

It’s {ugly} sweater season! This year instead of hosting an Ugly Sweater Party, I hosted an Ugly Sweater MAKING Party! It was SO MUCH FUN.

I invited a few girlfriends over for snacks, drinks and a night of hilarious laughs. With the never ending to do lists and holiday stress, every now and then you need a night of silliness with your friends!

To host your own sweater decorating party, you’ll want to put together your game plan.
Food? Easy. Offer finger foods that don’t require plates and silverware. I could eat from a cheese board for the rest of my life.
Drinks? Keep it simple. The goal of this party is ease. You’re there to have fun while crafting ugly sweaters. Grab a couple bottles of sparkling wine, cider or champagne and you’re set!

Decor? Head to Value Village and see what kind of treasures you can find. Their shelves are filled with original and hilarious holiday items whether it’s a grouping of wood reindeer or a friendly Santa figurine, you’re sure to find something that gets a laugh while staying under budget!

Every year ugly holiday sweaters fly off the shelves, but don’t worry – Value Village has those too. You’ll find everything you need to create your very own DIY ugly holiday sweater in a one-stop shop! They have the largest selection of the most eclectic, and oftentimes silly holiday sweaters, ties, vests and more— perfect for ugly sweater making. I found a sweater with built-in shoulder pads, a button down cardigan and a few plain red pull overs. Grab an assortment of sizes for your your girlfriends to choose from. They’ll be something for everyone!

To prep for ugly sweater decorating, make sure you have glue guns, fabric glue and plenty of crafting supplies. I stopped gathered all sorts of random goodies that I thought would make fun additions to an ugly sweater. For shoppers with a real DIY knack for stitching and sewing, Value Village offers a ton of fabrics, patterns and other clothing pieces that can be cut and sewn on to sweaters for a polished look.

While you’re shopping, look around for other interesting trinkets that might make for fun decorations at your party. Since the theme is kind of cheesy, really anything goes! I attached a few vintage elves and reindeer to our glassware for added decor. Best of all – you don’t have to spend much – many of their tackiest holiday items are under $10.

Once everyone chooses their sweater, it’s time to get to work. We gathered around the crafting table and started designing. It was hilarious to see what each person came up with.

Pom Poms, tinsel, foil bows and ribbon were readily available for our sweaters.

One of my girlfriends turned a garland into a buil-in sweater necklace!

My friend Noelle utilized holiday tinsel as a festive scarf!

I added a billion pom pom balls to my sweater and gave my v-neck a tinseled collar.

After everyone’s sweaters are complete, be sure to try on your creation and snap a silly photo together. And if you dare, wear it home!

Our Ugly Sweater Decorating Party was a blast. We all agreed it would be a really fun party for kids as well. Maybe next year!

During this time of fun and excitement of the season, your home will likely be overflowing to the brim with stuff. The holiday season is the perfect time to help others and avoid creating clutter – consider donating 3 pieces of clothing at Value Village for every new present you receive this year. It’s a great way to support the nonprofits Value Village partners with your used goods instead of your wallet.

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Photos by Kelly Clare Photography

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST. JENNY COOKIES HAS RECEIVED PAYMENT, TRADE AND/OR PRODUCTS FROM VALUE VILLAGE IN EXCHANGE FOR PROMOTING, HOWEVER ALL OPINIONS STATED ARE MY OWN AND I ONLY PROMOTE PRODUCTS/COMPANIES I LOVE.

How to Host a Scotcheroo Decorating Party

11 / 30 / 166 / 22 / 17

Stores are playing Christmas music, Starbucks has released it’s red cup and my inbox is filled with shopping deals which can only mean one thing, the holidays are here! To get you in the mood, I’m sharing a fun way to celebrate the season with your friends and family; host a Scotcheroo Decorating Party! It’s a new twist on the usual cookie swap and a great excuse for a girl’s night!

Wait, what’s a Scotcheroo? A Scotcheroo is a yummy chocolatey butterscotch bar made with rice cereal, Karo® corn syrup and sugar. If you aren’t familiar with a Scotcheroo, you need to try them, ASAP. They’re not only delicious but also incredibly simple to make, no oven needed! Recipe and step by step guide below.

To host your own Scotcheroo Decorating Party you’ll want to invite your girlfriends over with plenty of notice. The holidays are among us, and calendars are filling up quickly. Find a night, mark your calendar and send friends an invitation. No need for paper invites, shoot them a digital invitation from Minted. They’re darling, simple to personalize and best of all, free! Find them HERE.

Keep your group somewhat small to allow ample space for each guest to gather in your kitchen or at the table. I had a group of 6, which was great for my kitchen size and table space.

You can do one of two things to prep for your party. One, pre-make a few batches of Scotcheroos and display them on your table for guests to decorate. Or two, have guests bring their own Scotcheroos pre-made and decorate them as a group!

For my party, I opted to pre-make all the Scotcheroos for the guests. It only took about 15 minutes of prep time, which is a huge benefit when hosting a group of people. The Scotcheroos made a beautiful centerpiece down my dining table on red, mint green and white cake plates. I mixed in some bottle brush Christmas trees and pine cones. Instead of a typical place setting of plates and napkins, I used practical items like cookie sheets and kitchen towels to allow guests a place to wipe messy hands and a place to decorate their Scotcheroos.

Inexpensive cookie cutters make cute place card holders. Add the guests name on a tag and attach in twine! Guests can take them home after the party.

The more preparation you do before the party, the better. Offer guests a simple drink as they arrive. The more you have done ahead of time, the more you can relax and enjoy your party!

Sparking prosecco with pomegranate is a simple and festive drink to serve. Decorate a bar cart or small table near your front door to display drinks.

Do you need to feed your guests a full meal? I say no. Instead of a formal meal, plan a charcuterie bar with fruit, nuts, meats and a variety of cheeses and crackers. I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t enjoy a great charcuterie.

Layer trays, pedestals and cheese boards with a mixture of cheeses, meats, nuts and spreads.

For a cheery “backdrop” to your food table, add a few greenery garlands. Cut greenery from your own backyard and simply attach with a clothespin. It’s inexpensive, simple and adds a bit of life to your display!

After your guests have had a bite to eat, you can begin decorating, or give them a quick baking lesson in Scotcheroo making. I had chosen to pre-make the Scotcheroo bars for my guests, so I had everyone grab a plate of snacks and head to my kitchen for a short demo.

Adding the Scotcheroo recipe to a chalkboard is an easy way to decorate for your baking party and gives everyone a great visual to follow along.

Chocolate Scotcheroo Bars
Ingredients:
1 cup Karo® Light Corn Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter*
6 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

*Almond butter may be substituted for the peanut butter.

Step 1. Cook Karo® corn syrup and sugar together in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter; mix well. Add cereal; stir until evenly coated. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch pan and pat into place.

Step 2 can be done one of two ways:

Option 1. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread over cereal. Cool at least 45 minutes, or until firm. Cut into bars.

Option 2. Let rice cereal mixture set for about 15 minutes. Using a cookie cutter, cut out a variety of shapes. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly (or use your favorite colored candy melts). Dip shaped Scotcheroo bars into melted chocolate mixture. Place on wax paper to dry.

After you’ve made your Scotcheroo bars you can keep them as is, or add additional decoration using icing and sprinkles.

Keep decorating simple! I cut my treats out using generic circle, square, star and triangle cookie cutters.

After the short baking lesson, guests headed to the table to put their decorating skills to use.

It’s a lot of fun to see how each guest uses the same ingredients and decor but every Scotcheroo turns out differently. The icing was a great “glue” to add sprinkles or other decorations.

Even the gals who didn’t consider themselves creative came up with the cutest Scotcheroos!

You can either provide take home boxes or ask guests to bring their own to package their treats. I had a variety of sizes and patterns for guests to pack their Scotcheroos in.

To save you a little work, download our FREE Scotcheroo recipe card and gift tags for your own Scotcheroo Decorating Party. If you opt to make them for holiday gifts instead, the recipe cards are great to tuck into the package or a tag tied onto the box. (Download links at the bottom of the post).

After we finished decorating and packaging our treats, we moved the party outside to enjoy a little hot apple cider around the fire.

Hot Apple Cider
Ingredients:
2 quarts apple cider
2/3 cup Karo® Light Corn Syrup
3 Cinnamon Sticks
1/2 teaspoon Whole Cloves
1 lemon sliced
Chopped apples and cinnamon sticks for garnish

Directions:
1. Stir apple cider, corn syrup, cinnamon sticks, cloves and lemon slices in a 3-quart saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Remove spices.
3. Garnish each serving with a cinnamon stick and half a lemon slice.

It was a delicious way to end a fun evening with friends!

Have you ever hosted a holiday baking party? Leave your best tips and tricks in the comments below!

Get your free Scotcheroo recipe cards and tags by clicking below:

scotcheroo-gift-tags

scotcheroo-recipe-cards

For more recipe ideas visit Karosyrup.com and be sure to check out their Karo’s Scotcheroo Sweepstakes page to win all kinds of great prizes: http://www.karoscotcheroosweeps.com/

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Photos by Kelly Clare Photography
Recipe Card Design by Harper Gray

Jenny Cookies Bake Shop Grand Opening

11 / 29 / 16

I’m thrilled to invite you to the Grand Opening of Jenny Cookies Bake Shop December 2nd and 3rd!

The shop is located in Old Town Lake Stevens at 12420 20th St NE, Lake Stevens, Washington.
Our Grand Opening hours: Friday December 2nd from 11am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 5pm.

We will be offering an assortment of freshly baked goods including cakes, cupcakes, sugar cookies, an assortment of mini desserts in addition to delicious hot coffee and other beverages.

Come by to sample our signature sugar cookies and enter to win one of many exciting giveaways. Tag us in photo on social media using the hashtag #jennycookiesbakeshop to be entered to win a variety of prizes including Jenny Cookies Bake Shop cupcakes or cookies for an entire year, signed copies of Eat More Dessert cookbook and other special prizes!

Save time in line by pre-ordering your desserts! Click HERE for Pre-Order info. Each pre-order placed online by the end of the day Thursday will be given a free Jenny Cookies Bake Shop tote bag with their purchase.

To accommodate our baking orders and daily dessert offerings, we designed our shop to house a large commercial kitchen over lobby space. Our shop is more of a grab and go destination. Once the weather warms up, we will have patio sets outdoors to stick around and enjoy your baked goods.

If you are planning a day of travel to visit our bake shop or looking to make a day of it, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite places to visit in the area!

A few minutes from the bake shop are many Christmas tree farms and great restaurants. Farmer Browns Tree Farm and Stocker Farms are just miles away. Grab your Christmas tree with the family then stop by the shop for a Jenny Cookies treat and hot coffee!

Just north of the bake shop is Seattle Premium Outlets. Mark a few things off your Christmas shopping list or spend the afternoon treating yourself at over 130 stores.

Downtown Snohomish is one of my favorite places to shop for antiques and vintage goodies. After grabbing your Jenny Cookies Bake Shop treats, head to Snohomish for a day of antiquing and vintage shopping. Grab lunch at Snohomish Pie Company, their sandwiches are delicious!

Woodinville is home of the best wineries and many great restaurants. The Commons is one of my favorite restaurants. After visiting the bake shop with your girlfriends, head to one of many wineries or enjoy lunch at The Commons. The nearby town of Bothell also has a great selection of antique stores.

Just north about 30 minutes from the bake shop is one of my favorite holiday traditions, The Lights of Christmas at Warm Beach. This amazing light display has fun for the entire family and is perfect for kicking off the Christmas season! Grab your dessert, bundle up and take the family to see the lights!

Can’t wait to welcome you into my bake shop this Friday and Saturday!

How to Make a Gingerbread Naked Cake

11 / 28 / 166 / 22 / 17

Gingerbread Cake

You will need:
(3) 8″ cake pans
pan spray

For cake:
(3) boxes Duncan Hines Vanilla cake mix
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cup molasses
1 cup vegetable oil
12 eggs
4 1/2 tsp ginger
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

For sugared cranberry topping:
1-2 cups cranberries
1/2 cup Karo™ corn syrup
1 cup sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat three 8 inch round cake pans with cooking spray, or grease and flour the pans tapping out the excess flour. Set the prepared pans aside.
2. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cake mix, buttermilk, molasses, oil and eggs on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until well blended. Scrape the sides of the well and mix again until all the ingredients are incorporated.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans, filling each one approximately 3/4 full. You may have a little remaining batter (you could make a few cupcakes).
4. Place the pans in the preheated oven on middle rack. Bake the cakes for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Remove the pans from the oven and place on wire cooling racks for 25-30 minutes.
6. Run a knife around the edges of the cakes, flip the pans over and gently extract the cakes.
7. Return the cakes to the wire racks and finish cooling completely before frosting and decorating.
8. Meanwhile, make one batch of cream cheese icing. Recipe below.

To assemble and decorate the cake:
1. Before decorating, trim the crowns from the cake tops with a cake cutter or long serrated knife so they are flat and even.
2. Place one of the 8 inch cakes on a cake board. Using an angle cake spatula spread about 1/2 cup frosting evenly across the top of the cake layer. Place the second 8 inch cake on top of the first, with the cut side on the bottom.
3. Repeat step 2 with remaining 8″ cake.
4. Using the angled cake spatula, lightly cover the sides of the cake completely with a very thin layer of icing. After the cake is coated in icing, scrape sides again with angled spatula to pull any excess icing off.
5. In a small bowl, mix cranberries and Karo™ syrup until berries are coated.
6. Pull berries out using a fork or spoon. Pour 1 cup sugar in separate bowl. Place corn syrup coated berries in bowl of sugar. Using fork or hands, coat berries in sugar.
7. Pull berries out of bowl and place onto cake as a decorative topping!

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Photos by Kelly Clare Photography

How to Host a Wreath Making Ladies Lunch | Holiday Wreath DIY

11 / 14 / 166 / 22 / 17

There’s nothing better than the smell of fresh greens this time of year! One of my must-have holiday decorations is a fresh wreath. I normally pick them up from Costco or Trader Joe’s but this year I opted to make my own. To make the DIY project even more fun, I turned it into a ladies lunch and invited some of my friends over to join in the creating.

If you’ve been wanting to make your own wreaths, grab your girlfriends and get to work! It’s a fun way to kick off the holiday season and make something to decorate your home with. It could easily blossom into a yearly tradition with your friends!

No need for paper invites but fun to send something special out via email to ask guests over. I personalized one of Minted‘s digital invites (which are free now until December 31st)!

To soak up the last bit of sunshine here in Seattle, I set a table outside under one of our beautiful trees. In case it got chilly, I added a blanket to the back of each chair. If you live somewhere warm, you could leave the blankets out of the equation!

Don’t go overboard on decor, the outdoor setting is plenty of pretty. I used a vintage table and ordered a pretty runner and napkins from Minted. To dress my napkins up a bit, I added a little pinecone tied in jute.

We indulged in cranberry mimosa salads and whip cream topped hot coffee (some spiked with salted caramel Baileys…).

After lunch, my friend Kelli of Country Bouquets Floral led us in a quick wreath making demo. Kelli is the sweetest and most humble floral designer you’ll ever find. If you are local and in need of flowers or want to host a flower arranging party, she’s your girl! I absolutely love her style and vast knowledge of flowers and greens.

Kelli brought an assortment of fresh greens for us to create with from holly, juniper, cedar, pine and spruce. You can find many of these greens in your own backyard (or maybe even your neighbors yard…). You really can’t go wrong, they are all so beautiful!

To make your own wreath, you’ll want to grab the following supplies:

Pruning Shears

Wire Cutters

Wire – green, paddle, 22 gauge

Wreath Frame

Garden Gloves

Step 1: Tie wire around your wreath form. Give it a good twist (like those old school garbage ties) to really secure it. Do not cut wire, leave it hanging from your wreath form.

Step 2. Grab three greens and place them across your wreath form. Wrap wire around the greens 5-6 times until it feels secure.

Step 3: Continue adding greens and wrapping with wire (covering previously wrapped wire with each set of new greens).

Step 4: When you’ve covered your wreath in greens, wrap wire around your last grouping of greens, cut wire and wrap ends around wreath form as you did when you started. Make sure it’s nice and secure!

Step 5: Examine wreath for full/sparse areas and make adjustments as needed. My wreath was a bit lopsided, so I fixed it a little before hanging it.

Hang wreath in clear view so you can enjoy it all season long! It will survive all the way through the holidays outdoors. It may dry out inside, but it will still look pretty!

We had such a nice afternoon crafting together. Sometimes you just need some fresh air, sunshine and laughs with girlfriends.

After we completed our wreaths, I prepared a spiced gingerbread cake filled with cream cheese icing and topped with sugared cranberries for dessert. (Recipe coming soon..)

It was absolutely delicious!

Let me know if you have any questions regarding making your own wreath in the comments below. You’ll be amazed at how easy and fast they are to make!

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Photos by Kelly Clare Photography

Thrift or Treat! Easy Halloween Costume Ideas

10 / 10 / 166 / 23 / 17

This year is flying! I can’t believe we are already in October! I’m up to my ears in projects, sports practices, homework and to-do lists trying to get our bake shop opened, so I’m all for early planning to alleviate last minute stress. With Halloween just a few weeks away, I’m here to give you some fun, simple ideas for dress up this Oct 31st.

The best place to find Halloween costumes is Value Village. They have a gigantic assortment of new and used costumes, accessories and even make-up to create just about anything you can dream up! It’s a one-stop shop, which I very much appreciate.

I recently visited my local Value Village (that’s Savers for you east coasters!) to see what I could find. I was greeted by two awesome and helpful costume consultants, both dressed in full costume. I rattled off my ideas and they both quickly directed me to what I’d need and suggested additional ideas based on my costume wishes. They were so helpful.

My first costume idea was the ever so popular Pikachu character. If you aren’t familiar with Pokemon Go, you might be living under a rock. This costume was super easy to put together. I grabbed a yellow tutu, a coordinating yellow tee, and made Pikachu ears with felt, a headband and a glue gun! Red felt circles made the perfect Pikachu cheeks. Simple to replicate for any age!

Next up, Where’s Waldo. He typically wears a sweater, but even a red and white striped tee will work. The shirt wasn’t a “costume”, rather a secondhand piece of clothing (purchased at a fraction of full price) that I combined with costume glasses.

The costume consultants were super sweet and helped me pick out this next costume. A fairy! We probably tried on five pairs of wings to make sure the one I picked out coordinated the fairy dress. Each of these pieces were new seasonal pieces and sold individually. If you wanted to take this costume a step further, you could add a wig or pixie ears. I opted for a simple look with a little ribbon headpiece that looked fairy-ish.

The next costume could quite possibly be my favorite, only because I’m a sucker for all things Disney. Mary Poppins! Everyone knows her iconic look: the red bow tie, black umbrella and cherry filled hat. To replicate, I pulled pieces from aisles and aisles of second hand clothing. I can’t begin to tell you how many black skirt options there were. Long, short, tight, flowy, ruffled, straight…you name it, they had it. I went with a simple button down skirt, black tights and a ruffled top. The hat was easy to make with a glue gun, silk daisies and red beads. Practically perfect in every way!

I loved the gigantic selection of new costumes they offered. It was honestly hard to choose which I liked best! I saw this Cancan costume and all I could think about was the salsa dancing emoji. How easy is this?? Slip on some heels, shake those hips and do the salsa!

There was a plethora of costumes that required no additional accessories or wigs. I saw bananas, cans of beer, a pickle, and even a basketball hoop. I know, can you picture that?! My favorite was the emoji. Pair this with a black top and pants and you’re set!

After having emoji on the brain, I realized the easiest costume of all. The iconic pink shirt lady emoji. Grab a pink shirt from their clothing section and pose those arms! It doesn’t get easier than this you guys.

Be sure to hit up your local Value Village or Savers store to outfit the family this Halloween. Don’t forget to peek down their home decor aisles for Halloween and fall decor. There’s definitely no shortage of porch decor!

If you still need a bit of inspiration, each store will be hosting free Halloween Costume Catwalk fashion shows at 3pm every Thursday in October, showcasing the season’s most popular and unique looks for adults and children alike.

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Photos by Kelly Clare Photography

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST. JENNY COOKIES HAS RECEIVED PAYMENT, TRADE AND/OR PRODUCTS FROM VALUE VILLAGE IN EXCHANGE FOR PROMOTING, HOWEVER ALL OPINIONS STATED ARE MY OWN AND I ONLY PROMOTE PRODUCTS/COMPANIES I LOVE.