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thanksgiving 2014

Apple Cranberry Sangria

by vickybarone November 27, 2014

written by vickybarone

Happy Thanksgiving!!! We hope everyone has a wonderful day with their friends and family.

If you need a last minute treat to bring to dinner, we’ve whipped up a quick sangria recipe that is perfect for Thanksgiving AND Christmas!

Ingredients:
1 bottle white wine
1 bottle sparkling apple cider
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 apple, chopped

(We doubled this recipe to fill up the drink dispenser, but the portions listed should be perfect for a regular sized pitcher!)

Directions:
1. Add chopped apples and cranberries to the bottom of a drink dispenser or pitcher.
2. Pour white wine over top of the fruit. Let chill in the refrigerator anywhere from an hour to overnight.
3. Just before serving, add the sparkling apple cider and stir.

Find this drink dispenser here!

Add a little ice to make it extra chilly! And, of course, sangria isn’t complete without a pretty paper straw.

We hope you enjoy our Holiday Sangria for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or both!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving 🙂

P.S. Check back tomorrow for a Black Friday deal!

November 27, 2014 1 comment

DIY Holidays Kids

Turkey Handprints

by vickybarone November 26, 2014

written by vickybarone

Is your Thanksgiving Eve rainy or snowy like ours? If this weather keeps you stuck inside, try this easy (and messy) craft for kids!

We used paper, acrylic paint in brown, red, yellow, and orange, paint brushes, markers, and googly eyes.

If your child is old enough, they can paint their own hand with each of the colors! My boys are 5 and 2, so I helped them out with this step. Paint the palm of their hand and thumb with brown paint for the turkey’s body. Paint the four fingers red, yellow, blue, and orange (or any colors they’d like!) for the feathers. Once their hand is covered, have them press it down on the paper and lift up their hand carefully. Once the paint is dry, use markers to add legs, a beak, and a gobbler, and a little dot of glue to add the googly eye.

Before adding the googly eye, I scanned each turkey into my computer and printed multiple copies. Add names with a gold paint pen and these make great place cards for the Thanksgiving table!

November 26, 2014 0 comment

DIY Family Holidays Parties and Events

Thanksgiving Table Setting 2014

by vickybarone November 25, 2014

written by vickybarone

We are so excited to finally share this year’s Thanksgiving table! We mixed orange details with metallic touches to create this rustic and modern spread. We hope you like it!

Here are some of the things that make up our Thanksgiving table:

Table runner from Target
Metallic place mats from Pier 1 Imports
White plates by Crate and Barrel
Orange napkins (similar here)
Clay Stamped Name Tags
Gold Dipped Candles
Paper Globe Topiaries

If you like this set up, you’ll LOVE our table from last year!

November 25, 2014 1 comment

DIY Holidays

DIY Paper Globe Topiary

by vickybarone November 24, 2014

written by vickybarone

I loved the paper globes I made for my son’s 2nd birthday party so much that I decided to make more to match this year’s Thanksgiving table. Instead of making them into a garland, however, I fashioned them into topiaries to add some height to the table. Keep reading to see how to make your own!

Supplies: scrapbook paper, a straight edge, X-acto knife, scissors or a circle cutter, a stapler, glue, a wooden dowel, metallic acrylic paint, a decorative mini pail, rocks, and foam.

Directions:
1. Create the paper globes using this tutorial.
2. Cut the dowel to the height you’d like the topiary to be.
3. Paint the dowel with acrylic paint. I used this Martha Stewart acrylic paint in Champagne.
4. Add rocks to the bottom of the pail to weigh it down (Target usually sells mini pails in their dollar section!).
5. Cut a piece of foam to size and fit it inside the pail on top of the weighted rocks.
6. Attach the dowel to the paper globe by fitting it through the middle and adding glue to where the dowel enters the globe and where it almost comes out the top of the globe (you can see the dowel peeking out from the top of the globe in the picture above).
7. Push the dowel into the foam to secure it.
8. Add decorative rocks to the top of the pail to cover the foam.

What do you think? Would a DIY “topiary” add a missing touch to your Thanksgiving table?

Check back in tomorrow for the FULL Thanksgiving table!

November 24, 2014 1 comment

DIY Holidays

DIY “Thankful” Garland

by vickybarone November 21, 2014

written by vickybarone

The last Thanksgiving garland we made is still such a hit that we were more than excited to create a new one this year! We made this “Thankful” bunting using fabric and Mod Podge, with the method we used for this Inspirational Pennant. Keep scrolling to see more!

Supplies: linen or muslin fabric, orange patterned fabric, fabric scissors, a sewing machine(optional!), Mod Podge, a paint brush, twine, and mini clothes pins.

Directions:
1. Print out a word you’d like the banner to read. This will be your stencil and guide for how big to make each pennant.
2. Cut the linen into rectangles (ours were about 4.5″ by 6.5″).
3. Create a 1/4″ hem on the longer sides of the rectangle and either sew or glue them down. Create the same hem on the top of the rectangle and sew or glue as well.
4. With the rectangle face down, fold the un-sewn bottom up by the corners to create the point. Glue into place or sew along the edge to match the rest of the hems.
5. Paint both sides of the orange fabric with Mod Podge and let dry. This will stiffen the fabric and prevent it from fraying when cut.
6. When the orange fabric is dry, cut out the letters with scissors using the printed stencil you created.
7. Use more Mod Podge to attach the letters to each linen pennant. (Optional: give each pennant an extra coat of Mod Podge to seal the letters).
8. When the pennants are dry, use mini clothes pins to attach them to a piece of twine. Hang your garland and enjoy!

If you like what you see here, we’d love for you to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! We’ll be sharing our Thanksgiving table next week and we’re so excited!

November 21, 2014 0 comment

DIY Holidays Parties and Events

DIY Stamped Clay Name Tags

by vickybarone November 20, 2014

written by vickybarone

We must admit, it was pretty difficult to top the Pumpkin Place Cards we made for last year’s Thanksgiving table. We tried our very best when creating these stamped clay name tags and we’re so happy with the results!

All you need is some polymer clay, stamps, and some acrylic paint to create these personalized Thanksgiving place settings. Would you like to make your own? Keep reading!

Supplies: polymer clay, rubber alphabet stamps, wax paper, a rolling pin, a knife, aluminum foil, a cookie sheet, fine sand paper, acrylic paint*, and a paint brush.

*Skip the paint and just buy colored clay! We had white clay and added the metallic paint to give it more of a shimmer, but feel free to skip that step.

Directions:
1. Warm the clay in your hands. Place a piece of wax paper on your work surface, place the clay in the center, and add another piece of wax paper* on top of the clay. Roll out the clay with a rolling pin.
2. Remove the top layer of wax paper and gently press the rubber stamps into the clay to spell out your guests’ names.
3. Use a pen or rounded tool to press a hole in the clay to the left or right of the name where the twine will go through.
4. When you are happy with the names (practice makes perfect!), use a knife* to cut the clay into rectangular name tags.
5. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil* and place each name tag on it flat.
6. Bake the name tags according to the directions on the clay packaging (we did 300 degrees for 15 minutes…long enough to bake the clay, but still keep it a little flexible).
7. When the tags have cooled completely, sand the edges and wipe them down with a paper towel.
8. Paint the tags (optional) and let dry!

*When working with clay, do not use tools you normally use with food!

We used twine to create a simple and rustic looking napkin ring and then tied on the tags. Aren’t these Pottery Barn ruffled linen napkins beautiful?

Here is a sneak peek of our Thanksgiving table! We can’t wait to show you the rest!

Subscribe to Vicky Barone via email in the box to the right of this post to stay in the loop! You can also follow on Instagram and like on Facebook 🙂

November 20, 2014 1 comment

Holidays Parties and Events Recipes

Apple Turnovers

by vickybarone November 19, 2014

written by vickybarone

Today we bring you: The Easiest Last Minute Dessert There Ever Was. Also known as: Apple Turnovers! These four-ingredient wonders are sweet, delicious, and easy to throw together quickly. You might even have the ingredients for them in your fridge and pantry as you read this!

Ingredients: crescent rolls, an apple, cinnamon, and sugar.

Directions:
1. Open the crescent rolls tube and spread out each triangle onto a cookie sheet.
2. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar onto each triangle.
3. Peel an apple (optional!) and cut into slices.
4. Put an apple slice on the base of a triangle and roll it up towards the tip of the triangle.
5. Sprinkle more cinnamon and sugar on top.
6. Bake at 350 for 13-14 minutes or until golden brown.

These are a perfect last-minute treat to bring to a party or just to make on a cold afternoon. Bonus: they make your entire house smell like warm apple pie. Enjoy!

November 19, 2014 0 comment

Holidays Kids Recipes

Chocolate Covered Oreo Turkeys

by vickybarone November 18, 2014

written by vickybarone

How about a sweet treat for after Thanksgiving dinner? We grabbed Oreos, pretzels, and some leftover Halloween candy to make these hilarious chocolate turkeys. Keep scrolling to see how you can make them too!

Ingredients: Oreos, pretzels, chocolate (for melting), candy corn, and candy eyes.

Directions:
1. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. We used a Hershey bar, but you can also use candy melts.
2. Arrange three pretzels on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, with the bases facing each other, leaving 1/4 inch gap between them.
3. Dip an Oreo into the melted chocolate and cover completely. Use a fork to remove the Oreo from the bowl and let the excess chocolate drip off. Sit the chocolate covered Oreo in the center of the three pretzels.
4. Immediately press in two candy eyes and a piece of candy corn.
5. Repeat process on the rest of the cookies and place cookie sheet into the fridge or freezer to set the chocolate.

Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.

Our favorites are the ones with two different sized pupils. They look like they’ve been electrocuted! You can also turn the candy eyes in different directions to make the turkeys look extra goofy.

What fun treats are you making this Thanksgiving? We’d love to hear!

November 18, 2014 0 comment

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