Sunday, December 28, 2014

Much Ado About Monday {No. 92}

 Welcome, friends!
 
We hope that you had a wonderful holiday, celebrating with family and friends!
 
I spent Christmas Eve with my in-laws. We enjoyed a delicious dinner, opened presents and drank a bit of wine by the fire. After the kids set out their cookies and milk for Santa and said goodbye to our Elf on the Shelf (his name is Jingle Bells!), they stuck around to help my husband and I put a few gifts together. :)
 
 
Christmas morning was spent with our little family of five. It was little Hayley's first Christmas and the first one for us in our new home, so this Christmas was special for us in so many ways. :)
 
We had a big breakfast, opened all of our gifts from Santa and played with all of our new goodies before heading to a HUGE Christmas at my parents house. I am one of seven children and this is the ONLY holiday where we're all together. There were 22 of us there and it was definitely beautiful and crazy chaos!
 
 
Here at Huckleberry Love, we took a much needed week off to focus on our loved ones and are refreshed and ready to share some wonderful projects in the new year with y'all!
 
And now for our features from last week:
 
 
Emily's Pick: Creamy Tomato Basil Soup with Popcorn Croutons via Hello Little Home
Jill's Pick: Owl Hand Warmers via Our Peaceful Planet
Lydia's Pick: Eggnog Ice Cream Pie via The Gracious Wife
Jamie's Pick: Peppermint Twist Loopy Puff Bows via The Ribbon Retreat
 
And our most popular post last week was:
 
 
Peanut Butter Streusel Cookies via Swanky Recipes
 
Congratulations to all of our featured bloggers! Be sure to grab the button below and display it on your blog for everyone to see. :)
 
 
 
And now, let's party!!
The Rules:
 
*We love our followers, and always follow back. Please follow us on GFC as well as BlogLovin:
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*You can also find us at these favorite social media sites: FacebookTwitterPinterestInstagram, and Google+
* Please link back to us in your post. Whether it be through a text link or by posting our super cute button somewhere in your post. We appreciate it!
* If you do NOT link back to us in your post, you will NOT be Featured on Much Ado About Monday. So, link back! You'll thank us later. :)

*Features posts will be pinned on Pinterest and promoted on Facebook and Google+
* Feel free to link up decorating tips, DIY projects, recipes, organizational ideas, sewing and crochet creations or anything else crafty or that you find inspirational.
* Please do not link up giveaways, Etsy shops, or projects that were not made by you.
* You may link up to three posts a week!
* If your post has been featured, please do not link it up again.
* Remember to visit, visit, visit! That's the point of a party, right? Have fun!
Thanks for stopping by to party with us!!
 

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Much Ado About Monday {No. 91}

Hi Y'all!

Thanks for stopping by for another Much Ado About Monday link party. 
We've been busy bees here, working hard to finish up all of those last minute Christmas projects. And I almost forgot to schedule my post for tonight as we had our street's Christmas party. 

 
We're lucky here in Texas, that we can have an outdoor gathering in December! Santa handed out presents from his red pickup truck, we made s'mores by the fire, and enjoyed holiday classics on the video projector with some popcorn and hot cocoa. I'm so thankful for our wonderful neighbors and love that our kids have so many friends to play with :-)
 
This week, Emily shared her Blackberry Brie Bites. They sound absolutely divine and would make an excellent addition to any holiday party menu. 
Last week, we had so many great link ups. Thank you to everyone who joined in. It really made it tough to choose our favorites. 
 
Our most viewed link was Cranberry Barbecue Meatballs via Life with the Crust Cut Off
 
 
And for our picks...
 

Lydia's pick: Champagne Smash via This Silly Girl's Life
Jill's pick: Semi-Homemade Christmas Tree Skirt via 3 Little Greenwoods
Emily's pick: Knock Off Crate and Barrel Ornament Trees via Domestically Speaking
Jamie's pick: Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Christmas Cookies via The Gracious Wife

Great job, guys! Make sure to grab our 'I Was Featured' button to display proudly! 

 
 

And now, let's party!!
The Rules:

 
*We love our followers, and always follow back. Please follow us on GFC as well as BlogLovin:
Follow on Bloglovin

*You can also find us at these favorite social media sites: FacebookTwitterPinterestInstagram, and Google+
* Please link back to us in your post. Whether it be through a text link or by posting our super cute button somewhere in your post. We appreciate it!
* If you do NOT link back to us in your post, you will NOT be Featured on Much Ado About Monday. So, link back! You'll thank us later. :)

*Features posts will be pinned on Pinterest and promoted on Facebook and Google+
* Feel free to link up decorating tips, DIY projects, recipes, organizational ideas, sewing and crochet creations or anything else crafty or that you find inspirational.
* Please do not link up giveaways, Etsy shops, or projects that were not made by you.
* You may link up to three posts a week!
* If your post has been featured, please do not link it up again.
* Remember to visit, visit, visit! That's the point of a party, right? Have fun!

Thanks for stopping by to party with us!!



Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Blackberry Brie Bites {Recipe}

Awhile back, I pinned this delicious looking blackberry brie bites recipe from Inside BruCrew Life. Recently I was craving brie and decided to give the recipe a try. Unfortunately, I didn't have crescent rolls on hand, so I did what any good blogger would do... I improvised!

Boy am I glad that I did, because my version of Blackberry Brie Bites were born! These little appetizers pack a huge punch of flavor, with just the right amount of sweet and savory. And the phyllo dough gives them the perfect crunch that a one-bite appetizer needs to be perfect! They're absolutely delicious and have become a staple at family get-togethers.

To get started, you'll need:

2 packages of Mini Phyllo Cups (found in the freezer section)
Brie Cheese Wheel
Blackberry Jam
Blackberries

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.


Next, grab your packages of phyllo dough cups out of the freezer and line them up perfectly put them on a baking tray. (I realize not everyone is as anal as me, and that's a good thing! Future New Year's resolution- lighten up and #letitgo.)


Now, for my favorite part, the brie! You'll want to use only the soft inside section (no rind). Cut it into small pieces that will fit into the phyllo cups. Eating as you go is optional, but fully encouraged.


Then, you'll add a dab of jam to each brie filled cup. I don't measure, just eye it up. If you like things "jammy" add a lot, if not, just a small dollop will do. :)


It's time for these beauties to hit the sauna! Bake them for the time stated on the back of the phyllo cup packaging. I baked mine for 10 minutes and they came out bubbly and beautiful.


All that's left to do now is rinse your blackberries and stick one into the top of each bite.
 
These little beauties would make the perfect appetizer for any holiday get together this season! I guarantee you can't eat just one. :)


Blackberry Brie Bites Recipe
Ingredients:
2 packages Mini Phyllo Cups
1 Brie Cheese wheel
Blackberry Jam
Blackberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove mini phyllo cups from packaging and let thaw for 10 minutes.
2. Set phyllo cups on baking sheet. Add small amount of brie to each cup, cover the brie with blackberry jam.
3. Bake in oven for 10 minutes, or until brie is bubbly.
4. Immediately top each brie cup with a fresh blackberry.

Makes 30 appetizers.

These taste best right out of the oven! But, trust me, they'll get eaten even if they're not piping hot! I usually make more than 30, as this appetizer goes rather quickly at our family gatherings.

Enjoy!
 
Linking up with:
Inspiration2


Sunday, December 14, 2014

Much Ado About Monday {No. 90}

Happy Holidays and welcome to another
Much Ado About Monday!

We are so thrilled you are here, sharing your wonderful ideas and projects with us for another week! 

This weekend was a busy one for us, as we traveled to my cousin's college graduation on Friday and then celebrated my mom's birthday back at home on Saturday.  Plus, I wrapped all our Christmas presents, so our tree looks very happy right now. This week, we are gearing up for our kid's Christmas program at school and getting ready for family to come in from out of state to celebrate the holidays with us. I can't wait to have my whole family together again! 

This week on the blog, Jill shared her rustic DIY Family Photo Display, which would also make a fantastic Christmas card display, and I rounded up 25 of my favorite Christmas ornament projects to make with your kids.


Our features this week are:


Lydia's Pick: Cork Christmas Card Trees via Love Create Celebrate
Jamie's Pick: Hot Chocolate Cupcakes via Life With the Crust Cut Off
Emily's Pick: Pallet Wood Rustic Christmas Coasters via Scrapality
Jill's Pick: DIY Peppermint Letters via I Dig Pinterest


And our most clicked link last week was the DIY Peppermint Letters via I Dig Pinterest.


Great job, guys! Make sure to grab our 'I Was Featured' button to display proudly! 



And now, let's party!!


The Rules:

*We love our followers, and always follow back. Please follow us on GFC as well as BlogLovin:
Follow on Bloglovin

*You can also find us at these favorite social media sites: FacebookTwitterPinterestInstagram, and Google+
* Please link back to us in your post. Whether it be through a text link or by posting our super cute button somewhere in your post. We appreciate it!
* If you do NOT link back to us in your post, you will NOT be Featured on Much Ado About Monday. So, link back! You'll thank us later. :)

*Features posts will be pinned on Pinterest and promoted on Facebook and Google+
* Feel free to link up decorating tips, DIY projects, recipes, organizational ideas, sewing and crochet creations or anything else crafty or that you find inspirational.
* Please do not link up giveaways, Etsy shops, or projects that were not made by you.
* You may link up to three posts a week!
* If your post has been featured, please do not link it up again.
* Remember to visit, visit, visit! That's the point of a party, right? Have fun!

Thanks for stopping by to party with us!!






25 DIY Christmas Ornaments to Make with Kids {Round Up}

My Christmas tree is not one of those perfectly decorated, color coordinating, magazine ready trees. All the ornaments on our tree have been collected from both my husband's and my childhood and now our kids are starting their own collections, making our tree very eclectic in design. But my very favorite ornaments are the ones the kids have made over the years. I love their perfectly imperfect stars and their wonky handmade trees. So I scoured Pinterest and found 25 ornament ideas from fabulous bloggers that are great crafts for creating your own kid designed ornaments. Enjoy this round-up and adorn your own tree with ornaments made with love. They are the best ones!

 

Please be sure to pin directly from the source!
 
Image via parents.com 

 Construction Paper Spiral Christmas Tree via Parents.com

 DIY Stable Ornament

 Stable Ornament using craft sticks via Adventures of a DIY Mom
Cork Crafts - Snowman Ornaments
 Cork Snowmen via Red Ted Art
 An awesome holiday craft for the whole family! Cupcake liners turned into adorable and festive ornaments!
  Cupcake Liner Christmas Tree Ornament via One Perfect Day

Easy Christmas craft for kids to make using their handprints. You could use it as an ornament or a cute gift.
Family Hands Christmas Tree Ornament via Makobi Sribe
Make a Frozen Olaf Salt Dough Ornament with this easy tutorial. Perfect for on the tree or as a keepsake gift for the holidays!
Frozen Olaf Salt Dough Ornament via I Heart Arts & Crafts

How to make God's eyes - I remember making these when I was little! Such a fun, classic craft for kids!
God's Eye Ornament via Positively Splendid

DIY Kids Christmas Tree Ornament You are going to LOVE creating these DIY Kids Christmas Tree Ornaments! This is a quick and easy craft for you and your kids, you can make 7-10 trees in under an hour. Make your tree unique by using different paint colors and embellishments, the possibilities are endless. They cost pennies to make and will look darling on any Christmas tree!
 
DIY Kids Christmas Tree Ornament via Made From Pinterest
Easy Christmas craft for kids to make using bottle tops
Bottle Cape Reindeer Ornaments via The Country Chic Cottage

Easy DIY Yarn Wrapped Star Ornament.  Great for gifting too.  Tutorial at livelaughrowe.com

DIY Yarn Wrapped Star Ornament via Live Laugh Rowe

Adorable Cinnamon Stick Tree Ornaments
Cinnamon Stick Tree Ornaments via Crafts Unleashed


Frozen Inspired Snowflake Ornaments for Kids


Frozen Inspired Snowflake Ornament via Fireflies and Mudpies

kids fingerprint ornament


Kid's Fingerprint Christmas Light Ornament via The Happier Homemaker

Yarn Ornament

Cardboard Yarn Ornaments via Snap!

Fingerprint Heart Ornaments | Mama Papa Bubba


Fingerprint Heart Ornaments via Mama. Papa. Bubba.

Do you love all things Rudolf? Our homemade Pinecone Reindeer Ornaments are so easy to do and just too cute for words! A fun Christmas craft for children.
Pinecone Reindeer Ornament via My Little 3 and Me

Homemade Ornaments are a fun Christmas craft ~ Recycled Stained Glass Ornaments
Stained Glass Ornaments via Housing a Forest

Create a beautiful snow globe ornament from a dollar store plastic wine glass! pitterandglink.com

Handmade Deer Snow Globe Ornament via Pitter and Glink

Create a rustic Tree Ornament from sticks and ribbon scraps! | Fireflies and Mud Pies
Scrap Ribbon Tree Ornaments via Fireflies and Mudpies

I'm going to try this with my daughter. Our first "sewing" project. Miniature Wreath Made with Felt
Miniature Wreath Made with Felt via BHG
Little Bit Funky: make these now! handprint snowman ornament. :)
Hand print Snowman Ornament via Little Bit Funky

DIY Homemade Puzzle Piece Wreath Ornament - Holiday Craft for Kids
DIY Puzzle Piece Wreath Ornament via Surviving a Teacher's Salary

Make these fun and easy popsicle stick ornaments with your kids this Christmas. These adorable reindeer tree decorations will be special for years to come!
Popsicle Stick Reindeer Ornament via Crafts by Courtney

Paper Plate Tissue Paper Christmas Ornament Art Project #Christmas craft for kids - Crafty Morning
Paper Plate Christmas Ornament via Crafty Morning


Reindeer Thumbprint Ornaments via Little Bit Funky




Happy Holidays!!

 
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