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Patina & Paint - Tammy Lagaly at Patina & Paint is a designer whose mission is to empower everyone to create a unique and beautiful home with very little money, a little paint, and a lot of  imagination!
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Holidays
Holidays

How To Make Hot Cocoa Bombs

December 11, 2020 4 Comments
hot cocoa bombs, cookies
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hot cocoa bombs, cookies

Last week when I shared my hot chocolate bar, I promised to also share with you how I made my snowmen marshmallows and my hot cocoa bombs. I shared my snowmen with you a few days ago, so today is the day I share How to make hot cocoa bombs with you.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect all of the questions that have come my way about the bombs.

It seems that they are one hot item this year!

I’m no expert, but I can give you a little insight into how I made mine.

To be honest, they are one of the easiest and the hardest things I’ve ever made.

By that I mean that I am on my second or more batch and I’m still figuring out the best way to make them.

The first time around I found a tutorial on Pinterest that wasn’t all that complete.

After much more research I came across a how to from In Karina’s Kitchen and all of the pieces fell into place.

chocolate candy melts, mold

Supplies:

  • mold
  • chocolate – I used Sweet Tooth Fairy Meltables
  • spoon
  • glass measuring cup
  • non-stick skillet
  • hot cocoa mix
  • sprinkles
  • marshmallows
  • gloves

    melted chocolate, moldHow To Make Hot Cocoa Bombs

  • Step 1:

I bought my mold here.  Remember that I said that it was a hot item?

Well, it’s out of stock at this time.

However, there are a ton of other places that sell the molds also.

If you are going to make a lot of bombs I recommend getting more than one mold.

My mold has 6 cups, which makes 3 bombs.

 

Melt your chocolate for 30 seconds in the microwave.

Stir well.

Repeat until chocolate is completely melted.chocolate , mold

Step 2:

There are a couple of ways to coat the chocolate mold.

My favorite is to drop a spoonful of melted chocolate into the mold.

Then using the back of the spoon, spread a thin layer of chocolate, covering all of the mold.

Make sure to bring the chocolate all the way to the top of the mold.

Place in the freezer for 5 minutes or until the chocolate has completely set.

( My neighbor cut her bomb mold apart, then dropped in chocolate then swirled the mold around to cover all  sides of each half bomb.)

mold with chocolate in it

Step 3:

After 5 minutes, pull the mold from the freezer and spread another thin layer of chocolate on to the first layer of chocolate.

Again making sure that you are bringing the chocolate all the way to the top of the mold.

Put into the freezer for another 5 minutes or until completely set.

removing chocolate bomb from mold

Step 4:

Gently remove the chocolate from the mold.

Slow and easy are the keys here.

If your chocolate isn’t set, it could break or crack.

I did find that if I had a tiny crack or piece come off at the top I could put more chocolate onto that area, put it in the freezer, and them remove it.

9 times out of 10 that would fix the problem.

 melting chocolate

Step 5:

Once you have removed the bomb halves from the mold, it’s time to even out the top rim and put the bomb together.

I found that putting a non-stick skillet on top of a burner on the lowest heat worked the best for me.

Heat the pan, place he bomb cavity side down and gently twist the bomb.

It will melt the bomb slightly and create a flat area that will allow you to put the two bombs together.

Melt the first half of the bomb.

inside of hot cocoa bomb

Step 6:

Flip the half over and add hot chocolate, marshmallows and sprinkles.

Step 7:

Melt your other bomb half and quickly place it on top of the half you just filled with goodies.

Gently press together to seal the bomb.

If any melted chocolate seeps out you can gently wipe it off.

snowman hot cocoa bomb

Step 8:

I set bombs immediately into a cupcake liner and let them set up.

Once they have had time to set, you can decorate them however you wish.

Here, I’ve made a snowman hot coco bomb by adding a face using icing and ear muffs using M & M’s.

hot cocoa bomb

On the chocolate bombs, I melted some white chocolate and drizzled it over the bombs and immediately added sprinkles.

clear box, crinkle paper

I found these clear plastic 3 x 3 boxes and added some shredded paper in the bottom.

hot coco bombs

 

Once the bombs were decorated and all decorations were dry, I added the bombs to them.

Tie on a cute bow and your hot cocoa bombs are almost complete!

cocoa bomb instructions

Several people asked how do you make the bombs explode?

As an afterthought I made these instructions on my computer, cut them out and taped them to the side of the box.

However, my neighbor who is much smarter than me, found some pretty Avery labels and printed her instructions out.

Peel and stick.

So much easier!

hot cocoa bombs, cookies

I tested the white chocolate bombs out on The Hubs and he said it’s the best hot chocolate he’s ever had.

And not to be left out my youngest took a chocolate one home and said the same.

I’ll put these into the Pinterest win column!

 

Before I go, here are just a few tips to help you make the best bombs ever.

  • make sure you don’t over heat the chocolate. It will burn or become hard to work with.
  • use chocolate candy melts. I used a different chocolate the first time and it was a mess as it wasn’t already tempered. Trust me on this one!
  • handle the bombs as little as possible.  It IS chocolate and will melt. You can leave fingerprints and marks that make it look like a mess! Wear gloves to help keep it smooth and clean.
  • Don’t over fill the inside of the bomb. Keep the edges of the bombs clean so that they will melt together.
  • Make sure that your chocolate is set before removing from the mold. If you don’t it will break or crack. You know the chocolate is set when it looks clean and shiny!
  • Your bombs should last up to two weeks after you make them. To extend that time I put them into the refrigerator until I’m ready to deliver them.

That’s it! If you decide to make some, I’d love to hear any tips or tricks that you come up with. And, as always, please send me pictures!

Until next time…

how to make hot cocoa bombs

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Holiday decor Holidays

Christmas Home Tour

December 10, 2020 18 Comments
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Christmas Home Tours

My good friends, Cindy from Cloches and Lavender and Terrie from Decorate And More With Tip rounded up a few fun ladies for a Christmas home tour. Each of us are sharing a room, or rooms, in our home decorated with all things Christmas.


Christmas Mantle 2020

When it came time to decide which room I wanted to share, my thoughts went to my living room.

I mean, it is where most of the pretty is.

Pool, outdoor table

But then I looked out of the living room window and saw this.

It’s where we spend a lot of our time.

We ARE outside people and it IS Texas.

Todays high is expected to be 77.

Perfect patio sitting weather!

I knew that I wanted to share the room that we love to be in as much as possible.

Our patio.

Christmas Patio

The Patio

When you walk outside the back door off of our living room, this is the “room” that you see.

We have set up a mini living room with swivel chairs to watch TV, relax, read books or just watch the kids in the pool.

For the Christmas season I’ve added red and white throw pillows and navy and white buffalo plaid throws to keep us warm and toasty.

Greenery, berries, and pinecones adorned with red ribbon are hung from each of the back windows.

door mat, poinsettias

As you step out of the backdoor, a cute red truck Christmas doormat is flanked by two large red poinsettias.

Don’t you just love all of the cute doormats that are available now?

trees, poinsettias, Merry sign

This corner is the home for a few trees, poinsettias and a Merry sign that the Queens made a few years ago at their annual party.

This is such a pretty corner in the daylight, but it really shines at night!

Poinsettias, flamingo

Across from the trees, at the end of the sitting area we have a drink center that sits directly under the TV.

We don’t use it for drinks in the winter, but we do serve off of it in the fall and winter when we watch football.

Today I’ve got a few poinsettias and a snowflake lantern decorating it, as well as a fun pink flamingo!

 

Christmas Patio 1

Here’s a picture of the seating area looking in from the pool area.

lantern, table, sleigh

We just put up a pergola over the dining table.

I cannot tell you how happy I am with it.

Already I can tell that in the brutal Texas summer we will have much needed shade.

And in the winter it will give us protection from the elements.

I couldn’t wait to start decorating this area.

I’m nowhere near done, but hanging the sleigh and giving my table a centerpiece really gave this area a festive feel.

Santa, lantern

Not the best picture, but I couldn’t not share the area at the end of the table.

Just a fun vignette full of Christmas cheer.

light up snowmen

At the other end of the table I’ve placed a light up snowman trio.

As you could tell from earlier pictures, our house backs up to the neighborhood park.

So we like to decorate for the daytime as well as the night time.

lit up snowmen

Speaking of the the patio at night…

At night it’s magical!

With everything lighted there is just enough light to see the entire space and still give your that Christmas magic feel!

 

Night time Santa

lit Flamingo

Christmas lights, pillow

While it’s not the prettiest room in our house, it’s definitely one of our favorites!

Thank you for stopping by, it was so good to have you here.

Now it’s time to visit the rest of the Christmas Home Tour participants!

 

Christmas Home Tour

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Holidays

How To Set Up A Christmas Hot Cocoa Bar

December 5, 2020 7 Comments
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How To Set Up A Cocoa Bar

It finally feels like we may have a Winter season here in North Texas. We went from weather in the 70’s down into the 40’s and 50’s. Which may not seem that cold to you, but here we are dragging out the coats. With the weather getting cooler, it’s time to bust out one of my favorite things. A big mug of hot cocoa! So today I’m sharing how to set up a Christmas hot cocoa bar. Disclaimer, I’m no expert on hot cocoa bars, this is just how my family likes to do it.

Hot Chocolate bombs

Step 1:

Find a great spot for your bar and add lots of Christmas decor.

I’m setting mine up next to my coffee maker on the buffet in the breakfast room.

For us, it just makes sense.

However, your bar can go anywhere that you want it to go!

Your bar just wouldn’t be as festive without a few Christmas decorations.

I added in my sweet little reindeer, as well as greenery, red Christmas bulbs and lots of plaid.

jar, tag

Step 2:

Add Hot cocoa and all of the trimmings!

*hot cocoa – We use The Hubs family recipe, but Swiss Miss is a good one too.

*marshmallows – mini, fluff, large, peeps, dehydrated – thank goodness they come in all shapes, colors and sizes!

*Sea Salted Caramel  

*Whipped Cream

*Sprinkles– they bring the fun to the party!

*White and Chocolate chips – for added flavor

*Candy Canes – great stir sticks and add a little peppermint kick

*Cookies – who doesn’t like cookies?

*Hot Cocoa Bombs – yummy!

*Candy

*Chocolate Fudge Sauce

And these are just a few things to start with!

 

mini marshmallows

I like to keep most of my ingredients in pretty containers with lids.

Freshness counts!

Also, since most of my containers are not see through I add small tags to each container for convenience.

I love these mini dehydrated marshmallows, they never get stale!

 

Marshmallow snowmen

Speaking of marshmallows, I love these hand painted snowmen.

They are just the cutest floating around in your cup.

Want to know how to make them?

I’ll be sharing how next week!

sprinkles

What cup of cocoa would be complete without sprinkles?

I just add them to the top of a little marshmallow fluff or whip cream.

Guaranteed happiness every time!

hot cocoa bombs

We’ve all seen these cute Hot Chocolate Bombs, right?

I can’t tell you how fun they are and best of all they are delicious!

The Hubs said that they made the best cup of hot chocolate that he has ever had!

Along with a good cup of chocolate, I like to eat a little something.

Like cookies!

These pirouettes are this weeks favorite, next week it might be something different!

 

candy canes, mugs, spoons

Step 3:

Make sure that you have plenty of serving utensils.

One essential item is something to stir your hot chocolate.

I like to offer a variety with spoons, stir sticks, and candy canes!

canister spoons

Other essential items are scoops and small spoons.

I even put out small tongs for things like the marshmallow snowmen.

Also, you can never have enough napkins on hand.

Ever.

jars, candy, spoons

Step 4:

Lifts and Levels with tall things in the back.

If you are limited on space like I am,  put things in the back up on a lift if they aren’t tall.

A lift is anything the can add height.

In this case I used a oblong plaid tin about 3 inches thick and 6 inches long.

Then added a Level, which is a small white tray.

Not only does it look good, now my family can easily reach the hot cocoa and the candy canes without making a mess.

How to set up a cocoa bar

 

And just like that your Hot Cocoa bar is complete.

cup of hot chocolate

Now all that’s left to do is sit back and enjoy a great cup of hot cocoa!

 

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Holidays

Merry Christmas

December 24, 2018 No Comments
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It’s Christmas Eve and the festivities have begun here at the castle. So before all of the crazy begins, I wanted to take a moment and wish you and your family the very best holiday season. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

All of my boys will be home for a few days, which is a rare occurrence, so I will be taking some time off. This momma’s got to get her family time in when she can.

Don’t worry, I’ll be back after New Years and have the start of a bathroom reno to share with you!

Until then….

Merry Christmas and the best of 2019!

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Cleaning out the Wrapping Closet

December 11, 2018 2 Comments
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Have you ever read DIY articles about what to do with your “extra” closets? Yeah, me too. I used to laugh hysterically. Ain’t nobody that I know got an extra closet! Until I did. Empty nesting is good for something. So I made mine into a wrapping closet. My one guilty indulgence. Unfortunately, from time to time, mine blows up and its time to start  cleaning out the wrapping closet. In a big way!Cleaning out the wrapping closet

See what I mean? Being a small closet, thankfully it also makes me clean it up in a timely manner. There is no room to do otherwise. Also, Christmas is the perfect time to change things out and tidy up a little bit. Here’s how I do it!

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Christmas Crafts at the Castle

December 7, 2018 1 Comment
Christmas crafts at the castle
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Here at the castle, the stockings are hung. The tree is up and the elves have finished sprinkling Christmas decor through out the castle. So, what’s a girl to do? Why break out the Christmas crafts at the castle, of course!

Christmas at the Castle

For the first time in many years, I have almost all of my Christmas stuff done! I’d love to pat myself on the back, however it’s mostly due to my car being in the shop off and on for the last month! Certainly not because this girl is rocking it! When you are forced to stay home it’s amazing how much you get done. Who knew?

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What Happens at the Christmas Party

December 4, 2018 10 Comments
What Happens At the Christmas Party
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What happens at the Christmas party, stays at the Christmas party. Especially the Queen’s Christmas party!

What Happens At the Christmas Party

When the Queens get together it’s always fun, this year was no exception. We ate, laughed, cried, told crazy stories, made a craft and had a cookie exchange.  In other words, a normal night with the Queens!

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I’ll Have a Blue Christmas

November 30, 2018 2 Comments
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I’ll have a blue Christmas with a big splash of hot pink, please!  My dining room colors are blue and hot pink, which just happen to be my favorite colors. So naturally, when it came time to decorate the dining room I couldn’t help but think that they would also be perfect Christmas colors.

I'll Have a blue Christmas

And boy, did I find some hot pink! It’s so hot that it was truly hard to get pictures that didn’t hurt my eyes. But, I love it!

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Black, White and Red Christmas Kitchen

November 27, 2018 6 Comments
black, white and red Christmas kitchen
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The elves have been busy decorating here at the castle. Of course, they always start in the heart of the home, the kitchen. This years theme is simple, less fuss and not as over the top as in years past. It’s a black, white and red Christmas kitchen!

christmas place setting

I don’t buy all new stuff from year to year, instead I like to mix and match a few new things with old things from years past. Don’t get me wrong. It’s tempting, however every time I consider it I hear my sweet Granny’s sarcastic voice saying “Well, aren’t we Miss Aster!” For those of you that are younger than dirt, that was her way of saying that we aren’t made of money. And even if we were, money doesn’t grow on trees! Thrifty was her middle name.

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A Pony For Christmas

November 20, 2018 5 Comments
A pony for Christmas
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Anybody who’s had children has probably heard “I want a pony for Christmas!”. My great niece, Beep, is in love with ponies. In fact, her Grandparents on her Dad’s side bought her a pony recently. She’s crazy about horses.

A pony for Christmas

So when a neighbor of mine was moving and had this horse themed table and chairs for sale I couldn’t resist. ( I thought  I had taken a picture of the before, but no. My bad.)  This table is the quintessential DIY project. The base, or horse part, was originally a cigar ashtray.

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Hostess Gifts for the Holidays

November 16, 2018 2 Comments
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I can’t believe the holidays are just around the corner!  With that in mind, I’m trying to stay ahead of the game by getting as many of the little things done as possible. Although, I’m pretty sure I’ll forget something! While at my grocery store today, I found some really cute items that would not only be great gifts, but wonderful hostess gifts for the holidays! So I thought that I would share them with you.

reindeer

Some of the items are a little more expensive, like these reindeer, however most are so reasonable priced you’ll be tempted to buy quite a few of them to gift to your favorite people.

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Handmade Christmas Gifts

November 10, 2018 15 Comments
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Happy November! Can you believe that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner? With cooler weather, it puts me in the mood to make a few handmade Christmas gifts.

ten on the 10th

It’s also the perfect time for Ten on the 10th! I can’t wait to see what Christmas gift ideas my blog friends have this month!

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Things To Do For the Holidays Now

October 26, 2018 2 Comments
things to do for the holidays now
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I know that we haven’t even celebrated Halloween, but the big holidays are just around the corner. Yikes! If you are like me, I like to plan ahead of time so that my holidays are a little less stressful. Today I’m sharing a few things to do  for the holidays now.

things to do for the holidays now

You know, things that will leave you feeling a little more like wonder woman and a little less stressed out!

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Getting Ready for Memorial Day

May 25, 2018 3 Comments
Getting Ready for Memorial Day
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As I was getting ready for Memorial day, I could not help but be thankful to all of the brave men and women who have served or are serving our country. There is not enough thanks in the world for what you do!

flag

I’m a firm believer that getting ready for Memorial Day should be simple and easy. Here at the castle, we definitely have a low key Memorial Day.  Not a lot of decorating. More lets get together, have fun and eat some wonderful barbecue that the Hubs grills. Maybe swim or play a few games. I love every minute with my family!

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Holidays

Merry Christmas

December 22, 2017 4 Comments
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Merry Christmas! I’m a little last posting today. It’s cold and wet outside. As I write this, I’m sitting by the Christmas tree in my comfy clothes, there is a fire in the fireplace and hot tea at my elbow. What more could a girl ask for?

Normally, three days before Christmas I would be in a mad rush buying last minute gifts, baking, and wrapping presents. You know the drill. Actually, I have to admit that, for the first time in as long as I can remember – which admittedly isn’t all that long – I’m ready for Christmas!

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Holidays

Queen’s Christmas Party

December 12, 2017 5 Comments
Wooden Christmas tree on porch
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The Queen’s Christmas party always kicks off my holiday season.  It is fun, crazy, loud, and full of all things merry!

I honestly cannot imagine the holidays without these seven crazy women! So how did we celebrate this year? I’m glad you asked. We did a lot!

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Christmas in the Family Room

December 1, 2017 7 Comments
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Christmas in the family room is pretty traditional here at the castle.  Well, there may be a bit of whimsy here and there just for a little fun! The elves have been busy flinging tinsel, wrapping presents and decorating. So come on in for a peek.

My favorite thing in the family room is the Christmas tree. I love to light a fire at night and sit by the tree reading a book.

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Holidays

Christmas Sock Exchange

November 17, 2017 6 Comments
Christmas socks
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It is officially time to start planning the Queen’s Christmas party! The past few years, we have been trying to mix things up a bit by starting new a fun things to do. We’ve been together so long that it was time to change things up a bit. A week or so ago, Queen Siana sent me a picture on Facebook, suggesting a Christmas sock exchange!

My first response was “A what?” However, after looking at the photo from Thinkerete Lifestyle on Facebook, I was hooked. 

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Holidays

Merry Christmas

December 24, 2016 No Comments
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Wishing You A Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year!

Thanks for stoping by and reading this year. I hope you have a Merry Christmas! I’ll be taking a break this next week to spend time with family and recharge. See you next year!

May you and your family have a happy and joyous Christmas!

Tammy

 

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Holiday Home Tour – part 1

December 13, 2016 4 Comments
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I’ve jumped on the bandwagon and decided to share my Christmas home tour!

I resisted sharing my home with you this year, mainly because my knee surgery has slowed me WAY down. So much so that I didn’t even put everything out this year. I know that the Hubs is laughing as he reads this. I cut back, but I’m sure he doesn’t think so!

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The Queen’s Christmas

December 6, 2016 1 Comment
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The Queen’s Christmas is always one of my favorite celebrations. This year was certainly no different! Every year eight of us get together and celebrate the Christmas season.

the-queens-christmas-14

Normally, we would get together, eat, play few games and open gifts from each other. We always have a wonderful time, but over the years it seemed like we needed a change. So this year, instead of eat, play and gift, we decided to change things up a bit!

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My New Front Porch Wreath

November 18, 2016 3 Comments
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My new front porch wreath is probably one of my most favorite wreaths I’ve ever had!

my-new-front-porch-wreath-4

In fact, it’s more of a decoration than it is a wreath.  For the past few years, I have been using the same wreath.  To say that it was a little sad and tired was an understatement, but I couldn’t find anything I loved to replace it. It was definitely time for a change!

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Holidays Uncategorized

Bubble Wands For Easter

March 25, 2016 No Comments
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I’m giving Bubble Wands for Easter to all my littles! I was recently at a link Party surfing around and found the cutest enchanted bubble wands. I had to make some. Not gonna lie, if you want a tutorial that is creative and fun keep reading. However, if you want an EXACT and informative one Rena Klingenberg at Jewelry Making Journal.com has a fantastic tutorial.   I am gonna warn you right up front, this post is a little long and has a ton of pictures. So get a drink, settle in and enjoy!

Supply List

bubble wands

16 or 18 gauge wire – 9″ long for a large wand or 6″ long for a small one (copper or brass)

24 gauge wire for stringing beads

beads

wire cutter

file for smoothing wire ends

Round nose pliers

Flat nose pliers

Chain nose pliers

Ring mandrel – don’t panic if you don’t have one of these – I didn’t either! I just used a piece of PVC

Fine Sharpie

Bubble wand 2

Danger Will Robinson! Read this entire post before attempting to make a wand. Trust me. you’ll thank me later! Your welcome.

I wanted a large wand so I cut my wire 9″ long.  The tutorial called for a file, but I was too lazy to hunt one up so I just used sandpaper to smooth out my wire ends. No sharp ends for my littles!

bubble wands 1

Next, using my fine sharpie, I marked the wire 2″ from one end.

Bubble Wands 3

Sorry this is a little blurry! It’s time to make the bubble blowing loop. This can be any shape, but I felt like since I was a bubble wand novice the circle would probably be the easiest.

Leaving the 2″ end of wire straight, wrap the wire around the PVC to form a circle. Now don’t panic like I did if the circle isn’t super tight. Mine wasn’t. It still turned out cute!

Bubble wand 4

Using your flat nosed pliers make a bend in the stem below the circle you just made. You want to center the main wire stem directly under the circle. Like a lollipop.

bubble wand 5

Using your flat nose pliers firmly grip the circle and wrap the straight 2″ wire ( two or three times) around the main stem of your bubble wand right below the circle. You can use pliers, but I found it was just as easy to use my fingers.

Cut of any excess wire. Use your chain nose pliers to squeeze down the cut wire end so that it doesn’t stick out and catch or scratch something.

 

bubble wand 6Time to make the handle. This step is super easy. It’s also where I messed up! Find the half way point of your bubble wand stem and mark with a sharpie. Place the mid point wire against the handle of your sharpie marker and wrap the end of your wand stem around the marker making a round or tear drop shape.

So far so good right? WRONG! You are suppose to have enough leftover wire  after wrapping the end around the sharpie to get creative and make a fun design. Where did I go wrong? I should have made the adjustment for using the PVC instead of the mandrel at a ring size of 15. Yeah… math was never my strong suit. Back to the drawing board.

bubble wand 8

This time I cut my wire 12″ long. Now repeat all of the steps up to and including wrapping your wire around the sharpie. NOW, you should have plenty of leftover wire to get creative!

bubble wand 9

See the difference? Now if you want a no fuss teeny, tiny end do the 9″. If you want to go all out and make yourself a really enchanted bubble wand you want the 12″. Up to you.

bubble wand 10

Now is when you use your 24 gauge wire and the beads to embellish your bubble wands. I left some plain and really blinged out some of the others. I made some wands big and some little. What I realized that you don’t have to be exact with any of this. Thank goodness or I would have had a mess. It’s so hard for me to color in the lines people!!!

bubble wands 14

I bought some bubbles and tied the wands onto the bottles with coordinating ribbon.

Bubble wand 11

 

Then I packaged them up in these cute bags, added some eggs, chocolate and a few other toys.

bubble wand 12

I tied it all up with some tulle and my bubble wands for Easter were ready to be delivered to all of my littles!

I think my bubble wands turned out pretty cute. Maybe not as cute as Rena’s, but I’m happy with them and hope that my littles are too! If you decide to make any, I would love to  know how yours turned out!

Until next time…

                    Tammy

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Holidays

It’s Christmas Eve!

December 24, 2015 No Comments
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Merry Christmas 1

Merry Christmas! It’s Christmas eve and as I look around I think that I am ready for the next few days. I can’t wait for my boys to get home for the celebration to begin! I love it when we are all together.Christmas in the Living room 7

The stockings are hung just waiting for Santa…

presents

It’s Christmas Eve! The presents are wrapped…

Food is baked and ready to be eaten. Family and friends are on the way to help us celebrate.

There is only one thing left to do…Merry Christmas 2 So from my castle to yours, here’s wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

I’ll see you next week as I’m taking the rest of the week off to enjoy my family, celebrate and take some much needed time to relax!

until next time….

 Tammy

 

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Hi! I’m Tammy. I love to decorate and paint just about everything! If you do too, you are in the right place.

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Do you go all out for Valentine’s Day? Here at t Do you go all out for Valentine’s Day? Here at the Castle we are a little more laid back about it. I don’t even do cards anymore cause #boymom . They’d give it a glance and move on. I know they appreciated them, it’s just not their thing. So I’m focusing on a fun, casual Valentine’s Day table this year. Still fun and colorful but more in keeping with the guys here. Truth be told, I’m kinda enjoying it. Today on the blog I’m sharing my casual table. ( link in bio) if you are a more casual celebrator too, I’d live to see how your celebrating this  year!
#valentines #valentinesdecor #valentinesday #valentinestablescape #valentinestablescape #patinaandpaint #heartsandflowers #hearts #flowers
If you are like me and looking for something to do If you are like me and looking for something to do besides watch TV I’ve got a fun, easy and inexpensive Valentines craft for you! Link in bio. It’s gonna be a rainy week here at the castle. Which means I’m going to try and get some organizing done and maybe break out the paints and get creative. I don’t know about you , but this girl needs a little creative break!  #valentines #valentinecrafts #valentinecraft #valentinesign  #crafts #creative #patinaandpaint #hearts
Sharing how I made a few of the goodies on my Vale Sharing how I made a few of the goodies on my Valentine’s two tiered tray on the blog today. Link in bio. Having a really hard time getting in the mood to decorate for V-day. Not that I normally do a lot of decorating for it.... anyone else on the decorating struggle bus right now?
#valentines #twotieredtray #twotieredtrays  #valentinesdecor #patinaandpaint #red #pink
Y’all is this cake not fit for a Queen? Yesterda Y’all is this cake not fit for a Queen? Yesterday was my BFF’s birthday and today is my youngest sons birthday. Cel nesting certainly looks different this year. Today on the blog I’m sharing some birthday party fun that I wish we were able to have ! A girl can dream....
#birthday #birthdaycake #birthdayfun #birthdaycakes #birthdayparty #birthdaypartyideas #birthdayparties #turquoise #patinaandpaint #decoratngideas
It’s just a tiny little snowflake... okay it’s It’s just a tiny little snowflake... okay it’s 10 snowflakes hanging from the chandelier in the breakfast room. They make me smile and help keep the winter blues away! It’s $10 on the 10th today! Our theme is winter blues.  4 other bloggers and myself are sharing some fun ideas for Winter blues. Link in bio.
@ppultorak @southern_sunflowers  @applestreetcottage @frenchethereal  #10onthe10th #patinaandpaint #winter #winterdecor #homedecor #crafts #snowflakes
It’s been cold, dreary and wet at times the past It’s been cold, dreary and wet at times the past few days here in North Texas.  Which makes it hard for me to get motivated to do anything other than grab a good book, light a fire and curl up on the sofa in a warm fuzzy blanket. Anyone else putting off decorating for winter now that the holidays are over? On the blog today I’m sharing 3 fast , easy tips to get  winter decor in your home. Now that the decorating is done I can get back to that good book!  #decoratingforwinter  #homedecor #winter #patinaandpaint #warmandcozy #fireplace #easydecor #easydecorating  #easydecoratingideas
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