Holidays

Honey-Inspired Holiday Gift Basket Ideas!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HoneyForHolidays #DonVictorHoney #CollectiveBias

When it comes to holiday gift-giving, homemade gifts are the best! Whether you’re giving to the hard-to-shop-for or just looking for easy ways to give quality, personalized, unique gifts on a budget, homemade is a sure bet this season!

What I love most about homemade gifts is that they allow you to share your unique talents with the world. From cooking to crafting, homespun gifts let you add love and intentionality to each present you give. And what’s more festive than that?

Which is why I’m constantly seeking new ideas for homemade gift-giving ideas each holiday season. Today is no exception as I’ll be showing you how I’m re-doing the traditional ho-hum holiday gift-giving basket with a few quick DIYs. Including homemade potpourri jars, a festive recipe for Honey Walnut Bars, a delicious, heart-healthy holiday treat, featuring my favorite holiday time honey treat, the Don Victor® Orange Blossom Comb Honey Globe Jars.

Here’s how I put this awesome homemade gift-giving basket together:

One of my favorite basket fillers is homemade Honey Walnut Bars. I love gifting these bars because they are thick and caramelly, while still gluten-free and paleo-friendly with a nutty, crunchy, chewy, scrumptious twist!

The crust is made with coconut flour, which helps provides a firm, shortbread-like crust. It’s prebaked until golden brown before being topped with the Honey Walnut topping, so it keeps that nice crunchy bite!

For the filling, I make a quick caramel using coconut sugar, maple syrup, and Don Victor® Orange Blossom Comb Honey, and coconut oil together. Which makes a smooth, creamy sauce. Once my sauce is cooked, I turn off the heat and add almond milk, flax meal, almond flour, organic vanilla extract, and Himalayan pink salt. Then whisk together to combine.

The flax meal and almond flour help the sauce filling up without fillers. The walnuts are added at the end and stirred into the mix and then the whole shebang is poured over the cooled crust. It’s baked for 30 minutes until the sauce is bubbly brown.

Then for the hardest part: waiting for them to cool off! Once cooled and firm, slice them into squares and try not to devour them all in one sitting. Afterall, you need a square for your gift basket!

When ready to add to my gift basket I cut 3×3″ squares and placed them into a giftable, clean mason jar. You can also bake your bars ahead of time and refrigerate your bars in jars until ready to give.

I also added a jar of DIY Organic Holiday Potpourri. In my blend, I like to use organic, fresh, whole cranberries, star anise, organic Ceylon cinnamon sticks, fresh, bay leaves, whole nutmeg, clove organic sprigs of rosemary, and dried orange slices.

I like to dry my own orange slices in my dehydrator. Which is super simple to do. Just set your dehydrator, or convection oven, to 125 degrees Fahrenheit, and dry low and slow for 8 hours. When preserved and jarred, these orange slices will last up to 1 year. They taste wonderful in tea, can be strung up to make beautiful holiday garland, and of course, can be used to make festive holiday potpourri!

To finish up, simply jar your organic ingredients in whatever amount you like. I like to layer my jars with the orange slices acting as a leveling seal between layers. Be sure to add directions to your lid. I find that a dry erase marker works well in doing so.

To make potpourri yourself at home, add 8 cups water and simmer on your stovetop or crockpot. Since you are used fresh and dried ingredients, its best to create your potpourri the day of an event or that of gift-giving or to refrigerate, or even freeze it, until ready to give.

I also like to add a Don Victor® Orange Blossom Comb Honey Globe Jar to my gift-giving basket. Especially for the foodies on your holiday list, this honey makes the perfect inexpensive gift! You could also pair them with a tin of organic grocery store tea and a jar of dried orange slices, for easy holiday gifts for service workers, teachers, neighbors, and friends. But also be sure to pick up a few of these jars for yourself – you’ll want to because this honey is just that dang good!

Have you ever seen the Don Victor® Orange Blossom Comb Honey Globe Jars? These beautiful glass jars are filled with raw, filtered, organic honey. Honey that is not heated or processed in any way. And what really makes this honey product stand out is that it comes with some real honeycomb inside!

See the honeycomb in there – it’s totally edible! And who wouldn’t want to receive a little something sweet this season? You’ll be the bee’s knees to everyone on your block this year if you gift them Don Victor® Orange Blossom Comb Honey Globe Jars. This honey is an easy, inexpensive, gourmet gift during the holidays!

I also like to enjoy Don Victor® Orange Blossom Comb Honey on toast. I drizzle some honey all over toast. If I’m lucky, I’ll get some of that awesome honeycomb on my toast too! The comb has a soft texture that’s totally delicious! This honey is also perfect for hot biscuits, French toast or pancakes! Remember, the comb is the fun and festive part of this unique honey-tasting experience. It can also be used to make a great sore-throat syrup too!

You’ll also want to store your honey at room temperature, such as on a kitchen counter or in a pantry, pie safe, or cabinet. If the honey crystallizes (the natural process of the glucose molecules aligning into crystals), don’t fret. Just place the glass jar in warm water and stir until smooth again.

To add a fun touch to the Don Victor® Orange Blossom Comb Honey Globe Jars I’ll be adding to my gift baskets this year, I added a crochet cozies. This allows my recipient to be able to re-use their honey jar as a fun votive holder after their honey has been enjoyed! Tasty and zero-waste is the way to go!

To make this cozy, I used 100 yards of organic, cotton yarn and a 4.00mm (size G) crochet hook.

Begin by chaining 40 SC (single crochet stitches), then join your first chain stitch to your work to form a ring. Making sure to not twist your work as you turn. Continue working on the round until your cozy reaches the desired length of your particular jar. With fewer rows for smaller jars and additional rows allotted for taller jars. Remember, candle cozies are meant to be snug so your looking for a cozy without much slack. That ensures each cozy will have a uniform look!

Finish off your cozy by slip stitching the outer rows of stitches and weave in loose strands. I also like to add a small crochet ribbon. which can be made by creating a double line of 80 SC (single crochet stitches), to the front of my cozy. Then just add it to your basket!

To arrange my basket, I laid out paper shreds in the basket and then set the wrappings to the side. Then it was time to make the Honey Walnut Bars! I do this by adding my basket wrap, twist tie, and gift tag. And done! An amazing, affordable, gift-giving basket anyone would love receiving!

This season, be on the lookout for Don Victor® Orange Blossom Comb Honey Globe Jars. they can be found in the Hispanic aisle of your local Walmart store. You’ll be glad you did!

Friends, I hope this post will inspire you to consider making your own gift baskets this season and to also try the amazing Don Victor® Orange Blossom Comb Honey. Now I want to ask, have you tried Don Victor® Orange Blossom Comb Honey globe jars? Do you plan on making any festive crafts for the holiday season? Comment below and share your ideas with us!

Connect with Don Victor®:

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10 Steps To Creating a Debt-Free Holiday Spending Plan

Ah, the holidays- a time for giving, receiving, and most likely overspending. And stress. The stress from needless obligatory spending!

For the holiday season is nothing if not full of hidden expenses. Everything from food, travel, work parties, family get-togethers, hostess gifts, donations, holiday pageants, and more! And if your a big holiday spender your not alone! According to National Retail Foundation, 56% of Americans admitted they’re planning to rack up debt this season, 16% of which expect it to take six months or more to pay off!

Still, the single biggest way you can make your holiday season a lot less stressful is to create and stick to a holiday spending plan. Creating a holiday spending plan will not only help alleviate unnecessary spending stress but ensure you won’t be paying off holiday debt far into the new year!

With just a little planning, you can be among those who will be both debt-free and stress-free this holiday season! So if you would like to learn how to create your own stress-free holiday spending plan, here are the 10 steps you can take to help you stick to your holiday budget this season:

Step 1: Determine How Much You Can Afford To Spend On The Holidays: This step is relatively simple. To figure out how much money can you save between now and December 25th, add up any existing savings previously set aside for the holidays, untapped online funds, such as rebate apps or unused gift cards, and how much you can set aside from earned income between now and the holidays. That’s your allocated amount for this holiday season. An amount proportional to your income.

My personal Christmas Spending Rule? How much you can afford to spend must be an amount you save in CASH. This is the amount you actually have to give for Christmas.

Remember, this season is not about financially crippling yourself to ensure someone will receive a gifted pair of reindeer, light-up glitter socks. The holidays are about expressing love and appreciation for those you love. Both of which can be done without spending a dime.

Step 2: Triage your gift-giving list: While it’s nice to want to give something to everyone you know during the holiday season, it’s truly not necessary. When it comes to gift-giving lists, consider a triage approach. Start off by creating a laundry list of people to include:

Family – aunts, uncles, children, spouse, cousins, siblings, grandparents, and even the stray dog your brother-in-law adopted. Include everyone you WANT to give a gift to.
Co-workers – partners, bosses, co-workers, support staff.
Church friends – Bible school teachers, church staff, grandparent figures.
Community friends – neighbors, fellow volunteers, and your favorite baggers at the market.
Those who provide services – paper delivery staff, mail clerks, pizza delivery person, library clerks, yard workers, pool cleaners, and teachers.

Then triage your first list:

Consider giving actual gifts to only those closest to you, such as immediate family and close family friends. A personal rule of thumbs for me: If I haven’t picked up the phone to call the person during the course of the year, I also won’t be sending them a gift this holiday season.
Give distant relatives the gift of time with an extended Skype or Google Hangout Calls.
Gifts to church and temple friends, co-workers, clergy, and teachers can be DIY gifts. Baked goods, DIY wreaths, homespun crochet items, or handmade beauty products all make thoughtful gifts during the holiday season.
For service workers, such as DHL, FedEx, USPS, and HOA workers, $5.00 per person gift cards are not only appropriate but will often fall under various corporate and federal holiday gift-giving policies.
For everyone else, your best holiday wishes! Yes, the old fashion and much-forgotten gift of kind words and sincere hopes for others to have a wonderful new year. The lost art of sincere, honest, and genuinely kind sentiment is a gift that never goes out of style. You would be surprised how many people walk through their daily journey never hearing a kind word. Remember, kindness is free. Give it generously this holiday season!

An awesome way to bedazzle those holiday wishes? Dress up your holiday joy with free e-cards and e-vites on Canva.com! It’s an excellent resource for making not only free e-cards but holiday lists, too!

Step 3: Plan for the little stuff. Be sure to consider the following items in your budget:

Gifts
Stocking stuffers
Gift wrap
Postage and shipping
Christmas cards
Holiday photo
Tips and service gifts
Holiday meals
Baking and kitchen gifts
Décor items
School holiday party supplies
Workplace Secret Santa Exchanges
Party clothing or Ugly Sweater Contests

Once you’ve made a list of all the little things you’ll need, shop the Dollar Tree for such items. You’ll more than likely be able to eliminate most of this list there!

Step 4: Consider Travel. Does your family travel during the holiday season? If so, remember to allocate funds for those expenses. Consider starting cash envelopes for your holiday travel expenses in November to save on surprise expenses in December!

Step 5: Charitable donations. If your family is anything like mine, the holidays always put you in a charitable mood. Remember to budget for your charitable contributions and to ask non-profit groups for tax-deduction slips, when appropriate.

Step 6: Plan for experience gifts: If your family loves to attend the Nutcracker, check out this season’s newest animated holiday movie, or attend a rousing rendition of Scrooge, make sure to budget in for those experience gifts too!

Step 7: Zero-Base your spending plan. The key to a holiday spending plan is to not spend more than you allocated in your spending plan. budgeted. If your budget is tight, you’ve still got two great resources, creativity and time. Think free! With the holiday season still a month out, now is the to prep, purchase, wrap, and store all your holiday gifts. Which allows you to give yourself the greatest gift of all, a stress-free holiday with those nearest and dearest to you! Consider using Free Holiday Budget Workshe ets to help you get started.

Step 8: Track ongoing expenditures. One of the best ways to keep track of your holiday spending plan is to keep records of all your purchases. Scan and digitize your receipts. They create a working folder online for your spending plan. Have your spending plan easily accessible on your desktop for quick reference all season. After the season of spending is over, tally your receipts and total your expenses. Then archive this folder and use it as a reference point for next year’s spending plan.

A quick tip: Create an expense sheet with Google Slides. Sheets that can be accessed via an app from any device (iTunes or Google Play Store) during in-store shopping this season!

Step 9: Set a timeline. Create weekly goals for what will need to be done, planned, and spent. Making sure to give yourself the time and grace needed to mentally and physically prepare yourself to enjoy your own holiday season! When each task is done, move on. don’t obsess over making every ornament sparkle or every bow tied tighter. Aim for completing 80% of your holiday to-do lists at least 80% of the time. Beyond that is icing on the gingerbread, if you will!

Step 10: Go Zero-Waste when you can. A great way to save time and money each holiday season is by going zero-waste with your holiday spending. don’t opt for wrapping paper that can’t be recycled. Design experiences around gift wrapping. Opt for zero-waste gift-wrapping ideas for kids, using brown kraft paper, which allows gift wrap to have a second life as coloring sheets after Christmas morning! Swap out gift bags for reusable shopping totes. e-cards over greeting cards. Consider making ornaments, wreaths, and stocking stuffers at home. Less waste for your wallet and the environment!

Those are my 10 tips for creating and sticking to a holiday spending plan this gift-giving season! I challenge you today to not only create a holiday spending plan but create a budgeting-mindset. the most crucial element in preventing holiday spending. Now I want to ask, what’s your biggest tip for preventing holiday overspending each year? I’d love to hear about it below!

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The LadyPrefers2Save’s 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Holiday shopping. The hustle. The bustle. The overcrowded stores! Make gifting simple this year with our top picks for the whole family. Take a look through our catalog style guide featuring easy click and buy hover links. Simply hover your mouse over an item and for convenient purchasing!

Whether you are shopping for the ladies, fellas, fuzzies, kiddos, or the house itself, there’s something for everyone in this guide! There are even a few zero-waste things too!

So sit back and browse the guide. You never know what you’ll find!

Now, I want to ask, what items are still left on your holiday shopping list? Do you have any hard-to-shop-for folks on your list? I’d love to hear all about your must-have holiday wish list below!

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Give the gift of love with CreateMyCookbook.com

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post brought to you on behalf of CreateMyCookBook.com. All opinions expressed are my own. My blog’s full disclosure policy can be found here. Thank you.

Recipes. The eternal love songs to our soul. More than simple lists of ingredients, recipes share with the world cultural perspectives, economic stances, and often embrace the true essence of modern globalization. Afterall, where would humanity be without the basics of the recipe?

Which is why I love cookbooks. And I own an awful lot of them. Dozens of them. I always have. I’ve been enamored with cookbooks since childhood and spent many happy childhood afternoons perusing my grandmother’s endless selections of decades-old cooking relics.

My love for all things culinary runs deep. So deep, in fact, that for my fifth birthday I remember asking my grandmother for a copy of Julia Child’s The Art of French Cooking. If you’ve ever seen re-runs of Child’s famed PBS series The French Chef, you know why this present was one for the ages!

Over the years I’ve loved how cookbooks have provided me with an academic view of cooking. An anthropological view of gastronomy, if you will. Turn their pages and you’ll often see waxing and waning fashion trends, gender norms through the ages, evolutions within the home, and even the tiny cultural nuances that bring whole communities to life.

Now you may think, why would a minimalist own so many cookbooks when many recipes are instead available online?

For me, nothing replaces the ability to hold a recipe in your hand while cooking. I enjoy the ability to thumb through recipes, to look at ingredients, and read the clever anecdotes that only chefs can provide. To be a foodie is to love cookbooks.

One of my favorite reasons to read cookbooks? They provide foodies like me with proven systems of organization. Every home chef worth their salt in the kitchen has a system for saving their tried and true recipes.

Some use recipe cards. Some stick their clippings in those old-school photo albums with magnetic pages. Some a three-ring binder with plastic sleeves. Others turn to social media, like Pinterest boards.

For me, I like a more personalized means to save my recipes. Especially those listed on my blog. Which is why I have been over the moon with the CreateMyCookbook digital cookbooks.

CreateMyCookbook offers bloggers, foodies, and anyone who wants to create, gift, or fundraise using cookbooks the ability to easily create professional-quality printed cookbooks using the easy of a web-based book designer.

The process of making cookbooks on CreateMyCookbook is very simple:

You start by selecting a binding style. All of their books are constructed to provide you with a vast selection of personalization options that make your cookbook uniquely yours! You can select from a hardback casing, spiral bound books, or hardcover binder-style casings.

CreateMyCookbook prices start at only $19.95 and up for 100-page durable coiling spiral bound cookbooks, $34.95 for 100-page hardback bound cookbooks and $42.95 for 100-page hardback binder books.

With bulk discounts available for each styling and no minimum number of cookbooks required for each purchase, there’s something for everyone and every budget with CreateMyCookbook!

Tweet: Into paper-free digital cookbook design? @cre8mycookbook has you covered with the ability to create zero-waste, minimalist digital cookbook creation options at home this holiday season!

Once you’ve selected your binding style, you simply start creating your cookbook by designing your cover page. Then inscribe an optional dedication page. Next, add your own recipes and photos.

You’ll also be given the option of selecting a horizontal or vertical style layout for each recipe where you can also add your own tips for creating the best version of each dish right on each recipe page.

As you add your recipes to your customized books, the CreateMyCookbook software automatically populates each recipe into a table of contents page, located at the end of each book. This will help you to easily access your recipes and make any organizational or categorial changes that might be needed to your draft.

Once you’ve populated your recipes, you’ll be guided through a final review process. The CreateMyCookbook editing features help you to ensure that each photo has the correct look your after and necessary pixelations and sizing, that your spelling is correct for each recipe and that your page layouts are what you want in your final cookbook.

You can even play around and view your cookbook as a final layout This ensures that your cookbook is the cookbook you want to not only create for others but for yourself as well!

Satisfied with your CreateMyCookbook order? You’ll then be promoted to the sites easy-to-follow payment screen and will also be asked, of course, to supply your shipping information.

Once your order is complete you’ll be emailed an order confirmation as well as a digital pdf-version of your cookbook too!

Something else worth mentioning is CreateMyCookbook’s return policy. Should there be any defects in workmanship, printing errors or damage to your cookbook, they’ll gladly provide you with a replacement cookbook or refund your purchase price. And for future orders, you will be able to find your cookbooks both stores on your site dashboard as well as a handy ordering site reminder on the back page of each cookbook.

Now for those looking to give the experience of creating a cookbook this season and not actually making your own, CreateMyCookbook gift certificate is available as well. For fast and easy cookbook creating this holiday season, CreateMyCookbook is your best bet.

If you’re anything like me, then there have been dozens of times when you’ve said to yourself, “I need to get all these family recipes into a book.” Now’s the time to get your family recipes in print and preserve your family’s culinary hertiage before another season passes you by!

Now, say you’re a foodie like me, especially a blogging foodie, consider chronicling your own online culinary adventures with a CreateMyCookbook of your own!

This past month I used CreateMyCookbook to turn many of my blog’s recipes into a fun, fabulous family spiralbound cookbook. My book’s recipient? My husband Daniel.

Why have him search my blog or cookbook library when I can just give him the recipes I know he enjoys eating from week-to-week and season-to-season in a bound, preserved, and ready-to-use format?

When he is craving one of my best meals he can now go to his CreateMyCookbook cookbook and whip up any number of dishes to his heart’s content! As you can see, each recipe page is brightly printed and cleanly designed, perfect for fast, minimalist referencing. Making it the perfect husband-ready present this holiday season!

I was also impressed to see that my order came minimally packaged. While sturdy, my cookbook’s shipper ready for recycling nor contained excess plastic contents, and was protected with inner cardboard sheets which ensured my cookbook stayed pristine before gifting.

Better still? During checkout, I was given the option of gifting my cookbook in a gift sack, bow drawstring, and gift tag. Options available while checking out on their site.

Now don’t stop at simply ordering online alone! Spread the culinary love this holiday season by using CreateMyCookbook to theme your next girls-night-in, or make it a truly zero-waste event by taking the party digital and hosting a long-distance collaborative project for you and your besties this season. You’re just an e-vite, laptop, and a Google Hangout Group chat away from creating cookbooks like a pro!

Create My Cookbook is the perfect gift solution for foodie husband’s, family member gift exchanges, and even gifting for the hard-to-shop-for on your holiday list. Which is why I think you should check out the CreateMyCookbook site this season!

Now, if that isn’t enough to make you head on over to CreateMyCookbook and check things out, I may be able to persuade you with cookies. I have several recipes on my blog that I used in my new CreateMyCookbook that may inspire you to create your own cookbook, too!

Friends, have you tried your hand at creating online cookbooks in the past or do you have a favorite way to organize your family or blog recipes at home? I’d love to hear about them below!

Connect with CreateMyCookBook.com:

Loop & Tie Gift-Giving Service Review

Disclosure: I received a complimentary gift card to try the Loop & Tie Service. All opinions expressed are my own.

With so many sites vying for our attention each holiday season, it can be hard to know exactly what to get our loved ones at home. Which is why I love Loop & Tie, an online gift-giving service that lets you send a collection of gifts to each recipient on your list and the recipient choose their favorite item based on their own tastes.

What I love about the service:

While traditional gift cards can appear to recipients as a half-hearted, last-minute means to gifting. Gifts that typically go unused and forgotten, but with Loop & Tie, collections of curated goods and gifts, allow those near and dear to you to find something that they truly love because you were able to give them the ultimate gift, the gift of choice!

What I like best about Loop & Tie is that the service takes the guesswork out of gift-giving for people in your life. Whether you’re buying household goods of luxury items, they offer something for everyone on your list this time of year!

Take a look at the service video below:

How Loop & Tie works:

To begin, you’ll start at the Loop & Tie’s main site. From there you can either start a gift card buying order or redeem a gift card purchase for yourself.

When you’re ready to purchase a gift card, you simply select a gift from one of four different price collections. Select a price point. You can select from a gift ranging in price from $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $250, or $500.

Next, you’ll add your email address to your recipient.

Next, design your gift card! You’ll be given the option of using one of many fun, funky, and fabulous pre-made card designs, use a giphy or upload your own image. The options are endless and all selections are true zero-waste gift cards! You can also upload spreadsheets for saving time in sending bulk gifts as well!

You are then taken to the payment screen. You simply create or log into your Loop & tie account where you’ll be prompted to input your card information, review your recipient information, preview your gift card, and you’re done!

The gift card is then sent to your recipient via email within minutes and when the recipient receives their gift via they’ll never the exact price paid by the giver! Recipients, in turn, are given the option of choosing their favorite item from one of the several collections. They can choose between collections that range from fanciful to stylish, modern home accessories.

And for a recipient with a charitable nature, the service also allows users to reverse gift their cards and to opt for the optional charity donation, a fair trade gift, or eco-friendly options and selections which are generously curated and offered within each price tier instead of receiving a gift. A gift that truly gives forward!

After you purchase your gift cards, all your information and purchasing order is logged into your customized dashboard. You’ll be able to see past orders, gift card information, as well as to use the site’s online function to send thank you notes to those who have sent you Loop & Tie gifts this holiday season! You’re also provided quick links to your gifts, gift cards, and thank you cards too! An all-in-all neatly formatted buying experience!

My Experience with Loop & Tie:

I was recently given the opportunity to review this service and I chose to send a gift card to my husband. Who in turn, sent a gift back to me, a set of vintage-themed flour sack towels from Knownwood Lane. A lovely gift, if I do say so myself! Within a week of ordering my towels, my order arrived via USPS shipping. I was provided a working tracking number within 2 business days of ordering my towels.

I loved that my hand towels, like all of the others items from Loop & Tie, have all been hand-selected by the Loop & Tie staff. Making each gift you give from the service, even last-minute gifts, receive the same quality and attention to detail as you would expect from expensive gift buying services online for friends and family as well as corporate gifts for employees, colleagues, retirment gifts, and much more!

Friends, I encourage you to check out this service online for your upcoming holiday gift-giving purchase this season. Looking for even more money-saving holiday gift ideas for those in your life? Check out my holiday section on the blog for more recipes, gift-giving ideas, and more! Now I have to ask, have you tried Loop & Tie? If you have, I’d love to hear about your experiences with the service was!

DIY Holiday Scented Pine Cones

Scented pine cones. You know the ones. Cones that come bagged, highly fragranced, and line the endcaps of craft stores the nation over during the winter holiday season. And while scented pine cones might seem like a non-essential during the holiday season. That is unless you’re really craving that spicy cinnamon holiday aroma at home. In which case, nothing else will quite do or feel as cozy during the holiday season.

While you could purchase pre-scented pine cones at your local craft store or mass market chain in the ballpark of $5.00-$7.00 a bag or you could make your own customized scented holiday pine cones for little more than the cost of a few drops of essential oil. This not only allows you to literally make each batch of scented pine cones for pennies on the dollar, you also help to create a more minimal, zero-waste product this holiday season.

An item that could even be used for hostess gifts, teacher appreciation gifts, You’ve Been Jingled baskets, and Girl Scout projects later this season. Plus, you’ll get the pleasure of having taken a quaint little walk through nature as you gather up pine cones this fall season!

And the best part? This project takes so little time to pull together. Here’s how to make it:

Supplies:

24 Pine cones (per batch)
Essential oils (cinnamon, clove, frankincense, citrus, spearmint—whatever you like best!)
1 Gallon Plastic Storage Bag or covered bucket (such as a cleaned out cat litter or laundry soap pail)
Cookie Cooling Rack
Cookie Sheet
Convection Oven or Standard Oven
Dinner Plate or Fermenting Stone
Tin Foil

How to Scent Your Pine Cones at Home:

Take a walk: Take a walk in nature and procure at least 2 dozen pine cones. You’re ideally looking for pine cones that will look pretty on a wreath, bowled, or used as holiday decor or ornaments.

Soak your pine cones: After your lovely walk foraging through the woods for pine cones (or in my case an adventurous trip to my front yard), you’ll need to remove any debris or critters that might be hiding inside. The easiest way to do this is to fill up the sink and soak your pine cones.

As pine cones float, so you’ll need to place a plate or something weighted over the pine cones so they’ll sink back beneath the water. Such a clean dinner plate or fermenting stone. Soak your pine cones for 2-3 hours.

Bake them: After your cones have soaked, remove them from their water bath and let them drip dry on a towel. Then lay the pine cones out on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 150º oven for 30 minutes. This will help the cones open up and will kill off any gross stuff that may have made it through the bathing process. Such as small insects.

After your pine cones have finished baking, transfer them to a cookie cooling rack. Be sure to cool your pine cones for 1 hour on a wire cooling rack. Once the pine cones have cooled completely, transfer them to a gallon zip lock bag.

Add essential oils: Now, the fun part— adding the essential oils! you’ll need to create a blend of essential oils that is most fitting to your home. Keep in mind, you will need a combination of 60 drops of essential oil, no matter which blends you use.

I used 20 drops each cinnamon oil, frankincense oil, and clove oil for a very festive scent. Once you’ve made your scent mix, pour the blend over your bagged pine cones, then seal up your bag and give it a good shake.

Make sure all of your pine cones are covered equally. Place your bag somewhere in your home where it won’t be disturbed for 1 week so that the pine cones can soak up all that essential oil goodness. Keep in mind, the longer you let the pine cones sit, the stronger the smell, so if you can wait 2 weeks—even better!

So, that’s it! How simple was that? I like to keep several bowls full of pine cones throughout my home each holiday season for a rustic, minimalist flair. I especially love placing bowls of pine cones in my kitchen, on my pie safe as they fill the whole room with a fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon scent!

But don’t stop there…

Consider making Pumpkin Spice Scented Pine Cones with:

15 drops organic cinnamon essential oil.
15 drops organic ginger essential oil.
15 drops organic nutmeg essential oil.
10 drops organic clove bud essential oil.
5 drops organic cardamom essential oil.

Sweater Weather Scented Pine Cones with:

30 drops eucalyptus essential oil
20 drops juniper berry essential oil
10 drops sage essential oil

Or Flannel Scented Pine Cones with:

30 drops cardamom essential oil
10 drops cinnamon bark essential oil
10 drops orange essential oil
10 drops clove essential oil

Try different varieties! And remember, you’ll need to again add new fragrance your cones every 60 days or so. To do so, just add additional essential oil to your cones, bag them up, wait, and voila new comes! Used pine cones can also be composted, used to decorate garden beds over the winter months, or used as fire pit starters as well! The possibilities are limitless!

Friends, this is a super simple project this holiday season and I hope you all will give them a try this season! Now, tell me, have you already made holiday scented pine cones at home or do you have a really great DIY project or tutorial that you want to share with others? I’d love to hear about it below!

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How To Make A DIY Patriotic Pallet Ball Game

Disclosure: This shop/post has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. #CokeDGSupportMilitary #CollectiveBias

Saying thank you to our members of the military in our community is a standard practice in our home. After all, it’s the least we can do for those who defend our nation’s liberty and freedoms. This practice of gratitude for our men and women in the Armed Services is very personal to me.

You see, my husband, Daniel, is a former Sergeant in the United State Army and a veteran of foreign war. When it comes to honoring our veterans, it’s a matter very close to my heart and I take pride in honoring my soldier every chance I get. Especially each Summer season.

I believe a lot of people feel the same way during the Summer season too. Which is why I am so excited to share that everyone can go online and send a thank you to service members through the USO! Please join Dollar General, the USO, and Coca-Cola™ by helping them reach the goal of sending 25K messages of support to our nation’s service members and their families this summer.

The message you send will go directly to service members around the world a simple way to say ‘thanks’ to those who serve our country with dedication and honor each day. I love simple ways to say thank you so the Dollar General, USO and Coca-Cola partnership is the perfect simple way to say thanks to those who serve our country with dedication and honor each day. So don’t forget to send a message of support to the military and be sure to click here for more ways to support the USO!

Another way we love to show our soldier how much we appreciated his service is by purchasing products that support our active military. I recently made a trip to Dollar General to pick up the exclusive 5-can limited edition series highlighting: Veterans, Service Members, Military Spouses, Military Moms, and Military Dads.

I love the new packaging highlighting different people connected to the military, I had to collect all 5! I was able to find the exclusive 16-ounce 5-can limited edition series cans at the end of my local Dollar General’s Beverage Section in a limited edition glass Coca-Cola case. My favorite can is the Veteran one because it reminds me of my husband, Daniel.

After my trip to Dollar General to pick up the exclusive 5-can limited edition series featuring the Veteran, Service Member, Military Spouse, Military Mom, and Military Dad cans, I went home to plan a little surprise dinner to go along with our weekly family game night. I decided we would put together a super simple spread of Caesar Salad and Gumbo, both of which feature my husband’s favorite smoked Summer recipe, Cajun Smoked Chicken Breast. I also thought that a family project to go along with our family game night would be a blast, so we elicited Daniel’s help to create a DIY Patriotic Pallet Ball Game. Here’s how we put everything together.

How to make a DIY Patriotic Pallet Ball Game:

Materials Needed:

1 Heat-treated pallet
3 Game balls or bags (per person playing, in different colors)
Jigsaw
Jigsaw blades
Pry bar
Large cup or bowl
Measuring tape
Pencil
24 2-inch galvanized nails
Palm sander
Fine-grit sander sanding pads
Red, blue, and white acrylic paint
3 foam paintbrushes
Microfiber cloth or dust pan and whisk broom
Glue gun
3 Glue sticks
6 Wooden Star Shapes (optional)
Cardboard or newspaper.
Acrylic Spray Sealant (optional)

How to assemble the Patriotic Pallet Ball Game:

1. Disassemble The Pallets: Using a jigsaw, cut the pallets apart until they are fully disassembled. Carefully remove any old nails with a hammer or pry bar as needed.

2. Build The Frame: It’s worth noting that these frames won’t be regulation size but they are packed with vintage charm. To build each frame, use the pallet’s notched side boards. Then measure, mark, and cut these into sections into (2) 39″ pieces and (2) 21″ pieces. Assemble the pieces into a rectangle, placing the 21″ boards inside the two 39″ pieces. Secure with galvanized nails.

3. Clad The Game Frames: Measure and mark the flat pallet boards at 24″ across, then cut with a jigsaw; a miter saw can also be used for this step. Then using galvanized nails, attach boards atop the frame until completely filled in.

4. Add Legs: Using scraps from when you cut your flat pallet boards, measure and mark each board to create legs for your game frame at 10″ long, and then cut one end at a 90-degree angle and the other on a 15-degree angle. This will allow your game to stand above the ground for easier playing distance. Then using galvanized nails, secure the legs to the top corners of each frame, with the angled sides facing down.

5. Cut Out Your Hole: Mark the spot for your game board’s center playing hole’s location by first measuring horizontally to find the center, at the 12″ mark, and then drop down vertically about 6″ from the top of the board to make another mark. This marks where the top of the hole will go. Finally, trace around a 6″ diameter bowl or large cup with a pencil and cut out your circle with a jigsaw.

6. Prep Your Game Board: Using a palm sander and fine-grit sandpaper, sand the rough spots of your game board surface so the game balls will slide a bit when they hit the boards. Dust off boards after sanding with a microfiber cloth or whisk broom and dust pan.

7: Paint Your Game Board: Paint two coats of red, white, and blue acrylic paint to your game board, allowing one hour to lapse between coats. You can add spray sealant to finish your board if it’s to be kept outdoors uncovered or in high-humidity areas. Once our game board was dry we added painted white wooden stars to our board, which were adhered to the gaming surface with a hot glue gun and glue sticks. Once dry, position your game board in a shady, backyard location and it’s time for a game!

Daniel likes to play the DIY Patriotic Pallet Ball Game with juggling balls, but feel free to use bean bags, dried corn filled bags, balls, or whichever item you and your family feel most comfortable playing with. Then while Daniel was busy creating our DIY Patriotic Pallet Ball Game, and then playing a few fun rounds by himself and later with the family, and everyone just loved playing! Meanwhile, I started prepping out smoker so we could both start making dinner.

Here’s how I made our Smoked Cajun Chicken Breasts:

1) Start with a clean slate: We start each smoking session by thoroughly cleaning his electric smoker by pressure washing the inside of the main barrel the night before cooking and allowing it to air dry overnight.

2) Marination is key: The night before smoking session we like to marinate our chicken breasts. We do this by first removing any excess skin or membranes from the underside of each breast. We then create a fresh marinade of fresh garlic, ginger, spices, and one 12 ounces can of Coca-Cola. Then the breasts are added to the marinade, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated overnight.

3) Prep for success: An hour we start smoking, we assemble the smoker and set the external thermostat to 200 degrees Fahrenheit; you’re looking for a low and slow cooking process. For added flavor, we use Coca-Cola soaked hickory chips (that have been soaked for up to one hour in Coca-Cola) to the internal smoking boxes. Filling each box completely before placing each box inside the smoker’s furthest bottom compartment. The Coca-Cola gives the chips a deeper, sweeter flavor. Remember, while smoking chicken breasts to be sure to replenish your wood chips hourly while to ensure even heat and consistent smoke. A quick tip: adding an additional 12 ounces can of Coca-Cola and any leftover marinade to the internal smoking infusion bowl will help to keep even moisture to your ribs while smoking.

4) Give it a rub: My husband is a Memphis-style BBQ man. So to keep our soldier happy we add a rub mixture to our chicken breasts before smoking. After removing the chicken breasts from the fridge, and allowing them to come to temperature on the counter for ten minutes, we pull the breasts from their marinade bath, pat them breasts dry with a clean kitchen towel, and rub each slab with a Cajun seasoning blend.

5) Check your chicken breasts hourly: your breasts will need to cook for 2-3 hours. Check your breasts hourly. You’ll know your breasts are done when they reach an internal temperature of 203 degrees Fahrenheit and have a visible smoke ring around the entire perimeter of the each breast.

6) Resting: When your breasts ribs are finished, remove them from your smoker and let them rest an additional ten minutes on a cutting board before cutting into each breast.

To finish our dinner, after letting our smoked chicken breasts rest, I used the Smoked Cajun Chicken Breasts to create our entree of Cajun Chicken Gumbo, here’s how we made it.

How to create the Cajun Chicken Gumbo:

To begin, add equal parts olive oil and flour to a skillet.
Stir together for 5 minutes over medium-high heat to create a buttery brown rue.
I then added my rue to my pressure cooker.
I then combined stewed tomatoes, diced green bell pepper, Cajun seasoning, chicken broth, chopped celery stalk, salt, and pepper to the rue in the electric pressure cooker.
The gumbo then cooks on high for one hour.
After an hour, I add diced smoked chicken breast chunks and andouille sausage to our gumbo.
The gumbo is then cooked for an additional twenty minutes and served immediately.
You can serve your gumbo over steamed rice, cornbread, or serve with a baguette. We prefer our gumbo in summer as is!

We then paired our Gumbo with a Smoked Chicken Caesar Salad. Here’s how we made it.

How to create the Easy Chicken Caesar Salad:

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the Caesar Dressing ingredients (linked below).
Store in a glass and chill for one hour.
To assemble your salad, place your romaine lettuce in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.
Serve with salad croutons and additional cheese, if desired.
Quick tip: Caesar dressing can be made ahead of time, jarred, and stored for up to a month in the refrigerator!

Right before sitting down to dinner I arranged the smoked chicken, gumbo, and Caesar salads onto an informal military-themed table scape. It added a little cheer to how we would be able to celebrate our soldier this day. We loved both the Gumbo and Caesar Salad.

These chicken breasts lent a sweet, smoky flavor to both dishes and we the perfect pairing to the exclusive 5-can limited edition Coca-cola military can series from Dollar General. We then spent the next hour playing rounds with our DIY Patriotic Pallet Ball Game and just had a ball!

While my family loves to celebrate our soldier at home with family game nights, DIY game boards, and awesome smoked dinners (which the recipes for both will be listed below) there are tons of other ways to celebrate military families and veterans in your own community as well. Some other ways you can help support military families are:

Write to the military member. Currently, you can join Dollar General, the USO, and Coca-Cola in writing digital thank you cards to service members here!
Is a family traveling to see their service member? Give them a gift card for food on their trip. Offer to pet sit or water their lawns while they are gone. Help them help their loved ones serving.
When a service member is deployed, military spouses often become single parents. Help deployed military members by checking on their spouses and children.
Honor veterans in your area by taking them freezer-ready meals that they can eat at their convenience.
Call you local USO office and see what volunteer opportunities are available in your area.
Know an elderly veteran? Ask them about their days of service. Sometimes listening is the best way to give back to those who served our nation.

This is how I honored my soldier this past week. With the 4th of July just around the corner, I know I will be back to Dollar General to pick up more of the awesome exclusive 5-can limited edition series highlighting: Veteran, Service Member, Military Spouse, Military Mom, and Military Dad cans for our next family game night at home.

Friends, I encourage you all to check out these limited edition cans as well as to help Dollar General, the USO, and Coca-Cola™ reach their goal of sending 25K messages of support and thanks to our nation’s service members and their families this patriotic summer season! Now I have to ask, how will you be spending your 4th of July celebrations this summer and how will you be honoring your soldiers, veterans, and active military at home this patriotic season? I’d love to hear about it below!

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