Fall Favorites: Food, Decor, and More!

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Yesterday over on East Coast Creative, where I'm the blog assistant, Monica posted an amazing collection of modern and unique fall decor ideas. So, I thought I should probably finish up my fall post that I started to put together 2 weeks ago!
 I've seen so many amazing fall decor and recipe pins trending lately and wanted to make a list of my fall favorites to share with you. Have you started to pin ideas for fall yet?! 



East Coast Creative {Chicken Chili}, Tatertots and Jello {Fall Front Porch}, Bliss At Home {Tribal Pumpkins}, Whipperberry {Candy Corn Wreath}, This Girl's Life {Pumpkin Spiced Latte}, The 36th Avenue {DIY Pumpkin Jars}

1. Crockpot Chicken Chili...
I've been waiting for cooler weather to start the crock pot and make one of my favorite chicken recipes that I shared with you guys last year when I found it on East Coast Creative. It's so easy to make, and taste so good that you'll want to dive in for seconds and maybe even thirds! Stop by the EC2 blog for the complete recipe details. 

2. Fall Front Porch...
It doesn't take much to make a small space look festive for the holidays, you don't want to over do it but you don't want to skimp on the details either. These simple tips from Jen of Tatertots and Jello on how to create a beautiful fall front porch show you how to create just the right amount of character and charm by using more than just fall decor. My favorite ideas that help pull the look together for any season are the rug and seating area. Throw in some pumpkins and a festive wreath and you are good to go! I can't wait to decorate my front porch area for fall! 

3. Tribal Pumpkins...
This DIY pumpkin post from Bliss at Home may be from last year, however the tribal trend doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. I'd like to get a little more creative with pumpkins this year, there is more to them than just carving out a jack o' lantern! Kristin used white craft paint to create the arrows on her pumpkins, and well that's it! Fall decor can't get easier than that folks. 

4. Candy Corn Wreath...
I love the ombre effect on this candy corn wreath from Whipperberry, it's not your typical fall wreath but works so well the colors of the season. I used to be a big fan of candy corn, but I guess as I got older I realized that there is a world full of candy out there that tastes much better! I may no longer enjoy eating candy corn, but this wreath is pretty cool and looks fun to make. 

5. Pumpkin Spiced Latte....
Coffee house lattes can really pack on the calories and may include unnecessary ingredients. So what's a girl to do when she can't get enough of the pumpkin spiced latte during the fall and winter seasons? Well thanks to This Girl's Life blog, this girl (me!) can make a homemade version...yum! 

6. DIY Pumpkin Jars....
I am currently obsessed with painting mason jars, oh wait until you see the DIY project I'm going to share with you later this week! OK, back to these adorable pumpkin jars from The 36th Avenue, I mean they are just too cute! I would love to place these with my fall owls that sit on the bay window sill in my kitchen, especially that little fat jar in the front....oh my word! Make sure to stop by Desiree's post if you love painting mason jars too, she has some really great tips on how to perfect this craft! 

So, what are some of your fall favorites? Do you obsess over pumpkin recipes and fall decor as much as I do? 
If you're looking for more, here are a few fall recipes I made last year. I can't wait to make the pumpkin pancakes again! 

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your day! 








Handmade Jewelry and a Giveaway!

Friday, September 5, 2014

I started to put together a fall round up post last week, but then life got a little busy and now it's been two weeks since I last wrote. To make up for the lack of posts I have an awesome giveaway and a coupon code for you guys from Etsy shop Star Struck Stones. Shop owner Michelle is best friends with my younger sister Christina, they have known each other since middle school and are now both in their twenties (my sister will be 25 this Saturday, happy birthday sis!).

 I couldn't wait to share Michelle's handmade jewelry on my blog when I found out she was starting her own Etsy shop. Lucky for me she was just as excited and sent me a few items to review...


She let me choose the bracelet and when I spotted this gorgeous blue and purple piece in her shop I immediately fell in love. To my surprise she sent me a ring and an Amethyst stone as well. 



 The purple stones on the bracelet are Agate and hold protective properties. The blue stones are Dragons Vein Agate and are known to heighten creative vision. 

Most of the beads and stones in Michelle's shop have metaphysical and therapeutic properties, so be sure to read more about your stones when ordering. 



How gorgeous is the design of this jade wire wrapped ring?! Maybe she'll teach me the secret to making these! 
The jade stone is said to bring good luck to those who wear/carry it and I have to say I am feeling the luck of this stone lately. Very good things have been happening...very good things! 


This pretty little amethyst stone is said to help relieve stress and anxiety to create a peaceful environment. So, with the wrapped jade ring and this amethyst stone I can look forward to plenty of good luck and stress free days, I'm down with that!

OK, enough about my jewelry pieces, I know that you are all waiting to see what you can win from her shop...


I'm actually kind of jealous that I can't enter, but I guess I'll just have to ask Michelle to replicate this bracelet so I can purchase one from her! 

I love the colors; the opal and turquoise stones will look great with any outfit and the feather/wing charm is just too cool. I love that she also included a citrine point for one of my readers to win along with the bracelet. 

*For everyone else that doesn't win (and even if you do!), Michelle has a 10% off coupon code for you. Use WorldAroundHer at check out in her Etsy shop on any purchase.*


Giveaway: 
Enter below in the Rafflecopter...

Note: 
 Michelle only ships within the United States, sorry Canadian and overseas friends. I will email the random selected winner next Friday, September 12. Good luck! 
{This giveaway has no affiliation with Facebook.}






Date Night & Family Night Made Easy with Chili's® At Home

Friday, August 22, 2014

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Chili's® At Home and Bellisio Foods, but all opinions on how delicious the meals were are 100% mine! 

When you have a busy schedule date nights aren't easy to plan, but thanks to Chili's® At Home frozen meals we can now enjoy one of our favorite restaurants without even leaving the kitchen! Well, I did have to go grocery shopping first, but I can do that without the hubby. 



I picked up two Chili's® At Home meals, one for us to enjoy during a romantic date night and another for all four of us to try (hoping our teens would like the choice I made!). If you have picky kids, no need to worry here...what's not to love about chicken and rice?! Plus they have plenty of other kid friendly options to choose from like Bacon Mac 'N' Cheese, Seasoned Chicken Bites with Honey Chipotle Sauce, Pepper Jack Mac 'N' Cheese, Nacho Potatoes with Beef & Bacon, and many more. 




Okay, enough about the kid friendly flavors, let's get back to date night! The big and bold flavors of the chicken fajita rice filled the air as soon as I opened the bag. It's actually one of Chili's® BOLDEST At Home meals to choose from according to the bold meter on the back of the package, and I totally agree! The aroma of the fajita sauce was so amazing I felt like I was sitting in Chili's® Restaurant while enjoying the comforts of home.




Chili's® fajitas are a favorite menu choice of mine and now I get to enjoy the bold taste of them at home without worrying about dressing up for date night...sorry honey! So, is your go to selection from Chili's® menu now available for you to enjoy during date night at home? Check their website and enjoy a coupon to use, then come back here to tell me about your favorite meal! 


Up next was the chicken bacon ranch frozen meal that we enjoyed together as a family (I cooked two meals in one week, go me!). I really love the variety of sizes and flavors Chili's® At Home has to choose from, plus a frozen meal with broccoli in it is on top of every mom's shopping list! 

The girls were really impressed with this meal, I may have loved the fact that it included broccoli but they loved that it had bacon in it! 

Date night was made easy thanks to Chili's At Home and so was family night, these are definitely frozen meals I'll buy again. You really can't go wrong with a one pot/pan meal...I know they're my favorite, how about you? 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day! 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Chili's® At Home and Bellisio Foods, but all opinions on how delicious the meals were are 100% mine! 

 
FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATE BY DESIGNER BLOGS