Owl Hat Winner & Mother's Day Gift Idea

Mother's Day is in a few weeks people! Do you have gifts yet? If not here is a fun idea! I recently shot a Mother/Daughter session for the super talented Katie of Food Wine & Mod Podge and her mom Joy! 

(Click to see more from the shoot!)

It was so much fun for all three of us! Katie arranged the photo shoot as a gift for her mom while she was in town for the weekend and Joy sent me this email afterward:

Hi Jacqui,
I just love the pictures you took of Katie and me.....what a priceless gift!!! We had so much fun with you and it shows!!!  Thanks so much!!!
~Joy  :o)

Pictures are one of the only things that increase in value over time, so this Mother's Day get a photo with your Mom for both of you to cherish. 

- 

 Now onto last week's giveaway!

Thanks to everyone that entered! The winner of the Pokadot Imagination owl hat is...

Ranae Broadhead said... 2 

  i like polkadot imagination on fb...such a cute hat!

Congratulations Ranae!! 

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4 comments |

Free Easter Printable: Cupcake Toppers

Easter Cupcake Toppers
 

 

Easter is right around the corner...literally! I ran to Target Monday night for a few things and it hit me...Easter is THIS WEEKEND...followed by...HOLY CRAP!

You see I have these awesome crafty friends who often drop off little goodies from "their kids" to Asher for holidays. (Remember this adorable Owl from his friend Aubrey) Yeah! Anyway I needed something quick, cute and easy since I had like zero time! So I went with old faithful...mini cupcakes! Who doesn't love a mini cupcake right! One box of cake mix makes a ton and they are the perfect size for kids! (way less mess!)

I wanted to spice them up a bit and I just love all the cupcake toppers I've seen lately so I decided to join the party and design some of my own! Now you're probably thinking I banged these out with my fancy shmancy new Silhouette I got for Valentines day right...?!? Yeah no...confession #1: It's still in the box! I know, it's shameful really but I've just been so busy. So these little puppies were cut out via 1.5 circle inch punch! 
(This size is perfect for full size cupcakes too!)

Hopefully in these last few days before Easter you'll have a desire to bake some cupcakes and can use them too!

(Click image to view full size & save to your computer!)

Baking Tip:  

So trust me I'm no baker! Honestly cupcakes and muffins are about it for my baking repertoire and it's taken me practice not to screw those up!  But OCD I am and therefore I've figured out a way to keep the mix from spilling in between the cups when pouring into the pan or cupcake liners! It requires an extra step but it's so worth it! It also give me more control over how much batter is poured into each cup for even baking/presentation.

Meet my Wilton candy making bottle! These are super cheap at Michael's and I just cut the spout for a wider pour. Now fill it up and squeeze the desired amount of batter into each cup! 
 

 Perfect!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a fantastic Easter! -Jax

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13 comments | Posted in: Freebies

Rice Krispie Treat Decor Balls & Live Video Chat

 Ok so before we get to the deliciousness that is edible decor, let's talk VLOGGING shall we. 

  Today I experienced the sheer terror of a live video chat on The Motherhood . I was all confident and feeling good until I heard the words, "Jax you're on in 3-2-1..."

Picture immediate rush of nervousness, extreme face reddening and complete blank brain! Y'know blank except the chanting, "Oh my heck! Oh my heck!" I honestly just started talking and lost all previous memory of the "script" I had been practicing for days. And of course I didn't have notes in front of me because of said previous confidence and the worry that I'd end up looking down and reading it vs. "connecting" with the viewers. 

To demonstrate this point queue the word: Postpartum...WHAT??? This word comes out of my mouth, I hear it ring in my ears and I just about died right then and there. Why I was talking about having a baby I have NO idea! And I pretty much didn't remember anything else I said until watching it back a few hours later. So yeah, I'm not totally against trying it again but Aly&Ash won't be switching to a vlog anytime soon, I can guarantee you that! I'm just way to much of a dork! Ha-ha! 

So you totally want to see it don't you...alright fine! 

CLICK HERE 
(p.s. video is on a continuous broadcast loop and probably won't start at the beginning when you play it! Just FYI)

And now that you're done laughing at me let's talk about how totally awesome Rice Krispies edible decor is!

 

Rice Krispie Treat Decor Balls 

...not just for decoration!

 As part of our Kellogs Rice Krispie Making Memories East Challenge our team decided that 100% of our table decor should be edible! My project served as the centerpiece to our table, it looked  beautiful, tasted delicious...and was super easy!! This project is so versatile I could see myself using it again and again! Kids birthdays, Halloween...cause seriously who doesn't love Rice Krispie Treats!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine or butter
7 cups Kelloggs Rice Krispies
1 lb mini marshmallows
 Food coloring

Directions:

1. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a large sauce pan on low heat.
   
2. Add 1 lb mini marshmallows and stir constantly to avoid burnt marshmallows.
3. Add food coloring after the marshmallows are completely melted and stir until uniform in color. (You can adjust the amount of food coloring based on your color preference.)
4. Remove from heat and stir in 7 cups of Kelloggs Rice Krispies
5. Set aside for about 10 minutes or until the Rice Krispie treats are comfortable to handle. You want them to be warm so they are easy to work with.
   
6. Coat your hands with butter. If the Rice Krispies start sticking to you, add some more butter to your hands.
7. Form the Rice Krispie/Marshmallow mix into round balls. Try not to use too much pressure when forming the balls, you still want that light airy chewy goodness!
8. Place in glass canister of your choice and voila! Pretty and tasty!

*** Now since the large scale of our project and other things to make I made a separate batch for each color...but that would be A LOT of decor balls! So unless that is your goal you could definitely split up the recipe for different colors. 

 Wanna check out how to make the rest of our edible amazingness? Ashley from Cute as a Fox has already posted a tutorial for her incredible Topiary HERE and below is a schedule of upcoming tutorials!

Monday April 18 - Wendy : Flower Arrangements
Tuesday April 19 - Kristyn : Happy Easter Banner
Wednesday April 20 - Ashley : Easter Basket

Also don't forget to vote for us on facebook! We need your "likes" to help us win!

Click HERE to vote! Voting ends April 20th

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1 comment | Posted in: Recipes,Rice Krispies

Rice Krispies Making Memories Challenge #1: Easter

I am so delighted to share our Easter display for the Kellogg’s™ Rice Krispies™ Making Memories Challenge. When our team started brainstorming about our project, our main focus was creating a recipe that our children could make with us. Not just watch from the sidelines while we made it. This challenge is not just about making a delicious Rice Krispie treat, but getting in the kitchen with our kids and making lasting memories.

We really feel great about the recipe we have created to share with everyone. We know that these chicks are just as fun to make with your kids as they are to eat!

Chewy Gooey Rice Krispie Chicks
yields: approximately 24 chicks

Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine or butter
7 cups Kelloggs Rice Krispies
1 lb mini marshmallows
Yellow Food coloring
mini chocolate chips
Candy for beaks such as candy corn, jelly beans, or chocolate covered sunflower seeds
Pretzel sticks or twists for legs
Buttercream frosting

 

Directions:

1. Melt 1/2 cup margarine or butter in a large sauce pan on low heat.
   
2. Add 1 lb mini marshmallows and stir constantly to avoid burnt marshmallows.
3. Add about 10 drops of yellow food coloring after the marshmallows are completely melted and stir until uniform in color. You can adjust the amount of food coloring based on your color preference.
4. Remove from heat and stir in 7 cups of Kelloggs Rice Krispies
5. Set aside for about 10 minutes or until the Rice Krispie treats are comfortable to handle. You want them to be warm so they are easy to work with.
   
6. Spray your hands with non-stick spray or coat with margarine. If the Rice Krispies start sticking to you, add some more non-stick spray to your hands.
   
7. Take small handfuls of Rice Krispie treats and form into an flattened oval or rounded triangle shape to form the chick's body
8. While the chicks are still warm, decorate the chicks according to your preference. We used:
   
• mini and regular chocolate chips for eyes
• candy corn, jellybeans, or chocolate covered sunflower seeds for a beak
• pretzels for legs or feet.
9. While the chicks are setting up, use food coloring to color some buttercream frosting yellow.
10. Using a grass piping tip(#233), pipe little tufts of hair on each chick.
    

We had so much fun getting together and creating all kinds of different chicks. They were big, little, and everywhere in between. You can really let your kids creative genius run wild.

 Each chick was a little different and had it's own personality.

The second part of the challenge was to create an event where we might serve our Rice Krispie treats. We decided to challenge ourselves and make everything on our dessert table out of Rice Krispies. We used only Rice Krispies and food safe materials when creating our display. From edible Easter basket grass to Rice Krispies sprayed with food color spray for vase filler, we really mean that it is ALL edible.

The Rice Krispie balls on the topiary are held on with toothpicks, so you can just pluck one off and eat it!

Each member of our team has agreed to share detailed instructions on how to make all of the projects on the dessert table. Stay tuned to all of our blogs over the two weeks so you can create the ultimate Easter dessert table too!

Cute as a Fox - Rice Krispies Easter Basket and Rice Krispies Topiary

Around my Family Table - Rice Krispies Flower arrangements

Aly & Ash - Rice Krispies "decor" balls

Lil' Luna - Happy Easter banner

In the meantime, you can head over to the Rice Krispies Making Memories Circle on The Motherhood. Friday, April 15 there will be a special live video chat with all the different teams.

I will also let you know when voting begins on Facebook. You get to help decide which team wins! We will definitely need your support.

The $100 visa card giveaway is going on HERE. You have until April 10th to enter!

Our whole team hopes that you are inspired to get in the kitchen with your kids and start making memories!

Disclosure: I am working with Rice Krispies and TheMotherhood and have received a stipend for participating in this project.

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6 comments | Posted in: Rice Krispies

$100.00 Giveaway! Yes..you read that right!!!

As mentioned last week, I will be participating in the

Rice Krispies™ Making Memories Challenge.

With this challenge, we get to give away $100!!

That's right - a $100 visa gift card for one LUCKY READER!

So, how can YOU win?

There are several ways to enter.

1. Like my Facebook Page HERE.
{Already do? Just remind me!}
-1 entry-

2. Like Kellogg's Rice Krispies on Facebook HERE.
-1 entry-

3. Follow me on Twitter HERE.
-1 entry-

4. Follow my Blog.
{Already do? Just remind me!}
-1 entry-

5. Link to this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog. {1 entry each}

**Please leave a separate comment for each entry along with your
email address.**

Each person on my team will also be giving away $100,
so be sure to check out their blogs for more ways to win.
{Ashley - Cute as a Fox}
{Kristyn - Lil' Luna}
{Wendy - Around My Family Table}

Giveaway ends at midnight on April 11th.

Come back April 12th to see if YOU won,
and also be sure to come back and check out the Recipe & Pics we entered for the contest. That's when Voting begins, and we will need YOUR help to make sure we win!

Disclosure: I am working with Rice Krispies and TheMotherhood and have received a stipend for participating in this project.
THE MOTHERHOOD MAKING MEMORIES KELLOGG’STM RICE KRISPIESTM BLOGGER GIVEAWAY
Abbreviated Rules. No Purchase Necessary. Begins no earlier than 12:00:00 AM (ET) on 03/28/11 and ends no later than 11:59:59 PM (ET) on 04/12/11. For complete Official Rules, go to http://web.mediacdt.com/docs/EasterGiveawayRules.pdf. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry. Subject to complete Official Rules. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: The Motherhood; www.TheMotherhood.com.
®, TM, ©2011 Kellogg NA Co.

GOOD LUCK!

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523 comments | Posted in: Giveaways