Christmas Countdown Printable

I love advents and countdown calendars. I count down to almost every holiday, especially for birthdays and Christmas. I found an easy way to make a Christmas countdown was to just make an image myself, put it in a frame, and write the numbers on the glass! Easy, cute, and unique.

Last year I put this design together with intentions of sharing them... but I didn't get them done in time!

Lucky for you, they are ready to go THIS year - and I have added a couple of extra designs. Of course, the backgrounds are covered in glitter. Gotta have that holiday sparkle!!

DIY Holiday Glitter Canvas

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it's time to fill the house with Christmas decorations! If you regularly follow my blog, you probably know that I'm a glitter addict. I can't get enough, especially around Christmastime! My latest addition to my Christmas decor is this Noel canvas made with Tulip Shimmer Paints.

Free Printable Thank You Cards

I recently shared some printable Thank You cards at The Crafting Chicks!

Click here to download the cards.

For even more free printable Thank You cards, visit The Crafting Chicks series “Thanks A Day Gratitude Challenge”. 

Be Thankful

I love having this "Be Thankful" stacker up on my mantel for the fall season. It's a good reminder to think about the things you're thankful for. I might even leave it up year round...

The Be Thankful Stacker was really easy to assemble, and I love that everyone can customize it for themselves to match your home and/or holiday decor.

1. Paint the blocks. Instead of the traditional orange/yellow/brown "Fall" colors, I painted the "Thankful" block in Apple Barrel Chocolate Brown, and I mixed a few colors to get this perfect Fall/peacock turquoise. I did about 2-3 coats of each color.
2. Let dry COMPLETELY. Then sand the edges for a distressed look
   {Totally up to you - I think it looks good either way.}
3. Apply the vinyl. Super easy!
4. The stacker needed a little something else, so I wrapped some jute twine around it. I love it!
5. You can glue the blocks together for more stability, but I've noticed mine stay together just fine.

If you want to buy the wood yourself and just order the vinyl, you can find it at FabDecor for only $4! The whole set is also available for just $11. If you just don't have the time or don't want to make it yourself, you can always buy the completed set for $15. Stop by FablifyIt to see her tutorial and see more versions of this project from other bloggers.

**I received the unfinished Be Thankful Stacker from FabDecor.com for this review/project series. All opinions are my own.**

Block Turkey

We made these cute little guys at a craft night last month with some friends. I saw the idea at Craft Goodies and had to have one for myself. They were so much fun to make, and I loved seeing how everyone's turkeys turned out so different. Besides using a glue gun, this project can also be very kid-friendly!

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

What could be better than a big, delicious Thanksgiving dinner with family? How about a virtual Thanksgiving dinner with some awesome bloggers? I'm thrilled to be a part of this, and I'm sure you'll find a lot of fantastic recipes to help you out this Thanksgiving!

Besides the turkey, one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes is mashed potatoes. Light, fluffy, and covered in butter and/or gravy... unless you're on a diet, how can you say no? A great thing about this recipe is that it's all made in the slow cooker, not to mention having free stove and oven space to get the rest of your meal put together, plus less dishes to wash. That's really what matters when you're the cook, right?

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

recipe adapted from Pillsbury

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs potatoes, peeled* and cut into 1 inch chunks {I used Russet potatoes}
  *Peeling is optional. I didn't peel mine, and they turned out great.
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1-2 teaspoons salt {to taste}
• 1-2 teaspoons garlic salt or powder {to taste}
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 - 1 cup milk, warmed

Instructions:

1. Place potatoes, chicken broth and butter in a 4-5 quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on High setting for 4 - 4 1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender. You can also cook on Low setting for 8 hours.
3. Mash potatoes and add in remaining ingredients except the milk. You can use a hand masher, or I used an electric hand mixer to combine all ingredients. Do not overmix, or your potatoes will become gluey.
4. Slowly stir in milk until desired consistency.
5. Cover and keep at low or warm for up to two hours. You may need to add in a little more milk if you wait to serve it so they don't dry out.

Check out more from our virtual Thanksgiving dinner:

Leaf Placecard Tutorial at One Artsy Mama

Cheeseball Appetizer at Create.Craft.Love (left)
and Hot Cheese Dip and Cracker Tray at Jessie Street Designs (right)

Tips For Cooking a Perfect Turkey at Ladybird Ln. (left)
and Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes at Artsy Fartsy Mama (right)

Save oven space with Repeat Crafter Me's Crock Pot Green Bean Casserole (left)
Cranberry Marshmallow Salad at Happy Hour Projects (center)
Cheddar Tea Biscuits at Becoming Martha (right)

Classic Warm Apple Crisp at Chase the Star (left)
Seven Alive's Favorite Pumpkin Pie (right)

Turkey Cookies at Bear Rabbit Bear Crafts (left)
Pilgrim Hat Cookies at Wait Til Your Father Gets Home (right)

I hope you enjoyed this recipe round up, and that you check out my friends' favorites today too!

What's your favorite Thanksgiving recipe?

Mostly Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken

My family had another dinner party where we each picked a menu item {see more how this dinner party worked with my Piña Colada Salad}, but instead of an ingredient, we picked a ethnic type of food. I picked Chinese/Appetizer.

I wanted to be creative, and honestly, I have NEVER made any kind of Chinese food before. Sure, I'll go to Chinese restaurants, but I was always kind of intimidated to try it. Then, after searching my Pinterest boards for some inspiration, I ran across this recipe I saved from Six Sister's Stuff. It is seriously the best chicken I have ever made, and luckily my picky husband LOVES it, too!! Best of all, it's a lot easier than I thought it would be!

Chicken:

3-5 Chicken Breasts

1 cup Cornstarch

2 Eggs

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

3/4 cup Sugar

4 Tablespoons Ketchup

1/4 cup Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon Garlic Salt

1. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle with a little salt & pepper.
2. Pour oil into a pan and heat to frying temperature.
3. Put cornstarch into a bowl. Lightly beat eggs in a separate bowl.
4. Dip chicken pieces into cornstarch, then into the eggs. I also found it to be pretty easy to put the cornstarch into a Ziploc bag, then put all the chicken into the bag and shake it up until all the chicken was coated. Then, take the pieces out, and dip them in the eggs.
5. Place chicken into the pan and cook until brown. Chicken may not be cooked all the way, but you just need to get the outside crunchy. {Hence, the "mostly" baked in the title}
6. Put all the chicken pieces into a 9x13 pan and coat with sweet & sour sauce.
7. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes to an hour, turning chicken every 15 minutes.

Yes, I realize that this is a main dish, but to turn it into an appetizer for our dinner party, all I did was I put some cooked white rice in cups and top with a few pieces of chicken. It worked great, and they were a hit! I would recommend making a little extra sauce if you are mixing with rice, just so they don't dry out.

Linking to these parties!