Blooms: Holiday Arrangement with Amaryllis & Orchids

The lobby of my office had such a gorgeous holiday flower arrangement, I had to share. I love the mix in this vase -- red amaryllis, pine branches, green leaves, tall red berries and a strand of white orchids. The orchid is a nice surprise in here, I wouldn't normally think of this tropical looking flower for a holiday arrangement, but somehow it works perfectly. So pretty and perfect for right before Christmas!

Made in America Christmas

It's the last week of the Made in America Christmas gift list my sister and I have been doing. I can't believe Christmas is only a few days away! Luckily my shopping is done....the wrapping is another story! Some of the suggestions these week probably wouldn't make it to you by Christmas, but I think it's great to support American Made products all year long. Be sure to check out 33 Shades of Green for her list this week.

Personalized Pet Art, Grandin Road $69

We ordered one of these for my brother who has a pug that he adores. We thought they were cute, but couldn't believe that it was made in the USA! The art work came to us and right on the back it said "Hand laminated, 100% of the materials used in manufacturing are Eco friendly. Manufactured 100% in Vermont USA." They have a ton of dog breeds, and even a few cats to choose from and then you can get your pet's name printed. It is a great looking piece, really sturdy and ready to hang right from the box. What a great gift! And unexpected Made in the USA source!

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Kentucky Cutting Boards, Prices vary
I was doing some research on cutting boards while I did my Christmas shopping and was really happy to find many different brands all made right here in the USA! I love the designs from the Kentucky Cutting Board company. All their cutting boards are hand-crafted in their wood shop in Louisville, Kentucky.

Appalachian Maple Cutting Board with “Louisville style” Fleur de lis inlay, $78

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Pyrex Bakeware, prices vary 

It's good to know a great, American classic is still made in the USA, Pyrex glassware! I love Pyrex glass products and bakeware and have come to think of it as the gold standard for those type of products. I love how you can cook, heat and bake all in one dish. Not to mention, Pyrex holds up over time! I have some old pieces from Grandma and they are in great shape and still looking good. It's easy to find Pyrex products at most kitchen stores, big and small.

Here's what Pyrex, owned by World Kitchen had to say on their website: "World Kitchen has always manufactured Pyrex glass bakeware in the U.S. and our packaging proudly displays the American flag and the “made in the USA” label." Gotta love that. 

I have a lot of the Pyrex basics, but they have some great sets for kitchen "beginners"! What's a kitchen without a Pyrex pie plate after all? And what great prices too.

Pyrex Easy Grab 19 pc bake set, $48.99

I would love a simple casserole dish like this for casseroles or mac & cheese! 2-qt casserole, $12.99

Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you have a great Christmas, Hanukkah and Happy New Year!

Made in America Christmas

It's week two of the Made in America Christmas gift list! Thanks for coming by. Be sure to stop by 33 Shades of Green for her week two list! I've also discovered some great resources along the way, for more ideas be sure to check out USA Love List and This Land. I thought this fact from the ABC World News' "Made in America" series was really interesting: In the 1960s, nine out of every 10 products Americans bought for the holidays were made in America. Today easily more than half of what we buy is foreign-made.

Everything on the gift list today is under $50 and made with care right here in the states. It was hard to narrow it down, but here's the top list:

L.L. Bean Boat and Tote Bag, starting at $19.95

These totes have been made in Maine for over 65 years. This is an American classic, a sturdy canvas tote you can use for anything. And what a perfect, personalized gift when you add monogramming. I have to admit, I am an owner of the Land's End tote and have had it for years. I just recently learned that theirs are imported, meanwhile L.L. Bean is employing people in Maine to make their totes! Not to mention the totes have a 4.8 out of 5 star rating on L.L. Bean's site. I definitely won't be buying one from Land's End again...

Hard at work making totes in Maine! Via llbean.com

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Cherry Republic Gift Boxes, prices vary
The Cherry Republic is a shop in Northern Michigan that sells all cherry products, using of course Michigan cherries! The store is located in an area in Michigan that is the largest grower of cherries in the country! Their store is awesome if you ever get the chance to go, but you can get all of their products online too. The gift boxes range in price so you can find one for everyone on your list. I especially love the small ones for a hostess gift, boss, co-worker or just general cherry lover!

And these are not just a "gift box." The way they come packaged is so special and even if you only spent $15 it gives the gift a really nice touch. "Each gift box is carefully packed and includes our classic extras: a sprig of cedar greens, a fresh pinecone, a piece of Birch bark, and a handwritten gift card. Just our way of bringing a piece of Northern Michigan to every gift recipient." Also, ship any size gift box anywhere in the USA for a flat $5 shipping rate.

Little Six Gift Box (their most popular sampler), $43.70.
Contains salsa, dried cherries, choc covered cherries, cherry nut mix, cherry jam and dark chocolate covered cherry nut mix. Yum!

And for something cute and small, Jolly Gesture Gift Box, $13.90
Cherry bam jam and choc covered cherries, hard to go wrong there!

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Englady Jewelery on Etsy, prices start at $18
Etsy is always such a great place to find things made in the USA. Talk about supporting small businesses! I had a necklace very similar to the one below from Englady (it had gold instead of the copper) on my wish list last year and it is just gorgeous and really high quality. Such a unique gift too, they are made from real leaves.

Copper Aspen & Silver Birch Leaf Necklace, $42

Japanese Maple Leaf necklace, $36

 

Hope this inspires some Made in America buying! That's it for this week's list, see you back here for Week Three! 

See Week 1, Made in America Christmas Gift Guide here. And 33 Shades of Green has some awesome kid's ideas this week, head on over!

Made in America Christmas

 

Happy December! Starting today my sister @ 33 Shades of Green and I are doing a Christmas gift guide with our favorite Made in America products! I can't wait to share my ideas with you guys -- and what could be better than supporting companies, big and small, that make everything right here in America. We'll post every Thursday from now until Christmas so keep checking back here and at 33 Shades of Green for some great ideas.

First up on the list, a mild obsession of mine, Tervis Tumblers! Why is it every time I get on that site I want to buy a full monogrammed set of every size tumbler?! A little background on Tervis -- they were started in 1946 when two engineers in Detroit (let's hear it for the D!) found a way to create a permanently sealed, double walled tumbler that insulated cold and hot drinks, with no condensation. Pretty genius if you ask me. Fast forward 65 years (!!) and Tervis tumblers are still kicking it. "To this day, all Tervis products are proudly made in North Venice, Florida, where over 600 people are employed through this family-owned-and-operated business."

My sister and I both have Michigan State Tervis tumblers and they are a staple on every road trip, beach day, cottage time, tailgate, etc. The Tervis Collegiete collection is great for gift giving, they carry designs for a ton of college and universities. Who wouldn't want to sport one of these at the next tailgate or *ahem* in the Spartans case, perhaps a Rose Bowl game....

Thanks for the beauty shot sis!

24 Ounce Tumbler with clear travel lid

The tumblers come in almost any kind of design or theme you could think of, NFL teams, patriotic, seasonal, etc. My personal favorite? The monogrammed... What a great Christmas gift! (Hint, hint Mom.) Since they come in a variety of sizes, there is a gift for almost any budget. I think a single monogrammed cup with matching lid would be a perfect small gift or for something bigger, a full set of 4 cups. My wish list design:

And just in case you're still thinking to yourself, what is so special about these tumblers? They don't "sweat", no condensation rings on tables, are dishwasher safe, virtually unbreakable, meltdown resistant, and keep cold drinks extra cold and hot drinks extra warm.

One more reason why Tervis rocks and makes a perfect gift? Lifetime Guarantee. Need I say more? It's like the gift that keeps giving should anything happen to your tumbler years down the road.

Size comparison: 16 ounce vs. 24 ounce

Keep checking the Tervis site this week and for the next 12 days, they just started a 12 days of Christmas promotion with a new deal each day. Happy Made in America Christmas!

*Company information and monogrammed image sourced from Tervis.com

Gingerbread tradition

Every Christmas my sister and I make gingerbread houses with our little brother. We always joke about who our judges will be for the year and which one of us will win first place, although we never really officially judge! My sister captured the houses in the making, here they are. For more details on how to make the gingerbread, see my big sis' blog here.

  The Village in all it's glory

My Pink Palace

I thought my little brother's was so precious. Look at those little square windows! "Kris, can I make windows with hubba bubble like you?" Bless his little heart. He kept get frustrated and at one point said, "Well, I guess I won't be able to do a gingerbread house this year." But he managed a come back and I thought his turned out wonderful, definitely a win in the 8-year old category! (My sister made the snowman)

My sister, Ali's house, quite the comeback from last year...ahem.

Marshmallows

This was my "big" project for Christmas and it turned out not to be so "big" at all. Don't get me wrong, I think it was a big hit, but it certainly wasn't as hard to do as I imagined. Never before have I melted chocolate and dipped something into it and then in a matter of weeks I made chocolate covered marshmallows and Oreo Balls! The holidays will do that to ya.

I originally was inspired by Darby to do the choc-covered 'mallows. She did some for Valentine's day and they were so cute! I made these and packaged them up for friends at work and neighbors. A little treat for the holidays. Here's the breakdown...

Chocolate Covered Marshmallows

1 Package chocolate almond bark
1 package white chocolate almond bark (optional)
1 or more packages of full size marshmallows
Decorations! anything your little heart desires

I got all my supplies out, then melted the chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds or so. As soon as the melted chocolate came out, I got down to business. First I tried dipping the marshmallows in using toothpicks, eventually I just used my fingers. Right after they were dipped, I sprinkled on the toppings and gently set them on wax paper. The toothpick 'mallows were in a bowl covered in foil, resting on the top. It was actually really tricky to get the toothpicks in the foil and not have them topple over! That's why I ended up just going to the hand method.

I also did a few in just chocolate and when that was dried I (attempted) to "drizzle" the white chocolate over. I didn't really have the "drizzle" technique down. I more or less ended up just flinging the white chocolate around until it had landed on marshmallow, counter, wall and me. P.S. Can you imagine the nice close up shots I would have been able to get of these if only I had a real camera?!

I let the chocolate harden and got my packaging together. I had cellophane bags and I put a pack of cocoa in each one, then 2 or 3 marshmallows and tied with ribbon and added a gift tag. I went a little overboard on making the marshmallows, so I ended up with lots of extra. I put those in a container and brought them home for the holidays. Perfect for some Christmas Eve cocoa with the family.

Words for Wednesday

Words for Wednesday

It's beginning to look a lot like christmas

A few decorations that I put up for Christmas! Nothing too extravagant -- it's only my second Christmas away from home, so I haven't really built up my collection yet. Planning on making a few purchases at Target the day after to add to the stash. Since I don't have a tree, I opted for fresh Garland!