Oreo Pumpkin Patch Chocolate-Dipped Cookies

It's that time of year when the pumpkin-spiced everything starts coming out. I do love a good themed snack or dessert item, so why not create something "pumpkin" themed everyone will love for fall? These chocolate-dipped Oreo pumpkin patch cookies are easy to make and so fun to share. They will be requested at all your fall parties and gatherings. 

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Honey Coconut Oat Homemade Granola Bars

Have you ever made homemade granola bars? They aren't as hard as you might think. Granola bars are a staple in our kids lunches and when we are on the go {which, to be honest, is most of the time!}. When you make homemade granola bars, you know exactly what is in them. Most of the commercial granola bars we buy at the grocery store are loaded with sugar. You control everything inside and as you get more comfortable with the recipe, you can add or subtract ingredients so you can make it your own. I've got my basic honey coconut oat granola bar recipe you can try today. They take as little as 10 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to bake. You'll have a healthy snack ready in no time!

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Rolo Iced Coffee

I didn't start drinking coffee until I was well into my 30's. I didn't even like the smell. I do now. Obviously, something was wrong with me. Maybe I wasn't sleep deprived enough but after a while, the coffee culture in Seattle wore me down. Most pure coffee lovers will say this Rolo iced coffee isn't real coffee. It's more like a coffee milkshake and to that I say fine, let it be whatever. I like my coffee with a lot of milk and a fair amount of chocolate and there is nothing wrong with that. 

Trust me, living in the Seattle area I get the whole special drips and pours and pure roasts. This is not that. This is a fun iced coffee made with your favorite Rolo candy and it is fabulous. It is a dessert drink and it's delicious. There is nothing stuffy or hipster about it. It's just a fun way to enjoy a nice cup of coffee. I think you will enjoy it. Just don't take yourself so seriously!

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Easy Chocolate Croissant Crescent Roll Ups

I try to make most of what we eat from scratch, but there are some prepared items that are just begging to be used. These chocolate croissant crescent roll-ups are not only delicious they are super easy to make. Stock up on the cans of crescents when you see a sale because you are going to want to have these on hand to make whenever you have a chocolate craving! 

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DIY Upcycle A Large Chalkboard Sign for Under $10!

My spell checker doesn't like the word upcycle, but it's one of my favorite words in all of my vocabulary. I had to look up the definition of upcycle because I wanted to make sure it wasn't just a word I made up and was hoping it would catch on. It's not. Upcycle: also known as creative reuse {side note, love that!}, is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality {yep and yep} or for better environmental value. 

To be totally honest, the reason I upcycle is because I'm cheap. The environmental benefit {less waste in the landfill yadda yada} is just a good side effect of my cheapness. It's why I cloth diapered my kiddos. But I digress... This DIY upcycled chalkboard sign. It's huge. Like really big and I made it for under $10. If you want the real total it was really only $2, but I'm thinking if you want to make something similar, I would venture to guess that I could steer you in the right direction and you could DIY a large {and I'm telling you this is like 8-year-old child sized} chalkboard for under $10. Want to know how? Keep reading!

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Harry Potter Chocolate Pretzel Rod Wands

There is nothing I love more than watching my children devour a good book. I love to read and have done my best to foster a love of reading in my children. It helps when there are books like Harry Potter that kids just gravitate towards. There is something magical about those books that have drawn my kids in and created a desire to devour page after page. It's no wonder they have spanned the gap between generations. These chocolate wands are the perfect treat for any Harry Potter fan. They would make a great distraction during a long holiday break, for a book club treat or for an upcoming Harry Potter birthday party snack. They are fun to make and fun to eat and everyone will love them!

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Last-Minute Movie Night Gift Idea with Free Printable Gift Tag

There is nothing like the last minute especially when it comes to holiday gifts. This is a quick one to put together and it won't cost you a lot of money. These last-minute movie night gifts can be put together quickly and are the perfect gift for a crowd. You can also just gift one, but I'm thinking neighbor gifts, teacher gifts, and a quick gift for those unexpected people on your list. I've got the free printable for you and easy instructions so you can make your own. No one will know you waited until the last minute. Promise!

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DIY Faux Hand-Lettered Holiday Scroll Wall Hanging

I know this isn't a new confession if you are a long-time blog reader, but Christmas music is not my favorite. There are few songs that make the short list of allowable holiday songs, but O Holy Night is one of them. Every year it seems a different line of that song sticks out to me as one to focus on and this year, the line "and the soul felt its worth" is that line I can't shake. What a powerful line! So much so, that I wanted to hang it in my home somewhere. I was shopping at a holiday market and saw some beautiful kraft paper scrolls and knew that I could replicate it quite easily for a fraction of the price using a line that was meaningful to me. So with packaging paper from the dollar store and a few supplies I had on hand, I made a DIY hand-lettered sign minus the hand lettering. 

As much as I try, I can't seem to make my writing produce the beautiful script, and I revisited a chalkboard hack I shared with you years ago to create this faux hand-lettered scroll wall hanging. See how I created this large holiday wall hanging for around $1!

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Cookies and Cream Smoothie Recipe

Our blender gets used at least a few times a day. What can I say, we all love smoothies of every kind? Coffee smoothies, fruit smoothies and of course, dessert smoothies like this cookies and cream smoothie. What's not to love with this creamy and delicious smoothie topped with whipped cream, chocolate drizzle and of course crushed Oreo cookies? It's going to be your new family favorite too! Check out the recipe and make it today!

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DIY Rosemary Place-card Wreath

I don't host Thanksgiving. We normally have around 50 of us around a table, so decorating and doing fancy little touches like these DIY rosemary place card wreaths, just isn't possible, but that doesn't mean it's not any less fun to play around with them this time of year and put together some fun tablescapes. But maybe you do. And maybe you are looking for a fun way to add a little festive touch to your holiday table. These DIY rosemary wreaths would be perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas. They will last up to 4 or 5 days so you can make them ahead of time for your next holiday party. I've got the full tutorial. It's easy!

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Easy DIY Velvet Acorn for your Fall or Thanksgiving Tablescape

A few weeks ago when my husband and I took a quick trip through NYC, one of the must see's on our list was to stroll through Central Park. While we were exploring...ok fine, while I was waiting for my husband in the bathroom, I found a whole pile of acorn tops. I started picking them up and putting them into my purse. I'm not much of a souvenir person. Sure, I like collecting things from where I've been, but I don't want to just collect things for the sake of collecting them. It was then that I realized that I could make a pretty cool souvenir with the acorn tops.  I could display them in the fall and they would remind me of our trip to NYC. You don't have to travel to Central Park to make these DIY velvet acorns, but you will probably need to take a stroll to your local park or in your backyard to get started.

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S'mores Granola Bars {with Vegan and Dairy Free Options}

S'mores should probably have their own drop down tab on my blog. I kind of like them. A lot. But what's not to like? You've got chocolate and marshmallow and it's all kinds of delicious. Plus there are so many different variations of them. This one has tips on how you can make them vegan and dairy free. I mean, it's practically a health food then right? Come get this yummy s'mores granola bar recipe. You are going to love them!

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Slip on Collar Reversible Dog Bandanna Tutorial

I am just a little bit obsessed with my dogs. In case you didn't know, I have an adopted Golden Retriever named Sophie and a rescued Yorkie named Frankie. They have their own Instagram account {@sophieandfrankee}. You should follow it. Sophie, dare I say, is just a bit larger than her furry sister Frankie and she's got quite a bit more "fluff", so she doesn't need the same kind of wardrobe that Frankie has because she'd just be too darn hot in everything. But in an attempt to get them matching anything, I made them these slip on {or slip through} the dog collar reversible bandannas. They were super easy to sew and they have both been wearing them for more than a week and they are holding up nicely. You can tailor this easy sewing tutorial to fit any size dog. Come check it out! 

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Canvas Cactus Bag Tutorial with Tassels

There are some cities in our area that charge for bags now. I hate to pay for bags! I'll walk out with my arms overflowing dropping things behind me as I go just to avoid the 5 cents per bag they charge me. It's why I'm making more cute tote bags and leaving them in my car so that I can avoid the extra charge. I whipped up this cute cactus tote bag because who doesn't love a snarky cactus? I'm hoping people don't really try to give me a hug when I use this bag. I'm pretty sure I'm kind of prickly like a cactus if a stranger were to come in for a squeeze. The thing that makes this bag are the cute little embroidery floss tassels. Aren't they adorable? I'm showing you how you can make your own canvas cactus bag with tassels. It's sure to save you at least 5 cents. That is, if you remember to bring it into the store with you!

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