The Top 12 Tutorials in 2012!

I can't believe it's the last day of the year today, how the heck is tomorrow the beginning of 2013 already?  I don't know about you but I'm always sad to see another year go by...it means I'm getting older and my kids are getting older, it just kills me to think that I am about to start Oliver on solid foods, whaaa the what?  Stop growing up, baby!

In looking back at the awesome year 2012 was I have to say the biggest highlight was the birth of Oliver in June.  What a tremendous blessing he is for our family.  He continues to grow and roll around and move all over the house on that beautiful scrumptious belly of his.  He seems to be following in the footsteps of his 3 siblings in being a mover and a shaker.  He found his voice and loves to sing and talk, especially while he nurses!  

I also had another outstanding year with my boutique clothing business and it continues to grow in leaps and bounds and has taken on a life of it's own that I could never have imagined.  This little 'ol blog has continued to amaze me too.  All of you are just so sweet in stopping by everyday to read and comment and email, sharing in the love I have for creating, whether it be sewing, cooking, crafting, etc.  It has been so, so, so much fun to do! Blessed truly sums up how I feel every day thanks to all of you.

And since we are saying good bye to 2012 why don't we take today to look back at some of your favorite posts from this past year, the top 12 for 2012! It always amazes me when I do this post every year at which ones were the most popular. And true to form, there is a little bit of everything here, I guess kinda like my blog :-)  I hope you enjoy the round-up and most importantly I hope y'all have a great start to your New Year!

12.  Pretty in Pink Bridal Shower

11. How to Paint Ikea Laminate Furniture

10. Rustic Chalkboard Easter Eggs

9.Vintage Girls' Birthday Party

8. Crossover Pinafore into Sweet Little Top

7. The Runaround Knit Cowl (Free Pattern)

6. Crockpot Hot Chocolate

5. Furniture Rehab: How to Paint Over Varnish

4. My Studio Tour-The Reveal

3. How to Make: Mason Jar Frog Lids

2. Easy Baking Soda Air Freshener

And the number one post of 2012....

1. Chocolate Coconut Cups {Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free}

That was fun, right?!  I told you it was a little bit of everything :-) Thank you all for enjoying what I post here!  I really, truly want to thank y'all from the bottom of my heart for making my blog what it is today!  I appreciate all of you so much and just want to say thank you for stopping by and fueling the fire to keep me going. You rock!

I hope each and every one of you enjoy celebrating the end of 2012 in style and have the Happiest New Year possible!

XOXO,

'Hello 2013!' New Year's Eve Party plus Giveaway!

Earlier this December, I was invited to take part in the Sam's Club Luxe for Less New Year Gala blogger challenge to try and create a glamorous gathering using their quality menu offerings and/or tablescape items.  I was excited to take on this challenge as I had not been to a Sam's Club since I was in college and couldn't wait to see what new and exciting things they offered as well as what entertaining goodies they would have that would peak my interest.  This was also a great opportunity to host a fun get-together with a few of my good momma friends during the holidays!  No kids, wahoooo, we're getting wild! ;-)

My shopping experience at Sam's Club was great, I made a few trips to really peruse the aisles before the party and was happy to see a huge produce section as well as a large and delicious smelling bakery. Plus Sam's Club provides a 200% satisfaction guarantee on their fresh meats, crisp produce, savory seafood and gourmet to-go bakery items. On a momma side note, their shopping carts are extra wide so I could fit Penny and Ellie in the fold out seat and Oliver (in his carseat) went in the deep cart with lots of room to spare for my purchases! 

I bought a ready-to-serve cooked shrimp tray for my New Year's Eve gathering as well as the Daily Chef Beef Filet wrapped in Peppered Bacon frozen appetizers.  Both of these were super yummy and neither one of them contained gluten which I had to be really aware of as a few of my friends are sensitive to gluten foods!

I also purchased a bottle of Beviamo Sparkling Moscato.  Can I just say Deee-lish!  And it was a great price too at only $11.98 for the bottle.

For dessert, I found a huge package of giant fresh strawberries at Sam's Club that I decided to dip in the best dark chocolate.  I always think chocolate-dipped strawberries are such a posh dessert, not only are they pretty to look at they are gluten-free too!


To decorate for the party I decided to use shimmery gold accents to help with the "Hello 2013!" party theme.  I placed a bunch of gold and glittery Christmas ornament balls into a large glass vase, simple and classy!

I also dug around my backyard and found a few broken tree branches which I place in a vase and decorated with gold glittered snowflake ornaments.  I love bringing natural elements into party/home decor.  

Here is a picture of one of my tablescapes.  I forgot to take a picture of the other table...that one had wine, non-alcoholic sparkling cider, veggies with gluten-free hummus and a few other goodies brought by my friends!

I left some strawberries un-dipped so guests could eat them while they sipped the moscato.

I made these cute little chalkboard thought bubbles a while ago and decided to tape them to wooden skewers and use them to label the different cheeses on the cheese tray.

Cute, right?

I also served olives marinated in olive oil...yum!

And of course the shrimp tray with cocktail sauce!

As you can see, Sam's Club helps members (yes, you need to purchase a membership to shop here!) save time as they prepare to ring in the New Year by being a one-stop destination for all your entertaining needs!  And if you are someone who has a hard time figuring out which wine goes best with the dishes you are serving you can go here for wine pairing suggestions too!  How cool is that?

Sam's Club would like to offer one of my readers a Modern Cocktail Holiday Mixer Pack with 3 'salts' for rims and 15 flavors!  The winner can make their favorite cocktails by simply adding in their favorite liquor..just perfect for any party!

To enter:

Share you 'luxe for less' New Year's Eve ideas with me in the comments below!

Giveaway ends Monday, Dec 31 2012 at midnight!

Good Luck!

XOXO,

Peppermint Patty Brownie Cupcakes-RECIPE

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!  I hope y'all are ready for the big day, only one day to go now are you ready?  Gifts bought?  Wrapped? Stockings hung? By the chimney with care? Well, to make your Christmas celebrations just a little bit brighter how about I finally post that deee-lish recipe for the Peppermint Patty Brownie Cupcakes I mentioned earlier in this post here.  Sound good! 

You are truly going to love, love, love these cupcakes!  As my friend Carrianne told me when she first made them, make sure you save your calories because you are going to want to indulge in these big time!

Do you see that melted peppermint patty? Umm, yeah. Awesomeness, pure awesomeness.  Brownie + Peppermint Patty + Peppermint Cream Frosting...you will seriously love these.  Pinky Swear.

Peppermint Patty Brownie Cupcakes (makes 12)

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

12 peppermint patties

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners. Melt the chocolate chips and butter in the microwave, checking and stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar and salt.  Add in melted chocolate and beat in the eggs one at a time. Gently beat in flour and cocoa powder until smooth, do not over mix! Spoon heaping tablespoons of batter into each lined cup. Place one peppermint patty on top, gently pressing into batter.  Top with a tablespoon of batter so that the patty is completely covered. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, rotating halfway through.

Peppermint Cream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

4 oz cream cheese,  at room temperature

1/4 tsp salt

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp mint extract

2-3 Tbsp milk or heavy cream, if needed

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add in salt. Add half the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Add in vanilla and mint extract. Add in remaining sugar 1 cup at a time. Add in milk or heavy cream, if needed, until desired consistency is achieved.  

First off, we need to unwrap all those delicious peppermint patties. It't a tough job but someone's gotta do it!  And yes, mine are in the shape of pumpkins...the fall wrapped ones are just so cute, aren't they?

 You will also need 1/2 cup butter and 3 eggs.

And some semi-sweet chocolate chips, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, and salt-not pictured :-)

 Mix up your batter until it's just combined.  Do not over mix!!

Drop heaping tablespoons of the batter into each lined muffin cup.  Then press one patty into each cup and add a tablespoon of batter over top.  Make sure to cover your patty well!

 Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a cake tester inserted comes out with just a few crumbs. Let cool on a wire rack while you make your Peppermint Cream Frosting!

To make the frosting you will need 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter at room temperature, 4 oz of cream cheese at room temperature, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp mint extract, 1/4 tsp salt, and 2-3 tbsp of milk or heavy cream!

 Beat the butter and cream cheese until nice and light and fluffy.

Then add in half of the powdered sugar.  Mix in the mint and vanilla extract along with the salt.  And continue with adding the rest of the powdered sugar.  You may need to add in the milk or heavy cream if the frosting seems too thick.

To pretty up my frosting, I added a little bit of red gel food coloring into my bowl and mixed it well.  Ahh, pretty pink frosting....love!

Dollop, swirl, or pipe that frosting onto each cupcake and decorate with a piece of peppermint bark or candy cane if you have it on hand :-)

Mmmm.

So. Very. Good.

Don't forget to share with friends, family, or someone who just needs a little something special to brighten up their day!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

XOXO,

Southern Fabric Give Away Winner!

The winner of the 10 fat quarter bundle of Kate Spain's Cuzco line of pretty fabric from our Southern Fabric give away is....

Hooray Tara!  Congratulations to you!!!  Please email me at SmashedPeasandCarrots@gmail.com with your mailing address so Southern Fabric can ship this out to you quickly!

Hope you all enjoy a great weekend and get all your Christmas shopping done if you haven't already!

XOXO,