Doggie Treat Gum Ball Machine

I stumbled across the idea for these adorable gum ball-inspired jars after scouring the internet, looking for a way I could design a cute container for dog treats.

Cheech, my beloved 8 year-old Jackuahua (that's half Jack Russell and half Chihuahua) is a lover of all treats - really, what dog isn't??  And so, with him in mind I set out to make these jars.

They're actually quite simple to make and the total cost was around $5 or $6 (if you buy the material at a dollar discount store.) The base of the jar is a flower pot turned upside down. Make sure you get a flower pot with a matching saucer as this will become the lid to your jar.  I found a small fish bowl and placed the saucer on top of the fish bowl to make sure that it would fit nicely as a lid.  I also purchased a wood knob, painted it black and adhered it to the saucer to make lifting the lid easier.  Add some glue, decorative stickers and ribbon and voila - you're done.  

Fun Find of the Day

I happened upon these aprons months ago when I was searching for cute, vintage inspired kitchen aprons. I immediately purchased one and I can attest to the cuteness and durability of these aprons. 

These designs by Jessie Steele are flirty and fun with a hint of nostalgia - they offer a wide range of designs and styles from hostess aprons to chef and children's aprons. They also carry coordinating oven mitts and tea towels. 

The bright, bold colors and attractive designs make these a unique and fun gift for yourself or for those who love to cook, bake or entertain. Visit www.jessiesteele.com for more info.

Fun Find of the Day

My coworker sent me a link to this site WhereTheHellIsMatt.com.

I'd never heard of this guy before, but apparently he became a viral sensation a couple of years ago. While traveling the globe with a buddy, Matt decided to have his friend take video of him dancing in front of famous landmarks. This video caught on like wildfire and even perked up the ears of Stride Gum. They liked his video so much that they actually paid him to travel the globe again to show off his funny dance moves. If nothing else, it is an entertaining video and definitely a creative way to see the world.

An Appetizing Display

I love the idea of entertaining friends and creating something unique that guests may not have seen before. I'll admit, sometimes I do go the route of "frozen food finger foods", but on those special occasions when my menu needs to be gussied up a bit, I like the idea of throwing together some fun appetizers. All three images above, the green olive tree, the chocolate truffle topiary and the cracker basket are recipes from the Betty Crocker website. I hosted a party last year for my sister and the green olive tree and the cracker basket were real crowd pleasers. I haven't tried the chocolate truffle topiary, but it would make a great item to give as a gift or to use as a table centerpiece.

Fun Find of the Day

If you haven't checked out PerpetualKid.com, you're really missing out on lots of fun, cheeky gifts and gadgets. The website sells hundreds of unique and creative items divided into fun categories like Offbeat Treats, Weird Science and Cocktail Lounge.

These Cool Shooters shot glasses are just one of the fun finds I discovered on their website. As the description states, just "Fill the Cool Shooter mold with water or your favorite juice, freeze, and then pop out four fully-formed frozen shot glasses. A great way to add a little nip to your favorite sip!"

Click for a Cause

Check out this website, TheAnimalRescueSite.com for a great way to help support needy animals.

How does this work? Well, with just a simple click of your mouse, sponsors pay for food and care for homeless animals. You can even sign up for daily click reminders. It's a simple, no cost way to show your support.

If you decide to do a little shopping, the website has a wide range of pet-friendly items .

Fun Find of the Day

I found these miniature party trays while reading an article on holiday gifts for under $20 on the Food & Wine website. If you love to entertain, these little hors d'oeuvre trays will really give your guests something to talk about. This cool find is a great way for guests to enjoy appetizers at your next soiree. Visit spoonsisters.com for more product details and to purchase these tiny trays.

Caribbean Rum Cake Recipe

This is by far one of the best cake recipes I've tried. This Caribbean Rum Cake will knock your socks off and it's especially fun to make during the holidays. Try it the next time your hosting a party, having a family get-together or thinking about a hostess gift.

Ingredients:

Boxed yellow cake mix (don’t follow the directions on the box, use the quantities of eggs, oil, etc. specified below)
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
1 (3-1/2 oz) package vanilla instant pudding mix
½ cup milk
4 eggs
½ cup Whaler Vanilla Rum (or any dark spiced rum)
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Rum Soaking Glaze
½ cup butter (do not substitute)
¼ cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup Whaler Vanilla Rum

For the cake:
Preheat oven 325. Spray a large bundt pan with nonstick spray and sprinkle chopped walnuts on the bottom. Place basic cake mix, pudding mix, milk, eggs, rum, oil and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Beat with electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until batter is smooth. Pour into bundt and bake for approximately 55 minutes – until golden and tester comes out clean and cake springs back. Remove oven and place on cooling rack while making soaking glaze.

Rum Soaking Glaze:
Combine butter, water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil carefully (mixture bowls over easily). Remove from heat and add the rum. While cake is cooling, make holes in the cake using toothpicks or wooden skewers. Pour hot syrup on top cake, allowing it time to soak in. This may take a few minutes as there will be a lot of syrup. Continue to add syrup until all of the syrup is added. Allow cake to cool completely before turning over onto serving platter.

Can be eaten when cool, but tastes even better the next day. Enjoy!

Cool Handmade Gifts

If cooking and baking are your thing, check out the Kraft Foods website for fun ideas on holiday desserts. One I can personally recommend are the Oreo Truffles. I've made these a dozen times and they've always been a hit. You won't find an easier, more decadent recipe and the finished product looks elegant and tastes amazing. Bonus - all it requires are three ingredients. Check out the recipe at: http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/easy-oreo-truffles-95085.aspx

If you haven't been to the delish website, it's a great resource for recipes and food-inspired gifts. A recent post details 10 Better-Than-Store-Bought-Gifts. I loved their idea on gift giving Curried Lentil Soup in decorative mason jars. It's a fun twist on the traditional "cookie mix in a jar" we've all seen. Get the recipe here: http://www.delish.com/entertaining-ideas/holidays/christmas/homemade-food-gift-ideas

For all you creative hearts out there, Etsy is a virtual wonderland of inspiration. I recently visited their website after seeing an article in the latest Oprah magazine. One of the items featured in her holiday "O" list are decorative door knobs turned wine stoppers. Such a cool idea and pretty inexpensive to make. I searched the Etsy website and found several people selling their own handmade versions along with wine cork coasters and other gift ideas for the wine connoissuer. Check out these ideas here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18594996.

I've finally joined the blogging world

Well, since this is my first blog entry, I thought I'd share a little about myself and why I decided to start blogging.

I'm a 30 year-old, happily married "martha-stewart- wanna-be" living in North Texas. I love finding and creating unique and fun gifts for family and friends - and that includes anything relating to arts and crafts, decorating, cooking, baking and entertaining.

This blog is my way of sharing my own ideas along with the many others I have found on the web. I hope you enjoy my posts and I look forward to your comments!