Sherpa Photo Blanket Review for Collage.com

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post, but I did receive this Sherpa Photo Blanket from Collage.com in exchange for a review.  All content and opinions are my own, and I will not receive any compensation if you purchase something from their site.

Product reviews are not something that I normally do, but when Collage.com approached me, I checked out their site, it looked like a good product, and something I would be comfortable sharing with all of you.  I received a photo blanket as a gift from my kids several years ago, and it was an amazing gift to receive.  I thought if this turned out to be a nice blanket, it would be a good suggestion for your Christmas gifts this year.  As you can see below, it is adorable.

We took a trip this past summer with our two older granddaughters and my mom in our RV  What a fun trip it was!  We went to the Kennedy Space Center, St. Augustine, Savannah, Dollywood in Pidgeon Forge, Tn., The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, St. Louis, and ended in Denver.  We even got to see Dolly Parton in a parade at Dollywood, which was a treat.  She is only there twice a year, so we felt very fortunate.  We also took pictures of our youngest granddaughter and my mom when we were in Denver, so I was able to get pictures of my mom with all three of her great grandchildren.  We had such a fun trip and  I took so many great pictures.  I wanted to be able to turn the pictures into a photo book, which I will do at some point, but when this opportunity arose I decided this would be a fun way to commemorate this trip.

I decided to make the blanket a gift for my mom's birthday, and I am so happy with the way that this Sherpa Photo Blanket came out.  It is so cute.  Collage.com let me design a 50 x 60 inch sherpa throw which retails for $159.00.  It is made with a plush arctic fleece which is super soft and cuddly.  Their website is very user friendly.  They have many templates that you can choose from to put your pictures on the blanket or you can do a custom template.  There are also many different backgrounds to choose from besides just plain white, I chose this rose pattern for my mom.  The blanket was here in about 1 week from the time I ordered it, which I thought was very fast.

I love the way this blanket came out and my mom loved it also.  Right now Collage.com is offering a sitewide sale with 50% off, use the code Fall50 at checkout to receive your discount.  This is a great way to make one of a kind gifts for your loved ones this Christmas or Hannukah.

Thank you so much for stopping by today and I hope that you are able to use this code to get some of your holiday shopping done early.

Have a great week.

Adorned From Above on Etsy

Have you ever wondered what to do with all of the things that you make for your blog?  I came up with a solution for mine.  Adorned From Above on Etsy is an Etsy store, and I am so excited to share the jewelry that I have making with all of you.  I, also, have a friend Gwen Taylor who is an amazing jewelry designer, and she has been making all kinds of bracelet, necklaces, and earrings for Adorned From Above on Etsy.  

This post contains links to my Etsy store. If you buy something from my Etsy store I will earn money.

Right now, Adorned From Above on Etsy, has many different bracelets, along with some necklaces, and earrings.  I have more to add, so check back often, there is a lot more coming.  Right now I am focusing on jewelry, but I may add other items in the future.

Please go in, take a look around, and shop.  I would be so excited, if you find something that you like in my store.  Here are a few of the pieces that are online right now.

As a thank you,  I am offering a 5% discount for shopping on Adorned From Above on Etsy, good for any purchase over $10.00.  Input coupon code 031017 to receive your discount.  This coupon is valid until March 31, 2017, so shop this month and receive your 5% discount.

Have a great week.

Aqua Hematite, Turquoise, and Tahitian Bead Necklace

Lapis and Pearl Wire Wrapped Bracelet

Fuscha Agate and Sterling Silver Earrings

Peridot Necklace

Valentine's Party Crackers and Dollar Tree

**I was compensated for this post. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

I saw some images of Party Crackers on Pinterest, and thought that it would be fun to make some Valentine's Party Crackers for my family.  They are incredibly easy, you just need to remember to save the cardboard tubes from the center of  toilet paper rolls to fill.  

I bought lots of cute little candies at Dollar Tree to stuff the tubes with.  I was also able to get the tissue paper and ribbon to wrap them.  This is such a simple project and it cost me all of $14 to make 12 of these fun little Valentine's Day Party Crackers.  I still have more supplies left for another 4 or 5,  but I ran out of the toilet paper tubes.  Dollar Tree has so many fun things to stuff into them.  I bought 7 different kinds of candy, 1 Valentine's Day Tissue Paper, 3 Valentine's Day Ribbons erasers, and little foam stickers.  I had bought some other things also, but I ran out of room in the tubes, so I will just send them separately.  You can fill them with whatever you would like.  You can Shop For Quality Supplies Today! Visit DollarTree.com!

By the way, this cost about $1.16 per Valentine's Cracker, and it is so much cuter then buying a small box of candy at the store and the cost is so much less.  I can still make four more once I have more cardboard tubes, and that would bring the cost down to under $.90 per cracker.  An amazing price for such a cute little gift.

You can even have your supplies to make these cute Party Crackers Shipped To Your Local Dollar Tree Store For FREE*!  You don't get much more convenient then that, and the added plus is that you don't have to pay for shipping.

Now I know that you are buying these items in bulk, but they would make such a cute party favor for a school Valentine's Day Party, and you can do a ton of them for very little money.  They would also make cute party favors for birthday parties or weddings, just change the tissue for the outside and you are set.

Supplies:

7 small bags of any type of wrapped candy ( I used Smartees, chocolates, and suckers)
Valentine's Day Stickers
Valentine's Day Erasers
1 package Valentine's Day Tissue Paper
3 rolls of Decorative Ribbon (3 yards each)
1 double stick tape

These are some of the candies that I used for my Valentine's Day Party Crackers.

I laid everything out and then separated everything into 12 piles for each toilet paper tube.

I cute the tissue paper in half lengthwise.

Next, I stuffed the tubes with the candy, stickers, and erasers.

I then put a piece of double stick tape on the cardboard tube and set it on a piece of tissue paper and rolled it up.

Then put a piece of tape at the edge of the tissue paper and finish rolling.  This way you don't have to worry about getting the tape in the right place.

Cut the ribbon into 8 pieces, a little over 12 inches each and tie into bows on the crackers.  If the candy has fallen out of the tubes, just push them back in and tie.

This is such an easy gift to make and they are so cute.

Have fun and thank you for joining me today.  I always love hearing from you.

Have a great Valentine's Day.

Sugar Free Sweetener - Copycat Gentle Sweet

I made this Sugar Free Sweetener a copycat version of  the Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet sweetener and it tastes the same to me.  It was a lovely surprise.  It uses erythritol, zylitol, and stevia.  I found the recipe for it at Joy Filled Eats Sweetener.  I modified her version a little bit.  I found that granulated erythritol doesn't dissolve easily.  I have been buying Swerve's confectioners erythritol and I thought that it would work great in this recipe.  The copycat Gentle Sweet has a cotton candy taste to it, and when added to my ice cream recipes and coffee creamer recipes it is amazing.  There is no funky aftertaste.  I think it saves a little money by making it yourself.  You can buy it for $9.99 per pound from the Trim Healthy Mama Site plus shipping. 

Swerve Confectioners Erythritol 1 Lb $7.85

Xylitol 1 Lb $6.87

Stevia 70 packets box $4.92 

Total $19.64 for approximately plus shipping 2 lbs at I Herb, so the cost is approximately the same. If you order $20.00 there is free shipping which is an added plus.

 The good thing about making it yourself is that you can actually buy the products from Whole Foods if you are in a hurry and can not wait for shipping or even local grocery stores. So that is an added bonus.  It is a little more expensive, but no wait time.

Print Recipe

Sugar Free Sweetener - Gentle Sweet Copycat

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup + 2 TB Swerve Confectioners Erythritol

2 cups + 2 TB Xylitol

2 tsp Sweet Leaf Stevia or 5 packets

Directions:

Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and whirl for several minutes.

You now have 3 3/4 cups of Sugar Free Sweetener Copycat Gentle Sweet.  

*The reason that I put it in the food processor is that I want it to be a very fine powder, not granulated.  I feel like it works better in recipes.  Since xylitol is still granulated, this helps the sweetener to dissolve into your recipes better.

I hope that you like the recipe and that you give it a try.  I comes the closest to sugar in taste that I have ever had, and it doesn't raise you blood sugar levels which is great.

Have a great week.

Debi

"flexoffers"

Dollar Tree Sale 12/7/17

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Dollar Tree is one of the best places to find gift wrap for the holidays.  I have already ordered tissue paper and gift bags and had them shipped to Colorado, so that when I get there, all of my wrapping supplies will be there.  They are also offering $4.95 Flat Rate Shipping At Dollar Tree (12/7 through 12/9), which is a great incentive to buy what you need over the next few days.

I decided to order the gift bags from Dollar Tree this year, because when I was ordering Christmas gifts Amazon and Target they wanted to charge $5.99 gift wrap.  That is ridiculous, I was able to order super cute Christmas gift bags and tissue and have them shipped, so that I don't have to take them on the plane with me or go shopping once I get to Denver.

Here are some examples of what I ordered.

I was even able to order my gift bag tags online and ship them also.

I hope this helps make your Holiday Shopping a little easier.  The great thing is that everything is just a dollar.

Have a great week.

Debi

English Toffee Creamer Sugar Free

I just made this Sugar Free English Toffee Creamer and it came out delicious.  I was so excited I couldn't wait to share the recipe with all of you.  I love sweet, flavored creamers in my coffee, and I have been on a mission the last few weeks to make my own creamers. My first experiment was a peppermint mocha and it bombed.  I drank it, because I wouldn't waste it, but the recipe was a fail, not something I would share with all of you.  I ordered some good extracts last week and a different sweetener.  The english toffee extract came first, so I decided to give a new recipe a try this afternoon and it was a winner!  Yeah!

I have been using cream and either liquid flavored stevia or a powdered caramel stevia FOREVER!!! At least that is what it feels like, and even though stevia is OK, I have been looking for a different sweetener that just tastes better.  I have tried erythritol,(Swerve), which is OK also, but it is still not as good as real sugar in certain recipes.  I just tried this new sweetener from Trim Healthy Mama called Gentle Sweet and it is delicious in this creamer recipe.  I added the Gentle Sweet to cream first and it tasted delicious all on its own.  It didn't need the extract to taste like a great creamer, so you could just use it in your coffee all on its own, kind of like a Sweet Italian Cream Creamer.

I love coffee, I mean I really love my morning coffee.  I love the whole morning ritual of making my coffee, putting my sweetener and flavoring in my coffee, getting it just right.  I even have specific mugs that hold the right amount of coffee, they have the right handle size, they fit in my hands perfectly, and they even have scripture on them.  One says "Trust in The Lord" Proverbs 3:5, and the other says "This Girl runs on Jesus and Coffee".  I even have one in the trailer that says "This is the day the Lord Made".  

Can you relate?  We all have our little morning rituals that help us start our day out right.  This is how I start mine.  Next up, is my prayer time and Bible Reading along with my coffee.  I have been using BibleGateway for their study guides, and I really enjoy the app.  Anyhoo, that is how I start my day.  How do you start yours?  I would love to hear from you.  

So, onto the recipe.  I hope you enjoy it.  I'll be sharing more in the next few weeks.

Print Recipe

Sugar Free English Toffee Creamer

Ingredients:

16 oz heavy whipping cream

5 TB Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet

1 1/2 Tsp English Toffee Extract

Directions:

Pour the heavy whipping cream into a bowl and add the 5 TB of Gentle Sweet.  Whisk until will blended.  Just a few minutes.  Not too long, you don't want to make whipped cream.

Next, whisk in the 1 1/2 teaspoons of English Toffee extract.

Pour into a jar.

It is ready to use.

Makes 16 oz creamer.

Enjoy.

Debi

Borough Market in London - Photography

Today I'm sharing pictures from Borough Market in London.  It is a beautiful farmer's market right near London Bridge, and we were fortunate enough to be in London on a Saturday, when the market is held.  

The pictures below are pretty self explanatory.  I love taking pictures of food.  Now, are you ready for our walk through the Borough Market.  Here we go.

This is the banner that you see when you walk into Borough Market.  You are inundated with all of the colors, smells, and noises in the market, which are all just past this sign.

The food stalls are all along the back of the market, and some are in the center.  There are so many people there.  Our cousin Emmanuel who lives in London says it has gotten much busier then it used to be.

The Sangria lady has some tables set up as you walk in from another entrance.  It all looked so pretty.

The vegetables looked amazing.  Farmers come from all around London to sell their produce.

The fudge looked and tasted amazing.  I was good, and didn't buy any.  I was trying very hard not to gain weight on this vacation.  Which is really hard to do on a cruise.  I made sure I walked my 10,000 steps everyday and I didn't gain a pound.  I am so proud of myself.

These vinegars were amazing.  Sweet and tart at the same time.  Yum!!!  They had little pieces of bread to try it with.

The breads looked so beautiful.  I wanted to buy some really badly, but sadly I restrained myself.

Oh my and the pastries, this is where I fall off of the wagon.  Doesn't that red velvet cake look beautiful.

The local fishmonger was happy to have his picture taken and show off his fresh fish.  It all looked beautiful.  If I had had a kitchen I would have been buying some lobsters to make for dinner.  That would have been a special treat, but alas, no kitchen.  We don't get beautiful fish like that in Colorado.  Oh Well.

I hoped you liked our walking tour of Borough Market today.

I always love hearing from you.  let me know what you think of our trip through Borough Market.
Have a great day.
Debi
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Sunday's Best Par-tay - My 1929 Charmer

Chocolate Mint Hearts

These Chocolate Mint Hearts can be made in about 15 to 20 minutes, and they look beautiful.  I   bought this new silicone heart mold at Michael's for Valentine's Day.  The inside of the mold was so pretty, that I had to give it a try.  It is a Wilton mold and had directions to make chocolates in it by just melting three Candy Melts in each heart.  Well, I must tell you, we were all impressed when they were done.  These hearts were made for Valentine's Day, and I made three dozen, and they are gone.  I will need to make more for Valentine's Day, but they are so easy that is not a problem.  (By the way, Vince and I ate a few, but my Hubby ate all of the rest.  

Chocolate Mint Hearts

Ingredients:

1 bag Chocolate Mint Candy Melts

Wilton Silicone Mold

Directions:

1.  Place 3 candy melts in each heart.

2.  Place the mold in your microwave, and turn the microwave on at 40 percent power for 1 minute.

3.  Pull the mold out of the microwave, and check to see how the chocolate is melting.

4.  Place it back in the microwave and repeat  step 2.

5.  Pull the mold out of the microwave again, and check to see if the chocolate is melted.  It may take one more time in the microwave.  Repeat step 2 again.

6.  Once the candy is melted, drop the mold on the counter several time to release the bubbles in the candy.  You'll see them rise to the top and pop.  I do this maybe 6 to 7 times.

7.  You can then let the candy cool and harden on the counter, or I put it in the freezer for 7 minute to harden quicker.

8.  Next, just pop the chocolate hearts out of the mold and the candy is ready to eat.

9.  Repeat this process until you have the amount of chocolate hearts that you want.  

I bag of Chocolate Mint Candy Melts will make approximately 3 dozen heart pieces.

Thanks so much for visiting today.  We are so happy to have you here.  We hope that you like these hearts as much as we do.  We also made other flavors.  We made Red Velvet and Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts.  The process is the same.  You can use whatever flavor or color of Candy Melts that you like.

We always love hearing from you.  What are your favorite candies for Valentine's Day?

Enjoy!!!

Debi

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Blurb 15 Percent Off Sale

 Save 15% on your first purchase with Blurb

Beginning January 10th, Blurb is offering 15% off purchases for all new customers!  I am just posting this now, since I was on vacation last week, but this is a great deal.

This is a great deal for Valentine's Day.  Make a beautiful printed book for gift for a loved one on Valentine's Day.  I can't imagine a more personal and meaningful gift for that special person in your life.  This is a great way to try Blurb, with a great introductory discount.

Enter this discount code at checkout to receive your discount.

Code at checkout is: SAVE15%

Have a great weekend.
Debi

This is a sponsored ad.

*Offer valid January 10th through March 1, 2014 (11:59 pm PT). Valid for first time customers making printed books only. A 15% discount is applied to your product total with no minimum purchase required. Maximum discount is USD $100, CAD $100, AUD $100, GBP £100, or EUR €100. This offer is good for one-time use, and cannot be combined with volume discounts, other promotional codes, gift cards, or used for adjustments on previous orders.

Prize Candles for Valentine's Day Gifts

This Prize Candle is such a cute Idea for Valentine's Day Gift.  When you burn the candle there is a prize inside each candle worth anywhere from $10.00 to $5,000.00.  I love these little pieces of jewelry are in a pouch inside each candle, and you once you open the pouch, you can input the prize number on their website to find out the value of the piece of jewelry that you won.  To me it wouldn't matter how much the piece was worth, but the fun of finding a surprise inside the candle.  Maybe I should ask my sweet hubby to get me this for Valentine's Day.  

How Fun!!!

Well I hope this gives you an idea to give to someone special in your lives.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Debi

This is a sponsored post.

Top 10 Blog Posts - All Time

Today I am sharing another Top 10, it is the Top 10 Blog Posts of All Time.  It has been fun over the last week reviewing what people have found interesting at Adorned From Above.

I hope you don't mind seeing these posts one more time.  I will have new material for you on Thursday.

Top 10 Blog Posts - All Time

1. Natural Coconut Bubble Bath

2. 1st Adorned From Above Blog Hop and Jasmine Natural Face and Body Wash

3. Caramel Apple Cheesecake

4. Natural Swiffer Floor Cleaner and Wood Floor Cleaner

5. Thrift Shop Finds in August Part 2

6. Mia Lace Scarf Pattern

7. Adorned From Above Blog Hop 44

8. White Tulle Christmas Wreath

9. 10 Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide

10. DIY Laundry Detergent

I hope some of these posts are useful to you.  Have a great week.

Debi

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Top 10 Viewed Craft Posts from 2013

Today I am sharing my Top 10 Viewed Craft Posts from 2013.  I was so excited to see that these were the posts were in the top 10 for crafts.

You are all truly amazing.

Lace Embellished Coach Evening Bag

Pedestal Cake Plate Tutorial

Pink Hand Knit Hat Pattern

Angel Wings Crochet Newborn Dress Pattern

Onsie Baby Banner for Baby Shower

Mia Lace Scarf Pattern

White Tulle Christmas Wreath

Mia Grace Knit Baby Blanket Pattern

Dimple Washcloth Knit Pattern

Flannel Receiving Blankets








I want to thank all of you for making Adorned From Above such a success.

Have a wonderful week.
Debi
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