New Holiday Duck Tape®

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Duck Brand® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

When you think of Duck Tape® does the shiny gray tape come to your mind first? Well guess what, today it comes in so many amazing colors, prints, sheets, and more!  You can even get it in glow-in-the-dark!
The versatility of  Duck® Brand Duct Tape is not limited to colors, it's now becoming a staple this holiday season.  Two of their holiday prints are:

Reindeer Print

And, my favorite, Candy Cane print

Aren't these so cute?  My grandson lives out-of-state and I'll be mailing his Christmas present.  Wouldn't my package look festive if I used either the candy cane or reindeer tapes when sealing my boxes?   I also found a great  great tutorial from DIY Network on how to make gift bags using Duck® Brand Duct Tape.  I just may be making some of these bags for gifts for my mother-in-law.  She will think they are sooo cute!

If you have crafters on your holiday gift list, you could create a wonderful gift or stocking stuffer by including a roll of tape along with some instructions for some fun Duck® Brand Duct Tape projects.  Wanna know where?  There's an awesome page called Ductivities that has TONS of projects for you to choose from.
 What would you make with Duck® Brand Duct Tape this holiday season?  I think I may try making some polka dot ornaments to go along with the rest of my decor.  Your projects are only limited to your imagination when you create with Duck® Brand Duct Tape.

I just stopped by Duck® Brand Facebook page and I "liked" Duck® Brand on Facebook and I suggest you do as well.  This way, we won't miss anything new in the workd of Duck® Brand Duct Tape.

*Contest is Over* Mrs. Smith's Signature Deep Dish Pies - $50 Williams Sonoma Giveaway

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Mrs. Smith's for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

We have a winner!

Congrats to Linda@A La Carte! 

With Thanksgiving over and the Christmas holiday fast approaching, I was thrilled to receive an offer from Mrs. Smith's pies to try out their new  Signature Deep Dish pies! As much as I love making pies from scratch, I also love being able to pop something in the oven when unexpected guests show up.
I love that Mrs. Smith's Signature Deep Dish pies use REAL butter!  The crusts are so flaky and taste homemade.

Plus, each pie comes with it's own flavor pouch, allowing you to customize each pie!

The Signature Deep Dish Cherry Pie comes with a Buttery Fudge Sauce

The Signature Deep Dish Apple Pie comes with a Caramel Sauce

The Signature Deep Dish Pumpkin Pie comes with Cream Cheese Icing

The Signature Deep Dish Peach Pie also comes with Cream Cheese Icing.

I decided to surprise Mr. B with the Signature Deep Dish Cherry Pie.

The instructions could not have been easier to follow.  Preheat the oven to 375, remove the pie from the box, take off the plastic protective cover off, place on a cookie sheet, poke a few slits in the top and bake for 50-70 minutes (mine only took the 50 minutes). One of the suggestions on the box is to egg wash the top crust, which I did.

I also sprinkled some sugar gems on the top because, 
well, you can't have enough sweet stuff, am I right?

Fresh out of the oven!

After cooling I cut us each a piece for dessert.

and swirled on some of the Buttery Fudge Sauce!

A dollop of some whipped cream (also topped with the sauce) and we were ready to give it a try.

OMG! The crust was exactly as advertised!  Buttery and flaky!  Truly puts my crust to shame I am sad to admit. Mr. B was in.love.

The cherries weren't too sweet or too tart, just perfect in their plumpness!  The addition of the fudge sauce made for a taste comparable to a chocolate covered cherry!  Awesome!

We restrained ourselves from eating the whole pie that night. We are sooo anxious to try the other Mrs. Smith's Signature Deep Dish pies with their flavor packets!

Have I peaked your interest into trying one or all of Mrs. Smith's Signature Deep Dish pies yourself?
Well how about I offer one of you a free pie to try?

And, to entice you even further, what if I told you, that free pie comes with a $50.00 gift card to Williams Sonoma??  Ack!  Awesome right???

All you have to do is: 

Leave me a comment telling me that you follow Mrs. Smith's on Facebook.

Leave another comment letting me know you are following Mrs. Smith's on Pinterest.

Leave yet another comment telling me what you would buy with the gift card if you won.

and, lastly, 

Leave me a comment telling me what of the four pies you would like to try and why. 

Four Mrs. Smith's Signature Deep Dish pies, four chances for you to win!

Even if you don't win, I still encourage you to give Mrs. Smith's Signature Deep Dish pies a try.  They can be found at most  Walmarts/ Walmart Supercenters nationwide. You can find other retailers here.

*The giveaway will end at 11:59pm Mountain Time on Tuesday Dec. 4. The winning comment will be select using Random.org. The winner will be notified, by me, via email (so be sure to leave your email address with your comment). I will also announce the winning comment on my  Facebook page. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email with their mailing address. If no response is received in the time given a new winner will be chosen, again using Random.org.

GOOD LUCK!

 Prizes distributed by me and provided by Mrs. Smith's. Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram are in no way affiliated with this giveaway.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas Blog Hop - DIY Christmas Ornaments

Hi, friends!
We are so excited to host a Christmas Blog Hop
to showcase your Christmas Decor.
Each week will feature a different
element of Christmas.
Each party will have it's own hostess.

Nov. 28th  Life on Lakeshore Drive will host ornaments & decor.

Dec. 5th    Kathe With An E will host mantels & tablescapes.

Dec. 12th  House Honeys will host trees & wreaths

Dec. 19th  One More Time Events will host desserts & holiday food

This week we are featuring ornaments and Christmas decor
and your hostess is

Kathy at
Life On Lakeshore Drive.
 

We can't wait to see your Christmas creations!
Please grab a button to add to your post, sidebar or party page
to help spread the Christmas cheer.

The only rule is that you follow the hostess each week!  Just let us know you are a new follower,      and we would love to follow you, too!       

**There will also be a Grand Prize giveaway from Cookin Stuff for those who share at all 4 parties!**  

{This pan retails for $64.99!}

 Welcome to the evolution of Bialetti Cookware.

Our new Aeternum "EVOLUTION" line of cookware will transform cookware forever and this latest innovation will elevate your cooking experience to another level. Our beautiful "Aeternum-Evolution" line of cookware incorporates all the great benefits of our bestselling Aeternum line and takes this fantastic cookware to another level by adding even more great features.

We hope to see you at each party!

Kathy

Life On Lakeshore Drive

 

Today I am sharing a quick and easy way to give a little pizzazz to your Christmas ornaments.  These would be perfect to make for gifts and create a theme for your own decor.  If you have followed my blog for very long, you know I have a love for easy projects.  I went to Hobby Lobby and loaded up on Christmas  Scrapbooking appliques.

I purchased a box of the frosted ornaments last year that I never used, so I wanted a fast way to get them ready for the tree.

It doesn't get any easier than peel and stick.  The hardest part is making sure you keep them straight.  

I also purchased a pretty set of alphabet letters.  This is a great way to personalize an ornament.

I also had some smaller clear ornaments that I used with glitter.  I added Pledge floor cleaner to make the glitter stick.

I love this snowflake applique. 

This letter came from a large bag of green and red glitter foam letters.  This one would be great for kids to decorate with on foam balls.  

I had this applique from previous projects.  

Since I put a lot of gold ornaments on my fireplace, I made of a few these using gold glitter.  

That's my quick and easy Christmas tip, now it's time to see your amazing creations! 

   

                   

Christmas Buffet - 2012

This year, for the Christmas holidays,
I resolved to take my time in setting
up our Christmas decor.

Instead of trying to get it all done
in a day, I spent two days.
Hey, it's a start right?

One of my first decorating tasks was the
top of the buffet in the dining room.

One of the first things to go up
is this Santa picture I purchased
several years ago from Kirkland's.

It's no secret that I L.O.V.E. Santa!
I have been known to shout "hello"
and wave to him at the mall.

Next, is the gilded reindeer
I purchased many years ago from the thrift store.
 I may change his bow out this year.

My other favorite items are these three
small old world Santas that were
a gift from Mr. B's mother.
She knows how much I love Santa!

Each one is slightly different, making
them unique and loved by me.

This one sits next to a small 
apothecary jar filled
with a few gold ornaments.

A small gold tree purchased from Pier 1
at the after Christmas sale last year
holds some small red ornaments...

except for one. 
It is Mr. B's take on hiding a pickle on the tree.
It makes me smile when I see it peeking out.

I don't remember where the 
gold mercury glass spires came from.
I'm sure it was an after Christmas sale
and I am sure I didn't pay much for them.

If you are a regular reader (you are right?)
you'll notice that I changed out the
lampshades for the season too.
The red is just perfect for the 
colors I am using in the dining room this year.

I am so happy I kept it simple this year!
Even though I have a gazillion bins
full of Christmas decor,
I realize don't have to put 
every.single.piece 
out on display.
It allows me to change the 
decor each year so that it is
always new to us.

I am soooo excited to let you know about
a holiday blog hop I am co-hosting with some
of my very favorite blog gals!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you look!

We want to celebrate the season and share Christmas cheer and are hosting a four week Christmas link party! 

 Four blogs are joining together to share your holiday creations. 

Each week we will host a theme party to feature,

desserts & holiday food, 

ornaments & holiday decor, 

mantels & tablescapes,

and trees and wreaths. 

The host of each week will also share a fun project with you.

Nov. 28th  Life on Lakeshore Drive will host ornaments & decor.

Dec. 5th    Kathe With An E (that's me!) will host mantels & tablescapes.

Dec. 12th  House Honeys will host trees & wreaths

Dec. 19th  One More Time Events will host desserts & holiday food

**There will also be a Grand Prize giveaway from 

Cook in Stuff 

for those who share at all 4 parties!**  

This pan retails for $64.99!

So, mark your calendars!

We want to see you at each party!

 Click here to see where I may be partying this week.

AND
Don't forget to come by on Tuesday's

for my link party.

You're Gonna Love It - Week 32

Whoohoo!

We made it through Thanksgiving

and are now full on into

the Christmas season!

My very favorite time of the year!

Did you go out and help the

economy and hit the 

Black Friday sales or,

are you more of a Cyber Monday shopper?

Mr. B & I chose to stay home,

sleep in and get our Christmas

decorations up.

{These are just of half of my Christmas decorations bins!}

I am still sneezing up glitter I swear!

Before we get started, 
I am soooo excited to let you know about
a holiday blog hop I am co-hosting with some
of my very favorite blog gals!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you look!

We want to celebrate the season and share Christmas cheer and are hosting a four week Christmas link party! 

 Four blogs are joining together to share your holiday creations. 

Each week we will host a theme party to feature,

desserts & holiday food, 

ornaments & holiday decor, 

mantels & tablescapes,

and trees and wreaths. 

The host of each week will also share a fun project with you.

Nov. 28th  Life on Lakeshore Drive will host ornaments & decor.

Dec. 5th    Kathe With An E (that's me!) will host mantels & tablescapes.

Dec. 12th  House Honeys will host trees & wreaths

Dec. 19th  One More Time Events will host desserts & holiday food

**There will also be a Grand Prize giveaway from 

Cook in Stuff 

for those who share at all 4 parties!**  

This pan retails for $64.99!

So, mark your calendars!

We want to see you at each party!

So, now that we've all awoken from

our turkey induced coma,

how about we party?

The most viewed post

from last week was

from ARod at 

Making My Apt A Home.

ARod shared her

beautiful crystal fireplace

ARod created this gorgeous look for

about $5.00!

How thrifty is she??

Pretty danged thrifty in my book!

Grab an I've been featured button ARod!

You've earned it!

Now, on to this week's party!

Feel free to link up anything you have created.

Recipes, decor, crafts, written or photographed.

Anything you are so proud of

you just gotta share it with others.

I will reserve the option of deleting 

any post that I do not feel fits the 

theme of my blog.

Please limit your link ups to

just 2 or 3.

I also like to spotlight

some of my favorites on my

Facebook page so,

be sure to follow me over there too! 

It would be nice 

if you'd check and

make sure you are not a 

no-reply commenter.

I try to respond to every email and comment 

you leave to me but, if you are a

no-reply commenter,

I can't and that makes me sad.

As always, I don't require that you
be a follower
in order to link up.
 I want you to follow
Kathe With An E
because you want to.
Not because it is required.

I would also love it if you would link back

in some way
so that others come and party with us.
Either grab the party button
or add my blog link
to your post or on your
  blog party page.
But again, it's not required.

I only have one rule:

I ask that you please 

DO NOT link up

giveaways, Etsy shops or anything for sale.

Save those for the first Tuesday of each month
(next week!)

when, 
Anything Goes!

Just remember,
this is a party so mingle
around and visit some of the other
party attendees.

 This week’s party is sponsored by:

  Did you know that you can earn money blogging about brands you love?

You Blog, You Profit! Sign up for SocialSpark today!

Thanksgiving Buffet - 2012

As I mentioned in my previous post,

I decorated the buffet 

for the the Thanksgiving holiday.

 I took my inspiration

from a blog post I saw at

Momma Hens Coop

{source: Momma Hens Coop}

I loved the galvanized metal

and the amber jugs

and I just knew I could put my spin

on it for our buffet.

 I started with a lace runner

that was a gift from Mr. B's mother.

I then added a metal tray

from Ikea.

 I "borrowed" some of Mr. B's

beer growlers and some of 

his homebrewing bottles.

The bottles in the back are elevated

with a piece of fence post from 

my wood stash.

I then loaded it up with faux

Fall garland and flowers.

 On the left side I set a large 

faux white pumpkin and a smaller orange one.

And on the right, I stacked a couple of

thrifted books wrapped in burlap

and set a small apothecary jar

filled with ceramic pumpkins on top.

Two more ceramic pumpkins 

complete the vignette.

I just love how seasonal it feels!

Autumn and Thanksgiving

are both represented.

Mr. B & I both

wish you and yours

a very Happy Thanksgiving.

 I always share my tables with 

Kathleen at Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen 

Susan at Between Naps On The Porch Tablescape Thursday

and 

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life Table Top Tuesday

Click here to see where else I may be partying this week.
AND
Don't forget to come by on Tuesday's

for my link party.