cranberry walnut pancakes

A few weeks back I had a genuis idea of making cranberry walnut pancakes. 

I then decided they were so good I should share the recipe with you. 

You're welcome. 

Yep. My love of cranberries just grows. 

The thing is, there's no crazy recipe. 

It's just pancakes with chopped cranberries and walnuts. Oh and syrup. REAL maple people. 

 I made the pancakes according to the box (I grew up on Bisquick pancakes and I L.O.V.E. love them).

Pour 1/4 cup prepared mix onto hot griddle, sprinkle with cranberries and then walnuts, when edges are dry and little bubbles are forming, flip and cook through on the other side.  

Yummy syrup. 

 I garnished with more cranberries and walnuts, but honestly I didn't love it. 

My mouth is watering!!!

A few more days until Christmas!

I have BIG plans, how about you?

flavored sugared cranberries

It's no secret I love SUGARED CRANBERRIES. 

I've been making them for a few years now (see here & here).

BUT this year I tried something new... 

 FLAVORED sugared cranberries! 

The inspiration came from Victoria of A Sublet Revelry who loves these treats as much as me 

(maybe even more!). 

 My first thought was they would taste so good with a hint of Orange AND I was right! 

 Then I thought coconut and maple! Well, the coconut was good, but maple... not so much. Ha!

 I love making these treats to eat, but they also make a fantastic gift!

This is an old jelly jar. I spray painted the lid and then glued a little tree to the top.

But, it needed something more... 

So, I put a bow on it. 

Here's my updated recipe for these YUMMY cranberries.

Sugared Cranberries 

Ingredients

3 cups granulated sugar

3 cups water

1 bag fresh cranberries (12 ounces, I think)

3/4 cup superfine sugar

1.5 teaspoon flavoring (orang, coconut, or ???)

Combine granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring mixture until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer; remove from heat. (Do not boil or the cranberries may pop when added.) Stir in cranberries; pour mixture into a bowl. Add flavoring and stir. I usually let it cool a little before putting it into the refrigerator.  Cover with plastic wrap (I place the plastic wrap directly on the berries/liquid) and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

My new coating technique- Drain cranberries. Sprinkle 1/4 cup superfine sugar over cranberries while still in colander and toss around. Sprinkle 1/4 cup superfine sugar on a rimmed baking sheet. Add the cranberries to sugar on baking sheet. Using a spatula spread out the cranberries so none are touching and shake the pan to make the cranberries roll. Sprinkle remaining sugar over cranberries and shake some more (the pan stays on the counter and just move the pan back and forth till all the cranberries are covered).  Let stand at room temperature until dry rolling around the cranberries occasionally. 

These have become a HUGE hit with my friends and make for great hostess gifts, party favors, or gifts. Enjoy!

A few other fun and yummy CRANBERRY recipes/crafts- 

Cranberry Maple Walnut Muffins

Sugared Cranberry and Popcorn Cake Garland

Sparkling Cranberry Brie Bites

Stringing Cranberry Words

Upside-Down Cranberry Cake

Cranberry Wreath

Simple Cranberry Christmas Cake

Check back later this week for another YUMMY cranberry treat! 

Any other cranberry ideas/recipes I should know about?!

life on instagram // 2

I'm pretty much obsessed with bows lately (this is my new ring from Target).
My new theory is "when in doubt, put a bow on it".

My poor Christmas tree is still outside. Pathetic. 

I mentioned last week that our Whitefish campus is meeting in a new location. 

Well, the owner purchased theese AMAZING Vintage Marquee Lights from Fab.com and I love them. 

Sunday I went to see Sufjan Stevens!!! 

It was a GREAT concert! He had a HUGE "Wheel of Christmas" that people would spin to decide what song they would perform next. Not to mention they were all in Christmas costumes. 

You can listen to his new Christmas album on Spotify. SO GOOD.

Lastly, this adorable window display that I saw in Missoula while waiting to get into the concert. 

I technically didn't end up instagraming it, but I wanted to share anyways. 

Noteworthy Paper & Press has these amazing windows with a black painted "frame", fake snow, and in this particular window a very full gold mailbox with letters to Santa. 

Check out their facebook page to see pictures of all the CUTE windows.

Is anyone else procrastinating Christmas decorating, or is it just me?!?!?

life on instagram

I. LOVE. Instagram.

If you haven't heard of Instagram let me just tell you that it's basically Facebook + Twitter in 1, 

but WAY better AND just in pictures. You follow people, people follow you, you can "like" or comment on pictures.... it's very fun. 

 I realize some people don't have Instagram, so I'm going to start sharing some of my favorites from the week (well, maybe not EVERY week, we'll see how it goes). 

I've been wanting to add this to my blog for MONTHS now, but I guess I'm afraid of commitment, HA!

Obviously you can follow me on IG (Instagram for short ;) 

BUT I like the idea of sharing them here and even pinning to Pinterest too. 

Let the Instagrams begin!!

OK, I couldn't resist posting a few Thanksgiving pics!

My mom was visiting and we made some yummy pies the night before Thanksgiving. 

She suggested the YUM with the leftover crust and the apples were cut with a crust cutter she got me. 

We made a fake tree with yarn + push pins and then hung a sign that said "coming soon". 

The dinning table was simple, but lovely. 

The Sunday after Thanksgiving was our annual HUNT & CUT... my FAVORITE!

The hosts put their epic truck out front with a tree tied to it for a photo spot. I want that truck SO bad.

It's going to get crafty here!!! 

People kept asking what I wanted to sew and I felt silly saying ... banners, tablecloths, crafts. HA! 

My church/work just moved locations at one of our campuses and half of my Kid's Ministry meets in a wine bar. 

I LOVE the stage decor and the kids loved the disco ball. 

My crafty corner is getting organized and I love it. 

My newest addition is my washi tape on adjustable curtain rods in a crate. 

So that's all!

I'm excited to show you some creative stuff throughout these IG posts. 

Are YOU on Instagram???!!! 

Do you just LOVE it?

previous christmas fun

CHRISTMAS is coming! HOORAY!!!

Here are some of my favorite PAST Christmas treats & decor. 

TREE CUPCAKES from our annual Hunt & Cut party (we find & chop a Christmas tree).

SUGARED CRANBERRIES have become a very popular treat around here. 

I'm going to be experimenting with some new flavors soon!

CHRISTMAS CARD HOLDER I used last year and the year before. 

 Fun ideas for a CHRISTMAS TABLE. 

 CHRISTMAS DECOR - popcorn & cranberry garland was my fave. 

There you have it! Some CHRISTMAS fun from the past few years. 

Honestly, this year I am keeping it SIMPLE!

Want more inspiration? 

Check out my CHRISTMAS TIME & HOLIDAY ALT STYLE on Pinterest. 

thankful chalkboards

Happy Thanksgiving week!

Today's little craft is very easy and really could be done MANY ways. 

These thankful chalkboards are basically props to write what you're thankful for & then take a picture holding it.

I just love the idea of having a picture every year saying what we are thankful for. To document life.  

This year I am thankful for my mom. She's visiting me from Wisconsin and I know this will be a special time for us (fully crying now). I am so excited to spend time with her and learn from her. 

Here's how I made my chalkboards. 

Trace whatever shapes you'd like out of foam-board (I purchased mine at the Dollar Tree).

I really like the thickness and stability the foam-board provides. 

Then it's time to cut them out. 

I found an x-acto knife worked best - be careful!

Then I sanded the edges to help smooth it out. 

Shapes are ready to be painted!

I used this amazing chalkboard paint.

The reason I decided to make a chalkboard is so you can just make a few boards & everyone can take turns writing what they're thankful for & then taking a picture. Not everyone needs their own board & family/group pictures would be cute too. So, not too many & not too few. 

Boom. Done. 

My sweet little friends (not my kids ;) writing what they are thankful for. 

They are so cute!!!!

I love the idea of having these pictures to look back on and see growth, change, and 

remember what they were thankful for over the years.

I'm going to update this post after Thanksgiving to show what my dinner guests are thankful for, 

so check back!

What are you thankful for this year?

vintage finds

 I told you what a fun time I had at The Vintage Whites Market on Saturday. 

Well, here's what I purchased...

 A cute book to add to my collection.
An apron to be my "tool belt" while crafting/styling.
A wire basket to hold some vintage books.

My favorite purchase was this vintage bread pan.

I purchased the pan from Jennifer of Funky Junk Antiques and she was told they were
Army bread pans and were color coded for mess halls.

 I thought it would be perfect to hold my ribbon!

I'm pretty excited about it. 

Have you ever used a kitchen item for your craft/office supplies?

Linking to-

Whipperberry
Tatertots & Jello