Yummy Homemade Caramel!

Homemade Caramel

 is one of our all time favorite 

"sweet treats"...

My husbands family has made it for years 
& we continue the tradition today.

It's easy to make, absolutely delicious 
& it makes a wonderful gift!

~ Here's How to Make It ~

Get a can of sweet condensed milk. 

Take the label off, put into a pot and cover with water. 

You can do 1 can or up to 6 cans at a time.

Boil for about 2-5 hours depending on what consistency you are looking for. Yes, I know, it's a long time... 

but it's so worth it! 

• For a pourable "Sauce-like" consistency = boil for 2 hours 
• For a Caramel "Dipping" consistency = boil for 3 hours 
• For a thicker "Pudding" like consistency = boil for 4-5 hours 

~ The Trick Is ~

Be sure to keep the cans covered with water the whole time! Otherwise, the cans can explode & you'll have a mess!

• Just set a kitchen timer for every 15-20 minutes to check the water level to insure that the can(s) covered and it's at a consistent boil...
• Once you're done boiling, just set the can on a rack to cool down. Do not open while hot!
• If unopened, you can store the cans on the shelf for a few weeks. If opened, store in the fridge in an airtight container. 
• The best part is, this can be made ahead of time, so you can have it on hand through the fall/holiday seasons!  

~ BONUS ~


Go to This Crazy Life to get these wonderful FREE downloadable labels to wrap your cans & create gifts! 

 HALLOWEEN...

 FALL HARVEST & THANKSGIVING...

 CHRISTMAS...

or for any special occasion!


So yummy & so fun...

Spotlight On ~ Polka Dot Market!

If you read yesterday's post

then you saw the darling wreath from my beloved

Polka Dot Market

And they have the most darling Halloween decor right now,

here are a  few of 
my favorite things:

Of course, this Halloween wreath is TDF!

These personalized Halloween Bags 

are stinkin' cute..

These cupcake wrappers & toppers are darling...

This polka gable box with the cupcake liner & party circle detail is wonderful...

Love the table runner...

All of these spooktacular things (and so much more) 

can be found at

Polka Dot Market

Boo!

REAL PARTY ~ Night Owl Birthday Party

Today is my daughter's 7th Birthday...

Last weekend we had her

birthday party & it was a "hoot"!

The birthday girl called the shots gave me the low down, 
and what she wanted to go down. Here's what I had to work with:

"I want to have a pajama party & eat pizza, candy & smore's... 

I want Justin Bieber to be there, and I want to dance... 
oh, and I want homemade ranch on my salad".

Based on this detailed criteria from my "almost" 7 year old, and along with some SERIOUS inspiration from Anj over at Snowy Bliss 

(her Night Owl themed party was ah-mazing... 

well, the truth is, everything she does is amazing!) 
The following party was born,

and as we know, every great party starts 
with a great invitation...

Anj's Night Owl printable party invites & partyware did not disappoint. I had fun assembling, creating & crafting 
the invites & party accessories! 
I added my own hot pink mounting to give it some umph!

Welcome to "our nest"...

This wreath is one of my faves!

It looks like it's almost Party Time...

I had fun making the "lanterns" using punch balls, scrap ribbon & faux gerber daisies! They we easy & festive...

I love my Happy Everything Platter 
from Coton Colors Pottery...

The table was set for some 
serious pizza eating...

Believe it or not, the bottles of "Crush" were a HUGE hit... 

S'more's bar... check!

Justin Bieber Dance Party... check!

 "The Bieb's" looks ready to party!

Flashlights from Dollar Tree were a huge hit...

Getting our glow on!!!

They danced...

And danced...

Whether I like it or not, 
Justin Bieber is my daughters "Donny Osmond"...
and yes I know that this just "dated" me, but Donny's still hot... 
so there! 

I want candy... check!

And now for an added surprise... 

"Owl Adoptions"!

So, the question became... 
how to decide "hoo" gets which owl???

That's easy, I made these cute little head bands with a surprise # on the underside. The girls picked a head band & that adopted & named the corresponding owl...

And Every Owl has a story...
We had 14 owls in all! 
I tried to get pictures of all of them, 
here are a few... 

Needless to say, a good time was had by all & although the actual Justin Bieber could not make it to the party, his "stand in" did a fine job entertaining 14 six & seven year olds!!!

The Party Details:

Printable invitations, owl stories & adoption cards ~ Came from Anj's Snowy Bliss Etsy Shop

"The Owlies" ~ Came from the uber talented Karen @ Bellamina on Etsy I wish I could sew like Anj, and make those darling felt owls that she made, but alas I cannot... so I had to source some owls. Karen @ Bellamina was awesome! She worked with me to create unique one of a kind creations to match Anj's imaginative "Owl Story Cards"... 


The Owl Bags ~ came from the dollar bin at Old Navy...

"The Dance Clubhouse" ~ my neighbor let me borrow 2 "EZ Ups" and then we lined them with plastic shower curtain liners from the dollar bin @ Target. They came with plastic curtain rings that we used to hang the curtains, then we used glue dots to hold the curtains together & create the "walls". It was easy & the end result was fabulous!

"The Door Wreath" ~ came from Polka Dot Market I love this wreath & it used along with the Happy Everything Platter as a universal celebration decor at our house. You can order this exact wreath or create your own...Polka Dot Market is a great site that's definitely worth checking out!!!

"Happy Everything Platter" ~ came from Coton Colors Pottery we LOVE their stuff!!!

The Lifesize Justin Bieber ~ I found JB on Amazon, he was $32 but worth every penny, the girls loved him (plus he is offered with Super Saver free shipping so that was a bonus:o)

The Music ~ just created a playlist from our iPod & used our little "boom box" to spin the tunes...

Plastic partyware, punchballs, flashlights, glow jewelry & candy ~ Came from the Dollar Tree 

Happy Birthday Baby Girl...

I love you so!!!