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Ultimate Valentine’s Day Round-Up

January 27, 2016 · by Maria · Leave a Comment

Love is in the air! Valentine’s Day is around the corner and the Social Fabric Community has put together the Ultimate Valentine’s Day Round-Up to help you prepare for the season of love. There are a ton of tutorials, crafts and delicious recipes to choose from!

Enjoy!

Craft/DIY/Tutorial

Friendly Valentine Candy Jar – Creative Ramblings

Valentine Felt Envelopes – Good Morning Loretta

Valentine’s Day Candy Filled Mason Jar – Savvy Saving Couple

Valentine’s Day Love Bug Craft – Maryland Momma’s Rambles

Last-Minute Quick, Cute Cut-Out Cards – Our Daily Craft

DIY Heart Shaped Massage Bars – Thriftanista in the City

Valentine Memo Chalkboard – Southern Couture

Valentine’s Day Chalkboard Decoration – Pretty in Pigment

Flower Vase Craft – Polka Dotted Blue Jay

No-Sew Ribbon Embellished Cocktail Napkins – Atta Girl Says

Macaroni Art Lace Hearts – ABCs and Garden Peas

Cupid’s Arrow Valentine’s Day Favors – Home. Made. Interest.

Hand Lettered Valentine Notecards – One Artsy Mama

Instagram Magnetic Bookmarks – Happy Go Lucky Blog

Birdseed Heart Valentines – Made with Happy

Valentine’s Day Burlap Wreath – The Farm Girl Gabs

Cute Flower Valentines for Kids – Love, Jaime

DIY Valentine Flower Corsage – Suburban Wife, City Life

DIY Valentine’s Snowglobes – Woods of Bell Trees

Valentine Envelop Chair Backers – 2Paws Designs

Reversible Valentine’s Day/St. Patrick’s Day Banner – Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Mini Bubblegum Machine Valentines – Bubbly Nature Creations

DIY Button Heart Picture Collage – Our Piece of Earth

Kids’ Valentine’s Day Gift with FREE Printable – A Cowboy’s Life

Easy Mesh and Ribbon Valentine’s Day Wreath – My Pinterventures

Snickerdoodle Sugar Scrub Recipe – Sunny Sweet Days

Valentine’s Day Verse on Burlap – Life with Captain Fussybuckets

12 Days of Romance Scavenger Hunt – The Mama Zone

Candy Kiss Ring – So TIPical Me

Valentine’s Day Hand Print Craft – As Cute as a Bug’s Ear

How to Make a Valentine’s Day Ribbon Banner – Aprons and Stilletos

Date Night with a Romantic Treasure Hunt – The TipToe Fairy

Chalkboard Gift Box – Organized Island

Easy Valentines Felt Pillow Cover – Creative Southern Home

Polar Fleece Ruffle Heart Wreath – Joy’s Life

Making A Valentine’s Day Rag Wreath with Fabric Scraps – Third Stop on the Right

Washi Tape Bubble Valentines – Moneywise Moms

Homemade Candles in 5 Easy Steps – Lemon Peony

DIY Felt Ornaments for Valentine’s Day – 3 Little Greenwoods

Butterfly Valentine’s Day Craft – Sarah in the Suburbs

Epsom Salt DIY Valentine Candles – A Day in the Motherhood

I “DOVE” You Printable with Candy – Newlywed Survival

Rainbow Heart PomPom Garland – Cupcake Wishes & Birthday Wishes

Valentine’s Day Printed Burlap Subway – Occasionally Crafty

Pom Pom Cupcakes Valentine Craft – Cute as a Fox

Valentine’s Wooden Door Hanger – We Got the Funk

Hearts Aplenty: Valentine’s Day DIY Decor – Woman in Real Life

Love Letters Simple Valentine’s Day Craft – Craving Some Creativity

Valentine’s Day Coffee Cup Sleeve – Craving Cynchronicity

How to Make a Great Loves Print – My Sweet Sanity

Cross Stitch Heart Pillow – Cutesy Crafts

Free Valentine’s Day Cards Kids Can Make – Happy and Blessed Home

Recipe

Valentine Cupcakes – Home Maid Simple

Valentine’s Day Cakes – Charleston Crafted

Red Velvet Pudding Cups – Mostly Homemade Mom

Blood Orange Panna Cotta – Mooshu Jenne

Candy Cane Chocolate Hearts –

Cranberry Bliss Bars – Swanky Recipes

Valentine Rice Crispy Treats – Midwestern Moms

Chocolate Valentine Sandies – Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

M&M’s® Red Velvet Brownies – Julie is Coco and Cocoa

Nutella Filled Conversation Hearts – A Million Moments

Conversation Hearts Martini – JVKOM Chronicles

Valentine’s Day S’mores Dip – Our Mini Family

M&M’s® Red Velvet Blondies – The NYC Talon

Valentine’s Day Cheesecake Brownies – West of the Loop

Red Velvet Cheesecakes – Houseful of Nicholes

Chocolate Kiss Valentine’s Day Cookies – Moscato Mom

Chocolate and Candy Valentine Popcorn – Made by a Princess

Easy Valentine’s Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies – Janine Huldie

Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe – Scrappy Geek

Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry Sauce – Graceful Order

Love Dipped Wafers – Sparkles to Sprinkles

Valentine’s Day Bento Lunch – Diana Rambles

“Blackened” Seafood Medley for a Low-Calorie Valentine’s Dinner – Broken TeePee

Sweet Salty Fudge – Foody Schmoody Blog

Valentine’s Day Covered Pretzels – Texas Type A Mom

Valentine’s Popcorn – Mommy’s Bundle

The Easiest Valentine’s Day Fudge Recipe – Young at Heart Mommy

Valentine’s Day Butter Cookies – Ilona’s Passion

Valentine’s Day Blondies – Saving You Dinero

Super Healthy Pomegranate-Cranberry-Almond Smoothie – Easy Cooking with Molly

Brownie Cut-outs – Tramplingrose

Puppy Valentine’s Day Cookies – Staying Close to Home

Valentine OREO Brownie Bar Recipe – As Mom Sees It

Strawberry-Vanilla Ice Cream Pie – Johanny’s Kitchen

Strawberry Filled Chocolate Cake – Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Chocolate Raspberry Truffles – Food Lovin Family

Honey Bee My Valentine Cakes – I Don’t Have Time for That

Red Velvet Valentine’s Day Parfaits – Living a Sunshine Life

Homemade Strawberry Syrup – Day by Day in Our World

Cranberry Hootycreek Cookies – Momma DJane

Red Velvet Donuts – Frugal Family Tree

Strawberry Mocha Granola – Strength & Sunshine

Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting – Tales of a Ranting Ginger

Chocolate Shot Glasses – The Bewitchin’ Kitchen

Chocolate Pretzel Kisses – Just 2 Sisters

Valentine’s Candy Bark – Life with the Crust cut off

Chocolate Kiss Shooter! – Housewives of Frederick County

Super Simple Valentine’s Day Candy Hearts – My Real Food Family

Easy Strawberry Crinkle Cookies – Meatloaf & Melodrama

3 Ingredient Strawberry Brownies – Fun Things to Do in Central Mass

Nutella Baked Brie – Basil and Bubbly

Easy Cupid Crinkles – Creative Southern Home

Valentine’s Day Edible Tic Tac Toe Game – A Frugal Friend

Valentine’s Day Ombre Sweet Treat – Tastefully Frugal

Party

How to Throw a Budget Friendly Valentine’s Day Party – Amber Nicole Blogs

Valentine’s Day Party for Tweens – Soiree Event Design

Love is in the Air Valentine Table – Not Just a Mommy

Valentine’s Day Tea Party – The Peanuts Gang

Printables

Easy Valentine’s Printables – I am the Maven®

Printable Valentine’s Day Lunch Box Notes and Coupons – Gluesticks Blog

“I Love You Like” Valentine’s Free Printable – C’mon Get Crafty

4 Free Valentine’s Day Coloring Pages – Saving More than Me

Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt Clues – Mom on the Side

Valentine Gift for Kids {Free Printable} – Fun on a Dime

Crayon Valentines Printable – Mom’s Messy Miracles

Tic Tac Toe XOXO Valentine with Free Printable – Housewife Eclectic

Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids – Simple Living Mama

2 Free Printable Valentines (Owls) – Altamonte Family

Love is in the Air Valentine Card – Making of a Mom

Matchstick Valentine Free Printable – Frenchie

Valentine’s Day Lunch Box Notes & Jokes – Coupons are Great

I “Wheelie” Like You Car Valentine Printable – Artsy Momma

Round-Up

Valentine’s Day Guide – The Ranting Latina!

24 Frugal Valentine’s Ideas – Real: The Kitchen and Beyond

7 Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day – Downshifting PRO

5 Perfect Valentine’s Day Gifts for Bloggers – That Chic Mom

Top 5 Romantic Restaurants to Eat at in East Greenwhich, Rhode Island – Mama Luvs Books

Other

War Room Movie Night – A Beautiful Exchange

Pairing Chocolate with Wine & Spirits – In Good Taste

Valentine’s Day Make-up Tutorial – Glam Hungry Mom

Valentine’s Day Dinner at Home – Natasha Byrd

Can you feel the love tonight with all these great Valentine’s Day inspired activities?

Game Day Fun

January 26, 2016 · by Maria · 3 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GameDayGlory #CollectiveBias

We usually celebrate Game Day at our house because it is an excuse to get together, but also because it’s very close to my husband’s birthday. Sometimes it’s more of a birthday celebration than game day, but this year it will be all about the football. We are actually not even big football fans, but that day we watch the game with such emotion that you would totally think that we bleed the colors of the team we are rooting for. It’s really a fun time and a great event to share with family and friends. Also, it’s so casual and most of the time we are laughing, laying on the couch, munching on snacks – and that’s pretty awesome.

This year I am setting up this tablescape which will be right in front of our dining room. However, this won’t be holding all the food. I will set up this table and keep replenishing it throughout the day, but items like the chili and the meatballs, I will keep warm on the stove since this day is all about food grazing.

Vote for you favorite snack stadium to enter the #gamedayglorysweepstakes for a chance to win a $100 Walmart eGift card or Xbox One!

Game Day Glory Sweepstakes

The only item that I am making from scratch is my Game Day Chili. It is such an easy recipe and it gets better as it sits, so it’s perfect for Game Day.

Game Day Chili

2 lbs. of ground beef

2 tablespoons of canola oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic

1 can of diced fire roasted tomatoes

8 oz can of tomato sauce

2 tablespoons of chili powder

2 15-oz cans of kidney beans

Salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro as a topping

TOSTITOS® Chips for dipping

1 – Heat the canola oil in a dutch oven (or stock pot) and throw in the onions until they are translucent.

2 – Add the garlic and the ground beef and cook through and slightly browned.

3 – Remove excess fat from pot if necessary.

4 – Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, except for the beans.

5 – Stir, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

6 – Add the beans, cover and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Serve with toppings on the side – cilantro, sour cream and shredded cheese.

Serve with chips…

or in a bowl with toppings…yum!

Of course I am also serving some yummy snacks that won’t last long on this table. The rest I will keep in a warm oven, so that it lasts all afternoon.

Today, I am serving some delicious chicken wings. Football and chicken wings are a no-brainer. I am also serving TOSTITOS® chips and salsa. No-brainer #2. These are everyone’s favorites on game day.

Also, I placed some skewers of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella inside a deep dish full of peas. I also accented the dish with some faux grass as a nod to the game field.

Mozzarella sticks are my boys’ favorite and they are center field! On the side, I wrote out the word GAME using Skittles® and I know my boys will love that.

I will have a variety of drinks available, including small bottled waters and Pepsi™ cans so that everyone can pick their favorites.

I made meatballs the night before and they are one of those food items that heat up great the next day. Meatballs are another favorite at the buffet table!

A big bowl of popcorn anchors the other side of the table and for those wanting something sweet, after eating that spicy chili, there are cupcakes, brownies and SNICKERS® chocolates scattered on the table!

I encourage you to take any excuse that you can to bring your family together and make memories. I hope this gave you some good ideas to kick-off the fun this weekend!

I found all the products that I used for this post at Walmart, in the following sections:

Don’t forget to enter the sweeps above and you can also share with me your own snack stadium ideas on Instagram. Share by using the hashtag #gamedayglorysweepstakes. Also, visit here for more recipes and snack stadium ideas!

Planning with Sharpies

January 25, 2016 · by Maria · 9 Comments

One of my favorite purchases of the year is getting to choose my new planner and planner supplies for the new year. Somehow I cannot get used to digital planners and I need to write things down on a planner – I need to jot down appointments, create lists and take notes. I get a feeling of accomplishment from crossing off a task that I just completed. I know that a lot of my friends feel the same way. While apps complement my planning, I can never see them replacing my physical planner. I also keep my planners after the year ends and they serve as a journal of sorts and that’s why I take my time to make them pretty on the inside. Sunday morning (sometimes evening) I sit down with my planner and a few supplies – mainly colorful tabs, stickers and Sharpie pens. I have a few of them, a few towers, that is.

I love this little set up that keeps my pens/markers organized. In here I have Sharpie pens, calligraphy pens, fine tips, the metallic ones – everything in one spot.

I love planner supplies and embellishments just as much as the planner itself and it makes planning, which is necessary, also fun! There are so many Sharpies available now that were not available when I was in school myself. Even back in high school I loved planning and I had to improvise quite a bit because there weren’t as many options for embellishments. If I would’ve had this big tower of Sharpies back in the day, I would’ve loved it! There are a ton of colors available now and so many tips.

If you are into pens, then you know that the tip is everything! My new favorite ones are these retractable pens. I love how they glide and I like how my handwriting comes out using them. You know how some pens make you write kind of look sloppy? Is that just me? Anyway, these are awesome.

I also like these colorful fine tip ones to add little embellishments and to color-code the family. I use green for my husband, purple for my youngest and blue for my oldest. I like being able to glance at the page and know when something doesn’t directly pertain to me, although when you have kids you know that it ALL directly pertains to you somehow. I also add stickers for things like doctor appointments and birthdays.

Now, I also purchase and maintain another calendar which is my editorial calendar for the blog. This is a really thin calendar with only a monthly view. I like looking at the entire month at-a-glance and knowing how often I am posting and the post subject. I just purchased this one and I am in the process of filling in January. I didn’t have it for the first few weeks of the year (it’s been hectic) and I was already feeling lost…

You know who else loves Sharpies? My 12-year-old. When he goes back to school after winter break, I take him to Staples to replenish his pen and marker collection and he loves starting off with new supplies. Remember how good it felt to go back to school with brand new items? Anyway, he is my little artist and really gets into pens and markers like his mamma. Unlike his mamma that can only draw daisies, here he is drawing Darth Vader.

The force is strong with this one.

If you would like to try these Sharpies for yourself, especially that new retractable pen that I mentioned, Staples is running a sale this week! The entire week of January 24th save 35% off all regular priced Sharpie product, while supplies last!

What is your favorite Sharpie?

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Newell Rubbermaid , but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #stockup4schools http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

The Complete Book of Home Organization

January 8, 2016 · by Maria · Leave a Comment

If on my way through the checkout line at a store, I see a magazine with the word “organization” on the cover, you better believe it will make it’s way into my cart. Organizing is a passion of mine and that’s why it’s also the main subject that I share about on Graceful Order. For me, organizing is therapeutic and living in an organized (not perfect) space, helps me relax and be more creative.

Before I started this blog, I had followed Toni from A Bowl Full of Lemons for years and I always loved her ideas and style. Since I started this blog almost 3 years ago, she has been an amazing friend in the blogging world, helping me any time I need it. I love how beautiful her blog is and most of all, her passion for helping others live in a space they love, free of clutter. When Toni reached out to me last year to tell me that she was writing a book and to ask me if I would contribute one of my organized spaces for the book – Um hello, of course I said yes! I was so happy for her and I knew that the book would be awesome, even before seeing it.

And then I saw it and it was even awesome-r than I expected. Here is “The Complete Book of Home Organization” that finally launched this week!

From following Toni’s blog, I knew the photography would be beautiful and the book didn’t disappoint. Most of the pictures in the book were taken by Toni herself and they feature many beautiful and organized spaces in her home!

She also included a few sections where other organizing bloggers shared their best tips for keeping an organized home. I shared about my dining room organization.

The book is not called “The Complete Book of Home Organization” for no reason. It truly is a comprehensive book, covering every area of the home. One of my favorite chapters is the one that covers organizing the entryway – so many ideas!

If my friend had not written it, I would still have purchased this beautiful book and recommended it to all my friends. So I am personally recommending that you pick up a copy. I tell ya, I organize all the time, but I even need a little inspiration every now and then to kickstart my projects.

The book is now available for purchase and you can find it here! It is already a #1 release!

An Amazon.com affiliate link has been added for your convenience. Thank you for your support of Graceful Order!

Organizing the Fridge

January 6, 2016 · by Maria · 32 Comments

We are organizing the fridge…again. My fridge stays fairly organized until the holidays. During the holidays every system that I have in place goes out the window and the priority becomes making space for the ham or the casserole. This is how my fridge looked after hosting Thanksgiving, a Christmas Day brunch, a small New Year’s party and a New Year’s Day brunch. My fridge needed some love (and soap!).

The picture below was taken at night so the lighting is horrible. I wasn’t intentionally trying to make the before pic look bad. Totally off-topic, but isn’t it funny how people always have to look miserable in those before pics before they start a diet? They are never smiling. Can’t they also be happy pre-diet?

But I digress.

So the next morning I decided to empty my fridge and give it a good clean. I spot clean the fridge all the time, but sometimes deep cleaning is necessary, and this was one of those times. Almost all the drawers, bins and shelves in my refrigerator are removable and they are easy to clean. I am always surprised how much food falls through the back of the bins in between cleanings.

Once the refrigerator was clean, I added some FridgeCoasters to line every bin and shelf. I have been purchasing these for years and they really help to keep the fridge clean from spills and (almost more importantly) they are so cute! I change them out every year and chose a new color. This year I ordered 2 different colors (gray and blue) and I think I will do that from now on because I love how they look!

Note: There is a FridgeCoaster giveaway and discount code at the end of this post!

When the fridge is empty is a great opportunity to move the shelves (if adjustable) to the best positioning for the items that you purchase. So many times we leave things the way that the manufacturer placed them, instead of taking advantage of the adjustable shelving.

Once the shelves are where I want them, I add all the food back. I had not shopped for our regular food items for a few weeks, since I was making space for all the food I needed during the holidays.

I also added fridge bins to my deli drawer. I am a big fan of these bins but only for the items that you purchase again and again. They have some that are perfect for placing little juice boxes, but if you rarely buy those for your kids, then it will be another bin taking up space in your fridge. Only buy the ones that will be used every time.

I did get rid of a few condiments that were expired and I tried to put back the good ones into the fridge with like items. Fun fact – I don’t even like mustard. I do use it for cooking sometimes but my husband is a mustard fan and apparently he has enough to last for the rest of 2016.

One thing that I purchase frequently is asparagus. I always keep a wide-mouth cup with a little water to store it and it seems to last longer. Also, I like that I see it and it doesn’t get lost in the crisper bin until it’s past it’s time.

This refrigerator model originally came with 2 bins on this side and a butter bin (the one with the little retractable door). I eventually got rid of that butter bin since I prefer to keep my butter in the deli drawer and I ordered another regular-sized bin online. There are a few websites that you can input your appliance model/serial number and then choose what you would like to purchase. In this case, I added the top bin that I use for chicken stock cartons.

Another shot of this organized fridge so that I can at least document that once upon a time all the cans faced forward.

I know that not everyone keeps oranges in the refrigerator but since I often juice them, I like to keep them cold. Also, I keep a bin within the drawer to separate items. Otherwise, everything in that big drawer ends up mixed. Also, this keeps produce from getting damaged by heavier items.

I have a fridge bin in the very top dedicated to defrosting meat. This will avoid so many yucky spills! Next to it, I have a small turntable that I place all my jellies and jams. You know that I am a big fan of turntables and they are even great for the refrigerator.

Here is a closeup of the deli drawer. There is so much butter and cheese that was left over from the holidays! I can’t possibly consume that much leftover cheese? Just kidding. I can and I will. Then I will go on a diet, but not before taking a before picture with a miserable look on my face. 🙂

One more exciting detail…a giveaway! FridgeCoaster will be giving two winners – two Fridge Packs of their choice! Follow the prompts to be entered into the giveaway. You do not have to complete all the prompts to enter the giveaway, but each one will better your chances of winning, since you will have more entries. So no worries if you don’t have an Instagram or Pinterest account, you can still enter by leaving a comment.

If you want to order them for your fridge, they have also generated a special discount code for all Graceful Order readers – just enter SWEET16 at checkout and save 16% off your order!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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