Homemady Hershey Kiss

Thank you for following me and leaving all of your sweet comments! It's so encouraging. I feel like I've been a little MIA! I have off work on Fridays (FABULOUS!) and tend to find myself wrapped up in the weekend shindig already by Thursdsay night. I think of my fellow bloggers often, and always plan on sitting down with the laptop, but somehow other things seem to find me, fun things none the less, so I consider it okay to postpone all writing actions. But then come Monday I find myself with the dire need to POST. So here we go!

Valentine's Day is this weekend! YAY! I'm so excited it falls on a Saturday. I'm still on the quest for the perfect V-Day, Saturday morning breakfast idea. I'll let you know what I find. We didn't have one this past weekend because we had a baby shower. It was a couples baby shower. Have you ever been to a couples baby shower? It was definitely a first for my husband and he really didn't know what to think about it, or what to expect. He and the guys ended up playing cricket (i know, cricket?? random) in the basement for a good, solid hour. Too funny. Speaking of V-day and my hubs...my honey-hubby is actually pretty romantic and gets MAJOR brownie points every year on V-Day for originality and creativity. This year I'm busting out the home-made gift theme. It's been hard thinking of things that aren't the usual home-made gift ideas: coupon book, decorated picture frame, etc. I was looking online for some fun ideas and found this one that I just have to share - it's so stink'n cute - a homemade 'Huge Hershey Kiss'. All credit goes to this little site I found, here.

This is how it's done...

Melt chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave until smooth. Use a clean funnel and a plate for the rest of the process - the funnel is how you get the Hershey Kiss shape. Put a little bit of aluminum foil in the neck of the funnel and then spray the inside of the funnel with a nonstick cooking spray. Place the funnel on its neck on the plate being careful not to tip it - the website where I found this says it will hold up if you're careful. Spoon the melted chocolate into the funnel. Wait overnight. Remove the dried chocolate from the funnel. If it's hard to get out, take a knife and run it around the perimeter of the funnel until it slides out. Wrap the kiss in tin foil and make a little message to stick out of the top. Too cute!

Do you have any good, home-made gift ideas?? Please share!

Mmmm. I'm obsessed.

I absolutely love hosting. I love having the opportunity to welcome people into our home. I always strive to make our home warm, inviting and fun. Hopefully the company we have over thinks I'm succesful! There are a few things I have picked up from my amazing mom, mother-in-law and friends that I always make sure to have on hand or do before my guests arrive. And because my husband and I tend to host on a whim, I try to make sure these things are always covered, just in case. I want to share these things with you! For today, it's all about the aroma.

If you aren't familiar with him yet, I would like to introduce you to Henri Bendel. One of my dearest friends, Christine, gave me one of his candles that she bought from his NYC boutique over a year ago. It smelled so good without even lighting it, that I was scared to burn it. And it sat on my nightstand for a good month. And when I finally gave in...OH. MY. GOODNESS. our home has never been the same. And truthfully, there is not ONE candle of Henri Bendel's that doesn't smell amazing. A few of my all time favorites are Amber, Fig, Vanilla Woods, Pomegranate and FIREWOOD! Yes, there is a scent called firewood and it is heavenly. It smells like the most amazing men's cologne you have ever smelled before. When my husband has his friends over to watch football or do anything manly, this one is always out and burning. Ladies, I am telling you, these candles are amazing. And here's the best part...they are now selling Bendel's candles at Bath and Body Works! And they go on sale, A LOT. And it's during these types of sales that I get myself into the most trouble. But really, you can never have too many candles. I always have a candle in each bathroom and bedroom, one in the family room, one in the kitchen and one in the foyer for when you walk into the door. I will even light ALL of them at the same time. Because these candles don't hurt your nostrils or give you a headache, my husband doesn't mind them at all. They have more scents than the ones shown above. Take a look at his website to see the collection - and don't be scared by the price there ($30.00), because at B&BW they are $26.00 and remember: they go on sale a lot! Tomorrow, it's all about the "bathroom basket" - a necessity in my opinion when hosting. :o)

XOXO,