My 2015 Blogging Goals

Hello? Is this thing on? Cough, cough....well here we are finally after a small break. I am slowly starting to get back in action after a very busy Christmas holiday week that consisted of multiple get-togethers. One of them was at my house, plus we had a birthday party thrown in there too for a family member so I have been a very busy girl.

 

2014 is flying by and will soon be a memory, so I am taking a little time to embrace these last few days and plotting my plan of attack for a new year!

I am super excited about what lies ahead next year and am really looking forward to expanding my skills and accomplishing a couple different goals.

 My primary goal in 2015 is to be more of a risk taker when it comes to decorating and DIY'ing my home. The last renovation it had was in the early 90s. Since I have owned it, I have painted and redecorated so it isn't "bad" by any means but it is definitely overdue for some updating, so I am taking the plunge and going beyond paint this year and really getting my hands dirty with power tools and trying different building materials that I was too apprehensive about previously.

 

Hopefully my risk taking works out!

 

I also plan on redefining my spaces. I have a two bedroom, 1 1/2 bath home so space is limited but after really taking the time to assess the layout of my home I have come to the conclusion that several spaces are not being fully utilized to their potential. So I will be redefining the space in several of my rooms too which will hopefully add more storage and living area as well.

 

With all of that being said you can see where this is going, but to make it official I am super excited to announce that I am planning on doing an entire house update this next year! 

I will go room by room and tackle the problems in each room with budget friendly DIY projects, but my big project this year will be a KITCHEN  makeover!

 

Yikes! Its very scary but super exciting at the same time! New appliances, flooring, paint color, lighting-its ALL going to change!I have been saving up my pennies and doing a lot of planning and I'm optimistic that I can knock most of it out this next year, with a little help and determination!

 

So needless to say there will be a lot of really cool tutorials and posts coming your way, especially in the first half of the year as I kick off the new year.

 

This "whole house" makeover has been a nine year project in the making!

 

So I hope you stick around, grab a snack, maybe a cup of coffee and enjoy this ride with me as I transform my little Cape Cod into the home of my dreams!

 

 

Here's to a new year and a new beginning!

 

Have a Safe and Happy New Year!

 

Cheers!

 

 

Jennifer

 

Decorating Christmas Cupcakes and a Giveaway

 

 

 

Why didn't you tell me we only have two more weeks until Christmas?!

Yikes!

 

So much to do and so many presents to wrap.

 

This weekend I decided to spend some time baking and instead of making sugar cookies, I made some Christmas cupcakes.

 

I had some shopping left to do and a Christmas party to prepare for so time was limited  so I broke out my box of Oodle Tips.

 

 

Have you heard of Oodle Tips?

 

They are my newest favorite kitchen gadget and they have made my life so much easier this holiday season.

Icing sugar cookies and cupcakes can sometimes be messy and take a lot of time to get it just right.

 

Well, the Oodle Tips are these fabulous icing bags with tips built right in so all you need to do is fill the bag with icing, cut your tip and away you go!

 

 

 

Seriously! It is THAT EASY!

 

 

See, they even tell you where to cut the tip to get the exact shape you need.

 

 

 

 

The Oodle Tip comes with the tip built right in so you can get icing as thin or fat as you want simply by cutting the tip.

 

The deeper you cut the tip, the larger the tip gets which allows for more icing to come out.

 

So while I was waiting for my laundry to dry I simply made a quick batch of icing.....

Filled my Oodle Tip bag..........

Then I cut the tip to start with thin piping ......

 

 

 

And made some random designs on the cupcakes.

 

 

Then I cut down the tip one more notch to make the hole bigger so I could make this design.....

 

On some of the cupcakes I spread the icing with a knife,

 

And then for others I cut the tip even deeper to create a starred edge.

Then I used it to create this design.

 

 

 

I sprinkled them with red and green sugar sprinkles,

and voila!

 

 

 

I also used the star tip to create this squirly top with the lines like you often find in bakeries.

 

 

 

 

 

Looks fancy! :)

 

 

And in FIFTEEN MINUTES I had decorated a DOZEN cupcakes and there was

NO MESS!

 

 

 I love all the different designs you get with ONE bag!

 

 

The buzzer on my clothes dryer went off so it was time to get dressed and head out to a friend's Christmas party.

 

So I simply threw the empty Oodle Tip bag in the trash, no mess to clean up, and away I went!

 

 

 

 

I decorated an entire dozen in several different designs and only used ONE bag!

 

Just think how much faster you can get sugar cookies decorated, or fill your deviled eggs!

The list of uses goes on and one.

 

I love the Oodle Tip and I am delighted to be able to offer one lucky person a box of their very own Oodle Tip bags with tips!

These will come in so handy for all your holiday baking, Valentines Day sweets, and Easter too.

 

And you can even use them to make yummy drinks like you see here below!

 

 

Just enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win a box for yourself!

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Jennifer

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway