January Photo Challenge

It's getting close to the New Year. A new year - a new monthly photo challenge for January!

Follow me on Instagram at StephRichy to see my daily photo. Let me know if you're taking the challenge - I'd love to see your photos too! I'll be using the hashtag #sbphotochallenge. Please join me & we can share our photos with one another!

Here's January's Photo Challenge:

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Have a wonderful New Year!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to stop in & say a big Merry Christmas & thank you to each of you!

I'm taking a blogging break (as many others are) for the next couple of weeks while we celebrate Christmas - our Saviour's birth. 

Have a wonderful Christmas with your family & loved ones.

I'll be back briefly before the New Year to share the photo challenge for January.

Thanks for your love & support this past year. It's because of each of you that I find blogging very rewarding.

Merry Christmas!

Pretty Ribbon Christmas Card Display

  I'm happy to report that I'm pretty much finished my Christmas preparations.

Shopping?

Check.

Wrapping?

Check.

Baking & Food Gifts?

Check, Check, Check, and Check.

Christmas crafts?

Lots of checks there. And more I would like to add! :)

Decorating?

As of today - check!

I have at last put up my ribbon Christmas card display - the last of my decorating this year.

It's quite easily made with two widths of ribbon (non-wired), some pretty paper clips, & a smaller width of ribbon to attach the paper clips.

Start by cutting your ribbons to the length of your door (or wherever you plan to hang your display). Notch the ends.

Layer the ribbons & pin at alternating lengths, allowing space for both portrait (10") or landscape (7") oriented cards.

Tie small lengths of the narrowest ribbon to your paper clips & stitch to ribbon.

Tack to the top of your door(s) & display your Christmas cards!

Now that my Christmas prep is pretty much done, I can enjoy Christmas break with my family & if I choose to do more crafting or baking, it's just gravy, so to speak. 

I hope you're getting your to do list done & have some time to enjoy the season too.

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Caramel M&M Bars

Are you done your Christmas baking? I was.

Then, I decided I wanted to make these yummy bars to share with you. And hey, my family wasn't complaining. :)

M&M's are my favourite candy - by far. Ask anyone. Okay, ask anyone that knows me.

Caramel M&M Bars  Print Recipe

makes 24 bars

1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1 cup Rice Crispy cereal

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

35 vanilla caramels, unwrapped

1/3 cup milk

1 (14 oz) package of M&M's (I used the Christmas ones), divided

~Heat oven to 350º. Spray 13x9 inch pan with nonstick spray. In large bowl, combine brown sugar & butter; beat until smooth. Stir in oats & cereal. Add flour, baking soda & salt; mix until well blended. **Reserve 3 cups oat mixture for topping.** Press remaining mixture in bottom of sprayed pan. Bake at 350º for 10 minutes.

~Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine caramels & milk. Heat over low heat until caramels are melted & mixture is smooth, stirring constantly.

~Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle 1 cup of the M&M's evenly over base. Drizzle with caramel mixture, being careful not to let caramel touch the sides of the pan. (Sounds like such a little thing, but trust me, you will have a heck of a time getting the bars out of the pan if they are caramel-glued to the sides! I'm speaking from first hand experience here.) Drop reserved oat mixture by heaping teaspoonfuls over caramel mixture. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate pieces.

~Return to oven; bake an additional 20-25 minutes or until centre is set & top is golden brown. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Cut into bars. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. 

 Look at the layers of candy & caramel - delish!

I hope you're having a wonderful countdown to Christmas!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

This recipe featured on:

More Sheet Music Decorations

After last week's sheet music tree ornaments were made & adorning our Christmas tree, I decided I needed some smaller ones to add along with the larger tree fillers. These simple, small decorations are just the ticket!

Here's how to make them:

Cut a sheet of music in half. One sheet will make 2 ornaments.

Roll from either side, making a little scroll. Use some hot glue to secure.

Cut a length of ribbon & hot glue to the bottom of the scroll. 

(Just under the loop in the photo below.)

Tie ribbon into a bow.

Glitter the edges, using whatever colour you like. I used silver on some & blue on some.

Wait for the glitter to dry & hang them on your Christmas tree from the ribbon loops.

Another easy Christmas decoration!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Christmas Banner Tutorial

This past weekend, one of my projects was to make a couple of banners for a friend of mine. Similar to last year's Christmas banner, but with the words "Joy To The World" on in.

I selected some different papers but in the same colour scheme, found some gold ribbon, eyelets, & glitter. Then I went to work.

Here's how I did it:

Using your Cricut, cut out rectangles.

I used the George & Basic Shapes cartridge & used size 5 1/2".

Cut backgrounds out of cream cardstock.

I used the Birthday Bash cartridge & used size 5 1/2" for these as well.

Adhere the cream backgrounds to the pattered rectangles.

Cut out your letters with your Cricut. 

I used the Winter Wonderland cartridge & used size 3".

I also cut out a cute bird & some flourishes to help with the word spacing.

The bird is from the Winter Wonderland cartridge in size 3".

The Flourishes are from the Cindy Loo cartridge in size 2 1/2".

Then add eyelets to the top corners of each rectangle.

I used my Big Bite Crop-a-Dile for this.

Then add glitter along the edges of the cream cardstock. Use a toothpick to correct any mistakes. Trust me, it works like a charm!

I use Stickles glitter glue.

Wait for the glitter to dry & then thread ribbon through holes.

Hang it wherever you wish...

 ... and enjoy it for the entire Christmas season!

I really love the glittery shimmer of all the gold on this banner - not usually my style, but beautiful! 

I hope I've inspired you to try making a banner of your own to help you celebrate the Christmas season.

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

This project featured on:

Peppermint Meltaway Cookies

This past Saturday, some friends of mine organized a Christmas cookie exchange. It was a great success & I have to tell you how nice it is to have a HUGE chunk of my Christmas baking stroked off of my Christmas to-do list!

We each made 8 dozen of one type of cookie & this is the one I chose to make. They are delicious & literally melt in your mouth. So. Very. Yummy. It's like Christmas in your mouth. :)

**Update: for those of you that have been asking, these are similar to a shortbread cookie. You really could change up the flavours however you wanted!**

Peppermint Meltaway Cookies   Print recipe

Original Source: Taste Of Home

1 cup butter, softened - make sure it’s at room temperature or you won’t have good results.

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch (yes, you read that right - 1/2 cup)

Frosting:

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons 2% milk

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies (I use candy canes)

In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extract. Combine flour and cornstarch; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Shape into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

In a small bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, & extract; beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cookies; sprinkle with crushed candies. Store in an airtight container. 

Yield: approx. 3 1/2 dozen.

Have you ever done a cookie exchange? What's your go-to cookie recipe? 

I sure hope my friends make this an annual event because I think it's a fabulous idea!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

and The Country Cook

This recipe featured on:

Sheet Music Tree Filler Ornaments

I found this neat sheet music tree ornament idea at a home decor store done slightly different & thought I could easily tweak it a bit to fit into my Christmas decor. Happily, I was right! It was really easy to make these cute tree fillers! 

For those of you who don't know what I mean by "tree fillers", here's my definition: Christmas decorations that don't hang on the branches but sit on the branches. I use twiggy things & sprigs of silver leaves, & now these little goodies on my Christmas tree.

Here's the how to:

Start with:

• Sheet Music
• Birds (or other decoration) on a wire stick
• Decorating twigs (I used glittery blue & silver ones)
• Hot glue gun
• Tape
• Wire cutters or pliers with wire cutters

Roll the sheet music & tape.

Take the wired birds & bend the wire into a "J" shape to start if off before you wrap it around the sheet music. If you don't, you'll crush the music.

Now wrap the wire around the rolled sheet music.

Cut some twigs off of the bunches you have, using wire cutters or pliers, arrange & glue the around the bird.

They were so fast to make too. I made 6 & it took me maybe half an hour - I'm happy about that!

What do you think? I'm slowly, but surely giving my Christmas tree decor a little makeover. And I'm doing it DIY style too! Next week, I'll have another sheet music ornament to show you as well as a tree topper. (Can you see a theme developing here? I can, and I love it!)

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!