Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday seasons!

Love, Then NG's

Magical Christmas

I LOVE Christmas! It's so important to remember the reason for the season, which is Jesus's birth! Now, that I have a precious baby boy, I love to make it a magical time as well! For so many reasons, Christmas is magical! The joy, laughter, fun, trees, lights, decor and spending time with family! Here's some pictures of our magical Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

Enjoy!

~T

Tepee / Table & Chairs / Baby Jammies 

DIY Press for Champagne Gift Box

For Christmas, I gave some of these "Press for Champagne" gift boxes. I'm obsessed with anything white, gold and glitter! I knew I wanted to give a personalized fun gift and these were exactly that! These would make great NYE hostess gifts as well! 

Here's what they included:

DIY "Press for Champagne" frame (DIY tutorial here)

Glitter champagne bottles (DIY tutorial here)

Champagne glasses (Ikea)

Monogram mugs (Anthropologie) filled with homemade gold glitter marshmallows (recipe here)

Monogram Hangers

Paper polka-dot straws (Target)

Enjoy!
~T

DIY Press for Champagne

I came across an adorable press for champagne button that was framed out! I instantly knew I wanted one, but found the price at $70. I decided to DIY it. In the end, it only ended up costing $4.47! The DIY version does not come with champagne delivered by a butler. Sorry! I love pairing it with a bottle of champagne that is covered in glitter! Here's my blog post on DIY Glittered Champagne Bottles. 

   

The original "Press for Champagne" botton came from the Montage Bevery Hills Hotel. 

At Montage Beverly Hills, Designer Nina Petronzio of Plush Home delved into the 1940s with Deco flair. It features a button labeled “Press for Champagne” that dispatches a waiter dressed in a tuxedo to deliver your bubbly. 

Inspiration:

                                                       

                                                      Montage Beverly Hills Luxury Hotel   

                                              

                                                         Photo from Etsy: Lisa Golightly 

Here's my DIY:

Ornate Frame: Urban Outfitters (already owned)

 Sharpie: gold

Paper: shimmer pink and velum

Door Bell: Home Depot

Instructions:

Print out "Press for Champagne" on velum paper. I used a deep gold color (comes through on photos as pink). I backed the velum with a light pink shimmer paper. Place the papers in the frame. 

For the door bell, I used metal cutting scissors to cut the tiny screws down and then hot glued them to the door bell. Hot glue (low heat) the door bell to the paper. You can hot glue cardboard to the back of the door bell and then hot glue that to the paper. 

If you want the distressed gold look on the frame, just take a gold sharpie and run it over the ornate edges. You can also take sand paper to the edges. 

That's it!! 

Oh....make sure you don't run out of champagne when you have guests over! ;)

DIY Glitter Champagne Bottles

I love anything that sparkles!! 

It just brings some glamour to your life! Glittered champagne bottles....well that just brings more fun to the party! 

These make great gifts and decor and are so easy to make!! 

Here's my DIY Glitter Champagne Bottle:

Supplies:

Champagne Bottle: Large or mini bottles

Glitter: I used gold glitter, but you can use any color!

Mod Podge

Small Paint Brush

Directions:

Use the small paint brush to cover the bottle in Mod Podge. You can cover the label or leave it visible. After the bottle is covered in Mod Podge, pour the glitter over the glue. Make sure to have some paper underneath to collect the glitter that falls, so you can put it back in the container. Let the champagne bottle dry. 

Enjoy! ~T

Stuffed Pumpkin with Cheese, Bacon and Chipotle Chiles

Someone told me about this recipe from the Homesick Texan and I immediately knew I HAD to make it! Not only is the presentation cute and festive, but it tastes AMAZING! You can never go wrong with chipotle chiles in adobe sauce. 

Enjoy! ~t

Ingredients:
One 3-to-4 pound pumpkin
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 ounces French bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 pound Gruyere, shredded (1 cup)
1/4 pound white cheddar, shredded (1 cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 or 2 chipotle chiles en adobo, diced (depending on how fiery you want it)
1/4 pound cooked bacon, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Small pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

Method:
Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 casserole pan or baking pan with foil or parchment paper.

With a sharp knife, cut a circle around the pumpkin stem about 1 inch away from the stem. Remove the top and clean out the seeds and stringy bits from inside the pumpkin. (You can save the seeds for roasting, if you like.) Lightly salt and pepper the inside of the pumpkin.

Toss together the bread cubes, shredded Gruyere, shredded cheddar, garlic, diced chipotle chiles and cooked bacon, and stuff into the pumpkin. Stir the cumin and nutmeg into the cream, adding a bit of salt and black pepper to taste. Pour cream mixture into pumpkin over bread and cheese.

Place the top back on the pumpkin, and place the pumpkin into the baking pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hour to 2 hours or until filling is brown and bubbling. To serve, remove the top and spoon out portions of the filling along with bits of the cooked pumpkin. You can either leave it in the pan, or by using the foil or parchment paper, you can carefully lift it out of the pan and place it on a platter. Serve warm.

Yield: 4 servings