3 Random Things

I am never one to say that the world revolves around things. However, I’d be remiss to ignore a few things I’ve discovered in the past week that I believe are going to make our next little cold spell a little brighter. Needless to say, I couldn’t resist sharing…

Thigh Highs

I *adore* wearing skirts, but I abhor wearing tights! They always give me a tummy ache. And can you properly enjoy the season of comfort food with a tummy ache? Solution: thigh highs. They’re so much more comfortable and (BONUS) they also happen to be super sexy! Trust me: your significant other will *love* them!

Woodwick Candles

Woodwick candles are something I discovered through the *lovely* Julie Leah’s twitter feed. While I was at work one day, she tweeted that she was curled up on the couch, reading a book, and listening to the crackle of a fireplace… kind of. (Bless her heart, right?) Well, as it turns out Woodwick candles are regular candles with a long burn life that sounds like the crackle of wood burning because they have wood wicks–hence, the name. Anyway, I ordered mine immediately!

MOR Lotion

One of the art directors at work was sweet enough to include a MOR lotion in my Christmas gift, and I believe I am hooked! Not only is the lotion super silky, it smells divine!

Momma’s Fantasy Fudge

Thanks to Pinterest, I have been finding so many great recipes lately, and this afternoon I plan on sharing a few of my favorites on Twitter & Facebook. But first, I thought I’d share one of our favorite family recipes. This time of year, we keep the ingredients on hand for easy access on a rainy Friday night or a snowed-in school day. I prefer peanut butter fudge as you can tell from the pic below, but the recipe can be for both chocolate and peanut butter fudge… it all depends on what chips you use!

Momma’s Easy Fantasy Fudge

Prepare a 13×9 or 9 inch square pan by lightly greasing it before starting your recipe. You will need a 4 quart microwavable bowl for this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks butter

3 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 package (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips, plus 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter)

1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

1.) Microwave butter one minute or until melted.

2.) Add sugar and evaporated milk; mix well.

3.) Microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes, stirring after 3 minutes. Mix well; scrape bowl. Then microwave on HIGH for another 5 minutes, stirring after 3 minutes. It’ll be boiling like crazy.

4.) Gradually stir in chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients, in order listed; mix well.
Pour into prepared pan. Cool at room temperature before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container. Makes 3 pounds.

Tips & Tricks from Momma:

If you are making this recipe with peanut butter, the reason for the 1/2 cup peanut butter addition is that the peanut butter chips come in a smaller weight than the chocolate.

One word of warning: I’ve always made several batches of fudge in a row. I learned the hard way that your spoon needs to be completely dry when you add and stir in the chips and marshmallow creme. I used to stir with my favorite wooden spoon and would wash it in between batches of fudge. The wooden spoon tended to not be completely dry when I’d work with it on the second batch. What happened is that the fudge would suddenly turn grainy and harden much too fast to work with. I learned my lesson…and in the process, realized that an introduction of another liquid such as vanilla flavoring should always be added right at the end of the recipe!

P.S. Don’t forget to check Twitter & Facebook this afternoon to see some of my favorite Pinterest recipes! #BellesPinterestFinds

Giving Thanks

If your mother raised you right (or if she didn’t and you’re trying desperately to make up for it) there is one thing that must be at the top of your ToDo list this week: Send out those thank you notes! If you completed them last night, congratulations! If not: shame on you–sitting here reading blogs instead of getting things done. Lucky for you, I’ve got a few tips to get you back on track.

1. Pick your stationery.

It’s best if your stationery matches your personality…

“The letter we all love to receive is one that carries so much of the writer’s personality that she seems to be sitting beside us, looking at us directly and talking as she really would, could she have come on a magic carpet, instead of sending her proxy in ink-made characters on mere paper.”
-Emily Post

classic | postcard | kitschy cute

*Of Note: I carry those postcards from Rifle Paper Co. in my purse. You know, just in case!

2. Be specific.

A generic thank you note is your way of saying, “I really like getting stuff, and I am happy you’re here to serve me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.” Instead, be a little chatty…

Start with a greeting.
Say thank you for the specific gift / meal / party.
Note something specific: What do you like about the gift? Is the gift useful? Was the entrée at the dinner especially noteworthy? Were you excited to meet X person at the party?
End with something pleasant. (ex: “Hope to see you again soon.” “We’ll think of you when we drink that bottle of Beaujolais.” “Hope the rest of your year is just as festive.”)

3. Finally, a little inspiration.

{ source }

*Also, please remember: Better late than never! It is never too late to say thank you.

A Little Mood Music

I am a Spotify zealot and iTunes devotee so mood music for the season is a must. With that said, I’ve had several requests for Christmas music lately so I thought I would just do a little post about some of my favorite albums to keep on in the background while baking cookies, opening presents, and drinking champagne. Enjoy!

Pops Christmas Party | Arthur Fiedler

Joy to the World | Pink Martini

The Nutcracker Suite | Duke Ellington

Christmas | Michael Bublé

Crescent City Christmas Card | Wynton Marsalis

CeeLo’s Magic Moment | CeeLo Green

A Charlie Brown Christmas | Vince Guaraldi Trio

Miracle on 34th Street Soundtrack

Silver & Gold | Sufjan Stevens

A Merry Christmas | Stan Kenton

The Stan Kenton Christmas Carols | Boston Brass & the Brass All-Stars Big Band

The Belle Elsewhere

Yesterday, I got to share a little holiday How-To over on Inspire Me Grey. Click on over to see how easy it is to make this little mistletoe of your own… perfect for hanging, for wrapping gifts, or as a hostess gift!

Decking the Halls

I always *love* having our home decorated for the holidays! And, I must tell you, this Christmas is even better because I’ve had the chance to make so many of the decorations myself. So I thought I’d share a little peek inside…

{ Click here to see the Christmas collage How-To. }

{ Click here to see my Card Wreath How-To on DIYNetwork.com. }

There are decorations all over the house, but I cannot seem to pull myself away from the living room. What about you? Do you have favorite room in your house during the holidays?

Hello, Gorgeous!

Today’s random links are chosen in honor of one of the festive colors of the holiday season. Despite the fact that I may have said in a recent video, “Red is your grandmother’s color,” I really do love wearing red year round. However, it always feels most appropriate during Christmas, don’t you think? So today, I thought we would take a cue from ol’ Gwynnie, dab on a little red lipstick, and heat things up a bit…

Watch

White Christmas, of course! There are 2 particularly fabulous red outfits in this movie. The first being the red gloves worn by the sisters during the minstrel number & “Mandy,” and the second being the red & white Claus-esque garb the cast wears for the finale. Which is your favorite?

Read

Diana Vreeland is known as the queen mother of the color Red. She surrounded herself by it and wore it religiously. Thus, it is only appropriate that a retrospective of her work would have a deep red cover. I found this book years ago in an antique store and have regretted not buying it ever since. One of my favorite Vreeland quotes:

“Red is the great clarifier – bright, cleansing, revealing.
It makes all colors beautiful.
I can’t imagine being bored with it – it would be like becoming tired
of the person you love.”

Wear

My first pick would be this red sequin body suit that I am coveting from Patricia Field. However, if that is a bit risqué for your taste, might I suggest a trusty tube of the perfect shade of red? MAC has numerous shades and all of the MAC ladies are trained to help you find the perfect shade. I’m a ‘Russian Red.’

Cue Andy Williams Singing

Hello, Monday! It is officially “the most wonderful time of the year,” and if you’re anything like me, your holiday cards have yet to be sent, you haven’t bought half the gifts yet, and all you really want to do is hunker down for a long winter’s nap.

Perhaps your life is not feeling nearly as glamorous as you thought it would on December 17th, but that’s why I’m here: to remind you that if Jackie Kennedy can look this disheveled in a Christmas picture, then you can too! “Living a beautiful life” is an art form, and sometimes every belle needs a little helper. Enter, the Belle’s Little Sanity Saver…

Belle’s Little Sanity Saver

ingredients:
2 oz. Vodka of choice (I’m a Grey Goose gal.)
1 oz. Simply Apple Juice
.5 oz. Appleton Jamaica Rum

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

1.) Fill cocktail shaker with ice and ingredients.

2.) Shake & serve in a chilled martini glass.

Hello, Gorgeous!

Alright, so we are “Hello, Gorgeous”-ing a day late, but these random links are still going to put a smile on your face! Promise.

Read

Yesterday, I shared some of my favorite holiday books over on English Muse. The one pictured (Christmas at the New Yorker) is particularly fantastic. My mother-in-law got it for me several years ago, and it’s the perfect collection of essays to read curled up on the couch. Click here to see the full list.

Listen

I was so excited to find this recording of David Sedaris reading Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol, one of my favorite selections from his book “Holidays on Ice.”

By the way, the prologue of this episode is also really great. Host Ira Glass gives a little background on Sedaris and, as it turns out, David has some seriously fab views on gift-giving!

Look

Last year, I ran across these photos of the Queen at Christmas, which I pinned to my “Royalty” pinboard. I thought I’d post a link to them today because I thought of them again when I happened upon this really amazing recording…

Listen

Click here to listen to Queen Elizabeth’s first Christmas Day address. She was 14 and the year was 1940. She already sounds like a young leader as she attempts to reassure the children that have been evacuated to the countryside during the war.

Life Lessons from George Bailey

When I was growing up, my family’s tradition was to decorate the Christmas tree while watching It’s a Wonderful Life. I like to think that the movies one watches during the holidays say a lot about him or her and his or her family. For instance, the first year I celebrated Christmas with my in-laws they watched Gran Torino after opening presents. (For the record, after being scarred for life, I now pick the post-present movie.) So I thought that as this holiday season really begins to get ramped up, it’s only appropriate that I share a few of the life lessons that I took in after countless viewings of The Life & Times of George Bailey…