B-Movie Star

Sure, it's early, but Designs In Digital wants to help you be ready for the Holidays, and there's  no better way to get ready for the holidays than to head over to Designs In Digital and get on Board Santa's Digi Express! What is this crazy train you might ask?  Well, it's a way for you to create your  holiday cards, holiday letters, gift card holders,  gift tags, party invites, and MORE!!!

Santa's bag is loaded with awesome mini kits created by pairs of designers - you pick up the mini kits and use them to create awesome holiday projects. For every challenge you complete and post to the gallery you get a chance of winning the DAILY PRIZE!!

The Grab Bag Kit, smorgasbord of awesome materials, arrive in the shop November 1st . . .  Challenges will be posted beginning November 15th and Santa’s Digi Express leaves Designs In Digital on November 25th so hurry and join the fun before it is gone!

Check out the forum at Designs In Digital for more details. If you are new to Designs and Digital or to the SDE - don't be shy - everyone is nice there and will be glad to help you out or answer any questions you have.  This event is known for being tons of FUN!!! Plus, you'll be creating gifts and holiday materials - what could be better than that? Oh, yeah, getting free prizes - which you can!!! oh yeah!

All this sounds pretty awesome doesn't it?

Well guess what? Santa's elves want to get this party started early! So they created a double edged challenge!! What does that mean? Well you get two chances to win!!

Come over the DID fan page at Facebook, become a fan, get friends to join and post a comment.. If we reach 1000 fans by November 1st, 3 commenters on the Facebook site will win the SDE kit for free!
AND/OR

Come on over to DID, tell us you are going to join us in the fun, and on November 1st I will randomly pick 2 commenters to win the SDE kit!!

Remember you need the kit to to play along and win more awesome prizes and coupons, so this would make your chances a heck of a lot easier!!

You are going to have so much fun this year!!!  And while you are at the site, join in a few of our regular challenges, each one earns you points and each point is worth money off  items in the shops, no conditions apply!!

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Last night we kicked off the Countdown to Chrismtas by watching "It's a Wonderful Life."  I love that movie - everything about that movie! Even David gets teary eyed at the end when George Bailey realizes that he's the richest man in town.  There are a lot of great Christmas movies - and some that I hope to never see again. Picking your favorites is almost like shooting fish in a barrel.  Here are my top Christmas Favorites - I doubt there are any suprises here!

10.  Home Alone. This movie always makes me laugh. I guess because it's really just a live action cartoon, like Tom and Jerry. I also like Home Alone 2, but after that I recommend avoiding them!

9.  Frosty the Snowman - all the Rankin Bass Video have good Christmas memories, but I always wanted Frosty to stay LONGER!!!!

8.  How the Grinch Stole Christmas - the cartoon version narrated by Boris Karloff.  Don't even get me started on that live action verison.

7. A Charlie Brown Christmas

6.  Christmas with the Joker. Yeah, well it's a tradition in MY family! When Gabby was little she thought this is how the song Jingle Bells really went. When she got to preschool and everyone was singing something else, she didn't know what was going on.  I know, we've scared her.

5.  Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  For all the misfits in the world! (Don't you love that fat little snowman (Burl Ives) who narrates, and all those decorated trees!)

4. The Nightmare Before Christmas - come on, this is one of my all time favorite movies for just any day, so of course I'm going to watch it during Christmas!

3.  A Christmas Carol. I love all the versions really - even Scrooged with Bill Murray.  I watch whichever one is on, but I think the one with Patrick Stewart is great - and of course the Muppet version - that one rocks!

2.  It's A Wonderful Life. If you don't like this movie, your heart is three sizes too small.

1. A Christmas Story. I know I know they play it 24 hours straight, but it just never gets old to me.  I love everything about this movie.  HO HO HO!

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So, in my efforts to countdown to Christmas I'm going to do some posts about my favorite holiday things - and yes, one of them is PEPPERMINT! Love it! Love candy canes, love red and white, love the cold way your breath feels when you eat them.  I usually have a pocketful of mini candy canes or peppermint discs - my family laughs at me because I'm always offering them peppermints because I believe that they are a cure-all for whatever ails you.  Seriously, I think they are!

Well, one of my favorite things during December is that Peppermint finally gets some love! Here are some wonderful ways to use peppermint this season!

Peppermint Bark Candy - we make this candy every year, it's incredibly easy to make and delicious

Ingredients

* Crushed candy canes, to yield 1 cup
* 2 pounds white chocolate
* Peppermint flavorings, optional

Directions

Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate (add peppermint flavoring at this point if desired.) Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces (like peanut brittle.)

Here's another lovely version of Peppermint Bark Candy (this would also be nice for Valentine's Day)

Peppermint Bark Hearts

Ingredients:

* 26 peppermint candy canes (2 1/2 inch)
* 6oz. vanilla flavored candy coating (Bark Bars), chopped
* 2 tsp. peppermint candies or candy canes, crushed

Instructions

Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.  Arrange candy canes on paper in groups of 2 in a heart shape.

Melt vanilla bark squares in a double boiler or in the microwave. Stir until smooth and completely melted.

Spoon or pipe candy coating into centers of hearts to fill spaces.  Smooth with a toothpick or bamboo skewer.  Sprinkle with crushed candy canes.  Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes or until set.

It's also nice to dip candy canes or peppermint stick into the melted vanilla bark (or chocolate bark) and then decorate with colorful sprinkles.

Another great recipe to make and give for the holidays is White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

Ingredients

* 1-1/2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup butter, softened, divided
* 2 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 12 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped
* 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
* 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy
* 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions

* Line a 9-in. square pan with foil. Grease the foil with 1-1/2 teaspoons butter; set aside.
* In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, sour cream and remaining butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a rapid boil; cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 234° (soft-ball stage), about 5 minutes.
* Remove from the heat; stir in white chocolate and marshmallow creme until melted. Fold in peppermint candy and extract. Pour into prepared pan. Chill until firm.
* Using foil, lift fudge out of pan. Gently peel off foil; cut fudge into 1-in. squares. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 pounds

Here are a few more recipes I found on the Internet

Heart Shaped Peppermint Patties from Erin Cooks

Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies ( So beautiful aren't they?)

Peppermint Chocolate Cake Using Celestial Seasoning Tea!

Here's another wonderful gift giving idea - Peppermint Stick Coca from Sunset Magazine

And now for something completely different - Peppermint Foot Scrub - mmmmm sounds fantastic!

Here's a nice way to incorporate candy canes into your decor. The place setting came from . . . crap, I can't find where this came from - sorry! If you know let me know, thanks!

Lastly, here's a lovely print from Myan Photography on Etsy - so dreamy!

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Here is a down-loadable Advent Calendar for you! I've made one with a list of activities, and also a blank one so you don't like the activities I've chosen, you can fill it up with activities that your family enjoys.

To construct the calendar, all you need to do is print both pages of the calendar onto card stock. Take an x-acto knife and cut each numbered box on THREE sides to make a little "door." Then glue the page with the activities onto the back of the numbered "doors" so that when you open a numbered door you can read the activity on the second page.

Have fun counting down to Christmas!

Page One of the Free Downloadable Advent Calendar

Page Two of the Free Downloadable Advent Calendar

Blank Advent Calendar

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Okay, so I have to share some Christmas highlights with you - since I haven't really written too much about them. First, was this Christmas goose! He was hanging out at our local Pizza Hut. He was just laying in the snow all by himself and when I tried to take his photo, he got all indignant and honked and me. The  nerve! When we asked about him inside they didn't really know too much about him, but they were feeding him - so I guess he was doing okay - just hanging out for Christmas! [More]

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The Grinch looked around.
"But since reindeer are scarce, there was none to be found.
Did that stop the old Grinch...?
No! The Grinch simply said,
"If I can't find a reindeer, I'll make one instead!"
So he called his dog Max. Then he took some red thread
And he tied a big horn on top of his head. "

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I've been busy here lately making and baking. I think I could apply to be one of Santa's elves. Well, I certainly don't meet the size requirement, but hey it's not like Santa and his wife are Skinny-Minnies either!

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I don't know about you, but I think I'll skip the whole shopping madness today. I know it's not Advent quite yet, but I thought this was appropriate for today.

For more information go here

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