Hey friends, happy weekend and welcome to today’s Kitchen Reveal party. Wish I’d baked gingersnaps and made party punch for the occasion. We started kitchen remodeling back in February and finally, we’re crossing the finish line.

A few little odds and ends remain, like finishing the trim paint, ceiling touch up, cabinet lighting etc. But nothing major. The last cabinet door was hung on Wednesday, so woohoo!

You may remember what our kitchen looked like before. (This picture was taken in January.)

And then we had a family demolition derby day in February and it looked like this. (All the holes in the wall are where the former backsplash was. The sheetrock had to be CUT out, as we couldn’t pry the tiles off the wall, no matter how hard we tried.)

We sold the cabinets on Craig’s List and almost got scammed in the process. Almost being the operative word. We learned a lot.

And now… it looks like this! It came out very close to how I imagined it would. (Guessing my Jon is just sighing with relief to see these words, lol.)

We ripped out this side counter and cabinets. Then extended the doorframe to the right by just a few inches so it would accommodate a pantry six inches wider. That’s a lot of extra storage space floor to ceiling, and so glad we went that route.

AND HERE’S THE DOUBLE WALL OVEN AND PANTRY!!!! (I’m not excited or anything.)

We went back and forth about getting a single or double wall oven, but I’m so glad we went with the double.

I’ve already used both wall ovens simultaneously a number of times. We were also able to find a much better deal on a double wall oven and separate 36″ gas cooktop, rather than a single wall oven plus a 36″ slide-in range with gas cooktop, which was the alternative. We managed to save several thousand dollars doing it this way and still got the two ovens and a cooktop, just a different configuration.

An awesome pantry feature is the slide out drawers inside, so it’s easy and convenient to find things. Though I do need a step stool to reach the upper cabinet shelves.

The original stainless slide-in range we sold on Craigslist. It was in great shape, but I was itching for a gas cooktop like we had at our previous home. I really prefer cooking with gas. Thankfully we already have a gas line for the furnace and hot water heater, so it was just a matter of diverting it to the new cooktop.

So I’m thrilled with the new gas cooktop. It’s 36″ wide, which is 6″ wider than the previous 30″ slide-in range was. It’s amazing how spacious that extra 6″ on the cooktop makes it feel. Plus an extra burner in the middle. The double wall oven freed up the space below this cooktop for storage drawers underneath for pots and pans.

Note the pot filler above the cooktop, on the back wall to the right. This was very inexpensive, less than a $100, and a no brainer once the sheetrock was already cut out because of the backsplash. You do have to get behind the sheetrock to plumb a pot filler, so it may not be an option for everyone, unless you can get behind your wall to plumb.

I’ve already used the pot filler numerous times, most recently when making a big pot of pea soup with our leftover Easter ham bone, which is actually cooking in the pot above. It was very delicious with homemade johnny cake FYI.

There was an extra three inches of cabinet space underneath the cooktop counter. Our cabinet guy suggested we put in a filler panel, but we’d seen this neat slide-out spice drawer which only takes, drumroll please…. exactly 3″ of space! YES!!!

I’m not necessarily an organized person (I see those smirks) but I’d like to be. And this spice rack is a move in the right direction!

I sold my former KitchenAid stand mixer (from the late 90’s) in a local Facebook yard sale group, and got one a little bigger and more powerful. KitchenAids are a great investment for your kitchen and really hold their value, FYI.

(I found this out when I had more than 25 on-line offers for my old KitchenAid, which was already refurbished when I bought it.)

We chose brushed nickel for most of the fixtures and kept an industrial feel. Some of my favorite features are the pot filler, the faucet, the amazing light over the kitchen sink, handmade by MoonStone Fox, and the pedestal lights suspended over the island.

We also installed a hot water dispenser, so now we can have tea, oatmeal and hot chocolate in an instant without putting on the kettle.

We were able to tie in the breakfast nook on the opposite end of the kitchen, using this scratch and dent kitchen armoire we bought years ago at the Williams Sonoma outlet in SC.

I’ve  always loved the clean look, and chose the shaker white kitchen cabinets based on the armoire lines. (Auntie M, note your Thistle Hill Pottery plate on upper left.  )

Love this pendant fixture. Found it online at Pottery Barn and scooped it up on a one day clearance sale in January. Score! I spend a lot of time working at this table because the lighting is great and the bird feeder isn’t far. I can’t resist a free show!

Love having my feathered friends nearby. Re: the light fixture above: be warned. It’s a serious dust catcher, but worth it (to me anyway) for the look.

Things we learned:

• We tried not to reinvent the wheel. In other words, the overall layout of the kitchen was already a good design and worked well, so we didn’t mess with it.
• You’ll note there are very few cabinets with doors, mostly pull-out drawers. That’s what’s recommended these days. So much easier to access the prized skillet rolling out a drawer than getting down on your hands and knees, peering into dark cabinet shelves.
• Our subscription to Consumer Reports was helpful, but nowhere near as helpful as just looking things up on Amazon and other sites. Consumer Reports was limited to just the models that they had tested.
• Do your homework ahead of time and always always always compare prices, especially for the bigger ticket items. We compared prices for cabinets and checked out reviews. And we had the quartz countertops quoted at four different shops. It was the fourth one, Granite Plus in Chelmsford, MA we visited that was $1K cheaper, and we got excellent customer service from start to finish.
• There’s a big difference between granite, quartz and quartzite in the countertop world. Granite is a natural stone, less expensive but porous and requires occasional sealing. Quartz is more expensive than granite, man-made, but more durable and virtually maintenance free. And quartzite is natural stone but more expensive than quartz. (Soapstone is beautiful too but out of our budget.) We also considered butcher block, but didn’t want the maintenance.
• We shopped around and shopped around, and Sears was by far the most competitively priced option for the wall ovens and gas cooktop. The customer service however, was a nightmare. Bear that in mind. So frustrating. Sale prices online wouldn’t show up in the online cart, and it ended up being weeks before we finally got everything straightened out with multiple phone calls, talking to people halfway around the world. Sears online and in-store seem to be in competition with each other, making it nearly impossible to resolve anything locally if you have an on-line issue.
• We were committed to doing this project for cash, so we set a budget and stuck with it. While I love how everything turned out, there were many more expensive options and I had to resist splurging. Like a copper hammered range hood for example. Lol. Maybe someday. I did however splurge on a smaller item, the handmade industrial light fixture above the kitchen sink. It was definitely worth the splurge and makes a statement, but wasn’t a huge ticket item.
• So glad we sold everything we could from the old kitchen on-line: stove, cabinets, microwave, etc. That hugely helped reduce our overall cost.
• We were able to avoid replacing the flooring, refrigerator and dishwasher (which was fairly new anyway.) This was a big savings!
• You can pay a lot for Italian subway tile online. It’s lovely, but we didn’t want to spend the pesos there. We got ours inexpensively at Home Depot and used gray grout (rather than white) because it’s easier to keep clean.
• I’m glad we had the cabinets built all the way to the ceiling. It cuts down on dust, and is a cleaner classic look, with great storage in the upper cabinets for things we don’t often use.

What we would have done differently:

• Thankfully, not too much! We did our homework first.
• When the dishwasher is open and the trash drawer on the island is open simultaneously, it’s tight. It works, but we should’ve staggered those better.
• The pot filler should have been installed a little lower, though it works perfectly. I probably would have mounted it one row of subway tile down. It’s tough to figure out where to mount, because you have to plumb it and set the height before you even have countertops or the range top installed. It’s a guessing game. I think we were afraid it might land too low, so ended up overcompensating and mounting it a little high. That’s ok, it still works great, but might be helpful for you to know.
• We would have found a way to make the microwave a built-in, rather than sitting on a shelf. There were many options we looked at, but in retrospect, I think we could have installed it from above, attached underneath a cabinet, as if it were installed over a range. That would have given a cleaner look.

How we saved $:

• Didn’t hire a designer.
• Contracted it ourselves.
• Removed the old cabinets and backsplash ourselves.
• Jon did all the painting.
• Spent time and shopped around for the best prices and value.
• Sold everything we could from our old kitchen to help finance the new one.
• Didn’t get derailed from our budget and splurged on just a few key items: countertops and lighting.
• Amazon was the best for shopping, comparison pricing and on-line reviews. We bought most of the kitchen fixtures, including the stainless range hood on Amazon. Prices were excellent and shipping was free with Amazon prime.
• Kept several existing appliances and the wood flooring.

I’m so glad we kept the kitchen island countertop free of sinks, cooktop, etc. A lot of designs featured built-ins like that. But our kitchen island is invaluable for entertaining with extra seating and space for food. It’s also perfect for rolling out cookies and pie dough. We installed outlets on either end and that works great for mixers/blenders and plugging in my photography lighting.

Jon and I also recently discovered late one night last week that the island makes an awesome laundry folding station when we’re working in tandem on mega laundry.

All along, we kept in mind that a kitchen remodel is one of the best investments you can make in a home. You nearly always get your money back in the long run. And since I’m a food blogger, it was a no brainer for us.

I’ve had friends ask, after seeing the finished kitchen – ‘how in the world did you even know where to start?’ Well, we just went step by step, like everything else, in layers.

Looked at design pics. first to figure out what we liked. Then started with pricing the biggest pieces of the puzzle: the cabinets, appliances, countertops and contractor labor.

Once we found our contractor, we talked through timing, pricing and availability. Once we had those big pieces in place, I started shopping on-line for lighting fixtures, sink, sink fixtures, cabinet hardware, etc. So we went from broad to narrow, and that worked well for us.

We also ordered everything ahead of time and had it here waiting in the garage before the contractor even arrived, with just a few exceptions. This saved time, money, and kept us from wasting the contractor’s time too.

Many thanks to everyone who has been cheering us on during this project, thank you. It’s been fun cataloguing the journey here.

It was quite a marathon, but is already making such a huge difference to work/live in a light and airy, bright kitchen with great storage. We’re thankful and blessed.

Please don’t hesitate to ask questions about the process or share your thoughts. Always love hearing from you.

Wishing you a peaceful, joyful spring weekend doing whatever you love. (I’m potting pansies today.)

XOXO,

allie

The post Real Deal: Kitchen Reveal! Before & After appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Hey friends – happy weekend to you! Hope it’s a great one. We continue forward with our kitchen renovations here – and it won’t be long ’til running water, gas cooktop and ovens happen. (Translation: a real meal that doesn’t involve the electric griddle.) Hopefully this coming week, fingers crossed. And no. more. blizzards.

Posting Kitchen Ideas here to give you hints of our kitchen reno if you’re into that kind of thing. Especially if you’ve got a remodel on the horizon or are on the fence about it.

Truth is, I’ve felt like a crazy woman these last few weeks. Yesterday I made a beef stew with the electric griddle and slow cooker balanced on a plywood plank stretched between counter frames. A balancing act. Just call me Pioneer Woman.

That same day the big nor’easter hit us hard, and I was bundled up to my eyes refilling the backyard feeder in 18″ of white for my feathered friends. That would be Tundra Woman. Me.

Then my asthma kicked in with all the mudding, spackling, sanding etc. and I had to wear a ridiculous white dust mask around my own house for days. Bird Flu Woman? LOL. (I’ll answer to plain Crazy too.)

Jon and I were in the paint store yesterday picking out the wall color and the guy at the counter mentions the coming storm.

Naive me: What storm?

Him: You didn’t hear? Another nor’easter’s on the way, arriving Monday or Tuesday.

Me: For real? (Jaw drops a mile. Or three.)

And all I can muster back: “So don’t shoot the messenger, right?”

Folks, it’s MARCH. April showers bring… May flowers. So what do March blizzards bring? Give it time. Then mud. M-U-D. In my sparkling white kitchen no less. Funny. (Or not.) The grand prize for March blizzards is mud.

Posting some Kitchen Ideas and pics about the journey today, sharing some of our choices. It’s amazing, there are SO MANY choices out there and it’s dizzying even knowing where to begin.

Pot fillers are a fun new accessory. Install above your stove top for effortless pot and kettle filling.

If you’re thinking about kitchen remodeling, start looking at kitchen ideas in home decorating magazines, online decorating sites and Pinterest.

Shaker white cabinets by Forevermark. (This isn’t our kitchen, but similar cabinets.)

Pore over lots of kitchen pictures to see what you like. Think of kitchens you’ve been in and love – family and friends’ kitchens. Even kitchens you don’t like. (Why don’t you like it?) The tough thing then, is to break down the why. Why do you like a particular look? What reels you in? Is it color? Style? Cabinets? Appliances? Floor? Lighting? And then note the individual components that contribute towards the look and feel you like.

For instance, do you like wood cabinets? Dark or light? Painted? Stained? Or maybe you’re drawn to white? Do you like lots of moldings and bevels? Or simple clean lines. Do you like living with neutrals and muted colors, or color drama?

When I was in my twenties, I loved bold color and lots of it. But as we were looking at homes for sale last year, I found I’m drawn to quieter, more muted color palettes now, with color pops here and there.

My girlfriend J put this fixture in her kitchen (different finish) and I love it! (Photo creds: thanks Moonstone Fox !)

Not sure if it’s my age or styles have changed dramatically. But with this kitchen remodel, I’m going for light and bright, clean, classic lines, neutral colors and an industrial flavor.

My sister has a hot water dispenser and finds it… indispensable! Make tea, hot cocoa or oatmeal at a moment’s notice, no stovetop necessary. Mounts next to the kitchen sink faucet.

And I have to say, as it’s all coming together… I’m loving it! I know this farmhouse/industrial mix was the right choice for us, but everyone has different tastes and house style to work with. So first you have to figure out what works best for your scene.

You can always hire a designer, but if you already know what you like and have experienced contractors to lean on – why not save the pesos and go for it? I think I can. I think I can. The little blue engine, chugging right along.

The web is a great source of design inspiration. And if you happen to have a friend who dabbles in interior design like me, I’m sure they’ll be happy to steer you in the right direction.

In case you missed it, here are my previous posts on our kitchen remodel:

Don’t Get Scammed On Craig’s List Like I (Almost) Did

Kitchen Demolition Derby

My next kitchen-related post will be the kitchen reveal. Can’t wait!

What’s going on in your world? Would love to hear from you. Have a beautiful weekend.

XOXO,

Allie

The post Kitchen Ideas Board appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

This DIY Easter Mini Garden is so sweet and easy to plant.  A mini garden brings days of anticipation and wonder for kids 1-99 as the garden grass sprouts just in time for Easter. This is a great classroom project and brings cheer to a nursing home or sick room.

Easter’s not so far away. For me, Easter brings thoughts of new life and hope…green shoots poking through the ground after a seemingly interminable winter of snow and ice. The anticipation of spring and new growth, welcome after a long winter. The empty tomb in the garden symbolizes hope.

Build it together with your kids, grandchildren or other special kids in your life. Charlie and I planted a DIY Easter Mini Garden several years ago. First we went on a meandering nature walk around the pond, hunting for just the right rock, stones and twigs before planting the garden.

You’ll need about two weeks from planting the grass seed ’til it’s ready. Plant the seed about three weeks before Easter to enjoy it before and after Easter. When the grass is thick and lush, just a few snips with scissors or kitchen shears keeps it in nice shape for Easter.

Materials:

• large terra cotta pot saucer (12″ worked well) for base
• small terra cotta pot (3 1/2″ worked well) for tomb
• Soil
• Small, flat stones
• Grass seed (rye works well)
• Rock (the size of the mouth of the “tomb”)
• Twigs and raffia to make crosses

Directions:

• Place the small terra cotta pot on its’ side in the the saucer.
• Fill the big terra cotta saucer with soil to the lip, anchoring the small pot (the empty tomb.)
• Mound dirt over the small terra cotta pot, leaving the mouth open. (Will need wet dirt to make it “stick”)
• Place the stones into the soil in front of the tomb.
• Mist the soil well, so it’s ready to receive grass seed, then press grass seed thickly all over the soil.
• Place the rock in front of the tomb.
• Use raffia or string to tie together twigs to make rustic crosses, add them to the garden.
• Mist the grass seed several times daily and watch for your garden to sprout!
• Water daily.

Hide a few speckled eggs in the grass Easter morning!

Related post: DIY Spring Monogram Wreath

The post DIY Easter Mini Garden appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Hope you’re having a great weekend and welcome to the chaos! (Like you needed more, right?) Chaos with a capital C. I’ve mentioned we’re in kitchen remodeling mode around here. We’ve been selling off our current kitchen piece by piece on Craig’s List and the stove went Friday. Buh bye.

My dining room table…

So how do you feed a mess of boys and write a food blog without a stove and countertops? Great question. And I’m about to find out! LOL. I’m sure it will take creativity. (I’m all ears for ideas – TIA!)

The good news is a local friend knew our plight and offered the propane fueled stove top they used during their recent kitchen remodel. Plus we borrowed a six foot table and put that in the middle where the island was. So it’ll be camp style cooking for a while, which is certainly better than a fire pit out back I’m thinking.

So we’re getting ready to install our new kitchen. The contractors arrive tomorrow to start wiring, connecting the gas line and repairing sheet rock. Jon has carefully ripped out all the old kitchen cabinets and tile backsplash and they’ve been clogging up the garage. Yesterday the cabinets departed (as I cheered!) with a Craig’s List buyer. The new ones arrive tomorrow. Timing is everything, yes?

Today I’m sharing some random pics and thoughts, and in a few weeks when we’re finished I’ll share more. It’ll be a fun kitchen reveal and the truth is… I can’t wait to see how it turns out myself!

Before….

I’ve had some ask why we’re doing a remodel since the kitchen is functional. Yes, it’s functional. I, however, am not a utilitarian girl. Form over function. Big surprise. (And why not form AND function anyway?) I’m a lover of beauty with a B.A. in interior design who enjoys hunting down a good deal and transforming old and outdated to fresh and new. I’ve dreamed for a long time of designing a kitchen from the top down, and finally after a lot of research – it’s time!

My kitchen as of today…. (!) Wish me luck.

When we lived in the south in the 90’s, we bought a fixer-upper house by silent auction. The entire house needed attention, but especially the kitchen. As newlyweds, and no kiddos yet, we didn’t plan on being in the house longterm. So we installed inexpensive appliances, painted the cabinets white, added new MDF cabinet doors and hardware, and replaced the laminate flooring.

It was a cut and dry, simple kitchen update. And it helped us get top dollar when we put our house on the market in 2003 to move back to New England. With the cost of housing up here, we needed every penny. There’s no doubt about it, updating a kitchen adds significant worth and value to a home. Check out which home remodel projects add the most value to your home.

When we moved to New Hampshire in 2004, we rented for a while, then bought a sweet little ’40’s cape with a somewhat updated kitchen. The cabinets were custom, built by a local NH shop, Crown Point Cabinetry. I loved those cherry cabinets.

There was also a pantry built off the kitchen, an eclectic little jut-out from the back of the house with great storage. (You can see the pantry door to the right in the pic. below.)

The negative of that kitchen was the green laminate countertops, which also darkened (and dated) the kitchen. But I loved that kitchen. The old, original wooden floors discovered by the previous owners underneath the laminate flooring contributed to the character.

Because we were short on space and bedrooms, we finally made the difficult decision to put our cape on the market FSBO last spring. The housing market was pretty crazy at the time. When flighty buyers pulled out from buying our cape at the last second, we lost a beautiful home we had a contract on. I won’t lie, it was pretty heartbreaking.

The kitchen in the house we lost was light, airy and beautifully appointed. (Above.) The lighting was perfect for my blog photographs. I lost a few tears when we lost the contract on that house. Read: buckets. My sweet Jon promised we’d find another beautiful house.

And if it didn’t have a pretty kitchen like the one we lost (above), he said we’d remodel it. So that’s what brings us to our kitchen remodel. (And hoping he’s not regretting that promise now!)

We moved into our new-to-us house in July of last summer and have been living here for eight months now. I highly recommend living in a space for a while before starting any major remodeling project. Living in the space helps you figure out whether or not it works well for you and your family, work (esp. if you work at home like me) and entertaining needs. Helps you know what you like and what you don’t. And what needs to change.

The kitchen in our new house is adequate, but needs updating. The oak cabinets are builder grade from ’96. Some of the roll-out drawers didn’t. roll. out. LOL. There’s a small pantry 18″ wide for our family of six. The cabinets weren’t in terrible shape, but there just weren’t enough of them to store all the dishes, pots and pans. The ceilings are tall, over nine feet, but the cabinets only went up about 2/3 of the way to the ceiling, wasting space. The tile backsplash above the countertops were neutral, but dated, as were the laminate kitchen counters.

The kitchen sink was dented, with shallow bowls. And don’t even get me started on the faucet sprayer. The button was permanently stuck on spray, nailing you in the face whenever the faucet turned on. Think (ice cold) wake up call first thing in the morning before coffee. Eek. (I finally got wise and rubber-banded a plastic bag over the sprayer.) I’m not sorry to say goodbye to that unpleasant Gestapo greeting.

So for these reasons and many more, we’re excited to begin. I’m looking forward to a lighter, brighter look and feel in our new kitchen. I’ll post a kitchen idea board so stay tuned if you like that kind of thing.

Remodeling is a lot like wallpapering. It has to get worse before it gets better. You gotta strip down the old before you can prepare surfaces and get rolling with the new.

Have a great weekend and hope things are more peaceful at your house. (That you’re not cooking on a kitchen camp stove like me!)

XOXO,

Allie

The post Kitchen Demolition Derby (You’re Invited!) appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

This Willy Wonka Christmas Ball Wreath is a fun and sparkly way to welcome the Christmas holidays. Easy to make too. Just hot glue Christmas ornaments of various colors, shapes and sizes onto a styrofoam wreath form. Add a bow and hang to dispense instant Christmas cheer.

I know, I know. Why am I posting a Christmas Ball Wreath tutorial in January? “I must be off my marbles.” (Name that movie. Gotta squeeze in George Bailey when I can.  Yep, we watched It’s a Wonderful Life over the holidays.)

Anyway, the holidays are over and here I am posting a Christmas wreath. I haven’t posted a craft here in over a year. But I made this fun Christmas ball wreath back in December and wanted to tell you all about it and make sure it gets posted for next Christmas.

I ran out of time to write it up last month. All that baking. And knowing me, I’ll forget about posting it later. So instead of being late, humor me and imagine I’m three hundred plus days early.

So why Willy Wonka? It just so happened that my wreath making this past December coincided with my Charlie (10) reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at school. I’ve always loved the vivid imagery and colors in that book. Not to mention the fantastic character Willy Wonka that Roald Dahl dreamed up. So when I saw some candy stripe ornaments at my local craft store, I knew this time around I’d make a whimsical Willy Wonka Christmas Ball Wreath.

Years ago when we still lived in the south, I made a Martha Stewart Christmas Ball Wreath. She called it a Gaudy Wreath. And I can see why. These wreaths made from shiny Christmas ball ornaments might be considered gaudy by some.

But hang it on a front door in the spotlight at night, and it’s gorgeous. Cute and festive in the daytime too. Shiny, sparkly, and very fun. If you’re someone who likes a little sparkle and whimsy, this is an easy and fun wreath to make.

Keep in mind if you use glass ornaments you’ll need to hang it inside or in a protected area outside. (Mine is hanging on my front door, behind the glass storm door.)

Over the years my first gaudy wreath didn’t age so well. A few of the balls broke during our move to NH. I replaced those, and then some of the ornaments faded through the years and it was just time to replace the whole thing.

Come to think of it, now might be a good time to get some of these ornaments on clearance. (If there are any left!)

Materials:

• Styrofoam wreath form – whatever size you choose (I made a very large wreath using an 18″ wreath form. The wreath turned out about 24″ in diameter once the ornament balls were glued on.)
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Various sizes of plastic or glass Christmas ball ornaments ( I used about 100 various sized glass ball ornaments for my large 24″ wreath.)
• Optional: ribbon (and wire for attaching the ribbon)
• rope or twine for hanging

Instructions:

1. Place your wreath form flat on top of a thickly newspaper-lined table or counter.
2. Using your hot glue gun, glue Christmas ball ornaments to the form.
3. Please be very careful. It’s very easy to burn your fingers with this particular project.
4. Start by glueing ornament balls around the inside of the wreath form, and then along the outer edge of the form. Use bigger balls first.
5. Fill in between with ornaments until all the foam wreath form is covered. Glue bigger balls behind and save the smaller ones to fill in out front. (You may need to glue some ornaments onto other ornaments, filling in as you run out of space on the form.)
6. Keep in mind how many inches you need from front to back if you’re sandwiching it in between a front door with a storm door over it like mine.
7. Optional: Make a bow with your ribbon and attach it with wire.
8. Tie a loose loop of rope or twine around the wreath and hang your wreath on a nail or suction cup. I recommend a sturdy nail in case the suction cup comes loose. It would be a very sad day if your glass ornament wreath came crashing down.
9. This is a fragile wreath, so be sure to package and store very carefully off-season. Use lots of bubble wrap and keep in a sturdy box. Each season check carefully before hanging for loose ornaments and repair as needed.

I hope you enjoy making this Willy Wonka Christmas Ball Wreath. It’s a great piece to add to your Christmas decorating tradition. FYI, I estimate mine cost about $50 to make total because I got all the ornaments 50% off at my local craft store (Michael’s) and used a 40% off coupon on the styrofoam wreath form.

You may also like: DIY Clementine Gift Boxes

The post Willy Wonka Christmas Ball Wreath appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Following is a wonderful, easy recipe for Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup. It’s a great treat for breakfast and brunch or makes a gourmet gift. (If you can part with it.) Keep in mind it takes two weeks to “cure”, so now’s the perfect time to make a few bottles for holiday gifts!My Mainer grandfather knew a good thing. Most nights after dinner he treated himself to a large bowl of vanilla bean ice cream doused in a river of pure maple syrup. Other nights he poured himself a bowl of maple syrup, slurped it straight up, spoonful by golden spoonful. Like I said, he knew a good thing.

Last spring I tasted Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup for the first time at the Cabot Cheese store near where I was staying in Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont.

I know a good thing too. Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup is out of this world, seriously the best thing I’ve ever tasted. I took a taste from the tiny spoon at the sampling counter. And then another. And yes, another. I had to stop. I knew it was unethical to down an entire sample bottle. I might get arrested and carted off to jail. That day I bought a precious bottle of Butternut Mountain Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup. My boys and I finished it off in mere days.

So I did a little experimenting and I’m SO excited to share this recipe with you! You’re gonna love it. It’s simple to make with guaranteed great results. I gifted it for Christmas last year, birthday gifts too. If you like the syrup flasks I used, here’s the best deal I found ordering in bulk on-line:  Container and Packaging (They sell the screw-on caps separately, don’t forget to buy those too.)

I bought four gallons of pure Vermont maple syrup from Collins Tree Farm and Sugarhouse in Putney, Vermont. Martin and Jean Collins couldn’t have been more accommodating and gracious, gave me excellent service, shipped it straight to my door. I love supporting local family businesses.

Yeah, so I made lots of  Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup last year! Lots of happy campers on Christmas morning…

Print

Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup

Simple recipe, Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup is wonderful on everything from ice-cream to pancakes. But mostly, straight from the spoon. Warning: highly addictive.

Course Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Allie Taylor

Ingredients

• 8 oz. pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 vanilla bean pod

Instructions

• Slit the vanilla bean lengthwise.
• Place vanilla bean in a sterilized 8 or 8.5 oz. jar or flask.
• Bring the syrup to a near boil.
• Gently stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste.
• Using a funnel, carefully pour the hot syrup over the vanilla bean into the jar.
• Screw on the cap, then cool.
• Refrigerate for two weeks 'til ready.
• ENJOY!!!
• (Keep refrigerated.)

Notes

I made four gallons of vanilla bean maple syrup. Initially, I refrigerated it for two weeks, then moved it to the chest freezer to pull out individually for Christmas gifts.

Did you know? Maple syrup doesn't freeze solid. (It's the high sugar content.)

I bought excellent quality Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans from Amazon.

And isn’t this the cutest little maple syrup bird house ever?  Eighty-three year old Vermonter Bob Gelineau of Stone Soup Creations created this unique and genuine “Vermont Birdhouse” by using  boards from a 19th century barn. The roof is a sap bucket cover and the perch, a spout used to harvest maple sap in the Vermont Maple sugaring tradition. I recently found this little bird house at a lovely boutique Country on the Common  in Chester, Vermont.

Do let me know if you make this awesome Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup and tell me how you like it!

Related Post: Cheese and Maple Syrup sampling at Sugarbush Farm in Woodstock, VT

The post How to Make Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Hi friends, it’s just a few days before Christmas now. Chances are you have some last minute shopping and gifts to buy or make. I’m spending my morning putting together just a few more Gourmet Edible Gifts for Christmas presents and gift baskets. Hoping to pass on a little inspiration.

One of my all time favorite Gourmet Edible Gifts to make and give is Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup. It takes just 5 minutes to put together and is loved by all. (I just capped seven bottles this morning.) Being a New England girl, I rode around on a trailer behind a tractor on our property in Rhode Island, emptying sap buckets when I was a kid. I’ll never forget the amazing memories, mesmerized as the sap boiled down into syrup at Mr. Peck’s sugar house next door. I didn’t discover Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup until I was an adult though. This stuff is golden! A coveted gift with just three ingredients: pure maple syrup, vanilla bean paste and vanilla pods. Tastes divine on waffles, pancakes and ice cream. Or by the spoonful.

Lime Sugared Cranberries  are a delicious addition to any gift basket and one of the best Gourmet Edible Gifts. Simultaneously sweet and tart, these little ruby gems are so sparkly and pretty. Perfect in mixed drinks, as cheesecake or cupcake toppers and for snacking. You’ll be surprised how easy they are to make. Soak the cranberries in hot simple syrup then roll in lime sugar. Delectable!

One last Gourmet Edible Gifts idea that barely takes any hands on time and yields two pounds of addictive snacking is Sugared Pecans. Pecans halves are coated with sugar and spices, then roasted in the oven on low heat for an hour and a half. These spiced nuts are a hit with all ages and I literally have to hide them at my house so they make it into gift baskets and stockings!

These delicious treats are guaranteed to please everyone on your list. Would love to hear if you make any of these Gourmet Edible Gifts!

You may also like: Best DIY Edible Christmas Gifts

The post Gourmet Edible Gifts appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Sharing my best DIY Edible Christmas Gifts today, and a big shout out and thanks to Case App for sponsoring a wonderful giveaway and discount today on their great custom i-phone cases and custom laptop skins exclusively for Through Her Looking Glass readers. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for details about entering to win a free code value of $40 from caseapp.com  so you can design your own. Great gift! Also a 20% discount code on any order placed with Case App.

Follow Case App here: @caseapp on Twitter and @caseappofficial on Instagram

I’ve received so much joy through the years making and giving edible gifts. Today I’m sharing some of my best DIY Edible Christmas Gifts! Christmas time is definitely the season for giving. I love spending a whole Saturday in December, baking and packaging treats, just one after the other. All day long. There are so many special people to remember: teachers, friends, family, bus drivers, neighbors, mailmen, etc. I crank up the Christmas music and get to baking!

Following are some of my favorite DIY Edible Christmas Gifts, and some from blogger friends. Hope you’ll get some great ideas and inspiration to make and bake for those you love this season.

But first: a very simple way to cut packaging costs. I save wooden clementine crates all year long for gift “baskets”. More details here: DIY Clementine Gift Boxes. That’s my big money saving tip of the day! (Don’t spend it all in one place.)

Easy Peppermint Bark by Through Her Looking Glass. By far my most requested and loved edible Christmas gift. Simple recipe and directions! Whipping cream in the chocolate means bye-bye dry peppermint bark. (Be sure to refrigerate.)

Gingerbread Biscotti from Amy at She Wears Many Hats: the perfect edible gift to send. Pair with specialty tea or cocoa mix for delicious dunking!

Here’s a fun and healthy twist: a pretty DIY Clementine Wreath from Through Her Looking Glass. Simple to make, a joy to receive! Who doesn’t love citrus fruit at Christmas?

Chicken Spinach Lasagna Rollups from Jessica at the JessicaNWood blog. My mom always gave mouthwatering homemade frozen dinners to my grandparents as Christmas gifts, their favorite gift! Wonderful to receive a homemade meal to thaw and eat anytime. These rollups freeze and gift beautifully, a truly thoughtful gift.

Look at the decadence in these Chocolate Truffles from Cynthia at What a Girl Eats! Roll chocolate ganache in nuts or dust with cocoa powder for an elegant holiday treat. I’d love to receive these pretty truffles as a gift and they’re not hard to make!

And lastly, how about a beautiful plate of Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies from Through Her Looking Glass? Step by step instructions for making these light, crunchy and buttery cookies. These are my favorite Christmas cookies of all time, also some of the prettiest!

So on to today’s giveaway!

Case App is offering a free code value of $40 to one lucky Through Her Looking Glass reader. Just log in below and comment about why you love Christmas to enter the giveaway. One winner will be randomly chosen to receive a $40 voucher towards a custom iPhone case or custom laptop skin. I had so much fun designing my laptop skin and iPhone case pictured here. I also received great service from Case App. Custom laptop skins and iPhone cases are a great way to keep special people, places and memories in mind and at your fingertips. Use your own pictures and text, or choose from their extensive design collection. Custom iPhone cases and laptop skins from Case App are a fun way to personalize and protect your electronics. If you can drag a photo, you can easily design your own custom skin/case with Case App! These also make great personalized Christmas gifts.

Use code “LOOKINGGLASS20” to receive 20% off your order until December 17th, 2015. (All orders must be placed by December 14th for guaranteed Christmas delivery.)

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Friends, have a happy baking weekend and hope you win!

You may also like: Sugared Pecans

The post Best DIY Edible Christmas Gifts + Giveaway appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Fall is upon us in full swing now. And that means the baking season has begun in earnest around here. So many wonderful treats to bake in the kitchen while the leaves change outside my window.

And when the white stuff starts flying, there aren’t a whole lot of choices besides sledding, skiing and snow shoeing. (JK. I know there are other winter activities besides baking…)

Most of my holiday baking recipes have a couple things in common though: butter and Pure Vanilla Extract. I started making my own vanilla extract a few years ago.

Pure Vanilla Extract lends a beautiful and authentic flavor to cakes, cookies, candy, smoothies, sauces and a hundred other culinary delights!

Not sure why I didn’t start making vanilla extract sooner. Well actually, I do. Here’s the scoop. For thirty years plus our family and extended family traveled south to Virginia to spend the Thanksgiving holidays. It was a joyful time. My Aunt Pinkie and Uncle Bob always hosted and did an amazing job. Aunt Pinkie is quite the cook.

I always said she cooked in vats when we were in town. She had three ovens and even a professional ice-maker. Never a girl scout, but always prepared. And good thing too, since there were nearly forty of us descending on her for the long weekend! Wonderful times and memories made in that home.

With the exception of a few nappers, we took an annual family stroll the day after Thanksgiving in downtown Warrenton. Some of the girls (me! me! me!) always visited the mom and pop drug store on Main Street. No worries, we weren’t buying drugs. We were buying 8 oz. bottles of pure vanilla extract they made in the pharmacy. For $3. Yikes. Can you believe it?

It was a steal, even back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. And we knew it. Sometimes I’d order 24 bottles ahead. And no, they weren’t all for me! They made great, affordable little Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers for the cooks and bakers in my life. The vanilla was packaged in plastic brown medicine bottles in two sizes: 4 oz. or 8 oz. ( I always bought the 8 oz.)

Don’t know if that drug store in Warrenton still makes their own pure vanilla extract. My extended family has since moved to Pennsylvania. But if you live anywhere nearby, you should drop by and check it out.

So now I make my own Pure Vanilla Extract. And guess what.

It’s easy. So easy. Takes just two ingredients: vodka and vanilla beans.

I buy Madagascar vanilla beans online from Amazon. Did you know that vanilla beans are the long, greenish-yellow seed pods of the tropical orchid plant, vanilla planifolia?

And furthermore, before the plant flowers, the unripened pods are picked and cured ’til they’re dark brown. They can take up to six months to cure. And about those vanilla bean pods: the aroma is intoxicating.

So I just brown-bag the vodka from my local liquor store. You’ll need thirty days for the vanilla beans to infuse the vodka, so plan ahead for gift giving.

Seriously, this makes the BEST gift or stocking stuffer ever for a home baker. So easy. Even better, there’s still plenty of time before the holidays!

So whatcha waitin’ for?

Print

DIY Pure Vanilla Extract

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Allie Taylor

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb. vanilla bean pods approximately 26-30 pods
• 1 quart vodka 32 ounces

Instructions

• Slice or chop beans into half inch pieces.
• Place beans in a clean quart bottle.
• Fill bottle with name brand vodka, 70 to 90 proof.
• Shake daily for one month.

Notes

I split this 1 quart recipe into 4, 8 ounce bottles.

DIY Pure Vanilla Extract

You may also like: Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup

The post DIY Pure Vanilla Extract appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Mint Extract is used in several of my favorite recipes. And if your garden includes mint, chances are it’s TEEMING with mint right now, just like mine. Last summer I had run-away mint. You probably already know this, but mint is invasive. Meaning it’ll take over. I was initially warned by a true friend when I added mint to my garden.

He said, “Plant it in a five gallon bucket, then set it in the ground. Because the trailing roots will take over.”

Did I pay a bit of attention?

Nope. Not a bit. I was too lazy to dig a hole to fit that five gallon bucket.

And by summer’s end last year, my herb garden, particularly the mint, had wended its way throughout my flower garden. There are only so many glasses of lemonade and iced tea to garnish. I hated to waste all that lovely mint and it was, well, everywhere….

So I did a google search to find out what I could do with all the extra mint. The first thing that came up was Mint Extract. I was thrilled, made a big batch on the spot to use as gifts and in my favorite recipes.

I use Mint Extract to make Peppermint Bark. Also yummy in a chocolate smoothie or milk shake. Garnishes lemonade and iced tea beautifully. How ’bout peppermint frosting at Christmas?

I also use this mint extract in Dark Chocolate Mint Brownies.

A little Mint Extract goes a long way. Also makes a great little stocking stuffer for all the bakers in your life. (Buy amber glass bottles for gift giving and storage on Amazon here.)

All you need for Mint Extract are two ingredients: mint leaves and vodka. And a little time. And soon you’ll have your very own Mint Extract for baking and gifts.

Print

DIY Mint Extract

So easy. Great use for garden mint. Ten minutes. 2 ingredients: mint leaves & vodka. For all your favorite recipes and drinks.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Allie Taylor

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh mint leaves de-stemmed, washed and patted dry
• 1 1/2 cups vodka

Instructions

• Place clean mint leaves in a pint mason jar.
• Muddle (lightly crush) leaves with a wooden spoon.
• Fill jar with 1 1/2 cups vodka.
• Lightly stir, then screw on the lid.
• Put in a dark closet or pantry for 1-2 months.
• Use a strainer and remove leaves, then pour extract into glass jars for gifting or keeping.

Mint Extract

You may also enjoy: DIY Clementine Wreath

The post DIY Mint Extract appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.