Ramen around the Christmas Tree! 5 Noodle Gifts

My family loves ramen.  

It's fun to eat, easy to make 

and there are so many ways to celebrate with it for the holidays.

This year it will be Ramen around the Christmas Tree!

O Christmas Tree, Cup O Christmas Tree Gift

This eco-friendly gift is perfect for everyone, 

especially the "Christmas Tree Huggers" on your list...

Save your Cup O' Noodles container and plant a mini evergreen inside.

What a way reduce, reuse, recycle and say, 

Peace on Earth!

Printable tags are here

Make it a Ramen Holiday

Everyone loves Chex Mix, but this version has a slight Asian flair.

It makes a unique gift that is totally addictive...

Dry ramen noodles add to the flavor and crunch
and wasabi peas give it some kick...

It is definitely a flavorful adventure!

Ramen Holiday Snack Mix

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees

In a large bowl combine:

2 packets of Top Ramen broken into bite size pieces

3 cups Rice Chex 

3 cups Wheat Chex

1 cup peanuts (I like Planter's Red Skins)

1 cup wasabi peas

Melt 6 tablespoons butter and stir in:

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Then pour over dry ingredients and stir to coat.

Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Allow to cool before placing in airtight containers.

Printable tag here

Give Santa's Beard some Cheer

Ramen noodles served on a Santa plate,

give him a delectable make over!

The perfect way to watch his hair Ho, Ho, Grow...

Top Ramen with Ramen 

Deck the gifts with ramen and ornaments.

The recipient will be bowled over with this ramen ornament 

and red and green packaged noodles.

The perfect present presentation.

Make a Ramen Wreath

My son would eat ramen daily if he could.

What better way to top his gifts than with a wreath of one of his favorite things?

To make:

Cook plain ramen noodles in boiling water until just soft, about 2 minutes.

Drain and let cool on paper towels.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, form a wreath shape with the ramen, packing the ramen tightly together.  It helps to form it around a small bowl in the middle, then remove the bowl before placing in a 250 degree oven for approximately 1 hour until wreath is set. 

Have yourself a Merry Ramen Christmas!

Easy DIY Paper Flowers for a Lucky Day of the Dead

I love what Día de Muertos celebrates.

In the annual Mexican celebration, the Day of the Dead 

is a time when families gather to honor and remember deceased loved ones. 

It is festive and joyful.

When I saw the recent California Lottery Scratcher game I had to laugh.

How did they know that playing the lottery is one of my favorite memories of so many relatives?

So we are focusing our memorial celebration
on lucky tickets and vibrant tissue flowers!

The flowers are so fun and easy to make,
you can have a colorful cluster of them in no time.

Simply stack colorful tissue paper about 8 pieces thick 

and cut through with a scalloped paper punch.

(mine is 3.5" in diameter but you could use any size)

Then gather 5 or 6 of them that you would like for one flower...

Carefully hot glue each layer together in the center and stack on top of each other...
(you could use regular glue also but I like hot glue because it takes very little time to dry,
doesn't bleed and really holds the paper together.

Wait until glue sets and then from the top layer start to crumple the paper inward...

go layer by layer until...

it looks like this...

then fluff the layers out...

Here's to hoping our ancestors can help us win those big bucks...

Imagine what next year's celebration will be like if we win!

Halloween Stem-ware

It's just not fair.

The big, beautiful orange gourd of the pumpkin gets all the glory.

It is what you notice first, what gets carved and decorated.

But what about the stem?  It is the pumpkin's life line, does all the work helping it grow,

and gets NO respect...

until now!

Introducing Halloween a few taSTEMakers that will stand out at the pumpkin patch...

Give your pumpkin a greeting!

This long, lean, straight stem was begging for a flag to wave in the October air.

Make your pumpkin GOURD-ous!

This perfectly curved stem was crying out for chamomile.

I hot glued them on and she was ready for her close-up.

Happy Halloween

4 fun ways to use Plastic Fangs for Halloween

There is no better way to sink your teeth into Halloween

than grabbing a pack of Dracula's dental work.

So many uses, so little time!

Make a Bite Invite

Let your friends know that dinner is on you on Halloween Night.

Mount those molars on card stock and let the good times roll...

"Chews" to serve fruit

You will have everyone saying, 

"I want to suck your blood oranges"...

Cut fruit nestles perfectly in the jaws of death...

Tell your friends, "fang"you...

Treats are always sweeter with a silly pun attached...

In this case you will be doing them a favor when answering the age old question, 

"How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?"

No one is patient enough to find out so they can chomp to the center with their new fangs...

Make a Teeth Wreath

An all around sharp way to decorate your door.
Incisors in a circle and tied with a bow...

and look, no cavities!

DIY Halloween Face Masks - Get BOO-tiful

Mask can have many different meanings.

mask

mask

noun

1. 1.

   a covering for all or part of the face, worn as a disguise, or to amuse or terrify other people.

   
   

For Halloween, we usually think of the standard variety that comes with your costume,

 but this year I am all about the beauty of the mask!

Something that covers the face,

 bold and colorful, 

natural and homemade, 

that will make you feel good 

and will definitely amuse or terrify anyone who catches you with it on. 

DIY face masks are fun and easy to make.

The perfect treat to keep for yourself or give as a gift because 

the trick of  glowing, radiant skin everyone appreciates.

You can't celebrate Halloween without pumpkins and your skin will be glad you did! 

Not only are they festive and colorful but they contains fruit enzymes and alpha hydroxy acids which increase cell turnover, to brighten and smooth the skin. 

The antioxidants Vitamin A and Vitamin C it has also can help soften to and soothe the skin and boost collagen production to prevent the signs of aging.

Pumpkin and Spice Mask
8 oz. pumpkin puree
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients well in a blender or hand mix.  Place in an airtight container and use within 2-3 days.

Carve out a little time for yourself and slather this mask on.

 Relax for 5-10 minutes before rinsing it off.

Avocado is a bewitching fruit.

There are many benefits to putting this amazingly colorful green goop on your face.

It moisturizes, reduces inflammation, can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and also exfoliates.

Magical Avocado Mask

1 ripe avocado

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Mix all ingredients well in a blender or hand mix.  Place in an airtight container and use within 2-3 days.

Cover your face with the mask and sit back for 5-10 minutes while the spell is cast.

Here is to a BOO-tiful Halloween!