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Plaid-Inspired Printable Christmas Gift Tags

Holidays

Monday
Nov / 12 / 2018
Comments 11

These Plaid-Inspired Printable Christmas Gift Tags are the perfect finishing touch on your holiday gift wrapping! #printable #christmas #gifttags #plaid #tags #holiday #wrapping #giftwrap

These Plaid-Inspired Printable Christmas Gift Tags are an easy way to put a fun finishing touch on your holiday gift wrapping!

You know I love me a creative printable. That’s why I’m so happy to be popping in today to share my latest: plaid-inspired printable Christmas gift tags. I’ve long been a fan of plaid, tartan, gingham, and buffalo check patterns, so this year I’ve decided to use those patterns as inspiration for my holiday wrapping.

Before I tell you more about these Christmas gift tags, I wanted to let you know that I’ve joined a group of blogging friends to share 15+ free Christmas printables with you. We love giving back to our readers, and free printables are one way to do that. Whether you’re looking for art, advent calendars, cards, or gift tags, we’ve got you covered. I’ll link up everyone below. Be sure to click through the full list of goodies.

You might remember that last year I shared these Santa’s checklist-inspired printable gift tags. They are still a favorite of mine. This year, however, I decided to go a bit more classic with my tags.

Plaid-Inspired Printable Christmas Gift Tags:

As you can see, this printable includes four different plaid-inspired tags.

While they are part of a coordinated collection, each tag has its own unique flair. What do you think?

I even went the extra step of providing you with an optional backside for the gift tags. That way, instead of being white on the back, the back of your tags will match the plaid design on front. It’s all in the details, my friends.

When printing the tags, I recommend using a cardstock paper like this one. The thicker the better!

Print Page 1 first; then align the paper in the printer again in the direction that’s needed to print Page 2 on the back. It’s that easy. For a sharp looking tag, I like to make sure my printer is set to the highest quality print.

To cut out the tags, I used a straight edge craft cutter like this one and a sharp pair of scissors. A hole punch is ideal for making the hole at the top of the tag.

You can attach these Christmas printable gift tags to your package any way you’d like, but I think baker’s twine looks sweet.

Download Printable Christmas Gift Tags Here:

You can access the download in the IBC Printable Library which can be found HERE.

If you’re new to Inspired by Charm, you can get instant access to this library by SUBSCRIBING HERE. Once subscribed, you will instantly receive an email that contains a link to this download.

Already a member of the IBC Mailing list? You can find the password to to access the library at the bottom of the latest email from Inspired by Charm.

As always, if you use any of my printables, I would love to see them! Be sure to share them on Instagram and tag @inspiredbycharm.

Stay tuned this Christmas season for more printables, including a couple recipe cards. In the meantime, be sure to check out the amazing collection of printables below. They are perfect additions to your seasonal celebrations.

If you liked these gift tag printables, you’ll love these:

More Christmas Printables:

Christmas Botanicals by Ella Claire | Little House Advent Calendar by Zevy Joy | Christmas Gift Tags by So Much Better with Age | Home for the Holidays by On Sutton Place

Plaid Gift Tags by Inspired by Charm | Letter to Santa Postcard by Nina Hendrick | All is Calm by Lolly Jane | Twas the Night Before Christmas Book Page Art by Home Made Lovely

Christmas Greens Recipe Card by anderson + grant | Farm Animal Gift Tags by Boxwood Avenue | Black and White All Is Calm Christmas Art by Taryn Whiteaker | Christmas Watercolor Place Cards by Clean and Scentsible

Merry and Bright Holiday Gift Tags by Happy Happy Nester | DIY White Christmas Wall Hanging by Finding Silver Pennies | O Christmas Tree by My Someday in May | Reindeer Print by The Chronicles of Home

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Gift Jar Labels by My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia | Reindeer Antlers Cake by Nest of Posies | Vintage Inspired Christmas Postcards by Live Laugh Rowe | Advent Calendar Candle Label by Blesser House

Nutcracker Set by Making Home Base | Stovetop Potpourri Tags by Tidbits | 5 Vintage Christmas Truck Printables by Happy Housie | Sparkly Blush Christmas Printable Set by Maison de Pax

Christmas Canvas Prints by Town and Country Living | Sugar & Spice are Making the Holidays Nice by My Sweet Savannah

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Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin

Recipes

Friday
Nov / 9 / 2018
Comments 22

This Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin is the perfect side dish for a holiday gathering or special meal. Because it’s so tasty, you won’t have to worry about storing any leftovers.

Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin:

Yes friends, today we are celebrating one of my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving meal: the side dishes. And this Cheese Cauliflower Gratin is a side you and your guests are sure to love.

Actually, we’ll be hitting most of the high points of the Friendsgiving meal, as I’ve teamed up with some of my blogger friends to share a delicious and beautiful Friendsgiving Progressive Dinner.

Each of us is focusing on a specific part of the feast, and together we’ll be sharing a full dinner menu (minus the bird). You’ll find many of our best classic dishes along with new favorites. Everyone is linked up below. If you’re looking for something different to spice up your Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving, you’ve come to the right place.

To continue with this delicious Friendsgiving feast, check out what my blogger friends are making below. Each recipe sounds as good as the next.

Friendsgiving Progressive Dinner:

Sugar and Charm – Apple Crisp Cocktail (Drink)
Pizzazzerie – Cranberry Prosciutto Crostini (Appetizer)
Julie Blanner – Onion Tart (Appetizer)
The Sweetest Occasion – Mini Green Bean Casserole Puffs (Side)
The Proper Blog – Strawberry Pie with Fringe Crust (Dessert)
Lovely Indeed – Mini Bouquet Place Cards (Decor)

Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin:

As I mentioned, I’m sharing this recipe for Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin. I meant to make it for you last year around this time but never got around to it.

My mom usually makes this dish for Thanksgiving and Christmas. (I believe she got the recipe from Bobby Flay, so a shout out to Mr. Flay!) It’s become a favorite in our family. I know because it’s one of the dishes that is always scraped clean.

What makes this side so delicious is the abundance of cheese: Monterey Jack, Parmesan, and goat cheese. I realize some of you may not care for goat cheese or be leary of using it, but I recommend giving it a try here. Once everything comes together, you won’t even know it’s there. However, it does give the gratin a wonderful creaminess and tangy depth of flavor that is beyond compare.

I’m also a big fan of this dish because it’s quick to make, and there’s minimal clean up during prep. You only need the pan you’re baking it in.

How to Make Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin:

Just place all of the ingredients in a 9×13-inch casserole dish and give them a good toss to mix them together.

After that, pop the pan in the oven uncovered for 30-35 minutes. That’s it!

You’ll want to let the gratin set a few minutes before serving. To dress it up, I added sprigs of herbs, but those are totally optional.

With that, you’re ready to dive into the magic deliciousness of this Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin. Move over green bean casserole; you’ve officially been replaced.

Want more delicious side dishes? Try these:

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try this Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving or anytime you need a quick and tasty side.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin Recipe:

Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cauliflower, cheese, holiday, thanksgiving, vegetable

Servings: people

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 45 mins

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This Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin is the perfect side dish for a holiday gathering or special meal. Because it's so tasty, you won't have to worry about storing any leftovers.

Pin It!

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower - cut into florets
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese - grated
8 ounces goat cheese - crumbled
2 cups grated Parmesan
1 clove garlic - minced
2 cups heavy cream
Salt and ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.
In a 9x13-inch baking dish, combine the cauliflower, cheeses, garlic, and heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Place in the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft and starting to brown on top.

Made it? Share it!Tag @inspiredbycharm on Instagram and use the tag #myIBC so we can see what you're cooking in the kitchen!

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Gray Paint Color for my Living Room (Agreeable Gray)

Interiors

Wednesday
Nov / 7 / 2018
Comments 37

Gray Paint Color for my Living Room - Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray #paint #graypaint #livingroom

Welcome to the dramatic conclusion of my living room paint saga. Okay, maybe not a saga but definitely a struggle to find the right gray paint color for my living room.

Well, friends, as I alluded to earlier this week, it seems I’ve found the perfect gray paint color for my living room. It’s not what I had originally thought or planned, but I’m super pleased with the outcome.

To backtrack a bit, when I moved in, my living room was painted a basic beige. You can see that here:

I decided to freshen things up with what I thought was a light gray color. However, I ended up with something that looked baby blue. See below. (You can also read more about that here.)

After testing at least four more colors on the wall, I found something that I liked: Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray.

Agreeable Gray:

On my living room walls, this particular gray color felt like more of a putty or mushroom gray. It made me a bit nervous because it’s not what I thought I wanted. However, I happened to catch a Q&A that Nate Berkus was doing on his Instagram stories. In one of his answers, he mentioned that a putty brown/gray wall color works beautifully with an emerald green sofa. *aha moment*

With that little nugget of wisdom and my beautiful green chairs staring at me, I forged ahead.

Thankfully, I was able to repaint with just one coat, so in about two hours, I completed the entire room. Goodbye, frosty blueish gray. Hello, beautiful putty gray. Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray is definitely a winner!

Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray:

It’s interesting how the wall color has a chameleon quality in this room. (I assume it’s because of the light.) It changes throughout the day and often looks different on one wall compared with another. But now I’m happy with how it appears from every angle.

Also, as Nate predicted, it works well with the color of my chairs. I even love how it goes with the pine garland on the mantel. (Please don’t judge me too harshly on the state of this room. After moving things around to paint and then starting to prep for holiday decor, it’s a bit of a mess. But that’s real life!)

I’m also loving how well it coordinates with my new blue entryway too!

Well, I think I can finally call this a painting win! It took me a couple tries to get there, but I’m loving the results.

What do you think?

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Cranberry Orange Walnut Tassies

Recipes

Tuesday
Nov / 6 / 2018
Comments 9

Classic flavors of the season come together to create these Cranberry Orange Walnut Tassies which are both sweet and tart. This is a Christmas cookie recipe you’ll definitely want to add to your holiday baking round-up!

I kicked off the holiday season last week with my Christmas Q&A, but these Cranberry Orange Walnut Tassies are my first official new holiday post of 2018!

This post is extra special because I’m back with some of my blogger friends for the Tastes of the Season series. As you probably guessed, we are sharing Christmas cookie recipes this week. Once you’ve finished checking out mine, be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post where there are 21 more cookie recipes!

Last week as I was planning for this post, I did a quick inventory of the Christmas cookie recipes I’ve shared here on IBC and noticed the collection wasn’t as robust as it should be. Why? Well, because typically I end up making my collection of cookies just a week or two before Christmas when I’m in panic mode. By then I simply want to get them baked so I forget to photograph them and write the post.

While I have posted a few of my favorite cookies in the past, including these Cream Wafer Cookies, Crock Pot Candy, and Cream Horns, this year I plan to offer even more recipes that you are destined to love. Let’s start with Cranberry Orange Walnut Tassies.

Cranberry Orange Walnut Tassies:

I decided to whip up this recipe now because they also make a delightful treat for Thanksgiving! Cranberry is a classic Turkey-Day flavor. And a plate of these would perfectly complement a pumpkin pie, don’t you think?

How to Make Cranberry Orange Walnut Tassies:

These cookies come together pretty quickly once you’ve made the dough and the filling has had time to chill. Just whip up the dough in the evening so you’ll be ready to bake the next day.

To bake, press the delicious orange cookie dough into greased mini-muffin pans. Then fill each with the tart and sweet cranberry walnut filling.

After a quick trip to the oven and some time to cool, drizzle the tassies with melted white chocolate.

When my mom visited this past weekend, we both enjoyed snacking on these in my den as the fire roared and we watched the latest Hallmark movie.

Want more cranberry-inspired recipes? Try these:

You can grab the full recipe below and don’t forget to check out all the tasty and festive cookie recipes linked at the end of this post. Enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Walnut Tassies

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: christmas, cookies, cranberry, holiday

Servings: dozen

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Cooling Time 1 hr

Total Time 25 mins

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Classic flavors of the season come together to create these Cranberry Orange Walnut Tassies which are both sweet and tart. This is a Christmas cookie recipe you'll definitely want to add to your holiday baking round-up!

Pin It!

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter - softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons milk

Filling:

1 can (14 ounces) whole berry cranberry sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 cup chopped walnuts

Topping:

4 ounces white baking chocolate - melted

Instructions

Begin by whisking together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Then cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
Next mix in the egg until blended. Add in the orange zest, orange juice, and milk and beat again. (The mixture will look slightly separated. This is okay.)
Gradually beat the prepared flour mixture into the creamed mixture until just combined.
Divide the dough into three portions. Then, on a lightly floured surface, shape each portion into a 10-inch long roll. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or until firm.
In the meantime, prepare the filling by adding the cranberry sauce, sugar, and orange juice to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, cook for 2 minutes and then remove from the heat. Let the filling cool completely before stirring in the walnuts.
To bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Unwrap the chilled dough and cut each log into 16 round slices. Press each slice into the bottom and up the sides of one of the greased mini muffin cups. Fill each with about 2 teaspoons of the cranberry mixture.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are golden. Cool in the pan for 5-8 minutes. Then remove the tassies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
To complete, drizzle each tassie with melted white chocolate. Let the tassies stand until the chocolate is set. Then pack and store in an airtight container.

Made it? Share it!Tag @inspiredbycharm on Instagram and use the tag #myIBC so we can see what you're cooking in the kitchen!

Tastes of the Season Christmas Cookies:

The Perfect Soft Gingerbread Cookies by Ella Claire | Classic Sugar Cookies by Nina Hendrick Design Co. | Plaid Sugar Cookies by Craftberry Bush | Buttery Shortbread Cookies with Icing Sugar by A Burst of Beautiful | German Chocolate Cake Cookies by City Farmhouse

Cranberry Orange Walnut Tassies by Inspired by Charm | Eggnog Gooey Butter Cookies by Julie Blanner | All Natural Orange Almond Cookies by Tidbits | Choco-mallow Peppermint Cookies by Summer Adams Designs | Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies by Love Grows Wild

Paleo Chocolate Cranberry Cookies by Nesting with Grace | Raspberry Gingersnap Sandwiches by anderson + grant | Christmas Tree Gingerbread Cookies by Rooms for Rent | Large Thumbprint Cookies by So Much Better with Age | Rum Balls by Tidy Mom

Countdown to Christmas Cookies by House 214 Design | GF + DF Gingerbread Sugar Cookies by Zevy Joy | Christmas Shortbread Cookies by Boxwood Avenue | Double Chocolate Christmas Cookies by Nest of Posies | Almond Sugar Cookies by My Sweet Savannah

M&M Peanut Butter Cookies by Sweet C’s | Rustic Granola Cookies by Farmhouse on Boone

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Painting my Entryway

Interiors

Monday
Nov / 5 / 2018
Comments 36

A look at my newly painted entryway. Color: Farrow and Ball Stiffkey Blue

It seems I’m on a painting kick. After attempting to paint my living room last week, inspiration struck again, and I decided to paint my entryway!

I have to admit my decorating has been spurred by the upcoming holiday season. As lots of folks know, I’m crazy about Christmas so I wanted to tackle a few random projects to make Bayberry House feel more like home before I decorate for the season.

Here’s what the hallway looked like before I painted it…

… and here’s how it looks now!

A major difference, right? Which I’m loving! And thankfully (unlike in my living room), I won’t need to repaint it anytime soon. #winning

Sidenote: There’s some weirdness around the existing light fixture. I will be repainting the ceiling as soon as the new light fixture arrives. Fingers crossed it’s SOON!

I’ve been busy pinning inspiration for my home on Pinterest (You can follow along here.), so it’s exciting to start seeing things come to life.

I’ve been hesitant to do any big projects since my upcoming kitchen renovation will affect almost every room on the first floor of my home. However, given that the process is now delayed because of contract issues, I just needed to start making progress.

Anywho, in this space, I decided to add a chair railing and paint the top half of the wall a deep navy color and the bottom half white. So last weekend I got to work, first cutting and then hanging the molding.

I’m not an expert at hanging molding, but I did do a few projects in my last house so I was excited to give it another try. With the molding in place, it was time to paint!

The beautiful navy is Farrow & Ball Stiffkey Blue-Estate Emulsion and the white is Sherwin Williams Pro Class Extra White Semi-Gloss (This is my go-to white paint for moldings and woodwork.)

This was my first time using Farrow & Ball paint, and I was pleased with the results. The color is rich and the matte finish looks smooth and subtle. The entryway is definitely much more dynamic and inviting now.

Down the road, my plan is to add box molding to the lower half of the walls. When I do the kitchen renovation, I will be installing hardwood flooring in the entryway. I’m also going to replace the closet with custom built-in cabinetry. Both of those changes will require molding to be removed, so the box molding will need to wait until all of that is complete.

For decor, I’m thinking of having a gallery wall of sorts (similar to this) go up the stairs. I’ll probably use a mix of vintage paintings and family pictures, but all of that’s still TBD. For the holidays, however, you can bet I’ll be wrapping that stair railing in some sort of garland. ‘Tis the season!

And after a few days of work, my entryway has a whole new look! What do you think?

Oh, and yes you may have gotten a few sneak peeks of my new living room color. I found a winner! I’ll be sharing the details later this week. Stay tuned!

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Gingerbread House Gingerbread Cake

Recipes

Wednesday
Oct / 31 / 2018
Comments 17

This Gingerbread House Gingerbread Cake is the perfect holiday treat! #dessert #holiday #christmas #gingerbread #recipe

This delicious gingerbread cake, shaped like a gingerbread house, is as delicious as it is festive!

For years I had wanted to make a gingerbread house during the holidays. I thought it would be the assembly-required kind, but then I stumbled across these Nordicware gingerbread house bundt pans. (You can find the large one HERE and the mini ones HERE.)

Sidenote: I actually made this gingerbread cake a few years ago for my friends at HomeGoods. However, I wanted this recipe to have a place here on Inspired by Charm.

Anywho, you know I love my speciality cake pans. Remember how much fun I had with with a skull cake pan for Halloween and the beehive cake pan for Spring? I knew I had to give this Gingerbread House Cake a try for Christmas. So that’s what I did.

I also made this Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cake last year. It’s so cute!

Using a gingerbread cake recipe loaded with seasonal spices, such as nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, I baked a beautiful Gingerbread House Cake. And because one house looked a little lonely, I made two smaller houses to create my very own gingerbread village.

How do you make a Gingerbread Cake?

First, prepare your cake according to the Gingerbread House Cake recipe below. It’s simple to make, but if you prefer, you can use a gingerbread mix.

Next, generously coat the inside of the bundt pan with baking spray. (This type of spray includes oil and flour.) This is essential for easily removing the cake from the pan.

Then, pour the cake batter in the pan and bake for an hour. Because ovens vary, be sure to test your cake for doneness. To do this, insert a wooden skewer in the center. If the cake is fully baked, the skewer will come out clean.

After the cake has cooled, use a serrated knife to level off the bottom so the gingerbread house sits nicely on your cake stand. Now it’s time to decorate.

How to Decorate a Gingerbread Cake:

Whip up My Favorite Cream Cheese frosting recipe and add a drop or two of green coloring to it. With a star tip on a piping bag, frost each of the trees. Then lightly sift confectioner’s sugar over the cake. Make sure the sugar catches on the details of the house so it has a snow-covered look

To further decorate your village, add sugared cranberries (The directions for making them are here.) and holiday cake decorations, such as mini gingerbread men and candy canes.

I love how the gingerbread house cake turned out. By itself or as part of a village, this is a holiday table decoration that tastes delicious. When you’re ready, just slice and serve. Although the cake is yummy on its own, I recommend serving it with leftover cream cheese frosting.

Want more holiday dessert recipes? Try these:

And now for the recipe.

Gingerbread House Cake

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake, christmas, holiday

Servings: people

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This delicious gingerbread cake, shaped like a gingerbread house, is as delicious as it is festive!

Pin It!

Ingredients

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter - softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups molasses
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee

For garnish:

Cream cheese frosting, sugared cranberries, confectioner's sugar, and holiday cake decorations.

Instructions

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the inside of the gingerbread cake pan with baking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs one at a time; then mix in the molasses.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and begin to incorporate them. Then, add the hot brewed coffee. Finally, mix in the other half of the dry ingredients until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a wood skewer inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. Then, invert the pan onto a wire rack. Gently remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely.
Once cool, level off the bottom of the cake with a serrated knife. Decorate with cream cheese frosting (tinted green), sugared cranberries, holiday frosting decorations, and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Serve with additional cream cheese frosting, if desired.

Notes

Notes: This recipe fills one large gingerbread house cake pan.

You can get my recipe for My Favorite Cream Cheese Frosting HERE.

You can get my recipe for Sugared Cranberries HERE.

Made it? Share it!Tag @inspiredbycharm on Instagram and use the tag #myIBC so we can see what you're cooking in the kitchen!

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Painting my Living Room

Interiors

Monday
Oct / 29 / 2018
Comments 47

Painting my Living Room - Farrow & Ball Dimpse

There’s nothing like the upcoming holiday season to push house projects to the top of the list. Am I right? That’s why, after living in Bayberry House for four months, I finally decided to start painting.

As many folks know, I love dressing up my space for Christmas. Before the tree goes up, however, there are a few big things I want to accomplish. One of those projects was painting my main living room.

I’ll admit that the existing color was perfectly fine. It was a creamy beige that would probably work well with almost anything. But I prefer gray over beige.

Although I have bigger plans for this room down the road, including reworking the fireplace surround and mantel, I wanted to give it a fresh new look now so it felt a bit more like me. Since paint is the quickest fix, that’s where I decided to start.

I came across a color I liked on Pinterest. It’s Farrow and Ball’s Blackened. I have their fan deck of colors, and Blackened seemed to work well with the new pieces I’m planning to bring into the space. Being a bit lighter, the color will also brighten up the room.

Since I’m a Sherwin Williams loyalist, I had them match the color, and then I sampled it on my walls. Even though it didn’t have any blue tint in it, it felt blue on the wall. Wanting gray and not light blue, I decided to try another sample. I looked through the color deck again and chose Farrow & Ball’s Dimpse. This was a bit darker, and it appeared grayer to me. – I even did a few google searches to see what the color looked like on other people’s walls.

Once again, I had the color matched by Sherwin Williams and tried it in my living room. It was much better, but I still thought it felt kinda blue. After testing it in various parts of the room, I decided to forge ahead. (Spoiler alert: I should have trusted my “it’s still too blue” gut instinct.)

I finished painting on Saturday afternoon and, unfortunately, I’m just not feeling the results.

I’m not sure how the color comes across here on the blog or on your screen. Because of lighting and different screen settings, it may not appear blue at all. However, in person, it looks like a soft baby blue.

And while Dimpse is a lovely color and I could make it work, baby blue walls are just not my jam for this space. I actually like it more in pictures, but less in real life.

I’m going to live with it for a few days and see how I’m feeling about it, but my gut tells me that I’ll be repainting it next week. Lol.

I don’t mind painting, and this room came together quickly. but I’m still kicking myself for not getting it right the first time. Still, it’s the first room I painted in the house so I’m allowing myself a bit of grace.

This is an excellent example of the importance of testing paint colors on your walls. You may love the color of a wall you see online, but because of light (or lack thereof), the color could look completely different in your home. I also believe that your house will reveal what colors it wants. Not in like a creepy, ghostly way, but it will be obvious when a color doesn’t work.

I should note that the color from Sherwin Williams matches the Farrow & Ball color card perfectly according to my eyes. I did have them match a color for another project I’m working on, and the results were not as close. (This other color is much darker, so I assume that’s why it didn’t match as well.)

Anywho, that’s my painting adventure for the day. I’ll keep you posted on what I decide to do and how things work out. (I’ll talk to you more about my new cabinet and emerald chairs in another post. Stay tuned.)

In the meantime, I’d love to know what you think of the color or if you’ve had a similar painting “fail.” Decorating is an adventure, isn’t it?

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Christmas Ideas: Q&A

Holidays

Thursday
Oct / 25 / 2018
Comments 11

Last week on Instagram I asked for any Christmas ideas you’d like to see me explore on the blog this year. I appreciate your great suggestions so I’ve compiled a list to keep in mind as I plan holiday content for the upcoming season. I’ll try to create something for everyone. I promise!

I was pleased to see how many of your ideas have already been covered here on Inspired by Charm. IBC has been around for almost 10 years, and I know many of you have been following since the beginning. (Thank you!) Of course, some of you may have just found me last week. (Thank you, too!)

To specifically address your questions and remind you of some of the things I’ve done that may be useful to you during the 2018 holiday season, I thought I’d put together this post of Christmas ideas. Yes, the questions are from you. You asked. I answered.

I’m also aware that some long-time followers who are familiar with these posts may be looking for additional ideas in relation to these topics. I will be sure to consider that as I plan my upcoming holiday content.

One more thing, I realize it may seem early to be to talking about Christmas. If I wasn’t a blogger, the holidays probably wouldn’t be on my mind until after Thanksgiving. However, in the blogging world, the goal is to give you as many ideas as early as possible so you have time to find them and implement them if you’d like.

I will confess that I also believe people should be free to start celebrating whenever they’d like. We all need a little more joy in our lives, so if setting up your Christmas tree the day after Halloween makes you happy, please do!

With that said, it’s time to answer questions and share lots of Christmas ideas to give you a head start on the season.

Christmas Ideas: Q&A

Unique Ways to Decorate and Wrap Presents:
Wrapping presents might be one of my favorite things to do. Seriously. I love it. I’ve created several posts about wrapping Christmas gifts. You can find them below.

You can be certain I’ll be posting more about this topic this year. It’s likely I’ll also design additional printable gift tags, although I still love the ones from last year.

How to Decorate a Christmas Tree:
After getting lots of requests for how to put ribbon on a Christmas tree, I created this post and video tutorial. Many readers told me it was helpful. With at least two trees planned for this coming Christmas, I intend to put together a tutorial on how to decorate a tree from concept to completion.

Different Ways to Decorate a Tree:
Speaking of Christmas trees, if you’ve followed Inspired by Charm for a while, you know that I change up my tree every year and usually decorate two trees. Over the years that adds up to a lot of Christmas tree ideas.

I have written two posts where you can see most (if not all) of my Christmas trees. You can find them HERE and HERE. Although they may be a bit repetitive, hopefully, those posts offer inspiration to get your own creative juices flowing.

A Wreath Like This (Rainbow) Tree:
Several years ago I decorated this rainbow-inspired Christmas tree. Every year around this time, it shows up over on Pinterest. It was even featured by Martha Stewart. It’s still one of my favorite trees, and I will probably bring it back one year.

To answer your question, I did make a wreath to match the tree and shared the full tutorial. You can find that HERE. If rainbows aren’t your thing, I also made a red and green version HERE.

I also recently taught you how to make an ornament wreath out of (mostly) vintage glass ornaments. Here’s how that looks:

You can visit this post here for the full tutorial if you want to make one of your own.

Mantel Decor Ideas:
You’d think I would have a plethora of Christmas mantel decorating ideas, but I honestly don’t have that many. With two mantels here at Bayberry House, my goal this year is to share a handful of ideas. However, I did create a post HERE which recaps of several ways I decorated my mantel for the holidays.

Christmas Decor for Small Spaces:
Last year I decorated my apartment for Christmas. It was a pretty small space. Hopefully, that will offer inspiration for those of you in a similar situation. You can find my Christmas Apartment Tour HERE and a look at how I decorated my apartment bedroom HERE.

I think a lot of the ideas I share on IBC can be translated into a space of any size. You just have to get a bit more creative if you live in a small home.

Christmas Cocktail Ideas:
I love creating cocktail recipes. In fact, two of my holiday cocktail recipes are among the most popular posts on IBC. So many of you continue to love this Jingle Juice Holiday Punch (Only three ingredients are needed, and it tastes incredible!) and this Very Merry Ornamentini (The presentation alone makes it a winner!).

Last year, I put together a post that contains all of my holiday cocktail recipes. You can find that HERE. For these types of round-ups post, I typically go back and add to them as necessary. So it’s always good to revisit them as they are continually updated.

Favorite Christmas Music:
I love me some holiday music. During the past few years, I’ve put together a number of Christmas music playlists. I will link all of them below. I typically add to these playlists every year to keep them fresh and make them even longer. I also create a new playlist every year, so stay tuned for that.

Inspired by Charm Holiday Playlists:

DIY for Christmas:
This is an excellent suggestion. I haven’t done oodles of Christmas DIY projects, so this is something I will keep in mind this year. However, as I think about what I might create, I’m trying to find the right balance between meaningful projects/crafts and things that just become clutter and junk. I do have a few ideas for this year. Fingers crossed they turn out as I envision.

In the meantime, you can find a few of my favorite Christmas DIY/Craft projects here:

Christmas Home Tours:
This wasn’t a question, but I thought I’d take the time to link up all of my Christmas Home Tours here. After sharing holiday home tours for the past several years, I thought they might serve as inspiration for your holiday decorating. For some of you, these may be new, and for others, they might be a walk down memory lane.

Decorating, Not Food!:
I’ve always called Inspired by Charm a lifestyle blog. That means I offer a bit of everything: decorating, recipes, entertaining, DIY, travel, random life stories, etc. Of course, this may make things challenging for the IBC audience. Some of you have no interest in decorating, and some of you have no interest in cooking or baking. I get that. (Though, lots of you were asking for holiday-inspired recipes too!)

Presenting a variety of content reflects my many interests, so that’s what I will probably continue to do. From the business side of things, recipes keep this blog alive. They tend to be what gets shared the most on social media. In fact, 27 of the top 30 posts in the past several years were recipes. Recipes are also cost-effective. I can pull together a recipe for $20 whereas a room makeover runs thousands.

If it’s any consolation to home decor lovers who read IBC, I think about the balance of content a lot. It’s my sincere aim to bring you as many ideas for your home as I can. My hope is that Bayberry House will provide much interior decor inspiration. And I’m confident it will. But as I mentioned in my post yesterday, it’s taking me longer than expected to feel the groove of my new space. I am focused on moving forward with the design and overjoyed to share my home’s decorative journey and the creative results.

With all of that said, there will be both recipes and decorating ideas for the holidays and beyond. No matter why you follow IBC, I hope my posts continue to inspire.

If you are looking for a few holiday recipe round-ups, these are a great place to start:

100+ Christmas Ideas:

And if you’re looking for the ultimate list of Christmas ideas, in 2108 I created this list of 100+ Christmas Ideas. It covers everything from decorate to crafts to recipes and SO MUCH more! I’m so proud of this post. I will also continue to update it as I have new ideas to share! I think you’re going to love it too. Click here to read through that.

Christmas Ideas: Q&A Complete!

If I didn’t address your ideas or questions, I will do my best to cover them over the next couple of months. Developing Christmas content brings me joy, so I’m itching to get started. For anyone looking for even more Christmas ideas, you can find ALL of my holiday-related posts HERE.

In case there are other things you’d like to see this holiday season, please let me know in the comments below.

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What’s the Tea: Fall Update

Life

Wednesday
Oct / 24 / 2018
Comments 50

Happy Almost-November, my friends! I don’t know about you, but I have NO idea where September and October went. It’s as if I blinked, and they were gone. Anyone else feeling the same?

It’s been a hot minute since I last checked in and chatted so I thought I’d do that today. And while I’m thinking about it, I’m also curious if you like these occasional personal posts, or if I should just stick to content. I’m always on the fence about writing these, so if you have a feeling either way, please let me know in the comments below.

And while you’re in the comments, I would LOVE to know if there is any specific thing you’d like me to blog about during the upcoming holiday season. I know it might seem a tad early, but my wheels are already turning. If you have any Christmas blog post requests, now is the time to let me know!

The “New” House
I think after this post I’m going to stop referring to Bayberry House as my “new” house. Lol. I’ve been here a little over four months now, and it’s been great. I still have moments when it doesn’t seem as if it’s “official” or actually my house, but I suppose that’s natural and that the house will feel more like mine as I continue to settle in and put my stamp on it.

Making progress with the decor has been much slower than I expected. I’m not sure why – fear of screwing something up, not being settled on a design direction, or my lack of inspiration? Nonetheless, I have pulled the trigger on a few things, including the purchase of new living room furniture and family room/den furniture. My hope is that the furniture will kick-start progress. With the holidays quickly approaching, I want things to begin feeling more like home.

In other news, I did have a larger electrical box installed. While the electricians were here, they also put in boxes for sconces in the family room and ran the cable line through the wall. (It had been strung across the floor near the baseboard.) I’ll probably write a separate post about that in the coming weeks.

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I also had a bit of landscaping done in front of the house. It was a rather frustrating adventure so I haven’t shared much, but I’ll be working on a post about it ASAP.

This past weekend I had my first indoor fire in the big fireplace. It was magical but smokier than I thought it should be. I’m having a chimney sweep come by next week to clean everything, make sure the fireplace is functioning properly, and give me a lesson on operating it correctly. I am so excited to have a wood-burning fireplace and will definitely be taking advantage of it on chilly evenings.

I’m still filled with great excitement and joy about this new home and what it will become. It’s just coming together a bit differently than I anticipated.

Kitchen Remodel
Since purchasing the house I have talked about wanting to start work on the kitchen, and in some ways I have. Because I have limited experience in kitchen planning, l decided to consult a designer. She has been fabulous, and I will be sharing more details about all of that soon. The new kitchen layout is designed, and we found a cabinet maker so progress is being made.

However, finding a general contractor has been more challenging. There is someone I’d like to work with, but he’s been very busy with another project. (I’m also not sure I can afford him since I’m still waiting on his bid.) My hope is that I’ll know more in a couple weeks. Once things are close to being finalized, I’ll share the process and details here on the blog. My guess is that if things do work out, nothing will start until December or January.

Watercolor Class
I also decided to sign up for a Watercolor Class this fall through my neighborhood’s adult education series. The class has met twice so far, and it’s been such fun. I took art and drawing classes in high school and college, but I haven’t done very much in that arena since then. It’s been great to flex those muscles again.

(The images above are just practice pieces, so please don’t judge me two harshly. And yes, the martini glass was inspired by my Halloween Recipe Card Printable!)

I’m not sure how or if it will translate to the blog. Maybe I’ll create a few printables for the blog. We’ll see! I’ve also signed up to take a general painting technique class at a local studio shortly after the watercolor class ends. Painting is definitely something I would like to continue to do.

How to Start a Blog
Every now and then folks ask me questions about how to start a blog, how to earn money from a blog, and so on. These are tough questions to answer as there is a lot involved. However, I finally have what I think is a good answer. My friend and fellow blogger Lisa from Farmhouse on Boone recently launched a blog course. In it, she starts a new blog and walks you through the process step-by-step. Lisa is an incredibly hard worker and dedicated blogger so I’m confident this course will rock. There is an initial investment, but if you are serious about starting a blog as a business and want to put in the time, this course may be for you. You can read more about the course here.

Current Favorites:

That wraps up the major updates, although I’m sure I’m missing something. I recently did a Q&A on my Instagram stories. You can follow along here. I’ll add the Q&A to my Instagram Highlights. Just in case you missed it, you’ll be able to find them there.

Before I go, here are a few of my current favorite things:

So excited to welcome these books to my collection:
Cook Like a Pro by Ina Garten
Make Something Good Today by Erin and Ben Napier
Living the Simply Luxurious Life – Shannon Ables
Cozy Minimalist Home – Myquillyn Smith (aka The Nester)

I’m also a big fan of new Christmas music. I’ve ordered Martina McBride and Ingrid Michaelson’s new Holiday albums.

This leaf blower is my favorite new tool. It’s light and powerful. I’ve used it almost every day this fall.

I’m obsessed with this collaboration between Brandi Carlile and Sam Smith. It’s so good! She’s one of my favorites.

You have to check out these adorable pillow decorations. What a fun way to change your throw pillows for the seasons!

Fellow Wicked fans, there is a TV special airing on Monday, October 29th on NBC celebrating the 15th anniversary of the musical. You can read more about it here.

Well, that’s it for today! I hope you enjoyed this short update. Have a fabulous week, everyone!

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Printable Recipe Cards for Halloween

Entertaining

Friday
Oct / 19 / 2018
Comments 0

Free Printable Recipe Cards for Halloween #printable #recipecard #halloween #printablerecipecards #spooky #haunted

These Printable Recipe Cards for Halloween are a perfectly ghoulish way to jot down your favorite tricks and treats for All Hallow’s Eve.

These first few weeks of fall have flown by. I just realized Halloween is almost here, and I’ve yet to share my latest printable recipe cards! Well, I quickly photographed them, and I’m gifting them to you in this post.

It has been my pleasure to share free printable recipe cards with IBC readers for the past three years. This is the thirteen design I’ve created for these recipe card collections.

You can find previous recipe cards below. All of them are available as a free download. You are welcome to print any or all of them.

I’m not sure why, but the two Halloween recipe cards I’ve shared are among my favorites. And although I realize you don’t truly NEED recipe cards for Halloween, they sure are fun to have on hand.

Halloween Printable Recipe Cards:

I also think they could make a super cute favor for a Halloween party. Don’t you agree?

Download Printable Halloween Recipe Cards Here:

You can access the download in the IBC Printable Library which can be found HERE.

If you’re new to Inspired by Charm, you can get instant access to this library by SUBSCRIBING HERE. Once subscribed, you will instantly receive an email that contains a link to this download.

Already a member of the IBC Mailing list? You can find the password to to access the library at the bottom of the latest email from Inspired by Charm.

As always, if you use any of my printables, I would love to see them! Be sure to share them on Instagram and tag @inspiredbycharm.

Want more Halloween tricks and treats? These are some of my favorites:

I hope you enjoy using them as much as I enjoy creating them for you. Happy Halloween!

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Cheddar Bacon Cheeseball Recipe (Apple-Shaped)

Recipes

Wednesday
Oct / 17 / 2018
Comments 1

Easy Cheddar Bacon Cheeseball appetizer recipe. #cheeseball #cheese #appetizer #snack #recipe #entertaining

Delicious and flavorful, this apple-shaped Cheddar Bacon Cheeseball recipe is the perfect fall appetizer recipe guaranteed to get a wow-worthy response.

Today’s recipe is this adorable and delicious Cheddar Bacon Cheeseball. I’m getting excited just writing that name!

What makes this Cheddar Bacon Cheeseball extra special (beyond the fact that it’s a ball of cheese) is that it’s designed to resemble an apple. This fabulously simple idea will take your entertaining to the next level, and it’s sure to impress your guests.

You might remember this idea as I originally shared it back in 2015. At the time I put two cheeseball recipes in one post, so I’m sharing again just to split up the two recipes. You can find the original post here.

How day you make an easy cheeseball?

In making this, I strongly recommend using freshly shredded cheese. As much as I love the convenience of the packaged variety, you can’t beat the flavor and texture of cheese you grate in your own kitchen.

This Cheddar Bacon Cheeseball recipe is simple, elegant, and delicious. How can you go wrong with a ball of cheese?

For this cheeseball recipe, I rolled the final ball of cheese into paprika and crushed pistachio for two unique colors and textures.

Serve it with crackers, toasted bread, or veggies plus your favorite wine. You’re ready for a party.

If you liked this cheeseball recipe, you’ll love these too:

Happy Entertaining!

Cheddar and Bacon Cheeseball Recipe:

Cheddar Bacon Cheeseball

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: appetizer, cheese ball, cheeseball

Servings: people

Prep Time 20 mins

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Delicious and flavorful, this apple-shaped Cheddar Bacon Cheeseball recipe is the perfect fall appetizer recipe guaranteed to get a wow-worthy response.

Pin It!

Ingredients

16 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese - shredded
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese - softened
1/4 cup kalamata olives - or pimiento-stuffed, drained and chopped
1/4 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
8 slices bacon - cooked until crispy and then crumbled
1/3 cup walnuts - finely chopped
1/2 cup pistachio nuts* - finely chopped*
1 tablespoon paprika*

Instructions

Using a hand mixer, combine the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, kalamata olives (or pimientos), apricot preserves, milk, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and about 1/2 of the bacon in a large bowl until smooth.
Then shape the cheese mixture into 2 balls. Again, there is no need to be perfect here since apples aren't uniformly shaped. Make an indentation in the top of each with your thumb so the balls resemble apples. Chill them for 30 minutes.
Remove from the refrigerator and coat the cheese balls in the remaining chopped bacon and walnuts. (If preferred, the balls could instead be covered in pistachio nuts mixed with paprika.)
Cover and chill for at least two hours before serving. Insert a branch with leaves to resemble an apple stem.

Notes

*Optional, depending on preferred coating.

Made it? Share it!Tag @inspiredbycharm on Instagram and use the tag #myIBC so we can see what you're cooking in the kitchen!

*Originally published on September 15, 2015. Updated to create a post for each cheeseball base recipe. Original / additional cheeseball recipe can be found here.

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Halloween Mantel Decor to Die For

Holidays

Monday
Oct / 15 / 2018
Comments 13

Skeleton Inspired Halloween Mantel Decor Ideas #halloween #decor #decorations #spooky #skeleton #mantel

Simple, creative, and spooky Halloween mantel decor ideas to add a haunt to your home. That what’s in store for you today!

With Halloween a mere two weeks away, I’m making every effort to share additional tricks for celebrating All Hallow’s Eve in style. (You can find more of my Halloween ideas here.) This past week, I decided to focus on Halloween mantel decor and dress up my fireplace. I’m so excited to share that with you today.

Halloween Mantel Decor Ideas:

This is the first time I’ve decorated one of the mantels in my Pittsburgh house with such intention, and I think it turned out pretty cute …. er, creepy!

The direction for this Halloween mantel decor was inspired by skeletons, skulls, and bones. In fact, the skeleton hands that I got from Grandin Road were the main inspiration for the entire look.

From there, I used lots of things I already had on hand. (If you saw my Spooky Chic Halloween Table, a few of the accessories might look familiar.)

I think the skeleton hands stole the show, however. Created to look like a peace sign, thumbs up, and a hand heart, they actually make skeletons look cool and cute.

I also love this thick rope corded cage light I found at HomeGoods. The light is functional so I often turn it on at night. However, I opted to keep it off during the photo session to keep the glow from being a distraction.

Some books bring in height and a few of my Plush Pumpkins gave a pop of color and a fall feel.

Spider Web Halloween Mantel Decor Ideas:

To finish off the mantel, I covered everything with inexpensive faux spider webs. This is an easy and cost-effective way to make something feel old and eerie.

With a few of the skull candles lit, the effect is truly sinister.

I also decided to decorate the bar cart, which I had recently added to this space. (This is the bar cart I purchased.) Since this is the room where people tend to gather, I thought it was the perfect place to serve drinks.

To dress up the cart for Halloween, I used creepy cat eyeballs. These are from Grandin Road. They are a new variation on the ones I used last year to style my Halloween dining table.

I also love these pumpkin juice bottles and insect plates. Aren’t they the epitome of spooky chic?

Additional Family Room Sources:

With that, I’d say the family room is ready for the season. What do you think?

I hope you enjoyed this look at my Halloween mantel decor and picked up a few ideas to decorate your own home for the upcoming holiday.

Want more Halloween tricks and treats? These are some of my favorites:

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Homemade Mulling Spices

Recipes

Wednesday
Oct / 10 / 2018
Comments 29

Homemade Mulling Spices for Apple Cider and Mulled Wine #mullingspices #applecider #mulled #cocktail #cider #recipe

Made with a blend of fragrant spices, including cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and orange zest, mulling spices are an easy way to add seasonal flavor to apple cider, mulled wine, and more!

Yes, my friends, today I’m teaching you how to make homemade mulling spices.

I’m a tad embarrassed to admit that until a few months ago it had never occurred to me I could make my own mulling spices. For some reason, I just assumed you had to buy them as a mix from the store.

This post contains affiliate links.

That is not the case, of course, and I’m excited to show you how easy it is to blend your own. I’m especially giddy because now is an opportune time to make mulling spices.

As the temperatures decrease this fall and the holiday season starts, you’ll find so many uses for them.

What are mulling spices used for?

Mulling spices have a variety of uses. They are probably best known as a seasonal flavor addition for hot apple cider. They can also be used to make mulled wine. (You can find my Mulled Apple Cider recipe here and Mulled Wine recipe here.)

Mulling spices can likewise be ground (or pulverized in a coffee grinder) and used in place of spices in baking. They would make a lovely substitute for pumpkin pie or apple pie spice. You could even add the ground spice mix to your pancake or waffle batter for Thanksgiving or Christmas breakfast!

Besides those uses, you can put them in your tea or coffee for an extra flavor kick. Some folks like to add them to the brine for turkey and chicken.

Mulling spices also make an excellent gift. – Who knew there were so many ways to use them?

What are the ingredients in mulling spices?

After doing a lot of research, I learned that the ingredients can vary quite a bit. However, every recipe I found included the following:

From there, mulling spices can be customized with one or more of the following:

For my recipe, which you will find below, I went with the traditional ingredients plus cardamom pods and peppercorns.

I purchased all of my supplies (including the jars) on Amazon. Everything is linked in the ingredient list above. You can find the jars here and here.

Homemade Mulling Spices

Once you’ve gathered all the ingredients, just place them in a bowl and mix well.

A couple things to note:

1) To break up the cinnamon sticks, place them in a large zipper-top plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin or heavy skillet.

2) The dried orange zest will tend to settle at the bottom of the bowl. As you portion out the mulling spices into containers, keep mixing the ingredients.

If there is any orange zest leftover in the bowl, divide it evenly among the jars.

I decided to put the mulling spices I made into small jars so I can share them with friends and use them as holiday gifts.

If you’re just making the spices for yourself, you can scale back the recipe to suit your needs.

You can find all the details on how I make my Mulled Apple Cider here, but generally speaking, you’ll want to add about 2 tablespoons of mulling spices per 1/2 gallon of apple cider. Adjust the amount to suit your taste.

I recommend picking up some of these bags to hold the mulling spices when you add them to cider or wine.

This will eliminate the need to later strain out the cloves, bits of cinnamon, and other ingredients. (It’s almost like having a mulling spice tea bag!)

If you liked this recipe, you’ll love these too:

After seeing what I did and how easy this recipe for Homemade Mulling Spices is, I hope you’ll try making your own.

Stay tuned as I’ll be passing along more creative uses for mulling spices over the coming months.

Homemade Mulling Spices

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple cider, cinnamon, fall spices, mulled wine, mulling spices

Servings: (5-ounce) jars

Prep Time 10 mins

How to make Homemade Mulling Spices. #applecider #mullingspices #mulledwine #mulledcider #recipe #fall

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Made with a blend of fragrant spices, including cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and orange zest, mulling spices are an easy way to add seasonal flavor to apple cider and mulled wine.

Pin It!

Ingredients

2 cups cinnamon sticks - crushed
2 cups whole cloves
2 cups allspice berries
1 1/2 cups dried orange zest
1 cup cardamom pods
1/2 cup peppercorns

Instructions

Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and stir to combine.
Divide evenly into sealable jars. Store sealed up to one year.

Notes

I divided my mulling spices into smaller jars so I can gift them to others. If you're just making the spices for yourself, you can cut back the amounts to suit your needs.

For serving: 2 tablespoons of mulling spice per 1/2 gallon of apple cider or wine

Made it? Share it!Tag @inspiredbycharm on Instagram and use the tag #myIBC so we can see what you're cooking in the kitchen!

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Halloween Flower Arrangement

DIY

Tuesday
Oct / 9 / 2018
Comments 4

How to create and style an easy Halloween flower arrangement. #halloween #flowers #entertaining #party #tablescape

Are you wanting to make a spooky chic Halloween flower arrangement? This post is filled with ideas and tips for doing just that.

Last week I was excited to show you my spooky chic tablescape. That post was super long, so I couldn’t give you many details about the Halloween floral arrangement in the center of the table. That’s why I’m back today to break it down for you.

In case you missed that post, here’s what the full centerpiece looked like:

Lovely, but a little creepy, right? That was the goal!

DIY Halloween Flower Arrangement:

The inspiration for the arrangement came from this test tube vase I picked up at HomeGoods. I found it outside the Halloween section, but it works great for this application.

When I went shopping for flowers, I stopped at two places: Whole Foods and Michaels Craft Store.

Other than the farmers market, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are my go-to places for inexpensive flowers. For this arrangement, I wanted flowers that had deep colors, an odd shape, or a creepy look.

I ended up with almost-black calla lilies, some burgundy flowers (I don’t know their name.), and seeded eucalyptus.

To add a bit more spook to the centerpiece, I also picked up feathers and a set of skeleton hands at Michaels.

Now let’s get to flower arranging!

How to Create a Halloween Flower Arrangement:

When I’m doing arrangements, I usually like to start with the greens. After filling the tubes with water, I tucked in some of the seeded eucalyptus followed by the calla lilies.

From there, I put in feathers for height and texture and then arranged the burgundy flowers. The final touch was the skeleton hands. They are on wire picks so it was easy to insert them in the vase. (Of course, you could also easily attach a wire pick to any skeleton hand or bone.)

And with that, my arrangement was complete.

I think the centerpiece works well with the tablescape and adds just the right amount of color. To tie it in with the rest of the dining room, I decided to display an orchid on the sideboard.

Orchids are another fabulous option for a Halloween flower arrangement if you’re not comfortable arranging fresh flowers.

Want more Halloween tricks and treats? These are some of my favorites:

I hope you enjoyed this closer look at how my Halloween flower arrangement came together. What other tips do you have for creating a creepy centerpiece?

Happy Haunting!

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Pasta Salad with Roasted Mushrooms

Recipes

Monday
Oct / 8 / 2018
Comments 2

Delicious Pasta Salad with Roasted Mushrooms #recipe #pastasalad #mushrooms #appetizer #sidedish #pasta

This Pasta Salad with Roasted Mushrooms is an easy and delicious recipe that makes the perfect side dish any time of year.

You know how much I love a pasta salad recipe! In the past, I’ve posted several here on IBC. Since I’ve covered the classics, I’m now branching out to new varieties.

This Pasta Salad with Roasted Mushrooms is an example of my experimentation with new flavors and ingredients!

Pasta Salad with Roasted Mushrooms:

A couple weeks ago, I found some colorful pasta at HomeGoods. It reminded me of the Fall Harvest Pasta Salad I made a few years ago.

Inspired by the color, I thought another autumnal pasta salad was in order. However, after putting this salad together, I realized it could be served and enjoyed during any season.

How to Make Pasta Salad with Roasted Mushrooms:

To prepare this recipe, first roast the mushrooms and tomatoes. You can use any mushrooms you’d like. I went with a mix of mini portobello, white, and crimini. Warning: Roasting the mushrooms and tomatoes will make your kitchen smell heavenly.

While everything is roasting, cook the pasta and prepare the rest of the ingredients. You can use whatever pasta you like best.

When your pasta and roast mushrooms are cool, everything gets quickly tossed together in a bowl with a simple dressing of olive oil, white wine vinegar, and sugar for a touch of sweetness.

The dressing may not sound like much, but with all the flavors happening here, it’s the perfect complement. Also add salt and pepper to taste.

If you liked this pasta salad, you’ll also love:

Your Pasta Salad with Roasted Mushrooms is now complete and ready to serve. I’m sure you’re going to enjoy it as much as I do.

Pasta Salad with Roasted Mushrooms Recipe:

Pasta Salad with Roasted Mushrooms

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: appetizer, fall recipe, pasta, pasta salad, roasted mushrooms, salad

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 40 mins

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This Pasta Salad with Roasted Mushrooms is an easy and delicious recipe that makes the perfect side dish any time of year.

Pin It!

Ingredients

3 packages (8 ounces each) sliced mushrooms
10 ounces cherry or grapes tomatoes - halved
4 cloves garlic - sliced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound pasta
1 can (15 ounces)cannellini beans - rinsed and drained
1/2 cup fresh basil - roughly chopped
3 ounces Parmesan cheese - shaved
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar - (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Begin by preheating an oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Place the mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, and oregano on the prepared pan. Drizzle with olive oil and mix to coat. Roast for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain and cool.
Add the pasta and roasted items to a large bowl. Top with cannellini beans, basil, and cheese.
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the dressing to the pasta and toss to combine.

Made it? Share it!Tag @inspiredbycharm on Instagram and use the tag #myIBC so we can see what you're cooking in the kitchen!

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Apple Cider Sidecar

Recipes

Friday
Oct / 5 / 2018
Comments 9

Cheers to fall with this Apple Cider Sidecar! Made with crisp apple cider and smooth cognac, this is the perfect cocktail recipe for this time of year as days get shorter and evenings get cooler.

It’s Friday, which can only mean one thing: the weekend is here, and it’s time for a cocktail. Today, I’m shaking up an Apple Cider Sidecar. A seasonal take on the classic, this is a cocktail I’m sure you’re going to love.

Apple Cider Sidecar:

It wasn’t until the past couple of years that I developed a taste for bourbon and cognac. As a matter of fact, I started to appreciate bourbon after I created this Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail (which, along with this Cranberry Old Fashioned, is now my go-to drink during the holiday season.)

I have learned that bourbon and cognac are totally different things. Bourbon is a whiskey made from distilled grains, while cognac is a specific type of brandy made from distilled grapes. In the past, I often incorrectly clumped them in the same category. Maybe my confusion was due to their colors or the fact that they are aged in barrels. Who knows.

All of that is sort of irrelevant, other than as a reminder to myself that it’s good to try new things. Something that I disliked since forever is now in my like column!

I made these Apple Cider Sidecars a few weeks ago when I set my fall tablescape. I promised to share the recipe so I’m happy to finally be posting it.

How to Make an Apple Cider Sidecar:

This cocktail comes together so easily. Fresh apple cider, bourbon (I used Hennessy.), Cointreau, and a splash of lemon juice get added to a cocktail shaker with ice.

After a vigorous shaking, the cocktail is strained into a coupe glass and garnished with a lemon peel and cherry.

To make my garnish, I used a peeler to get a nice-size lemon peel. I also used Luxardo Orginal Maraschino Cherries. I highly recommend these (though they are a tad more expensive) or a brandied cherry rather than the more common bright red maraschino cherries. I think this cocktail deserves something luxe and special.

Talk about the perfect Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving cocktail, right?

For serving, I used these beautiful gold rimmed coupe glasses I picked up at Crate & Barrel. They’re a new favorite at my house. (My cocktail shaker is from there as well.)

With drinks poured, all that’s left to do is sit back and enjoy.

Want more fall cocktail recipes? You’ll love these too:

I’m confident you’ll find that this Apple Cider Sidecar is a cocktail to savor. The recipe is below. Give it a try this fall and let me know what you think.

Apple Cider Sidecar Recipe:

Apple Cider Sidecar

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple cider sidecar, cocktail, fall cocktail, sidecar

Servings: cocktail

Prep Time 3 mins

My Ultimate List of Kitchen Essentials #kitchen #essentials #kitchentools #appliances #dinnerware #serveware #baking #bakeware #glassware #pans

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Made with crisp apple cider and smooth cognac, this is the perfect cocktail recipe for this time of year as days get shorter and evenings get cooler.

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Ingredients

2 ounces apple cider
2 ounces cognac
1 ounce Cointreau
Splash fresh lemon juice
Lemon peel and Luxardo cherry - (or brandied cherry)

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients (except for the garnish) to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake vigorously.
Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon peel and a cherry.

Made it? Share it!Tag @inspiredbycharm on Instagram and use the tag #myIBC so we can see what you're cooking in the kitchen!

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Outdoor Halloween Decorations and My Porch at Night

Interiors

Thursday
Oct / 4 / 2018
Comments 18

Outdoor Halloween Decorations and My Porch at Night #halloween #fall #decor #decorations #outdoor #porch

Last week I shared my porch decorated for fall. As promised, today I’m back to show you how it looks at night, plus I wanted to give you a peek at my Outdoor Halloween Decorations. I didn’t go crazy, but a few small touches gave my home some Halloween Spirit.

Whenever you move into a new place, part of the fun is figuring out what works best in that space You want things to look good, but they also have to function well. As the fall and winter holidays approach, I’ve been thinking about Christmas tree placement, outdoor lighting, and most recently, my outdoor Halloween decorations.

I’m giving myself a little latitude with everything I do at Bayberry House. I realize that my first go at things may not be “correct,” but it’s still so much fun to experiment with new materials and combinations and placement of items. With that being said, I’m super happy with the way the decor is coming along. My fall porch is beautiful, and my outdoor Halloween decorations are bewitching.

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Let me show you what I created outside for Halloween, and then I’ll give you a peek at my porch.

Outdoor Halloween Decorations:

For a couple of years, I’ve been in love with this witch silhouette from Grandin Road. Now that I finally have a large enough yard, I had to bring her home.

I set her up, along with a matching cat, in the front yard and then surrounded her with pumpkins. I used some real pumpkins but also incorporated a few of these lighted flame pumpkins. During the day, you’d assume they were just real pumpkins, but at night they light up and glow with a flickering flame.

They are the greatest! They even have a timer so they turn themselves on and off.

I also went wild with pumpkins and gourds and scattered a few around the front of the house. While it’s not overkill, I think it helps to bring everything together. I included a few of the flame lighted pumpkins near the house to tie in my witch area in the yard.

At night, I use a few of these solar-powered spotlights to light everything up. I was impressed by how well they work – no cords required. And even though they are LED, they give off a warmer light, which I prefer to the blueish tint of many LEDs.

Now, let’s take a look at my side porch!

My Fall Side Porch at Night

When I photographed this space last week, I was excited to be able to shoot some pictures at night as well.

Typically, I like to photograph things during the day when I have lots of filtered sunlight. I think natural ligh makes for the best photographs. But as you can imagine, there isn’t a lot of filtered natural sunlight when the sun goes down.

Even without sunlight, the string lights and glow from candles can create a magical space and photograph. What do you think?

I kept costs down by picking up glass votives and candles from HomeGoods plus these inexpensive string lights from Amazon. It’s a quick and easy way to make a space feel special and welcoming.

If you’re interested in more details and sources for what’s in this space, you can check out last week’s post here.

Want more Halloween tricks and treats? These are some of my favorites:

All-in-all I think my outdoor Halloween decorations and glowing side porch are looking pretty festive for my first year at Bayberry House.

I hope you enjoyed this look at my space and picked up a few ideas for the exterior of your home. Happy Haunting!

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Spooky Chic Halloween Table Decorations

Entertaining

Wednesday
Oct / 3 / 2018
Comments 24

Ideas and Inspiration for Spooky Chic Halloween Table Decorations #halloween #decorations #decor #spooky #tablescape

Welcome to the first week of October, the time to add a little haunt to your home! That’s why today I’m posting my spooky chic Halloween table decorations.

Over the past several years, it’s become a tradition of sorts for me to share my Halloween table decorations. You may remember that back in my St. Marys’ house, I pulled together this tablescape inspired by a chocolate skull cake. Then last year I created two table settings: one a bit more elegant and the other a bit more haunted.

Today I’m excited to be teaming up with my fellow ghouls and goblins of the Seasons of Home series to share my 2018 Halloween Tablescape. Each of us is showing a space in our home that we’ve decorated for All Hallows’ Eve. So if you’re looking for Halloween decorations for other places in your home, be sure to visit all the links at the end of this post.

Right now let me show you what I concocted in my dining room.

Ideas for Halloween Table Decorations:

Using things I had on hand plus some new goodies, I outfitted my table in a skeleton theme.

First off, I covered the middle of the table with a runner made from the inexpensive black cheesecloth you can often find it at many big box and party stores.

The tattered texture adds movement and makes an interesting base for Halloween table decorations.

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From there I laid out the place settings. I used my everyday white dinner plates and topped them with these skeleton printed salad plates. Matte black flatware nicely complements the plates.

For glassware, I used my favorite French wine glasses and these gold dipped martini glasses.

In the center of the table, I made a flower arrangement with this collection of test tubes. This was another HomeGoods find. I chose strange and quirky-looking flowers for the arrangement and stuck in a pair of skeleton hands for added creepiness!

Quick tip: When shopping for Halloween décor, look outside the Halloween section. Items do not need to be specifically designed for Halloween to create the look you’re after.

Next, to spook up the table, I brought in more elements to suit my theme. These gold skeleton keys decorated each place setting. Being gold, they add a bit more chic to my table.

Since candles are must at a holiday dinner, my Halloween table is graced by these skull-shaped ones.

I even found skeleton-shaped taper candles, which I used over on my buffet. They are in the big silver candelabra I got on clearance at HomeGoods. Speaking of my buffet, I dressed that up for Halloween, too!

This skeleton drawing from Michael’s adds a charming fear factor to the buffet. And a big silver bowl held up by a claw ghoulishly offers snacks.

I also tied in that deep maroon/purple from the table centerpiece with a coordinating orchid. While beautiful, I think the orchid blooms also have an other-worldly feel, making them great for Halloween table decorations.

To finish things off, I added white ceramic pumpkins, a jar with gum “eyeballs,” and more skeleton keys.

Once everything was in place, I couldn’t resist serving a few Halloween treats. You might have already seen it on the blog, but the first thing I whipped up was this Cranberry, Bacon, and Walnut Cheeseball.

I inserted this mini cleaver in the top of the cheeseball. Not only does it give an eerie effect, but it doubles as a cheese knife. You can find that cheeseball recipe here.

I also created a collection of mini spider cheeseballs to crawl across the table. The spider cheeseballs were inspired by the iron spider I bought at HomeGoods.

With a black sesame seed coating and pretzel stick legs, they are both creepy and delicious. You can see how I made those here.

And with that, my dining room is ready for the holiday! What do you think of my spooky chic Halloween table decorations?

I hope these ideas inspire you to create some Halloween decorations of your own!

Want more Halloween tricks and treats? These are some of my favorites:

And remember, if you’re looking for more hauntingly good ideas, check out all of the posts below.

More Halloween Decorations and Home Decor Ideas:

Ella Claire | French Country Cottage | So Much Better with Age | Sweet Rose and Wren | My Sweet Savannah

Inspired by Charm | Happy Happy Nester | The Wicker House | Zevy Joy | Nina Hendrick Design Co.

Paint Me Pink | Brooklyn Limestone | Clean and Scentsible | Twelve on Main | The Happy Housie

Finding Silver Pennies | Nest of Posies | A Burst of Beautiful | Kelly Elko | A Blue Nest

Sagehill Cottage | Taryn Whiteaker | Town and Country Living | Tattered Pew | Live Laugh Rowe

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Beer Cheese Dip with Bacon

Recipes

Tuesday
Oct / 2 / 2018
Comments 25

With fall in the air and football season well underway, it’s the perfect time for this Beer Cheese Dip with Bacon. Made in a slow cooker, this dip is rich with flavor and likely to become your new favorite appetizer recipe.

Beer Cheese Dip with Bacon:

It’s been a hot minute since I created an appetizer recipe, so I’m busting out this Beer Cheese Dip to celebrate the season. In fact, if you’re looking for delicious and beautifully presented fall appetizer recipes, you’ve come to the right place.

My Taste of the Seasons blogger friends and I are back with another collection of recipes. I’ve linked all of them up at the end of this post. From dips to breads to cheeses, there’s something for everyone. So if you are in need of an autumn-inspired snack, this is the post for you.

Looking for more tasty and cozy fall appetizer recipes? You got it! I have a blog post dedicated to my favorite fall snack and bites. You can find that HERE.

If you’ve never tasted a beer cheese dip, I heartily recommend trying it. When I was growing up, my mom made one with Old English cheese that she served with cubed bread. Our family loved it.

This recipe reminds me a lot of that dip, but the deliciousness has been taken to a new level with thick-cut bacon, freshly grated cheddar cheese, and several other savory ingredients.

Served warm, this dip is great for the cool weather that comes with fall. It’s one of those dishes that will warm you from the inside out. And, as I mentioned above, it tastes so-o-o good! When I made this, the weather was so perfectly fall so I set this dip up on my little side porch to take my photo. If you missed it, you can see how I decked out my porch for the fall here.

How to Make Beer Cheese Dip:

In addition to its fantastic flavor, this recipe is also easy to make because it all comes together in a slow cooker.

Just toss the main ingredients into a greased slow cooker, set it on low, and let it do its thing for a couple hours. As the cheese starts to melt, give it a stir every so often. After a few hours, all the cheese will be melted, and you will have a smooth, creamy, and flavor-packed dip.

What beer is best for beer cheese dip:

For the beer, I recommend using an amber or a lager. I used Yuengling since I had some on hand following my dad’s visit. I would avoid anything that has an added flavor to it like pumpkin, citrus, etc.

I should also mention, you could also use a non-alcoholic beer if needed or desired.

A bit before serving, stir in the cream.

When you’re ready to serve, top the cheesy goodness with more bacon and chopped green onions. Perfection! You can leave your Beer Cheese Dip in the slow cooker, but I chose to serve mine in a fancy bowl.

If you liked this Beer Cheese Dip, check out these recipes:

No matter how you serve it, this Beer Cheese Dip with Bacon is certain to be a new fall favorite!

Cheers!

Taste of the Seasons Fall Appetizer Recipes:

Spinach Artichoke + Green Chile Dip by Ella Claire | Baked Garlic Knots by Sweet C’s | Savory Pumpkin Hummus by Zevy Joy | Spiced Warm Brie by Boxwood Avenue | Sea Salt Dinner Rolls and Herb Butter by House 214 Design

Roasted Stuffed Figs by Town and Country Living | Cranberry Sweet Potato Rounds by Tidy Mom | Gluten Free Baked Brie by Taryn Whiteaker | Healthy Pumpkin Dip by Tidbits | Fig Prosciutto Sweet Potato Bites by The Chronicles of Home

Beet Bruschetta with Goat Cheese and Basil by My Sweet Savannah | Cheddar Bacon Beer Dip by Inspired by Charm | Pumpkin Sheet Pan Nachos by Farmhouse of Boone | Everything but the Bagel Bubble Bread by Nest of Posies | Garlic Smashed Potatoes by Julie Blanner

Olive Pecan Cheese Log by anderson + grant | Stuffed Peppers by Nesting with Grace | Chicken Cranberry Meatballs by Shabby Fu Fu | Chicken Pot Pie Bites by Nina Hendrick | Cranberry Almond Mini Cheese Ball Bites by Summer Adams

Beer Cheese Dip Recipe:

Beer Cheese Dip with Bacon

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: appetizer, bacon, beer cheese dip, beer dip, cheese, fall recipe

Servings:

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs

Total Time 3 hrs 10 mins

The BEST Beer Cheese Dip with Bacon fall appetizer recipe! #cheesedip #appetizer #beer #dip #bacon #gameday #footbal

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With fall in the air and football season well underway, it's the perfect time for this Beer Cheese Dip with Bacon. Made in a slow cooker, this dip is rich with flavor and likely to become your new favorite appetizer recipe.

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Ingredients

20 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup beer - amber or lager
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 pound bacon - cooked and chopped
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 green onions - chopped
Soft pretzel bites or cubed challah bread

Instructions

To a greased 3-qt slow cooker, add the cream cheese, sour cream, dijon, garlic powder, beer, cheese, and about 1/4 cup of the bacon.
Stirring occasionally, cook covered on slow, for 3-4 hours or until the mixture is smooth and heated through.
About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the heavy cream.
When ready to serve, top with the onion and remaining bacon. Serve with pretzel bites or cubed bread.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 566kcal • Carbohydrates: 5g • Protein: 18g • Fat: 52g • Saturated Fat: 26g • Cholesterol: 139mg • Sodium: 736mg • Potassium: 235mg • Fiber: 1g • Sugar: 2g • Vitamin A: 1265IU • Vitamin C: 1mg • Calcium: 316mg • Iron: 1mg

Made it? Share it!Tag @inspiredbycharm on Instagram and use the tag #myIBC so we can see what you're cooking in the kitchen!

Edited to add: A big shout-out to Ashley of Cheese Curd in Paradise for this recipe. A friend of mine shared this recipe with me and I wasn’t aware of it’s original source. Thankfully, Ashley reached out to let me know it was hers. Credit to her for the inspiration. Be sure to visit Cheese Curds in Paradise for more delicious recipes!

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My New GAF Roof

Interiors

Monday
Oct / 1 / 2018
Comments 19

My New GAF Roof with Timberline Ultra HD Charcoal Shingles #newroof #shingles

Thank you to GAF for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are honest & completely my own.

You know you’re an adult when you get crazy excited about a roof replacement. Today I’m sharing all the details about my new GAF roof from start to finish.

When I purchased my new home earlier this year, getting a new roof was high on my priority list. According to the previous homeowner, the roof was over 25 years old. While I might have been able to get another year or two more out of it, it was definitely showing its age. Several areas of the roof were growing a “little moss garden,” and I was told that one corner of the roof leaked from this past winter when snow built up. Obviously, these are things you do not want in a roof.

GAF Roofing:

To complete this rather large project, I partnered with GAF and Lowe’s Home Improvement. Like me, you might not know much about roofing. After some research, I discovered that GAF is the leading roofing manufacturer in North America. I was also pleased to learn that they have products designed to help with my roof’s problem areas.

I was excited to work with Lowes again. As you may know, I have worked with them on craft projects. I also collaborated with them on the decoration of the living room of one of my readers, so I knew my roof would be in good hands.

To get the process started, a Lowe’s Professional Service Exterior (PSE) associate came by for an in-home consultation. If you’re looking for a new roof, you can visit or call your local Lowe’s Home Improvement Store to set-up an in-home consultation, or schedule an appointment right on their website. The Lowes PSE person walked me through the process, from ordering to installation and educated me on the quality, durability, styles, and colors of GAF products.

When I was a teenager, I helped my dad install two roofs. Although I was mostly on clean-up duty, I saw the installation process from start to finish and learned how much time it takes and all the details that go into a good roofing job. Needless to say, I was happy to have someone else take on the replacement of my roof.

GAF Timberline Ultra HD® Shingles:

During the in-home consultation, I decided that the GAF Timberline Ultra HD® shingles in charcoal would be the best option for my roof.

I knew that I wanted a black or charcoal color. I thought it would work well with my home’s white exterior. I also really like the ultra-dimensional wood-shake look these shingles provide.

As my PSE explained, this particular shingle would also be a good choice to help with the moss and algae issue I had with my existing roof since they have StainGuard Plus™ Time-Release Technology. This technology uses specially engineered capsules to release copper over time for long-lasting, algae-fighting power. In other words, no more moss on my roof!

One of my other concerns was that there was an electric ventilation fan in my attic. This fan kicked on anytime it got too hot in the space. I loved that it kept the attic cooler, but it was rather noisy, so I was hoping to find a solution for it.

The PSE suggested that I use the Cobra® Snow Country Advanced™ ridge vent. By installing this on the peak (or ridge) of the roof, I would be able to completely eliminate the electric exhaust fan and my attic would be properly ventilated and stay cooler. No more noisy attic fan.

To help with my leak issue from the snow, it was also recommended that I use GAF WeatherWatch®. This is the first protective layer that goes down over the plywood. WeatherWatch® is designed to keep water and ice out of vulnerable areas of the roof.

Once all of these decisions were made, all the products for my new roof were ordered, and the installation date was scheduled.

The installation went wonderfully. In fact, the local construction company that did the work had 95% of the project completed in one day. They worked from dawn to dusk. I was very impressed.

The old shingles came off first. I believe there was just one area of the roof that needed the plywood replaced before they could get started laying down the new roofing system.

Before the new Timberline Ultra HD® shingles went on, they also added a layer of FeltBuster® to the roof. This is a polypropylene roofing underlayment that helps to prevent rain from infiltrating under the roof’s shingles (especially when it’s very windy). As you can see in the photo, the FeltBuster® was added on top the Weather Watch®.

After that, a layer of starter shingles was installed and then the roof was ready for shingles!

After careful planning and lots of hard work by the construction crew, my new roof is complete!

Here’s a look at the before …

and the after!

I always love seeing a house get a new roof. Since I went with a similar color, the change isn’t overly dramatic. However, it certainly freshened up the look of my home. I also love the look of the Timberline Ultra HD® architectural shingles compared with traditional three-tab shingle. The former adds a lot of interest and texture.

Moreover, thanks to GAF, I am hugely excited about the fact that I no longer need to worry about my roof for many years. I’m now protected from leaks, moss, and algae, and my attic is well ventilated without the sound of a noisy fan.

Also, because I selected GAF shingles and GAF accessories. I was eligible for the GAF Lifetime ltd. warranty. Since a new roof can be such a big investment, this was something that was extremely important to me.

I also have to mention how great it was to work with Lowe’s Home Improvement on this project. I’m big on communication, and they kept me updated every step of the way. There were zero surprises. I also felt the cost was appropriate and reasonable.

Whether you are in the market for a new roof now or in the coming years, I highly recommend taking a look at GAF and reaching out to Lowe’s Home Improvement to set up an in-home consultation to see which GAF products are best for you and your home.

And thanks for joining me on my roofing adventure!

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Printable Recipe Cards for Fall

Entertaining

Saturday
Sep / 29 / 2018
Comments 3

Free Printable Recipe Cards for Fall #fall #recipecard #printable #autumn

These free fall-inspired printable recipes cards are the perfect way to capture your favorite recipes this time of year.

Yes, my friends. I’m sharing another free printable recipe card with you. Inspired by the sights and tastes of the season, this recipe card celebrates the conclusion of another Fall Cookie Week.

I’ve been hosting an annual Fall Cookie Week (FCW) here on Inspired by Charm since 2012. I just closed out this year’s FCW with these Pumpkin Spice Cream Horns. Counting that recipe, I’ve posted a total of 47 fall cookie recipes here on the blog. That’s a lot of cookies, right?

In addition to cookies, I’ve been sharing printable recipe cards for the last three years. (If you missed the past two years’ series, you can find the 2016 Collection here and the 2017 Collection here.)

Printable Recipe Card for Fall:

For these new recipe cards, I took inspiration from many of the things I love about autumn: pumpkins, fall foliage, campfires, pie, and warm beverages.

With these cards, there’s plenty of room to write down your ingredients with space on the back for those longer recipes and notes to self.

To print the recipe cards, I recommend using a heavier paper such as card stock. The free download includes both sides of the card. Print Page 1 first; then send the paper back through the printer to print Page 2. This will create two double-sided recipe cards.

So cute, right?

Fall Recipe Card Download:

You can also access the download in the IBC Printable Library, which can be found HERE.

If you’re new to Inspired by Charm, you can get immediate access to this library by SUBSCRIBING HERE. Once you’ve subscribed, you will instantly receive an email that contains a link to this download.

Already on the IBC Mailing list? You can find the password to access the library at the bottom of the latest email from Inspired by Charm.

And if you use any of my printables, I would so enjoy seeing what you do! Be sure to share your photos on Instagram and tag @inspiredbycharm.

I hope you like this festive fall design as much as I do!

If you like these fall recipe cards, you’ll love these too:

Over the years it’s been fun to see how you use these cards. If you do use them and feel inclined to share on Instagram, please continue to tag your posts @inspiredbycharm.

Once again, thank you for joining me for Fall Cookie Week 2018. Enjoy using these fall printable recipe cards!

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Pumpkin Spice Cream Horns (Lady Locks)

Recipes

Saturday
Sep / 29 / 2018
Comments 15

Delicious Pumpkin Spice Cream Horns (Lady Locks) cookie recipe! #cookie #pumpkinspice #fallcookieweek #creamhorns #ladylocks #pumpkin #dessert #recipe

Made on clothespins, these Pumpkin Spice Cream Horns (Lady Locks) are a flaky sweet treat filled with a pumpkin spice cream that tastes just like pumpkin pie. This recipe makes the perfect fall dessert!

Yes, you guessed it, one of my favorite recipes (and yours too!) on Inspired by Charm got a seasonal makeover for fall. I took my classic cream horns recipe and turned them into these delicious Pumpkin Spice Cream Horns. (Or as some would call them Pumpkin Spice Lady Locks.)

Even though Fall Cookie Week (FCW) officially ended yesterday, I just couldn’t resist giving you all one more delicious recipe (and a special surprise – see below). And in case you missed anything from FCW, I’ve linked up everything below.

Fall Cookie Week 2018:

Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookies
Peanut Butter Brownie Pillow Cookies
Maple Glazed Cinnamon Chip Bars
Squirrel and Acorn Gingerbread Cookies
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies
Pumpkin Spice Cream Horns – you’re here!

My blogger buddy Julie Blanner joined me for this series, so there are 11 recipes in total. You can scroll to the bottom of each of my recipes to find a link to Julie’s cookie-of-the-day or you can click here to see all of her cookie recipes.

Pumpkin Spice Cream Horns:

Last year for the holidays I made one of my family’s favorite cookie recipes – Cream Horns – and shared them here on the blog. They continue to be one of the most popular posts on IBC. I decided to make them for FCW, but with a special filling for fall. So that’s exactly what I did.

And boy, am I pleased with how they turned out. They taste exactly as I expected, and dare I say it, I like them better than the originals.

It took me three attempts to nail the filling for these. The first time I made them, the frosting became a curdled mess. I found out that my cream cheese frosting didn’t mix well with the pumpkin.

For my second try, I made a Pumpkin Buttercream. It tasted delicious, but it was just too rich for the delicate horns.

Finally, I went back to the original filling recipe and tweaked it a bit by adding pumpkin puree and all the spices required to bring that flavor alive. This was it! I had a winner. To me, filling tastes just like pumpkin pie, but it is light enough so it doesn’t overpower the cookie horn. Yum!

How Do you Make Pumpkin Spice Cream Horns:

If you’d like a more detailed look at how to make Cream Horns (Lady Locks), check out this post here.

In sum, the pastry dough gets mixed, rolled out, and cut into strips. Each strip is then wrapped around a clothespin that’s covered in foil.

Once baked, you have beautiful cone shapes that are ready to be filled.

In this recipe, I filled the horns with my delicious pumpkin spice filling to create an amazing fall cookie recipe!

I think you’re going to love these!

Want more pumpkin-inspired recipes? Try these!

Free Printable Recipe Card for Fall:

Now, with all of our cookies made and another Fall Cookie Week on the books, I thought I’d wrap up the series with a gift for each of you: A NEW fall-inspired recipe card printable!

As some of you may know, I’ve been sharing free printable recipe cards here on IBC for the past few years. This new card is the latest in my current collection.

I created a separate post to share the new fall recipe cards with you. So, if you’d like to download and print these adorable recipes cards, just click here. I hope you enjoy them and use them to create or share some fall cookie recipes of your own.

Thanks again for joining me for another tasty Fall Cookie Week. I hope these Pumpkin Spice Cream Horns (and my fall recipe cards) have created a perfect ending to this fun week!

Happy fall baking!

Pumpkin Spice Cream Horns (Lady Locks)

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked pumpkin oatmeal, cookies, cream horns, fall cookie week, lady locks, pumpkin spice

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 45 mins

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Ingredients

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter - softened
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening - (Crisco)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 egg yolks
1 cup cold water
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Clothespins wrapped in foil or lady lock molds

Filling:

2 cups milk
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter - softened
1 cup vegetable shortening - (Crisco)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups confectioners' sugar
Additional 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon for garnish

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the butter, vegetable shortening, and sugar for about 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Then mix in the egg yolks. Finally, mix in the flour and water until combined. Chill dough for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
Sprinkle your work surface with flour. Roll out 1/4 of the dough at a time until it's about 1/8-inch thick. Cut into strips that are 1/2-inch wide and 10 inches long. Then wind the strips around the foil-wrapped clothespins (or lady lock molds.) Bake on a cookie sheet for about 15 minutes or until the horns are just barely starting to brown.
Remove the horns from the oven. Allow them to cool for about 2 minutes; then carefully remove them from the clothespins. (Don't let the horns cool completely on the molds or the horns will crumble easily. The horns will also crack more if they are overbaked.) Let the horns finish cooling.
In the meantime, prepare the filling. Start by heating the milk, flour, and pumpkin puree in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook 8-10 minutes until thick, constantly whisking so the mixture doesn't burn. Transfer it to a bowl and whisk in the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Allow to cool.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, vegetable shortening, and salt 5-6 minutes or until fluffy. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Then add the pumpkin mixture and vanilla. Beat until combined and fluffy.
Put the filling in a piping bag, and then fill each horn. Before serving/storing the cookies, sprinkle them with the confectioners' sugar/cinnamon mixture.
To store: Refrigerate in an airtight container.

Made it? Share it!Tag @inspiredbycharm on Instagram and use the tag #myIBC so we can see what you're cooking in the kitchen!

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

Recipes

Friday
Sep / 28 / 2018
Comments 17

These Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies are the perfect fall dessert recipe! #fallbaking #pumpkinspice #latte #cookie #cookies #dessert #pumpkin

If you enjoy the bold taste of espresso paired with the seasonal flavor of real pumpkin spice, then you’re going to love these Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies.

Welcome to Day Five of Fall Cookie Week! The fun and flavor continue today with these Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies!

In case you’re new here or don’t know what Fall Cookie Week (FCW) is, no worries. To catch up, start here. If you like this recipe and want more fall cookie inspiration, click here for all 46 of my fall cookie recipes!

I’ve linked up all 6 recipes from this year below.

Fall Cookie Week 2018:

Can I admit something to you? I actually don’t like Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. *gasp* Every year I try one, and every year I’m disappointed. It just doesn’t taste like pumpkin to me. In fact, I’m not a fan of most “pumpkin-flavored” things.

I I do like Starbucks, and my go-to order at Starbucks is a grande non-fat white chocolate mocha with no whip.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies:

I do love baked goods made with real pumpkin and the perfect blend of fall spices. Among my personal favorites are pumpkin pie, pumpkin donut muffins, and of course, pumpkin cookies.

Thinking about all of these pumpkin goodies inspired me to create my own Pumpkin Spice Latte but in cookie form. – A sweet treat that has great pumpkin flavor with the zing of espresso.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies:

These cookies are actually simple to make.

Once the dough is mixed up, placed scoops of it on a baking sheet and popped it the cookies in the oven.

While the cookies were baking, whip up the espresso frosting. For a bold coffee flavor, add a packet of instant coffee. (I used the Starbucks Pike Place blend.)

When the cookies have cooled, spread them with frosting. To finish them off, sprinkle on ground cinnamon. For a finer cinnamon sprinkle, I recommend spooning the cinnamon in a small fine-mesh sieve and then gently dusting each cookie.

Voila. The result is a soft, almost cake-like cookie with great pumpkin flavor topped with a delicious coffee frosting.

Now, if Starbucks would just create a latte to taste like these cookies, I’d be as excited as everyone else for its annual fall return to the menu.

If you like these pumpkin cookies, you’re going to love these:

For more fall cookie recipes, be sure to visit my FCW friend Julie Blanner.

Today she’s whipped up these amazing Monster Mash Cookie. Don’t they look yummy? I love their Halloween flair! I wouldn’t wait until dessert to enjoy these. I’d enjoy a few with my morning coffee. How about you? You can find all of Julie’s cookie recipes here.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cookie, cookies, dessert, fall cookie week, pumpkin, pumpkin spice

Servings: dozen

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 12 mins

Total Time 27 mins

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If you enjoy the bold taste of espresso paired with the seasonal flavor of real pumpkin spice, then you’re going to love these Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies.

Pin It!

Ingredients

2 cups unsalted butter - softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg ground
1/4 teaspoon cloves ground
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
4 cups all-purpose flour

Espresso Frosting:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar packed
1 packet instant coffee - (or 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder)
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
Cinnamon for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, and nutmeg. Beat until combined.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Then, add the pumpkin. Beat in as much of the flour as you can using the mixer. Stir in remaining flour with a spatula.
Drop dough by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are set. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.
For frosting: In a small saucepan, heat butter, brown sugar, and instant coffee until melted and smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in milk and vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth.
Spread frosting on the cooled cookies. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired.

Made it? Share it!Tag @inspiredbycharm on Instagram and use the tag #myIBC so we can see what you're cooking in the kitchen!

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Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies

Recipes

Thursday
Sep / 27 / 2018
Comments 5

Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies shaped liked acorns and squirrels for fall! #cookie #gingerbread #fallcookieweek #recipe #chocolate #fallbaking

Shaped like squirrels and acorns, these Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies are a fun and delicious way to celebrate fall.

Of the 40+ cookie recipes I’ve baked for Fall Cookie Week over the years, I’ve never done a fun cookie cutter shape. That all changes today with these Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies.

Welcome back to Fall Cookie Week 2018! If you’re new here, Fall Cookie Week (established in 2012 and affectionately known as FCW) is a week-long series celebrating the flavors of fall in cookie form. My blogging and real-life friend, Julie Blanner and I are sharing a new recipe every day this week. You can find all of my recipes here and all of Julie’s recipes here.

Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies:

I’m super excited about today’s cookie because it’s both cute and delicious. Even though gingerbread is usually associated with the winter holidays, I decided it would make an interesting addition to my FCW lineup.

This post contains affliate links.

This particular dough is great because it rolls out nicely and holds its shape well when baking. This is critical when using detailed cookie cutters such as this squirrel and acorn.
This is the set of cookie cutters I purchased to make these cookies.

Thanks to brown sugar, molasses, and ginger, this dough also has amazing fall flavor.

How to Make Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies:

You’ll want to prepare this dough a day ahead and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight. Cold dough is essential for rolling out these properly.

Also, this dough can be a little sticky, so make sure to flour your countertop or work surface before rolling out the dough.

After cutting the shapes, bake them until they just start to brown. This will ensure the cookies are soft.

Once cooled the cookies get a strategic coat of chocolate and are then decorated with sprinkles and nuts. I used white and milk chocolate, but you can use whatever you like best. Instead of dipping the cookie directly into the chocolate, I used a spatula to apply the chocolate to the places on the cookie where I wanted it.

You can then use chopped walnuts and sprinkles to decorate the chocolate. You can also skip this step if you prefer.

Once the chocolate sets, your Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies are ready. Trust me, your family and friends will go nuts (pun intended) for these fabulous fall cookies.

If you liked these gingerbread cookies, you’ll also enjoy:

Now, before you scurry away, be sure to check out Julie Blanner’s cookie of the day: Brown Butter Oatmeal Coconut Cookies. Don’t they sound magical? In my book, anything with brown butter is scrumptious.

Also, while you’re on Julie’s blog, take some time to poke around. She is incredibly talented and her site is loaded with fabulous recipes and down-to-earth decorating tips and ideas. She even has a course on calligraphy!

I certainly hope this year’s Fall Cookie Week is inspiring you. Please join me back here tomorrow for another recipe!

Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate, cookie, cookie recipe, cookies, fall baking, fall cookie week, gingerbread

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 12 mins

Total Time 27 mins

Pin It!

Shaped like squirrels and acorns, these Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies are a fun and delicious way to celebrate fall.

Pin It!

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable shortening - (Crisco)
1 cup brown sugar - packed
3/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups melted chocolate white chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate
Sprinkles and chopped nuts to garnish - optional

Instructions

Begin by adding the vegetable shortening and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat together for 3-4 minutes until smooth.
Add the molasses, buttermilk, and eggs. Beat again for 3-4 minutes until blended. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Then, mix this into the shortening mixture. Mix until just incorporated. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough so that it's 1/4-inch thick. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter. (I used a squirrel and an acorn.) Arrange the cookies on a non-greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges barely start to brown. Let cool.
Use a spoon or spatula to drizzle chocolate on a portion of the cookie. (I did the tail of the squirrel and the nut or top of the acorn.) Before the chocolate hardens, garnish it with sprinkles or chopped nuts. Place the cookies on wax paper and allow the chocolate to set.
Pack and seal the cookies in an airtight container.

Made it? Share it!Tag @inspiredbycharm on Instagram and use the tag #myIBC so we can see what you're cooking in the kitchen!

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