DIY Home Theater Decor and Ideas - New Products!

 It has been a busy year!  From Keeping busy with my 2 boys to working with my etsy and Zazzle shops to working on our newest home project.. a Home Theater...I havent had much time to post.  I wanted to post some of the photos of our DIY Home theater.. basically for anyone thinking of doing a home theater on their own ( you can do it.. :)... and were looking for some DIY ideas! My husband did all the work himself.. and I helped with the "pretties"! I made the theater cornice and curtains and custom designed the theater pillows ( I am selling them in my Zazzle shop, if you are interested)... LittlebeaneBoutique  (they are in the home decor section) Through this process, I was so discouraged at the lack of pillow choices.. there is not much out there.. and so for anyone that likes what I designed....the links are below. I also designed custom napkins for the concessions area and also personalized popcorn bags.It was sooo fun to work on and took us about 2 1/2 months to complete ( very quick for a home theater, but my husband worked on it every single night.. all night! If you have any questions.. or need a reference to where we got something, just send me a message!!

 

http://www.zazzle.com/movie_theater_cinema_admit_one_ticket_pillow_blue-189302529233654758?rf=238782020379683831

http://www.zazzle.com/personalized_movie_theater_ticket_pillow_blue-189436593427161374?rf=238782020379683831

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/215189620/home-theater-popcorn-bags-movie-theater?ref=shop_home_active_2&ga_search_query=home%2Btheater

 http://www.zazzle.com/personalized_home_theater_movie_napkins_paper_napkin-256102573095734476?rf=238782020379683831

NEW Caramel Corn Bags.. and Recipe!

 I have been so busy designing and listing new items in the shop....  but I recently have been adding more fun bags like popcorn bags and caramel corn bags. and even cookies bags... I have been making this caramel corn recipe for a while now.. and it is wonderful every time ( this is a recipe I got off the internet ( the link to the original recipe sight is below).. and I did use this recipe that you will see  in the pics for the caramel corn bags... so I thought if anyone is interested in trying some out.. here is the recipe for the caramel corn.. ENJOY!!

 EASY  CARAMEL  POPCORN
Recipe Credit:   http://reviewsbyjan.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Make-Perfect-Caramel-Popcorn

1 cup of lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 bag of light microwave popcorn ( please remove all unpopped kernels)

 note: light microwave popcorn works the best, buttery or extra buttery doesn't taste quite right with the caramel


Now that your pot is ready and everything is pre-measured, add the brown sugar, butter and light corn syrup to the pot, heat over medium heat and stir constantly with the wooden spoon until the mixture comes to a boil.
Insert the candy thermometer. You want to heat the sugar mixture to 250' which is called the hard ball stage. If you don't have a candy thermometer, drop a bit of the sugar mixture into a cup of cold water. If the caramel hardens it is probably the right temperature. If the caramel is still soft to the touch when removed form the water, you need to cook it a bit longer.

Once the sugar mixture has come to a boil and reached 250'F (the hard ball stage. Turn off the heat. While still stirring constantly, add the vanilla, it will make a sizzle and steam so don't lean over the pot, and then add the baking soda. It will start foaming and raising up, keep stirring until it is well mixed.
Add the popcorn to the caramel mixture and stir until all the popcorn is coated with caramel as best you can. This will become difficult as the caramel starts to cool. Don't worry if not all the popcorn is covered. it will even it's self out once it is in the oven.
We found that adding the popcorn to the caramel mixture was easier for stirring because the pot is still very warm. If you add the caramel to the popcorn the caramel hardens right away and it doen't coat it properly.

Once you feel like all the popcorn is coated, spoon the caramel popcorn onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper. We have found that absolutely nothing sticks to the silicon baking mats.
Use the plastic spatula to spread it around a bit. The caramel popcorn shouldn't stick to the spatula. It will however stick to the wooden spoon, so don't use it for spreading.

Put in a pre-heated 250'F oven for 1/2 an hour. The baking process dries out the popcorn and gives it added crunch, plus helps distribute the caramel a little more evenly on the popcorn.
Using the plastic spatula, every 10 minutes or so, spread it out on the baking sheet, this helps distribute the caramel. You don't want to leave it as a thick blob because it is harder to break apart later.
 When it has cooled enough (if you can wait that long) break it into pieces and put in a container.

NEW- Custom Gift Wrap!

I have been wanting to post about this for a while.. but it has been so very busy in the shop!! I bought  a bunch of my custom wrapping paper for Christmas and was so happy with it... I have added many designs to my Zazzle shop but I still need to add so many more!  here are a few pictures I took of my Xmas gifts and also some gifts wrapped in my " Candy Circus" theme! http://www.zazzle.com/candy_circus_wrapping_paper_light_pink-256457001796983367?rf=238782020379683831
If you need one of my designs on the gift wrap.. just contact me... and I will try to add it to the shop for you!!

NEW...Christmas Designs!

I know it is a bit early.. normally, I am soo excited for Halloween ( it is my favorite holiday).. but for some reason, this year, I am more excited for Christmas.. and have been designing new Christmas items for you!! Here are some new things I have been working on... and I also have some other new and exciting items.. and I hope to show them to you soon!!!

 

Enzo's Italian Pizzeria 1st Birthday Party!

 My sweet little boy Enzo, just had his 1st birthday this past August... and because he LOVES to eat... we decided to throw him an Italian Pizzeria party!! This theme was so fun for me and my husband!  he had a little Chef Apron and Hat ( that he actually wore the whole time... unbelievable)... I purchased it from Sofies Sewing Room on etsy  https://www.etsy.com/shop/SofiesSewingRoom  ...We had a custom Pizza cake made by a wonderful lady in our area and of course no party in my book is complete without cookies from Lorisplace  www.lorisplacegourmetdelights.com   ...she made me pizza shaped cookies and also #1 cookies does in the  Italian flag colors! Amazing! I made homemade caramel corn ( I will post the recipe later) and pizzelles with custom cookie bags! I designed a 24 x 36 poster of a chalkboard sign to fit on the desert table.. it was printed by Zazzle... I designed all kinds of paper goods from waterbottle labels to custom stickers for pizza boxes.. drink signs, stickers for vases and caramel corn container labels... I tried to make it feel as authentic as possible  and had some beautiful Italian music playing in the background! all the tables  had red gingham tablecloths and Italian themed paper place mats, and a vase of sunflowers... there were cute spaghetti sauce cans filled with breadsticks and baskets of fresh rolls and butter.. One of my favorite things was the "tree of months".. I printed out pictures of Enzo from each month of his first year.. and then hung them from ribbons on the apple tree in our backyard!! It was such an amazing day for him.. and I enjoyed be able to create such a fun party for him! I will be adding some of the party items in my shop ( just need some time to get them in there)! : ) Enjoy!