FREEBIE :: USA Art Print + table tents

     

I've got a special gift for you today! I have not one but two different freebies for you to download and use for your next party, ya know the ones where you celebrate the good 'ol U.S.A.! Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Labor day or any day where celebrating this country is on the menu! 

I have included an American art print . . . the U.S.A. art print to download that you can print out, frame and you will have instant party decor on your food or drink table. Then make sure to also print out the U.S.A. tabletents that you can use to let your guests know what you are serving up at your next BBQ or cookout! They both are free U.S.A. party decor freebies that you can download and enjoy! 

As you can see here, I used them to write in different drink options for my guests. One that was a cocktail and one that wasn't, as it helps to know what you are serving up to drink but you can also use these to label food options as well. 

Another idea would be to use these for placecards if you were wanting to separate people at a sit-down . . . ya know, if you need to do that sort of thing. ;) This will help make it not so obvious. lol Just write in their names after you print them out and no one will be guessing where to take a seat. 

You can download the USA Subway Art and the USA table tents & 
start enjoying them.

  **by clicking & downloading these freebies, you ARE agreeing to the RULES & copyright guidelines below! 

 

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RULES for FREE DOWNLOADS:

• Eye Candy Creative Studio printables are designed for my friends who FOLLOW me here at ECCS & for PERSONAL USE only. Please do not re-sell, re-distribute, or claim them as your own.
• I encourage you to share with your fans, friends, on your blog and all I ask is to PLEASE, {be kind} & post/ tag a link back to this website so I know who's enjoying them. Thanks - I appreciate it! =)
• And PLEASE do NOT remove the copyright mark - thanks!

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ONE thing I ask from you . . . . FREEBIES are designed for my friends who FOLLOW ME, so please become a fan of my FB page, Eye Candy Creative Studio, here or leave me a comment & follow my blog.

 Just let me me know that you downloaded this FREEBIE or just simply say hello. Let me know what you thought of this freebie! ;)

Feel free to share!

Are you loving the "eye candy" here? Then join me over on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or check out more designs in my Etsy shop! 

I would love for you to connect with me by email or become a blog follower too! {on the right sidebar}  Looking forward to seeing you again! :)

RECIPE :: Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches
by Kimberley

Ice cream sandwiches are one of my favorite desserts to serve in the summer when we have friends and family for a barbeque. I love to set up an ice cream sandwich station with different cookies, ice cream flavors, and toppings for rolling the sandwiches. Whether you use homemade cookies and ice cream, or good quality store-bought, ice cream sandwiches will delight your guests. For the little ones, I love to offer Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches that are perfectly shaped and sized for small hands and tummies. 

Also, don't forget to check out my Bake Like a Pro tip to make your baking and cooking projects easier and more professional.

Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches

To pre-assemble the sandwiches, prepare in advance of serving. Soften ice cream at room temperature for about five minutes. Using a small scoop, dollop a scoop of ice cream on one small cookie. Place second cookie on sandwich and press. Fill all your cookies and place on a baking sheet in the freezer until ready to serve.

Using soft chocolate chip cookies allows you to freeze the cookies until serving and once pulled out of the freezer for about 5 minutes, they will be perfectly chewy. Experiment with all of your favorite cookies and ice cream flavors!

Bake Like a Pro Tip

The simple wooden spoon is possibly one of my favorite cooking tools. I have a set for baking and a set for cooking. They are versatile and friendly to any surface of pan, pot, or bowl. To care for your wooden spoons, hand wash in warm, soapy water. As they age, the wood improves so you can enjoy the spoons for many years.

In addition to wooden spoons, I love silicon spatulas. A relatively new invention for cooking, silicon is amazing for high heat cooking and baking. The spatulas also perfectly scrape inside a bowl, leaving nothing behind. Again, I hand wash my spatulas that have wooden handles to help preserve them.

Simple cooking and baking tools genuinely make a difference in the outcome of your food. Caring for your tools also ensures that they last a long time and save you money.

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Guest Contributor: Kimberley Mulla

My Mom gave me my first cookbook when I was six years old. I have been baking & cooking ever since.

I specialize in artisan marshmallows & confections. I want to sell a product that I would feed my children. The ingredients are simple, often local, organic & fair trade as well.

I love making marshmallows. Every single one. It brings me so much joy to create something unique, tasty, and delightful.

You can follow Kimberley

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WEDDING :: All AMERICAN red, white & blue Inspiration Board

Hello everyone & welcome to "Wedding Wednesday"!

 ::  bride  ::  cake  ::  brownie bites  ::  boutonniere  ::  bow tie   
::  pompoms  ::  snow cones   ::  candles  ::   straw flags  ::  cocktail

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Today I am bringing you some All-American RED, WHITE & BLUE wedding eye candy just in time for the 4th of July!!! Time to celebrate with a patriotic vibe & honor our great country!

Celebrating with the traditional colors of our country can be fun & there are a ton of ideas that you can do. From a backyard BBQ with snow cones & sparklers to a more traditional party with a 3-tier cake & cocktail hour!

Have you ever planned a party with this color scheme? I have & it does make for a great trio of colors for your next party or event. You can guarantee these colors to set the tone for fun! 

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Are you loving the "eye candy" here? 
 

Then join me over on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram so you never miss out on an exclusive deal or any behind the scenes photos!

Check out my designs, artwork & decor in my Etsy shop! 

 

{HOW-TO} Make a Grass Skirt Garland

     

How-to Make a grass skirt garland!

This is the PERFECT garland for your summer luaus & is so SIMPLE & EASY to make! Now this was one of those ideas that just "hit me" when I was out purchasing supplies for a party & it just comes together (kinda like 'magic' - heehee) I don't know . . .  I think it turned out pretty cool - what do you think?

Supplies you will need & the "how-to":

1. head on over to The Dollar Tree & pick up 1 pack of red 'goodie' bags

& 1 pack of blue 'goodie' bags 

(they came 10 in a pack so I figured that would be plenty long enough)
2. while you are still at the Dollar Tree pick up an extra grass skirt to use specifically for this garland

3. the 1st thing I did was, using my paper hole punch, punched holes in both sides of the paper bags towards the top . . .say about an inch down

4.get out that glue gun & fire her up!

5. I printed out the 4" circles from the Americana Luau collection,

cut them out & glued them to only about a third of the bags 

(you decide how many you would like & then print the appropriate amount)

6. I then took the 'extra' grass skirt & a pair of scissors & determined how 'long' I wanted the 'skirt' to be hanging off the bags . . .I believe I did about 12 in. & then just cut that length off the skirt to glue to the bags

7. open up one of the paper bags & turn it upside down, run the hot glue gun all around the edges (on the inside bottom) & adhere the grass skirt pieces until you achieve the 'look' you want

** a couple tips on this - you WILL get your fingers glued.

I would advise doing 1 side at a time with the gluing as if you are like me, I had to be particular as to lining up the pieces of the 'skirt' just so! =)

8. continue gluing the 'skirt' to the bottom of all your paper bags until you have done them all

9. I used just a long piece of white curling ribbon to "thread" through all of the garland bags (where you put the hole punches) until they were all hanging on the ribbon

10. that's IT! Again . . .a FUN, festive-looking DIY decor that was $4

Want to see MORE pics from this party? Check out the Americana Luau we had for Memorial Day - such a fun idea!

What fun party decor item have you come up with lately? 
Are you having a luau this summer? I would love to know . . .

RECIPE :: Cookie Crumble OREO Cupcakes

Today I am bringing you a DELISH new recipe that we made at our house this week! My daughter wanted to make some cupcakes for her dad & chose these! She calls them Cookie Crumble OREO cupcakes!

 

Here's the recipe for Cookie Crumble OREO cupcakes:

 Ingredients:
~ 2 1/4 cups flour
~ 1 tablespoon baking powder
~ 1/2 teaspoon salt
~ 1 2/3 cups sugar
~ 1 cup milk
~ 1/2 cup butter, softened
~ 3 teaspoons vanilla
~ 3 egg whites
~ 1 1/2 cups crushed Oreos + more for decorating cupcakes
~ 1 16oz. container of vanilla frosting

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 24 muffin cups pan with liners.
2. Combine flour, baking powder & salt in large bowl; stir in sugar. Add milk, butter & vanilla; beat with electric mixer at low speed for 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Add egg whites: beat 2 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cup of crushed Oreo cookies. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling two-thirds full.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool for 10 min.
4. Frost cupcakes & decorate with additional crushed Oreos.
5. Eat up! ;)

**Makes 24 cupcakes

My daughter baked these herself along with decorating them & she did a FAB job! It was a FUN day of baking & we all get to eat yummy cupcakes this weekend! Win-win!

On a side note, I shot all of these photos with my I-phone to see if there was a HUGE diff. over using my 'nice' camera . . . hmmm . . whatcha think? I'm thinking sometimes using the ol' I-phone is (if I must) isn't so bad hmmm? ;)

What dessert are YOU making for an upcoming event? Maybe you can make these for your next celebration coming up. Let me know what you are baking up this weekend . . . 

Are you loving the "eye candy" here? 
 

Then join me over on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram so you never miss out on an exclusive deal or any behind the scenes photos!

Check out my designs, artwork & decor in my Etsy shop! 

 
Looking forward to seeing you again! :)
 

RECIPE :: Summer Fruit Tart COOKIES

Summer Fruit Tart Cookies

Hello . . .it's Erin and I know what you're thinking....Fruit tart? Blah!  Well, my friends, this is not your average fruit tart.  I just didn't know what else to call it since Yummy-Sugary-Fruity-Creamy-Cookie Deliciousness was too long.  

They are actually a cross between a fruit tart and a fruit pizza.  You've seen the fruit pizzas with cream cheese spread on a sugar cookie topped with chopped fruit, right?  Fruit pizzas were the inspiration for this dessert but my kiddos don't like cream cheese (still not sure what planet they're from) so I had to think of something else.  Naturally, my mind wanders to heavy whipping cream and sugar.  I didn't say these were Diet Summer Fruit Tart Cookies. :) 

These are kid approved and husband approved, which in my house, is a tough crowd these days.  My hubs, who claims he isn't a “sugar cookie kind of guy,” loved them.  I know you will too!

Begin with your favorite sugar cookie recipe or your can use store bought dough.  I love the no fail recipe from The Decorated Cookie.  Cut the dough into desired shapes, bake and cool.  *It helps if you chill the dough on the cookie sheet after you cut them out so that they keep their shape in the oven. 

 

For the sweet cream and fruit topping you will need:

2 cups heaving whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding

4 tablespoons sugar (1 tablespoon reserved)

Berries or fruit of your choice

Combine the whipping cream, vanilla, pudding mix and 3 tablespoons of sugar into a mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer until cream is fluffy (about 5 minutes).  Pipe or spread the sweet cream onto the cookies.  Add desired fruit and sprinkle with remaining sugar.  Devour.  Repeat. 

*The pudding helps the cream stay fluffy and not fall flat after you add the fruit.  You can adjust the amount of sugar in the cream to your liking.

Have a wonderful summer!

 

Guest Contributor: Erin Heflin

I have always had a passion for all things creative. I can honestly say however, that I never thought my creative passion would lead me to baking and decorating cookies.  Before I started making cookies I was always a “brownie out of a box” kind of girl.  My husband would attest to that.  :)  

 It wasn't until I fell in love with the idea of decorating cookies that I really took an interest in baking and learning more about good ingredients, etc.  I now love to bake cupcakes, cakes and cake bites too.  

I am so blessed to have the opportunity to create something that makes other people happy.  I am looking forward to sharing some fun things with you!

You can follow Erin

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