happy new year ...

happy new years eve!!

i usually like to do a round-up of the best posts from this blog over the past year, but i haven't had the chance.  hopefully, i'll get some time next week!

the holidays seemed to fly by this year,  i spent most of my time earlier in the month working to get orders filled for the shop, and later in the month my husbands sweet grandma had an unexpected fall.  we spend a lot of time at the hospital saying our goodbyes, and finally laid her to rest yesterday.

i anticipate our new year being filled with lots of family time, and greater appreciation for the great gift of life we all have been given!

happy new year to you all!

today, i am sharing a simple way to make sparking orange juice over on the zupas blog!  a great new years eve drink, and also a fun way to add a little sparkle to your new year's brunch!  click here to see how to make it!

{photo by me}

merry christmas ...

a very merry christmas to you all from my family to yours!!!

this year i ordered our christmas cards through paper coterie!  the quality was great, and i loved the scalloped detail on the edges!

here is the back.

i love this time of year!  it is so fun to check your mail and find christmas cards from loved ones filled with holiday cheer!

have a merry christmas!

{family photos by the talented jessica kettle}

dark chocolate bark with hazelnuts and grey sea salt and a winner...

i was in search of a quick and easy last minute treat, when i came across an interesting combination of a nut, sea salt and dark chocolate by my friend jane.

i decided to try mine with dark chocolate, hazelnuts, and grey sea salt.  i had all of the ingredients on hand and it came together quick and easy!

a perfect last minute holiday treat with only three ingredients, and it literally takes minutes to prepare!

check out the instructions on how to make this yummy treat over on my zupas post today!

click here.

also,  i drew a name for the winner of the zupas cookbook giveaway!!

it was comment #9  congrats to erica!

please email me your mailing address and i will get that sent off asap!!  carolinearmelle@gmail.com

{photos by me}

free upgrade to priority shipping ...

for the procrastinators...

happy (last minute) shopping!

*you must order by tuesday december 20th, by 5 pm mountain time to ensure delivery by december 24th!

click here to shop!

armelle jewelry ...

just wanted to give you a heads up on holiday orders!

if you are planning on purchasing some armelle jewelry for someone for christmas, be sure to get your order in now to ensure delivery by christmas!

also, good news!

if you spend more than $30 in the shop, i will automatically upgrade your shipping to priority mail*!  which should only take 2-3 days (within the united states between now and dec 23rd)

so, there is still time to snag a christmas gift for someone!  and, good news!  some items that have been sold out in the shop for a while are now back in stock!  go check them out here!

happy shopping!

italian sausage, wild rice, and vegetable soup ...

some great soups have come about in my kitchen simply by throwing a bit of everything i have on hand into the pot.

that is exactly what i did this week to create this amazing soup!  i love it when it works out and i have a new go to soup to throw into the rotation.  because we like soup at our house!

be sure to check out the recipe over on my zupas post today.  click here.

{photo by me}

cafe zupas bloggers cookbook + giveaway ...

things have been so busy around here, that i almost forgot to share with you some exciting news!

i have been published in a cookbook!

being a "foodie," and loving all things food, this has been a dream of mine, so it is very exciting!

if you have read my blog for a while now, you are well aware that i have been a contributor to the cafe zupas blog for the past three years or so, posting many recipes, and fun foodie facts!

the cafe zupas blogger's cookbook is a highlight of zupas favorite recipes from the blog by the contributors -- me, deborah, jen, and stephanie!   with a forward written by kelsey nixon of the cooking channel!

there are about 54 recipes in the book, with about 20 of my recipes including my families amazing ham and gruyere dinner crepes that we have every christmas!   many of the recipes are near and dear to my heart, recipes that my family cooks and eats together often, so this was very special for me to see my recipes and photos in such a nice high quality book!

if you are interested in ordering your copy for only $12.99, click here to order today!   this would make a great gift for your fellow foodie!   check out a little sneak peek into the book below.

Bloggers' Annual Cookbook from Cafe Zupas on Vimeo.

and, to one of my lucky readers, i am having a ....

cafe zupas blogger's cookbook giveaway!

to enter, leave a comment on this post by wednesday december 21st at midnight! (usa residents only please)

for extra entries, do one or all of the following:  (be sure to comment for each additional entry)
1) follow/subscribe this blog.
2) click here, and like armelle jewelry on Facebook.
3) blog about this giveaway, and put the link in the comment.
4) post the link to this giveaway on your Facebook.

i will draw a name thursday december 22nd!

good luck!!!

enjoy!

lately ...

wow!  it is already almost mid-december, and soon it will be christmas!

it tends to be a busy work time for me, but we are trying to make the most of the holiday season!

this is what we've been up to lately...

1.  having lots of fun with the newest addition to the family ... mac!
2.  getting gussied up for church.
3.  bowling at my nephews birthday party!
4.  playing lots of blocks.
5.  trimming the tree.
6.  having a (non-alcoholic) girls night!
7.  keeping fed ex and ups busy with online christmas shopping.
8.  keeping up and packaging up orders for the shop.
9.  playing games of paper plate and balloon ping pong.
10. packaging up handmade goodies to swap.

happy weekend!
what have you been up to lately?
any fun holiday plans?

persimmons ...

i recently got a whole bunch of persimmons in my CSA basket.
i have seen this bright orange fruit around, but i had never tried one.

so, i did a little research, and found some fun recipes to try using persimmons.  they are tasty plain, and amazing on your morning oatmeal!

read all about persimmons on my zupas post today.  click here.

so, what about you?  do you like persimmons?  or are you like me and never tried them?

{photo by me}

my studio closet ...

i have been trying to get organized in my little studio/office.

when we finished the room, we built lots of shelves in the closet to store all my junk.  and, trust me, i have a lot of junk (there is a reason i'm only showing half of the closet, ha!)

i like the idea of putting things in clear labeled bins, so that i could see what i needed faster.

i love to use the inside of doors for organization whenever i can.  so, i was thrilled to find this wrapping paper holder idea from bri of the collected blog.

i bought the wooden dowels from lowes, and had them cut them to the size i needed in the store.
the metal hooks are from lowes too.  it took me forever to find them, like 4 trips to lowes.
there are in the hardware isle and are 3 1/2" metal hooks made by stanley national.

i just had the dowels cut to the width of the door, and then i screwed in the metal hooks about two inches in, so the dowels wouldn't slip off.

i love being able to hand my go to wrapping paper from it, i also hung my freezer paper, and i used hooks from ikea on the lower one to hang my rulers.
i added a magnetic strip from ikea to hold all my scissors and cutters.  (high from my children's reach)
the wooden thread holder is from joanns.  it has been nice to have all my thread in one place so that i don't always keep buying the same color because i can't find it.

the other closet door, i hung a hook set from ikea to keep my broom and my favorite go to brown kraft paper bags.

it feels good to get a few things organized around the studio.  now, i just need to keep it clean... ya wish me luck with that.

{photos by me, caroline armelle drake}

last day for 20% off in the shop ...

you have a few more hours to take advantage of 20% off your entire purchase in my shop!

happy shopping!  knock someone off your list!  click here to shop!

*be sure to enter BLACKFRIDAY in the coupon section at checkout!  expires dec 2, 2011.

chili ...

the weather outside is frightful, and i need something to warm my bones.

i love comfort foods, and chili is one of them!  it is a welcomed meal on a cold winter night!

my friend danyelle of dandee shared a great recipe for chili with me!  I played around with it a bit and i tweaked it to my taste,  as i often do, and now i think i have finally found my go-to chili recipe!   this has been on my to do list for years, so I'm glad I finally have a keeper!

i am sharing the recipe over on my zupas post today!  click here.

{photo by me}