A Perfect 4th of July

WNCN Today 07.01.14

This Friday is the 4^th of July, which means it is time to start planning for your cookout or pool party.  Today I shared some fun red, white, and blue decoration and patriotic sweet treats with Sharon Tazwell on WNCN Today:

·      Patriotic Sweet Treats

o   Red, White and Blue Cupcakes. Making a patriotic cupcake is easier than you might think - all you need is a little food coloring and fresh fruit.  Find your favorite white cake mix and add 6-8 drops of red food coloring.  Once you’ve baked your cupcakes, frost them with vanilla icing and top with fresh blueberries.  Not only are these the perfect patriotic cupcakes, they have the added twist of fresh fruit!

o   Krispy Flag Treats. Dress up your favorite rice krispy treats with, you guessed it, some food coloring!  You can easily turn rice krispy treats into a patriotic treat by dividing up your marshmallows into 3 parts and add red and blue food coloring to two.  Once your color is well mixed and you’ve added your rice krispies, place each color side by side in a buttered dish and press together.  After the krispy treats have cooled cut them into patriotic treats.

·      Festive Decorations

o   Flip Flop Wreath.  With a few dollar store flip flops, a little ribbon and your trusty hot glue gun you can make the perfect flip flop wreath:

1.     Arrange 5-6 individual flip flops on your craft table, toe to heel in the shape of a wreath.

2.     Use your hot glue gun to glue each flip flop together, gluing the toe on top of the heel in front of it.

3.     Decorate the top of your wreath with a coordinating bow.

4.     Attach a nice ribbon to the back of your wreath by which you can hang it on the door.

A flip flop wreath is the perfect decoration for your front door all summer long and can also be hung on the wall behind your food table as a beautiful party decoration.

o   Well Placed Paper Products.  When it comes to buying paper goods for your party, you can easily spend a pretty penny on 4^th of July themed serving pieces.  This year, save yourself some money buy purchasing solid color plates and cups and mix in a few flag napkins from CelebrateExpress.com and you’ve got yourself a party on a budget!

·      Dress Up Your Drinks

o   Fruity Ice. Add a little festive flair to your drinks by freezing raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries in ice.  These fruity ice cubes will keep your drinks cold and add a fresh fruit flavor once they melt.  Tip:  If you are serving a fruity summer sangria, freeze your fruit in wine filled ice cubes so they don’t water down your drinks!

For all of my tips pick up your own copy of my Tips for the Clueless Chick books and following the Clueless Chick on Facebook and Twitter.

Tune in next week for fun soccer themed party ideas on #TipsonTues!

Until next time,

Jennifer

aka Chick #1

p.s. A big Clueless Chick thank you to CelebrateExpress.com for the awesome props! 

New Parent Gift Ideas!

WNCN Today 06.23.14

When a friend or neighbor has a new baby at home it is nice to help out by bringing over dinner or running an errand for them.  After all, they are sleep-deprived zombies for the first month.  On WNCN Today this morning I shared some easy ideas for helping out new parents:

·      Dinner & Dishes

o   Warm and Serve Dinner. The first few weeks after baby is born can be quite crazy for mom and dad.  A great way to help them ease into parenthood is by taking over a premade dinner.  Whether you cook your favorite masterpiece for them or pick up a pre-made dish at the grocery store, your friends will be so appreciative that they don’t have to cook tonight (and maybe tomorrow!).  TIP: Be sure to ask about any family allergies or dietary restrictions before you start cooking!

o   No Dirty Dishes. Who ever likes to wash dishes, especially when you haven’t slept more than two straight hours?!  Save mom and dad some time and a lot of effort by bringing along paper plates, napkins and plastic utensils.  This could quite possibly be the gift they appreciate the most.

·      A Bountiful Basket

o   Snacks and Special Gifts.  When you think about taking food to new parents, don’t forget a few snacks.  While full dinners are fabulous, mom and dad also need a snack every once in a while, or a fresh piece of fruit.  And what better way to deliver these special treats than in baby basket with a few of your favorite gifts.  You can fill a Sara Bear Diaper Caddy with fruit, snacks and feeding essentials for baby: a Hooter Hider for the first few months, Spunis for the next few months and then my favorite NumNums Dips!  That is how you take feeding the whole family to the next level ;-) 

·      Perfectly Personalized

o   Birth Story Blanket. There is nothing sweeter than welcoming baby with a personalized gift she can cherish for years to come.  These personalized birth story blanket by Merle & Velma include all of baby’s special stats and will arrive in just a couple of weeks – perfect timing for newborn pictures or to decorate baby’s nursery.

Don’t forget to label any dishes you’d like mom and dad to return, or better yet, make the dish itself part of your gift so they don’t have to worry about returning it.

For all of my tips pick up your own copy of my Tips for the Clueless Chick books and following the Clueless Chick on Facebook and Twitter.

Tune in next week for the 4^th of July edition of #TipsonTues!

Until next time,

Jennifer

aka Chick #1

Family Movie Night

WNCN Today 06.17.14

Planning a family movie night is a fun way to spend a low key evening at home and with these few easy tips that I shared with Phil Sanchez on WNCN Today #TipsonTues this morning, your next movie night will be a blockbuster:

·      Movie Night Snacks

o   Popcorn Possibilities. You can’t have movie night without a little popcorn and there are soooo many ways to enjoy popcorn:  breaking out the old air popper, to microwave popcorn and pre-popped popcorn.  Then of course there is the choice between buttered or unbuttered, kettle corn or lightly salted.  Regardless of which type of popcorn you are serving, be sure to use a fun popcorn box like these from Celebrateexpress.com so you don’t have multiple little hands digging into (or spilling) your popcorn bowl.  In a pinch, plastic cups also make the perfect popcorn holder.  TIP:  Don’t forget your favorite sweet treats and popcorn mix ins and spices.  Throw them all together and you have your own popcorn buffet!   

o   Concessions. If you like to enjoy a sweet treat or two during the movie, create a mini concession stand!  Put all of your favorite candy in a small box or basket to set out with your popcorn.  This makes the perfect centerpiece for your snack table.  TIP: Use this as a fun opportunity to teach the kids about money by charging everyone for their concessions.  You can even offer extra paying chores leading up to movie night.

·      Put Yourself IN the Movies

o   Dress Up.  Really get into your next family movie night with a little movie-theme dress up!  Pull out last year’s Buzz Lightyear costume for your next Toy Story marathon, or surprise your daughter with a Dorothy costume from BuyCostumes.com on The Wizard of Oz night. Dressing up in costume is a fun and easy way to make movie night even more exciting.  Who doesn’t like dressing up like their favorite character?!

Don’t forget all of these tips when you’re planning your next birthday party!

For all of my tips pick up your own copy of my Tips for the Clueless Chick books and following the Clueless Chick on Facebook and Twitter.

Tune in next week for fun ideas for celebrating a new baby’s homecoming!

Until next time,

Jennifer

aka Chick #1

p.s. A big Clueless Chick thank you to celebrateexpress.com and buycostumes.com for all of the props for today's segment!!  My boys of course had to test drive the Buzz Lightyear wings last night :-)

Father’s Day Favorites

WNCN Today 06.09.14

Father’s Day is this weekend and we all know that dad doesn’t need another tie.  So what should you give him?  This morning on WNCN Today I showed Page Crawford some of my favorite fun ideas for dad on Father’s Day:

·      A Forever Candy Jar

o   Love You to Pieces. Show dad you love him with a forever candy jar. For your Reeses Pieces loving dad, find a glass jar and use alphabet stickers to write “Love You to Pieces” on the side of the jar.  Before giving the jar to dad, be sure to fill it to the brim with Reeses Pieces and throw in a backup bag just in case.  When dad polishes off all of the candy he’ll be able to refill the jar with anything he likes.

·      The Bouquet Dad Really Wants

o   Candy Bouquet. Dad is always getting mom a bouquet of flowers on Mother’s Day so why not make dad a bouquet?  Now, don’t just make dad any old bouquet, make one with all of his favorite candy!  Simply fill a flowerpot, bucket or can with floral foam and insert candy.  You can turn any candy into a “flower” with a bamboo skewer or lollipop stick and tape or a hot glue gun.  Tape dad’s favorite candy bars to bamboo skewers, or use a hot glue gun to attach truffles to the top of lollipop sticks and arrange them like flowers in your floral foam.  Use small candy, like Kisses, at the base of your arrangement for added yumminess.

·      A Gift Dad will LOVE

o   A Bucket of Beer.  Make dad extra happy with a bucket full of his favorite beers and a gift certificate to his favorite beer shop or brewery for Father’s Day. You can even add a little extra flair with pretzel filled tasting glasses from Bottle Revolution.

Today, I also said goodbye to Page :-( who will be moving to Charlotte to host the Fox morning show, Rising.  While I am beyond thrilled for Page, #TipsonTues just won't be the same without her.  Lucky, I'm not the only one who will be missing Page!  I had the privilege of surprising her this morning with farewell gifts from our good friend Holly Aiken and the wonderful folks at PDQ, plus some awesome tasting glasses from Bottle Revolution for her hubby:

Have fun getting a little crafty for dad this Father’s Day!

For all of my tips pick up your own copy of my Tips for the Clueless Chick books and following the Clueless Chick on Facebook and Twitter.

Tune in next week for fun ideas for your next family movie night!  

Until next time,

Jennifer

aka Chick #1

p.s. A BIG Clueless Chick thank you to Holly Aiken, PDQ and Bottle Revolution!

p.p.s. PDQ is offering all dads a FREE meal on Father's Day with the purchase of a kid's meal - you can't beat that :-)