Jikana Damaru: 12/02/10

Friday Favourites - Christmas Printables

Happy Friday everyone! Today I have put together a line up of some of the wonderful Christmas party printables that are around - with so much to choose from your Christmas table will look just perfect no matter what your style is.

As I am a pink girl I am always looking for that hint of pink and Sarah from Style Me Gorgeous' printables below tick all my boxes. What colour theme are you doing for Christmas this year? Do you stay the same or do you pick a different colour combination each year?

Style Me Gorgeous (this last image via My Life My Loves)

Things I learned this week including that 'vinyl' is back

It's December. I've been dreading mad December for ages and yet here it is, quiet as a lamb. Organised, social, calm little December. How did that happen?

Well, I'm not hosting any Christmas parties this year. I'm just showing up to a few with a cake under my arm and a wine under my belt. Festivities are infinitely easier to just show up to rather than to host.

I've learned a few other gems this week...

1. Vinyl tablecloths have come a long way since the seventies, baby. I'm loving the fact that 2.5 metres of fabric from Me Too Please, with a splice of rik rak sewn around the bottom has resulted in wipe-clean, chic heaven. Perfect for both messy Tsunamis and messy mums and dads after a couple of wines at the BBQ. While I was there, I also grabbed a few 1/4 metres of various oilclothes to make some matching bunting to increase my Summer delicioiusness. The bag in the picture above could also serve as inspiration for the more gifted sewers amongst us...

2. Tea Tree Oil took the itch straight out of my1000 mosquito bites. I love you Tea Tree Oil!

3. Jasper Jones is easily the best book I've read all year.

4. We can never know why things are the way they are... unless we ask. My 'dud post' turned out to be a technology glitch and I felt like a total moron. But then, as Madame Marielle pointed out so beautifully "Isn't that a relief? It's like when a guy doesn't call, and it turns out he actually left his phone in a cab..."

5. Wishlist makes online 'if only' shopping really easy.

Did you learn anything new to share this week? And what's the best book you've read this year?

[Image of pretty oilcloth tote from Jane's Teawagon]

Recipe: Peanut Butter Pie

First off let me just say thank you for all comments on my previous post! I feel loved :) You're all awesome!

And....

Here it is! The recipe for the peanut butter pie I made for my family on Thanksgiving!

It is from Kraft's Food & Family Recipe magazines.

And it is delicious.

Sorry I didn't take pictures of the process since I was moving fast that morning!

What you will need:

35 Nilla Wafters, finely crushed (about 1 cup)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 pkg. (3.9oz.) Jell-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

2 cups cold milk, divided

4oz. (1/2 of the 8oz pkg) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

1 pkg. (3.4oz) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1/2 cup peanut butter, divided

2 cups thawed Cool Whip

Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

How to make it:

Heat oven to 375F
Mix wafer crumbs and butter until well blended; press onto bottom and up side of 9inch pie plate. Bake 10 min, let cool.

Beat chocolate pudding mix and 1 cup milk with whisk 2min. (Pudding will thicken a little). Spread onto bottom of crust. Gradually add remaining milk to cream cheese in large bowl, beating with mixer until well blended. Add dry vanilla pudding mix; beat 2 min. Stir in 1 cup Cool Whip. Spread over chocolate pudding layer. Spoon remaining Cool Whip onto center of pie.

Refrigerate 3 hours. When ready to serve microwave remaining peanut butter on HIGH 15 sec. or until melted. Drizzle peanut butter and Hershey's syrup over pie.

And, ENJOY!

P.S.
Link up here:

And here today.

Please & Thank You :)

West Elm

This week for my 'shops i love' page, I bring you West Elm.

West Elm was started in 2002 by Williams-Sonoma. They design and produce clean, simple products for modern living by combining global materials with natural and urban influences. Inspired by nature, colour and art they sell classic pieces and decorative accents that have an inviting, calming feel to them.

I have always admired West Elm's style from afar, through their website. So, on a recent family vacation to Florida I jumped at the chance to visit one of their beautiful stores in Orlando.

On entering the store I was greeted by a table decked out in a "Winter Woodland style", my heart fluttered and I took in all the wonderful details. I hope you enjoy my pictures from inside the store. I, of course, couldn't leave the store without purchasing a few items, like the mercury snow owl ornament for my Christmas tree, some cute owl cocktail picks and a winter trees dessert plate for my Winter Woodland dessert table.

Have a sweet day!