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I recently created this black and white snack board for our The Tortured Poets Department listening and candle painting party! But, this high-contrast snack board can be perfect for lots of other types of parties. Maybe you're watching an old black-and-white film, throwing a Halloween party, or having a graduation retirement, or birthday party that is black-and-white themed. Either way, this snack board was a hit for us and we think it will be for you too. Here is what we included on our snack board and some other ideas for yours! Black and White Snack Board Mini powdered donuts Oreos Blackberries Black grapes Hershey's Hugs White cheddar popcorn Cookies and cream brownies cut bite-sized Start with a large black (or white) serving tray to keep with the theme. I have had my tray for so long I can't even remember where I got it from but you can find a variety of black serving trays that will suit the vibe you are going from. Fill up your tray with a variety of sweet and savory treats to enjoy, keeping each type of food grouped together. Throw in some fruit like our blackberries and grapes for good measure and let everyone graze or have it beside a dish like mini sliders and you're golden! Other ideas to include: white chocolate-covered pretzels black olives marshmallows white cubes of cheese black and white cookies Pirate's Booty Play around with it and have fun!

It was recently my birthday (yay, me!) and now I'm fully regretting not throwing a Taylor Swift-themed birthday party with my friends. We listen to Taylor a lot in this house and I'm always down for a fun party! Would it be too late to throw a party with Taylor Swift, singing at the top of your lungs, and heart-shaped glasses as the theme? Regardless of if I end up pulling my life together enough to do a party, I wanted to share with you my ideas for a Taylor-themed bash! This would be the perfect opportunity to have a 1989 TV album listening party! You could go all out in a specific Taylor album-themed party, but this party inspiration board is for an all-around Eras Themed Party. Eras Tour Tapestry // Disco Balloons // Bracelet Making Kit // TS Guitar Banner and Cupcake Topper s // Inflatable Guitars // Pastel Rainbow Party Plates // Champagne Problems Banner // Number 13 temporary hand tattoos // Holographic Garland // Instax Camera // Butterfly Drink Markers // All Too Well Wine Label // TS Birthday Banner // Heart Glasses // Karaoke Machine // Disco Cups // Confetti Poppers // Fake Microphones Shop our newest Taylor Swift-themed gift guide! We've got TTPD inspired gifts for the tortured poets! Looking for more Taylor Swift ideas for your party?! We've got cookies, drinks, gifts, and crafts that would add that special touch to your Eras party! Make sure you bring your Swiftie a fun gift! Shop our Swiftie Gift Guide for ideas! You've gotta have the Chai Cookies that Taylor Swift made during her secret sessions for 1989! Let's talk cocktails. We were inspired by Midnights to create this Lavender Haze cocktail . It has a soft lavender color with a frothy egg finish to look like her lavender haze clouds. Want something non-alcoholic, this Lavender Lemonade is just the thing. Floral and refreshing, it's the right balance of sweet and tart! Make an Eras Tour shadow box to display your concert or party pictures! You could frame some of the party pictures you take with your Instax camera. Make the friendship bracelets and then make this Lover House Bracelet Holder to store and display them in! Have so much fun at your Taylor Swift Party!

If you are the mom of a tween or teen, you know that the older they get the harder they are to shop for. Their interests get a little more specific and they have their own opinions. You have to be a little more deliberate with your gifts, and that's fine. Easter baskets are still something that I love to do for my tween (is 10 a tween, it still feels like a kid) and teen. Easter basket fillers for tweens and teens can still be fun and creative and aimed toward their likes and current trends. Our Easter Basket Filler guide for tweens and teens has some fun ideas that won't break the bank. I usually do two or three fun things, maybe a book, and of course candy! Dragon Eggs - These are fun fidget toys. The dragon egg shape is perfect for Easter. Gloss nail strips - These nail strips are cute and don't require an LED light. Story Cubes - These fun cubes are great for mixing and matching and creating fun stories together. Waterproof speaker - If your teen likes to jam out during long showers then a waterproof speaker will elevate their shower jam session! Tamagotchi - Bring back this retro trendy game with the classic Tamagotchi! As a millennial mom, this one brings back memories and is for sure going in our baskets this year! Jellybeans candy - A go-to Easter candy for sure! Cute packaging too! Origami kit - traditional Japanese patterns and over 300 papers to create with. Hydrating face mist - For the skin care goddess these hydrating facial mists come in pretty colors and smell so good! Bunny slippers - These bunny slippers are so cozy and cute! Crochet kit - This bunny kit from Woobles is great for beginners who want to get into crochet. Pocket-Sized Game Controller - This mini controller works with Android, switch and Raspberry Pi! Zip string - this rope launcher fidget toy was featured on Shark Tank! Butterfly claw clips - These cute clips are very on-trend! Food Squishmallows - They may be teens and you think stuffed animals are a thing of the past but Squishmallows have a GRIP on all the tweens/teens I know! They are obsessed with these food-themed ones - takeout noodles, ice cream sandwich, avocado, or grilled cheese! Peel-off lip stain - if your tween or teen is on social media they've probably seen these peel-off lip stains are trending. They look super fun to do. Flying orb ball - This ball is fun to fly around the house or backyard! Birth Flower Layered Necklace - Layered necklaces are so pretty and these birth flower one feels personalized and looks very pretty for tweens and teens. StikBot Stopmotion Animation Kit - This starter kit has 8 posable sticky bots and a tripod to allow you to create fun stop-motion videos!

To kick off March, I wanted to share some "Meatless March" meal ideas. These are great for meatless Mondays or any night you may want some meat-free dishes. This veggie chicken parmesan zoodles meal is the kind of meal that you can make as much or as little as you want. Making dinner for one or the whole family, this meal comes together in about the amount of time it takes to cook the chicken patties. This is a lightened-up version that is meat-free. Veggie Chicken Parmesan Zoodles Ingredients: Veggie Chicken Patties (I used Morning Star) Zucchini noodles Spaghetti noodles olive oil marinara sauce shredded mozzarella seasonings - salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning Cook your spaghetti noodles as instructed on the packaging. I cook about half of what I would normally make per person. Cook your veggie chicken patties as instructed on packing. You can either purchase your zucchini noodles from the store premade, or make your own from a zucchini and a spiralizer - I've done both ways. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and saute your zucchini noodles until softened. Season as desired. Add in your spaghetti noodles to incorporate the zucchini and pasta together. In a small to medium saucepan heat your marinara sauce over medium heat until heated through. Plate your zucchini and noodles. Top with a scoop of marinara and a sprinkle of mozzarella. Cut your cooked vegetable chicken patty into strips and place on top of your sauce and mozzarella to melt your cheese. Serve and enjoy!

Valentine's Day is such a fun holiday for me. It's a time to just show the people you love, that you love them! These Valentine Watercolor Lover-inspired Cookies are a beautiful and sweet way to show adoration for your Valentine, Galentine, or besties! Ready to decorate your cookies? Jump to Hardening Icing or Watercolor Cookies technique. Start with your favorite sugar cookie. I used a package mix and followed the directions to make cut-out cookies. I rolled them out and cut them out using a heart-shaped cookie cutter for Valentine’s Day. No judgment here if you find store-bought sugar cookies easier. The fun part of these cookies is the pretty watercolor icing. I mean, just look at that gorgeous ombre design! Ok, let's start on how to make them. The hardening cookie icing creates a smooth, hard base for you to watercolor on. I used to think this was a hard trick to master, but after trying my hand at this simple frosting, I realized how easy it is! Hardening Cookie Icing - 1 batch 1 cup powdered sugar 1 tablespoon milk 1 tablespoon light corn syrup You will also need: plastic baggie or piping bag toothpick bowls and spoons scissors if you are using a plastic baggie In a medium bowl, mix together the 3 ingredients until smooth. I make 2 batches of this icing for my cookies. The first batch has a little bit less milk, more like the consistency of toothpaste. I put it in a plastic baggie (or piping bag if you want to be fancy) and cut the tip off. I use that batch to create the outline of my cookie. For the second batch, I made it just a bit more fluid, so that it “floods” the outline of the cookie and creates a nice smooth frosting. Just add a tiny bit more milk until you like the consistency of it. Repeat the same step of adding it to a baggie with the tip cut off. Squeeze it onto your cookie. Use the toothpick to pop any bubbles and help spread the icing so that it covers the cookie. NOTE: I let my cookies sit for about an hour to harden before I painted them to make sure it was fully hardened. Now, for the fun part! Let’s “watercolor” paint our cookies. Once your icing is hard, create your watercolors using food coloring and clear vanilla extract. I used both liquid and gel food coloring and both worked fine. Lover Watercolor Cookies Food coloring (gel or drops) Clear vanilla extract food safe paintbrush clean paint pallette gold sprinkles (optional) In a small dish or new paint palette mix together a few drops of food coloring with your clear vanilla extract. I created a variety of shades using red and pink with different ratios of vanilla extract. Then, paint your cookies with a clean, new paintbrush. Do not use a craft paintbrush for this. Have fun playing around with different designs. I found I liked giving my cookie a wash of clear vanilla extract before adding my colors. This allowed the colors to bleed together differently, giving it an even more watercolor look. I created unique ombre designs with my cookies but you can do whatever looks pleasing to you. Play around with different amounts of food coloring and vanilla extract to create pretty patterns. I even added some gold sprinkles to a few cookies for some texture and glam. Be sure to check out our other Valentine's Day posts. This page will be updated as we continue to add more fun ideas!

Valentine's Day is always a fun night to experiment with new and exciting cocktails. When my husband and I were younger we always went out to a fancy dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day. Now, we avoid the crowds and make a "dinner date at home". While sometimes it is a romantic night in, usually we include the kids and do heart-shaped pizza, chocolate fondue, and cocktails for the adults. Valentine's Day is a day for love and why can't it be a family holiday!? Because we're always wanting to try new things in the kitchen, we decided to round up 10 Valentine's Day Cocktails we think sound good that you might like too! 10 Valentine's Day Cocktails These 10 cocktails are great for Valentine's Day and beyond! We included some that are popular classics that we don't always make and unique ones that sound yummy to try! Love Potion Cocktail - This bright red cocktail is flirty and romantic. It has cranberry vodka as its base and a piece of dry ice makes it look like it's smoking! Pomegranate Gin Fizz - This gin-based drink is a lovely egg white cocktail. I love the soft pink color and the fizzy component. Espresso Martini - Coffee cocktails have been a hit everywhere lately. This cocktail will help get the night started off with a pep in your step! Lavender Haze - This unique drink was inspired by the lovely Lavender Haze song from Taylor Swift. Get lost in your own lavender haze while sipping on this cocktail! Rose Champagne Cocktail - Roses and champagne are staples for Valentine's Day. Bring them together in this fun cocktail! Chocolate Strawberry Martini - This vodka-based drink has chocolate dripping down the sides. If I saw someone drinking this in a restaurant I would immediately want it. It looks like dessert in a glass! Spicy Paloma Cocktail - Add some spice to your night and you're cocktail with this hot honey and citrus drink! I already feel like I will want seconds of this drink! Old Fashioned - Keep it classic with this old-fashioned. It only takes 4 ingredients and it's a winner every time. This is a great one for warming up on a cold night. Raspberry Sorbet Bellini - This cocktail is simple but pretty to sip on! I love that instead of ice you're using sorbet to keep your drink cool and add flavor at the same time. Bloody Valentine - Blood oranges are in season right now and can be found in your local grocery stores. The blood orange juice in this cocktail perfectly balances with the elderflower liqueur.

This is one of my quick and easy, dump-and-go crockpot meals that I make in the fall and winter. It's a hearty chili with chicken and beans as your protein and fiber. This Crockpot Chicken Chili is great for football, especially the Superbowl when nobody wants to cook, firepits, and nights when everyone is busy! For this recipe, you're going to freeze your chicken ahead of time. I try to remember to move my chicken to my refrigerator the night before I'm going to cook this chili, but I've also pulled it directly out of the freezer and put it right in the crockpot. Crockpot Chicken Chili 2 frozen chicken breasts 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 can Rotel 1 can Mexican corn or corn with peppers 1 Tbsp cumin 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 package of ranch dressing mix 1 - 8oz package of cream cheese Place your frozen chicken into the crockpot. Rinse and drain your beans and add them to the crockpot. Add your cans of Rotel and corn, without draining them. Add in seasonings and mix them around, covering the chicken with some of the bean mixture. Top the mixture with your block of cream cheese. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Once everything is cooked, take your chicken out and shred it with 2 forks. Add the chicken back into the crockpot and stir everything to incorporate cream cheese. Serve with crackers, cheddar, or over rice. This is also good as leftovers in a burrito! This makes a pretty good crockpot full of chili and has even gotten me second place in a chili cookoff at my kid's school a few years ago.

Reputation is coming. You know it! I know it! The question is, are we ready for it? I think her re-record of her Reputation album is going to be amazing and I'm hoping it drops later this month. In honor of our Reputation Era being on the horizon (fingers crossed) I made some Taylor Swift Reputation Donuts that look like they have friendship bracelets on them. Taylor Swift Reputation Donuts Ingredients: Donuts - chocolate because it's dark for Reputation. I got mine from Dunkin but feel free to get whatever kind you want. Candy eyeballs edible pen markers Mini star sprinkles - I used the red and white ones rainbow chip crunch sprinkles - I used red and black white pearl sprinkles silver pearl sprinkles Writing icing - black or white Directions: Once you have all your supplies you can start assembling your Reputation Donuts. I decided what word I wanted to write on my friendship bracelet before I started creating each donut. Using your edible food maker, flip the candy eyeballs over and write out your phrase letter by letter on each eyeball. Here is a list of Reputation inspired lyrics/phrases you can use. I put stars by the ones I used: *Big Rep *LWYMMD (Look what you made me do) *End Game *A Team *Ready 4 It *King of my "heart" *123, LGB (chant from the Eras tour) *Rep Era Ocean blue eyes Daisy Poison Ivy Be my jailer Light me up Dress Getaway Car Go, go, go I fancy you Best of times Golden tattoo Don't blame me Let the games begin "games begin" Love made me crazy In my dreams Island Breeze American Queen New Years Day CIWYW (Call it what you want) So it goes IDSB (I did something bad) Gorgeous TIWWCHNT (This is why we can't have nice things) Rep Cuz she's dead Delicate There are so many good phrases you could use. The shorter ones work better for bracelets and donuts so keep that in mind. On your donut, draw a circle on the top to be the outline of your "friendship bracelet" design. Carefully stick each letter on the spell out your word. Once you've created your word continue filling in the bracelet with different sprinkles. I kept to the red, black, white, and silver color scheme. This would be fun at a Taylor Swift-themed party or even for the Superbowl because we know Swifties are representing this year! The phrases - End game, Big rep, A team.... all work great for this Superbowl! These are fun to make and to eat! Be sure to check out our other Taylor Swift page for more Taylor-inspired posts and if you're making these for the Superbowl, why not make some friendship bracelet glasses to go with them? We are going to be wearing our red King of My Heart glasses during the game as we cheer on the Chiefs and Travis. I don't even feel bad about it.

We are in our Valentine era and we're loving it! We have shared watercolor lover cookies, DIY bracelet glasses, and friendship bracelet skewers and fondue! Today, we're sharing some super cute free printable Valentine's Day cards for Swifties! These would be perfect for your little Swiftie to give out to their class or friends this Valentine's Day! These cards are the perfect mix of classic conversation heart candies and Taylor Swift lyrics. We created 4 different but similar designs. Download our free Swiftie Valentine's here. These would be so cute attached to a pack of conversation hearts or add a friendship bracelet to each one! Save this to your Pinterest board for Valentine's Day so you can find it later! For more Valentine's Day content, head over to our Valentine's Day page to read them all. Looking for another holiday or want to browse by season, we have that too.

This chocolate fondue is so easy to make and only takes 3 ingredients and about 5 minutes to pull together. Something about chocolate fondue feels so decadent and fancy, but honestly, this recipe is so simple and can be made in various ways. Chocolate fondue is a fun thing to make for your Valentine or Galentine party! Easy Chocolate Fondue Note: I make mine in a fondue pot but you can also make a double boiler. 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups) 1 cup heavy cream 1 tsp vanilla In a fondue pot or double boiler add in your chocolate chips and heavy cream. Heat over low heat, stirring often. You'll want to mix the cream and chocolate at the same time to keep the cream from getting too hot too quickly and curdling. 2. Once it's melted together add in your vanilla and stir together. 3. Keep your fondue on a low heat setting and serve with fruit, cookies, donut holes, or anything that sounds good dipped in chocolate. This fondue has a really great chocolate flavor and is super smooth and creamy and perfectly dippable! Tips and tricks I have a slightly older version of this Cuisinart Electric Fondue Pot but if you don't have one or don't want to invest in one, then you can heat your chocolate over a double boiler (see below for tips) and transfer to a bowl for serving at the table. If you have a little more time you can even make this in a mini crockpot and it will stay warm and dippable for a while. You can also add things to your fondue to make it slightly different, like caramel chocolate yum! Fondue Variations You can add in a scoop of caramel sauce or peanut butter to add some different flavors to your chocolate. You can also try it with milk or dark chocolate if you prefer those. I personally like semisweet because it feels like it has a better balance with the other sweet fruits and foods you are dipping into it. Fondue Dippers There are so many things you can dip in your chocolate fondue! Here are some ideas to get you started: strawberries pound cake potato chips bacon pineapple candy oranges donut holes ritz crackers raspberries bananas cheesecake bites gummy worms peanut brittle pretzels rice crispy treats cookies blueberries apples animal crackers How to make a double boiler To make a double boiler, you need two pots that are the same size across so that they can stack on top of each other without the top one falling into the bottom one. You're bottom pot you're going to enough water to cover the bottom of your pot and then some. You'll place the botttom pot over low heat. Then, you'll place your top bot over the pot with the water. This is the pot that you will melt you chocolate in. The bottom pot will get all simmery and steamy and provide heat for your top pot so it can melt the chocolate without burning it. Happy dipping!

If you are having some friends over for a party and want a quick wow factor, our easy chocolate fondue and edible friendship bracelet skewers are the way to go. These fruit skewers are inspired by the friendship bracelets from the Eras tour and our girl Taylor Swift. This would be a perfect snack for Valentine's Day, Taylor Swift party, or a book club get-together. If you missed our Taylor Swift Eras-inspired book recommendations, you should go check it out Edible Friendship Bracelet Skewers Fruit - I choose to use strawberries and raspberries Marshmallows - These will be your letter "beads" Edible pens - Easy to create your letters on the marshmallows Donut holes - because why not, they taste amazing in the chocolate fondue Bamboo skewers - Dip them in water to make it easier to slide on the marshmallows These edible pens were so easy to use. I used the dab technique instead of dragging the pen across the marshmallow to get clean lines. You can either pre-make these for everyone to have plated when they arrive. They would make cute placeholders for where people might sit. Or, you can have everything divided into bowls for each person to create their own edible friendship bracelet skewer during the party. Strawberry Hearts Also, strawberries cut into heart shapes are easy and fun for these fruit skewers. I simply cut a V shape a the top by the stem and then round up the edges so it's smooth. The left side is rounded and the right side isn't rounded yet. I also felt like they were too big so I cut them in half as well.

Hygge, pronounced "hoo-ga" is a Scandinavian word meaning finding cozy contentment and well-being. It's all about enjoying life's simple pleasures. Winter is a great time to slow down and practice Hygge. Not only does it help ward off the winter blues, but it also helps us embrace and celebrate the gift that is the colder, darker months of the winter season. I live in Arizona, so my winter is definitely sunnier and warmer than most, but I still plan to Hygge these next few months. Today I'm sharing 10 ways to hygge this winter! 10 Ways to Hygge this Winter Cook something - Bake cookies or bread this Winter. Indulge in some comfort food. Personally, I love a big bowl of spaghetti. Read a book - cozy up under a warm blanket and take some time to read something. Here are some books I want to read this year! Listen to music - we have a record player that we enjoy playing music on. One of my goals this year is to discover a new artist. Make breakfast - Breakfast is sometimes overlooked and rushed, take time to make a breakfast you wouldn't normally have time for. Try our breakfast casserole or whipped ricotta French toast. Buy fresh flowers - While it may be dreary and cold outside, we can always bring some bright and colorful flowers into our space. The grocery store usually has a cheap bouquet you can treat yourself with. Or get a new house plant to add some greenery to your space. Add some lights - Light a candle or add twinkle lights somewhere in your house. Who says twinkle lights can only be used for Christmas?! I especially like to do this when I'm taking a bath or reading a book. Craft something - Pinterest is full of fun crafty and DIY ideas! We love trying new crafts. Play a board game - Have some quality family or friend time and play a game together. We shared our favorite board games for families if you're looking for a new one to try out with the family. Go for a winter walk - bundle up and head out into the cold. It's very refreshing to breathe in the crisp cool air and move your body. Bonus points if you live somewhere snowy, it feels magical to walk in the snow. Get together with a friend - maybe cook a meal together, watch a classic film, or just lounge around in comfy clothes and catch up over a warm drink. So, embrace this little reminder that it's okay to slow down and do little things that bring you joy! If you like these hygge ideas, be sure to check out the 100 things to do this year. We're focusing on 24 fun things in 24! Learn a secret handshake? Was that on your 2024 bingo card?