March Madness at The Blooming Corner LLC

http://www.thebloomingcorner.com

Spring is almost  here!! Winter is going out the back door and flowers will be blooming soon. The Blooming Corner LLC is an on line silk and dried flower shop that creates beautiful and original designs for all occasions and weddings. Our store carries fresh grapevine wreaths/garlands, gift baskets, flower wreaths, dried flower arrangements, silk flower centerpieces, silk wedding flower arrangements, corsages, boutonnieres, bouquets, flower garlands, berry garlands, potpourri sachets, and novelty gifts.

On March 1, 2012 The Blooming Corner LLC is having a March madness with specials and sales throughout the month. Also, there will be a special random drawing on March 31, 2012 for customers who log in to our store and send us a recipe with a number written at the top between 1-500. They will send this to our address at annette@thebloomingcorner.com and the winner drawn will receive a FREE Gift Certificate for $15.00 towards one of these places: Target, Walmart, Subway, Starbucks,  or Itunes. So, take advantage of this fun and free drawing, tell your friends to come and join in on the fun! The winner will also get their recipe posted on our daily tips for recipe winner in April with their name!

Spring is a way to get your house reorganized and bring in some new fresh colors and designs! A wreath on your door or wall can brighten a room and make it inviting!
Get creative and take down old faded blooms or old decor and put in new silk flowers and colors to warm your home or business. This year woodsy, nature, and chocolate brown colors are making a hit in all products from fabric, flowers, automotive, and household interiors. Enjoy your nature side and bring a little into your home~

From our shop The Blooming Corner LLC to your home or business we wish you a marvelous March!

How to Make a Microwave Heating Pad

Instead of using electric heat pads & blankets or hot water bottles for your aches and pains, these microwaveable bags are just the ticket! They’re known by a few different terms such as: bed buddies, stress busters, magic bags, corn cozies, rice bags–but they’re basically all the same thing.

These bags serve a dual purpose as you can also keep them in the freezer to use has a cooling pad or freezer pack when needed. If you’d like to learn how to make them, you’ll find a tutorial below along with tips for different kinds of fillers to try and directions on how to use them.

These Crafty Bags Can Be Used As Both Hot & Cold Packs

Microwave Heating Pad Directions

• No pattern is necessary, simply cut two pieces of cloth in the size/shape you wish your bag to be. Make sure to leave a seam allowance for yourself (about 1/2″).

Some prefer regular square shape bags, others prefer tubes or more rectangular shapes. Experiment, whip up a few different sizes and shapes to try. These are really easy to make as well as cheap!

Filler Options

• Uncooked rice
• Wheat
• Feed corn
• Buckwheat hulls
• Barley
• Oatmeal
• Beans
• Flax seed
• Cherry pits

You can also add the following to the above for a soothing fragrant heating pad: Spices, herbs, essential oils.

• Ideas: lavender, rose petals, ground cloves, nutmeg, ginger, rosemary, cinnamon, peppermint oil, crushed mint
• If using: Mix herbs, spices and essential oil with choice heating pad filler (such as rice) and let sit in a sealed container for a few days (occasionally stirring). This will help set and distribute the fragrance a bit.

Fabric Options

• Cotton: (plain, prints, flannels, denims)
• Alternate ideas: old socks (sew or knot end closed), washcloths, old towels

You can also choose to make cozy, removable & washable outer pouches. This is especially nice to do when giving as gifts.

• Fabric Ideas: use old towels, fleece, velour knits, pretty fabric prints and flannels (don’t microwave anything other than cotton fabrics). The softer & fluffier & better!

Instructions for Making the Heating Pad

• Cut and sew the fabric for the heating pads the size and shape you want (usually a large washcloth size works well).
• Leave an inch or two open on one side so that you can fill bag with your choice of filler. Fill the bag about 1/2 to 3/4 full, more or less as you prefer. Don’t fill too full though, you want the bag to mold itself around your body when you apply it.
• Once bag is filled, sew opening closed either by hand or machine (making sure filler is contained at the opposite side of bag).

If wanting a removable cover, just sew a “pillowcase” idea with your soft, plushy fabric by making it a little larger than your heating pad and leaving an open end (make sure to finish off ends by sewing a hem). Or you can add a strip of velcro to close it. Make sure to never microwave this cover unless it’s content is full cotton. Remove cover to wash as needed.

Filler Suggestion For Headache Soothers

Rice (or other grain listed above) and a mix of:

• Dried lavender
• Marjoram
• Betony
• Rose petals
• Cloves
• Rosemary

Directions For Use

Place in microwave and heat for 1 to 3 minutes, depending on size of bag. Do not leave unattended “just in case” the filler smokes or starts on fire. As a precaution, you can set a cup of water inside the microwave while heating the bag to add moisture or spritzing bag lightly with water before heating. If you add spices and herbs, this is a good idea to do.

If You’re In a Pinch

• If you need a heating pad “now” and don’t have time to sew one, try filling a ziploc freezer bag (make sure it’s the microwaveable kind) 3/4 full with uncooked rice, seal shut. Heat for a minute or two then wrap in a hand towel and use as needed.
• You can also fill a clean tube sock, tie closed the open end, heat and use as needed.

Caution

These microwaveable heating pads are glorious to use for aches and pains, or just to pamper yourself after a long, hard day–but be careful when removing from microwave and applying to body. Shake bag first, feel around and make sure it’s not too hot and won’t burn, especially when using on a child.-by tipnut.com

Amazing Carrot Cupcakes with Delish Frosting!

Carrot Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Yields 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

2 ounces white chocolate

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

4 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/8 cups white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup crushed pineapple

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
2. In small saucepan, melt white chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.
3. In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and orange extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream.
4. Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups.
5. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before topping with the icing and sprinkling with remaining walnuts. -by allrecipes.com

Delicous Chocolate Layered Mocha Cheesecake!

Recipe- Layered Mocha Cheesecake

Serves-16

1 1/2 cups crumbled cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies

1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling

• 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips , melted and cooled

Glaze

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter
• chocolate-covered coffee beans (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom of a greased 9 inch springform pan. In a small bowl, combine the coffee granules, water and cinnamon; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Divide batter in half. Stir melted chocolate into one portion; pour over crust. Stir coffee mixture into the remaining batter; spoon over chocolate layer.
3. Place pan on a double thickness of heavy duty foil. Securely wrap foil around pan. Place in a large baking pan; add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan.
4. Bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
5. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter; stir until smooth. Spread over cheesecake. Remove sides of pan. Garnish with coffee beans if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. -by food.com

Top places to go on vacation with the family!

Thinking of vacation with the whole family? Trying to come up with ideas for the whole family to enjoy can be tedious, but I have found some places that would make anybody want to go! First task is to find out where, cost, travel time, when, and book your vacation!

I did some research online and found out that Florida is one of the top places to go for the whole family to enjoy! It has the famous Walt Disney Word, theme parks, water parks, Epcot, Sea World, Disney's Hollywood Studio, and Animal Kingdom. Plus, another feature to enjoy is the awesome sandy beaches and fresh seafood. There are some really good packages that family's can get for staying several nights and visiting certain parks. One place is bookit.com where they are always running some really fantastic family package deals for Disney World.

Another popular place is Myrtle Beach in South Carolina where they have beautiful beaches, water parks, theme parks, awesome golf courses, and offers resorts, condos,  and hotels. This is a popular tourist attraction for spring break, so plan accordingly if coming with small children.

The other place I found to be right there next to Florida and South Carolina is Cancun, Mexico. This is a popular tourist and family place to visit, because of the all inclusive resorts and great package deals. These place cater to all ages with swimming, hotels, shopping, and hotel entertainment.

Now, for the outdoor lovers and traveling folks I found that the Grand Canyon ranks a high top to see and possibly book a trip to hike down the canyon! There are donkeys to rent or just hike down to the bottom and pitch a tent for the night and hike back up the next day! Though, make sure your up to a long day of hiking and you never know what the weather will do, so bring protective gear and clothing.

Also, Colorado is popular to visit during the summer and winter, because of the beautiful rocky mountains. Skiing is big in the winter with many ski resorts such as, Copper Mountain, Breckenridge, Monarch, Steamboat, Crested Butte, Aspen, and Echo Mountain to name a few. There are resorts and place to stay in small towns for season travels and many wonderful small town shops to buy souvenirs! Pikes Peak is another popular place to visit and see the beautiful mountains and terrain for the outdoor lovers. Though, watch the altitude it's a lot less air up there..approximately fourteen thousand feet above sea level~ breathtakingly beautiful and a definite must to see!

There are so many fun, reasonable, and memorable trips to see with the whole family. Life is short and stresses are high, so stop and enjoy the time together making awesome memories~ Take lot's of pictures and let tomorrow take care of itself!