Guest Blog & Giveaway with Hailey Edwards

A Little Holiday DIY

It’s that time of year when hours burn like seconds and the list of things to do stretch longer than our arms. It’s a hectic time of year, but I love the winter weather and the building of anticipation of going home.

Home for me is an hour’s drive away, at what was once my grandmother’s house. My favorite aunt lives there now, and the place is still the hub of our holiday festivities. One of the traditions I’ve started with my daughter is making a homemade gift for each member of the family for Christmas each year.

There are twelve of us, so it’s not an impossible task. It does, however, take some planning. Usually my daughter and I make bath or body gifts like lotion or sugar scrub from scratch. It’s a hobby of ours, so we already have the supplies around the house. This year I wanted to do something a little different.

I wanted to make Christmas in a Jar gifts.

Lord only knows why, but I love mason jars. I have bird feeders, drink glasses and pitchers, and even solar lights made from them. So, for us, this craft project definitely used supplies we already had on hand.

For this blog post, I’m going to share the projects that we tried. I would post the pictures, but we’re waiting on labels to be printed. (Last minute, I know!)

First up, we went with something familiar—peppermint bath salt. As a peppermint junkie, I can’t get enough of the stuff, whether it’s candy, body products or candles. All you need for this project is a cup of Epsom salt, one tablespoon of baking soda, four drops of peppermint essential oil, an eight ounce mason jar, four drops of red food coloring and a ribbon. If you want to try your hand at making your own, you can find step-by-step instructions here.

Next we tried a new-to-us cookie recipe because the name tickled me when I was Googling for ideas. These guys are called Cranberry Hootycreeks. Don’t you love that? They’re similar to oatmeal raisin cookies, except you’re adding white chocolate chips and using cranberries instead of raisins. You can snag that recipe with baking instructions here.

The third and final idea we tried was 3-2-1 cake. My mom and sister love to buy the microwave mixes to make mug cakes, so I wanted to find something similar they could make at home. The mix for these is super simple. You mix one box of angel cake mix with one box of any other flavor cake mix you like. (We used chocolate for the second box.) Store the mix in jars or in a Tupperware bowl. When you’re craving something sweet, you scoop out three spoonfuls of the mix into a mug. Add two tablespoons of water. Then microwave for one minute. 3-2-1, get it? You can also mix in nuts or caramel or even chocolate. If you’d like a more in-depth look at the recipe, you can check out this blog.

GIVEAWAY
Tell me what edible gift is your favorite to receive this time of year along with your email address, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win one title of your choice from my backlist in any digital format. Open to everyone. The winner will be announced on December 22nd.

You can find me on Facebook and Twitter, or check out my new wintery release, A Veil of Secrets, here. You can also join my newsletter for more contests and to keep current on my new releases.
Happy Holidays!

A VEIL OF SECRETS
Araneae Nation #5
By: Hailey Edwards

Some secrets are best forgotten.

Fresh from the battlefields of Erania, Marne rides south with Edan, headed for the city of Beltania. Among the Mimetidae guards accompanying them is Asher, who’s been a thorn in her side since the day they met. He’s rude and abrasive…yet he was the first to volunteer as escort.

Marne dreams of a fresh start where no one knows who—or what—she is. But first, they must cross the veil. Rumor has it spirits haunt that grim stretch of road, and unwary travelers who enter are never heard from again.

Veil or no veil, Asher is honor bound to see Marne safely to her new home. Though truth be told, Marne leaving Erania is the last thing he wants. This journey is his final chance to convince her distance will only make his heart grow fonder.

When Edan is lost to the mists, Marne is trapped in a strange land with no allies—with a man who draws her closer every day. Closer to her heart, and her secrets. Secrets she must reveal if they are to save the one man bent on tearing them apart.

Warning: This book contains one heroine willing to fly into the face of danger and the hero who gives her heart wings. This adventure is BYOM, Bring Your Own Meal. Trust me, where we’re going, takeout is to die for. Literally.

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