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Edible Holiday Crafts

Eating and crafting are probably two of the greatest holiday pastimes. Why not combine the two by making some crafts that you can eat? The Biscayne Shores Blog is sharing some fun holiday crafts that will add decoration to your apartment but that are also 100% edible. Keep reading for tasty craft ideas you can try and enjoy! Candy-Filled Present Cookies These adorable cookies look just like miniature wrapped gifts and they are filled with candy! Use them for decoration and then eat them when you need a sweet treat. The recipe comes from Hungry Happenings . Chocolate Covered Strawberry Holiday Trees Festive and tasty, these delicious treats look like miniature holiday trees! Here’s everything you’ll need to make them: dark green candy melts, strawberries, Oreo cookies, white icing, sprinkles, candy stars, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and water. The recipe comes from Lovely Little Kitchen . Peanut Butter Cup and Swiss Roll Reindeer For this craft you will use swiss rolls, miniature peanut butter cups, candy eyes, pretzel sticks, chocolate candy melts, red sixlets or m&ms or red hots, and mini candy canes. Click on the link to see images from Sweet Simple Stuff of what the final product should look like. Edible Santa Suit Candy Cups Dress up standard wafer ice cream cones to look like Santa’s suit by following this tutorial from Hungry Happenings . You will need: wafer ice cream cones, red candy melts, melted white confectionery coating, black and white modeling chocolate or candy clay, powdered sugar, and your favorite kind of candy to fill the cones. What other fun and edible holiday crafts have you discovered or come up with yourself? Share them with us in the comments! Thanks for reading our post. Have a wonderful holiday season in Miami, FL, or wherever you are for the holidays this year.

DIY Christmas Trees

Decorating real or fake evergreen trees is a classic holiday tradition, not to mention a symbol of the holidays, but it can be expensive and a lot of work. Our Biscayne Shores Blog invites you to do something different this year and make your own tree from materials you probably already have. Guests to your apartment will be impressed by your creativity and originality. Get inspired to make your own tree with our suggestions. Ladder Christmas Tree Transform an ordinary ladder like Funky Junk Interiors did by stringing lights and tinsel around it and hanging ornaments from the lights and tinsel. If you’re feeling extra crafty, you could even make this ladder Christmas tree with shelves idea from Instructables . Make it a fun holiday project! Book Tree This is a great option if you happen to have a lot of books. Use them to build a holiday tree. Click on the link above to get some ideas from The Mary Sue for different ways to make a decorative book tree. There are so many great options, you’re sure to find one that suits your tastes and your library. Newspaper Christmas Tree Recycle old newspapers or magazines to make a unique and eco-friendly tree. Click on the link to find the full tutorial from Mother Earth Living with pictures, instructions, and a list of all the materials needed. We love how classy the end result is. Tomato Cage Christmas Tree If you are looking for a simpler alternative to an ordinary tree, these holiday trees made from tomato cages. Strings of lights are the perfect choice to bring it all together and give it that glow you’re expecting, creating the illusion of a real tree. Enjoy the perfect minimalist holiday season (at least in decorating) with the help of this tutorial from New England Design Construction . Ornament Mobile Tree Defy gravity with this suspended tree-shaped mobile made from ornaments. Everyone will be impressed with this hanging tree. The tutorial from Not Martha includes step-by-step instructions and pictures. This lovely floating tree also saves space! Do you have any other fun DIY holiday tree ideas to share with us? Leave them in the comments so we can check them out. Thanks for reading our post. We hope you have a fantastic holiday season in warm, sunny Miami, FL, or wherever you may be for the holidays!

Fun Facts about Thanksgiving

How much do you actually know about the history and facts of Thanksgiving? The Luxe at Creekside Blog is inviting you to brush up on your knowledge about the holiday and learn some fun facts about it. You might even discover some facts you never knew about! Later you can hold a trivia contest in your New Braunfels, TX apartment to share the knowledge with your friends and family. Fun Facts -Thanksgiving isn’t just an American holiday. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving too, except they do it on the second Monday in October. -TV dinners were invented because of Thanksgiving. In 1953, someone at Swanson misjudged the amount of frozen turkeys they would sell (by 26 tons). As a result, the company sliced up the frozen meat, added some sides, and thus the first TV dinner was born. -Thanksgiving didn’t become a national holiday until 1864, when U.S. President Abraham Lincoln declared it during the American Civil War. -If it was left up to Benjamin Franklin, the turkey would be the national bird, not the eagle. Which would have made The United States the only country who kills and eats their national bird at least one day every year. Glad that conundrum was avoided. -Did you know? Wild turkeys can run up to 20 miles per hour when frightened. -The heaviest turkey on record, according to the Guinness Book of Records, weighed a whopping 86 pounds! That’s a whole lot of turkey. -There were no forks at the first American Thanksgiving feast in 1621, only spoons and knives. Forks weren’t introduced to the Pilgrims until ten years later, and didn’t become a popularly used utensil until the 18th century! -The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade happened in 1924. There were no large inflatable balloons like today, instead the parade featured only live animals from the Central Park Zoo! Did you learn something about Thanksgiving that you didn’t already know? Leave us a comment and let us know what you learned. Also, if you have any other fun Thanksgiving facts, leave them in the comments as well so we can all enjoy them! Thanks for reading our post and we hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving and a great holiday season in Miami, FL or wherever you may be!

Dining Out Thanksgiving Options

Welcome back to the Biscayne Shores Blog! In this post we are sharing some great dining out options for Thanksgiving day for those who don’t want to deal with all the cooking and preparation it takes to make a grand home cooked meal. Read on for some Miami restaurant suggestions and drive times from your apartment. Pinch Kitchen (2 mins) Recognized by Trip Expert as one of the best restaurants of Miami, Pinch Kitchen is known for its unique and delicious modern American dishes that don’t disappoint. Whether you’re craving a burger, fresh seafood, or a crisp tossed salad, you can find it here at Pinch Kitchen. Black Sheep (9 mins) Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Black Sheep offers an array of creative, new American-style dishes that are sure to satisfy. They also serve a large menu of specialty drinks. As their name suggests, Black Sheep doesn’t quite fit the mold of a generic American restaurant. Blue Collar (9 mins) A small local restaurant located in the historic MIMO district of Miami serving up exceptional American cuisine fresh from the grill. Enjoy great tasting food in a casual dining setting. The chefs here know how to cook veggies up in a way that anyone would enjoy eating! Be sure to ask about their daily specials. Terramia (11 mins) At Terramia you will find the finest authentic Italian dishes prepared by their chef who is originally from Sicily, Italy. Everything is made from scratch, from the wood oven baked pizzas to the fresh pastas. Experience the incredible flavors of Italy at this gem of a restaurant here in Miami, FL. Whether you are staying in or dining out, make this Thanksgiving one to remember with the help of great food! Thanks for reading our post and have a wonderful month and happy holidays in Miami, FL or wherever you may be for the holidays.

Halloween Costumes for You and Your Pet

Halloween is a fun time to dress up, so why not dress up in coordinated costumes with your furry best friend? Our Biscayne Shores Blog is sharing some creative and clever costume combinations for you and your pet. Bring your pet along with you to your Miami based costume party and you may even win best couple costume! Keep reading for some great ideas you can pull together at your apartment! Little Red Riding Hood and The Wolf This costume pair is hilarious and extremely clever! By dressing your dog up as Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother they will instantly become the wolf pretending to be the grandmother. Clever, huh? Beauty and The Beast Dress up as Belle from Beauty in an elegant yellow dress and turn your pet into The Beast with a makeshift suit and a fluffy mane. Willy Wonka and an Oompa Loompa Become the fanatic purple suit and top hat wearing master candy maker and turn your pet into one of your adorable candy making helpers! Just don’t expect your pet to actually make any candy or bust out into song like the Oompa Loompas in the movie. Wicked Witch and a Flying Monkey This smashing Halloween costume was inspired by the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz , that features the despised Wicked Witch of the West and her evil flying monkey henchmen. ET and Elliot A timeless and classic movie duo, Elliot and ET captured our hearts in the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. With just a few items, and a bicycle with a basket, you and your pet can become this well-loved movie duo. Ariel and Sebastian from The Little Mermaid From the classic Disney movie The Little Mermaid comes the mermaid princess and her crab(by) royal babysitter. Ariel and Flounder is another possible costume option from this movie, or even Prince Eric and his dog Max. What other creative costume ideas can you think of for you and your pet? Share them with us in the comments as well as any pictures of your pet if you have them. Thanks for reading our post and we hope you have a great month and terrific Florida Halloween!

Wreaths for Halloween

Our Biscayne Shores Blog is sharing some crafting ideas to help you get ready for Halloween at the end of the month. Make one of these spook-tacular wreaths this month to adorn on the front door of your apartment to welcome any guests. Read on for some fun and frightening wreaths that are sure to bring the Halloween spirit to your apartment’s front door! Caution Tape Wreath “Danger ahead! Put caution tape to decorative use as a yellow-and-black crime scene wreath. Pick up a roll of caution tape from your local hardware store and a foam wreath form at the craft store. Wrap the caution tape around the form, ensuring the letters face out. Use strong tape or straight pins to secure the end of the tape to the wreath's back. Complete the look with a caution tape bow.” Jumble of Bones: Skeleton Wreath from HGTV “Give a plastic skeleton a fresh take on the afterlife as a minimalist wreath. Disassemble the skeleton by removing the thread, wire or string used to hold the pieces together. Next, attach bones to a wire wreath form using craft wire, overlapping and interlacing the bones. As a creepy finishing touch, wire the skull to the wreath's bottom so its sockets are approximately eye-level with trick-or-treaters.” All Chained up Wreath from HGTV “Embrace a bit of the macabre with an iron shackle wreath. Search online or at local antique/thrift stores for authentic iron or steel shackles. Pick up a twig or grapevine wreath from the craft store, then wrap and drape the chain around it. Adorn the wreath with a faux black crow or raven for an added eerie touch.” Framed Spider Web Wreath from Savoring The Good “Picture frames as wreaths? Sure, why not! Grab an old picture frame from a flea market or garage sale and update it with spray paint in a bold color. Next, remove the glass and artwork. Use string or yarn to create the spiraling look of a spider web then attach the web to the frame's back side with double-sided tape.” Eerie Eyeball Wreath from Home and Garden “This spooky wreath comes to life at night thanks to glow-in-the-dark rubber eyeballs.” Anyone who comes to your door won’t be able to shake the feeling that they are being watched. Candy Corn Wreath from Woman’s Day This colorful and festive wreath is made from a styrofoam wreath wrapped in black duct tape and pieces of candy corn hot glued onto it. Attach a black ribbon, or any color you’d like, to easily hang it on the front door of your apartment. What other cool Halloween-themed crafts have you made? Share them with us in the comments. Thanks for reading our post and have an eventful month here in the beautiful Miami, FL!