It’s time for the annual Christmas Trees on Parade hosted by Terri from Christmas Tree Lane .

This fun Christmas Tree hop features 7 bloggers and their Christmas tree creations and ornament giveaways.
Scroll down to see my Beach Tree from this year and to enter to win my themed ornament.

I am from Florida and last month we were lucky enough to travel home to the Florida Panhandle to see my family for Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time and one of my favorite memories is taking my kids to the beach. There is really nothing like it. The smooth white sand, the cool air, the blue green ocean, the ocean life and birds everywhere, and our favorite, the shells! 

So naturally for this year’s Christmas Trees on Parade I wanted to make a Florida Beach Tree.

I used a small white tree that reminded me of beach sand and placed it on a table with a light blue holiday blanket and a white fur table runner to represent the beach.

I added a few large shells and decor on the blanket and base of the tree and then decorated with a variety of shells, beach themed ornaments, and handmade trinkets

and decorations from our visits to Florida. 

Scroll down for more details on our beautiful Beach Themed Christmas Tree and tips on creating your own themed mini tree. 

I adore special mementos on family trips so every year we have celebrated Christmas in Florida

we made an ornament filled with sand and shells from the nearby beach. This is what first inspired my beach tree.

So if you have a special ornament from a trip or family memory or tradition start there and see what themed tree you can create with it!

Every year we add a new ornament (or two or three) and this year I found my ornament at the Pensacola Farmer’s Market.

It is a resin filled ornament with sand and shells and it looks perfect front and center on my beach tree!

Other special ornaments were added such as these market finds from Florida.

Color is good too! I decided the look of this tree would be white and blue but you can make a bright and colorful beach tree too!

Think summer vacation or kids at the beach theme and add colorful flipflops, fish and animal ornaments along with photos of your family at the beach.

I have a small box of these plastic gold shells that I call my “fillers”. They fill in empty spaces, add some color, and are also good for adding to the back of a tree.

Tip: some mini trees will tip over if they are too heavy on the front so be sure to always add ornaments to the back too. 

I had other fun beach ornaments that were too big for my little tree but too cute not to display. I added them around the tree as decor. How cute is the beach Santa?!

Since the base and tree are white I simply added a few large shells around the bottom. No tree skirt needed!

The final touch? A large sand dollar (I found this one while snorkeling) to top the tree. A starfish would also be a nice topper.

This beach tree brings a smile to my face every time I walk by it!

It represents myself, the Florida girl who loves the beach, and also my kids and the beach trips and memories we have made together!

Enter to Win!

I am giving away this festive sequin fish ornament this week!

All you have to do to be entered to win is leave a comment on this post and include your email. I will randomly choose a winner on Friday December 10th.

Be sure to check out the lick up below to see the other Christmas Trees on Parade and enter their giveaways!

The post Beach Themed Coastal Christmas Tree appeared first on For the Love of Food.

Print

Tuscan Turkey Soup

Serves 4-6 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
• 1 14.5 oz can stewed diced tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup orzo pasta uncooked
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 6 oz pkg fresh baby spinach
• garnish: shredded Parmesan cheese
• olive oil

Instructions

• Coat a large saucepan with non-stick spray; heat over medium heat.
• Add olive oil and onion and garlic; sauté for 5 minutes, or just until tender.
• Add turkey and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients except spinach and garnish.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until orzo is tender.
• Stir in spinach; cook for 3 minutes, or until spinach wilts.
• Ladle soup into bowls; top with a sprinkle of cheese.

Notes

Recipe from "Hometown Christmas" by Gooseberry Patch.

v

The post Tuscan Turkey Soup and Gooseberry Patch giveaway appeared first on For the Love of Food.

Tips for taking cake smash pictures at home:

1. Take pictures in a place with lots of light! Outside is great or inside near a window. I used Ava’s nursery because it has a large window with lots of natural light. I also used the overhead light and my flash.
2. Use a large quilt or blanket and sit your baby on that. This was a lifesaver for me! Every crumb and frosting smear stayed on the quilt and after we were done I stripped her down and folded everything in the quilt and took it straight to the laundry room! A few sprays of Dreft stain remover and a wash and the quilt was stain free! It doesn’t get any easier than that.
3. A tip from my photographer sister in law Chelsey:  do not refrigerate the cupcakes or cake the day of the pictures. This way the frosting with be soft and easier for baby to eat and make a mess with (makes for cute pictures, trust me!).
4. Speaking of cakes, as I said above, I chose a cupcake instead of a traditional 6 inch smash cake. I think the cupcake was the perfect size. Messy but not too messy and just as fun! 
5. Also whether you order the cupcake or make it yourself remember to stick with traditional frosting. Fondant can be pretty but this is a SMASH cake. It won;t stay pretty for long and you want frosting that is tasty and easy to smush in baby’s little fingers. I recommend traditional buttercream frosting or whipped frosting.
6. Some babies are shy or timid and won’t dig right in to the cake. I didn’t have this problem with Ava she just dove right in (literally). But consider a test run before the big picture day. Or help baby out and smear some cake on her face and give her a couple tastes of frosting until she gets the hang of it. 
7. Consider the flavors. When my baker asked what flavor I wanted I knew right away Chocolate! Ava had never had chocolate so this was an easy decision. But then what flavor icing to use? She mentioned cream cheese but I nixed that idea. Just my opinion, but if your baby has not had sweets ever, like mine, you don’t want to overload her with too many new flavors and foods in one sitting. Baby’s sensitive tummy may not handle that too well. So I opted for Chocolate Cupcakes with fluffy White Chocolate icing. And it took just a few seconds for me to see that Ava is a chocolate lover just like her Daddy and me!
8. Don’t forget the cute outfit! Some people use tutus, dresses, hats, sashes, bows, bow ties, suspenders, rompers, or heck just a cute pair of bloomers or a diapers cover and nothing else! Your choice but do realize it WILL get frosting and cake on it. But I just shook the crumbs off in the trash and washed Ava’s clothes right after and they were mess free and like new!
9. Have fun! It may not go as planned but have fun! This is for baby and as long as they’re happy that’s all that matters! You’re making memories. Enjoy it!

Ava’s Birthday Giftbag includes:

1. Ava loves her Mama and Dada the most so we are giving away the picture board book: “I’m Here For You Now”. You can insert your own pictures into the book! Ava loves looking at pictures of her Dada in this book!                                                                                            
2.   
3. A custom made tag blanket like the one pictured above donated from the wonderful Kraftie Kristina. Check out her Facebook page here <<<<
4. Plum Organics baby food pouches and snacks. I love using my Baby Bullet to make Ava food but the convenience of there pouches and the unique flavor combos are awesome! I love that Ava can hold them on her own now too.
   
5. Ava loves doggies, especially her 2 pups Charlie and Dylan. So we are giving away a pink polka dot stuffed dog!
6. Ava almost always has a fun headband or clip in her hair. Most of them I buy handmade from different ladies online including Kraftie Kristina! We are giving away two handmade hair clips- a Despicable Me Minion Clip and a Yellow Ribbon Patriotic Clip.
7. Ava has 6 teeth now and 2 more coming in so she loves her teethers especially this strawberry shapped Fresh Food Teether by Fisher-Price. We like to put frozen mango pieces in it and I love that it is rubber not mesh and super easy to clean!                 
8.                                                               
9. Every night before bedtime Ava chooses a book for me to read to her. One of her favorites is “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie” so we are giving away a copy!
10. Ava loves music and she enjoys attending her weekly music class by Music Together of Leesville. We are giving away a fun shaker music egg! I always keep one of these in the diaper bag for Ava to play with when she is bored or fussy!
11. Ava’s favorite movie is Despicable Me so we are giving away a Despicable Me tote bag and a Minion Surprise pack! 

The post Ava’s 1st Birthday Cake Smash and Favorite Things Giveaway! appeared first on For the Love of Food.