Bringing Texas Home for Christmas with #MarketStreetTX

This post is sponsored by Market Street.  All opinions are 100% my own.

I can’t believe Christmas is only a week away.  We’re starting to wrap things up (both literally and figuratively) for the big day.  Last Sunday I got together with some friends for an afternoon of crafting where we were still making Christmas decorations to brighten up our homes.  Most of them have college aged children that were making their way home for Christmas, and the resounding chorus around the table was that they couldn’t wait to get home to TEXAS!

One thing I’ve learned in the short time I’ve lived in Texas…Texans have pride in their state.  A lot of it.  And I’m beginning to have that same sentiment.  As a matter of fact we’ve decorated our whole guest room in a Texas theme, so our guests get immersed in the Texas culture right away 🙂

And then I thought – what better way to greet the guests who come to our home this holiday season than with a Texas wreath on our door and some delectable Texas Brownies for a treat?!

I picked up the ultimate Texas Brownies at Market Street.  I had to buy some of each kind!  Frosted Chocolate, M&Ms®, Blondies and Cookies n’ Crème.  Seriously take a look at these.  You know what they say:  everything’s bigger in Texas…yep even the brownies!

Made with real butter and 100% Ghiradelli chocolate, these brownies are a great way to make the holiday sweets easier for you this year.  No baking on your part required!  They’ll box them up in individual boxes at the bakery too, so they’re perfect for gifting to those that provide services for you such as postal workers, teachers or business associates!

This Texas Wreath is an easy DIY craft that you can make to add to your home décor – for Christmas or all year round.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

1 14″ Extruded Styrofoam Wreath
1 package of 135 feet of 4-ply Natural Jute
Assorted ornaments/magnets/finials etc., in a Texas Theme
Ribbon
Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
Hook or large sturdy Paper Clip

• Tie the loose end of the jute around the wreath, knotting it at the back.

• Neatly wrap the jute around the styrofoam form, pushing the jute together every few inches to cover an open parts that show the styrofoam.  Continue until the whole wreath is covered, then tie the jute off at the back and trim the loose ends.

• Using a hot glue gun, glue your Texas themed items to the wreath.  Once they’re in place, add your bow.

• To hang the wreath on a holder or nail, uncurl a large sturdy paper clip to form a hanger (shape it like a soccer goal) and push the ends of it into the top back of the wreath, or hot glue a hook to the top back of it.

Gifting both the Texas Wreath and the Texas Brownies would be a fun way to send Texas to a loved one that is out of state and missing all things Texas this Christmas season!

I want to share with you some other Market Street Signature Items that will help you out in these last couple of weeks of holiday entertaining and gifting, both for Christmas and New Year’s parties.

• Smoked Gouda Pimiento Dip
• Jalapeño Popper Dip
• Market Street Cheese Balls
• Artisan Breads (cracked pepper parmesan, white chocolate apricot, good n’ grainy)
• Texas Brownies
• Thumbprint Cookies (I featured these last month with some printable treat tags)
• Bacon Wrapped Quail with Jalapeño
• Stuffed Pork Loin
• Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Stuffed Roulade (flank steak stuffed with fresh ingredients)

Don’t forget that when shopping at Market Street this holiday season until January 6, 2015, you can still earn e-stickers for Free Lodge Cookware too with your Market Street Rewards account!   The points can be redeemed for the items until January 20th, 2015.  The total number of e-stickers you have earned is on your receipt when you check out, or you can find how many you have on the MarketStreet App.