We have really been enjoying and putting to good use the "Cabin in the Woods" themed hot cocoa bar I created this year for my family.

I think the enamelware mugs, pitcher and storage containers mixed with the rustic/woodsy Hot Cocoa Bar sign I designed, along with the other elements really gave it an authentic, earthy vibe. I just love it.

Hot Cocoa Bars are such an easy concept. Seriously. We've been doing these for years and this time I kept it even more simple by skipping the syrups, eliminating a lot of the toppings, using store-bought packets + bulk hot cocoa powder and even eliminating the pirouette cookies we've typically had on the table.

What's been so fun is that I decided to only offer the fixings to be able to create mugs of S'mores Hot Cocoa - to keep with the camp/cabin feel of it all. (including the addition of a culinary kitchen torch for roasting the marshmallows on top. We keep it in a drawer near by - for safety). 

Omgoodness!! These are SO good!

And okay,  I miss the cute peppermint stir sticks that usually grace the table, BUT my One Little Word (Less) has really helped me to simplify the set up and it's been wonderful. Our family and friends have thoroughly enjoyed it!!

I've got all of the resources mentioned and linked at the bottom of the post...so I'm just going to let you sit back and scroll through the rest of the details without me saying another word...because I'm practicing saying "less". *wink*

Do you all love it as much as I do?
If you don't, keep it a secret. *wink*

I'm just kidding! I really want to know which one has been your favorite?
"Baby It's Cold Outside" Hot Cocoa Bar, Hot Chocolate Bar  or the new one I'm sharing today!?
I honestly can't decide.

So here's the scoop on everything for those of you feeling inspired to put one together...

TOPPINGS USED
Crushed Graham Cracker Crumbs
Mini Marshmallows
Hershey Bars - broken up into small rectangles (see photo of hot cocoa above)
Mini Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

NOTES + TIPS
STRAWS
These, of course, are not necessary. But they sure look cute and the littles think they are fun!

MINI CHOCOLATE CHIPS
The mini Ghirardelli chocolate chips I have on the table are not necessary if you are creating S'mores Hot Cocoa and use the Hershey Bars to top off your mugs. But a little extra chocolate is always a good idea...in my opinion. *wink*

S'MORES HOT COCOA RECIPE
Follow my S'mores Hot Cocoa Recipe for the perfect presentation.

HOT COCOA POWDER
I was originally going to use hot cocoa packets only  in order to really keep things simple. But then found the cute enamelware containers and decided to keep some bulk hot cocoa powder inside one of them. If you use the packets, have a small trashcan near by.

WHIPPED CREAM
When you purchase your cans of whipped cream, if you intend to wrap the outside of the can with kraft paper, like I did, pay attention to the design of your can. Redi-Whip tends to have a rounded top which makes it more tricky to wrap.

ENAMELWARE
Beware! Enamelware mugs are a wonderful conductor of heat; perfect to warm your hands on a cold night sitting by the fire. However, when using them in the comfort of your home, be sure to remind your hot cocoa drinkers - especially children, to use the handle on the mugs while sipping.

RUSTIC HOT COCOA BAR SIGN
I went with a color sign this year instead of the chalkboard signs I've done the past 2 or 3 years. Printing the chalkboard signs usually cost under $5 because they are black and white. To have a 24x36 color sign printed, it will cost you about $20. I also chose to save myself some time and I paid $10 for Office Depot to mount the sign onto foam board. The beauty of this sign is that you can have it printed in black and white to save money and it will still look awesome...just not as authentic. *wink*

CULINARY KITCHEN TORCH
The kitchen torch isn't something I kept on the table but it's SO fun for creating S'mores Hot Cocoa.

BLACK AND WHITE TABLE COVERING
This was actually one of those Ruana Wraps you wear. It was the perfect size for my small table.

BIRCH STUMP TREE PEDESTAL
This is actually one of those Bonfire Logs. I picked mine up at my local grocery store for $9.99

MORE HOT COCOA BAR INSPIRATION
Hot Chocolate Bar
Baby It's Cold Outside Hot Cocoa Bar

RESOURCES
Hot Cocoa Bar Sign 
Enamelware Mugs
Enamelware Pitcher
Enamelware containers - found these on clearance
Black and White Flannel table covering - a blanket scarf
Hot Cocoa Powder
Glass Jars with wooden spoons
Lantern
Tree Slabs - both of the flat ones came from Hobby Lobby
Birch Stump - Bonfire Log
Straws - Chocolate Brown Striped
Wooden Scoop for Hot Cocoa Powder + Marshmallows
Small Fern Trees - I actually picked these up at CVS during the holidays. They had ornaments on them to make them look like Christmas trees. I just pulled those off.
Mug Tree - also known as a Wire 3-Tier Glass Drying Rack 

I hope you love it and as always...
I hope you are inspired!!

xoxo

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I thought it would be cute to spray all of the green trees with that "snow in a can" to add more charm and authenticity to the table. Honestly though, I don't think it made that much of a difference. Can you even tell I used it? Not really.

P.S. The sign is crooked in the first photo.  Shhhhh!  *wink*

MAKE iT | S'mores Hot Cocoa

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!!
It's crazy to me that it's the very last day of 2015 and that we are about to step into a brand new year together!!

As part of our NYE celebrations tonight, my family and I will be sipping on some S'mores Hot Chocolate from our "Cabin in the Woods" themed hot cocoa bar I created this year. I've perfected the recipe, (or rather the strategic assembling process), and wanted to share it here just in case you'd like to try this tonight or at some point during the cold winter months ahead. It's delicious + fun and the presentation can't be beat!

S'MORES HOT COCOA
for one 8oz. cup of Hot Cocoa

Ingredients
2 - TBSP of Hot Cocoa Mix - store-bought in bulk or packets or homemade - this recipe
6 oz. steaming hot water (or milk)
Mini Marshmallows
Whipped Cream
1 TBSP of crushed graham crackers
1 small rectangle of a Hershey Bar
Kitchen Torch  

Assembly - this is very strategic
Put hot cocoa mix in mug and add steaming hot water.
Top with a handful of marshmallows making sure to cover the all of the hot cocoa. (this keeps the hot cocoa warm and provides a platform for the whipped cream to float on so that it doesn't melt so quickly).
Add a generous amount of whipped cream - coming up over the top of your mug.
Top with graham cracker crumbs. (these provide a needed barrier between the whipped cream + the marshmallows during the toasting process).
Place 7-8 marshmallows on top - you will have to gently push them into the graham crackers.
Working quickly, use a kitchen torch to toast the marshmallows on top.
Add the hershey bar and serve with a spoon.
It smells like heaven and tastes delicious!

I really hope you'll try it!!
And of course, feel free to tweak it to your exact liking - there are no real rules! Except to have fun!

Happy New Year to all of you!!
Be safe as you celebrate with friends and family tonight!
And thank you so much for you love and support through the years!!
Meet you back here next year! *wink*

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I've been making mugs of this S'mores Hot Chocolate for the past several nights and they are the bomb dot com. Looking forward to sharing more of the NEW Cabin in the Woods Hot Cocoa bar with you but in the meantime, here is a peek at the Hot Chocolate Mugs I used and the cute lantern I included as part of the set up! **UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE LINK TO THE CABIN IN THE WOODS HOT COCOA BAR.

STYLING | Hot Chocolate Bar

I'm so happy with how our Hot Chocolate Bar turned out this year! (Check out our previous Hot Cocoa Bar)!  I added a couple of new elements that I'm loving and I think you'll love them too!

I was inspired to add some fancy flavored syrups this year after a friend/customer recently ordered the Hot Chocolate Bar Collection from me for a wedding she was putting together this past weekend. She requested some custom labels…which included some fun flavored syrups...and the obsessing for me began.

We stuck to using the same, fabulous homemade Hot Cocoa Mix recipe we've been using for a couple of years now and the 48oz. Anchor Hocking Jar holds the entire batch perfectly - with room for the cute mini wooden scoop.

I stuck with the toppings I knew my girls loved: Mini Chocolate Chips, Mini Marshmallows, White Chocolate Chips, Dark Chocolate Vermicelli Sprinkles and "Crushed" Peppermint this year instead of the whole peppermints I've used in the past.  (just crush up some starlite mints using a rolling pin). I also opted to have Peppermint Stir Sticks on hand to be used as stirrers - besides, they are a fun way to add a pop of peppermint to your mug of hot cocoa!

So let's talk about what's NEW: Flavored Syrups!

These are the same types of syrups added to your fancy Starbucks coffees!

These are SO simple to make and inexpensive to purchase.

There are SO many flavor options out there but I stuck with two to keep things simple:

French Vanilla syrup - store-bought from Target for $3.99 on the coffee aisle

Peppermint syrup - homemade using 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar + 1 tsp. Peppermint extract - so easy! You could even use a candycane or peppermint hard candy in place of the Peppermint extract but I didn't want my syrup to be red - you can choose to do that if you want to!!

I LOVE that you can add a few pumps of the syrup to change up the flavor of your hot cocoa!! (I think I've had to add about 5 pumps to mine but my mugs are pretty big). 

The syrup dispensers are actually SOAP dispensers I picked up from Kirkland's a few month's back. They work GREAT!!  I did see some at Target this week that look almost EXACTLY like the ones shown here - a little more narrow but the same bronze finish on the dispensers. Fun, right?

The other NEW elements I added this year is a bottle of Caramel Drizzle + a small tub of Sea Salt.

You know where I'm going with this!! I LOVE the salty + sweet combo so I had to take advantage of the opportunity to include it as an option for the Hot Chocolate Bar. 

So with the new syrups along with the caramel and sea salt, I've come up with THREE FLAVOR FAVORITES!!

Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa

Mix up a mug of Hot Chocolate. Add 3-5 pumps of French Vanilla Syrup.

Top with marshmallows. Cover with whipped cream. 

Drizzle on some caramel and add a tiny sprinkling of sea salt to finish. YUM!!

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

Mix up a mug of Hot Chocolate. Add 3-5 pumps of Peppermint Syrup.

Stir with a Peppermint Stir Stick if you like.

Top with marshmallows. Cover with whipped cream.

Sprinkle on crushed peppermint. TASTY!

Double Chocolate Marshmallow Hot Cocoa

Mix up a mug of Hot Chocolate.

Add a spoonful (or two) of mini chocolate chips. Stir.

Top with marshmallows. Cover with whipped cream.

Sprinkle mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows on top.

Finish with dark chocolate vermicelli sprinkles! DELISH!

This year is the first year I've included the infamous Pepperidge Farm Pirouette Cookies as part of our Hot Cocoa Bar. The Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Hazelnut is my favorite but there's also a French Vanilla Pirouette option if you prefer! They don't take up a lot of space and fit in a jar nicely. My girls are loving them.

I've mentioned in the past that I prefer the mini dehydrated marshmallows over the normal, soft mini marshmallows but I decided to make a place for both options on the bar this year.

We are REALLY enjoying it - as always!
It's such a fun thing to put together and because I didn't style it "Christmasy" we can keep it up for New Year's and continue to use it throughout the entire winter season!

One thing I will definitely be adding next year is a to-go cup option - with a lid.
I'm missing the mini Kraft Ripple to-go cups from last year and want to have the 16oz. Kraft Ripple Coffee Cup sizes available to be able to send people off with a nice, warm cup of Hot Cocoa!

I hope you love how it turned out!

MORE HOT COCOA BAR INSPIRATION
Baby It's Cold Outside Hot Cocoa Bar
Cabin in the Woods Hot Cocoa Bar

The printables are NOW AVAILABLE IN THE SHOPPE!

The Collection includes 4 different Chalkboard Posters and TONS of labels - including 3 different styles - round, square or rectangular.

Email subscribers have been notified of the new collection and have been sent a special coupon code to save $5 OFF - must be used by midnight on Christmas Day. 

Aren't a subscriber yet? SIGN UP HERE to (1) receive special promotions, (2) be the first to know about new collections and art prints and (3) receive FREE printables too!

Hoping you all are enjoying your holiday season!
It was the last day of school for the kids today so it's officially Christmas break!
I'm looking forward to it!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Those soap dispensers were actually being used in the master bathroom.
So…when I snagged them for the Hot Cocoa Bar, I rinsed and re-rinsed and soaked those bottles and pumps really, really good.

Would you believe the first couple of squirts of the syrup STILL had a hint of soap and bubbles in them?! So be warned! If you recycle some soap dispensers from around your own house…test them out to make sure all of the soap is REALLY out of them before offering any to your family and friends! Ha!!