Hard to Say Goodbye....

Can't you just hear those Boys II Men singing it? It's so true.... :) Jewel Kade is retiring some pretty awesome charms. HOWEVER, come March 1st we will be introduced to 50 new JK items! It's bittersweet, isn't it. Once a JK charm is retired, it becomes a collectible and highly coveted....for sure. Here are the beauties that will be gone forever come the end of February. Take a good look, and remember: It's ok to do something for yourself once in a while.

Bloom

Brass Key

Crystal Tres Joli

Brilliance Fleur De Lis
Crown

Eiffel Tower

Ferris Wheel

Please contact me if you have any queries or would like to place an order: Violetpixi@gmail.com
You can also order directly from my JK website: JewelKade.com/TracyCrosby

Painted Pinecones

Ok, so not every craft I set out to conquer works out so well. This would be one of them.

I saw this idea somewhere ( I will leave it unmentioned because I may not speak of it with admiration.) It looked like an easy, fun idea, and I thought the white pinecones would add to my bowl of pinecones that rests on my coffee table. I followed the instructions, but it was a ROYAL pain in my behind. Seriously. ANNND it took FOREVER for them to dry. When it was all said and done, I thought to myself, "Why didn't I just spray paint them?" Ahhh, such is life....an experience, right? I will say that I think they look nice, but also...I wouldn't do it again.
In case you want to make your own decision on how ROYAL this is....here you go.

What you need:
florist wire
pinecones
paint

What you do:
1. Wrap the florist wire around the pinecone, so that you can handle it easily.
2. Dip COMEPLETELY in paint.
3. Place on hanger to allow pinecones to drip dry.
Sounds easy enough, doesn't it?? Ummm, yeah.

Valentine Printables! (Really cute ones!!)

I just L-O-V-E printables!! Here are some really cutie patootie ones I have found out there in blog land. These little goodies are much cooler than what I normally see in the store!

One Charming Party

Knitting Iris has a lot of cool vintage Valentines.

Vintage Kid's Valentines



These are perfect for boys! From Giver's Log.


Peppermint Plum



Madigan Made


The Hands On Housewife


AHHH! So much fun stuff out there!! Have fun, and as Kristy would say..."Love. (period)"

Photo Freebie!

Shutterfly: Free 5x7 Folded Photo Card

Order your FREE 5×7 Folded Photo Greeting Card or 5×7 Flat Sationery Card ($2.39 value) from Shutterfly with the coupon code CARD4U and shipping is only 99 cents to have the card sent to you or someone else. This coupon code expires Tuesday, February 1.

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These are beautiful folded 5×7 photo cards where you can put lots of photos on the front and inside, they would normally cost $2.99 each but are currently on sale for $2.39 each. You can make any photo card. I’m thinking ahead to Valentine's Day!

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Here’s how to load that coupon code into your account:

1. Log in to Shutterfly and click on “My Account” at the very top right. Or sign-up for a new account and get 50 free prints.

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2. “Enter Special Offer Code” is at the bottom of the page, load the coupon code CARD4U into your account.

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3. See your code in your account when you click on “My Special Offers” and it will ask you anytime you checkout if you’d like to apply it to your order. The expiration date is February 1.

4. Select your Card Design: Go to “Store” in the top menu then “Cards” and you can “Shop by Card Type” and select the “5×7 Folded Greeting Cards” to see what they have.

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5. Just pay shipping (and applicable sales tax) when you order your 5×7 card. When you use your coupon it does not apply towards standard shipping which should cost only $0.99 to have your card sent back to you or to someone else.

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6. Expires February 1 so don’t forget to design and order your card before this coupon code expires!

Valentine Tree and Week

Wow. What a week. For those who don't know, I teach 5th grade. We have a big writing assessment test coming up February 1st, so we have had jam pack days of writing, writing, writing! I love teaching and teaching writing, but there is a lot of pressure on the students AND the teachers. We have been working toward this all year, however, this is the last big push. The thought of, "How can I help them be their best?" hasn't left my mind in weeks. It's exhausting! I am glad the weekend is here, and I can enjoy my loves for the next two days before beginning again.

Oh! And here is my pretty little Valentine Tree. It is simple, fun, and makes me happy. :)

Dimensional Magic is My New Friend

Ok, so I have kind of become obsessed with Mod Podge's Dimensional Magic, and I have only used it for a few things! I still have a plethora of ideas! Love it. Love it. Love it. Today I am going to show you how I used it to turn old bottle caps into cool little magnets!
I really like to try to recycle as much stuff into crafts as I can, so I always keep wine corks and bottle caps. You never know when you will use them. This is a perfect example. For this project I used some buttons, bottle caps, D. Magic, hot glue, and button magnets. Best of all, these are super cute AND super simple.
1. Find something to go in the bottle cap. The possibilities are practically endless. I have used buttons, beads, pictures (those were really FUN!), scrapbook paper, stickers.... today I am using an apple button and a red gingham button.
2. Glue your button (or whatever) to the bottle cap. I used regular Mod Podge when I used scrapbook paper, but for this button I used hot glue. Press the button into the bottle cap.

3. Squeeze the liquid Dimensional Magic at an angle and fill the bottle cap. Try to be careful not to get bubbles. Caps must sit for a while to dry. I usually let mine sit overnight just to be safe.

4. Last, hot glue a button magnet onto the back.

I used these bottle caps to make these bookmarks at Christmas, and I made the other magnets below. Erin has used it to make charms out of scrabble tiles, which are really fun. I have to find some old wooden scrabble tiles, so I can make some, too! OH! I also used them on my New Year's Day gifts, here.

Colorful Valentine's

Aren't these just the cutest? I love the color! We have had a week (AN ENTIRE WEEK!) off of school/work because of snow. I thought this would be a great time to go ahead and get Cash's valentines ready since there was a little more time than usual. I debated for a while on what kind to make, and I knew I wanted him to take something that wasn't candy. However, we settled on this recycled crayon idea since we already had everything needed, and couldn't exactly get out to the store because of the snow and ice. Plus- Cash and I made these this past Easter to give to the kids at church, and he loved them. Check the tutorial here.

Valentine and St. Patrick's Day Charms

Jewel Kade has released these beautiful new Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day charms! Please contact me if you are interested.... Violetpixi@gmail.com or check out our JK website....JewelKade.com/TracyCrosby.

**ALSO, any purchases made through me between now and Jan.21st receives 15% off!! **

XOXO

Here is my Valentine wall. I needed to make things kind of festive around here. It's always so blahhhhh after taking down Christmas decor.

Classic Chicken Casserole

Now, I know that everyone out there already has a chicken casserole recipe. However, you don't have this one. :) It's the best one I have ever tried, and I always ALWAYS get rave reviews when it is served. It's in NO way dietetic, but it's definitely one of those yummy comfort foods that can get you through these cold winter nights. One of my dear old friends from college, Jonathan, gave me the recipe years ago. I think it might have been his moms...

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
4 cans of cream soup * I usually use 2 mushroom & 2 chicken.*
2 cups of chicken broth
16 oz of sour cream
2 sticks of melted butter
2 cups of instant rice
1 onion, chopped
olive oil
1 box of Ritz crackers

How To:
1. Cut up chicken into pieces. Cook in skillet with chopped onion and a drizzle or so of olive oil. You can add salt and pepper, or Tony's seasoning at this point if you'd like.

2. In a large bowl, mix cream soup, rice, broth, & sour cream.

3. Shred chicken in food processor, and add to bowl with soup mixture.

4. In a second bowl, crush two rows of Ritz crackers, and add melted butter.

5. In 9x13 casserole dish, add 1 layer of crushed crackers, then the chicken/soup mixture, followed by remaining crushed crackers.

6. Bake 30 minutes on 350 degrees.

** Sometimes to cut back on calories I use low fat soups and sour cream. Also, I usually use two smaller casserole dishes, and freeze one for a later date. This is a great dish to make if you are taking a meal to friends or family (After birth of baby, or death in family, etc.) In this case, I send one dish over, and keep one dish for my family. It's plenty for two families.**

"Painting" the snow

It's been snowing here since last night, and we have accumulated more snow than we've had in years! Of course, school was canceled! YAY! So we headed outside for some serious cold snow playtime. I remembered how Erin from A Bird and A Bean used spray bottles to paint the snow. I made my husband run inside, and whip up a bottle for Cash to use. He LOVED IT!! I do wish I would have remembered to look for some easier to use squirt bottles when I was at the Dollar Tree the other day, but that'll have to wait for next time. (To be fair, my mom reminded me to "paint" when we spoke on the phone.)
Super easy: water, food coloring, squirt bottle. DONE.
Squirt and color the snow to your heart's content!

A worn out bunch of Crosby boys!