Wordless Wednesday- Last week in Destin

Mini Cheesecake Easter Baskets

I actually made these on Palm Sunday. We had dinner at church, and I always like to bring fun desserts.

These mini cheesecakes are yummy, and are WAY easy to make!

What you need:

2

pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

1/2

cup sugar

1/2

tsp. vanilla

2

 eggs

12

 NILLA Wafers

1-1/2

cups Coconut, tinted green

36

small jelly beans

What you do:

Heat oven to 350°F.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs;beat just until blended.

Place wafer on bottom of each of 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly over wafers.

Bake 20 min. or until centers are almost set. Cool. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Top evenly with coconut and jelly beans just before serving. Keep refrigerated.

March Mantle

I put up my Spring mantle a couple of weeks ago, but never got around to posting about it! AH! Life has been hectic. 

Annnnnyyyyyyywwwwwaaaaayyyy, HERE is my spring mantle from last year. I mixed it up a little bit this time with some other decor.

Citrus Cream Cupcakes

OHHHHHH man. I haven't made these in a while, and they were looooooooonnnnnnnnggg over due! These little yum yums are delightful!

A touch of citrus...

+

A touch of cream....

=

mouthful of GOODNESS

What you need:

1 pkg.  yellow cake mix

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding

1-1/3 cups  Sour Cream, divided

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup oil

3 eggs

2 Tbsp. orange zest

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tub   COOL WHIP, thawed

1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained

What you do:

-HEAT oven to 350°F.

-BEAT cake mix, dry pudding mix, 1 cup sour cream, water, oil, eggs and orange zest in large bowl with mixer on low speed 1 min.; scrape bowl. Beat on medium speed 2 min. Pour into lined cupcake pan

-BAKE as directed on box for cupcakes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pans 10 min.  Gently remove pans. Cool cupcakes completely.

-BEAT remaining sour cream and powdered sugar in large bowl with whisk until well blended. Stir in COOL WHIP.

-Ice cupcakes and garnish with mandarin oranges. (I put my topping in a ziploc, snip off the tip, and squeeze out my icing onto  the cupcakes. Makes it a quick process!) Keep refrigerated.

-makes 24 cupcakes

These are great for spring and summer!

Enjoy-

Tracy



Tiny Easter Goodie Baskets

I almost forgot to post these little cuties! I made these for Cash's teachers at school. She's {kinda} Crafty via I [heart] Naptime gave me the idea and tutorial. Anything but Perfect is where I printed these particular tags for the front. Really easy and really really budget friendly. Peeeeeerrrrrrrrfect!

Easter Pails

Until now, I hadn't actually bought/made any kind of Easter basket for the boys. I just tied some ribbon on some random baskets that were in the attic. I wanted to get them their own, but really wasn't interested in spending a lot. Brown Paper Packages found some little pails at Target, and she, brilliantly, realized that these pails would be easily stored because they could be stacked. The light bulb went off! Yes! Pails! Cute cute without being toooo girlie, and great for storing!
I ran out to Target to search for these pails, but was disappointed when I saw how small they were. With Cash turning 5 this summer, and getting taller and taller EVERYDAY(!) the boys would need something a little larger to keep for years to come. Hobby Lobby, however, had what I needed, and had the price I needed. Hobby Lobby did have pails that were already painted, like the ones at Target, but they were more expensive. I already had everything I needed to paint them myself, so I figured getting pails for me to paint would be more budget friendly.
First, I taped off the pail with painter's tape, and primed the part of the pail I wanted to paint. I then painted the primed area of the pail using multiple coats. After it was completely dry, I hot glued some coordinating ribbon to the top of the painted area, placed stickers around the pail, and added ribbon to the sides.
They aren't perfect(I am not the most awesome at straight lines), but I think they turned out pretty cute. The boys like them, and can't wait to use them tomorrow at the Easter Egg hunt!

Happy Egg Hunting!-
TRACY

New "vintage" Tray

I bought this unfinished wooden tray from Hobby Lobby months ago after seeing it in the clearance aisle. I figured I would use it for something, but really didn't have anything in mind. It's been sitting in my dressing room waiting for me to make up my mind. Finally!, I decided to use it on my coffee table in my living room.
I am so in love with this blue color right now...can you tell? Anyway, I had some paint from my mantle projects left, so I painted the tray right up. I wanted to add some red to help all this blend into the already existing decor, and I thought a stencil would add some character. Of course, I then took some sandpaper to it in order to "distress" the tray. Finishing the project, I lightly coated the tray in a very very very watered down brown/black mixture.
There you have it. Quick and simple. Perfect!

Hodge Podge Spring Mantle

Here it is folks. My hodge podge mantle. A nice little mix of a few of my fav. projects from other people, and some of my own old standby stuff. :)

It doesn't really look like it, but I have been working on this mantle for weeks. That shows you just how busy my life has been. BUSY. Really, I guess the pennant is really what took the longest, and that's because I had to cut the chevron stripes out by hand...Ohhh to have a Silhouette... How I long for the beauty of the Silhouette.... ok, anywaaaaayyyyyyy, I saw this pennant on Tatertots and Jello, and instantly fell in love with the colors and how the chevron pattern was being used. You can find the tutorial here.
I pretty much followed her tutorial, except I cut my pattern out by hand and I didn't sew the pattern on to the flags. The flags are made with canvas, and the stripe pattern with cotton fabric.Next up... the bird houses. I know I saw some like these, but larger maybe (?) somewhere out there in blog land. I seriously can't remember where! I found these at Michael's for $1.00 each, so I couldn't pass them up. I painted them, then sanded them to give a distressed look. Topped it off by using a very watered down brown paint coating to really show the "distress." The houses were followed by this butterfly wall hanging that I found over at Stay-at-Home Artist
I thought it was really pretty, springy, an unique. Again, I followed the tutorial, except I distressed my old frame just as I did the bird houses.Now, this precious little fat bird :) is straight from Hobby Lobby. (%50 off!) Too cute, and (if you couldn't tell) I am totally crushing on blue right now. The candle I just topped off with a little rosette made from leftover fabric for good measure.
There you have it. Nothing too fancy, but it does make me smile. And think of warm sun. And cool breezes. And baby green leaves growing in the trees.

Hope you are smiling this week- T

Spring Wreath

Up until today...the weather has been beautiful here in Chattanooga.(Today it's rain, rain, with a chance of more rain.) It's one of the things I love about Tennessee. Spring. The trees are blooming in lovely shades of pink and purple, daffodils and tulips are popping up all over the place, and the sun is shining! Now that my allergies are somewhat in control, I was able to get outside this week to work in the yard. I really enjoyed it, and was inspired to create a new wreath for my front door that would match how I was feeling...

Of course, I am partial to the yarn wreath (as seen here and here....and here) However, this time rather than going with felt flowers I made fabric rosettes. These rosettes are easy peasy, and c-u-t-e! You can use them for loads of crafts.
Rosettes: (I should have taken pictures, I know!, but I forgot. Sorry.)
*Cut a length of fabric 1/2" wide, and the longer the length, the bigger the flower.
*Put a dab of hot glue in the middle of the end of the fabric. Fold the fabric in half and roll it up tight a few times.
*Put another dab of glue next to the roll and fold it over. Keep folding and wrapping as you go around the outside of the rolled material. Add a dab of glue every 1/2 turn or so.
*When you get to the end of your fabric strip, fold a little of the fabric under the back of the flower,and add glue to the back of the flower.

**Liquid stitch works really great to put flowers together, but I know more folks have a hot glue gun.**
Wreath: Look here for tutorial.

It's so fresh and bright! I love it.

Happy Spring!

Spring Nest Cookies

I know. I have been M.I.A. for a couple of...well, probably more than a couple of weeks. I hit a rough spot in the road, and it's taken me a couple of weeks to snap out of it. But ATLAS! Spring is here, and my joy has once again risen above the clouds. (Thanks be to God!)

This week the family has been off for spring break. We didn't go anywhere, but rather enjoyed just being home. There has been wonderful weather, yard projects conquered, and quality time spent with my boys....which is something that has been lacking lately.

My energy has slowly been rejuvenated, and I have finally started working creatively. My mind is blowing up with things I want to do to celebrate spring's arrival, but we'll see how it all plays out. I did get to work on a new spring wreath (that post is coming up tomorrow), and of course, Cash and I worked on these little Spring Nest Cookies. They are delightfully yummy, and make me smile just to look at them. PLUS- So. Stink'n.Easy.


Spring Nest Cookies:

12 oz. chow mein Noodles
12 oz. butterscotch morsels
1 big bag egg-shaped chocolates

Line a baking sheet with wax/parchment paper. Place butterscotch morsels in a microwave-safe bowl and place them in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds then remove to stir. Return to the microwave and heat again for 30 seconds. Stir until melted. Add in the chow mein noodles and mix till combined. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to portion out the cookies onto the baking sheet. If the mixture starts to solidify in the mixing bowl, you can reheat for 15 to 30 seconds to melt. Place three egg-shaped candies in the center of each cookie. Allow to set for at least 5 minutes before serving or transferring.

That's it. This recipe makes 2 1/2 dozen...A LOT!
So run out, right now, and get your ingredients. Whip up a little spring. It will make you feel better, I promise. :)

3/25/11
My boys love the butterscotch, but Andre and I think we would prefer peanut butter morsels....just a thought.

Spring Open House Preview!

Happy Thursday to everyone! It has been a busy and exciting week around here, and I will tell you why...this Friday is my SPRING OPEN HOUSE! YAY! I am very, very psyched about this for a couple of reasons. First of all, we are going to have 7 different vendors, and Jewel Kade is one of them. I can't wait to introduce the new spring line of Jewel Kade Jewelry to everyone here in Chattanooga! Second, one of those seven vendors is going to be....Paper Wings Studio. Yes, I am going to have a table selling my little handmade goodies again for this open house. I had such a great time last fall that I had to do it again. I would absolutely appreciate all of you coming out to support this endeavor, and I am even going to give you some incentives... (Sorry such short notice!)





















I want you all to spread the word, and tell everyone you know about this event. Bring a friend, heck, bring MANY friends, and come say hello. Want to earn 30% off of a Jewel Kade item? Would that entice you to come out? Ok, you got it! Here's what you have to do...

Here are the ways to earn the discount on an item. Leave a separate comment below (HERE ON THIS BLOG), and I will keep track of the names.

1--Post about the Open House on your blog, and become a follower of my blog.
2--Post about the Open House on your Facebook status, and become a follower of my blog.
3--Come to the Open House, AND bring a friend that wasn't directly invited by me.
4--Schedule a party with me! (This is the only way to earn TWO items at 30% when you book!)

Today I am showcasing items from Paper Wings. Let me know what you think! (If you are interested in checking out Jewel Kade items, go to JewelKade.com/TracyCrosby

OH! Here is the important info. you need to know about this awesome event!
OH OH! One more thing...there will be giveaways every half hour all day!!

Where: Father’s house at St. Michael’s Church

2330 Hickory Valley Rd , Chattanooga, TN 37421-1722

When: Friday, March 11th 2011

Drop by between 6 and 8:30pm

VENDORS:

Thirty-One

Jewel Kade Jewelry

Premier Jewelry

Tastefully Simple

Mary Kay

Pampered Chef

Paper Wings Studio