{love this} vintage typewriters

Vintage typewriters ... sigh ... anyone else?  I simply love the big heavy metal typewriters, the clack, clack, clack, BING!, the round keys that require a little effort to press down, the slight indention left in the paper ...

So, if you are a little in love with these lovely machines as well, here are a few fun finds!

Check out juNxtaposition ... I was introduced to this unbelievably awesome store when I won a bracelet from the FOLK lifestyle blog (which is also a drool worthy read!).  Take a look at this gorgeous typewriter jewelry:

Typewriter key pendants

Typewriter key bracelets!!

If I could keep green things alive, I would definitely hunt down a vintage typewriter to transform into this stunning planter!  And the sweet little hens & chickens remind me of my grandma - she had a terra cotta pot of them on her front porch :) Check out the tutorial from Besserina!

A printable vintage typewriter Valentine? Can't Stop Making Things shared it so you can tell your Valentine that he or she is just your type!!

I simply adore this modern tablet case with vintage typewriter fabric found in the Pog Totes Etsy shop!

These retro vintage typewriter thank you cards (in my favorite color - red!) are fabulous!  You can find them in the Man vs George Design Etsy shop.

The book lover in me needs two vintage typewriters for bookends ... like these at Poetic Home!

And last but not least, I am absolutely drooling over this gorgeous DIY French typewriter pillow over at Confessions of a Plate Addict!

Want a few more post about things to {love}?

love this:  pins & brooches

love this:  fits me to a tea

love this: unique ideas using license plates

{try this} extend the length of a necklace with a paper clip

Though I did gush about pins/brooches lately and I have made rings from earrings, I have a ton of necklaces!  They take the cake as my favorite accessory!  And lucky for Chris, I am a "quantity over quality" kinda girl when it comes to jewelry, so I love to hit Target and Kohl's for reasonably priced fun jewelry.  And while it should seem that I would always have the perfect length necklace for each and every neckline, sometimes, it just isn't so! 

So, what office supply comes to the rescue to avert this fashion disaster?  (I know, I sorta gave it away with the title, ha ha!) Enter the humble paper clip!  Slide one end of the necklace chain onto the paper clip and attach the clasp to the other end!

You just extended the length of your necklace by 2 inches!

You can even connect more than one paper clip if you really want to extend the length of the necklace ...

Of course, if you have short hair you'll see the clips (which is a whole other problem) ... BUT this simple office supply is a great solution in a pinch and gives you a little more flexibility and versatility with your jewelry!

How about a few more tips and tricks to tickle your fancy?

Organize phone chargers with washi tape

Quick DIY cake stand

Check out my great ideas & good to know Pinterest board

This post was shared at all of the blogs on my Link page!

{create this} I am nuts about you ~ circus peanuts Valentine

I am still on this sweet streak of Valentines made with candy ... have you seen them?  I've shared the love potion no. 9 red hots Valentine gift and a Valentine candy corn mason jar gift.  Since I have two boys who don't always appreciate pink and girly, I had to come up with something that they wouldn't mind giving or receiving (or eating after I was done taking pictures, ha ha!).  And here you have it!

"I am nuts about you" circus peanut Valentines!

When I was brainstorming in the candy aisle, I saw circus peanuts (Guilty!  I love these!) and instantly knew that I would make a Valentine reminiscent of the paper bags of peanuts my boys get at the ballpark!  Here is what you'll need to make your own:

I stamped a mini brown paper bag with "i am nuts about you" - you can just write it on if you don't have stamps ... or better yet, let the kiddos do it!  I had leftover hearts from my Valentine wreath and grabbed some mini clothespins.

To make the folded rim of the bag, cut down one edge of the bag about two inches.  Basically, open the bag and cut down one corner - this is the only place you will cut.   The cut makes it easier to fold the bag without ripping it.

Open the mini bag and fold the bag over making a one inch fold all the way around and then fold it over again. Don't worry about the bag being wrinkled ... it definitely adds that vintage baseball field feel!

Fill each bag with circus peanuts, clip on the heart and your circus peanut Valentines are ready for the concession stand!!

How about a little more Valentine goodness?

Love potion no. 9 ~ red hots Valentine

Conversation heart paper plate baskets

Love birds specimen art

 

This project or recipe was shared at all the blogs on my Link page!  Go take a peek ... they rock!

{taste this} rocky road cupcakes with marshmallow buttercream

If you are a blogger who bakes, you will understand it when I say that when a birthday pops up, I just HAVE to bake something!!  (And stage and snap a few pictures on my front porch where the best light was before heading out to the party, ha ha!) So, when my friend Amy's birthday rolled around, her son happened to be over at our house.  So, I was brainstorming creative cupcake ideas and asked him what her favorite candy bar was.  The answer?  Rocky road!  And Amy's birthday cupcakes were born!

Decadent chocolate cupcakes + sweet marshmallow buttercream frosting + mini chocolate chips and walnuts
= rocky road cupcakes!!

Use your favorite chocolate cake recipe (think dark and rich like devils food) to bake your cupcakes.  I had to whip these up in a hurry, so mine were from a cake mix. I'm cool with it ;)

Next, make this unbelievably lovely marshmallow frosting ... the recipe is from Lil' Luna and you just have to pop over to see her beautiful cupcakes!  This frosting pipes beautifully and surprisingly, isn't too sweet!  I'm going to use it when I make my next batch of fluffernutter sandwich cookies!

marshmallow buttercream frosting
Makes enough frosting for 24 cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
One 17 oz. jar of marshmallow fluff
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter and sugar.  Stir in fluff and vanilla by hand until smooth and creamy.  Place in piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes.

Finally, top your cupcakes off with a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.

These cupcakes are delicious proof that rocky road isn't just for ice cream anymore!!

You can never have too many cupcakes ... here are a few more cupcake recipes that you'll love!

Triple Lemon Cupcakes

Triple Strawberry Cupcakes

Cream of Coconut Poke Cake Cupcakes

This project or recipe was shared at all the blogs on my Link page!  Go take a peek ... they rock!

party faves 1.27.13 ~ 14 Valentine features!

Can I just brag on you for a minute?  You amazing and awesomely creative folks made this week's party the biggest one yet!!!  I am so inspired by everything you share!  Thank you so much for making the weekly {what's shakin'} link party such a huge success! Okay, and back to our regularly scheduled features ;)

I love this time of year ... all the pink and red, hearts, sweet sentiments and general lovey dovey-ness!  This week's party was stuffed full of Valentine treats, printables, fun stuff for the kids and craftiness, so this week's party faves and fantastic feature are all things Valentine!  Grab a button if you were featured and please pin from the original post!!

Sweet Valentine Recipes

Valentine Donuts from Blue Skies Ahead

Easy Strawberry Sweet Rolls from Chocolate, Chocolate and More

Cherry Chip Donuts from Lemons for Lulu

Chocolate Strawberry Dip from What's Cooking, Love?

Valentines Stuff for the Kiddos

Color Me Happy Valentines from Yesterday on Tuesday

KoolAid Cookies from The Happier Homemaker

Valentine Candy Jewelry from I Got This Martha

Valentine Printables

Valentine Subway art from Sweet Yarns

Love is All You Need Printable from The Life of the Party

Glittering Personality Printable from I Gotta Create

Valentine Craftiness

Couple Map Silhouette Art from The Crafty Scientist

Valentine's Day Ribbon Wreath & Paper Clip Hearts from Love Grows Wild

Sponge Stamped Burlap Bunting from Do Small Things with Love

Newspaper Heart Banner from martha.anne

Don't miss another cupcake recipe, another candy Valentine or two and some other fun stuff happening this week at shaken together!!

{taste this} creamy pizza dip ~ perfect for the big game!

Chris and the boys are huge football fans and during football season, one of our favorite family traditions is "football food"! On game day, we bust out a smorgasbord of typical football grub: cheese and crackers, tangy meatballs, wings, snacks, appetizers, dips, veggies or fruit.  We nibble while watching the games (who am I kidding, I eat and then browse Pinterest or craft, ha ha!), nibble after lazy afternoon naps and nibble for dinner.  One of my favorite game day dishes to prepare is creamy pizza dip!

YUM!  This dip comes together quickly (in the microwave!) and tastes just like an ooey gooey cheese pizza!!  It would make the perfect addition to your game day party or even a pizza themed birthday party!

creamy pizza dip

One 14 oz. jar of pizza sauce
One 12 oz. tub of whipped cream cheese
1/2 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
2 cups of finely shredded cheese - I love the six cheese Italian blend or mozzarella

In a microwaveable bowl, stir the first three ingredients together until smooth and then stir in the shredded cheese.  Cover bowl with a paper towel (to prevent a microwave mess!) and heat until the cheese is melty and the dip is nice and hot - it took about 3 1/2 minutes in our microwave.  Stir dip to re-combine and pour into serving dish.  Serve with tortilla chips, Fritos or your favorite crackers.

This dip warms up well (you could probably keep it in a small crock pot) and tastes just like pizza!  It is perfect for a potluck and is kid tested and hubby approved!

And if you need more game day grub, check out these recipes:
Twice Baked Potatoes from The Country Chic CottageAssorted Appetizers from Mural MakerSausage and Cream Cheese Pockets from Mom 4 RealBacon and Cheese Fries from A Step in the JourneyCharleston Cheese Dip from Unskinny BoppyJalapeno Chicken Spirals from Setting for FourGreek Veggie Pizza from Mrs. GreeneGrilled Jalapeno Poppers from Mad in CraftsAppetizer Recipe from Dreaming In ColorMeatloaf Bites from The Shabby Creek CottageHam and Cheese Roll Ups from Mom Endeavors

This project or recipe was shared at all the blogs on my Link page!  Go take a peek ... they rock!

{what's shakin'} link party #44 ~ one day early!

Nope, don't check your calendar ... the {what's shakin'} link party is up a day early!  I've got a special post for tomorrow, so I decided that an extra day to link up and be inspired can't be a bad thing, right!?

Just in case you missed it, I've been baking and crafting and taping things this week:

• My easy Valentine candy corn mason jar gift is simple and a little corny, but oh-so-sweet!
• These triple strawberry cupcakes are the perfect treat for your Valentine!
• If you have a gazillion chargers for all the electronic devices in your house, check out my organization tip using washi tape!

But now, enough about me! I can't wait to see what's been shakin' at your place!!

Welcome to the {what's shakin'} link party #44!!

I would love it if you would grab a button and add it to your post or party page ... and a text link works just fine, too! It's not required, but it would make me super happy!!

Here is the plan:

• Link up your latest and greatest recipes, projects, crafts, tutorials, tips & tricks, parties you hosted, DIY, makeovers, upcycles ... basically anything other than your blog's main page, other link parties or businesses.
• We all gush, pin, stumble, share and marvel at your awesomeness!
• Party faves and fantastic features go up on Sunday!
  
  
  

{try this} organize iPhone chargers with washi tape

I'm not sure about your house, but around our place we have a ba-zillion chargers for all things Apple.  Two iPhones, my old iPhone that Kaleb uses for apps and music, Chris' iPod and an iTouch (passed down from a friend) ... we are constantly shuffling around cords and chargers!  Needless to say, "Guys!  Who has my charger?!" is a frequently used phrase in the Bassett household.  Until now ... behold:  organize iPhone chargers with washi tape!

Though they are pretty much interchangeable, the boys are a little rougher on things than I, so I wanted a way to keep all of our chargers organized and easy to find.  So, I had a flash of brilliance (I do have them every now and again, ha ha!), let the boys pick out their favorite washi tape patterns and got to taping!!  I wrapped washi tape around all three parts of the charger and used a small piece of clear scotch tape to cover the ends of the washi tape - especially since we'll be handling them often.

Now, it is easy to track down whose plug goes with which charger cord and what device!  And I totally love my red and white polka dot charger!!

Here are a few more of my favorite things to try:

Make a quick DIY cake stand

Use your waffle maker for quick cinnamon rolls

Make your own cream soda

 

This project or recipe was shared at all the blogs on my Link page!  Go take a peek ... they rock!

{create this} Valentine candy corn mason jar gift

Ya'll ... be prepared:  there is candy around these here parts. Now, I love non-candy Valentine ideas, I do!  But I also love candy.  True story.  Did you see my love potion no. 9 red hot Valentine?!  Well, today, I have another adorable and unbelievable easy gift for your Valentine!  That may or may not include red, white and pink Valentine candy corn!

This is simply a mason jar filled to the brim with Valentine candy corn (it tastes just like the Halloween colored candy corn) that is topped with a red and white gingham canning lid - the same ones I made a canning jar lid banner with! - and tied with a "corny" little stamped love note!

Come on now, these are cute, right?  Cheesy, but cute!  These corny little mason jar gifts are the perfect sweet gift to leave on the hubby's car seat, waiting for the kiddos at the table (to eat after dinner naturally) or make them with your little ones at school or church to give to their mommas!

This is not nearly enough sugar, right?!  Here are a few sweet treats for your Valentine:

Triple strawberry cupcakes

Double decker Valentine cookies

Strawberry champagne cupcakes

This post is shared at these weekly link parties, the Love It link party at Crafty, Scrappy, Happy and at Between Naps on the Porch ...

{taste this} triple strawberry cupcakes ~ a sweet for your Valentine

Life is busy, right?  But it shouldn't be too busy for dessert!  And in my house, dessert doesn't have to be complicated!  I love to doctor up a store bought cake mix and add a three ingredient fluffy topping to make easy delicious cupcakes ... like tres limones (three lemons) cupcakes, coconut cream poke cake cupcakes and these awesome banana pudding cupcakes!

And just in time for Valentine's Day, I whipped up these pink and pretty triple strawberry cupcakes!

These cupcakes get a boost of tangy strawberry flavor from strawberries added to the batter ... that simple change makes them taste like they were made from scratch!  The frosting is light and fluffy (and easy on the waistline) and doesn't weigh the cupcake down ... it is the perfect pink partner!

strawberry cupcakes

1 strawberry cake mix + ingredients to make the cake
Frozen strawberries, thawed & blended to make 2/3 cup*
*I blended the strawberries enough to be fairly liquid, but there were still small bits of berries.

Mix cake as directed but replace 2/3 cup of water with the blended strawberries.  Bake as directed.

fluffy strawberry topping

1 small box of Jello strawberry creme instant pudding mix
1 tub Cool Whip (I used Lite)
1 cup cold milk (I used skim)

Mix pudding and milk with a hand mixer.  Fold in the Cool Whip by hand and then use the hand mixer on the lowest speed to fully combine.  Pipe the strawberry topping on the cooled strawberry cupcakes.  Because this frosting has milk, I keep these cupcakes refrigerated until ready to serve.  Add sprinkles just before serving if desired.

Here are three more of my favorite pretty in pink desserts:

Lemon Cookie White Chocolate Truffles

Pink Lemonade Sandwich Cookies & Cookie Cups

Double Decker Valentine Cookies & Cookie Pops

 

This project or recipe was shared at all the blogs on my Link page!  Go take a peek ... they rock!