10 Cute Crafts to Beat the Winter Blahs ~ features from the {what's shakin'} link party

We may not be drowning in snow down in Florida, but I know many of you are smack dab in the middle of a cold and snowy winter - stay warm!  So, in an effort to cheer you up and give you a little inspiration on how to spend your time indoors, how about 10 cute crafts to help you beat the winter blahs?!

Here is a healthy dose of cute and crafty to cure those winter blahs ...

Stamped letters from This Big Oak Tree

Framed Giraffe Art from Love Grows Wild

DIY Apothecary Jars from twelveOeight

DIY Canvas Jewelry Holder from Northern Cottage

Peep Wreath from Tried and True

Message Board Window from Lemon Tree Dwelling

Vintage Jeweled Clipboard from Momnivore's Dilemma

Elephant Chalkboard Sign from Let's Pour Tea

Lacy Vinyl Jar from Crafting in the Rain

Washi Tape Letter from Oh.Scrap.That.

Hopefully you found a cute little something to brighten your day!  If you were featured above, grab a party fave button if you'd like!  This week's {what's shakin'} link party opens bright and early tomorrow morning and I can't wait to be inspired!

{try this} soothe tired & puffy eyes

I love finding tips and tricks that make life just a little easier!  Like how to extend the length of a necklace or how to make quick DIY cake plates ... you know, just the essentials, ha ha!  In fact, I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to great ideas & good to know!  

This tip literally fell in my lap ...

I was at my friend Holly's house a few weekends ago and when I opened her freezer to grab some ice, a teaspoon fell out.  She caught it and set it back in her freezer.  Huh?  "Why do you have a spoon in your freezer?"

Notice my spoon is tucked in my freezer by two of my favorite things:  Thin Mints and frozen berries!

As a teacher (of the year - awww yeah!) who is getting her Masters degree and nurturing a long distance relationship, Holly is pulling some serious all-nighters.  She told me if you wake up to tired, puffy eyes, gently place the cold spoon over your closed eye to relieve the puffiness!  (And don't worry, I've tested this and there won't be any "tongue stuck to the telephone pole" sort of issues, ha ha.)

What do you think?  Have you heard of this?  Is your silverware drawer going to be missing a spoon soon?  

Here are a few more of my favorite tips and tricks:

Itchy Cast Relief
Make Your Mascara Last Longer
Cleaning Sharpie with Rubbing Alcohol

This post was shared with the blogs on my Link page!

{create this} feeling lucky? lotto gift for St. Patrick's Day

Poor St. Patrick's Day ... sandwiched right between Valentine's Day and Easter!  I think this may be my only St. Patty's post (oh wait!  I did make these lucky penny votive holders last year) and despite my fun filled luck o' the Irish Pinterest board, I felt a little bad.  So, I decided to create a cute little gift for your Leprechauns!  

This little matchbook style card is stamped with Feeling Lucky? with a washi taped penny that is perfect for the scratch off lottery ticket inside!  So cute, right?!  This is a simple and inexpensive gift for co-workers or to tuck in the hubby's lunch box or front seat!

Here is what I used to make these quick gifts:

Kraft card stock, black ink and letter stamps, a penny, scratch off lottery ticket, a fine tipped black marker, washi tape, brown ink, stapler and the Martha Stewart scorer/folder.

1.  Cut your card stock into 9in x 3 in strips.

2. Score each strip at 1 inch and 5 1/2 inches.  Scoring basically makes it easier to fold the paper and gives you nice clean, sharp creases.  Don't have a scorer?  Just fold it :)

3.  Stamp your phrase and shamrock on the front of the card and secure a shiny penny with a strip of washi tape.

4.  Now, fold the 1 inch flap up at the scored line and staple the lotto ticket inside that fold (make sure to staple the part of the ticket you don't scratch off.). The large flap will fold down over the lotto ticket and tuck inside the smaller stapled fold just like a matchbook.

5.  Use a small brown ink pad to ink the edges of the cards and the fine tipped marker to add the shamrock stem.

Too bad all of my tickets were losers ...  maybe you'll get luckier! 

Since we know the ol' blog is light on St. Patty's day posts, how about a few of my favorite green things?
Easy Eggless Key Lime Curd
Limeade Sherbet Fizz
Pistachio Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes

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

{taste this} pistachio chocolate coconut cupcakes ~ St. Patrick's Day treat

Don't let the word "pistachio" scare you away!  These light green cupcakes are made with pistachio pudding so they are moist with just the right amount of pistachio flavor and studded with coconut and chocolate chips.  The fluffy topping is also made with pistachio pudding and is a light alternative to a traditional butter cream.  All in all, they are pretty much perfect for a St. Patrick's Day treat! 

pistachio chocolate coconut cupcakes
Yield: around 30 cupcakes (or if you're like me and only have 2 cupcake pans and no patience, 24 cupcakes and about 15 mini cupcakes, ha ha!)

1 white cake mix
2 small boxes of pistachio instant pudding
8 oz. of plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
4 whole eggs
1 cup shredded coconut
3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips

Mix the first six ingredients together with a mixer.  The batter will be pretty thick, so use a big wooden spoon or spatula to stir in the coconut and mini chocolate chips.  Fill your cupcake papers about 2/3 full and bake at 350* for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.  The bottoms of your cupcakes will be browned, but the cake inside is still light and fluffy (see picture below).

pistachio pudding topping

Mix together 1 small box of pistachio instant pudding and 1 cup cold milk (I used skim).  Allow to set for just about a minute and then gently fold in one small tub of thawed Cool Whip.  You can use your hand mixer on the lowest speed but don't over mix or the Cool Whip could break down.  Since the topping contains milk, I keep it refrigerated and pipe on just before serving.  *Piping tip:  Since this pudding contains pistachio pieces that got stuck in my star tip, I used a round tip to allow those pieces to pass through.

Just look at these green cupcakes bursting with chocolate and coconut and topped with fluffy pistachio pudding topping!  I'm pretty sure you could lure just about any little Leprechaun with these!

Since you already know I have a thing for cupcakes, here are a few more of my very favorites:

Triple Lemon Cupcakes

Triple Strawberry Cupcakes

Banana Pudding Cupcakes

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

12 recipes for the chocoholic ~ features from the {what's shakin'} link party

When I said I needed a dose of awesome after a long work week, you guys not only delivered ... you DELIVERED!  And what says awesome like 12 ooey, gooey, rich and chocolately treats?!  Here they are ... 12 recipes for the chocoholic!

Hold onto your chocolate chips and away we go! 

Chocolate Mint Poke Cake from Crazy for Crust

Chocolate Caramel Rice Krispy Treats from French Press

Coca Cola Cake from The Not So Perfect Mom

Samoa Popcorn from Lemons for Lulu

Triple Chocolate Skinny Mocha Cupcakes from Sweet Bella Roos

 Peanut Butter S'mores Baked Doughnuts from i heart eating

Chocolate Pretzel Caramel Brownies from Sweet Twist of Blogging

Peanut Butter Cup Bread from What's Cooking, Love?

Nutella Cloud Frosting from Crumbs and Chaos

Black Forest Bars from Just Dip It in Chocolate

Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips from SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl

Brownie with Cream Cheese Frosting from OH mrs. tucker!

If your killer chocolate recipe was featured above, grab a button and show it off!  Look for another round of features later this week!  Thanks for making the {what's shakin'} link party so fun each week!

{what's shakin'} link party #48

Hey, hey, Friday folks! I am so glad you stopped by for the party!  But first, let's take a peek at the fun stuff happening around here on the blog ...

• I shared mini cherry pie tarts with cream cheese crust for National Cherry Month ...
• This girly pink monogrammed cork board tile was the perfect gift for my newest niece ...
• Did you come see my virtual Spring party and the "24 carrot" teacher gift idea inspired by the fun Spring line at World Market?
• I even featured you twice ... 8 Great DIYs and 2 weeks of delicious dinners!  You're that good!

It has been nothing but fun around here at the blog, but it has been some kinda week in real life.  You know ... where the dishes aren't done, where cupcakes are crying out to be photographed, creative ideas are conceived but not crafted and laundry is piled up because Mother Nature can't make up her mind?  That kind of week.  This girl is tie-yerd!  But enough whining!  You know what I need?  A big ol' dose of awesome in the form of your creative crafts, tasty recipes, fun parties, clever tricks and tips, makeovers, re-dos and most anything else!  Deal?

Welcome to the {what's shakin'} link party #48!!

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!
• Please pin your favorite things from the original source :)
• Party faves and fantastic features go up on Sunday with a bonus week day post thrown in, too!

2 Weeks of Delicious Dinners ~ recipe features from the {what's shakin'} link party

If you are anything like me, the phrase "Mom, what's for dinner?" strikes fear in the heart of this working lady.  If you are in a recipe rut, I've pulled together two weeks of delicious dinner recipes from the 100+ links at this week's {what's shakin'} link party - YUM!!

Here are the 14 fantastic recipes: 

Healthy Turkey Chili from My Turn for Us

BBQ Meatballs from Chef Not Included

Crockpot Beef Tips from Not So Perfect Mom

Slow Cooker Chicken Parm from Not So Perfect Mom

Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad from Yesterfood

Cowboy Pot Pie from The Man Approved Diet

Crockpot Bacon Cheeseburger Soup from What's Cooking, Love?

Texas Pork Burritos from The Unsophisticated Kitchen

Chicken Bruschetta Ravioli from Lemon Tree Dwelling

Pizza Roll Ups from A Step in the Journey

Homemade Paninis from A Grace Full Life

Crab and Bacon Mac & Cheese from Lemons for Lulu

Easy Crock Pot French Dips from If You've Seen My Mind ... I'd Love it Back

Apple Brined Chicken Thighs from The Unsophisticated Kitchen

Have you found a few new recipes to try out this week?  I can't wait to make some of these easy dinners for our busy baseball nights!  If you pin, please pin from the original post and grab a pretty little button if you were featured!  Come back tomorrow to link up at the {what's shakin'} link party for your chance to be featured ... have a great day!