Pots of Gold at the end of the Rainbow!

Since we are buried in about 4 feet of snow in these parts I have been dreaming of spring! And what holiday comes right after the official start of spring?  St. Patrick's Day of course!

Last year I was so busy with a new baby that I wasn't able to get these fun treats up for sale in my Etsy shop at all.  But this year I not only have them up, but nice and early too.

These are perfect for classroom gifts for your students or classmates, or from you to your children.  They also make a cute secret gift from a Leprechaun! (I know a lot of you are into the Leprechaun mischief ideas! Just Google or search Pinterest to learn more about this fun activity :)

Anyways if you are interested in purchasing a few of these fun goody bags, just hop on over to my Etsy shop to learn more! ---> 

Pots of Gold at the End of the Rainbow by PaperCrushCrafts on Etsy.

Sincerely,

Paula

Oh so Pinteresting ...

What better way is there to kick of a new week with a little Pinspiration?!

Today I'm sharing eight of my latest/favorite pins with you.

Colorful  Rubber Mat DIY

Just a cheap rubber mat and spray paint! Looks like a fun and 

fast way to add a pop of color just in time for spring!

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Child's drawing turned into an animal

Imagine your child's face when you show them 

their masterpiece come-to-life!

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Tiny crocheted animals

Crocheting is one thing I've never learned to do and I'm 

always amazed by the things others make, 

but this takes the cake! Visit the site to 

see more teeny, tiny friends!

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Homemade Easter candy

Do you miss Cadbury Eggs when it's not Easter time?

Why not make your own? I may be trying this 

sooner rather than later! 

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Quickly defrost meat

What do you do when you forget to take the meat out of the 

freezer in time to defrost for dinner?  No problem! 

Click below to watch this video ~ simple :) 

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Cool product!

Does anyone in your family have photo negatives or slides 

collecting dust in the back of the closet? This nifty little 

machine will transfer them into digital images!

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Crafty organization

Check out this amazing crafty closet space created by 

DIY by Design!I love everything about it :)

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The cutest camper/van ever!  

I've always had a thing for VW vans.  I really have no idea why, 

but I think their so cute.  When I saw this one online, I was in love!

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Looking Ahead:

If you like blog parties, be sure to stop by tomorrow afternoon beginning at 12PM US EST my Wordless Wednesday Link Party!  I love to see what you all have to share each week :)

And Thursdays beginning at 12PM US EST my NO RULES Weekend Blog Party opens.  This is a fun one, because you can share anything you like!  I want to say a GIANT THANK YOU to all of last week's participants! You helped to make the party a huge success! 

I'll also have some fun things to share with you in between!  

Wishing you all a lovely week :)

Sincererely,

Paula

Pots of Gold at the End of the Rainbow ...

Around St. Patrick's Day last year, my friend was at a convenience store and spotted these goodies sitting on the counter for sale.  She told me how irresistibly cute they were, and insisted that the following year we would have to make our own.

Well, with St. Patrick's Day once again on the horizon, the time had finally arrived to make these fun treat bags.  We purchased rainbow Twizzlers, Rolos, and cellophane bags.  I already had sparkly gold ribbon, and I also downloaded and printed these super cute tags from Amy of Living Locurto, for free! Thank you Amy!

Lastly I spread everything out on the table and got to work assembling them, without eating one piece of candy myself.  Now that was quite the feat!  Here are the finished results!    

If you'd like a bag or more for yourself, but don't have the time to buy all the materials and put them together, I have them available to purchase in my Etsy shop --> PapercrushCrafts, and on Ebay as well.

"Why are there so many songs about rainbows

And what's on the other side?

Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,

And rainbows have nothing to hide.

So we've been told and some choose to believe it

I know they're wrong, wait and see.

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,

The lovers, the dreamers and me."

The Rainbow Connection written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher

Performed by Kermit the Frog

Looking Ahead:

Beginning at 12PM US EST today my Wordless Wednesday Blog Party will be open for business!  I love to see what you all have to share each week, and I always return the Linky L♥VE!

And beginning Thursday at 12PM US EST my NO RULES Weekend Blog Party will be open for entries! Thanks to all my bloggy friends my party has become a success, which is beneficial to every single one of us!  Thank you so much for stopping by each week and linking up.  If your a new reader and haven't linked up before come on over and party with us! You can link up anything you like ~ Blogs, FB, Twitter, G+, Instagram, Pinterest, Etsy shops ...

And sandwiched in between I will introduce my new sponsor/advertiser, and have a Happy Mail Update!

Sincerely,

Paula

Will You Be My Valentine?

This year is the first year that any of my children agreed to handmade Valentines.  One out of three...although it could be worse at zero out of three ;)

I'm sure you have probably seen these super cute fishbowl Valentines floating around on Pinterest, which is where I came up with the idea, although I did design and customize my own.

Are your kids picky about the kind of Valentines they hand out at school? 

What are they giving out this year, and what kind do you prefer?  

I say handmade all the way!

Looking Ahead:

Beginning at 12PM US EST my Wordless Wednesday Blog Party will be open for entries!  I love to see what you all have to share each week, and I always return the Linky L♥VE!

Sincerely,

Paula

Cupid's Arrows

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
Nor hath love's mind of any judgement taste;
Wings and no eyes figure un-heedy haste.
And therefore is love said to be a child
Because in choice he is so oft beguiled

Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream 1.1.234–239

Cupid's Arrows are a large part of Valentine's Day.  If you are shot with a Cupid's Arrow, there is nothing you can do.  Either surrender to the feeling, or spend your days with an aching heart.

Are you ready for a "shot" of  crafty Valentine inspiration?  Take a look at the six different handmade Cupid's Arrows below, or if you prefer, dodge the arrow and look away! 

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L O O K I N G   A H E A D :

My Wordless Wednesday Blog Party will be open for entries beginning at 12PM US EST today!  If you participate in WW, be sure to stop back and link up.  I love to see what you all have to share each week! 

Sincerely,

Paula

Handmade gifts are special because ...

... much love was put into the making of the gift, whatever it may be.  

Over the holidays this year I spent a lot of time making handmade gifts for my family.  These gifts included three yarn-wrapped wreaths, a burlap table runner with lace trim on each end, decorated mason jar candle holders, a decorated embroidery hope with fabric and felt, and a big batch of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles.

I would have loved to share these projects as I went along making them, but in my attempt to finish them on time, it didn't end up working out that way.  I also didn't take many photos, which I now regret!  But I do have photos of two of the wreaths I made, a smaller sized one for Autumn's teacher, and a larger one for my sister-in-law.

And I've also included a link to the recipe I used to make the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles because they were delicious!! They taste just like cookie dough, without the egg of course, covered in chocolate! 

With Valentine's Day coming up next they would make a great gift!! Mmm...

Photo and recipe courtesy of Simply Sweet Home ~Click Here!

L O O K I N G   A H E A D :

If you participate in Wordless Wednesday I'd love for you to stop anytime after 12PM US EST and link up! I love seeing what you all have to share each week :)

Thursday will be the grand reopening of my Happy Mail Party!! This time I have an awesome co-host, Leah from Lovely Life of Leah.  This is going to be so much fun!

Sincerely,

Paula

The Gingerbread House Project Part II

After yesterday's post all about the homemade gingerbread houses I made with my kids, I thought I was done talking about that subject.  Well, I'm not ;)  

I have to say I've been curious about how other people decorate their gingerbread houses.  I know they can get pretty fancy, but I never realized how fancy until now. 

Here are some crazy gingerbread house finds for you to ohhh and ahhh at just like I did!

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And I saved my absolute favorite house for last ...

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Have you ever made a really fancy gingerbread house?  

How did it turn out, and how long did it take you to make it?

L o o k i n g   A h e a d :

If you participate in Wordless Wednesday I'd love for you to 

stop back later this afternoon for my Wordless Wednesday Blog Party!  

It will be open at 12 PM US EST today, and will remain open until 

Friday afternoon.
  

Sincerely,

Paula

Fabulous Friday Finds ...

Sometimes it is difficult to come up with a nice gift idea for Father's Day.  Unless the Dad your buying for has a collection or a hobby, it's not easy to come up with new or unique ideas each year.  Personally I hate giving someone the same type of gift twice, or at least too close together.  An example of this would be that if I give my Dad candy for his birthday, then I cannot give him candy again until at least a year later.  That's just one of my quirks :)

So this week's theme is all about Dads! I decided to see what cool handmade gifts for men there were on Etsy.  Normally when I think handmade, manly items don't come to mind.  So my challenge this week was to come up with my usual nine items, thinking it would be a very difficult task, but boy was I pleasantly surprised with all that was available! There is something for EVERY Dad out there! 

Each item is numbered, and a direct link to each Etsy shop is listed below the collage.  

Enjoy! 

1}  Handcrafted Olivewood Pens by Elegencebyelaine on Etsy

2}  Snoopy-and-his-typewriter Vinyl Decal by thevinylwall on Etsy

3}   Men's Natural Shaving Soap by RightSoap on Etsy

4} Herringbone Wood iPhone Skin by fieldtrip on Etsy

5}  Spiral Nautilis Dali Gold Good Fortune Resin Clock by Backstreetcrafts on Etsy

6}  Chevron Striped Necktie by MeandMatilda on Etsy

7}  Emergency Moustache Corkscrew by MrMoustacheMan on Etsy

8}  1 Gallon Brewery-in-a-box with Recipes by UrbanBrewery on Etsy

9}  1-Pound Assorted Hand Dipped Chocolates by BellaRoseChocolates

Recipe Time!

I know I promised that the recipes I would be posting here and there would be healthy. I really do plan on following through with this. I have not fallen off the wagon! Each day I've been making healthy dinners, lots of yummy smoothies, and walking when I can. I'm starting to feel much more energetic, which is motivation to continue on my quest to be more healthy. Next Monday I even have a tasty (and healthy!) chili recipe to share. 

BUT, after yesterday's Wordless Wednesday post I had some requests for the recipe I used for my Pecan Turtles. The real reason I made the turtles was as a gift for my Dad's birthday. Yes there were a few extras which I tasted, but I do believe in occasionally having a treat so your not deprived too much. 

So I now share with you my recipe :)

Ingredients:

12}    ounces unwrapped SOFT caramels, homemade or store-bought

6}      ounces pecan halves

8}      ounces semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips

1-2}   tbsp. milk

Directions:

1} Preheat oven to 350 deg, toast pecan halves on baking sheet for 8-10 minutes

2} Cover another cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray

3} Arrange toasted pecans in clusters of four with each pean pointing in different directions (like turtle legs)

4} Unwrap caramels and place in double boiler or heavy pot along with milk. Melt caramels on low heat, stirring occasionally til melted smooth

5} Allow caramel to cool slightly, then using a spoon drop a spoonful of caramel over the pecan clusters, leaving ends of pecans sticking out

6} Melt chocolate chips over double boiler or in a heavy pot, stirring occasionally til smooth

7} Spoon the melted chocolate over the caramel layer, covering caramel as much as you can

8} Allow turtles to set completely on cookie sheet.  Very gently remove them from cookie sheet and place in an airtight container. Store in refrigerator, but let come to room temperature before eating.

Enjoy :)

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to see what theme I've chosen for this weeks "Fabulous Friday Finds" post!! Each week I chose a theme, search Etsy for nine products I love fitting that particular theme, create a beautiful collage, and then post to my blog with links to each shop featured.

If your an Etsy seller and would like a chance to have one of your products featured, just send me a message!! I'm all about promoting handmade businesses!

xo,

Wordless Wednesday...

...homemade Pecan Turtles

XO,

friday find

Today I decided to search Etsy for some fabulous finds, choosing food as the subject. And boy did I find some amazing items!  All the treats below look good enough to eat ~ but the question is, could you???

1}  Kawaii Cute Japanese Ring by fingerfooddelight on Etsy
2}  6 Wooden Hen Eggs by IndieBambinoETSY
3}  Custom Wedding Cake Replica byChikipita on Etsy
4}  Pink Delight Strawberry-n-Cream Soft Serve Soap by FrostedCrossbones on Etsy
5}  Wool Felt Play Food Salad by EvaLauryn on Etsy
6}  Miniature Carrots by fairyfoodmarket on Etsy
7}  Whoppers Cookie Dough Faux Candy by Bananamoo on Etsy
8}  Chocolate Layer Cake by LemonadeSprinkles on Etsy
9}  Sweets Set For American Girl by Chikipita

Ok now I need a snack :)


Happy Friday!