~ Homemade Guacamole Dip ~ Perfect for the Superbowl!

Today I am sharing my yummy 

Guacamole Dip!

Ingredients/Directions

3 ripe avocados

l large tomato or 2 small

1/2 small onion

1 clove of garlic 

1/2 lemon

1 tsp. chilli powder

Salt & Pepper

Start by cutting your avocados in half and slicing them down the center and then across, spoon them out into a bowl. Next dice up  your tomato and 1/2 of your small onion into small chunks. In a bowl smash your avocados with a fork really well, mixing and smashing them. Add in your diced up tomato and diced up onion, mix again. Add in your other ingredients and squeeze in your sliced in half lemon all around the mix. Season for taste with salt and pepper. Optional (you can add a splash of Pace Picante salsa)

leave one pit of your avocado in the dip. 

ENJOY WITH YOUR FAVORITE Tortilla Chips!

YUM YUM CRUNCH CRUNCH!

Southern Fabric Giveaway

Hey Guys I am so excited to share with you one of my newest Sponsors~ Southern Fabric. Boy' do they have darling fabric, "I drool!" Southern Fabric is going to let one lucky winner select

 "two" Pink Fig Patterns of your choice. 

and I just have to share some darling images for you to see just how cute their fabric and patterns are. 

Here's How To Enter the Giveaway:

-Like Southern Fabric on FB

-Like COM on FB

-Tweet or FB this Giveaway and let me know.

I will select a winner in  a week via COM-FB!

GOOD LUCK!

jen

Valentine Cards

Hello there today I am sharing with you some Valentine  Cards, I made for my daughters class and my sons class. I wanted to do something fun and something away from the traditional candy card, but it had to be something kids love too. My kids adore bouncy balls and sticky hands. In fact both my kids wanted the sticky hands, so it was a bit of a fight at first. (I had to talk up the bouncy balls to my daughter. Aren't us moms good at that?) Eventually they were both pleased with their Valentine Cards they would be handing out. I hope that the kids in their class enjoy the Valentine Cards as much as Preston and Bella do. 

Supplies:

tape runner

scissors

paper trimer

card stock paper

mini candy bags (Walmart cake section)

stapler

sticky hands (found at Target in the party section)

bouncy balls (found at Target in the party section)

How To: I created my text for the Valentine Cards in Pic Monkey then saved the image in a matte finish under Walmart photo.com and had a 5 x 7 printed up. I then took the image down to our local town printing/coping/and paper store and had copies made up. I cut out each saying and with  my tape runner adhered the sayings to some cut to size, and folded over card stock paper. I filled the baggies with the sticky hands and bouncy balls and stapled the folded paper to the bags. 
Tip: keep the sticky hands on the clear plastic they come on. They also have another layer of plastic over them. I cut right through the plastic and just adjusted the sticky arm on the plastic backing to make sure it would fit into the bag. I also used some of the plastic bag that they came in to go over the tops of the hands. You will use up any and all plastic/wrap they come with. 

My kids are excited, and I am excited they are out of the way.

winks. 

here are the bag toppers. I printed out one 5 x 7 sheet from Walmart's photo lab and then had copies made at a nearby copy/print shop. Right click your mouse and save image as, then print it or upload it to be printed. 

I hope these Valentine Cards inspire you or help you out this Valentines.

Happy Valentine card making, and Thank you tons and bunches for stopping in today.

Jen
linking up at Tatertots and jello  here

Party Time, Please come Link Up!

Welcome to Craft-O-Maniac Monday, if you are new here and ready to party, you rock! Thanks you for linking up. I am so happy to have you. 

{{Party Rules}}

*Please be courteous to your host and link back to

Craft-O-Maniac.

*Please link up only "3" Crafts, DIY Projects, or Recipes.

*PLEASE DO NOT link to giveaways, craft posts attached to your own link party, business's, or Etsy shops. Please share your work and not someone else's.

*Please visit some other links and show some comment love!

we are here to party and to support.

Valentine Cookies

Hi guys today I am sharing something super sweet, super easy, and something that all the folks you love will enjoy. I am sharing some Valentine Cookies. These Valentine Cookies have to be the easiest thing to make.. or should I say dress up. All I did was buy some strawberry wafer cookies, some candy melts, and an extra container of Valentine sprinkles, because I new I had some extras at home. All you do is melt your candy melts, dip the wafer cookie into the melted candy, then lay your cookies on some parchment paper and add your sweet sprinkles. After all your cookies are dressed up, I placed the tray of them into the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes. That is it!  Finally you can enjoy them with some cold milk and your loved ones. 

Well I hope you all enjoy this sweet and simple treat, and perhaps you will whip up some of these Valentine Cookies. Thanks for stopping by COM today.

Hugs, jen
Linking up at Tatertots and jello Here

it' a Heart Attack!

WARNING: you may have a Heart Attack! Today I am talking about a "Heart Attack." Seriously, your heart won't know what happened to it.. when you see all these DARLING AND TASTY "Heart" crafts, and recipes. I am telling you my Heart skipped a beat, I felt it palpitate, and even flutter. GRAB THE doctors GRAB THE  nurses, YOU WILL NEED EXTRA Oxygen.... because... Today, COM is serving up a "Heart Attack!"

Here you go...

Heart Macaroons Source here

DIY  Heart baby Leg Warmers Source here

 Heart Shaped Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats Source here

Up-cycled Sweet Heart Pillows Source here

 Sweet Heart Pops Source here

 Paper Valentine Candy Filled Hearts Source here

 Cream Cheese & Cherry Heart Pastries Source here

 DIY Valentine Heart Fabric Envelopes Source here 

DIY Frozen Milk Hearts Source here

DIY Valentine Heart Scrap Fabric Wreath Source here

Heart Valentine Brownies Source here

Dolled up Heart & Dollie Mason Jars on Mantel Source here

Marshmallow Heart Valentines Day Treats Source here

Now I sure hope none of you suffered from a Heart Attack ;) or Heart palpation's today. Instead, I hope your heart is healthy and happy especially after seeing this "HEART" roundup. 

Have a good day! 

jen

Valentine Styled Home Decor

Hello There, today I am sharing just some touches of Valentine Styled Home Decor. I just added some pops of red and a bit more turquoise with the red. I already had the yellow, so I just kept it. I don't mind some pops of color. I love color! Anyway, this was super easy since I didn't do much but add a few Valentine pieces. The turquoise and red puffy hearts I made a few years ago, as well as the burlap "I'm Yours" Pennant banner. The hanging "I love you sign" and the metal hearts hanging from the shelf I bought at a favorite local store here in S. Utah. The red throw gave a pop of color to the couch, and the black and white throw was fun to add too since I have those colors in my decor.Plus the stripes go with the striped yellow and tan canvases I painted a few years ago. I thing its good to tie in the same colors and textures throughout your room. It doesn't have to all be matchy matchy but in the same color and texture family.

So here is my "Valentine Styled Home Decor" 

THE BIG LONG SHELF

so that is it! (and I can't wait to get new couches soon, my kids have destroyed them plus I am over the color.) Also, lots of people email me or comment on my long shelf, so here is the scoop.. I found it on Craigslist under household over 3 years ago. It was custom made and unfinished knotty pine wood. An elderly lady was selling it.. I got it for $25.00 bucks. "KILLER I KNOW!" I painted it black and the faux door fronts bleached sand acrylic paint. Then the knobs black again. Then I sanded it really well all over. The shelf is 7 feet long.. AND I ADORE IT! 

My Very Valentines Hutch

Hi Guys-

Today I am sharing "My Very Valentines Hutch!" I know you see my HUTCH a lot, but truth is, its the only piece in my kitchen I decorate for the holidays. I don't decorate or change out my top shelf cupboards for the holidays, so the hutch is the reigning star. HA! Anyway, I am glad I have a hutch and an area in my kitchen that can be dressed up and look festive for the holiday's. So I hope you all don't mind seeing it a bunch... double winks! I do try however, to make it look different each year. This year I added a few different hanging garlands and I added some plates and ramekins on the bottom next to the sugars and flour. The mini pink pom pom garland I just simply added some felt layered heart stickers I found at JoAnn's on sale. I just stuck them to the mini pom pom ribbon, super EASY!!! The white pom pom garland I made as well. I just took a needle and thread and ran my needle and thread through the pom poms. When you are done space out the pom poms and you now have a "Pom Pom Garland." I love Valentines, and I started decorating for it about 10 years ago. I, back then started out with just a very small amount of stuff, but as the years grew I got more and more stuff. (isn't that the way it goes?) Plus being a crafter, I make stuff each year as well. Its tons of fun, so I enjoy it! plus my kids love it too, BIG BONUS! Heck' if I can spread more love then I am all for it! 

So here is "My Very Valentines Hutch!"

..and that is 

"My Very Valentines Hutch!"

Thanks a bunch for stopping in.

XO jen

Craft-O-Maniac Monday with BYB Conference Ticket Giveaway WOOP!

WELL THERE IS CERTAINLY SOME FUN STUFF GOING ON TODAY... NOT JUST THE AWESOME PARTY!- WOOP!

so DO YOU LIKE THE NEW LOOK? I sure do! Thank you Heather (designer button at the bottom of my blog) YOU ARE AMAZING, thank you my friend.

... and we have a KILLER GIVEAWAY!

OK' BYB Conference Ticket Giveaway Time. 

Do you all love the Six Sisters Stuff ? ..

I DO! I DO! So the ever so darling sisters and their amazing blog are hosting and putting together a Build Your Blog Conference in N. UT. and {I AM GOING}, and one LUCKY WINNER will get to go too, by winning a ticket to the conference EEK!

HOW TO ENTER:

1- Like BYB on FB here 

2- Follow BYB on Twitter here 

3- Follow BYB on Pinterest here 

4- Pin a BYB project on Pinterest and come back and let me know.

5- Like COM on FB here

-please enter each separately by letting me know in the comments. GOOOOOD LUCK. 

THE WINNER OF THE Utah BYB Blog Conference will be announced by January 30th via COM-FB. I WANT TO MEET YOU SO ENTER ENTER ENTER!

OK' NOW LETS PPPPPPPARTY!

{{RULES}}

*Please be courteous to your host and link back to

Craft-O-Maniac.

*Please link up only "3" cRaFts. DIY PROJECTS. or Recipes.

*PLEASE DO NOT link to giveaways, craft posts attached to your own link party, business's, or Etsy shops. Please share your work and not someone else's.

*Please visit some other links and show some comment love!

we are here to party and to support.

Chocolate Raspberry Filled Cupcakes with Homemade Hershey's Chocolate Frosting

Hey Guys-

So the cake I made yesterday here had plenty of left over cake batter, so I knew I had to use it. I mean, I couldn't possibly WAIST a bowl full of Devils Chocolate Cake Mix.. no could I?

These cupcakes are DIVINE, but TRULY WHAT MAKES THEM, is the raspberry filling and the decedent creamy homemade Hershey's frosting on top. 

DIRECTIONS:

make up your chocolate cake mix and fill each cupcake liner with a medium sized spoonful of cake mix. On top of that add a tbsp. of raspberry filling in the center. Then add another good spoonful of cake mix to the top and spread it gently over the raspberry filling. 

Bake your cupcakes as the box indicates!

Next buy a box/container of Hershey's cocoa powder and follow their chocolate frosting recipe on the back. TIP: mix your frosting with an electric beater and a whisk attachment (it makes it super smooth and silky.) DIP- your cupcakes (after they have cooled for a few hours) into the frosting, move the cupcake around getting every side covered, pull them out. You should get a little tail/spike in the middle that will settle into the frosting, leaving a silky smooth like topping. 

HERE IS WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE! 

IF YOU HAVE A CHOCOLATE HANKERING ... THESE WILL SURELY FIX IT!

ENJOY!

hugs, jen