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Monday, November 28, 2011

Italian Parmesan Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Italian Parmesan Roasted Garbanzo Beans


This is such a yummy quick snack that is also healthy.
Great snack for the kids, for a party or to package up as a gift.

Here's how to make this tasty treat:
Ingredients...
1 Can of Garbanzo Beans (Chick Pea's)
1 Tablespoon of Italian Powder Marinade Seasoning (or powdered dressing)
1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I've used regular too)
1 Tablespoon Parmesan Cheese (Optional)
Salt to taste
You'll need one can of Garbanzo Beans A.K.A. Chick Peas

Rinse your beans and lay them out on some paper towels and get them good and dry.  After drying mine off, I left them on a dry paper towel while the oven heated up to 400 degrees.
Now you need 1 Tablespoon of seasoning..this is where you can really spice it up and make it your own.  
The key is to use a powder flavoring such as: BBQ Dry Rub, Powdered Marinade (comes in lots of flavors), Powdered Salad Dressing Flavors such as Ranch or Italian.

I used what I had in the cupboard...Italian Marinade Seasoning.


Toss beans with 1 Tablespoon of EVOO and 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
 A dash or two of salt

Now spread them out on a baking sheet.
I covered my baking sheet with foil for easy clean up :)
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes..or until crunchy.
 Making sure to toss half way through.

If you choose to add the Parmesan Cheese (which I highly recommend), add the cheese during the tossing process half way through the cooking time.


What you are left with are these yummy crunchy Italian Parmesan Roasted Garbanzo Beans!

These were kid tested...Mother approved!
You can get super creative with the seasoning and this is a very cost effective snack, I'd say it cost around $1 total to make :)

Have a great day!!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Paper Clip Angels

Paper Clip Angels


I love Angels..I think they are beautiful :)

This is a craft that is fast, easy and inexpensive...great for all ages!
Here's how to do it:


You will need some Butterfly Paper Clips.  These are found in the Home Office section of most stores (Target, Walmart, etc) in the Paper Clip area.


I also used these Wheels Beads...excuse me according to the packaging they are "Classy" Silver Wheel Beads LOL :)
I got these because I like my Angel to have a little Halo.


You will need some Ribbon or String..I prefer the ribbon, I think it's prettier but that's just my preference :)
And last but not least you'll need beads.
Now the only beads I had that were big enough for the head were my wooden beads, but you can use any kind of bead (Pearls, Plastic, Glass, etc)


Cut a piece of ribbon and tie a knot at the non loop end.  String your "Halo" on first than your Bead.


Now put the loop end of the ribbon thru the middle of the Paper Clip as shown above.


Take the knotted end and thread it thru the looped end and pull tight.


Done! Now you have just made a beautiful Angel :)
And it took only a couple seconds!


I just love these!

You can use them as ornaments on your Christmas Tree, hang them from your rear view mirror, make a necklace, give them as a gift..you name it.

I would like wish each and every one of you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter and happy memories!

Happy Crafting!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Gold Christmas Tree

Gold Christmas Tree


Isn't she beautiful?? Oh I just love this!

All I used was...
This Styrofoam Cone and some Gold Thumbtacks from the Dollar Tree!


I also bought this tiny glass angel tree topper to go on top of my gold tree.
It's Halo is gold so it was a perfect match!


I simply pushed the thumbtacks into the foam, making sure to overlap a little bit so there wasn't any of the Styrofoam showing.

I used approximately 500 tacks for this...and it took me about 40 minutes to push them all in.  I had fun, I just watched tv while I did it.


The glass Angel fit on top PERFECTLY! I am so thrilled with this craft.
I wish I could photograph it a bit better but it's so shiny it's very difficult to capture it's beauty :)
You could also spray paint the tree after you put all the thumbtacks in it to fit your holiday decor or paint a few of the tacks different colors to give the illusion of Christmas Lights..
you have a lot of options to make it your own:)
Have an awesome day
and
Happy Crafting!!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Minnie Mouse Hair Clip

Minnie Mouse Hair Clip


I made this little cutie from T-Shirt scraps and some Duct Tape for the bow.

If I haven't mentioned this before Mr Crafty Soccer Mom loves all things Mickey Mouse, and has been a collector since his childhood.  
So there is a lot of Mickey love in our house :)

Here's what I did to make this little gem...
I cut a few strips of T-Shirt scrap...One long, two half the size of the long one.
Then I made Rosettes...
Here are the Rosettes...


Then I hot glued the Rosettes onto a piece of black felt.
Sorry about the picture quality..it's really hard to photograph black on black.
I cut around my Minnie Mouse shape and then cut out a circle of felt for my clip to attach to



 I cut a slit in the circle of felt..put the back part of the clip through and then hot glued it down to the back of the Minnie Mouse


Final step was adding this mini Duct Tape bow.  I attached it with Hot Glue.


Here is the final product in my clipped into my hair :)


Here I clipped it to a head band :)
Have a great night
and 
Happy Crafting!!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Terra Cotta Pot Christmas Tree

Terra Cotta Pot Christmas Tree



Isn't this adorable???  

Very easy to make and affordable.

I'll show you how I did it...


I used 4 Terra Cotta Pots..Small, Smaller, Tiny & Tinier...


When you're at the store, stack them up like this to make sure they fit


Next I painted them green using Acrylic Paints..I like this lighter green but feel free to use which ever green you like.
You'll need to apply 2 coats, but by the time you're done with the 4th one the 1st one will be dry, so there's no waiting for the paint to dry


Next I used a pencil eraser to make little dot's (Christmas Lights) on the tree


I also used some Cotton Balls to make "snow" on the pot's edges :)
I just cut a Cotton Ball in half...stretched it out and stuck it on using a glue stick


Voila! Done!!

Now I just need to find a little Angel or Star to put on top...
I'll post an update pic when I do that :)

Have a great day!
and..
Happy Crafting!

Monday, November 14, 2011

White Chocolate Toffee Popcorn

White Chocolate Toffee Popcorn


Totally easy and yummy!

This is the perfect thing for a last minute gift, for a party treat, football Sunday, Birthday parties, baby showers..need I go on??? :)

Let's get started:
I got a bag of Butter Toffee Popcorn ($1) or you could use Caramel Corn or Regular Popcorn, 
a bag of Gourmet mixed nuts ($1), then I used some White Chocolate Chips and Food Coloring (optional)
I lined a big cookie sheet with Wax Paper and poured out the bag of Toffee Popcorn


Then I poured out the bag of Gourmet Mixed Nuts evenly over the Popcorn

Are you still with me? I mean we're like 10 seconds into this and almost done :)

 
Next I melted the White Chocolate Chips in the microwave until melted, stirring every 30 seconds.  I then added Food Coloring to the melted chocolate (totally optional).  With a fork I then drizzled the Pink chocolate over the Popcorn/Nut mix.

Put it in the fridge for a few minutes.
Take out, mix it up, and drizzle more chocolate.
Put in the fridge for a few minutes so the chocolate sets and you are done!
Put it in a nice bowl and enjoy!

Now here's where it can get really fun!...
You can color coordinate the Mix with your event using the food coloring!
i.e. Christmas, drizzle red and green colored melted chocolate...or for football Sunday make team colored chocolate :)  

You can drizzle Dark or Milk Chocolate with the White Chocolate..
You can add different things to the mix, such as toffee bits, specific types of nuts, M & M's...you name it..what ever tickles your fancy!

Have a great day Ladies!
and..
Happy Crafting!!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Duct Tape Beads

Duct Tape Beads


Hey Ladies!
Sorry I've been absent for almost a week! I have a show coming up and it's been hard balancing kids, crafts and life this week :)

I'm super excited to show how to make these Duct Tape Beads!!
They are super easy, affordable, waterproof, and pretty...
does it get any better than that?

I love all things Duct Tape and have made some new stuff lately so I will be posting more DT crafts soon.

Let's get started!!


You will need Colored Drinking Straws


And you will also need Colored Duct Tape


Step 1: Cut your Duct Tape into 11 inch long triangles, with the base of the triangle being 3/4 of an inch.
I was able to get 4 out of one 11 inch strip of Duct Tape.


Step 2: Put the base (biggest part) of the triangle on the straw.
Making sure it's on there evenly, and start rolling the tape around the straw.


Here is what it will look like after a few wraps around the straw.
I make sure to keep the strip of tape in the center so that a perfect shape will occur when finished.
Otherwise your bead will be all lopsided.


This is what it will look like finished.


Step 3: Continue wrapping beads down the straw, leaving some space between the beads.


Step 4: With Sharp Scissors, cut the beads off the straw, making sure to cut right at the end of each side of the bead.


Step 5: Making something fun with your beads! 


I put my beads on stretchy string, and made a bracelet, aren't they fun??!!


You can make your beads any size you want!
Here are Large, Medium and Small Beads.
The width of the base of your triangle determines how wide your bead will be.


By using the Colored Straws you can make all sorts of color coordinating designs with your beads.  You can also use Coffee Stirrers as well.

Have a great day 
and
Happy Crafting!