Holiday Gift Ideas on the Cheap

The other day The Allison Show posted a great DIY gift: candy checkers!

I am absolutely smitten with this idea!

It's easy, cheap and delicious. My three favorite things!

LOVE!

What DIY Holiday gifts are you making?

Stationery card

Bright Holly Jolly Holiday Card

Turn your family photos into holiday cards this season.

View the entire collection of cards.

 

Thank you baby Jesus!

You can thank me later.......

I read this article from FoodBeast and fell in love.

Wine Ice Cream. It sounds like a treat from the gods.

What do you think of wine ice cream? Would you try it?

Operation Christmas Child

Tis the season to give. Especially to children. That's why, as soon as I saw Operation Christmas Child, I knew it was something C and I had to do!

What is Operation Christmas Child you ask? Well, you can read about it here. According to the Samaritan's Purse:

Pack a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child and discover how to impact a life through the power of a simple gift

You pack your shoe box with things that we take for granted, such as toiletries, school supplies, even tshirts. Here's a list of ideas from Samaritan's Purse:

NATIONAL COLLECTION WEEK: NOVEMBER 12-19, 2012

Use an empty shoe box (standard size, please) or a small plastic container. You can wrap the box (lid separately), but wrapping is not required. Most importantly, pray for the child who will receive your gift.


Determine whether your gift will be for a boy or a girl, and the child’s age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Print out the appropriate boy/girl label by downloading the artwork to the right. Mark the correct age category on the label, and tape the label to the top of your box.


Fill the box with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child.  Use the gift ideas provided on the bottom of this page.


Please donate $7 or more for each shoe box you prepare to help cover shipping and other project costs. You can give online by using our “Follow Your Box Donation” option, or you can write a check to Samaritan’s Purse (note “OCC” on memo line) and place it in an envelope on top of the gift items inside your box. If you or your family are preparing more than one shoe box, please make one combined donation.

Place a rubber band around each closed shoe box and drop it off at the
collection center nearest you during our collection week, November 12-19, 2012.

For locations and hours of collection visit our Drop-Off Locations page where you can find the nearest place to take your shoe box by entering your ZIP Code or you can call 1-800-353-5949.

You can also send your shoe box gift to:
Samaritan’s Purse
Operation Christmas Child
801 Bamboo Road
Boone, NC 28607

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I can't wait to start packing! And I can't wait to make this a tradition in our household!

Operation Christmas Child and influencer marketing platform BlogFrog have teamed up with 200 bloggers like me to spread the word about this great cause. You can find easy instructions on how to pack a shoe box and how to find a drop off location near you. National Collection Week is November 12-19, 2012.  Head over to Operation Christmas Child to learn more.

BlogFrog will match the first 200 boxes that are built.  Pledge your commitment below to build a box today on Facebook or Twitter!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Operation Christmas Child. The opinions and text are all mine.

Cat vs. Human

Seriously, it's like this blog knows my life. Cat versus human. In my household it's human versus cat. And Raven always wins. Jerk.

DIY #BonefishGrill Bang Bang Shrimp

Have you ever had Bonefish Grill? They are very yummy. The hubby and I love Bang Bang Shrimp. Seriously. I could eat a whole helping. Don't judge me.

Because we are really trying to save money (being a grown-up sucks!) we've decided to cut back on our eating out and recreate dishes at home. Nom.

So, I present you with the DIY Bang Bang Shrimp recipe.

Yes, I need a fancier title....

And a more appetizing picture.......

Thank you Fake Ginger for this delicious recipe, below!

Bang Bang Shrimp

Yield: 2 – 4 as appetizer

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

For the sauce:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 4-5 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, such as Sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

For the egg mixture:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk

For the breading mixture:

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil

For frying:

• 8 to 12 cups vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl; cover and set aside.
2. Combine beaten egg with milk in shallow bowl; set aside.
3. Combine flour, panko, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and basil in another shallow bowl; set aside.
4. Bread the shrimp by first coating each with the breading mixture. Dip breaded shrimp into the egg and milk mixture, and then back into the breading. Arrange the coated shrimp on a plate and pop them into the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This step will help the breading to stick on the shrimp when they are frying.
5. Heat oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Use amount of oil required by your fryer.
6. When oil is hot, fry shrimp 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on rack or paper towels.
7. When all shrimp has been fried, drop the shrimp into a large bowl. Spoon about ¼ cup of sauce over shrimp and stir gently to coat.

I followed the directions and recipe to a T and I wouldn't change anything. Except I didn't have onion powder, so I omitted that. I'd add it next time.

C and I then made Bang, Bang Tacos. We used spanish rice, the bang bang shrimp, lettuce, tomato and sour cream in tortillas and man. I'm fat and happy!

Have you ever recreated a recipe from a restaurant? I'd love to hear your finds!

DIY Hair Tie

Have you heard of Twistbands? If not, I talk about them here.I love them. I really, really do. However, I wanted to create some of my own because, let's face it, I'm cheap.

I found a fabulous tutorial here and got to work!

First, I poured my elastic on the counter. Because, you know, counters are the best place to work (so close to the fridge! NOM)

I then mastered my game plan. So, the tutorial says measure 9 inches. Since my lazy butt was already plopped at the table, rather than getting up and walking upstairs to grab a tape measure I used a dollar bill, which is 7 inches and eyeballed the extra two. I never claimed to be a measuring wiz, folks.

Step two:

I tied a knot, and used a lighter to burn the edges, so it wouldn't fray. Viola. Easiest DIY EVER!

And there ya have it!

Now I shall never lose a Twistband again!

Happy crafting!