Vintage Handmade

Smooch

2012-02-28T17:00:00.007-08:00

I'm not gonna lie, I'm a high end makeup girl and I don't care who knows it. I also happen to be anamored with great packaging. I might have overlooked this inexpensive lip balm at Bath & Body had it not caught my eye as I walked by. I spied the yellow tube and I had a feeling it was lemon flavored and it was. Sold. I bought a few thinking I'd like them and I'm glad I did. Now I have one for the car, one for my purse and one for my desk drawer at work!

Fabric Flower Tutorial

2012-02-27T18:13:00.005-08:00

Last week I treated myself to a couple of tutorials on Etsy. I've been wanting to purchase this one for a while so it was the first one on my list. I loved it! The directions and photos were great and it came together so well. If you like making fabric flowers you won't be disappointed with this tutorial.

I tore some of my fabric scraps and I like all of the strings that resulted...

Happy Monday!

Wordless Studio Post - Friday

2012-02-24T08:08:00.000-08:00

Wordless Studio Post - Thursday

2012-02-23T09:25:00.001-08:00

Wordless Studio Post - Wednesday

2012-02-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

Wordless Studio Post - Tuesday

2012-02-21T12:52:00.000-08:00

Jewelry Class With Debby Anderson

2012-02-20T12:22:00.001-08:00

Saturday I enjoyed a fabulous jewelry class with Debby Anderson of Romancing The Bling. This is the necklace that we made. I chose to substitute a photo of my Grandma in my pocket watch. This was Debby's first official class and I have to say...she really brought it. We covered a lot of ground in this class!

I had a great time taking this class and am happy to share that I will be hosting two more guest teachers this year, the first being Colleen Moody in May and the second being Natalie Hansen in August. If you're local to me you won't want to miss either of these classes. More to come on their projects soon!

I've been working and will continue to be working on some projects that I can't reveal but I miss sharing so I thougtht I would make this "Studio Awareness Week". I have daily wordless posts lined up for you filled with studio photo goodness.

Art Is You - Evening Class {& My Where Abouts}

2012-02-12T17:20:00.000-08:00

This September I'll be teaching two classes at Art Is You in Petaluma, a full day class and an evening class. This canvas collage project is one of my favorite classes and will be taught in the evening. Sign ups begin in just a couple weeks so check it out!

I've just returned from a cruise to Mexico with my parents. I roomed with my folks and we had a blast! At one point I was looking over at my Mom on her bed and my Dad on his overhead bunk and we were talking and cracking up about all kinds of things and I thought...everybody should have the experience of being an adult traveling with their parents. It was fabulous!

My Grandmas Pinto Bean Salad

2012-02-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

When I saw growing up my Grandma, who was from the south, used to make cornbread & beans every once in awhile. Either she reserved some beans on the side for this salad or she made it with whatever beans were left over. I have never had this salad anywhere else. I've been craving it for weeks and so I finally made it and I wanted to share it with you.

Cook 1/2 bag of pinto beans per the directions. Drain and set aside to cool. Cut up 4/5 medium size dill pickles, 1/2 of a red onion and 6 hard boiled eggs and add to cooled pinto beans with 1/2 c of mayonaise. Add salt and pepper to taste. It is SOOOOOO good :)

If you've had this salad before or you know the name of it please let me know! Enjoy!

Precious Metals

2012-01-31T14:25:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I taught a class called Precious Metals. We embellished vintage tins to organize and store some of our small supplies. As I've said many times on my blog, our family loves to go camping. I spend more time packing my art supplies than my clothes. It's so nice to have small containers like this to fill up and throw in a basket for the trip. Each one ends up being so unique, I just love them.

My favorite would have to be the long hacksaw blade container in the photo above. This will transport my colored pencils in style.

Even the inside of the tins received some special treatment!

Blazing A Hot Trail

2012-01-30T18:30:00.000-08:00

I'm 100% positive that I looked like a tremendous dork when I blazed a hot trail to a vendors table at last months flea market after spotting this from a far. I LOVE purple and yellow together. Of course this soda was well before my time but I'd never heard of it.

What am I going to do with it you ask? I think I'm going to cart it from store to store with me until I can find glass bottles that fit inside. I thought a grouping of them in the center slots would be beautiful with some fresh flowers. Once I'm hooked up I'll share how it turned out.

Creative Camp Out Retreat - Project Peek #1

2012-01-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

Hi there...I've been waiting for some decent lighting so that I could take some pictures for some blog posts this week. Up first is one of the projects we'll be making at this summers Creative Camp Out. This cream colored retro pail is the perfect vessel to house all of your wall paper scraps or vintage papers.

Of course we'll embellish it once we've papered the outside...

And then tie a bow on top for the sake of prettiness. Because...it's what we do right?

In case you don't have the info on the Creative Camp Out I will share it here. The cost of the retreat is $450 and it includes 4 classes, 3 mini classes, breakfast, lunch and lodging. I'm only taking 18 ladies for this trip and there are only 6 spaces left. Please let me know if you'd like to attend and I can give you the rest of the details!

I Bought A New Skirt...

2012-01-12T05:30:00.000-08:00

For the Christmas tree next year. I bought it here. Isn't it unusual? I love it and it was on sale.

Pretty Mail

2012-01-11T15:30:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago my friend Laura gave me a bolt of gorgeous light blue tulle. I pulled it out over the weekend and sewed up some pretty packages of art supplies and vintage wallpaper. I do believe these will be able to go through the postal service.

Wouldn't it be fun to see a package like this in the midst of all of your mail?

Sparkly Twine

2012-01-10T17:30:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to get this glittered twine that I purchased on Etsy here. This is much thicker than bakers twine and the sparkle is so pretty.

Just thought I'd share a great find in case you want some for yourself!

Our 5 Year Plan...Maybe

2012-01-09T17:25:00.000-08:00

For some time now my husband and I have been thinking about moving. There are a few reasons that we haven't. For one, my parents live one street away and we're very close with them. I grew up seeing my grandparents everyday and I want that for my kids too. Secondly, I've been at the same company for almost 20 years. They are family to me after all this time.

We've talked to my parents about finding a place that we all like and making a move but until now they've been reluctant to leave California. In the past if I brought it up one of them would say, "but you can't beat the weather in California". Imagine my surprise when they came over talking about Tenessee and how much some friends of ours were loving it there, having just moved a few months ago. My Mom emailed me the picture of this house that's for sale in the town our friends are in. This house {that I LOVE} is going for about half of what ours would sell for and it's are you ready for this.............4 times the size!

I'm not going to lie, I'm a true California girl but as time goes by I want green trees...lots of them. I want a big church and a small town. I want a barn that I can string lights up in and throw big parties with lots of lemonade and dancing. A porch I can sleep on during hot summer nights. I want people to call me by my name at the grocery store.

We've made some progress...it's no longer something that just some of us want. All of us want it now. I couldn't be more relieved. I couldn't have gone and left anyone behind. I know that this may seem unrealistic to some. Families scatter over time, it's the norm. For us, well, we just love to be together. Now that I know it's our tentative 5 or so year plan a little voice in my heart says, "you'll never go you know".

Maybe, maybe not.

Apronology - Volume 4

2012-01-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

The first couple of issues of Apronology left me wishing I had a great apron to work in so

awhile back my Mom and I made the one shown in the bottom right of the

picture above. I'm happy to be in this upcoming issue, Volume 4.

I get wonderful use out of my apron and I'm thinking that

at some point this year I'll do another workshop

where we make them.

Maybe at Creative Camp Out?

Gifts For Art Friends

2012-01-07T18:22:00.000-08:00

I don't normally show the projects that I'm sending in to Stampington. I realized that that attibuted to

what seemed like less of a crafty year for me in 2011.

I decided to show a few projects here and there and I'm starting with this gift for an art friend.

I found this old thread box at the flea market for $1 and even though

it was pretty rickety I thought it could

be used once anyway.

You can see that I had to reinforce a few areas with some washi tape. I hardly notice that

when I look at the package because all I can see is that scrumptious

electric purple ribbon.

I love the way the interior box slides out. So charming.

Christmas Fashion Explosion

2011-12-30T11:01:00.000-08:00

Do you remember wearing everything that you got for Christmas -

at once?

Me too.

By Now You Know...

2011-12-27T22:16:00.000-08:00

That I'm not going to meet my goal to post more than I did last year. I can live with that.

I chose great family time instead!

Spending time with the kids non-stop this holiday season has made me realize how much they enjoy our family time together. Sure we're busy every weekend doing something fun with

them and we do lots during the week, but I'm talking about quiet moments here and there.

When I see how happy they are when I say yes to a board game, when I surprise them with a mug of cocoa or when we sit down to watch their favorite show together it's a strong reminder to

slow our roll.

Here's to slowing your roll!!

Our House for Christmas

2011-12-17T11:55:00.000-08:00

Have any of you been over to Jennifer Rizzo's blog for her Holiday Housewalk Party? You can get there by clicking here. Many people have shared how they decorated their home for the holidays and I wanted to join in the fun. Here are a few ways we brought some Christmas cheer to our house.

I'll start with my studio...

My daughter Gracelyn and I decorated her nightstand...

And here are some other miscellaneous touches around the house...

I suppose I'm still not done as this year it seems like I do a little to decorate every night. I hope you're all enjoying this wonderful time of year!

Button Cards

2011-12-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

I was so happy to stumble upon these button cards by Etsy seller, CreativeSyzygy. By now you're fully aware of the fact that I'm a button lover. I spent some time pulling my favorites out and attaching them to the cards that in some cases hold 4 and in some cases hold 1 or 2.

Some of them even have a shmancy hole at the top so that you can hang them.

I have to pick up some more of these, I don't know what I was thinking when I bought just one set.

Flea Market Review {Part II}

2011-12-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize how much more I bought at Sunday's flea market that I didn't get to show you.

I love these old plastic reindeer. I passed up a bunch of them because I was specifically looking for the frosty pink ones with tinges of aqua.

I took more time this month to pick through paper, something I normally get bored with pretty quickly. I found some great album frames, german scrap, french papers and pharmacy labels...

These itty bitty muffin tins were my find of the day. They are from a childs baking set. I didn't take a picture of the teeny utensils and rolling pins. Each one of these fits in the palm of your hand. Fabulous storage for little items and supplies.

And the suppository tin....what can I say, it's the prettiest shade of olive green. Nothing that a few paper scraps can't cover right?

I couldn't not buy these snowmen toothpicks. Also in the same bunch were a bunch of santas, not quite as cute but hey, it's vintage honeycomb and what's not to love? {P.S. Shawn, don't be sad, I have some of these put away for you}

Hmmm...compote purchases two months in a row. I'm finding that I love these...

A delightful old box of colorful spools...

What's a Sugar Prune? I have no idea but I bought this stamp and have been calling my daughter that all week. She loves it.

This button card shaped like a shirt was too cute to pass up.

And last, I found more of these from the same guy that I bought them from last month. They're just scrumptious.

So that does it! I have another fun find from an Etsy seller that I'll share with you tomorrow that I think you'll love.

LOVE This Wrap Job

2011-12-06T17:30:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I was on Pinterest and I saw this bee-u-tiful package. I clicked on the link and it took me here, there and everywhere and finally I managed to find out that it was the work of an Etsy seller. I went on a shopping spree and picked up some fabulous things from her including the butterfly, and some wonderful string and millinery. If you'd like to pick some up too you can find her under the name thegildedbee. I found the doilies online, they come in 12, 10, 8, 6 and 4 inch sizes and can be found easily if you search for Royal Lace. I thought I'd share this wrapping inspiration goodness.

December Flea Market Review {Part I}

2011-12-04T15:25:00.000-08:00

I lost battery life right after I took the first picture of my flea market finds for today so this will be 1 of 2 posts on what I brought home. I loved every minute out there today, Christmas was in full force and I had the best time rifling through boxes of ornaments and old holiday decorations. Here are a few of my favorites. I love the twisted ornament and it's rare when I pass up a faded purple bulb, they're just not as easy to find. I have several of the bumpy indented ornaments so I almost left this one behind but at the last minute I took it {well I didn't exactly take it...I did pay for it}.

There were bottle brush trees galore, but then again, there are bottle brush trees galore in my garage waiting to be flocked so I only picked up one. And funny...the picks, well I had them in my hand and the lady whose space it was came over and got, seriously, almost nose to nose with me and told me that they were a great deal. I bought them partially because I liked them and partially because I got the impression that she was going to use the money to fund her breakfast burrito :)

Dying Bottle Brush Trees

2011-11-29T20:42:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I found a tutorial on how to bleach and dye bottle brush trees. It was really easy and really fun. I started with a bag of Lemax trees from Michaels that ended up being on sale. It was a 21 tree pack in 4 different sizes. I threw them all in a bucket of 50/50 bleach & water solution andthey bleached out in the time it took me to fold a load of laundry.

I then proceeded to dye them using food coloring, easter egg tablets, Glimmermist, etc. The only problem I encountered were those darn blue trees. When the trees bleach out they are a bit on the yellow side and when I used blue dye they turned more of a greenish color. After trying everything I could think of I spray painted those babies {hence the blue base}. Now that they're dry I'm going to paint the bases silver. The only thing left to decide now is whether or not I want to spray a bit of flocking back on the trees as it tends to come off in the bleaching process. Flocking or glitter? I don't know...

My husband has been asking his dad for his Christmas ornaments for ages now that they don't decorate anymore. My father in law finally relented and we are the new owners of some of the most gorgeous vintage bulbs. Look at these...

And the old original boxes were amazing. It's nice to have some family ornaments that have been passed on. About 10 years ago my dad got a tad bit overzealous when cleaning out his shed and garage and he accidentally threw out all of our families ornaments. When he realized it he felt so bad. Needless to say, we don't say "ornament" around my mom these days.

Zucchini Cakes Recipe

2011-11-24T18:35:00.000-08:00

Today we spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with my in-laws and tomorrow my family is getting together for Thanksgiving part II. After a big lunch I wasn't sure what to do for dinner tonight. I decided to make one of my sides for tomorrow for dinner instead. This isn't a great picture, in fact, I had to tell my husband to wait one sec while I took a quick picture before he grabbed it and ran back to the game. This one is a keeper for sure and even my little kids loved them!

Zucchini Cakes

3 c coarsely grated zucchini
1/2 tsp salt
1 c bread crumbs
1/4 c diced red bellpepper {I used a 1/2 c because we love it}
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 egg
1 green onions
1 tbsp mayonaise

Press grated zucchini with paper towels to dry. Add all ingredients to the zucchini and press into 8 cakes. Press each side of cake in breadcrumbs and fry in 2 tbsp of oil on medium until browned on both sides.

I served mine with a drizzle of ranch dressing from The Cheescake Factory who has, hands down, the best ranch ever {you can ask them for a pint and they'll add it to your bill}.

I'm still going to make a batch tomorrow for those that didn't enjoy them with us tonight. I hope you all enjoyed this day of thanks with family and loved ones!

Bitty Clipboard

2011-11-23T17:30:00.000-08:00

You might have seen my bitty clipboard in the current issue of Somerset Life. If you ever see one of these little versions at your flea market don't hesitate to pick it up. It's about 5x9 or so and one of the reasons I love it is because it fits perfectly on the console between my seat and the passengers seat in my car. Stamps, schedules, notes, you name it have a home on this clipboard. I have a dumb phone so I don't keep the data that most people do in mine. I like my old school ways!

Teeny Tiny Christmas Album

2011-11-22T18:38:00.000-08:00

I have this years mini Christmas album picture ready. It's teeny tiny, just 2x3. I have come to find that these little books are the most enjoyable to look through. I like the fact that the entire book is dedicated to just one day. It never ceases to amaze me how much you can squeeze into a book this size. {I used mainly K&Company products for this album with the exception of the paper on the front which is by The Girls Paperie}.

Tonight I need to chat with my sister about our Thanksgiving menu. I'm in charge of our breakfast and I usually get the ham. I want to try a side this year that we've never had. The choices are pretty much endless, it's just a matter of narrowing it down to something that most everyone will like. I saw a recipe for brussel sprouts in brown butter but that will pretty much only fly for me and one of my boys so that's probably not going to happen!

Honeycomb Love

2011-11-15T16:30:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share these darling little honeycomb gift tags that I found at Target. How sweet are these??? I couldn't help it...I bought all they had.

Easy Christmas Centerpiece

2011-11-14T16:14:00.000-08:00

By now you've probably guessed that I've begun decorating for the holidays. I've mentioned this before but I'm early to decorate and early to undecorate. All signs of the holidays are back up on the garage shelves by December 26th {this is true}.

My favorite candle is the Capri candle at Anthropologie. It's the one that is usually in the blue glass container {and the one that you tend to notice the most when walking around in the store}. Last year it came in a mercury glass looking container and I asked for a few of them for Christmas. Instead of leaving an open flame going around children at various Christmas get togethers I decided to drop it down in a huge glass jar that I picked up at Homegoods. Before placing it inside I filled 1/3 of the jar with fake snow. I pulled out my best Christmas pick {really a few of them that I wired together} and I placed it inside as well, covering the stem.

Simple, easy and pretty!

What Am I Doing Wrong?

2011-11-13T16:27:00.001-08:00

I'd like to use my blog a friend please on decorating my mantle for Christmas. I have always stuggled to create a nice mantle, holiday or otherwise. I arrange and rearrange and I just can't seem to get it right. What am I doing wrong? Maybe a big silver charger or platter behind the compote of ornaments? Some height? Sorry for the bad picture, I had to take it from the end of my dining room table so I couldn't help but get part of my chandelier in the photo.

I love all of the items on the mantle so I don't know what to take out...

And some things behind, some things in front of the garland...how do you feel about that? Please offer up your best suggestions, nothing will hurt my feelings!

Flea Market Bag Progress

2011-11-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share with you the progress I've made on my new {old} flea market bag. I like where I was going with the idea but I'm not crazy about the final product. I had the bib from an old pair of overalls that my daughter wore when she was about 18 months. It was almost a perfect fit when turned upside down. I added a few bus tokens where the buttons used to be and added a brooch and some ribbon. The only problem is that it looks like the bag is wearing a weird shaped pair of panties. You see it now don't you? I'm not feelin it...I'm going to redo my redo. I just need to give my fingers a break, it was rough pushing a needle through that thick fabric. Would you believe I couldn't find a thimble anywhere???

Lush

2011-11-09T17:23:00.000-08:00

Do you have a Lush store by you? About 7 years ago my husband and I were on a cruise in Canada and I popped into a store called Lush, which I'd never heard of. I purchased quite a lot of soap because we didn't have a Lush in the states at that time. About 4 years ago a nearby mall opened one and I was over the moon! If you don't have a store nearby I believe you can buy their soap online. My favorites are The Godmother and Sexy Peel. The Godmother smells kind of bubble gummish but it's an even richer scent, if that makes sense. And Sexy Peel is the strongest lemony scent ever. I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite beauty items with you before I tear off the adorable packaging.

If you're lucky enough to have a store local to you for sure try out their Brazen Honey mask. They have to be kept refrigerated so it's a super cool treat for your face and an excellent reason to lay down for a few minutes and relax!

A Stocking Alternative

2011-11-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

Recently I made these Christmas cones for K&Company using a couple of their Christmas lines. I've had these paper mache cones for ages and I was really excited to pair them with the vintagey holiday paper. My favorite is the first one pictured. I stuffed a couple of them with patterned tissue paper and a couple of them with shredded paper. You can't tell by the photos but I attached ribbon for hanging.

Wouldn't it be fun to meet a friend for lunch or a day of shopping with one of these filled with a few small treats?

Flea Market Bag Before Pictures

2011-11-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

There was one other item that I bought at Sunday's flea market that I didn't show you. I found this great over the shoulder bag that was ripe for jazzing up. This is for sure, the before picture. There are times when I flea market and I don't want to yank around my rolly cart with a bum wheel. More often than not I leave with just a few things that could be put in a bag like this.

I love the long straps so that you can wear it over one shoulder across your body.

I don't think this picture really shows how many great pockets it has inside. I believe that it's some kind of military bag because it's stamped inside with ink and they had lots of them in various conditions from well used to almost new. This is a different color than I ever choose to work with so we shall see what happens!

Give-a-way Winner & Today's Flea Market Finds

2011-11-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

Before my flea market review I'd like to congratulate the winner of the Martha Stewart Craft Station, a one Miss Susan Lacis!! Thank you to everyone who left a comment and stopped by to put their name in the drawing.

It wasn't looking good for today's flea market right up until I went to bed last night but I remained hopeful. Not only did it turn out to be beautiful and sunshiney, I also got to go with my sister and her sister and mother in law and niece. I wasn't looking for anything in particular today with the exception of small metal tins {more on that later}. I found the trophy above to hold my paint brushes. I think I will pass on the scary baby head that holds them now. My kids will completely appreciate that decision since it freaks them out.

Now this...in all the time I've been flea marketing I have never seen one of these egg holders. I thought it was just darling however it was WAY overpriced. I ended up buying it anyway. I won't tell you how much or you'll consider me super frivolous.

You'll be seeing this again used for the purpose I bought it for. Think shot glasses dropped into those holes with various buttons, small bits, etc....

This brings us to miscellaneous. It's completely my intention at this moment in time to send out those vintage Christmas cards. The tins I mentioned earlier are for the January class at my studio. In 2012 I'm going to be centering 1/2 my classes around decorative storage for organization. The January class is called Precious Metals. I'll post more on that in the upcoming months.

I really loved this compote. And the few ornaments that I picked up today look so pretty sitting inside of it that I suppose I've begun decorating for the holidays as of today.

So if you think I was kidding about all the posts have some faith. Girls I've got 4 posts in the hopper already!!!!! GO ME!!!

42 Posts In 58 Days + A Give-a-way!

2011-11-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

I just happened to notice last night that I posted 96 times in 2010 and only 55 times in 2011. Can that be right? I can tell you with all certainty that I had WAY more to share than I actually posted and seeing as though I'm extremely self-competitive I simply cannot have that. I have decided to post 42 times in the next 58 days to BEAT last year by 1 post and I'm totally jazzed about it!

I'm in the process of giving this blog a facelift, the temporary header is just to see if I like the style. So far I do but we'll see how the final draft comes out later this month.

So without further ado let me tell you about the Martha Craft Station above. EK Success sent this to me to give away on my blog. It's priced at over $120 so this is a pretty sweet give-a-way. It is several tools in one compact station. Please leave a comment on this post and I will pick a winner on Saturday morning. Good luck!

Moving Right Along...

2011-11-01T00:56:00.000-07:00

So with Halloween behind me by mere hours I've begun working on Christmas projects. Tonight I made the stocking for 1 of 2 classes we'll be doing on Saturday. Once I get started with a needle and thread it's hard for me to put it down. I did however resist my impulse to stitch over every square inch of the fabric as is my norm...

This is a good size stocking too, you could really load it up with a bunch of small gifts which is exactly what I'm going to do since Gracelyn said that she wanted it to be hers.

I love this star with the mish mash of buttons. It was really easy, I had a glittered star that I put down and I put a dot at each point and then sewed a button over each dot. Once I did that I took embroidery floss and wrapped it in a star pattern twice. If I wasn't so tired I wouldn't have thought of it! Stitching into the night has it's advantages.

Fleur De Sel Caramels

2011-10-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

Oh. My. Goodness. These caramels that I made last night are better than any I have had in 38 years. I bought this recipe book recently because I happened to flip to the Fleur De Sel Caramel recipe and I knew I would make them. Not think about it, MAKE them.

Now I must tell you, when the recipe says you'll be wisking the caramel for 40 minutes...they're not kidding. That was the only downside to making them. I used a candy thermometer for the first time and so it was really easy to know when it hit 246 F. The Fleur De Sel is what makes you want to do cart wheels...the salt is the perfect compliment to the sweet caramel.

If I could share with all of you I would, they're that good. Let me know if you make some too and how you liked them!

Pretty Studio Additions

2011-10-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting a salesman size dress form for ages. Recently I did a show and one of the vendors had my dream come true. She wasn't interested in parting with it {can't blame her there} so my search continued, that is until last week. I found the exact form that I wanted in New Jersey. Unfortunately her neck was broken in shipping so my dear father in law performed some mechanical surgery on her. She's now probably better than when she was shipped.

I'm just crazy about this Sen-Sen Gum display box from 1902. What cute packaging!

I took some time last Sunday to hang some pretty labels on all of the baskets in my studio...

I also created some inserts for a couple of my clear storage boxes just to add some interest. I only did this for the boxes with stuff inside that I'm happy to not see. Check out that aDORable crown with pins in it. It's from Kimberlee Edgar of Edgar & Edgar.

At this past months flea market I bought all of the wooden spools that a vendor had. I never saw any like this. Such a simple design and they hold so much...

And life is so funny. I originally saw this old salesmans floss box display at Colleen Moody's. I completely fell in love with it and have looked for one from time to time but to no avail. Recently I was thrilled to find one at a flea market and then I found another one a week later. So...I bought them both so that if anyone I know wants one I have an extra :)

Tonight I'm making salted caramels. Wish me luck, it's my first time using the whole candy thermometer and all. Apparently I'll have to stir the caramel for 30 minutes...they better be fabulous!

Why Yes...I Do Still Craft

2011-10-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

First of all I want to thank those of you that are stopping by. I know that as of recent I have not offered up much in the way of blogging and I really have missed posting and putting myself out there to be of inspiration, or just to make you laugh. I have to say, you Mothers of older children really keep a good secret. Seems nobody told me or let it slip that bigger kids are more work than babies!

I have been in my studio lately working on the November class. We're going to be making an altered book using the new Glitz lines Vintage Blue {pictured above} and Beautiful Dreamer {below}. I don't know which one I like better...

The book technique is one that I have done before but never taught and I love it! It let's you create all kinds of odd shaped pages, etc. The second class is a stitching project, a stocking to be exact. Can you believe that I've never had a stocking? We not until now that is.

This past Sunday I spent the entire afternoon nesting in my studio. I purged, organized and rearranged until my heart was content. I took some pics of some of the new spaces and a darling little addition that I'm really pleased with. I'll be back soon to show you!

Winner of Mingle Magazine Copy!

2011-10-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

So....I did a random number generator and it selected comment number 8, which was Beth Leintz! Beth I emailed you a bit ago for your addresss, congratulations! I hope you love the magazine as much as I did. Thank you everyone for leaving a comment!

Mingle Magazine Give-A-Way Weekend!

2011-10-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

Hello and happy Friday! I just received a copy of Mingle Magazine, courtesy of Stampington, to give a way on my blog. Reading through my copy inspired me to plan a bunch of fall get togethers with my first being a much needed game night with friends. It's been WAY too long!

Please leave a comment describing your go-to party dish that you either make or take. You know, the one everybody loves! I will pick a winner on Monday and send the magazine right out. I leave you with these gorgeous previews...

Super Sweet Acorns

2011-10-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

This week I ordered some of these adorable acorns from Sabrina at Oh My Gypsy Soul. Aren't they sweet? Sabrina just opened her Etsy shop so you can grab some of these here if you'd like some too. I chose the light blue, orange, lime and a hot pink. I should have gotten the purple one too in the lower left. If you go to buy some leave that one for me ok?

Mingle Magazine

2011-09-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about the new publication by Stampington called Mingle? Since I love me a great party I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. Stampington is generously sending me a copy to give a way on my blog so check back here for more info soon...who knows, maybe you'll be the lucky ducky!!

What We've Been Up To

2011-09-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

I've received a few emails the past couple of weeks, friends wondering what I'm up to. This is what I've been up to. Most people ease into sports...sign one up at a time for different things...not us...we went head first into football and cheer and it's been CRAZY. Practice was everyday and every Saturday for the past month so it's left little time for us to do anything else really. Now that school has started everythings been scaled way back {thankfully} so I have time to cook, clean and craft again!!

I have to say, it's been a hectic month but I'm just amazed at what all my kids have learned in such a short amount of time AND the stamina that they've shown. I would have told my Mama I wanted to quit by now :)

Luscious, Crinkley, Satiny, Scented Ribbon

2011-08-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of getting ready for Tinsel & Treasures and one of the things I'll have available is that luscious, crinkley, satiny, scented ribbon. I have colors that I've never offered before and I've listed some in my Etsy shop for those of you that are unable to make it to T&T!

Pretty Handy

2011-08-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

While browsing my local craft store I noticed some plain metal clips in the jewelry department. I didn't have a plan for them when I put them in my basket but they were inexpensive and I thougth I could add a little something to them. I've been so busy with football and cheer lately that I haven't had much studio time so when a 1/2 hour opened up a couple of nights ago I took it! I didn't realize how much small ephemera that I have and I put some of it to use. I really like how strong the clamps are on these clips. I suppose I'll use them to keep paper items together, attach a note or thank you to a gift, etc. If you think of any other great uses let me know!

The Latest & Greatest

2011-08-10T23:34:00.000-07:00

With a lack of daylight after sports this week I haven't been able to take any decent photos to use in a post. I didn't want that to hinder me any further from posting so I just snapped some tonight. I haven't had a flea market review for awhile so I thought I'd share my latest and greatest. This old Structo truck is adorable even though the towing mechanism on the back is long gone. I love the tires.

I also found a great vendor that had a ton of Christmas ornaments out. I will freely admit it, I'm a fussy vintage ornament girl. Any old ones won't do. I hand pick them out with no real criteria. I just know the ones that I want when I see them. Was that clear as mud?

I like where this is going...a fun Christmas display for sure this year.

Does anyone else keep Christmas ornaments out all year long {Colleen}? Since I'm always looking for them I've been storing the ones I've bought so far this year in this glass canister.

Why is there a doll leg in there? It's the topper to my table top feather tree. Turned upside down it's the sweetest accent to a tree.

I couldn't resist this old turquoise metal box. The handle is really neat and the closure works great.

I will be on the PROWL for more of these tiny metal spools. Apparently they had solder on them previously. They are about 2x2 inches. I could use 100 more of these.

Finally, my favorite latest, an old chipped up doll bed.

Um.......what kind of crazy already has a doll mattress that fits the bed exactly? ME!!!!!!

Creative Camp Out In Review

2011-08-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

I had meant to post about the Creative Camp Out as soon as we returned last Sunday but I'm just now catching my breath. The family just left for Football and Cheer practice and the house is empty and quiet!

The girls are so cute with their ringmaster mustaches that were in their circus book kits for fun.

Below is the always wonderful Laura Himm and the lampshade that she made on day 2.

And below is Cindi, Ruby and Linda observing some journaling ideas for their Smash book...

This giant tree shaded our two tables nicely, which sat right in front of the two lodges the girls stayed in.

I want to thank everyone who went and made my first retreat a success. It's a definite - we're doing this again next year!

Creative Camp Out Project Peek - Mini Class

2011-07-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

In addition to the 4 classes that I'll be teaching this upcoming weekend I'll also be teaching two mini classes. The class above is 1 of the 2. I used hanging file folder labels, cutting pieces of paper to size. After I decorated each one I slid them in and hung them on pretty ribbon. There is so much that you could do with a bunch of these...decorate your dress form, hang them on baskets in your studio {yes please!}, attach one to a gift or let your little one wear one as a necklace.

I'm so excited about the retreat! I'll be sure and take a bunch of pics to share next week.

What Day Would You Live Again?

2011-07-21T00:49:00.000-07:00

Lisa's Secret

2011-07-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

Have you been fitted for a bra lately? I'm apparently, extremely late to this party. I've been putting it off but today I finally went out and got it done. Why would I put this off you ask? Oh I don't know...maybe it was because I knew that my fitting would be done by a 10th grade "specialist" who would gasp at the stretched out and ill fitting bra that is "Lisa's Secret" {just keepin it real here people}. Anywho...it was exactly as I'd suspected and I left with new bras that were a cup bigger as you can see in the photo above. So I can check that box off my to do list for this week, woo hoo!!

Creative Camp Out Project Peek - Stash Box

2011-07-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

Creative Camp Out Project Peek - Smash Journal

2011-07-13T22:05:00.000-07:00

Until the retreat weekend is here and gone I only want to show some peeks of the projects we'll be making. This is the outside of my Smash journal that I mentioned a few posts ago. This is such a great jumping off point for people who are journaling beginners or for those that have journaled for years. This is the type of class where when I say it's time to finish up to move on to another class I get that big collective sigh that tells me everyone wants to keep working on it. That's a great feeling for a teacher!

The Color of Summer

2011-07-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

This past Friday night I was flipping through my current issue of BHG's at the drive-in while we were waiting for it to get dark. I loved this idea for serving sorbet. On my way home from work I added a pint to my grocery list and everybody thought it was so fun that we used a lemon peel as a bowl. And juicing a few lemons gave me lemonade for 1 after everybody goes to bed!

This bright sunshiney bouquet of roses was sent to me by my friend Marilyn for my birthday. Aren't they beautiful? Yellow...it's the color of summer for me.

It's Official - I've Hung Up My Skates

2011-07-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for what's about to be an emotional post. It's confirmed - I've hung up my skates. I've been wanting to take the kids skating for months and we finally scheduled the whole family to go to tonights session. Now, the last time I was on skates was 2 years ago and I was whipping around the rink, even crossing over {that would be putting one foot over and in front of the other when turning a corner}. Can I just admit right now how delusional I was to think that I could:

a.} Hold a 5 year olds hand during their first time on skates
b.} Cross over or do anything even close to that
c.} Make more than one lap around the rink

My 5 year old girl did me a huge favor when she started to cry and pulled free to hang on to the wall and get back to her Dad. It was then that I sadly realized that my legs were completely unbendable from my knees to my ankles. How I got around once is nothing short of a miracle. In that lap I was scared I was going to fall, hysterically laughing at myself and getting choked up at the fact that something that was once so easy and fun is now something I've become incapable of - all at the same time. So I did what any other girl turning 38 on Saturday would do...I pulled my skates off and told my husband, "Who wants to skate anyway. Skatings dumb." :)

Smash

2011-07-03T22:22:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the Smash line by K&Company? I love it! It's new and hard to find so if you see it ya better pick some of it up. One of our Creative Camp Out classes will be a journal in the pink, or vintage style book. The pages are adorable! See the pen? It's a pen on one end and a glue stick on the other. So clever.

And check out some of these fun extra's including pockets, journaling cards, etc.. I started my sample this afternoon after the flea market and I love how it's coming along. I'll post a progress peek later in the week.

Enjoy your July 4th holiday tomorrow!

Dessert Inspired by Pinterest

2011-06-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

I tried to avoid it as long as I could but Pinterest is, well, too interesting to not take a peek at from time to time. I pinned several recipes that I wanted to try in the upcoming weeks. Some things aren't recipes so much as good ideas like tonights dessert. The kids had fun putting a white chocolate chip in each raspberry above. I'm more of a blackberry girl myself so I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a raspberry. The white chocolate was very much needed in my opinion since I found them to be a bit tart. Overall it was super simple and everybody loved them.

And do you adore my tiny turquoise colander? $1.99 at Cost Plus World Market. My husband was with me when I bought it last weekend. He picked up it up like it was my dumbest purchase yet and said, "this is useless". Then I reminded him of all the berry washing we do for the kids and he said those words that make my heart sing, "well you got me there." Hee.

Spa Night

2011-06-22T22:27:00.000-07:00

The guys in our house have been going to the movies alot lately to see shows that we girls are just not interested in. I know my girls been feeling left out so I treated her to a spa night. Check her out...she was in her glory! I gave her a mani/pedi (which took all of 1 1/2 minutes since her nails are so tiny) a massage and some cucs for her eyes. Now she wants to do it every night. Who could blame her?

Keeping Up With The Supers

2011-06-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin? First of all let me just say that Blogger can stop changing things up on me anytime now. I'm no computer whiz so even the slightest "improvement" can hang me up with my posting. I've missed sharing what I've been up to. Here are some pics of my guest designer projects for the Jenni Bowlin blog. I love this palm size album full of JB goodness.

This pocket is cute for keeping all of my scraps from this line together. I constructed it using a huge tag that I'd found somewhere...

There's one more small project but you'll have to check it out over on their blog!

The folks at EK Success, namely K&Company, asked me to do a holiday tablescape for a show that they're having at the end of the month. Better Homes & Gardens are going to be viewing these scapes and ideas so I was really flattered that they called on me. They sent me some FABULOUS product and getting into the holiday spirit was pretty easy. I can't share any of those project pics yet but I definitely will in time.

I have a few article deadlines to meet and then I'm back to working on my Creative Camp Out projects for the end of July. I have to tell you....if you didn't sign up this time you should seriously think about the next one. These girls don't EVEN know what all I have planned for them!

So along with all of that, graduations galore, signing 2 boys up for football, 1 girl up for cheer, being down one person at work in my department, scouts and reading countless hours of Diary of a Wimpy Kid I need a vacation!! But in all truthfulness...I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm happy to pack in as much as I can in a day. I've deemed Tuesday nights thru the summer to be Foodie night. I've told the whole family that they're welcome to come and try whatever new recipe I've made outside on the patio with us. I'll be back with my picks for next week in case you'd like to have what we're having!

Working Ahead

2011-05-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't abandoned my blog I promise! This month I've been working on things that would seem odd to blog about at this time of year. Most recently I've been working on fall and Christmas themed projects. It was fun to pull out my holiday stash and work on things like the packages above in the middle of May. I love non-traditional wrapping paper with touches of vintage goodness instead of a paper bow.

Do you love that vintage pick on the polk-a-dot package? It's actually about 5 picks that I combined and retaped. Nice picks can be expensive at the flea market, I'd say anywhere from $6 to $15 each. My husband commented on the "bell & ball thingy", {in reference to the pick} saying it was cute. I had to giggle because if he knew what that thing cost in total he'd be dumb struck!

Sewing For Fun

2011-05-16T19:15:00.002-07:00

I bought some fun paper placemats at Anthro a few months ago and I decided to jazz them up a bit for fun. Taking scraps and circles cut from partially used pieces of paper I sewed away. Wouldn't these all be pretty on a table together with some fresh flowers?

Fresh Stuff

2011-05-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Today's flea market was beautiful! It wasn't as crowded as usual, I heard a few times that lots of shoppers had gone to the Remnants of the Past show in Nipomo. We were camping this week and returned yesterday so I didn't feel up to the drive. Maybe next year. It was all for the best since I got some great big items this time. I had ordered the sign above from one of the vendors for my boys' room. Cute huh?

And this odd little wire settee was so cute I couldn't pass it up. I bought it for my daughters room but after seeing it in front of the window of my studio where I photographed it I might just leave it there. I need to have a piece of foam cut to fit and then I think I'll make a slipcover for it. Whether I leave it green or not is yet to be determined.

I've been wanting an old metal shopper to hold my wallpaper and it's a wonder I spotted this one in the corner of one of the booths.

I knew it would be cute and useful...

And on a completely different note is anybody else getting the "spring cleaning" bug? I've been cleaning, purging and painting around here. Isn't it funny how one day you just realize that all your towels have seen better days? I shipped the old ones off to the garage and did something new this year buying all white towels. When I wheeled my cart up to the register with this boatload of towels the lady at the register said, "We've got a bleacher!". Yep, we do now.

And then the towels led me to soap. These were so pretty I couldn't pass them up. You can't tell in the picture but one of the pump dispensers is half gone. That's because yesterday my two littles were in my daughters room and they pumped it all over her carpet and then poured a bowl of water on top. When I asked them what in the world they were doing they just stood there in their underwear and stared at me like they didn't understand the question. Then my husband rolled up on me in the hallway and asked me why I didn't know what they were up to. I just stood there in my pajamas and stared at him like I didn't understand the question :)

Favorites & Collections

2011-04-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

Collection: Cheeky flash cards

Collection: Cream colored thread, string and floss

Collection: Darling old valentines

Favorite: This glittery new Marie paper pad

Collection: Old jewelry boxes

Collection: Glass carnival buttons

Favorite: That would be everything in this old suitcase {and the suitcase itself}

Collection: Old floral wallpaper

Favorite: The blingy & the colorful

Favorite: This old photo because she looks like she could be my sister right?

A Thank You For Megan

2011-04-12T17:53:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a pair of paper dolls that I made as a thank you for my pal Megan at K&Company. I used my favorite of the moment, their "Flora & Fauna" line. This company continually wows me with their ephemera packages. Prior to this line I was in love with "Cut n'Paste". They just keep getting better :)

Our Giggly Gathering

2011-04-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

If you were at Saturday's class then you already know that we had a great day together. This was my biggest class to date and if I worried at all about it was for a fleeting moment. Everybody had a wonderful time and at one point I just stood in the middle of the room and took in all of the happiness, chatter and giddy laughter. A big heart felt thank you goes out to all of you for making it so fun.

The picture above is one I took before class of one of the kits. Lots of pretty little pieces. Here's one of my little market area that I set up on the side of the room. It had trims and flea market finds and lots of pretty ribbon...

And our workshop area for the day {I know...the weeds in the backyard...who has the time?}.

So much fun. Thanks again!!

Fun Mail!

2011-04-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to share a piece of mail that the dear sweet Laura Himm sent me about a week ago. She printed out the picture I used on my blog to advertise Creative Camp Out and sewed an envelope out of it. It completely stood out in my stack of mail let me tell you! The other side was fabulous as well but I'm not savvy about blurring addresses and such so I just took a pic of this one side. This makes me want to send some pretty mail too. Wouldn't it be nice to know that you sent something fun in the post that made someone's day?

What A Fruitful Weekend!

2011-04-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday Colleen, Val and I had a button adventure to write home about! The German glass buttons with the luster above are my favorites. It's the 80's girl in me that loves a good rainbow on anything. If I would have known I was going to have that big of a selection I would have went all out and wore my I Love Andy Gibb t-shirt {and I do love him just for the record}. I also picked up some glitzy metal and rhinestone buttons...

Let me say that under no circumstances should you ever turn down Colleen Moody if she wants to hang out. She is SO fun. She and Val and I had such a good time rummaging through boxes of button cards until our hearts were content. We followed it up with a great lunch at Sideboard. I hadn't been there and I had the best beet salad of my life.

On to my flea market buys today. I bought a few more buttons {I know, but what was a few more?}. That big convext glass button is bee-u-t-full.

Warning: To die for millinery coming up...

Some odds & ends...

This old and abused tackle box is not as bright as it appears to be in the photo. It's the perfect color blue for me...

You girls that are going on the July camping retreat are getting a peek at your substrate for one of your classes...

I'm not a fan of red but I was partial to this tray for my market area at classes. Nice that things can be on top of and underneath it...

So there you have it. A fruitful weekend indeed!

What To Do With Wallpaper Scraps?

2011-03-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

What do you girls do with your wallpaper scraps? I had mine in a box for awhile but bigger pieces wouldn't fit. I started using rubber bands to roll them up which was fine but when I picked up one of these pretty napkin rings on display at Cost Plus I thought they'd be perfect to use instead of old rubber bands. Turns out they are. The funny thing is that the whole pail of wallpaper rolls look so nice with a few of these linen flowers floating in the mix. I absolutely love it when beauty and function meet up don't you?

Cologne Ad Button Cards

2011-03-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to find a whole bunch of these Hoyt's Cologne ad cards. The colors are so so pretty. My colletion of "favorite" buttons have begun to overflow the old muffin tin that I've been storing them in so I decided to use a few of these cards to sew a few of them to. As luck would have it the cards file perfectly long-ways in an old loaf pan that has 5 of them connected all together. You know the ones right?

We've got a busy weekend of birthdays, dinners and parties but I did plan a couple of hours Saturday morning to venture out on my own to see "The Button Lady", about 40minutes away. I've heard of her but never been to her home where she apparently has thousands of buttons. My favorite are the opaque glass buttons with the iridescent sheen, well, pretty much like the ones above. I'm already conditioning myself to stay within a budget. Can't be presentless for my 5 year olds birthday party Saturday night. Somehow I don't think he'd understand that I overspent at The Button Lady's.

Adorable {& Handy} Child's Chair

2011-03-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

I found this old child's chair a few weeks ago at a great store in Berkeley called Home 101. I walked straight over to it when I saw it and took it right to the register. You know your smitten when you have no idea how much something is but it doesn't really matter because you want it. In a matter of seconds my mind saw it in my studio holding all of my "on deck" supplies that I want to use next or a few of my favorites of the moment. I've begun sewing some of my favorite buttons to tags so that I can find them easily and, well, admire them too. I DIG these old metal clips from the flea...

More than anything in my studio this old paper mache box has been the object of the question, "is this for sale?". Fraid not, I adore it :)

I couldn't resist clipping an old picture of my Grandpa that I printed out recently from the scanned in version. After he died my cousin Polly and I spent the night with our great Aunt Ada {his oldest sister}. We didn't know her that well and as teenagers we felt it was a bit of a sacrifice on our parts to stay over and sleep in a house we weren't familiar with. It wasn't however without it's rewards. She gave me this photo and one of my Grandpa standing in a wheat field. I've kept them filed safely away all these years.

And here's where things get a bit rough. The pocket that I sewed {at 2am this morning because heaven only knows I couldn't wait until daylight} is for definite, a prototype. I'll be sewing another one, probably with a ruffle but I wouldn't go to bed until I'd seen the pocket tied on.

And the cover of my paper mache box under the chair until I'm ready to pop it back on the box.

Cute and handy!

New Pretties

2011-03-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

This week I started packaging up some new pretties for my Etsy shop. This rose applique galloon, or ribbon, is so sweet. I also have individual appliques in this beautiful beige/cream combination...

as well as individual red/pink ones. I use them alot, they just seem to find their way into most of my projects.

I've also bought up a bunch of gorgeous wallpaper (seen in the backround in the photos above). This has to be my all time favorite. It's embossed and the colors are soft and faded to be just right. Here's a close-up...

In other news - I received my copy of the new Somerset Life this week. It was a fabulous issue, as usual I read it cover to cover. And speaking of covers, even though I'd seen a preview of this months cover with my recipe card file on it, it was still so exciting to pop open the mailbox and see it sitting inside. That was a first for me and it was so exciting!

Project Beginnings

2011-03-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

I've begun gathering supplies for the July camping retreat. I've been collecting these wooden child shoe forms for one of our classes. I have something in mind for this project and this is the very early beginnings of it.

I have just two spots remaining and the date has been changed to July 29-31st. The planning for this event is off to a great start and I've got so many ideas it's hard to choose the class projects. Please let me know if you'd like to attend, I'd be happy to send you additional info.

Not Your Grandma's Strawberry...

2011-03-08T20:34:00.000-08:00

Or Martha Stewart's either for that matter.... When my fabulous friends asked me to teach a class on an oversized strawberry to go with their oversized spool I thought it was a great idea. This strawberry is approximately 6x9. I decided to go with cream velour for the fabric instead of the traditional velvet.

I didn't want to make something this big without it being multi-functional. Besides that, haven't we seen it all when it comes to this old notion? I decided to sew a pocket on the front for my scissors and needle threader, and I wanted the strawberry to hold embroidery floss as well so I sewed some buttons to the sides and back. It secures floss in 3 different colors like this...

I went with the traditional felt top but I covered most of it with a sewing pattern top and bobbin for a stem.

I just love a new take on something old, don't you?

Art & Camping Weekend - Save The Date!

2011-03-01T15:34:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that I've been talking about hosting an art & camping weekend for ages. Well, I've set the date! I will be hosting this event in Petaluma, CA the weekend of July 15th. This event will be limited to 12 peeps as I will be renting 2 cabins for our stay. You won't want to miss this!

Our workshops will be outside in the sunshine, they'll be great food cooked for you by yours truly, campfires and girl talk, maybe a swap or two, shopping at a few great shops and quite possibly some late night karaoke at the local dive bar.

If you're interested or if you've expressed interest in this get a way before please email me or leave a comment. Lots more details will be forthcoming!!

Vegas Never Disappoints

2011-02-21T11:57:00.001-08:00

March Class

2011-02-15T19:28:00.000-08:00

After my last post I hope it makes sense why I haven't posted many projects in the last couple of months. I've really been wanting to share something handmade that wasn't a recipe. Those of you that were in the January class saw these dresses on my work table. They were a submission turned workshop, and we decided on March 5th.

While I'm not big on giving them, I know several members of my family like to receive gift cards, and in some cases, cash. I'm also not a proponent of giving the card on the trusty little hanger it comes glued to or buying a $5 card that someone else wrote either. Each of these dresses have either a small envelope, a magnetic purse or glass vial to store a gift card or money. The back is perfect for writing a sweet sentiment to the recipient. Simple envelopes sewn from wax paper protect the "card" but give the receiver a hint that something pretty is inside.

In other news, today is my 14th wedding anniversary. Yep, he's still buying me glue after all these years. We're off to spend the rest of the week in Las Vegas thanks to my darling Mother who graciously offered to keep my kids. It's going to be downright GLORIOUS I tell you.

How Fun Is This?!

2011-02-13T00:15:00.000-08:00

Oma'goodness, my friend Carole emailed me tonight and told me she voted for the next cover of Somerset Life with my project on it. I didn't know anything about it until she told me. How exciting!! If you have time, pop over and vote here. My cover is A with the recipe card file. What's really fun is that the magazine will be out on April 1st and I'll be teaching the class on April 9th.

And while we're on the subject, I haven't mentioned it on my blog but as of December of last year I'm a Bonne Vivante for Somerset Life. I'm so happy to be a regular contributor to my most favorite publication.

Leave a comment if you voted ok?

My First Fruits...or Fruit Really

2011-02-12T13:23:00.000-08:00

Today my son came running in the house with this itty bitty meyer lemon for me. It's the first fruit off the tree we planted last year. You can tell by the picture that it's really small, did we buy a dwarf tree by mistake? Doesn't matter, I'm still really excited that it's begun to bear fruit.

This is turning out to be a really short post - my 4 year old just rolled up on me with bright blue eye shadow on. I haven't worn blue eye shadow for ions so it tells me she's really been going through my stuff...

SO Good & Easy

2011-02-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

I was surprised to find at one of my classes recently that most people cook their lasagna noodles before baking it. This isn't how I was taught to do it {and thank goodness because that extra bit of work might have been a deal breaker for me}.

My ex-husband once declared at the table that he'd crawl a mile through broken glass for my lasagna to which my Grandma replied, "that's a lie." Yeah, no love loss there...but that's another post. Anywho...I thought I would share my short cuts for the perfect lasagna.

I saute a whole onion in a tiny bit of butter. We love onion in my family, even the kids. If this is too much for you maybe do half. The onions are super sweet when done so no strong flavors here.

Once that's done I brown my hamburger {I never use sausage, it just makes it taste like a different dish to me} and add the onions, a jar {oh yes, I said a jar} and 2 heaping tablespoons of sugar. Once that's done I begin layering.

The layers consist of noodles, the meat/sauce mixture, cheese and ricotta with cheese being the final layer. Once that is done I fill the sauce jar up about 3/4 of the way and I pour the water around the perimeter of the lasagna and a splash on top. One of the biggest keys is to put the foil on really tight.

I think this is way less work don't you? Does anybody else do it this way?

Fab Flea Market Finds

2011-02-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

We just couldn't have asked for better weather for the flea market this past Sunday. By 7am I'd already taken my coat off. Sellers seemed to be in good spirits, particularly the man that I got the lemon and raspberry millinery from. He had a bag full for $45 but all I wanted was two sprigs to tie to the rim of my last jar of homemade lemon marmalade. This was our conversation:

Me: All I need are two sprigs...can I buy just two?

Him: Will that make you happy?

Me: Yes!

Him: When that's all that matters isn't it?

Me: What can I give you for the two sprigs?

At that point he blew me a kiss and waved goodbye to me. What a doll!

I found these two cuties at the Addison Endpapers sale two weeks ago but somehow the picture got in with all of my flea market finds.

I found these old glasses in this amazing metal case at Marcia from The Cottage Jewel's booth.

Some old wooden, and some velvet, hangers for a future class. I know what I want to do with them but it won't be until probably summer.

This book has the sweetest illustrations in it. The book is such a fun shape too, tall.

Miscellaneous old metal and millinery...

I love the shape and colored caps of this old tinting liquid. I have something in mind for these...

Cute red wagon, for what I don't know but it will hold something in the studio...

No sooner than I saw Sharon, a.k.a. Mama for those of you who come to my classes, and Cindi did I find this adorable apron with her name on it. I bought it and, well, last night I couldn't resist...I was on my way to bed and I saw it sitting on my table. I thought I'd add a few things to it and before you know it I had the sewing machine out and was hand stitching more things to it. Sharon, when you see it it will be a bit enhanced...

These cute blocks were in a plastic bag when I bought them. Too bad I didn't know that they smell like their 1000 years old. They might not be salvagable...

This is the biggest flash card I've ever seen. I bought it for my husbands workbench in the garage...

I have one of these old velvet lined sewing tins but I bought it for the shopping cart...

I needed these for our March class, found them on my way out...

There were some wonderful old valentines to be had, that's for sure...

So lots of small things this trip. Really fun though to see Colleen, Sharon and Cindi, Maureen and Linda there this month. We can only hope for as beautiful of a day next month as we had this time.

New Etsy Shop - First Available Kit

2011-01-30T23:47:00.000-08:00

The requests to make class kits available have become more and more steady in the past few months. After almost 2 years of contemplating I decided to open up an Etsy shop and offer select class kits. The link to my shop is located on the right column of my blog. First up is my Stitched Bits Necklace. I have listed 3 kits, one in turquoise, butter yellow and fuschia.

I spent a nice rainy day at my craft table working on a class for summer. I'll be back with a preview soon.

I Feel SO Much Better Now

2011-01-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

OK, I'm pretty organized. I've always been organized. There's just one glitch. If I become even the slightest bit disorganized somewhere in the house it totally derails me in that area. At some point in time my closet became something I could not peek in without heart palpitations and cold sweats. This afternoon I was looking for something and my inner neat freak said now's the time to face this! Two hours, a mountain of clothes, bags and shoes later and I'd reclaimed my closet. Let's go over what I found that I thought I had lost:

1. My favorite sweatshirt with a kangaroo pocket in the front. Probably the oldest piece of clothing that I have and I love it. {Note: This sweatshirt will never see the light of day, I only feel comfortable wearing it within the confines of my home}.

2. Birth certificates for all 5 of us. Apparently I stashed them in a basket on a high shelf thinking I would remember where I put them. Unfortunately, thinking we'd lost them on our last cruise and needing my daughters for Kindergarten registration, my husband got copies two weeks ago for all of us. It cost us $130.00.

3. The fire safe that I bought to put the birth certificates in. We all know how that went.

4. My girl scout sash and handbook circa 1980. And since I'm on the subject I have to say, I sure rocked the scouting and I've got the badges to prove it sista.

5. My favorite black flip flop. Yes, singular. I threw the other one out during the last cleaning.

So there you have it. Cleaning can save you money, bring back memories and give you some peace!

Have You Had One of These?

2011-01-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

Yes...those that know me well know that I've cut way back lately but I've been saving some calories for this new found fascination. Have you had one of these??? O'ma goodnezzzz....they are SO good. I found them at Whole Foods. I'm waiting for everybody to go to BED so that I can bust out a piece and eat it while I watch The Bachelor. I gotta go get this how on the road.

He's Here, Yeah!

2011-01-22T21:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my youngest sister had her first baby. The entire family has been anxiously awaiting Ariel's arrival, and he made us wait an extra 5 days. Her husband, my Mother and the sisters were able to be present for the birth. Having had all c-sections all I have to say is WOW. It was absolutely amazing. My sister has long been known to have an extremely low pain threshhold so we were expecting lots of screaming and crying. Oh how wrong we were. It was as if she'd done it dozens of times before.

What I marveled at {and am still marveling at} is my sisters reaction to him when they handed him right up to her. You could just FEEL the love rush over you. The tenderness of meeting your baby face to face for the first time is something that only happens a few times in a lifetime and there's no greater moment in life. So much worry, planning and excitement comes together in that one moment. When it's happening to you you don't stop to really know that that process is happening, it just seems to whirl by so quickly. To see it happen to someone as close as a sister and being able to experience that joy through her is a powerful thing.

Ruffles

2011-01-16T22:02:00.000-08:00

I know, I just posted about a pair of boots that I was able to find and that was exciting but not nearly as exciting as running across these beauts. I missed out on these last season and they were nowhere to be found. From time to time I've looked on eBay but I never saw any listed until last week. Something told me to check and a girl who never wore these decided to list them to get them out of her closet {and into mine!}. I literally bought them 2 minutes after she listed them. When they came at the end of last week I thought my husband would say they were "just like the other pair". To my surprise he offered up that he liked them both and if he were me it would be to hard to decide between them so he told me to keep them both. And that dear friends, is why I decided to keep HIM :)

Anxious To Start Planting

2011-01-15T19:59:00.001-08:00

Every year at this time I start getting anxious to begin planting. See the fuzzy soft leaf in the picture above? I saw my first one ever last year in North Carolina, apparently it's called a Lambs Ear. Do we have these in CA? I'm soon to find out because I love how they look with a pretty bunch of blooms.

I also can't get enough of these vanilla strawberry hydrangeas that I saw on the Better Homes and Gardens website. I'm thinking about mail ordering some.

As I type this I'm certain my husband feels like a day of planting is looming in his future. That's because I'm fabulous at picking things out and paying for them but not so good at the planting part. Should I see a worm {in my mind, a tiny snake} I'd likely faint and fall on it. Yes, I'll leave the digging and planting to him.

I do have a winner for my give-a-way too, The Gypsy Magpie has been emailed so that I can get her Marmalade in the mail to her next week. Thanks to all who left a comment. I read each one.

Meyer Lemon Marmalade - Give-A-Way Time

2011-01-09T13:00:00.001-08:00

My neighbor has the best Meyer lemon tree. If you've never had a Meyer lemon you've truly missed out. A Meyer is a cross between a lemon and a tangerine. They are VERY citrusy, we'll just make that a word. Just slicing one lemon open will fill your entire kitchen with a wonderful frangrance. We had a tree in our backyard when we bought our house but they can attact bees and attract them ours did. We ended up cutting it down. When I feel like cutting one up to salt and eat I just go to the fence and pick some that hang over our fence. I ran across a recipe for Meyer Lemon Marmalade and thought I'd give it a try.

I started with 5 lbs of lemons...

I halved them, taking out the seeds as I went...

I was able to pick up a bit of help for the juicing of the lemons...

5 lbs of lemons will give you way more juice than you need for the recipe so we stopped to make some lemonade with the excess. This is the best lemonade you'll ever have...

Once I sliced, boiled and simmered the pulp and peels, I canned them and added some sweet floral flannel fabric under each ring. If you've ever canned you know it's a big job. In fact, I've only given a few jars away so far and only to peeps that I love. SO...I've set one jar aside for a give-a-way this week. Leave a comment on this post and I will pick a winner on Tuesday.

This will be so delish on a hot from the oven scone and some fresh whipped cream don't you think?

Just Like Old Times

2011-01-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting a bike for a while now. Not just any old bike though, I want a tri-cycle like I had when I was 12. They are SO cool. Mine was metallic olive green and I had a gigantic basket in the back, just like this one. It seems like yesterday that I would ride it to the corner store for an apple Jolly Rancher stick or a pack of Toffifay {remember those?}. Whew! Turning corners on that thing got a bit precarious when I was really jammin.

This one fits the bill and the color is "Dark Cherry", gotta love that! As I've mentioned before, my parents live one street away so I'll use it lots. The basket will come in handy when my Mom hands me the ever present bag of all the stuff my kids left behind the last time they were over.

You Only Know Me To Be...

2011-01-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

the vintagey, recipe loving, home beautifying, crafty, lover of all things pretty but I do have another side that you might be surprised to know about. It's WAY less known but I'm also:

1. A PBR {Professional Bull Rider} fanatic. It's by far my favorite sport and I follow it the entire season. As I type I'm making a mental note to ask my Mama if she'll watch my kids so that I can go to the Fresno Invitational in March {go J.B. Mauney!}.

2. I played on a co-ed softball team for a few years and can hit a ball like there's no tomorrow. I'm scheduled to start again this spring on my brother in laws team.

3. Wanna go bowling? I'll pick up and go anytime. LOVE IT. High fives and all.

4. I love going to the gun range on my lunch hour with my boss of almost 18 years and I'm a pretty good shot.

5. I can tie my own flies for fly fishing.

I could go on but I'll stop there before you start picturing me crushing beer cans with my forehead {which I don't do by the way}.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-06T21:02:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! While I'm not big on resolutions I love the start of a new year. It holds so much promise and potential. I LOVE to have things to look forward to. I've always been this way. I enjoy looking at my calendar to see what my future holds, whether it be a concert, a play, a game night or a camping trip.

Tonight I picked up everything I needed to make Sloppy Joes on the way home from work and at the check out I saw, "What's your next chapter?", on the cover of Oprah's magazine. It got me thinking on my short drive home...what is my next chapter? What if I like the chapter I'm in? For right now I don't long to change anything major, but I'm completely open to improving what's already good.

To help me with my thoughts, checklists and goals I made a new journal. I jammed it up with tons of room to write and lots of inspiration.

A few reminders to be good...

and places to write important thoughts, dates and fun things we've planned for the future.

I hope the new year is treating you well!

Sometimes The Late Bird Gets The Worm...

2010-12-31T15:06:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you are enjoying the last few moments of 2010. I've had a wonderful time being unplugged this past month but with the dawn of a new year I'm excited to get back into my normal routine.

What's with the boots you ask? I saw these at Anthropologie about a month ago when I was on a shopping day with my friend Carole. I wanted them so bad but at the time I hadn't yet bought one single Christmas gift for anyone so I couldn't justify it. In true Lisa fashion I waited too long before coming to terms with the fact that I had to have them. I began searching and they are GONE. Online was sold out, and I could hear the pity in the salespersons voices when I called all of my local stores. Those Anthro girls can't bear the thought of someone going without let me tell you...one of the stores called me back with a hot lead that a birdie told them there was one pair left {and in my size} at the SoHo store. I called them up and sure enough they had them. That would have been the happing ending but they made it happier when my sales girl rang me up over the phone and they ended up being $108.00 on sale instead of $278.00. Happy New Year to me!!

Yes, I know. This was a fluffy post but I'll be back next year with some recipes I tried this month that we loved as well as a few things I've been working on. Until then, enjoy your last few hi-calorie hours of 2010!

Sweet, Sweet, Sweet...

2010-12-21T18:45:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday was my sons 10th birthday. We celebrated by taking him out to his favorite fondue restaurant and then on to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Joining us for dinner was his bestie, Tori. They have the sweetest little relationship. You see, Tori is my cousin, but let me explain that. Tori's mother, my Aunt Tina, was married to my uncle many years ago. They had 3 children together before he passed away. My Aunt Tina remarried and had 3 more children, the youngest being Tori. We were pregnant together, I had Jake one month before she had Tori. They have always held a special place in each others hearts, as is evidence of the photo above as well as the photo below on his 5th birthday...

Dinner was great, we all enjoyed it so much. There was great food and even a few stolen kisses...

Nothing new about that though...

and a few secrets too...

And since we're on the topic of love check out my younger boy and the love of his life at their Christmas program {pay special attention to their hands}...

Whoa! I don't remember when I saw him this gleeful!

Oh, I Remember You!

2010-12-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, Thanksgiving came and went and so did a blur of activity! Between classes, Christmas trees, parties and a bit of vertigo I've really been on the run. Sound familiar? It's a great time of year, so much to do and prepare for.

The picture above is a small peek of some projects I've been working on. You'll see more of them later. Do you just love the tiny doll skate? I'm crazy about it!

Let's talk trees for a minute. What do you get, flocked or unflocked? We've always gotten an unflocked Noble Fir. This year I decided that I wanted one that was flocked but just here and there. It took me 4 tree lots but I finally found one that saw my vision. The tree carnie and I coined it, "heavy tips". So basically the tree only has clumps of flocking sporadically at the ends. It's FABULOUS! I'll have to take a photo of it when I have better light to show you. After we decorated and put the kids to bed I did what I've done for the last couple of years and moved half of the ornaments to the upper portion of the tree. I was laughing as I moved them and I realized that I'll only do this for a couple more years before they can reach up to hang them higher. Bittersweet I tell ya.

Enjoy Your Day of Food & Family!

2010-11-25T10:09:00.000-08:00

It All Adds Up

2010-11-23T18:19:00.000-08:00

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I was going to post about a pair of red panties. Yes, this is a first {and altogether likely...the last}.

Every now and then I get behind with my laundry. Well I have a pair of red lace panties that I HATE with a passion. Apparently I had dialed back 15 years when I bought them some time ago, I mean seriously...what was I thinking? Anyway, it's a bad start to a perfectly good morning when I open my underwear drawer up and they are the sole pair in the drawer. As I rip them out of the drawer and slam it shut I think the same thing, "these stupid panties need to be thrown away!". Ultimately they are later put through the wash and they wind up right back in my drawer where they wait for the next ill planned laundry quandry.

My point is, why do I inconvenience/annoy myself this way on a repeated basis? All I ever had to do was throw them out. I'll give you another example. I hate to stop for gas. When I do I'm so anxious to get on my way to wherever I'm going that I only put $10 or so in at a time. Consequently I'm always on E. I would have to say that I fear I'll run out of gas on at least a twice a week basis. Do you see a pattern here? Oh but wait...what about the lip liner that I carry in my purse that is so in need of sharpening that I'm painfully scraping wood and very little color on my lips at this point? I could go on but I won't.

I'm starting to identify lots of tiny stresses that I'd rather not live with. And most of them are so easy to solve. I pitched the skivs, swapped the lip liner out for a mechanical one and filled up on my way home today. What I'm trying to say is that you can do alot to make things better for yourself. A bunch of tiny actions really can add up. I'd rather start working smarter than working harder as they say, instead of making any kind of resolutions in the next couple of months.

So do you have "red panties" you can throw out?

Great Shopping in Omaha Part II

2010-11-22T18:34:00.000-08:00

This is my last post about my trip. I just wanted to show you a few things that I found at a great nearby antique store. I was worried that there wouldn't be anything left by the time I got there but it just goes to show you that everyone likes different stuff. I went crazy over this purple velvet purse. It's SO worn which both thrills me and breaks my heart at the same time. I mean, to look at this purse you'd have to figure that it was some girls one and only bag...

Just look at the handles, they're almost broken from use...

I plucked up this faded red biscuit tin too. Can't have enough pretty storage now can we? I like how colorful the floral bouquet is...

The picture of this valentine does not do it justice. It's several layers of pretty goodness...

This old lavender makeup tin was a must have. I can only think of 1000 things I could store in it...

In other news, I'm busy at work on several projects, more than I usually work on at once. I'll share them soon.

Great Shopping in Omaha Part I

2010-11-21T13:13:00.000-08:00

Today I wanted to share a few of my favorite finds at the vendor faire that they had at Silver Bella. I purchased this gorgeous ring from Beth Quinn...

At another great vendor table I found this old postcard album in a crate on the floor. It's quite big actually, maybe 9x12. I'm not usually one for red but I really liked the embossed pink flowers on the front.

And I love, love, love this shoe made of vintage wallpaper by Denise Nelson. You can't see it in the picture but the heel is a big bobbin with thread.

Tomorrow I will be back with my antique store finds. I'm so happy with the things I found there.

After tomorrow I'll have shared a bunch about my trip and it will be time to move on and address that red panty situation I mentioned last week. Hopefully it will make you smile, laugh even, and get you thinking about...well just wait for it!