Happy Birthday Nancy

To the "greatest" on her birthday.

Jewelry Frames

A creative way to keep track of all my jewelry... 

(Thanks Sarah H. for the idea)

So far I am using them for earrings... 

I am planning to add larger frames to organize my necklaces and bracelets. 

Hi!

 One of my favorites. A simple hi.

Penny Rugs

My sister shared with me a blog post she found about an interesting craft... and instantly I fell in love with the idea. It is called a Penny Rug. I have seen examples of Penny Rugs in antique/primitive/country shops and always thought I'd like to have one. After reading the post I realized I could make them myself. 

Here is my first Penny Rug: 

Adventures in Relish Making

Summer is the time for adventure. I spend my summer with my family and friends back in New England. There are so many great places to travel for the weekend or even a day. I filled the last seven weeks to the brim with all kinds of adventures. One of my favorite adventures took place last week in my Aunt's kitchen. Together with Rebecca (my sister), Julia (my cousin) and Nancy (my aunt) we made Green Tomato Relish using my grandmother's recipe.

We went to a local farm with a five gallon bucket in hand. They sent us out to the field and showed us where to  pick the green tomatoes. We cut up lots of tomatoes, green peppers, and onions. The recipe calls for grinding up the vegetables. We (and by we I mean Julia... ) used my grandmother's hand grinder and then mixed everything up together. The mixture went into the fridge overnight. Early the next morning, Nancy got up and poured salt over the vegetables. Four hours later we were ready to combine all the spices, sugar and vinegar together on the stove... add the vegetables... and then can our bounty. 18 jars later we finished jarring up the relish. 

It was so fun to work together and produce something handcrafted. It was also great to learn how to can from Nancy... she always has great things to teach and I thank her for a wonderful "Auntie Adventure" and her willingness to share and pass down family traditions.

Here are a few pictures from the "Adventure in Relish Making":

Yum! 

Cooling Down with a "Coolie"!

During vacation at the lake "Grammy" pulled out her sewing machine to make a craft. She had bought this thing you wrap around your neck to help keep cool on hot days.  She wanted to recreate it... I read a blog post last summer with the same project idea. I bought all the supplies,  and managed to make one with my mediocre sewing skills. Sewing and I don't have the best track record. So when "grammy" suggested the craft I was all for it!

The "Coolie" is made with fabric and "Cracked Ice Crystals''. The crystals are small hard rocks, but when soaked in water they swell several times their original size. We created a long narrow tube with small chambers to hold the crystals. We deposited about a half of a teaspoon into each compartment and sealed the tube. 

Once it was sealed and everything was trimmed and pretty... we soaked the "Coolie" for about 15 minutes in a bowl of water. Then it was ready for trying out! By the end of the morning we made 5 "Coolies". 

They are great for the beach and the boat or just laying on the couch on a hot day!

"Grammy" working her magic!

Before Soaking in Water

After Soaking in Water

A very happy COOL kid!

Cake Decorating 101

I have discovered something I have no desire to dabble in... Cake Decorating with Fondant.  I will leave this to my dear sweet sister, Heather. I do not have the patience to deal with the preciseness needed to complete the various stages. I did learn that I am good moral support during the 4 hours needed to complete a birthday cake for a cute little girl who just turned 1! 

Here are the pictures I took to document the stages...  I give Heather an A+ for her first attempt in fondant cake decorating!

1st bake cakes and ice with a thin,
smooth layer of buttercream frosting.

Kneed and Dye Fondant (you will need elbow grease...)

Roll out the fondant...
(1/4 inch thick... measure diameter of the cake, plus the
 height and add two inches for wiggle room...)

Make sure you have a good supply of powered
sugar and keep moving and flipping the fondant
so it doesn't stick to your work surface! 

Carefully move fondant to the cake
smoothing and forming it to the cake.

Cut off excess fondant.

Repeat the process if you are daring or
crazy enough to add more tiers.

Come up with a creative way to hide the seem.

This is where I helped... otherwise Heather might
still be working on this cake!

Use cookie cutters to make pretty designs to
decorate the top and sides of your cake.

Ta-Da! 
Four hours later and you have a very pretty cake!

Carlene loved it!

She also enjoyed how it tasted!

So, if you are brave, daring, and very patient... give fondant a go! But, it you are like me leave it to the professionals or someone like my sister! 

Happy Birthday Carlene!

My niece turned 1!!! 

How can a year have already gone by?

Happy Birthday Carlene! 

I have been lazy when it comes to anything crafty... especially since February. I think this is a trend. I get so busy with the end of the year at school and I don't make the time to keep up with my hobbies. Using Picnik I have been able to make card that reflect how I make them out of paper. 

Here are a few examples of the cards I've made...

Happy Birthday Sara!

Happy Birthday Melissa! 

Happy Birthday Grampy!

Happy Birthday TL!

"A friend is one of the nicest things 

you can have, and one of 

the best things

 you can be."

 -Douglas Pagels

Happy Birthday Tammy! 

I hope you had a wonderful day. You are near and dear to my heart. I am so glad to be part of your life.

baby jones

Welcome baby jones!

Last weekend was I honored to be invited and attend a baby shower for my friends Drew and Candis. You can read all about the fun shower over on Candis' blog Lady Lee in Progress. I was so glad to be able to take part in their fun celebration. They are going to be a great Mom and Dad. 

Congratulations and enjoy these last weeks as you prepare to welcome your little boy into your lives forever.

I heart you!

Hayley, Maddie, and Ellie

I spent a few hours babysitting my "Ohio Nieces" today. They are such crafty little girls. In honor of Valentine's Day we created a strand of garland to hang in their house. We used scrap paper I found in my stash in pinks and reds and fun prints and a long piece of pink ribbon. I showed them what I was thinking and they started creating. It was so fun to watch them take an idea and make it their own. When Mom came to pick them up they were so excited o share what they made.... I hear it is going to be the door decoration!

Happy Valentine's Day

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Your Home Based Mom, few weeks ago and I found a great tutorial for felting sweaters and creating cute hearts. I decided I would try my hand at "felting". It took me two tries to purposefully shrink three wool sweaters I had been storing in a box in my basement. I followed most of the blog instructions. I decided I would hand stitch the hearts together. I don't have a good track record with my sewing machine. Maybe next time! Here are my finished products. 

Happy Birthday Eliana!

Years Old! 

Ellie turned eight last week and I spent one of my "ice" days crafting for her. She is a creative crafter herself. I love to watch as she makes and draws and continues to grow into the person she was created to be.

I was at a friend's house a couple of weeks ago and noticed these really cute clothespin magnets on her fridge. I took a minute to sneak a peak at how they were made. I tweaked the idea by using ribbon create a place to hang photos or artwork. I chose pink because pink reminds me of Ellie. (And she "LOVED" the colors I picked out for her!)

Clothesline Decoration

I decoupaged a small box for the little gift.

Hi!

I wish I were better at sending cards as letters in the mail. I remember a time when I would regularly write to friends and family to let them know what was going on. Now in the age of email, twitter, skype and facebook, letter writing and card sending is a lost art. It is my goal to be better.

Here is a card I made last week to say hi and to encourage. Simple. The message was received and met with a heartfelt return message. It is amazing to me how the simple art of jotting down a few words can touch the heart and soul of a person. I wish it were still the norm.

A simple hello to brighten your day.