Monthly Archives: May 2010

Hello and Thanks

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I feel remiss in saying hello to anyone who is new to my site especially via Craft Critique, Blog Frog and Top Mommy Blogs! Thank you for taking time to come by and reading ramblings about my crafty-foodie life which often involves my family. Having the site for 1-1/2 years now, it’s still surreal to believe there are readers who visit regularly or whenever time allows. It’s nice to know that I’ve helped or inspired others to do something different, something new. The crafting and cooking will return soon…

It's the simplicity I envy sometimes

I’m feeling a little introspective lately. Like everyone else, just lots of things going on with family and life, but things are under control. I mean really, I have a great family life and I’m finally exploring the artistic side of me which before, I hardly had time. At least now, I sneak it in once in a while: a late night, drawing or sketching in the car while waiting in the school pick-up line.  I often wonder if my daughter remembers I used to work outside the house and I used to take her to the office with me. Or is this the me she sees now: mom, wife, personal secretary, chauffeur, cook, launderer, housekeeper, etc. I want to make sure my kids know I love them, want to set a good example, teach them life skills. We all do the best we can.

I think I just get run down with the parenting-homekeeping part of me, so it was great timing that a friend of ours managed to arrange two tickets to The Oprah Winfrey Show! How surreal is that? I ended up going by myself because Eastman had a prior school event – out of town, even. And, while there was the “extra” ticket, how could I possible pick one friend to come along? How do you pick? I didn’t. It’s almost impossible. How does that Petula Clark song go *grin*?

Like a good audience member, in accordance to the “guest contract” I signed at Harpo Studios, I won’t blog about the program I saw (it was the Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers show, by the way – aired last Friday), but I can certainly document my journey there. It was really refreshing to have some time for myself…

I had a chance to forget all my troubles, forget all my cares… downtown.

(Thanks, Darwin! Thanks, East!)

Gotta Get Outside

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I’ve learned from working in construction that there are really only two seasons in Chicago: coming out of winter and going into winter. Sometimes there is an in-between, and that’s when everyone runs outside. We’ve been spending some time outside in our backyard. I’m so excited the plants are coming up after last year’s late season planting especially the brunella (Jack Frost), the garlic and some ferns that were transplanted from Oak Park to a far west suburb and then to our home. You’ll see the ferns have grown a lot in just a few weeks!

(click on the pictures to zoom in)

The shrubs are looking a little lopsided, hopefully after some pruning and warmer temperatures, they’ll bounce back. I’m slightly worried about them. I planted some lettuce and spinach in “the farm”, but I’m afraid it’s late in the season. They’re sprouting now, as of this post, so we’ll see what happens. Saturday, chicken wire was added to help deter the rabbits. I’m looking to add some marigolds soon…along the perimeter of the kitchen garden.

This week is starting out a little damp and cloudy, but by the weekend, I should have some warmth to do more outside. Right now, I have a leak somewhere in the roof to take care of, too. Grrr!

Personal DNA

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Another one of those weeks where I’m catching up on chores, writing, reading, crafting, mothering… I wanted to take a break and thought to share this personality quiz. I used to take a bunch of these in high school and college. Now that I think about it, why did I keep taking these quizzes? Is that was girls do? My daughter has two quiz books from American Girl… we start so young, don’t we? I’m not sure what I was looking for then. Maybe it was some insight into the person I was versus the person I wanted to be. Maybe, back then, it was to confirm that I was the right girl for my crush-of-the-month.

Well, this quiz assessed me (now) as a Dynamic Inventor. Figures, hehe.

My personalDNA Report

Some Festive Cards for anytime

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I was busy last week getting a pack of cards ready for a silent auction. I hope the winner enjoys these and actually uses them. (Click on the picture for a better look.) Now I need to get crackin’ on a few mother’s day cards and one birthday card for a friend’s daughter who turns one this weekend!

StampScrapArt Tour

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picture featuring InkyAntics

It was sort of a fluke that I happened across an ad for the StampScrapArtTour in a crafting magazine a month or so ago, and even more a fluke that it wasn’t too far away from my home. So, a few weekends ago with eight-year old daughter in tow, a friend and her daughter, I was off to my very first craft show. Our entrance fee was $6.00… well worth the 2 hours I was able to spend there.

The tour featured 21 vendors at the Clock Tower Conference Center in Rockford, IL, and it was the perfect size to break in my novice-ness. I was FLOORED at the card samples and artwork posted – in amount and creativity! Paper, crafting supplies, embellishments – you name it, it was probably on the floor. And, the amount of rubber stamps in the place was astounding: unmounted, mounted, rubber, acrylic, and designs for every occasion to cover a huge spectrum of individual personal style.

One of our stops was Bugawumps, where Laura Jacobs was holding a demonstration on liquid masking and another demonstration using glass paint. She had these cute glass pebbles you could use for embellishments or maybe a cute magnet. We brought one home.


Actually, I was really impressed with the number of technique and product demonstrations at the show. This one from Darcie showed their Shrink Plastic Project Kits. Passers-by were mesmerized, but who wouldn’t be? It reminded me of the days of “Shrinky Dinks” and my mom burning my permanent marker and plastic creations in the oven because we didn’t have easy-to-use heat guns at back then, but these shrinkies are much prettier than the ones I ever made.

Ruthie from Darcie’s is showing the technique here.




There were plenty of opportunities to purchase wares, too, from markers and inkpads to industrial adhesive rollers. Polkadots and More! from Mukwonago, WI brought displays to inspire easy and thoughtful gift-giving, and brought stamp kits from Unity Stamp Company.

We found this non-stamping demonstration really interesting. Tessler Stamps and Stencils showed how to stencil using daubers with ink pads. Then our demonstrator spackled embossing paste to make the image come to life.

One of our last stops included InkyAntics, a company started in 1997 by Jackie Lewis. InkyAntics features over a dozen artists… trying to make “the world a cuter place”.



And just to mention the other vendors, because it was just such a fun time to meet them all:

Just for Fun and their blog, Rubber Cottage, Peddler’s Den, Repeat Impressions, Seaside Stampin’ Ink, Lost Coast Designs, Pretzel City Paper, Stamp La Jolla, Art Gone Wild, Stamp Camp, Stampers Anonymous, Designs Unlimited, Close to My Heart, Stampit Crazy, Altered Arts and ScrapHD.

Thanks for showing me a little peek into your worlds.

PS: Don’t forget to check Craft Critique for your chance at a Donna Downey giveaway! Tomorrow is the last day to enter!

UPDATE 5/15: Donna Downey giveaway is closed, and this article is also posted at Craft Critique.

Some Website Clean-up, Fun and Giveaway

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Funky Monday soup, right? We’ll get to that in a moment. I’ve been toying around with this site layout. I’m no web programmer by any means, just playing around. Some of the additions are:

  • Along the right hand side of the blog, I’ll post some books and products on cooking, crafting, etc. Some books I own, some I’ve borrowed, read at the library, seen at friend’s homes… I just think they’re cool books, and I think you might like them too. I promise not to clutter up with too much advertising. That was never my intention with this site.
  • Further down the right hand side, there is a “Google Friend Connect” box. I don’t know if there are people other than my family who are following my craziness – well, on a regular basis. I sure do appreciate it if you are, and if you feel so inclined to follow along, feel free to sign-in.

So, around 8:00 PM last night, I realized, “OH, it’s Sunday!” It was one of those, “Gee, I thought it was Saturday” moments, and I have to get my head back into the weekday routines.  But no, I was wandering around cyberspace and found this site: Sign Generator from RedKid.net. So much fun to be had. There are lots of images to choose from – pick one and enter your phrase. That’s how the Monday Soup came about.

How about your own Oscar award? Street sign? Magic 8 ball? I would have to shake the ball again if I got this fortune. We all have those days, don’t we? I feel like making a bunch of goofy ones and sending them off to my friends.

Lastly, go by Craft Critique today to see my review on Donna Downey products (there are 3 articles, mine is number 2 or 3), and sign up for the wonderful giveaways! I’m so excited to be able to bring these fun opportunities to readers! Entries are open until Wed., May 5… Happy Cinco de Mayo!

(My Craft Critique legal disclosure that I have to include so I or others don’t get in trouble!)

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