be yourself: live with passion

sharing some new pretties...

One of the cool things that writing a blog has done for me is that it has given me a reason to look for positive stories to share...to look for pretty things in my home and garden...to look for great quotes...to want to share good things.

So, today, I thought I'd share some new pretties.

Here, under the glass dome, are pretty spools of baker's twine, one of the recent products released by Martha Stewart.  For all of the negative that floats around about Martha, I have to say this.  She is the queen of taking the ordinary and making it look pretty.  I end up buying some of her things just because I love the packaging...it's pretty.

Baker's twine is a pretty ordinary product.  I remember it from childhood days when we used to stop at the Jewish bakery in Philadelphia after church every Sunday so that we could get our weekly loaf of freshly baked rye bread.  I loved the gorgeous (and delicious!) bakery butter cookies that the lady who worked there gave me to sample every Sunday.  My mom, who firmly believes that she should not buy what she can make herself, would not buy any of those cookies.  But, I remember watching the bakery ladies packaging the cookies for those who did buy.  The cookies went into a box lined with waxed sheets and the box was tied...with none other than baker's twine.   That same ordinary product, wrapped on little spools and prettily packaged, now has a place in my studio.

Then, there's the pretty color of these mini bird eggs.  I was looking for something small that had awesome color to break up all of the cottage white on one of my shelves and these eggs were just right.  I picked them up at Country Manor...they are so cute...I think they're made of clay.  I love their irregular shape and the little speckles over the blue.

One of the things I've noticed since I started putting my BPS color class together is that my awareness and need for color has grown.  Pretty cool...

The last pretty that I wanted to share is a Gerbera daisy which bloomed in our backyard a couple of days ago. 

Pretty summer flowers aren't a big deal...unless you live in Phoenix, of course.  There are few flowers that bloom here in the summer (other than vincas) so to see a gorgeous blossom in July is definitely something special.  I had to pull out the camera for this big pretty!

Finally, on the topic of pretty, here's a great quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,  we must carry it with us or we find it not."

What "pretties" have you found in your world today?

So, what's the story?

In the last couple of weeks, I've really not been all that good about returning emails...sorry.

There have been questions about some of the things I posted about on my blog so I thought I'd just take a few minutes and answer them today.

1.  What's the story on Fred?

Fred has been part of our household since we gave him to Ashley for her 7th birthday.  He spent the first few years of his life in an indoor aquarium where he was dull, boring and pretty much lifeless.

We finally decided to take a chance and put him out in the backyard.  Our yard is fully walled in with a concrete foundation...important because turtles are huge diggers and can easily dig their way out of an enclosed area.

Life is so much better for this guy!  He roams in the spring, summer and fall and hibernates in some hole somewhere all winter long.  But, despite his good life, this is a familiar scene.  He's an escape artist and looks for every opportunity to see what's on the other side...guess he's one who thinks the grass is greener...or in the case of the Arizona desert, the rocks are browner on the other side!  He's peering through one of the drainage holes in the block wall...fortunately, he can't actually fit through there...but he loves trying.

We think that Fred is probably somewhere in his mid 20's now...a twenty something.  And while he is technically Ashley's turtle, he and I have a very special bond.   He usually comes looking for me when he hears my voice...unless he's definitely not hungry and thinks I'm going to feed him yet again (you know, it's my Slavic blood...feed everyone and everything!)...then he runs in the opposite direction!  So, there's the story on Fred.

2.  What's the story on gesso?  So many of you have emailed me about gesso...thought I'd just let you know what it is and where you can get it...then just let you play.  There's a good summary of the actual properties of gesso here.  You can pick it up anywhere where art supplies are sold...either online or in art/craft stores.  There's also gesso available at scrapbook.com so if you need some scrappin' stuff, you can kill two birds with one stone and order yourself some gesso.  I use it like paint...the big difference is that if applied lightly, it can be transluscent and give you an awesome look.  I think that gesso is going to be one of the hot products for scrappers in the next year...hope you just take some time and play...I think you'll love how it looks.

3. What's the story on my new cupboard? 

Yesterday, I finally got the cupboard I bought from Country Manor in place.  It took two tries...the first place I put it just wasn't the spot for it.  Instinctively, I knew that...but just had to try it...just in case my gut was wrong.  It wasn't.

So, after pushing and pulling all of the stuff in my scrapping corner one more time, it's now where it belongs.  Here are what the shelves look like.

I'm not sharing the whole area just yet because unlike the old saying about the "calm before the storm", when it comes to my studio, there's usually a storm before the calm....suffice it to say, the remaining areas are still in a storm state!

Here's a pic of one of the drawers...love how the glass jars fit in there so perfectly...love opening it up and seeing all the colors!

4.  What's the story on extra class kits?

I always make extra kits...always.  I rarely have any left...even when I think I'm going to have a ton.  Someone usually comes into the store while I'm teaching or right after and it dawns on them that they forgot to sign up for the class...kit sold...they call their friends and ask if they want one too...all extras sold!  So, yes, I'll be making extras for all of the projects included in the sneak peeks...and I'll let those of you who wrote know where we stand on them.

For the few who asked about the inside of the travel folio, here's a snippet to share...

                              

Hope that answers the questions...if you stuck with this long post all the way to the end, you must have really wanted an answer!

Happy Sunday...enjoy your day!

peach {dessert} of the week...

My friend, Teresa, aka Ms. Foof, has a great saying...when someone has done something pretty awesome, they are her "peach of the week".  LOVE IT.  In fact, love it so much that I adapted it...but had to insert the word dessert.

This week, last night to be precise, it was peach upside down cake.

Can you tell I love peaches?  The season is so short and I love them when they're fresh, so I've been buying them by the box!

Of course, I tell myself that we will never eat a whole box of fresh peaches before they spoil so I must make a dessert with them.  Justification and rationalization are wonderful things, aren't they?  I think Teresa's peach of the week is a little better for the waistline than mine is...sigh.  This sure did turn out good, though.  I adapted the recipe from the Great Good Food cookbook by Julee Rosso but cut way back on the sugar and substituted Kefir (similar to buttermilk but yogurt based so it's a little tangy)...here's the recipe as I made it.

1/4 c. light brown sugar (not packed)

2 1/2 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches

1/2 t. freshly ground nutmeg

1 c. unbleached flour

1/3 c. sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. soda

1/4 t. salt

1 T. butter, softened

1/2 c. buttermilk or Kefir

1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Wipe or spray the bottoms and sides of an 8" cake pan with oil.  Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bottom of the pan.  Arrange peach slices over the sugar.  Sprinkle with nutmeg.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add butter, buttermilk or Kefir (which gives the batter a tangier taste) and vanilla and beat with a mixer until well blended.

Pour batter over the peaches and bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool, then invert onto a serving platter.  Enjoy!

Guess who else loves peaches?

Yep, Fred does.

Do you remember when I told you that he will come and knock on the door when he's hungry?  Here he is this morning...caught in the act.  He was just peering in at this point and if I hadn't paid attention to him, he would have alerted me with his beak.

His favorite meal?  White chicken breast, finely chopped, and canned (not fresh, mind you) peaches.

Our animals are spoiled, I tell ya...SPOILED rotten!

But, being the good mom, I made him his chicken and peaches :)).

Now, I'm off to get some work done...hope you have a peach of a weekend...and maybe a peach {dessert} of the week!

it's a sneak peek week...

...and here are pix of two of the project classes I'm doing at Right at Home scrapbook store in August.

The third class is part of the weekend event which sold out in minutes, according to Sharon.  YAY!

This, of course, is the ever so popular white book but it's been changed up inside to more of a summer book, with an ephemera pack included in each kit to create a holiday book instead.  Some of the trims are different and there's a whole new line of papers inside...most of that's for me...I have such a hard time doing the same thing over and over again, plus some of the original papers were limited editions which were part of my collection.

The other project is a travel folio custom designed for this class that has lots of creating surfaces as well as a fun way to store all those little bits and pieces that we seem to collect when we travel.

There are some cool techniques in this one...heat transfers onto glass and beeswax...definitely fun!

If you're in the New England area, I'd love to have a chance to meet you and spend some time creating.  Hope to see you in August!

a little peek...

  Just thought I'd share a little peek at the mini-book class that I'll be teaching next week at Scrapbooks, Etc. in Mesa.

It's called 14 Keys to an Extraordinary Life and it's just a happy and bright book of inspiration.

When I was writing my class description, I asked the question, "Why 14?"  and answered it with something like just because that's how many pages there are in the book.  Here's what's so funny.   Apparently the book that I pulled out of my stash had one more page in it than all of the others!  I recounted and sure enough...that was it!

Of course, we will run with it as advertised!  14 Keys, it is.

If you have a few hours open on Wednesday, August 1st, from 10:30 to 2:00, come and play.  Just give the store a call at 480-854-2303 and reserve your spot!

doing some thinking...

As I was sipping my first mug of coffee this morning, I started thinking about the past few months and the great time I've had creating new projects and layouts.  My mind began reviewing the projects and how some of them really flowed...the inspiration was there, the colors looked great, they were appealing, and I got great feedback.

That, of course, got me wondering about the few projects (including one I'm working on right now) that I just couldn't seem to get my arms around.  What made the difference in the flow and the outcome?

I have a theory...mind you, it is just that...a theory.

I think that the projects that flowed were ones that were created from the heart and the ones that didn't were created from the head.

What do I mean by that?

The ones from the heart were ones in which I had an emotional investment...I loved the pictures, the event was one I enjoyed and was happy to remember in a piece of art, I was working with colors I loved or I was creating within my favorite style.  Contrast that with the creation from the head...teaching a specific technique with the emphasis on the technique rather than the content, creating to meet specific criteria for an assignment or having to use a certain product.

Do you go through the same thing with some projects just flowing and others just not?

Have you thought about why that is with you and if so, would you be willing to share your theory with all of us?

Hope you have a happy weekend of creating from the heart!

Photo is of an altered 3-ring recipe book.  Pocket envelope on the cover is paper clay pressed into a textured coaster to form the pattern.  Glass jars contain hand mixed paints which remind me of a beach cottage. 

all day...

I've been craving gazpacho.

It's really been hot and the humidity is starting to come.  Every day for the past week, the monsoons have been flirting with us, leaving lots of dust and a few drops of rain.

There's nothing quite as refreshing as a bowl of cold gazpacho...a Spanish soup made with blended tomatoes, cucumbers, and red pepper with a bit of fresh garlic, olive oil, salt and cumin.   But in my mind, the key ingredient is wet bread (sour dough in this case) that is torn and blended with the soup.

Yum...the craving is satisfied and I'm hibernating inside (where it's quite cool) for the evening.

Have a great night.

she is an inspiration...

...and she has very aptly called her company Inspireco.

When I was in Virginia, I had the opportunity to not only meet Amy but to be able to spend some time with her.  I love her enthusiasm for all things vintage and whimsical and she sure knows some great places to shop.  This is a shot of her grinning after finding some really cool things. 

If you're going to Silver Bella in November, be sure to stop by and see Amy...she's going to be a vendor there and you can be sure that whatever she brings will make you smile!

I had been meaning to order this egg basket from Inspireco a long time ago.  When Amy told me she thought she only had one left, I wasted no time in placing my order...you know the whole thing about limited quantities...suddenly you REALLY want need it...badly.   I love the basket...it's got some wooden eggs in it that really do fool people.  They actually have little dirty spots painted into them...my nephew recently asked me why my eggs weren't in the refrigerator.  When I asked him to toss one over to me, his eyes got huge...I'm sure he couldn't believe that an adult was giving him permission to throw an egg.  His disappointment at learning they were faux was huge! 

He should know that I wouldn't keep all my eggs in one basket anyway.  :))

One of my dreams is to go to Southern France and shop at some of the flea markets.  But, since I don't have such a trip planned anytime soon, I decided to do the next best thing. 

I ordered a pack of French papers carefully selected by Corey Amaro, who lives in France and pens the delightful blog, Tongue in Cheek.  Do you know that it's the only blog that I try to read every day?  Maybe it's because she is one of the few bloggers who actually writes something every day; most certainly because she is a very creative writer and photographer.

The papers are awesome, as you can see by the bits and pieces peeking through, and you can order them from Amy.  By the way, quite a few of Corey's collections that Amy has in her store are featured in the latest Romantic Homes magazine.  How cool is that?

So, thanks for the inspiration, Amy (and Corey).  I can't wait to use my papers in some really special projects.

Good to know that Inspireco lives up to its name.

new cupboard = blank canvas

Last week, I paid a visit to one of my local home decor stores, Country Manor.  When you enter the store from the back, the first room you see is the garden room.  It's very cottagey, and it's filled to the brim with cottage white furniture, flowers, vines and all sorts of other fabulous things.  The first thing I saw was this cupboard and it had a red ticket on it.  Now, I've been shopping at Country Manor for a long time and I know what red tags mean---A SALE!

The price was definitely right.  I needed more storage space.  But...where was I going to put it?

I held off and didn't buy it.  Thought about it, slept on it overnight.  The next day, I was still thinking about it, so I started scheming planning on how to rearrange things so that I could possibly make it fit.  It certainly was an effort in creativity but I think I have it figured out.

Back to the store I went...to measure, of course.  Yep, it would fit.  Still didn't buy it...still thought about it, though.

The next day, I went in and paid for it.  I asked them to hold it for me until the weekend.

On Saturday, after my great class at Scrapbooks, Etc., Vern and I went over and loaded it into Maxie.  It's now in my family room against a wall...but not where it's going to be because lots of things need to be moved and the moving person (that would be me) is otherwise occupied and can't do it right now.

Maybe next weekend.

For now, it's a blank canvas.  Oh how I love a blank canvas.  I'm picturing all sorts of good things on the shelves...in fact, yesterday, I managed to sneak place a few things on the shelves...here and there...temporarily, of course...and all for inspiration, you know.

Here's one of the things that managed to find its way over there...a vintage style cake stand (the smallest of three) which I got from Vintageweave Interiors with some vintage seam binding stacked on top...for inspiration.  Bet you can't guess what color I was working on for my BPS color class! :)

I'm looking forward to filling the shelves...and the drawers.  It's all just part of the quest to become more efficient and organized.

So, here's the before.  The after will come when the canvas is finished...looking forward to sharing it with you.

Do you have any blank canvas projects that you're looking forward to starting?

summer goodness...

It all started with a quick stop at the magazine rack on my weekly trip to Costco.

The cover of the new Cooking Light magazine caught my eye.  "Fresh berry-peach cobbler" in large letters accompanied the wonderful photo of cobbler in a bowl with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on the side. 

I was hooked.  A copy of the magazine ended up in my cart.

Now, not only did I have my list, but I had a mission.  We were going to have berry-peach cobbler that night for dinner, no matter what.

I headed toward the fresh fruit/veggie section.  On my way back there, I began scanning through the end cap freezers to find the boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I cook for Thatcher.   I didn't find the chicken but a label on a box just popped out at me.  Was I seeing things right?  There, right before my eyes was a box labeled Berto's Gelato with a container of chocolate and one of vanilla bean inside the box.  What's the big deal with Berto's Gelato, you ask?

We started buying Berto's Gelato at Sunflower Market sometime last year and we got hooked.  Berto's originally made gelato only for the high end restaurant market in Phoenix and then entered into the specialty food retailer market.  Our local Sunflower Market has lost their lease and is closing...first question our of our mouths when we heard that was "Where are we going to get our gelato?"  It's that good!  When I saw that box at Costco, of all places, I felt like the gelato fairy was smiling down upon us.

Continuing on with the story...now that the gelato crises was solved, I moved on to finding the fruit I needed for that cobbler.  Not only did I find a box fresh peaches that had a peachy smell (don't you hate when they sell fruit that doesn't smell like fruit...in fact, it doesn't smell like anything!), but I found a case of beautiful raspberries.  Of course, now my fruit cravings exploded.  So, into the cart I loaded a case of apples, a case of mangoes and a case of Clementines.  Talk about the eyes being bigger than the stomach...my eyes were bigger than our whole family's stomachs!

Even the produce manager made a comment like..."wow, you must have a big family".   Ummm...no....just three of us...and one, the one with the cart and the checkbook, currently has a big appetite.

He just grinned.

We got our cobbler that night...it was sooooo delicious.  I made a few modifications to the recipe...can't leave well enough alone, I guess.  Of course, I had to take pictures before we ate it.  A true memory artist! 

Mission accomplished...fresh cobbler for dessert with a side of Berto's gelato.  True summer goodness.