In this day and age of writing emails and texting, have you noticed that the written word is just going away? I cringe when I see shortened words or even worse misspelled ones! It's so hard to try and even read what people are posting lately. While taking this into consideration I wandered out to my mail box to find it laden with ads, bills and some random packages of supplies. I realized then and there that I wish I had a good old letter to read. What I needed was a Pen Pal! I went right out and started a thread on Etsy! Before I knew it, the thread had taken off and we had over 10 people wanting to be matched up! Let us hope that the art of the pen to paper is not dead yet and I can keep this up! If you are interested, head over to the thread and sign up! We still have some unmatched members!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The Days of Writing Snail Mail...
In this day and age of writing emails and texting, have you noticed that the written word is just going away? I cringe when I see shortened words or even worse misspelled ones! It's so hard to try and even read what people are posting lately. While taking this into consideration I wandered out to my mail box to find it laden with ads, bills and some random packages of supplies. I realized then and there that I wish I had a good old letter to read. What I needed was a Pen Pal! I went right out and started a thread on Etsy! Before I knew it, the thread had taken off and we had over 10 people wanting to be matched up! Let us hope that the art of the pen to paper is not dead yet and I can keep this up! If you are interested, head over to the thread and sign up! We still have some unmatched members!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Encourage Grazing
As the months start to warm up, I notice that the kids seem to always be hungry and tend to want to eat more at meal time. I try to keep the hunger at bay, by constantly offering a buffet of healthy snacks in between meals. During the Summer months when the fruits are fabulous, I keep the fruits on hand. This will stay out and I change out the fruit for refrigerated replacements every hour. I change out the fruit selection daily and alternate the buffet with fruits and Veggies. Grazing throughout the day helps them eat smaller meals at the other times in the day and that's the perfect thing for healthy and active bodies. Today this is our fruit spread:
This week, I am also starting to work on the latest in health advice I have been given and that is to make Dinner your smallest meal of the day. We had a filling breakfast of cereal with fresh berries and toast and lunch was Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas. For dinner I plan on serving up a fresh greens salad from our garden and adding a small bowl of home made chicken soup with the left over chicken from lunch.
Oranges, Strawberries, Mango, Grapes, Yellow and Red Watermelon.
Vanilla-Cinnamon with a touch of Honey Yogurt Dipping Bowl & Granola.
Vanilla-Cinnamon with a touch of Honey Yogurt Dipping Bowl & Granola.
This week, I am also starting to work on the latest in health advice I have been given and that is to make Dinner your smallest meal of the day. We had a filling breakfast of cereal with fresh berries and toast and lunch was Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas. For dinner I plan on serving up a fresh greens salad from our garden and adding a small bowl of home made chicken soup with the left over chicken from lunch. Enjoy the day everyone!
~Michelle!~
Monday, June 28, 2010
Veggies in the Garden!
We have been getting herbs and beans and onions galore in our garden, but this morning brought us a new surprise!! 2 cucumbers were ready to be plucked out and they were delish! Now if only all those green tomatoes would pick up the pace! haha!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Happy 30th Birthday!!!
Happy birthday to my husband! he turns 30 on Sunday and I couldn't be happier! He is always so quick to mention that his WIFE is 30 already and he is still in this 'twenties' hahaha! Now he is joining the ranks of us 'geezers!' hahaha! The kids and I made him a fantastic scrapbook with photos, surveys about Dad and drawings, and reasons why we love him and are thankful for him. This project is 2 months in the making and I am thrilled with the results. This man deserves everything good that comes his way. He's my rock, my best friend, my love. He is an angel among men that makes me happy every single day. To you Salvatore, I give my love and devotion. Happy Birthday to my best friend forever.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A Note From My Facebook Fanpage..
I've mentioned this in passing before on my FACEBOOK wall, I want to go into more detail. Accessories can do so much for your outfits. A simple white t-shirt and jeans can go bohemian with a hemp bag and wooden hoop earrings. It can go Chic with diamond studs and a simple thin chained necklace. Want to make it funky? Pair your outfit with an ice cream cone necklace and giant bangle. 1 outfit can be many if you take the time to pair it with just the right pieces.
Today, I headed out for a bike ride wearing black leggings and a pink fitted cotton shirt. The shirt has a bow at the top of the collar, so I knew right off the bat, NO NECKLACE. Without a necklace, I had to overcompensate on the earrings to make a statement. I went with my personal M pink earrings from MCW (http://tinyurl.com/2aj3dod) and then I added a pink Mahjong bracelet (also MCW), to balance out the pink, I added a vintage bangle in black and then one on pink to alternate pink/black/pink on the wrist.
Since I was riding around on a vintage cruiser style Electra, I wanted to add some kitsch to the outfit by bringing along my astro turf bag (complete with gnome!) and my vintage E.T. Messenger bag carried the packages I had to deliver.
Pulled together, it had an eclectic look that make me who I am :) At first glance a little crazy, but it's me!
What accessories are you wearing today? Share!
This is another of my favorite accessories, my black cats eye glasses, click HERE to see!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Fun With Food....
Lately with my father in the hospital, I have had to not only make my food creative, but portable. We have been chugging to the hospital daily and spending all day there. For 3 little ones the 2 hour car ride is enough, but add in having to sit still and be quiet? Well it's pure torture. Not to mention that grandpa is their best buddy ever and seeing him sick is just not good for anyone. Bento Boxes were the PERFECT thing for toting snacks and goodies on the car ride and once we were in the hospital. The kids love the compartments and the cute accessories that come with the art of Bento. They never take long to assemble and are always a fun and healthy option for keeping kids interested. (did I mention that my husband works 2 jobs and I was going this alone????)
When my daughter landed in the same hospital as my dad only HOURS after leaving (Only she was in the ER and dad was in the ICU), I was a wreck. I got light headed with all the blood and ended up falling to the floor. She was fooling around at my parents house and knocked out her front tooth. We were lucky (HAH!) that at age 5, these were only her baby teeth. With the now missing tooth, fat and swollen lip and pain, I was no challenged with making these Bentos Cute, Fun, Creative, Healthy and now SOFT! I knew this was the perfect time to bring out the Egg Molds.
These Egg molds are super easy to use and the kids had a BLAST eating with them, they now ask for an egg EVERY DAY in their little box! Head on over to Ebay and you too can join in on the fun! (The food fun, not the hospital fun!!)
Egg Mold Usage:
Kids carrying their activity packs and snack boxes are tucked neatly inside!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Reviving the Plain and Old!
Making something blah fun again!I found this bag on clearance for 4.00 at Meijer. It was too plain for my liking, so I added on a vintage bow brooch that I found at a garage sale for .25! I've so far had 5+ people ask me about my bag within the last 3 days!Remember something like a brooch, scarf, pair of earrings pinned on can transform anything quickly and cheaply
Monday, June 21, 2010
I GOT IT I GOT IT!
Found the right Electra in my size! I was totally thrilled to find it in my all time favorite color that I just couldn't leave the store without it!
This is the most amazing bike I have ever been on and I have plans for baskets, racks, streamers and other goodies! Can't wait! My husband even hopped on for a quick ride around the block and agreed that the ride just can't be beat!Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Reviving the Old!
I have recently begun purchasing larger pieces of vintage furniture and such in hopes of breathing new life into them. I keep the price point super low, in case it does not turn out as I had hoped or envisioned! This past weekend, we hit up an Estate Sale where I saw the ugliest kitchen cart in brown. I knew just the spot where it had to go in my studio, but it needed to be livened up. I took a photo of it straight away and then hit the rest of the sale while I thought about it.
It was marked 5.00 and I knew I would be able to talk them down a bit, as everyone seemed to pass it on by. I offered them 2 and it was sold! My husband just shook his head and said: That will go NOWHERE NEAR the kitchen! hahah! I let him know I had big plans for this piece. I knew this was a vintage 50s Cosco kitchen cart, so the enamel had to be covered with a quality spray paint. I did some research at home and decided on Krylon indoor/outdoor spray paint. From there I researched where I could get the best deal and lo and behold it was on sale at Wal Mart and headed on over. I had narrowed it down to Sun Yellow and Watermelon Pink. Once we got there, I quickly decided on the watermelon pink and it was on sale for 2.37. I bought 2 cans, but only ended up needing 1. Primed it first and let that dry for 1 hour and then spray painted 2 coats and let that dry for 1.5 hours! Voila!
The lighting in my studio is horrendous, it's actually a bold and vibrant HOT pink!
Monday, June 14, 2010
BOGO SALE??????
Join me tonight as I host a SUMMER TRUNK show! 8pm Central time:
Get an AWESOME discount code for my shop and many others to use today!!! Hope to see you there!!! This is a show put on by the Eclectic Artisans Street Team!
Try This Out!
Now that I am spending more time in the kitchen, I am becoming kitchen-gadget Addicted! I love going to Bed Beth and Beyond and checking out all they have in stock and often come home with something new to test out! I decided I should pass along this information in case anyone else is wanting to try something out! Next, I will give a review of the Bounce Dryer Bar, since I just purchased it over the weekend, I want to at least get a few loads under my belt before I review it.
First up, I am testing out a pineapple corer, easy to use and it gets an A+ from me! I LOVE IT!
Keep in mind that I have no clue how to work half the stuff I buy, it looks cool and I always hoe the directions are enough to help me figure it out! This one was Easy-Peasy! I popped this gadget right in the center of the pineapple (After cutting off the top) and just twisted it all the way to the bottom of the pineapple.
After spinning it all the way in, the pineapple pulls right out and you are left with this link of rings to cup up however you would like. It's so clean and crisp and east to do!
What I really liked best about this was how easy it was to maneuver and in the end I am still left with this shell! I like to put fruit salad in them, for a fun and festive look. This is the outer shell and core.
my findings in case anyone has been wanting to try something out!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
A Peek in the Corner
A tiny corner of my studio reveals a vintage cabinet bought at a Flea Market for 2.00 (yup!). The surface holds my laptop, scrabble tile collection (and new tiles that I need to put away) tube of miniatures that needs to be put away, tools and pens and markers and a container of stickers under my business cards!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sold and Relisted, a Question
I have A question for shop owners out there today. When reading my Twitter and Facebook Feeds, I often times see the words: Sold and Relisted, if you are one that does this often when an item hits your SOLD section, do you remake the item as soon as your other one sells? Do you already have a batch of them made up? Do you remake the items when it sells again the next time?
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Hello Again
WANTED! I fell in LOVE with this today when I laid eyes on it! At 54.00 it's not really something I could snag up,so I stepped away from it.....Now I keep thinking of it non stop! haha!
This vintage Wil-Hold sewing container in Clear Plastic has been on my WANT list FOREVER! I finally snagged one up yesterday and it was stuffed with sewing notions!!! In fact, I just listed some of the buttons that were in here in my shop today! I have so many buttons, that I try to get rid of as many as I can so that my collection does not get out of control!
These sunglasses are a teal colored lucite and I fell in LOVE the minute I spotted them!!! I snagged them up straight away and I know they will become a fast favorite!!
Summer has me SWAMPED! Sorry I've been neglecting the blog, with 3 kids and no school it's one activity after another!!! Thank you so much for staying on with me and today I am going to share some of my treasures that I picked up at the antique market this weekend!!
These buttons were a TOTAL steal at 2.00 and they
are colorful and pretty and fun!!
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Second: you peel the egg while it is still hot.
Third: you will pop it into the mold
Fourth: put them in the fridge for 1 hour at minimum. I like to do 3 and I've heard that people do them at night and then leave them overnight. (I will start doing this, but I HAD to do a review first)
Fifth, pop open the mold and VOILA!
Your best bet is a large or extra large egg and don't worry if it smashes when you close the lid, just clean up the excess and it will turn out great!
Since they take so long to do, you will most likely want at least 3-5 in your collection!