Where have all the bloggers gone?

Sing along to the tune of  Where Have All the Flowers Gone? but substitute Bloggers for Flowers.

I've been remiss for a long time for multiple reasons but I hope to improve during the month of October. October 1st is a Monday, so new week, new month, new goals, right? Nothing too lofty, just improving on previous days and finding a groove that isn't a rut.

First of all, here is a simple card completed as a birthday card and now in the mail. The stamp used for the card was from Altenew's Dearest Friend stamp set. I used Zig Clean Color markers on watercolor paper. The spattering was intentional, done with Distress Oxide ink and water mixed on an acrylic block and flicked around the floral image.

The banner on the envelope flap is from Swing Borders by Mama Elephant, the lettering done by hand. 

I had another family birthday recently among the great-nephews and one great-niece. This time it was the great niece and she truly is great. I give them cash, but never a check or just bills in a card. Search this blog for Money as Gifts to see other presentations. There are many ways to create a money lei. I've seen directions for as few as three bills per flower to seven. If this inspires you, look up cash lei and decide which directions will work best for you. I used green curling ribbon to tie the flowers onto a dollar store lei, a leftover from a luau party a few years ago. 

I love Halloween, both the macabre and the whimsical, heavier on the whimsy. I don't see my grandchildren daily because school seems to be important and gets in the way. 😉 That doesn't stop me from repositioning my friend Bonita every day in case the kidlets do come over. Bonita's name is pronounced Bone-needa, reversing the syllables would be Need a Bone said as a question Need a Bone? or perhaps as an emergency I NEED a BONE! although I'm not sure what that emergency might be. I digress. Often.

Today she is guarding the stairs and reminding me not to go upstairs empty-handed. She could help out instead of being bossy, but many things slip right through her fingers.

I do admire her slender thighs but I'm not willing to eat as few calories as she does.

My kind of WeirDough

I followed Jennifer McGuire's directions for a Peek-a-boo card (Click here), the Favorite Puperoni stamp set from Simon Says Stamp (Click here), and various Copic markers to create this fun card.

You can see how this card opens and the second image (in my case, the WeirDough greeting) slides into place on Jennifer's site.

Home from Alaska

If anyone had told me years ago that I would visit both Hawaii and Alaska, I would have rolled my eyes and said "sure" in my best sarcastic voice, but I have done just that. I visited Hawaii with my husband and good friends in 2012, and now I've seen part of Alaska with one son and a group of friends in August.

The trip was a cruise on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Sea. I cruised twice on Carnival ships in the 1990's, on Norwegian in 2012 and on Disney in 2016. Carnival may be different today, but based on my experiences, Carnival was #2, Norwegian was #3, Royal Caribbean was last in my overall experience and Disney was far ahead of everyone in the #1 position. It wouldn't be fair to compare every part of the cruise experience when over 20 years have passed since the first Carnival cruise. Some things about that will always stand out because it was our first cruise. I am not going to bash anything about Royal Caribbean or staying in a home in Vancouver through Airbnb. Everyone's taste and expectations vary. There wasn't any one thing wrong with a capital W on either the cruise or the house in Vancouver the night before the cruise, I simply won't use either company again. Maybe it is true that we get set in our ways as we age. All I know is that I have certain expectations and want to relax when on vacation.

There is beauty in every state, province, island, and neighborhood I've visited. Alaska was certainly no exception. Most of the excursions were in ports that featured rugged outdoorsy events. That is so not me, but neither is an endless line of stores selling items labeled "Alaska" with made in China or the Phillippines on their labels, nor the high-end jewelry stores. Personally, if I am buying something pricey, I'd rather buy it close to home in case there is a problem.

What were the best parts of the vacation?

 

Towel creatures appeared a few evenings.

This music was lively but sadly the actual shows and the comedian were not. 

Lots of peaceful views of water and sky, nearly always with clouds. Alaska has precipitation 300 days per year. Flowers were gorgeous. My baskets at home are fried despite daily watering.

When it came to eating, lunch at The Twisted Fish in Juneau and lunch at Club Paris in Anchorage were both great. Even if dining onboard is wonderful, it is nice to have a change of scenery and the food at both places was very good.

The best part of the whale watching excursion (through Liquid Alaska, Juneau tours) was seeing 6 whales and learning so much about them.  I don't have a good photo of a whale breaching but here are some of my travel companions dressed for the weather.

The best part of the cruise itself was seeing the Hubbard Glacier.  With some knowledge of art and colors, I was familiar with the color "glacier blue" but seeing the actual source...oh my!

The weather changed before our eyes. Mist, then clear. Dark clouds, then a bright haze.

I think the one block of time I enjoyed the most was the scenic train from Seward to Anchorage. Seward was where we disembarked at 6:00 AM. Our return flight home was later that day from Anchorage. A shuttle would have taken us there in a shorter amount of time but the almost 6-hour train ride was lovely. My son and I were part of a travel group of six, but each of the three family pairs were seated across from other passengers. Our travel mates were a couple from Texas that had traveled extensively and were great conversationalists. Breakfast on the train was reasonably priced and good. The information shared by the tour guide was excellent.

 

I didn't think to take a photo of the train before we got on or immediately afterward. Getting up at 5:00 AM may have had something to do with that. If anyone knows Thomas the Train videos, doesn't this conductor remind you of Sir Topham Hatt?

Traveling can teach us so much about things we aware of in other parts of our country or the world, and also makes us appreciate what we have at home. No matter how comfortable your lodgings were, is there anything better than your own bed and pillow after a week or more away?

Kool Aid kid became a card maker

What happens when a Kool-Aid kid grows up and likes to make crafts? She becomes a Kool-Aid embosser!

I didn't create this technique and don't remember where I first saw it. I mixed dry Kool-Aid from the packet with embossing powder. I didn't measure, but I'd guess that I used a 1 to 3 or maybe 1 to 4 ration of Kool-Aid to embossing powder. The Kool-Aid isn't there to emboss, it is there to add a scent.

I used the lemon slice and wedge stamp first on white paper (lower left, upper two images). They are from Stamps of Life. That didn't leave much Kool-Aid on the paper as the images were outlines. Same thing with the stamp from Inky Antics on that same piece of paper. On those attempts, I used yellow embossing powder, lemon Kool-Aid, and yellow ink on the stamp.

I added white embossing powder to the yellow in a small paper cup and added a bit more Kool-Aid before stamping on light yellow cardstock. It still didn't look right to me so I added white pencil to the areas between the segments and yellow pencil on the segments. Better, but not truly lemony and not much area for scent.

I tried using a thick white embossing powder next, the upper right image in the group photo. I don't know if I held the heat too long in the area that looks like crystals have burned or if that was a clump of Kool-Aid that wasn't evenly mixed with embossing powder. 

I got out a strawberry stamp, also from Stamps of Life, stamped the large and small berry with Stampin' Up Real Red ink, then embossed with a mixture of clear embossing powder that has a bit of sparkle in it with strawberry Kool-Aid. I used a white gel pen for the spots on the berry but they are a bit lost. The scent is much better because of the larger surface area.

I could probably turn the strawberry panel into a card but I want to work on the seeds first. Maybe a paint pen is the answer. 

What I like about the scents created with Kool-Aid is that there is a hint of the fruit smell, not an overwhelming cloud of it hitting you in the face like the candle or oil aisle in some stores.

I have grape, orange and tropical punch to play with and I'm suddenly thinking rainbows and unicorns. With a 3-year old granddaughter, this sounds perfect!

When we extend this product to become a craft supply, we'll never outgrow our need for Kool-Aid!

Koi stamp used for an anniversary card

I've had the Hero Arts Color Layering Koi stamp set for a while but didn't use it until yesterday when I made an anniversary card.

It was not difficult to use and while my layering was not perfect, it wasn't off by much and I liked the result. 

My first layer was stamped with Stampin' Up's Daffodil Delight ink, the second layer was Stampin' Up's Peekaboo Peach, the third layer was a Hero Arts ink cube that came in a kit and I don't know the name. It was a reddish orange which I lightly stamped on scrap paper before bringing it to the fish. Black was used on the small stamp for the eyes and mouth. The seaweed (?) is from another Hero Arts stamp,  Color Layering Goldfish. I used Stampin' Up Lost Lagoon ink on the seaweed, some full strength, some stamped onto scrap paper first. 

The koi were mounted on Lost Lagoon cardstock, then placed on the card base. The front of the card was stamped in Lost Lagoon ink on Simon Says Stamp's Beach Waves. 

The inside of the card simply says Happy Anniversary with room for a personal message. I liked the peace, harmony and love sentiment from the koi set. I considered adding "wishing you" at the top of the card but preferred just the clear bubble embellishments.

Top Chef competition between sister restaurants

The restaurant that held this is Testa Barra in Macomb Township, MI. The first restaurant the owner opened is named J. Baldwin's. That one is classified as American cuisine (and I love everything I've had there) and this is his Italian restaurant which opened a year ago. Chef Baldwin is classicly trained in French cuisine. Having worked with many chefs before opening his own place, then training sous chefs, and seemingly being a nice guy and fair boss, he hand-picked his chefs and mixologists for both restaurants. The Top Chef competition is between various chefs at both restaurants. The diners vote for their favorites between 2 drinks, 2 salads, 2 entrees and 2 desserts. Each winning chef gets a cash prize and bragging rights. All of the diners had registered and paid for this event. We were given printed recipes for each submission but occasionally an ingredient or specific description (such as Tuscan kale and another variety versus generic kale) were omitted.

First was the Cocktail Course.

  

Not much to see in the photo to differentiate the two but they were very different. The one on the left is a Grand Anejo Paloma. Ingredients were El Mayor Anejo (premium tequila); Grand Marnier; agave nectar; lemon juice; red grapefruit juice; Angostura bitters; and an orange slice. The rim of the glass had a crust of cinnamon sugar.

The drink on the right was a Ginny Hendrix. This used Hendricks Gin (another premium label); lime; lemon; agave syrup; Peychaud's bitters; cucumber, and torched a rosemary sprig. Yes, you read that right. He torched a rosemary sprig, then muddled the rosemary, cucumber, lemon, and lime.

With dinner but not a competition, a red wine was served. It was Spanish Quarter Cabernet Sauvignon/Tempranillo. This was a 60/40 combination of those two wines, the second one I had never heard of but that isn't saying much. I am not an oenophile even if I know that word. 😉  The description said this deep, purple-red wine had a nose and palate of ripe, dark berry fruits with a hint of dark chocolate and vanilla oak.

The Salad Course featured kale.

 

One the left is Warm Kale Salad with Pear Vinaigrette. The unexpected ingredients (to me at least) were broccolini, white navy beans, and toasted garbanzo beans. He seasoned them and toasted them in a skillet. Delicious! The seasoning was omitted in the printed recipe and I couldn't hear what he said while cooking.

The salad on the right is New Kale Salad. This kale was raw where the first one was slightly wilted. Both dark and golden raisins were added along with pine nuts. The dressing was balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and honey.

The Main Course had two very different meals which were plated together for ease of serving to approximately 70 people.

On the left is Blackened Shrimp & Grits with Andouille Sauage. Cheddar and gouda cheeses were added to the grits and a ladle of beurre blanc sauce went over the shrimp. On the right is Lamb and Beel Ragu made with beef short ribs and lamb shanks. This was served over sriracha strozzapreti (pasta) with crumbled goat cheese to balance the heat.

The Dessert Course featured fried pastries.

The J.Baldwin's Doughnuts with Caramel Sauce were tossed in cinnamon sugar and served with a salted caramel sauce. The Bombolinos with Creme Anglaise had a lemon flavor that is missing in the recipe and was undoubtedly given but couldn't be heard.

My opinions and the winners.

The winning drink was the Grand Anejo Paloma. I didn't vote for either because I didn't care for either one. I rarely drink alcohol anymore and admittedly do not have refined tastes. If pressed to choose, I would have picked the Paloma over the Ginny Hendrix. Normally I prefer gin over tequila but the cucumber really did not appeal to me at all. The red wine was completely lost on me but others seemed to enjoy it.

The winning salad was the Warm Kale Salad. Both salads were good and I am not a fan of kale. If the New Kale Salad had been served first, I might have liked it more. The warm salad was much better in my opinion and having eaten that first, the other one didn't stand a chance.

The winning entree was the Shrimp & Grits. The vote count on this was close, deservedly so. Both entrees were very good. The heat of the ragu wasn't overwhelming, but it was there. If I were to make this at home, I would omit the sriracha but that is just me. The Shrimp & Grits were perfect.  A lot of people born and raised in Michigan without any southern heritage don't like grits. I am the rarity among my friends and most relatives. Everyone near me liked these, even those who aren't fond of grits.

The winning dessert was the Doughnuts with Caramel Sauce. I totally agree. The other dessert was just fried dough to me. Doughnuts are not an item I ever choose (no fried pastry ever is) but these were very good.

This was a fun event and I have nothing bad to say about the restaurant. People are another story. This gives you an idea of how close we were seated but this was still comfortable. Most people were there with at least one friend. We were asked to be QUIET while a chef was speaking. Twenty years ago, background noise didn't interfere as badly when I'm trying to focus on what someone is saying but LOUD boozy people who are regulars at an establishment (meaning they are as comfortable as if you had entered their home) would have been hard to block out even when I was 20-something.

 

If I go again, I would get there as soon as the doors open (the restaurant is normally closed on Mondays) and get a seat as near the chefs as possible. The chefs each had a mic so hearing wouldn't have been a problem if people hadn't been rude. The mirror over their work area was easily visible for all in attendance. I am not likely to make any of these recipes at home but not because anything was too difficult or distasteful. I paid to enjoy the evening and learn but the boozy broad next to me talked over all of the details.
over all of the details.

My Craft Room

And the days and weeks fly by again...

I reorganized my workspace again. There are things that I no longer enjoy doing and some that I am unlikely to ever do again for various other reasons.  Have you heard of Swedish Death Cleaning? There is also a Japanese method (Konmari) where you are supposed to hold something to decide whether or not to keep something based on whether or not it brings you joy.  I had begun paring down stuff a few years ago, but in small ways. The momentum has picked up, not that most would notice it as I still have lots of things in the house, both useful and joyful.

Oddly enough, decluttering began by bringing more into the house, this time carts. My craft closet has bifold doors centered on a wide, shallow space. By that I mean that this is not a walk-in closet. It has served me well but I needed to be able to get to things without unstacking multiple bins to get the one item I needed that was behind others. Carts and diminishing my stash made sense. My hobby life would be simpler if I only had one hobby but that has never been the case.

Here are two carts in full view of the open closet doors. The white one is from Michaels, the other is from Target. Bins could be my middle name as they are all over the house, confining clutter. The cart on the right has stamps in it, organized by themes. The pink labels on the bins list the themes within the bin, the yellow, orange and red cards seen in them are subject dividers.

The shelf holds less used sewing trims to the left, multiple use ribbons come next and then bins of items that relate to paper (card making and scrapbooking) crafts and also art supplies.

Inside the closet to the left is fabric, wall hangings and table runners that I've made, some beading supplies and my sewing machine (not visible). Labels are my friends.

Looking into the right side of the closet is another cart with multi-colored drawers that hold embellishments, embossing folders, specialty papers, and stencils. Not visible beyond that is a wooden cart that holds paper. I have 12 x 12 inch papers in that cart along with some 8.5 x 11 inch in bins that slide out from those shelves. 

Once upon a time, these shelves mostly held books. I don't save novels anymore and have pared down my cookbooks and craft manuals. I have them in my office now. Their defined spaces prevent me from slipping back into collecting more than I need. In this split view of the bookcase wall, there is a wooden cart that used to be in our business' kitchen which had very little counter space. My die cutting machine sits there now.  

 

Across from the wall of shelves is a large work area. This room was once my older son's bedroom until we added an addition. It was another two years before we began defining it as my (then) sewing room, adding all of the cabinets and bookcases.

This is where most of my seated crafting happens. The shelf unit used to hold teacups in another room. The painting on the right is a watercolor sampler of my hobbies. I have a picture of that in my sidebar on this blog.

This room makes me happy. When it is messy and I'm working, I'm happy. When I'm not working and it is cleaned, I am both happy and surprised.

I recently bought a flamingo print shower curtain at Target. Previously, the shower curtain I used had a gray geometric print. The only print on the wall was a purchased print of three women on the beach. All are chubby, all are wearing hats, and are seen from behind. One has a one-piece suit on, one has a two-piece, and one is only wearing the hat. 

The two pictures on the right are from art lessons a few years ago. The lower one is a whimsical image of four women in/on inner tubes in a pool, the upper one is a realistic flamingo. I never imagined I would hang it and use it in my bathroom! The beach chairs were printed on glossy paper and added to a piece of wood with a rope hanger (from Michaels). This bathroom is an interior room (no window) so I like to keep the wall color light and I'm enjoying the color in these pieces.