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***News***


Project 1024 info - here and here.

Please know that I read every comment, so, if I don't reply, it doesn't mean I don't appreciate them - 'cause I DO! :)

Please read my twitter feed in the right column for more personal thoughts.

Flowerlette #4

Flowerlette #4 is up. It is a custom birthday card. It says "Happy" on the cover and has the age inside - as in, Happy 1, etc.



http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27724134

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

4 down - 9996 to go!

A WTHeck and a "well, that's just stupid"

Yesterday, Friday, we needed to take middle daughter to campus to get some things taken care of before the fall. It was going to take awhile, so, we grabbed a snack and waited for her in the student union. When I went to use the restroom, I found the lady's room was locked. Not the men's, just the ladies. Go downstairs and find the same thing. WTHeck??

This has happened before, when we were there on the weekend. It was after 3 p.m., there were still many students, etc., walking around. I don't get it. Why just the lady's and not the men's. If it's some safety issue, it's not very effective. It's just as easy to drag someone into the men's room, you know?

Also, if you watch the SciFi channel, you may have noticed the change to SyFy - still pronounced SciFi. Well, that's just stupid. We laugh and call it siffy 'cause that's what it says - siffy. I found out some supposed reasoning behind this move which also ties into why SGAtlantis was cancelled before it's time. Demographics. Now, this is what's going around the web from fans and some articles, but, apparently, we old fogies of 30, 40, and 50 aren't good enough for their advertisers. They're trying to get the young'un's. How to do that? Cancel good shows and change the spelling of your name to something "hip" (oh, and make and show really bad "B" movies that just make you laugh). It's just stupid.

Okay, I've said my peace.

Flowerlette #3

Flowerlette #3 is up. It is a special kind of card. I have a lot of alphabet sets - chipboard, stickers, rub ons, etc. - that I need to use. So, I came up with this idea.

This is a custom card. First, choose your letter. The front of the card will look the same except it will show the letter you choose. Then, choose your word for the inside of the card. It can be a name or any other word, e.g. A is for Awesome! Or, you can leave the inside blank and write your own word or message.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27686216

3 down - 9997 to go!

Giveaway #1

Giveaway #1 is now active. To enter, leave a comment here. To make is interesting, answer this optional question. "Who should leave feedback first, the buyer or the seller? Or does it matter?" Please leave an e-mail address, so I can contact the winner.

No purchase required to enter, but, anyone who makes a purchase from my shop will receive 2 entries.

The drawing will take place after the 25th flowerlette is sold. Check the countdown in the right hand column. Again, no purchase necessary to enter, but, I will not draw a name until the 25th flowerlette is sold, so, I do not have an exact date of the drawing.

Now, for the goodies. I will be giving away this stamp and ink set, plus, some surprise goodies. The stamp is unused and the ink still has the wrapper on. The stamp says "destiny".



Good luck!

Flowerlette #2

Flowerlette #2 is up in the shop. It is OOAK. The background paper was hand stamped using a set from Papertrey Ink.



http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27597352

2 down - 9998 to go!

Flowerlette #1

I have four new cards finished which will go up in the shop this week. The first one will go up tomorrow morning (if you're reading this on Wednesday, it should already be up) It is a generic "hello" card. The flowerlette cards will be OOAK, except this one. It is a run of 150 cards I did several years ago, but, didn't sell all. I have a number of them left and will list them until they run out.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27545785

BTW, the green yarn I used was hand dyed with lemon lime koolade in my dishwasher.

The other three are a set (each sold separately) of a sentiment card; a birthday card; and what I'm calling an alphabet card. Each was made using the same ink, hand stamped patterned paper, and, of course, include a flowerlette.

I am working on my first embellishment kit which will be suitable for card making or scrapbooking. It will include a set of flowerlettes for your use, plus, a number of handmade embellishment elements from the cards in the set. The kit will include a flowerlette "daisy" like the one from card #1 above; hand stamped sentiments from the other cards in the set; a hand stamped patterned paper from the card set; a journaling tag; an element of three (to be explained, later); and more.

I will also be listing some flowerlette mini note card sets and altered moleskine journals. Stay tuned.

1 down... 9,999 to go...

Trader Joe's

This week we've been eating a lot of Trader Joe's brand name items. Some of our favorites are sweet and sour chicken - yum; spaghetti with Trader Joe's italian meatballs simmered in Trader Joe's tomato basil marinara sauce; and teryaki burgers made with Trader Joe's island soyaki sauce. I like how they change the "Trader Joe" on the label to fit the food - like Trader Giatto and Trader Jose.

During our last trip, they finally had the mini peanut butter cups in, so, I tried this recipe out. I think next time, I will add a bit more sugar as they weren't as sweet as muffins should be, but, otherwise they were pretty good.



BTW, aren't those cups cute? I found them on Etsy, but, unfortunately, they stick to the muffins/cupcakes/whatever you're baking. It doesn't help if you're still leaving half the muffin behind, you know?

And, last, here is a picture of the peaches I used to make that peach pie.



They're saturn peaches... I know! We found them at Sam's. So sweet and juicy, too. I will be getting them again.

Second

Some more info on my new project - 1024.

My goal is to make a limited edition run of 10,000 flowerlettes. I already have a big pile waiting to be added to a project. They will all be made out of reclaimed sweaters including cashmere, lambswool, and other natural fiber. The flowerlettes will be used in cards and my new knit project; and, will be included in handmade embellishment kits for use in your own projects.

Now, for some extras and goodies. I'm starting a flowerlette fund. For each flowerlette sold, I will add 10 cents to the flowerlette fund. That's for every flowerlette, so, if a project has 3 flowerlettes, that 30 cents. I will keep a running total on my blog. Every time the total reaches a minimum of $20, I will donate that to one of my favorite charities.

Plus, I am going to have some giveaways. I have a lot of supplies I would like to clear out, starting with stamps and ink. I started using clear stamps awhile ago and found I don't like using wood mounted stamps so much, anymore. They've been sitting in my drawer, unused. Some are still new, in fact. The same with ink. I have a lot of ink pads I haven't used because I'm favoring a certain brand, right now, and that's all I'm using. My plan is to put together little packages of a stamp or ink pad and a few goodies and then have giveaway drawings for them.

Drawings will be free to enter, no purchase necessary. However, anyone who does purchase something from my shop will automatically receive two entries per listing purchased. I will have a drawing for every 25 flowerlettes sold and a special drawing with bigger prizes for every 100 flowerlettes sold. Anyone can enter for free, but, I will not hold the drawings until the 25th, 50th, 75th, etc., flowerlettes are actually sold. More details will be coming.

Both will start when the first flowerlette goes in the shop.

Next, I will discuss more about the cards and embellishment kits.

I lost a day.

Ughhh. I hate when that happens. I had all sorts of plans for yesterday, but, the universe had other ideas, so, I lost a day.

First, a pie...

This is my altered formula for a fruit pie. Today, I am making peach. I'm going to assume you know the basics of a pie. As in, get some pie crust, the fruit goes on the inside, lol, etc. I use Marie Calendar's frozen pie crust - love it - turns out perfect, every time. :)

To make this pie, choose your fruit and get enough to fill your chosen pie crust. It can be fresh or frozen, but, make sure it's plain without any extra sugar and stuff. You're going to need between 2 and 3 cups. Set aside. In a bowl, mix...

1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Add your fruit and stir until it's completely mixed and covered.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Pour your fruit mixture into the bottom crust and cover with the top crust. You can use your favorite method of top crust, just make sure you cut slits for venting.

Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake about another 25 minutes or so until the filling is thickened. This is perfect for my oven - yours may be different, so, keep checking it.

Here is a strawberry pie I baked a couple of weeks ago.


It was super yummy. I don't like to put sugar or egg or anything on my top crust, but, feel free to do so.

Now, go make pie!