Etsy front page!

Yep, I'm just a smidge excited- my first front page item. I just finished wrapping my last bits of this ribbon up today. Looks like I'll have to make another lot of it now. Oh, darn.

My Addiction

It's like cocaine for vintage enthusiasts. I can't get enough, this is only part of my collection. Vintage rhinestone buttons. Aren't they deliciously decrepit? I like the unusual ones, the black ones, and pink ones most. Some are so incredibly corroded, like the rusted ones near the back. I love it when the buttons have left a bit of their sparkle back in their golden days- so many stories kept in secret!

What makes your heart patter?

Whoooo Aarree Yooouu?

Anxiously awaiting Tim Burton's version of Alice In Wonderland. And my heart stops beating just thinking about THIS: Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar! His voice and face painted onto one end of an animated caterpillar (let's hope they get the right end). Next Spring!

Crepe and Scrapbook Layouts

Every now and then I stop what I'm doing to actually do a scrapbook page. I took my newly found embellishment making skill to create a felt button for the "K is for kiss" page below. The layout uses some of Jenni Bowlin's chocolatey sweet Town Square line (the brown soda water paper is exclusive to her kits- Love that paper!) and also some of her new circle letter stickers.

Next layout uses one of my friend Lita's sketches (No 7) and one of my all time favorite Basic Grey lines (Urban Prairie). I got to use some of my own hand dyed ribbon, attached to the layout with little French knots, and a bit of vintage millinery. This was also my first time journaling on the computer (mostly cause my handwriting underneath was awful and my pen was drying up, hmmph)

Wonder what the Crown Princess was thinking of?

Lastly, I finished up a collage I had started earlier (I may post the whole thing later, only a sneak now). Can you tell what holiday it is for?

And finally, I found this crepe monster in my photo studio (aka my living room bay window). Looks like it's having a bad hair day. Madness crepe will join the etsy shoppe later today. Cheers, and go make some soup!

Beer Cheese Soup

This has been a most popular request amongst my cooking group. Mmmmm... (Ignore lovely bits of cheese that has congealed on the side of the pot) Ingredients:
2 small or one large leek (white part only) 1/4t white pepper
2 stalks celery 1/4t nutmeg
1 onion salt to taste
6c chicken broth/stock slightly less than 12oz dark beer
4T cornstarch in 4T water 2 egg yolks
3c shredded sharp cheddar 1c heavy cream

Chop all vegetables, make celery really small if you want to leave the veggies in (I usually do). Add vegetables to the chicken broth in a medium stockpot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer mostly covered for about 45 minutes. Strain vegetables if you have something against them. Stir the cornstarch/water into the broth and cook til slightly thickened. Take swig of beer and pour remainder into broth. C'mon, I said just one swig, you want the soup to be flavored right? Stir slowly until most of froth is gone. Add cheese and stir til melted. This will take longer if your cheese is frozen. Add white pepper and nutmeg, and salt if desired. In a small bowl (I use a pyrex measuring cup- at least the 2c size) whisk the egg yolks into the cream. Stir in 1 to 2 c of the hot broth excruciatingly slowly to the egg mixture so as not to form scrambled eggs in the soup. Mix well and slowly pour back into stockpot, stirring quickly. Cook for 2-3 minutes to rewarm.

About 8 cups.

Just a Little Something Sweet

Not much news, just some more fun handmade embellishments and ribbon sets. I absolutely adored the colors in Cosmo Cricket's "Jolly by Golly" Christmas line: and while it took several mixings to get the pink, it definitely is the piece de resistance for the ribbon set.

Lastly, I knew that I would eventually bow down to the makers of Basic Grey, and created ribbons and felt/button embellishments for their line "Lemonade".

All are in my etsy shoppe!