Back in the Shop

Hello!  I'm excited to share that last week's LoLa Art Crawl was a success- I had so much fun, got to hang out with my sister-in-law, and met a ton of new people!

Now that the art crawl is over, I'm working on adding my pieces to my Etsy shop.  Hop on over to check it out.  So far, I have added my pugs and donut bookmarks, but check back often at the shop or the blog because I'll be adding more pieces each week!

Gearing Up for LoLa

Hello!  I have been working like a mad woman to get ready for the LoLa Art Crawl.  I cannot believe it is this weekend!!  My sister-in-law, Sonya, and I will be at Site 43, so if you're in the Twin Cities area, you should definitely come by and take a peek!

Along with my bookmarks, I'll also be selling these hand painted coffee mugs.  I didn't notice it as I was making them, but there is definitely a theme here.  I'm calling them my "Rough Morning" mugs because sometimes, no.... just - no.

DIY Pug Bookmark

I have been crazy busy lately!  Between trying to get ready for the LoLa Art Crawl and the school year starting back up again, I'm feeling really overwhelmed.  Fortunately, my students are awesome, and when I'm working on my crafting I get to stare at puppy faces all day :)

Here's a step by step on how I make the pugs:

It's a little hard to tell in the pictures the amount of detail on the nose- it's my favorite part though.  I roll the clay out thin with pointed ends, then curve it inward at both ends to make the nose.  Then I add a bunch of tiny little dots to add the puppy dog nose texture.  I think they're really cute!

DIY Ladybug Bookmark

Lady bugs are maybe the cutest bugs around.  They've gotten a bit of a bad rep for being biters, but they really aren't.  The biting bugs are Japanese beetles, adorable imposters who are kind of like the lady bug's evil twin.  But the real lady bugs?  Those I love!  And I love making them as bookmarks- it's quick and easy to do.  I even like making them pink instead of red :)  The only thing to be sure of is that you use an all metal paper clip.  If you use one of the colored paper clips, it will melt in the oven.  Yuck!

DIY Teddy Bear Bookmark

I love teddy bears!  When I was younger, I had heaps of stuffed animals, but my favorite were teddy bears.  I even collected them at one point.  So, it was a no brainer that I was going to make some bear bookmarks for the craft show.  Here is a step by step on how to make your own using polymer clay!

I'm back! (with a DIY bookmark)

Hi guys :)  So, I had a bit of an unplanned and unannounced absence from the blogging world.  I began blogging about my crafts and recipes as a way to motivate myself to keep doing something I enjoyed.  But lately, I found myself coming up with things just so I could blog about them - it was backwards!  So, I'm going to be cutting back on my posts, only blogging when I have a good project to share.

Speaking of good projects... I'm going to be participating in the LoLa Art Crawl this year!  My sister-in-law is the one who is really hosting the booth, but she is letting me display some of my pieces (remember this coffee mug?).  I'm also making a bunch of bookmarks, because what is better than a cup of coffee (or tea) and a good book?  One of the bookmarks I'll be selling is this little octopus guy.  Here's how to make your own:

DIY 4th of July Food Flags

This cute little flag has so many uses!  You could use them to top cupcakes (or the delicious dessert that we had on Father's Day), label different types of cheeses or dips, or even place in a flower arrangement.  Depending on the paper you get, this can work for so many different holidays ,too!

I bought several sheets of scrapbook paper in a red, white, and blue color scheme.  Then, I simply cut them into strips and glue them around a tooth pick!  I made sure that the paper had different sizes of patterns and different background colors for variety.  Then, I brought them out to my parent's house and used them in the dessert mousse we had on Father's Day.

Bacon, Chickpea, Avocado Salad

In the summer, I crave ice cream.  When I'm not craving ice cream, I love a good glass of sauvignon blanc.  But if ice cream and white wine aren't available, there's not much better than fresh food that is easy to throw together.  This quick salad is a great side dish, but also works well for meal for two.

You will need:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 small, vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 4 sliced of bacon, crisped and chopped
• 2 teaspoons champagne vinaigrette
• 4 teaspoons olive oil

Combine the chickpeas, tomatoes, avocado, and bacon in a medium bowl.  Whisk together the oil and vinegar.  Pour the dressing over the ingredients and toss gently.  You can eat this right away or put it in the fridge for a few hours.  The avocado will stay green for a bit thanks to the acid in both the tomatoes and the vinegar.

It is so fresh and tasty! (and so simple!)

Saturday Snapshot: My Parent's Garden

When I was in third grade, my family moved to a different neighborhood.  I was devastated.  Our backyard was a huge, flat, grassy oasis.  It had flower beds, climbing trees, a swingset, and a sandbox.  It was every kid's dream yard!  My new backyard?  Not so much.  But as I got older, I grew to appreciate all the plants and beds that filled our woodsy backyard.  It's its own kind of oasis.

DIY Summer Citrus Pom Pom Tote

I'm a sucker for a tote bag, especially in the summer.  During the school year, I tend to stick with a smaller purse, using a canvas tote for my lunch and stacks of grading.  During the summer, though, I love to just have a big ol' tote bag to throw any and everything into.  Adding a row of pom poms and some felt fruit helps this tote feel especially beachy.

You will need:

• Plain canvas tote
• Felt: one yellow and one orange sheet
• Embroidery floss in contrasting colors
• Pom pom trim

Use embroidery floss to tack a strip of pom pom trim around the top of the canvas.  Cut a semicircle and three wedges of each color of felt.  Sew these pieces onto the bag, using a contrasting piece of embroidery floss.  It's as easy as that!

I'm excited to take this to the beach or the boat this summer.  Where would you take this fun summer tote?

Grilled Peach Caprese Pizza

Nothing says summer more than grilling.  Nothing, that is, except maybe peaches.  So why not combine the two into one delicious dish?  I love how the sweet and juicy peaches blended with the acidity of the tomatoes.  This was balanced by the smooth, creamy mozzarella and the fresh taste of basil to make one amazingly summery pizza.

To make your own, you will need:

• My quick and easy pizza crust recipe
• 1 ripe peach, sliced thin
• 1 ripe tomato, sliced thin
• 1 ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
• Several leaves of fresh basil

Make the crust according to the directions.  Grill on a lightly oiled piece of tin foil for five minutes.  Flip the crust over onto another lightly oiled tin foil and add your toppings.  Grill for another 3-4 minutes, then place on a pan and allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing, serving, and enjoying!

What are some of your favorite summer foods?

Saturday Snapshot: Herbs

Herbs are one of my favorite things to plant.  I have several pots, each filled with an herb along with an annual flower or two.  Of course the plants are functional, but they are also beautiful: from the fuzz of sage, the shiny leaves of basil, or the sweet little lavender flowers, herbs are a surprisingly lovely addition to the garden.  I absolutely adore being able to go to my patio, pinch off some basil, and add it into whatever I'm making.  My new favorite is adding a generous amount of mint along with one or two basil leaves to my water.  It's so refreshing!

Do you plant herbs?  What is your favorite way to use them?

Painted Fish Stones

I have done a lot of little projects with river rocks, but these projects tend to favor the smooth, flat stones.  I always end up then with a pile of river rocks that are bigger and bulkier with more indents and character than I typically want.

The other day, I was looking at this pile of cast off rocks when all of a sudden, one of them stood out to me.  "That looks like a whale!" I thought to myself (I might have said it out loud, but my dog Inga is the only one who could confirm, and she was unavailable for comment).  So, I decided to grab a pile of my rejected rocks and paint them to look like fish.

This is pretty simple to do.  You only need to keep in mind two things:

1. Stay with the same color scheme on each fish
2. Work with, not against, the natural shape of the rock

Use white and colors nearby on the color wheel to mix and blend your paints into different hues, and just keep building color until you are happy with the result.

What I love about this is it can be as simple or as detailed as you want!