Saturday, December 26, 2009

Top Secret...shhh



The $250  Neiman Marcus Cookies...They are divine!!!


The legend goes: A woman ate delicious "Neiman-Marcus Cookies" while out for lunch at Neiman Marcus. They were so excellent that she asked if they would give her the recipe. The waitress said it was a secret recipe, but she could buy it for " two fifty". The woman said "great deal! Just add it to my tab". Thirty days later, she received her VISA statement from Neiman-Marcus and it was $250! She tried to get them to take off the charge, but they refused. So she made sure to share their “secret” recipe. It was sent to as many people as possible.

Here it is...
(Recipe may be halved)
2 cups butter

4 cups flour 

2 tsp. baking soda 

2 cups granulated sugar 

2 cups brown sugar 

5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder)

24 oz. chocolate chips 

1 tsp. salt 

1 8 oz. Hershey bar (grated) 

4 eggs 

2 tsp. baking powder 

3 cups chopped nuts (your choice) 

2 tsp. vanilla 


Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

A Little Bird told Me...

Never Waste Pages of a Paperback Book

Still finding ways to recycle the pages of this 50 cents thrift store paperback. I couldn't resist a little birdie project!

I started by printing out this template. I did not make a template for the wing as I just made it up as I cut out - pretty simple shape though! Once I had my templates I tore three pages from a paperback book, traced and cut out. I made the shapes three pages thick so the birdie would be stiff enough to stand up straight. You could also use sheet music too, which would look fabulous!
I gave my birdie a light rub with my Tim Holtz Distressed Ink Pad, making sure to get the edges a little darker.
I added a little sparkle by gently rubbing a glue stick onto the shapes and dusting with my favorite vintage mica flakes.
For the base I simply used a regular ole' wooden clothespin ~ They stand up perfectly! I gave it a light coat of Heirloom White, sanded and distressed the edges just a bit. Standing upright the clip nicely holds the birdies body in place. The wings were then stuck onto the side of the clothespin with a dab of hot glue.
I curled the edges of each wing just a bit by rolling the paper around a pencil.
I may add a pearl button eye... but kind of like him the way he is! Enjoy!

I just love this idea and I will so be making a few of these sweet birdies in my studio.  Thanks again to Under the Table & Dreaming

Paper Flowers

Rolled Flower Gift Toppers

Here is a quick and easy way to add a little charm to your gift packages.
I know a lot of bloggers have extra book pages from all the fabulous paper projects floating around. Here is a way to use some of those scraps so that nothing goes to waste! You can also make these with scrapbook paper, cardstock, fabric and of course felt as shown above.
You want to start with a square shape. I used three sheets together to add a little volume. None of this has to be perfect...I promise...they will have character and charm even if you eyeball it!
Using a pencil or a light colored pen or crayon, you want to draw a spiral circle onto the square. I used a black marker just so that it would show up in the picture.
Next you want to cut out all the lines that you have drawn continuing until you come to the center of the spiral leaving a small circle at the end.
You'll be left with a long paper snake!
Starting with the outside of the spiral roll the paper inward in somewhat of a cone shape. You want to start off rolling tightly (which will become the center of your flower) then loosely once to get to the edges.
Keep rolling until you get to the end. You will want to put a dab of hot glue on the back to hold the shape. The circle that you left when cutting the spiral will finish the back. I cut it off on this paper flower to show you the roll; however you can see the circle in tact below with the felt.
I gently rubbed some Tim Holtz Distressed Ink (Antique Linen) on the edges of each flower for a worn look.
I simply attached them to the packages with a dab of hot glue and added some ribbon and hand cut felt leaves. For the tag I cut out an initial from a scrap page.
I followed the same process for the felt. It just happens to photograph better so here are some more pics!
Here is the end with the circle I was talking about. I filled the inner part of the flower with hot glue and folded over the circle for a finished look. This also helps to hold the flower together.
I love using scraps to decorate my packages. It is always a challenge to see what you can come up with! Happy wrapping! Enjoy!

I found this on Under the Table & Dreamin

Thursday, December 17, 2009

For Flowers...


Oh yes. I'd also like one (or five) of these recycled glass vases please.  Also from Brook Farm General Store.
Recycled beach glass!

Glow

This sweet little lantern is made of plant fibre and skeleton leaves and then treated with a fire retardant to make it candle-friendly.  You can purchase one (or perhaps a whole slew of them) on pacha design. Wouldn’t this make a unique and completely lovely hostess gift for the holidays?



Thursday, December 10, 2009

Checking my list twice...

I apologize for my absence. My to do list is longer than I can even stand. I am trying to do it all and am barely getting through the my days.

Had great weekend at my art show in Maynard, MA at ArtSpace. 3 days of it. Sold a few things and made a lot of really good connects. One great lead in to a gallery in Natick. So things are really starting to look really well with getting out in the world and showing everyone what I can create. Pimping my stuff is really hard for me because I really feel uncomfortable talking about my art work along with my jewelry. I can sell anything but my own stuff. Today a girlfriend sent me an email with a link to it...I made the news, okay so I made it into the local paper, The Beacon Villager, still pretty cool.

This week my internet sales are on fire!!! I have been really busy filling all of the orders along with having to make lots of Greek leather bracelets because they are selling faster then I can keep them on the shelves. Man I sure could use a couple of Elves in my studio these past few days.  My email is filling up with orders on an hourly rate right now. Busy is good, but this is just crazy nuts:)!!!




I have spent so much time in my studio this week that when I stop and  look around my house I see we still look like Thanksgiving.  My husband and daughter went out the other day and got our Christmas Tree, it looks really pretty with the lights on it, but I have not put anything else on it because I have not find the time.  We still have 3 pumpkins sitting atop our stone wall outside our door. I am sure anyone walking into this house thinks we are all a bit nuts and that we don't what holiday we want to be having going on right now.


My laundry room has a pile a mile high of dirty clothes.  The sun porch/kitchen redo is finished but still needs to be painted.  I have all the right tools and gallons and gallons of paint just  waiting for me to get to it.  But have not found the time to paint the walls.



As for gifts for friends and family haha, that's just gonna have to wait till next week maybe.  No ideas either WOW... I have never been this out of mind in all my life. 

Trin keeps asking when can she go see Santa so that she can let him know what she wants for Christmas, poor kid she is 4 years old and this Christmas she really seems like she is really getting excite. In the years past she was really really scared of the big jolly fellow.  Oh how things have changed.

Our holiday cards came in this week...Looks like they might go out next week if I find the time.  Can we have more hours in a day just in the month of December?

And, oh yeah our new foster puppy is showing up this Saturday.  Oh so happy and I so can't wait to meet her.  She is a 3 month old Great  Pry, Husky mix.  She was saved from a high kill shelter in TN.


 

My list....

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