Just Testing

Those 2 ex votos I posted about a few days ago? Well, they don't look the same anymore, now that they've got a home to go to. I decided to send them to my friend Josef; perhaps he would like to hand them out to a student or volunteer (Josef runs Dragon Slayers, his exotic animal program for physically handicapped people). For Josef, I embroidered a little "Keep Calm..." sentiment on a felt heart so he can keep it in his pocket as a gentle reminder when the going gets tough. And it is always tough for him. But he's tougher. Now, the reason I call this post "Just Testing" is because I used some "good stuff" on these pretties. Karla Nathan has challenged us to "use the good stuff instead of saving it in boxes". My good stuff was the enameled crown and that little glittered heart I made from paper clay. Now I'm ready for more.

Hearts A-Flame

Typical of me, I think-think-think-think of how I want something to look; how I want to get it done. Dilly-dallying for hours. Then, I rush to the studio to do it NOW, usually a couple of hours before dinner so I feel somewhat, well, rushed. I love glittery ex voto's. The talented Teresa of http://www.teresamcfayden.typepad.com/ made some back in 2009, that I just happened to stumble upon. So, hot from the studio, not even glued, as I make my way down to the kitchen...

my little hearts aflame.

Yesterday & Today

Here's how it rolls in Gig Harbor, Western Washingston State. You might notice the bald eagle, basking in the sun on a large branch of the fir tree, middle of this picture. Yesterday.

Today.

Two Hearts

February is HEART month, right? Let's have a little fun with it. Here are a couple of hearts that I cherish. The fab jewelled ex voto was a vintage find...except it's new: Showcased along with my Christmas present-to-myself necklace.

Here we have two hearts beating as one. This was sent to a soul mate, a gal who loves her rhinestones. Hearts = Love.

Love Target

Garrett and I leave for the big island of Hawaii in less than a month. I have been stressing about proper clothes and shoes for the vacation, because in my hometown climate, I just don't require shorts, swimsuits, sandals. But I'm hoping that's ALL I will need to wear while in Kona. Yesterday was an opportunity to shop for the right stuff. But I didn't really want to travel 45 minutes to the mall for Macy's & Nordstrom. OK...Target is 30 minutes away. Maybe they'll have something, and I also need cleaning supplies, bird seed, hair products. I had so much fun looking at the really cute clothes. Notice the bikini? HA!

And for Garrett I found swim shoes, the perfect swim suit, and some rad t-shirts. We are ready to pack and go.

Valentine Finale

Late this afternoon I just HAD to make a little Valentine something for myself, and for my BFF (who is also the Valentine Throwdown competition). Mind you, I waited until late afternoon, knowing I also needed to vacuum the bedrooms, feed the horses, feed husband...nah. Wouldn't you know that 3 people decided to call me around that time, too? I was multi-tasking and nobody better get in my way. Whew. I made these two tags from a Take Heart e-zine project (see previous post). Using basic tags, stamps, hand-sewing (groan), doo-dads, and stamping bookbinders tape for the outer edge. So much fun with paper, scissors and glue. My Valentine rush is behind me. Ahead is, uh, I have no idea.

Assembly Line

Teresa McFayden's "TakeHeart" e-zine goosed me into gear this afternoon to make some of the darling Valentine pockets from today's project. (her blog with info about her e-zines and free tutorials, too, is http://www.teresamcfayden.typepad.com/). I realized I needed to get crackin' in order to mail little VD wishes to the kids in my family. The two above are for the boys...oh, did you guess that?

This is for my 13 year old great niece who loves all things that go bump in the night, like sharks.

These are for my 2 granddaughters. I made these first, and they are slightly different as I folded the top to make a closed envelope rather than the pocket-style that Teresa presented. And I didn't go to the Nth degree decorating these, either. 'Cause with the kids, it's the $20 tucked inside that will delight them. PS In the top 2 pics I used free graphics from "The Graphics Fairy" (see link to her blog in right column). I know exactly where to go (to her) when I want a really cool image for a project. Thank you kind Fairy.

Dinner in the Raw

I enjoy looking at the meals my blog friends are serving, and occasionally I post my own efforts. Today, I thought I'd give the "before" pictures. Ready to pop in the oven are (above) Parmesan chicken fingers...

and a melange of potatoes for roasting. In that little Corning Ware dish are snap peas ready for the microwave. What do I like about this meal? -Easy to prepare -Nutritious and low fat. For my chicken fingers I cut 2 boneless skinless half-breasts into long pieces. I mess them around in a pie plate with about 1/2 C of spicy mustard (no mayonnaise), then roll in a combination of shredded Parmesan and panko breadcrumbs with S&P. The rolling is done in the baking dish to save clean-up. The potatoes are what I have left at the end of a week, spread out on recycled foil on a cookie sheet, drizzled with EVO, S&P. Everybody in the pool (oven).