House Hunting

Someday in the not to distant future we plan on moving back to my hometown of Milwaukee. And when we do I hope houses like these are on the market. Especially the first one.





Oh yeah, with this in the backyard!

And if it was close to the lake that would be nice too!!!
I'm not asking for too much ... am I?

Shopping for inspiration

I'm really looking forward to getting out of work today, cause I get to go SHOPPING!!! That's right it's Tuesday and the DH is going to his folks house. Which means I don't need to make supper, so that leaves me to shop :-}
My first stop will be at the new Crate and Barrel that they just opened. I got a 25% off coupon in the mail! You don't have to tell me twice, I am there, this is one of my favorite stores. I might even buy this, so I can make the Hollandaise sauce I talked about friday.

My next stop will be Anthropologie! Love, love, love that store! Can't wait to see how they have it decorated! That is always inspirational. And look at this sweet top. Not that I need a new one ;-}
Especially at $98!!! I could be just window shopping. Beside I bet I can find one on esty that's even more adorable!

Then the real mission is to buy some clothes for the DH. I was going to buy him a cushion for his car seat for his B-Day, but after reading a lot of reviews he wasn't to impressed with it. So clothes it is.
I'm hoping to find some inspiration along the way. The next bead project I want to make is a necklace. I started one I've had in my mind 3 times now and it's not turning out. Guess that means it's time to move on!

All in all

It was a good weekend. I spent Saturday with my parents and sisters, and that's always fun. I got the humming bird helmet that my Dad made just for me. Remember this blog ? Well I asked my Dad to make one for me and he did. So come summer I'm going to get a humming bird to sit on my finger! Thats right, how many of you (that are laughing right now) will be able to say that before you DIE! DH cracks up everytime he walks past it in the hall, so I think I'll leave it there for a few days :-D
Sunday... OK we didn't make it to the gym and I feel a little guilty about that. But I'll get over it! It was sunny all day so I puttered around the house, a little cleaning, a little cooking, a little beadwork. I Finished up a bracelet I started on Friday afternoon. It was a beauty, made with black, bronze and silver beads. I was wearing it to make sure the clasp worked, it did, but I noticed the silver drops I had used on the ends were losing there silver coating. Damn, damn, damn. Now I can't blame the bead store I bought them from, they wouldn't know unless someone told them, which I plan on doing. But I wish it would happen as your using them! Now I have all the hours in, wasted, the afternoon, wasted, I can't sell it. Good thing I have sisters that love wearing my jewelry no matter what condition it's in! So off it goes to my sister, won't she be surprised! Time and afternoon saved!

Foodie Friday

Thank goodness for fridays! First because the weekend is upon us, yeah!! Second because it's Foodie Friday. I'm more of a listener that a talker so that makes blogging easy for me today. I just talk about some deliciousness I've made in the past, or what to make in the future.
This one I have made before and I think I'll make it again for tonights dinner. (At home it's fishie friday to make us eat more fish)
It's really good and reheats nicely for Sunday breakfast. Don't be scared off by the Hollandaise it's much easier in a blender, tho this time I'll use my food processor. Because I cut the hollandaise in half (to save calories) it didn't come up to the area where the blender blades were. Or get your Julia Childs on and make it from scratch!

Guess Julia was a cat lover!

Summertime and the living is easy...

Every year around this time I get antsy for warmer weather. I want to re-arrange, paint, remodel every room. Change them to bright and colorful rooms. But we all know how expensive that could get. And in reality I like the way our home looks. I'm the type of person that once I'm done decorating and I love it, I leave it like that, for years! But come February all the stores, ads and magazines are showing bright and colorful things. Things that after dealing with winter for 4 months I WANT!
For example I want my front door painted this color! And the blue agave planted to either side!



OK, you could probable only get away with this in Palm Beach or the Caribbean. To that I say when do we leave!!!
Or how about this bed on casters! You could roll it out and sleep under the stars. I love that, just wouldn't work in my house, I could only roll it in front of the bedroom door.


photos from desire to inspire

Kitty's and Bunnies and Hedgehogs Oh My!!!

OMG, Handmade stuffed animals. Are they adorable or what!?


and of coarse mice for my Mom, Hi Mom!


and rabbits, and hedgehogs, o my! Just go to the site there are so many cute ones

Fish dolls

Found this Doll site on StumbleUpon
I LOVE the fish



But I REALLY love how she used toile fabric to simulate tattoo's! How CLEAVER!

Big Birthday Kisses

First I have to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my DH, and many, many more!
Second that German Chocolate Cake I made for his birthday was probably the best cake I've ever made!
The "re-vamped" recipe from Cooks Illustrated really change my opinion of German Chocolate Cake. It was really flavorful. They said that the german's chocolate traditionally used is more sugar than chocolate. The substitution made all the difference. That and toasting the pecans for the filling.
On the bead front I did get a little bit of beading in. I'm making a bracelet for a friend of my sister's. She saw the one I gave my sis for Christmas and wanted one just like it. I tweaked it slightly, by using slightly different shades of the same colors. I'll post pictures before I mail it out later this week.
Oh and just a note the cherub in the header IS NOT for valentines day it's to celebrate the love of my life's B-Day!

Happy Birthday to You!!!

FOODIE FRIDAY!!!
OK, let me just start by saying the Beer-Braised-Beef-and-Onions recipe from last friday ROCKS THE HOUSE! It is so easy to make. You don't taste beer at all when your eating it! (Unless of course your having a beer when your eating it!) The only thing was I had to cook it about and hour longer. But that's one of the nice things about this recipe it cooks all day and keeps the house warm by doing so!
This weekend I'm making this



Because it's the DH's birthday!!! And it's his favorite cake. We have this thing we do, when our B-day falls on a friday or a monday you get to celebrate the whole weekend! So sushi on saturday, hash and eggs on sunday and butter steaks on monday! Guess I won't be getting much beading done:-( it's OK DH your worth it!)
OK, OK back to the recipe. If you've never gone to Cooks Illustrated website go check it out. It's the one site that I subscribe to and it is so worth it. Great recipes and video's, taste tests and equipment reviews. It has it all!
I've never though German chocolate cake was anything special. But they tweeked this one to make it taste better. The video shows them making the cake which will definitely help me. I'll let you know if it's a good revamp next week.

Where I get my inspiration

This kitchen has inspired me! No, not to redo my kitchen, we remodeled that a few years ago and I still love it. I'm talking about the color combination of turquoise and red! Don't you love it!



I do love this kitchen too! I found it over at etsy's storque
I think I'll whip up a necklace in these colors! Don't worry I will post pictures.

Never mind

I'm already so tired of the Valentines Day ads. How about instead send something to someone you HATE! Wouldn't that be better? And the stores would still make a profit, who knows maybe even more so! Let Valentines Day be the day you let bygones be bygones. You convert all that hate into, OK you don't have to convert it to love you just need to not hate. I mean really, it would help you, it would help the recipient, and it could help world peace? I love you here's some flowers vs I hate you hears some flowers see... would that just blow someone's mind? OMG that just made me laugh. Can't you just see it, you walk past a women's desk at the office and it's full of flowers in vases. Everyone would think, wow she must be a real bitch! OK so maybe this wouldn't work.

Ta Da... As Promised!

I had so much fun making this necklace! I made it for me, and I love it. The nice thing is I can wear it long or shortened up as it is in the photo's. One of the reasons I feel really good about making this necklace is that, well to let you in on a little secret about me, I hoard beads. And one of my fears is that I will die without making something with all of them. I know most people want to get more important things under their belts, like freedom for all, or peace around the world, before they past on to the day of reckoning. Me I just want to be able to bead all the special beads I save for myself. I'm selfish like that, I'll admit it. I guess that means my reckoning will be swift!




lampwork flower's by Scorpio Beads
I'd really like to thank Nina for inspiring me to make a piece of art, just for me. It was fun to just do, and not think, will somebody like this, will it cost too much? I LIKED it so I DID it! I had know idea how freeing that could be! Thanks Nina!

Cold on the outside, warm and toasty on the inside

FOODIE FRIDAY...
So I'm planning what I'm going to cook this weekend.
It's really cold here in the midwest so I'm looking for something that cooks for a real long time. I think I'll try this!

It cooks for 3.5 hours! That should keep the house warm!
Then I also though I'd cook up a pot of this awesome Bolognese. I've made it before and it's really, really good. This picture does not do it justice, it has great depth of flavor. And you can freeze it to heat it up later for a quick weeknight supper.

And to go with the roast I thought I'd try this recipe.


So looks like I'm going to be warm and toasty and full this weekend!

Cabin Fever

When I don't have anything to talk about here I usually surf the world wide web for inspiration.
Today at desire to inspire
I found these photo's from the Firmdale hotels with 6 London locations and a new one to open in SoHo in October.
I can't even believe these are hotel rooms! All of them are just amazing! I wouldn't be seeing much of London if I was staying in one of these rooms.





Marcia also blogged about an inn she stayed at in Ojai, California called The Blue Iguana Inn. Which is a pretty cool place, and so is it's sister inn The Emerald Iguana Inn.






Two completely different feels, both great places to spend a long weekend, at the very least!
I can't choose, which one is your favorite?

While the Husbands away...

So this doesn't happen too often, but the DH had to go out of town for work, so I was left to my own devices for the night. Happy Dance!
Let me just for the record state that I am crazy about my DH, but I love my alone time too. The house to myself, quite, (DH loves his HD) make what ever I want for supper. That means cheese and crackers, with a glass of wine, of course. If it's summertime it will most likely be popcorn and beer! Is this making me sound like a booze hag, I'm not, I'm celebrating having the house to myself ,-)
Then I got to work on a necklace that's just for me! That's right Nina was saying in her blog to make something for yourself at least once a month, so I took her up on it! (go to her blog and watch the amazing video from yesterday)
I have some lamp work beads that I bought for myself at Bead and Button a few years ago. I chatted with the women I bought them from at Scorpio Beads and she told me to show her what I make with them. Like I said it's been a few years so I best get crack'n. This a picture of one of the beads she makes


pretty nice huh!
I'm having a great time making this for two reasons, 1. I'm designing it as I go along. 2. I don't have to keep track of my time like I do when I'm going to sell it. (3. it's pink and green, I know! I know, but you'll see why when I show you the picture) I started with a design I drew up, then once that was beaded I decide what to do next, draw a picture of that and started beading!
Yeah I know I'm a real fire cracker, DH gone, house to my self and I spend the nite making jewelry!
p.s for all you blogger's click on the logo in the upper left corner-MORE free backgrounds!

Picture not always so perfect

Soooo since I didn't get a chance to do my Foodie Friday on, a, Friday, I'll do it today!
I'm finding out that Tastespotting is a great place to SEE great looking food but the recipes don't always stack up to the picture. I'd say it's 50/50 though.
First Sunday morning I made these.



They were good but with some tweaking they could be REALLY good. I used 1C. white flour, 1 C. whole wheat. I only added half the sugar and I added 1 T. lemon juice. Next time I would add 4 T. lemon juice. I thought the strawberries might overpower the lemon in the pancakes so I used lemon curd instead. The lemon curd was too much lemon and with just syrup it wasn't lemony enough. We lightly spread lemon curd on the pancakes and then put some syrup on top and then they were pretty darn good.
On Sunday night I made this for supper



And it was Fantastic! My eggs didn't look as nice as the picture but they sure tasted good! And DH went nuts for the crouton's and he normally doesn't like crouton's! Can't wait to make this again!
Of course the lemon drops I made ( hate to waste all that juice from the pancakes!) paired nicely with it!

Guess I'm on a lemon kick.

I'm a love hater

I'm seeing stuff for Valentine's Day EVERYWHERE! I hate that. I, we don't celebrate it in our house. It's just commercialization at it's best. I would rather my DH bring me flowers any other day, and NOT red roses. Really just out of the blue, flowers, wouldn't you be shocked/thrilled. No one telling him/her to show their love, they do it just because!
Wear red because you like it, and you look damn good in it. And for crying out loud buy it handmade!

Etsy Update!
My etsy shop is updated with a few new bobbles. I'll be adding more through out the week. Oh and look my sidebar updated with out me doing a thing! Rachel is updating too. If you love boots you best get over there ASAP!



A steal at $54! Sadly I'm not a size 5.5 :-(

Blogs and Bobbles

NOW, I can not get enough of backgrounds and headers for this blog. So here some links that I found.



http://cristiscreations.blogspot.com/
http://www.pyzam.com/bloggertemplates
http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/free/free-backgrounds.html
http://www.shabbyblogs.com/
And for you computer savvy people, use this one to build your own!
http://www.webfetti.com/dl/index.jhtml?partner=ZKxdm011&spu=true&sub_id=94908&spu=true&nbCode=OjI6VVM6R3Azbk1OWm5uOjk0OTA4Ojg3NDM5OmctcHo
My favorite is still the one from yesterdays blog though.
Now go play, I have bobbles to add to my etsy shop. Eeeeeeeeeeeee

Holy funk-O-tron!

I just found this site and started playing around with it, but now I have a job to work on. So go to her site and play. I know I will as soon as I'm done!

Let's do the time warp again!

Over the Christmas holiday there was talk about print and how it's falling to the wayside. All agreed that they wouldn't miss all the junk mail that gets delivered to them. A few stated that they get most of their news on the internet so don't really want the newspaper delivered. And I think we were split on ebooks vs print books being a favorite. But I said I love my magazines and would really miss sitting in the "queenie chair" Saturday mornings with a cup of joe going over the 2 magazines I get delivered, TWICE before putting them down. There's just something about holding it in your hands and getting so lost in the photos and stories. To drink it all in. I absolutely love that! And would not give it up... then I found this on the world wide web. I may have spoke too soon because I just spent over an hour looking at these and forgot I WAS AT WORK!



Click on the image at your own risk and by that I mean you could get lost in a time warp!

What I will, what I won't and what I want!

I can't believe I'm typing this but I decided to NOT take a class at Bead and Button this year. It's not 12:noon yet tho, so that could change!
Most techniques I know or have no interest in. This is not to say that there no amazing artist teaching because there are (see my post from Dec.16th) But taking a class learning someone else's spin on a stitch is not what I want. What I want is to make my own jewelry with my spin on any particular stitch. Also with the classes being expensive why not put that cash towards BEADS! And to be honest I really don't need any more beads either. So maybe I spend all my money on these wonderful pieces of art!

To see more of these artist just type in the name under the picture in the search box on etsy.

Awesome Artists

Wow, and you people think my eyes are bad after beading!!
They cut AROUND the veins on these!


Speaking of amazing artists, Andrew Thorton had some Basha beads on sale. If you never heard of basha beads here's what they look like


They're made by Barbara Basha. All of her beads are one of a kind and she only makes a limited amount. So when I saw these bead for sale on Andrews site I pounced. I will definitely show you what I make with them. But I tend to hoard them so it could be awhile.
Tomorrow sign up begins for Bead and Button Classes. I still haven't decided what class I will take. The prices really went up so it's a bit tuff to pick just one class. I mean a girl does need spending money!!! OR maybe I'll just go for the shopping. I really want to spend more time on my own designs, so maybe with the time off I'll do that instead. I'll fill you in tomorrow after 12 CST. But for now I'll leave you with one of my very own!!!

Eat this, not this

Today for foodie friday I'm going to do a take on that book thats out called "Eat this, Not this", it shows you the healthier meal to eat. I try to eat healthy most of the time, but with the foodnetwork and foodgawker and such I tend to get a bit distracted. It's the beginning of a new year so I trying even harder to be better. So tonight for supper
I'm making this:


NOT this




not that I'd make cookie's for supper, but I do want to bake these, TONIGHT!



On the etsy front I may have made a sale, we're in the middle of negotiations for matching earrings, YIPPY!
And I made a friend, Hi Amy, a fellow beader and blogger, click on her name to go to her blog it's a very nice one.

Dreaming Bigger

I am so lucky. I can "play" and make jewelry, but I also have a full-time job that allows me the freedom of "playing" when I can. I get to have fun AND pay the bills. What I'm getting at is alot of artist work full time on their art, and let's face it this is not the best time to be selling things that are not of necessity. A lot of them are struggling right now. So as I sit here this morning wondering why I get alot of views but no sales on my etsy site, I'll admit that I started to feel bad. Then I realized as much as I'd like to be like the artist I admire, stay home and make a living making my "art" all day, the reality is the job I go to everyday, that I hate, pays the bills. It's dependable. Selling your art not so much. You never know when the sales will slow or stop, your at the whim of buyers. I'm a born worrier (thanks Mom) I realize now if I was an artist who can pay the bills by selling my work, it could all dry up tomorrow. So instead of dreaming big and possibly not being able to pay the bills one day, I'll just dream bigger, that someday I'll make extra cash selling my "art". So if you've looked at my etsy shop and not bought anything I hope you bought something from a full-time artist instead. Here are just a few that I admire.



Nina Bagley


Miss Rachel Nelson-Smith



Sarah Clemens



Red Hot Pottery

Coke Head

Wow 2 weeks in a row of long weekends. That was too much fun. I beaded, ate and napped as promised! Oh how lovely life would be if I could live like that all the time. I still didn't do EVERYTHING I wanted to. I wanted to knit more and take pictures of the newest jewelry I made. If only the company I work at would have 4 day work weeks! Fa la la la la.. Actually what would be even better is if you didn't need as much sleep. I wish I could sleep for one whole week out of the month and then have the other three to get things done 24 hours a day. Think about that. Really, I wish I'd get more done everyday but sleep stops me from doing so. Ok it probably doesn't help that I get up at 4:AM to go to work, but still. And while I'm wishing it would be nice if it was sunny and warm those 3 weeks. Ok it's starting to sound like I want to be Mother Nature! No thank you, she's a real b@#%h, just ask any women over 48! Now that I think of it, it sounds like the life of a coke fiend! Don't need that either, although I would get skinner :-}