Tuesday, November 29, 2011

baking day

Hey yall!!   Well I got alot done at the kitchen today and a new recipe called "Smokey Joe's turkey tart", a cornmeal pastry crust topped with shredded turkey breast, black beans, tomatoes, onions, and sweet corn, parsley, olive oil and montery jack cheese. 


The innerds of the turkey tart

Cream cheese n chocolate chip swirl brownies

Double chocolate gooey butter cake

Here's the tart shell goin in the oven

topped with sauteed veggies and cheese


And the cookies were great!! these are actually Martha Stewarts spritz cookies using a press I did them in wreaths with little green n white sprinkles

All nice n light golden brown edges

The turkey tart out of oven.  I should have made this for us but I did give one to my mom to try for me!! cant wait to see wthat she thought of it!

Lemon glazed lemon blueberry cake

Gooey chocolate cake
So a pretty productive day was had!!   I did miss creating prims but will get up extra early to work on things before heading to the kitchen.   I am making little hand pumpkin pies tomorrow and also more cookies then it will be off to market!!  SOUTH HAVEN FOUNDRY HALL tomorrow! 2-6 tomorrow and I will take pics of our new shop!! 

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Monday, November 28, 2011

Shop opening~~ and more primitives

I GOT THE OK TODAY TO OPEN OUR HOLIDAY HOMEMADE SHOP~    It will be on Eagle Street in South Haven Mi and there are at least 6 local artisans that want to 'rent a spot" inside so we will have a great variety to choose from!! YEAH!!!
kind of like a co op of handmades!!
SOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!  I will post more and pics this week!~!
In the meantime here is what I got up at 3am to do this am!! LOL
Joy is the first one done.  I used stryo ornaments I cut apart and used some drywall compound and flaked glitter on to make the snowmen body. 

I also have another one on my work table not done with peace on it. 


Another round head snowman ontop another .20 cent jar! this one I didnt put lights in, just a white feather tree, glitter.   I love painting these and have 5 more waiting on me.
Also I did up some snowmen head that will go on sticks but have to finish them too.  TOO MUCH TOO DO!! LOL and I really need to get to the kitchen and get things ready for markets!!

Hope you have a wonderful day!!  Will be back soon to share more!!
HUGS
Darlene
~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

spoon ornies

I finished these guys up late last night and wanted to post em quick this morning.  Busy day at kitchen today I have 3 markets this week so candy making and baking today and hopefully time in my studio when I get back! 
I bought this big box of old silverware at a flea market this summer and there was only 2 big spoons in the whole box, at least my mom and I found some at the thrift stores this weekend so I could make more.  I do have 6 more on my work table right now that are drying.  It takes a bit but after sanding and basecoating this guys are fun to do.
Obviously this batch was just snowmen but the next ones are with sheep too. 

I bend the handle part of the spoon back and make a twine hanger with little homespun tie.

quicky took a pic of em hanging off a box in my studio.   A rusy bell is attached to a litle curled wire embellishement.

Some glitter and on a couple I used some tiny little stickers from in my scrap stash. 

They are coated with lots of triple thick glaze and some teeny tiny shimmery glitter.  Happy with the way they turned out.  I will be back later to share another round head snowman creation and also hopefully the other spoons will be finished.
Have a great monday!!
Hugs
Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Sunday, November 27, 2011

one of my thrift store jars...

I did get a couple things done last night and finished this guy up using one of my .20 cent thrift store jars.  I made a round head snowman head and painted his face then did a nice coffee stain on him for that distressed aged look.
These jars are perfect for this.  You really cant see it but I did put a feather tree in the jar, attached down with some E 6000, some glittery snow flakes and a string of mini white lights.

On the front I speckeled it with snow and added a couple pieces of some scrapbook gem flourishes and the words let it snow.   

The cheesecloth scarf is perfect for him with a rusty star.

The black stovetop hat is just osnaburg fabric painted, sanded, and then rubbed with some cinnamon.  I have 6 more of these guys hanging on my clothesline in my craft studio drying, cant wait to make something with them next.  I also painted some old large spoons we found and basecoated some tins for painting snowmen on.  Lots to do today!!  Hope you have a wonderful sunday!
HUGS
Darlene
~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Snowman projects and repurposing

Hey Yall!!!    My super super mom and I took my brother out shoppin yesterday.  We hit almost every thrift shop we could and came home with her car bursting at the seams!! LOL  I bought up 2 full bags of garlands with white lights and even extension cords for $4.00, (they will come in handy for our shop and then around the farmstand) 6 boxes of new white mini lights for get this.......$1.00 a box!! 100 count even!! That was a great deal!! We got some really nice new looking heavy sweaters for Joey for .........another deal..........$1.00 each!! Found some old clear big jars for snowmen projects for .20 cents each!!  oh and my favo of cource was 2 pair of kids double runner skates for $3.50 a pair!!  I always am on the hunt for those babies! they are difficult to find and before winter comes they are pretty reasonable.   AND we seen a ton of red berries along the way on beautiful branches so pretty we decided to stop along the road and snip a few!! they are gonna be wonderful in floral arrangements, on wreaths, and well maybe just a bunch of em in a vase with white twigs and silver glittery sticks!! 
I did also find a few very cool picture frames I just had to alter!!  I am a huge fan of Linda Albrecht and took her paperclay sculpted snowmen ideas to make a few of my own.  So with My Minds Eye wonderful glittery snow pack  and pieces n parts of all my stash I came up with these!!


These are the little glass tiles I used to make the alphabet pendants but love the look of em for this.  and the foam letters are just from a scrapbook store long ago. 

I did take apart some glittered flourishes to make the swirls on here too. 

Glittery snowflakes from Big Lots and some silver mesh wired ribbon from a thrift store, the eyes are black tiny glass beads and the nose was just a piece of a wooden skewer painted orange. 

The frame did require a bit of painting and sanding and dry brushing then antiquing but I think it fits perfectly. 


The snowman here has the snow stamped on his little banner.  Twig arms make all the difference.

I like this one best so far!!

And I finished up a couple more banners.  Inspire has some great ephemera on it.  I cut out some old milk caps that I scanned and printed so each letter has a different one on it, some little flowers, a mini word stamped on using Just Rite stamps, ribbon and I painted and sanded and stamped and antiqued the little chipboard frames I had in a stash pile. 

I am leaving this one seperate so you can hang them anywhere and anyhow your heart desires.    The chipboard letters are also painted, sanded and then I used a bit of Tim Holtz distressables on the edges. 

WISH is another banner done. 


 Another thrift store frame painted sanded and antiqued along with lots of Martha Stewart flaked glitter and of cource another rusty tiny bell on top the hat.  Hey this was up at the top part of post!! >???? dont know why it got moved down here or even how?  LOL
So that was it and now I am off to get more creative things made.  I have wayyyyyyyyy too many things to get finished!! always that way huh!!
Have a wonderful saturday!! Maybe my mom and brother want to hit a few more thrift stores in another town!! ROFL<<<<<,,,well I better use up some things before brining more projects to work on huh!! 
HUGS
Darlene

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Tag banners and marshmellows

Hey YAll!!! HAPPY TURKEY DAY!! hope yall had a blessed holiday today!  My wonderful mom brought over a plate of their turkey and homemade stuffing and oh my goodnesssss SO YUMMY!!  Hubby is still at work and hopefully will be home before the boys and I eat all this yummness up without him!! LOL

So since hubby had to work I got to work in my little studio today with little "mr boopie woopie boo" in the chair next to me!!   I wanted to do some inexpensive girly girl things for my upcoming shows. 

I LOVE My Minds Eye papers and thought they would be perfect for this dream tag banner but after taking a pic of the letters I realyzed the black backround was too dark to see the letters good enough. 

These are the tags, I used old manilla file folders I had laying around in my studio and some beaded trim I bought long ago at hobby lobby.  Love that trim too.

I used some Martha Stewarts hot pink glitter for the edges of the crepe paper rosettes.  Gold and purple glitter got mixed together so that was the :bling : on the chipboard letters. 


All finished up on a piece of pink groisgrain ribbon.

The next one is WISH on more tags using more My Minds Eye papers!!  I distressed the edges again with Tim Holtz's distressing ink.    Vintage lace trim around the bottom edge, and some vintage black seam binding for the hanger. 

I used sheet music paper for the rosettes and Martha Stewarts mica flakes for the edges. 


 I have a couple more on the work table I have to finish up tonight or tomorrow. 
Yesterday Susan and I had a blast making homemade marshmellows.......................wellllllllllllllllllllll a big STICKY MESS!! LOL we had marshmellow up to our elbows, stuck to everything in the kitchen!!  but it was  fun and oh so worth it!! Let me tell you if you have never had marshmellows you are in for a real treat if you make em or buy em homemade.  I am planning on listing some in my etsy shoppe soon!!
So this was the start of our gooey mess. 
letting it cook up to 252 degrees

then it gets mixed with the bloomed gelatin and you mix.............

and you mix,.......................and.......................

you mix.........and...................... you reazlye it is gonna go over your bowl so you have to use the big girl for this now!!!

it was cool to watch it go from tan to white along the way too!!

Sooooooooo much of it was stuck in the whip I had to use my gloved hand to try to pull some of it thru the spokes. 

And here it is cooling in the pan, we tried to smooth it as much as can be
pulling the parchment off the top

now just have to dust with a bit of cornstarch

oh there it is!! the yummy gooey stick goodness!!  I had made some graham crackers and also melted some milk chocolate discs to make choc bars to fit the grahams

layered together these were divine!!!  I packaged some of for market last nigth.   I did tie them with some red and white bakers twine and a cute scalloped edge tag. 

So they will be made again very soon and I want to do some peppermint swirl ones with hot cocoa mix for my shop.
Hope it was a great day for you!!  Will be back soon I am going to go to a primitive show in the morning and then gotta get wood cut for more signs.
HUGS
Darlene
~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~