Chinese Watercolor? Cookie? How about both!

Diana and I spent about 14 hours combined painting over 3 dozen of these beauties, each of them a unique work of art. And it may have been some of the best 14 hours we've spent... at least on cookies.

Check Us Out!"

At 33 with 3 kids, I don't get checked out anymore. At least, not by anyone but my husband - and that's fine with me. I'd rather nobody notice the "mom of small kids" look I have going on. But I'm not on here to show off my looks - I doubt my sisters are either. (Though at least they could pull it off.)

But when it comes to my Cookies and our Blog Posts, we're dying for people to Check Us Out!

That's why we're doing this - because when you do something that turns out cool, you want someone to see it. Like these bouquets I made for Secretaries Day:

We need someone to verify that, yes, that's cool. Plus, we want people to have as much fun as we're having. So to give our adoring if small minuscule public one more opportunity to stalk us, here is:

Our Facebook Page!!!!
(That's a link. You can click on it.)

If you've read this far, you haven't clicked the link. How come?

There's nothing else to talk about here.

Just go LIKE us!

Please?

Ok. I won't beg. That's pathetic. 

Of course so was licking the beater this morning when I made a lemon pound cake I can't eat.

(It's for a dinner at the church tomorrow.)

Soooooo, Pretty Please?

Seriously, why are you still here?

- Michelle- 

The Real Thing: Strawberry Shortcake

There are two kinds of strawberry shortcake - the kind that tries to be but isn't and the kind that is.

The first kind is made with store bought sponge cakes or frozen pound cake, strawberry glaze, and cool whip. I'm not saying those can't be good. I'm just saying they aren't the real deal.

This is Strawberry Shortcake:

Buttery, made-from-scratch shortcake, still warm from the oven

Fresh strawberries, macerated in a little sugar

(Macerating strawberries doesn't sound as appetizing as it is.)

And real, freshly whipped cream.

This is everything sweet and summery on a plate, topped with clouds of heaven. 

So no more Shortcake cuts, alright?

Shortcake Recipe

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cups sugar

3 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs, slightly beaten

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour 8" or 9" round or square cake pan.

In large bowl combine the dry ingredients. Cut butter into small cubes (it makes incorporating it easier) and cut into flour mixture with a fork or pastry blender. Stir in milk and eggs, just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon into pan, and bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm with sliced and sweetened strawberries and whipped cream. 

- Michelle-

Heart and Daisy Felt Hair Clips Tutorial

My first tutorial.

Here it goes:

Lace Daisy Chain

Felt 

Scissors

Needle threaded with three strands of embroidery thread

Snap Clip

Hot Glue Gun (optional)
Heart Template :
(Trace around your clip on paper, draw a heart around it,
big enough that there is plenty of space on all sides of the clip.
You can probably trace mine right off the computer.
Folding the paper in half when you cut it out is the best way
to get the heart to match on both sides.)

 

I couldn't help making several, and I plan to make more!



If you liked this clip, stay tuned. I have more coming.

Including a MONSTER hair clip. 
Ooooh! 
(That was a scary noise by the way.)

Kid Mystery #1

Huh? What? Err...

I mean, how does this even happen?

I swear they weren't like this a couple of weeks ago. 

Does she walk on her toes all day? 

Does she get hungry and chew on them for a snack?

She says it's from the mulch on the playground.

It still doesn't make sense unless there are mice living in the mulch 

that come out and nibble on her shoes while she's in a gossip session with her friends.

(Because some serious drama goes down on the kindergarten playground, let me tell you!)

This is her second pair of tennis shoes this school year and we aren't done yet. 

Not to mention she has ten other pairs of glitter shoes, Mary Janes, boots, and

 assorted sandals they alternate with.

I tried to rationalize making them work for the six or so weeks we have left.

Let's face it, she'll be bare foot or in flip flops all summer anyway.

If you'll look at the arrows below, you can see the possibilities:

1) Great ventilation. The girl has sweaty feet anyway. Like, bad.

2) Surely I could color over this with a black permanent marker.

I do it on her black boots every time she wears them.

(apparently it's a not so permanent marker)

3) Secret Hiding Place! Pennies, notes, rollie pollies or lady bugs...

The possibilities are endless.

*Sigh* I guess not. 

- Michelle -

Random Spurts of Creativity

One day my sister and I started talking about how great it would be to create our own blog to share all our recipes, projects, etc. Well I really didn't think that all the way through. I mean, come on I really don't know how fair this is. Michelle is the witty word smith in the family. All my experience is in writing boring, dry, technical papers on various Special Education topics so you will really have to excuse my humble offerings from time to time. So with that in mind I hope you will find this post of some interest anyway.

My family will tell you that I love to give handcrafted gifts especially for Christmas. While this love was born out of necessity it has truly become something I enjoy. A few years ago I decided to create a piece of art for my parent's Christmas gift. The thing is I really enjoy drawing and painting but I rarely do anything artistic. By rarely I mean I took an art class in the 9th grade and waited about 5 or 6 years to do anything else with art and since then I might decide to try something every few years or so. I literally had no idea if it would turn out. I didn't even know what I would make. 

I ended up heading down to my parent's house Christmas Eve day with nothing in hand and plans to dig through my dad's practically abandoned shop for materials. Upon getting to my parent's house I determined the only room that had any need of wall decor was their bathroom which has a beach theme. I found some wood scraps that used to be a part of my childhood bunk bed and locked myself away in a room with the paint and brushes I borrowed from Michelle. What I came up with surprised even myself. I even finished in time for the annual Christmas Eve Buffet. I guess mom liked it since she  is the one who wanted me to write a post about it and took the picture for me.  So I guess my point is even random spurts of creativity have a place in the world.

-Diana-         

Crystal Clear Bargain

   Diana and I went yard sale-ing this weekend. (Yes it's a verb.) We saw such oddities as flats of shriveled mangoes, commercial florescent light fixtures, and the usual assortment of UGLY chachkies that I can't fathom anyone wanting new. We did find some cool lamps for five bucks each that I planned to make over for my living room. (But then I left one in the driveway and the wind blew it over. Yes, it broke. Story of my life.) 

   But the treasure of the day turned out to be some canisters at a church yard sale. They looked worse than rough since whoever donated them hadn't bothered to rinse them out. But since I'd been looking for these exact canisters and they were priced to sell, I was only slightly dismayed. 

   I hauled them up to the ladies taking money and one of them shouted triumphantly, "I knew someone would fall in love with my jars." Well, I was surprised someone actually claimed responsibility for the pitiful shape they were in, but I have to say, they cleaned up pretty good.

 

 Priced at $6.00 for nine of them, 

they were truly a bargain.

(Only showing the six with white lids because I like things to match.)

-Michelle-