Modern Monogram

On Friday night I enjoyed a night with the girls at the monthly crop. I decided to work on a Wedding Album of my sister's wedding. Her wedding was in 2005 in the Cayman Islands. It was a beautiful wedding, and I really wanted to thank her for the wonderful time we had. It was a great night, because looking at all those island pictures really warmed me up. So I started up an 8x8 album.

I really wanted to start off her new album with a classic monogram page. I thought it would give the album a classy touch. I enjoyed making her monogram, so much that I made some for myself. Here are a few modern examples.

This one started out a little more standard scrapbook style.

Then I took a leap into funky modern.

A little more femine.

Formal style.

I think I might develop some of these for digital scrapbooking.

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Cold and Crusty Outside, Crusty Inside?

So I am in love with canning and freezing foods. Especially when they can become my favorite comfort foods. I have been craving chicken potpie, that will have to be another days work. So I made 3 piecrusts for the freezer. Here is the recipe:

     3 C. All Purpose Flour

     1/2 tsp. Salt

     1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

     1/2 lb Lard

Pretty Simple.
1. Put the dry ingredients in the food processor and then add the lard. Pulse. I cannot stress this enough, pulse. It needs to incorporate and if your not careful the food processor will sling the dough around and not incorporate. Dough resembles coarse crumbs.

2. Put flour on the clean surface and divide the dough into 3 equal balls. I add a bunch of flour to the dough, because nothing is more disgusting and annoying than trying to get dough into a bag or out of. However when you are ready to bake add a couple of spoonfuls of water.

The image above, is showing my Tupperware piecrust sizing sheet, the circles are how large to make the dough. I always check before I freeze to make sure it will actually make the correct size. Because there is nothing worse than not freezing enough dough.

Now for your smile of the day, below are sock monkey slippers, yes there is flour on them and dough on the floor. Just a hint, clean the kitchen afterwards, not before.

 Some days the sock monkeys log more mileage than my shoes. Sad, but its winter.

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A Calendar

I probably have the most complex Google calendar known to man. Sometimes I just want to see a clean calendar, it is like, I am on vacation. Because I don't always need to be reminded about the 3 soccer practices, Scrapbooking crop, 2 training sessions, and 3 kung fu classes. Simple. So I utilized a few simple Photoshop brushes. These are 4 months @ 6x6(making a 12x12 page). Enjoy.

So I cut them apart and punched a hole on the top for a brad and ribbon. My favorite is the month of April, my birthday and my son's.

ENJOY!!

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Christmas Aftermath

I know its technically early to take the Christmas stuff down. I had a willing pack mule, fresh from watching Sponge Bob and Chipmunks, looking for something to do. I had him, and once we began there was no returning. So I go to put stuff away in the closet, I notice that we forgot to put out the beloved-lighted moose village. Because every well decorated house must have dancing Moose. Don't you? I look around, trying to understand how this could happen; I noticed that the boxes were pretty non-descript. Yes some were Christmas colored but not consistent. Time for...theatrical music... a LABEL. Click HERE

Just a really simple label, ask me next year about the moose.

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A New Year means Life Redirection

I have always set resolutions at the beginning of the year with variable outcome. This year is no exception. 2009 was a wonderful year with lots of new ground covered. However as the year waned I kept finding myself looking with an expression of longing at the craft room that gathered dust. I have a great many loves but nothing brings me back to sitting on my Grandmother's table drawing like art or design. Some how returning to that place in my life seems like a great place to begin again.

So with the New Year's dawn breaking I will begin. Begin to find myself again, try to find my heart and pride.

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