Little Monsters

No, I'm not calling all Lady Gaga fans. I'm talking about what I made for the kids. I've been on a Silhouette kick lately. I know, I got it for Christmas and I'm now just playing with it. In my defense, though, I was working up until the minute we were evacuated in March, then we were gone, and then we were back with a long, hot summer & 4 kids in the house. I've been learning the machine since they've been in school.

I love my Silhouette. I was surfing through the Silhouette Studio shop and stumbled upon an unfamiliar price. $1.29?? What? Images usually range from .50 cents to .99 cents. I looked closer and saw that it was a "kit". Ah, mine eyes hath been opened! No, I didn't buy the kit, but it gave me the idea. I drew monster bodies, hair, horns, eyes, noses, mouths, teeth, arms, tentacles and feet and had my magic machine cut them out for me. Can you imagine cutting out all those shapes? Blerg.

Keep on keeping on

A person is predictable.

Interesting observation: Everyone seems more purposeful in the morning. We all know where we're headed; to work, school, wherever. By afternoon, this purposeful thread has unraveled and everything seems more random. Or maybe I'm just more random.

I'm not an extremely crafty person. I'm just very scattered. I like doing a wide spectrum of activities and it just so happens that craft stores fill all of my random past times.

If I had to pick the number one thing I miss about being stateside, it's a close tie between craft stores & Target. I can go in a craft store with a half-formed idea & come out with a complete one & an empty shopping basket. I don't always buy something when I go to JoAnns, Porter's, Michael's, etc. There isn't as much "homemaking/crafting" window shopping to be done overseas, or more specifically, in the Middle East. Though, in Bahrain's defense, their fabric souk is a-mazing! Their notions shops are my lifesavers! It's just that access to it isn't as quick & easy. I mean, nothing is as quick & easy as in your home country (don't ask me why, I'm still figgering on that one), you just have to get used to the challenges.

I had a particularly pleasurable and carefully calculated trip to JoAnn's on Tuesday. JoAnn's is having a great Spring sale; 50% off coupons, 30 & 40% off other inventory! I just loved the bottom of the receipt where it says how much I saved. Mine said, " $64.35". Even more satisfying was that the 'saved' amount was almost equal with my 'spent' amount, within $10!

Top row, L-R: Book, 'Let's draw Happy People' - 30% off ($7.85); Book, 'Artful Paper Dolls' - 30% off ($12.45); super cool double sided notions storage case. See how it opens? 40% off ($7.95);
Bottom row, L-R: Book, 'Wee Wonderfuls' - 40% off ($13.45); light tracer that I have *so wanted* forever!! Used my 50% off coupon - usually $50, now $23.95; Book, 'Crochet Boquet' - 40% off ($6.95)


I felt like an 'Extreme Couponer' on that TLC show! I've been pacing myself, once the Spring Sale is over, I'll only go once a week. Twice, no, only every other day. Er, I'll get back to you on that one . . . .

Vision

I thought I had a lot more "vision" when I started this. My Bookmarks tab has been filling up & I was sure I had so many ideas that I would burst if I didn't see it all together. Turns out, I need to create.

~ I want to make buntings. Badly. One for every holiday & turn of the season. And one made entirely of the pictured fabric. Cloud 9 fabric: Beyond the Sea.

~ I need to decorate. I want all my wall decor so I can create what has been bouncing around in my head for far too long.

~ I have all the fabric & supplies for this advent calendar. In a crate. Far, far away from me.

~ I need to paint. I have a bajillion ideas for every room. All over color, murals, mosaics. Ooh, mosaic murals! I'm thinking a cherry tree in Mairyn's room, Cloud 9 inspired everything in Eliza's room and abstract shapes in Grant & Jacqui's room. The list goes on & on. This desire is obtainable because they have paint shops with cans of paint just waiting to hop into my car & spread themselves on my walls!

~ Terrariums. I want to fill my windowsill with terrariums. Or find an iron corner shelf and have a little collection of various sized little worlds encased in glass. This desire may be possible. I hunted down a place called "The Garden Nursery", adjacent to the Barbar Temple excavation, that looks promising. Though I haven't looked at the prices yet. I'm not paying 10BD ($26.60) for a little bougainvillea start. Or some other hardy native plant that won't die on me. I haven't ever been that good at keeping plants alive. I've either forgotten to water, over-watered, or they've been pulled out by the roots due to unsupervised rugrats.

~ The biggest desire of all? The one that I surely cannot create here. The Wonder Wall. To build an exposed wall & studs slathered in wonderful white paint. The easiest to decorate because pictures can just be propped up in their cubby, then switched around due to holidays or whim. If I didn't have concrete walls.

There. Now that I've vented I will get back to my real life. The Supermarket Shuffle is the dance I do today. Geant for all things produce, dairy, pasta & staples. NEX for any luxury items; like Raisin Bran Crunch, good sliced turkey from the deli, Doritos or microwave popcorn.

*Post Edit*
Question:
Does anyone actually use the hotlinks I include? Sometimes I'm not sure if something needs more explaining. And explaining it would lead to a tangent, then I forget where I was going with that or how I found myself on that wiki page for '10 Most Useful Poisons in the early 19th century'.

Another question:
If you've been shy about leaving comments, don't be. I would love to hear feedback & start conversations. I'm just here by my lonesome, starting a new life in the sandbox. Give me some love!

(I guess that wasn't a question. Oh well. I have to go shopping.)

Cookies!

I tried my hand at royal icing. First time I've tried this recipe. I've stayed away from royal icing because I hated it; that nasty tasting, cement-like devil posing as frosting. Not like I make icing & cookies & baked goods very often. I find it's not worth the mess sometimes. I got some icing tips and tried this new recipe. Wow. I could frost all day! This one is my favorite design.

Here is the recipe I used. I got it from this blog, Sweetopia. Scroll down for the recipe if you go there. And go here --> How to Decorate Cookies <-- for great step-by-step instruction on frosting technique. And if you can't find meringue powder, it's just powdered egg whites. I used something called 'Just Whites'. You could also just use egg whites. But I wouldn't know the ratio. I guess you could look up another royal icing recipe and see the measurements. I think the biggest difference in this recipe is the adding of vanilla. (or lemon, peppermint or whatever flavor.) Follow the directions *exactly* and you will get perfect royal icing. I watered down half the batch and used it for flooding. It is royal icing, so it will harden like cement on anything, but just keep a bowl of warm water handy to plop a spoon or icing tip into. I am just giddy with the results.

Royal Icing Recipe

Ingredients:

6 oz (3/4 cup) of warm water
5 Tablespoons Meringue Powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 kilogram (2.25 lbs.) powdered icing sugar

*** Note; if your meringue powder has no vanilla flavour (vanilla powder) in it, add a teaspoon of clear vanilla to this recipe.

Directions:

In mixer bowl, pour in the warm water and the meringue powder. Mix it with a whisk by hand until it is frothy and thickened…about 30 seconds.

Add the cream of tartar and mix for 30 seconds more.

Pour in all the icing sugar at once and place the bowl on the mixer.

Using the paddle attachment on the LOWEST speed, mix slowly for a full 10 minutes. Icing will get thick and creamy.

Cover the bowl with a dampened tea-towel to prevent crusting and drying.

Tint with food colourings or thin the icing with small amounts of warm water to reach the desired consistency.

Obtained

It seems I'm a 'material girl' as of late. I want this. I got that. But I've had some of these ideas simmering for a while. This picture of Christ. I spotted it this last summer when we first got back. It was huge (too huge for me) and very expensive. Even to order just the print cost an arm & a leg. I hit the tightwad's jackpot in finding the first framed smaller version AND getting the employee to give me an extra 25% off. Just because I asked nicely. ;)

Here is it's "place" on the wall.

And here is the rest of the wall that needs other "things".

What $13 gets you . . . .

This is what $13 at Deseret Industries get you. A whole lotta good!

Deseret Industries, or D.I. in local speak, is a tight-wad's dreamland. It's kind of like a Goodwill store. They are nonprofit and accept donations. When I was too lazy to organize a yard sale, this is where I took 6 van loads of "stuff", i.e. out-grown clothes, toys, and assorted junk. Junk to me, but treasure to someone else. You know the saying . . . I have fond memories of D.I., we bought our first couch there for $35. I got a pair of jeans there for $3 that lasted me 3 years.

I went to D.I. with a purpose; to find frames. I have a wall that is nothing but frames. My dream is to have a nice, unique collection of just frames. Actually, it's singular right now: frame. I saw this online at Ikea about a year ago.

I had such visions and daydreams about this frame. Such beauty and splendor would have a place of honor and nothing, n-o-t-h-i-n-g will be in it. This piece of art is the centerpiece. My wonderful sister-in-law, Chelsey, snagged it for my birthday last year. It was too cumbersome to ship and so it waited in her guest bedroom until we arrived in Virginia to collect it. And it was the sixth passenger in my van, carefully tucked out of the way of flailing feet. 'The Frame' was one of the first things hung up on the wall.



You know how frustrating it is when you have a vision, and you know what you need, but you can't find it? That's my problem right now. So, I dove into the Frame & Picture section at D.I and resurfaced with this assortment. Some may stay in their natural beauty, others will be altered. And one or two may not even make the cut. But at $2 a piece, I can afford to be choosy! I got some spray paint and, if one is painted, it will be in burgundy, black or creme. I'll keep you posted on my progress. Tomorrow is Saturday, after all. Time for the Weekend Warriors to rise! After we sleep in . . .

Thoughts . . .

I just can't

think a thing
on my own.
Has to be
words that come
to my head
not a thought
otherwise.
People say
practice, too,
makes it flow
easier.

- me

If you can't tell, I've been a bit uninspired as of late. No picture taking or writing is happening. Just feeling the winter blahs, I guess. We went to visit my sister in Montana this last weekend. Baby Taylor is getting cuter by the day!