Thoughts of a Grasshopper

I needed cards for thank you notes and I sent them off to arrive just before Valentine's Day, so I decided to use the Greeting Card kids set.  What you can't see from this picture is the letterpress template I used on the vanilla cardstock, stamped with VersaMark.  I saw a similar card on Pinterest and went with the design and colors.  The card I saw was a little more snazzy but I needed it to be flat enough to mail and the flowers on the other card were too 3D for the mail unless a bubble envelope was used. Stamps:  Greeting Card Kids and Hand-Penned Holidays CS:  Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, VV Ink:  VersaMark, Stazon Black Misc.:  Flower Punch, 2-1/2" circle punch, Large Delicate Doilies sizzlet, dimensionals, Fancy Fan Letterpress, Basic Pearl, mini Glue Dots

Christmas, traditions, and a long list of "want to do" kept me pretty busy.  I'm embarrassed to say that I still need to get 'thank you' cards written and mailed off.  Stamped might even be good but I do have my trusty box of ready-made cards that never seem quite right for the person I need a card for. In December I tried to participate in 2 photo challenges for the month.  I ended up very behind and was still playing catch-up well into January.  There were some duplicates on both lists and I found I got pictures of the details but didn't seem to get as many of the people and I'm usually better at that.  Somehow, I need to find that happy medium of both.  I like the details but the people/family are more important to me. The month I started with a quilting group that meets once a month.  We are making the "Ramblin Rose Meets Jamestown" quilt this year.  I'm making the squares as they are but I'm modifying the log cabin part of the...

I wish I took some pictures as I went along but I wanted to share with you something that I made a couple of weeks ago for a decoration outside this year.  This was a two-hour project. In October, I bought to rolls of mesh ribbon.  One was white and the other red.  I can't visualize what I intended but I think I planned to use it above the windows . . . somewhere.  Perhaps on a wreath but I doubt that due to the size of my wreaths.  Due to the colors of the mesh, it seemed logical to make a candy cane.  I went to the store and bought some green ribbon for a bow, which I think needs to be a little lower on the candy cane but it will do for this year. We had left over chicken wire from a science fair project last year.  I rolled it to make a cylinder shape, securing it with zip ties and then shaped it for a candy cane.  The hook of the cane wouldn't stay bent so I used some wire (silver floral wire) to connect the base of the hook to the ...

I love Pinterest.  I go there for ideas before I look other places because it is easy to look through the images and open only what you are interested in.  I would say it's a time saver but we all know it isn't because there are too many great things to see there. The first card is a direct CASE with the exception of the words (I didn't want to dig out the set and made do with what I had on my desk).  I love Connie Babbert's cards.  She is one talented lady. Stamps:  Watercolor Winter, More Merry Messages CS:  Baja Breeze, WW, Pink Pirouette, Twitterpated DP Ink:  Cherry Cobbler Misc.:  Lacy Brocade EF, Designer Frames EF, XL oval punch, Aqua Painter, Dimensionals This next one I was happy to see on Pinterest because I still have this DP from last year and was happy to use more of it up.  I didn't actually pin the card but you can easily do a search and find it or go to Jen's blog .  I am a Post-It person and I jot things ...

As you know, I'm a procrastinator.  I've known for a bit that I needed to get 40 cards made to hand off so teachers and music leaders could be appreciated for what they do.  Due to it being fall (not that you can tell here in FL), I wanted to use one of my fall sets.  I just couldn't get into it.  I tried.  I'm pre-occupied with other projects and they are what I think of right now.  Some are fun and some . . . eh, not so much.  After looking for some inspiration for something easy, that wouldn't cost extra postage, that wasn't too labor intensive with cutting, I came across a card like this on Pinterest.  Ha!  Just what I needed.  I went to the blog but it didn't have colors other than a Kaleidacolor (?) and gray.  I don't have any of the Kaleidacolor stamp pads any more.  A friend kept them about 7 years ago and I really didn't care because I never really used them. I made a mask with a sheet of paper and brayered So S...

I made moussaka for dinner last night.  The recipe comes from a dear friend who is quite the cook.  A lot of years ago, she taught several of us how to make spanakopita, tzatziki and she had prepared moussaka and shared the recipe with us.  I made it in ABQ but it wasn't a hit with my family.  I thought the kids have matured with their tastes and I would give it a go again.  My husband doesn't remember it the first time around and tells me he must have been TDY.  I have one kid that doesn't eat red meat, of the three left, the twins liked it and my son didn't give it a fair try.  A recipe I enjoy but it will sit and be dusted off again in a few years. Moussaka sliced potatoes, fried (enough for single layer) 2 large eggplants, peeled and cut into 1/2" slices 2 lbs. ground beef 1C chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce 3/4C dry red wine 2T snipped parsley (or 1T dried) 1t salt 1/4t dried oregano, crushed 1/4t cin...

The twins are turning 12 this week.  One of them loves One Direction.  She has many posters on her wall of them, group and single pictures.  She has a spot reserved for one that she wants but doesn't have.  Her sister, while she likes One Direction, is into Bruno Mars and Maroon 5 but she agreed to go with a One Direction theme for the party.  Yay! Still working out some details of activities and I haven't given a thought to the cake but I thought I'd share the invite.  I found several through Google images.  I took what I like from at least 2, perhaps all 3 of the ticket style invitations and created one for them.  I hear their friends thought they were cool and one of the friends hung hers on the wall.  Off to a good start for this event.  I'm making moussaka for dinner tonight and don't you know I'm out of potatoes.  I cooked the eggplant this morning to get as much water as possible out.  My wonderful husband is ...