More of my Garden

This is a somewhat fuzzy pic of a GIANT Boston Fern. (I hate watering it, because it's so prickly)

Here's our Philodendron, in its new basket.

This is some sort of yucca that desperately needs replanting. (He is seriously outgrowing his little pot!)

My beautiful snake plant. (I heart him so much!)

And these little guys are the chicks that Jesse gave me from his Hens and Chicks! (I'm a little worried they are getting too much water from all the rain we've been having...)

Next post I will dedicate to all the crochet projects finished and in progress...

My Container Garden

As promised, here is my little container garden.

Here is a shot of the whole shebang. See my little flower box. We just added that 2 days ago. The plants on the inside are harder to see.

Here's a close up of the flower box. The yellow ones are marigolds (to keep away bugs, I hope) and I don't know the name of the pink ones.

Here is my little garden bunny.

An extreme close up of my pride and joy, miniature yellow roses. (they've bloomed thrice so far!)

More close ups to follow, so stay tuned!

A Day at Jesse's

Hey all. I spent a lovely afternoon out at Jesse's today. Not only did I get a fantastic massage(he's a registered massage therapist) but we also explored his fabulous garden! More info can be found on his site (see my links to the right ---> ) check out his garden blog for sure! On to the pics!

Here's Jesse and me (with the sun in my eyes, doh!)

These are Hens and Chicks (Jesse even gave me 2 for my own "garden"!!)

This is Echinacea aka Cone flower (pretty, no?)

This is Agave (as in Tequila, yes!) But it is poisonous, so we must be careful around it!

And last but not least, a Lilly. I forgot which. But it is such a beautiful purple. Almost black.

All of these pics were taken by the talented Mr. Josh (he rocks. Although we just figured out the setting to make the photos less blue, so, next time...) Jesse is such a talented gardener. I learn something new from him every time I visit! Next post I will have some pics of my own "garden" (I live in an apartment, so I have a container garden!)

Artful Sunday

I did get to go to the Dallas City Arts Festival on Sunday. It was a blast! Josh and I went with a friend, Jennifer. We rode the DART rail down from Plano (that was fun by itself, as I'd never ridden it before) and here are a couple of pics of downtown Dallas, walking from the train station to the festival (about 2 blocks):

Be warned, the pics were taken with a cell phone, so they aren't the greatest!

I didn't take any pics inside the festival out of respect for the artists, but I saw a LOT of fantastic local art and some really great jewelry. I saw these beautiful pendants this lady did in glass (which happens to be a new medium I am attempting). The pendants were made from bits of millefiore, which look like this pic to the right. She made trees from bits of glass, and the leaves were all these millefiore. So gorgeous. I'm not sure if this woman fused or lampworked, but I'm leaning toward fused. Too bad I can't afford a kiln right now! (Plus Josh would just kill me!) Anyway, after we browsed the wares, we decided to check out the Dallas Museum of Art (because 1. I love that place, and 2. it was freaking hot and the DMA was air conditioned). We saw a neat exhibit on modern art (where I saw a couple of Duchamp's!) And then we went upstairs to check out the Japanese and African art, Ancient Egyptian, Buddhist, even some Ancient Greek and Roman stuff. We saw a Matisse (gorgeous colors!) A couple of Mondrian's (the placard said he would spend months deciding how to perfectly fill the canvas to have no definite start or finish and no discernible focal point. Interesting.) We also saw a Pollock. Love his texture and use of color (all of them!) So all in all it was a fantastic day! Even with the ride home on the train that was standing room only! Here is one last photo of me inside the DMA (which technically you aren't supposed to do, but since there aren't any works of art in it, I think its ok...)

Dirt Balls?

Here is some digital art my friend Jesse sent me. Cool, no? (I spy a Batz Maru...although Deery Lou is my new fave.)

If you are bored, here is a dirt cheap (literally) craft to try. Apparently it is all the rage with Japanese schoolchildren:

http://www.dorodango.com I swear this is the coolest thing ever! As soon as I have time and dirt I am totally all over this!

If you are in the Dallas area, this weekend is the Dallas Fine Arts Festival. Free admission in the arts district downtown. Josh and I are riding the DART rail down on Sunday. Plus...free admission to the DMA and the Nasher (My favorite places to go in Dallas!) I will be taking pics and posting them Sunday.

Such a Disappointment

I whipped up a practice Rural Messenger with some orange fabric my Nana gave me and I don't know what went wrong! First of all, I was having all kinds of trouble with the sewing machine (I hate winding bobbins!!) And I could only find my little silver pins with the flat heads so my thumb is very sore! Somehow, I mismeasured one of the pieces and ended up about an inch short on one side of the lining...and there were a few other mishaps...at any rate, thank goodness it was only a practice run. At least I know what to watch for when I do the real one. I think I will do another practice one, but not tonight...

It's Here!! Wheee!

My Amy Butler pattern got here today!! I can't wait to cut it out and do a test run tomorrow!!

Oh, and also, pay attention to recipes...I have a bread machine (I love it!! My awesome Nana gave it to me...) Anyhow, I decided to whip up a batch of bread. I dumped all the ingredients in (in tthe proper order) and pushed start. A couple hours later, my kitchen smelled delish so I went in to take a peak at my little loaf, and it had not risen at all! I had a lumpy pile of bread instead of a fluffy delicious loaf! So I reread the directions, and realized the recipe only called for 1 teaspoon of yeast and I dumped the whole packet in (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) So, I wonder, will too much yeast cause the dough not to rise? Sigh. I guess its true, too much of a good thing...

Finally Found It!!

I finally found someone who was selling Amy Butler's Rural Messenger Bag. Apparently she "updated" the pattern into the High Street Messenger Bag. In my opinion, however, the Rural seems less traditional. I Love the way the Rural's flap looks like a little bag. Anyhow, so I got a fabulous grey microfiber shower curtain and a sheet that almost perfectly matches from my awesome friend Jesse (he actually saved said items for me) so I shall make a messenger bag for him and for me once I get the pattern. I have been checking the tracking number daily! Once I get everything going, I will be back with some pics!

Pizza, Yum!

Everybody loves pizza, but pizza does not love everyone...Especially me! I am, I admit, lactose intolerant. (Oh, My!) And all that greasy pizza cheese does not agree with me (What's a girl to do?) So, I make my own pizza, and you can too! Perfect for other anti-dairy queens or those who just want a little "healthier" pizza.

I start with a storebought pizza crust, but it is pretty easy if you wanna make your own:

You will need:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup milk (I use plain soymilk)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F; Lightly grease a pizza pan or cookie sheet.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt, oregano, and black pepper. Mix in eggs and milk. Stir well. Pour batter into prepared pan and tilt until evenly coated.

Bake in preheated oven 20-25 mins. until crust is set

Add toppings. I use Italian seasoned tomato sauce for the sauce, "mozzerella" soy cheese, mushrooms, black olives, and canadian bacon but you may use whatever you fancy.

Bake until cheese is melted, about another 10 mins.

Enjoy!!

Shopping!

Since today was Memorial Day, I said some prayers for the troops, of course, and I went shopping! Not the crazy, all out shopping most people do on this day, forgetting the real meaning of the day. I was really on my way to spend time with the boyfrusband's family, after leaving my family's home, and we stopped at a little antique mall on the way. This place was packed with all kinds of cool (and not so cool) old stuff. The prices were a little on the high side for some of the stuff. I saw a stuffed bobcat that had really seen better days. The poor thing looked like it had mange or something. Most of the hair on its back was missing, and one eye had fallen out, and the price tag asked $275! But, I did manage to score three Reader's Digests with really cool cover designs and some book that was from the '50s all for $6.00! So you can imagine what these shall become...I will have pics of the new purses as soon as they are made!

Bag Lady

I have been somewhat obsessed with purses lately, so here are a few of my latest creations.

First, I found this really cool book at Half Price Books for $1.00. a trip to Joann's and several hours of measuring, cutting, sewing, and gluing later I had this:

I also crocheted up this shopping bag, after hearing on the news that some stores are planning to start charging to use plastic bags (I figure I should be a little more eco-friendly anyway). This is my first one, but I plan on making several more.

And finally, I made this little clutch awhile ago, out of magazine pages I folded into strips and covered in clear packing tape. I wove all the strips into a rectangle, reinforced the edges, folded the whole shebang and then taped up the sides. I'm still deciding on a closure for it. It doesn't hold much, but perfect for a night out.

I just love purses, and it is so hard to find just the right combination of size, style, etc. that I usually just make my own. Don't get me wrong, I have tons of store bought ones, too. Josh has been known to say to me, somewhat incredulously, "Another purse?!" What can I say...Its an obsession! (almost as bad as shoes...)

Welcome to my world!

I am an avid crafter. I do everything from crocheting to sewing to jewelrymaking and anything and everything in between. My philosophy is try everything at least once, which is a constant source of exasperation to my boyfrusband (I call him this because we have been together going on 6 years, but we are not actually married yet) due to the copious amounts of cash I spend on new crafts. That said, if you like to craft or like what I've made, leave a note! Kind criticism is always accepted and kind compliments are always appreciated!