Fall Family Portraits

I've never claimed to be a photographer, but I've received enough compliments throughout the years that I've decided to see if I was able to make a go of it.  I have yet to reach that point, but have had a few moments of brialliance along the way.

One of first portrait sessions was of my sister and her family.  They were looking for some family portraits and since I was close (and FREE), they asked me if I wouldn't mind taking them.  Lucky for us, they had a field located directly behind their house and it was there that we spent some time playing around with poses.

I'm happy to say that they turned out well enough to be used on the family Christmas card.  Who knows, maybe if I put a little effort into it, I might be able to do some really incredible things.

Alcohol Ink Candle Holder

OK, I admit it.  I'm addicted to alcohol inks.  They are so fun to play with!  I recently made some Hand-Stamped Tile Coasters (see previous post) using alcohol inks and fell in love with them!  Because they worked so well on the tumbled marble, I wanted to see how they would work on glass. 

The first chance I had, I went to the Dollar Store by my house and bought a pretty, glass vase for $1.00.  You can't beat that price!

Once I got home, I looked at the different colors of alcohol inks I had and wanted to grab some of the colors that would go well with the decor in my living room, which happen to be earth tones.  I finally decided on caramel, cranberry and butterscotch.

I liberally coated my applicator with the ink and then proceeded to dab the ink onto the vase in a random pattern.  I repeated this process with each color until the vase was completely covered.

I really liked how the vase turned out and was playing around with it, trying to find the perfect flowers to go in it when I had an epiphany.  About two months ago, I attended a candle party and bought some tealight candles.  I took one of the tealights and put into the base of the base and wouldn't you know it...  My pretty little vase turned into a beautiful candle holder!

No Sew Tutu

I have a niece.....  Do I need say more?  For years, I had only nephews and though I love them dearly, they're just not "girly".  When my sister found out she was pregnant with a girl I was SOOOOO excited and my mind went into overdrive with all the possibilities of things I could make for her.

Once my mind finally settled, I decided that I wanted to make her a tutu.  A tutu?  How the heck was I going to make a tutu?!?!  To be honest, I'd never really looked at a tutu up close, but how hard could it be?  As it turns out, not hard at all.

First, I scoured the web for tutorials and found one that gave me confidence to go out and take my try at making one on my own.

I decided that I wanted to make a pink, white and green tutu.  With all the confidence I could muster, I went into my local craft store and headed straight for the tulle.  I bought a yard of each and following the video step by step, desgined my masterpiece.  It took me about 20 minutes from start to finish (can you believe it??)  You can't really tell, but I packed the the ribbon I used as a waistband with as many strips of tulle as I could get.

To be honest, it ended up being a behemoth of a tutu, but not wanting to be deterred, I shipped it to my sister.  Much to my suprise, it was an instant hit with my neice (and sister).  When the time rolled around for her one-year old photos to be taken, the tutu was front and center as you can see by the photo above.

Well, my neice just turned three years old and I decided that I was ready to tackle another tutu.  This time I decided to go BIG or go HOME.  I made it using a rainbow of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise and purple.  The colors are absolutely gorgeous and I got a fantastic deal on the tulle!

I wanted to whip this one out quickly and wasn't as careful with the cutting as I should have been, but to be honest, you can't tell.  Once again, I packed the strips of tulle closely together and repeated the colors twice.  As you can see on the waist band, I used about 10 strips of tulle for each color and the finished tutu is so fun. 

I loved my first tutu, but the rainbow colors just spoke to my heart. I kept it for a couple of months before I sent it on to be loved by my neice.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of my favorite places in the world to be and I live within an hour of the park. 

Does that make me lucky? You bet it does!!! 

It sits just outside of Estes Park, Colorado and offers limitless opportunities for the adventurous. 

Whether you like to hike, bike or camp, you're in the perfect place. 

Do you like Winter activities?  Not to worry, RMNP offers snow showshoeing and cross country skiing.  

Regardless of when you visit, you're sure to come across some sort of wildlife.  However, you're mostly likey to run across elk and deer.  Every now and then you'll also apt to run into moose, big horn sheep and even coyotes and eagles.

It's a pleasant reminder that the world is a beautiful place.

Ribbon Salad

I was recently invited to a dinner party and was asked to bring a "light" Italian side dish.  My mind immediately froze.  I couldn't think of anything and then it hit me.  Why not bring an orzo and tomato salad.  I soon realized that it wouldn't work since the main course was lasagna.  So there I was, committed to making a dish without a clue as to what is was going to me.

Then it hit me!  I remember back when I had cable, watching Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Channel make a beautiful dish using ribbons of zucchini and thought I would put my own spin on it.

It turned out to be a gorgeous salad and it was absolutely delicious!  Everyone at the party asked for the recipe.

Ribbon Salad
6 servings

The Ingredients:
1 zucchini squash
1 yellow squash
1 bunch asparagus
1 C cherry tomatoes
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 t lemon zest
1/2 t salt
pinch of black pepper
2 ounces shredded Parmesan, reduced fat, cheese

The Directions:
1) Cut the ends off both the zucchini and yellow squashes and then using a mandolin, set at the lowest setting, shave them into ribbons.
2) Remove the woody parts of the asparagus and thinkly cut on the diagonal.
3) Once the asparagus has been cut, blanch them and add to the squash ribbons (after they are cooled).
4) Halve the cherry tomatoes and add to the other vegetables.
5) In a small bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, salt, pepper and shredded parmesan.  Mix together.
6) Right before serving, pour the dressing over the vegetables.
7) Serve on a long platter for the "WOW" factor.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Calories: 131.3
Total Fat: 11.3g
Carbohydrates 4.7g
Dietary Fiber 1.4g
Protien 4.1g

Hand Stamped Tile Coasters

This craft is an oldie, but goodie.  Every Christmas, along with my girlfriends, Andre' and Michele, we would come up with a fun, inexpensive craft to make for all our friends and families as gifts.  One of our most successful endeavors was our hand stamped tile coasters.

Besides being inexpensive, they are SOOO simple to make which is why I decided to share it with a local Meetup group I belong to. 

I had everyone attending go to their local hardware store and pick up some tumbled marble tiles (or whatever they would like to use).  The only requirement was that they had to be able to stamp on them.  I got a box of 9, 4"x4" tiles at Lowes for only $3.15.  How great is that?  That's 2 sets for only $1.60/set.

There are a couple of different ways to stamp: 1) alcohol ink and StazOn and 2) StazOn and chalk.

If you want to use the alcohol ink and StazOn, you must first make your backgroud.  I like using a few colors for contrast.  NOTE:  Because the tiles are so pourous, I put my ink directly on my applicator and then rub it around on the tile.  Once I have the background the way I want it, I pick the stamp I want, ink it with StazOn and stamp the tile.  That's it!

The other option I mentioned, StazOn and chalk is just as easy.  Pick your stamp, ink it with the StazOn and stamp your tile.  Take a q-tip and chalk your design.  Once you're done with that, take some "Clear" acrylic spray and spray the tile.  This will set the chalk.  Talk about simple!
Once all the coasters were stamped, we attached four felt pads (which you can get at most craft or hardware stores) to each tile.  We do this so that the tiles don't scratch your furniture....

Put a set of four tiles together, tie a piece of pretty raffia around them and voila, you have a gift ready for any occasion. 

You can put these together in a relatively short period of time and you can give them as housewarming gifts, a unique birthday present, etc.  In reality, the options are endless.

Duck Tape Clutch

If you've been to your local craft store or around any children lately, you're sure to have realized there is this fascinating craze happening and it's all about Duck Tape.  Not to be undone, I took it upon myself to make my own Duck Tape creation.  I have to admit that I was intimidated by what I was getting myself into.  I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised that it was easier (and harder) than I imaginzed.

Like with most of my projects, I went a little overboard at the craft store and bought one roll of every color and pattern available.  Once I got myself under control, I decided to start with 3 colors, black, white and silver.  I knew I wanted to make a "checkered" pattern.

I cut several 13" strips of black and white and a few of silver.  I folded them in thirds, lengthwise, which left me with several 1/2" strips of non sticky tape.  This is were I put my thinking cap on and weaved my strips into a "checkered" pattern.

Once I was completed with the outside of my clutch, it was time to tackle the inside.  I thought it would be fun to make it contrast to the outside and went for a striped design in multiple colors.  With the two sides completed, it was time to put them together.  As easy as that, I had the basics of my clutch designed.

Now here's where it got interseting.  I knew I wanted a pocket to hold cash, sleeves to hold credit cards and a chain so I could carry it when I'm out and about.  I made all my little extras, cleaned up my edges with my exacto knife and here is the finished project.

I admit that I LOVE it!  I've received so many compliments that I've made several versions.