Under a Blue Moon

Paperie

Since I petered out on the Christmas cards I thought I might try my hand at Easter cards. I’ve mentioned the Stamp Art Shoppe in Roseville, CA ~ fabulous selection of stamps and so many great inspiring pieces on display. I can spend HOURS in there just browsing. I saw a small card that was similar to the one I tried to recreate above.

I’m just never satisfied with my renditions. I don’t know if it’s because I’m looking at too long or if it really is just crap but instead of looking whimsical or creative or artistic they end up looking like low-rent versions of what I had in mind. Grrr.

I think it’s a matter of proportion. I think I need a focal layer and then smaller embellishments to enhance it.

Those bunnies should be bigger. And seriously – the inspiration piece was so cute and vintage looking and mine just looks like a six year old’s paper and glue project. Inspiration piece had a pale blue check background. Check. Inspiration piece had lined school paper. Check. Inspiration piece had vintage image. Check. Inspiration piece had floral details in some of the corners. Check. Inspiration piece had salutation in cheerful, loopy font. Check. Inspiration piece had small stamped image. Check. Inspiration piece had little pink bow embellishment. Check. Sigh.

I am loving German die cut paper (the roses in the image above). Intricate little pieces in vivid colors that glue on like a dream. And best of all they are mostly cut out so there isn’t too much cutting that needed (just little tabs that need to be snipped off) so my kitchen floor isn’t littered with itty bitty pieces of paper.

If anyone has any recommendations for books on collage art or collage type cards feel free to send them my way.

Morning light

I have had this vague notion, way back in the musty recesses of my mind, that I would like to be a little more organized about this blog. My normal modus operandi is to get up – ask my sleepy self if I have anything of interest I want to share with the world and go from there.

Or – more likely – panic because I haven’t posted in four days and my life has taken on a routine boringness that NO ONE wants to read about.

Part of this was inspired by Posy’s post yesterday on taking pictures of her world each day, for the rest of the month. I was thinking it would be nice to have that as a regular feature – only do it once a week. I think one of my favorite things about reading other’s blogs is when I get to peak into their home or gardens (and please someone, anyone, tell me that I’m not alone with my voyeuristic tendencies).

Another idea I really liked came from my niece Sara and her original blog. She had started a tabletop of the month entry showcasing her pretty table setting – lovely dishes, fresh flowers, flickering candles. I was thinking of incorporating that into a cooking post. I generally try to put extra effort into one of our weekend meals (rather than just fling a grilled cheese sandwich in the direction of my husband, like I did last night…) so I may start showcasing one of them a month and include the table setting. From soup to nuts, if you will.

I haven’t quite got all the details sorted out but was thinking along the lines of these categories; around the house, the table, projects in progress, inspiration, out and about. I’m just not sure of the schedule yet and if I want to be TOO rigid about it.

While I sort it out here is a picture looking out my kitchen window. We just recently cut down a big deck covering and I wish we had done it when we first moved here. The light is so pretty in the morning. And would you look at that: for the first time in history I actually got an African Violet to bloom. Generally they just give up the ghost when they come to my house.

Blogger Craft Challenge

Time for another one of Beachy’s Cape Cod Cupboard craft challenges! I had so much fun with the last one she hosted. And what a perfectly beachy picture to use.

I instantly knew what direction I want to go with this challenge. I’ve started collecting bits and pieces for it already. I don’t know if I am going to be able to wait until March 31st to reveal it.

Here’s a teaser:

and another:

The rest will be unveiled at the end of the month.

Humble Pie

At our house bananas just languish in the fruit bowl, looking unloved and neglected. We like bananas, we know they are all kinds of good for us but yet we buy, they brown, they get tossed. We start over again.

Every now and then I like to break the cycle by making banana bread (never have found that perfect banana bread recipe though, you know?) or muffins or seeing if the goats will eat them (yes they will, although they are somewhat suspicious of them).

Yesterday I decided to try my hand at Banana Cream Pie. I did my research on-line and then, combining suggestions and tips from various places, came up with what I thought was a fairly simple custard filling to be poured over a pre-baked crust lined with sliced bananas. It looked beautiful. Didn’t it? It looks like a banana cream pie.

Except it never set up. More like banana cream soup.

Poor sad bananas. I just need to stop buying them. Okay moving on.

I love that cherry tablecloth. I bought it about five or six years ago from The Company Store (they don’t have it anymore, I checked) and it is the happiest tablecloth I own. There is just something so inviting about it – like you may not be served the most gourmet meal on it but you will get something tasty, satisfying and made with love.

Maybe not a piece of banana cream pie, though.

Blowing the stink off

I don’t know why I love that expression so much. But that’s what I’m doing to Maison de Bleu Lune today. It has been absolutely gorgeous for the past couple of days. Sunny skies, mild temperatures, gentle breezes. I have every single window and door open to let the fresh air in and, well, the stink out. Goodbye stuffy Winter air.

It’s very hard to concentrate on getting anything productive done when you just want to go outside and check the budding progress of the lilac bush (no action there yet) and the roses (little pink swellings). The daffodils are in full, riotous bloom and I cut a modest armful for the house.

Bless the daffodil and it’s easy going nature. You go through the trouble of planting them just once and they come back year after year, in increasing numbers. This time of year we don’t spend much time outside where we can enjoy them so I don’t feel the least bit guilty about cutting them and bringing them into the house.