addicted to adobe

One of the reasons I haven’t posted anything in 9 days is because I’ve been slightly obsessed with designing and printing my mom’s 70th surprise birthday party invites. (yep… that’s my mom all decked out in her baton twirling garb circa 1950’s)

My inspiration came from this amazing Photoshop blog, Sprague Lab.  I was in awe of all things you can do with Adobe Photoshop Elements! (only $85)  My invite is a pretty simple application of this ‘grunge frame’. 

Just look at this amazing digital scrapbook page using the same grunge frame effect.  I only hope to be this savvy someday.

Okay, back to my sophomore efforts. 

I’m really excited about putting together this memory book for my mom.

The memory pages are sized to fit in one of our brag books.  The back side of the page reads, "I remember when…"

All my envelopes and card blanks came from the wonderful Paper Source.

I couldn’t resist slipping in one more picture of my mom doing this impressive back bend in a parade.

Miscellaneous Information…

Not to worry, this blog posting will not ruin the surprise.  My parents don’t have a computer and never will.

My mom competed in baton twirling nationally and taught at numerous baton camps around the US in the 50’s & 60’s. 

fancy fruit kabobs

During our Girls Night Out event in the spring, I like to serve up these pretty fruit kabobs.  They’re a cinch to put together and will make a lasting impression on your guests.

Just gather up 5-6 of your favorite fruits. I chose strawberries, seedless grapes, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew melon and watermelon.  Dice and splice accordingly.

During my chopping session, (which was approximately one hour, since I was making 200 of these) I couldn’t help not to ponder how cool it is that fruit naturally comes in such an array of succulent colors… it’s like God knew how pretty they’d look mixed together in a fruit salad.

At any rate, I love spearing 5 pieces of fruit on these delightful Hibiscus Picks (only $7.95 for 144 of them!)  It really adds that special tropical flair.

Two hours later, here are all my fruity kabobs ready to be served up at catching fireflies.

rare bird finds feature

Sharla, from one of our favorite blogs, Rare Bird Finds likes our twilight turtle. She thinks it would make a great gift for kids who may be a little nervous about the dark.  The turtle projects the night sky onto the ceiling.  It has 8 real constellations including the big and little dipper. 

Thanks for shining your light on our terrific turtle!

all things jennifer feature

Jennifer also loves Leigh Standley!  Thanks for spreading the word about this fabulous artist!

tempt mom’s tastebuds

What better way to cater to mom’s sweet tooth than with some homemade choclate covered caramels?  It’s a fairly simple recipe that the kids can partake in with a little help from any adult.

1 bag Kraft caramels

12 oz. chocolate chips

1/2 c. Crisco

1 cup chopped pistachios or other nuts

8 oz. crushed Werthers candies

toothpicks

Remove wrappers from caramels and candies.  Chop or crush nuts & candies into small pieces. Melt chocolate chips and Crisco in sauce pan over low heat until melted (stir constantly).  Remove chocolate from heat and let cool slightly.  Stick a toothpick in a caramel and dip into chocolate, then roll in nuts or candies and set on wax paper to cool.  Repeat.  Yields 48 tasty treats.

How lovely would it be to place a dozen of these caramels in a fancy wrapped box to give to mom?  Your homemade sweets would win mom’s heart over Godiva any day!

groovy gloves for a great gardener

Surprise your mom with some stylish gardening gloves designed by none other than you.  Paint pretty posies, perky polka-dots, lovely lady bugs or silly sayings. Regardless of what motif you choose, your mom will have the hippest gloves on the block. Who knew digging in the dirt could be so glamorous?

Here’s what you need:

1 pair of solid colored vinyl or rubberized garden gloves

opaque marking/paint pens

acrylic paint and brushes

your imagination… have fun!

mr. blue sky – how I love you

Every spring I break out my favorite ELO song, Mr. Blue Sky to celebrate the warm and sunny season.

Seventy-five degree days are always the sweetest in the month of April because I don’t take them for granted.  (It wasn’t too long ago when it was snowing on Easter!)

So I welcome you to listen to this stellar seventies band while perusing some of my Sunday afternoon backyard pics. (I can see why my mom named me April:)

a spot for your scary dreams

These furry monster journals created by Sarah Jane Evans are hungry for only one thing… your nightmares.  All you have to do is recite the spell that is printed inside the journal:

I’m called a Nightmare Snatcher
And a daymare catcher too.
I snatch up all the frightening things
And keep them far from you.

Scary dreams and scary thoughts
And things you dread to see;
Terrors real or make-believe
Give them all to me.

Write them down and draw them out
I’ll help you face the fear.
Then close me up, I’ll snatch them tight
And keep them trapped in here.

… and they’ll take care of the rest.  

I had the opportunity to ask Sarah a few questions about her wild creatures…

How did all this get started?

The Nightmare Snatchers actually started as a class assignment at my college, the Rhode Island School of Design. We were asked to make a product, anything we wanted so long as we could make it for the RISD student sale. I knew right away what I wanted to make something that evoked the same feeling I strived for in my illustrative work, something whimsical and magical. So, while I was in a book store one day I found a "dream journal", and I thought to myself "Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to write down your nightmares than your dreams?" From there the Nightmare Snatchers were just a natural solution to what a nightmare journal would be like. My dad wrote the spell for them and after that they just took on a life of their own.

What inspires you?

Everything of a mystical or fantastic nature has always inspired me. I remember being convinced as a child that so many things in my house that were old and/or strange must be filled with magic. Especially books. Books, the old ones in particular, have an undeniable magical quality to them. You open a book and there’s no telling where it might lead you. I have a huge library myself and am considered by many to be quite the bibliomaniac.

What is your favorite part about the design process?

I enjoy finding a personality in the creatures I make. Some look irritated and some look worried, but even when you make two from the same pattern they always find a character of their own. It’s the surprises that make the designing fun. The individuality that the pieces seem to create all by themselves.

If you have any haunts giving you the creeps, you can purchase these scary snatchers for only $20 on Sarah’s Etsy site. (I love the green one… it looks like he got a black eye battling the bad guys:-)

cute cute cute curly girl design

Meet Leigh Standley, the talented artist behind curly girl design.  The second I saw her work, I fell in love with it. The sweet sayings, whimsical collages and color palette compliment each other perfectly.

A portion of her artist bio reads, "Leigh’s whimsical and witty work has been in the making for the better part of her twenty-nine years.  Born and raised in St. Louis, Leigh began designing in seventh grade where she got poor marks in Math class for doodling. 

She went on to attend University of Kansas School of Design and holds a BFA in Visual Communications.  Her work has been featured in national design publications and regional art shows and is inspired by her incredible friends and family.

Leigh has lived in Boston for six years and likes it so much she only occasionally wishes it were Paris.

Leigh enjoys traveling, old movies and singing.  She can’t live without yoga, her family, Snickers and Lucy the Wonder Dog.  She has strong feelings about education, believes in magic and is quite certain that given a cape and a nice tiara, she could save the world."

We carry her magnets online and her line of cards at both stores.  She also offers most of her designs in large stretched canvases that are adorned with subtle embellishments.

mom’s day breakfast made easy

What better way to start off Mother’s Day than with a yummy breakfast in bed?  These simple recipes have a slight gourmet flair and are a cinch to whip up.

Apple Pancakes

2 cups pancake mix

1 cup water

1 cup chunky applesauce

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat griddle or skillet to 375°.

Combine pancake mix, water, applesauce, and cinnamon. Stir just until large lumps are gone. Lightly brush griddle or skillet with vegetable oil. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto griddle or skillet for each pancake. Cook about 1 minute, until top edges bubble and bubbles break. Turn and cook about a minute longer, or until browned. Makes about a dozen apple pancakes.

Orange Fizz

1 small can (6 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate

1 liter ginger ale, or 4 cups

ice cubes

1 orange, thinly sliced

Combine orange juice concentrate and ginger ale in a large pitcher. Stir to blend. Place a few ice cubes in each of 4 glasses. Pour orange juice mixture into glasses then garnish with orange slices.
Serves 4.