oh-so-glam & green gift wrapping

Last month, our Rochester manager Dena mentioned one of our regular firefly fans has been stock piling our sustainable shopping bags with plans on using them to wrap her Christmas presents this season.

I thought that was such a great idea and then last week I got this awesome email from the company that makes them…

Don’t these gifts look fantastic? I love the bright punchy colors. They even made a how-to video:

And remember, we offer these pretties for half off every time you purchase $30 or more.  What a great way to give green this holiday season!

SANTA! – spotted shopping at catching fireflies

The merry Rochester crowds celebrated the kick-off of the Christmas Season this Friday.

The streets were full of hand crafted goodies at the German style Kris Kringle Market.

Even this sweet Boston Terrier sported her authentic Alpine styled hat for the festivities.

The town Christmas Tree shined bright,

and that’s when I spotted these two handsome reindeer.  Hmmmmm, Santa was sure to be in town.

A-ha!  Is it true?

Looks like we know where Santa gets all his clever gifts for the good girls & boys.

We caught him sneakin’ out the back door of our store with lots of good loot to boot.  Another successful stop for St. Nick!

…. but, shhhhh – you didn’t hear it from us!

homemade heath bars – always a hit

I’ve posted about these scrumptious treats before, but I thought I would share how to make them again because no matter where I go, these get rave reviews and they’re so simple to make… definitely an easy addition to your Christmas cookie spread.

Here’s what you need to get started:

35 saltines (approx 1 sleeve)

1 cup butter (not margarine)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

4 regular sized Hershey bars

Preheat oven to 400*

Line a 10×15 jelly pan (cookie sheet with edges) with foil.  Spray with a non-stick cooking spray.  Place saltines salty side up.

Melt butter & brown sugar over high heat. Stir constantly until it comes to a boil. This takes approx 2-3 minutes.

Pour mixture over crackers so they are all covered.

Bake in oven 4-6 minutes. The brown sugar & butter mixture will get bubbly.

Break up the Hershey bars and place on the crackers.  The heat of the pan should melt the chocolate quickly so you can spread it with a spatula.

After you spread the chocolate, you can let it set until it firms up, but I usually throw the whole pan in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes and they’re ready to break for eating.

Break apart in edible sizes and enjoy! 

Warning, these are very easy to consume in large amounts.

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she and him

Remember Will Ferrell’s girlfriend in the movie Elf?  Now she’s a part of this hip little duo singing sweet folksy songs.

I must say the video is a bit macabre but the tune oh-so-peppy.  A review reads, "Some of us first fell in love with Zooey Deschanel’s distinctive and charming voice when she crooned, "Baby it’s cold outside," with Will Ferrell in their 2003 movie, Elf. Then, in concert last summer, M.Ward invited Deschanel to the stage, where they effortlessly created the equivalent of musical utopia. In their first recorded collaboration as She & Him, Deschanel and Ward strike the same sincerity with his nostalgic production and her retro resonance."

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things to be thankful for: creativity

Looking to create last-minute whimsical table decorations for the big turkey day?

Just pull out your scissors, glue and recycling and you’re set to go!  Who knew cereal boxes could be so stylish?

You could stick these fellows into a plant, centerpiece (make a bunch for an all turkey centerpiece), bowl of candy or cranberries, your baked sweet potatoes or make small ones for napkin rings.

For complete instructions on how to make these gobblers visit the oh-so-crafty my plum pudding blog.

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moving memories

I plead guilty to the M.I.A. charge this past week.  We’ve been moving our design studio, offices & web warehouse which means I’ve been one tired gal… too busy & tired to blog in the evenings.  But now that we’re somewhat situated in the new place, my fingers are happy as clams to be typing (rather than gripping large dusty boxes & shelving)

I still can’t seem to remove the lovely dirt line under my nails… but more on that in another post.

As you know with any move, you’re bound to dig up some goods that’ll walk you down memory lane.  This photo was stuck in a jammed drawer that hadn’t been opened in years.  If memory serves me right, this is the first ‘craft show’ I ever did.  My friend and co-worker, Dena convinced me to share a booth with her and I reluctantly said yes.

Looking back, I’m so thankful that God dropped Dena in my life and I listened to her encouragement. Before long I was selling my goods at other craft shows in the area.

I made a little bit of everything… hemp jewelry, turkey pumpkin kits (with the help of my now husband Steve), pet themed floor cloths and I even had a soap making streak.

I found these house journals packed away in a lost tub.  I made this series when I progressed to showing at finer art shows.

And how’s this for the very first ribbon frame proto-type?  Everyone’s gotta start somewhere.

Fast forward to 2008 where I have many shelves of wonderful papers,

a jam packed wall of ribbons,

drawers & drawers of fantastic findings (that still need to be un-shrink wrapped)

and polished products waiting to be shipped to stores across the US.

Now back to that first photo of Dena & me. I can not help to feel a wave of gratitude knowing that this all started with Saturday afternoon in Dixboro, MI.

As the years progressed Dena and I kept in touch and our paths crossed occasionally.  Today I’m happy to say we’re walking down the same path since she now manages our Rochester catching fireflies.  God is good.

forecast: pretty presents & giant snowflakes

Next time you visit, you better bring your umbrella because it’s raining gifts galore at our delightful store!

Also be on the look-out for mutant snowflakes and enormous snowmen… only to be found in the corners of our whimsical world.

We love living in such a magical place!  Come visit us for a bit of cheer and a slice of wonder.

arts & scraps to the rescue

We’re proud to donate our pretty paper scraps and various wood pieces to Arts & Scraps throughout the year, but since we’re moving our design studio this month, some heavier purging needed to happen.

After 6 years in a warehouse space, we accumulated a lot of extra stuff that wasn’t serving a worthy purpose so it was time to clean house!

It makes my heart happy to know all our crafty goods will inspire other artists of all ages.

One van-full down, one more to go!  I can’t tell you how good it feels to know stuff that I was holding on to just in case I needed it is actually being used and enjoyed. 

Thank you Arts & Scraps for being a shining light of inspiration in Detroit.

garland of gratitude

Love this idea for Thanksgiving. It’d be great to do with your kids throughout the month, or create one with your family & friends on Thanksgiving day.

1.	Draw leaf shapes on colored construction paper, or download leaf templates and then trace on to colored construction paper.
2.	Lay the paper on a covered work surface, then spray water over both sides so the whole surface is damp. Crumple the paper into a loose ball, flatten it out, and let it dry completely (which takes a few hours).
3.	Next, cut out the leaves and write down things you are grateful for.
4.	Finally, make a garland by folding the stems over a length of string and taping them in place. Drape them from a sideboard, along a mantel, or from the top of a doorway. Find fantastic craft ideas like these and more at family.go.com. We love discovering simple ideas & starting new traditions… what – you too?  Then don’t delay and sign up to receive these hip blog posts in your email inbox today!

rare bird find feature

The rare birds raved about our handy potato feet.

If you like to microwave your potatoes to save time I think you definitely need to give them some feet to help them cook better!  $3.95 for 4 at Catching Fireflies

Thanks for featuring our feet!