Kreativ Blogger Award

A while back, I was delighted to receive a Kreativ Blogger Award from the very talented Maria over at Silk Art From Brazil. At the time I was a bit overwhelmed with things unrelated to this blog, and didn't write here about how honored I was to be recognized by Maria, so for the delay, I sincerely apologize. And folks, if you have ever seen Maria's work, then you know that this really is an honor, for Maria creates some of the loveliest hand-painted silk scarves and jewelry you will every see.

Not only can you see some of Maria's work on her blog, but you'll also find all of her collections on her beautiful website, here. And you won't want to miss her Etsy shop, where you can purchase her designs at very affordable prices. Get on over there now and feast your eyes, then buy something!

The Kreativ Blogger Award is traditionally passed on by the recipient to another creative blogger. Choosing someone will be the hard part, for I have a long list of bloggers that I admire. I'll do that soon,though.

And thank you, Maria, for choosing me. It means so much coming from you!

Jacob's Ladder Book

The Jacob's Ladder book is a perfect example of a project that appears to be difficult, but in fact is very easy to construct. I won't give instructions here, because there's a great tutorial over at making-mini-scrapbooks.com. Don't be afraid to change the size of your book or add additional pages. I used the same paper on both the inside and outside of my book, so you won't be able to tell from my photo how it works, but if you've ever played with one of these, you know how much fun they can be.

This book is on its way to someone who appreciates the unusual. I'm afraid I'm long overdue on sending her a birthday package. I hope she enjoys it!

Tiny Pincushion

Surprised to finally see a new post? For several weeks I've been preparing for a move, then packing, moving, and unpacking until I can no longer bear the sight or the smell of a cardboard box. I've also been sick the entire time, so my energy level is pretty low right now. But the crafting must go on, so I'm glad I've been saving up this little project for when I need something quick, easy and oh-so-cute.

I've seen tiny pincushions in several places, but Jess over at How About Orange has provided a great tutorial that will have you cranking out these babies in no time. And in honor of Jess, I made mine orange!

For my pincushion, I used a screw-off cap from one of those new-fangled re-closeable beer cans. I found it on the ground at the Shrimp Festival a few months ago, and immediately pictured it as a pincushion bottom. It's just over 1-1/2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch deep. The finished pincushion is approximately 1-1/2 inches high.

Happy Anniversary

A card I made for my Aunt Dottie and Uncle Jerry, who celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary today. Paper from My Mind's Eye, and cardstock, ribbon, and gold cord from Stampin' Up!. Starfish charm - unknown source.

Deep Dish Brownies

I took some baking ingredients with me to Mama's yesterday, and Tara kindly baked everything up for me, as I'm still trying to recover from whatever has been dragging me down for over 3 weeks now (I still haven't seen much improvement after that very expensive injection I had yesterday). Not that you have to twist Tara's arm to get her to bake. She wants her own Food Network show some day, with an emphasis on desserts, and I'm confident that she'll reach that goal.

Pictured here is a Hershey's Deep Dish Brownie, which you can find over on the Hershey's website. This is now my go-to recipe for brownies. If baked in an 8x8 pan, it bakes up nice and thick, and has a rich, dense center. It's not crispy, and not really chewy, and has just the right amount of moisture in the middle to keep it from being too cake-like. We added some chopped semi-sweet chocolate to the batter, and this may be what added that extra bit of moisture. In any case, they're delicious, and Tara baked an extra batch in a 9 x 13 pan to take on a road-trip today. Maybe she'll comment here to let us know how they compare as a thinner brownie.

Remembering Daddy

I've usually tried to avoid getting too personal here, because my original plan for this blog was to share crafting ideas, to show you what I'm making, and to provide the occasional tutorial. But in recent months I've been absent more often than not, for a variety of reasons, and I thought it only fair that I share a few of those reasons with readers who visit here frequently. After all, it's usually the personal side of my life that drives the creative side.

Two weeks ago today, Daddy lost his short battle with leukemia, after many years of health issues and chronic pain. It is astounding how a family illness can paralyze you. And now that his suffering is over and we are celebrating his life, as he requested that we do, I'm still having some serious concentration issues. Add to the mix a poorly thought-out relocation eight months ago (although I'm glad we were here for Daddy's last months), a physically demanding part-time job with bizarre hours, the decision to go to graduate school, trying to choose the right school and program, and studying for the GRE, I simply haven't had any time and energy left.

But, some of those things are behind me now, and although I expect to be relocating again this summer (I'll tell you all about that later!), I'll once again be showing you my projects and will eventually send some more tutorials your way. You'll have to bear with me for a bit, because most of my things are packed and I'll be working with a limited assortment of supplies. And I won't promise to post every day, but I will try to share something with you at least 2 or 3 times a week. After my mojo is back, maybe I'll be able to increase that.

For now, I'll leave you with one of Daddy's favorite photos, above. I didn't even know he had it until after his death. It was taken on a tour of Longhorn Caverns in Burnet, Texas, in the late sixties. The eyeglasses on some of the people give away the age of this shot. If you want to know which little tourist is me, go over to my flickr account and view the notes on the photo.

Happy Mother's Day!