Post Christmas Crafting

Yesterday, we still had a turkey pot pie (made from all the leftover turkey, parsnips, carrots, etc...) to eat, so I didn't have to worry about cooking dinner.  It was a very relaxing day, and last night I pulled out about 10 clothes pins from a bag I had bought THREE MONTHS AGO!!!  I also pulled out a sheet of tissue paper.  Last summer when we went to Ireland, I bought a top from All Saints, a british clothing store chain.  They wrapped my top in this tissue:

I think I loved this paper more than the top I bought!  So, when I packed the top, I kept the paper. I knew I was going to use it for something, and I was thinking more along the lines of a tissue flower.  However last night I used just a wee bit of it.  

I wanted a low commitment craft.  As in, low time commitment.  Drinking wine with the Hubs, watching some great British crime drama (The Bletchley Circle), and a small craft which I could do without concentrating so much.  Hence the clothing pins.

I know its been around for a while, and its been on many blogs and in crafting mags, but a few months ago I was reading Silvina of Tazas & Cuentos talk about how she was addicted to her decoupaged clothes pins, and how she couldn't stop making them.  So, it was her post which encouraged me to try this.  It really was simple.  Just thin strips of tissue paper, some watered down white glue, and well thats it!

All I needed was about an inch and a half strip of my tissue paper to make ten double sided clothes pins.

I can hardly wait to hang a length jute and use my new clothes pins for some pretty bunting!

Have a great day! Hope the Holidays are going well!  We are snowed in (boohoo)!

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Baking Tip

ugly but yummy chocolate mint brownies (melted York peppermint patties on top)

I bake brownies quite regularly, and I'm always on the look out for interesting new recipes.  Lately whenever I've read a new recipe, I've noticed the authors describing ways of cutting clean cuts, especially on gooey versions.  However, I have a simple technique I use, which is pretty foolproof.  

TIPS:

1. First, make sure brownies are cooled, and refrigerated if possible.
2. Get a good pastry scraper.  One that has a good thick piece of metal, not a flimsy one.
3. Use the pastry scraper by pushing the flat end of the scraper directly into to brownie, and push right down to bottom.
4. Next, remove scraper and move it along to the next section of the brownie and repeat.  Keep doing this to cut all the horizontal cuts, then proceed with the vertical cuts. Voilá!  

A few years ago, when my sister first saw me use this technique on brownies, she thought I was keeping a new useful tool secret from her!!!  She thought it was a 'brownie cutter'!  

Sharing with these great blogs:

Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Party

The Charm of Home: Home Sweet Home Party

Boxing Day Loot

Yesterday was Boxing day in Canada.  Traditionally this is the day where the retailers have large sales to clear out unsold Christmas and winter stock.  It is reminiscent of the American tradition of Black Friday (which creeped into Canada this year...).  Considering I worked retail for YEARS, I HATE boxing day!  My family owned a few (mid to high end womens boutiques)retail shops, and in the late '80s through to the mid '90s we had a location in a large Toronto Mall.  This is the location I managed.  So after working Boxing day for years, I couldn't stomach going shopping on this day.  However, over the last few years, I managed to muster up the guts to go to a few specific locations early in the morning.  

Yesterday I went to large North American chain Home Decor retailer, which has a large Christmas selection. I don't usually like the things this store sells.  They are imported reproductions of antiques, furniture, and kitchenware.  However some of their Christmas ornaments are quite pretty. 

I didn't get there until 10:00 am, so it was getting picked over, but I did manage to nab a couple of lovely ornaments I wanted to share:

There were four of these great 'vintage trunk' ornaments left, so I grabbed them.  They are quite sweet, aren't they?

I also bought 5 of these bejewelled star fish.  While they don't look that Christmassy, they are quite lovely.  I'm sure I will use these throughout the year.

Have a great day, and don't drink to much egg nog!  

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas to All!!

I wanted to do a post about Christmas, and show some of the non crazy Christmas decorations I have around my house...but we had a commercial shoot again here on December 12th...starring this famous Canadian pastry Chef (who was born in Georgia, USA):

She was gracious enough to autograph her newest cookbook for me, even though she was feeling under the weather.  Anyway, all the Christmas decorations I had put up before December 12th had to come down, as this is a series of early spring commercials.  So a few days after they left, all the decor had to go back up (felt like ground hog day), then the Sandy Hook School shooting happened.  I was so completely depressed about that, that I was actually unable to do anything as frivolous as decorate for a week.  Now I'm running around frantically decorating, cooking, and washing up for tomorrow!  Those lousy elves went on strike!  

With SH still on my mind, and being a bit upset at the second amendment, I felt I had to mention the arbitrary nature in which safety for our children is determined.  Who makes up these rules? Why are certain things deemed unsafe and deadly while others (guns) are considered a right?

We were sitting at Swiss Chalet finishing off our lunch. We had brought our neighbours daughter with us, who happens to be a good friend of our kids.  After lunch, they bring you a Kinder Surprise egg, and she mentioned how she can't take them to Long Island when she visits her family.  I told her that you aren't allowed to take them into the United States, and that they will be confiscated, and you will be fined!  Why?????  Because they are dangerous and deadly!!!!

Friends south of the border, please don't be angry with me when I say this, but PLEASE write to your congressman, demand legislation to protect our kids.   Your government thinks you and your children cannot be trusted with these eggs, and that  possibly you are not literate enough to read that these have small parts that shouldn't be given to children under three.  THEY ARE BANNED.  Yet, we are yet to agree that guns kill people.  I'm not politically natured, but I am a mother of four beautiful children.  Even if you are pro second amendment, please fight for stricter regulations.  Enough of my tirade.  I am still planning that Christmas post, maybe in the wee little hours, while we wait for Santa to pop down our...ummm...don't have a chimney...  

Merry Christmas to all!  Whatever you celebrate, may you have a wonderful holiday, and may the new year bring us all Health, Happiness, and Success!

Elf Around the House

Christmas if a funny time around our house...these mischievous little critters seem to pop out of the wood work...and they just take over our house! There everywhere you look! 

They are Elves!!!

We have Bashful Elves...

Liberace Elves...

Wheres Waldo Elf...

These are the three trouble makers!  You can just see the mischief in their eyes!

Snoozy Elf!  He loves a good nap!

I can't get these two off my shiny Christmas slippers!

This is Psycho Elf!  He's small but he's the one you've got to watch!

While the other elves are cuter, these guys are definitely the hard workers!  They decorate my tree, make the kids Christmas gifts, hang the stockings and garlands, bake the desserts, stuff and roast the turkey, make salad, and all the other eats!  They do all this while I snooze, get a mani/pedi, get my hair did.  You know, general maintenance required to keep this babe looking absolutely gorgeous! When I come down on Christmas day, I'm well rested and look like I'm ready for a photo shoot!  EXTREME SARCASM WARNING!!

These guys are gnomes, but Boozy Gnome comes out whenever theres a party!

When the general email goes out to all the Elves a month before Christmas, Elvis gets confused and he comes and joins the gang too! I mean its easy to do, Elves vs Elvis. Its just one letter off, and I think Elvis has a bit of ADD.  Poor Elvis!  Although he isn't formally invited, he always looks good and is the life of the party! And, he always brings Hula dancers with him!

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Another Before and After

This photo has NOTHING to do with this post, but I didn't want to show you my before/after desk until the big TADA later in the post...So on with the actual post:

I'm ashamed! I'm ashamed to tell you that the promise I made back in September HERE about painting a bunch of furniture and bringing it in before winter...I FAILED!  A big fat stinkin' F for me!

The furniture came in (unfinished) because I needed an empty garage for the CT commercial shoot last month.  So now my basement is crammed full of unfinished furniture!  Anyway, I did finally complete the desk for my daughters room!  It really is a lovely desk. I'll show you the before (new desk), before (her old desk)and the AFTER!!!

This desk had a really nice shape, and great sexy legs.  It needed refinishing or painting, and as it was rather a dark colour, I chose paint.  I would have painted in a nice sage/greenish grey but all the furniture in Z's room is white, and I wanted it to blend in.

Here is the before:

Isn't it nice?  Can't you just see the potential? It would look lovely in a little girls room!

Here is the before of her room (don't judge!):

Its my nieces old Ikea table, which was handed down to Z, and with that vintage chrome '50's childs chair, it did the trick.  However now that Z is almost ten, and quite tall for her age, she needs a big girl desk.

It looks yellow in the photo, but its Pure White ASCP.
  
Then we open it up, and:

Ok, the yellowy colour is really bothering me.  It must be the overhead light.  

Here is the side view:  Its lightly distressed, but I may sand the legs more.

You pull out the writing surface and voila! Ready for a little girl to do her homework! Aren't the cubbies perfect for a child! I didn't want to see crayon/ink/grunge on the white surface so I added a provence coloured shape, outlined in gold, and monogrammed with Z's initials.

After the light distressing, it was waxed in clear wax, but I added dark wax on the writing surface.  Z is thrilled with her new desk, as am I! 

So, thats three down and seven left from my original group of furniture needing love.  Onto the next project (after Christmas)!  Hope all is well, have a great day!

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http://www.atthepicketfence.com/2012/12/inspiration-friday-no-93-welcome.html Miss Mustardseeds Furniture Feature Friday