Out of the Attic

Please Pass the Lollypop!

2012-02-12T15:23:00.000-08:00

AtticGal Rachelle says:

We have a tradition of making our own valentines to pass out in the kids' classes each year rather than buying them because we like them to be more personal. Usually my guys make lollypop covers as shown in this post. But this year, we decided to find a new way to present class members with lollypops using a fun and very personal idea I saw floating around on Pinterest.

I snapped a pic of each of my two youngest with their fist toward the camera like they were holding something. I used a wide aperture and focused on their hand so that the hand would be in focus, and their faces not so much in order to make it look even more 3D. Then I picked my favorite for each kid, and added a valentine greeting with Picasa before sending an order to Walgreens for as many prints as they had in their class. In an hour the prints were ready, and while I was at Walgreens to pick them up, I grabbed several bags of heart shaped lollypops. WIth my 1/8inch punch, I punched a hole above and beneath each fist and the boys carefully put a lollypop in each card.

Done.

(Yes, you still have time for this and it is easier than buying Valentines and having your child sign each one and put them in envelopes)

Such colorful, easy, and personal valentines. Be sure to print off a few extra for grandmas and special friends, and of course, you'd want to keep one for yourself.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sending My Love

2012-02-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is the perfect excuse to send a little love to those who mean the most to you.

I designed this BFF card to be girly and frilly, for some of the great gals in my life! Where would I be without my girlfriends?

I love the layers and ribbon detail.

This bold card had a bit of sparkle. I used a Letterpress plate on my Big Shot to make the engraved background, and my favorite pennant and heart punches!

V-Day is on it's way,

so send out a little love today!

What I'm Doing for My Kids' Birthdays 2012

2012-01-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

Have you ever made these before? We use to make them (or receive them) quite a bit in high school and college. My Blake said he wanted candy for this tenth birthday in bowls - uh - not going to happen as I could just see kids taking handful after handful of candy. To meet his need for candy, and to let him know what we think of him, I figured this was a better alternative. Make one for your kids' birthdays, a Valentine's gift for your hubby, or for a special friend. Who wouldn't want candy and a special message from you?

Cocoa. Homemade Bread. Sweatshirts. Rain. Snuggles. We love cooler weather!

2011-11-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

We are so happy to have cooler weather in the desert that it makes us want to snuggle and have hot cocoa or Abuelita most every night (well,we would love it every night but it is more like every couple of nights). I love sharing my life with these fun people:

(This boy wanted to put tinfoil on his teeth to have "braces". So silly!)

Last week Blake and I made homemade bread. It's funny how when the weather drops in temperature, homemade bread, soups, cocoa... homemade food all sound so delicious and nothing is better than homemade bread!

Brittany Dean (from previous post) made homemade bread for our General Conference Wrap-up Party and we've been using her recipe that she uses. It's easy and works! I've always had trouble with homemade bread as it takes too much time or my yeast never works right or I have to go pick up a child from school right when I should be kneading it. This one works out great.

Funny story. After Brittany made this for us, the following Saturday, I drove Carson and the church kids to the dance. I finally fell into my bed at 1:15 a.m. Sunday morning. A few minutes later, Carson comes running into my room and announces, "Mom, I forgot to get the sacrament bread!" I told him, "Set your alarm clock for 6:00 a.m. We'll have to get up and make some before church (which starts at 9:00 a.m.)." Granted the "ox was in the mire" and we probably could have gone to the local store on the way to church but what does that teach my kids? Nothing. Luckily I felt prompted by the Spirit to take this opportunity to teach Carson a skill (bread making) and also teach him that obeying the Sabbath Day is important. So we both woke up, exhausted but made and completed homemade bread for the sacrament that day. He didn't forget the sacrament bread the rest of the month as he had a sticky note on his door to purchase it prior to Sunday. Lesson taught :) I love it when you feel "right" about what you are teaching your children. I don't always get that feeling but I really felt it through this experience. I'm grateful for the Lord teaching me and him.

Here is the recipe from singer/songwriter Jenny Phillips:

"For those of you who have been asking for the 'My Perfect Bread Recipe' that came from my 12-year journey to make the perfect bread with ONLY 100% whole wheat, yeast, water, salt, olive oil, and honey, here it is! Follow directions carefully or I can't be held accountable for failure :)

Jenny Phillips' Perfect Bread Recipe

1. Mix the following in a bowl:

2 3/4 Cups of Hot Water (Don't forget the "2". I did that one time. It is 2 3/4 cups.)

1/3 cup olive oil (or applesauce or pumpkin works great too)

1/3 cup honey (sometimes I add 1 TBSP molasses too)

1 TBSP salt

2. Add and mix:

2 cups whole grain wheat flour

2 TBSP active dry yeast

3. Add 1/2 cup flour at a time until the dough quits sticking to the counter or the bowl (if you're doing this in a mixer, you should switch to your bread hook now). This is one of the most important parts here. Too much or too little flour won't make good bread. It is usually around 7 cups total for me in this recipe (the two you already put in plus around 5 more). It should feel barely sticky when you touch it, but not sticking to the bowl or counter. Once it gets to this point, don't mix or knead anymore. Just cover the bowl and let dough rise for 30 minutes right in the mixer.

4. Knock down dough. Form into two loaves and put in greased bread pans. Allow bread to rise 20-30 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes.

Creepy Chic

2011-10-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

AtticGal Rachelle says:

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays when it comes to decorating and crafting! This year I couldn't wait to play with my new SU! stamps and accessories! My favorite Halloween decor is what I like to call Creepy Chic. My whole house is decorated in Creepy Chic as the Witch's Lair. See my post on my Halloween decor here.

Here is my first Creepy Chic card using SU!'s Dark & Dreary set and Midnight Musings wheel, and my new Simply Scored scoring board (LOVE IT!) to make the pleated rosette and the striped pattern on the black paper. I just love the classic bold black and white color scheme!

The creepy candelabra was embossed in black on a silver metallic cardstock and embellished with a few well placed basic rhinestones that just give this card some extra bling! The photo does not do it justice.

I also really love the vintage Halloween look. I used the owl from the Warmest of Wished hostess set and my favorite Owl punch to make these cute little goodies. I love the way the candy stacks up in the new 1 inch cello bags! I am going to making lots of treats with these bags! (And at $2.50 for 50 of them, I can afford to!)

The little owl's tiny bag is cut out of orange paper and stuck on with a dimensional dot. Super easy and so spooky cute! Whooooooo doesn't love that?

My last card is another Creepy Chic, and my favorite. The background is a technique called embossed embossing. I dry embossed it first using my Big Shot. Then using a brayer I lightly rolled over the raised image with embossing ink and heat embossed it with hologram highlights embossing powder. I love it! It looks like dew drops sparkling on the web.

The lacy border is from the Lace Ribbon border punch and decorative paper, threaded with ribbon and gathered up a bit.

The spider from the Piece of Poison set is also embossed in black. My favorite part is the red jewel-like thorax. I simply stuck on a glue dot and sprinkled it with red glitter. Watch out! It almost looks like it will crawl off the card.

May your Halloween be Creepy Chic!

Fall Snack Mix

2011-09-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

Alysa says: I'm starting to desire Fall and its beautiful color changes and crisp air. Unfortunately, where we live, we just have to be happy it "falls" below 100 degrees. Ha!

Getting ready to head with our young women ages 12-18 up to Utah to see this. I'm going to miss my own little family and our traditions (see here), but it's going to be a great experience for our wonderful young women and my own amazing daughter (and for us leaders).

I wanted to prepare a special treat for both the young women and my own family to enjoy while watching General Conference. Saw this original idea here. I even purchased the fun container.

I doubled the recipe as I'm making it for 20+ people. It's a good combination of salty and sweety.

Grab a large bowl and add:
2 cups salted peanuts
2 cups square pretzels
2 cups raisins
1 cup plain M&Ms
1 cup candy corn
2 cups Honey Nut Cheerios
2 cups Cheez-Its
2 cups Cocoa Puffs

You really can add most anything you want - Reese's pieces, popcorn, sunflower kernels, etc.

Enjoy for General Conference or anytime this Fall season.

We Can't Wait!!!

2011-09-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

We're coming upon one of our family's most favorite weekends of the year - General Conference weekend. For those of you that don't know what General Conference is, it is two weekends out of the year (always the first weekend in April and October) that we get to hear from our prophet and apostles (we believe to be the mouthpiece for God on the earth) about what we need to know for the next 6 months and beyond. We're receiving latter-day scripture. Another great part of the weekend is that we get to stay home and watch church on television in our 'jammies if we want. It's both Saturday and Sunday for two sessions - 9:00-11:00 (PST) and 1:00-3:00 (PST) on both days. It shows all over the world.

Some of our family traditions that make this weekend spectacular are:
First: Family Tent. We set up a tent in our family room. When reading about King Benjamin (a prophet in the Book of Mormon), it reads in Mosiah, 2:5, 6 "And it came to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every one according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons and their daughters from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another. And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which King Benjamin should speak unto them;"

So we set-up our tent, place the door of the tent facing the prophet (on the television) and hear His words. It has been a fun tradition we've done for about 8 years.

Second: Food. We love to have delicious, easily fixed and easily accessed food. I don't want to spend my time in the kitchen or constantly retrieving snacks for the children so we set out a big veggie platter, fruit platter, and some cheese,meats, crackers. A crock-pot meal is made too. Of course we've got to have treats. We keep it simple, healthy and delicious. We know that good food brings people together.

Third: Conference packets. I make simple packets which consist of fun conference games print-offs, new pencils, pens and/or markers, movie -size candy of their choice to use as BINGO pieces and then eat when won, small toy to quiet play with so the children will stay in the same room with us. Carson likes to do "tally marks" for each word he hears that are on his list. For the past couple of years Jesus Christ is always the names said the most. Blake and Maddie like to play Conference BINGO and draw a picture of the person talking. I was going through Maddie's old folder today and she had a picture of Julie Beck and she has two quote bubbles above her. One says, "Mothers Who Know..." and "In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen." Those are keepers! I like how she included herself as a speaker. Priceless!

I have heard more this week than in the past "I'm so excited for conference." Mostly from Blake. I don't care if they are just excited for the candy or the toy as long as they are having a positive experience feeling the Spirit of our Heavenly Father teaching them eternal truths and also knowing that this is what we do when it is conference weekend. It's great with TIVO now because if there is something we really want the children to hear, we just replay it right then and there.

It wasn't always like this. We've had bumps and bruises along the way. One time when Carson was a baby, I decided to attend a birthday swim party during one of the Saturday morning conferences. Everyone said they were taping it and they would let me borrow the tape (obviously before TIVO days). Wouldn't you know that nobody's videos ended up working? I was so upset at myself for putting something frivolous that I could do any other time before listening to what the Lord wants me to hear. I told myself I would never do that again. Then...

Later, when Carson was older and we had Madison and Blake, Carson was playing soccer and luckily for us his game was between conferences. Yeah, we can go. We watched the morning Saturday conference and then headed over to the field. Wouldn't you know that the game was delayed for a whole hour and the silly soccer game was cutting into the afternoon session of conference? We were bummed and vowed we would never do that again.

So what have we learned? This time only comes around twice a year and we need to place greater value on it. We know when conference will be broadcast again from next year to 20 years down the road. It's not like, "Hey, I planned a vacation that weekend. I didn't know." Definitely no surprises. (But why can't I still remember that the 1st Sunday of each month is Fast Sunday? Go figure.) We block out those weekends. They are our "spa" weekends. Of course it's not pedicures, manicures and massages. It's "filling our cup" and "nourishing our souls" with goodies. I know I need this regularly! We've learned that this is the most important thing we could be doing at this time and all the other things can wait for another weekend.

We are bit of Conference Zealots, aren't we? Can't help it. Listening to conference always makes me want to do better and it makes me feel better. It's like I can hang in there for another 6 months, until we hear from our leaders again.

We want to take the children to SLC to experience conference in person when they turned 8. Carson went and LOVED it. His favorite General Authority is still Elder Hales. Maddie and I haven't been able to go yet because I was still nursing Brooke when she turned 8 and then we were planning to go this conference but we couldn't find good airfare. Luckily Maddie is a trooper and is okay waiting until next April. Thanks Maddie!
This year I've learned that you should take a question or two or three... to conference and you'll receive an answer. Kim, my sister, teaches seminary in Seattle and she challenges her students to "take a question to conference" and promises them that they will find their answer. It works every time. My friend, Heidi, called me yesterday and said her mother-in-law writes her questions down in her notebook. Another friend, Robyn, said her seminary teacher writes 10 questions to be answered in conference. Whatever questions you or I need answered, I'm excited to receive answers. I've got a lot of questions such as, "How can I know I'm being the best mother?" "How can I find more balance in my life?" etc. Try it and let me know how it goes for you. I've challenged my husband and children to do this as well. Jamie told the children, "My questions is going to be, 'Where do they purchase their ties?" Jamie!!! (By the way Jamie, it's Mr. Mac, isn't' it?)

Luckily I was able to teach the Primary children the names of the General Authorities just this past week. It's hilarious listening to Garrett sing the song and point out who is who. Do you think listening to this song 100 times has helped him? Check out the catchy tune on youtube.com

I'm blessed with family members and friends who have been marvelous examples to me and influencing me to watch, prepare and enjoy conference. My parents attend almost every conference session at the Conference Center in Salt Lake. I love the phone calls with my sisters, Marcia and Kim, as well as with my mom, Kristin, Heidi, Trista, Rachelle, Noni, Sara... where we talk about our favorite talks and inspirations we've received. It's enriching.

Needless to say, I'm totally psyched and can't wait for the weekend. I'll be posting a post-conference rap up (our quiz game that we play with a bunch of other families - trophy included - following conference). Until then, Happy Conference!!!! (Be sure to check lds.org for more information)

Incessant Asking

2011-09-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Alysa says:

My daughter has been asking me every day, numerous times a day when her birthday is going to be. "Is it the other day?" "Is it tomorrow?" I've been explaining and explaining but today I decided to show her. I did fall colors as her birthday is in October and wrote other important dates on the paper strips (9/11, Opa's birthday, etc). Her birthday paper is a totally different color (blue) from the rest to highlight it.

Besides doing something fun together and teaching her how many days until her birthday, we also discussed and practiced patterning of colors.

I'm hoping this will help her understand when her birthday is and stop the incessant asking. Love you Brookie!!! (Please excuse the pjs.)

Mermaid Tail Give Away

2011-08-19T00:30:00.001-07:00

My cute friend Shawni from 71 toes blog is doing a give-away for three of these adorably fun Mermaid Tails.

To see more tails click on the "finfun" website here. The winners will be able to pick their tails from what is available on the finfun ebay site here (Custom orders and limited edition tails aren't included in this giveaway).

There are three ways to enter to win:
{post edit note: you can do all three of these giving you three different chances to win.)

1) Leave a comment on Shawni's blog here.
2) "Like" Fin Fun Mermaid tails on Facebook (their page is here) (and let them know that atticgals.blogspot.com sent you) and then come back and leave another comment on Shawni's blog
3) Post about this giveaway on your own blog and then leave another comment on Shawni's blog with a link to your post.

Three ways to win three different mermaid tails. What little girl would not want one of these? I'm hoping for one (or two) for my girls. I wish they had these when I was a kid!

Never too soon to start Christmas shopping :)

She will announce the winner on Friday.

I wish all of us luck.

Liking Me These Bookshelves

2011-08-15T00:35:00.000-07:00

Came across this tonight from another blog. It's Bunny Williams who is a well-known interior designer. I thought this was a very cool picture of her Design Library. I need a library like this :) Actually, I'm looking to add these types of bookshelves to one of my walls in my family room. It will hold some of my cool decorator pieces, piano music (where does everyone keep all the music), books, etc. I like the height of these. They do have this sort of thing at Ikea but kind of short. I guess I can stack. If you have any other ideas, let me know.

*Just received an email from Bunny Williams' people and they were custom made. Darn.

Partying Japan Style

2011-07-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

AtticGal Rachelle says:

My dear sister Lisa celebrated a big milestone birthday this year, and my mom and I wanted to do something extra special to celebrate this extra special birthday, so we decided to throw her a Japanese party. She served a mission in Japan and loves everything Japanese, especially the food, so that is what we decided to do.

Man, I love to throw a party!

It turned out to be a terrific theme. And the COLORS!!!

We found some absolutely gorgeous Japanese printed papers at Cost Plus, and used them not only for the color scheme, but just about everywhere, like in this just too cute banner. Mom cut the kanji and Japanese dolls out with her Cricut.

We just laid the various sheets of papers on the tables, wrapped some around glass vases, and used the Big Shot to die cut butterflies out of the paper that we just stuck everywhere!

The papers were really amazing and inspiring! we just kept thinking, "What else can we do with this paper?" We didn't want to waste a scrap!

My boys also made a blossoming cherry branch for the centerpiece using a branch they found and light and dark pink tissue paper.

But the show-stopper was the delightful cupcake stand!!!

I was SO thrilled with how these turned out!!! Look at the colors!!!

I know - TOTALLY over the top!!!!!

They were cherry buttermilk cupcakes, frosted in three different colors. I found the extra large Japanese paper cupcake liners at a garage sale (of course) and they were absolutely perfect! Couldn't have been better if I had spent days searching online.

I topped each one with colorful flower sprinkles, a paper umbrella, and a tiny paper crane. I must have folded a hundred of them! I could fold a paper crane in my sleep, I think.

I also made mochi, which is a sticky rice candy. Really yummy. I bought the ones in the red wrappers at Cost Plus, because they have a sweet bean curd inside.

We also left stacks of origami paper on the table and directions for making paper cranes so everyone could try their hand at paper folding. The kids really loved this.

I had paper cranes everywhere! They are meant to bring good luck.

We even wrapped the chopsticks in tiny scraps of the pretty Japanese paper.

We also had Japanese wheat tea and cucumber water.

And fun Japanese snacks like Samurai peanuts, rice crackers, and Lisa's favorite - wasabi peas. Why do the Japanese have such great snack food?

But the highlight of the party was certainly the build-your-own-sushi bar. I provided the seaweed, sticky sushi rice, seafood, avocados, cucumbers, and carrots, as well as the soy sauce, ginger and wasabi, of course, and everybody just had at it.

It was a huge hit!

And the chopsticks came in handy to eat it.

I also made a yummy miso soup and guests could add their own mushrooms, green onions, tofu, and fish flakes.

And my dad finished off the Japanese feast with his world famous, falling of the bone, sweet as candy, teriyaki wings on rice.

It got even prettier as the sun went down and we lit the paper lanterns and votives.

It was a lovely evening with great food and great conversation. I loved doing it! Most importantly, my sister really enjoyed herself and she deserved it!

Everything turned out perfectly! I was thrilled! I think Lisa was too. No wonder she loves Japan so much - there is so much about Japan to love!

Let Them Eat Cake!

2011-06-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

AtticGal Rachelle says:

Last month it was my turn to host our book club, and I chose Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund. It is the story of Marie Antoinette, the famous (or infamous) queen of France who lived the good life before being made "6 inches shorter up on top."

She never said "Let them eat cake!" by the way, (but she might well have said "let them eat petit fours and macaroons.")

I decided to do my own version of an opulent royal banquet, with lots of lace and toile and rhinestone tiaras and some of my favorite sweets and breads from my favorite French patisserie, Clementine! (See my Clementine post here, then come in for a visit.) Oo la la! I also had a nice platter of French cheeses, of course. I am a cheese freak!

And French honey and fig jam, and my very own lavender lemonade (See my lavender post here for recipes.)

We discussed the fascinating life of Marie Antoinette while we nibbled on dainty macaroons, delightful petit fours, and and my very favorite pear tarts which are exactly like the ones we savored when we were in Paris! Abundance, to be sure!

And of course the discussion of Marie Antoinette ended the way her life did when I unveiled at the end a real working guillotine (on a smaller scale) that my son Nate happened to have recently built for his French class.) Perhaps a tad gruesome, but I couldn't help myself.

You know what they say,

Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow... OUCH!

You Don't have to Share!

2011-05-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

For Mothers Day this year I wanted to do something special for some of the wonderful women in my life - so I decided to give them something homemade and decadent, and in a portion that they wouldn't have to share.

AtticGal Alysa found me a big box of these fun tins at a garage sale and knew i could do something with them. I decked them out with fun SU decorative papers and the giant circle and scalloped circle punches.

I layered those with 2 - 1 1/2 x 12 inch strips that I pleated using by bone folder then glued end to end and glued onto the lid to make a rosette.

The crown was punched out of silver paper then embossed with my Big Shot using a part of a flower on one of my embossing folders. I stuck it on along with a few little acrylic gems for a little royal pizazz!

But the real treat was inside! Handmade Oreo truffles! My favorite. Only three luscious ingredients: Oreos, cream cheese, and dark chocolate! How great is that?

If you have never made them before, this is all you do. Get a package of Oreos and take out about 8. Use your food processor to turn them into crumbs and set aside. Then dump the rest of the oreos and a box of cream cheese into the food processor and process it all together. Roll into 1 inch balls and chill. Then melt your chocolate, temper, and dip the chilled oreo centers. Sprinkle reserved oreo crumbs on top. Keep refrigerated!

SO yummy!

I hope all of my favorite mommies loved them - every single bite, since this time they didn't have to share!

Some Favorite Easter Treats

2011-04-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

Easter is a wonderful reason to have fun with food! Here are some of our favorite Easter treats!

For Easter morning, everyone loves to wake up to this gooey nutty pull-apart bread, Paula Deen's Ultimate Coffee Cake. The recipe is here.

It is so easy. You put it together the night before. Toss some frozen yeast dinner roll dough into a bundt pan and top it with nuts, brown sugar, butterscotch pudding mix, and melted butter. Cover it with a cloth and let in sit on the counter overnight. The dough thaws and rises, and you bake in the the morning. What a wonderful aroma to arise with on Easter morning!

Another absolute must-have at our Easter feast is Jello Eggs. Jello makes an egg mold and you use the Jigglers recipe. I make them in every color so I have several molds since each mold makes only 6 eggs from 1 large box of Jello. It would take me days to make all the colors of the rainbow with only one mold, but it can be done.

I usually line an Easter basket with green leaf lettuce and put the eggs inside.

I made these with the pina-colada flavored jello. The are opaque and look just like peeled hard boiled eggs.

And, of course, what would Easter be without deviled eggs - lots and lots of them! They go so fast!

See my post about our traditional Easter deserts: the lamb cake, bird's nest cupcakes, and Italian Easter pie HERE.

Whatever your family's favorite Easter treats are, I hope they find their way to your Easter table this year, and maybe one or two new ones as well! Happy Easter!

To Dye For!

2011-04-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

AtticGal Rachelle says:

Looking for some easy fun new ways to dye your eggs? Here are a few my kiddos had fun with:

May favorite: wrap boiled eggs in pieces of wide lace and tie it tightly with a rubber band. That's it!

Dye as usual. The extra lace makes a nice handle for easy dying, and the lace can be reused over and over.

So pretty!!!

Even easier - wrap eggs with rubber bands of different widths.

The effects are really cool!

My kids love the stickers! Use hole reinforce stickers for fun circle shapes.

Or Letter stickers for personalized or monogramed eggs,

and Easter words, of course.

I absolutely LOVED these, but the we had a tough time getting some of the stickers off.

Have fun dying your Easter eggs! Have a wonderful Easter!

Babies, Babies, Everywhere Babies!

2011-04-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

AtticGal Rachelle says:

It seems that everyone (but me) is having babies these days! I have been invited to so many baby showers lately, so I have had to come up with some fun baby girl and baby boy gifts. I started by buying some fun fleece and making several girl blankets and several boy blankets, then assceesorizing the other gifts, cards, and wrapping to match. (I have a matching problem - everything has to match!)

The girl blankets are bright pink. I found this super darling owl pillow at Target and couldn't resist! So I used my Owl punch and SU! stamps to make these darling scalloped circle cards and also to stamp the gift bag.

The blanket was made by simple cutting a scalloped edge onto the fleece using a soup can as a guide. Then I sewed on a textural, baby-friendly applique. What a pretty package!

For the boys I got a bit messier! I made their blankets with orange dump truck themed fleece. I used the dump truck, and it's accompanying dirt as a theme for everything. The card and bag are stamped with construction vehicles moving pounds of dirt, and the word "DIRT" colorfully spelled out.

I tied the edges of the blanket and added another applique - a dump truck this time. I also added a toy dump truck to the gift.

Inside the cards I wrote "Welcome to the wonderful world of Dirt!" I should know. I happen to be an expert on boy dirt!

This worked out great! I might have to make this a habit of making baby gifts in batches like this, several at a time, so i can be ready next time there is a bumper crop of babies around here.

Be My Valentine!

2011-02-14T14:05:00.000-08:00

I was SO in the mood - to make valentines, that is! Valentines Day is the perfect opportunity to play with all my stamps and stuff, and at the same time show my dear ones how much I love them.

And when I make valentines, there is always chocolate and candy involved, of course - another motivating factor.

I was anxious to try my new Petal Cone die for my Big Shot which makes this perfectly adorable cone shaped box!

I just love the red and white wide striped ribbon and the crinkly gold paper!

Crowns, the Eiffel Tower, and the key to my heart - so very French! This Valentine is so ME! Amour!!!!

I also made these candy bar holders. So fun and easy. XOXO!

When you pull up on the ribbon, the candy bar pops out! What's not to LOVE?

For the kids in my seminary class, I made these cute little baggies. I found the small paper bags on clearance years ago, thinking I could do just such a project. The toppers are just cut with my Top Note die. The heart is shiny and puffy using Crystal Effects. LOVE - from the bottom of my heart!

For my own kiddos, I simply dressed up some boxes of conversation hearts with my new Be My Valentine stamp, the jumbo scallop circle punch, and a bubbly texture folder on my Big Shot!

I (heart) my boys: Alex, Nate, Derek, Dylan, Caleb, and Luke!

My younger guys also made their valentines for all the kids in their classes. It is a tradition. We make these every year, and have since my highschooler was in preschool - lollipop holders. They are quick and cute, and the kids do most of the work themselves. Caleb and Luke worked so hard on them. It was so fun to watch. Both crafters after my own heart!

Happy Valentine's Day, my fellow Attic Diggers! Hope you just feel the love!

Love-ly Decor

2011-02-11T21:35:00.001-08:00

AtticGal Rachelle says:

I LOVE decorating for Valentines Day! Red is one of my favorite colors and I have a lot of it in my home, so it is a perfect fit for my glittery Valentines decor.

I especially love this corner built in that is painted red inside. It is a perfect backdrop for my milk glass and it is easy to spell out the love we all feel this time of year!

The bay wreaths I have up all year on the front doors, are given a bit of love with sparkly hearts and ribbon!

Look up! Some large glitter hearts I got at after Valentine's day clearance add some great color overhead.

In the entryway I have featured some pictures of my hubby and on our wedding day, as well as pictures of some of the great loves in our family history. Also my favorite LOVE banner (see more on this and my other V-day decor last year here.)

In the dining room, next to the corner cabinet are a huge mirrored platter full of apothocary jars filled with rose petals, flowers, cherries, glittered hearts, keys (to my heart, of course) and giant acrylic diamonds, along with some pretty valentine mints that I stamped for friends.

On the other built-in hutch is a spread of delicious desserts, cakes, and chocolates. They are all fake, unfortunately, but look just like the real deal!

A red toile tablecloth and sparkly mirrored hearts tied to the backs of the chairs make the dining room perfect for a romantic dinner - for 8, in our case. (Lucky me - I have 7 men to lavish me with their affections!)

The message on the chalkboard is a simple one. Love U! Underneath it the church pew, one of my very favorite things, is dressed with a red and white Hawaiian quilt and some fun pillows.

On the front porch, in the big urn, I put a pre-potted bunch of red and white tulips, that, although they are usually thought of as more for Easter decor, seem to work perfectly here for Valentines Day.

If you haven't done so yet, check out the rest of my Valentines Day decor from last year's post here. There is much more love where that came from!)

Have a love-filled Valentines Day! May it sparkle!

Build-Your-Own-Valentine Party

2011-02-11T21:13:00.000-08:00

AtticGal Rachelle says:

I love Valentines Day, and I adore making handmade valentines! It is so much fun to see what I can create for all the people I love. This year I thought it would be so fun to invite my friends over to create valentines of their own with me. Crafting is always so much more fun with friends!

The refreshments were easy, but oh, so lovely. Everything was pink and red, heart-shaped or kissed!

As were all the crafting supplies, and the fun projects the ladies made with them!

I brought out all my stamps, inks, scissors, dies, jewels, ribbons, wheels, and papers that could possibly be used for making Valentines. They ladies could make whatever they wanted - One and only fancy card for their one and only, or a bunch of little ones for all their little ones.

Above are some candy bar cases and a viewmaster card.

Some did their own thing using their own imaginations inspired by all the fun stuff at their disposal, and others copies some samples I had almost exactly. It didn't matter where their ideas came from - they all made some wonderful creations!

Everyone had a great time, and there are gonna be some very lucky recipients of these beautiful tokens of love come Monday!

I might have to make a Build-your-own-Valentine party a tradition!

Experiments with Light

2011-01-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

AtticGal Rachelle says:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I have been having a lot of fun with photography lately, and just wanted to show you Attic Diggers something pretty darn cool I just posted on The Attic Window, my photo blog. Custom bokeh (bokeh is the term for those circles of light you see in photos, when the light is out of focus. Well, it turns out the light can come in other shapes besides circles - and you can make this camera accessory yourself! Completely DIY!)

Check it out HERE.

Who would have thought I could use my stamping supplies, i.e. decorative punches and cardstock, in my photography? Will wonders never cease?

If you have a DSLR camera, you really should give this a try!

LOVE IT!

Happy New Year and White Board

2011-01-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone has the happiest 2011! It's been a wonderful and relaxing holiday season. Sad to see it go.

Earlier in the year we put up a white board in our hallway that we wanted to have filled with quotes reminders, charts, etc that we wanted the children to see as they were passing by the area. I attended a class last year that talked about having a board that had these types of things on it in an area that children will regularly see. One of my friends has it in the bathroom, another one has it in their kitchen, and doesn't Bill Gates have something like this in his garage that he can look at when getting out of the car and walking into the house?? Or was that someone else? Anyhow...

Since this hallway was the biggest place and an area they regularly passed by, we used it. For our wall, we took two sheets of white board material that we purchased at Lowe's or Home Depot (look in the molding area) and attached them to the wall. To make them more decorative, we added molding and a shelf to it. The shelf was narrow so we added the canvas pictures to the top of it. The pictures are their school pictures or pictures from the year. See here to know how to make your own.

Yesterday my husband had us all set goals for how many books we want to read in a year. I know, mine was quite low compared to everyone else's but accomplishable at least for me.

I love how he gathered all the children around to discuss their goal in the reading department. We also have some quotes up there and a job chart. More items will be added if needs this type of reminder.

I don't know if the older children were excited but those young ones sure seem to be. (And yeah - the Capitols won!!) What fun way to you remind yourself or your children of important goals, quotes, plans, etc?

Busy Season!

2010-11-30T07:25:00.001-08:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

If all you Attic Diggers are feeling a bit neglected I apologize. I have been busy with a million things, not the least of which is my new photography business, Attic Window Photography. 'Tis the season for family photos. Come by my blog, The Attic Window, to see what I've been up to. And you can even view pics of our own Attic Gal Alysa's own beautiful family HERE.

And I am also currently in the thick of recreating THIS - a magical Christmas wonderland. I have a made a few changes to my holiday decor since last year and will post those later, but if you haven't seen my place, or want to be reminded of what a decorating madwoman I am, check this out.

I am also getting ready for my annual ornament party this Friday night, and all my dearest friends are frantically making their ornaments. (No, I have not made mine yet, which is sort of a tradition of mine.) Here is last year's. The theme this year is "All Creatures Great and Small" and I can't wait to see what clever little critters these gals come up with!

Yet as madly busy as I am, I am also giddy with delight that the holiday season is upon us once again. Granted, I am way, way behind where I should be at this point, but for some reason, this year I am just too excited about Christmas to care.

Happy Busy Season everyone! May it be as busy and as joyous as ever!

Autumn Splendor!

2010-11-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

Here in the desert where I live, fall is a beautiful season - not because it is filled with autumn colors, (the leaves never do turn here), but because fall means that the long hot summer is finally over. The days have just a touch of cool and the nights are heavenly. Everything is green and the flowers bloom gloriously. Yes, fall in the desert is beautiful - it just isn't very fall-like, which means that if you want fall color you have to do it yourself. So that is just what I did - I brought a bit of autumn splendor right into my home, starting with a pile of pumpkins (real and otherwise) in and around an urn by my front door.

I got this idea from my brilliant friend Jenny. Although the stacked pumpkins and raven are leftovers from Halloween, they have lost all traces of spookiness towering in a large urn. The orange satin bow gives the bird some autumn sophistication as he greets visitors.

For my fall decor, I am going for glitz. A glittery banner and shimmering pumpkins sparkle among piles of raffia and dry fall leaves. Christ remains the centerpiece as Him from whom all blessings flow.

I framed an old greeting card featuring Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater and his wife's new living quarters.

In the living room a leaf made out of twigs and a pair of mini wreaths hang from the screen with the same luxurious satin ribbon.

More glitz in the dining room where the table is strewn with more fall foliage, satin ribbon, and the fruits of the season, a few of which I have sprayed a brilliant shiny gold for a festive punch. But the centerpieces of the arrangement are several turkeys that I have also sprayed gold - my pride a joy! (Thanks for that idea, Martha Stewart!)

Also, from my Christmas decor, 2 pairs of mercury glass candlesticks are made fit for fall by topping them with a pair of mini pumpkins.

A pair of beaded wreaths hang from the china cabinet by the same satin ribbon, and the rest of the ribbon is generously puddled around the base of several apothecary jars.

A couple of leafy garlands lie on top of the china cabinet and the clock in the room facing it for another punch of orange and red.

The jars serve as a modern cornucopia, each displaying a different fall bounty: glitzy beaded acorns, stacks of mini squash, ears of colorful Indian corn, and tufts of wheat, a few of which have been sprayed gold. A tiny mercury glass bird watched over it all.

Glitz and glimmer, a generous amount of pumpkin pie colored satin ribbon, and a couple of cans of shiny gold spray paint all combine to bring some fall splendor into our home.

May a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving fill you heart this beautiful season!

Thankful Tree

2010-11-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

We are starting a "Thankful Tree" tonight. How perfect is it that November 1 falls on Monday night which is Family Night for our family? We have our activity and lesson done with this project.

Back during the first week of October, my sister was in town and she was purchasing a bunch of fake leaves from the Target $1 bin. I asked her what she was doing and she was planning to make a Thankful Tree for her early morning seminary students. So I quickly snatched up a bunch myself. (BTW, seminary is an early morning religious class that high schoolers take prior to their day starting at school -- ask Rachelle more about it. She's now a 6:15 a.m. teacher.)

I've seen this idea out on the internet: small ones that are just on paper that are on the refrigerator, paper feathers for a turkey paper turkey, etc. We've tried a bunch but I wanted to make it bigger and more accomadating for our family of seven. Plus adding it to the main room of our house will be a great reminder to me and hopefully others that we have much to be grateful for in our lives. Here is one that just, thankfully, reminded me that I wanted to do this.

I'll show you tonight after we make it. Just wanted to give you the idea so if you wanted to do it too.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T07:34:00.000-07:00

AtticGal Rachelle says:

Happy Halloween everybody! Hope it is dreadful!

Come check out my creepy photos of gargoyles and tombstones on my photo blog, The Attic Window, to get you into that gloomy Halloween spirit!

The Attic has a New Window!

2010-10-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

I have finally done it! I have opened a window in this dusty old attic to let a little light in.

My photography hobby has bloomed into a full blown passion, and so my new photography business, Attic Window Photography, and its accompanying blog, The Attic Window, were the next step. I am finally ready! Yippee!

Come on by for a visit and just click on my various albums on the right side. I hope you enjoy the view from my Attic Window!

http://atticwindowphotography.blogspot.com/

Witch's Lair Dead Ahead!

2010-10-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

I was feeling WITCHY, so I decided to pull out my Halloween decor and create my witches' lair. Now I am feeling much more comfortable.

Come inside... if you dare.

Near the front is our family graveyard with bones strewn among the headstones. Inside the gate is a stack of pumpkins and a recent addition, a smoldering cauldron that my kids can't get enough of.

Another new addition to the family, a wayward witch who landed head-first in an urn. My kids saw the idea in a magazine, and begged me to copy it. I already had the witch socks. The legs were just poles wrapped with bath towels. I found the shoes at a garage sale. The were black suede, but the soles were light, so I spray painted them with a shimmering metallic black paint. Perfect! I think they are hilarious.

A chair on the front porch invites guests to have a seat that is already occupied by a pumpkin, a crow, and a tangle of barbed wire. Very welcoming, don't you think?

A friendly spider meets you in the entryway.

The sentimental witch has a wall with photos of all of her long departed family members.

On the opposite wall is the witches' mudroom where she can hang up her cape and broom after a long night in flight. Above it are silhouettes of her and her sisters, Hilda and Hazel. Lovely.

I simply spray painted some old oval frames and freehanded some witch silhouettes on black paper and cut them out.

A banner announces "Spooky" as if you didn't know already.

After my ascension to the top of Notre Dame, I have a new-found love for gargoyles. Such cuddle creatures. They watch over my witches lair, but these ones keep the evil spirits in, not out. Nestled among them are black and white photos I took in an ancient cemetery in France. I put the in the silver frames that hold my family pictures the rest of the year.

Also to greet you in the entryway is my favorite headless hanging friend draped in strips of cloth. Out of the corner of my eye I keep thinking someone is standing there. When i found her at a garage sale, I knew she would be perfect for Halloween.

Also in the hallway are a pair of ravens. We painted an old birdcage black and made one of them his own little flag. Quoth the Raven: "NEVERMORE'." Caw, caw, caw.

On the dining room table, a witch has been concocting her powerful potions and secret serums

while a few of her feathered and furry friend look on from above. One of my kids put them there to be funny, but I think the black creatures look great against the stark red and white, so they are staying (at least for the rest of the month. They will be gone by Christmas, I promise.)

I am a big fan of the holey gauze drape cloths that you can hang on everything to make it all super creepy. Something is too cheery to fit into the spooky theme? Just drape it is this stuff. Done. Instant creeps!

And it also helps to have a whole bunch of little grey mice running around the dining room table...

and some big fat cockroaches, of course. And every witch needs a skull with ruby eyes (the rubies were an addition for my twins' Indiana Jones birthday party a few years back. Now I can't imagine him without them.)

The living room doubles as the witches' study. She is quite cultured and has the masterpiece The Moaning Lisa.

The witch's spell library and the candelabra she uses to read them by.

More gauze cloths on the curtains. And the witch's black cat sit atop a stack of old luggage anxious for a trip to Salem. Wonder how she gets that luggage on the broom anyway?

So that is the witch's lair. I think I say this every holiday, but decorating for Halloween is my favorite - at least it is the most fun (plus, you don't have to dust for a whole month!) It really gives me the chance to get creative and silly, and tap into my dark side. (insert cackling high-pitched evil laugh here.)

Boo!

2010-10-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

I love old stuff, as you know, and when I find something old and cool at a garage sale I have to snap it up and then think of something cool to do with it. Well, while back I came across a box of electrical insulators and I looked at them until I became inspired. They looked like ghosts, so that is what the became. Isn't he cute?

Then, once my imagination was chugging along, the green insulators looked like Frankensteins to me. It took a bit more artistry, but the results are darling. The bolts are actually silver pushpins with the pins removed. (A stroke of genius, I know!)

Another version. Not sure which I like better.

I also took an old rolling pin with black handles and wrapped it with strips of muslin to make a mummy. The eyes are just tucked in and glued and the arms are just a single strip of muslin with a knot tied in the middle. I gave him a pumpkin to hold, and a little spider to keep him company. So easy. So cute.

I love my mummy.

What spooky creatures can you make out of the old stuff you have?

Homey Goodness

2010-10-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

I think most people really enjoy the feeling that the fall brings. I know I do. It is so nice to see the weather change (for us it is from 120 to maybe 110). Although our weather doesn't change that much and we are still swimming in the pool from time to time, I still love the decorating, the food, the ambiance that fall brings.

Yesterday I came across this:
It's at the Clean Mama blog. What a super idea! There is even a whole check-list of things to do this month that give you the "feel" of the fall - make something with apples, make a stew or soup, figure out a better way to do laundry, etc... I think I'll follow along and see what happens in my own life (and hopefully posting on this blog) this month.

Have a Homey Goodness Month!

Hanoch Piven

2010-09-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

Don't you love discovering new things and new people? This summer one of our local libraries hosted a creative workshop by Israeli illustrator and author, Hanoch Piven. He showed the children his colorful and witty illustrations and then had them make their own.

Hanoch Piven has appeared throughout the last fourteen years on both sides of the Atlantic. His work has been featured in most major American magazines and newspapers such as Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone and in many European publications from the London Times to the Swiss Die WeltWoche.

Since our day in the summer, I have purchased most of his books. We love them! In the inside flap of his, What Presidents Are Made Of, it reads, "What do you get when you put the following together?" Then it shows a picture of a peanut, a ladder and an American flag heart. "You get a portrait of former US president Jimmy Carter, who builds houses for the homeless." In this book, Piven uses objects to characterize the presidents. His approach is so different and interesting. Some of his other books are:

Each of these books are educational as well as humorous. I love Piven's take on art and his way of relaying facts.

Does the self-portrait at the top of the page look like the real Hanoch Piven seen below with my kids?

Since attending this event, we have been looking for faces within our surroundings. Garrett, my five year old, helped me find these while walking to our hotel one day this summer.

Do you see faces within your community? What would your self-portrait be made up of if you used objects to portray yourself?

For locals:

The S.C.R.A.P. Gallery will be participating in
Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day
on Saturday, September 25.
Join us from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
at our Studio Scarto at Fiesta Mall in Indio.

A special exhibition, Making Faces: Playful Portraits of People You Know by Hanoch Piven will open as part of the Museum Day's activities.

What? You have never heard of Museum Day? No worries. I haven't heard of it until now. Here is some information:

Museum Day is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian Media in which participating museums across the country open their doors for free to anyone presenting a Museum Day Ticket. More than 1,000 museums across the country will be participating in this special event.

Next time you have a chance at your local bookstore, library, or surfing the next (www.pivenworld.com) be sure to check out the wonderful and creative world of Hanoch Piven. You'll be amazed.

Wreath Re-Do

2010-08-31T17:08:00.001-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

I have been feeling rather anxious to redecorate lately, not that everything needs to be tossed and started anew, but that I just need a little updating. I have been looking around my house for some things that need tweaking or replacing that will make everything seem fresh again. That was my goal for the summer. Well, summer has come and gone, and I really didn't get to any of those projects. I was feeling pretty bad about that, so I decided, just to make myself feel better, I would at least conquer the one decor element that was looking the most tired - the huge wreath above my family room fireplace.

I like it because it is huge and about the only thing I ever found that was the right scale for that massive stone fireplace that has no mantle. I also liked the fruit because the family room is actually attached to the kitchen where I have I have a series of framed botanical fruit prints that I still really like. And of course, when I hung it up 7 years ago when we bought the house, this wreath was much fresher.

But now it needed to be replaced.

I went to my very favorite home decor store, Tai-Pan Trading (more like a super-duper store!) and looked for something to replace it. Tai Pan is especially known for their beautiful and realistic artificial flowers, and they have very talented florists on staff who can do some incredible things. I saw a few pieces I really loved, but they were either too small for above my fireplace, or were the wrong colors, or were just too formal. I didn't find anything that was just right. And that is a good thing too, because anything that was big enough was in the $350 to thousand dollar range. Ouch!

So I decided to rethink things. I decided that I could use the wreath that I already had and strip it down and start over with new flowers and fruit. It sounded like a good idea, but the one thing that has ALWAYS intimidated me is floral arranging. Just ask Attic Gal Alysa. She will tell you that is the one craft I won't do.

Well, not unless I am desperate enough, I suppose.

So I decided to be brave and go for it. I spent the next 2 hours in Tai Pan picking out flowers and fruit that I thought might work. It was really stressful, because I live 1 1/2 hours away, and they only have a 2 week return policy, so I had better choose correctly, because it wasn't like I could run back for something else. That's why it took me 2 hours. Geez.

So today I got up the courage to do the big wreath re-do. I tore the old grapes and junk off the big grapevine wreath, and started playing around with the stuff I bought. I was sure not to wire or glue anything down until I had it just how I liked it.

I actually didn't take very long once I finally got the guts to get started. That hard part was definitely picking the flowers out at the store.

And here it is!

I chose lemons and olives to still use the fruit theme, and to go along with the sort of Italian/French feel in my yellow kitchen. And I chose poppies because they seem very informal to me with their furry crooked stems and bright colors, since it is an informal family room.

I'm sure anyone with a trained eye for floral arranging would find a million things wrong with it, but who cares? I like it and I think it really brightens up the room!

The picture doesn't do it justice. It is big and beautiful and looks pretty terrific in that space.

So, for under $100 I was able to re-do an old, worn out wreath rather than spending many times that on a professional arrangement. Cool.

The important thing is that I did it. I was brave enough to buy the supplies and try my hand at something I was convinced I could never do.

Is there some kind of craft that intimidates you, that you have always thought you couldn't do? I encourage you to rethink that. Try your hand at something new.

Be brave.

Window to My World!

2010-08-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

I love old windows!!! I can never pass up a cool old window when I find one at a garage sale. I always think of cool projects I can do with them. Well, the time finally came to stop thinking about the projects and actually get them done. This is what I have been working on lately that has kept me so busy and away from this blog:

My dining room had this little niche tucked into the corner that was pretty much useless.

I took some of my treasured old windows to a cabinet maker who built this right into the niche!

Now the space is very usable and very, very cool! I painted the cabinet white, but left the windows on top the original finish because I loved the patina of the old wood. Then I painted the inside of the cabinet a tomato red to show off my milk glass collection.

The bottom door is the window from the first picture on this post. I wasn't so crazy about that wood, so I painted it and added some antique crystal knobs that I also found out saleing.

I absolutely LOVE how it came out!!!

In another corner of the dining room I had the same cabinet maker build a corner cabinet to display some of my very favorite large milk glass pieces. I carefully painted it white. I am so glad I got up the nerve to paint the inside red because it really make my milk glass POP!

In the entryway, right next to the dining room, we had some wood pillars built and I painted them white.

When we bought this house it had no moldings whatsoever - not ever baseboards! The builder told us it was a high-end desert look. Ridiculous. I love moldings and so we have been adding more and more woodwork since we moved in 7 years ago - baseboards, crown molding, bead board, and pillars. I love the look, and this archway is really the crowing piece!!!

And of course we integrated another old window into the design!

These projects took all summer, but they are finally done, and those windows are now fabulously on display instead of stacked in the garage.

Finishing projects like this gives me more motivation to go out and find more cool stuff that I can "someday" do something with because I know that someday will actually come.

Now you go out and do a project that you have been thinking about. The rewards will be worth it!

Wall Display How To

2010-07-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

I found these amazing shelves at a garage sale over a year ago. They are made from old wood and vintage hardware, and I just couldn't pass them up.

Then, months later, I found these Monet prints at another garage sale (I am MADLY in love with Monet!), and I knew I they would be great with those darling shelves.

When I finally decided where I wanted them - in my bedroom, I was pretty intimidated about just how to go about hanging them.

I finally got up the courage a few weeks ago to tackle the project. First, I placed each shelf on butcher paper and marked around in to create a pattern, and cut it out. I also carefully marked where each shelf hanger was (they were in different places on each shelf) so I would know just where to drill the holes. I also made paper patterns for the 3 Monet prints that I wanted to have on the shelves.

Then, using a level and some painters tape I arranged and rearranged the paper patterns on the wall until I had the perfect arrangement. It was just too easy to drill the holes, right through the paper, in the exact right spots. Then I just hung the shelves. And although it looks like the prints are just sitting on the shelves, they are actually hung on the wall to keep them securely in place (this is earthquake country after all).

(This picture does not really do it justice since the lighting in my bedroom is bad, but it really does look great.)

I am really happy with how it turned out, and I am so glad I took the time to pre-plan my wall display because it saved me a lot of hassle and heartbreak.

Going Buggy with the Crafts at Girls Camp

2010-07-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

I got to be the gal in charge of the crafts at our church's girls camp a few weeks ago. That meant I got to spend a week up in the beautiful mountains, instead of in the sweltering desert heat, with a bunch of darling girls who just load on the hugs and complements and happy vibes. How could I say no?

The theme this year was B.U.G.S (which stood for Bringing Upright Girls to the Savior) and so everything at camp had something to do with bugs. I had fun trying to come up with some bug-themed crafts that the girls would have a ball with.

First, being the Stampinnut that I am, I decided to have a card making table out at all times so that they could make cards whenever they had some free time. I had all kinds of bug stamps and bug punches, and bug papers for them to play with. There are mailboxes at camp, so the girls really enjoyed making cards for their friends and leaders. I cut and folded an entire ream of white card stock into blank cards, and they used every last one of them.

Another craft that was a huge hit were the fabric flowers that I love so much! I had a ton of fabric scraps and big buttons, and the girls had so much fun picking out fabric, running them through the Big Shot with the huge flower die, and then sewing them together. They were very creative, and there were some fabulous flowers blooming all over camp to attract all those bugs!

Another project that I came up with for the girls were washer necklaces. The girls could stamp on them with StazOn, or hammer their name into them with the iron letter stamps, or both. Then they hung them them on narrow ribbon and slipped a silver bead on them. They were a real hit with the girls.

Finally I came up with a whole bunch of fun bug magnets for the girls to make - butterflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers, ladybugs, and worms.

We made them out of everything from mini clothespins, glass beads, and beads, to pearl pins, paper, and wire. I went a little crazy. I just kept thinking of other bugs we could make! Someone call the exterminator!!!

Here is how we made the easiest of them, the glass button butterfly magnets. Punch the images from card stock with a 1 inch round punch. Then set it on the table, face up. Put a nice pea-sized glob of E6000 on the flat side of the glass and press it down firmly onto the picture until you can see that all of the glue has spread to the edge. Turn it over and let it dry. Then use the same glue to add a round magnet to the back. Done. Very easy!

You can also punch your circles out of decorative paper, or even small photographs. Or, you can use the smaller glass stones, and glue thumb tacks on the back instead to make decorative tacks. The possibilities are endless!

I know I went a bit buggy with the crafts at girls camp. It was a ton of work, and I don't know if I will do it again, but I know the girls, and leaders, for that matter, had a great time making all of these fun buggy projects!

Oh My Darlin' Clementine!

2010-07-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

I found my new happy place!

Yesterday I was running around doing errands, returning some unused craft supplies to our local Michael's with my 4 year old, and I happened to glance over and see a new shop that I had never seen before tucked into the corner between the Michael's and the Trader Joe's in Palm Desert. Intrigued by a big white Eiffel Tower in front, I ventured toward the shop rather than heading straight to my car as I was planning, due to the 115 degree desert heat.

I'm so glad I ventured! I discovered this place - Clementine Patisserie & Boulangerie! When I read the word patisserie, a little bell started ringing in my mind! Ding, ding, ding! FRANCE! Ever since my trip to France last summer I have been dreaming about the dazzling and delectable displays of pastries, and the inviting Parisian shops. Could I have possibly found a place like that right here in my own backyard?

When I stepped through the door into the cool of the shop a friendly French voice said "Bon Jour!" and that bell in my mind started ringing again. I knew I had found it! Oui!

Clementine is tiny, but visually so full! So many pretty and delicious things to look at that if it was any larger it would simply be overwhelming. It is not overwhelming - it is simply, well, whelming. It is perfect!

It is just hard to know what to look at first? The absolutely fabulous decor? The boutique selection of pretty European products? The beautiful baguettes, croissants, and boules? Or the pastries?

It's the pastries!

Oh, the pastries! Did I mention FRENCH pastries? Ooh la la!

Tea cakes, tarts, and hot lava cake. Since my little guy, Luke, was with me, I let him choose one for us to share. He picked a chocolate caramel crunch cake - the size of a cupcake, but denser and richer than a brownie with a large dallop of caramel on top. Luke chose well! Really wonderful!

Since we were on a bit of a schedule, we had to run, but I found myself smiling the whole drive home, charmed by this little spot of wonderful right in the middle of the scorched desert. I felt like I had had a little taste of Paris - a mini vacation in all of about 20 minutes.

I called my mom and told her I had something I wanted to show her, and made a date to pick her up the next afternoon. We shared trips to Italy and France together and I knew she would love it.

Mom had no idea where I was taking her, but she is always up for something wonderful, so she was in. When we drove into the Michael's parking lot she was a bit bewildered, I think, since I am no fan of Michael's. "Are they carrying a new line of craft supplies or something?" But then I directed her away from the craft giant to the little shop in the corner... Clementine!

Mom went straight to the pastries too... after taking it all in and catching her breath, that is!

We tried samples of the Fleur de Lys bar - a cookie bar piled with EVERYTHING! Really. Yummy! There were also the darlingest little petit fours, and something entirely new and fabulous - cheesecake pops! Cheesecake on a stick! Can it get any better?

Oh, and then there were the cupcakes!!!

If you know anything about me, you know I am a huge fan of cupcakes. Huge!

It happened to be Bastille Day, so they had some fantastic red, white, and blue - um, I mean blue, white, and red cupcakes to celebrate the French holiday. Vive la France!

But even if you don't celebrate Bastille Day, there are still plenty of other cupcakes to devour, like the one on the bottom left. Yep. Those really are chocolate dipped potato chips!!!

(Can I just say that I LOVE taking pictures of food!?! I mean, really, is there anything more beautiful than food?)

Of course, there were some lovely baguettes, boules, croissants, and biscotti. I couldn't walk out the door on my first visit without a baguette under my arm like I saw so many Parisians doing.

Besides the baked goods, they also served tea and coffee, and for me, a Pellegrino Limonata- an Italian sparkling lemonade - to cool me off! A man from Italy popped into the shop. He had spied the Pellegrino Limonata in the window, and had to have one. He said it reminded him of his childhood. Lucky kid.

One corner of the shop is set up as a pretty little French boutique with European food products and such, like this tub of honey - so pretty I'd by it just for the tin!

The trays and dishes look just like French and Italian pottery, but are really melamine, and very affordable!

There was just so much to look at, and so much that I wanted to taste!

In time.

The owners, Christophe and Jennifer are delightful!

His was the friendly voice of greeting wishing us "bon jour" when we arrived, just like they do in every shop in Paris. He is from France and a European trained chef. Jennifer is an American who lived much of her childhood in Italy. They married, had two beautiful sons, and Christophe decided that the restaurant business was no place for a family man, so he hung up his apron, and together they opened Clementine. They both agree they are the perfect team. Christof is not just a chef but has a head for business, and Jennifer is the creative genius behind it. She decorated the place! I think I want to live there!!!

Clementine has only been open less than 2 months, and it doing well, which is particularly amazing considering not only the economy we are in where businesses are closing left and right, but that it is the dead of summer here, and most definitely the off season. Christof said that they decided to open in the off season, because they knew that if they could make it in the off season when all the seasonal visitors are away, than they would be a success. They want to focus on the locals - get them to become regulars! So wise. As a local, I am happy to help with that!

They were so fun to talk to. They told us of some of their plans for the shop, and their ideas, and their family, and, of course, France. The other customers who were there were also involved in the conversation - just like neighbors do!

If you are a local, drop in for a visit! You'll become a regular too. If your not, you have two options: visit Palm Desert (I would suggest sometime between November and April if you can't take the heat) or else go directly to Paris.

After much mouthwatering deliberation, mom and I decided to share a pear tart - so Parisian, and an Italian cannoli. Christof was so good to heat up the tart in the oven for just a few minutes for us - just enough for the center to get soft and warm - every bit as delicious as the ones we had in France. It was amazing, as was the cannoli! And we heard similar reviews from the lady at the other table devouring her berry tart.

It all reminded us of France and made us both want to go back!

Someday. But until then, at least we will have Clementine - my new happy place!

Help for Our Book Club

2010-07-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

Last month, it was my turn to host our book club. I chose The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I'm so glad I did! It was one of the best book I have read in a long, long time! If you are going to treat yourself to a great summer read, make sure it is this book!

But this is not a literary review, it is a creative blog, so let me show you how I got creative with the book club.

An important part of the book was the Jackson Junior League Annual Ball and Benefit for the Poor Starving Children of Africa.

The Benefit, as they call it, included a silent auction, so I made the table look like the silent auction at the Benefit. There were things like silver candle sticks, embroidered hankies, a Tiffany collectible plate, an antique lace runner, and some embroidered pillow cases - just the kinds of things those ladies of Jackson would have bid on. I made bid sheets for each item, and even signed them in different handwriting by different characters in the book.

At the Benefit, some of the hottest items up for bid were the baked goods handmade by the help - especially this; Minny's Chocolate Custard Pie! If you read the book, you might be gasping right now. The ladies in my book club were actually brave enough to taste this one, though a few of them looked a bit hesitant. Don't worry. I didn't use Minny's secret ingredient this time.

Yes, Miss Hilly Holbrook. This one is for you!

I got the recipe on this blog. It was yummy.

And I also HAD to make Minny's famous Caramel Cake. The recipe for the frosting came from the author herself and it is INCREDIBLE!!! Basically, it is candy spread on top of a cake. Yum! No wonder it got top bids at the Benefit!

Never Fail Creamy Caramel Icing - from The Help

2 1/2 c. sugar
1 slightly beaten egg
1 stick of butter
3/4 c. milk
1 t. vanilla

Melt 1/2 cup of sugar in iron skillet slowly, until brown and runny. Mix egg, butter, remaining sugar, and milk in a saucepan and cook over a low flame until butter melts. Turn the heat up to medium and add the browned sugar. Cook until it reaches the soft ball stage or until mixture leaves sides of pan. This takes about 10 minutes. Remove from fire, let cool slightly, and add vanilla. Beat until right consistency to spread. If it gets too thick add a little cream. This will ice a 2 layer cake.

It was so fun to be able to throw a fancy ladies' shindig and use just a little bit of my huge milk glass collection (thank you garage sales!) That punch bowl is my favorite piece! In it I had my favorite pretty party punch. It is so light and yummy! Here is the recipe:

Raspberry Lime Punch

1 can frozen concentrated apple juice

1 can frozen concentrated white grape juice

2 bottles ginger ale

1 pkg frozen raspberries

1/2 bottle sweetened lime juice (in the liquor section) - This is the secret ingredient!

And then, as a surprise, my friend Elizabeth brought us a little southern comfort - fried green tomatoes! It was kind of exciting, as I have never tried them before. The Help is set in the South, and it even mentioned fried green tomatoes, but I wasn't about to attempt them. Thanks for the treat, Elizabeth! They were delicious!

The food was good, and the book discussion was great. What a lovely evening with the ladies!

Ric-Rac Rose Beads

2010-07-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

Attic Gal Alysa, this post is for you! (which is good, since you might be our only reader - besides myself, of course.)

The other day I was flipping through some fun blogs and I came across this great idea. Later I was at Wal-Mart, and saw some ric-rac and remembered it, so I grabbed the stuff I needed to make this darling necklace. It was really, really easy!

Unfortunately, I can remember what blog I saw it on, so sorry for not giving credit where credit was due. :( She said that a member of her family had returned from a mission to Brazil with gifts of necklaces like these for them. The ladies looked carefully at the fun necklaces and realized that the rose beads were made simply with ric-rac, so they tried it for themselves. Well. I had to try it too!

All you do is string beads with a needle and strong beading thread. When you get to the place in the necklace where you want a roses bead, you simply roll up a length of ric-rac, as tightly as possible until you get the rose to the size you want, then cut the rest of the ric-rac off. I would recommend uncoiling the first one so that you can use it to measure all the others strands of ric-rac so they will all be the same size, then roll it back up again. For a nice medium sized rose with medium sized ric rac, I cut mine to 12 inches.

Then simply stick the needle of the beaded strand right through all the layers of ric-rac. Be sure that you poke the needle into the rose close to the cut end of the ric-rac, that it goes through the middle of the rose, and that it catches the outside layer of ric-rac on the way out, so that nothing comes unraveled. Then continue beading and adding ric-rac roses until the necklace is done. You can add a clasp, but if it is long enough to slip over you head you don't need to bother. Just ties if off. Easy.

I did find that medium ric-rac worked best. Wide ric-rac made a rose that is too deep, and the tiny ric-rac is hard to handle (but you might be more dexterous than me.)

This sweet necklace cost me less than 5 bucks! The ric-rac was $2, and the beads were less than $3. They were already strung like this. I just had to re-string them in the same order, replacing some of the large beads with roses. It really came out darling!

Then Saturday night, about 11pm, I decided I needed a patriotic necklace for the 4th of July, so I found some scraps of red, white, and blue ric-rac in the Attic (well, the garage) and some patriotic beads from an old broken bracelet, and my cute sister-in-law Elizabeth helped me put this one together. The ladies at church, including Attic Gal Alysa, just loved it!

My cute and very creative sister Mindy is visiting and she saw my necklaces and had to run out and buy some beads and ric-rac of her own. She made a giant ric-rac rose. So clever! She had to add a few stitches with a matching thread here and there to keep it together. It is chunky and fun and perfect. Genius, Mindy!

So that's it. Clever, quick, and cute! Try it. You just might get hooked on ric-rac roses too!

Decoration of Independence!

2010-07-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

It is no secret. I am a fan of the flag and the Fourth, and this great and glorious nation as a whole! One of my very favorite holidays is Independence Day, for many important reasons. And I love, love, love to decorate for it!

I do tend to get a bit carried away. Come the first day of July my house looks pretty much like a flag factory exploded - inside and out. Red white and blue EVERYWHERE!

Click here to see last year's post about my Independence Day decor. Really do check it out. There is SO much more on that post!

This year is even better!!!

I have put together some new vignettes, for your (well, mine, actually) viewing pleasure.

If you haven't seen my previous post about my tin stars click here.

My favorite new addition is this absolutely amazing comb-back Windsor writing arm chair that I scored recently at a garage sale! It just screams 1776! In fact, in my research I discovered that Thomas Jefferson wrote part of the Deceleration of Independence on a chair just like this one! How cool is that?

Here is a super fun fabric banner I made last year with my Big Shot! I absolutely LOVE it, and think it contrasts nicely with the pencil drawing done by my 4 year old all over the wall, don't you think?

I also go all out decorating the back yard, and a lot of Independence Day celebrations (namely our annual family breakfast and water fight - kids vs. grown-ups) take place out there.

Have a wonderful, star-spangled Independence Day!

God Bless America!

Star of Independence!

2010-07-02T18:02:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

As I was decking my halls with flags and buntings this morning (more on that in a later post), I got an itch to make something new for the 4th. And when I get the itch to create, I will keep itching and itching, and there is no cure but to sit down and make something.

I had some tin stars that I had collected super-duper cheap after Christmas. I can't pass up cool stuff like that - I know I can come up with something cool to do with them. I wanted to decoupage them with something patriotic, and what better for the Independence Day than the document that started it all, The Declaration of Independence. My kids happened to have a life-size copy in one of their books, so I took it to the copier and copied parts of it on some off white paper.

Then I made a template of one of the rays of the tin star, and used it to strategically cut 5 out of the copies.

Then I decoupaged it onto the tin star. I found that the decoupage glue was spearing the copier ink on the papers, so I figured out to put the decoupage glue on the tin star, and then on the back of the paper, but not the front. Then, to protect the front, I sprayed it with an acrylic sealer.

Then I ran glue along the edges, and finished each star with vintage-looking glitter.

The smaller star was originally a tree topper, but we don't need a tree anymore!

I just set the larger one in a vignette among some delicious apothecary jars.

Thank goodness for that darn creative itch!

I hope you a lucky enough to be afflicted with that same condition. If you are, the only cure is a good creative project, believe me!

Now pop on over to the Shabby Nest to see some other Frugal Friday posts, to Tidy Mom to see some I'm Lovin' It - Patriotic Style, and to Fingerprints on the Fridge. (Careful, it just might make you itch!)

Scherenschnitte

2010-06-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

This is my last darling card creation that I made as thank yous for my birthday.

This was my inspiration. I found these darling pieces at a garage sale and now they hang in my pink room. They are an example of an amazing German folk art called scherenschnitte, which means paper cutting in German, where a single sheet of paper is cut into beautiful scenery using tiny little scissors, and usually no pattern. My examples are of Hansel & Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood. The detail is incredible.

I wanted to get the same look but with a lot less detail, of course. I started by stamping this sweet little fairy-tale-esque deer onto black paper with a craft ink, and sprinkiling it with clear embossing powder.

Then I heated the EP. This will not show in the final project, so the color of the ink or EP is not important. It will only help you to see the image on the black paper and the EP also makes the paper thicker so that it is sturdier when you cut the details.
Cut it out carefully. I find it is easier to cut the tricky places, like between the legs first so that you still have paper to hold onto when you cut around the thin legs.

The branches are just punched out.

The oval and frame were run through the SU Big Shot with the scallop oval die, and the pink background was also run through the Big Shot in an embossing folder. (Yep, I LOVE my Big Shot!)

The tiny pink butterfly was also die cut, but could also be punched from a butterfly punch.

Finally the black scallop border on top was punched with a border punch.

The deer was turned over and glued so that the embossed side was down, then the branches were glued down.

I just love this sweet scherenschnitte style card!

Paper Posie

2010-06-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

For my last Stampin' Club, I made these darling little cartons adorned with paper posies. The flowers are so fun to make. Let me show you how I made them.

Start with a 1 inch x 12 inch strip of card stock and give it a scallop edge along one side using a scallop edge punch.

Run the card stock strip through a crimper about 3 or 4 times to get the paper fibers loosened up to make the card stock more malleable.

Then, using scissors, snip about halfway down at every "v" in the scallop.

Punch out a circle from the same card stock. I used a 1 1/4" punch.

I found hot glue worked the quickest for this. Run a bead of hot glue around the edge of the circle punch, and glue down the scallop strip, laying it flat so that the petals are spread out and stick out over the edge of the circle.

Put another bead of glue around of the base of the part of the strip you just glued down, gluing down another row of petals just inside the first row. These petals should not be flat, but should angle up about 45 degrees.

Finally, coil up the remainder of the strip and glue it into the middle of the flower.

While the glue is still hot, arrange the petals to where you like them.

I punched out the leaf, and the tiny little milk carton was die cut from decorative paper using SU's Milk Carton die on my Big Shot. The top was secured with a mini library clip that also held a teeny tiny little tag.

I just think these are adorable!

Happy crafting!

Stampin' Club Swap

2010-06-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

I host a monthly Stampin Club in my home where I teach stamping and such to a fun group of ladies. It is tradition to have a card swap for our last class of the season where everyone brings cards that they have made to trade. It is so fun to see what everyone has learned, and what they have created.

First, though, as always, we do some hands-on projects that I have designed to learn new techniques.

Here is one of the projects we did since I have been seeing a need in my life for cards that might appeal to teenage males.

(I did a few other darling projects, but I want to show you how, so I will same them for a future post.)

My friend April made this darling card. I love how she folded the corner of the decorative paper up so you can see both of the pretty sides.

My friend Sue made this very pretty card as a baby announcement for her new grand baby. I love the interesting paper folding! I need her to teach me how she does that!

My dear friend Dayna made this Father's day card. She is a punch lover and so a girl after my own heart.

Here is the super cute card she made for my birthday and a thank you. I love the bright colors and the punched pattern paper! So playful and fun (and easy too).

I think everyone's favorite trade was from my very own Mom! She made this super cute box (complete with cookies inside). It was stunning in black and red. SO fun! I love the knotted ribbons as the flower centers. That's my mom. I'm so proud!

For my trade I actually did something a bit out of season. But I was dying to try making these divided boxes with gift tags at Christmas, and ran out of time - so I made them for the trade. They were a lot of work, but I love how they came out using all the fun patterned paper and the ornament punch.

Besides, its never too early to start on Christmas, right? I think I'll make more so I'll be ready for the holidays (they always come sooner than you think!)

If you are a local, and want to learn to stamp, or want to learn some new techniques with a lot of hands-on projects, and personal help from yours truly, as well as getting some free stamps and stuff, and a good time each month with some really great gals, then join my Stamp Club. We will start up again in September.

Thanks for the good times, and the great swaps ladies!!!

Father's Day Ideas

2010-06-15T23:55:00.001-07:00

Father's Day is almost here. Do you have something planned to honor your own father, the father of your children or a male that is "like a father" to you?

Remember last year's ideas? If not, link here. I still love that idea. As I was visiting my dad this past May, he DID hang it in his office. Is that cute or what? My 77 year old dad with his older children's' pictures hanging in his office. Loved it!

Just saw this idea today on Roots and Wings Co. blog. What a fun blog! I want to spend more time on it, when I have a chance this summer. Great ideas. Here is their tutorial:

Hands Down Best Dad!

Super easy:
1.
2. Paint your canvas. I like my backgrounds mottled. But you can paint it nicely just one color if you like.

3. Trace your kid's arms and hands onto fun paper. I thought these were fun papers because they had designs in them. The brown one is hard to see, but there is a fun pattern on it too.
4. Oh Mod Podge! Why do you mock us so? I mean who calls it Mod Podge? We all know the name should be Modge Podge, right? Well get out your Modge Podge and plaster the hands down. Make sure you leave enough room to paint your saying on. (I totally have to agree with these gals. Who does say Mod Podge?)
5. Print your saying using cute fonts, onto regular paper.

6. On the back of your paper, scribble with a pencil to make a transfer. Make sure you get all of the back of each letter covered.

7. Put the paper on your canvas. Trace over your saying. It will leave a light imprint for you to paint the words in.
Spray it with sealant or cover with some coats of Modge Podge.

**Little details I added....I loosely *traced* around each hand with some brown paint. I also painted in my boy's names next to their hand. It is small (and blurred out) but it is there.

Thank you Anjeanette for sharing!
I'll blog again soon,
Alysa

Painted Pianos

2010-06-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, my friend Sue offered me a baby grand piano (my dream) for FREE. The piano was so scuffed up and looked pretty bad. The insides were good but I couldn't get over the aesthetics of the piece. Plus, I owned a piano -- not a pretty one -- but a piano nonetheless.

I mulled it over in my head for a long time but realized that I'm not too quick about getting projects done and I wouldn't want this big, scuffy, piano sitting in my front room crying out for years to be redone. Plus, I have no clue how to refurbish a piano. I called the Furniture Medic to find out how much to have someone else do it. He said $5,000. Might as well purchase a new one.

Begrudgingly, I called Sue back and said "No". Ugh!!!!

Wouldn't you know about a month later I started coming across blogs that showcased how they painted their pianos. Never thought about it. I did laugh with Rachelle about french pasting that free baby grand but never thought it would look so good painted. Check this one out at the Pennington Point:

So awesome.

Saw this idea again tonight and thinking that maybe I should paint the one I have. Some day. Moral of the story, if you ever have an opportunity to receive a free, good working piano, don't pass it up. There are options.

Rice Cakes!

2010-06-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

Last week my twins had their annual Blue & Gold dinner for Cub Scouts. There is always a traditional cake decorating contest. This year we made cupcakes that looked like Chinese Takeout. One made the fried rice, and the other made the chow mein.

They really looked like real Chinese food. The fried rice was made with frosting and Rice Crispies, the green onions were slices of sour straws, the egg and carrot were made from fruit chews, and the peas were green skittles. For the chow mein, the noodles were just squeezed two tone frosting, the green onions were more sliced sour straws, the ham was made from pink fruit chews, and the broccoli was made from green fruit chews, frosting, and green nonpareils.

We put each cupcake in a take out box, and put chocolate sauce in a few small bowls for soy sauce.

So fun! My kids did most of the work.

Actually, the hardest part was running all over town to find the right candies.

We found the idea in this book, "What's New Cupcake" the sequel to my other favorite cupcake book "Hello Cupcake" by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. We have made several cupcakes from both books and have been thrilled with the results every time. I think the instructions are always easy to follow, and they tell you where you can find some of the harder to find ingredients (like the green nonpareils.) Pick either of the two books up and you'll be amazed at the cool cupcakes that they have come up with.

Here are some of the other very creative cakes the cub scouts made: a pizza, a volcano, a beach with a surfer on a wave, light sabers, a very authentic looking Wolf Cub cap, and an amazing Wii console that stood up straight. Very clever.

We just have so much fun decorating cakes, especially cupcakes, around here. This weekend my twins are having birthday party. Any idea what kind of cake I can make for a Spy party? There is nothing in my cupcake books about that. I guess I will have to do some digging around in my attic to see what I can come up with.

Until then, anyone up for some Chinese take out?

Sans Frames

2010-05-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

I'm linking today with Skip to My Lou's "Made By You Mondays". Be sure to check out their other great ideas.

Do you have an area in your house that won't accommodate frames? Or are you tired of never find the right frame or spending a fortune on them? Here's an idea for you.

I had that exact problem. I recently put white write-on boards on my wall. Above it is a narrow shelf. I tried putting framed prints up there but they soon toppled over and crashed to the floor. So here was the next best idea:

I've seen these ideas on other blogs such as here and other places (which I can't remember now) and thought I would give it a try.

1. Purchase your canvas. You can buy it at Michael's or Jo Ann's with coupons or buy a 2-pack at Wal-mart for $9.99

2. Print off your pictures. I decided to have my pictures printed to 11x14 from Costco. They have sizes as large as 16x20 or as small as 4x6. You decide.

3. Paint around the edges, if you want. Choose a color that either goes with the print or your home decor.

4. After the colored paint has dried, paint a bunch of Mod Podge on to the top of the canvas.

5. Quickly place the photo on top of the Mod Podge surface. Press over the picture so it adheres to the surface.

6. Once dry, turn it over and cut the extra picture that is laying over the canvas.

7. Turn the picture back over and Mod Podge over the print. That's right -- over the print. Believe me, it will come out of the fog and be clear again. Promise.

8. Once dry, set them up on the wall or wherever you want to enjoy them. It was such a fun and easy project to do that I went ahead and purchased more canvas and enlarged more of my prints. Just make sure you don't do what I did -- forget to edit your prints on Costco.com for the correct size. Ugh. Oh well. I can always reprint, right?

Until next time, this idea is out of the attic of my mind and "to do list" and now available to you. Enjoy!

Steps, Stools, and Spray Paint

2010-05-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

The Shabby Nest is having a Frugal Friday Linky party. Go over there and check her out. Here is my entry!

So a while back our piano bench somehow mysteriously got broken - smashed, actually. Such a thing is inevitable in a house with 6 active boys. Ever since my boys have been practicing with a chair and their piano teacher is not thrilled about that.

So a few weeks ago, I found this darling, but battered, bench at a garage sale for the low down price of just $2. The paint was chipped and cracked and the cushion was covered in a white vinyl faux leather. But is is sturdy, and around here, that is all that matters.

It is amazing what half an hour of my time and a can of black spray paint can do:

I simply put a piece from a vintage tablecloth right over the white vinyl cushion (it wasn't quite big enough,) and covered it with a clear vinyl.

I think it looks great! (and now my boys have no more excuses for not practicing.)

A few months ago I found these bed steps while out saleing. I guess people used these in the old days when their beds were so high.

The paint job was pretty beat up, but I just LOVED the lines to this unusual piece. I got daring and sprayed it a bright red-orange called "paprika."

I think it just pops on the end of my white bed and brings some fresh color to my bedroom.

There is nothing so quick or so satisfying as spray painting something!

So what have you got in you house that needs a little color? Spray paint. I'm telling you. Spray paint!

Nibble on the Word

2010-05-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

We know that we are supposed to feast on the good Word of God, but what about just a nibble?

I saw this cute idea a long time ago somewhere. You can easily make little chocolate bibles/scriptures as a cute little handout for a lesson or something with Hershey's Nuggets and black cardstock. I simple cut the black cardstock in 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" pieces and glued them onto a gold wrapped Nugget with a glue stick. Before gluing it on, I wrote the title on with a white gel pen.

I am a seminary teacher (an early morning daily religion class for high-schoolers) and I made each of my students their own set of the books in the Book of Mormon to wish them good luck in our scripture chase competition on Sunday. They did a great job and I thought they deserved a little chocolate!

I was thrilled with how they turned out! Fun! So file this idea away in your head for next time you need a yummy little handout when you have to teach a Sunday School class or something like it.

Who doesn't like a little nibble before the feast?

Swimmingly

2010-05-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

This little snorkeler will go over swimmingly at any party. We've made it for the past two years to celebrate the end of school and beginning of summer. My children are already begging for it.

This recipe came from the Family Fun magazine.
Ingredients

* 2 baked 9-inch round cakes
* 2 to 3 cups chocolate icing
* Hershey's Kisses
* 2 green LifeSavers Gummies

* 2 blue M&Ms
* 1 piece red shoestring licorice
* 1 orange gumdrop
* New snorkel and diving mask, washed with soap and water (I found mine at the $1 store. They are too expensive elsewhere.)

Instructions

1.Layer and frost the cakes.
2.Unwrap the Kisses and place them around the top for hair.
3.Add the LifeSavers and M&Ms for eyes, a licorice mouth, and a gumdrop nose.
4.Remove or unfasten the strap (or cut it so it will lay flat) on the diving mask, then place it over the face and lay the snorkel next to the cake.

Happy Summer!

Mums Moms Love!

2010-05-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

Mum's the word!

Give Mom a few fun flowers for Mothers Day.

Last week I had some ladies over for lunch. For dessert I made these adorable mum cupcakes!

They were very easy, but took a little bit of time. Just use kitchen scissors to cut colored mini-marshmallows in half diagonally and drop them directly into bowls of colored decor sugar. The sugar only sticks to the freshly cut part of the marshmallows. Then arrange them on frosted cupcakes, starting around the outside then circling into the middle. The stamens are tropical good and plenty.

They turned out super cute!

I have made fabric flowers with vintage buttons before, but this time I used my new huge flower die with my Big Shot! They are huge and so very fun to put on hats, purses, or your lapel!

They are so fun to make, and rather addictive! There is always another combination to try. Alysa came over, and we even made some from her daughters old baby dress! I made a whole basket full of them for all the special women in my life! (And quite a few for me!)

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful "Mums" out there!

Baby Shower Pacifiers

2010-04-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the birth of this little boy this past Saturday

And these were the cute favors/decor we had on the table when dining at Cheesecake Factory (see only the pacifiers on the bottom left). Mine were a little different but I got the idea from my friend Kim. These are the ones from her shower (along with everything else on this picture collage)

Why Cheesecake Factory? No cleaning of your house, no getting exhausted, no making anything, no shoo-ing your family away for hours, and just having a great relaxing time with your friends. My friend and I paid for the drinks, appetizers and cheesecake while food was up to the individual. Easy.

Back to the pacifiers. Buy some of those new yummy/taste like Thin Mint chocolate covered Oreos, some blue jelly beans, and some lifesavers. Oh, AND a chocolate bar to melt so the stuff will stick to the Oreo (or use chocolate chips). Melt your chocolate and cut the tips of the jelly beans off and dip the end in chocolate and stick in onto the center of one side of the cookie. Let them dry, then do the same thing for the lifesavers on the other side of the cookie. Tie a ribbon through the lifesaver and WHALA!

I like easy baby showers.

Paris Flea Market!

2010-04-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

AtticGal Rachelle says:

This lucky Attic Gal took the trip of a lifetime to Paris a few months ago. Of course I saw a ton, and enjoyed every moment, but one thing I really wanted to see, besides the Eiffel Tower, my Eiffel Tower, were the famed Parisian antique markets. I just couldn't wait to behold what wonderful, beautiful old Frenchy French things there would be to see, and I hoped beyond hope that I would be able to bring home just a little something perfect that would remind me of my trip, like that artist palette there (Monet's, no doubt!) or the child's dress form behind it! Please oh please!

It was true that I was absolutely blown away by what I saw there! Block after block after block after block of more gorgeous antiques, pealing paint, rusted iron, yellowing textiles and laces than you have ever seen, and everything old and lovely and FRENCH! Overwhelming is an understatement!!!

But just as overwhelming, unfortunately were the prices! Holy French Cow! It quickly became clear that nothing, absolutely nothing that was worth dragging across the pond was withing my price range.

So, sadly I had to say 'adieu' to this lovely lady in beads and lace, and all of her pretty Parisian friends. I brought home only these few pictures that I snuck in (the shopkeepers don't like you taking pictures) and the memories of what could have been.

But I have learned that if you want something bad enough, and go to enough garage sales on enough early Saturday mornings, the Paris flea market just might come to you.

Ooh-la-la! How about this fine long-legged lady? I discovered her at a local Parisian flea market disguised as a Haiti relief garage sale put on by our youth group. I scored her, and did my part to help those in need at the same time (that almost feels wrong!)

Maybe she is not French, but I'm sure she has French ancestry.

And the best part is that I didn't have to try to squeeze her in the overhead compartment on the trans-Atlantic flight.

And even if she is not from Paris, I found some fabulous things that really are.

... like a little red Merto-Autobus guide book of Paris! It is so fun to thumb through. I can imagine useing it to find my way through every arrondissement in the City of Lights.

I found the old Eiffel Tower souvenir at the same garage sale. No doubt someone years ago purchased it from a peddler just under the grand tower- the most romantic place on Earth, in my estimation. Lovers perhaps on the ultimate honeymoon!

I loved this colorful old puzzle with scenes from on old French fable. I couldn't pass it up!

A little French child once used these colorful images to recreate 6 imaginative scenes from the fable with the blocks. What would you imagine I would have paid for that at the Paris flee market?

And then there are the genuine Paris opera glasses! Some fine lady once watched the grandest productions at the famous opera house there, the very one thought haunted by the Phantom himself. The inside of the leather case is printed in gold with the name and address of an optician right in Paris! Perfect!!! Now that is EXACTLY the kind of little treasure I wanted to find at that Paris antique market! Lucky me!

But antiques weren't the only merchandise that caught my eye in Paris. May favorite little shop that we discovered in Paris was this colorful shop called Pylones. Everything in this amazingly creative shop is as decorative as well as functional. Check out their fun website here! Pie servers that look like little dogs, tape dispensers that look like little chickens, and egg timers that look like lady bugs. What I really wanted was a cheese grater like the Eiffel Tower one on the right, or the little ladies with cheese grater skirts on the table in the top left picture!

Unfortunately, the hubby with the pocket full of Euros made himself scarce when he saw me eyeing the colorful, but somewhat-pricey wares, so I bought nothing.

I regretted it the whole way home.

But guess who was waiting for me at a recent garage sale? This sweet little French lady, brand new in her Pylones carton, complete with a fun little French poem about her dancing on a plate and leaving a pile of shredded cheese just for me. When she smiles at me, I knew it was meant to be. And for $.50 rather than the $31 in the store, without having to exchange into Euros too!

Bilss!

She now sits on my counter. Every time I see her I just smile.

I love Shopping in Paris... even if it is right in my own hometown!

Merci!

What's for Breakfast?

2010-04-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

AtticGal Rachelle says:

Good morning attic dwellers! How'd you like to wake up to this ooey gooey sticky coffee cake for breakfast tomorrow? We made it special for Easter morning, but it is really so easy that you can make it any time.

Really.

All you do is toss about 18 frozen, unbaked yeast rolls (like Rhodes) into a bundt pan. Top with a half cup brown sugar, a package of non-instant butterscotch pudding mix, a half cup of chopped pecans. Then pour a half cup (1 stick) of melted butter on top of everything.

Cower with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let sit at room temp overnight. The dough will thaw and rise.

In the morning all you do is throw it in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let it stand for about 5 minutes before turning it onto a cake plate.

Then watch as it disappears in no time flat.

It is really that easy and that good.

Your kids will think your are a culinary genius!

So... what are you having for breakfast?

Easter Desserts!

2010-03-28T00:16:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

Easter is one of my favorite holidays, and dessert is my favorite part of any meal, so you better believe that when it comes to our Easter dinner, I pay special attention to making dessert memorable! Here is what is on the dessert menu this Sunday:

Bird's Nest Cupcakes- Bake cupcakes and top with store-bought coconut frosting, then toasted coconut to make the nest, and three little Cadbury Mini eggs in the center of each. Couldn't be easier. Just spread coconut on a cookie sheet and put in the oven for a few minutes until it is nice and brown. Watch it, though, because it can burn very quickly.

Easter Pie - I found this one on Food Network - one of Giada's recipes (Love her!) It is like an rice pudding/egg custard in a flaky philo crust. A delicate flavor. So yummy, and so very pretty! Here is the link to that recipe.

Lamb Cake - I have had this lamb shaped cake pan for years, but was intimidated by it. Last year I did this, and I thought it turned out darling. I baked a devil's food cake, and piped on vanilla frosting in big loose swirls everywhere but the face and ears. I sprinkled green coconut "grass" all around her. The flowers are made from large marshmallows that I snipped in half with scissors and sprinkled with colored sugars which only sticks to the cut parts. The leaves were made the same way. The centers of the flowers were more of the chocolate eggs from the Nest Cupcakes. Very easy and such a pretty way to finish off our Easter meal!

Easter Week is Here!

2010-03-27T23:22:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

I am so excited! Easter Week is here, at at our house, Easter is a week-long celebration. It seems like it has popped up so early this year! I'm not quite ready for it, but I am getting it all together.

Click Here to get a rundown of what our family does each day of the week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. The particularly special activities are on Sunday where we reinact Christ's triumphal re-entry with palm fronds, Thursday, when we have a special Passover dinner, and Saturday night, when we prepare for Easter Morning with our Easter Story cookies. The recipe is included in the post that is linked above. Then, on Easter, among the regular Easter festivities, we also have a tradition of telling The Easter Story in Eggs, which is also in that same post. All of the traditions that we enjoy during that entire Easter Week really help my children grasp the true meaning of this most sacred and joyous of holidays.

Of course, we still make time to color our eggs and bake and have egg hunts too, and I will post some fun recipes, projects, and such in the coming week, maybe even more details about our passover meal.

Happy Easter Week all you attic dwellers!

Easter Stamping

2010-03-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

First, my apologies for letting things slide on the Attic lately. I have a good excuse. If you are familiar with LDS lingo I can sum up why I have been so crazy busy in one word: roadshows. If you are not, then just know that my life has not been my own, (or my family's) for the past several weeks.

But now that things are back on track, I have been slammed with the thought that Easter is quickly sneaking up on us and I have so much I want to do for Easter! Oh my!

So I got around to some fun stamping projects for Easter.

I LOVE this sweet little lavender basket that I made using my Bog Shot Baskets and Blooms die! It is so cute and really a lot easier than it looks. The sweet little bunny is from my new Forest Friends set with sweet retro animals that remind me of our friends in Bambi.

The back side. The die also cuts out the flowers and the band around the middle. They would be sweet Easter favors filled with a little candy or a couple eggs.

My favorite new stamp is the Chocolate Bunny that I used to made this delicious double opened card. I embossed the bunny in brown on brown paper to give it the look of a shiny chocolate bunny. It is hard to tell from the picture, but the egg has been embossed in a harlequin type pattern, and the card is really quite charming.

For more cute I made these fun bunny bags using a variety of punches. The bunny's head is a flap that you open to get into the bag. So cute!

Speaking of punches, her is a tiny little lamb that I made last Easter, in case you missed it, also using a variety of punches. I love punches!

Click here to see some other stamped spring projects I posted last year.

That's all for now, but stay tunes for more Easter fun!

Happy Spring everyone!

Have an Occasion? Need a cake?

2010-03-12T11:56:00.000-08:00

Look at these beautiful cakes. They are not only beautiful, they are delicious too. Our cute friend, Michelle Valdez, is just starting a cake making business. Got an occasion you need a cake for or want to just send something fun to a friend? She can make them most any theme, shape, size that you need. Need an idea? She'll help you with that also.

I know I'm already thinking of an occasion, how about you? Call Michelle at 760-403-6311 or send an email to chikadee0610@msn.com if interested.

For the Love of Chocolate!

2010-03-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says;

Just before Valentine's day, my friend Shari and I decided to get together to make a few chocolates for Valentines day, but as these things often go, our ideas ran away with what kinds and flavors of fillings we should try, and before we knew it we were happily in the thick of an all-day chocolate making extravaganza! Oh how sweet it is! (Chocolate has that effect on us, I guess.)

While I do realize that Valentine's day is over, I also know that, blessedly, chocolate is always in season, and we really shouldn't have to wait for Christmas or Valentines to have a reason to spend a day up to our elbows in warm and silky chocolate. At least I, for one, don't need a reason.
Shari is an excellent chocolatier, and I was so excited to get to study under the master. She made the fondant for the centers the night before. Apparently that is quite a labor intensive process, but I was not there for that. I came in the morning, when the hard part was deciding what flavors to make the basic fondant.

Decisions, decisions.

We divided the fondant and began to experiment a bit. In the end we came up with toasted almond in milk chocolate, mint in milk chocolate, toasted coconut in milk chocolate, and cranberry orange in white chocolate. I also brought to the table my signature Oreo truffles in dark chocolate.

We also wanted to make caramels, and chocolate dipped pretzels, but, alas, ran out of time.

Once our centers were all mixed and rolled we were ready for the fun part - the CHOCOLATE!

Shari taught me all about how to bring it to temperature, or temper, the chocolate properly. We melted most of the chocolate in the microwave until it was melted, stirring often. Then we added more room temp chocolate to bring down the temperature.

If you are not sure if the chocolate is cool enough, put a bit of it on your upper lip. If it is even a slight bit warm, it is not ready. That was my favorite part! I must say, we looked quite smart in our chocolate mustaches!

Shari taught me that the only way to properly dip chocolates is by hand - literally. The whole hand goes into the chocolate, scoops up a palmful, then the center is dropped by the other "clean" hand into the chocolate laden palm where it rolled around single-handedly until it is perfectly coated in the sinful stuff. Then the "chocolate" hand carefully sets it on the parchment-lined tray. That part is a bit tricky because you want to make it look just right.

It is quite the assembly line, but a heavenly one, I must say! Dipping chocolates is a very sensory rich experience: the thick, sweet smell, the velvety brown color, and the feel of the smooth warm wet chocolate - everywhere!

Oh yes, and it tastes good too!

We drizzled the coconut ones in with wisps of white chocolate, and the mint ones we made extra small, drizzled in a green tinted chocolate, and doubled them up in the paper cups. The Oreo truffles were sprinkled with crushed Oreos, and the orange cranberry white chocolate truffles we topped with little red hearts we painted on with our fingertips! The almond ones we wrapped some in festive red foils.

We ate the ugly ones, of course.

In the end, I can't tell you how many pounds of chocolates we made. Let me just say it was enough to cover a very large kitchen island!

Then we packaged our assorted chocolates! They were utterly divine!

I stamped cute little tags with embossed chocolates for the boxes that I tied with a big ribbon.

I also found these darling tiny white heart boxes in sets of 8 at the dollar store for individual little chocolates! I just topped them with punched hearts and more embossed chocolates. The girls loved them!

What a fun day! Thanks Shari! I learned so much. (And I firmly believe that the more you know about chocolate, the better!) This will have to be a Valentines' tradition, I think. A day with friends and chocolate is a day well spent!

But don't wait for Valentines day. I think St. Patty's Day is a perfectly good reason to dip chocolates, don't you?

Once Upon a Time...

2010-03-02T01:40:00.000-08:00

in a land far, far away there lived a princess..., well, actually about a dozen of them.

I have mentioned before, that I am over the girls age 12-18 at my church, and every year we start off the year with a special evening called New Beginnings where we introduce the scripture theme for the year, as well as the new girls who will be entering the program in the upcoming year.

This year the theme is from Joshua 1:9 "Be Strong and of a Good Courage..." When I think of courage I think of knights in shining armor and where there are knights there are princesses, and where there are princesses there are crowns and castles and pink, so we have decided this will be the year of fairy tales. (And as the mother of 6 sons, I am thrilled to have an excuse to throw a princess party! Do you blame me?)

Each of the girls was given a silver knight charm for their charm bracelets that I presented
on a castle card I made using the Big Shot and a castle die. They looked just like the slate roofed chateaus we saw in France. So fun!

I utilized Attic Gal Alysa's Vinyl lettering business to make these blocks with this year's theme for the girls. I just used a glittery blue metallic spray paint, them stamped the Medallion stamp in black before applying the letters. Darling!

One of the speakers read "The Paper Bag Princess" as part of her presentation. It was perfect!

The castle was a last minute addition when I saw the packing foam that came wrapped around my hubby's new flat screen TV (That kind of trash is dangerous for me!) Some spray paint and a screwdriver (for scoring the lines) was all it took (I just cut the foam with a bread knife. Easy.)

When my boys asked me what I was doing I told them I was making a castle. They looked at me like I was nuts. "Why?" "Because I want a castle. Every princess wants a castle!" They just rolled their eyes at their silly old mom.

But it's true. I do want a castle. Preferably one in France.

But what really caught the eye of every princess in the room that night was not a handsome prince, but a handsome cake custom made by my friend Michelle Valdez, who is starting a cake business. It was a big cake, and absolutely DARLING! Everything is completely edible! It really was the show piece of the whole evening! Nobody wanted to cut into it, yet everyone wanted a piece once it was cut. Rightly so! It was amazingly delicious!!! Homemade chocolate cake with an almond cream filling. I really didn't expect a cake that looked this good to taste this good!

I knew to ask Michelle to make our cake after seeing the cakes she made for our church Valentine's dinner (she made about 10 of them for that night!) It was a fabulous rich red velvet cake. RED VELVET, ladies!

If you need a special cake for that special occasion, and you like local, let me know. I'll hook you up!

Needless to say, that cake went a long way in helping all the princesses live happily ever after!

Turquoise

2010-02-19T21:49:00.000-08:00

Did you know that turquoise is the "in" color for the year? I've been wanting something in my house that color ever since I received the news from my friend Lisa.

Since Monday was a holiday and the weather was absolutely fabulous, I went outside and while the children did this:

I planned to change this:

BORING!

To this:

FUN! (Actually, this picture makes it look more baby blue, which it is not.)

The color I used was Laura Ashley Home Cyan color. At Lowe's they used the Laura Ashley color but Valspar paint as it is less expensive but still really good (and I only needed a quart). I actually matched my purse to the color as I love my BCBG turquoise purse.

It looks so good in my yellow bathroom with a couple pictures that have turquoise within the paintings. Now to find some fun towels. I saw that Amy Butler towels are at Bed, Bath and Beyond. They are not at our store but online. I might need to splurge.

What needs a little "in" color at your home?

Heartbreak!

2010-02-15T06:24:00.001-08:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

Remember how my Valentine's meal was supposed to look like this?

Well...

Sometimes, despite our best efforts and intentions, sometimes things just do turn out like we envisioned.

Sometimes disaster strikes.

Last night for our family Valentine's dinner I carefully planned and prepared for a festive heart shaped dinner. I made a huge 4lb meatloaf that I had molded into a huge heart, wrapped in bacon. When it came out of the oven I carefully slid it out of the pan full of ugly bacon drippings onto my favorite big round milk glass serving tray. Then I smothered it in my red meatloaf sauce (half catsup/half brown sugar) until the heart was glossy and red, then carefully spooned the mashed potatoes all around it until it was picture perfect.

Oh how I wish I had taken a picture!

But when it was time to serve it I tried to pick the platter off the counter and to my shock and dismay I discovered that the glass tray had shattered under the meatloaf! Obviously it was not tempered glass. The beautiful heart shaped meatloaf was lying on a layer of broken glass!

Thus - Heartbroken!

Well, my dad carefully helped me surgically remove the upper, non-glass-infested parts of the meatloaf so when we served it up it looked like this:

(Dad is not a heart surgeon, by the way.)

Not the look I was going for. When I wanted heart shaped, I didn't mean the actual organ along with the other innards as well - we save that sort of stuff for Halloween!

And due to technical difficulties, our pretty plump jello eggs came only to this - plus a whole lot of red jello all over the inside of my fridge. It looked like someone had bled out in there. Pretty as a picture!

Then, for dessert, I uncovered the beautifully decorated Valentine red velvet cake, half of the lovely decorative frosting stuck to the cover. More heartbreak.

So that was what became of my perfectly planned Valentines dinner.

But guess what? Everything tasted terrific! Nobody else seemed to mind the ugly nature of our dinner and we all feasted!

Turns out the only one who was heartbroken was me.

I guess sometimes our best laid plans just flop. It happens to all of us, right? I guess we just have to laugh and laugh and make the best of it.

Hope you had a picture perfect Valentines day!

A Little Lovin' from the Oven

2010-02-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says...

So this morning as I was running around trying to get my middle schoolers out the door, and help my elementary schoolers get their class valentines together, my 1st grader announces that he had been assigned to bring two dozen cupcakes to his Valentine party - today. Don't we love these last minute announcements?

Well, this week I have done an inventory of my baking supplies and it turns out that I have a heart shaped cake pan, a heart shaped spring-form pan, 3 heart shaped mini spring-form pans, a heart shaped cookie sheet, heart shaped cookie cutters, heart shaped jello molds, heart shaped sandwich cutters, and even a heart shaped pancake mold. But for cupcakes - nothing.

Then I suddenly remembered that when I was a kid my mom once made heart shaped cupcakes by putting a marble between the cupcake paper and the pan, so I grabbed some glass pebbles and made some impromptu heart shaped cupcakes.

They looked kind of funny out of the oven, but once frosted they were simply adorable. Nice save by Mom, if I do say so myself!

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and with a houseful of men to love, I had to make a little effort at lovin' from the oven. For Valentines dinner I make 3D heart shaped jello (I have a mold), and canned biscuits were shaped into hearts using a cookie cutter. I didn't cut the biscuits, they were similar in size to the cookie cutter. I just pressed the entire biscuit dough into the shape of the cutter.

And of course, for the meat and potatoes man, heart shaped read meatloaf on a bed of mashed potatoes. Just mold the meatloaf into a heart shape right there in the cake pan. I thought it turned out pretty fun!

The perfect Valentine for my meat and potatoes man!

This Valentines day we will be having pink heart pancakes with strawberries of course for breakfast. Can't wait!

And I also found some adorable heart shaped lahvosh crackers that I will be serving some love up on as well.

How about you? Will there be any lovin' from your oven this Valentines Day? Do share!

Love at Home!

2010-02-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

I just LOVE Valentines day, and that love spills out at my home - everywhere you look there is love. (Well, only if you ignore the boys wrestling around and trying to kill each other.)

All the lovin' starts at my front door where I just hung some glittery red hearts onto the all-season wreaths with some swirly red ribbon.

Step inside where it is all red and glitzy!

In the entry, I used the same red velvet rose topiaries that I use for Christmas. Above that, some shimmery red metallic fabric remnants make a great backdrop for my heartfelt vignette dedicated to love!

I made my love sign with a chunk of 2X4 painted black, then added four squares of pretty patterned paper, some Cricut cut black paper letters, and some rub-ons. Very easy and really fun!
I also replace the family photos that are usually in the silver frames with "love" pictures of our wedding, as well as wedding, engagement, and couple pictures of other relatives and ancestors.

One of my very favorite projects EVER is my love banner made on my Big Shot using fabric that is black and white and red all over.

I love, Love, LOVE it!!!

I hung some sparkly heart garland on the chandelier. Easy, easy.

I had some chipboard hearts that I colored red and drenched in more red glitter. I stuck them right on some of our family pictures with glue dots for just another fun little touch of love.

After all, that's what it is all about!

The dining room is dedicated to my other love, after my hubby and kids that is,... CHOCOLATE!

I have collected enough little faux chocolates and desserts to fill a chocolaterie. They do look so tempting, but they look better than they taste - trust me. (and zero calories!)

The red toile tablecloth is perfect with the sweet candy striped runner.

I found these pretty mirrored hearts cheap and just hung them simply on the backs of the dining chairs with more red ribbon. It really brings a lot of bling to the dining room.

Of course more red roses and some tasty gifts under glass in a pretty milk glass basket.

Even the church pew has been adorned in a red and white Hawaiian quilt, and some lovey dovey pillows. Don't you love the heart pin on the granny's sweater pillow?

In the family room is a long banner made from repo glittery vintage greeting cards, and more vintage valentines adorn the shelves.

In the living room are apothecary jars filled with love...

and a little Cupid pixie that I made last year.

Hope he sends you lots of love this year!

Upcoming Olympics Celebration

2010-02-01T03:31:00.001-08:00

One of my dearest friends, who also was my college roommate, is coming with her wonderful family (which we love as much as her). Their visit is during the opening day of the Olympics. Wanting to make it special and memorable (and of course a learning experience), I'm wanting to plan something fun for both kids and adults to celebrate this inspiring and amazing event.

Does anyone have any great ideas?

I want to make this simple so I will actual do it and not totally wear myself out so I can't enjoy our guests, (remember what is most important here). Here is the brainstorming that was done while sitting in my car today:

Canadian food?

Pizza with different sections being topped with food that represent a certain country? (Canadian bacon, Italian sausage, etc)

Flag toothpicks (representing each country)and have in appetizers?

Have each child pick a country (out of a hat or one that they want) prior to the day and tell us a bit about it?

The child/adult gets up when their country is announced and walk around the room (hee, hee)?

Make t-shirts?

Instead of t-shirt, make socks, headband, bandanas or something else?

Spray hula hoops Olympic colors?

Do back handsprings in the yard? (just kidding)

Okay, there has got to be other really cool ideas out there in Blogland.
Please share yours. Can you hear the Olympic music playing?

Why I Love You Pillow

2010-01-28T23:26:00.000-08:00

Alysa says...

Don't you love looking at so many creative blogs? One in particular that I enjoy is How She Does blog. This blog is filled with some wonderful and easy ideas.

They just posted this unique Valentine idea that I fell in LOVE with!! I'm so excited that I found it before it was February 1st. There is still time for you and me. Why I Love You Pillows!

One of the writers, Alison, kicks off Valentines day in her house the first day in February by putting these pillows on her kids' bed. For 14 days, Alison and her husband leave love notes in them about why they love them.

Interested in making your Why I Love You pillow? There is a tutorial. Looks like I'll be heading off to Target this weekend.

Now I've posted all these Valentine's ideas from others, I better get busy making my own. I'll show you post-crafting pictures (if I really do get around to it, I'm no Rachelle - the gal who gets it done. I'm a wannabe :).

Sorry It's Been So Long

2010-01-26T23:32:00.000-08:00

Alysa says...

It's been a long time since we've posted. Have you given up on us?? Don't. Rachelle has had computer problems and I have had my mom in town and not wanting to take time away from her. So here we are with a tons of ideas, thoughts and plans but no computer and no time.

Here's a fun idea I'm going to do with my children for Valentine's Day. I got it off Inchmark's blog (one of the many creative blogs I enjoy following)

(Picture thanks to Inchmark)

You can find little packs of matchboxes at the grocery store. I found mine in the paper good section - 50 for $1.00. All you do is remove the matches, cut a piece of paper 2" high (or the height of your matchbox) and about 4" long (enough to wrap all the way around). Tape the back for extra security. You can use any type of paper. I was about to purchase a bunch of fun scrapbook paper that would run me a bunch of money but then walked Michaels a bit more and found wrapping paper that was red, green, pink and white stripes - Valentine's looking enough, right? The whole roll cost me $.74. Not bad.

You can do these anyway you like. Your child can draw portraits of their friends at school. They may all look the same at first glance, but your child can tell who each one is. Cut the paper down to the right size first then wrapped it around the box after your child is finished drawing. For other matchboxes, you can use a heart punch and glue a band of other paper underneath or just glue a different colored paper band around. I'm sure you will get quite creative.

Fill with candy (I purchased plain M&Ms but Inchmark says you can do candy corn as well), tuck in a little note, wrap with string if desired, and add a name tag or first initial. Then off to school!

Thanks Inchmark for a fun idea that I'm going to do with my children this year (and when I do, I'll take show you).

Don't Throw Out Those Candy Canes...

2010-01-05T15:15:00.000-08:00

Attic Gal Alysa says:

Actually pick up a ton of them for 90% off at Target or other places so you can make these Valentine's suckers. I made these last year and they were so easy. Thanks to "Skip To My Lou" for reminding me of this awesome craft before the canes were all gone! Connect here for full tutorial. http://www.skiptomylou.org/2009/01/21/candy-cane-hearts/

I haven't tried these, but it sure looks cool. Let's try it out together.

See Make and Take blog for the complete tutorial http://www.makeandtakes.com/love-shaped-candy-canes
There are so many cool ideas how there. Who has the time? Maybe I'll try to carve a bit out this year.

A Holiday Luncheon

2009-12-28T07:28:00.000-08:00

Attic Gal Rachelle says:

I am the president of the young women's organization at my church, and I wanted to throw a holiday party to thank the other ladies who work on my board so hard to serve our girls. Finding an evening when everyone could come proved difficult, so I decided to have a weekday luncheon instead. All of us have little ones at home, so they were all invited to come and play together, (my little guy thought HE was having a party!) In all we had 6 ladies and 9 kidlets.

Since it was lunch, I decided to keep it light with a panini bar, and since we live in the sunniest place on earth, I decided to have it outside, even in the dead of winter (actually, things are their liveliest here in the dead of winter!)

Some colorful fruit

Tomato Basil Bisque. Souper easy, and souper good! Just regular old canned tomato soup, only instead of water, use half 'n half. Then squeeze in some pre-chopped basil that you find in a tube in the produce section. Salt and pepper, of course, and it tastes like a million bucks! Really. I like to use it for entertaining (and great for feeding crowds!) People are always asking for the recipe and are always more pleased to find that it isn't much of a recipe at all.

And of course the panini (I am kind of a panini addict, myself.) I did my two favorite - traditional fresh basil, tomato, prosciutto, and Parmesan, with EVOO and salt & pepper, of course,

and one I learned from Giada - EVOO, arugula, Gorgonzola, bosc pears, and honey. (Sounds weird, but I LOVE this sandwich!)

A trick I learned at the last baby shower I had where the kidlets were invited - Uncrustables, Capri Suns, and packs of pre-sliced apples keep the little guys perfectly happy with no work!

As a gift for my ladies, I made them each a fun scarf. (No, I don't knit or crochet, but made these super easily on a Knifty Knitter.)

They seemed to like them, but it was a bit hard to get excited when we were practically melting in 80 degree heat. I hope they get a chance to use them... someday.

I made the pretty labels with SU's super pretty decorative papers, stamps, ribbon, and my Big Shot!

While we were there, they also helped me make beaded watch bands in the value colors for all the girls. I didn't get a picture of them, but these are the matchboxes I made to put them in. I popped them out easily on my Big Shot! (Can you tell I love that thing?)

What a great luncheon with some wonderful people! Those ladies were worth all the effort! I don't know what I'd do without them!

Christmas at Carmen's

2009-12-23T21:29:00.000-08:00

Alysa says:
When we were in school, we adopted our dear friend Carmen to be our California Grammy. She needed us and we needed her.

Carmen loves to decorate for the holidays. Visiting her house is always a treat. She makes everything very festive and full of the season. (She even had special shelving built-in to display her decor.)

In the kitchen she decided to go more playful and fun.

She makes it a little dressier for the living room.

Love the gold trees.

Carmen decorates for the seasons because it makes her happy.

She suggested that if you don't want to decorate the whole place, just make one spot in your home the "holiday or seasonal spot." When I was first married, she helped me (and handed down to me) decorations to use in "my spot" which was a table by my front door.

Carmen also says "you usually know inside of you what looks good or not." I know what looks good but not always how to "get" that look. Maybe I'll figure it out this year.

Thanks Carmen for your tour of all things Christmasy. Next time, you'll have to see her garden. It's amazing!