Spring is... springing!

three four leaf clovers I found the other day
Originally uploaded by isewcute

Let the four leaf clover hunt of 2010 begin! So far I've found 5 this year. I may keep track just to see how many we discover in a year's time... just for grins!

I've put these in the Dayton phone book to press them. I'll leave them there for up to a week before moving them to more permanent storage for future craft projects!

:o)

It felt so good to be outside without a coat! Winter begone!!!

hoop up swap geisha in a garden with an umbrella embroidery for Marianne by isewcute

hoop up swap geisha in a garden with an umbrella embroidery for Marianne by isewcute
Originally uploaded by isewcute

I've made a lot of progress on this one...and it's nearly done, but I ran out of floss. This is one skein & I think it went pretty far considering!

:o)

My Princess in Nature...

Let's take time to play dress up & then go for a walk in the woods! Why not? I love coming up with new things to do with the kids. So here is my princess all decked out in her finest royal princess gown...exploring the world around her. This would've made a great 'wordless Wednesday' post....but it's Thursday. Oh well!

I let my kids choose their own clothes ...so long as they're dressed for the weather.

New sparkly dangling copper and crystal heart earrings just added to my shop!

I was feeling the urge for something fun, flirty & oh so sparkly to welcome spring. These copper and crystal earrings with adorable bows do the trick! They dangle just about 1.5" from the top of the earwires & are so lightweight & cute. Very girly...but not over the top outrageous. They'll look super with jeans or as a fab accessory dressed to kill!

If you want them...just hop on in to my etsy!






Stay sparkly!

Spring Cleaning the Craft Room...

It had to be done! I was feeling smothered & not wanting to end up like any of the folks on TLC's show "hoarders" ...I organized, decluttered, hung up some artwork and unearthed some projects I'm very excited about finishing!

What's this? I can actually see a table top! ...well, sort of. This is where I set up the tabletop easel to paint...or I can assemble my jewelry. I've added the swing arm lamps so I won't be straining my eyes in the kitchen while doing that any more. The bins to the left are storage for etsy stuff...both works in progress & finished pieces. I love the pink tool box! It came from Joannes & a portion of the purchase price went to help fund breast cancer research. On the wall, the white matted prints are some of my photographic artworks...and the sweet big eyed girl print without the border is by thedreamygiraffe on etsy!

This wall hasn't had anything on it since I painted the room ages ago. The photos were leaning against the wall in a corner & the prints (found on etsy) were taking up valuable table top real estate. From left to right & top to bottom there's a photo of 'Lovers in Boston' 'Ballet Practice' 'Bike Week Vendors' 'Bike Week Couple' 'Conversation Cats' 'A Very Crafty Girl by thedreamygiraffe on etsy' 'Dog Profile' 'Knitting by LauraAnderton on etsy' 'Hillary Clinton's Body Guard' 'Extraordinary Crafty Girl by thedreamygiraffe on etsy' 'Kit Kat Clock' & 'Ode to The Golden Girls by elloh on etsy' ...whew! I still have some gaps to keep adding art to the wall if I come across anything else I can't absolutely live without! I do have a few more pieces to get framed that I just bought a couple of weeks ago.

Over here, I'm hoping to get some of the projects in the boxes on the top shelf done...to free up some shelf space for my dream pets.

These cuties can keep me inspired & smiling while I work.

I found a fabulous big box of crayons that had been squirreled away for far too long.

This is going to be a full size quilt for my daughter...by the time we convert her daybed/crib to a big girl bed.

I found bunches of fun fabrics that beg to be made into something...anything really! I'm thinking baby doll accessories for my girl.

Now I'll be so inspired that it's like being pulled in several directions at the same time....but the overall feeling is all feng shui & I want to spend all my time in the craft room which I used to refer to as my clutter-closet!

If you're looking for me...I'll probably be in here...making something!

A Little Safety Reminder...

...with daylight savings time... it's a good idea to change the batteries in your smoke detectors!

Be safe!

:o)

Easy Spinach and Pesto Pizza...what's for dinner tonight!

This is what we're going to have for dinner tonight & you can have it also! It's my easy peasy spinach pesto pizza! You may omit any ingredients & add in your own to suit your taste. If you like mushrooms... go for it! If you hate pepperoni...then leave it off! That's the great thing about pizza...it's so easy to swap out ingredients to make a unique pie that will make your tastebuds say, "oh yeah...that's the stuff!"

Here's a list of ingredients I used:
boboli pizza crust...the original
pesto sauce
minced garlic
olive oil
fresh spinach
package of shredded pizza cheese...it was a mix...but just good ol mozzarella cheese is fine
fresh tomatoes
pepperoni

First I cooked down the spinach with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil & about 5-6 tbsp. of pesto sauce, plus about a teaspoon of garlic.

Then I spread the boboli crust with a couple tbsp. of pesto sauce... I believe when it comes to pesto if a little is good...then a whole lot is better!

I layered the cooked spinach onto the crust.

Next, I tossed on some pepperoni.

Then added the cheese...

And finally topped it off with thinly sliced tomatoes (see first photo at top)

I'll cook this at about 375 degrees for 25-35 min... until the cheese is bubbly & the edges of the crust look toasty!

It will make your house smell like an authentic pizzeria... according to my father in law who remembers the sweet smells coming from his Italian grandma's kitchen.

Mangiare!
:o)

New in the shop!!! chasing the white rabbit down the rabbit hole...a resin glitter heart necklace by isewcute

chasing the white rabbit down the rabbit hole...a resin glitter heart necklace by isewcute
Originally uploaded by isewcute

I've been a busy bee making some new fun Alice necklaces. I'll be listing more soon... I have a variety of colors like pink and green available ...and characters such as the mad hatter. Can't wait to finally get out & see the movie.

Now I just need a babysitter!

:o)

I had a "wicked" good date with the Mr....

They say once you have kids...everything changes...which is why we're celebrating our 10th anniversary several months later!

It was a fabulous time...dinner at a fancy restaurant followed by a show...we went to see "Wicked" the musical at the Schuster Center in Dayton. After the show we stayed at a reasonably fancy hotel in the City then went out to breakfast followed by a full day at the Dayton Art Institute getting a whopping dose of artistic culture...then off to the movies, dinner once again... then home... back to reality!

I wasn't sure if I'd truly like the musical, but I was completely blown away! Everything about it was wonderful...the set, costume design, singing, special effects, and acting... it just whisked us away getting caught up in the story & beauty of it all. Marcie Dodd played Elphaba, the wicked witch & gave an outstanding performance. Her voice is incredible! Helene Yorke played Glinda, and I absolutely adored her. Her comic timing was spot on & her singing was equally splendid.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos to show once the curtain went up. Here is the inside of the Schuster Center...along with a dragon which was above the stage. It moved & breathed smoke as the curtain went up. The last photo is the curtain showing a map of Oz.

It was such a good time that in many ways I didn't want it to end, but like any mom, I missed the kids at the same time & was so happy to come home to the hugs & sticky kisses. It's healthy to go on dates & have a chance to miss the kids! I'm going to be a better mom for it! Hopefully we'll do this again in another 10 years! LoL!

:o)

victorian kitty pendant

victorian kitty pendant for meowari from isewcute
Originally uploaded by isewcute

A recent project I had so much fun working on as part of the Valentine swap on craftster. My swap partner sent me a link to a photo of her kitty, and after stalking her wists, discovered she had favorited one of those photos of a human body with animal head. Inspiration struck & I just knew I'd be altering a cabinet photo with her kitty's face & making a soldered glass pendant for her.

I adore how it turned out & am now on a mission to make photo portraits of all my family's pets... then turning them into jewelry!

What do you think?