Columbia River Gorge

The Pacific Northwest is one of the prettiest places in the world - at least in my opinion. Check out this view and see if it's not the truth. This is the view you will get from Crown Pointe. But it's hard to say if this is the most spectacular view . . .  or not.

Just drive a little bit further and you'll find falls and lots of them: Bridal Veil, Horsetail, Multnomah...just to name a few.

 In the view above, you can see the Benson Bridge, which is out of commission for now. There was a landslide that hit the bridge and left it unstable. It's a shame because we used to hike over this beautiful old bridge all the time in the summer.

But there are still a lot of trails to hike and pretty falls to seek out. So don't let the one bridge keep you back. And if you're planning a spring break trip, this would be a great destination: the Columbia River Gorge and the entire route along the way.

Run for Fun

 I love to run through this park but as you can see today the park was flooded.

 There were ducks floating in little makeshift ponds. But none of this water is usually here. There is a pond but it's on the other side of the park. Still it was a bright spot in a cold, damp day going for a run through this wet but beautiful park.

Family, food and fun

It was a busy weekend. We had a family dinner and wanted to have a little something special after the meal. So my husband played a few songs for everyone after we all ate and before everyone showed up, he practiced a bit.

And it was so fun to have family here all the way from Denmark.

Homemade Holiday Cards

I always want to celebrate but my bank account doesn't always allow me to party the way I want. So, I have to come up with ways to create, bake and make my own gifts, gear and goodies.

Here's one easy way to make cards if you, like me, aren't always so crafty.

I take some construction paper and a cookie cutter (yes, a cookie cutter) and etch the outline in the paper.

WAH-LAH holiday card created for only a few pennies.

St. Paddy's Day Bouquets - Sweet Enough to Eat

I love holidays and baking and making things to celebrate. This was an easy choice.

First off, I found these "vases" at Joann Fabrics and grabbed them in a hurry. Then I stuck some floral foam in each one.

Then the fun began.

I melted some white chocolate and colored it with food coloring. I made pink and green and yellow.

Then I poured the tinted chocolate into the candy molds.

Then I stuck food quality lollipop sticks (also bought at Joann's) into the chocolate.

I used rubber bands to give them support. Then I dipped some marshmallows into the chocolate and added sprinkles.

And then I started building my bouquet.

This was the first time I made these and now I have a few ideas for next time but I think they turned out sweet ;D

DIY Floor Re-Do

                                           BEFORE                              AFTER

Maybe some of you remember the work that's gone into this.

Like how my hubby had to make his own flooring because there were no floor boards in a couple of places

and he put his hand-made tongue and groove into place

because what was there needed to be sanded or patched

And he has been refinishing this old floor

And it has taken a long time for him to sand this entire floor, after work.

But he finally finished.

And then it was time to varathane it.

And it took four coats of the liquid to seal it. So, even I helped.

And I think it turned out really pretty.

Another Repurposed Craft

If you have any old pillowcase that is ripped or torn and is too pretty to be thrown away, simply make a new pocket pillow re-using that old portion that is too pretty to be thrown away. All you have to do is sew a simple half-pillow case and slip it over a pillow to make a pocket for books, goodies or other surprises to be placed inside for your guests.

Go Green - With a Popcorn Treat

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
23 cups of popped corn
2 teaspoons of green food coloring
1/2 cup of green m-n-m's
green candy

Heat the water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar turns clear and the mixture looks like water, add in the corn syrup and heat until clear. Pour in food coloring. With the popped corn in a heat resistance bowl (like stainless steel) pour the green sugar mixture over the popped corn and stir well. Let cool for ten minutes then add the green candy and serve.

Happy St. Paddy's Day

Pou

A dress made from an old man's shirt

Okay, I'm not a model and I don't do this dress justice but it is so cool to wear something that was destined for the landfills. At Camp Hollyhock they repurpose old clothing and make it "seam" like new again ;D

All it takes is a little embellishing and some tea...or so I'm told. Anyway, if you are in Portland, you have to check out this shop over in Sellwood. It is so "green" and if you want a way to celebrate St. Paddy's day - this is definitely the way to do it by buying green and getting some great clothing at the same time.

I love these clothes so much that I've blogged about Camp Hollyhock before but I just might do it again.

And, okay, maybe I should have belted the dress - but this is it without any help from me.

But it is "sew" comfortable and I love the idea of wearing repurposed clothing.

How 'bout you?

It's so simple to celebrate

It's so simple to celebrate. All you need is some colored salt or sugar and use a little lime juice and then dip your glass in the colored seasoning - sudden celebration!

With St. Paddy's day just around the corner, it's nice to have some green salt on hand. We use it to rim our margaritas. And suddenly a simple drink can seem like a celebration in a glass.

Happy Friday! Hope you have a wonderful weekend. CHEERS!

Wrap it Up

What do you do when you only have one skein of yarn? I make a collar. It's simple. You knit like you're going to make a scarf only not nearly as long, then you sew a little button on it and WAH-LAH a new collar to dress up any shirt or sweater.

They are fun and inexpensive and it's an easy way to use up some of that yarn that you have sitting around and haven't figured out what to do with it.

Skirting the Issue

I wanted a new skirt but I didn't want to pay $59.00 to get one. So I pulled out one of my favorite skirts and laid it out on some brown fabric to use for a pattern.

This wrinkled gray skirt is one of my favs. So I cut the shape out in the brown fabric. And then I used some green yarn in the waistband so I could sew it inside out and then pull it through easily using the yarn.

Then I stitched the waistband to the main fabric and Wah-lah! I had a new skirt that I paired with some ankle boots and I was pleased for $12.00. Not a bad deal.

SCBWI Scholarship for Annual Conference - Deadline 3.1.14

If you're interested in attending the annual conference but you're running short of money, check out this site. There are forms for you to apply for a scholarship. And do it quickly because the deadline is March 1, 2014.

Good luck! And hope to see you at the conference.

St. Paddy's Day Wreath

I love to celebrate and one way I celebrate is by decorating the house with wreaths. I usually make them myself and it couldn't be simpler to make a wreath than to take a couple of feather boas and wrap them around the form of a wreath and add a few shamrocks and pom-poms. I even added a bow and a garland then I hung the wreath and WAH-LAH home-made merry making for St. Paddy's day.

Do you decorate for St. Paddy's Day too?

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

This is a sad story about a woman who dies from cancer in October of 1951 but her cells live on throughout time and help others by giving scientists a way to test and research cancer and its growth through her durable cells (HELA). It is really worth reading. But be prepared because it can be very depressing to hear about the way people were treated back in the 1950s. I almost couldn't finish it because of the horrific things I learned. But if you can put that aside and read the story, it is a very educational book. 

Homemade Holiday Pillows

This leprechaun pillow was made from an old tablecloth.

But I also made another one from an old sheet.

All I did was lay the material out on the floor.

Fold it over the pillow and cut the fabric.

Then I marked where I wanted to sew it, with a pink marker.

And I stitched it up.

I added a button to the white pillowcase so I can easily take it off and wash it.

You can see the button at the top of the pillow.

It was sew simple ;D

President's Day

President's Day has been in existence since 1879. It used to be  celebrated every February 22, but was changed to designate the third Monday of every February. It was meant to honor America's first president, George Washington, but now we call it President's Day and view it as a celebration of all American presidents.

I hope you all have a great day!

Happy Valentine's Day

Saint Valentine - Rome said he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire.  According to  legends, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius and before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell.

Sort of a sad story for a celebration of love.

But I want to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day!

Jacob's Leaving

Jacob's on his way to St. Thomas. He's making a couple stops in North Carolina, Florida and then the islands.

So we had to have a feast and wish him well.

It was a nice night.

Word for Wednesday - guess what it means

Word: Triptych

Do you know what it means?

Take a guess...


Now scroll down to see if you were "write" or wrong.


A little Further...



FURther



FURTHER


triptych:  is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections.