Flower Wreath Shadow Box

So, today is my friend's birthday and I wanted to make her something "crafty" for her present.  Years ago,  Martha Stewart's Kids Magazine showed how to make simple felt flowers.  These are really simple to make.  So, courtesy of the Winter/Spring 2003 issue, this is how you make them.  (I tried looking for a link online, but couldn't find it, so I had to take a picture directly from the magazine.)

1. Cut 5 small felt petals as shown.
2. Sew a running stitch through the bottom edge of each petal.
3. Tie the thread ends in a half-knot and pull tight, bringing the petals together and tie again to knot.
4. Sew a small button in the center of the flower!

I thought the best way to present the flowers was in this small shadow box, again courtesy of Martha Stewart.  Unfortunately, I don't think these boxes are available anymore, but I think this could also work on a small frame, just take out the glass.

Utensil Wall Plaque

So this newest little creation was super, super easy to make.   I often see little wall plaques in stores and I think, "I could do that".

Months ago I bought these little wooden wall plaques from the 99 Cents store for well, 99 cents.  I covered over the existing picture with some spare craft paper (I used scrapbooking paper because it's more heavy-duty than say wrapping paper, etc.).  I had some random forks and spoons in a drawer (leftover from our college days, but never really had the heart to throw out).  I just simply hot glued the utensils to the plaque and just like that created a new piece of art for my kitchen! Since there was already a hook on the back of the plaque, I just tacked it up.  Pretty nifty, huh?

Weisswurst & Spinach Quiche

We went to Oktoberfest yesterday at the Old World Village in Huntington Beach.  If you ever go, you have to stop by the deli and bakery and pick up some German delicacies.  Well, one of our many purchases included a couple of pounds of Weisswurst, a Bavarian sausage made from veal and pork.  Not satisfied to just grill the sausages for dinner tonight, I decided to use them in a quiche.  That and the fact that there were only 2 sausages leftover from yesterday. 

One of the great things about a quiche, is that they're pretty easy to make, kind of baked omelet in a pie crust.  Although I did make the crust from scratch (not that impressive, it's only 4 ingredients - flour, salt, butter & water), you can use a frozen pie crust.  I sauteed onions, bacon, spinach and the Weisswurst together.  I  then put that in the baked crust and poured a mixture of eggs and milk over it.  Bake for about 40 minutes and voila - a pretty yummy dinner! 

Oh, I did want to point out the lovely cake plate I used to display the quiche.  I got this from an antique shop near me.  It's an old plate that's been glued to an old glass candlestick, pretty nifty. 

Trinket Wreath

For years I've collected patches, buttons and little trinkets with every intention to use them in some fabulous craft project.  Well, one of the nice things about starting such a collection is that eventually you have a little treasure trove of stuff to choose from when the time is right. 

So, I started with

1 - 9 1/2" styrofoam ring
5 yards - 1 1/2" ribbon
2 - T pins
Pearl-head pins 

First I attached the ribbon to the wreath with a T-pin and just started tightly wrapping the wreath until the whole thing was covered.  I ended the wrapping by using another T-pin to hold the end of the ribbon tight.  (I wish I took pictures of the whole process...oh well, next time.)

The fun part is pinning little trinket around the wreath with the pearl head pins.  It's kind of an organic craft piece because I can just take down/add stuff whenever I like. Pretty happy with the outcome.

My First Post - The Paris Shadow Box

It's mid-September and I find myself with a little bit of time on my hands.  Everyone needs a little creative outlet and I want to use this blog to feature some of my various creations and interests.  I'm planning to write about crafts, cooking and other things that interest me, but I guess I'll figure that out along the way.

My Paris Shadow Box

My family and I went to Paris in April 2010, and it's taken me this long to put this little box together.  I was inspired by a shadow box I found on the Martha Stewart website - Martha Stewart Shadow Box .  So, when we got to Paris, I started collecting small things that I thought that would work out nicely.  Little did I know that these things would be sitting in a bag on the floor of my closet for over a year!

I bought the shadow box on sale at Michaels a long time ago and it measures 11" x 9".  The things inside the box are the little pieces of ephemera and other things I gathered in Paris (ticket stubs, business cards, coins, small key chains, etc.).  I'm pretty happy with my final product.