A Wee Bit O' Blarney

Good afternoon, everyone!

Hope it's been a good day so far...it's Friday!  I always look forward to the weekend ahead with my family...hope you've all got some great things planned!

I've been thinking about St. Patrick's Day lately...I've always loved re-connecting with my wee bit of Irish heritage and enjoying all that goes with it.  I love the food--we always have a traditional dinner on St. Patty's Day, the legends, the images, everything! 

Do you know the meaning of "blarney"?  I did, but looked it up for you, anyway...it means "flattering talk...to cajole with flattery..."  And do you know how you acquire this gift of flattery?  If you're not born with it, that is?!  Right here...

Well, this is a really old but lovely painting of Blarney Castle, but since I'm a vintage girl, this is the one I chose to show you!  A beautiful old castle built around 1446 by the McCarthys in County Cork, Ireland. 

Here's the official link to the Castle, where you can go and kiss the actual Blarney Stone to be endowed with the "Gift of Gab" if you desire it...I don't know about this...doesn't look comfortable, safe...or sanitary to me!

...but, that's how it's done!  Anyways.....

Last night I made a little something to share with you today...

Oh, I just LOVE these shadowbox cards of Vicki's!  I've talked about these before if you've been visiting me...these are just so much fun to make!  I went a bit overboard on this one, but just couldn't stop myself!  Lots of lace, ribbon, green crystal rhinestones, glitter, delicious new Prima flowers...all in lovely Irish shades of green, of course!

Love this sweet Irish granny...All three of these images are from Crafty Secrets' "Seasonal" Images & Journal Notes booklets (the old and the new versions).

...couldn't resist tucking in a golden coin for good luck! 

...lots of Golden Rod Stickles, some buttons, "Irish" lace, and that's about it!  These fabulous frames are available now through Crafty Secrets--you'll just love creating with these, I promise!

This morning, I made this little card--I love this image of an Irish angel--just found it online.

Isn't she beautiful?  Since my kitchen table was littered with all this green stuff from the night before, I just pretty much used the same trims for this card...they were all the right colors, so why not, right?!

Last, but not least...I wanted to share one of my very favorite movies with you.  This is an old, classic Disney film that's not quite as well known, but it's just fabulous and full of vintage charm....and a very young, very handsome Sean Connery!

Yikes!  This was only about five years into his film career...he even sings, ladies!

"Darby O'Gill and the Little People" is the name of this sweet charmer--if you don't have it--get it somehow!  You and your whole family will love this--no blarney!

***Just added--Please be sure and visit Tammy at Art and Inspirations for information about a wonderful Charity Auction to benefit Angel Faces--thanks for letting me know about it, Tammy!


***Another add-on!  Just got home from picking up my daughter from softball practice, and look what we saw when we got home! 

This is in our backyard--it looks like Ireland to me!  It's been pouring all day and the sun just came through the clouds--amazing!***

Well, that's it for me today.  Hope your weekend is full of everything wonderful and I'll be back on Sunday with something new...See you then!

Welcome Spring, A Splash of Aqua for Play Date Cafe' #18...and Glittered Pastel Butter Cookies

Good evening, everyone!

Hope it's been a great day for all of you! It's been a very interesting one here in California....blustery wind & rain all night and into the morning...then this afternoon...sunshine and beauty all around! I'm not going to complain!!!

I have a few things to share with you tonight...first, a little Springtime card for this week's Crafty Secrets' challenge over at Splitcoast. Our host this week is the lovely Marcy, and she challenged us to "Coax Spring Along" in our cards this week...here's my attempt to do so:

I love this sweet little image--this is from Crafty Secrets' "Seasonal" Images & Journal Notes booklet--it certainly says Spring to me!  Can't you just feel the fresh, warm breeze gently blowing her dolly's clothes on the line...aaaahhhhhh, Spring!

I didn't get too fussy with this one...some buttery yellow vintage-style lace, Dazzling Diamonds for a little sparkle, a vintage button is just about it!  I printed up my own sentiment on the computer using one of my favorite vintage fonts--"Apricot".

This is the 18th Play Date Cafe' Challenge this week--my, how time flies!  We sure hope you're enjoying these fun color challenges!  This one is a bit different...Black & White with a splash of Aqua/Turquoise--love it!

  Here's my vintage take on the challenge:

This gorgeous image comes from a beautiful site I found recently,  Shabby Chic Pappirskatter.  Fabulous stuff!  Thanks, Heidi!  I loved the black & white gingham paper with this...a bit of gorgeous aqua lace, some black organza ribbon, paper roses...

...Martha Stewart's "White Gold" fine glitter to frame the little sweetie, a sprinkling of Dazzling Diamonds on her flowers, just for a bit of sparkle, and that's it!

Hope you feel inspired to play along with us this week...head on over to The Play Date Cafe' for more information and to link up your card--can't wait to see what you come up with!

And last, but certainly not least...something sweet...springtime colors you can just *pop* in your mouth!  (If you can pop it in you mouth in just one bite, there's not as many calories, right?!) 

Pastel Butter Cookies

2 sticks butter--no margarine!
6 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
2 cups flour

Confectioner's sugar for dusting
Edible glitter...(everyone's got edible glitter just sitting there handy in their pantry, right?!)
Food coloring
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Cream the butter until light & fluffy.  Add the granulated sugar, almond extract and blend well.  Add the flour and mix until smooth and well blended.

I then separated the dough into different bowls and colored each a different pastel color with the food coloring...

Form dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet.  These won't spread, but don't place them TOO close together!  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Let cool slightly on cooling rack, then roll in powdered sugar (into which I added the edible glitter!).  Cool, admire, then devour!  Enjoy!!!

Well, that's it for me tonight--hope you enjoyed a little taste of spring....I can't wait!  I'll be back soon with something new, but until then...

Sweet Dreams!

Spring Has Sprung!

Good afternoon, everyone!

What a beautiful day it is here in my little corner of the world--spring is definitely here, I think!

Some sweet-smelling blossoms from my plum tree...

The view from my back patio...

Ahhhh, SPRING!  Such a breath of fresh air today....I felt inspired to make something springy & fresh!  Somehow fairies just came to my mind and I couldn't think of anything else, so....today we have fairies!

This sweet fairy image with her bird friend comes from Crafty Secrets' "Little Dolls" Images & Journal Notes booklet.  I've been wanting to use this one for a long time...today was the day!  The delicious background paper is another from my new DCWV "Ciao Bella" stack--yummy!  The large apple blossoms were cut from a sheet in the DCWV "Vintage Collage" stack--love these!

Yellow Stickles on the blossom centers, Dazzling Diamonds on flowers & wings, crystal rhinestones on her sweet fairy crown...surround it all with Martha Stewart's "White Gold" fine glitter, and that's just about it!

Here's another I did this morning...

Isn't she cute?  She looks a bit perplexed, though, as to how she came to be placed on cupcake wrappers in the center of a card...oh, well, little fairy--don't worry your sweet head about it!

The fairy and all her wings and butterflies is also from the "Little Dolls" Images & Journal Notes booklet from Crafty Secrets.  So much to play with in these!  The music background paper is from Crafty Secrets' "Radiant" paper pack. 

Some creamy crocheted lace, ribbon I "dyed" with Glimmer Mist (love the stuff!), and my favorite brown & cream gingham...more White Gold glitter, some fabulous ribbon flowers I bought at CHA last month...

A few weeks ago on someone's wonderfully creative blog (sorry I don't remember who's!), I saw the fabulous idea of using cupcake wrappers for rosettes.  How brilliant is that!  I decided to cut them different sizes and layer them...then of course had to distress them with "Vintage Photo" ink and then add some glitter!  Oh, yes...and I completely covered them with "Iridescent Gold" Glimmer Mist--they really shimmer!

Again, Dazzling Diamonds on everything that should sparkle, more crystal rhinestones, and we're all done!

Late last week, I received the most delightful package from one of the sweetest blog friends there could ever be...Elizabeth of Creative Breathing.  Elizabeth amazes me...there really is no end to the things she can and does do!  Her stories of her life wrap you in a spell you can't get out of until the very last word...she creates the most adorable things out of felt--garlands, penny rugs, wall hangings--I could go on! 

And paper creations--oh, my!  Her cards, tags & swaps will make you swoon!!!  Here's what I received in the mail...(she wanted to do a swap for a couple of my kitchen cards...I was the obvious winner in this deal, let me tell you!)...

Can you believe how adorable these are???  She puts so much into each and every one...

...so much attention to detail...so much of her heart put into everything she does...

...I love them all!  Thank-you so much, Elizabeth!  I'm so looking forward to seeing every new project you make!  If you haven't met Elizabeth yet, hurry over to meet her...you'll fall in love with her beautiful world just like I did!

That's it for today...I hope you sense at least a glimmer of spring around you today!  If not, go make something with a fairy on it...you'll feel better...I promise!