My Dear Friend Marie...

Good morning, my friends!

What a lovely spring Sunday it is here in central California...the sun is out, the blossoms are blooming and fragrant, the air is sweet....perfection!

Today I want to share one of the most beautiful people I've met in this wonderful bloggy world we all love so much....Marie.

I first found her site on the Gooseberry Patch sidebar when I was still very new to blogging...as soon as her page filled my screen, I knew I would love Marie...

This woman is a wonder, I tell you!  She is an amazing chef, daily sharing the most wonderful recipes I've ever seen...

Here's last night's decadent morsel...Tres Leches Cake...YIKES!

Hurry over to The English Kitchen and grab that recipe!  (Come right back, though!)  Her recipe for turkey provided us with one of the yummiest Thanksgiving dinners ever!  (Thanks, my friend!)  Now, whenever I serve up a new recipe for dinner, my girls often ask, "Is this a 'Marie'?" 

Not only does Marie cook like the most domestic of goddesses, she makes the most adorable dolls...

...aren't those the sweetest little faces?  Here's where you can find her dolls...

Marie is also an artist--she draws the most wonderful characters!  A while ago, she asked if I would mind making some cards with her images--what a thrill!  Here they are...

This is one of my favorites, because it just feels like Marie to me...in fact, that sweet little face is her "calling card", if you will...her icon.

All her images are beautifully hand-drawn and colored so richly...I just added some lace, ribbon, and glitter, of course!

...and these flowers, which were so fun to make!  I even just happened to have the most perfect vintage buttons for their centers!  I topped them with some nice chunky glitter, then sprayed "Sunflower" Glimmer Mist over them...perfect! 

And this one...

...I chose this one because she's baking, of course!  Love the sweet faces and features of her characters!

...always with rosy cheeks and happy smiles...

She has also begun selling her images as digital stamps, which you can find here...and here's just a snippet of one to show you how sweet they are...

Adorable, right?!

Well, that's all for today...I hope you have a wonderful Sunday...enjoy the beautiful spring air...and please go and meet Marie...I guarantee you will love her as much as I do!

See you soon with something new!

A Happy Snow Family, My Compliments--and Apologies--to the Chef...and My First Christmas

Good evening, all!  How was the day today?  I FINALLY got finished with all my decorating--the boxes are out of all the rooms, and I'm a bit more peaceful!  Hosting two parties this weekend--one's for the girls--so really needed it done!

Made a card just for fun today--a reward for getting all my chores done!

This is one of my favorite images from Crafty Secrets' "Christmas" Images & Journal Notes booklet--just love this happy little snow family off on a winter's joyride! 

Just a little closer view--such a beautiful retro image!  I did a thick, jaggedy glitter edge on this--seemed a little more like ice--I like it!  Looks much better in real life, of course!

Had fun with these holly leaves and berries...used Martha Stewart's holly leaf punch, stained them up a bit with Vintage Photo ink, and added berries with Xmas Red Stickles.    Hope you like it--it made me smile today!

Now...on to my compliments...and apologies to the Chef!  One of my favorite chefs and blog friends on the planet is Marie--you've heard me rave about her before!  She is one of the most creative cooks, talented artists, and just all-around lovely people it has ever been my pleasure to meet (not in person, yet!)  If you haven't already been to her English Kitchen--just leave my blog this moment and dash over there right now!  You can come back and thank me later...!  Marie posts the recipe and photos for something EVERY day--even when she's not feeling very well...she's always there! 

Since she's in England, our times are a bit off, night and day-wise!  One of the last things I do before I go to bed for the night is check in with Marie--there's always something there that just makes you feel so homey and cozy.  The way she describes her favorite foods is just beautiful!

This recipe, however, comes from her other, equally lovely blog--much more personal in nature...her daily life, her faith, her family, and ALWAYS an amazing recipe to share...A Year from Oak Cottage.  The moment I saw her photo of these cookies--CHEERY CHERRY COOKIES--I knew they'd be the ones to fill my cookie jar to the brim

this Christmas...

...and now that I have made them, I WILL keep that jar filled with these cookies--they are so delectable!

Now for the apologies to Marie...I would usually never even DREAM of changing her recipes...I've tried many of them, and they've all become family favorites.  However, this one called for those little red and green candied cherries like you'd find in fruitcakes...and my girls don't like those at all!  So, since I was making these for them, I had to make a little change, while keeping them as close as possible to the original.  I always have delicious cherry baking chips on hand, so that is what I used.  I also wanted to add a touch of green, so stirred in a healthy dose of green decorating sugar. 

One more change...I used almond extract instead of vanilla....the results were WOW!  I know the original would be, too!  So go and check out the fabulous original, or use my adaptation--either way, I know you'll just love these!

Hungry yet???

To close up shop for the night, I thought I'd share a couple of photos from my very first Christmas...1962...Boston, Massachusetts.  Cambridge, actually.  Mom and Dad were there for a couple of years while Dad attended Harvard Business School, and this is where I made my appearance in life. 

I LOVE this picture of my Mom--isn't she beautiful?  That 's quite a mess for one little girl, isn't it?!  I actually remember a few of these gifts...That rocking chair in the room is in my bedroom today--one of my favorite possessions...

Love all that long, silver tinsel on the tree...and click on the picture to get a good look at those glittery shoes in the foreground--see?  I can't help liking glittery things, can I? 

Thanks for visiting with me for a while today--it's fun to share a bit of daily life with each other, isn't it?  Hope your evening is just wonderful...stay warm & cozy!

Sweet Dreams!