A Blustery Day, Some Warm Fuzzies, and an Illuminated Christmas......

Good morning!

Well, it is BLUSTERY here on the central coast! I love it! We don't get "weather" very often here, so our family loves gloomy, rainy, windy days! So exciting--turning on the fire, candles warm & glowing....ahhhhh! Too bad I'm the only one who gets to enjoy it at home today! My husband is at work & the girls are at school...poor things, think I'll make them some cookies!

Something a little different today. I wanted to share something else I love with you---warm, snuggly, fuzzy, nubby, fabulous YARN! I love this stuff! The woolier, nubbier, & more textured the better!

Last year, I started making these scarves with huge knitting needles, and I adore them--can't stop making them! I have them hanging on a wall rack in my entry way, and when people love them, I just give them one! It's fun to see how surprised they are when I do that! They've also been great to have on hand for gifts--even my girls' friends love getting them. So it's just a win-win situation--I LOVE making them, and people like to get them--not bad!

I was just asked to take part in a Holiday Boutique type of thing next month, where I'll be selling some boards I've made with my vinyl lettering business (not a huge business, mind you!), perhaps some of my vintage-style cards, and my scarves. Should be fun! So, I'm pulling out the knitting needles again & working on more! Thought I'd share some with you--just look at all the gorgeous color & texture!

I love mixing 3-5 types of yarn into each scarf--variation is important to them looking good, I think. And those who know me, know that I have to throw a LITTLE bit of sparkle into each one!

I just jumbled a bunch of them together in different color groups. Here we go:

I'm working on a fabulous black one today--thick, soft & nubby! Think I'll turn on one of my favorite Jane Austen movies, sit by the fire & knit today...sounds wonderful!

But before I go, here's a Christmas card to share with you. I did the Color Challenge on SCS this morning. I don't think I've EVER put these colors together--a real stretch for me! As I looked for an image to use with them, this one just felt right.



I love the beautiful, illuminated Medieval manuscripts, and this reminded me of something like that--tried to give it that feel with the rich colors and all the German glass glitter. The image I used is from Crafty Secrets' "Christmas" Images & Journal Notes booklet. The cs--Chocolate Chip, Taken With Teal, and Apricot Appeal. Added some deep chocolatey lace, ChocoChip satin ribbon and Apricot Appeal grosgrain, topped off with a pretty, old button.

Have a wonderful day, whatever your weather!

Halloween Masquerade

Good morning, all! It's really cool here on the coast today, but at least it's not snowing like it is where some of you live! We're supposed to get some rain tonight, which we really need. That's very exciting for us--that's about the extent of our extreme weather!

I made a couple of Halloween cards yesterday evening. Just realized I've hardly posted any Halloween stuff at all this whole month! Did it all last month, I guess...well, here's some more. I'm sure I'll get a few more done before the month is over!

This adorable image is from Crafty Secrets' "Halloween" Images & Journal Notes--such a fun booklet to use! I used Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, PTI Vintage Cream & DCWV "La Creme" dp for the card, added ribbon, black rick-rack trim and some gold glass glitter. The image made me think to make a mask, which I just drew freehand & cut out--pretty easy!

For this card, I also used the "Halloween" booklet, used the same papers (they were still right there...!), and used silver glitter this time. I noticed on another page in the image booklet was a border of the same pumpkin head used in my main image, so I just cut them out, popped them up & used them on the bottom border of the card.

That's all for now...tomorrow I've got something different to share--no cards this time--a little break for you! Have a marvellous autumn day!

A Sweet Baby...and a Big Pot of Beans

Happy Saturday! Hope you're all having a wonderful day with family. We've had fun today--hardly home at all. I love busy days, but I DO love being home...especially on days like today. Suddenly, it really feels like fall! It's chilly, and even my cozy flannel shirt wasn't warm enough today at my daughter's soccer game.

Just got one project to share with you today, I've got more in the works (too many more!) but nothing ready to show you yet!

I love these new Vintage Postcard Kits from Crafty Secrets--what's not to love?!!! This one, "Baby Girl", is just filled with precious, vintage images. This one is especially dear to me--looks just like the cover of my old, satin-covered baby book. Wish I could find it...it's around here somewhere!

I sponged the edges with my favorite "Vintage Photo" ink, surrounded the chipboard with pink pom-pom trim, added just a touch of Dazzling Diamonds to the star-shaped image at the bottom.

Here's a close-up of my favorite part--I just thought to add a little sentiment in the old-fashioned looking baby name beads and to put them on safety pins. Love the way it turned out! Then I added another vintage touch--those sweet paper flowers I remember so much as a little girl. I used to love these, and had a little basket filled with them.

Now, I'm off to fix dinner. Been cooking pinto beans today, and we'll be having huevos rancheros for dinner. We like to do breakfast dinners once in a while--a fun switch!

I'll share my Grandma Smith's bean recipe with you--very simple, and SO delicious!
Here's a young picture of my beautiful Grandmother--LONG before she was a grandmother... I just love this picture, so thought I'd add it here.

Ruby LaPriel Riggs Smith


My Dad tells me that almost every Friday, she would cook up a big pot of pinto beans, and then they'd have a simple meal of deliciously soft and warm corn tortillas, the beans and some homemade chili, which I usually prepare with it. I'll share that with you next time I make it.

I love cooking traditional family meals for my family--helps me to feel connected with the generations past. This is one of those for me--simple, but special, and I think of my Grandmother each and every time...

Here's what you do for some of the BEST beans you will ever eat!



Take a 4-lb. bag of pinto beans--rinse them well and add to a large pot of water. Add a fair amount of salt (a few shakes!) and let them soak, covered, overnight. As soon as possible the next morning, bring them to a boil. Add a stick of butter--yep, that's the secret! Then, just let it simmer till the beans are nice & soft. Heavenly!

(You can obviously use a smaller bag of beans--I just do a big bag as my family loves Mexican food, and we'll probably use the beans for 3 different meals throughout the week.)

My husband likes to take some of the beans, mash them up and make refried beans--I let him do this part--makes him happy!

Well, that's it for tonight. Hope you have a wonderful evening with those you love. I'll be back soon with something new.

***Funny how things all seem to be connected.....I was just reading over my post to see if I'd messed anything up in my hurry to get it done, and I thought of my Grandma Smith again...and remembered my Mom telling me this little thing... This won't be interesting to anyone else but my family, probably, but I really wanted to add this here.

I was the first grandchild born to both sides of the family--a big deal was made, of course! Once, my grandma convinced my young parents to leave me with her for a while & go do something together--don't recall what they did, but after they left, she called & arranged for a photographer to come to her home and take portraits of me. I have probably 3 or 4 sheets of proofs from that day--I love them! Here's one I'll post, taken on my grandparent's bed, all those years ago. They are both gone long ago, Grandma when I was only 3 1/2 years old, but I still have a little girl's memories of her...So a "sweet baby" and a pot of beans have a connection after all...and I started this post thinking they had nothing at all in common.....