The newly painted bathroom was inspired by Target's Herringbone collection of towels and rugs along with my favorite surf art by Spencer Reynolds of Brookings, Oregon. My husband and I were tired of the brassy purple and wierd green color that was before. It is calm, cool and we love it! Sometimes it is a good idea to be inspired by one decorative piece and go from there. It is easiet to pick the paint last, rather that first!

St. Patty cupcakes...mmmmm, good! Nothing more simple that white cake batter from Betty Crocker and a host of sprinkles to chose from. I even cut my own glover-leaf stencil out from paper and set it on top of a frosted top...just sprinkle green and voila!

Hanging Butterflies

These floating butterflies hang from the ceiling by a transparent fishing line-like string. Holes were drilled in the body of the butterflies so the string could be threaded through and used jewelry crippers to keep them in place along the string. Oh! and I purchased the butterflies from Hobby Lobby.

Ugly Plush Doll

This funny-looking doll was created as an experiment with a new hand-me-down sewing machine. I collected old clothes from a batch I was ready to donate to Goodwill. I created this doll by combining some hand-sewn techniques, applique, and machine-sewn areas. I think I will sew another one this summer when I have more time...stay tuned.

Scrapbook Paper Collages

These cute owls were created by hand-tearing scrapbook paper.

I glued the pieces together to make owls (duh).

Then used modge-podge to varnish and seal the whole surface.

They were easy to make and my 2 1/2 year old loves them as they decorate her wall.

Flower Hair Pins

These super cute flower hair pins will add a fresh touch to your usual accessories! My hair-dresser, Melony (from Vista Bella Salon in Liberty, Indiana), gave me this great idea. Go to Sally Beauty Supply for the hair pins that are super strong and will hold back even the finest of hair. Next, go to Michaels Craft and Hobby for the glue and flowers. Start in the scrab-booking section for buckets of various flowers. You will find large packages of flowers for around $5. For the glue, go to the jewelry section for "embellishing" glue. Typically, this glue is for rhynstones on fabric...but this glue is best for this particular project. HAVE FUN!!!

Scrabble Pendants

These super cool pendants will attract a compliment every time you where them! You can predrill holes and twist an eye-hook into the top of a scrabble piece. Cut out any image you like, glue it onto a scrabble piece and then place a transparent dome sticker (http://www.domedecals.com/) for a final finishing touch! I LOVE THESE! I have a new one I can wear everyday.

Home-made Sushi rolls...Second Time's a Charm

About a month ago my husband and I experimented with making sushi at home. It was successful, as in everything we made was edible, but it could have turned out better. The challenges ranged from the imperfect consistency of the rice (sushi) and the sharpness (or dullness in our case) of our knife. But, the second time around (with the help of some friends), was a hit. It was a guys-against-the-girls contest for the best ingredient combinations and the best presentation! The selection of ingredients we chose from included:

carrot

red pepper

scrammbled egg

asparugus

shrimp tempura

avocado

cucumber

One change that made the second time a success was wrapping the seaweed (nori) on the outside insead of the rice being on the outside. It was easier to cut and kept the rolls together. We dipped the knife into water and cut them with a motion towards one direction, instead of a sawing motion back and forth. All in all, we learned that sushi is an artform, but worth trying at home. It was more affordable and such creative fun! Check out "about.com" for help or some youtube videos if you aren't confident.

Happy Valentines Weekend

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This is my new blog...This site will be an ecclectic mix of photography information, art education-related goodies, travel experiences, gardening and other crafty endeavors! This will be a place to share my ideas and inspirations with other creative individuals. Enjoy!

*I baked cupcakes with Maddy (age 2 1/2) today and she helped decorate some! I like taking photos in natural light with the macro zoom setting. This was done with a basic pocket, digital camera. Stay tuned for experiments with my new digital SLR...still learning manual settings.