Comfort Food 2026

One of my comfort foods is fried rice. 
 I usually make it when it's time to clean out my refrigerator and use up all the little bits of veggies. I'm getting much better at not leaving that one little piece of broccoli or cucumber. I wonder why we feel the need to save one little piece? It's not like you can really do anything with it other than watch it wilt away in the bottom of your refrigerator. 

Yes, I picked up another cookbook. Since a lot of recipes I like are from Food 52, I thought I would check it out. In researching who this company was, I found out that American Test Kitchens just purchased it at auction. I'm glad that I found an older copy because I don't have high hopes that ATK will do anything for the brand.

 

Accidental Surprise

I went to Savers on Thursday to drop off and do a little picking. It wasn't senior discount day so it wasn't too busy. I still ended up with a cart full of stuff!

I did find a small pressed glass bowl (sorry no picture, I already have it at CCB) and it had a purple tinge to it. I didn't have my UV light so I gamble ($1.99) it was uranium glass. Got it home and it turned out to be just plain glass. What did surprise me was my measuring cup I use to make my coffee. It was sitting on the counter when I was testing the bowl. It blew up bright green when my UV flashlight passed over it. All this time I thought it was a reproduction! 
 

Tea Leaf Salad Update 2026

This attempt at making a tea leaf salad was way better than last time I tried. It's good but I think I need to add more garlic. It just needs a little more punch of flavor.

The tomatoes are from my garden. Yes my little cherry tomato plant lasted this long. The cold weather we had a few weeks ago finally did it in. I think it may reseed so fingers crossed it will grow again. I will make this recipe again and add the things that fit my taste palette.

Sun Printing 101

Today I did a little more experimenting with sun printing. 

They said if it wasn't really sunny, it would just have to be exposed longer. It was a little overcast this morning and it was a hot failure. Really need bright light to make it work. 

I know you can sun print on fabric so I gave it try when the sun came out. That turned out ok except you can't hang the fabric to dry. The star fish started to bleed and when I realized this was a problem it was too late. The fern one turned out so much better. The next step is to wash the fabric and see what happens. 

 

Tea Leaf Salad 2026

Year ago I went to a Burmese restaurant and everyone said to try the tea leaf salad. Sadly that mom and pop restaurant didn't survive the pandemic. I like it so much I tried to make it home. I wasn't successful at all. 

Now fast forward and when a good friend took me out for lunch to a new Burmese restaurant we of course got the tea leaf salad.  It inspired me to research authentic recipes. Many recipes are dumb down to what you can find in main stream markets. Living in the Bay Area that's not a problem most of the time. I did have a heck of time finding Sencha loose leaf tea. I'm not sure because of the tariffs or it's not something that sells well. I remember seeing it in the store back in the day. Sure miss Imhara's produce! 

I picked this recipe from Food 52 (recommended by a food group) because you have to ferment the dressing for two days. That to me just seemed right to get that extra layer of flavor. It tastes great right out of the blender so we'll see what fermenting does. 

 

Shadow Box Project 2026

One of the many projects I'm working on. This is a gift to one of my daughter's best friends from college. She flew out to Holland to help celebrate her birthday. They both love to travel and this is one of my favorite photo. All the parts for this project sat for weeks on my crafting table waiting for me to decide. 

I'm planning on doing shadow box project with the boys but this one is an adult version. 
 

Waffle Maker Bust

This looked like a good idea for a waffle maker but it was a hot mess. Totally understand why it was discontinued!  

It does make a really thick waffle but getting the right amount into the pan is the hard part. If you measure incorrectly you either get an over flow (which is very hard to clean up) or just a partial waffle with brunt edges. I was using my gluten free ube pancake mix so I give it a little slack for that.  I'm not a waffle pancake fan so I only have the Trader Joe's ube pancake mix because it's a favorite of the boys and Posey. Yes I make the dog pancakes for her snack time. 

It's going back to the thrift store or maybe the recycle bin. 

 

Should I or shouldn't I

I was thinking it would be fun to do hot pot meals when the boys are here. I know my daughter would love it and I think the boys are old enough for it to be safe. Now that Costco has all the fixings it's doable without all the prep. 
I found this noodle pot that is made to heat up fast and stay hot. Normally I don't buy electrical things at thrift stores as you never sure if they work correctly. This one was very clean and didn't look like it was used very much. I think I walked around for about 30 minutes trying to talk myself into getting it. With the 30% senior discount it came to $7.75. And it does work very well. Going to do a test run at some point. 

Cyanotype or Sun Printing

 

This has been on my creative bucket list for a while now. It's also been a project I want to do with the boys when they come to visit this summer. 

I've had all the parts but never the space to be able to practice. Half of the process needs darkness and the other half needs really bright sunlight. They caution you it will be messy but I found it wasn't so bad so long as I took my time, worn gloves and had everything ready. Following the weather reports is part of the process too. Not so important in California except during a rain storm. :)  In bright sunlight it takes just a few minutes, like as soon as  UV light hits the paper fast. I'm going to try this with my UV flashlight just because I have one. :) 

Another thing I didn't know was there is a very short shelf life to the solution once it's been mixed and added to the paper. So again you have to pre plan what you're going to do. In between storms I did a few test runs and it was amazing how fast or slow the process was depending on how bright the sun was. 

My next goal is to try this technique on clothes!

Ski Week Snow 2026

A husky enjoying the snow

I'm not a snow person, not at all.  I'm scheduled to dog sit this week for a family that was planning on going up to Tahoe during ski week. Not sure how the conversation started but I asked my son who works at a ski resort how safe it was to drive up this week with all the storms passing over California. He basically said not a good idea.  He then sent a list of things the family would have to be prepared to do if they didn't take his advice. He topped it off with this picture of his friend's dog. The deck was cleared at 9:00 am and by 3:00 pm this is what it looked like. Don't worry, that's a husky and he loves the snow. Three feet of snow in less than 24 hours, which I guess is a lot. Remember I don't talk snow. The family did decide to cancel going to Tahoe and are making alternate vacation plans. Wise choice. 
 

Take It Easy Studio Creative Ideas

 

I've been watching "Take It Easy Studio" YouTube videos. I thought I would give her embossing on velvet with rubber stamps a try. My first stop was to FabMo to pick up some free samples. Not knowing what type of velvet she was using, I picked up several types. This sample is 100% cotton and it sort of worked. Everything came out a little blurry but I'm sure that's user error. The temperature of the iron could be the issue too. She uses a little travel iron which I know I have somewhere. The only warning is to keep the iron moving to avoid melting the stamp. I'm going to try and use some metal die cuts and see if that works too. 

One thing I really like about Take It Easy Studio is she's using old things from her stash. It's inspiring for all of us to use what we have! 

Shadow Box Project 2026

One of the project I'm working for when the boys come out to visit this summer is to make shadow box dioramas with photo backgrounds. We will be up in Tahoe and out in nature so I'm guessing there will be a lot of pinecone and rock collecting.

I've been picking up shadow boxes when I find them at the thrift store. A few weeks ago I was at my local Goodwill then a big shipment of shadow box frames were put out. I was a little too late as another woman loaded her cart up with all of them. Anyway I have this one and I thought I would make a nice gift for my daughter's best friend. She flew over to celebrate my daughter's birthday and go sightseeing like they did in college. I love this photo and I had the little dutch houses already in my collection. I now have to decide if I should do all three houses or just one. What do you think?

Citrus Peel Mushrooms Part 2

Started the painting part of my citrus peel mushroom project. Not too sure if I went a little over board with the white spots both in size and amount. 

I picked up a bag full of little benches at Savers to add to the display. 

Had to think of what I would use as a base as wood slices are just too $$$. Yes these are things that keep me up at night. I have a lot of driftwood for another project but then I remember the big wood pile on the side of my studio. Back when you could have an open fire pit, the guys stocked up. I'm sure it's been there for years. Once things dry up I'll sift through the rack.
 

Can't believe everything on YouTube

There was a YouTube posted by a young guy (that should have been my first red flag) who said by soaking these Japanese cookies in greek yogurt it will taste like cheesecake. They have been sold out at my local market for a while but I finally got them. Not sure if this guy knows what a real cheesecake should taste like but this wasn't it. The cookies themselves aren't that good either. 

Reminds me when I worked in a doctor's office. Patient came with severe eye irritation. She had just had a baby and her eye lashes had fallen out. Not sure if her pregnancy caused that or not. She saw a YouTube video about putting lavender oil on your eye lids to help your lashes to grow. I couldn't say anything but all I could think of is where did you think that oil was going to go when it warmed up?

New Arts Store in Town - Blick

I was so thrilled to learn that we finally got an art store in San Jose! I went to check it out as almost everyone else in the store was doing. Lots of smiling faces as we went down each aisle. One of my projects on my long list of projects is to do sun printing or cyanotype. I've gathered up all the supplies except the chemicals. Hopefully I get good enough that the boys can do some printing this summer. 

I also picked up some new lino cutting blades, which I've been procrastinating in buying. Have to support the store!

Life of a reseller 2026 - Oversize

$13.45

On my last trip to the Goodwill stores I picked up this oversized cloche jar. In the reselling world oversized or mini are the best. Unusual sizes sell really well. This one is 18" tall and hand blown. I was a little nervous that it would have a chip being so big. It was hard to inspected because it was big and heavy. I paid $13.45 which is a little more than I would normal do. It will take time to sell so as a reseller I have to decide if it's worth tying up my money. 
 

"The Korean Vegan" Cookbook by Joanne Lee Molinaro

They say don't go grocery shopping when your'e hungry. I've been following Joanne Lee Molinaro YouTube videos more for her legal talks than her vegan recipes, she's a trail lawyer. Her cookbook "The Korean Vegan" is still too new so way too expensive to buy now. Luckily for me the Cupertino library has 12 copies. I've been wanting to make miso soup with all the trimmings for a while now. I was thinking I should just stop in Trader Joe's and pick up some up. Then it just dawned on me that I live in Asian market central with the library right in the middle of all of them.  Why would I buy premade miso when I can get the real stuff. There are so many miso options now days that I couldn't decided which one to get. Finally I went with the one from my childhood. Plan to research what all those other fancy brands and why they cost so much more. There are also a dozen different types of tofu. That was a little easier as there is one company I won't buy and yes it's for political reasons. My one impulse buys on this trip was getting a mix box of mushrooms, something I would normally not get. I know it cost more to buy this way but cooking for one it just made more sense. Have to say my miso, mushroom and tofu soup turned out super good!

I'm not vegan and Korean food in my mind revolves around meat. The photos in the book are very moody and rustic, a style I really like. The recipes are simple enough especially if you live in an area with an Asian market on every corner. It's making me branch out on my spices as I learn more about them. One thing I like about my favorite cookbooks is the backstory to a recipe, the family connection and this cookbook delivers all that. 

 So with meat prices going through the roof, this vegan cookbook came just in time. :) 

Life of a Reseller 2026

I've been checking out the Goodwills more often now that the boys will be here for the summer. I'm looking for toys and crafts for them. With so many other grandmothers at HD it's had to get to the good stuff before it's snatched up. :)

Target dumps a lot of their unsold items to Goodwill. Since I'm boycotting Target (it's been over a year now) I found several craft kits that I think the boys will have fun with. What got me going down the rabbit hole was this moss kit. One of my crafting projects it make a mushroom diorama out of dried lemon peels. I need moss for the ground covering but it's so $$$ at Michaels. This kit which also has a shadow box frame (other project for the boys) and FIVE bags of moss for just $3.00! Hoping the other Goodwills have some of these. kits, I made the rounds. As I was leaving one Goodwill, a fresh cart came out. I saw the faint purple tinge on this vase. Clear glass is a hard sell unless it's vintage uranium glass. Still not a huge profit margin. I hoped I wasn't wrong in thinking it was uranium glass. The design was interesting enough to take the chance for $3.45.  Not sure you can see it in the picture but I did confirm what it was once I got into my car. Yes, I pack my UV flashlight. 

Happy Birthday!

The girls (my daughter and her best friend from collage) are off touring around Europe for her birthday. They did this about 20 years ago during their collage days. How time flies!
 

Dogs Everywhere!

Posey, (the chocolate lab) is babysitting her country cousins Annie and Lillie. They live out on 5 acres in the country so very use to running around a lot! 

Its too sweet that the black and white dog is named Annie. Makes me think of my Annie when I call her. Lillie is a mix breed but looks exactly like my Annie's best friend Bergie, who was a French bird dog. They were best friends and if it wasn't for Bergie's parents kindness I wouldn't have be able to keep Annie after my divorce. It's a sad but grateful walk down memory lane. 
 

Boycott Projects

 I'm supporting the "Ice Out" boycott today. With so many projects in the pipe line, it will be no problem being home all day. For the past month I've been drying limes, lemons and oranges. I had a little sticker shock on the spices, which because of the tariffs are super $$$. I couldn't decide how to package my simmer pot spices when I found out how $$$ bags at Michael's are.  As I was heading home I passed the dollar store so I stopped in just to see. The exact same party bags were only $1.25 compared to $7.99 at Michael's. I bagged up 40 simmer pot spices before I ran out of cloves. It's passed the holiday season so we'll have to see how well they do. 

I no longer shop at Target, shop on Amazon or Home Depot. I voted NO to keeping Zuckerberg on the board and not longer post on Facebook or whatever he calls it now. Deleted Spotify

Lovin' Spoonful - Do You Believe In Magic

I recently sold a crate full of albums from the 70's and 80". Came from an estate clean out. I don't even know how many were in the crate but it was a lot. Maybe 100? When I did a quick flip through to take a few pictures to post, this album popped up. My very favorite song is "do you believe in magic" by the Lovin' Spoonful. I remember hearing the song for the very first time on TV during slumber party. I think it was a sign I should at least keep this one. Since I don't have a record player I will at some point frame it. 

"New study shows the most popular female hobby 

is drinking coffee and doing nothing" 

This is a hobby I can get behind! :)

Picker's Luck Strikes Again!

For several months I've been collecting or should I say they find me, miniatures. Things really too small to have in my booth at Cottage Crafts. I was sad that the two random printers cabinet drawers I had sold. Fast forward to now a year later. I walked into the back room at CCB and I saw two drawers. To my surprise they had my vendor number! They had been moved to the backroom during a front window display change. Stored under the stairs so totally forgotten about. My daughter asked me months ago to find one for the boys growing rock collection. Buying them one the open market is $$$ because they are hard to find. I had originally priced them very low so that would sell fast, which is why I thought they had. Now I have one for the boys and one for me!

 

Year around tomatoes 2026

Last year I bought a very sickly cherry tomato plant. It was the last one left at Ace hardware. There is one corner of the house that is perfect for tomatoes. Warm and protected from the wind. For that past year I've been burying my compost directly in the ground to build up the health of the soil. It had been neglected for years. 

My tomato plant is so big and bushy that I didn't see all the tomatoes on it. Not bad for the middle of January!

Picker's luck hits again!

 

A few weeks ago my daughter said she wanted to make a mother's ring. Pearl and sapphires are the boys birthday stones. Plus a diamond which is her husband's birthday stone.

For the past few months I've been working with two guys who buy gold and silver. With the market going nuts, I've been referring them to a lot of friends!

When they have gold jewelry to melt down they remove the stone which is then sold to a jeweler. The only gem I've never had in my collection is sapphires. I asked that they let me know if they come across some. Doesn't have to be big as my daughter's design for her ring would be a band. They found some earrings that checked off all the boxes. I'm not sure if my daughter will want to change the earrings into a ring because it has everything she wanted, so I also purchased the earrings that were just sapphires. These earrings would be easier to take apart. 

 

Yes I brought bags of dirt

 

I'm slowly building my raised garden beds at my place. I really wanted to get these bags of dirt at Costco but lifting them into my already filled cart wasn't going to happen. Good thing Matt is going to Costco sometime this week. He has the muscle mass to lift these suckers into his truck. :) 

I don't think I'll have a successful garden this year as it's still a work in progress but it's getting there!

Latest binge foods from Costco - 2026

I'm so glad that Costco and Trader Joe's aren't on the boycott list! 

I go to Costco about once a month, mainly for the gas and the basics. I don't go down each aisle as I know I will pick up something I don't really need. I do allow myself one impulse buy when it comes to food. With the California cold weather (anything in 40's is winter for us) I've been craving soup. My daughter is great at making soups something she didn't learn from me. :)

Going out to eat is so outrageously expensive that spending a little more for something I can make at home is worth. I really like the brand bibigo. I didn't know at the time that the spicy mushroom soup and dumplings are something they recommend combining. Looking forward to making it after I finish all my leftovers in the refrigerator.  My other splurge was the seaweed and salt chip, another favorite. The Costco size bag cost the same as a small bag at the Asian store. Do I really need to eat that many chips, no I don't but I'll enjoy it anyways!
 

Vintage Matchboxes Collections

Last month I picked up a tub full of matchboxes. The dad had a hobby of covering the walls in the garage with matchbox covers. I thought a crafter would be interested in the ones that didn't make it to the wall. Since everything I put in my booth has to be tagged, it wasn't practical to tag all of them. Not knowing anything about match box collecting, I decided to lump them together. I've been in search of a big glass jar ever since. In slowly cleaning out my death pile in the garage I found one! I'm slowly getting the garage cleaned out to make more room for the home gym that's in there. The gym area is useable but it would be nice if I didn't have to step over things to get to the weights and bike. 
 

Chop Wizard

Chop Wizard a

I like kitchen gadgets and it's fun to see if they really work. Of course I will never pay full retail but if it's cheap enough I will play around with it. This is the "seen on tv Chop Wizard" that was new in the box. How well does it work?

When the boys were here I made cottage style hash browns a lot. Yes, it doesn't take long to chop everything up but the potatoes do cook fast when all the same size. With the family coming out to visit this summer, I'm testing if this is a time saver. So far it's working well with potatoes but doesn't really save time if you good at making everything the same size. I can see it working if you can't hold a knife for very long. You still do have to cut things to fit into the wizard. Still deciding if it will make the keep list. 
 

Lucky California Oranges

I heard that the orange groves are ready to harvest but there's no one to pick them. Of course that's no surprise with all that is going on. :(

Living in California we're able to grow fruit trees in our yards. There is a volunteer at the store that has a yard full of fruit trees. She will bring in bags full of whatever is in season. This month it's oranges.

I did use most of the oranges for my smoothies but I also dried few. The orange color stayed so bright that I don't think I'll have to paint them when I make them into mushrooms. I've learn low and slow on drying everything works the best in keeping the color. Oranges and lemons make the best for mushrooms, limes not so much. All the slices are being storage until I make my holiday potpourri. 

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Muffins

Back in the day gluten free products were so bad. It's come a long way. I saw post about Trader Joe's gluten free muffins. I normally don't even go down any bread aisle in any grocery store. I searched these out and decided to give it a try. It's very pricey but groceries over all are very high now days. The muffins aren't bad. Had the taste of raw cookie dough or I could have gotten a batch that wasn't baked all the way through. Very light and not overly sweet. It doesn't have a lot of flavor but overall not bad for being gluten free. The list of ingredients is a mile long but that's expected. 

Stamping Up - The Gang's All Meer Set

 

Since I bought that huge lot of stamps and dies, I held back about 30 sets. Some are the interactive ones that I wanted to try when they were first released. They were way too expensive to just try out. So my 2026 goal is to try out all the sets I kept and then sell them off. 

"The Gang's All Meer" was a set I was going to buy several weeks ago when it first came into Cottage Crafts. I talked myself out of it because I really don't need any more stamps. I was thrilled to find it in my crafting haul. I'll try it a few different ways, watercolor, alcohol markers etc... before passing it along. 

Reselling = Patience

During Thanksgiving I wanted to do a cornucopia for the table out front. I have all the faux fruit and veggies but not horn. I knew at some point I would find one at a price I'm willing to pay. Being a reseller, patience is the name of the game. 

It's really dirty but I have to wait until we get warmer weather to wash it. So now it's gathering up all the parts and put in storage for next year. 

 

Creative Prep Time 2026

It's been on my creative to do list for a while now. I saw a photo of dried lemon halves made into mushrooms. I dried a lemon and it worked out pretty well. The lime tree produced a lot last year and many are now on the ground. Even thou they don't dry as well as lemons I'm going for it. With all the rain I had to wait before I could pick them up. Luckily with the cold weather I don't have to hurry. 

It's nice to have a full size garage again! I can now set up my big dehydrator and not have to worry about the smell. I also decided to make holiday simmering pot potpourri. I made a batch for Christmas years ago so thought I'd make for batch for this year. I hate for the limes to go to waste!

 

Life of a Reseller - pillows

Not sure if there's a resell market for these handmade pillows. I liked the color combination and the quilting was done really well. 

I'm not a pillow person but I couldn't pass these up. It's not a category I know well but with Mother's Day coming up thought these would sell. I don't do much for Valentine's day as I like to resell items that can sell all year round. I have to think about storage for seasonal things and in the past the storage fees ate up any profit I would make. 

Life of a reseller - death pile

Death Pile

For those who don't resell, they think we're able to sell everything we get. There isn't a reseller out there that doesn't have a death pile. Things no matter how hard or how famous you are don't sell. At some point you just have to let it go. 

Since I brought out a crafter's stash last month, it was time to get rid of the dead stock. It was a bulk sale to another reseller. Will she make money on it? I really don't think so. She's reselling in a category she doesn't know much about, at least not yet. I didn't lose money on the deal, so it wasn't a total loss on my part. In the reselling world you have to know when to cut your losses and move on. 

Pizzelle Pancakes ?

 I've been looking for a waffle maker to borrow for a while now. I just want to try it out with my Trader Joe's Ube pancake mix. Don't want to spend a lot for something I may not like or use. I really don't like pancakes and making them is always a disaster. The boys love them so I brought a lot when they came out last summer. My pantry is still overflowing with the boxes. Now that it's stock year around at Trader Joe's there's no rush to stock up. 

A pizzelle cookie maker came in to the store so I picked it up. Thinking it's the closes I'll get to a waffle maker. Being a night owl I gave it try at 10:00 pm. Yes it worked and made a very crispy cookie. Was fun to make but I think the boys like the chewiness of the rice flour. Not sure they would like this cooking method. So my search for a waffle maker continues. 

Life of a reseller - blow molds

Customers who took the soldier home

As a reseller you have to decide what to price everything you get. It's not as easy as it sounds. Many newbies think just looking up what's listed on eBay is the way to go. That's why you see many resellers with huge "death piles" of unsold items. Even the pros end up with a storage room full. 

So why the picture. Another reseller priced her blow mold soldiers the same price I priced my smaller and more used soldiers. Hers are in excellent condition, I would even say new. She didn't have time to look up what these are selling for so just went with what I was pricing mine at.  I thought she priced them way too low at $29.00 but they sold within a week. Her sell through rate was super fast and knowing how much she paid for them she made a good return on her investment. So the question is would they have sold for more? 
 

End of the year 2025

I've packed up all my Christmas decorations except this one. I like my hanging garland and think I'll keep it up a little bit longer. Took off all the ornaments so now it has a more winter vibe. 

I'm almost done tagging all the craft supplies I brought a few weeks ago. I had to order more labels which did arrive on Christmas Day. Hopefully I'm down to my last shoe box full. Then I just have to wait for everything to sell, which will take several months. This woman was a Lawn Fawn (CA stamp company) fan and I think she own everything they ever made. Yes I kept a tub full to try out. Some of the dies sets are super $$$ and I would never paid that much for them. Now I can try them before sell them off. I think of her as my fair godmother of crafting. :) 

I was totally wiped out yesterday. Spent the afternoon sorting out the jewelry at the store. Mainly my task was to go through the junk bags that are sold in bulk. I'm checking to see if any gold and silver was missed before it goes out on the floor. I have to say I found several pieces so now I understand why people are always asking for them.