Be That Mom

Be that mom! My daughter and grandson did a mud obstacle course this past weekend. Great to know my daughter is one of those mom who will get muddy and dirty with her kids. Not to sure if Mees had a good time as it was pretty cold. But mom was prepared with warm clean clothes at the end of the race. :)
 

ATC - Still A design in progress

 

I have a lot of crafty projects on my list! While I'm dog sitting I bring along some of them. It's great because I don't get as distracted when I'm at someone else home. I've been working on ATC cards that I plan to take to Craftcation 2027. I found a stack of kimono cut outs from my iris folding classes. I could never throw them out but you can only make so many cards with them! It's just a little too big for a true ATC but I'm think maybe I'll use them anyways. Sort of my business card, with my contact information on the back. I like the inset of the flower die but thinking maybe the hello one is better as an intro. What do you think?

Life of a Reseller

$7.20

People come into Cottage Crafts all the time asking if I'm interested in buying their "antiques". 100% of the time they want the highest price they find listed, (not sold) on eBay. Why do they think as a reseller I would buy something I can't make a profit on? It's happening so often now that I told the store it isn't worth their time or mine to take their number. 

The nativity scene is what I picked up at the Maxsold auction this past weekend. I really didn't think I would get it, so completely forgot about it until I got the alert from my credit card. It has all the main characters but I think some wise men were part of the set at some point.  It's not a money spinner but it did lead me to getting a car load of good stuff for free!

Bonus Auction - The Free Stuff

I got a great surprise at my last MaxSold auction this weekend. They posted that there would be a lot of free stuff at pick up. Most of the time it's things that can't be sold, open cleaning supplies, very old printers, broken furniture etc...  I didn't rush to pick up as I'm dog sitting and had to make sure his morning routine was done. In the past I may find a few things but it's never been worth rushing over for. 

The stars were all in alignment! Found parking right in front of the house, that's rarely happens. On the lawn were tubs full of Christmas, clothes and kitchenware. Again I didn't think I would find anything as I was there about 30 minutes into the start of the pick up time. Resellers are early birds. To my surprise the owner was a cow collector, which was my mom's lucky charm. It was a sign that I should take the time to dig through the boxes. Found some clear uranium glass which aren't big sellers but when you get them for free there's a nice profit margin. But the best surprise of all was the brown spotted cow that was in a small tin with a bunch of junk jewelry. See center photo. Nothing in the tin was worth anything other than that cow being a sign of good luck for me!

The other thing that surprised me was this footed cup thingy. At first I thought it had a top so I held on to it hoping to find it. Then I thought without the top it still would make a cute mini plant pot. When I got home I looked it up to see what the top  would looked like. Found out it's a vintage Carlton ware walking egg holder and retails for around $35 - $55. Who knew!

By The Teashore

 Took two of my buddies out for their birthdays. Getting to the age where I think we should celebrate more as we don't have many more left! 

By the Teashore in Half Moon Bay opened up last year. I went the first week they were open and it's nice to see they worked out all the hiccups. There aren't many high tea place around. Makes for a nice special day outing.  It was scorching hot in the valley but by the ocean it was perfect! 

ATC Still a working in progress

I'm working on making ATC cards for when I go to Craftcation next year. I have more than enough supplies to make thousands! I made some of the background papers using a gel plate years ago and have hauled it around with me during all my moves. I still haven't picked a final layout but they will be all different. The best part is I found the plastic sleeves for ATC cards at Dasio during my search for incense. 

I'm thinking maybe I'll do a side hustle of iris folding kits at Craftcation. Doing my ATC cards with a mini iris circle or the seahorse. Teaching people how to do from my hotel room and selling the kits at the pop shop. All this is OK to do at Craftcation. Maybe I'll make enough to cover all my expenses!

Honey Bee Water Station

Bee Water Station

I can't remember where I saw this idea but it was cute and more importantly I have all the parts!  Now I'm testing it out if bees really use it. One mistake I made was not pointing the shell up a little more so the water doesn't run off. I only have small shells so it doesn't hold a lot of water and dries up pretty fast. 

I finally found a parking space at the new Campbell library. I've stopped by several times in the morning and the parking lot was packed. Now I know in the morning it's story time for the toddlers. It's better to stop by during nap time. It's a state of the art new build so the AC was working great. Three floors of steep stairs and of course the elevator wasn't working. Not sure how the moms with strollers handled all that. It's a very noisy place with all sort of buzzers, high pitch pings and people (including the staff) talking like they're at a crowded bar. Chairs were comfy and I'm hoping maybe on my next visit I'll get one of the booths. 
 

Another Great Find at GoodWill

Before - at Goodwill

I'm still in my shadow box phase so when I saw this at the Goodwill for $9.50, I picked it up. Selling off  the little tchotchkes inside should more than cover the cost of the frame. For now I'll use it as a display piece in my $5.00 booth. This booth is where I sell off death pile before it gets donated away. 

When the boys come out this summer, I'll add their photos and what ever rocks they pick up when we go hiking. After that I'll sell it off. 

After - in my booth

 

Going down the witchy rabbit hole

 One of the down sides to only being able to read and speak English. I like doing creative projects with things I already have. I've been watching "witchcraft on a budget" by Laura Bailey and it's a crack up. The thrifter in me just loves it! Going down the rabbit hole looking up spells, I have most of the stuff in my spice cabinet or out in my garden. One thing I use to do when I lived up in the Cupertino Hills was light incense sticks in my zen garden. It's the Buddhist in me. :) I really didn't want to drive to Japantown in downtown San Jose because parking is so bad. I instead went to Daiso because their website said they sold incense sticks. Looking at just the picture, I thought I was buying a whole kit. The few words in English said "set". Well something got lost in translation but it's just an empty case. You fill it with things you would take to a Buddhist cemetery ceremony.  

I then wondered if people would buy premade spell kits. I have two of these containers that I need to fill. Thinking as Laura said, I could use birthday candles. Candles are a big thing in witchcraft. Then I remembered I have about 2 pounds of bees wax. I could make my own small dipped candles. How witchy would that be! Something else to add to my list of projects to try. 

Result of sachiko test with cross stitch canvas

Well you can tell which side was done free hand and the other with a cross stitch backing. :) 

Using cross stitch fabric took a super long time. Pulling the threads out wasn't that bad but it does make the stitching loose. Thinking about it, if I used wider cross stitch fabric it probably would have been faster. I used what I had for this test run. I know I can draw lines using tailor chalk, which I'll try at some point. This is a project I'll do while I'm dog sitting. Doesn't require a lot of supplies and easy to put down if something comes up. 

 

Apple Award Win

My son in law is in town for some Apple award for an app he helped developed. The guy smiling in the photo is Jip. Not sure what the awards means but he's very good at what he does, even if I don't know exactly what it is. :)

But in true baby boomer form I have long list of computer questions to have him fix before he heads back home.

Cyanotype Garage Set Up

Garage Set Up

 My sun printing set in the garage. I even have a special shirt that I wear. Well it's special now because I got ink all over it. :) Doesn't matter how careful you are, splash marks happen. The storage clip boards (got at FabMo for .50) I use to hold the treated paper and the 8X10 glass. The drawers hold all the stencils and leaves . Under the table is all the fabric I'm hoping to dye. Just having to decide what image I want to use. 

I picked up two Tim Holtz die cuts (like I need anymore dies!) that I thought would work well with sun printing. Only $2.00 at Cottage Crafts, so I couldn't pass them up. 

Tim Holtz Die Cut sets $2.00 each

Shuei-Do Manju Going Strong

I finally had to break down and go into Japan town on Friday to buy the incense I wanted. Couldn't find it in any of the places close to me. I was lucky to find a meter with an hour left on it, so I walked down to the manju shop. I've been following them online and they talk about what flavors will be available. It's pricey, $3 a piece but I wanted to support a local small business. 

Rasberry

Melon

Butter (that's the best)

Bean something I can't remember the name of. 

The other thing I found out most of the stores don't open until noon. Since my meter would run out at 11:54, I decided I dropped enough money in town and didn't need to hang around. 

 

Lucky or Manifested?

Ginger plant in my yard

Did I manifest a Japanese incense burner and alter caldron? Is it because it's now on my radar that I see them? I was thinking I needed a better way to burn incense since I don't have a zen garden anymore. After watching several witch videos using a small caldron, thought that would be nice to add to my growing collection of witchy stuff. Both came up on Maxsold sold this week. These are things I don't see at thrift stores and rarely show up at the auction houses. I went a little over budget but if I set my alarm to watch the online auction, it means I'm serious about it.

 

Cast iron incense burner $20.00

              Brass caldron $29.00 

 

 

Cyanotype II

I had a lot of cyanotype paper prepped and the directions say not to leave it for more than two weeks. Well it's been over two months. I decided it was time to see if it really made a different. 

I took picture with the stencils and leaves before exposure and then the results. I don't see any difference but I'm a newbie so what do I know. :)  My next step is to move up to fabric. I have a bunch of canvas tote bags washed and waiting. With the bright California sun it only takes a few minutes to get it to change. 
 

Sashiko Stitch on Cross Stitch Fabric - Does It Really Work?

I've been in a crafting mood and now have the time to dive into my very long list of projects. I've had all the parts to do Sashiko stitching including a cut up pair of jeans. After seeing some different ways to do it, I thought why not try the more interesting ones. Someone posted for the more complicated stitches you can use cross stitch fabric to keep track of your pattern's stitch lines. After you finish, you pull the threads out from the cross stitch canvas. I decided I wanted to see how easy it really was to pull those threads out. This will be one of my night owl projects!

New iris folding pattern

My first attempts at doing a new to me iris folding pattern. Since I don't have a printer, I had to free hand the pattern. After doing it, I know now how to space out the section and make it more uniform. I also have watched some video on how to make a pattern and that was super helpful too. 

Tonight (Sunday, May 31) I'm getting ready for  all the blue moon rituals. Writing down what I want to let go of, making moon water etc... I took a long nap so I would be wake when the moon comes out!

 

Life of a reseller

 I went in on Sunday to make an offer on some recliners my son wants. When I walked in the winner of this lot was picking up. I asked if he would sell me the persimmon bowl. This is a super big no no at the auction house. You're not suppose to buy or sell from other people while your in the building. He asked if I was bidding against him because the lot went for $300. I told him I wasn't there on Saturday and I would have tapped out at $60 anyways. I offered $20 but he turned it down. I'm sure he Googled it while I was at the front counter. :) Unless I missed something in that lot, he's profit margin will be pretty low. 

Paper Crafter's Logic - saving on gas

If you know me, I don't like paying full retail for anything. In the paper crafting world I have almost everything you would need. Being an iris folding fan when I saw this pattern by "Bergkaarten" on Pinterest I knew it had to try it. You would think with the hundreds of dies I own I would have a triangle! It's the one shape I don't have. I have Christmas tree shapes but I like to clean look of this one. So on my way back from the auction house I stopped at Michael's. I really didn't want to pay full retail but I wanted to try making it today. I had to pass by Savers on my way home so I popped into there too. Sunday isn't a good day to shop because no new carts come out. I thought these NIB Polar Pops were just too funny, the feet really crack me up. I also grab a Lane pine box to hold some of the matchbox car prizes I got for the boys. Make it into a little treasure box. I plan to paint over the Christmas goose. Do I really need another art project? :) Savers is next to a Grocery Outlet so I went to pick up some corn chips as all my Costco avocados are now ripe. My impulse buy for today was these mini pies. It's a throw back to the days of 7/11 pies. Thinking about how much gas I saved! :) 

 

In The Garden

Runner Beans

I didn't go to the auction and once I made that decision it was easy to look at the numbers. Take the emotion out of it and it was easy to see I wouldn't be able to flip anything fast enough to justify the money spent. Instead I stocked my booth at Cottage Crafts with my puzzle haul. That took some time tagging everything and getting them on the shelf. Then I did what I call the "buzz fly" technique of getting everything else done. Start with cleaning up one area but when you walk into another room to put something away, start organizing something there. Not the most efficient way to get things done for sure. Last month I found a whole bunch of seed packets and decided it was time to see if these seeds would sprout. These are Scarlett runner beans. I just like that they trellis up the bamboo poles I have all over the yard. The birds especially like them for the leaves and the grubs in the soil. The sunflowers seeds haven't sprouted yet but I've never had any luck with those. During my buzz fly moments a lot of creative ideas popped up. Going to spend this afternoon giving some of them a try. :) 

 

Auction Maybes?

I went to the auction preview on Friday and there were some interesting things. I have to be mindful that I went over budget last month. Having to decide is it worth sitting through an auction all day in hopes of getting a few lots cheap enough that I could flip fast. There are some pieces I know will take awhile to sell but would be cool to add to my inventory. That will tie up even more of my money for months. While debating with myself I'm out in my garden with my coffee enjoying all the bird activity. I'm surprised how close the birds are getting to me. 

There is a junk lot that has a lacquered persimmon bowl I've never seen before. That would make a nice addition to my collection. Is it worth the time?

 

Should I or Shouln't I Day

I'm debating if I should add this giant shell to the top of my botch flower press cover. That was my failed attempt to mod podge a cute napkin on to the cover. The only down side to using the shell is if I need or want to add more weight to the press. 

I checked out this book from the library to see if it would inspires me into doing something with the two flower presses I own.  The debate is do I really need a press if a heavy book will do the same thing. Then I went down rabbit hole researching if blotting paper is really worth the expense. I'm happy using coffee filters. 

It's auction week and I really, really shouldn't go. There's only one thing that my son wants so I at least have to check it out. Since my weekends are now free I may sit through the whole auction and see if I can score some super deals. No, I really shouldn't do that as last month I over spent. 

Where to find creative inspiration

 When I'm in a creative slump I go to the library. There's always a local artist's exhibit which is inspiring. This month (May) at the Saratoga library this artist show cased a few watercolors using home made pigments. Sorry I didn't note her name. I was wondering if the paint was light fast = will fade over time. Which at my age isn't really that important anymore. :) Making my own paint is on my list of things I want to try. Wondering if there will be workshop at Craftcation? 

I picked up several books on quilling hoping it would inspire me to get out all my quilling tools. As any paper crafter, I have all the supplies to make a ton!

In my yard I get a lot of birds in the morning. Not being able to have a bird feeder because it attracts rats, it nice to open my front door and hear all the chirping. There are several nests and I hear the babies chirping all day. The birds like chewing on my plants leaves like they did back at my old place up in hills in Cupertino. Posey doesn't care about them flying around, just like Annie. Brings back a lot of happy memories. 

Lonely Road - Feng Shui

I was listening to a Feng Shui  You Tuber and she said not to have artwork of a lonely road in your house. Guess it manifest a lot of negative things especially in the bedroom. I really like this 1964 photo of a road down in Pebble Beach. Would I love to walk down that road and imagining how quiet and peaceful it would be. I could see Annie walking along checking everything out and hearing the ocean waves. I had it right next to a pen ink drawing from an artist from Monterey so it made a nice sentimental grouping.

I picked up this painting of oranges at the estate sale I did this past weekend. It was dusty and has some damage so that was the reason everyone passed on it. I dragged it home, cleaned it and touched up the missing paint. It's not an original so I wasn't worried about ruining it. I love the pop of color in my otherwise very dark room but still not sure it's the right vibe. Of course the clock doesn't work at all now so the hunt for something to replace it or I go back to my black and white photo. 
 

Dowdle Puzzle Haul 2026

I like doing puzzles and the Dowdle brand is a favorite. I prefer the 500 piece puzzles because I can get them done in one day. It's something I take when I dog sit. Can't take them when I cats sit as the cats like to "help". Once I've done the puzzles I sell it off at CCB. It's not a money spinners but I at least get my money back. This was another cross town pick up I did on Sunday. I no sooner got home when these got posted. I hopped back into my car and made the drive. Paid about $3.25 for 36 puzzles. 12 are new in the box, which doesn't really mean anything to me as I'll be opening them but I did pay more for them. I now have a nice back stock when I babysit the Frenchies. 

Claw Machine Found

$15.00

For months I've been looking for a claw machine. I thought it would be fun for the boys during their visit this summer. As much as they love the gnome house, it's time to up grade. Of course thrifting this was a challenge. Many were either over priced or played with a little to much. Everyday I searched Facebook market place and finally found one! Took me a week before I could pick it up as it was across town. I did a lot of cross town driving on Sunday, more on that later.  When I showed the boys via a video call, they were thrilled. Mees gets the whole reward system because he is a rule follower. Henkie thinks he can do it but we'll find out. I did make sure it was ok with upper management as I'm not up to date with the latest parenting trends. The plan is to fill it with candy and tickets for toys that don't fit into the unit. I thought easter eggs would work but it's a little hard me to make it work. Now I'm in search of those little plastic balls you can fill. 

Estate Sale

I helped out at an estate sale on Friday. It wasn't a big one and there wasn't a whole lot there. If I had to guess this was a second home just close enough to the big city. What was left was really good stuff and the artwork was impressive. Guess there was some original artwork that was suppose to be at the estate sale but the family removed them. That was sad not to be able to see it all but even worse for the estate person as it didn't leave a lot to sell. She takes a % of the sale and if there's not a lot to sell it's really not worth her time. 

One of perks of helping out is that we can pick before the doors open. Most of the nice stuff was way over my price range to resell so I went for the basic household stuff like dish soap.  I would normally not pick up bags of dirt but I've been thinking about getting some perlite for my violets. I'm boycotting HomeDepot so I would have to make a special trip so a local nursery. That also means I would be paying top dollar for something I really don't need. I did pick up this pan rack for my son's condo. He's kitchen is tiny and doesn't have a lot of storage space. We had talked about getting one of these so it's perfect. Hand foraged with a narrow profile. Took a lot of running up and down the stairs with a ladder to get it down. Now the challenge is getting up to Tahoe!

ATC cards in the making

Messy Desk Is A Happy Desk

I have a stack of test sun printing samples and I just hate to throw them out. The watercolor paper I used is expensive. 

I decided I would make ATC cards for Craftcation 2027. 

I think I'm the last person to still use twinkling H2O watercolors!  After many, many years I'm finally use up some of my favorite colors. It's still my go to watercolors when I'm in a creative rut. The plan is I'll add my contact information on the back. Sort of an over the top business card.  The other design I plan to do is a mini iris folding circle. Still working on how to get the pattern that small and still be able to see the folds. 

 

Blue Cheese Guacamole 2026

 I've never been one to toss out food just because. With food prices going through the roof, I'm even more mindful what I buy at the store. I go in with a list and I now rarely impulse buy anything. Having a Costco size bag of avocados and having them getting ripe at the same time  requires planning. 

Seeing recipes for guacamole where you don't smash them up but keep them in chunks. I thought why not? I added salsa sauce and blue cheese to go with the corn chips I picked up. I know adding blue cheese to the guacamole is weird but it worked! :)

Most Important Man in My Life

I've said for many years the most important man in my life is my car mechanic, Marco. I know nothing about cars other than how to drive. I use my car everyday or at least like the idea I can. Because of my lack of knowledge and mistrust of local oil changing places, I'm very bad about getting my car serviced. Plus having to find someone to pick me up when I drop off my car. 

Earlier this week my car AC was making my whole car shake. Which was scary. It was way passed needing an oil change too. So I made the call to Marco to set up an appointment. He knew it was the AC fan that was the problem when I dropped off  my car. I get a call later in the afternoon and Marco said to replace the fan box unit, the part alone was $3,000! He knew I wouldn't be happy about that so he took the whole thing apart. He found what he thinks was a lizard stuck on the fan blades causing an imbalance, which was causing the whole car to shake. I'm sure if I had taken it anywhere else I would have gotten huge repair bill. I'm still without a car today as one more part is still on order but it's not mission critical.  I elected to keep my car there and hopefully it will get replaced today. 

While stuck at home I made a very long to do list. One thing I wanted to do was trim back the lemon grass and rosemary plants I planted last year.  Also to make cuttings as I slowly turn the old lawn area (Posey potty area) into a more drought tolerant landscape. Took some mint cuttings just because I could, they don't really need help spreading. :)

Last of my death pile.

Used up the last of the tomato sauce I made last week. I added what I had in my refrigerator (zucchini and spinach) and I think that helped. The plan is to make it again today with hot Italian sausage. My car has to go into the shop for a long over due check up. So getting stuck at home, I have a mile long to do list. 

I'm going thorough my death pile in the garage (things that didn't sell) and packing it all up. I'm donating it all to another reseller who sells at the local flea market. I think it's good stuff  but for some reason didn't sell.  Sam doesn't have to think about his profit margin because it's all profit for him.  I'm down to the last box! Yes, I could donate to the store but we get so much that I would rather help out another reseller. I also drop at the local Salvation Army truck that's behind Cottage Crafts. Again I could take it to the store but I would have to handle it again so it's much easier for me to drop it off at the truck . The Salvation Army for all it's faults does have programs that really help those in need. It's sometimes is the last safety net for those on the streets or dealing addiction.

Craftcation 2027 Anyone?

 

When you're practicing sun printing or watercoloring you should use the best paper you have. It's really important in sun printing because everything gets dunked in water multiple times. I have all these samples stacked up on my table. I just hate throwing them out so there they sit. 

After watching "The Stitchery" you tube about her review on "Craftcation" in Ventura, I checked it out. Sounded interesting and her positive reviews made me sign up. Well after another friend said she would go with me sealed the deal. Right after that Sandy Allnock (another online artist I follow) talked about handing out mini zine books with her business cards at a watercolor conference she attended in Italy for Daniel Smith watercolors. I thought why don't I try and make those little books with my watercolor papers. I knew it would be too thick but I gave it a try anyways. It didn't work but the folded pages are the size of business cards. So maybe I'll cut them up and embellish them a little more for ATC / business cards. 

Anyone else interesting in going to Craftcation in 2027? We can plan an informal get together and trade ATC cards!

Fig Tree 2026

One of the few things I miss about my studio in Cupertino (there aren't many things) was the little fig tree. It was tiny and should have died years ago. It was my first time having one and I didn't know how easy they are to grow. That little tree produced a dozen figs on it's tiny little branch. Yes it only had one branch. This past weekend a volunteer brought in some fig saplings. I was so thrilled to finally be able to plant one in my yard! Prepping the spot in the yard and trying to figure out how to keep Posey from digging it up. 

My potato plants are doing great. A few months ago they started to sprout so I planted them. I just like having green things in my garden so even if the potatoes don't turn out well, they look lushy green!

 

Amazing Gold Cigarette Case

On Friday I met the gold and silver guys at the store. We had a shoebox of broken silver that we were willing to sell for scrap. Long story of drama about being able to to that. 

These guys pay 85% of whatever spot price is that day. That is the highest amount of anyone who's willing to come to you will pay. I set up an appointment because there are a few other volunteers who want to sell off silver and feel safer doing it at the store. That morning the guys got a call  from an estate clean out person that they had a lot of gold. This vintage cigarette case (it was tested via a scanning machine) is gold. About $18k worth of gold! Best guess it's Russian. It's was pandemonium at the store. The guys wanting to keep our appointment but also having to go to the bank to make the wire transfer and dealing with all the random questions the ladies kept asking them.  A lot of wheels spinning for everyone involved! Still very cool find for the guys!

 

To sell or not to sell - cast iron 101

I had one of those reseller moments of indecision with some Wagner cast iron pans I picked up at the auction house. I actually got a high end kitchen lot for the $$$$ metal Atlas pepper grinder. I just wanted to see what the hype was all about and why someone would pay $200 for pepper grinder. The pans just happen to be in that lot. The plan was always to sell them to cover the $65 auction bid. I don't think there's a lot difference in vintage cast iron pans so long as they were taken care of. Now with the new imports, the surface does make a difference.

I sold the #8 pan (10" surface) for $40, which is at the low end for a Wagner. I debated for awhile if I should hold out or just take the offer. It was marked as the other ones in the lot aren't but I know are Wagner. The pan didn't pass the spin test so it wasn't perfect. I should have tested it at the auction house but I was more interested in the pepper grinder. 

Spin Test - A cast iron pan should not spin, wiggle or move when on a flat surface. If it does, it's warped and will cause hot spots. Even the smallest movement it would get rejected to those serious about their pans. 
 

Tea Leaf Salad

My tea leaf salad recipe is coming along very well. I'm tweaking it to fit my taste pallet so it's still a work in progress. Taking the best parts of several recipes and seeing if they work together. 

It is something you have to plan ahead as the dressing has to ferment for two days. I know that sounds weird but it does mellow out all the strong tasting ingredients. 

I didn't have any tomatoes this time but I did add some chicken just because. The tomatoes do add to the salad but vine ripe is the only way to go. 

I'll be eating this salad for the next few days which is fine with me!

 

Mod Podge Fail

Not all my creative projects turn out the way I think they will. I picked up this home made flower press for the boys. At some point another child had scribbled on it and not in a cute way. So in my mind I thought I would Mod Podge this napkin over the top of it. I've not used Mod Podge before but how hard could it be? 

About 5 seconds into the project I knew it wasn't going to turn out well. So now do I sand it all down, leave it as is or keep adding to it hoping to make it more artistic. :)
 

Tomat Sauce with Butter & Onion by Marcella Hazan

Finally made the famous Marcella Hazan recipe"Tomato Sauce with Butter & Onion" in the Food52 cookbook "Genius Recipes". 

 The onion is suppose to be thrown out but I just couldn't do that. Not really sure what the onion did for the sauce but with the first go around I follow the recipe. I put it over rice because I was to lazy to make the gluten free pasta. Working with limited number of burners, things have to be done in stages. Long gone are the days I had massive six burner Wolf range. The recipe is a good base to add the other things. I know next time I'll add sausage and garlic to the finish sauce. The next day I made fried rice with the leftover onion and rice. 

Staffordshire Spill Holders

I'm a night owl by nature so my most productive time is when most people are asleep. I've been cat sitting for the last two weeks and still have one more week to go. Haven't gotten a whole lot done around the house and things are starting to pile up! Had to force myself to clean off my desk and get it organized. 

I picked up these Staffordshire "spill holder" on MaxSold this weekend. Back in the day these would be on your fireplace mantel holding scraps of rolled up paper to help start your fire. I thought they were interesting enough to place a low bid. Was a little surprised I got them for $7.00. Getting tagged today and boxed up to go to the Cottage Crafts. 

Santa in May 2026

This Santa plant holder was in the lot of metal fish sculptures I picked up at the auction house last week. Being a Santa fan, this just had my name all over it! Now I have to decide do I go with poinsettias or green pine. Real (yes, I have real ones) or fake?

It will go on sale during the holiday season but for now he's out in my garden.
 

Mochi Pancakes for Posey

Gluten Free Pancake Mix

Today is Posey's 10th birthday so I made her very favorite snack - mochi pancakes. 

This mix is from Costco and I've had it for awhile now. It calls for milk which I don't normally have in the house. In my failed attempt to use almond milk in my coffee, I still have a whole carton in my refrigerator. Not wanting to waste it and thinking Posey wouldn't really care, I gave it a try. Turned out pretty good and so much better than the breadfruit one. Posey beelined it to my door when she came home from her morning walk. Didn't even say good-bye to her dog walker. :)