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!