Journaling Challenges

Lilia has started a photo journaling flickr group modeled after the 3191, A Year of Mornings blog by MAV and Stephanie which is now available in book form. The idea is to snap a picture every Saturday @ 3:00 p.m. no matter where you are or what you are doing. {I am in the middle of painting boxes for a swap in this photo.} Simple concept on the surface, yet after a year of collecting photographs it will be quite interesting to see what you have done with your Saturday afternoons, don't you think? Feel free to join in if you like.

Another fun journaling project I am working on this year is 52Q - A Year of Questions and Answers - started by Emily Falconbridge, originator of A Deck of Me challenge. I didn't do so good at keeping up with the latter challenge, but I'm hoping to do better with 52Q. Most of us are journaling our answers on shipping tags and with a small format like that there's no excuse for slacking off.

Foofy-ness

Photo by Ellen Mueller

Ellen, from One Ripe Peach put together this adorable Foofy Photo Album (don't you just love the polka dots and all that glitter?) and she is sharing a tutorial on how to make one for yourself on the Joli Paquet blog. I thought I would make one to hold some of the photos from my daughter's wedding. I have a pile of those $1.00-bin photo albums sitting in my studio right now just waiting to be "dressed up."

Merci Beaucoup!

~ Little Princess Bear shown is available in my Etsy shop ~

Just wanted to give a BIG HUG and THANK YOU to everyone who purchased Joli Paquet Kits this past weekend. All my orders from the weekend were shipped out today so keep an eye on your mailbox. It's so much fun putting together all the bits and pieces that go into each kit. Of course being a bit of a worry-wart, I check and double and triple check to make sure I didn't leave anything out of the packages. I know how frustrating it is when you buy something that has to be put together and discover that parts are missing when you go to assemble it. Anyway, I hope you all have as much fun working on your kits as I did in putting them together for you. And when you finish, be sure to post of picture of your creation on the Joli Paquet Flickr Site here as we all would like to see how they turn out. I have a few kits left and so do some of the other artists, so if you didn't get a chance to pick one up over the weekend, be sure to stop by my Etsy Shop here or the other artist's links here. ~ Photo by Beth Quinn ~

Today the one and only Beth Quinn has posted a tutorial for the darling little felted heart shown above. Don't you just love it? Hurry on over here to see how to make one of your own.

Joli Paquet Kits Now On Sale!

It's time..it's time! My Joli Paquet kits are in my Etsy Shop now, as well as lots of other fun Valentine Goodies. Also, be sure to check out the Joli Paquet site here to see what my artist friends have created for you.

A Little Teaser

Just thought I would give you all a little teaser as to what's happening on Friday. That's when the Joli Paquet kits go on sale and from the looks of it you are all in for quite a treat! Here are a couple of sneak peeks from the kits that I'll be selling in my Etsy Shop. In addition to the JP kits, I'll be updating the shop with other goodies as well.
Along with all the wonderful artists who participated in Joli Paquet last November, we have 3 fantastic new artists joining us this time around - Ellen, Lilia, and Tiffany. I've admired their work for a while now, and if you don't already know them, you are going to fall in love with their style. And while you are at it, be sure to visit the Joli Paquet Flickr Site, where you can post photos of creations you make from our tutorials and kits.

History at High Noon

Happy Inauguration Day!

I'm sure many of you will be glued to your television sets today watching history be made. My DH asked me if I was going to watch and I said, of course! Being a sentimental gal, I really love all the patriotic traditions we have in this country and there is no time when these historical customs are displayed more than when we inaugurate a new President. I've been watching the pre-inauguration coverage the past few days and have enjoyed being reminded of the historical explanations of how things will be done today. Knowing that our country is rooted deeply in this kind of history makes today even more special. It makes me very proud that we live in a country where there can be a smooth transition of power from one President to the next without a battle or upheaval. Democracy is something to showcase to the world as one of the great things about the United States of America. Sometimes we take these things for granted and it's nice to be reminded of them occasionally. God Speed to Barack Obama during the next 4 years and thank you to ALL our past presidents for their service to this great country of ours!

And if you feel like doing a little Valentine crafting while you are watching the inauguration coverage, be sure to check out my tutorial over on the Joli Paquet blog. I'll show you how to make this lovely Valentine (or anytime) Frame to hold a picture of your sweetie-pie! Then on Thursday we'll be previewing our Joli Paquet Kits which will go on sale this Friday, January 23rd.

This and That

Congratulations to Karri who was the winner of the Valentine Giveaway package on the Joli Paquet blog yesterday. Cindy put together a great bunch of goodies perfect for lots of Valentine crafting. I'm giving you a tiny little sneaky-peek (shown above) of what's coming up Tuesday on the JP blog - It's MY day to share a lovely project with you, so be sure to be there!

Hope you are enjoying your weekend. We are trying to keep warm here. Actually we are experiencing a slight heatwave (9 degrees) in comparison to a couple of days ago when it was minus 16 degrees - brrrrrr! Everything is relative when it comes to weather here in the Midwest. When the season first changes and temperatures begin to drop, 45-50 degrees can seem cold. But after a few days you adjust and it doesn't seem so bad. I think it's the same during the bitter cold temps of anything that's below zero degrees. It's amazing how our bodies can acclimate to the weather.

In between crafting and putting together kits for Joli Paquet, we've been doing a little housekeeping at our house. We finally got all the Christmas boxes packed up and put away. It's really scary when I see how many decorations we have for just that one holiday. Many I haven't used in years, but can't bear to part with because they are so beautiful or hold sentimental value. I did give our daughter some things this year to use in her new home, but even by doing that and bringing a load of Christmas decor stuff to Goodwill we still have the same number of boxes to put away. How is that even possible? Oh well, it is packed up and out of sight now, so I don't have to worry about it again until next Christmas!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

The Fun Starts Today!

Today is the official launch day for the Joli Paquet blog. Tiffany Kirchner starts us off with a darling pop-up card tutorial featuring the sneek peek shown above. We have lots of "lovey-dovey" ideas and kits lined up which I think you are going to absolutely fall in love with.

I just got over the 24 hour flu - yuk! That makes two times I have been sick since the start of 2009. Not a great way to begin a new year! I've decided to load myself up on vitamins and try to get more sleep at night. I have a habit of being a night owl, but then I am up at 6:00 am every morning. Not a good system at all, so something's going to have to give on one of those ends.


I've been having fun making Valentines for Natalea's Valentine ornament swap, which I have to pack up and mail out today. It is sooooooooo verrrrrrrry cold here (minus 16 degrees as I write this) that I am going to hate to have to leave my nice warm and toasty home to venture out to the post office. But since I am out I may just have to stop for a yummy hot cocoa here.

Joli Paquet Giveaway

Image Courtesy of Cindy Gilstrap

Joli Paquet officially begins on Friday, January 16th and Cindy of Junque Art has gotten the party started by putting together this jam-packed Valentine Giveaway just for all you Joli Paquet fans. Just leave a comment on this post here to enter. Good Luck!

Smile

Click here to brighten your day!

Coming Soon!

~This Lovely Design is by Cindy Gilstrap~

Get ready ladies. . . the return of Joli Paquet is right around the corner!

Another Special Gift

Years ago my father-in-law wrote down his autobiography while the memories were all still fresh in his mind. He told about growing up in Poland and being run out of his home by the Russians at the beginning of WWII and how he was sent to a work camp in Siberia. Later he joined the army and fought for the allied forces and it was there that he met my mother-in-law, who also was in the army. They married and relocated to England after their service ended. That is where my husband and his brother and sister were born. Later, when my husband was 5 years old they came to America on the Queen Mary and eventually settled in Chicago.

For Christmas this year, my daughter and two of her cousins published their grandfather's autobiography and presented a copy to each family member. And along with the book, they had calendars printed through the Apple website. Each month of the calendar features a collage of old family photos from my in-laws childhood, to my husband's childhood, to our weddings, and the births of my daughter and her cousins.
These were the first gifts we opened on Christmas and they were such a hit we almost didn't even get to the rest of the presents under the tree.

I knew about the calendar because my daughter had asked me for the old photo albums. However my husband and his siblings were totally blown away by the thoughtfulness of these gifts. Even my mother-in-law, who now suffers from Alzheimer's Disease, could still recall the names of many of the people in the pictures, although locations were not as clear for her. Of course when she saw the picture of her late husband, her eyes lit up and she told us he was a such good man.

And below is my dear hubby - isn't he a cutie? Love that bow-tie!

Back Among the Living!

I'm back and feeling much better than I was a week ago. I think I am at the end of this New Year yukkiness and glad of it. I hate being sick....it seems like everything I try to do is in v-e-r-y s-l-o-w motion. Thanks to all of you for your well wishes...somehow I think all those kind thoughts helped keep me on the road to recovery.

I thought I would share my favorite Christmas gift of all with you. Just look at the picture above. . .yessiree, that is my very own antique chandelier for my studio! It's from my DH and it couldn't have been more perfect! He hit all the marks that I was hinting at all year. . .white, old, hanging crystals. . .it even has a little cherub hanging onto the center post. He made me nervous when he told me one day he was going to Menard's and Home Depot to look for a chandelier for me. I know they have some nice ones there, but not any that fit the look I was after. I think that must have been a diversionary tactic, because in the end, this is the one he bought me and I do love it so! And just like my friend Cerri wrote here about one of her Christmas gifts, I think DH finally gets me!

He didn't waste any time getting the chandelier hung, complete with a dimmer switch which is, as you know, essential to getting the proper aura from the light. What a peach he is! Then after seeing this photo from Holly, I got out a few of my cherished vintage Christmas balls to hang from the bottom. Such a great idea, Holly ~ thanks!
Another favorite gift I received was this little ingenious bit of technology. I've been needing a new phone since my contract expired at the beginning of 2008, but procrastinated and kept putting it off due to not wanting to have to learn how to use a new phone. But so far this one is a cinch to use and I like being able to have access to email and the internet (if needed) wherever I am.

Finally, I wasn't going to mention this little faux-pas that I had this past week, but then I thought, oh why not! It sort of rivals Karin's little miss-step she wrote about here last year. Because I was bustling around trying to get something out of the messiness of the laundry-room-turned-gift-wrapping-room-during-the-holiday-season, which happens to be a very tiny room and currently has very little floor space to walk on, I had a slight accident. Somehow I turned around and found myself tripping over an empty laundry basket and watching (in a sort of out-of-body-experience kind of way) the whole thing occur in the slowest of motion, but was unable to stop the momentum my body was already in and CRASH! There I was sprawled out on the floor, with my head resting on a bag of discards ready to take to Goodwill and the laundry basket popping off all four of it's plastic handles in the force of the impact! My DH, called out from the other room asking, "What fell," and came to my rescue after I managed to reply, "Not what, but who!" He offered to remove the Goodwill bag from under my head, but I told him I liked the way it was cushioning my head, since I wasn't quite ready to get up and see how much damage I had done to my body. Fortunately I came out of it with only some bumps and bruises and a knot on the side of my head. . .all of which is a lot better than a broken bone in the middle of winter here in the Midwest! A friend of mine told me last week that she believes that the way you bring in the new year sets the tone for the way your year is going to be. Oh dear, I hope she's not right about that, because with the awful head cold and now this fall, I looks like I will be in for one heck of a year! Perhaps my DH should up our insurance just in case!

Ugh!

~Antique Party Hats courtesy of Country Living~

What a way to spend New Year's Eve, huh? I'm still blowing and sniffing and coughing. Ugh! I never knew just how much YUK one person could produce in their sinuses. I'm ready for it to be over with - enough is enough already!

So what kind of fabulous things does everyone have planned for tonight? Do you like to go out and party until the wee hours of the morning? Or do you prefer to ring in the new year by having a quiet evening at home with family and/or friends? Unless I feel a whole lot better by tonight then we will be doing the latter for sure! Perhaps a glass of sparkling champagne wouldn't hurt though...for strictly medincinal purposes of course!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

I can't wait to see what fabulous things 2009 has in store for all of us!

Tired

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. This is what we've been feeling like around here these past few days. Wiped out by Christmas, out of town guests and a bug of some sort that involves a sore throat and congestion. ICK! I just want to sleep. Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z .

Holiday Wishes

Merry Christmas to all. . .and to all a good night!

Special Gifts for Special People

I've been busy making ornaments for some special friends while waiting for cookies to bake. Last night I was so involved in crafting that I forgot I had taken butter out to soften to make my brother's favorite Christmas cookies. So at 1:30 a.m. I was combining the ingredients in the mixer and forming the dough into logs to slice and bake today. I can't wait for my DH to wake up this morning and ask what the heck I was doing in the kitchen so late at night!

I can't remember if I showed you the ornament below or not and I'm too lazy to go thru my past posts to check. If I did, I apologize for making you look at it again. Happy Sunday....only 4 days til Christmas....are you ready?

Christmas Baking

This Sunday is the cookie exchange I go to every year with a group of my good friends. We have fun getting together for some good food (and cookies), good cheer, and good company. And it's just nice to take some time to sit back and relax during the hectic holiday season. We just had a huge amount of snow dumped on us, so I hope that doesn't put a damper on the festivities. Living here in the Midwest, parties and get-togethers planned for this time of the year are often a bit tentative due to our winter weather. If you're like my DH, you will drive through any kind of weather. I, on the other hand, am a little more cautious and driving in slippery ice and snow is not exactly my idea of a good time. Usually by the time I get to my destination, I have to literally peel my hands off the steering wheel, as they seem almost fused to it due to the stressful journey.

Anyway, due to the recent snowfall I thought it was a good morning to bake the cookies for the party. I decided to make my Norwegian Grandmother's Muerbe Cookies. This is a butter cookie recipe which originated from The Settlement Cookbook (The Way to a Man's Heart) by Lizzie Black Kanders. Lizzie taught cooking classes for immigrant girls at The Settlement House in Milwaukee around the turn of the century. After noticing that the girls spent quite a bit of time copying the recipes she wrote on the chalkboard, Lizzie decided to publish them in book form to help raise money. And after all these years the book, which was originally published in 1901, is still helping to raise money for charities. This cookbook was a staple in many of our mother's and grandmother's kitchens. I still have my mother's copy of the book and cherish both the memories it holds, as well as the recipes and household tips written inside of it.

Muerbe (Basic Butter Cookies)

1 lb butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, separated

6 cups flour

2 Tbls brandy

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup almonds, finely chopped

Cinnamon-Sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Slightly beat egg yolks with fork and add to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well. Add brandy and flour combined with the baking powder. Chill dough for several hours, then roll out on a lightly floured surface. Cut cookies with small round biscuit cutter and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Beat egg whites slightly with fork and brush on cookie tops. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar and chopped almonds. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets immediately and cool completely on wire rack. Makes 10 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

xoxo

jeanne

A Pretty Little Christmas Tour of Homes

Welcome to A Pretty Little Christmas Blog Party! The 'oh so talented' Heather is our hostess and wait till you see her delightfully cozy home all decked out for the holidays. . .you definitely will fall in love with this girl's style. Also Boomama is hosting a huge Christmas Tour of Homes as well, so let's get going...there's lots to see!

This year I've decorated our home in cool icy tones of pink, aqua, silver and white. Much to my DH's dismay, I have ALOT of Christmas decorations and a NOT SO BIG house, so I never have enough room to put them all out at one time. I still do my gingerbread tree in the kitchen, a snowman tree in the livingroom, and a Paris themed tree in my family room. But the rest of the decorations usually vary from year to year, which I kind of like as it breaks up the monotony each year.
I love, love, love mercury glass and anything covered in silver glass glitter. I got these goblet style candle holders at Homegoods to use at my daughter's wedding last month. The flickering candle light creates a wonderful glow when they are lit. The glitter deer is from Target. The mercury glass tree is from Michael's. And the best part is I didn't even have to polish my sterling silver tray, because I think the tarnished finish suits the mercury glass very well.

These vintage tinsel trees sit in a grouping on top of my grandmother's baby grand piano. A string of mini white lights weaves it's way through the display. I am so obsessed with tucking those small $1.47 strings of 50 Christmas lights all through the house.

This sweet little angel is new this year. She was displayed on top of this wispy wreath in the store and I couldn't resist buying them both, just the way they were. Now that's what I call a smart shopkeeper who knows how to double her sales!

This pink organza stocking is another Homegoods find. Both the color and the layers of ruffles at the top are what caught my eye.

If you need to sit and rest a while, you can do it in this wicker chair in my 'studio annex.' Since my daughter's wedding, I have taken over her old room and am using it as an extension of my studio. Unlike my original studio space, I am trying my best to keep this one tidy. So far, so good...but then it's only been a month since she moved out!

I adore the sparkley aqua color of this tree. Most of the ornaments on this tree are new this year, either made by "moi" or handmade by talented friends.

JOY has been my word for this year. . .I can't seem to help myself when I see that word pop up wherever I go.

I keep this little guardian angel out all year long. I got her at a tiny local craft show a many years ago. She is made by a textile artist who uses vintage lace on everything she creates. I have her hanging on a small quilted memo board that was also handmade by another crafter I know.

Pink snow cottages and a vintage aqua Santa ~ what could be better than that?

More mercury glass and a wee pale pink bottle brush tree trimmed in pearls.
This creamware pitcher holds pink and aqua vintage glass bead picks ~ very festive indeed!

A darling mica covered ornament made from a kit designed by blogging friend and fellow Joli Paquet artist, Beth Quinn. FYI - Due to popular demand, Joli Paquet will be returning after the first of the year. Check back here in early January for all the details.

An aqua clip-on glass candle ornament "lights" up the night. . . . . . . . . .while a bottle-brush tree balances atop a snow covered aqua glass ornament. This is my version of a 'contemporary' Christmas tree, using a glass and silverplate tiered cookie server loaded up with silver glittery ornaments, pinecones and glass balls.
Well, thank you so much for stopping by. . .if you want to see a lot more of the Pretty Little Christmas homes, then click here. I'm on my way out the door now to visit some of my friends places too. . . .who knows, maybe we'll bump into one another along the way! Enjoy the day!