Happy Easter!

We know we wore our headbands last year, too, but don't you think we're ear-resistible?! Have a blessed Easter!

Glass Pendant

My mother and I recently attended a class at our local stained glass shop. My husband and I had given her a certificate for this experience as one of her Christmas gifts, so she and I were excited for the scheduled event to make our fused glass pendants. Using imagination and bits of colored glass, participants were able to design a piece of personal jewelry. This is mine ready to be fired.

Using a 1500 degree kiln, the shop fused the layers of glass and added a bale and chain.

Notice the shimmering square in the center? That's a layer of dichroic glass. Its reflective properties give it a multicolored appearance, depending upon the lighting. 

Have you ever made any jewelry pieces? How about stained glass pieces? We enjoyed it and recommend you try it if you ever have the opportunity.

Have a good evening!

Tuesday's Tablescape

Even though it continues to be rainy and dreary, the bunnies have hopped out for an Easter table. 

I love my rabbit plates, which I have used in the past.

I rested them on top of my plain white dishes and then used silver chargers.

My centerpiece inspiration came from this vintage table linen. My mother received the runner at a wedding shower in 1957. When she cleaned her linen closet a few years ago, I snagged several pieces from her donation pile and this was one of them. It reminds me of the delicate little crab blossoms which will soon be bursting open on our backyard tree. Since blush pink  is the hot new decorating color this spring, this piece seems appropriate with its light pink colors.

 A faux bunny and Easter candle (both souvenirs from my youth) are anchored by an antique pink vase.

 I hope you're having a 'hoppy' day!

Friday "Show and Tell"

One of my retirement goals was to learn how to quilt. Thanks to a talented (and patient!) friend who has been guiding me, I have been chipping away at this objective for the past few years. My most recent endeavor has been a winter table runner. 

I spread the finished project on the dining room table beside the existing runner and spring centerpiece. 

I actually selected the fabrics (solid red, golden stars and a snowman print) in the early autumn to use for this project. I had the runner directions on file from when I picked-up the complimentary instructions at a fabric store. 

It's not perfect and represents a lot of work since I lack experience, but I had fun doing it! Next winter I will be ready to decorate with my little frosty friends, but I will tuck it away for now because it's time for spring...'snow' fooling! 😊

Happy weekend!!

Happy Spring!

The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth.

One is closer to God in the garden

Than anywhere else on earth! 

This poem was written by Dorothy Frances Gurney. An English author and hymn writer, she penned this verse, as a portion of a longer poem, in the early 1900s. Although it is highly popular for garden signs, she is seldom given credit for her work. I actually first saw this rhyme on a marker in a quaint church floral garden as a child and memorized it on the spot. Obviously, I have always loved it! It seems a good accompaniment to these recent springtime photos I took.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Gooey Butter Cake

St. Louisans love their gooey butter cakes! Legend has it that a local German baker erroneously created this cake back in the 1930s when he reversed the proportions of flour and butter. There are many versions of this recipe, but this one of my mother's is my favorite. It's very simple since it begins with a cake mix. I made one this weekend to take to church, so I decided to share the recipe with you in case you want to try it. Be imaginative with the cake mix you use. Spice, red velvet and chocolate all yield delicious results, too!

No-Fail Gooey Butter Cake

1 stick of butter, melted

1 yellow cake mix (or any flavor)

1 egg

Mix these ingredients (by hand) thoroughly until no lumps are visible.

Press into a greased 9x13 pan.

Set aside.

Now mix 8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature and cut into 6-8 cubes to make it mix more quickly),

1/2 teas. vanilla,

1# confectioners sugar (I saved out maybe an ounce to use to sift onto the finished cake),

2 eggs. 

Beat to combine and then beat for 3 minutes (yes, 3).

Pour over the cake mix in the pan.

Bake at 350 degrees 30-45 minutes until light golden brown.

Top dress with sifted confectioners sugar when cooled.

To obtain a printable copy of this cake recipe, click here.

Enjoy!

Irish Blessings!

If dogs are with you

Wherever you go,

Your blessings will outnumber

The shamrocks that grow!

Happy National Meatball Day!

I was surprised when I read that there is a meatball day! Who knew? In honor of today, I am repeating three applicable recipes I have shared in the past. Perhaps you would like to have a meatball sandwich with this delicious sauce,

tasty Swedish meatballs or

mouth-watering stroganoff in celebration? All three meatball dishes are simple to prepare.

Click on the dish name to see the old posts which contain the meatball recipes (meatball sauce, Swedish meatballs, stroganoff).

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends! 

Gnome Garden

Did you know that although popular now, garden gnomes have been in existence for centuries? Originating in Germany in the mid-1800s, gnomes are now found in gardens throughout the Western word. They are said to guard the plants while we sleep. With the popularity of dish and miniature gardens, people are fond of placing fairies and gnomes in their tiny plant beds. Dollar Tree carries a line of everything you need for your own creation. There are lots of options including both fairies and gnomes, a variety of houses and numerous small accessories. They even have  faux succulents and 7 inch plastic bowls.

My mother picked these items and chose gnomes rather than fairies. 

I filled the bowl with potting mix and the fun began!

These little gnomes will be doing their job of protecting the dish garden when it goes to my parents' house. I think my mother is planning to put it on their porch. 

Do you have any gnomes in your yard or miniature garden? Have you created a dish garden? I am going with a group to a mini-terrarium class next month. Maybe I need a few gnomes ready to go...

Have a wonderful day!

Early Spring Tulips

It's a little tough to "think spring" today with the thick cloud cover and cold temperatures, but we know that we will see spring bulbs blooming before too much longer. They're already steadily growing and I even saw some buds as I was driving around town yesterday. Here are a couple of ideas for you to bring tulips into your home now while waiting for the real thing!

This vignette on our kitchen counter shows one example. All you have to do is fill an ivy bowl (or any bowl/container of your choice) with floral moss. You can find the filler product at any craft store and, in fact, even at dollar stores. It might be labeled as floral, decorative or reindeer moss. Purchase a small bunch of tulips and insert stems into the filled container. To achieve a more realistic look, don't forget to pull the stems apart and slightly bend them since real flowers don't grow perfectly straight. This idea was adapted from a party favor I received a few years ago. In that one, the ivy bowl was filled with actual tulip bulbs and, of course, the contents needed to be kept well hydrated to support the flowers. You can click here to revisit that old post from two years back.

This is also a good time of year to create a tulip wreath like the one below.

To see the directions, click here and you can revisit the post from last year. Although the wreath takes a little time to complete, it is not complicated!

Perhaps these simple ideas will enable you, too, to use your tulips to kiss winter goodbye! 🌷

Tuesday's Tablescape

Our church recently hosted a trivia event in an effort to help fund mission work.

I wish I would have stepped back to take a shot so that the balloons were visible. You'll note the blue weight. Attached, were three helium balloons (a cobalt blue, bright red and bright yellow). 

Working around the "superhero" theme, I bought the printable online to use in the centerpiece. Framed, it went atop a clear cake plate with red shreds scattered at the base.

Free printable superhero shields served as décor when attached to the backside of clear plates. The onomatopoeias were also free printables which were copied off and laminated for table accents.

It was an enjoyable evening and since the event raised $5,000 for the cause, we were all very happy!

Have a super day!

Kewpie Dolls

Did you know that the inventor of Kewpie dolls spent some of her adult life living in the Ozark region of Missouri? Our quest club recently read and learned about Rose O'Neill.

Rose O'Neill

An Autobiography

Edited by Miriam Formanek-Brunell

American Illustrator by J.L.Wilkerson

Rose was a highly talented woman who was born in 1874. Her parents loved the fine arts and passed along that passion to their children. Rose became a self-taught author and illustrator and won her first drawing contest when she was 13 years old. By her late teens,  her professional career began. In 1909, her little elf-like cartoons first appeared in a comic strip. They were instantly popular with adults and children and took off like wildfire! Rose's Kewpies were the most widely-recognized cartoon characters until Mickey Mouse came along.

These fans from our aunt's collection show examples of Kewpie cartoons.

A few years later, Kewpie dolls were patented...

and they were soon followed by a variety of other merchandise. Since we have an aunt who knows a great deal about Kewpies, she was a wonderful resource! In fact, she kindly loaned me a box stuffed full of her books. She has been acquiring her extensive collection of dolls, figurines, books, puzzles, sun-catchers, etc. for about 50 years. Collectively, she has over 500 pieces! All figurines and dolls, tastefully displayed in curios, are fascinating to see. In fact, you notice something new each time you look!

O'Neill described her sweet little creations as "a sort of little round fairy whose one idea is to teach people to be merry and kind at the same time."

Is he not the cutest?! 

Rose was the highest paid and most successful female illustrator in the United States at the time and enjoyed using her money to support her family. Toward the end of her life, her funds were depleted and the popularity of her beloved Kewpies had weakened. Still, she gifted us with her whimsical babies and the following philosophy,

"Do good deeds in a funny way. The world needs to laugh, or at least to smile more than it does."