Keeping My Clutter Under Control

I want to share with you one of my favorite ways to be able to hold on to a lot of stuff!

One of my friends found these at Pier One and I love displaying bits and pieces on it...

Can you see the wire frame under all of my stuff!?  There really is one there, with lots of curly ques that hold so many goodies.

Here is the tippy top - Isn't that a cute picture of Lane and her daddy?  A silk star that I couldn't resist at a street faire...a valentine from my hubby...and that's me in the hospital with Madison and my mom and dad are looking on...

down a little farther...another star, a beautiful felted flower from Colleen...a fun picture of us from Miss Sarah's wedding...and my mom and dad's wedding!  Mom and Dad are holding Madison at the top there..and below them is my Nonnie holding my mom.

The bathing beauties are my mom and her highschool friend...that's Madison in her first Halloween costume...and a thank you note from one of my art students!

A cute valentine from a wonderful friend...Grammy and Papa with the Dulany and Toel grandkids...and can you see my mom in the corner sitting at her vanity getting ready for her wedding!?  Madison has that heart mirror in her bedroom.

Isn't it amazing how many things I have managed to fit on here?

And at the very end...a cute 'B' from my mom's memorial party...yet another star ( because if one is good three are better!)...and some of my mom's recipes.  I love being able to look at all my things...this is positioned so I can see it from my messy desk - you can check out my messy desk here.  Now... I had one of those table top ones that you can slide things on to but it just wasn't big enough for all my stuff!!!!!!!!!

I hope you are enjoying your stuff!

xoxo    Elizabeth

Toadstool or Mushroom?

How do you tell if a mushroom is poisonous or not?  You make it yourself!

Just look at these adorable mushrooms...don't they look like you just got them at the Farmer's Market!?

My sister, Jennifer (or Jen, or Jenny, or Auntie Jenny!) made creme brulee for us the other night...she didn't want to waste all of the egg whites that would be left over so she brought a recipe for Meringue Mushrooms.  I would like to make another pitch here for saving things - this recipe has been in her file for many many years, never used - until now!

My Bethanne and my Lane were given the old recipe and put in charge of making the 'shrooms, as we called them.  Here they are being just a little bit silly!

I think they were giddy from making such successful Meringues!

Here is the recipe - it is a little tired looking from all it's years of waiting to be used...

 and some tips on how to shape them...

So, the girlies worked hard on making these beautiful 'shrooms.....and then....

We ate them!!!!!!!!!! Not the girlies - the mushrooms!

The next time you have some leftover egg whites you should make these.  They are so cute and tasty too! 

xoxo    Elizabeth

PS  This post is an example of how little I really know about this computer/blog world...I couldn't get the recipe and tips in here looking pretty - sorry about that!  There is always more to learn!

The New Year...

I was cleaning and getting out Christmas decorations and I picked up this box....

a few years ago on New Years Day the girlies and I decorated cigar boxes.  They were made to hold our small treasures for the coming year.

Hard to believe that yet another year had gone by and it was almost time to open up our treasure boxes and share the tidbits we had squirreled away throughout the year!

We like doing a little project on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day...one year we made hats...

just rolled up newspaper and goodies from around the house - see all that saving that I do does pay off!

The box tradition has become a favorite of mine, though, because it involves us all sitting around on New Year's Day showing each other what was special to us from the previous year.  Madison wants to make a box each year and decorate a wall of her future home with them.  Lane and I have stuck with our originals and we put our treasures in a envelope to save each year.

This has been a year of growing and challenges for us -some of the treasures in our boxes will make us cry and some will make us laugh, but all of them make us who we are.

To another year of treasures and another year of growth - welcome to 2011...

My most sincere wishes for a Happy 2011 to all of you who warm my heart by reading this blog.

xoxo   Elizabeth

The Elves Were Hard at Work!!!

This Christmas there was a lot of making of things at our house...I am very proud of my girlies for wanting to make gifts for the people they love.  I am very proud of my hubby for painting the most beautiful painting for his Godmother...and I am proud of me for tackling a new project - the sewing machine!

Here is Brian's painting of the Golden Gate Bridge...he always amazes me with his talents.  Just a year or so ago Brian said - I think I will take up oil painting - now......I am a supportive spouse, but some things just seem a bit far fetched to me...how can you just decide one day to oil paint!?

Well apparently Brian can!!!!!!!!  The quality of these photos isn't great, but I couldn't resist sharing this gorgeous painting (Kathy, you are lucky this painting left the house!)

Madison made some great journals...with quotes on the pages...

this book was for her dad - with quotes on happiness.

Along with her custom journals Madison made gorgeous necklaces...

Lane made bath salts so everyone could pamper themselves....

She also decorated the jars they were in, but I didn't get a photo of that - this set was for Madison and they went in a big basket of pampering goodies.

The kitchen smelled wonderful for days!  They are so sparkly and festive.

As I write this I am wearing one of my gifts from Lane - this darling pair of leaf earrings!

She also made me holly and flamingos!!!!!!

I have been hand sewing for many weeks - making ornaments....

 and little owl families - among other things...

 I made charms for my sister, Jennifer, to hang on a little metal tree that I got her for her birthday...some for Valentine's Day...

Some snowflakes and icicles for the remainder of Winter...and....

some flowers and bugs to usher in Spring when it gets here!

But....the thing that I wanted to try that was new...the thing that I put off because I was a little bit nervous...the thing that my sister does well and my mom did well, and I don't do yet...was....
The Sewing Machine - eeek!!!!!!

 I started with a small messenger type bag for Lane - that is a potholder on the front flap that I found at our annual trip to the Arnold Flea Market/Garage Sale.  Can you see the owl?

And...I lined it with the cutest owl fabric. I even made my own patterns - not sure why when you can buy them...but I did!   Now, you might notice that this purse is a little wrinkled - well I had a bit of a problem with some fabric that I thought might be interfacing...turns out it wasn't and my iron has a bit of gunk glued to it's surface!!!!!!!

After some hemming and hawing I moved on to a larger messenger bag for Madison.  If you look really closely at the strap you can see where I have to make a tiny adjustment - didn't get the straps into the seam quite far enough!!!!!!

But look how cute the fabric on the front is....

and again - some cute lining...and I even put some pockets on the inside of this one!  So I am a little bit less terrified of the sewing machine now - I may even tackle recovering the cushions on our couch.  Well, to be truthful it has taken me so long to get up the courage to do the couch that the cushions have disintegrated and we need to make new cushions also!

So, it was a handmade Christmas for us and I am proud of all of us!  Tell me what you made for Christmas or did someone make something for you?


xoxo     Elizabeth - who is no longer quite so afraid of the sewing machine (well maybe just a little!)