Just Listed: Jewelry/Keepsake Box On Etsy

I made my first sale on Etsy.com this week. It was unexpected, but just what I needed because I was about to give up on Etsy. Please note that I do accept commissions, especially when it comes to needlework. If you're interested you can request a custom item.

Here are some details on the new item, a keepsake box, that I listed today:

Restored, customized and hand painted jewelry or keepsake box. Found the box at a California Swap Meet and gave it a massive facelift, new knobs, screws, etc. It took some work, but it was worth it. Heavy, good quality wood.

Various painted patterns on outside include leaves, flowers, geometric patterns. Colors on the outside are gold, green, burgundy, orange, light blue, cream. Painted black on inside. Has intentional "distressed" or vintage look. Brass-style knobs.

Box has a sizable drawer and compartments which are perfect for jewelry. Enamel paint with satin finish. Dimensions are approximately 9 inches by 6.5 inches by 6 inches. Painted in smoke-free environment. Please note that I only use non-toxic paints which are made in the USA. In this case I used Deco Art Americana Gloss Enamel paints.

View additional images here. Thanks for taking the time to look through the shop.

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Butternut Squash Soup

I recently threw a few squash seeds in my backyard. Didn't expect them to yield much of anything, so I was surprised when I got a nice butternut squash patch. So I made soup. Here's a very easy butternut squash soup recipe that I think you'll enjoy. Below I also included a non-meat option for those of you who are vegetarians or keep kosher and want to make this "parve."
Ingredients:

• 1 large butternut squash (about 2 to 3 pounds), peel and remove seeds
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine (your choice)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• A pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and ground black pepper

After peeling and seeding your butternut squash, cut into 1" pieces. Melt butter or margarine in a large pot. Add chopped onion and cook for about 8 minutes. Give the onions and butter (or margarine) a stir. Add squash and chicken stock. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the squash is tender.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the squash to puree in blender. Add the pureed squash to pot. Stir well and add seasonings (a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste). Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Ready to serve. Makes about 6 servings.

Make it vegetarian or parve (for the vegetarians and/or the "kosher" crowd):

• Instead of 6 cups of chicken stock, make 6 cups of broth using a vegetarian chicken flavored option (like Frontier Chicken Flavored Broth Powder) or kosher Osem brand Chicken Style Consome.
• Please note that the powders are already seasoned, so you will probably not want to add any additional salt. Add pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

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Easy Puppet Dinosaur Craft Project

Dinosaurs are fascinating. Most of us have probably gone through a dinosaur phase -- I know I did. My nephew can rattle off dino names with roots in Greek and Latin. Some dinosaur names I'm unaware of, so he's teaching me. He's six, but he can tell me all about the Colepiocephale ("it has a funny head!"). So when he asked me if I can help him make dinosaurs earlier this evening I had to come up with something fun.

We made Papa Stegosaurus and Baby Stegaosaurus puppets -- prehistoric puppets - using cardboard and small rocks in various colors. If you don't want to use rocks, you can easily use something else (felt, glitter, construction paper). We thought the small decorative rocks looked more "authentic" -- and it was almost like a puzzle having my nephew figure out which rock to use in a given area.

You will need:

• Cardboard
• Sturdy scissors
• 2 googly/wiggle eyes (available at virtually any craft store)
• A glue gun or Elmer's glue (If you opt to use a glue gun, which is easier and recommended, be aware under no circumstance should a young child use a glue gun. Adult supervision is necessary!)
• A bag of decorative rocks/pebbles (you'll find these at Jo-Ann's, Michaels, and even Big Lots!)
• 3 thick popsicle sticks
• Draw a dinosaur shape onto cardboard and cut out the shape. Our Papa Dino was about 8" wide and 5" tall. The little guy was about 4" wide and 2½" tall.

On a clear surface, divide pebbles by color. Draw and cut out two dinosaur shapes onto cardboard. Now you'll glue rocks onto cardboard. For younger kids, let them choose the rocks and take care of glueing the rocks yourself. Keep at it until the entire dinosaur is covered.

My nephew advised me that the Stegaosaurus' plates should be a reddish hue because this is how they likely warded off predators (thank you BBC's "Walking With Dinosaurs").

The project should take a good hour. Once you're done, glue popsicle sticks (you can buy these cheaply at any craft store) to the back of your finished product. We used two sticks for the bigger dinosaur to be on the safe side because of all those rocks. Just one was needed for the little dinosaur.

Don't forget to glue a googly eye onto each dinosaur!

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New Projects Soon To Be Featured On Etsy Shop

I'm currently working on a couple of new embroidery projects -- so you'll see more in a few days. Stay tuned.

Please consider checking out my Etsy shop here. Also, you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

The embroidered picture on the left was created using wool and acrylic yarns on white homespun fabric.

The image groups various colorful summer blossoms. 11 by 14. Framed professionally at Aaron Brothers.

Original pattern by Dimensions. Completed and customized by me.

You can view more details for this particular picture here.

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Heavenly Cheesecake

Cheesecake, along with chocolate, is a major vice of mine. I don't feel too bad about eating it however because I've found ways to skim on the calories. I also make sure to keep to an active lifestyle -- it takes away from the guilt women invariably feel after devouring a slice of fudge cake or cheesecake.

Here's a recipe my mom and grandmother sort of adapted -- it's a traditional recipe. While it takes a bit of time to make the result is very good. I have finally perfected it!
Crust Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons margarine or butter (I used margarine.)
• 1½ cups graham cracker, crushed into crumb-like consistency (You can also use Honey Maid Graham Cracker Crumbs to save time.)

Cake Ingredients:

• 4 reduced fat cream cheese packs -- each should be 8 ounces
• 5 eggs
• 1 pack instant vanilla pudding
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup milk
• 1½ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons corn starch

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To make crust:

Melt margarine in microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and mix with graham cracker crumbs. In a round, 9 inch pan flatten graham cracker mixture to cover bottom of pan evenly.

To make cake mixture:

In a large bowl add cream cheese, sour cream, milk.

In a separate bowl, separate egg whites. Add the yolks to the bowl with the cream cheese, sour cream and milk.

Whip egg whites with 1½ cups sugar. Add sugar slowly as you whip. Set aside.

With an electric mixer set to medium speed mix cream cheese, sour cream, milk, egg yolks. Slowly add in the instant vanilla pudding and corn starch. Now fold in the egg whites and sugar mixture with a rubber spatula into your large bowl. Mix all ingredients well for about two minutes.

Pour mixture onto crust/pan. Wrap the bottom of pan with alumnim foil so it water won’t seep in in the water bath.

In a large pan (larger than your cheesecake pan), add boiling hot water for water bath -- about halfway should do it. Place pan inside, making sure aluminum foil is protecting cake. Allow to bake on 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Cheesecake will need to cool for at least 6 hours -- overnight is fine (just make sure to cover it once it’s cooled a bit). Place in fridge after it has cooled for five hours before serving (this way your cake won’t split or break up).

You can add your own garnish, such as berries, graham cracker crumbs or whipped topping. I personally prefer plain cheesecake.

Hope that helps and let me know if you have any questions.

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The Happiest Place On Earth

Jasmine is going to be soooo jealous.

Yep, I am the dork who went to Disneyland on the 4th of July. And I wore red, white and blue, too. Aladdin called me a princess. ♥

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Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day! Have a wonderful and safe holiday.

If you're able, please consider showing your appreciation to our troops who are overseas. Our troops are unable to enjoy the holiday with their families, but by sponsoring a USO Care Package you can help to let military personnel know that the citizens they help to keep safe care about their well-being.

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