Roll with the Punches

Here it is, the last week for businesses to truly get orders shipped before Christmas. I actually have an ad / promo running since Saturday...oh...& my computer's been dead just as long. Frustration.

I'm fairly handy with the computer & thought that it was just the power supply, but on Sunday when that didn't work..yeah--then I was irate.

Oh well. I've got someone looking at it later today & I've been able to keep on track with orders, etc at work (shuuuussh)...but since I'm not able to list new items or browse, I've forced myself to just chill --for me.

Hah..we were taking our time at Target last night & I happened to pass by a display of Guitar Hero games on clearance. Oooh. $12 for the game + 2 of the "guitars" (was $90). I know quite a few musicians that      

d.e.s.p.i.s.e. these games. But considering my music instrumental ability is right between zero & nothing, it works! I'm almost embarrassed to admit that my hand is a little sore this morning because I was so amused with the plastic guitar.

Some things you can control & other things you can't. The computer will be fixed soon & for now I can deal without being in a constant up-to-the-minute state of control. Not such a terrible thing every once in a while.

'til next time

♥-Kat

Design Fix: Quick DIY Artwork Idea

Okay...DIY--I'm referring to the 3 pieces of "art" to the right. The one on the left is a drawing I did going on 6 years ago back in college. It's one of my fav's that I finally decided to slap in a frame so it wouldn't be ruined!

DIY Idea: Stretched Fabric Art

This is a very quick & inexpensive* project. And little skill required - yea!

Materials:

Fabric

Assembled Stretcher Bars*

Heavy Duty Stapler & Staples*

*I had everything on hand except the stretcher bars, so my cost was about $10 total as I bought those on sale. Stretcher bars can be found in the art dept. of most craft supply stores-- Hobby Lobby, Pearl, Dick Blick. I've had my Stanley stapler for years for light upholstery--from the hardware section at Walmart.

I worked in a frame shop in a past life (prior to graduating) for a couple of years & I went to the Art Institute of Atlanta.  One of the things that I learned about was stretching canvas. Well, this is mucho easier. For those of you that are also familiar with stretching canvas...I actually recommend NOT using canvas pliers. They can easily rip thinner fabric & distort patterns easily.

For those of you not familiar with stretching canvas, follow this link for a good tutorial that will show you what to do. For our purposes, you can omit using the pliers and wood chips/keys (last step shown). Just keep the fabric pulled taught without distorting the design.

Quick hints:

•You could mount these into open-stock frames. Hobby Lobby has a decent selection, often at 50% off, & their frame shop will often assemble it for you while you wait gratis. If interested, stick with standard frame sizes when picking out fabric/stratcher bars (i.e. 11x14, 16x20, 18x24, etc). Otherwise, you'll have to do a custom frame & your price for this project just rocketed sky-high!

•Allow a good 4-ish inches of fabric beyond the stretcher size so that you can easily pull/wrap the fabric around to secure. It also allows you play room to adjust if the design starts to distort.

Fun with fabric & a stapler, hooray!

♥-Kat.

Ornament & magnet gift sets now available @cardinalhouse shop:

More colorways available!

Friday Treats: Lazy brunch pie!

This is a take-off of a recipe I found in my clippings (can't tell what magazine it came from). I actually made this Thanksgiving morning & used a frozen pie crust for ease. It turns out so moist, yet still slices well!

(9" pie shell - ever how)  

6 eggs

1 cup small curd cottage cheese

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

2 oz pancetta*

2 oz cooked ham*

1 green onion, sliced

2 Tbsp. torn (or snipped) Italian parsley

*pancetta & ham...thickness is personal preference....I like to buy from deli in thicker slices if I know I'm going to make, but can use the thinner slices for sandwiches, etc if on hand or use the pre-packaged (typically thin) if the deli line is too much.

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl stir together eggs, cottage cheese, shredded cheeses, pancetta, ham, green onion, and parsley. [I also toss in a twist of sea salt, a pinch of white pepper & ground nutmeg] Pour into unbaked crust. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. If necessary, cover edge of crust with foil during baking to prevent overbrowning. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

So Yum!

♥-Kat.

Stepping Stone: cardinalhouse has 500 Etsy hearts

Wow!

Thanks to all!

♥-Kat.