On a recent trip to a local thrift shop, I picked up a plaster cast kit. It came with butterfly molds, paints & science facts on the life cycle of butterflies. I am homeschooling my Son and this kit was perfect for a rainy day. As we were making the butterflies, I realized we still had a lot of left over plaster mixed up. Inspiration struck and I grabbed some soap molds I have had for years. I had fun painting the "heart in hand" piece after it dried. I am thinking Holiday gifts with the endless possibility of soap and candy molds. 

Last night I stayed up late & made wee Halloween costumes for fake crows. I kept imagining them walking the runway & getting 

critiqued by Tim Gunn...ha! I used an old German book (that was already damaged) orange felt .The crows are from the dollar tree and 

are foam covered with velveteen and feathers. It was quite easy to keep the pieces in pklace with straight pins. The were so much fun 

to make!

http://asnailspace.bigcartel.com/  

A Snail's Pace on Big Cartel is the latest & greatest place to get yourself some of my crafty handmade, nerdy goods. Check out my new shop space...new goodies arriving daily♥

http://lifeworkmediablog.wordpress.com/2011/04/25/book-themed-wedding-ideas-for-the-bookie-english-major-or-nerd-couple-yes-please/

  It is Wedding Season!♥ I have been married myself 10 wonderful years & had a blast planning my own wedding celebration. We even renewed our wedding vows in a ceremony in Arizona this past year, so I had another great time planning & scheming for that celebration. I love thinking about Weddings so much I should probably be a Wedding planner!
 There are some very cool & unusual themes for Wedding s out there these days. I have filled Etsy orders for the following Weddings: Goth, Old Horror Movies, Parisian, Dr. Who, Steampunk, Organic and my favorite...Book theme. 

 A book nerd & Wedding nerd...that describes me perfectly! Here a few peeks at 
some Book themed Weddings. Enjoy & Happy June!!

        
                 Skeletons both intrigue me & creep me out at the same time. Must be why I love them so! Here is a new image I came up with for my Etsy Shop. I am forever hearing about "Branding" & am trying to find mine. Thank goodness for The Graphics Fairy! That is where I get the majority of my Victorian images that I use in my art. No shortage of creepy, cool, old skeleton over there!

www.thewhoporium.etsy.com

   For a long time nerd lover such as myself, I have been familiar with Dr. Who for many years now. I do confess, that my first times watching it, were only because a cute geeky boy in my 8th grade English class liked the show. I did not like it. I thought the special effects were cheesy (they were) & Science Fiction/Fantasy did not interest me at that point (they do now.)
  A few years ago I started watching Dr. Who again & this is not the cheesy show I remembered. The special effects are amazing, the story lines catch me & now that I am a true SciFi/Fantasy geek myself....I just adore this show. 
 I started an Etsy Shop just for my love of the Dr. & all things handmade TARDIS related.
 For all my fellow Whovians out there, keep calm....& don't blink!

www.thewhoporium.etsy.com

www.thepapersnail.etsy.com

  I am glad I thought to throw the sidewalk chalk in the car last week when the weather was starting to get nicer. You just never know when the muse to get down on your knees & draw on the ground is going to strike. 
  I got hit with that very hankering this evening & my sister's front walkway was my canvas. There is something so satisfying about chalk for me. It is an instant connection to my childhood & happy Summer type memories.
  I'll re-up on the chalk now because I really wore mine down & you just never know when you will need to make art.

 We recently took a drive down the coast of Puget Sound & checked out the tulip fields in bloom in Skagit County. In this first shot you can see the Olympic Mountain range. Behind us, we had a glorious view of the N. Cascade Range. This outing is a Family favorite of ours & we try & go each year. 
 Hope you enjoy these pics!

Making your way through the muddy fields is part of the whole Tulip Viewing experience!

www.thepapersnail.etsy.com

www.thepapersnail.etsy.com

 I am always on the lookout for new ways to work with paper & Mod Podge, so when I saw some wrapped pencils in a fancy gift shop recently, I knew I had found my next project. 
 I had pencils, sealant & of course I have paper...I was ready for this! Some I covered in vintage Comic book pages & other with some pages from a old, damaged Reader's Digest. They took sharpening in the electric sharpener just fine & I love writing with them. Now, to try different pencils & paper combos.  
 Happy Crafting!

www.thepapersnail.etsy.com

www.thepapersnail.etsy.com

  I have always loved & been fascinated by birds. Their calls, feathers, nests never fail to catch my attention &  my imagination. 
 I like to bring natural elements into my home and am always partial to the rustic & shabby. I have been in paradise checking out The Lucketts online Vintage Hip store. A feast for the senses! My current favorite is this metal hook rack. Gorgeousness (& I know just where I would put it!)
http://shoplucketts.myshopify.com/products/metal-wall-hook-with-birds

 I have been working on this wreath for a long time now. It was in an almost finished stage for too long to admit to, but no more! It is finally finished & ready for me to shoot some great pics of it & list it in my Etsy shop The Paper Snail.
 It is made from scraps of an old romance novel & vintage comic books. Each scrap is dipped in glue than inserted in the straw wreath form over & over & over. It is an idea I adapted from a fabric wreath I saw online. I plan on starting another soon & I will post the project in steps. Blessings!

Today I was feeling a bit homesick for my hometown,Yakima (it happens) & I decided to drive across town to our Albertson's store. This weird out of date grocery store, for too many reasons to explain, reminds me of YAK & my folks, my youth & my Grandparents. We stepped inside the store & the smell of fried chicken, baked goods & burnt coffee blended perfectly with the golden oldies being played throughout the store. The boy & I looked at every hula hoop, bottle of bubbles & huge bouncy ball they had. It worked...♥


(Yakima is known for it's delicious Cherries. This sweet vintage cherries image is graciously free to use from thegraphicsfairy.blogspot.com)

  I adore old text and paper. I combined my love of paper and Victorian images in these prints. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do making them♥

 "What's for dinner tonight?"  The eternal question, eh? I try to plan our family's meals around what's on sale, local healthy & of course what we enjoy eating. My husband is a vegetarian (no meat at all even fish, but he will eat eggs) so after 10 plus years of marriage I have become a whiz at meals that are vegetarian for him yet have some meat for our son & I.
 By default, most of our meals are meatless, but I feel this is a healthier, less expensive & a ecologically sounder way to eat. Vegetarian spaghetti, chili, nachos, fajitas & veggies on the grill, are favorites around here but there are nights when the kid and I want something meaty like turkey meatloaf or grilled chicken breast.
 For night such as these, I will make a main meat dish, a starch (potato, rice etc) and a veg (salad, steamed broccoli, green beans etc). Then for my veggie hubs I make an alternative to the meat protein. Tofu cutlets, grilled tempeh, frozen chicken"less" nuggets & the like). The starch & veggie part of the meal is great for him and for us meat eaters. 
 So..what's for dinner tognight???


 From Rachel Ray ( made by: ME above!)

Ingredients

TipUse zucchini instead of eggplant.

• 1 large eggplant (about 1 3/4 pounds), cut lengthwise into 8 slices
• Salt and pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup store-bought pesto
• 2 1/2 cups bread crumbs
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup grated pecorino-romano cheese
• 1 cup store-bought marinara sauce

Directions

1. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and 4 tablespoons pesto. Pour the bread crumbs onto a large plate. Dip each eggplant slice into the egg mixture, then coat with the bread crumbs.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees ;. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the eggplant until golden, 2 minutes on each side, using the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer the eggplant to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet.
3. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta and 3 tablespoons pecorino-romano; season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 tablespoon of the remaining pesto on each eggplant slice and top with about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Roll up each slice. Bake until the eggplant is tender when pierced with a toothpick, about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer. Serve the roll-ups with the sauce and remaining pecorino.

    


  Every year about this time, I start dreaming of the Beach & summer Vacations. I am wanting to bring some of that feel & capture a bit of the fleeting Season. Creamy color combinations, natural textures, nautical prints & images all play a part in this look. here's to creating the perfect Summer Beach decor!

Gearing up for Summer (on a budget, of course!)

 We are quickly approaching Summer and time for all things outdoors. For our little Family this means, cook outs, camping, even longer evening walks, festivals, fairs and vacations. We really try to get as much enjoyment as we can from the Season.
  More than ever, all of the things we love to do will be on a tight budget. This means hitting up every free outdoor concert and family activity.

 In our area, the Parks and Recreation Dept. is the go-to source for all things free & family orientated. The public library is another great source for fun with Summer reading programs for both kids and adults, Family activities and oh yeah...FREE books, movies and music.


 We love having B.B.Q's with our friends and extended family and the cheapest, easiest and by far tastiest way to do this is to have potlucks. We always have the best mix of dishes, desserts and drinks. This is by far easier than the host doing all the work. Because WHO wants to spend the entire dinner party in the kitchen?!?
 I can never say enough good things about walking as a Family activity. It's FREE, you bond with your loved ones and you get to really see and experience your neighborhood or town.
 Vacation and camping are the bulk of where our "Summer" budget is spent. But you better believe we do it as frugally as possible! We research, plan and scheme during the dark, Winter months about our get-aways. Then book campsites, yurts, cabins, plane tickets etc. sometimes a year in advance in order to get the best rates.
 I realize this is more future planning than a lot of folks can manage but we have found that if make it a priority at the beginning of each year to sit down with the new years calender and our income tax return- that the extra bit of planning goes a long way to stretching our reserves.

 Here's to hoping you are dreaming  up all the ways you can to make your Summer fun and frugal.
Have fun...you know we will!

 I have a new obsession with crepe paper. I have seen it used in some really fab looking paper projects & finally decided to give it a go. First I have to say that I have only ever used crepe paper for party decorating & had forgotten how inexpensive it is. I paid less than a dollar for a big roll at my favorite local craft store (The Paper Zone). There were many colors to chose from and I picked black and a deep red.
 I wanted to make a banner from oval shapes cut from paper and embellish the oval shapes with pleated crepe paper. As usual, I had a "vision" of what I wanted this fancy banner  to look like.I nearly made the mark on this one, which is not always the case.
  I then created an image from three of the literally thousands of free images from The Graphics Fairy. I chose a French frame and with my computers software stretched to an oval shape then added a bee then a royal crown for a "queen Bee" effect. I printed it out onto stiff paper and cut it out. Then came the really fun part, I flipped the image over and started pleating the black crepe paper and gluing it to the queen bee image as I worked around.  Since this was my first time with this craft, the last one I made looked much better than the first as I got the hang of the pleating process.
 When I was done working with the crepe paper, I flipped the piece over right side and glued it to a "flower" made from hearts cut from an old chemistry text book. I am planning on punching holes at the tops of the "flowers" then threading them onto white hemp twine to create the banner.
   I found working with crepe paper to be a bit tricky but I am learning and above all enjoying this new medium.

  I like the rain. It's free water, it's perfect coffee drinking  & book reading weather & it's romantic. Even with all the things I love about the rain, and there is A LOT of it here in the Pacific Northwest, I find myself  longing to see the sun the past few days. It has rained non-stop and it feels a bit like living underwater. I need to gear up and get out and walk in it. Let myself get wet and muddy and chilled, then come back in to warm up and watch the rain fall and the songbirds bathe in the puddles.

 Sunnier, warmer days will soon be here & it will be a green season thanks to all of this rain. So, let it fall, let it pour, let it drench and I will work on embracing it.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/71079863/sparrow-paris-post-vintage-dictionary

 I made this little cutie last night & just listed it  in The Paper Snail. I added the "Paris" banner & am thinking about a crown for the sparrow. Thanks to The Graphics Fairy for the free antique images.

 Craft Cult has been an invaluable resource for me as an Etsy Seller & Crafter. I can see info about my shops & their listings at a glance. This is a very user friendly site & gets the "Snail Of Approval"

http://www.craftcult.com/index.php?userid=