Curtain Charm

Entry to the dining area from the kitchen.

Curtains are secured and stay in place.

I recently replaced my faux suede drapes with some light-weight curtains I found in the discount bin at Big Lots. I was looking to add some excitement to the dining area window and decided these would probably do the trick - keeping with my color scheme.

They're light weight and thin, but still have a slight room darkening affect when closed and you can't see through them at night either.

Grandma's vintage brooch.

With the recent warmer weather, I've been able to enjoy opening the sliding window where these curtains hang. The problem is, they are so light weight that the slightest breeze whips these around like a sail on a sailboat.


I was going to add a safety pin to the back where the curtains join in the middle of the rod, but came up with this idea to use a large vintage brooch I had come across recently in my Grandmother's old jewelry box. It complements the design in the curtains and it secures the curtains in place. They haven't budged! ...even with the wind whipping the curtain like a billowing sail. I did have to use a rubber band to secure the curtain on the curtain hook.  

It's hard to detect if you aren't really looking. I know it's there, though and I think about my Grandma every time I look at it. 

Alice was her name.








































Joining the following Link Parties:

A Bowl Full of Lemons


Carrie This Home Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop


The Dedicated House


Elizabeth & Co.


Ivy & Elephants


Wake Up Wednesday Linky Party


The Weekday Mixer Social Media Link-up 

Greeting Cards - The Personal Kind

I've made a few cards over recent months for family, friends and coworkers.

Luckily, I've been able to generate a few unique creations with the cogs turning in my mind. I like it when I have plenty of time to create cards when I can layer things in 3-D effect. Unfortunately, time is a rare thing and making cards is even more limited. These are all computer made with faux layering looks in some instances.

Coworker birthday card - seek and find

The one I had the most fun making was the coworker's birthday card (above). It's a seek 'n find that I made with photos from a recent trip to England. She and her husband have been to England in the past, so she is familiar with most all the hidden pictures.

The castle ruins are from my family heritage. I had a lot of fun with this one.

Dear friend's birthday card - 91 years old

This card was for a February birthday of a dear friend who loves the cards I make for her. I'm always transposing her smiling face onto various celebrities. She gets such a kick out of them and she shows them off to everyone!

Mom's birthday card - a Duck Dynasty fan

This card I made for mom in October was obviously in keeping with the Duck Dynasty theme. It was a quick toss together. She enjoyed it - obviously she can be goofy herself as she is seen in this photo with the clown nose from an event years ago. She loves to have fun at 75.

Coworker farewell card

 A coworker in a neighboring office got a job in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area. After chatting briefly with her about her praying about the direction to take, I had this idea. She thanked me for using her favorite piece of art.

Coworker farewell card

Another coworker in that same office left a month or so prior. It was a difficult departure since her position was being eliminated and it wasn't by choice. I added a Bible scripture on a separate piece of paper on the inside front cover.


Well, those are my most recent creations.

I have some upcoming birthdays that I've already been working on. They involve more detail and will be more elaborate in putting together. When I got the idea for these works in progress, I made sure I started early to allow for do-overs and tweaking. I'll post those when they are completed.

Enjoy this day!


Linky parties I've joined:

http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2014/03/anything-blue-friday-week-52.html

http://www.mamasblogcentral.com/t-g-i-f-linky-party/

http://www.waittilyourfathergetshome.com/

http://www.myturnforus.com/2014/03/freedom-fridays-with-all-my-bloggy_27.html

http://www.trulylovelyblog.com/

http://livelaughrowe.com/breakfast-is-served/

http://www.jannolson.blogspot.com/

http://www.artsyfartsymama.com/2014/03/artsy-corner-link-party-4.html#more

http://igottacreate.blogspot.com/2014/03/wildly-original-link-party-97.html#more

http://ahandfulofeverything.blogspot.com/

I'm not Irish, but . . .

I didn't wear green on St. Patrick's Day!

Roasted cabbage

I'm not Irish, but I do regard their heritage as being worthy of using the correct slang of ST. PADDY'S DAY and NOT St. Patty's Day. 

I saw a few commercials on TV referencing Patty and it made me cringe. I was embarrassed for them. I vowed I wouldn't shop at a store that couldn't get the terminology right. Of course, I'm not in the market for furniture anyway, so that was an easy boycott. 

I have friends who use the wrong reference too. I've tried to light-heartedly correct them and provided a link to information about the proper use. Most ignore it. 

Earlier this week I came across a recipe for roasted cabbage - well, not so much a recipe as a "how to." I tend to roast most vegetables these days, because they have a deeper, richer, and sometimes sweeter flavor.  

My husband didn't care too much for radishes. Not even the thinly sliced ones I added to our salads. Then one day I roasted some with a mixture of parsnips, turnips, carrots - and he was shocked! Radishes take on a whole different flavor when roasted - sweet bits of earthy flavor burst onto your tastebuds.

Corned beef and creamy mashed potatoes with roasted cabbage

The "how to" on most roasted veg is simple - cut root vegetables of your choosing into same size pieces - spritz with olive oil (toss in a bowl or brush on - your choice) - spread evenly on a baking tray - bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes (give or take an extra 5 minutes or so). You don't want them shriveled up and dried out, so keep an eye on them toward the end of the time. Oven temps vary it seems.

The veg comes out tender and moist. If you find it looks a bit dry - just spritz it with some olive oil. A little salt and pepper and you're good to go.

I decided to try the cabbage this week, because I purchased a package of corned beef last weekend. All the talk of St. Paddy's Day got me in the mood for corned beef and cabbage. I typically would have sautéed the cabbage in a skillet, but roasting is definitely the way to go for me.

As it roasted in the oven, the aroma of cabbage was filling the house - corned beef was already done in the crockpot. Even though we have cut way back on carbohydrate consumption, I decided some creamy mashed potatoes would be just the thing to add to this meal.

Oh! How good it is!