More Inspiration from Betty

This morning as I was putting the tatooed love lady back where she belongs, up on the board on my studio wall, something else from Betty Locke caught my eye. This could be my all-time favorite from Betty and thought you might like to see it, too.

She used a large piece of watercolor paper and again, thinking of the size and shape of the envelope, sketched my name in large happy letters and drew lots of bubbles. Then she cut away the background on the top portion of the letters using an exacto knife and added bright splashes of color. She scored and folded what little was left on each side and made it a fold-over card to fit inside a No. 10 (business size) envelope, leaving my name to "pop" up when folded.

On the inside she wrote a short note. Then, needless to say, the envelope matches with her same wonderful style. Can you imagine my thrill when I received this in the mail?

Betty has inspired me for years and years and there's nothing more exciting than an envelope from Betty. I hope she inspires you to get out your watercolors and exacto knife. Scan what you come up with and send it to me at the email address on the right. I'd love to see your creations!

Leftover Love

Let me introduce you to a little illustration I have hanging in my studio. I think of her as the Tatooed Love Lady and she hangs on my wall and greets me everyday. Yesterday she was gone when I came in. Today she's back and looking just a tad tired.



I sure hope she was buzzing all around you yesterday! Love is what we live for...from the full blown, take-your-breath-away, romantic love to the sweet smile of a child's face...and everything in between. I truly hope love was very apparent to you yesterday and is everyday.

The Tatooed Love Lady was drawn and painted and sent to me about ten years ago by my friend and mentor, Betty Locke, who lives on beautiful Victoria Island in Canada.

Create Your Own Cream Puff

Way back when Jesus was just a boy, I learned how to make cream puff pastry. It's one of the easiest and most impressive desserts you can make. As a Valentine treat, I baked a dozen cream puffs and put together a "Create Your Own Cream Puff" bar. The simple recipe follows at the end of this post.

Then because I'm a quick and easy kind of girl, I spoon vanilla ice cream into balls and pop onto a cookie sheet to flash freeze, mix up some instant vanilla pudding, and whip some whipping cream. I heated hot fudge sauce and carmel topping and arranged everything in little bowls for guests to decide how they want to create their own cream puff.

It's easy, delish, and fun to do. I think you should try it. Let me know how it goes over at your house...

Cream Puffs
1 cup water
1 stick butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat water and butter to rolling boil. Stir in flour. Sir vigorously over low heat about one minute or until mixture forms a ball. Remove from the heat. Beat in eggs, all at one time; continue beating until smootgh. Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls three inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool away from draft. Cut off tops. Pull out any filaments of soft dough. Carefully fill puffs with your choice of filling. Replace tops; top with desired topping. Can be refrigerated until serving time and can be made well in advance and stored in a large ziploc baggie.

A Variety of Valentines

If you're the handmade valentines kind of person, you have to consider those people who are not fluffy pink and red heart types...the nonmushy kind. Here is an easy alternative for you. Just cut a heart out of corrugated cardboard, spruce it up a little with an additional tag and you're good to go. Absolutely no mush here.

And then there are the sweet little pink heart types that are so easy to please. The next photo shows a watercolor heart with space for a message. Here's how you do it:

Take a piece of watercolor paper and cut it to fit your envelope. Remember from the previous post...you always start with the envelope. Then lightly pencil the shape of a heart. It doesn't have to be a perfect heart, in fact I think they're more charming when the sides don't match. Then add a piece of PostIt tape diagonally across the heart. PostIt tape comes on a roll and it's removable. If you don't have any or can't find it, use the sticky part of a PostIt note. Just make sure it sticks very well so your watercolor doesn't bleed underneath. Then watercolor your heart with a color of your choice. Let it dry. (That's an important step!) Remove the tape and add your own little short message across the heart.

These are also sweet for hang tags on gifts with the addition of a litle ribbon.

Whatever you do...enjoy your upcoming Love Day!

The Envelope Please

Okay, you have a week to get your heart-shaped cookies baked and your Valentines made. Better get going...

Let's start with the envelope. If you're making handmade valentines, you must start with the envelope. Believe me when I tell you it's easier to adjust the size of what goes in than to hunt high and low for the perfect size envelope. And I speak from experience! Remember you can always click on the picture to enlarge.

You'll need a waterproof, permanent pen to letter with if you use watercolors, but if you don't have one and don't want to make a run to your nearest Michael's or Hobby Lobby, just use colored pencils. Pretty much the same look, if you don't look too closely. Draw your letters in a block fashion as I did with "Kenzie" or add a little flourish as I did with "Liz." Then go back and color in the letters with blocks, polka dots, or the animal prints. If it makes you more comfortable or if you have a limited number of envelopes and you can't waste any, lightly outline in pencil what you want to do. Then, as you can tell, I use lots of dots and lines to make it pop.

On the one for St. Wayne, the first thing I did was watercolor a big heart or at least part of a heart. Or you could do lots of tiny hearts in the background. The key is to let it dry. Take a walk or take a nap, but let it dry (that's hard part for me!) Just have fun with it and don't be afraid. You can do it and be so proud, and the recipient will be really impressed. Everyone likes to see his/her name in "fancy letters."

And then to further embellish this vessel of delivery for your innermost heartfelt romantic thoughts...line your envelope. The possibilities are endless here. You can use decorative scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, or a picture from a magazine. Open the flap and put it face down. Roughly measure from just below the adhesive on the inside of the flap to about and inch or so below the opening and across for the width. Cut your liner paper accordingly and add a line from a glue stick across the top, to be placed just below the adhesive on the envelope flap, let it dry, and you're good to go!

Okay, the pressure's on...7 days left!

A Bull in a China Closet

St. Wayne's mother, Gertrude had a great collection of Candlewick and I inherited it when she passed away. It's all in a cabinet in our kitchen eating area. A few years ago when we remodeled the kitchen, I decided it could look alot more dramatic if I put black foam core in the background and added rope lighting. And it does look great until the lights burn out, which is about once a year.

The top picture is of the cabinet in the dark. You can't see anything inside. The second picture is St. Wayne up on a ladder replacing the lights. It makes me so nervous for him to be on a ladder in the first place, not to mention up there handling that delicate crystal. Each piece has to be moved out so he can get to the back to lay the rope, and then all put back in again. It's just "clink, clink, clink" the whole time and I can't stand to watch. In his defense, he's very careful and I've probably broken more pieces than he ever has, but I just can't watch it. So I decided I would snap some pictures while he was working and that seemed to help ease my nerves.

The final picture is back to normal and lighted...with no broken pieces! Isn't it gorgeous? If you're not familiar with Candlewick, it is simple, clear glass that has the little bubbles or dots on the edge and the way it catches the light inside the cabinet, it reminds me of ice sculpture. It makes me happy to look at it. I cherish the collection and I use it alot because it goes with everything. And the best part is it reminds me of my mother-in-law who collected it while she and Wayne's dad Al were newlyweds living in Chicago.

Ahhh, everything's back in its place and now I can relax and enjoy how it looks again! Thanks, St. Wayne, for being so prompt when those lights burn out...

Breakfast with Lori

This picture was sent to me this morning by my friend Lori up near Austin. It's what her kids had for breakfast.

Every little kid should have a mom like Lori. She's totally devoted to them and puts lots of energy, fun, and love into everyday for her family. I've never seen anyone like her.

She's one of my all time favorite people. She's young enough to be my daughter. From the first day we met, we've been able to sit and talk forever about our favorite subjects: paper, ribbon, hole-punchers, good and easy recipes, and giving parties. We are such kindred spirits, we must of have been great friends in another life.

For the past three years, she's been able to arrange leaving her sweet family, hubs and daughter and son, and come down to attend "Move Over, Martha!" and stays at my house through Sunday morning. It's such a sweet time for me and we talk nonstop about things that bore the paint off the wall for everyone else.

And her husband Richard is the best. He stays home and takes care of the kids while she's away and once even took them camping. How many men would do that alone? Richard's love of camping brings him to the beach with the guys sometimes and in his attempt to teach Lori to appreciate the finer aspects of camping, he brought her to the beach last summer. But, now here's where husbands everywhere can learn a trick, he brought her back to the Omni Hotel downtown to sleep every night. Thus, she now loves "camping"! What a guy...

And their kids are adorable...Blaire is in first grade and would really prefer staying home to going to school because there are much better art supplies at home. And Case hasn't started school yet, so he gets a full day of fun with mom.

Thanks for the picture, Lori. Every little kid should be so lucky to spend a snow day with you!

Jammie Day

It's long after noon and I'm still in my jammies. The weather is frightful outside and so unlike South Texas so I found my flannel pajamas so good and warm this morning, I never took them off and got dressed. To equalize the feeling of being a pitiful slob, I decided I'd better get something major accomplished so I tackled my hall linen closet. It's a great closet with lots of deep shelves and holds alot of stuff, as you can see.

The first photo is the result of lots of hard work today and shows the completed project after two trips to The Container Store (I've been planning this for quite some time) and half a million dollars despite the Elfa baskets being 20% off. I do feel calm and serene when I stand there and look and no longer open the door with fear and trepidation. In fact I might just leave that door open for awhile.

All the baskets are now labeled and I found a place for the vacuum cleaner bags and the little footstool nobody can ever find. Irma, my sweet housekeeper is going to be so happy when she gets here tomorrow.

I nearly didn't show you the before picture, but thought you might want to compare just to justify a day in my jammies...that second photo is pretty scary, huh?

Now...one closet down and four to go. Yea spring cleaning!