Sushi

My Hubs and I are at the place in our lives where we relish time together. We love every single second of doing things, just the two of us!!! :)

We both ADORE sushi, and have been wanting badly to try Drunken Fish, a restaurant in the St. Louis area, for some time. We finally got over there, and we CANNOT WAIT TO GO BACK!!!!!!

The rolls were truly amazing, the drinks were exquisite, and the dessert ... OH MY GOODNESS!!!!

If you live close, give it a shot! It is a little $$$ but for a splurge night once in a blue moon, totally worth it. The atmosphere too is really fresh and hip! :)

So of course, all that sushi got me in a mood!

:)

These are my newest 3x3 card sets. SOOO perfect for birthday tags, lunch box notes, and simple thank you notes. They come 4 to a box with homemade colored envelopes, and an adorable reusable paper box. :)

Can you say the perfect present???

Blessings,

a different angle

I have been having a lot of feelings lately friends about my life. I think mostly I am weighing on the reality that in just a few short days I will be 25 (YIKES!) It isn't old, and I don't feel old, but I feel ... VOID?? Perhaps that isn't truly a good indication of what is going on inside me either ...

I am one of those people that have lists and lists and lists of TO DO, and Bucketlists, and wants, and tries, and high and low, and never... and yet my lists seem to get longer, but the checks of satisfaction knowing I did one of those items seem to be so few.

How does one go about changing their life to not be about making another item to check off, but about checking off what is currently on the list??

I have accomplished much in my almost 25 (gulp!) years of existence, and yet it seems so small in the vastness that is this beautiful world ...


Not sure why that felt important ... but it did. :)



How do you make your dreams reality??



Blessings,

Button Close-up!

I wanted to give you all a close-up of the darling button I made for the Swag Bags at the Not Your Grandmother's Craft Fair over the weekend.

So, the button itself is 3D (with the blue popping from the brown, and the birds off the branch), and I think it would be just perfect on a book bag, reusable shopping bag, or even as a craft show accessory when you are browsing all kinds of handmade!

Blessings,

NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER's CRAFT FAIR

A complete and total success! I loved talking with all kinds of people, explaining my design process, decorating my booth ... it was just FUN and such a confidence boost!!!!

Special thanks to Jillian from A Little Slice of Pye for organizing the whole thing. It was not only a success in my book, but I truly hope there is another soon!!!!

Blessings,

BAD BLOGGER

Slapping my own wrist. Silly me, I have been sooo busy I have not been as good of a blog updater as I would like.

This month has been full of ...

Dan's Graduation Announcements

Sandy's Retirement Invitations

Nicole's Bridal Shower Invitations

My Cousin Lauren and Brother-in-law Michael's Graduations

Our sweet friends Maryl & Ryan's Wedding Programs & a couple event photos

Not Your Grandmother's Craft Show Swag Bag Items

and last but not least ...

Janee's Graduation Announcements

No, I haven't been busy at all!

Thanks for all the fantastic people who have ordered from me, and helped to make my business a blooming success!!!

Blessings,

Cinco De Mayo!

I love love love Mexican food, Margaritas, and Bright colors .... of course Cinco de Mayo is SOOO much fun to celebrate!!!

 :)

Tonight, we had a smaller then usual celebration {last year we threw a party}, and didn't even eat Mexican ... {it is just so high in calories} BUT, I had such a nice time with my Hubs.

Here are my Cinco De Mayo inspired designs. :)

These are 3x3 lemon and lime cards. Small, and perfect for a quick note in a school lunch box, or to send a smile to a friend. :)

I hope you enjoyed the day as much as I did!

:)

Blessings,

Craft Fairs

Not like I'm busy enough right?


(wink wink)


I have added a few more dates to my busy calendar! While they will make me pull my hair out I'm certain, I also cannot contain my excitement!! I think craft fairs are a wonderful way to meet the community and also fellow crafters! I get excited when I have the pleasure of being accepted into fairs, and then meeting all kinds of new people while showing off what I love!!!


SO MARK YOUR CALENDARS FRIENDS!


May 22nd -- Not Your Grandmother's Craft Fair

Facebook Group -- http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118067948211619&ref=mf
Blog-- http://www.notyourgrandmascraftfair.blogspot.com/

July 17th -- PASTE Soulard Market Arts and Craft Fair
Facebook Group -- http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=116463581716432&ref=ts

SO, like a crazy, I am super excited, and super busy working on all kinds of new designs, and a few oldies but goodies to have present.

You should come by and check both shows out, and ESPECIALLY my booth ... hehe. Visit me at either craft fair, and mention reading about them on my blog, and get a special surprise!

hehehe


YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE IT!

Working on all kinds of things at the moment. Excited to post pictured shortly.


Blessings,

Hannah & Matthew

Wedding invitations are such an amazing part of my job!!! I love working with different clients, colors, and themes. Every wedding couple is unique, and every wedding vision is different!

I met Matt & Hannah a few months back, and we have been working super hard to complete their invitation suite. There colors were burgundy, black, and white, and the invites show it off!

I think they turned out just beautiful!!! I love the ribbon with the monogram that close off the pocket invitation. An easy addition, but makes such a beautiful difference.

What do you think??

Blessings,

THANK YOU!

Just wanted to say ...


THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

Chinese Night

So some of you fancy readers know I am on a health food kick! Not a New Years Resolution, but a life-style change. Since the middle of February I have lost a total of 14 pounds, and 2 pant sizes.

Sadly ... I feel like the commercial for some weight loss supplement I believe. Here is the commercial ... you should get my message, LOL.




and while I have no intentions of taking SlimQuick or any other supplement, losing weight is tough stuff!!!




I am actively doing the C25K program {Couch to 5K} and it has truly changed my ideas of excerice, 
eating right, and changing my mindset. I also use sparkpeople.com for motivation and sparkrecipes.com to keep up with my calorie intake etc.


I told you all that, LOL to show you this.


MY NEWEST MOST FAVIE HEALTHY CHINESE MEAL!


Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients: 1 lb. flank steak 1 Tbs. cornstarch 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. sugar 1/8 tsp. baking soda sauce: 2 Tbs. oyster sauce 2 Tbs. soy sauce 1 tsp. peanut oil 1 tsp. cornstarch 1/2 tsp. sugar 1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper 2 cups small broccoli florets 3 Tbs. peanut oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 small yellow onion, cut into 1-inch dice

Directions

Cut the steak across the grain into strips 3 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. In a bowl, stir together the cornstarch, salt, sugar, baking soda and 2 Tbs. water. Add the beef and stir until well mixed. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a bowl, combine the oyster sauce, dark and light soy sauces, peanut oil, cornstarch, sugar, white pepper and 2 Tbs. water. Set aside.

Bring a saucepan three-fourths full of water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli florets and blanch until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, rinse under running cold water until cool and drain again. Set aside.

Remove the beef from the bowl and pat dry with paper towels. In a wok or large, deep sauté pan over high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the peanut oil until very hot. Add the beef and stir-fry until it just turns opaque, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, quickly transfer the beef to a sieve placed over a bowl to drain.

Wipe out the pan with paper towels and reheat over high heat. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil and heat until very hot. Add the onion and stir-fry until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the onion, and stir-fry until golden, about 30 seconds more.

Add the sauce to the pan, stir and bring to a boil. Immediately add the beef and broccoli and stir-fry until the sauce thickens and the beef is heated through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the beef and broccoli to a warmed bowl and serve.

Number of Servings: 5

Hubs loves this, and so do it!

Trust me, you can't go wrong. We serve it with unfried rice, and baked egg rolls. YUMMO!

Let me know if you try it!

Tonight I am busily working on a wedding order due Saturday. I will post photos soon ... they are turning out beautifully!

Blessings,

WHOOO WHOOO

Lately, I have been such a Night Owl!

I rarely fall asleep before 3:00am these days, and although I miss the snuggle time with my Hubs, it is my most productive hours of the day!

In honor of my night time craziness, here are a few OWL :)

WHICH OWL IS YOUR FAVORITE????

Blessings,

Lillie Ann

Yesterday morning I was awaken by my phone ringing...

 On the other end was my Aunt Donna announcing oh so happily her daughter-in-laws water broke. This was about 6:30am.

Sweet Lillie Ann came into this big world at 7:58am. Teeny tiny, and oh so beautiful. I couldn't help all my cooey and caahing looking down at her! She is just a blessing from above!

Happily Mom and Baby are doing well. I seriously LOVE HER ALREADY!!!!! I'm working on a few cute photo announcements to announce her arrival. I will post photos tomorrow.

Until then, smile at the sight of Spring!

Blessings,