Simple and Functional Craft Space

I don't have a lot of space in my house for my crafts.  Therefore they have to be Incorporated into the house.  Here's how I try to make it look nice but still functional.  I went to my local flea market(Riverside Antiques)and found mis-matched old shelves.  One of my shelves is a drawer from and old desk and one is an old painted window box.  I'm still collecting unique glass jars.  I put all of my scrapbook brads in the jars.



Penne Alla Vodka

Here I go, my very first food blog.  Most of my friends know that I love to cook.  In the last few years, I've found a passion for cooking.  Chris and I have actually gotten spoiled because we are now cooking things better at home then we get in the restaurant.  I wanted to share this recipe with you.  I did find the basic recipe online but I have tweaked it to my liking.  I hope you try it and you love it as much as I do.  You will definitely be in a carbohydrate coma after eating this meal.  lol

Penne Alla Vodka

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

8-10 cloves of garlic(finely chopped)

1(28 ounce) can of whole peeled tomatoes

1(14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes

1/8 cup(heaping cup) dried basil

1/4 cup of citron vodka

1 pound penne

1 pint heavy whipping cream

Salt and pepper to taste.

1.  In a large skillet over medium heat, cook finely chopped garlic in olive oil until its tender.
Watch your heat so that you don't burn the garlic.  Cook a couple of minutes.
Stir in both cans of tomatoes.  Break up the whole tomatoes a bit.
Stir basil and salt & pepper simmer for about 15 minutes.

Your sauce will reduce down and look similar to this.
I did go a little heavy on the basil on this day. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Don't forget to salt your water or your pasta won't have any flavor.

 Add pasta and cook for about 11 minutes or until al dente.

Stir in vodka and cook 10-15 minutes more. 



Stir cream into sauce and cook 10 minutes.
Be sure to keep stirring during this time so tomatoes don't settle
on the bottom of the pan and burn.



Your sauce will thicken a little while it cooks the last 10 minutes.

Drain your pasta.  (like my vintage strainer?....just like my mother had.)

Toss sauce and hot pasta in a large bowl.

Serve and enjoy.  This is a quick and easy meal.  Its low in cost.
You can buy the ingredients for this recipe for around $8.00.(not including the vodka)
Once you buy the bottle of vodka($15 a bottle) its a very cheap recipe.

Vintage Angel Carousel Chimes

I just saw a picture on television of one of these chimes.  The show was taped in Toronto so not local.  When I saw the angels it thrust me back in time when my mom put ours out every Christmas.  My parents always made Christmas such a magical and special time.  I wish I could go back in time to feel the joy I had at Christmas when life was much simpler.  I would love to be able to find one of these chimes.  I want to be reminded of everything my mother did at Christmas from the homemade candies, old tattered ornaments, tinsel garland and a card board fireplace.  I love you mom and dad.

Coffee Filter Wreath Centerpiece.

This was my first attempt at making a coffee filter wreath.  I think they are so beautiful.  Mine is certainly not perfect but it will do for this Christmas.  I hope this will inspire you to do your own.  It took around 200 filters to do this much of the wreath.  I also had some old Christmas supplies which I repurposed for this project.  aka the hurrican lamp:)

Glass Ornament Wreath

I just wanted to share my latest pinterest projects.  I attempted to make a glass ornament wreath.  I hope you like it.  It certainly didn't cost me much.  The ornament wreath I have only $3.00 in it.  I went to our local thrift store and bought a garbage sack full of ornaments.  Came home.... tore apart a wire hanger and started stringing the ornaments.  Oh I did glue all the hangers to the ornaments so they wouldn't come apart before I put them on the hanger.  I still had a few casualties that broke before I could get the wreath finished.  I think it turned out pretty.  I'm very happy:)

I found these necklace holders on Pinterest and just had to have one.  Chris found some old wood and made them for me.  They are so creative.  Just using simple items and making them beautiful.  I always like having one of a kind items in my house.  Hope you like them as well.  Here are the ones we've made so far.



Ribbon Tree

For those of you that don't know, Christmas is very big at my house.  There's usually not an ounce of doorway or railing that doesn't have some form of garland and lights on it.  I was looking on facebook the other day and one of my DYI sights had a picture of a ribbon tree and I thought it was just darling.  I showed it to Chris and a day later this is what he brought home to me.  He went and bought the ribbon and everything he needed to make the tree and poof!!!! Here it is.

He's tree is even cuter than the original one.  I can't believe how very talented this man is.  I'm so proud of him.  This is a part of himself that he really doesn't let too many see.  It doesn't go real well with football, basketball and baseball oh and wings and beer.  LOL.  I will be posting more of his crafty creations soon so keep your eyes out for the next post from my blog.  Hopefully he doesn't care that I am sharing this with the world:)

We will be selling these at the craft fair this weekend if you are interested.  The best part is we can customize the tree to fit your taste.  If your color scheme is pink, then we will make it with pink ribbon.  I told him I wanted him to make a brown and light teal tree.  I think those colors would be beautiful.

Creative juices are flowing.........

Here's my official first project I've made using my Cricut Imagine.  I do love this machine.  It is amazing on the capabilites it can do.  I just decided to make custom gift bags for those that purchase some Tickled Pink Bath Product. 

I thought the claw foot bath tub would be a nice touch;)

What I love the most about Chris is that he realize my ideas.  I saw these awesome necklace holders on Pinterest and I just had to make them.  Well two days later and lookie lookie......he did it.  I would've never thought to use this old barn wood.  They look amazing.  We still need to put the hangers on.  I'm going to attach silk ribbon to hang it on the wall.

We tried to make a variety to suit all different taste.

I think the turquoise and clear knobs are my favorite.

Last but certainly not the least is this vintage door hall tree.  Chris is doing an amazing job on this project.  Now he's waiting for me to finish it.  I have to do the painting.  I'm just so nervous that I will screw it up.  I'm going to try and match the finish on the door.  I also still need to get the basket that fit under the bench for storage.  



Tickled Pink Bath Company Holiday Craft Fair

Ozark South Elementary 1st Annual

Craft Festival

December 3, 2011

Ozark South Elementary

8:00a.m.-5:00p.m.

Tickled Pink Bath Company

Holiday Craft Fair

 Come by and receive a free hand treatment with our decadent sugar scrubs.

 Lotion bars, bath salts, bath fizzies and gift baskets.

 Ooh La Lollipops.  Bath fizzies for the kids.

 Sugar Scrub Shakers in Black Raspberry Vanilla, Monkey Farts, Carribean, Spiced Chai,

Peppermint Patty, Fruit Loops, Pearberry, Coco Mango, Margarita and Bite Me.

We also have Organic Sugar Scubs, Lemon Spearmint Bath Salt

and Pucker Up Lip Balm in Grapefruit Spearmint.

Bath bombs in Bermuda Triangle, Carribean and Monkey Farts.

Autism Has Silenced Me

This evening I have been watching Sandi Patty on Gaither Gospel Hour.  Bill Gaither asked her if she would share one of her favorite hymns.  What song means the most after all of these years, after life being kicked around and she started singing "His Eye Is On The Sparrow".  She spoke about that there was a time in her life that she felt like singing publicly was over for her.  As she spoke those words, my eyes filled with tears because I haven't sang since Christmas and before that was July 2010.  I have so many friends ask me "are you singing anywhere?"  I am so embarrassed to say "no".  I am 41 years old and have been singing since I was 13 years old.  Music has been a part of my life ALL of my life.  I don't know why I stopped singing.  There wasn't one thing in my life that silenced me.  It was a series of events that has silenced me.  The biggest reason AUTISM.  I can't tell you the pain I feel in my heart to know that the sound of my voice causes my son so much anguish.  He can't handle the sensory part of it.  He has to plug his ears because its just too much.  I once was doing a sound check at a church and he was sitting by the monitors.  I was singing his eye is on the sparrow and when the song was wrapping up I looked at Ty and he had this sad mournful face.  I had never seen that look before.  I went to him and held him and he just wept and told me that the song was just too sad.  He was touched deeply but he didn't know what these emotions were that he was feeling.  I just held him.  I didn't know what else to do. 

My singing has always been so theraputic for me.  You would think that music would be what gets me through the hardest part of my life but it can't be.  I know God has a plan for me.  He always has.  I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am right where he wants me to be.  There is a time and a place for everything.  My place right now is to be where my son needs me.  God placed this wonderful little man in my life and I am commited to his every need.  I feel that when the time is right and I go back to singing that I will be singing from a different place.  I think for the first time in my life I will have the soul behind the voice.  An old jazz musician once said to me in the recording studio when I was 23 years old......"you haven't lived long enough to sing jazz".  I now know what he meant.  There is a time and a place and a season for everything:)

Just wanted to share with you the love of my life!

This is Christopher Matthew Grantham my love....my life.  He is the reason I smile when I wake in the morning.  There's never a dull moment in my life when he is in it.  He helps me cope with life and all of its challenges.  He is one of the most amazing people I know.

Valentine's Day Box made for a true gamer!

I made this for my 6 year old son who loves anything Mario and any gaming system he can get his hands on.  lol.  The hardest part of this project was finding the perfect size box.  It took several hours but I think it turned out very cute.  You just need scrapbook paper glue gun and a good paper cutter.  I hope this inspires you to be creative and design something special for your little ones.  TTFN!

Realistic view of the State of Missouri's Autism Bill as seen by ME!

Well, I don't even know where to start so here I go.  Today I learned that the new autism bill which was passed this last fall will not be bringing any relief to my family.  The autism bill forces insurance companies in the state of Missouri to cover $40,000 for ABA therapy.  Upon hearing the news of the passed bill, I was elated.  Finally we would get a break finacially over this responsibility of healing our son.  The bill was in effect as of January 1, 2011.  I am sad to say that we will get zero help from this bill.  The bill states that they will not cover any cost of a school.  Ty goes to The Ozarks Center for Autism(aka...school)where he recieves 30 hours of ABA therapy a week.  The school is ran by a board certified ABA therapist and Ty's one on one teacher just finished her masters and working toward her certification.  He is recieving the best education he could possibly be getting and they are not going to help.  They will cover outpatient which is good but the break down of what they will cover and what he needs is not equal.  The outpatient therapy is $80 an hour.  When you break down the money it equals out to be 9 hours a week.  Oh and then you have to pay $25 co-pay.  I'm not sure if that is per visit.  Outpatient therapy is usually done an hour at a time.  Our cost would be $225 a week.  Right now we don't have time in our schedule to add more therapy but when Ty goes into the school system this fall we will be needing extra services.  I just can't believe that they will not cover some of his therapies.  We  had to declare bankruptcy so Ty could continue to attend the Ozarks Center.  The sacrifices have been so big and I just thought maybe life would give us a break.  I have never asked for hand outs and I never will but we need a break.  The insurance companies do not cover any of the testing that we really need and now they won't provide enough therapy to really impact the child.  I think I have found my new purpose.  I'm ready to advocate for all of the families out there that have not been blessed enough to be a part of the Ozarks Center for Autism.  I am ready to raise my voice for those families that are too busy working 2 and 3 different jobs just so their children can have 9 hours of therapy a week.  Our children NEED 30-40 hours of therapy a week to make a difference.  Our children are worth saving.  They are our future.  Why can't anyone see this.  The newest statistic is 1 in 58 boys will be diagnosed with autism.  Come on people open your eyes.  This is an epidemic!  I have such a heavy heart this evening.  I'm sorry for my frustation.  I am very greatful for the progress the state of Missouri has made by passing this bill.  I personally know serveral people which were involved in making this happen.  I just look forward to the day when our children get the help they truly deserve.  Thank you to all of you that take the time to read the writings of this desperate mother.  Goodnight!