Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these yummy cookies for a cookie exchange tonight.  It's a different idea - each of us takes one dozen baked cookies and the rest of the dough is divided up (I put mine in zip-top bags) and each of us gets to take home eleven taster sizes of dough that we can bake or freeze.  Can't wait to see the variety!

Craft and Hobby Association Highlights

I saw this posted on a booth and I liked what it had to say!


Paper butterflies - when I was a kid, everything was pink - pink bedroom, pink clothes, pink, pink, pink...

3D flowers on the side of a booth

I'm getting ready for my class reunion and was searching the trade show floor for ideas for decorations. Can you see this in purple and gold?

My dear friend, PattieWack.

My friend, Cheryl Ball, created with butterfly dress - love it, Cheryl!!! Can I borrow it for my class reunion?

It was old home week at the show. Crafty Chica AKA Kathy Cano-Murillo shows off cannon spray paints in the i love to create booth.

This girl was soooo getting into spraying on dye to make a cool scarf.

I had so much fun making a button pin in the Blumental Lansing booth - it was great to be a crafter and enjoy all of the make-it and take-its.

Can you tell what this dress is made from?

Purple and gold??? Hanging from the oak trees at my reunion?

Too cute, paper dress.

Paper booth display.

When my brother remodeled his house (the house I grew up in) he offered me an old lighting fixture from the hall. I'm thinking it would look great as the top of a mobile like this.

Kathy Ireland was on the floor showing her new trims.

Such a colorful display of afghans and hats.

MTV Gift Lounge

I never know what exciting thing I will get to work on - Gloria (my graphic design friend) and I had so much fun doing these signs that will go with product at the MTV Gift Lounge coming up at the end of the month. They are very dimensional and colorful - the Crafty Chica is very glittery, the Collage Pauge is very collagie and the Iron-On Crystal sign is very sparkly!!! Gloria did a great job cutting, gluing and putting her style on the signs!

A fun twist to this project was having Gloria's cubiclemate getting involved helping with the words - he just added it to everything we brainstormed, so his new nickname is Crick It - his name is Kirk and Kirk It didn't roll off the tongue, so I renamed him Crick It - I razzed him this morning that he's actually responding to his new name - love IT!

Creativity at Home

Creativity can be found EVERYWHERE and in EVERYTHING...
I have been very creative the last couple of weeks, but in a work way. I have been busily and creatively working on The Craft Chica line and many new fashion art products. It's exciting, it's fun, but now I'm ready for some downtime. Somewhere in between writing instructions, packaging copy and ads, I got this crazy idea to go out and buy some apothecary jars I'd been admiring at my local discount store. I almost didn't buy them, but decided to just do it.

Then, where to put them (the tallest is over 2 feet!). I finally decided it was time to clean off the dividing wall between my kitchen and dining room which was a major undertaking in itself. It was a catchall place for photos, a pretty leaf I'd found on a walk - just a place to put stuff that didn't have a place.

Once I took everything off of the area, I didn't know what to do with all the stuff. I put some in a bowl thinking it would make a nice display, but it just looked like a bunch of stuff in a bowl. So, you will see in the picture what came of some of the items - I stuck large-headed thumbtacks under the ledge and hung my things from there. A couple of the items are heirloom/antique spoons that my dad gave me recently from his aunt's silverware - they have such beautiful intricate designs.

I went back and forth about what to put in the jars - gumballs? No. Potpourri. No. Once I had them in place, I decided that they needed to remain empty - there was something about being able to see through them.

A friend is redoing her yard and she wanted my advice on what plants would work best in her yard, so I went there last night carrying a Columbine to get her started and, of course, I had to get some flowers for myself. I planted them tonight and it's so fabulous to see Spring finally here. I have been absolutely enamored with falling flower petals from trees lately. I went out for a massage last week after dark and when I stopped at a stop light they came trickling in through my sunroof. They are falling so heavily that in many places they look like little drifts of snow.

Speaking of flowers, our offices are looking quite lovely and smelling divine with the arrival yesterday of Daffodil Days for the American Cancer Society. They are beautiful!

I am looking forward to a few days of slowing down and a chance to recuperate a bit. I've been invited to a nearby lake for Easter and I hear there was a fresh blanket of snow last weekend - relaxation, friends, snow - that sounds wonderful!

I have my eye on my new project from way, way back! It's called Forged Foil. I ran across an old Aleene's book from 1968 - yes, 40 years ago. I have an idea to make it modern and use a little different technique so be on the lookout for that.

Upward and onward. I can't wait to see the new products in the stores that we've been working on - they are fabulous and different and exciting!!! More details as I can let the cat out of the bag.

Joan

I'm Going Outside My Comfort Zone Big Time!!! YIKES!!!

When I was going through my journals in preparation for this new year, I ran across something I wrote when I was on vacation at Big Sur last year. It was there that I did a little (OK, big) brain dump and wrote things down as they came to me. One of the things on the list was voice lessons. I was shocked - I don't remember writing it because singing lessons have been coming to mind and I mentioned it to my mom and she said she's always wanted to take lessons.

Last week on my way to my doctor's office I was stopped at a stop light and noticed a sign for singing lessons - I go by this place at least every two weeks and this was the first time I had seen the sign. When I got to my doctor's office, I noticed a cute metal Christmas tree and walked over to get a closer look and on it was written The Voice Shop. I questioned my doctor about it and she said that's where she takes voice lessons. Come to find out, The Voice Shop is the place I drive by - kind of spooky, if ya ask me. I knew then it was a sign for me to call and today, I called and left a message. This will be a very huge step outside of my comfort zone. One NEVER knows what will unfold before them - maybe even a voice shop.

It's been a week of mega overtime getting ready for our big trade show next month - I'm working on booth signs, the media kit, a huge catalog, ads and 10 kits for a new product launch we're doing at the trade show. I'm also busy with a brochure for some new glazes being added to our ceramic line, working on 30+ projects for the February web (www.duncancrafts.com) and doing a test for a potential new glue, so, overtime it is for a while.

I'm headed to my parents tomorrow for my dad's 81st birthday - hard to think it was a year ago that Marilyn Monroe graced his party.

As for my PC (Pulse Check) this week - I didn't get much accomplished, but with OT most every night, things have to go by the wayside. I did have dinner with The Crafty Chica (hey, Kathy!) and two other friends - it was a nice diversion.

Lindy and I continue to do our 30 minute workouts at lunch - thanks for the inspiration, Lindy! We keep all the fixing for an awesome salad at work, so we just have to assemble and we're back to work.

Oh, I almost forgot...take some time for yourself today, even if it's 10 minutes to add a little something to the project you're working on. As for me, I indulged in a 1-1/2 hour massage - this girl can make me feel like rubber!!!

Back to work - make today an outstanding day!
Joan

Crafty Chica, Birthday Party Cakes, Friends, Odd Creepy Things, Weight Watchers, PBS Preview Party, Walking, Hip Hop, Kindergarten, Weekend Trip, Concerts...

Let's see, did I forget anything that's happened or going to happen soon? Probably...life has been interesting, creepy, fun, rewarding and exhilarating...

Our friend Kathy Cano Murillo AKA Crafty Chica is expected in the office today and I can't wait!Her amazing energy is awesome and I'm excited to see her reaction to a new product line we're working on for her. It will be her first peek at what we've been working on for more than a month.

I'm getting down to the wire on centerpieces for a 50th birthday party my high school class is having next month. It's coming up quick and I still need to paint ceramic bisque in the shape of pieces of cake. When you put 7 of them together in a circle they form a cake - too cute! Everyone gets a 'piece of cake' filled with 70's candies as a favor. More pictures as I progress.

Today is my friend Frances' birthday so I have my party dress on and we're getting together at a local restaurant with her husband and our friend Doug. It feels like I haven't seen her in ages - she lives about 45 minutes away - but that's NO excuse!

Odd Things - I had one of the oddest things happen this weekend - one of those where I'm scratching my head still trying to see what the message is or why it happened - perhaps I'll never know! I went for a walk where I live early Saturday morning. I came back the same way I left. On the way back, I noticed a gold box laying on the ground - it was smashed as if someone had run over it. I picked it up and found a 30 year old diary in it authored by what I'm assuming was a farm wife in a small town about an hour south of here - she was an artist - there were wonderful drawings of people, animals, art displays, the studio she wanted to build. My first thought was to take it to the management office where I live. I sat and thumbed through the entries and read the letters inside - in one letter she talked about death and on the reverse she had her to do list. I felt very odd going through someones private thoughts. Then, I had one of those 'is this really happening?' moments - she mentioned going to a nearby town to get some craft supplies. Well, where she got her craft supplies was at Cheryl Ball's store. I work with Cheryl!!! There were several entries about Cheryl and her mom - the woman used to have Cheryl's mom critique her work. I keep asking myself why in this big huge world did I run across the diary and why Cheryl????

My company offers an in-house Weight Watchers program and we got started again a week ago - I'm very motivated - walking every day and going to a hip hop dance exercise class once a week.

Saturday night I went to the preview of a new PBS program. My friend Gloria knows the host of the show (OK, I have talked with Mark at parties and dinner, so I kind of know him!). It was interesting meeting people of diverse backgrounds. The food was awesome - I was impressed with the mini hamburgers in a 1/4 of a pita pocket.

My youngest nephew started Kindergarten yesterday - seems like he was just born yesterday, but in looking back over all the things we've done, we've both grown a lot.

I'm very excited about the upcoming weekend! A friend, her sister and I are going to a town south of Santa Cruz to shop and play! I've never been there, so I'm looking forward to the adventure and to see what kind of crafty things are available.

This last weekend I picked up tickets for a couple upcoming concerts - Big and Rich (they're a new one for me!) and Peter Frampton and the Doobie Brothers...so, it's concert month in September and birthday party month too!

Until next time - keep craftin'

Joan