Next Sunday Night!!!
The Crafty Chica and I are special guests on the Inspired at Home blog talk radio with Tiffany Windsor and Julianna Hudgins from my old Aleene's days. We're going to have a blast talking about my ebook Guide to Shrink Plastic and I'm sure we'll talk about 'the good ol' Aleene's days'!!! Check out the details!!! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inspiredathome
Sunday, May 3rd 7:00 p.m. Eastern
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Flowers
Everywhere there were flowers...
I'm just getting back from WOW (Women Only Weekend) and gearing up for the upcoming week. I shopped until I dropped on Friday afternoon for my trip to Europe and then it was time to gather the ladies in my family and do WHATEVER WE WANTED TO DO. We watched a couple of movies, my mom worked on a quilt for my sister, my sister scanned in old slides and my sister-in-law and I just vegged - reading magazines and books.
I thought we needed a little Spring for the weekend, so I whipped up these inexpensive little favors / centerpiece for our table. All you need is some tissue paper, a 6 pack of flowers and a pot for each person. I cut the flowers apart keeping them in their plastic, wrapped some tissue paper around them and stuck them in the pots. Easy, simple and inexpensive!!!
The other flower pictures were taken in my front yard. The orange flower is a succulent and the pinkish ones are a native.
Make it a creative week!
Joan
Thursday, April 23, 2009
How to Peel a Potato
If you love to cook, love Gilligan's Island or love Dawn Wells, you have to check out the
How to Peel a Potato by Dawn Wells video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4W0qIPJmoo
How to Peel a Potato by Dawn Wells video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4W0qIPJmoo
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Name
Is This Your Name?
I stumbled upon this website and found the info interesting - thought I'd share:
http://www.isthisyour.name/joan_fee.htm
Top 5 Facts for this Name:
57% of the letters are vowels. Of one million first and last names we looked at, 0.4% have a higher vowel make-up. This means you are extremely well envoweled.
In ASCII binary it is... 01001010 01101111 01100001 01101110 00100000 01000110 01100101 01100101
Backwards, it is Naoj Eef... nice ring to it, huh?
In Pig Latin, it is Oanjay Eefay.
People with this first name are probably: Female. So, you are constantly overcharged for beauty products.
Name Origin and Meaning:
Forename: Origin: Hebrew (Root: Joanne)Meaning: God is Gracious
3 Things You Didn't Know:
Your personal power animal is the King Cobra (I despise snakes!!!)
Your 'Numerology' number is 2. It means that you are supportive, diplomatic, analytical, and play well with others. A team-player, you seek peace and harmony in a group.
According to the US Census Bureau°, 0.314% of US residents have the first name 'Joan' and 0.0028% have the surname 'Fee'. The US has around 300 million residents, so we guesstimate there are 26 Americans who go by the name 'Joan Fee'.
I stumbled upon this website and found the info interesting - thought I'd share:
http://www.isthisyour.name/joan_fee.htm
Top 5 Facts for this Name:
57% of the letters are vowels. Of one million first and last names we looked at, 0.4% have a higher vowel make-up. This means you are extremely well envoweled.
In ASCII binary it is... 01001010 01101111 01100001 01101110 00100000 01000110 01100101 01100101
Backwards, it is Naoj Eef... nice ring to it, huh?
In Pig Latin, it is Oanjay Eefay.
People with this first name are probably: Female. So, you are constantly overcharged for beauty products.
Name Origin and Meaning:
Forename: Origin: Hebrew (Root: Joanne)Meaning: God is Gracious
3 Things You Didn't Know:
Your personal power animal is the King Cobra (I despise snakes!!!)
Your 'Numerology' number is 2. It means that you are supportive, diplomatic, analytical, and play well with others. A team-player, you seek peace and harmony in a group.
According to the US Census Bureau°, 0.314% of US residents have the first name 'Joan' and 0.0028% have the surname 'Fee'. The US has around 300 million residents, so we guesstimate there are 26 Americans who go by the name 'Joan Fee'.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Crafts for Kids
Kids Craft Book
I'm jazzed!!! I'm working on my kids craft book and the projects are coming together fantastically!!! I couldn't help but take pictures of these colorful drying dowels.
Friends
A day of pleasant surprises...
Last Friday the mail came and when I opened up the box there they were - two letters from two separate lawyers. Ugh! I didn't want them to spoil my fun weekend I had planned, so I shoved them away to be looked at after the weekend.
Today, I went to my mailbox and there were two handwritten letters - what are the chances of that??? And, they were both from friends in Lompoc. Again, what are the chances? And, both of these people had been very much on my mind the last few days.
One was a postcard created by a quilting friend - she has always been the ultimate recycler - she wrote to do lists and grocery lists on back of envelopes and now, her postcard is recycled paper that she's sewn strips of fabric on for a very interesting presentation.
The other letter was a from friend who always has the right words to comfort, the perfect words to encourage - words that come from her heart - an amazing woman!!! I must quote her closing words "May you enjoy all the wonder of life's gifts at your doorstep and know how grateful and 
deeply you have affected those lives you have been a part of and touched. Like mine."
The day is still giving and it's only 2:30 in the afternoon - I received an email from my old cubiclemate in Fresno and she had sent me the incredible butterfly collage at the top of the page - very inspiring.
I keep a file called 'ME' in my file cabinet and it holds cards, notes and emails from people who have touched my life - when I need a lift, I pull out my file and find comfort in the comfort of others.
A friend just called saying she has a 103 fever and can't get into the doctor today and said she might be calling me tonight to drive her to emergency - that is what friends are for...
Take a moment and acknowledge the special people in your life with a few chosen words from your heart.
Joan
Free Olive Cookbook
I LOVE OLIVES!!!
and I just had to share that the California Olive Committee is offering a free olive cookbook - here's the link!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Friends, Healthy Eating (well, mostly), Beautiful Weather
My Weekend
Morro Rock
Morro Rock
This is a building along the freeway in Morro Bay - I love the Art Deco look.
My long anticipated weekend with a former co-worker at Aleene's was wonderful. The weather was great, the sunset was spectacular, our walk on the beach was invigorating and the company inspiring. Erin used to bounce ideas off of me 'back-in-the-day' and this weekend there was great creative energy as she told me about her latest idea. We talked a lot about it and by the end of the weekend she said her concept had totally changed. Thanks Erin for sharing your weekend with me. I can't wait to see how your idea comes out - and I accept your challenge to a duel!!!!!!!!!!!
Frances and me on my patio...
After Erin's far too short of a stay, my friend Frances and her husband Rudy stopped by - they hadn't been to my new place, so I was terribly excited for them to come for a visit. The weather has been very warm, so we sat outside and enjoyed each others company. This weekend the creative ideas were overflowing at my place - after Erin and me sharing our ideas on Saturday and then Frances and Rudy with theirs on Sunday - AMAZING!!!! I am so honored to have such creative souls as my friends...
After all of the creative talk this weekend, this morning, I got up and organized my supplies and got working on my next kids' book - I really want to share with you all about it, but I can't right now, but it's going to be soooo good! The things I do for creativity...can you tell what I'm making from the picture???
It's so very hot today - 99 degrees on the beach around noon today. I had no idea it got this hot at the beach. I'll have to remember this when summer comes and I can't see the house across the street because of the fog.
Enjoy the day!
Joan
Friday, April 17, 2009
Chelsea Flower Show
Oh, my gosh!!! I received an email from my friend in London asking if I wanted to go to the Chelsea Flower Show when I'm there next month. I've heard about it, seen tv shows on it and now I'm going!!! What an exciting trip this will be - thanks KPH for thinking of me!
Here's what their website says about the show:
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is the ultimate event in the gardening year.
It sets the latest gardening trends, features the newest and most desirable gardening products and creates an explosion of colours and scents.
Cutting-edge garden design and thousands of perfect blooms; top growers and world class designers; scents and sights and shopping galore. Chelsea will be crammed with leading lights, big name designers and the spectacle you'd expect at the world’s greatest gardening event.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
A Day to be a Kid Again!!!
It was our monthly Newcomer luncheon at a restaurant that I'd heard a lot about. The ambiance was wonderful - the huge mural graced the walls of the banquet room and I HAD to keep telling people to go to the bathroom - it was so beautiful!!! Our guest speaker was from the San Luis Obispo Children's Museum www.slocm.org and we were treated to a tour of the museum after lunch. The 15 foot tall sunflower outside has a solar panel where the seeds would be on a real sunflower and you have to turn a giant wheel at the bottom to get the sunflower to face directly into the sun to make a fountain out of two watering cans. Very cool! I know there were a lot of ladies who wanted to hop on the police motorcycle and put on the fireperson outfit and jump in the driver's seat of the firetruck - a couple of my friends blew the whistle on the train...ahhhh, to be a kid again! Lots of fun things to play with at the museum!
Then, it was off to my local discount store to get supplies for my next kids' book - more details on that in the future!!! It's a huge endeavor, but will be so much fun and rewarding. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Create like when you were a kid! Go ahead and toot the whistle on the train!
Joan
Catching Up - Eggie Saturday
Brrrrr....
We had 50+ mile an hour winds all day yesterday and this morning, I wake up to frost - at the ocean, no less. And, this weekend we're supposed to be almost 80 degrees. I'm thankful for the warm weather this weekend. A dear friend, I haven't seen in almost 10 years, is coming for the weekend! I worked with her at Aleene's - she was (still is) a fabulous graphic designer. If you were an Aleene's fan, you probably didn't know her name, but you definitely saw her handy work in the magazines, books, ads and other creative projects that came from the Art Department. I'm seeing some hiking, maybe a stop at The Cotton Ball (we went to a few quilt meetings together) and DEFINITELY a walk on the beach. She's also a terrific gardener, so I might have to twist her arm to help me get a vision for my backyard.
It's time to catch up! Eggie Saturday!!! Oh, my, gosh! What a great day!!!! Five of us (three were relatives of the host) loaded up our goodies and traveled the hour over to Wine Country near Paso Robles. The family ranch was hundreds of acres of beautiful rolling hills, with views for miles. Most of the day, I gravitated out to the deck looking out over the hills. The family members were so very friendly, giving (I even got a shoulder massage) and fun. There were friends of family members there (me included) and I even sang a James Taylor song with one of the friends after we'd had a discussion about James Taylor being on Oprah and then the conversation went on to the topics of Oprah's show that day (if you saw it, you're probably shaking your head!). There were dog fights, city kids seeing cows up-close for the first time - so precious to watch! Egg hunts, tons of food and warm hugs and invites to come to the 4th of July party. I am officially an honorary member of the family.
My friend brought the 40+ year old picture I gave her of her grandparents house and the house I'm living in now - that's all of the houses that were on the hill AT THAT POINT! Now, we're squished in, but I told the story time after time of how back in the 60's I would take a garden hose from our house over to their grandparent's house to get our water supply while we visited. Small, small, VERY small World!!! AND, that World got even smaller when I was talking to one of the cousins who lives in Lompoc where I did for 20 years - all of a sudden we starting listing off people and we both were good friends with them - so we must have crossed paths in Lompoc somewhere.
Easter Sunday was a nice relaxed day - I had picked up a Marie Callendar's Feast and all we had to do was heat everything up. We celebrated my sister's birthday too.
Oh, and last week my family had a 'cloth napkin' dinner with my cousin. He was down visiting his brother who was in the hospital and he doesn't get away from his mountain home very often, so he requested a 'cloth napkin' dinner. My sister and I asked around and a couple of people had mentioned Korbel at Blue, so reservations, I made. Blue was in an 1800's beautiful brick building and yes, indeed, there were cloth napkins. We all got something different and there was sampling going around - duck, oysters, pasta and then dessert - Chocolate Mousse, Grilled Pineapple with vanilla bean ice cream (to die for, yummy!) and more! We waddled out of there and were thankful for my cousin's generosity and the time to spend with him and his partner.
We had 50+ mile an hour winds all day yesterday and this morning, I wake up to frost - at the ocean, no less. And, this weekend we're supposed to be almost 80 degrees. I'm thankful for the warm weather this weekend. A dear friend, I haven't seen in almost 10 years, is coming for the weekend! I worked with her at Aleene's - she was (still is) a fabulous graphic designer. If you were an Aleene's fan, you probably didn't know her name, but you definitely saw her handy work in the magazines, books, ads and other creative projects that came from the Art Department. I'm seeing some hiking, maybe a stop at The Cotton Ball (we went to a few quilt meetings together) and DEFINITELY a walk on the beach. She's also a terrific gardener, so I might have to twist her arm to help me get a vision for my backyard.
It's time to catch up! Eggie Saturday!!! Oh, my, gosh! What a great day!!!! Five of us (three were relatives of the host) loaded up our goodies and traveled the hour over to Wine Country near Paso Robles. The family ranch was hundreds of acres of beautiful rolling hills, with views for miles. Most of the day, I gravitated out to the deck looking out over the hills. The family members were so very friendly, giving (I even got a shoulder massage) and fun. There were friends of family members there (me included) and I even sang a James Taylor song with one of the friends after we'd had a discussion about James Taylor being on Oprah and then the conversation went on to the topics of Oprah's show that day (if you saw it, you're probably shaking your head!). There were dog fights, city kids seeing cows up-close for the first time - so precious to watch! Egg hunts, tons of food and warm hugs and invites to come to the 4th of July party. I am officially an honorary member of the family.
My friend brought the 40+ year old picture I gave her of her grandparents house and the house I'm living in now - that's all of the houses that were on the hill AT THAT POINT! Now, we're squished in, but I told the story time after time of how back in the 60's I would take a garden hose from our house over to their grandparent's house to get our water supply while we visited. Small, small, VERY small World!!! AND, that World got even smaller when I was talking to one of the cousins who lives in Lompoc where I did for 20 years - all of a sudden we starting listing off people and we both were good friends with them - so we must have crossed paths in Lompoc somewhere.
Easter Sunday was a nice relaxed day - I had picked up a Marie Callendar's Feast and all we had to do was heat everything up. We celebrated my sister's birthday too.
Oh, and last week my family had a 'cloth napkin' dinner with my cousin. He was down visiting his brother who was in the hospital and he doesn't get away from his mountain home very often, so he requested a 'cloth napkin' dinner. My sister and I asked around and a couple of people had mentioned Korbel at Blue, so reservations, I made. Blue was in an 1800's beautiful brick building and yes, indeed, there were cloth napkins. We all got something different and there was sampling going around - duck, oysters, pasta and then dessert - Chocolate Mousse, Grilled Pineapple with vanilla bean ice cream (to die for, yummy!) and more! We waddled out of there and were thankful for my cousin's generosity and the time to spend with him and his partner.
Think creatively,
JoanSaturday, April 11, 2009
It's Eggie Saturday!!!
I have no idea what that means, but I will later today! A friend invited me to a family get together they've done for years. It's basically a family reunion the Saturday before Easter - then, they have Enchilada Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving and no, they don't use turkey in their enchiladas...The festivities will be on a large ranch outside of Paso Robles and I hear we're having a huge bbq.
I am taking a dessert - at first, I thought I'd take some kind of strawberries, but I'm a bit burnt out on strawberries for the moment after using them three times recently for desserts. So, I decided this morning, to make cupcakes like I did when I was a kid - with green food colored grass and jelly beans on top. Then, I thought I should have done my shrink plastic Hoppy Easter projects - I know it's last minute, but check your recycling bin for #6 plastic and if you have some colored pencils or pens you can make these adorable bunnies in no time - add them to cupcakes or learn how to make them and the cakes in pots at
Happy Eggie Saturday!
Joan
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Get Those Old Records Off the Shelf!
Cheryl Ball and I got his fabulous idea a while back about using our 'retro' fabrics and craft products we'd collected over the years. We combined them with things from our youth and transformed them into something functional and different – creating a whole new look for old. That's when Still Crafty After 50 came to be.
Well, we got this gig to appear on our local tv station and I came up with the idea to make a fountain from melted records. It was a hit! We have since recorded a how-to video entitled How to Create a Record Fountain and it has over 7,000 hits on YouTube. Check out the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqS_kM2gBlc
So, we thought, why not make other things from records. And our new ebook was born - Get Those Old Records Off the Shelf. This ebook lets you get those old records off the shelf...out of grandma's attic, out of storage, wherever they are and take a spin on creativity!
Records only take a couple of minutes to melt in an oven and can be shaped easily into fantastic projects.
Get Those Old Records Off the Shelf ebook includes photos and instructions to make a Record Fountain, Record Clock, Record Cake Stand, Record Birdfeeder, Record and Album Cover Placesetting including napkin rings, tablerunner and placemat, Record and Album Cover Jewelry, Bowl, Record Album Cover Trays, Record Mail Sorters, Record Album and Cover Room Divider, Record Vase.Check it out at http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/get-those-old-records-off-the-shelf/6694989. Since it's an ebook, it's inexpensive and you can print it off right then and there - no waiting!
Get ready to Rock 'n Roll Craft!!!
Joan
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Spring on the Central Coast
More Spring!!!
I'd never been on Turri Road between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay / Los Osos - a true treat!
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Spring Abounds
It was an Ahhhhhh Day - Pom Poms, Friends, Ducks, Goats...
It was DEFINITELY a springy day on the Central Coast. I met a friend / former co-worker from Aleene's Creative Living for lunch. It was so awesome to catch up with her - we couldn't remember how long it's been, but I'm thinking at least four years. It was great to catch up on family, work and everything life!
Before lunch, I went to The Apple Farm Inn in San Luis Obispo for Apple Blossom Day. The petting zoo was fun and the bbq smelled amazing, but I knew I was headed to lunch so I had to pass that up. The pom pom tree was sooooo cute!
I snuck in some time today to get some Europe travel books - so much to see and do - I CAN'T WAIT!!! I'm thinking Monet's Garden is a must see...must make plans.
Tomorrow's an orchid show and to catch up on some paperwork.
Make it a fabulous moment in time!
Joan