New Challenge Blog Coming soon!!

There's a new challenge blog starting soon, and they have great blog candy to celebrate! Check them out.... Saturday Spotlight. Here's a picture of their blog candy....

OK. That was a long break.

Quite possibly the worst summer ever. It included a dear friend's death, moving (twice in one week), missing out on a lot of fun stuff, a healthy dose of depression, and it culminated in 2 cars breaking down with days of each other and my favorite old kitty, Val, having to be put down.

On the plus side.... my new place has a tiny little craft room. If I can ever get unpacked I'll start using it and getting crafty. Look for pictures soon. I do have at least one ATC to share.

I have been in such a funk! So, time to snap out of it and get arty/crafty/creative again!

Thanks for bearing with me.

Sorry I've been absent....

I lost a friend last Friday to suicide, and it's been a rough week. I hope to get some new posts up next week. Please be patient.

I'll miss you, Gabe.

Nettle Soup!

Well, here's lunch. I based it on a recipe from http://lemonbasil.blogspot.com, but here's my version....

* 3 Tablespoons olive oil
* 2 shallots, minced
* 2 garlic cloves, minced... Read More
* 1/2 cup chives
* 1/2 pound wild nettle tops
* 1 quart veggie broth
* Salt and Pepper
* 1 cup half and half

Procedure:
1. Saute shallots, garlic, and garlic greens in olive oil. Add nettles.
2. Add broth and bring to a boil.
3. Cover and simmer until the nettles are very soft, about 8-10 minutes.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste, add half and half, and puree using blender.
5. I browned up some shallots as a garnish.

It was a bit thinner than I usually enjoy (I'm a stew girl!), but was delicious!!!

Now, to wait a few more weeks until more nettles pop up. I am now on nettle duty at the garden! Yummers.

The nettles... note the gloves. They were tricky to work with! I just used the top leaves of any given plant.










Shallots and chives and garlic. I love shallots.











The soup itself. It tasted almost like fresh green pea soup. But better. Absolutely awesome.










Now I just need to find a good purslane recipe, because that is the other weed that is absolutely rampant in the whole garden! Yay for weed eating.

With the leftover nettles bits I am making a nettle tincture (medicinal) and nettle "tea" for my garden... just soak nettles in water for 2-3 weeks, and use the resulting liquid as fertilizer.

I totally slacked on vegan eating today. But tomorrow... vegan Swedish meatballs with a vegan cream sauce.

What I've been up to today...

Gardening!This is my garden space. It's at the Day Street-Roundhill Community Garden in Jamaica Plain. This will be my 6th year in this plot.

My plot, on April 18









Again, my plot. Ths is my beloved tarragon (in the back), chives and sage:












Part of my clean up duty was helping to get rid of all the nettles. Yay! Free food. I made an amazing nettle soup, which I will showcase in my next post. Yuummmyyy.

What will I grow this year? Basil, definitely. Haberneros. Radishes, because Misha loves them. Arugula. And I just got a lavendar BUSH, which is a few years old I'm not sure what else. Maybe chard.

But anyway. That's my day. Garden and cooking.

Back soon.... sorry for the hiatus

I've been pretty sick for a few weeks and now I have a bloody head cold to top it off. Don't really feel much like crafting. Mostly I just feel like curling up in a small ball and crying. I hope this weekend I feel better, because I won some nice Unity Stamp blog candy and another little blog candy, and I want play with my new toys! Bleh. I owe people treats too... they are coming soon.

Paper Craft Planet Sketch Challenge Card- SK032809

Another card from my lovely blog candy win. This one is for the Paper Craft planet Sketch Challenge.
Paper: Autumn Leaves
Cardstock: Close To My Heart
Flower: Autumn Leaves
Rubber Stamps: Close To My Heart (swirls) and unknown (Thank You)
Ribbon: Autumn Leaves

Caardvarks Challenge Card

Well... yay! I got to use my goodies that I won in the blog candy. Oh this poppy stuff is fun to play with!! Anyway, I made this card for this week's Caardvarks Challenge. Here it is.
Paper: Autumn Leaves
Cardstock: Close To My Heart
Ribbon: Autumn Leaves
Flower: Autumn Leaves
Rubber Stamps: Autumn Leaves and Unknown

Unity Challenge Card

I made this card for a Unity Stamp Company challenge. I'm OK with it. Not thrilled. I love how the Copic watercolor technique came out... it's Copic markers, direct to stamp with alcohol spritzed on it, then stamped on paper. Nice and watercolory....
Anyway... comments/input appreciated....

Credits:
Paper: Close To My Heart, unknown
Stamps: Unity Gratitude=Joy
Flower: unknown
Markers: Copic

Basic Grey Challenge 27-Texture

I made this card for the Basic Grey Challenge. Sadly, the texture does not scan well... I used CTMH Liquid Glass on all of the elephants in the background paper, so they are raised. It's all Basic Grey Paper, with Close To My Heart Liquid Glass as an accent. (That's my new favorite toy!) Oh well, the scan is not great and a little wonky, but my goodness I love this paper!!!!

Credits:
Paper: Basic Grey Marrakesh
Rub-on: Basic Grey Marrakesh
Glossy accents: CTMH Liquid Glass

This card is being donated to the Spread a Smile Campaign... please check the link out! It's really a great thing!Dorothy has a huge heart, and I'd love for people to give some more support!

There's still time!

To get 40% off some of the things from Close To My Heart! The sale is going through the end of the month. Click this link. Thank you!

Oh my gosh, I won something!!!

I won blog candy. Really beautiful blog candy from Made for Keeps. Here's a picture. I can't wait for it to come. This made my day, when I was so bummed about being back in Boston where it's cold and missing New Orleans. Yay!

But I don't want to go home....

I've been in New Orleans since Friday night, but am flying home today. Hence no posts this weekend! But... I don't want to leave. I love this town.
I'll post pictures tomorrow or soon. It pretty much rained/poured every day, so the Mardi Gras Indians parade that I wanted to see was canceled. But we saw a good St. Patrick's Day parade.
I might just quit my job and move here. (I say that every time!)

Card for Cupcake Craft Challenge #30-Spring

I made this card for the Cupcake Craft Challenge #30-Spring. The papers used were from Daisy Bucket and Close To My Heart. Rub-ons were from Daisy Bucket. The brad is from American Traditional Designs.

Paper Bag Album

This is a paper bag album I made as an example for a class I am teaching next week. The paper is from the Emporium Level 2 kit from Close To My Heart, as are the stickers. The ribbons are from CTMH too. It still needs a little work, but it's coming along.

Oh. My. Gosh. I want these!!

Moo Cards

These are amazing. OK. I know what I am treating myself to tomorrow!!!!

Woohoo! I can blog at work. : )

Usually blogger is blocked. Hee hee!

Well, the newest news is I have signed up again with Close To My Heart! I am very happy about this decision. I used to be a consultant years ago. I have a website to shop at, the address is http://amybarker.myctmh.com. Right now there is a LOT of stuff on clearance for 40% off. Follow the link on the front page.

I will be posting some artwork soon (yeah yeah yeah, heard that before). But no! Really. I just made a cute little paper bag album to use as a demo at a class i am teaching. If I could get my daughter off the computer once in a while, maybe I could actually blog at home. : )

For now, here is a layout I recently did. I used a kit from the Classy Coordinates Scrapbook Club, they have LOVELY kits!

It was for a challenge. I love this paper... love the colors.

OK... back to work. hee hee. I might make another post later, as I am too excited to be able to take a few seconds and post during the day!

This is my own blog candy...FILLED UP!

OK. This is all full!! Time to start crafting!

Hi ladies and gents (LOL you never know), I saw this on another blog and I thought it would be neat to do this. The deadline for this April 3, 2009. I will send world wide....

The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice! For you. (There is a possibility it will be a purchased item instead of homemade, or both).This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.... You can give it to someone else if you hate it!
2. It may be products and not handmade.... I hope it's at least a little of both.... Maybe some nice scrapbooking paper, and some cards made from said paper?
3. It'll be done sometime this year (I will want to get it done in the next month or so). I will do my very best to have it in the mail by April 15th!
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. : ) It will probably be something I've made before, or enjoy making.... hmmm.... probably not a baby blanket, probably more like cards or????
5. The catch? Oh, the catch is you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog (then come here and post) The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a handmade gift by me. Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!
SO ...................who will be the first 5 people????

1. Cathy aka CatScrapsHere (Yay! Thank you for being #1)
2. Lou Collins
3. Joani
4. Elfdaughter
5. Okispice

I really am alive

I have not blogged for ages, but I have just been working way to much to blog, plus blogger is blocked at worked, so I can't do anything on my lunch break! I am getting back in the crafting swing of things and will be posting more soon, so hang in there!!!! More posts, book reviews, and craft pictures coming soon.

Gimme Your Stuff! : )

I have been swapping for a number of years through Gimme Your Stuff at http://gimmeyourstuff.blogspot.com/. I love it! here's my wishlist....

My name is Amy and I am a Moomintroll Addict. Little My and Snuffkin are my favorite characters. I would love to swap things from the US to people in Scandanavia and Japan or anywhere else for precious Mommintroll things. Especially FABRIC.... pillowcases, etc. Or yards of fabric. Anything Moomintroll is a good start. Stickers, scrapbook supplies (do they make them?), paper, note cards, anything.

I also am a craft freak. I do a lot of mail art, love scrapbooking, card making, ATCs, paper arts, soap making. I am in love with japanese craft and sewing books, zakka stuff, and other cool craft books from Asia. They don't have to in English!!

I love Labello lip balm and can't buy it here.

I also love fun stationary, my daughter is a Sanrio nut! She also LOVES Kawaii stationary, can't get enough of it. Fun Korean or Japanese or other countries in Asia stationary. We both love candies from other places.

I live in Boston and travel to NYC often. So.... I can get almost anything you'd like in exchange. I can send sweets, packaged food, crafts supplies, scrapbooking paper, you name it! I can also send yummy maple syrup, blueberry everything, salt water taffy. Or any goodies you can think of from Boston!


Interested? Email me at amymisha@comcast.net.