What I've been up to lately...

Hello,

Just chick'n    in to see if anybody's out there.... hello hello hello hello.  (think echo-sound).  My little blog is woefully neglected but every now and then I like to pop-in with some blews (blews=blog news, I just made that up).  LOL, still crackin myself up.  What I've been up to lately?  That is the question.  Awhile ago, I took a class at my mostest favorite stamp store ever!!! ---> Papertales (hi Michelle) with my mostest favorite teacher/designer ever, ---> Debby Schuh.  I'm taking this ---> class in July!!  Can't wait.  Anyway, the journal was called 'Recipe of Me' and could be used to hold stories of people, places and events that made up 'me'.   However, I decided to modify and use it for a recipe holder all of my favorite, well-worn, family heirloom recipes.  I think its perfect for it!  

I've been meaning to transfer all of the recipes I love to recipe cards (either 4 x 6 or 5 x 8, whichever fits better) and include in my journal.  Some I will print out and some I am going to handwrite.  My personal recipes and family heirloom recipes will be handwritten.  I've assembled a stack of all of my favorite recipes.  Some are my favorites, some have been printed off the internet, some from family/friends.  

Front cover.  Tablescape w/candles, hen, handwriting samples

Dessert Section

Breakfast Section

This is kind of a four part entry.  A tag card slides into this page for the Soup & Stew Section:

1.

Pull the card out from the page.  See my section tag?

2.

I will keep all of my Soup & Stew recipes here.  I made a flap on the bottom inch of the tag card by folding it up approx an inch.  That way when I pull the tag out of the envelope the recipes come up with it.   I wanted to store several recipes in this envelope so the flap contains them easier.

3.

I made blank recipe card templates (of course I did) digitally (in MSWord) using (download font here --->) 'Old Typewriter' font style.  It's one of my favorite fonts to use for papercrafting and adds to the vintage feel I'm going for.  What I love about my recipe card templates is I made them in several sizes, 3x5, 4x6 and 5x8.  I can use whichever size works best for the page I'm using in my journal.  They are fully editable and can be modified as needed.  I also made them double-wide (or long ,,)) with a dotted line for the fold.  So would that make them 6x5, 8x6 and 10x8??? OMG nevermind.  I can either type in the recipe and printout or print blank recipe cards and handwrite.  I can also add clipart or borders if I like.  So far, I've kept mine plain with just the classic blue lines and red borderline.  I plan on customizing sometime.  Aren't they cute?  I printed them out on cardstock to make them sturdier.

 4.

I think this journal lends itself very well for 'favorite recipes'.  I made category tabs as needed.  I printed them out using the first couple of rows from my recipe card template.  I added clipart to the category headings as you can see.

 I hope you enjoyed your visit!!  Leave a comment (with email address) and I will email a digital copy of my recipe card templates for you.

~M!ssPr!ssy

The 3 Rs

 

Repurpose, Reuse, Recycle.  I love finding old items and turning them into new functional items.    I've done it before and I'll do it again.  A couple of years ago I picked up a really cool solid oak Antique/Vintage full-size bedframe (complete with headboard, footboard, slats).  I was told by the owners it was at least 100 years old and had been in their parents home.  I picked it up for $25 and I knew it was a diamond in the rough.   I was super excited and brought it home to show the hus my great find (and his new project).

Now, I didn't need a bedframe nor did I have any space for it (other than to store it in the garage) but I have always wanted/needed a bench at the end of my bed.  I research DIY projects on the web and found a lot of ideas.  The first words out of his mouth of course were, I'm not doing it, don't expect me to do it, I will never make a bench out of that bedframe and stop bringing home projects for 'me' to do.  That went over well, tell me how you really feel?  Me: "How long do you think it will take?"  LOL.  That went over really well.  Fast forward a couple of years.  Hope springs eternal.  Of course, I'm like a dog with a bone.  I suggested what a great Christmas present my finished bench would be.  When that didn't happen, I suggested what a great birthday present a finished bench would be!?!  There's always Valentines Day and/or our Anniversary?!?  Anything?  Crickets.

AND NOW?  Walla...

Headboard:

Footboard (With the cut-to-size side slats already prepped).  Usually the headboard is used for the bench back and the footboard is used for the bench front.  I liked the straight lines of the footboard so I decided to use the footboard for the back of the bench because the headboard was too tall for my purposes, I wanted to preserve the wood carving/scroll work it was too pretty to cut to pieces.  The left over piece of wood of the headboard I plan on making into a shelf with pegs for hanging.  (Honey?).  Plus the footboard was the perfect size with no cutting required  :

 The front toe kick part/the two front legs are cut from the bottom piece of the headboard:

The almost finished product (with no flash) but you get the gist, the project was from a full-sized bedframe and it fit perfectly at the end of my queen-sized bed:

The almost finished product (with flash).  I know it looks a little rough, well a lot rough.  It will still need to be sanded and stained (espresso stain or maybe painted) to match the bedroom furniture.  I was just so excited to get it finished.  I didn't want to hold up production.  I can always sand/stain it later.  Doesn't it have great character and age?!?!?!   I'll take more pictures and update this post later when I've been able to apply the finishing touches.  Sometimes you just have to believe it to see it (me) and sometimes you just have to see it to believe it (the hus).  When all was said and done my husband says, "good idea".  Really?  Preaching to the choir.  I love it and now I have a place to set extra bedding or  clothes.  Its really special because my husband made it for me.  He did ask, "Can this be for both your Christmas and Birthday present?" and I said, "YES, of course.  I'm a cheap date."  What's a little sweat equity... come on.... pweeze.

Enjoy!

M!ss Pr!ssy

Chiming in

One of these days... I'll have a kick@$$ blog.  I'll have a million+ followers.  I'll be linked to twitter, facebook, google, Martha as in Stewart, Pdub and Bill Gates.  My metadata and keywords will harvest only the number one spot in search engines.  They will KNOW WHERE I AM and that I exist.

Until then, its little ole me.  M!ssPr!ssy.  Paper, ribbon, ink, stampin, scrapping and yatayatayata with a capital "Y".  The capital "Y" because I do more yack'n than priss'n lately.   In the meantime. I have yet another 'Chef Tip of the Century'.  You will love the genius.  When I bake bread I like to cover it until the last ten minutes or so to avoid burning.  Except you have to leave a 'dome' to allow for expansion.  Over the years, I fold the aluminum foil in thirds leaving a little accordion fold along the center approximately one inch, like a tent.  Then once I wrap the bread pans I pull up on this little center fold.  Hoping it will expand enough to leave room for the loaf to rise while cooking and the top of the bread doesn't stick to the foil. I also always spray the foil tent with a cooking spray to avoid sticking as well.  I never 100% liked this technique because it wasn't exactly shaped round like a dome it was more shaped like an "A" tent.  Enter brainchild.

Notice the shape of the top arm of a common mixer?

Foil:

Example of foil tent (1 inch fold in center) and also the old loaf pan cover method

 Example of foil tent2 (1 inch fold in center)  old loaf pan cover method

  Bread pans that need cover before baking.  RECIPE

Using the top/shape of my common mixer I press foil over the mixer.  Make sure its long enough to cover the ends of average loaf pan.  It forms a perfectly shaped/size loaf pan cover.

Perfectly sized/shape loaf pan cover.  Still has the tent fold for expansion but is dome shaped neatly and correctly.

I KNOW GENIUS!!

Until next time.  Enjoy.  Wish you had smellavision because the loafs smell wonderful.

M!ss Pr!ssY