The World According to Jelly

Glass Tree Mosaic, Post 1

2012-01-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

I am very happy to announce that Jelly Girl Designs, in collaboration with The Bleu Monkey and St. Louis Sculpture Factory, has been given the opportunity to help design and install a very large mosaic of a glass tree (commissioned by a local university) made ENTIRELY of recycled bottle glass!
I'll be posting our progress here for the blogosphere to see. We only recently got the news that our bid was accepted, but already I've started working on large tile pieces that will make up the trunk of the tree - which measures 5 feet across. More than 50% of the bottles will be Schlafly beer bottles, thanks to friends who both work there and love the beer (Mr. Peanutbutter donates his fair share, of course!). The remainder of the glass will be from miscellaneous wine and spirit bottles from my inventory and donations from friends and local bars.

I am so excited about this project! What a great way to show the public and the young minds at the university, that there is diversity in art. Moreover, and most importantly for me, is that beauty can come from the most unexpected places - recycled glass!

I'll be posting more photos soon, and hopefully a mock up of the tree design.

I now pronounce you...

2011-08-16T13:47:00.001-07:00

So, I made another set of the super cool Mr. & Mrs. wine bottle glasses. Since I didn't have a photo of the originals, I'm posting this one.

And, a little shameless promo for me (I do have to put my kiddo through college, ya know):

These glasses make great gifts and are available at my etsy store!

Glasses to glasses

2011-08-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I must say that our trip to Wyoming was a blast and the banners, koozies, and pillow were a huge success with both the bride and guests.

Congrats Jenny and Charlie!

As a gift to the couple, I made them their own personalized drinking glasses made from recycled wine bottles. One said Mrs. and the other said Mr. They were fab, but sadly I don't have a photo of them to show you. I do, however, have a photo of others that I have been working on for some upcoming shows and my etsy store. I am SO SO SO excited about making these glasses!

This pair features the St. Louis logo STL, but I have so many other glasses in various colors with tons of designs that I'm working on. The craft lab is just on fire with production. I'm going to try to add to my etsy store every few days, but if you have an idea for a glass you would like please email me and I'm happy to try and make it for you. These glasses are great for conversation at parties, not to mention they make unique gifts for weddings and housewarmings.

Banner Days

2011-07-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

I just finished up another fun project for my friend's wedding next week in Wyoming. She wanted some fabric pennant banners to hang at the reception, and of course I couldn't say no.

These banners are really easy to make, and if you have zero sewing skills you can glue them at the top instead of sewing them.

For this banner I made a 9 inch long x 7 inch wide (at the top) triangle pattern, and cut each piece of fabric on the fold with a pair of pinking shears. I then folded over the top and sewed a pocket for the twine to run through. After they were all sewn, I simply ran my twine through until I had a nice long banner. For the Just Married banner, I printed the words off on my home ink-jet printer using iron-on transfer paper. And....voila!

Pillow Talk

2011-07-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

In the next few days Mr. Peanutbutter, Little Bird and I will all be leaving for our first family vacation! We'll be visiting friends and family in the West, culminating with a wedding in Jackson Hole. I can't wait!

I was totally flattered when my good friend not only asked me to be her Matron of Honor, but also to make a few items for the reception. Jackson is a gorgeous area of the country, and they are having this beautiful outdoor wedding with lots of casual rustic decor.

So, in keeping with her theme I made her this super cute moss ring bearers pillow. It was so easy to make. I just used a styrofoam square, some preserved moss from my local craft store, a glue gun and ribbon. All for under 15 bucks!

Il fait CHAUD

2011-07-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

Man, is it hot outside!

There's nothing better than a nice cool cocktail to help make the summer heat a little more bearable, and I have the perfect recipe.

I like to call this drink my Coconut Lime Faux-jito. It's super yummy, so I wanted to share it with you blogosphere.

Here's what you'll need:

rocks size cocktail glass
ice
coconut rum (I like to use Parrot Bay, but any will do. If you like your drinks a little stronger use the Parrot Bay 90 - but, be careful because this drink is SO good you will be slurping them down very quickly!)
1/2 lime
diet 7-up

Fill rocks glass about 1/3 with ice, pour one shot glass full of rum into glass along with the juice of 1/2 a lime. Fill the remainder of the glass with diet 7-up. ENJOY!

Chef d'oeuvre

2011-07-17T05:22:00.000-07:00

chef-d'oeu·vre (sh -d vr , -dûrv ). n. pl. chefs-d'oeu·vre (sh -).
A masterpiece, especially in literature or art.

Yes, my dears, it has been a while.

However, I assure you that I have been very very busy on my best project to date (and, dare I say, ever). I do have to give Mr. Peanutbutter his kudos, too. He has been a major part of this work, and without him I couldn't have done it.

I like to call this work of art Little Bird.Photo: Fresh Art Photography

Show me your teeth

2010-09-25T08:08:00.000-07:00

Ahhh....I've been working my little Jelly fingers to the bone.

Sewing and stuffing. Stuffing and sewing.

....and, voila.
My little Tooth Monsters.
(Tooth pillows for the dentally challenged kiddo)

*available soon on my etsy store and at local craft shows this Fall!

Time for some DIY

2010-08-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

I love a good thrift find,

and Amanda at Hand Me Down House has the cutest DIY

project using some frames that she found at her local thrift store.

I can't wait to find some frames of my own and give this project a try. What great Christmas or housewarming gifts!

I was even thinking about putting a black & white or sepia photo in one of the frames. So many options.....

Je suis artiste

2010-08-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

OOOOH LA LA!

Look what arrived today in the mail....It's the most perfect little enameled plaque & I just love it. Plus, I have the perfect place for it, too: the side door of the house. This is door that Mr. Peanutbutter and I use the most - so, I think it's fitting. N'est pas?

If you want one of your own, go to The Beautiful Life. She has a great blog, and so many wonderful things to buy at her store. (Note: I'm so bummed. It seems that she has sold out of her little signs! I did find some on ebay, but they're not nearly as nice.)

Chic on the Cheap

2010-08-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

Vinyl wall art is all the rage these days.

It's great....you find these amazing designs that look like wallpaper or stenciled art and you apply it directly to your wall. AND it comes right off when you're ready to change your look.

For a fraction of what wallpaper costs, and forget the headache of stencilling!

Etsy has beaucoup vinyl wall art, and many of designers will work with you to create a custom phrase or other design idea.

Isn't this Oriental Plum Blossom from Supremedecals gorgeous?

(I can see 5 or 6 of these on a wall painted robin's egg blue!)I'm a total sucker for quoted wall art like this one from Designdivagallery

I was shocked to find that Joann Fabric stores also carry vinyl wall art and they're cute! I went to their website where they have an even bigger selection. I'm not sure of the quality of the vinyl, but for a couple of bucks I'll give it a try.

I'm loving this design.I think I might experiment with it in the living room......

So many choices....so little time.

Bon Voyage....Vintage Style

2010-08-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

I've been thrifting and what fun things I've found!

Time to travel!How wonderful is this vintage suitcase????This piece of Skyway luggage is in excellent condition. It reminds of British Airways, and I have to admit that I pretended (just a little) that I was a 1960s British Airways stewardess and that this was my suitcase that I used to travel the world.

Cheers, mates!

If you love it, too, then I have even better news....it's for sale in my Etsy store!

Click here to see more photos.

Un petit morçeau de musique française

2010-07-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

Have you all been over to Black Eiffel? I just love that damned blog. She's just got so much stuff to look at. I could (and have) waste an entire day there. In fact, just last night I was combing through her archives and came across this week's Music Monday - which, I'll have you know features a french band. And, you know how I love french stuff.
The band is PacoVolume. The videos are pretty cool, but I'm not sure if I like the music. Maybe it will grow on me.

All grows up

2010-07-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

I'm such a cheeseball.

I'm so excited today because I picked my very first eggplant from our garden.

Zucchini Fever

2010-07-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

As usual, the zucchini plant has exploded with fruit. Sadly, Mr. Peanutbutter doesn't like zucchini and there is way more that I can eat alone.Enter, zucchini bread.

This stuff is so addictive that I can't keep it in the house. I have to bake it and take it to work - unleashing it's crack-cocaine qualities on my co-workers. Who, I might add, are begging for the recipe.

So, it is with great caution that I give you ,Dear Blogosphere, my recipe for zucchini bread. May the force be with you.

(This recipe will make 2 loaves of bread. I find that one big zucchini will yield four loaves of bread.)

*3 eggs well beaten

*2 tsp vanilla extract
*2 cups sugar
*2 tsp cinnamon
*1cup veg. oil
*3 cups flour
*1 tsp baking soda
*1/4 tsp baking powder
*1 tsp salt
*2 cups grated zucchini

Add eggs, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon and oil. Then add flour, soda, powder, and salt. Mix well. Lastly add the zucchini. Mix well.
Place mixture in 2 greased bread pans, bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes.

Soup du Jour

2010-07-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

Hello Dear Blogosphere.

I know I've been MIA, but I've been busy focusing on our house, the garden, and our new puppy. And as the cold days melted away, I realized that I really need to whittle off some of this Winter pudge.

So, now I'm working on healthier eating and getting fit (again). Tonight I made the most wonderful shrimp curry soup. It's light, low fat and yummy and I thought I'd share it with you.

Here's the recipe:

* 1/2 stick of butter * one large onion chopped and diced * 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth * 5-6 medium potatoes, chopped into small pieces * 2 1/2 tsp curry powder * 1 tsp kosher salt * 1 pound shrimp (I use raw shrimp, but you could use cooked) * 2 cups low fat milk (I use 2%, but you could substitute skim) * 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Over low heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook until tender. Add broth, curry, salt and potatoes. Cook until potatoes tender. Add shrimp and if raw, cook until shrimp firm. Slowly add milk, and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Add cilantro, simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Add cracked pepper to taste. I put crumbled feta on top, but you could also try shaved coconut for a Thai flavor.

Bon Appetit!

Apple Blossom Special

2010-05-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

Ooooooh, the apple trees have bloomed and now the little apples are growing. In a few months we will have bushels of apples to make apple butter, apple cider, hard cider and apple wine.

I can't wait! Apple butter makes great gifts, and the hard cider is my personal favorite.

This will be my first year making apple wine,

so I'll be sure to keep you posted on how that works out.

If you're interested in making your own apple butter or hard apple cider, please check out my tutorials here and here.

Decorating with the dreaded gumball

2010-05-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

If you're unfortunate enough to have a gumball tree in your yard, then you know how much of a nuisance they can be.

Our back yard is FULL of them. Worse yet, the tree is in our neighbor's yard - so there's not much we can do about it. That is until I needed some quick decor fixes for an upcoming party.

I had been wanting some orbs to fill random bowls around the house. However, I'm also trying to cut back on my spending. Grrrrr....saving is so hard when you love to shop. Luckily, I had a few styrofoam balls left over from some wedding DIY projects and put them to good use with some of the gumballs from the yard.I collected quite a few of the gumballs and put drywall screws into each one using my drill. I had tried just using a nail, but the inside of the gumball is really dense and the nail approach didn't work.The screws stick out of the other side of the gumball just enough to poke it into the styrofoam. With the screw grabbing and holding on to the styrofoam, this elimated the need for glue. I kept going with the gumballs until the ball was completely covered.Next I spray painted the gumball covered ball. Spray painting helps with two things: first it covered up the small gaps between gumballs and second it killed off some of the little bugs that were living in the gumballs. (you could also store the gumball orb in an airtight container for a day or two to make sure no little critters will be crawling around)

I used 3 different colors, and placed them all into a large bowl.

Ta-da!

Let the composting begin...

2010-05-04T17:23:00.001-07:00

Ah...gardening season is finally upon us and I couldn't be happier!

Although, I guess I am a little happier now that I have a composting bin (simple pleasures). Since we've been here in our new house over the last 2 years, we haven't been able to compost and it has really bummed me out. Luckily, I found this composting bin that I've been wanting for a while for a great price at Menards.

So, now the bin is all set up and I have my fingers crossed that the dog (or raccoons) won't knock it over and eat all of the scraps. That will have to be another post....

In the meantime, I'm tending to our little garden. Mr. Peanutbutter built this cool trellis for us to use for the tomatoes. They always seem to outgrow the cages that you can buy at the store.

In addition to tomatoes (both roma and big boy - yum!), we're growing cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, zucchini, banana peppers, eggplant (can you say babba ganoush?), potatoes, beets, and a variety of herbs.

Although, I think that I may have to grow some cabbage, too. I've been having this incredible craving for kimchi! Here's a recipe if you'd like to give it a try (courtesy of Jackie):

There are literally hundreds of kimchi recipes. Some include anchovies and baby shrimp, others include dikon radishes instead of cabbage. Here’s the one I used. You can also go online and type in kimchi recipes for many, many more.

1 large head cabbage
1 cup pickling salt
5 cups ice water
1 long white radish, grated
1 onion, sliced finely
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup chili paste
1 Tbsp sugar

Remove core of cabbage and cut into small chunks. Mix salt and water and pour over cabbage in large bowl. Weight down so brine covers cabbage. Let sit on counter overnight. In morning, mix the rest of the ingredients in another bowl. Drain cabbage, rinse and drain dry. Mix chili, etc. with cabbage quite well. Pack well in wide mouth glass canning jars. Press down well to get rid of any airspaces. Put lid on tightly. Let sit in a warm, dark area at room temperature for 2-3 days (depending on the temperature…longer if it’s cool), then refrigerate until use. Then return to fridge after each use until gone.

Kimchi stinks because of the fermentation and the onion/garlic, but it’s addicting! Good kimchi making! — Jackie

Sleepless nights

2010-04-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

I was recently at Garden Ridge, which is a discount home and garden store of sorts. For those of you who aren't familiar with the store, they have tables scattered throughout full of stupid cheap stuff like fabric, scrubs, underwear, you-name-it. In fact, just the other day I spied a table full of discounted hard-back books. At first I thought they would be bad romances, and other dime-store types, but I recognized some titles as books that I had read and really liked. (i.e. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel)

The books were only $3.99, so I picked out a few that I thought sounded interesting - figuring that if they weren't great, at least they'd be entertaining.

My first read was Interred with Their Bones, a murder mystery built on lost Shakespearean plays. Um, I can't put it down. I've spent the last two nights reading until 2 or 3 in the morning. I'm no book critic, or even close to being an english lit major, but if you like a quasi-intelligent suspenseful read then this is a good pick.

2010-04-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

2010-04-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

I'm all done painting room number 2 (photos to come soon).

Now it's time to focus on some wall decor.

I just bought this today & I love it. Mr. Peanutbutter will love it more though because it's one of his favorite movies.

Be sure to check out Nate's other works on his Etsy site,
not to mention the super cool blog where I discovered the poster No Accounting for Taste.

I also found these incredible Kurt Vonnegut motivational posters on Sloshspot. I think I'm going to print them out and hang them up in a really big wall assembly.

2010-04-02T05:01:00.001-07:00

It's been absolutely gorgeous weather here, and do you think I've been outside enjoying it?

No.

Spring fever has me painting all over the house.

I guess all of this sunlight made me realize how drab and dreary the upstairs bathroom was. So, I gave it an overhaul and now it's bright & cheery. Not to mention I found a way to blend in the avocado green tub and toilet (for now).

Here are the before photos:

Ugh...check out that ugly tile color. We didn't have the budget (or time) to remove all of the tile and replace it. So, I talked to the guy at Sherwin Williams and he told me that (yes) you can paint ceramic tile. He sold me some special primer for the tile, and then I bought a high-gloss enamel to mimic the look of ceramic tile so that it wasn't so noticeable that it had been painted.

Let me present the after photos:

(sorry, the photos didn't turn out too well)

I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. I've even given the tiles a 'scratch' test and the paint stays on.

The wall color is from Restoration Hardware. I love the color, but if you decide to use their paint be sure to shake, shake, shake the can before painting. You might even take it to the paint department and ask them to shake it, because the paint really settles from sitting on the shelves at the store.

A mother's love

2010-04-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

Hi All.

Sorry that I haven't been here. I've been busy nuturing my newest blog baby Belle Environs: A photo blog of the historic neighborhood that I live in and urban St. Louis.

I'd love it if you stopped by!

Lost but not forgotten...

2010-03-30T05:10:00.000-07:00

..I hope.

Yes, I've been away.

Recovering.

Recovering from my web-based temper-tantrum. But, all is good now and I've returned.

In addition, I've started working on my other blog formerly known as My Blue Belleville, now Belle Environs.

More to come.

Just say 'Cheese'

2010-02-13T16:59:00.000-08:00

I have a new obsession: cheese.

Actually, it's an old obsession, I mean who doesn't love cheese? Even lactose intolerant peeps can enjoy all of the fab goat and sheep's milk cheeses out there.

So, Mr. Peanutbutter and I have decided to do more than eat our way through our cheese craze. Yep, we're going to MAKE cheese. I've made mozzarella before which was really fun, good and easy to do. Why not take it to the next level?

We don't have cows, goats or sheep (maybe one day says Mr. Peanutbutter) but we do live near multiple farming communities and I've managed to find a way to buy raw milk. I'm so excited! We'll start with more mozzarella this week, and maybe try setting a hard cheese. In the meantime, I'm waiting for my new books to arrive from amazon.

American Farmstead Cheese by Paul Kindsedt

The Cheese Chronicles by Liz Thorpe

If you're curious about making cheese yourself, I highly suggest getting a starter cheese making kit. We bought Ricki's Cheese Making Kit which is a great buy, and is how I made my first batch of mozzarella.
Photos of our cheese extravaganza to follow soon...

Parisian decor...how I love thee

2010-02-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

There is little about french decor that I don't like, but I must admit that I'm partial to the sometimes ostentacious style of the Parisian apartment.

I love antique mirrors with gilded frames mixed with teal velvet drapes, chaise lounges and funky black accents. (My recent lamp re-do was completely inspired by such decor) Maybe your wondering what I see in my little pea brain when the cogs start turning and I begin working on a new project? Well, I just happen to have some beautiful photos of various Parisian inspired living spaces to share with you.

I shamelessly borrowed these from Habitually Chic. I had to stop at 9 photos, but I could've posted thousands. I take so much inspiration from her blog, so please stop by and have a look around.

Budget decor: Parisian inspired lamp

2010-02-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

Yes, blogosphere, I have been neglectful and I'm sorry. The thing is, I've been working very hard helping Mr. Peanutbutter with the upcoming open-house for his gallery/venue space The Bleu Monkey. Lots to do before this weekend (let's just say it needs a woman's touch).

We're working within a very tight budget, and I've been decorating the place with transformed alley finds and thrift-store buys. Today I finished this great table lamp that I thought I'd share with you.

Mr. Peanutbutter had found this very cool, but rusty old lamp. I didn't get a photo before I painted it, but here it is after a couple coats of black satin spray paint.
I bought a very simple white lampshade at a local decorator discount store, which I taped off with painter's tape and then spray painted gold.
I spaced each stripe with another strip of tape to make my stripes even. The lampshade that I used was a little bigger at the bottom than it was at the top, so I had to add a little more space at the bottom of each stripe. After I was done, I 'eyeballed' the whole thing and moved the stripes a little to make it all straight and even.

Next, was the spray paint. I just used plain old gold metallic spray paint and it worked just fine.

Tada!

This project has been listed on these fabulous blogs:

The Shabby Chic Cottage
Between naps on the porch
Beyond the Picket Fence

A soft place to land

Today's Creative Blog
My Backyard Eden

Inspired

2010-01-26T14:19:00.000-08:00

Back from the craft lab, and what fun I've been having! I was so inspired by Resweater that I went right to work on making some fun berets with felted sweaters from my craft stash. These were so easy to make and even Mr. Peanutbutter liked them (for girls). Shown is my blue beret, but I've made 3 others already!I got the pattern here, although I had to make some minor modifications for my size large cranium. Big brains like mine need room to breathe, yo. I did make it adjustable with the brown ribbon, so that little brained people can wear it, too.

So much to do.

2010-01-25T13:44:00.001-08:00

I have so many crafty ideas floating around in my head, so many things to do and what do you think occupies my time? Yep....blogs.

Me: Hello everyone. My name is Jelly and I'm addicted to blogs.
Blogosphere: Hello Jelly.

The irony of it all is that the support group for blog addicts is MORE blogging. Ugh...I'm doomed.

However, if you're here then you know that blogging is one of better addictions to have because you meet really cool people and learn really cool things! In fact, I've been learning all sorts of stuff from two of my latest blog stalks. Please let me introduce you to Skip t o my Lou and Resweater.Now I don't have children, but the crafts at Skip to my Lou will keep anyone of any age busy and smiling for hours. In fact, I was printing off all sorts of stuff at work last night for other co-workers who were busy looking over my shoulder at this blog instead of working. It must be really hard to find good workers these days. jeez.

OMG! She even has this great tutorial for making bath bombs.
This is so on my list for next year's handmade Christmas gifts.

Ok, so you know that besides everything french I love to recycle things into useful objects, art, whatever. Well, Resweater is the jackpot o' upcycled sweater projects. In fact, I'm so inspired by all of her stuff that I'm going down to the craft lab right this moment and cooking up some pure ~~crystal~~ craft.

Craft show madness

2010-01-22T15:31:00.000-08:00

Dearest Blogosphere,

I'm soooo excited! I just opened my acceptance letter to a local indie craft show that I've been really really wanting to be a part of. So, it looks like I need to get very busy and start crafting! I hope that all of you who are or will be in the St. Louis area over March 13 & 14 will stop by! I'll be sure to post photos of pieces as they come off of the press....

xo,

Jelly

Indie Craft Revolution

What Not to Wear: Kitchen Style

2010-01-21T07:36:00.000-08:00

When we bought our house, we fell in love with everything except the kitchen. It's small and somewhat outdated. And even though the house came with new appliances, they're white - and that's just not my style.

I wish we could win some HGTV 100,000 sweepstakes and Candice Olsen could come redo our kitchen......but, that's probably not going to happen. So, I'm taking baby steps in updating our kitchen, starting with those icky white appliances. It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but I decided to paint the refrigerator and dishwasher. Surprisingly, it went pretty well and was relatively easy. (If you're considering doing this, I would highly recommend the Ace Hardware brand appliance paint over Rustoleum. It goes on a lot better and dries faster/more evenly.)

Here is the before:Here are the afters:

The refrigerator still needs one more coat, but you have to wait 5 days between coats. On the dishwasher, the panel is a hammered gold but it doesn't come out well in the photo. For the refrigerator I used 4 cans of black appliance paint, and 1/2 a can of plastic paint for the handles, etc. I used the same plastic paint on the dishwasher, and maybe 1/2 a can of appliance paint.

I also repainted the (white) ceiling fan. There's a really nice metallic finish on everything but the blades, but it doesn't come out well in the photo either.The next step is wall paint and laying floor tile. I'll be sure to post more photos!

P.S. This project was posted on DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land, The Shabby Chic Cottage, and Beyond the Picket Fence.

Eye Candy

2010-01-18T12:38:00.001-08:00

(sigh)

I'm working a lot over the next few days at my real job, so that leaves me little time to play in blogland. Even though I'll be toiling away in the world of emergency medicine, I'll leave you with these gorgeous photos for inspiration.

Photos from top to bottom:
Anthropologie, Trouvais, 3 Fine Grains, Bella Notte Linens, Bruxelles Antiques, Cote de Texas

Feeling nostalgic

2010-01-15T16:48:00.000-08:00

Mary Alice was a very special person. Not only was she an amazing woman, seamstress, and role model but she was also my grandmother. I miss her very much. I think that if she were still here she would love blogland with all of the creative people and things you can find there.

In my little profile, I mention that I look like her. I realized, dear blogosphere, that you probably don't know what I look like, much less Mary Alice.

Here you are.....

I love and miss you grandma. Kimmer.

Trash to Treasure: Bowling Pin Accents

2010-01-14T16:05:00.000-08:00

One bowling alley's trash is Jelly Girl's treasure.

Let's just say that I got a big tip on some trashed bowling pins. I've been so excited about my find, and have loads of fun ideas about how to fix up these beauties. I started simply by painting and stenciling a few - just to see how it would work out. So far so good.

Another HTML secret: Creating your own button

2010-01-13T05:36:00.000-08:00

Editor's note: If you've been to my blog before, let me tell you that I fixed my button. I thought I would save everyone else in the blogosphere the same trouble I've had by giving a tutorial on how to create your own button.

Every one wants to be noticed, right? Well, in the blogosphere anyway.

A great way to get your name out there is by creating a button. These are little images that others can copy from your blog to put in the side column of their blog, and that others will use as a tool to link directly back to you.

You don't have to be an expert at HTML to figure it out. Even if you're still nervous don't worry because I'm going to give you all of the information that you need.

First of all, you need to find an image that you like and that you want to be your button. Most people just use a smaller version of their blog banner. Go to whatever editing software you use, and open the photo/image that you want. You don't need any kind of fancy software here. In fact, whatever photo editing software that came with your computer will probably work.

Once you have your photo open, you will need to crop it into more of a square shape if it isn't already. After cropping the image down, you will need to decrease the size of the image to around 200 pixels. (if it's already less than 200 that's ok) In the tool bar section you will find a tab for image, and somewhere within this tab is the option to change the size of the image. After doing all of this, save your image in a file where you can easily find it later. (For all of my blog stuff I've created a file called Blog Info, and I save all of my images there so that I can find it right away)

Onto step 2....
This is the super easy part. No need to upload your image to a public sharing photo account (which I have found out for your through my own trial and error).
Open your blog and click on customize in the upper right hand corner, and then add gadget. (BTW this is for blogspot users) Click on add photo, and upload your new image and save. Now go to view blog, and right click on your new little button image. In the menu it will say copy image location, click this.Amost done.....
Go back to customize, and add gadget HTML. In the text box, hit ctrl 'v' and the location of your button will show up.

This is what it should look like:

Now, we will have to add your HTML code for your button. This is what we're going to add:

This is what you should have when you're done (substitute your blog info where my highlighted information is):Now, click save and then view blog. You should see something like this:

Now, go back to customize and drag the HTML box you just made below the photo box of your button image. You may want to add a caption in your photo gadget to explain to other bloggers how they can add the button.

This is what you should have:
Congratulations! You now have made your own button. Please leave me a comment and show me how I can see your button if you used this tutorial. I'd be so flattered if you added my button to your blog. Also, if you have any problems or questions about this tutorial I'll be happy to try and help.

Distressed Matchbox Project

2010-01-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

You know what they say...Necessity is the mother of invention.

And I needed a matchbox. Anytime I want to light a candle, I have to search all over the house to find a book of matches. So, I decided to repurpose an old tin to hold our matches and put an end to the game of hide & seek.This project is super easy. I started by spray painting the box with black satin paint. To get the stripes, I used scotch tape to make each stripe. I like using scotch tape for smaller projects because it's a nice way to know that your stripes will be even. After taping everything off I painted the stripes first with white acrylic paint, then with a layer of gold.Using an old English-French dictionary, I scanned in the definition of match, and then printed it out so that I could affix it to the box. To give the box a distressed look, I gently sanded the whole thing with a fine grit sanding sponge. And for the final touch, I added a few rub-ons to the front.
et, voila:

More changes

2010-01-11T05:52:00.001-08:00

I've been spending some time thinking about changing the overall look of my etsy store, and business image. Jelly Girl is who I am, but I don't think that really encompasses the french-inspired-eco-friendly creative process I go through and use to make all of my stuff.

So, with the help of Mr. Peanutbutter, I have come up with BLEU: creative miscellany for your body and home. These are my new buttons and banners.Don't worry, my blog won't change a bit. I mean, I am still Jelly and always will be. This blog is about my life and creative process - BLEU is the product of those things. I'm still working on changing everything over at etsy, and this may be a while yet. My other etsy store Jelly B. Green, will continue to be open but will sell more vintage goods and supplies. Stay tuned for more updates...

Viva Europa!

2010-01-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, so you all know that I have this ongoing love affair with France. But, I have to say that within that love is an appreciation for all things European....the food, the history, the architecture, ooh la la.

I love looking out the window of my imaginary Parisian apartment (thanks to Paris Daily Photo), but now (thanks to my blogger friend Eleonora at Aglio, Olio & Peppercino) I can vacation at my imaginary villa in Rome. Each day after my cafe au lait in Paris, I visit the cobblestone streets of the piazza at Roma Every Day. Who knew I would grow up to have such a lavish lifestyle!

All photos courtesy of Roma Every Day

HTML Secret: Create your own blog link

2010-01-08T15:03:00.000-08:00

Opening up your email and having comments on your blog is such a wonderful find. Moreover, leaving comments on other blogs is a fun way to meet new bloggers, and for other folks to link back to you. But how do you get the link into the comment box?

It's a lot easier than you think! Just insert the HTML code below in the comment box, and your blog will show up as highlighted text that others can use to link directly to your blog.

This is an example of what it should look like:
This is what it should look like when you're done:

I hope this helps!

P.S. Give it a try and leave me a comment.

Victorian Shoes

2010-01-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

During my recent 'Girls Only Weekend' in Atlanta I was able to see the new Sherlock Holmes film with Robert Downey, Jr. What a great movie! Not to mention the costumes and sets were amazing - very steampunk.

I now seem to have Victorian on the brain, and have been going through some of my vintage shoe ads. Here are a few that I've cleaned up a little bit.

Be sure to click on each image for a larger view.

Home Improvements

2010-01-06T05:14:00.000-08:00

Why call them resolutions? They're really just life improvements, aren't they?

Well, I've been giving my 2010 life improvements some thought and I've had plenty of time to do this over the last week during my mini me vacation. Nothing better than a week off work spent with one of your favorite gal pals in Atlanta. Great company, great food, amazing beers and I-K-E-A! 'Nuf said.

So, back to my improvements....

I won't regale you with promises to lose weight, live a healthier life style, save money, etc. Why would I when I can't even promise myself those things?

Let's be realistic blogosphere....I'm a crafter, an artist (pronounced ar'teest) if you will. My goals this year are to spend more time on my art, more time being creative, and spending time with other creative folks. I really want to tell you that I'm going to post a new item on Etsy every day this year, but that would be lying. So, I'm going to tell you that I'm going to try to post a new item on Etsy each week. That way I'll seem like a creative genius who has her sh** together if I post more than once a week.

With that said, may I present to you this week's Etsy installment (the first of 2010 I might add):

Ruskie Mittens in Red

I love making these mittens and actually have another pair that I'm going to post today (see 'creative genius' above). They're entirely made from felted upcycled wool sweaters and they are oh-so-soft and thick. I've also been making more gloves, but they take a little longer. Plus, I forgot to take photos of all of the gloves that I made for Christmas gifts. Sorry.

Please visit my Etsy store, and stay tuned for more here at A Jelly Girl...

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T19:44:00.000-08:00

I found these really cool antique french drawings on flickr.

The first one says New Year's Day (le jour de l'an). These are just a few of the 100 plus drawings ...all of which are great images for crafts, etc. Enjoy and I'll see you next year!

Images compliments of http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjacques/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Mood Board Mania

2009-12-29T16:13:00.001-08:00

So today I was browsing around the web trying to find photos of cool french-inspired chairs. I didn't have much luck there, but what I did find was a treasure trove of mood boards.

I really enjoyed making inspiration boards when I was planning for my wedding, but I think I could really get into something new. I also found several fun little contests where you're challenged to make a mood board around a particular piece of furniture. Of course, I was too late for any of the ones I've found, but that won't stop me from sharing them with you.

The boards below were all from a contest sponsored by Comfort & Luxury where participants had to choose from two different chairs, and organize a decor mood board around them. I'm particular to the Antwerp chair because of it's vintage European features, but the boards for the Bertram chair are really nice, too!

Antwerp & Bertrand chairs by Anthropologieyoung professionals' dinner party by Comfort&Luxury on Polyvore.com

Glam Living Room from Strictly Simple Style

From Rhoda at Southern Hospitality

Which is your favorite?

Be sure to check out all of the contributors at Comfort & Luxury.

Do you know of any current mood board contests? Do share!

Coffee to go

2009-12-28T08:37:00.000-08:00

Coffee + Good Friends = Awesome Christmas Gift

Last night Mr. Peanutbutter and I had a little Christmas party with some close friends and we were totally surprised by a very chic gift of a Keurig coffee maker. We couldn't wait to get it out of the box this morning and start making coffee. Our coffee maker came with a variety box of all kinds of coffees, teas and even hot chocolate. Of course, we were like two little kids and had to try several different coffees with different cup settings, etc. I'm a little jittery at the moment, but still tempted to try the Earl Gray. What fun!

Accessorize, darling. Accessorize.

2009-12-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

Oh I do love these fun drawer pulls and banister finials from Susan Goldstick.
(Thanks Kathy!)

Wouldn't this one look great on a stair banister?

I love this idea!

Check out these and more at Susan Goldstick, inc.

New Obsession

2009-12-26T15:48:00.000-08:00

I am totally loving these stencil designs. Yes...stencil. Thanks to a very creative co-worker, I am now obsessed with these designs and endless ideas are streaming through my brain as I type.

I was never much into faux finishes, but you have to check out these photos and more at the Design Amour blog. Artist and designer Melanie Royal of Royal Design Studio highlights many amazing projects - both of her work and of other artists. Almost all of these designs were done using stencils, which you can see and buy through her websites Royal Design Studio and Modello.My biggest problem at the moment is deciding which room in my house to do first!Can you believe this mirror was transformed using a stencil?I love this floor! I'm thinking I may have to do this in the craft lab.....

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T05:41:00.001-08:00

Happy Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T16:11:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of les fifoles

Christmas wishes

2009-12-23T03:21:00.000-08:00

If you've been anywhere near the blogosphere with in the last year or so, then you're no doubt familar with the tragedy of the Nielson family/fellow blogger Stephanie of the NieNie Dialogues. She and her husband have journeyed so very far in their physical and emotional healing since their horrible plane crash. I recently started reading her blog since she has been writing again. It's inspiring and heart-wrenching at the same time. Be sure to keep your box of kleen-x close by.

Reading her story reminds me of all of the things I have to be thankful for. Be thankful, Blogosphere, for the big and small things in life that you have.

Please send Christmas wishes for happiness, well-being, and healing to the Nielsons and to all those you love and who love you.

Read the NieNie Dialogues here

Personalized Christmas Gifts

2009-12-17T09:11:00.000-08:00

Sometimes certain people are just really hard to shop for. Couple that with the need to find several Christmas gifts, and it can get damned frustrating. Especially, if you procrastinate with your shopping the way I do.

Luckily, I've come up with a fun and unique solution that always seems to please:

Personalized bottles of wine.

I've given these as gifts to friends for a few years now, and they are a big hit. Not to mention super easy to make. All you need is a bottle of wine and some blank decals to print your custom label. Simply remove the original label from the bottle with soap and warm water. I usually soak the bottles for 10-15 minutes and the labels come right off.

Some craft stores and wine shops sell these blank decals, but they can be expensive. I like to buy mine at Online Labels. They have a very large selection of labels for both inkjet and laser printers. Plus, when you order from them you get free access to their label software which takes all of the guess work out of designing and printing your labels.

I was recently asked by a friend of mine to create custom labels
for a case of wine which was going to be a Christmas gift for their relatives (their last name is Black). I incorporated a Christmas theme, and made labels for two different varieties: Chardonnay & Cabernet.

The crest is from Just Something I Made,

and I simply added in the Monogram and other details.

I think I may work on a custom beer next, for my hard-to-buy-for father.

What ideas do you have for custom gifts?

Christmas in the blogosphere

2009-12-15T12:12:00.001-08:00

As you know, I love DIY projects. While surfing through the web today, I found lots of fun and crafty projects to help decorate la maison with holiday flair.

First is this great stocking idea from Jane at Out of the Crayon Box. She gives all of the how-to on the project, plus she uses upcycled items! That scores super high marks in Jelly's grade book. Be sure to stay and look around her blog...she has lots of fun stuff.Photo courtesy of Out of the Crayon Box

Next is the fun 'snowing' effect that I have on my blog. Miss Megan at Shabby Blogs graciously gives out the html so that you, too, can have a virtual winter wonderland.Click here to see how to download
(photo courtesy of Shabby Blogs)

If you're like me, you're blog is your home away from home. Why not decorate here, too? Visit Miss Karen at Background Fairy and download some of her fun holiday freebies.

Click here to download this background and header
(Graphics courtesy of Background Fairy)

Do you have a fun Holiday DIY on your blog, or on a blog that you've visited?
I'd love to hear about it!

Tidying Up.

2009-12-13T18:24:00.000-08:00

Well, you may have noticed a few changes here. I've been working to spruce things up a bit, and I really have to give props to Karen at Graphics Fairy for all of her wonderful free pieces of clip art.

She has literally TONS of images to copy. Most importantly, plenty of fun french items. She also has another website, Background Fairy, choc full of blog backgrounds and other goodies. Please go visit her sites, and leave her a nice little message because she does such awesome work. (Be sure to tell her Jelly sent ya!)

All images courtesy of Graphics Fairy.

I'm still working on a few changes, so please bear with me as I continue to redecorate.

Mustache Re-stash

2009-12-11T06:08:00.000-08:00

Still looking for that fun and funky gift? Or, maybe you're just dying to know what Jelly has been cooking up in the craft lab these days.

Well, I'm sure it's no surprise to you that I've been busy cranking out more beer bottle candles.

Head on over to my Etsy store and pick one up before they're gone!

More Green Giving

2009-12-10T08:20:00.001-08:00

Still stuck for ideas for holiday gifts? On a budget or want to give green?

Check out these very warm and very soft gloves made from upcycled wool sweaters....

Give Green

2009-12-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

Great gifts (by yours truly) on Etsy for that special
environmentally conscious person on your holiday list.

Visit me at Etsy!

Joy to the World

2009-12-02T18:00:00.001-08:00

Yay, Blogosphere....Jelly is busy in the craft lab again.

I'd sort of lost my muse for a while (probably due to all of the wedding diy), but my recent layaway of a super awesome kiln has inspired me.

As I've said before, I l-o-v-e bottle glass. I've been saving even more now that I know I'll be getting my kiln soon. Unfortunately, this has led to a little bit of overflow. So, I've been working on some cool votive candles. Like the halloween ones that I made, these are from beer bottles.This time I made them a little shorter. Plus, Mr Peanutbutter is going to make some ultra cool reclaimed wood boxes with circles cut in the top to hold the votives. I can't wait! I'm going to put them on Etsy soon. If you can think of any other cute 3,4 or 6 letters words (no explatives, please!) that would look good on the candles let me know.

Paris all year 'round

2009-11-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

If you're like me, you dream about shopping in France, vacationing in France, living in France...and so on.

I wish I could be there everyday, but alas....I cannot. However, I think I may have found a good (virtual) alternative!

Voila! Paris Daily Photo: A photo blog contributed to daily by Eric, a parisien (duh), who posts the most amazing photos of daily life in the City of Light. In addition to the great pics are tips on where to stay (including house exchanges), places to visit, and tons of other information that you won't find in Let's Go France.

Mr. Peanutbutter and I are planning a trip to France in August, but Paris wasn't on the original itinerary. But, after seeing all of these great photos I think we might change our plans!

All photos courtesy of Paris Daily Photo

Happy Birthday Miss Audrey

2009-11-21T07:01:00.000-08:00

Today we're going to a birthday party for my sweet little cousin Audrey who's now 4 years old. I can't believe how time flies.

In celebration of her birthday, I typed in 'Audrey' on Etsy to see what treasures I could find. Of course, there were a gazillion gratuitous photos of Audrey Hepburn.

But, there were also lots of other lovelies that I'll share with you. I wish I could buy them all...1. Silver Blue Audrey Dress by ChyShop
2. Ruffle Bateau Dress by Audrey and Grace
3. Audrey Necklace by MyKonos

4. Audrey silk shoe clips by floreti
5. Audrey wool wrap by Holly Bloom Couture
6. Audrey Sweater by Luna Portenia
7. Audrey bag by Rowan Tri's
8. Audrey wool bolero by Elegant Crochets

Please go visit their stores, and be sure to tell them Jelly sent ya!

There is a season...

2009-11-20T00:57:00.001-08:00

Well Blogosphere, I think it's time for a little bit of a facelift here at Jelly's World. I'm not liking the overall layout of the blog, and I think it needs some sprucing up.

What do you think? Lighter colors? Custom graphics? A little more esprit de vivre perhaps?

I'm going to keep pondering on this. In the meantime, I found some new blog lovelies that you might also enjoy.

*French Larkspur*

Ok, what's not to like about beautiful and serene frenchy decor? Even better...she has a boutique. Si jalouse. One day blogosphere, I hope to have my own funky francophile boutique with slice of Jelly, but until then I will continue to live vicariously through all of these amazing blogs. (sigh)

All photos courtesy of French Larkspur

*The Brocantess*

I can never tire of french things.

Neither, it seems, can the Broncantess. She's relatively new to the blogging scene, but man she's like a house on fire. Can't wait to see what's next...

All photos courtesy of Brocantess

New Love

2009-11-19T15:57:00.000-08:00

I am so wanting this watch...Can you believe it's a 'Jelly' watch? I must have it.

Do I get eggplant? Teal? Black? All 3? So many choices!Toy Watch USA makes these great time pieces.

AND they're interchangeable to match your mood or your wardrobe.

Random Photos on a Rainy Day

2009-11-16T12:47:00.001-08:00

Views from the Draughty Manor...

The New Layaway

2009-11-14T08:50:00.000-08:00

Remember layaway?

I do.

My mom used put all kinds of stuff on layaway when I was a kid. However, this credit free notion of paying for items over time seemed to lose favor over the last couple of decades. That is until the economy went down the toilet.

Now, lots of stores are offering this plan - including ONLINE! Yep, I recently found several online shopping groups where you can find tons of items to put on layaway - no credit issues and your monthly payments can be debited from your checking account. In some cases, you can even mail them a check. I've also found other stores where you can pay them directly (via their online store) through layaway, i.e. HSN and Sears. (Hey now. Don't pooh-pooh Sears. I did, and then I looked over the website and was pretty impressed with the furniture. Remember, they also sell kitchen appliances, too - all of which is eligible for layaway.)

This concept is so exciting that I went as far as emailing a couple of merchants to see if they would accept layaway. Believe it or not, they would! So, my dream of owning a fancy new kiln is now a reality. All I have to do is make a payment each month and when it's paid for they'll ship it to me...no interest on credit cards, no worrying about hurting my credit, and helping a company stay afloat in this crappy economy. Yea!

Check out elayaway, HSN and Sears for various layaway options. Can you believe all of the things you get?

Decorating 1-2-3 with vinyl wall designs

2009-11-11T06:22:00.000-08:00

Whew, Blogosphere! I've been busy. Mr. Peanutbutter and I have been tackling home renovation projects and I've had no time to spend with you.

I do want to show you some really easy decorating that I've done around the house using a product called Uppercase Living. Yes, it's true that I sell the product - but what kind of representative would I be if I didn't put any in my own home?

My lastest project was updating a simple lamp using a floral design....

Lamp beforeAnd...after.

Not bad, but maybe could use a little more of the floral design to go around the shade.

Here are some other ways I've used Uppercase Living around the house...

Click here if you're interested in learning more about Uppercase Living.

Roses are...

2009-11-04T07:19:00.000-08:00

We have the best neighbors. Really...we do.

Behind us lives an older Filipino couple. They have the most amazing garden - full of fruit trees, grape vines, and gorgeous plants of all kinds. They're always bringing us things: canned pears, pickled peppers, jellies, and various plants that they've split for us to plant in our own yard.

Today Faye brought us a bouquet of roses. Yesterday they had been to the local shrine where they were giving out loads of roses. I met her in our yard and offered her some cockscomb so that she could plant the seeds next spring. The conversation went something like this:

Faye: "Oh, yes. We have these in our country, but we cannot grow them here."

Me: "Well, take as much as you like. You can see they grow like crazy. We even used them in our Wedding."

Faye: (giggling) "Oh, in our country we take them to the cemetery."

Oh, well....life is a circle.

Old flame

2009-11-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

Do you ever find a candle and love the scent, but hate the color?

You bring it home, and it just sticks out like a sore thumb in the middle of all your decor?

If you're like me, you then find some other little bowl or jar to put it in so that you can hide the country rose color of your new candle and burn it every day so that you can throw it out without feeling like you wasted your money.

I guess I don't learn.

I love love LOVE the smell of evergreen trees, and with the holidays approaching all of the stores are chock full of christmas-tree-smell candles. Sadly, forest green and any variation there of doesn't go with anything in our house. But, I bought it anyway.

Luckily, I had an idea to tastefully disguise my new candle...

(yawn)

I took some vellum paper and photo-copied a damask design that I had onto it. (I actually had a bunch of this left over from our wedding, which I had used for little votive candles on the tables) The sky is the limit with what you can copy onto the vellum, and I imagine you could get really creative with these candles if you had the time.

After measuring and cutting the paper to right size to fit around the candle, I glued it in place with some double-sided tape. I finished it off with some gross-grain ribbon I had left over from another project and voila...And now here is my new and improved candle blending in nicely on the mantle.

Pretty as a Picture

2009-11-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

Well, I really don't have much going on today - that I can post about, anyway. I would only bore you with my tales of refinishing the hard wood floor, and painting some random walls.

So, I thought I would leave you with this amazing photo from our wedding that a friend of ours took. I love it so much that I think I'm going to have it enlarged and framed.

Buen Dia de Los Muertos!

2009-11-01T05:56:00.001-08:00

Kodak Instant Costume

2009-10-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

Need an easy last minute costume? Look no further.

I cheated a little bit, and pilfered this mustache photo from fotosearch (oopsy!). Using card stock, scissors, some glue and a popsicle stick I made an instant man-mustache. It's removable, so you won't have to worry about wearing chip dip on your face all night.

Have fun and Happy Halloween!!!!

The Hills are alive with Cockscomb

2009-10-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

We had so many compliments on the flowers that we used for our wedding. The cockscomb centerpieces and bouquets turned out far better than I had ever hoped they would. As soon as we have better photos of them, I promise I will post them.
But, now that the wedding is all said and done (sigh), I have a yard full of drying cockscombs. Cockscombs that are dropping their wee little seeds into the soil for an even bigger crop to grow up next summer.

Mr. Peanutbutter has been in the process of drying out and saving the seeds to give to some neighborhood beautification groups. He's just such a good guy like that (gush). However, I'm more of a capitalist. Yep, I'm drying my own out to make cute little seed packets like those we gave away at our wedding to sell on Etsy, and at next year's farmer's market. Sadly, I haven't gotten them up on Etsy yet. Believe it or not, I procrastinate seriously when it comes to putting photos up on Etsy. I have an inferiority complex about Etsy. Don't ask me why...I just have issues.

Update: Packets are now available on Etsy! Click here.

Here's a little peak at the process....

If you're interested in buying some packets, stay tuned or write to me. They're 2.50 each and they have a load of seeds (load = 1/2 tsp of very small seeds).

'Round the house

2009-10-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

Oooh, it's so gloomy here. It's been raining, and raining, and raining.

Scoutah the dog and I tried to find some creative energy, but just couldn't do it.

So, instead we walked around the house and took some snapshots.

Enjoy.

Buy my stuff damnit....

2009-10-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

lol...just kidding.

But, really, I do have some crafty things for sale on Ebay. I seem to collect jars and other sorts of bottle glass. I don't know why I love bottles and jars - I just do. And when people find out you collect things, those things mysteriously appear on your porch. My basement is starting to overflow, much to Mr. Peanutbutter's chagrin.

So, in an effort to ease Mr. Peanutbutter's anxiety that we will one day be taking pathways through a glass container jungle I give some away, use others, and then try to make a buck by selling lots on ebay.

These are some that I have recently listed. There are 2 sets of lots & shipping can be combined. I'll probably list some more soon - maybe on Etsy.See these and other jars on My Ebay.

French + Shoes = Happiness

2009-10-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

OMG Blogosphere - look what I just bought!
You know how much I love all things French, and now I have my favorite shoes with French on them. I think they were made just for me. I had to have them.

They also make these, but I might wait and see if I can find them on sale during the winter since sandals are kind of out for the season at this point....

Getting started...

2009-10-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

Be excited Blogosphere. Be very excited.

I've started cutting out the pattern and working on the overall design of the Penelope Coat. Like I mentioned in my previous post, the coat is a modified version of a classic princess seam coat. So, it will take a little bit of trial and error to get it right - or at least something that I'm happy with.
I will keep you updated with more posts and photos as the work progresses.....

October Psycho Blog-love...so far

2009-10-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

I've been busy catching up on all of my blogging and blog-surfing lately. The problem is that I don't think I'll ever really be caught up because there are just too many wonderful and creative blogs out there. But, on the other hand that is a very good thing for a blog addict like me.

This week I've been devouring all of the good things at Craft Nouveau. I think she's a crafting fiend and blogger extraordinaire like your friend Jelly here. I still haven't made it all of the way through her blog because I'm always taking side streets through her awesome blog links with LOTS of How-to and DIY. That's just plain craft crack for a junkie like me. Go check her out, but bring a snack because you may be there for a while.

Photo courtesy of Craft Nouveau, copyright Woman's Day.

Alas, my bloglist today wouldn't be complete without giving props to my peeps at ShowMe Etsy. This is the new blog of my Etsy Street Team, featuring work from our members and upcoming shows. If you see something you like, be sure to tell them Jelly sent ya.

Photo courtesy of ShowMe Etsy.

Felted Sweater Hat with Fabric Yo-yos

2009-10-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

Brrrr.....it's unseasonably cold here in the Midwest. Moreover, our house is drafty and I'll often wear a stocking cap around the house during the winter. I couldn't find the standard fleece number I usually sport, so I decided to use some of the wool sweaters I have here in the craft lab (all found at various thrift stores) and make a new one. I had previously felted these sweaters, so they won't unravel when cut and sewn.

If you remember, I've had a new obsession with fabric yo-yos. I'm always trying to think of a cute way to use them with my craft projects.

Well...I put my need for a new beanie and my fabric-yo-yo-love together and made a new craft baby that will keep me warm while I blog away in our chilly home.

xo
Jelly

A little sneaky-peek

2009-10-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

As always, Mr. Peanutbutter came to my rescue and worked very hard last night to give me a few empty beer bottles.
I'm so excited to give you a little preview of my latest project! They're not complete, but you'll get the idea.

Before....

After....

I (heart) post-consumer art...

2009-10-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

but, I wish I could say others were open to the idea.

Today I'm doing a little venting. I love to use upcycled materials in my art projects as much as I possibly can. I'm all about decreasing land-fill product, and we recycle religiously in our household. One of my favorite post-consumer items is bottle glass. I'm fascinated by it. I save almost all of ours, and have been known to go through neighborhood recycling bins for more.

Sadly, I have a new project that I'm working on and we don't have any bottles here. Worse still is that Belleville is a little behind the green times and there aren't any neighborhood recycle bins for glass. I don't even know if there's one at the grocery store. Yes, it's very sad.

I thought I would just stop by some of the local bars in our downtown area and see if I could take a few of their empties. No big deal, right?

Apparently asking for empty beer bottles out of the trash is akin to exposing yourself to small children. I have never been treated so poorly. One bartender walked away from me, and when I asked her again she refused to let me see if there were any bottles in the trash. The other bar sold mostly canned beer, but told me that 'the trash already went out'.

Fear not dear Blogosphere, I'm still hunting for those bottles. I know people who know people who drink a lot of beer. One of whom is Mr. Peanutbutter. He'll be very happy to know that I will need him to drink more beer - especially if it's the good stuff.

Still, I'm irked beyond measure over this experience. I'm thinking I will give my project a special name in honor of those-who-can't-think-outside-of-the-box. Something like:

Jelly's Post-Consumer Puppet Candles

Yummy Baked Brie with Fig

2009-10-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

I love cheese. Even better is melted cheese.

There's something about baked brie that conjures up feelings of autumn coziness. And with the fall-like weather we've been having here in the midwest, I've been feeling very nostalgic. So, off I went to the grocery and picked up some brie to bake.

There are so many wonderful ways to bake brie, but I was in the mood for fig and we had a lot of left over maple bacon. I added both of these things to an old tried and true recipe and voila:
Baked Brie with Fig.
Just for you!

Recipe:

What you'll need:

1 Can of croissant roll dough (i.e. pillsbury)
2 Tablespoons Fig preserves or similar
1 Wedge or small round of brie
2 Cooked slices of maple bacon
*optional: 2-3 drops of almond extract for an extra pop

Put the brie in the freezer for an hour or so. You'll want the cheese to be hard so that you can cut it horizontally (like 2 slices of bread). With your two slices of brie, slather each side with the fig preserves and then put it back together like a brie sandwich. (If you use the almond extract, just drizzle the drops on top of the preserves. A little goes a long way.)

Unroll your dough and line everything up into a big rectangle. Pinch together the seams so there are no openings. Place your brie in the center and wrap like a present. Flip over and place the 'seam' side down on a greased baking dish. Sprinkle crumbled bacon on top. Bake per the directions on the croissant dough. Serve with crackers or french bread.

Faux recycled glass earrings

2009-10-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

I was recently visiting with a good friend of mine, and admired her very cool recycled glass earrings. Sadly, she bought them in Portland, Oregon and I had no way to get a pair. Moreover, I'm still lacking the kiln that I desire.

So, being the crafty gal that I am, I made a pair of faux earrings to match hers. Going from memory, I crafted 2 tiles out of translucent polymer clay in the same color - using a mold that I already had.

I think they turned out pretty cool.

Apple butter blues

2009-10-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

Ah....Autumn.

Leaves falling from the trees, scarves, bonfires and apple butter....these are a few of my favorite things.

Let's toast the best season of them all with my own personal apple butter recipe!

Even if you're not a domestic goddess, this is the easiest recipe ever. Plus, it will have all of your friends calling you Martha. It's oh-so-good on toast and as stocking stuffers, too.

click on recipe to enlarge

Ode to Mr. Peanutbutter

2009-10-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

Giveaway time.

2009-10-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

In honor of our recent wedding and as we say a sad goodbye to our french friends who have been staying with us all week, I'm hosting my very first giveaway!

The winner will receive one of my Eiffel Tower Bottle Cap pendants, in the color of their choice (any one of the three shown below). The randomized winner will be announced one week from today (October 16th).

Just a couple of little 'rules' to enter....

1. Add yourself as a follower to my blog if you aren't already.
2. Make comment on this post so that you have a random number.

Yay!

It's official....

2009-10-06T08:26:00.001-07:00

I'm Mrs. Peanutbutter!
Ah, Blogosphere the wedding is over and I'm finally catching up on some sleep. We still have several house guests, so things remain busy. I'll be back very soon with more crafty projects and the Penelope Coat as promised.

2009-09-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Wedding plans and preparations are in full swing.
Our friends from out of town and abroad begin arriving tomorrow.
I will try to post when I can!

xo
Jelly

Centerpieces

2009-09-27T16:22:00.001-07:00

I've decided to alternate the centerpieces on our tables...
half with hurricanes and half with floral arrangements.

A certain Je ne sais quoi.These are the hurricane centerpieces that I've put together.My Stepmom does event planning, and lent me several hurricane covers. She had created a striped pattern on the glass by taping it off and using etching paint to give the covers some detail. I then took some left over wax and melted it down into votive candles using old baby food jars. The candles were covered with vellum damask paper and a ribbon.
For a full tutorial on this go here.This is a super easy project, and is very inexpensive.
Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Free Clipart: Vintage Wedding Photo

2009-09-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

In keeping with the spirit of all things wedding, I thought I would post this old wedding photo that I found at a local flea market.

The poor guy really doesn't look like he's too excited to be getting married, much less having his photo taken. And the girl? Poor lass looks frightened to death. (Thinking of later on in the evening with Mr. Excitement, I'm sure.)

Enjoy.

DIY Wedding Program

2009-09-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

I think I want to change 'DIY' to 'IDIM' (I did it myself).

These are my IDIM wedding programs. I'm very excited. I had made these seed packets earlier, but didn't know how to give them out as favors since we already had made chocolate fleur de lis suckers for the tables. So, I constructed these pocket programs, which each hold a packet of seeds in the outer pocket and the actual program on the inner pocket.

For the paper, I took a french wording rubber stamp and stamped a piece of paper. I then scanned in the image, and copied it so that it would cover the entire page. Printed it off on card stock, cut little rectangles for the outside pocket and then sewed them in place. I then glued it all together with ribbon and monogram stickers for embellishment and there you have it......As a bonus, I'm also including the french wording for you to upload!

Trash to Treasure: Vintage Hair Comb

2009-09-23T17:26:00.000-07:00

I've taken more goodies from Mr. Peanutbutter's dumpster dive and made them into beautiful wedding accessories.

Remember this bejeweled piece?Well, I took it and made a vintage glittery hair comb.
TaDa!

I just used E600 craft glue to attach the back to my home-made comb, and after waiting 24 hours it was not going to come apart. I had tried using a plastic comb intitially, but that didn't work. So, I fashioned a comb out of some wire I had. The comb isn't really pretty, but it will be hidden by my hair - no big deal.

Now, I don't expect everyone to be able to make a wire comb and have their fiance chase after the families of the newly deseased to retrieve tossed out vintage goodies. SO, if you go to Etsy you can find some other ones similar to mine.From top, going left to right

Croska, Romancing the Bling, OhFaro, Belcanto

All photos courtesy of Etsy

Vintage Wedding Shoes With Clips

2009-09-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

Remember these?
Well, I took the shoe clips that Mr. Peanutbutter found for me and some dyeable wedding shoes..

And now I have this......

Very vintage and very nice if I do say so myself!

Halloween is coming: Medically speaking

2009-09-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

I guess we sort of all take our jobs for granted....at least a little bit.

Working in medicine for so long, I sometimes fail to recognize that what I do and see everyday may be interesting to folks who have never spent time suturing or reading xrays. However, last night while looking through my Netter's book of Anatomy I realized that maybe some of you might find these pictures interesting from an artistic stand-point. (Frank Netter was, afterall, an artist)

So, with the advent of Halloween, I thought I would share some images from my anatomy atlas with you. These are from Netter's and are copywritten - so they cannot be sold. Only for personal use. There are several popular atlases out there, and most are familiar with Gray's Anatomy. Personally, I find Netter's to be much more realistic not to mention aesthetically pleasing.

Now you can make cool candles like these from Country Living.

More Free Clipart: Vintage Typewriter

2009-09-19T17:35:00.001-07:00

I'm just loving this 1909 Catalog!

Vintage typewriters are so cool. We recently bought one similar to this at an auction for $25. I can't wait to clean it up and see if I can get it to work. In the meantime, please enjoy this paper version.....

Psycho Blog-love, Vol. 6

2009-09-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

Manic Crafty Madness

OMG Blogosphere! I think I found my patron saint of blog craftiness. I recently discovered Just Something I Made, and I'm still finding new and fun things to do on her blog. Most of the time I just sit and stare at the computer screen with my mouth hanging open in awe. I want to be her blog.

You may have noticed that I've given my blog a little bit of a facelift with some of her freebies. She's the Estee Lauder or the Clinique of the Dillards Blog Department - giving away little samples of her work to suck you in and keep you coming back.

Please go visit her and tell her Jelly sent ya.

See how to make your own custom poker chips
and tons of other stuff!Photo courtesy of Just Something I Made

Free Clipart: Vintage Ads

2009-09-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

These old ads from the 1905 Sears & Roebuck Catalog crack me up. The bust cream ad reads:

'the right food required for starved skin and wasted tissues'

Those poor women of 1905. Click on the photo to see or download a larger image.

If you download one of my images, please leave me a comment & be sure to back link to my blog!

Cage aux folles: Bird Cage Card Holder

2009-09-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

I've been hard at work putting together our card container for the wedding. I had seen photos of bird cages and really liked this idea. However, I had a little bit of sticker shock when I went shopping for an antique or vintage style cage.

Luckily, I found a set of wooden cages at Lowes on sale for 13.00. They weren't really the style I wanted, but with a little paint and accessories it turned out pretty close.

This is the Before...And THIS is the After!

Another Botanical Print

2009-09-14T03:04:00.000-07:00

I found this botanical print on the cover of a 1965 Missouri Botanical Garden Bulletin.

I love that it's hand drawn.Click on the photo to see a larger view or to download.

Free Clipart: Vintage Shoes

2009-09-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

Mr. Peanutbutter recently found this great copy of
a Sears & Roebuck 1909 Fall Catalog.

Below is an ad for ladies shoes. Click on the photo to see or download a larger version.

Enjoy!

Modern twist on French Vintage

2009-09-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

So, now that I have the bowties for Mr. Peanutbutter and my Man of Honor, I needed some ties for the other guys in the wedding. I wanted to keep up the vintage french vibe, but when I would google 'fleur de lis neck tie' I would get nothing but New Orleans Saints paraphenilia. Mr. Peanutbutter is very sensitive about looking like a boyscout or a Saints fan, so that option was out. I even tried to design my own on zazzle. That was a total flop, and a waste of 30 dollars.

Luckily, I found this great silk screen artist on Etsy who does amazing work on ties or scarves. She has this vintage french print (complete with fleur de lis) which she can put on a number of tie colors, and in just about any ink color you can imagine.

This is the one we chose - with black ink on khaki.

She has loads of other ties. Great ideas for birthdays, holidays, father's day, graduation, etc.
Photos courtesy of Toybreaker

Penelope Coat update

2009-09-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

I've had a few requests for the Penelope coat that I plan on making. Once the wedding is over, I plan on making my 'mock-up', and if all goes well I will start taking custom orders. I've even found a place online which sells the purple coat wool
(let me tell you, purple coat wool is very hard to find).So, please be patient and hopefully I will have photos up of the finished coat by November.