Blog With Substance Award!

I want to thank Adventures of the Striped Stockings for this lovely award !!

I also want to thank all of the friends I have made over the past few months, just by writing here, and surfing other blogs! You have all inspired me to stop being lazy and make the most out of my creativity! So I really appreciate it, and I look forward to making more and more friends on here!! Thank you Everyone !

So now as part of the rules of receiving this award, I am to now sum up my blogging motivation, philosophy, and experience using 5 words, and then pass the award on to 5 more blogs who I feel have real substance. So here goes !

My blogging motivation, philosophy, and experience can best be described in 5 words as:

Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love...

and Magic....

Here are 5 blogs who I feel deserve this award of substance !!

Frosted Petunias

You're blog , pastel colored, whimsical and creative ... It caught my eye as soon as I clicked on your link to view your tea party! We have a lot in common , and I am so glad that we made friends, and now we our hosting our first blog party together !!

Christina Alessi

I love that your blog is everything rolled into one: Music, Art, Crafts, Photography, Food, Nature, Animals, and just Life and all of it's simple enjoyments! You really do enjoy the simple things in life ! We really do have a lot in common! Must be a Jersey Girl thing :-D

Bohemian Itkupilli

You are the epitome of the Bohemian Lifestyle! I love your little apartment on Venice Beach (it reminds me of the time I spend in LA), and ur decor and bright colors are everything I aspire to be as a Bohemian.... Also I love your other side blogs with your artwork, and blog backgrounds that you make! My blog looks so beautifully partly because of you !! Thank you so much for sharing your creations with us !

Plumrose Lane

You never hesitate to help out a fellow blogger!! Your blog backgrounds are so beautiful and colorful! Thank you for all of your help with layout tips, and also the coding that you have made for me for my blog button! All your help is much appreciated !!

My Shabby Streamside Studio

Your little cottage in the Catskills is every girl's dream! You are proof that it is possible to live in a little fairytale of your own... we create the world we live in! I am seeing your little cottage everywhere I turn, it seems ! You inspire me to create my own living fairytale... maybe one day I will! Thank you for sharing your space with us !

Honorable Mention:

Papillion Bleu UK

I fell in love with your little dolls IMMEDIATELY... ever since I was a little girl, my mother told me bedtime stories about how my dolls would come to life while I was sleeping , and how I would shrink down like them, and live in their world until I woke up. Your dolls remind me of those stories, they seem to live in their own little world, and they have their own little parties and puppet shows... They always look like they're having so much fun! Thank you for sharing their little adventures with us !!

Ok Guys, there are my 5 Blogs with Substance Awards! If you have been selected and would like to pass on your own awards,

please do the following:

The rules of this award are as follows:

Thank the one who sent it your way
Sum up your blogging motivation, philosophy, and experience using 5 words
Pass it on to 5 others who blogs who you feel have real substance.

Again, a HUGE thanks to Adventures of the Striped Stockings! And congrats to all of my award recipients! It was so hard to choose, as I have so many favorite blogs !

Have fun passing this on !!

Garden Spells Recipes

So I received Garden Spells in the mail about a week ago, but I have been so busy lately, that I haven't had a second to pick it up! Today I finally was able to pick it up... and already, into the 11th page, I came across the most beautiful array of magickal foods and fragrance!!!

Here is a paragraph that I have been reading over, and over again, because all of the food and flowers sound so lovely together, like poetry for the taste buds.... I would love to find recipes for any of these treats...

" The biscuits with lilac jelly, the lavender tea cookies, and the tea cakes made with nasturtium mayonnaise the Ladies Aid ordered for their meetings once a month gave them the ability to keep secrets. The fried dandelion buds over marigold-petal rice, stuffed pumpkin blossoms, and rose-hip soup ensured that your company would notice only the beauty of your home and never the flaws. Anise hyssop honey butter on toast, angelica candy, and cupcakes with crystallized pansies made children thoughtful. Honeysuckle wine served on the Fourth of July gave you the ability to see in the dark. The nutty flavor of the dip made from hyacinth bulbs made you feel moody and think of the past, and the salads made with chicory and mint had you believing that something good was about to happen, whether it was true or not"

I could not find any recipes for the treats above, but among my research , I found some other recipes from the book! I checked out author Sarah Addison Allen's page... and BINGO!!! Here are some of Claire's Recipes along with a guide of edible flowers so you can experiment with your own floral recipes! :

Garden Spells

Claire’s Recipes

ROSE PETAL SCONES

rose petal -- encourages love...

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

4 Tbs unsalted butter

1/3 cup unsalted coarsely ground pistachio nuts

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tbs rose water

2 Tbs edible rose petals - finely shredded

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine and sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda,

sugar, salt and cinnamon. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly. Stir in the

pistachios. In a separate bowl, combine the cream and the rose water. Stir in the

shredded rose petals. Add the cream-rose mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until

a soft dough forms. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for

10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

STUFFED PORK TENDERLOIN

nasturtium -- promotes appetite in men, makes women secretive...

1 pork tenderloin, 1 to 2 pounds

2 ounces goat cheese

1-1/2 tablespoons of nasturtium blossoms, chopped

1-1/2 tablespoons chive blossoms, chopped

1 sprig rosemary

salt and pepper, fresh ground

olive oil

Split the tenderloin lengthwise down the middle, cutting about 2/3 of the way through.

Lay open. Evenly spread a layer of goat cheese down the center of the tenderloin.

Evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of nasturtium and chive blossoms and a single row of

rosemary foliage down the center of the tenderloin. Using kitchen twine, close the

tenderloin back up and tie it together. Brush the outside of the meat lightly with olive

oil, then roll it in fresh ground salt and pepper and the remaining blossoms and

rosemary foliage. Place into an ungreased cooking pan and cook for about 30 to 40

minutes in a 350 degree oven or until a meat thermometer reaches 140 degrees.

LAVENDER BREAD

lavender -- raises spirits and prevents bad decisions resulting from fatigue or

depression...

3/4 cup milk

3 tablespoons finely chopped culinary lavender

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Combine the milk and lavender in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat to a

simmer, then remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg

until the mixture is light and fluffy. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into

the creamed mixture alternately with the milk and lavender until just blended. Pour into

the prepared pan.

Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a wooden pick inserted into the

crown of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

DANDELION QUICHE

dandelion -- a stimulant encouraging faithfulness...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9" pie tin or baking dish. Coat with bread crumbs.

Fill with alternating layers of:

Dandelion greens, precooked until tender

Cheddar cheese, grated

Bacon, cooked till crisp and crumbled (optional)

Onion, diced and sauteed till translucent

Beat together:

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup cream or half and half

3 large eggs

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon salt

Pour over other ingredients. Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly

to set.

MINT JELLY

mint -- when used with other edible flowers, it confuses the eater, thus concealing the

true nature of what you are doing...

1-1/2 cups fresh mint

2 1/4 cups water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 to 1 cup sugar

3 oz liquid pectin

Green food coloring

Rinse the mint (stems and leaves). Place in large pot and crush with a masher. Add

water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Add

the lemon juice and a couple drops of food coloring and mix. Add the sugar and mix

well. Put pot back on stove and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once it comes to a

boil, stir in the pectin and mix. Boil for 1 additional minute, stirring constantly. Remove

from the heat, skim off foam with a metal spoon and quickly pour into hot sterilized jars.

Seal with hot lids.

CHIVE BLOSSOM VINEGAR

chive blossom -- ensures you will win an argument...conveniently, also an antidote for

hurt feelings...

For every 2 cups packed fresh chive blossoms, you will need 2 cups white vinegar. Bring

vinegar just to boil, but do not boil. Pour over chive blossoms. Let stand in rock or large

glass bowl or bottle in a cool, dark place for one week. Strain vinegar, discard blossoms.

Transfer to bottles and add sprig of fresh chive blossom to each bottle. Flavorful and

pretty pink color.

(recipe from cooks.com)

I hope you enjoy!! I really cant wait to try some of these recipes !! :-D

Lovely Lunch!

I was flipping through old magazines, deciding what pages I wanted to keep, as I am really trying to discard of old things that are just taking up space...

Among my cleaning out, I found this AMAZING RECIPE! And the best part about it, is that is SO EASY and CHEAP to make!!!

If you don't like eggs, try it with potatoes ...

I have made this a couple times this summer so far, and it is SO DELICIOUS!!

so give it a try :-)

Life of an Arsenic

Well, since I have nothing new to post today ( I have many projects in the works, but haven't gotten around to picture editing yet) , so I figured I would dig up an oldie ! This video is actually a short photo project I did a few years back, when I first got my digital SLR. It was an experimental project, and I love how it came out ! I hope you enjoy this little story of deceit and revenge !! Never mess with an arsenic ;-)



Life of an Arsenic

Justina Marie Photography | MySpace Video


Credits:
Photos, Editing: Justina Carubia
Music: Michael Buble "You Always Hurt the One You Love"
Housewife: Jenna Zeilinski
Cheating Husband: Vincent Carubia
Mistress: Susie Mott

So as you all know, I started making a valance for my craftroom window. I had blinds up, and one day they just decided to fall down, lol. The window has looked so naked since, and I had all of this leftover fabric from my bed. So that I did... and here is my progress...

I took some tracing paper and I kind of freehanded my own pattern for the bottom portion of the valance.

Once it was all cut out, I started pinning about a half inch from the edge ...

This indicates where to sew... I'm not a master seamstress, so everything I do is pretty much trial and error, I drew my own pattern for crying out loud ! LOL....

Time to pin the bottom half to the top half, and sew....

I actually added some batting to the inside of the bottom portion, just to fill it out a bit.

This is my room in all of this... the floor sometimes becomes my workspace...

I bought some little jingle bells to add to the bottom of each point of the valance, kinda like a court jester style...

I also added tiny red ribbons to each point of the lace triangles, just to finish off the edges. I also added some green velvet lace along the sewed line where the top and bottom portions of the valance meet, to finish that off as well.

Here is the FINAL PRODUCT!!! Isn't it just ADORABLE !?!

Here are some different angles...

Here Jester the Cat loves to sit on the window sill and model the new valance for you all ...

The sun is setting after a long day's work... The AC didn't work upstairs all day, so I had the fan BLASTING ! Dusk feels so nice after a long, hot day...

The night gets nice and cool and storm clouds form overhead...

I have my windows wide open, welcoming in any little rain drops that may cool me off! The breeze comes to visit, and sends in some magic, spiraling through my curtains...

Here is my revamped bulletin board , I used some more of my bedspread fabric for it. I stapled it around an old bulletin board with some batting underneath. I then finished it off with some lace trim and buttons. It's a nice addition to my workspace desk...

So when I went to AC Moore for the little bells, I also bought some new lace,

And some more GLITTER!!! You can never have too much glitter :-) Which is probably why my boyfriend says he's dating a pixie, lol...

I can't wait to post some other projects I have been working on ...

I have a birdhouse in the works, and I also want to start making some Halloween stuff :-D

I hope you all enjoyed watching my valance be put together :-)

My Blog Featured on Just Simply Live

Hello Lovelies,

I am sorry I haven't been around for a couple of days... I have been SO SO busy with the music aspect of my life... That's the thing about being an Artist and a Musician... Sometimes I feel the need to indulge in one passion, more so than the other... It all depends on how the inspiration is hitting me that day. I have been in the recording studio this past weekend, so I haven't really had time to do any Art or Blog... But I did finish my valance, and I will post my work on that in a separate post, cuz I still have some picture editing to do...

But to hold you over... I just wanted to tell you all that my new blogger pal Angie has featured me on her blog Just Simply Live , along with a few other beautiful blogs... so go check out all the wonderful words she had to say about yours truly :-)

Also, I wanted to give a huge thanks to Sharon, from Plumrose Lane for giving me the coding to post on my sidebar, so you guys can now grab the coding to put my buttons on your pages :-D

So Thank You Sharon!!

PRACTICAL MAGIC BLOGGER'S PARTY, WON'T YOU JOIN US?!?

Hello my little witches!

Since my recent Practical Magic Post gauged a lot of interest , my blogger pal, Anna , and I decided to do a blog party dedicated to our FAVORITE movie! Click the banner above, and it will take you to our official Practical Magic Blog Party Page! There you will be able to read my little story on how this party came about, and all the funny little coincidences life seems to grace us with. Also there, you will find all the info regarding the party... Also if you plan on joining, don't forget to grab our button, and post it on your sidebar, to help promote it ! We hope you decide to join us !!!

Also special thanks to Christina, Staci, & Theresa, for your excitement...

You inspired us to make this happen! :-D

Fairy Spam

So my friend Marie IMs me today , and shows me this link... I just thought it was so randomly hilarious... Like just thinking about it, if you actually ground up a Unicorn into meat patty... it would just bleed Glitter and Sparkles.... And also, who the hell would eat that? It's like Spam for fairies....

So among more research on this product, I came across this article on ThinkGeek.com

Pâté is passé. Unicorn - the new white meat.

Excellent source of sparkles!

Unicorns, as we all know, frolic all over the world, pooping rainbows and marshmallows wherever they go. What you don't know is that when unicorns reach the end of their lifespan, they are drawn to County Meath, Ireland. The Sisters at Radiant Farms have dedicated their lives to nursing these elegant creatures through their final days. Taking a cue from the Kobe beef industry, they massage each unicorn's coat with Guinness daily and fatten them on a diet comprised entirely of candy corn.

As the unicorn ages, its meat becomes fatty and marbled and the living bone in the horn loses density in a process much like osteoporosis. The horn's outer layer of keratin begins to develop a flavor very similar to candied almonds. Blending the crushed unicorn horn into the meat adds delightful, crispy flavor notes in each bite. We are confident you will find a world of bewilderment in every mouthful of scrumptious unicorn meat.

Savory Unicorn & Heirloom Tomato Bruchetta Recipe

• 14 ounce can of Unicorn Meat
• 6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 
  

Chop the tomatoes and mix with garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and basil leaves. Toss well. Slice baguettes on the diagonal about 1/2" thick. Brush each slice with olive oil and add a full rounded tablespoon of Unicorn Meat, spreading over each piece. Toast in a 450 degree directly on over rock for 5-6 minutes. Do a little funky dance by yourself until it's toasted. Serve with tomato mixture and some flaming Absinthe.

Radiant Farms Canned Unicorn Meat Specifications

• Limited availability
• 14 ounces of delicious unicorn meat, canned for your convenience
• Imported from a small independent cannery in County Meath, Ireland
• Crunchy horn bits in every bite - an excellent source of Calcium
• Tastes like rotisserie chicken but with a hint of marshmallow sweetness
• Easily spreadable for sandwiches, hors d'oeuvres, and more
• Sparkly meat lends the unmistakable air of class and sophistication to your parties
• Unlike other meats, unicorn fat is polyunsaturated and lowers your LDL cholesterol
• Not yet approved by the USDA or FDA, but the nuns have eaten it for centuries and they're healthy as horses

and Yes Folks, you can buy yourself some Unicorn Meat right on that site for $9.99!!

So I figured I'd start my day with a silly post...

Hello Lovelies,

So Avi has this photo application, Photo Funia on his phone where he can take pictures of his friends and put their faces into funny pictures... and the one he did of me is so funny and adorable, I just had to make it my facebook profile picture....

And here's another cute little thing real quick... yesterday morning when Avi woke up, he had glitter on his face... I work with glitter alot in my craftroom, but it seems to follow me wherever I go, LOL...

So I said "Good Morning Glitter Boy"

and he says , "It's not my fault I'm dating a pixie!"

LMAO!!! I just thought that was so funny, and so spot on...

Well off to creating today! I have something special in the works for later on!!

:-X

Window Valance

So today, from the time I woke up , till the time I felt my eyes closing on me... I was in a really crafty mood !! Recently I had taken apart a comforter that I had on my bed. It had started falling apart pretty badly, and after many attempts to sew the holes up, the fabric was just too crappy for all the wear and tear , to keep using and sleeping with it.... So finally, after considering just chucking it... I rethought myself, and I thought to myself that I could really use the fabric...

The fabric, as crappy as it was, was actually pretty nice, and salvageable for other uses. On the front of the bedspread was a lined pattern , with paisley print on it. The back of the bedspread was just a solid iridescent greenish color. Also inside, was wool batting, which I'm sure can be used for making cushions or pillows and whatnot. So I saved it ALL! I just took it apart so I can pick and choose what I wanted to use any of it for.

So today, I felt the urge to do something with all of this fabric, so I made some curtains for under my craft table. I didn't hang them yet, but I had worked on sewing them all afternoon!

I will post a pic of it once I hang them up...

So after I finished those, I started on a window valance for the window in my small craft room.... Here are some pics, it's nowhere close to finished, but I thought I'd show you a sneak peek... and I will def post pics of it once it's done and hung up!!

I'm still going to add some of the green iridescent fabric to the bottom and made kinda like a swag effect or something, then I'd like to add some small bows for accenting, and some more lace... maybe some tassles on the bottom points if I do them...

It's hard to tell what the finished product is going to look like for me, because everything I do is complete improv. I would not call myself a master sewer , or anything , my stitching is SOOOO far from perfect , so I would not call myself a seamstress, or tailor... I just enjoy the creative sloppiness of throwing scraps together and hoping for the best... that's the whole fun in it !!

Well I hope to get more accomplished with this tomorrow, and I will post more pics with progress !!!

I also made a bulletin board with the comforter fabric, I will post pics of that sometime tomorrow !!

For now, I'm EXHAUSTED!!

Nite everyone !