one small step 7*8*9

one small step IX: search term: MAIL

one small step VIII: search term: MUSE

one small step VII: search term: LOVE

How did you do? Thanks for following &
a special thank you to all
the wonderful Etsy artists who provide me with
these beautiful creations.

ox joon

Scoutin' About

Scout lucks out with this groovy find ~ $8.

This is the package illustration for her second etsy shop sale.
She sold 3 out of 5 listings! New one ~ #6 ~ there now.
Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.
ox joon

Things I LoVe To Do

Do you love to surprise people who make your day in simple ways?
I do.

Do you hope they'll like your surprise?
I do.

I told you I LoVe my mailman.
He said he thought this was mail. He was looking for a stamp.
Those of you who have received packages from me know
this makes perfect sense.
I asked him can he eat this?
Oh yes, I can eat it.
Do you think this made me happier than I made him?
I do.

Mixed~Up ART

Scout had her first sale
just a few hours after listing her 4th shop item!
Look at the incredible illustration she drew
on the back of the envelope.
I'm betting on one happy buyer walking back
from the post office.

These are two ACEOs Scout made
for her friends back in Arlington.
We laminated them and love the effect.

Meanwhile,
I wanted to edit the original recipe for our Thai soup.
{Photo in a previous post.}
I love the result.
I took the magazine page with their photo,
trimmed and folded it in thirds,
hand printed my version,
added simple illustrations,
attached it to the reverse,
laminated it
and viola! a recipe bookmark.
Evan wants me to do this will all my clipped recipes now.

Scout's busy working on a large art piece as I type.
You can visit her shop: EsperEzekiel and find it there in a day or so.

This has been another episode of
Mixed~Up ART.
Until next time.
ox joon

When Life Hands You Cupcakes

You really need to make some.

These are my applesauce gingerbread cupcakes with lemon icing.

"Making these can turn a day around." Fussbudget Journal

"Life is too short. Make joon's cupcakes." Optimist Review

Is it time for me to start listing recipes? Yes or No?

ox joon

Springing Forward in Many Ways

I am participating in my Etsy BBEST Team ACEO challenge.
The theme is SpRiNg.
I LOVE lilacs and I was going to paint a small watercolor of them on my tiny canvas.
Then I remembered this knitting sample I'd made when I was practicing stitches and gauge. Every time I looked at this over the years, through so many moves, I'd think I must be nuts to think it was worth saving and keeping safe, yet, accessibly stored. And every once in a while, I did get an idea. But it was always just not right.
Until now.

I thought I could stitch it onto the paper with my sewing machine set on basting stitch.
But I was dreaming.
I hand sewed the knitted sweetie onto the ACEO paper. Then I started the button search.
I intended to use some creamy off white or perhaps florals or clear. Sparkly? Hmmmm....
Nothing was looking like what I envisioned. I thought perhaps my button idea was too grand and I should consider french knots out of thick embroidery floss. Well, I wasn't even going to try the purples. I mean they'd never show up. All of a sudden, I found these buttons with the cloth bits and I think they represent little lilac buds perfectly. I am so happy. Especially because in all my collection, buttons that haven't been cleaned up of threads or scraps are rare. I can't believe my luck. I hope my friend loves it as much as I loved creating and making it.
For more photos, including the groovy batik back, visit my flickr stream.

We did SpRiNg forward and it has not been delightful. But our new recipes of the week certainly were. Above is our Thai Soup from mid-week and below, our Italian Clam and Bean from tonight. We made fennel bread to go with it. Now, that's delightful.

Last weekend, we watched the film Bottle Shock, recommended by a dear friend. Loved it and now Evan wants to try affordable California wines. My trusty scissor/saving habits came through once more. I found my top wines list from an old Gourmet or ??? magazine. We managed to find two of the wines by going to different shops. It was a fun hunt and this first wine is wonderful indeed.

Until next time, friends.
Bon Appetite.
ox joon

one small step behind :)

Scout's lovely 3rd treasury.

The search term for IV was: empty
The search term for V was: waves
We did not get a photo of V :(
If anyone else did please send it along and I will add it.
I'd love to have it.

The search term for VI was: art
Until next time...

ox joon

Fannie Farmer Rejuvenation

Anyone who knows me even a smidgen knows I love thrift shops. Here's a perfect example of a find that keeps me going back for more. It seems impossible that I, a 30+ year cookbook collector, have never run across a perfect~for~me copy of this classic. Well, on second thought, when you consider my criteria, it's not quite as impossible to believe.
There's always more to my stories, isn't there?

Vintage, classic, well loved cookbooks in good condition for a reasonable price are rare. This one was $3.50. The price was right. The cover is sad, but disposable. I use my cookbooks. I don't need the cover. Besides, the book is nice looking on its own. Although I do love that font, and the design, and all the groovy blurbs. sigh....
Wait a minute...

...My trusty paper cutter & scissors and I get to work. Before too long, I have salvaged 10 pieces of the book jacket and prepared them for the next step ~ my laminating machine.

Once laminated and trimmed, they are beautiful, preserved & useful recycled bookmarks for my wonderful new find. And wonderful it is. Check out this page: Watermelon Cocktail. Marmalade Souffle. And my favorite ~ Banana Whip. I don't even have to make any of these to enjoy this treasure.

Look at these graphics. By the way, this is a 1964 copy of the 1959 TENTH EDITION. I couldn't find an available copy on Amazon to compare values. But, as you can see, there is not going to be another one just like mine anyway.

Here they are. Aren't they too wonderful for words? I love it even more now.

I'll let you know how our recipes turn out. If you own this cookbook and have favorites, please share them with me. I'd love to know your Fannie Farmer Cookbook traditions.

ox joon

one small step ~ original

This is such fun. The answer: original
To play again see my current treasury: one small step IV

Scout's FIRST Treasury. Isn't it lovely?
Here's her current one: Who's Scruffy Lookin'?

ox joon