Monday, February 28, 2011

Little pink cardboard house gift box in its new version

I thought I would make another cardboard house this time using cute embelishments. It was real fun because I did it with my young son even though this is kind of girly : )
I will be listing it in my etsy shop






Swarovski crystal beaded stretch ring is relisted again in my etsy shop!

Swarovski crystal beaded stretch ring

Swarovski crystal beaded stretch ring

I had a hard time looking for the center bead. It isn't quite the same but it's a cornelian gemstone.
However I found the glamorous bead I had used in the beginning so it will also be back in my shop soon!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Photo enhancement - "Shine like a star"


I used this enhancement on a good friend of mine and it came out wonderful! Photoshop is really great.

Free template design by Irene - Autumn morning leaves

Free template design by Irene - Kid poka dot

Wedding cake toppers designed by "Craftluxuries"






Little pink cardboard house gift box

pink cardboard house gift box

pink cardboard house gift box




What do you do when you have bought a peice of jewelry for a girl's first birthday party, one of the first memorable occassions in her life, and you only have 2 hours left to find a box or bag to put it in? Well I put my creative thinking and skills together and came up with a gorgeous little pink cardboard box where I snuggled inside a beautiful sterling silver amethyst locket pendant with her picture. Imagine the surprise when her mom saw it and while opening the little door found this sweet little gift!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Etsy treasury - "Pretty shades of yellow and pink"

Thank you DoucesLaines for featuring my fabric earthtone necklace in your wonderful treasury!
Member of European Street Team and Team French Handmade.


Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Swarovski crystal stretch ring

Coming again soon to craftluxuries etsy shop



FEATURED ETSY.COM SELLER : OrangeBlossomCrafts

Introducing to you “OrangeBlossomCrafts”! A mother and daughter team who loves to design and make unique jewelry, and many more crafty things!

Original, one of a kind handmade feminine seashell jewelry, Lupus Awareness jewelry, cool guitar pick earrings, eco friendly reusable tote bags, hair accessories, beer cap tacks, crochet items, and more great gifts for your family and friends.

Della has enjoyed creating various forms of art her entire life. She is a ceramic artist, and has been making jewelry since 2005. “I spent my childhood on Daytona Beach. My parents must have been beach lovers, too. If I'm in a state that has a coastline, you will find me on their beaches.”, says Della.

Del's Shells is all about seashells. Most of them are hand combed from Florida's finest beaches by her. Her shells have been cleaned, drilled, and finished in gloss, and/or matte finishes, by hand in her studio. Or left in their beautiful natural state.
Della also makes Lupus Awareness jewelry, having Systemic Lupus Erythematosus herself. “I just keep on keepin' on. Beach combing, and designing jewelry is more than a hobby to me. It is MY way of life, and I love it!

Della’s daughter, Laci has always been a crafty from a very young age. She has love and empathy for every living thing, and is very environmentally conscious. Laci makes the guitar pick earrings, all of the crocheted items, and most of the lamp work jewelry! She puts the 'boutique' in Orange Blossom Boutique!

Here are some of their designs :


Handmade Feminine Sea Shells Pendant and Freshwater Pearls Necklace in Rose Pink



Handmade Pink SURVIVOR Glass Pendant Beaded Necklace
 

Boho Chic Antiqued Copper Earrings with Sage Green Pearls


Blue Green Cyan Aqua Teal Dahlia Flower Hair Pins


Handmade Aqua Teal Turquoise Cyan Blue and Lime Green Lampwork Beaded Necklace Bracelet Earrings Set Salt Water Taffy


Metal Mania Industrial Chic Forged Circles Eclectic Necklace


Shabby Chic Seashell Photo Picture Frame


Handpainted Turquoise Sea Shell Necklace with Teal Lampwork Beads


Nautical Anchors Away Aquamarine and Coin Pearl Anchor Earrings


Artisan Lampwork Bracelet with Dark Pink Flowers and Sterling Silver


Sparkly Metallic Mardi Gras Green Gold and Silver Iris Glass Bracelet


St Patrick's Day Lucky Green Clover Necklace


Chestnut fritters (Fritelle di farina di castagne) - as made in Ferrara, Italy


Before I share this delicious Italian recipe with you
 I would like to introduce you to the main ingredient used : chestnut flour.

This was bought in Italy
 
Chestnut flour is a grayish tan colored sweet tasting flour made from ground chestnuts. It has a sweet and slightly smoky taste and makes an interesting flavor addition to many recipes especially to those that include almonds, chocolate, honey and hazelnuts..


Being  a gluten-free product it is considered a good cooking option for people with celiac disease or other gluten allergies.
It is kind of starchy which makes it more similar in nutrition to typical grain flours.
We rarely come across chestnut flour, but believe it or not, it was a traditional substitute for wheat flour in Italy during the middle ages, and was very much used for making bread and pasta. Unfortunately we combine chestnut flour with wheat flour for most of our pasta, gnocchi and bread recipes that call for it. 
It makes an interesting ingredient in pasta recipes. If you make your own pasta, try substituting part of the regular flour with chestnut, then topping the pasta with a pine nut sauce for a delicious flavor combination.

Nutrition facts
  • 1/4 cup almond flour contains 160 calories, with 6g carbohydrate, of which 3g is fiber, 6g protein and 14g fat
  • 1/4 cup of chestnut flour contains 95 calories, with 21g carbohydrate, of which 1g is fiber, 1g protein and 1g fat
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose white (wheat) flour contains 114 calories, with 24g carbohydrate, of which 1g is fiber, 3g protein and 1g fat
As you can see it is very low in fat


Recipe

Ingredients
  • 2 cups sifted chestnut flour
  • milk
  • sugar
  • raisins
  • lemon or orange zest or vanilla
  • a bit of rum
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • oil for frying
Soak raisins in water until soft. Sift the chestnut flour into a bowl.  Add the milk and beat to form a smooth pasteAdd desired sugar, and the rest of the ingredients. Work the mixture in a bowl with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth, fairly liquid paste. Heat about a ½” of oil in a large sauté pan. add fritters in a single layer. Fry until golden on one side, then flip and continue cooking on other side until golden brown and heated through. Serve immediately.

To serve
Drizzle with honey or sugar


If you can find chestnut flour, you must try this recipe and then put the rest of the flour in the freezer to make it last longer.

Italian Torrone – the treat of treats





Unless you're Italian, you may never have heard of torrone. It's not well known outside of Italy though it may be found in some American gourmet shops. It has an ancient heritage—possibly dating back to the Roman Empire. Legend has it that torrone was so highly prized that early Italians even included it as part of their female child's dowry.

Torrone is a hard crunchy caramel like Italian nougat that may be served with tea or more traditionally after a big holiday feast. It also makes a nice gift—torrone bars can be  conserved for a long time and may be nicely wrapped. In Italy torrone is associated with the holidays. It's a typical ending to an Italian Christmas feast.

This light treat has a melt in your mouth quality and is suitable for experimentation.
      Torrone can be eaten as it is, or crushed as a topping for cakes or as a layer for a 
      homemade ice cream cake. Be careful, though; it can be highly addictive.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

FEATURED ETSY.COM SELLER : 3paperdolls

Three paper loving artisans are behind the 3paperdolls etsy shop and are waiting to design the perfect invitation, greeting or announcement just for you! everything in there shop is customizable with your colors, wording or font.
You can print the designs at home or at your favorite photo lab.

Here are a few words from the 3 creators :
"We believe in making all events (no matter how big or small) extra special. Our philosophy is that it's not always about the money spent, but the love and attention to detail put into something hand-crafted.
We look forward to working with you and creating that personal touch to all your best moments! "

Click HERE to visit their shop!

Here are some of there designs :


Custom Baby Shower


Custom Birth Announcement, Thank You, Birthday - blocks


Custom Photo Birth Announcement - Damask Dot


Custom Photo Invitation - Butterfly Party


Custom Photo Invitation - Polka Party


Custom Printable Invitation - Airplane Party


Custom Round address, favor tags, sticker Labels


Custom round return address labels, favor tags, stickers, gift tags


Custom round return address labels, favor tags, stickers, gift tags


Custom Shower Invitation - Oh Mama


Timeless Damask Green

Custom Round address, favor tags, sticker Labels


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...