Finding America Again

We found the cutest little town in that area. I felt like we found America again! We had the best breakfast at the Golden Cafe. It was a good bacon and eggs breakfast with a big fat pancake, yum! I loved the cafe. Everything about it was great. I especially loved the crocheted butterflies hanging from the ceiling! Aren't they just grand? I don't know, but I feel like corporations are taking over our country and the entrepreneurs are being stomped out. This town was great. Lots of character. The old JC Penney was what department stores used to be like. The old man at a shop told me where all the good antique stores in town were located, and what to expect at each one. We had a nice little chat. A stroll down the old downtown was great. It seems that many times the original downtown street is pretty dead, and the new strip mall down the street gets all the action. I love seeing an old, real functioning downtown. It was refreshing. That is what America looks like to me!

Fun to Camp Again

It was fun to camp again. Right after our summer of camping, some of our friends all went to the Boundary Waters together. The Boundary Waters is always great, don't get me wrong, but I was all camped out. I was sick of working to get my water, no showers, no toilets, the charm had warn off. After that experience I was afraid that camping would never quite be the same for me. So it was great to enjoy it again! We even got to camp for free, no one ever came to pick up money and there was no place to leave any. It was a primitive site, very beautiful right on Lake Superior called LaPointe DeTour. We had our own private swimming area. It was so very relaxing. Sam and I had a great time walking along the water, climbing over the giant rocks. I always filled my pockets with rocks, and then proceeded to weigh Sam's down! I'm turning into my dad!

On the way to Bayfield

So we went to Madeline Island for a small vacation this summer. It was nice to get away. The first night we stayed in a cheap motel along the way. Sam and I like to find cheap dumpy (well dumpy isn't the goal) but cheap little motels. That's always entertaining, he he! My family never really stayed in these types of places when I was younger. But if you're just sleeping there, who cares? Don't you love the coffee maker get up they have going? And the great 80's decor?

Weekend in Mankato

Here are my cute friends playing music at Kim and Kyle's NEW HOUSE! People who play music are so sexy, aren't they? My husband is in the green shirt on bass, Elizabeth is rocking on the harp- how awesome is that? Kyle and TJ are on the guitar. What's crazy about these guys is that they all play several different instruments. They had so much fun jamming. We had a great time visiting and checking out the new house they just built. And Kim has already decorated it so cute! Of course we had to check out an antique store while I was there. I got this awesome green bowl, some cool rings, a MN pin for my bag, and a letterpress drawer, and a couple pieces of glass fruit. Great finds for great prices. Kim had to pull me away, good thing she did, I don't know what I would have come home with! I would post pics, but I'm not at home now. I'll explain why shortly!

Wedding Cakes

I'm recovering today from making 7 cakes! I made these cakes for Mike Mckinley. He got married yesterday out at his gardens. Sam has been friends with him and also has been working for him on and off for about 6 years as a groundskeeper. I hope to go out there this week and get some pictures of his property. It is absolutely gorgeous. It's like a little getaway right here in Eau Claire. My mom and I had fun finding some milk glass platters to display the cakes on. Sam and I went around the gardens and picked flowers and raspberries to put on the cakes. I had fun doing "country style" cakes. Most of the ones I have done have been very elegant, so it was fun to do a different style. I made choc. cake, white cake, and carrot cake. It was this very time last year, when my good friends Jess and Jeff got married. Happy 1st anniversary you two!

Artful blogging

I'm very excited about the artful blogging post here.
You see, I love looking at other peoples blogs. I would love to make friends in the blogging community, but I've been very shy. So I'd like to step out and say hello today. I'd like to meet other people who enjoy making art as much as I do. So please drop a comment and say hello I'd love to be your friend and read your blog, I always love new inspiration. There is so much buzz going on about this artful blogging magazine, seeing as I love anything by Somerset I know I will have to check it out!


I decided to share some art cards that I just made. I am doing Emily Falconbridge's art card challenge. You take a deck of cards and she gives you a journal prompt for each week. A very fun little way of making art! These cards are made with acrylic paint. They are dimensional. I mixed some textured paste with acrylic paint and used some new embossing plates I bought. It's so fun and quick to play on a deck of cards. You can see some of my others here.
Click to view larger image

I really want to share with you an amazing goodwill find today. A quilt top for $7. Crazy! Can you believe that someone didn't want this? I can't imagine all the work that went into this. So I am going to learn how to sew so I can finish making this into a quilt. I think it's actually pretty old. Does anyone know? I think I can figure it out based on the patterns. I'm thinking it's from flour sacks. I also have a few other things I'll need to post soon. I wish I could quit my job and spend more time blogging. I do have a wedding cake for this weekend. So I better get cracking!

Tag, I'm it

So Jess tagged me, so I'm to list 8 things about myself. Here goes:

1. I like to think that I'm a simple girl, that I don't really "need" too many things. But I have this thing for fancy kitchen stuff. I'm picky, I just won't settle for crappy stuff. On my wish list is a Le Creuset dutch oven- ooh I'd love a red one I think, or orange, or lime green- so many fun choices. I'm such a snob! I'd also love an All-Clad Copper Core 4-Qt. Sauteuse Pan. It would be perfect for deglazing and it cooks so evenly. It's made in America. And I love that it goes from stove top to oven. It's the only All Clad item I want.

2. My next big goal is to learn Spanish. I don't want to do it traditionally. Sam and I hope to live in Guatemala for about a month or two and have a tutor to teach us.

3. The one kitchen item I love is the microplane grater, what a great tool. It zests anything effortlessly.

4. One big risk I'd love to take, but am kinda afraid to is flip a house. I think it would be a lot of hard work, but fun to rip stuff out, make it pretty and sell it. It is such a risk, so many variables. Where to buy, how cheap of a house to buy, can you resell it, is the market good? Stuff I don't know about, but would like to learn. I think Sam and I would make a good team. He knows a lot about the construction stuff, I have the design eye. Maybe someday!

5. I'd love to make art with crazy abandon. It's the other goal/dream I'm working at. I'm trying to cut back on my hours at Target so I can start to pursue this a little more. I want to try to make and sell things on Etsy.

6. I love thrift shops. I especially love the ones that are in little odd towns. They seem to have the best stuff. You know, the dirty smelly ones that have weird stuff, but some gems also. Just this weekend I purchased a few items. You'll have to tell me what you think of them. I'll be posting pics soon

7. I would love to be a more organized person. I keep telling myself this, Sam keeps trying. I lost my cell phone for about 4 days, the sushi guy at Target had it and gave it back to me. His friend found it on the bench outside of Target and thought it was his, oy vey! I just thought I lost my wallet yesterday and was freaking out, only to discover after retracing my steps that it was in my purse all along, just in a different pocket (Sam found it) I lost our digital camera when we were looking at apartments in Eau Claire, must have fallen out of my lap. I don't know how many times I've lost my keys and have searched frantically as I'm trying to get out the door to work, I usually find them in pants pockets. I really would like one of those beeper things on them, kinda like a phone pager. Oh, we were in Sweden shopping one day, I was walking along the street and realized I didn't have my purse. We ran back, luckily an honest person found it in the changing room and turned it in to the cashier. So it's a weakness I need to work on.

8. I have this thing about time. I don't really care 5-10 hey even 15 minutes give or take. If someone is that late or early, who cares. I do realize I live in a country where this doesn't quite fly. That is really one huge reason why living in another country is so appealing to me. Are we all really in such a hurry that 5 minutes makes a difference. I realize if you believe in this philosophy you have to be flexible and it can be a pain sometimes, but I think we as Americans need to chill a bit!