Vintage Bowl of Bling

Whenever I go into an antique store, I look for little bags of broken jewelry. I like to pull the bits apart and mix them into new pieces. Epoxy glue works great to attach earrings onto other pieces for reuse. Here is a bowl of blingy bits that I've picked up over the past year. I keep it in my craft room for inspiration.

Clear Quartz Earrings

These are very basic - clear quartz stones, but I think the quartz is beautiful. I had fun photographing these because of the way the light reflected through the quartz. I think I will wear them often because they will go with anything!

Delicious Disaster

Snow day today. I experimented with a bunt recipe that fell apart into this pile of sticky rubble when I tipped it over. But an amazingly delicious mess! I will need to tweak this recipe before posting it, but I definitely will try it again because it tasted wonderful! Great reward after clearing all that heavy snow.


-- Post From My iPhone

Charm Bracelet to Necklace

Here's another little bracelet that I picked up from the bargain rack at Claire's. I planned to pick off the charms for other necklaces, but then figured out a way that I could keep it as a bracelet and use it as a necklace! I took a ten inch bit of chain and added a hook at one end. I clip this to each end of the bracelet, and voila I have a cute necklace loaded with charms! I have also used plain necklace or a bracelet as extenders - a 16 inch necklace works well if you want a longer necklace.

Stamped Swirl Scarf

In December, I saw a posting by One Lucky Day where she was stamping the cutest Christmas bags. Which got me thinking about a very boring scarf that I had picked up at Walmart for $5 and wondering if I could jazz it up with a little bit of stamping. Paula was kind enough to follow up to my question with some helpful information about permanent waterproof ink. A recent snow day gave me a chance to test out my idea.

My first step was to test out some ink. Paula suggested the Archival Ink by Ranger, but I couldn't find that at the store. I found this ink by Ancient Page worked well. (Clearsnap Ancient Page Ink Pad Full Size Chocolate)


The stamps were sticky stamps that you put on a clear block. I printed random swirls from this Monarch stamp set. I made three rows of 3 different swirls. I'm not the best stamper (a few fuzzy prints, but I was going for a grungy look, haha) but it was fairly easy and took under an hour to print.

A quick ironing to set the stamping was the final step.


And tada - the final product hanging around my neck! I think another trip to Walmart to see if they have any of those more of those scarfs left is in order!

NOTE: I just checked and they still are in stock in a variety of colors. I picked up one in cream and one in black!

California Pizza Kitchen

Enjoying one of my favorites - Goat Cheese and Roasted Peppers Pizza on Honey Whole Wheat crust.



-- Post From My iPhone

Location:W Big Beaver Rd,Troy,United States

Refashioned Jewelry from the Sale Rack

I always check out the sale jewelry racks at places like Claire's. Sometimes I can get great deals on items that I can remix into my own style. The charms and chains are often unique and the cost can be cheaper than buying at the bead store.


I've been wearing this triple chain with everything this winter. All I did was add a little bling the top of the chains!


The round pendant on this necklace was part of a bracelet that I pulled apart. I added a stone to dangle down, a pearl on top, and an antique brass chain.


My hint today is to check those sale racks and rethink how you can use the pieces that you find!

Coconut Scone Hearts

So here's another Valentine treat that I made with my silicone heart molds. This one is adapted from a Coconut Scone recipe from the Food Network. One of my relatives was raving about this recipe at Thanksgiving so this was a good excuse to test it. And it certainly is a keeper if you are a coconut lover!

I halved the recipe and used almonds instead of pecans. The glaze made out of coconut milk is especially yummy. The molds worked perfectly. I had a bit of dough leftover that I just baked in mounds on a silicone mat, and that worked great, too. So you really don't need the heart molds.


Coconut Scone Hearts

2 1/8 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
2 cups almonds, finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and coconut.

2. Add the cubed butter. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until combined, then at high speed until it forms coarse crumbs.

3. In another bowl, lightly beat the two eggs. Shake the coconut milk in the can to combine it before opening. Add 1/2 cup of the coconut milk and the coconut extract and stir until combined. Add to the butter crumb mixture and mix by hand until just combined. Stir in the almonds - do not overmix.

4. Fill the heart molds about half way with batter and gently push into the mold. (If you don't have molds, drop large spoonfuls in mounds on a silicone mat or parchment paper.) Sprinkle the tops with sugar.

5. Bake for 15 - 18 minutes, or until just golden and a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Let cool for a couple minutes, then tip to release. Cool on a baking rack.

6. While still warm, drizzle with coconut glaze. Makes 16 scones.

Coconut Milk Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

Dangle Charm Necklace

This little charm necklace has a secret!

I designed it with a little hook at the bottom of the chain.
And then attached the charms to a silver circle link.
The charms can be unclipped, removed, and switched as desired....

....to this pretty white and red stone with a heart charm...

...or this silver snowflake that I jazzed up by epoxying on a pretty crystal charm.

The silver chain is a perfect length, so I think it is rather clever to reuse it with a variety of decorations dangling from the end!

Chunky Choco-Cranberry Heart Cookies

I couldn't resist buying the silicone heart mold at the Target dollar spot for $2.50. Or later, this ruffly heart mold by Wilton that I found at JoAnn's. Never mind that I don't have much time to bake, or blog, this year. Some things are just irresistible.



I used this oatmeal cookie recipe from Food Blogga as a base. Easy. Yummy! The cookies have a nice crusty outside and are soft and chewy inside.


Without wasting words, here is the recipe:

Chunky Choco-Cranberry Heart Cookies


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. By hand, stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/4cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3. In another bowl, use a mixer to blend the butter and sugars together. Then add the eggs and vanilla and mix together.

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and blend by hand. Then add the chunky bits. (Feel free to use your own variations.)

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

5. Spray silicone molds with cooking spray. Fill each heart with about 1/4 cup of cookie dough. Press gently into the mold with a spoon. Place molds onto a cookie sheet.

6. Bake cookies for 18 minutes, or until golden on top. Let cool for about 5 minutes on a baking rack (to cool the bottoms) before removing from the mold.

7. Let cool. Then fill a small zip bag with about 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Microwave for about a minute or until the chocolate melts. Snip a corner of the bag, then drizzle on top of the cookies.

Makes about 3 dozen.