RIBBONS, GLASS PEARLS and FLOWERS OH MY!!!!

Ribbons, Glass Pearls 

And Flowers, Oh My!!!

Today was a good day for me. I so love going to craft stores and finding a great sale or clearance on lots of lovely crafting items.   Today we went by Michael's and we found tons of goodies on SALE for jewelry making!!!!  Tiffany and I will be having some fun making pretty jewelry for ourselves.   I will have to post pictures as we make our items.  

Look at all my goodies.....

I can't wait to get started making all sorts of goodies!!

See you soon,

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

CRAFTING TREASURES - GRAPHICS AND TINSEL!!

Being an avid crafter I am always on the look out for fabulous finds. You know those things that inspire you and that you just simply can not resist. Recently while visiting my local Michael's Craft Store I found the BEST EVER tiny tinsel. It is that oh so fabulous tinsel that is so useful in crafting. What was unique about this tinsel was that it was on a spool with the most beautiful graphic of a cherub. I grabbed it and said this "mine"....

Well as I looked at it I realized there was no price on it and I wondered how much it might cost. I found all the other things I needed and off I went to the checkout. So I told the lady that I wanted this tinsel but it had no price on it. She checked with her manager and much to my surprise I got the entire roll for only $1.00. 

Now you know only a true crafter, collector, lover of all things beautiful would consider this a momentous event, right? Well that girl is me for sure. So my highlight of the week maybe even my month was a spool of beautiful tiny tinsel with a cherub graphic on both ends. Oh how happy I was......

So here is my spool of tinsel and my cherub..........

MY TINY RED VELVET CHRISTMAS DRESS

I know it is not the Christmas Season but I have been feeling very nostalgic lately.  This always brings me back to thoughts of my Grandmother and all the things I loved as a small child.  I am very lucky to still have a red velvet dress that my Grandmother bought for me when I was very small. I added a flower and pearls to it and took it out to take some pictures. So here is my little red velvet dress some 45 plus years after I wore it on that Christmas Day so long ago.....

PAPER DOLLS

When I was a little girl I loved Paper Dolls.  I loved ALL paper dolls and I had tons of them. As an adult I love to see images of vintage paper dolls from days gone by. Recently I stumbled onto a fabulous website with all sorts of paper dolls on it.  In my excitement I wanted to share a link to this fabulous site.  This lady has worked HARD to collect and share her love of paper dolls with others. I could not believe my eyes when I saw everything she has so graciously shared with everyone. Pay her site a visit and I am sure you will be equally as amazed as I am.

In today's hard times this is a fabulous idea

 for family fun.

Print out some paper dolls and have a ball!!!!!!!

Here is one of the many Paper Dolls you will find and a link to her site.

http://tpettit.best.vwh.net/dolls/pd_scans/hm/ann_teen/index.html

Please pay her a visit and enjoy.

You might want to get a cup of tea...........

this may take a while....................

FRIED LEFTOVER MACORONI AND CHEESE BALL RECIPE

Fried Leftover Macaroni and Cheese Ball Recipe

I recently found a recipe using leftover Mac and Cheese to make fried Mac and Cheese Balls.  I pinned it onto my PINTEREST and it was a BIG hit.  I wanted to share the recipe here on my blog. You can find the recipe and MUCH more here on this fabulous blog:

http://norecipes.com/

http://norecipes.com/blog/fried-mac-cheese-balls-recipe/

Here is the recipe as it is on the above site. 

I used Kraft Deluxe Mac and Cheese and it works fabulous.

Fried Mac & Cheese Balls 

                                             makes 8 

 

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoon flour

3/4 cup half and half

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 packed cup leftover mac & cheese (I used Kraft)

1/2 cup flour

1 beaten egg

1 cup panko (you can also use regular bread crumbs)

Parmesan cheese for serving

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour and stir vigorously until the mixture is bubbling. Remove the pan from the heat, then slowly whisk in the half and half until it is fully incorporated and there are no lumps. Return the pan to a medium-low heat stove and use a silicone spatula to continuously scrape the bottom of the pan to keep the sauce from burning. When the sauce is thick and bubbly, remove the pan from the heat and add the mac & cheese. Stir to combine, then taste for salt and adjust as needed. Cool to room temperature, then place the mixture into the fridge to harden.

Once the macaroni mixture has cooled, it will be very firm. Use a spoon to scoop out a 1 1/2″ ball, then roll it between your hands to make it round, pressing down a bit to remove any air pockets. You should be able to make about 8 balls.

Add about 2 inches of oil into a heavy bottomed pot. Turn the heat onto medium high, and watch for the temperature to reach about 320 degrees F. In the mean time, get 3 shallow bowls out, and put the flour in one, the egg in another and the panko in the third. Roll each ball in the flour to coat evenly, then in the egg (make sure it’s well coated with egg or the panko won’t stick). Lastly, drop the balls in the panko and roll around to coat evenly.

Line a wire rack with paper towels to place the balls on once they’re fried. Fry each ball, rolling them around so they brown evenly until they are golden brown and crisp. Transfer the fried mac and cheese balls to a paper towel lined rack and let them drain. Let them cool for a minute before serving, then top with plenty of grated cheese.

Here is a picture of mine after I made them the first time.

Here's To New Recipes for Dinner,

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

OUR WEDDING DAY OCTOBER 7

Our Wedding Day

Many Years Ago...

Eric and I had a beautiful wedding.  Our friends came together and threw us a wedding. We were married at my friend Glenna's home and she provided the cake and food and helped with decorations.  My friend Paula provided my bouquet and was my maid of honor.  My friend Melissa paid for and arranged for the Justice of the Peace to come and marry us. My friend JD played all our music on his portable piano.  Zak was the cameraman and recorded our wedding for us.  My Mom provided our champagne flutes.  Rick took all the pictures. I hope I have not forgotten anyone or anything.

Because of this our wedding was a truly special event.  Not only did I marry my beautiful husband but our wedding was a gift from all our friends. Not only did they share in our day of celebration but it was a success because of them. I am eternally grateful for one of the best days in my life. I love you all.

So finally after many years I got around to scanning all our wedding photos into my computer. I think it is uber important to do this just in case anything should ever happen to your photos. Not to mention that I simply wanted to share my pictures in memory of our wedding day but also in memory for my friends.

NEW HANDMADE NECKLACE

Well I felt the need to make another necklace for myself.  With this one I can use my collection of Limoges Brooches.  I used vintage ribbon that has been hand stamped with CROWNS and the word PARIS on it.  I also used vintage glass pearls and of course my brooches.

I found the great ribbon for my necklace on Etsy (of course). Here is a link to the shop

http://www.etsy.com/shop/clutterbugstudio?ref=seller_info

I also have this beautiful vintage pink glass pearls that I can add any of my brooches to or the flowers.  Here is a picture with one of my brooches. I think this is a lovely look and added a sweet ribbon bow as well.

LIMOGES BROOCHES

Limoges Brooches

I recently made myself a few necklaces from beads, ribbon, fabric flowers and brooches.  I like them because it gives me a chance to use some of my Limoges Brooches and also use those pretty flowers that we all love. As I was making them I enjoyed gathering up all my Limoges Brooches and I decided to take a few pictures.

 So here are my brooches.

Floral Brooches

Brooch Necklace

Lovely Limoges Brooch

Lovely Floral Limoges Brooch

I love how they all look together in a beautiful dish. 

These are all part of my private collection.  Each piece is a tiny beautiful work of art and a such a beautiful treasure. 

Hugs, Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

FASHION GIRLY FASHIONS FOR ME PLEASE

Fashion

Girly Fashions For Me Please


I love fashion and all things girly.  I always like to look well put together when I go out of the house.  I like to wear pretty clothes and complete my looks with matching jewelry, shoes and handbags.  If I do not feel well put together I have a serious issue with going out. So I decided that I am going to, over time, put together some pictures of my outfits and pieces that I wear together. To start off I wanted to share a picture of my new beautiful skirt. It is a beautiful and full light weight gauze material with a built in slip.  The front is adorned with a black rose that is made using black stitching.  It is cool, comfortable and can be dressed up or down for a great summer look.

And here is my beautiful skirt with a pretty tank, sweater, ribbon belt, bow and rhinestone shoes, necklace and bracelet.

I also have a black patent leather Guess handbag that I wear with this outfit (not in picture).

A SHABBY CHIC STATE OF MIND

I love Rachel Ashwell and her line of Shabby Chic items.  Some days I get in a sort of Shabby Chic state of mind.  I like to enjoy my Shabby Chic items and today I wanted to share a few things.  First is our bed all made up in Shabby Chic bedding by Rachel Ashwell.  I do not always make our bed and put all the pillows on it but today I felt the need to do just that. I was joking with my husband who is away for a week and I told him I thought I would make the bed and take a picture to prove it. So here is our bed all made up beautifully.

Now I am sure you might wonder about a husband and wife having such a feminine bed. Let me explain how this works. I love the look of our bedding however, my husband loves the comfort and feel of our bedding. All Rachel Ashwell bedding is made from 100% cotton. Here sheets are divine as well as her quilts. Her quilts are all very well made and are as close to Grandmother's handmade quilts as you can get. The bedding is comfortable and so fabulous to sleep in and that is how I get away with having my beautiful bedding.... 
and my husband is a manly man.....

I have not been paid or compensated to say any of this and it is my opinion only......


Next I was very surprised yesterday while visiting Michael's Craft Store.  I found a collection of Treasures Shabby Chic Stationary items.  I could not resist them so I brought home a journal, pencils, note cards and a pen.  I placed them in a vintage napkin holder that I had painted white years ago.  I have placed them on my vanity in our bedroom.  However, for the picture I placed them on top of our fireplace. AND here they are..... Aren't they lovely?

The stationary is actually a fabulous gift idea.  Make one for yourself and one for a gift.  It makes grabbing a piece of paper and pen or a note card easy when you are on the go....

For my last picture I wanted to share my Ikea chair and slipcover.  At one time Ikea offered their slipcovers in pink.  I am so glad that I bought them.  Ikea no longer carries them in pink so I am happy to have them for sure. 

SIMPLE DIY FLOWER NECKLACE

I have been so wanting to make myself a necklace that I could use those pretty fabric flowers that we all love so much.  So today I finally got around to doing just that.  I stopped at Michael's Crafts and bought some black beads for only $1.99 and a roll of sheer black ribbon for .99.  I came home and in no time I had made myself a beautiful necklace. Here are some pictures of my necklace with different flowers on it.

If you are interested in making one for yourself here are the instructions.  Select any beads that you like and join them together.  Cut 2 long pieces of ribbon and tie the ribbon onto the beads (leaving the two strands of beads at different lengths).  On one side tie a matching bow where the ribbon is tied to the beads.  On the other side attach the flower of your choice.  I use flowers with pin backs on them so that I can use the pin closure to attach it to the necklace.  The flowers can also be worn by them self.  And there you have it..... A fast, easy and simple necklace to make.