krazy kitsch

christmas kitsch makes me happy.
my recent acquisitions include:

 

phyllis diller, is that you?

ooh, double glow!

elf mischief

my elf on the shelf looks like he's up to no good.
or maybe he's trying to figure out which santa is the IMPOSTER.

newton's apple

my latest painting

 les pommes, 2012

acrylic on canvas

gobble gobble

hard to believe thanksgiving day was just one week ago.
(and christmas will be here before we know it...crikey.)

i have to show off the awesome apple pie i had made for thanksgiving dessert:

i can't help but toot my own horn whenever i bake something from scratch
that ends up tasting as good as it looks (or vice-versa)
because it certainly doesn't happen very often! :)

i used this recipe from william sonoma for the pie dough and filling,
and i highly recommend it! the only alterations i made were
1) adding more water to the dough,
2) increasing the amount of cinnamon & nutmeg in the filling, and
3) making a lattice top crust instead of using decorative pie crust cutters.

c'est très délicieux!

just desserts

bakery story has been eating up my time lately.
damn these addictive apps! ;)

happy halloween!

festive fabric from joann's

 yeah, it's all about the candy!

duck, duck, goose

 photos from an afternoon stroll (friday, 26oct12):

meow & woof

found at the thrift shop:

 

yellow cat ceramic planter, $2

 

scottie dog ceramic figurine, $4

babe in toyland

i wish i could claim this adorable doll as my own, but it belongs to my sister.

vintage miniature doll with moveable limbs
made in germany
. . . 

kinda looks like g.h. from king of the hill, don't you think? :)

bead-a-licious

on saturday i went to a bead show with my mom and sister. it's an annual event that we've been attending for the past six years. here are some of the items that i purchased:

• brass stampings of insects - these will make great pendants or pins. i'm thinking of coloring these stampings with glossy enamel paints, but these insects also look beautiful in their natural state.

• novelty lampwork glass beads - i couldn't resist the cuteness of these beads. (as you already know, i have a hard time saying no to cuteness.) i already have quite a few lampwork glass beads in my craft stash, so i'll probably combine them all together to make one funky (and super kawaii!) statement necklace.

japanese doll	penguin
cheeseburger	chocolate glazed donut

• wooden pendants - these are perfect for decoupaging. or painting. or stamping. or carving. or gluing things on. in other words, it's going to take me forever to decide what to do with these.

i will certainly have fun crafting with these bead-a-licious finds. i'll be sure to post my creations on this blog.

devil in a red dress

this was my entry in a pumpkin decorating contest at work in 2008:

i had purchased a faux pumpkin (craft pumpkin) for this project and used acrylic paint. i added some sparkle to my illustration by accenting the devil girl's hair and dress with glitter.

unfortunately, my pumpkin didn't win.
but at least it out-sparkled the others with my use of glitter. :)

the triple shimmy

from my recipe booklet collection:

 jell-o

quick and easy jell-o wonder dishes -
entrees, relishes, salads, desserts, 1930

 royal gelatin

royal desserts and salads, 1935

 knox gelatine

glorious sugar frosted candies - fancy but easy-to-make pies - 

15 prize-winning gel-cookery recipes, n.d. (circa 1950s)

my funny valentine

ok, i know it's nowhere near february 14th, but bobby valentine did get fired from the boston red sox last friday, so i'll take any excuse to post a vintage valentine on this blog. ;)

i used to have such a passion for baseball, especially for the red sox. however, i've had no desire to follow major league baseball over the past few years. (i haven't watched or listened to a complete ballgame since 2009.)

*sigh* it's rather sad when a passion fades away.

spooky cube

'tis the season for witches, skeletons, and ghouls!
. . .
this is what the outside of my cubicle currently looks like...

finally, a place to park my broom.

it looks like mr. skeleton finds the code of federal regulations
to be quite a fascinating read!

i *heart* anxiety cat

an internet meme i can relate to... 

autumn apples and acorn squash

happy october.
. . .

my mind may still be in july (oh, summer, why'd you have to leave?) but my appetite is definitely in the present season. to me, the tastes of autumn are the most comforting: mulled apple cider, piping hot chicken pot pies, roasted parsnips and fennel, warm pumpkin bread with cream cheese,  baked apples with rolled oats, cinnamon, & brown sugar...mmm...i could make this list go on for days. :)

. . .

for dinner last monday i tried a stuffed acorn squash recipe from the the apple lover's cookbook by amy traverso. my intention was to use the remaining apples from the previous week's apple picking excursion as well as incorporate a seasonal vegetable to the meal.

the filling consisted of sauteed apples & onions, walnuts, and crispy pancetta. (i added to the recipe by mixing in some wild rice.) just before serving, the stuffed squash halves were topped with gorgonzola cheese & panko breadcrumbs and placed under the broiler for a few minutes.

the outcome was delicious! the sweet and savory flavors in this dish were quite delectable. i was a happy eater. :)

i say to-may-to, you say to-mah-to

meiji chocolat de tomato 

i came across this product at hmart and was immediately intrigued by the concept of tomato flavored chocolate. i tried it today and it's really yummy.

in fact, this would pair well with bacon chocolate. double yummy!

i'd draw the line at lettuce chocolate though... ;)

i must dash!

for those times you need to look like
tom selleck disguised as a member of a barbershop quartet

 
character moustache
 rubie's costume co., inc. 1985

apple picking at the farm

a is for apple, so juicy and crisp

b is for beautiful, the land from where it was picked

c is for colorful feathers that delight

d is for donkey dressed in all white

wee-tee toh-toh! (singing time!)

 i bought the new furby.

(yep, i'm 34 and not ashamed to admit this.)

 

so far i've "fed" it grapes, strawberries, waffles, a sandwich, and gelatin via the ipad app.

and it likes dancing & "singing" along to music by depeche mode, kylie minogue, and michael jackson. for some reason, it was unimpressed by 'how will i know' by whitney houston and fell asleep:

(good night, little dude!)

immature moments

during a recent visit to salem, massachusetts

*snicker* *snicker*

(no, i didn't actually ask this question. but i had really wanted to.)

the furniture description says it all.

 . . . . .

drawn on my ipad using sketchbook pro, 2012

orange you glad...?

most of the baubles pictured here are from the beadin' path. 

i absolutely *love* their vintage lucite bead selection.