Cinco de Mayo Goes Crafty

Cinco de Mayo gets a crafty spin so pull out your glitter and glue and create some fun and festive goodies to celebrate.

Create a recycled milk jug pinata!

Kids LOVE this project!

Create some party lights! SO EASY!

Ribbon wrapped paper lanterns.


Perfect art project for KIDS! You will only need glue and chalk!

Jazz up dollar store candles with papers and ribbons.

Cha Cha Cha Candles are SO CUTE!

Create some floor cushions from woven rugs.

Chicken with mole sauce - yummy.

Mango Margaritas

Coffee Filters flowers are a fun centerpiece that kids can make.

Newspaper Column: Cookie Bouquet

Here is my lastest column....

Homemade Cookie Bouquet
By Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza

Add some sweet flavor to your next party with this unique cookie treat that is sure to impress. The bouquets are easy to make and can be customized for any occasion. Kids love cookie bouquets at birthday parties and parents love the “no mess” serving of cookies. If you want to say thanks, a special hello, bon voyage or get well - bake up a bouquet of cookies.

Cookie ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour

Royal icing ingredients:
3 large pasteurized egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 lb. sifted powdered sugar

Supplies:
Vegetable oil spray
Lollipop cookie pan
Lollipop sticks
Icing bags and tips
Food coloring
Small beach pail
Floral marbles
Styrofoam
Brown sugar

Steps:
1. To make the cookie dough: Preheat oven to 400˚. Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla. Next, add baking powder and flour, adding flour one cup at a time. Blend in last cup of flour by hand. The dough will be fairly stiff, but if the dough becomes too stiff, add water, one teaspoon at a time.

2. Spray each well in the cookie treat pan with vegetable oil spray. Fill each well with dough, filling almost all the way to the top. Slide a lollipop stick roughly halfway into each cookie. We used 6” sticks and 11 ¾” sticks. (Be aware of how large the inside of your oven is when deciding what size lollipop sticks to use.) Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool before removing them from the pan. You can use the tip of a spatula or a knife to help ease the cookies out of the pan. Allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating.

3. To make the royal icing: Beat the pasteurized egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until frothy. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat for 5-7 minutes.

4. Transfer some of the icing into small bowls and add food coloring to each small batch of icing. Any icing you have left over in bowls at this point should be covered with a damp towel to prevent hardening.

5. Prepare a few decorating bags for icing. Insert the decorating tip coupler into a plastic piping bag, add icing, and twist the end of the bag. Cut the tip of the bag and screw on a decorating tip. Transfer each color of icing into a decorating bag and decorate the cookies. Allow the icing to harden.

6. To create a cookie bouquet, start by filling the bottom portion of a small beach pail with floral marbles. (for weight) Place a piece of styrofoam on top. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the styrofoam to create “sand.” Poke the cookies into the styrofoam, placing the ones with the longer sticks in the back.

Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza created and co-host Creative Juice on DIY and HGTV. Visit www.cathieandsteve.com for more information.

Shopping: kids toys at Target

Take a peek at whats in the toy isles at Target....

Love the toy drill!

How cute is this saw!

Fisher Price goes nostalgic - Loves....

My brother had this when he was little.

Remember this one?

What a great beginner beading loom!

Sock Monkeys RULE.
Wanna make your own!
Check out the Monkey Business episode of Creative Juice!
Sock Monkey Instructions
Monkey Business Wallet
Banana Cream Pie

Funky Monkey Art

This is about the size of my kitchen when I lived in NYC.

Make your own bath time potions.

Build your own pirate ship - so beautiful.

Make your own rock and roll wrist bands.
$9.99 for 12! Great for a b-day party.

hats

Bow Wow WOW! has 5 different hat patterns and designs.

hats

Bow Wow WOW! has 5 different hat patterns and designs.

collars

Bow Wow WOW! has ideas for embellishing collars and leashes.

collars

Bow Wow WOW! has ideas for embellishing collars and leashes.

shoes

Bow Wow WOW! features patterns and ideas for doggie shoes.

bandannas

Bow Wow WOW! features 2 different style patterns for bandannas.

bandannas

Bow Wow WOW! features 2 different style patterns for bandannas.

Creative Juice Episode: Country Kitchen

Creative Juice - Country Kitchen # 612

Our kitchen is cooking with craft ideas. We make 3 different funky kitchen towels with real charm, tie one on with vintage style aprons, pucker up for crispy, crunchy homemade pickles that are packed for perfection and treat ourselves to mini cucumber sandwiches.

Click the links to visit DIY Network for all
the instructions and step-by-step pictures.

Apron Project: Combine vintage style with modern flair to create an awesome apron that’s right at home in any kitchen.

Oh how I love my machine.

Funky Kitchen Towels: Give plain kitchen towels some country flavor with image-transfer techniques that range from high-tech to refreshingly simple.

Homemade Sweet Pickles: Here’s the scoop on a classic recipe for sweet pickles that pop with color and flavor.

Cucumber Sandwiches: Vegging out with these tasty little finger sandwiches will keep you cool as a cucumber.

Creative Juice was created by Two Bees and a Pea Productions for DIY Network and HGTV. Learn more great craft ideas by visiting cathieandsteve.com.

Happy Administrative Professionals Day!

Pin up by Don Rust
More Info on Rust

Today is "Administrative Professionals Day" and I find myself wondering when this great holiday began and if it was created by Hallmark. I have celebrated it many times with office cakes and fancy lunches and I have even given gifts, flowers and cards. But, I don't think that anyone has ever given me a card or token of appreciation on this holiday.


When I first started in the work force, I worked as a design assistant /runner/ showroom cleaner upper for Betsey Johnson in New York and I don't remember us ever celebrating this holiday. Of course just working with her was better than a card or a bouquet of flowers.

My next job was in a showroom for a really high end clothing line (mums the name) with a couple of whack jobs for bosses. My paychecks bounced, they would play tricks on me to get me to crawl on the floor or over the desks or over them. They were truly disgusting people. I slipped a "I am outta here" letter under their door and never looked back. I am pretty sure they never rewarded me with a cake or flowers. Nope - just a little harassment!

After that I left the fashion industry for film and the rest is history. (You can learn about my film history on my IMDB page.)

A Little History About This Holiday....
So I did a little snooping on the web and stumbled across The International Association of Administrative Professionals . Here is what they say.....This annual event was originally organized in 1952 as "National Secretaries Week" by the National Secretaries Association (now known as the International Association of Administrative Professionals) in conjunction with public relations executive Harry Klemfuss and a consortium of office product manufacturers. It was established as an effort to recognize secretaries for their contributions in the workplace, and to attract people to secretarial/administrative careers.

Every time I hear the word secretary I think of 2 things!
1. Jennifer Perkins and Naughty Secretary Club .
2. The Movie Secretary with James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jeremy Davies

Shop Naughty Secretary Club's Sale!
ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS WEEK is April 21st-26th and Naughty Secretary Club is having a 25% OFF SALE to celebrate! Enter the word SECRETARY in the voucher field when you check out!

Craft Your Own Mocktail Bouquet!

They are easy to make and so cute on a desk! I just wrote my newspaper column on them and blogged it. click here for the instructions

Get crafty and celebrate Earth Day!

Get crafty and celebrate Earth Day!

On Creative Juice we strive to incorporate re-crafting and re-cycling into our projects! We have designed ideas that are earth and budget friendly, all with crafty flair and style. We even wrote a book filled with all sorts of fun projects for re-crafting.

Check out all our recycled crafts by visiting the Recycle Page on my website. We even have some fun ideas for kids!





View a trailer of the Creative Juice Re-Craft Book!
Wanna buy the book?
Barnes and Noble
Amazon
Target


For more info on Green ideas check out my friend - Victoria Everman! She has loads of eco ideas, crafts and tips for healthy living.

Creative Juice Epiode: Say Cheese

Creative Juice Episode # 304 - Say Cheese!

Smile! We have some photo-based craft ideas that are a real snap. A picture frame gets a funky makeover with paper and scrabble tiles, vintage style meets modern know-how with a colorful photo tinting process, a plain frame gets a classy new look that won't rub your pocketbook the wrong way, mint meets chocolate in a cheesecake that's so delicious it ought to be in pictures and we cut are way through black paper to make silhouettes.

Click the links to visit DIY Network for all
the instructions and step-by-step pictures.

View a Clip From This Episode

Funky Frames

Photo Tinting and Aging

Paper Cut Silhouettes

Chocolate Cheesecake

Creative Juice was created by Two Bees and a Pea Productions for DIY Network and HGTV. Learn more great craft ideas by visiting cathieandsteve.com.

Magic Castle

The famous Magic Castle in Los Angeles.
(sorry no pics allowed inside)

Visit Lincoln's Myspace Page for upcoming events

We had such an amazing night at the Magic Castle thanks to my pal Lincoln. Lincoln was preforming last night and all I can say is WOW! I sill don't understand how in the world he did his magic. I swear he really is a mind reader - or mind tricker. hahaha

Magic Castle Loot!

The castle is totally meant to be explored. Each room has so much history and magic going on. One room "The Hat and the Hare" had a great magician performing coin and card tricks. The room was loaded with vintage tiny ceramic bunnies tucked away into glass cases.

The "WC Fields Bar", where we saw the amazing Lincoln, had puppet memorabilia and a mini diorama of the original design for Disney's Haunted Mansion Ride - It even had little ghosts that would swirl around when you pushed a button. I was blown away by the puppet wall - they were so cool.

The "Invisible Irma's Music Room" had a player piano and tiny glass boxes all along the wall filled with 12" tall skeletons performing mini magic tricks. My grandmother is named Irma so it was especially fun to visit this room.

In the "Close Up Gallery", Eddie and I were chosen to sit at the table and be the close up observers. We saw Patrick Heitkam perform he was stunning. Things were appearing and disappearing right before our eyes. He, like Lincoln, read my mind and made a 7 of diamonds appear on the back wall of the room. My mind is still spinning from that trick.

What a great night!

Spring has sprung at IKEA.

IKEA

My hubby is working nights on a teen movie and he did not get home until 7:30 am. In an effort for him to get as much sleep as possible (we are going to The Magic Castle tonight!) I decided to venture out to Ikea (one of my favorite places) to see whats new for spring.

First Stop Lunch! Everyone who know me knows that I have 2 favorite lunches in Los Angeles. #1 California Chicken Cafe on Melrose - Chinese Chicken Salad and #2 Swedish Meatballs at Ikea.

Spring has sprung at Ikea!

Tiny Table - Love the Poppy Yellow!

Polka Dotted Floor Rugs - Great for kids - $7.99!

Plastic rug - great for outdoors.

New Art - I love the print.

New Art #2 - Make me think of when I lived in NYC.

Beautiful and sturdy casserole dish.

Craft paints in brights and glitters.

Love this new fabric.

Awesome brights by the yard.


More fabrics!!!! I love the Bolds!


Silk flowers.


3 tired planter.


Floral globe lamps - oh lalala


Tube Lamp.


Love the GREEN!

Planting Spearmint 101

Spearmint is such a wonderful herb and it is so easy to grow. In fact, it is so easy that a small mint plant can take over a garden bed in just one summer, so be sure to plant mint in a container. If you are set on planting the mint in the ground, edge around the plant with plastic edgers or bury a large pot in the ground and plant your mint in the pot. Mint is also easily grown indoors.

Once the mint is planted the work is done and all you will need to do is water and harvest the delicious and aromatic leaves.



Step 1 - Fill the bottom of the container with Styrofoam packing peanuts (not the corn starch variety) this will help with proper drainage and keep the weight of the pot down. You could also use broken terra cotta or rocks. Make sure your container also has a drainage hole.


Step 2. Using a soil-less potting mix! (I like ones with fertilizer built in) Add a few heaping scoops into the pot.


Step 3. Remove your mint plant from the store container. (I really like the new Bonnie biodegradable peatpots and their herbs are spectacular.) Place the plant in the center of the container and add a little bit of water. Add potting mix to the sides of the plant until you reach the top of the pot. Pat the soil with your hands and add more mix if needed. Give the plant a healthy drink of water. Place in sun / partial shade. Will grow to around 24" high.



Harvest leaves in the morning when the oils are the strongest. Keep plants in check by harvesting regularly. Mint’s small flowers bloom from June to September; trim these before the buds open to keep the plant compact.

All this mint what to do?

Cooking: Fresh mint leaves are a nice complement to fish, poultry, lamb, and vegetables such as peas, new potatoes, and carrots. Mint can be used to make marinades and sauces. Mint is the perfect addition to icy sorbets and fruit salads. I love adding fresh chopped mint to rice pilaf or couscous.

Summer Drinks: Add a few fresh sprigs of mint to tea or lemonade. Freeze mint in ice cubes for a real cool down.

Cocktails: Mint is the main ingredient in the famous Mint Julep and Cuban Mojito.

Kentucky Derby Mint Julep

2 c. sugar
2 c. water
fresh mint sprigs
crushed ice
Early Times Kentucky whiskey
silver julep cups

1. Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for 5 minutes. Cool the syrup, pour it into a glass container with 6-8 sprigs of gently crushed fresh mint and refrigerate overnight.

2. Fill a julep cup with crushed ice, add 2 Tbsp. mint syrup and 2 oz. Kentucky bourbon whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup.

3. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Valentines Day 1962...Oh My!

It is Friday night and I have a huge hot glue gun burn, my cell phone battery died and I have been time warped to Valentines Day - 1962.

Steve and I got crafty today to help out our pal who is the prop master on an A&E show that is set in the 60's. What show???? Well - I really am not suppose to tell. What I can tell you is that the show rules and really is a break out show. They just began filming on the second season today. The box set of season 1 is available and you can get it here. Don't you love the packaging!!! The first season will begin repeating this Sunday! Get the scoop here.

Our job was to create candy boxes ala 1960 - They turned out so cute. I stuffed the bows with tissue paper to keep them perky until they film them next week.

We used:
Cardboard
Fusible Webbing
Fabric
Folk Art Fabric Paint
Silk Flowers
Ribbons
Folk Art Gold Paint
Lace
Glue

Take a peek and a step back to the sweet 60's.

Letter: Where did you get the colorful bowls?

I get asked about our nesting bowls all the time.

They are so bright, cheery and practical.

Hi Cathie,

We met at the Knoxville,TN Womens Expo. I asked you about the bowls used on the show. Crate and Barrel does not have them. They are the bowls Steve used to make the ice cream cake. They are Yellow, Orange and Pink. They are made of hard plastic/melmac.

Please email me with any info on where I can find them.

Thanks for your kindness,
L

******************************************

Hi L,

It was so nice to meet you in Knoxville. I know we got the bowls at Crate and Barrel and I checked the website and the outlet and they both don't have them anymore. The are made by a company called ZAK! Designs out of Spokane, WA.

I found one company that still sells them:
La Prima Shops Nesting Bowls

I did find similar designs at Amazon. Check out the links below...

Nesting Bowls Search at amazon
Rainbow Set at amazon
Pink Set at amazon

I hope you have a great day!

Cathie

PS - Here is a link to the recipe for the Ice Cream Cake. This is from the Kids Birthday Episode.

Creative Juice Episode: Bloom

No green thumb? No problem!
Tune in or TIVO for The "Bloom" episode of Creative Juice.

DIY Network - Tuesday 15th at 12:30 eastern

Use Terracotta Paints to create Preppy Pots.

We plant a Spaghetti Herb Garden.

Melt records into Rock and Roll Pots.

Create a Birthday Cake Topiary with Carnations.

Make Rustic Pots with yogurt and moss.

Recipe: Coconut Sorbet

Lately, I have been into making sorbet for dessert. Sorbet is such a cool yummy treat that pairs well with fresh fruit, chunks of chocolate and my favorite Pepperidge Farm roll up cookies. (They only come in the large mixed cookie box now)

We have made pomegranate, mango and cucumber sorbet with great results. This weekend we tipped our taste buds into the wonderful flavor of coconut. This recipe is so easy to make you will feel like "Ben and Jerry". I like my sorbet plain with just a sprig of mint and my hubby likes his with a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

You will need an ice cream maker to make sorbet or you can use an ice cream ball (they are perfect for camping or picnics at the park).

Ice Cream Ball From Amazon

I use a Cuisinart 2Qt ice cream and frozen yogurt maker. My model is wonderful, it makes loads of different desserts, slushies for the kids and margaritas for the grown-ups. Easy clean up with this model and no rock salt needed. Model # ICE-30BC.

Coconut Sorbet

Shop list:
2 - cans of coconut milk (14.5 oz)
1 cup - sugar
1/2 cup - sliced or shredded coconut
fresh mint - optional
chocolate sauce - optional

Steps:

1. In a saucepan bring all the ingredients to a boil until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. Once cool place in the refrigerator for 3 hours.


2. Add the chilled coconut sorbet to your ice cream maker and blend. Follow the instructions for your brand. Mine takes about 15 minutes for this sorbet.

3. Once the sorbet is blended - enjoy on the spot. Add the remainder to a freezer container and pop in the freezer. If you want a firmer sorbet, freeze before serving. You can microwave frozen sorbet in quick 30 second intervals to soften.

Cream or Sugar?

So after my tax appointment, I ventured out to check out coffee grinders. I was disappointed that the shelves were empty or the models I was interested in were not in stock. I am beginning to wonder if I will need to order this online.

So far it is a toss between 3 models. I am leaning towards the Breville, even though it is the most expensive at $99.99. I will have to make at least 10 "take along" coffees at home and not buy them from Romancing the Bean (my favorite coffee spot in Burbank) Coffee Bean or Starbucks in order to justify the high price. I do buy my beans in bulk from costco and I save so much money by shopping bulk. Can you hear me justifying this purchase? hahahaha



Breville Ikon Burr Grinder - $99

Conical burr grinder - minimal heat.
Five grind settings from ultra-fine to coarse.
Touch-activated operation.
Removable, transparent hopper holds up to a half pound of coffee beans.
Durable stainless-steel construction.
Time settings from 10 to 30 seconds.
8-oz. bean hopper.
5 1/4" x 7" x 11 1/4" high.

Ellen Show Airs Today!

Waiting to go in...

Kathy, Jenny, Theresa and myself battled through the wind, pollen and long lines with ice creme, laughs, crafty tales, book ideas and the glittery knots in our stomaches.

Ellen did not bring up "glitter" while we were in the audience....but I am convinced that she will bring it up in a future episode - so for now my tivo is staying set on 4:00. The episode airs today so look for us in the audience...


We did get to see the fabulous Jackie Chan! He was funny and so handsome. He was promoting a new action flick called "The Forbidden Kingdom".

We were also treated to the music of Graham Colton. You can check him out on this youtube video.



Here are a few more pics from the previous day!

KB's baby a ray of sunshine- www.kokoleo.com

Me with Cyndi - She was so fun and creative.

Glitter is Not Litter!

Wake up and smell the coffee!

How To: Painted Tin Coffee Signs

It is a sad day, after 15 years with my coffee grinder it has finally said it's last "grriiririiirrr".

In my house coffee rules the roost, we grind our own beans, make our own cappuccinos, cook Armenian coffee and even have a timer for coffee. My hubby is a bit of a coffee snob and he wears that badge proudly. So when the grinder was on it last grind I knew I would have to act fast in order to tame his coffee appetite. So today, after my last tax appointment, it is shopping for me!

So many grinders...so many prices!

Here is what About(dot)com has to say about grinders:

There are basically two different kinds of grinders: blade or burr.

Blade Grinders
Most inexpensive grinders use a metal blade to chop up the beans. The blade cuts up the beans, and you control the fineness by how long you let the grinder run.

Unfortunately, the resulting coffee grounds can be uneven in size, leading to inconsistent brew quality. Another downfall, is that if you are grinding finely, and therefore leaving the beans in the grinder for a longer period of time, there can be significant heat created by the blades. This can give your final coffee a burned taste. These are fine grinders for basic use, but that's about it.

Burr Grinders
Burr grinders crush the beans between a moving grinding wheel and a non-moving surface. The positioning on the burr is what regulates the ground size, which allows for a more consistent grind. In the burr category, there are two different types.

Wheel Burr - The less expensive of the two burr grinders. The wheel spins very fast, and these grinders can be noisy. The higher speed rotation make these grinders more messy as well.

Conical Burr - The best grinders you can get are conical burr grinders. The burr spins slower than the wheel model, which makes them quieter and less messy. You can use a conical burr grinder for oily or flavored coffees and it's not likely to clog, like the other kinds of grinders. These are the best type, but you will pay the price for them.

I think I'll head over to Crate and Barrel, Target, Williams Sonoma and Sur la Table and check out what they have.

If you wanna get crafty with coffee - check out the projects from
the "Coffee Cafe" episode of Creative Juice.

Making Caps and Lattes 101
Homemade Biscotti
Chocolate Dipped Spoons
Painted Tin Coffee Signs

Casting Call for Carpenters on Carter Can

Casting Call for Carpenters on Carter Can

Casting Call: The HGTV series Carter Can is looking for an experienced handyman to join the show next season working with Carter's construction team. The right person must be able to work with families to plan and execute small-scale renovations to achieve big impact on a small budget. The candidate must have a dynamic, outgoing personality with a "can do" attitude and a home design TV background will be considered a plus.

The position begins this June and a professional salary is offered. Applicants should live in the Southern California area or be willing to locate at own expense.

Email a headshot, resume, before and after photos of your work or links to on-air video clips to carteronhgtv@yahoo.com.

Tomorrows Eisodes Today: Potted Surprises & Treasure Junking

Tune in Tivo to "Creative Juice Thursdays" on HGTV & DIY.

Morning: Potted Surprises on HGTV

We are plotting some potted surprises!
We create a terra-cotta bath that's strictly for the birds.
Gold paint a clay centerpiece for your table.
Fold napkins into a rose.
Make an Oreo cookie flowerpot dirt dessert.

Dirt Dessert - Kids LOVE this!!!



Afternoon: Treasure Junking on DIY Network

We are turning trash into treasure!
We give an old chair a face lift with paint and fabric.
Turn a worn out cookie sheet into a trendy serving tray.
Teach how to recover lampshades 101 style.

Set Your Tivos for the Ellen Show

The safe sparkle rally was a huge hit! Ellen's peeps even came by and filmed a bit of the glitter madness. It was fantastic and fingers crossed, tomorrow we will have much more to report!!!! - so stay tuned and set your tivos for Ellen.

Here are a few pics:

Kathy and her Sister.

Steve made a drive by GLITTER stop.

Erika from My Imaginary Boyfriend.... so cute.

Jenny Ryan - I heart her glasses.

Lincoln - I am totally hitting him up for a night at the Magic Castle

The LA Craft Mafia's Nichole Moraila

Cathy of California shows off her vintage glitter

Stephanie with her so cute sweatshirt


Kit with her glittered cheeseburger - makes me miss Wendy's

Snappy Green Bean Salad

Snappy Green Bean Salad

Shop List:
1 pound fresh green beans
1 red onion
1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
lemon
salt and pepper

Steps:
1. Wash and snap the ends of the **green beans. Place the beans in a low bath of boiling water, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the beans from heat and immediately shock in running cold water. (this keeps them crisp) Drain.

2. Thinly slice 1/4 of the onion ( I like to use a Kyocera mandoline for super thin slices) and slice the tomatoes in half.

3. Toss the beans, onions and tomatoes with a few drizzles of the oil and teh juice of half a lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving.

Serves 4.

**Fresh Beans 101

Select beans of equal size, that are no thicker than a pencil. The beans should have a fresh, vivid color and a velvety feel, with a firm texture. When broken, they should snap crisply.

Do not buy beans that are limp, over-sized, split, or have rust spots or scars. If the seeds are bulging inside the pod, they are too mature.

Wash the beans in cold water and snap off each end.

Recipe courtesy of Cathie Filian, 2008

Asian Fusion Cole Slaw

Asian Fusion Cole Slaw

Shop List:
1 bag shredded cole slaw mix
1 purple cabbage
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 table spoon canola oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/4 tablespoon sesame seeds
large handful of crispy chow mein noodles
optional: palmful peanuts or cashews

Steps:
1. Prepare the dressing. Whisk together vinegar and oils in a large bowl.

2. Chop 1/4 of a purple cabbage into small squares.

3. Toss the purple cabbage, slaw mix and sesame seeds with the dressing.

4. Chill for 1/2 hour. Toss with chow mein noodles and optional nuts just before serving.

Serves 4.

Recipe courtesy of Cathie Filian, 2008

Salmon Salad

Grilled Salmon Salad

Shop List:
1 - 2 pounds grilled salmon (de-boned and skin removed)
3 cups spiral pasta
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 cup chopped orange and yellow bell peppers
3/4 cup chopped and drained tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 large bunch fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Using a fork flake the grilled salmon into bite sized chunks. Chill.

2. In a separate bowl combine the sour cream, mayo, peppers, tomatoes and onion.

3. Prepare the pasta al dente** sytle. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Lightly toss with olive oil if the pasta is sticking.

4. Toss the pasta and sour creme mixture, add the dill and fold in the salmon. Sprinkle the top with fresh dill.

5. Chill until you serve. Delicious as a leftover.


**Al dente refers to the desired texture of cooked pasta in Italian cooking. It literally means "to the tooth". When the pasta is cooked al dente, there should be a slight resistance in the center when the pasta is chewed.

Safe Sparkle Rally Sign - ready set go!

My Glitter Poster

I bet my grandmother is so proud! Not only is she a huge crafter (still at 99 - see this post about her) but she placed my first support/protest sign in my hand at the age of 4. It was actually a "sandwich board" style sign that draped over my shoulders and read "Yea for Danny Kaye". I was placed front and center at a march in support of Unicef and as I trotted down the center of the street my mom and grandmother were so proud.

Glitter Is Not Litter

I am working on my sign for tomorrows "Safe Sparkle Rally" at The Ellen Show. With the help of Crafty Chica I have my poster slogan!!! - "Glitter Is Not Litter: so don't trash it" and now all I need is get my tush glittering. So I ventured into my craft supply room and decided to take pics of my favorite sparkly craft goodies.

In no certain order...drum roll please.....

Glitter is the spice of life.

All different brands, some collected over 20 years ago. By storing them in sifter top spice jars, I can pour or shake, blend colors when one gets low and the screw tops keep the glitter "mess free". I get the jars at cost plus world market.

My Glitter Glue Drawer

So safe that it is non-toxic & kid friendly! This stuff works great on felt and you can usually scoop up bottles of great colors on sale during holidays at Mikes or Jos.

My Newest Obsession!

Glitter Mod Podge from Plaid is amazing. I have mixed just about everything with Mod Podge over the years: glitter, paints, shimmer powder, etc. and I had pretty good success - or so i thought, until I tried this new product (will be available in Gold and Silver). The glitter is so fine, super sparkly and blended so well that with each brush stroke you get loads of glitter goodness.

Punk Rock Hanger with Glitter Mod Podge

visit this link for the instructions

Shimmer Pigment Powders
(I never claimed them to be mess free)

I just adore the colors and soft subtle shimmer that you get from powders.
These are all Luminarte.

Rhinestone-a-Rama
Oh how I love the sparkle of a good rhinestone!

Birthday In The Park

This weekend we celebrated my Mother-in-Laws birthday in the park. Eddie's brother flew down from San Francisco and Tiasa (my MIL's sister) drove over from Santa Monica. We all gathered at a quaint park nested at the base of the Burbank mountains. The weather was divine - one of those rare, slightly overcast days in Los Angeles where the sun peeks at you but you still stay cool.

I spent most of Saturday cooking the dishes while flipping from Lifetime and The Halmark Channel. Nothing better than a full day of cooking, recipe experimenting and sappy TV.

The menu turned out great and all of the dishes were easy "make-ahead" and they traveled well in plastic containers and baggies.

Sunday was all about the party. We dined on lemongrass beef skewers, grilled salmon salad, grilled chicken, string bean salad, Asian fusion cole slaw, hummus & pita, tabouli, lemon pound cake, fruit with divine dip, Boston creme cake, water and fruity wine. We ate like kings and queens. On the jukebox we had John Coltrane, Jack Johnson and little Vivaldi and in the fields we had Nick, Erin & Eddie playing football and over-sized Frisbee while Ruben caught up on a few ZZZZ's.

I'll be posting all the recipes and super top-secret "picnic party" tips and tricks, including cooking with lemongrass 101. Until then.....here is a peek at the day!

The birthday girl and hubby!

She loves roses.

Nick's Heisman


The boys are hungry!!!!

Relight.


More Pics and recipes after rest.....

Story Tellers Art Show - Daytona Beach

Mom, me and my hubby Eddie at Lunch

As I was racing to get ready for a meeting this morning, I had 26 hot rollers in my hair, make-up brush in one hand and my mom on speaker phone. It looked like a scene from a circus. I could hear my hubby laughing at me from his computer.

My mom rang me up with a funny tale, the kind of story that makes you feel like the world is really small and that moms will always be referred to a the "mother of" regardless of how old we get.

So here is my "The Daughter Of" News.....my Mom just sold another painting! The painting is for a really fancy new hotel in Atlanta that is opening in 2009. Mom has sold many paintings but this one was a departure from her usual style - so this sale is especially sweet. If you want to learn more about my mom you can visit this blog post about her.

If my mom is not painting - you can usually find her at an orchid show with my Step-Dad Bill or at The Art League of Daytona Beach either taking workshops, teaching or just hanging with friends.

This weekend they are having an art exhibit that I know fans of Craft Lab will enjoy! If you are in Daytona Beach stop by, if not, check out the artists website for a little inspiration and creative juice.

Click Here For More Info

April 2008 Exhibit - Opening April 6, 2008

Story Tellers:
Claudine Helmuth
Brenda Ambrosino
Diana Barringer
Gail Russakov
Roben-Marie Smith

A is for Autisum - Julians Necklace & HBO

Abilities Not Disabilities - everyone can use this lesson in creativity and life.

Anyone who reads my Blog, probably knows by now that I am casting for a new "teen" craft show and that my first stop for casting was Etsy. I posted the first casting notice in the forums (I love forums and message boards). I had a great response and met some fun new people. One of the sellers that I met, designbylizzie, has a heart of gold and a 11 year old son named Julian, who has Autism. April is national Autism Awareness Month and now is the time to show your support and understanding. To learn more about Autism visit www.autismspeaks.org or www.autism-society.org.

Julian's Necklace

Julian was the brainchild behind this necklace. Lizzie took his drawing and made the piece from his idea. His words read."Abilities,,not Disabilities" So true.. As Lizzie says "His idea , my inspiration." All proceeds from the sale of the this necklace will go to Autism research. Each piece is solid silver and made by hand. I purchased one for my sister, she teaches high school students with Autism and she flipped out!

Julian "The Designer"



Check out the HBO documentary, Autism The Musical.
It airs all month long in April.

tomorrows episode today - Polymer Clay Bugs

Tune in or Tivo Creative Juice on HGTV - Thursday Mornings.

The "Kids Explore" episode is loaded with fun, old-fashioned fun ideas for kids. We create a unique tee-pee your little tribe will love, fire up awesome clay bugs for backyard hide-and-seek, and reveal yummy new recipes for some classic treats. Visit this link to learn more about all the projects featured on this episode.

Polymer Clay Bugs - Snail

Materials:
polymer clay: brown, orange, bright green, dark green, white, blue and red
20-gauge craft wire
wire-cutters
cookie sheet
parchment paper
oven

1. Knead the clay until it's soft. To make the snail shell, roll a piece of brown clay into a long log shape with one tapered end. Do the same thing with a piece of orange clay. Hold the two pieces together and roll them into a coil/cinnamon bun shape, starting with the skinnier ends.

2. To make the body, roll a piece of bright green clay into the same tapered log shape, only slightly shorter. The thicker end of the shape will be the head; gently smash the shell onto the top of the body and bend the head end of the body upward. Stick several tiny dots of dark green clay all over the snail’s body to create warts.

3. Shape a piece of dark green clay into a pea-sized ball. Next, make a flat disc shape out of white clay and press onto the green ball. Place a small blue circle of clay in the middle of the white area to create an eye for the snail. Repeat this process for the other eye. Cut two small straight pieces of wire, each approximately 1" long. Stick these into the top of the snail’s head, leaving a little more than half sticking out. Skewer the eyes onto the wire.

4. Roll out two small pieces of red clay into log shapes with tapered ends. Put them together to make lips; place on the snail’s head.

5. Bake the snail on a parchment-lined baking sheet according to the instructions on the package of clay. Let cool before handling. Other types of creatures can be made using similar techniques.

tomorrows episode today - Smores on a Stick

Tune in or Tivo Creative Juice on HGTV - Thursday Mornings.

The "Kids Explore" episode is loaded with fun, old-fashioned fun ideas for kids. We create a unique tee-pee your little tribe will love, fire up awesome clay bugs for backyard hide-and-seek, and reveal yummy new recipes for some classic treats. Visit this link to learn more about all the projects featured on this episode.

Smores on a Stick - Yummy!

Shop List:
1 bag large marshmallows
1 bag chocolate chips
1 package graham crackers
sprinkles
lollipop sticks, found in the candymaking section of craft stores
waxed paper

Steps:
1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave, stirring often until smooth.

2. Crush graham crackers in a large zippered plastic bag; roll with a rolling pin or crush with the back of a spoon until the crackers are the consistency of breadcrumbs. Place crumbs in a bowl, add sprinkles and mix together.

3. Place a lollipop stick in a marshmallow, immerse the marshmallow in chocolate and then halfway into the crumbs.

4. Place on wax paper to cool.

Safe Sparkle Rally & Idol Gives Back & New Items at Etsy

Get Your Glitter On!

The lovely and talented Crafty Chica has organized the most genius crafty event - The Safe Sparkle Rally in front of NBC / The Ellen Show (just blocks from my house)!

Lots of crafters will be on hand (including myself) with glittered signs to promote the use of glitter! Join us on Tuesday, April 8th at noon to promote glitter awareness, and safe sparkle alternatives.

WHAT: Safe Sparkle Glitter Rally
WHEN: Tuesday, April 8, 2008.
TIME: Noon to 3 ish (this is around the time her studio audience will be waiting in line)
WHERE: NBC Studios, 3000 West Alameda Avenue in Burbank, Calif.
WHO: Anyone who wants to help Ellen find her inner glitter! All are welcome!

Glittered Hair Flowers on Etsy Now! $8

The Idol Gives Back Charity!

If you cannot come but want to help spread the sparkle in a good way - Etsy.com has joined forces with us to hold a GLITTER CHARITY ART sale. I just posted new items at my Etsy shop - Check them out here.

For the second year, Ellen DeGeneres is co-hosting American Idols’ "Idols Give Back" fund raiser on Wednesday, April 9th. Last year she donated $100,000 for the cause.

Our glitter charity sale proceeds will be donated to Idols Give Back. It is yet another way to show that glitter is a good thing!

The sale is from Wednesday, April 2nd to April 9th. You can donate a piece of art OR buy the art that is for sale. To donate a piece of art please read Craft Chica's Blog Post HERE.