Harrods Knightbridge Wedding Book

Are you planning a wedding soon?

This special book will help remove the stress of planning

 By Sue Carpenter

Brilliant suggestions for your special

Day

Offers both inspiration and guidance on every aspect

Choosing the perfect wedding flowers

 Selecting  the special dress design

 Find the most brilliant photographer

An indispensable guide for every bride-to-be

Gina

Hand crafted glass Christmas Ornaments - how to, Part II

So you say you can't paint

You don't have to.  Instead tear up very thin napkins (MacKenzie type)

Partially cover clear glass balls with colored tissue paper

Use Elmers glue or similar

Now add a few colored dots here and there

And/Or

Pour one acrylic paint color at a time into clear glass ball and swirl in all directions.

See, I got you to paint after all.

Gina

Hand painted glass Christmas Ornaments - how to

You can paint circles and dots, right?

And a few leaf shapes, right?  That's all there is to it.

Cover old plate with wet paper towel, squeeze out different colors of  acrylic paints, the more the better

Paint circles, dots and leaf-shaped images onto clear glass balls,

hang with wire on doorknobs  (or anything else you can rig up) until dry

Use lots of colors and don't forget to highlight with white paint

If you decide that you need to see one of my hand painted Christmas Ornaments in person, a few are on deck in my Etsy Shop. 

Gina 

Hand Painted Christmas Ornaments

Hand Painted Glass Ornaments

Now is the only time you can find plain glass ornaments in your craft stores

Get your brushes and acrylic paints together

Make sure that you have lots of different colors

And don't forget white

Tomorrow I will show you how

Gina

Do you know these? Another Giveaway.

Please help identify

I only wanted one small cactus.  Their label said "Lettuce Leaf Cactus".  There was only one in a California Garden Shop and I took it home to Utah

Now I have many and so do my friends.  They turn red in the sun and green again when returned to the shade.  And, they become ENORMOUS

When they become too large or too tall I break off their heads (ouch) and replant .  They never complain.  The tall stalk remains planted in the pot.  Soon,  many small cacti appear along the stem.  

 As soon as they are about 2 inches in diameter I pull them from the stalk and plant  into soil, any kind of soil will do.  They are not particular.

Tall flower spikes emerge from the center

Small orange flowers appear

I will send one of these fine cacti to the first person who can properly identify this easy to grow, attention getting succulent.  Hint:  I don't think they are called Lettuce Leaf Cactus

Gina

 

Secrets to a perfect Pie Crust

The perfect Pie Crust

Flaky Crust, delicious pears, great Dessert

Here are a few of my secrets

1)  Do not use cold water, use cold 2% milk instead

2)  Mix by hand with long handled fork

3) Roll out dough immediately

4)  If it is a fruit pie sprinkle unbaked crust with sugar

5) only add top crust (no bottom crust, they only get soggy and add too many calories)

My recipe for one generous Pie Crust

1 and 1/2 cups of unbleached flour

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1 stick of UNSALTED butter

1/2 to 3/4 cup of cold milk

Mix together flour and salt.  With pastry knife cut unsalted butter into flour mixture until butter is the size of large peas.  Sprinkle milk over mixture until it forms into ball.  Roll out dough onto floured surface. 

Pear Pie Filling

Peel and cut up 3 to 5 pears.  Sprinkle with 2 TB of flour,

3 Tb of sugar,

1 Tb of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of Pumpkin Pie spice.

Mix together and pour into pie dish, dot with 1/4 stick of butter.  Cover with unbaked pie crust.  Cut a few vent holes, sprinkle with sugar and bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees and another 40 to 50 minutes (or until golden brown) at 350 degrees.

 It takes longer to write this than it takes to actually make it. So, give it a whirl, you'll be so happy you did and so will be your friends 

Gina