Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!  Wishing you a day filled with LOVE ... and cake!

♥ Merrill 
P.S.  Scrumptious baked goodies available at Vegan Treats.

Random Acts of Kindess: Martin Luther King Day of Service

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. asked, "What are you doing to help others?"  Our merry band of volunteers celebrated Dr. King's birthday by preparing, cooking and serving 83 hot meals for those in need through a local Community Meals program sponsored by the Pottstown Cluster.  Twenty volunteers of all ages worked together to make this meal a success!

On the menu was a delicious pasta with a creamy butternut squash sauce (see recipe below), made possible by a generous donation of beautiful, fresh butternut squash and onions by Barry Davis Produce Stand.  Be sure to like them on Facebook, and visit their stand for fresh fruit and vegetables.  A huge thank you to Barry and Peggy Davis! ♥

Preparation for this Monday meal started on Saturday, when volunteers arrived at our house armed with cutting boards, peelers and knives.  Six hours later, the veggies were prepped, cooked and the sauce was very close to being ready.  Emmanuel Lutheran Church donated a ham that we diced, pan fried and added to the yummy sauce.

Everyone loved the meal!

Here is the pasta recipe that makes 4 servings.  I multiplied it many, many, many times, using 100 cups of onions and about 14 squashes, although I may have lost track. 

PASTA WITH A CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH SAUCE
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
2 cloves minced garlic (I use the stuff in a jar from Costco)
4 heaping cups peeled and diced butternut squash
2 cups chicken stock (I used the concentrated kind in a jar, also from Costco)
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper, to taste, being sure to taste as you go

12 oz. ham, diced (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream

2/3 lb. pasta, cooked to al dente (I used farfalle)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Sauté diced onion until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and diced butternut squash and cook another 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove bay leaf and puree in blender until completely smooth. Heat skillet.  Add diced ham and fry until browned.  Stir in ham bits, Parmesan cheese and cream. Toss with cooked pasta, serve and enjoy!

The Pottstown Cluster helps individuals make real progress in moving from dependence to productive self-sufficiency.  In addition to providing hot meals to those in need in the Pottstown community, the Cluster distributes groceries through its Food Pantry, and its Dry Goods program provides clothing, personal hygiene products and cleaning supplies.  Read about these wonderful programs and others HERE.

You can help!  Make an online donation through the secure website, and learn how you can volunteer.  "The time is always right to do what is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

~Merrill ♥

DIY Glass Photo Ornaments

Around the holidays, we like to give our friends and neighbors a little something to thank them for making the world a better place.  For years, we gifted living Christmas trees.  This year, we made glass photo ornaments.  

Below, you will find examples, as well as a materials list and illustrated instructions so that you can make your own DIY glass photo ornaments.

We made this ornament to celebrate the birth of a good friend's grandson.

 And, several for neighbors ...

What you will need:

• Glass ornaments.  I used 3-inch ornaments.
• Resized photo so that the picture lends itself well to a 3-inch circle.  I tweaked mine using Microsoft Publisher, then emailed them to Costco.  I ordered extras to allow for trial and error.
• A 3-inch hole punch, or a 3-inch template and a pen (I used a 50% off coupon to purchase an EK Tools Circle Scissor Pro at Michaels - Soooo worth it for this project.  If you are making one or two, hand cutting is fine.  More than that, think about buying a three-inch hole punch or this cutter).  
• Cutting board, if using the EK Tools Circle Scissors Pro
• Buffalo snow (I found this at AC Moore.  It's nice and sparkly)
• Funnel
• Scissors
• Fishing line
• Tape
• Glue - I used my favorite glue that I wrote about HERE. 
• Two bamboo skewers (chopsticks might work) to straighten out the photo after you've rolled it up and inserted it in your ornament.
• Colored scrapbook paper for back of ornament (year or sentiment printed, optional but I think adds something)
• Printer, if adding the year or sentiment
• Ribbon (grosgrain ribbon works the best - not wired)
• Silver metallic thread for hanging (optional) 
• Tags (optional) 
• Treat boxes, or bags (optional) 

HERE'S HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN GLASS PHOTO ORNAMENTS (written and illustrated instructions below):

Cut two three-inch circles, one from your photo, one from color-coordinated scrapbook paper.  I printed 2014 on the back of the scrapbook paper.

Use a funnel to put buffalo snow in your ornament.

Cut a piece of fishing line about 12" long.  Tape the center of the line on the bottom of the middle of the photo (see photo below).  Then tape it again at the top.  You will use the fishing line to help position the photo.

Glue the photo circle to the colored scrapbook circle.  

Roll glued circle and insert in ornament.  

Use bamboo skewers to flatten out the circle.  It will be a little like building a ship in a bottle, which I have never actually done but seen on TV.

Poke the ends of the fishing line through the two little holes in the ornament cap.  Tie knot.  Trim ends.

Return cap.

Add ribbon.

Add silver metallic thread for hanging.

Add personalized tag.

Tuck inside gift bag or box.


ILLUSTRATED INSTRUCTIONS:

Happy crafting!

♥ Merrill 



 

DIY :: Sharpie Mugs

I fell in love with all of the Sharpie mugs I was seeing on Pinterest and knew I had to make one to celebrate my husband's birthday.  After a bit of trial and error, I learned that Sharpies don't actually work on coffee mugs.  I found great success using a lovely Porcelain pen by a French company, Pebeo, that doesn't smudge or wipe off, even after 30-ish rounds in the dishwasher.  It's the same pen I used on my tile coaster project. 

I drew my beloved's name and colored it in with the porcelain pen, adding doodles of his favorite things and terms of endearment.  I filled the empty spaces with splashes of flowers and hearts.   

A handful of Almond Joy candy bars made the gift complete.  He loves it and uses it every day!

Even if you can't draw, you can write sweet things to express your undying love to that someone special.  I think doodle mugs would be great with signatures to commemorate a graduation or other special event.  The creative juices are flowing!

For tips on how to erase, as well as instructions on setting the ink to make it permanent (you bake it in the oven), check out my tile coaster project.

HAPPY CRAFTING!

~Merrill ♥

DIY :: Conversation Heart Bracelet

My friend Tami makes super cool jewelry.  This Valentine's Day I wanted to surprise her with a bracelet I made in appreciation for the ones she has created for me, like this one and this one.  A conversation heart bracelet from pastel shades of polymer clay was the perfect thing! 

A Sculpey assortment pack in pastel colors is the way to go.  I found this one with free shipping.

Polymer clay colors are easy enough to mix, but I had a time crunch from filling tons of crayon orders so bought light shades of pink, orange, blue, yellow and green.  I forgot purple.  I conditioned the clay by massaging it, rolled it into a ball that I flattened, smashed out the finger prints by using the back of a spatula, punched out little hearts using a fondant cutter from this set, poked holes (use a toothpick or the wire poker that comes with this kit) and stamped T-A-M-I.  I baked the beads at 275°F for 15 minutes.  After they cooled, I strung them with elastic.  Because of that time crunch I mentioned, I then sprayed them with polyurethane.  Spraying before stringing would have been ideal.  My TAMI bracelet was still a little tacky (to the touch, not tacky like, you know) but I placed it in my empty candy box and it was on its way to sunny Florida.

What I learned:  Next time, I will most likely make thicker beads so that I can use a toothpick and heavier elastic.  I will spray the beads before stringing, and will not use an empty conversation heart candy box for packaging.  Even though it seemed like a swell idea at the time, one might confuse the bracelet sound the box makes when shaken, with heart candy.  Or, I will attach a note saying to peek inside for a special surprise.

The little cutters were available on amazon with free shipping.  I used the smallest of the three hearts.

The alphabet stamps can be found here, or at craft stores.  The bead baking rack, although not essential, is super convenient and can be found here.  And, it comes with the wire used to poke holes through the beads.

 Here is the finished bracelet on Tami's lovely wrist.

Happy crafting! 

~Merrill ❤

My Favorite Candy-Free Kids' Valentines

Get creative this Valentine's Day by giving these adorably cute and super FUN conversation heart crayons. The perfect answer to any child's candy-free Valentine's Day.  Each heart is handmade from broken crayon bits and pieces and features cute sayings, such as "I LOVE YOU," "BE MINE" and "XOXO."  Available at Ivy Lane Designs.  

Sold in five-packs with a free gift box.  Order two boxes for 10 different colors.  All super duper crayons in tons of different shapes can be found here.

Conversation heart crayons have been featured regularly in Etsy's gift guides.  Who's a happy girl?

Kids Toys:

Valentine's Day For Kids & Baby:

Kids Eco-Friendly:

Gift Ideas Kids & Baby:

Happy Valentine's Day!

 ~Merrill ♥

Birthday Balloons in a Box

Birthdays are a big deal in our house.  So when the birthday girl is a college student and not in the house, the party goes to the girl.  I mailed this huge box to my daughter at school, with each birthday balloon containing a special surprise.

The balloons were filled with money (rolled up bills), gum, erasers, mascara, bubbles, a ninja, a mustache, candy, pens, a crazy straw, lip gloss and more.

I used 9-inch and 12-inch round balloons from a party store as they were thicker than those I first tried from the dollar store.  The 9-inch were perfect for rolled up bills, and the 12-inch, with patience, worked for the small toys.  The ninja was the toughest, but everyone should have a ninja in their life.

I taped a safety pin inside her card for ease of popping.

Her Facebook post.

Happy birthday, Sweet Pea!

~Merrill ♥

A Happy Anniversary!

This year we celebrated our wedding anniversary with a New England adventure.  Here we are in Bass Harbor, Maine, still madly in love after all these years.

Mother-Daughter Day!

With Mother's Day rapidly approaching, my daughter gave me the best gift ever, her company. ♥ Our day started with a celebratory birthday lunch for our friend, Mary Ellen, at Good Eatz.  We love their good-for-you food, where the vegan portobello Reuben sandwich is to die for!  Owner, Rick Allebach, treated the birthday girl to a huge piece of chocolate cherry cake which we three greedily happily shared.  Yum!

From Good Eatz, Lauren and I were off to Busy Bees to paint pottery.  Lauren, my ambi-brained (smart and artistic!) daughter, chose a mug which she painted in a patchwork pattern.  You can read a bit about Lauren HERE.

My cereal/oatmeal bowl will be a Father's Day gift for my loving husband who has raised my children since they were barely out of diapers. ♥ 

Because MERRILL LOVES BOB. ♥

I can't wait until our pieces are fired and we get to see the end result!

Happy Mother-Daughter Days to all!

~Merrill ♥  

Think Green: Dairy-Free Shamrock Shakes

Justin, who has autism, has been talking about dairy-free shamrock shakes and green cookies for weeks.  Justin makes sure that every holiday is a celebration!  Last year for St. Patrick's Day we had green gluten-free pancakes for breakfast.

All that is needed for dairy-free shamrock shakes is:

• A blender
• Dairy-free vanilla ice cream
• Dairy-free milk (we like almond)
• Peppermint or mint extract
• Green food coloring

The end result is creamy and minty and yummy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, from our family to yours.

~Merrill ♥   

Eco-Friendly Heart Crayon Necklaces

I will look for almost any excuse to use a power tool!  This morning I've been busy making eco-friendly heart crayon necklaces for a Valentine's Day classroom party.  Heart-shaped crayon necklaces are available in my Ivy Lane Designs Etsy shop.

Each heart crayon necklace is handcrafted from 100% recycled materials.  I travel around to elementary schools collecting their broken bits and pieces of crayons.    

Everything is repurposed, even the strings which are made from t-shirts.

Heart crayons are the perfect size (appx. 1.25" x 1.5" - or 3.175cm x 3.81cm) for little hands.  Each necklace comes individually packaged, six to a set, available in my Ivy Lane Designs Etsy shop HERE.

Lola (she was a showgirl) owns seven crayon heart necklaces, one for each day of the week.

Check out all of the super cool recycled crayons available at my Ivy Lane Designs shop HERE.

And, Happy Valentine's Day!

~Merrill ♥

100th Day of School Celebration

One of my favorite Ivy Lane Designs customers, and all around nice person and Supermom, Donna, requested individually wrapped 1, 0 and 0 crayons to be given as party favors at her son Max's 100th Day of School Celebration.  She let me know what she wanted the toppers to say, and shared with me Max's school colors; blue and yellow/gold.  

I immediately went to work and could not be happier with the end result!  Donna's reaction?  "They look fantastic!!!!!!!!  YOU ROCK!"    

~Merrill ♥    

O Christmas Tree

Over the years, my family has delivered hundreds and hundreds of small living Christmas trees to teachers, therapists, neighbors, family members and friends.  Because our son, Justin, has autism, there have been scads of people who have needed a sign of appreciation at the holidays (and other times, too).  Now that Justin has graduated high school, he no longer has that wonderful support network.  In fact, the lack of accessible services for those with mental health and neurological challenges in the United States is heartbreaking.  If you haven't yet read "I Am Adam Lanza's Mother," you should.  It will take you less than five minutes.  Something must be done.

If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a [Christmas] tree. - Jim Rohn 

This year, we focused our tree efforts on those who live alone and do not have family members nearby.  These are people who would not likely otherwise have a Christmas tree.

Each package included one live tree, a sparkly frame with a picture of our kids, mini ornaments, ornament hangers, LED battery operated lights and AA batteries.

Small trees are available at nurseries, and even grocery stores.

The mini ornaments and hangers were from Target.

 The battery operated LED lights were also from Target.

If the recipient lived far away, we packed everything inside a free Priority Mail shoe box, available online from the United States Parcel Service HERE, and mailed it.  The USPS will deliver shipping boxes to your home for free.  

This is Justin last year at a nursing home, delivering trees.

 
This holiday season (and throughout the year), surprise someone who needs it.

Merry Christmas! 

~Merrill ♥