Bold and Beautiful #11

6" x 6", acrylic on hardboard panel
SOLD

I have had so many requests via my Facebook page for this beauty, I painted a smaller version for purchase.  I love the bright, vibrant colors.  It makes me happy!

6x6, original acrylic painting on hardboard panel.  Watermark is not on the painting, natch.

Enjoy!

♥ Merrill 

DIY Kool-Aid or Capri Sun Juice Drink Pouch Tote Bag

Steve Jobs said, "My favorite things in life don't cost any money. It's really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time."

I treasure time spent with my daughter.  Each year on my birthday I ask for the same thing - her time.  We have built a bear, sang, swam, skated, walked, climbed, colored, cooked - and crafted!

In my Ivy Lane Designs shop, my creations are made from materials rescued from trash and recycling bins.   It only then makes sense that our favorite mother-daughter activity would be crafting together, often from recyclables.  

One year when we were apart on her birthday, I sent her balloons in a box - one of my proudest moments in my handmade gift-giving history.

A super fun project is making a tote bag from juice drink pouches.  Here is how we did it.

JUICE DRINK POUCH TOTE BAG

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 16 drink pouches
• Nylon webbing for the strap, length is your choice (available at Joann)
• Scissors
• A sewing machine
• Nylon thread
• Painter's tape (optional, although it does a nice job of keeping the pouches from slipping while you sew)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Empty and clean your juice pouches.  If you clip the bottom of the pouches, they'll dry faster.

2.  Set your sewing machine to the widest, zig zag stitch available.  A zig zag stitch is stronger, allowing for a more durable bag - and it looks cool!

3.  Overlap the sides of the pouches and sew.  You want to end up with four strips of three.  This will make the front and back of the bag.  

4.  Then sew two rows of threes together.

 Now you have the front and back of the bag.

5.  Zig zag stitch across the top of the two panels to add durability.

6.  Now, add your straps.  Cut two equal length strips of nylon webbing.  Stitch to the inside of each panel.

7.  Now it's time to make the bottom.  Overlap the top and bottom (not sides) of two pouches and sew them together (see picture below). 

8.  Put wrong sides together (silver to silver) and stitch bottom piece to front piece.  Repeat for the back of the bag.

9.  Repeat step #7 to make the two side pieces.  With wrong sides together, stitch side pieces to front, back and bottom of bag.  This is the hardest step.  Don't be afraid to smush the corners.

10.  Snip threads and enjoy your new eco-friendly tote bag!

A variation is to sew the pieces wrong side together.  We like the look of the exposed seams.

A mother's daughter is a treasure.  Enjoy your time together.

♥ Merrill 

My Favorite Things :: Salty Sea Dog Painting

My style of decorating is always evolving.  I move on and grow and change.  But one thing is constant and that is my love of art.  On a weekend trip along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay in a tiny town in Maryland, I happened upon a painting of a sea captain.  He was down a narrow alley, displayed on the side of a building.  I knew immediately that he had to be mine.

He seemed to be saying, "Avast, ye salty sea dog!  Take me home."  So, I did.

Now, he watches me shower, which is only a little creepy, and seems to have adjusted well to his new home.

Personal style is a journey - not a destination.  One that takes a lifetime.

♥ Merrill 

Ivy Lane Designs Real Simple Feature

Real Simple magazine included my Valentine's Day conversation heart crayons in their "19 Cute Valentines Day Gifts for Kids."  Who's a HAPPY girl!

Here's what my new friends at Real Simple had to say:  Stamped with messages like “Be Mine” and “True Love,” these handmade heart-shaped crayons are modeled after the classic Valentine’s Day treat. The set of five comes packaged like a box of chocolates—each brightly colored crayon sits in a cupcake liner and looks almost good enough to eat.

Get yours in my Ivy Lane Designs Etsy shop. 

Thanks, Real Simple! ♥

Happy crafting!

♥ Merrill 

5 Fabulous Costco Favorites

Costco is one of our favorite shopping meccas.  In one stop, we can get our eyeglasses adjusted quickly and for free (and, everyone in the optical department knows Justin, who has autism, by name!), bump into friends, enjoy an inexpensive lunch and pick up most everything we need (plus some!) for the week ahead.

Here are five favorites from our weekend haul.

1.  Sweet Kale Salad.  I love this salad and have it for lunch at least once a week.  Each bag contains broccoli, Brussels (which is plural ... I did not know that) sprouts, cabbage, kale and chicory, with dried cranberries, roasted pumpkin seeds and poppyseed dressing.  Yum!

 
 2.  Silk Pure Almond Milk.  Vegan and gluten-free.  We use this, and the wild blueberries below, in our cereal every morning.  A good price.

3.  Sabra Roasted Pine Nut Hummus.  Vegan and gluten-free.  Quick and easy healthy snack, as a dip with cut up veggies or with black bean and quinoa tortilla chips, also from Costco, natch!  It makes a nice spread for sandwiches, in place of mayonnaise.

4.  Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves.  These are also vegan, which is perfect for my husband.  I am hobbling along the vegan path, with cheese remaining my downfall.  I am convinced that there really is such a thing as a cheese addiction.  Cheese and super spicy food.  These grape leaves are handmade and stuffed with seasoned rice, tomatoes, onions and red peppers.  We enjoy having them for dinner with a salad.  Yummy and 0g saturated fat and trans fat.  Oh, and they're gluten-free.

5.  Wyman's of Maine Wild Blueberries.  We visited Maine last summer where we celebrated our wedding anniversary while falling in love with their wild blueberries.  Every morning these top our cereal.

Happy shopping!

~Merrill ♥

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 ♥  

My Favorite Glue

Once in a awhile I fall so in love with a craft product that I can't keep it to myelf.  My current love affair is with the ZIG 2-way glue pen.  My favorite glue for paper crafting, hands down.  It's wet adhesive that goes down blue and is permanent.  If allowed to dry, it becomes temporary (like a Post-It).  It's not runny and it doesn't make your fingers sticky.  Perfect for card making and scrapbooking. It's available at craft stores.  I bought mine at a Joann store using a coupon, natch.  You can also find it on amazon.com.  {I'm not a paid spokesperson ... just really like this stuff}

They come in different sizes.  For my barnyard crayon boxes, that I fill with paper hay and farm crayons, I use the jumbo tip and the fine tip.  I was able to finish 25 boxes, that will be heading to Mississippi, with one bottle of each and I still have glue left over.

Here's a finished crayon farm box, available at my Etsy shop, Ivy Lane Designs.  It's sure to spark any child's imagination!  Super cute barn, tractor, pig, horse, cow and rooster crayons are tucked inside a hand-decorated farm slider box. Each farm box includes paper hay, and measures appx. 4.75" x 2.6" x 1.25". Each box is a labor of love; a collage created from 16 little pieces of individually cut colored paper. Just the barn alone is comprised of seven separate bits. Read about them HERE. 

Here's a video that tells a little more about my favorite glue. 

Happy crafting!

~Merrill ♥   

Vegan Treats

★★★★★ How do you rate perfection?  With five stars, natch.   

It is no secret that birthday cake is my all-time favorite guilty pleasure food.  So it was no surprise that the celebration of my beloved's birthday led us on a pilgrimage to Vegan Treats in Bethlehem, PA to find the perfect cake.  Although we didn't see Jesus during our brief stay in Bethlehem, I am pretty sure we heard angels singing while enjoying our tasty treats. 

So many selections.  All treats were vegan, but the third row was also gluten-free, which made Justin super happy.  Check out their latest menu HERE.

Vegan Treats also has vegan soft-serve ice cream, to the delight of Lauren and Justin who can't have dairy.  Vegan Treats, if you are reading this, please BRING BACK PUMPKIN!  And, a cook book would be terrific.  Thank you.

Lauren preparing to dive into her chocolate peanut butter cake.

Justin and Lauren, getting busy.

 Here is a close-up of Lauren's luscious cake.  She let me try it.  Deelish!

Justin selected a pumpkin parfait.  It was gone lickety split!

Here is my supernaturally delicious chocolate cake.  Yum!  I had to take half of it home in a box, it was so rich and delightful.  Justin, who has autism, later dropped the box in our driveway spilling its contents.  This made me sad, so we went back a few days later for more treats! 

Boo treats for Halloween.  Too cute!

If you plan to be anywhere near Bethlehem, do yourself a favor and visit Vegan Treats.  It is worth the drive.  Vegan or not, your tastebuds will do the happy dance. <pinkie swear>

Vegan Treats
1444 Linden Street
Bethlehem, PA  18018
610-861-7660

For a list of retail locations that carry Vegan Treats, click HERE.

Happy, happy, joy, joy!

~Merrill ♥  

My Favorite Things: Everyday Comfy Outfit

What is your favorite thing to wear?  For me, hands down, it's my black yoga pants that I first received as a gift from my sweet pea daughter, topped with a boyfriend T-shirt in white (white boyfriend T-shirt sounded, well, wrong).  I now own five pairs of these pants and an equal number of white tees.  My Tiffany bracelet from my beloved, black Champion socks and black New Balances finish off the outfit.  Comfort heaven!

Here is the 4-1-1 on where I found this sampling of my favorite things:

1.  White boyfriend T-shirt from Target.  Mine has a little pocket and is a tad fuller, but is pretty close to the one pictured.  It must be a seasonal item.

2.  Tiffany heart bracelet that I received from my sweetheart for my birthday. ♥

3.  Black shorty Adidas socks.  I buy mine in the multi-pack from Costco.

4.  New Balance 490 black running shoes.  Most comfortable kicks EVER!  They've been discontinued, so if you can find them in your size, buy them asap, and please let me know! 

5.  Black yoga pants from Target.  They come in different lengths.  [TIP:  Wash these in Woolite for darks - really known as Woolite Extra Dark Care - on the delicate or hand wash cycle of your washer, and throw them over your shower rod to try.  Never put them in the dryer.  They will stay dark for years and years and you will be a happy girl.]

I would love to hear about your favorite comfy outfit.

~Merrill ♥ 

 

My Favorite Things: Superhero Cape Socks

Geek chic!  I am pretty sure that my beloved needs a pair of Superman cape socks.  Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman are pretty darn nifty, too. 

Have fun, super heroes!

~Merrill ♥ 

My Favorite Things: Kaffir Lime Tree

I was first introduced to kaffir lime leaves during a Thai cooking class where we used them to prepare Tom Kha Gai, my favorite soup EVER!  I returned home and quickly set out to replicate the recipe.  I was able to locate all of the ingredients on my list, with the exception of kaffir lime leaves.  These particular leaves are a key ingredient in Thai cooking, particularly Tom Kha Gai, so I couldn't leave them out.

Martha Stewart purchased her Meyer lemon trees from a local grower (local to her), and that was good enough for me.  I gave Martha+Meyer lemon trees a google and came up with Logee's in Danielson, CT.  Logee's conveniently carries kaffir lime trees, so I placed an order (HERE) and in a little over a week my miniature tree arrived.  Now, Tom Kha Gai soup is mine with very little notice. 

I also use kaffir lime leaves in my over the top scrumptious Thai Green Curry Chicken (recipe found HERE), and my Panang Curry (recipe found HERE).

If your tree doesn't seem to grow, be patient.  It took over a year for mine to show movement.

 

HERE are helpful pointers from Apartment Therapy's blog on growing citrus trees indoors.  I am going to try a few.

Happy growing (and cooking)!

 ~Merrill ♥

© 2012 All photography, graphics, text and copy are the property of Ivy Lane Designs, LLC.

My Favorite Things: Surprise Flowers!

I have come to the realization that, for the most part, I do not like surprises (or finding a hair in my mouth, or fellow motorists who turn without signaling, or when folks say *that* instead of *who* when referring to a person, just to name a few).  I think it is because surprises rob me of that giddy feeling of anticipation.  Anticipation is beautiful!

There are exceptions to every rule, one being when I receive flowers from my beloved.  Yesterday, my husband returned from an out-of-town conference and presented me with a bouquet of handpicked daffodils (and, no, I didn't ask whose yard <winkie face>).  Surprise flowers are beautiful, and so is my beloved! ♥

My Favorite Things: Awesome Handmade Beaded Bracelet

I make gifts for others all of the time.  It makes me happy!  When I receive one that someone has made specifically for me, I am over the moon! :)

Via Facebook, I reconnected with a high school friend, Tami.  You know that friend with whom you can share anything and everything?  That is my Tami.  The 1,000 mile physical distance can't stop us from laughing out loud and sharing our love of all things pink (click HERE), gnomes, Mexican food and handmade bracelets.

I stumbled upon a bracelet online that I LOVED!  Unfortunately, the price ($299) was outside the realm of realistic impulse buying, so I emailed the photo to Tami (natch!).  Imagine my surprise and delight when a package arrived in the mail containing an elaborately wrapped bracelet handcrafted by my gal pal, Tami.  She told me that she had studied the photo carefully and set out to complete the task.  She picked the beads especially for me.  The entire project took her three hours to complete.  I LOVE my new handmade bracelet, and my wonderful friend, Tami.  XO ❤

 ~Merrill ♥

My Favorite Things: Microplane Zester

Kitchen gadgets can make life so much easier.  This is the case with the handy dandy Microplane zester.      

Tonight I will be preparing a delicious mushroom risotto (recipe HERE) and will be using my Microplane zester to grate the requisite 1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano.  It also comes in handy when zesting citrus and grating ginger.  The ginger photo below is from my adventures with Tikka Masala (recipe found HERE).  A word of caution:  Please pay attention while you are using the zester as the teeth are very sharp.  The Microplane zester is available HERE or HERE.  

 ~Merrill ♥