IvyVine

Taste of Douglasville

This past Saturday, the Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville held it's annual Taste of Douglasville event.  It's an event designed to bring the people in our community together to enjoy good food, music and crafts and it supports the many programs at the Cultural Arts Council from art camps to free concerts on O'Neal Plaza.  My group, the Douglas County Connection, which I've posted previously about here, had an informational booth which is the picture above.  Don't you just love the Sunflowers!  I got to meet a lot of new people and tell them about the DC Connection.  Plus I brought "the Knuckleheads" out for a day in the sun.  They enjoyed their time there and so did I.  But let's face it, I'm a crafter at heart and even though there was an EMENSE amount of food to choose from (which I did partake in I might add), my interests will always follow my heart.  Crafter's unite!!

 

First up is this lovely lady who I could kick myself for not getting her name!  So I apologize to you right here for everyone to see.  She of course was the first person I locked in on because she sells soy candles.  Anyone who knows me knows I sell soy candles also.  She's my competition....I can't talk to her.  Whatever!  She was fabulous.  She owns Venus Candles and Crafts which is a supplier of all things candle.  Plus she's local, which means that IvyVine has a new wax and oil supplier.  It was a blessing talking to her.  She gave me a lot of great tips on Etsy selling and was just an all around helpful person with a gorgeous baby to boot!  Take a look at her candles:

  

Next up, I met Terry and Nichole.

They had the booth right across from mine.  Terry is a published author and poet.  She has three books right now: WOW!!! (Windows of Wisdom), Brown Bag Poetry and her newest release Say it Ain't So.  I purchased Brown Bag Poetry.  I love good poetry and have many poetry books and was more than happy to add another one to my book collection.

Nichole is the owner of Mama Sugar D's.  She makes amazing preserves and soaps.  Her card says, "Preserves, Soaps and Candles with Love in Mind", isn't that sweet?  I don't have a website for Nichole, but if you are in Columbus, GA, look Mama Sugar D's up!  They were both a joy to talk to.  Let's look at their table:

 

We all know I love jewelry, so stop number three on my journey: Pamela of U Design Jewelry.  Another kick myself moment for not taking a picture of Pamela, but when you click on her link, there is a beautiful picture of her right at the top!  Pamela is a jewelry designer and boy oh boy it's pretty.  I placed an order for a name bracelet for Arwen.  It will have her name in letters along with her birthstone in it.  I can't wait to see it.  Pamela also does home parties and has a jewelry studio/store right in her home.  Lucky Lady!  Take a look at Pamela's table:

 

 

Who doesn't love dolls?  I know I always have and more importantly, I'm the mother of a three year old little girl who adores all things doll-like.  So it was fitting that I stop at Madelyne's booth.  Madelyne owns madelyne Handmade Craft and can be reached at madelyne3669@bellsouth.net if you want one of her stuffed lovlies.  Madelyne was camera shy, but thank goodness she wasn't with her dolls:

 

 

Do these Raggedy Ann dolls bring you back or what?

And you know I had to pick up one for my girl.  Dollie heaven....

Next up, Marsha and Carolyn.

Marsha is an Independent Beauty Consultant for Mary Kay (can I get a pink caddie?) and Carolyn is a consultant for Thirty-One Gifts.  They both had amazing give aways that I hope I win (I really want the satin lips Marsha....just so you know).  Here are their booths:

 

 

Okay, if there was anything that I was going to post more than once about, it was gonna be jewelry.  I'm just saying....

Meet the beautiful Rosiland.  She's a jewelry designer based in Atlanta and works with quality semi-precious stones.  I.fell.in.love with her jewelry.  She can be reached at rosilandbryant@yahoo.com if you'd like to order one of her delicious pieces.  O.M.G.:

 

I love the Agate slice at the bottom!  The color in person is insane.  She had several pieces with Agate.

Last, but absolutely not least, this is Constance.

Constance is from Heads or Tails. I wasn't able to meet the owner Angela because she had step away just as we came by.  But they make custom children's hairbows and they are just so sweet and pretty.  I tell you now, my pics do not do this sunny booth justice.  I almost thought I smelled cotton candy when I walked in.  Enjoy:

 

I bought the pink butterfly under the guise that it was for Arwen....but it's not....it's for me!

They also make these great embroidered burp cloths!

So there you have it.  I had so much fun talking to these ladies I must tell you.  It was a great day indeed.  And I just want thank "Venus", Terry, Nichole, Pamela, Madelyne, Carolyn, Marsha, Rosiland, Constance and Angela for letting me into their booths and their crafting worlds if only for a day.

 

A Day at the Carnival

This past weekend, I took Arwen to the carnival at our local mall.  She saw this Ferris Wheel in the distance from our car as we were driving up and said, "Mommy look!  Happy Birthday!!"  I love that those are the only words that she could find to capture her excitement of seeing her first Ferris Wheel. 

She had her unlimited ride bracelet and was ready to go.

 

 

 

The ride operator made me get on this teeny weeny train with her.

Hence the reason for the extreme close-up.

But one of the reasons I love going to a local carnival is because of the way they feel.  There is a sense of community there.  They have a charm that you just can't find at a larger amusement park.

 

And the Funnel Cakes.....ohhhhhh the Funnel Cakes......

 

By the end of our adventure, my baby was tuckered out, but didn't want to admit it.  She didn't want to leave.

Until next time..... 
  

Words To Live By - Mothers

"A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary."

-- Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Mom's out there and to my own:  Ethelene Cardwell, I love you so much.  Thank you for everything.

The Shoebox Project

Shoeboxes aren't just for shoes anymore.

I'm the Director of Programming for the Douglas County Connection.  It's a satellite group of the Cultural Arts Council of Douglas County, GA.  Our primary goal is to bring the arts to the African American community in our area.  But we do search outside the box for charity projects we can do that will provide a benefit outside our defined goals.  Recently, one of the lovely ladies in our group suggested we become involved in the Shoebox Project that the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta does annually.

 

The United Way describes this project as:

"Each year, individuals and companies throughout the metro area donate shoeboxes filled with toiletries to be given to homeless women and children. Last year, more than 12,500 shoeboxes that were distributed to more than 80 homeless shelters across our 13-county area." 

To be able to reach beyond to those in need, even in a small way, is a start.  This project humbled me so much I must tell you.  I give at my job to our annual United Way drive, but to do a hands on project, and see the physical end result just gave me so much joy. 

Which made me realize that the act of giving back is two-fold.  If we're able, we should all be willing to give from our pockets to a worthy cause.  That's the icing on the cake.  But a physical manifestation of that giving is the actual cake in my opinion.  Digging in.  Getting your hands dirty.  Whether it's volunteering at a soup kitchen or filling decorated shoe boxes for a homeless woman in need.  The act of physically doing something is what it's really about now for me.

I plan on doing this project every year now.  I'm sure it will become one of the annual projects our group participates in.  Next year, I'm going to be really prepared.  I plan on picking up a few travel sized toiletries every time I go to the grocery store.  By this time next year I'll have a stockpile of goods I'm sure.  My personal goal for next year is 20 boxes.  Uh oh, I've put it in writing.  I've got to do it now!

If you live in the greater Atlanta area, I encourage you to fill some shoeboxes and bring them to your local United Way office.  This project ends on May 21, 2010. 

Mushrooms for Lunch

They look a bit decadent. I know.  But I couldn't resist.  I had about 3/4 of a pack of button mushrooms left over and wanted to use them before they went bad.  So I went to The Pioneer Woman website and found this delectable recipe.  I had to substitute one item and omit another, but they came out so so good.

Wash the mushrooms.

Toss the mushrooms with some melted butter in a pan.  The recipe doesn't say how much butter, so I just used 1 1/2 tablespoons.

Chop up some garlic and green onions.  Here is where I substituted.  The recipe calls for fresh flat leaf parsley, which of course I had none of, so I used about 2 tablespoons of dried parsley.  While I'm sure fresh would have been better, the dried worked fine.

Sauté the garlic, onions and parsley in the same pan you had the mushrooms in.  Adding white wine was optional here.  But since I had none, I omitted it.  Chop the brie in little squares and add one to each mushroom.  Cover the mushrooms with the garlic mixture and pop in the oven until the brie is melted.  Simply delish.  And the best part is my knuckleheads don't eat mushrooms!

I Love Jewelry

Particularly gemstones.  Particularly gemstone rings.  That is why I have a slight addiction to HSN. HSN is the largest provider of gemstones in the US.  At least that's what they say.  Either way, I can find just about every kind of gemstone I like there in some of the prettiest settings I can dream of. 

Currently, I am obsessed with a designer by the name of Victoria Wieck.  Her ring designs are insane.  Silver, gold it doesn't matter.  The design work is feminine and glam.  I love her.

I own this one.  It's Blue and White Topaz set in sterling silver and designed by Victoria herself.  It sits up high on the finger so everyone can see it.  What use is having pretty jewelry if no one can see it?  Since it was set in silver I got it for $39!

This is the next VW design on my horizon.  It's an African Amethyst with pave set White Topaz stones.  I love the enamel work on the hummingbird.  It's much pricier at $499, but it's 14K gold.  It's gorgeous I think.

While rings are my favorite, I do adore all other jewelry too.  These Amethyst drop earrings are also by Victoria.  They are set in silver and are on clearance now for $49.95.  Not bad.  I just love the little Rhodolite stone at the top.  So pretty.

I purchased this baby at an estate sale a couple of years ago for $30.  Yeah, it's not pretty, but it's gonna be.  I plan on painting it in matte black and finishing the inside with some sort of soft jewelry friendly fabric.  I'm thinking velvet.  In pink.  That's right, it's gonna be my jewelry armoire and yes, I can and fully plan on filling her up.

(all jewelry pics are from HSN.com)

Shopping With Mommy

This weekend, Arwen and I hit our neighborhood Kroger in search of meals and deals.  Well, meals and deals for me, but for her, payment in the form of Pringles for her modeling job.

First stop, produce!

I don't know about deals here.  In what parallel universe are limes more expensive than lemons I ask?  At any rate, I love their complimentary colors.

Yum.  Oranges.

Had to get some Avocados.  It may be one of my top favorite foods, honestly.  So creamy and delish.

I made Ina's Guacamole with it.  The recipe is perfect!  Chunky and garliciky (is that a word?) just the way I like it.  The chicken quesadillas were only the side dish here, trust me.  You notice the spoon right?  That wasn't for spreading.

Gratuitous cute kid shot.  I had to.  She said, in Arwen speak, "Mommy nook!!  The booniful flowers!"  Ironically that the same pose she uses to pull one over on me.

Only healthy cereal for my babies.

NOT!!! This is what actually made in the cart.

I barely made it out of the checkout before she grabbed her fee out of one of the bags.  Impatient child o' mine.

So I left her in the outdoor cart station.  She's still there today.  If you see her, tell her Mommy said hi.  Just joking of course.  Although she didn't seem the least bit concerned.  She had her Pringles and her pink teddy of course.  All was good in her world.

My Knuckleheads

This is Marc and Arwen.  My two children, also known most lovingly by me, the Knuckleheads.  It'd be easy to say that moments like this don't happen often in my household, but thankfully, that's not true.

Marc was 11 years old when Arwen was born.  Granted, she scared him at first because he thought her uncanny resemblance to ET was just a bit weird.  But he warmed up...eventually.

Don't get me wrong.  It isn't always sunshine and roses.  After all, she is 3 years old now.  She plays with mp3 players, Rock Band and cellphones when she is neither asked or invited to.  And one, "Arwen don't!" from Marc can turn her sunshine to a cloudy day in one second.  But here's the thing: he always, and I mean ALWAYS will tell her after he hurts her tender little feelings that he's sorry and he loves her.

And of course, a kiss is always expected.

To Arwen, Marc is a playmate, a horse, a protector, a human jungle gym, a pet doggie and her big brother.  To Marc, Arwen is a source of unending entertainment, a pain in the neck, a reminder to do his best and his baby sister.  They are so much a part of each other not only because their DNA dictates it, but by choice.

Back on the horse!

New year.  New beginnings.  After a lot of ups and downs in 2009 (including my basement flooding when the creek next door to me crested), I'm feeling a bit back to normal (if that's normal) and decided to focus more on getting my bath and body products out there.  I've recently posted some of my sugar scrubs and body creams on my etsy site (www.ivyvine.etsy.com) and was more than pleased when I sold some creams a few days after they posted.  No, I'm not selling something everyday yet like this most talented girl, but I hope to one day soon.  So here are a few pics of what you will find in my etsy shop right now.

4 oz body creams (I call them creme, how French of me) in a variety of scents.

These cute 4 oz sample packs of sugar scrubs.  These are White Tea & Ginger, Island Flower and Pomegranate.  I also have some large 16 oz jobbies too!

I'll be working on getting some more soy candles in there in the next couple of weeks.  I hope you check me out.  Muah!

What will she be when she grows up?

No body puts baby in the corner.  Well, not when the baby is Arwen.  My Scorpio girl is far too sure of herself to allow that to happen.  It makes me wonder who she will decide to be when she's old enough to determine that.  Something tells me this girl will know exactly how she wants to spend her life at a very early age.  But even still, I often wonder what she's thinking.  Feeling, well, she shows me on a daily basis what she's feeling, but thinking....that I still wonder about.

 

"Maybe I'll be a model.  Yep, I've got this posing thing down."

 

"Or maybe a Rock Star!  I play toy piano too!"

  "Who really cares.  As long as I'm happy."

Yes sweets, as long as you're happy.