Local Tornado Relief Bake Sale

 My sister, Jessica Woody with Eco-Friendly Freckles, and I (Andrea Scott with Storybook Artifact) held a local bake sale this last weekend to help raise funds for two families who lost their homes due to an EF2 tornado that recently struck my neighborhood.  It was amazing to see who all came out to support us: such a caring community of people.  We also collected other donations: children's clothing and supplies.  My children even helped us out too; with my son dressed as our little mascot in firefighter costume, and my daughter sampling the cookies.

FOX23 News Coverage of Bake Sale:
Bake sale held for Broken Arrow tornado relief

TulsaWorld Article on Supported Families:
Residents clean up following tornados, severe storms 

  From the home baked treats contributed by caring locals to the generous donations made from those within our community, it has been such a miraculous thing to see so many people who care.  We may not all personally know these families, but their stories do touch us in a way that hits home. ... A goal was really never made, but we did break $1000! To be exact: $1092, which gives $546 to each of the two families whom we were raising funds for. ... Thank you all for the support and we'd like to specially thank: FOX23 News, Tulsa's Channel 8, BA Homeschoolers, members of Destiny Church, Gavco Plastics, Red's Pizzeria, Oneta Wine & Spirits, and Broken Arrow Firefighters.

This blog article was contributed by the Etsy Natural Healers Guild Team Captain Andrea Scott of Storybook Artifact

Growing Girls Gobble Garden Greens

  This tongue-twister is true!  My daughter is seen above using her sign language to say that she would like some more tasty home-concocted green smoothie, which not only enhances her brain power, but also her charming green mustache. ;o)~ ... Pick some kale or your preferred garden greens and blend with your favorite ingredients.

Ingredient Ideas:

plain or frozen yogurt, frozen berries, orange juice, banana, raw farm-fresh egg (whisked seperately with a teaspoon of preferred liquor to sterilize), tablespoon fulls of seeds and grains such as: flax, chia, pumpkin, dried goji berries, purple corn, millet, wheat germ, spirulina, sweeten to taste with pure maple syrup or honey, spice it up with some cinnamon, cloves, or nutmeg ... throw in some carrots, a splash of olive, hemp, or avocado oil, a pinch of himalayan pink salt, ... a whole food multi-vitamin (in tablet form) will blend up well too.  ...  Last but not least, THE KALE!  Cram in as much as you can pick, and share with the family!  ... Can you tell that we have a Vitamix? ;-)

  My son in the garden helping me pick some swiss chard.  The garden greens are so wonderful; we have rainbow swiss chards, red and green leaf lettuce, mustard greens, arugula, (spinach didn't do well this year), radish, beet, endive, broccoli, and my favorite, kale!  We planted the seeds in early spring, and here they are in early summer!  So many benefits for a growing family: growing greens is simply the best!

Hot Air Balloon or Jack and the Beanstalk Cake

UPDATE APRIL 2015:  The latest hot air balloon cake creation using this method is seen in this picture above, which was made for my daughter's second birthday: a bit of a commemoration for the hot air balloon cake that I made for her older brother's second birthday.  The inspiration for this cake was to do a spin-off from the original Wizard of Oz movie.  I had the bright idea that Glinda (the good witch) ought to transform the wizard's getaway hot air balloon into one of her bubbles.  I managed to do this with all natural food colorings: cream cheese frosting tinted with turmeric for yellow brick road, bordered with chopped pistachios, basket made of gingerbread with icing glaze for adhesive, tornado made of ice-cream cone covered in chunky peanut butter and chocolate, and the top balloon portion covered in cream cheese frosting tinted with strong hibiscus tea.  It was also a carrot cake.

Cake design found in vintage 1960's cookbook titled Wilton's Wonderland of Cake Decorating by McKinley and Norman Wilton, this is the ultimate child's birthday cake that requires both mother's baking as much as father's handy work.  A delight to see and quite easy to work with, this do it yourself cake stand is versatile in what it can be; let your imagination go free!

The hot air balloon cake uses ribbon (wrapped over and strung through cocktail picks to be pressed into cake) to take one's eye off of the cake stand's center supporting rod, and really gives the illusion that this portion of the cake is floating!

The cake seen above was decorated with circus themed porcelain figurines, in which were inspired by my son's world's fair themed birthday party last year.  Would be a perfect cake for any carnival or festival themed party!

Balloon's basket is made of a ramekin sized miniature cake with plain toasted wheat (Chex) cereal placed in icing.  All cake pieces here were homemade carrot cakes.  I love how carrot cake is dense and therefore great in keeping its height, and not sinking or falling like other cakes or soufflés are known to do.  Carrot cake is also my most preferred cake for Barbie doll cakes too: when striving to reach doll's waist.

Icing is a mixture of whipped softened butter and powdered sugar to taste.  For carrot cake, cream cheese frosting goes best; two sticks of butter per package of cream cheese.  A dash of turmeric spice for natural yellow coloring.

With the Jack and the Beanstalk cake, COTTON CANDY DISSOLVES OR DEFLATES QUICKLY! ... As regrettably seen in this picture; large marshmallows stuck in with toothpicks would be a more dependable approach for the cloud.

Hand cut paper dolls were made by printing images on card stock and being sure to leave bottom portions blank to help in providing enough area for pressing paper pieces into cake for support.  Curving the paper adds dimension.

Beanstalk was achieved by winding 9-10 green pipe cleaners around center supporting rod.  Winding end parts of each pipe cleaner around pencil gives off curly vines for Jack to climb on.

This cake was prepared by following a light fluffy white cake recipe that required three layers with lemon zest curd filling, and topped with chopped pistachios.  Yummy Fun!

From the vintage Wilton cookbook, the actual instruction for making this cake is seen above here with the cake being given the name Around the World in Eighty Days.

My husband, however, built it like this (seen above).  Running a screw rod up through half of a styrofoam sphere attached to a circular cut wood piece with spray adhesive glue, and bolted with washer at top.

Wooden skewer sticks were pressed into styrofoam ball piece to support cotton candy in the Jack and the Beanstalk cake; however, since this part failed (cotton candy dissolved quickly after being placed onto cake) pressing in toothpicks instead with large marshmallows attached may be a safer alternative.

Also something important to note, styrofoam flakes if ran under hot water (to say, rinse off icing).  To help keep this part of the cake stand like new, wrap it in aluminum foil before placing cake on stand and decorating with icing to prevent it from disintegrating.

Cake for top stand needs to be baked in an oven safe tall-ish bowl that doesn't have to exactly match the diameter of the stand, but certainly needs to be close; once icing is applied, it helps to even everything out to make a perfect sphere shape.

Best wishes on this DIY hot air balloon or Jack and the Beanstalk birthday cake stand and cake!  I won't make any promises, but if interested in having this cake stand made for you, contact me via Etsy convo through my Etsy store Storybook Artifact, and I'll ask my husband if he is willing to take on this construction project once again ... but like I mentioned, "no promises"; he is one busy dad.

Educational Fund for My Son

We all look at our child's future with high hopes, and we know that the influences and real-life situations he encounters at school and with his peers help him to become accustomed to the world around us.  This idea is why I am not a big supporter of home-schooling; however, I do find myself, as a parent, right on the cusp of being that involved in my child's education.  Once my son starts going to school, I hope that he is so focused in academics that he is inspired to leave classmate drama, bad influences, and peer pressure behind.  I know to some this may seem impractical; however, with there being more options, activities, and avenues to choose from in many private schools one can't help but suppose that this academic laden schooling system would be at an advantage ... in comparison to simply trusting that what we as tax payers contribute to our public schools is enough or going towards wise investments.  With more of these activity options, I see less of "what's popular" and more of an environment that inspires kids to be well-rounded in what suites them best: "what do you want to do, where do you want to go, etc.".  With private schooling, I feel that I will have more of a voice and a role as a parent than I would in just accepting what our teachers' unions and "elected" state officials have chosen for our public schools' teaching standards, which I'm not saying is wrong, I'm just saying that I'd like to think there was more available: i.e. student/teacher ratio.

Since my son's first birthday, my husband and I have began an educational fund for him.  Both of us are unsure to whether or not this fund will be for private schooling or for going towards a college savings fund: for in his later years.  I personally find it important to start off as young as possible with quality education.  Children are sponges before and during their teen years; I'd like to think we could provide our son with an academic foundation that is broad and eclectic in every way.  Paying for his education now is also something that we can choose; once our son goes off to college, it will be his decision on what quality of education he wants from that point on ... if any.  I'd like to think he'd go to college, but no one is for certain.  Maybe I as a parent can encourage him to go to college, and I'm thinking getting him off on the right foot is a start.

My personal goal is to raise enough money to send my son to a great school for his younger years.  My Etsy shop is my resource for this donation, which is donating 100% of the proceeds to Bobby's educational fund. :-)

Enchanté, Oh Happy Day!

What a dream come true!  Reminiscing over the moments I've spent in Paris has brought along the chance of another fine greeting with such a remarkable destination.  From the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Arc de Triomphe, the palace of Versailles, and so much more, this place is a must see for anyone who marvels at old-world architecture and/or our ancestors royal history.  Bonjour Oh Happy Day!  So glad to see this fabulous giveaway!!!

I just stumbled upon this fabulous giveaway on a blog post titled "Best Giveaway Ever!  Trip to Paris" of a fellow Blogger Donna of Totally Real, (Etsy shop owner of Tote-ally Bags) and was so glad to see this giveaway that I had to blog about it myself!  My trips to France have been the most impressionable for me, and my dreams of a more care-free lifestyle, especially when my husband and I traveled down to southern France: Toulouse.

  Jordan at Oh Happy Day is hosting a giveaway for a trip to Paris, France!  The winner receives a 7 day trip for two to Paris, including airfare and hotel!!!

You can enter this amazing giveaway here. 

http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris/




Best of Luck to You All,

_Andrea

Reminiscing Over Family Summer Fun - EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival

With summer being just right around the corner, I figured writing the first EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival of June on recollecting fond memories that I have spent with my family over the past summers would be a nice write, and hopefully a nice read too. ;o)~


Above I have posted a picture of my husband and I on our honeymoon in the summer of 2008.  We are playing on the beach in Cozumel; what fun that was!!!   Cruises are fun, but I am a big fan of road trips too.  I love the personalized family vacations the best.  I would love to talk about those trips to France, which were personalized and not schedule like they are with most cruise lines, but this regrettably would be changing the topic because of the trips I have taken to France with my husband they have all been during the fall season. ;-)  Anyway, SUMMER (getting back on track) ...  

Speaking of getting on track,  at the beginning of last summer I really enjoyed going on a hiking trail with my husband at a local state park when I was in my second trimester with our son, Bobby.  In the picture above, I am seen standing in front of the swinging bridge, which past this point would lead off to a primitive camping area; however, with it being hunting season, this area was closed from entry.  We still walked a good few miles that morning/afternoon though with a few rests/snacks in between; it was plenty fun.  We would love to go back with Bobby sometime soon. :-)

Thoughtful Shower Gift to Welcome Baby

I love this decoupage art canister, titled Baby Inspiration, that I picked out from my artistic twin sister Jessica's Etsy shop (Eco-Friendly Freckles) for an upcoming baby shower that I'll be attending this weekend for a friend of mine.  Jessica fixed me up with some of her luxurious handmade soap to go inside of the canister also.  This little addition to the shower gift really has made the gift extraordinary!  I love the detail in Jessica's art: absolutely breathtaking.  I look forward to seeing this baby shower gift unwrapped and "cherished"; cherished is the single word elegantly featured on soap's tag that accentuates the thoughtfulness behind this playful "welcome baby" gift.

Lovely Day to Smell the Roses

I had such a wonderful time this last week taking new product photos with my twin sister, Jessica (Eco-Friendly Freckles), and my little 9 month old baby boy, Bobby.

 Picture above shows Bobby getting in on the camera action. ;o)~  Jessica made a new Self-Taught Artist Treasury (STAT) Team Treasury featuring my newest item (Vintage Indian Princess Earrings and Charm Bracelet Set); it is titled Francesca Finds Love at the Farmers' Market.

I created a 100% STAT Team Treasury inspired by Team Captain's (HippieChicJewelz) inspirational words on latest team discussion on "sharing the love amongst teammates".  I also made sure to feature Jessica's newest addition to her shop (which we also took pictures of that lovely day) in this STAT Team treasury titled Lovely Patriot.  Please feel free to click, comment, and promote. :-)

When Studying Was Fun! - EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival

In that bleep of a moment when my twin sister, Jessica (Etsy shop owner of Eco-Friendly Freckles), and I lived together in our apartment at the age of 17, we both knew how fortunate we were to have our local library right across the street from us.  We enjoyed spending afternoons cooped up in one of the private rooms with our noses in preparation books for the ACT.  We'd also request movies to watch on our evenings together.  Books we regularly checked out ranged from the appealing coffee table book "a must have" to poetry and how-to books to read on picnics at the park.  "Oh Jessy, I miss basking in the sun on our quilt listening to your novice-style guitar playing while I read Shel Silverstein stories.

View my latest EtsyBloggers Treasury titled: Gathering for Cinco De Mayo

Dreaming of Riverwalk

This weekend marks my husband's and my fourth wedding anniversary, and the first to celebrate with our Baby Bobby!  We have picked a cozy and interactive vacation spot: San Antonio, TX!  I look forward to sharing my inspirations from the trip after we return.

Contributing to my daydreaming, is this new piece of artistic jewelry that I've recently purchased from Whimsical Anythings by CamiArtistica!  It is so creative, and expressive; I love it!

My lastest Etsy treasury is titled Polished and Pumped and features eight FolkReveries team members!  Check it out!!!

First Sign of Spring - EtsyBlogger's Blog Carnival

The first signs of spring are started with having playtime in the backyard.  Warm enough for a momma and her baby to play with the old twigs and grass, while discovering and welcoming the new growth of local flowers, weeds, and plants.

The rose bush (seen pictured above in front of the house) looks like a gaunt old dying plant, but it is still putting on its winter disguise of being in hibernation.  The rose bush (plant) actually is getting new growth of strong beet red stems.  It probably wouldn't hurt to give it a good trimming though. ;-)

Another welcoming plant in the backyard is ironically a weed "chuckle": the chickweed.  It grows under our hawthorn tree in a large patch: great for picking.  I love to chop chickweed finely and steam along with chopped spinach for a quick and easy side dish; I like to add apple cider vinegar during serving.

I also made an EtsyBlogger's Treasury going along the Blog Carnival theme of "first sign of spring"; it is titled Spring Forward!

:-)

My Baby Can Learn to Read!

Featured above is an up-cycled hand-painted decoupage canister given to me as a gift at Bobby's baby shower by his Aunt Jessy (Eco-Friendly Freckles).  Here it is seen in my kitchen windowsill storing straws. :-)  I love it!  What an inspiration to raise a brainy baby. ;-)

After purchasing the first volume of Your Baby Can Read series and after skimming through How to Teach Your Baby to Read by Glenn Doman, I was motivated to continue this curriculum on my own by creating personalized word cards: some shown below.  I found the images online and printed them on regular cardstock. Easy and Affordable!


:-)

Hooty Birthday

  I was browsing through one of my older subscriptions of Parenting Magazine the other day, and came across this adorable cake decorating scheme: a hoot owl.  I decided to make this for my husband Robert's birthday this last weekend, and it was a hit.  For the cake recipe, I made a simple Texas Sheet-cake.  On the decorating, I made a simple delicious icing with just powdered sugar and butter; I added cocoa for the chocolate part, and turmeric for the yellow beak, feet, and writing.  I also used Newman O's for the owl's eyes. ;-)

TEXAS SHEET CAKE

from COOKS.COM

---

1 c. oil
1 c. water
4 tbsp. sweetened cocoa
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
Dash of salt
2 eggs
1/2 c. sour cream or buttermilk

^"I used my Milk Maiden Kefir"
1 tbsp. baking soda

Bring oil, water, and cocoa to a boil. Note: If using unsweetened cocoa, add 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar.

Remove from heat; add dry ingredients. Beat eggs in a dish; add sour cream and baking soda. Mix well. Add to chocolate mixture and beat well. Bake in a greased jelly roll pan at 375 degrees for 20 to 22 minutes. Cookie sheet can be used.

"Happy Birthday!" to my Sweetheart, and much loved Bobby's "Daddy". "xoxo"

<3

Little Boy Blue

Had a joyous and memorable afternoon with my baby boy Bobby this afternoon in our backyard.  The weather was gorgeous: just perfect for digging your toes into the cool Oklahoma soil.

Here Bobby is trying to eat an old dried up maple leaf.  And below here he pauses briefly to raise an eyebrow at Momma. ;-)

Mother Love Our World

  I was very inspired to make this treasury dedicated to productive loving mothers of our world because I know that I am one of them.  I am very proud of where I am in my life's goals.  When I grow to be an old women, I want to look back on my life and see my greatest achievement was raising my child(ren).  Even though it may seem to some that my life has been put on hold, I am beyond happy that I made this decision.  With me just having completed my Associates of Science in Secondary Education, I have chosen to take a break from schoolwork until possibly next fall or whenever I feel the need to become career oriented again.  Right now my career is to be a mother and to be there for all of my son's (Bobby's) precious moments.  By nursing and choosing to use cloth diapers during the daytime, I honestly don't see how the option of daycare would be there for me.

  Now with me not being pregnant anymore, I am back in the kitchen being productive in preparing delicious breakfasts and dinners.  I am maintaining the household chores along with reorganizing, decorating, and kid proofing everything so that Bobby doesn't get into too much mischief.  Additionally, I am very happy to have opened an Etsy shop, and look forward to much progress in that department also. ;-)

Check out my newest treasury that features some STATTEAM members titled: Rustic Valentine Beauty!

The Sweet Invention of Lover's Dream

Daydreaming of when my husband, Robert, and I visited the Louvre in Paris, and of when I saw the sculpture above: titled Psyche and Love.  What a breathtaking piece!  I know that I am so fortunate to have traveled to Paris, France, and to go with my dearest love made it absolutely a priceless moment for me.

At the Louvre in Late 2007

At Our Wedding of 2008



<3

Love Those Blue Eyes

 Inspired by my baby boy Bobby's blue eyes, is a loving home filled with expression and comforts everywhere you turn.  I love being a momma and made a list this morning of treasures that brought me that warm and fuzzy feeling.

Titled Home is Where the Heart Is; check it out!  I hope your day is filled with lots of love and comforts of home.

Also be sure to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling going by checking out Aunt Jessy's (Eco-Friendly Freckles) newest treasury titled The Year of the Rabbit...Peter Rabbit That Is.  So Adorable!


<3

Picnics and Packed Lunches

My husband, Robert, and I took our baby boy Bobby (now 6 months) for a stroll down riverside in Tulsa today.  The weather was so lovely (in the 70's), and boy did we get a workout!  My only regret was that we forgot to grab our camera, but we do hope to do this again soon or next time the weather permits it; watch us have another snow in March this year ."haha"  The above picture was taken on riverside by his Aunt Jessy last year in September; when Bobby was only two months old. 

Anyway, all this nice weather today has inspired me to right a post about packing lunches.  Make it fancy or make it quick and easy?  Healthy and thoughtful too, right?  The pantry staples that I try to keep on hand for packing a picnic to packing Robert's lunches that he takes to work are generally simple, nutritious, and most certainly tasty treats.  I find that brands that are labeled "organic" or "all-natural" help me to achieve this.  For a picnic, I love to go fancy!  Pack a bottle of some sparkling cider and some simple wine glasses, a block of cheese, and crackers ... and you're set!

Here is a picture of me taken at a picnic that Robert and I had at a rest area heading towards Hot Springs, AR in celebration of our anniversary a couple of years ago; see the bottle of sparkling cider. ;-)