During this time when Garret and I are sharing an office/studio/gym space, I find myself occasionally needing a break. Garret has been co-located or worked out of our home (when he owned his own business) for a couple of decades, … Read More

I recently took a cookie decorating class from Markie of Honey & Heart Cookie Co. I’m no stranger to icing cookies and Markie gave us so much praise and encouragement that I felt totally comfortable trying her recipes for cookies … Read More

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is pie crust. The pies themselves are mostly, meh, for me. But pie crust! Now that can be turned into something amazing without having to add cooked fruit to it. Cooked … Read More

I love vintage ornaments. They have so many stories to tell! Recently I went with my mom and sister to Sweet Salvage in Phoenix and found so many lovely treasures! As usual, it’s hard to narrow them down to the best … Read More

My Grandma Eddie made all her grandkids crocheted blankets. I remember vividly the one she made when I was old enough to ask for specifics: It was white with lavender flowers and green leaves in granny squares. She taught me … Read More

I had the incredible opportunity recently to create a large-scale chalk art piece for the grand opening of our town’s new cemetery. I had not created a piece quite so large before and had a heckuva time “scaling it up” … Read More

This lovely confection is amazingly smooth and creamy. Gramma (that’s how we spell it in our family) and my parents always poured it onto waxed paper and made logs out of it. I recently started pouring it into pans just … Read More

  English Toffee 2 C. Butter (no substitutes) 2 C. Sugar 2 Tbs. White Corn Syrup 6 Tbs. Water 1 tsp. Vanilla 1/2 lb. Semi-sweet Chocolate, melted 2 C. Walnuts or Almonds, chopped very fine In a large, heavy pan, … Read More

I recently saw a video by Ina Garten on making homemade vanilla extract. She showed a jar with the most beautiful brown liquid in it and claimed she has kept that bottle of vanilla going for thirty years. THIRTY years!! … Read More