Clever Karen

Toasted Oak Grill - Novi, MI

2012-01-07T20:41:00.000-05:00

I'm embarrassed to say that I visited Toasted Oak way back in August. It was right before school started and I was shopping in Novi and wanted lunch at someplace different. I used my iPhone to locate restaurants, and this one was new to me, so I decided to check it out!

Toasted Oak Grill is located at the Hotel Baronette, right off Novi Road by the mall. There are a couple rooms in the restaurant as well as a market that sells food and drink items. Nice contemporary decor.

I ordered the Fig Salad and added grilled chicken to it. The plating for the salad was very attractive. I liked the vinaigrette and mushrooms/figs and the greens were very fresh.

The grilled chicken was pretty blah and flavorless - I added salt to it, and I NEVER salt things at restaurants. The pastry at the side with caramelized onions was good, but was totally limp. Just a few seconds under the oven might have restored some of the crunch to the puff pastry. I wished the salad had some goat cheese or feta - it seemed to need something to balance out the acid from the vinaigrette (oooh, I sound like a judge from Top Chef, been watching too much reality cooking contests!) Service was pleasant and I had a nice relaxing meal. I thought prices were a bit high for lunch. So it was ok, but not someplace I would be anxious to try again.

Zipper and Vintage Earring Flower Pin Tutorial

2012-01-04T21:19:00.000-05:00

After finding a few red zippers with metal teeth at the resale store, I decided to try making a zipper flower pin. Here are the steps:

MATERIALS NEEDED: Zipper, vintage earring, felt circle about 2 inches across (I used felted wool), pin backing, hot glue

STEP ONE: Cut the zipper into 3.5 inch pieces. Overlap the ends and hot glue together.

STEP 2: Glue the petals onto the felt circle, overlapping. Tuck the last petal under the first petal.

STEP 3: Glue the earring into the center. (Remove the clip on backing first by twisting it forward with a needle nosed pliers and then snipping it off with a wire clipper.) Then glue the backing onto the back. Put the backing towards the top, not the center.

Tada! That's it! Pin onto a sweater for total cuteness!

Necklace Making with Andrea

2012-01-02T08:51:00.005-05:00

Some of you may remember me telling about my dear friend Andrea who had a massive stroke about a year and a half ago. She has weathered major surgeries and multiple health conditions, but has been left paralyzed on her right side and unable to speak, although she is very mentally aware. Over the summer we started a jewelry making project that would allow her to use her creative side and provide her generous spirit with Christmas gifts to share with her friends and with the staff at the residence where she now lives.

I set up a box with compartments with different types of beads and a block of styrofoam. Andrea would stick a headpin into the styrofoam and could stack the beads with one hand as she designed each necklace. When done, I would use pliers to twist a loop on the top. Then she would select a charm that I would attach to the bottom.

We worked on the necklaces over several months and she completed over 30 of them. As Christmas approached, we worked together to string them on chains, make tags, and to put them in small fabric bags.

Here they all are - they looked like candy! Each one pretty and unique!

Right before Christmas, we had fun wheeling around her residence, so she could pass them out! It was a great blessing to be creative together with my friend!

Ear - Ringing in the New Year

2012-01-01T17:00:00.001-05:00

A few little earrings I made over vacation. Photos via the Istagram app.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Necklace Assortment

2011-12-29T08:23:00.001-05:00

I bought an entire strand of these rust colored round stone beads. Not sure why - the challenge has been to come up with different ways to use them. For this one, I jazzed it up by gluing on a little silvery piece that has a tiny crystal in it.

My favorite new key necklace. I love the square earring that I epoxied onto a skeleton key. This picture really doesn't show much sparkle the earring has! The top is the perfect shape to hang for a necklace.

This is a blank gold frame I purchased somewhere online, but I have seen similar things at Lobby Hobby. I punched a round piece from scrapbook paper and then covered it with a round clear bubble sticker. Very easy! On top I epoxied an golden flower charm upside down and hung an old teardrop earring to dangle down.

2011-12-24T22:19:00.001-05:00

Wishing you a most blessed Christmas!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Christmas Eve 2011

Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread

2011-12-22T21:41:00.000-05:00

This is a recipe that I found via Pinterest. I started using Pinterest to look for art projects for school, but recently I am finding many other fun and distracting items on it. (Here is my Pinterest page if you are interested in checking it out or following me. But please do not blame me if you become addicted - I have given you fair warning!) Anyway, when I saw this recipe from the Cookies & Cups blog, I knew it would be a great recipe for a Christmas gift!

My first problem when making this recipe was that my bananas weren't ripe! So I googled it, and found the hint to stick the bananas in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes to blacken them. Worked like a charm!

My twist on this recipe from the original was to bake it into cute little ceramic pans! I bought the ones that I used here at Michaels a few years ago, but they had them this year as well. They are on sale this week for 49 cents each, but a lot of stores are sold out of them, I discovered.

I must confess, that I started sampling the bread warm from the oven, and before I knew it, I almost had one mini loaf devoured. I did save the other 3 loafs for gifts and plan to make another batch tomorrow.

Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 oz bag of Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray 4 ceramic mini loaf pans (or one regular sized loaf pan) with cooking spray.

3. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl.

4. In a large bowl, blend together the ripe bananas, peanut butter, oil, eggs, and brown and white sugar.

5. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. The batter will be lumpy.

6. Fold the peanut butter cups gently into the batter.

7. Divide the batter between the 4 mini pans. Set the pans on a cookie sheet to make it easier to put into the oven.

8. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean. (A individual large loaf may take up to an hour.)

9. Let cool completely, then cover in plastic wrap. I added a ribbon around the center to make it extra festive as a gift!

Faux Mercury Glass Candlesticks

2011-12-21T16:43:00.001-05:00

I like the look of mercury glass - for the past few years I have been looking for some mercury glass candlesticks in the half off sales after Christmas with no luck. So I decided to do some googling on how to create faux mercury glass to see if I could create my own. I wasn't able to find the Krylon Looking Glass spray paint that most of the tutorials recommended. So here's the method that I came up with. I did some trial and error first on some glass jars before I made the actual candle sticks.

First I purchased a few clear glass pieces (a couple of goblets, a glass, a candy tray, and something that might be an ashtray) at the goodwill store for a dollar or two, as well as a couple of clear glass votives at Michaels for 99 cents. (Way too many trips to Michaels this week!)

I used Valspar silver brilliant metal (found at Lowes) as well as a bit of Krylon paint in antique bronze (which you really don't need). You also need a spray bottle with water. Rubber gloves are also helpful!

I lightly sprayed the inside of the glass with a bit of water. Then a very, very light spritz of the antique bronze on the inside. And then a light spray of the Valspar brilliant silver metal paint on the inside. I let that dry for a bit, but I wasn't happy with the look, so I did a very light spray of the Valspar silver on the outside as well. Hold the can at least 12 inches away for best effect. If you spray it too heavily the candlelight will not shine through the glass. Let dry completely overnight.

Once dried, I hot glued two pieces together to create a base and a stand. I know the hot glue is just temporary - what I need to do is use epoxy, but I was in a hurry.

I'm pretty happy with the end result, especially when the candlelight shines though! Not bad for $10 worth of glass and the cost of the spray paint.

Silver Glitter Snowflakes

2011-12-20T16:12:00.005-05:00

Last year I had a lot of fun making these white snowflakes with vintage earrings. This year I took some of the same plastic snowflakes from Michaels and sprayed them silver. While still wet, I sprinkled them with a bit of Martha Stewart antique silver glitter.

I used various punches to cut shapes out of vintage dictionary paper. I stained the edges with a brown stamp and added a bit more brown color to the edges to age the paper. Then I dug into my stash to find some interesting things to decorate the centers.

Plastic swan with a button. I think I got this swan in a package from a family that I stayed with in Russia on a church choir tour. It had a vintage look, even though it was plastic, so I have kept it in my stash. I think it works perfect on this ornament!

Silver button on top of a mother of pearl button.

Giant pearly clip on earring on top of silver jewelry filigree.

Small silver key with button on top. (Bland key and plastic button, but looks cute combined together!)

Plastic crown - I think this came in a bag of junk jewelry!

All of these are now on my Christmas tree, but I think they would make great decorations for packages, too!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-18T18:27:00.001-05:00

My tree - lots of silvery ornaments, vintage postcards.

Moved the olive wood nativity to the piano with the crazy quilt tree in back.

And a virtual fireplace via Comcast!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Felted Flower Fun

2011-12-17T19:31:00.000-05:00

Here's a few more felted flowers that I've made this week:

From a heathered blue sweater.

Burgundy, blue, and ivory - with an earring with unique chunky beads.

Found a pair of these most unusual vintage earrings last month. Huge - who could actually stand to have these clipped to their ears? Owww! But the flowers all had cute sparkles in the center and the price was right.

So one of them has become the center on this pin. This pin is from a forest green wool topped with a beige wool (that for some reason, didn't felt when I washed it, even though it said it was 100% wool.) Just circles for this, no petals, and a crocheted flower under the earring.

I think I may even make a few of these to use in place of ribbons on some Christmas presents. Hope this gives you some new inspiration for an easy project!

Felted Wool Flower Tutorial 2

2011-12-14T18:35:00.005-05:00

I have been a little obsessed with making these felted wool flower pins! It is such an easy way to take an ordinary cheap sweater and make it look spiffy and pricey! Here is another slightly different way to make the flower - totally easy! (Here is a link to the first tutorial).

First, you need to purchase 100% wool sweaters from a resale store. Wash them on the gentle setting in hot water and then dry them in the dryer. Only dry them for short time - sometimes the wool breaks and you will get holes (which you can cut around). Wool should shrink up and tighten into a teeny tiny sweater!

Cut a flower and a smaller circle pattern out of newspaper. (I cut a circle out of paper, folded it in thirds, cut the petals, then unfolded.) Cut the pieces out of the wool. Since the wool is felted, it shouldn't fray.

Use hot glue to glue them together. Then glue a bit of scrunched-up lace and top it with an awesome vintage earring.

Hot glue a pin backing toward the top of the pin. (If you put it in the center, the pin will sag - I know this from experience.)

The red pin looks pretty cute on this cheap red sweater from Target.

The color really pops on the same style sweater in ivory.

And for the holidays, I've been wearing it on this heather green v-neck along with an off white scarf. Spiffy, I think!

In my next post, I show a few more pins I've put together!

Felted Wool Sweater Flower Tutorial

2011-12-10T13:38:00.013-05:00

Step 1: Purchase men's 100% wool pants from resale shop for $1. Wash in hot water and dry in high heat dryer to shrink the fabric.

Step 2 - Cut circle pattern from newspaper or cardstock. Fold into sixths. Cut curved edges to make flower pattern (doesn't need to be perfect).

Step 3 - Cut 5 flowers from wool pants.

Step 4 - Lay one flower down as base for flower. Fold another flower in half (doesn't need to be precise) and lay down on base.

Step 5 - Fold another flower in half. Rotate by one quarter and layer on top.

Step 6 - Turn another quarter and layer the third folded flower on top.

Step 7 - Another quarter turn. Add last folded flower. Tuck the end of this flower under the first folded flower.

Step 8 - Put a large dab of glue in the center where the flowers meet. Also a few more dabs of glue underneath the folded flowers to attach them securely to the base.

Step 9 - Glue on a crocheted flower or other piece of lace on top of the flowers. (I purchased these off white crocheted flowers eons ago at the craft store. Omit this step if you wish!)

Step 10 - Hot glue a vintage pin, button, or earring to the center. Best if it has a bit of sparkle or bling!

Step 11 - Hot glue a pin backing to the back of the base. Works better if you put it towards the top rather than in the middle of the flower to avoid having the flower sag when you pin it! (Yes this picture is upside down - I rotated it, but Blogger isn't acting nice today!)

Step 12 - Attach pin to bland Kohls cardigan sweater. Cute factor improved 200 %!!!

Vintage Key/Earring Ornaments

2011-12-05T15:41:00.001-05:00

Reusing some of my keys and vintage earrings as ornaments. A few I just clipped the earring onto the key and secured with a dab of hot glue. The fancy curly ornament hangers were from Target last year. Took me less than 5 minutes to make!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Window Shopping in Holland

2011-11-26T16:58:00.001-05:00

Got to love a store with a real dog (above) and cat (below) in the window! This store is called "Found" - fun vintage store with 50s and 60s style stuff creatively remixed! On 8th Street, just west of the central downtown area.

This TV with the Christmas display inside was in the window of Karla's in downtown Holland. Cute store with funky jewelry, headbands, and other creative crafts.

I love wandering through the boutique JB and Me to look at their clothes and accessories. The old porch metal chair served as the cutest waiting area ever for the menfolk while the women do their shopping.

The scene above is from Mounihan's Gallery. The white poufs hanging from the ceiling are marshmallows - what a cute idea!

I'm posting this from my phone, but next week I will try to add hyperlinks to the stores if available.

The Dunes in November

2011-11-25T17:03:00.001-05:00

Tested out my new iPhone 4s at Ottawa Beach today. The camera is awesome!

Been having fun using various apps to intensify the drama of these photos!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sweet Lorraine's Mac n' Cheese

2011-11-11T06:16:00.002-05:00

Customize your own mac n' cheese at this spot at the food court at Great Lakes Crossing! Lots of toppings to choose. Great idea! (They also have salads and sandwiches.) I enjoyed the Four Cheese with Spinach and Bacon.

iPad Multimedia Tools for Creativity

2011-10-24T19:28:00.002-04:00

I know I have disappeared from this blog for many weeks! Getting back to school has kept me very busy. I have been doing a lot of blogging over at my school blog, Pixels and Paintbrushes, but alas, no extra time to blog here, too.

I also have been working on some conference presentations on the iPad. I put together this site with all kinds of links for creativity apps. If you love being creative on your iPad like I do, you might find some new ideas: iPad Multimedia Tools for Creativity

Also, hopefully this isn't too geeky, but here is the SlideShare that I used at the conference:

Creative APP-titude: iPad Multimedia Tools for Creativitity

View more presentations from Karen Bosch

Taste Love Cupcakes

2011-09-05T21:55:00.004-04:00

Another cupcake shop recently popped up - this one in downtown Royal Oak. Taste Love Cupcakes is a perfect place to stop for a little sweet treat after dinner, shopping, or seeing a movie.

Their menu has 21 different cupcakes, although they don't sell all varieties every day. When we dropped in there was maybe 8 different flavors to pick between. Hopefully they will add more choices as they go along - part of the fun of eating cupcakes is trying lots of unique flavors.

We tried the peanut butter chocolate and the red velvet. Both were yummilicious!

They garnish each cupcake with a tiny cake heart - obviously the "love" part of Taste Love and a very cute touch.

Taste Love Cupcakes is located on Main in Royal Oak, right in the midst of the restaurant district.

Rust Belt Market - Ferndale

2011-09-01T21:17:00.001-04:00

If you are looking for someplace new to explore over the weekend, why not check out the Rust Belt Market in Ferndale - an artist market with a fun and funky vibe. This wide open space with high ceilings is filled with an assortment of vendors selling vintage clothes and collectables, jewelry, artwork, handcrafted items, and even food and beverages.

Each booth has unique displays and in most cases the artist or vendor is sitting at the booth. It was really fun to wander around - there was music and even entertainment (tap dancing) while I visited.

Lots of cool vintage clothes - who knew that some tie dye could make old slips and camisoles look so cool?

This booth had these great signs made from cut up license plates.

My favorite booth had some really neat jewelry made with vintage items. Unfortunately, the vendor did not want pictures taken. Too bad, I'm sure everyone would want to check out her stuff when they saw it. (I think she thought I was trying to steal her design ideas, I wasn't, I just liked her stuff, oh well.)

The Rust Belt Market is located in Ferndale on the corner of Nine Mile and Woodward in the former Old Navy store. It is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 - 7.

Macadamia Nut Waffles with Coconut Syrup

2011-08-30T19:55:00.000-04:00

When I visited Hawaii a number of years ago, I had Macadamia Nut waffles with Coconut Syrup every morning for breakfast while we were staying at the Wailea Beach Marriot Hotel in Maui. Once a year, I feel a little need for a taste of Hawaii again, and so I make these waffles.

I use this Kona Coast mix to make the waffles. I used to find it at Cost Plus before they closed in the Detroit area, but I recently found it in Grand Rapids. You also could use any other mix and toss in some chopped macadamia nuts.

The coconut syrup is easy to make and uses coconut milk. Warning - it is VERY sweet! Here is the recipe:

Coconut Syrup

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 13 ounce can coconut milk - I used the regular, not the lite
2 teaspoons coconut extract

Stir the sugar and granulated syrup together in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat until dissolved and bubbly. Add the coconut milk and extract and cook for another minute or so. Remove from heat and cool. Pour into a jar for serving. Keeps for several weeks in the refrigerator.

If you are really going tropical you should serve it with fresh pineapple, but strawberries work fine, too.

Microplane Herb Mill

2011-08-23T19:33:00.001-04:00

This has been my favorite cooking toy this summer. My friend Jenni gave me this cool Microplane Herb Mill as a gift last Christmas. Since I grow so many fresh herbs, I really have enjoyed using it to get perfect finely chopped herbs.

Simply stuff in some fresh herbs and put in the plunger and twist!

These are the little blades at the bottom. The only tricky part is when you take it apart to wash it you need to pay attention to how to layer the blades to put it back together.

And these are the chopped herbs! Nice, huh? It has worked great with parsley, rosemary, basil, and cilantro. Simple, easy, quick!

Chandelier Crystal Necklace

2011-08-17T09:14:00.000-04:00

This is what I did with one of the chandelier crystals that I picked up at an antique store at the beginning of the summer.

I started with a crystal and an old earring that I picked up in a bag of jewelry bits. I removed the clip from the earring and hung the crystal from the earring loop using some gold wire. For some added bling I added a couple other small dangling crystals.

I made the chain from two different thicknesses of gold chain. I used a latch at the end so that I could use the chain with other pendants. The chain is fairly long.

I've seen some other neat things done with these crystals to transform them into necklaces that I am hoping to try!

KrisTea's - Berkley

2011-08-15T07:57:00.005-04:00

It's been fun to see a bunch of new shops and bakeries pop up along Coolidge in Berkley recently. Over the weekend I stopped in at KrisTea's, a darling little place just north of Catalpa.

When I walked in, I was offered some tea, either hot or iced. I tried a wonderful iced peach tea. They also serve you a scone and they even have clotted cream to put on top of it. The scone was wonderful - it was made from a mix (which they sell in different flavors) but it tasted homemade. I definitely would buy this sometime when I need to make a fast and easy treat.

I love Harney Tea and they have an entire wall of both lose and bag teas. I had a discount coupon that I found in one of the discount mailers and I purchased their tropical green tea.

The store has a mix of both new and vintage items. Lots of teapots and tea cups! But I was delighted to find other kinds vintage goodies - all the kinds of things I love! The owner said indicated the shop was an outgrowth of her collection over the years.

There was an entire closet of vintage linens - tablecloths, chenille bedspreads, towels, and more.

Hats in sherbet colors

Vintage dresses dripping with white lace

An old shutter to display vintage jewelry

Loved this display of gloves hanging from the ceiling like a curtain!

If you are a tea lover or enjoy vintage goods, stop in at KrisTea's and enjoy some tea and scones while you browse the shop!

Bryce Canyon Necklace

2011-08-09T07:59:00.000-04:00

A few years ago I picked up a necklace with earthy colored shiny stones while visiting Bryce Canyon. I snipped this necklace apart to use some of the stones to create this necklace.

I was inspired by the long black wire necklaces made by Rebecca Sower (and others). The black chain came from Michaels - it was a bit heavier than I wanted but I had trouble finding solid black chain. I also discovered that the wire I bought for this project had a copper core that shows a bit where it was snipped off. I didn't like that, but I didn't want to have to purchase different wire.

I liked being able to use a lot of beads in different colors. I used some soft aqua colored beads, some white, black, and clear quartz, some gray pearls, and some dark blue Chinese crystals. The stone beads in the natural shapes came from the necklace from the rock shop by Bryce Canyon. I think the orange beads add a little zing to the necklace. The color reminds me of the orange hoodoos that are in Bryce Canyon.

The large orange bead above comes from another necklace that I bought in India many years ago. It's kind of fun to include beads that have travel memories that have been remixed from old necklaces.

I added a vintage key to the end of the necklace. I've tried a couple keys and I'm still not sure that this one is the one I like because it hangs a little off center.

I wear this necklace in 2 or 3 loops around my neck depending on the outfit. It is a bit heavy so I wouldn't wear it on a hot day! I like it because the variety of colored beads go well with a lot of different colored outfits.

Easy Thai Coleslaw with Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette

2011-08-06T18:05:00.000-04:00

I really have been enjoying using this Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette from Trader Joe's this summer. It has a flavor like a good Thai peanut sauce with just a bit of a kick. I usually don't like things that are really spicy hot and this gives just the tiniest bit of heat without burning your mouth off.

I've been making coleslaw using this dressing. No measure - just add in the amount of ingredients you desire.

Easy Thai Coleslaw

Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette
Bag of chopped cabbage for coleslaw
Cilantro, roughly chopped
Sweet baby red peppers, finely sliced in strips (other vegetables could be used)
Sliced scallions
Chopped peanuts or cashews

Combine the chopped cabbage, chopped cilantro, peppers, and scallions. Drizzle with the Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette and toss. Top with the chopped peanuts.

I add grilled chicken strips (also from Trader Joe's) to make this coleslaw into a full meal. It makes a wonderful fresh crunchy meal on a hot day because there is no cooking required! I've also used broccoli slaw with the same recipe with excellent results.

10 Fun Free Photo Effect Apps

2011-08-04T18:42:00.023-04:00

I love to play with photography apps! I used to try to add effects to images using Photoshop but it was too much work. I've also enjoyed exploring websites like Picnik and BeFunky to add effects, but I needed an internet connection to do this. But now, it is much easier to simply use my iPad or iPhone to experiment with adding effects and filters to my images. I have found many free apps that will allow you to create thousands of interesting effects - you can play for hours!

So above is a simple photo of a peony that I took with my iPad. Let's see what can be done with it!

MobileMonet Lite app (free) - This app turns your photo into a black and white textured picture that you color using your finger. It gives a nice stylized look! You also can color just part of the photo. I know there are many other apps that let you colorize your photo, but I think this one has gives exceptional depth to the image.

PaintMee Lite app (free) - I love watching this app as it paints each stroke of paint! The texture on the photo is so cool and it looks like a real painting if you view it in a large size.You can customize the detail of the strokes of paint and the colors to make a variety of looks.

BeFunky app (free) - Many effects and edges to try. This shows the retro effect with a grunge edge. Lots of gungy effects here! Very easy to use, although the save button seems to be somewhat cropped off the corner of the screen.

Effects app (free) - I like how easy this app is to use - you simply pick a filter and a frame. It is easy to try all kinds of combinations.

Picture Effect Magic (free) - Again, there lot of combinations of effects and filters - some are a little wild but there also are many beautiful effects. I like the addition of the glowing light effect on this black and white version. There are many options in this app so its not as simple to use as some of the other apps.

Fotofunia (free) - This fun app lets you add your photo onto a billboard or into a museum gallery or put your head into photo effect. Some of the effects are goofy, but I must say that their "Pencil Drawing" effect creates the most stunning drawing effect of any app that I have tried!

Fotolr Photo Studio (free) - I enjoy playing with the tint of my photos using this app - here I added an intense peachy hue to the image. Besides the color effects and the many frames, this app also lets you add wacky lips, hair, and eyes to photos.

ArtCamera (free, for a limited time) - This app lets you add effects to your photos that imitate various artists and artistic styles. It has an animated path to follow as you select your effects that can be a bit confusing, but there are some neat options here! Above is the mosaic effect.

LunaPic (free) - over 30 effects to add to photos including a neat 3D cube effect. I like this "Photo Spread" effect. Very easy to "try on" the effects!

Crazy Photo Booth (free) - This app has 25 effects and lots of pop up ads. But the "Obama" effect that it generates is awesome!

Note: These are a mixture of iPhone and iPad apps, but they all work fine on an iPad. Since these are free versions, many of them have ads or have buttons for additional in app purchases or upgrades to a paid app. All of them let you upload a photo from your photo gallery and most also let you use the camera. Most let you save your finished image to your camera roll, although a few will only let you email the image. The images are saved in a variety of resolutions depending on the app.

Update: As I find additional great apps I will add them below:

Pixlr-o-matic (free) - another very easy app with retro effects and and edges. I like the interface on this one!

What Crepe? - Royal Oak

2011-08-04T08:40:00.002-04:00

What Crepe? is a tiny bit of France in downtown Royal Oak. The decor is an eclectic mix of things that suggest a cozy French bistro. There are not many tables - some dining areas are separated by curtains. There also are outside tables for dining when the weather is nice.

The menu has both sweet and savory crepes. They have a quite a few special crepes with interesting combinations of fillings. You also can design your own crepe with your choice of toppings. Prices on most of the crepes ranged between 8 and 12 dollars.

The size of the crepes are HUGE! My entree crepe was called "The Obvious" and was filled with chicken, spinach, pecans, caramelized apples, and feta. Wonderful flavor that blended the sweet of the apples with savory chicken. Each crepe came split in half and was beautifully plated.

My brother had a combo of ham, turkey, cheese, and wild mushrooms. Again, great flavor and a large portion.

We ended up taking about a third of each crepe home so we would have room for dessert. Our server recommended the chocolate eclair. Vanilla custard, warm nutella, white chocolate, and whipped cream. We added raspberries for good measure. Total yummy goodness!

Service was friendly and relaxed (translation: not overly fast, but attentive). We arrived somewhat early in the evening (before 6) to get a table before the place filled up. It was a bit distracting watching everyone wandering around getting things set up for the evening.

What Crepe? is a great place to go for a elegant meal in a cozy setting.

Vintage Home - Shipshewana

2011-08-02T08:39:00.005-04:00

My new favorite store in Shipshewana is called Vintage Home. I adored the mix of antiques and vintage reproductions.

Darling displays!

Isn't this checkerboard tablecloth with button checkers cute?

Colorful plastic glasses with a retro vibe.

These bird feeders made out of old pot lids and cheese graters were so clever!

An entire wall of rickrack trimmed aprons.

Vintage Home is located in the Davis Merchantile in downtown Shipshewana.

Shipshe - Shopping

2011-07-30T12:13:00.005-04:00

My friend Jenni and I usually make a summer day trip to Shipshewana, Indiana for some shopping and fun. We missed last year, but managed to squeeze in a visit this July. We have a routine: a few hours at the flea market, then downtown for a pretzel at JoJos, wandering our favorite shops, a stop at the antique mall, and then dinner and a bit more shopping at Essenhaus.

Didn't buy much this year, but here are my purchases:

A quilted purse by Bella Taylor. My Vera Bradley purse that I received as a gift is starting to show some wear. This one is in a similar style, has lots of pockets, and is a perfect size to carry my iPad plus lots of other stuff. Plus it was much cheaper, half off at the flea market. I love the paisley and the colors.

A few vintage earrings. Looked for more vintage keys with no luck!

Some seasonings from the Amish bulk food store. Great prices!

Pictures were given that vintage touch using the Instagram app on my iPhone.

Blog Template Update

2011-07-29T09:53:00.002-04:00

So I have been doing a little much overdue "redecorating" over here at Clever Karen. (If you are viewing the blog via a RSS reader you might want to click through to see the new design.) I have been playing around with the template designer in Blogger. I also did a bit of a redesign with the header image. Not sure I like the header quite yet, I think it is a bit busy, so I will continue to tweak that. What do you think? If there is anything that is looking wonky when you view it on your browser, could you let me know! Thanks!

Phoenix Dust Storm

2011-07-26T21:29:00.000-04:00

Last week in Phoenix I experienced my first dust storm! Here is a picture I took from our bus on the way back to the hotel. You can see the cloud of dust approaching!

You can see the clouds of dust behind these mountains. And below you can see what it looked like from the hotel when the dust rolled in.

Hotel Valley Ho - Scottsdale

2011-07-25T08:11:00.006-04:00

Last week I had the privilege of attending the USA Apple Distinguished Educator Summer Institute. We held most of our meetings at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in downtown Phoenix, but our homebase was the very hip Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale.

The Valley Ho was built in 1956 and is thought to be one of the best examples of a historic hotel from the mid fifties. It was extensively renovated in 2005 to add modern comforts and green features, but it maintains that retro feel in decor. The main tower is new construction with the original rooms surrounding the pool in an oval shaped courtyard. (I didn't like having to walk to my room outside in the heat, but I guess that is the cost for keeping the vintage atmosphere.)

I didn't take a dip in the pool, but it looked like a great place to hang out in the hot Arizona weather. The grounds around the pool are beautifully landscaped with plants and flowers that could handle the 100 degree + heat.

Our rooms were very comfortable. The beds were cushy and had soft bedding. They had a comforter but no top sheet which seemed a bit warm for sleeping, but housekeeping supplied another sheet on request.

There was a very modern work area and a flat screen TV (not that we had time to watch TV with our 6 am to 10 pm full schedule).

The view out our window overlooked a fountain courtyard and there was a nice little lounging area (too hot to sit outside and enjoy it).

The bathroom was probably the most unique feature of the room. It had frosted glass walls, sliding doors, mood lighting, a huge soaking tub, and a walk in shower. Loved the Red Flower toiletries!

We had breakfasts and dinners at the hotel. I didn't take any pictures of food as I normally do because the buffet line was outside in a courtyard area. Rather a hot place and food was kept covered up so I couldn't get any nice shots. Great pastries in the morning and loved the mac n cheese and the huge piece of carrot cake. We also had a wonderful ending meal at Trader Vics!

We didn't have much down time during the conference, but after our projects were finished and presented, we did have a few hours in the afternoon to enjoy the hotel. They opened the spa for us for complementary treatments - I enjoyed a lovely neck massage which was wonderful after a week of lugging all my tech equipment around!

Hotel Valley Ho is located in downtown Scottsdale, Arizona and is within walking distance of the downtown area.

Mango Vinaigrette

2011-07-22T22:41:00.000-04:00

My friend Sally has a great recipe for a raspberry salad dressing that uses raspberry preserves as the base. I have tried her idea using all kinds of preserves to make dressings and it works great. My recent experiment was using this new Mango Butter from Trader Joe's. It makes the most wonderful sweet and tangy vinaigrette ever!

Mango Vinaigrette

1/3 cup mango jam
1/4 cup canola oil
4 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon mirin (can omit)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Put all ingredients into a container. Use an immersion blender to whip the dressing together. I used my Braun stick blender (which I love) but you could also use a wisk to blend by hand.

Use a funnel to pour into a pretty jar.

This dressing is wonderful when used on a salad topped with grilled chicken, strawberries, and cashews!

Dinner at the Berkley Bistro Cafe

2011-07-20T08:47:00.000-04:00

The BBC used to be the Berkley Breakfast Cafe and they have always have had wonderful breakfasts (prepare for a wait for wait on the weekend). Later they added dinners and changed the name to Bistro. Then for a while the dinner service stopped. Well the dinners are back. When a friend posted a picture of her dinner there on Facebook, I knew I was due for another visit.

And this was the reason - "The Big Cheese!" Deep fried mac and cheese served in a bowl of tomato bisque! When you feel the need for comfort food, this is the ticket! It does come with a healthy salad which perhaps helps to add a bit of healthy balance to the meal (well, maybe not).

For dessert, they had these cute cake pops! Mine was red velvet cake and was a sweet bite to finish off the meal.

The BBC is located on Coolidge in Berkley, just north of 11 Mile.

Red Coral Nugget with Jet Black Beads

2011-07-18T22:29:00.000-04:00

I made this necklace years ago. It was one of my favorites, but it broke, and I just didn't have the time or patience to restring all those little sparkly black beads. But while looking for something to go with a flowery black sundress, I realized that the red coral would work perfect. So I spent part of my afternoon restringing the little beads, this time on thin wire rather than string. Hopefully it won't break again!

I'm looking forward to wearing this at a special dinner at the end of a conference I am attending next next week!

My Loot from the Royal Oak Garage Sale

2011-07-16T12:24:00.001-04:00

I like to hit the RO garage sale right when it opens, before it gets too crowded and before the heat gets unbearable. I was looking for bargains for various projects and I think I found a few.

Vintage fabric for one dollar - a curtain panel and top in perfect condition.

Vintage button cards for a dollar each, again in pristine condition.

Crystal pendants for 50 cents each, great price!

Vintage Christmas ornaments in the colors I love - 5 dollars for the bunch, couldn't resist!

The main thing I was looking for was old keys and vintage earrings to refresh my stash. One booth had lots of skeleton keys, but way above my price point. There were tons of old earrings everywhere, but most were pricey. One of the last booths I hit in the bowels of the garage had a bit of old jewelry 3 for $5. I scooped up a great assortment of really pretty sparkling earrings that I can use in my next set of projects. SCORE!!!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Vintage Key and Earring Necklaces

2011-07-15T22:02:00.001-04:00

When making the necklaces out of vintage earrings, I noticed how cute the earrings looked when combined with some of my vintage keys. I ended up playing with lots of combinations and taping them onto a file folder to figure out which ones I liked best.

I used the 2 part epoxy (tutorial here) to attach the earrings to the keys. I think the end results are darling!

This last one combines a chandelier crystal with a vintage drop earring:

Tutorial - How to Create a Necklace from a Vintage Clip-on Earring

2011-07-13T08:27:00.001-04:00

As you may know, I enjoy refashioning bits of vintage jewelry into new necklaces. Here's an easy way to turn an old clip-on earring into a cute necklace. Most antique shops have lots of bright blingy earrings for sale for between 4 and 10 dollars. If you buy a pair, you can make one necklace for yourself and one for a friend. I try to look for bags of junk jewelry pieces to use for these projects as a cheaper option, although they can be hard to find. This is a great way to use an orphan earring!

Materials:

Old clip-on earring
Wire cutters
Two part epoxy glue
Filigree backing
Toothpick
Jumpring
Small nosed pliers
Chain or leather cord

Step 1 - Turn the earring upside down. Bend the clip part forward to loosen it as much as possible from the backing. Use a strong wire cutter to snip off the clip. Be sure to wear eye protection when doing this.

Step 2 - On some scrap paper, squeeze out a small amount of epoxy. Use a toothpick to blend the two parts together.

Step 3 - Use the toothpick to carefully put the epoxy on the edge of the earring and the edge of the filigree. Put the pieces together. Let it set without moving for about 10 minutes (check the set time on the directions of the epoxy).

Step 4 - Use a small nosed pliers to add a jump ring through the filigree. Put the chain or leather cord through the jump ring. Tada - your earring is now a necklace!

I bought the filigree pieces for the backing at Munros in Berkley, although I've also purchased it at bead shows. I also get leather cords at Munros - if you buy a package of 10 they cost about a dollar each. I buy packages of dog chains at Lobby Hobby using their 40% off coupons. The dog chains are nice because you can clip them to any length you desire.

July Garden Views

2011-07-11T09:21:00.001-04:00

My garden looks its best in early July. The hydrangeas have popped, the impatiens have filled in, the daylilies have started to bloom. The potted flowers look lush. Things haven't wilted in the summer heat. Here are a few views from my backyard garden:

The Annabelle hydrangea looks spectacular right now!

My blue bottle garden.

Herbs mixed in with the flowers.

This is where I love to hang out and read in the evenings.

Notice the little blue glass globe tucked in between the flowers. It was a gift from a friend. Adds a bit of color and actually can be used as a watering tool to keep your plants from drying out.

I have a few changes that I am making to the garden including a new arbor that I will be sharing soon!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Shopping in Plymouth - Haven

2011-07-09T19:15:00.000-04:00

When we were in downtown Plymouth last week, we took a stroll through a store called Haven. This store is filled with lots of recycled architectural items, furniture with slightly chipped paint, and unique accessories with a European flare. I've always enjoyed wandering around this shop, looking at all their beautiful displays.

Love the green color of this dresser!

These vintage wire baskets were so cute - would love to have a
bunch of them to store my craft supplies.

These planters had such a cool unique shape.

Haven is located at 863 Penniman in downtown Plymouth, Michigan.

Zingerman's Roadhouse Revisted

2011-07-06T13:04:00.002-04:00

Warm crusty bread and fresh butter.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

My favorite: Mac n Cheese with Smoked Chicken. Love the crunch of sweet corn and the kick of chilies.

-- Post From My iPhone

Crepes at the Plymouth Coffee Bean

2011-07-03T08:21:00.001-04:00

My friend Renée had recently discovered that the Plymouth Coffee Bean has a crepe station. Since she is a French teacher she felt a moral obligation to test it out. I gladly accepted her invitation to help her out and also do a bit of shopping in downtown Plymouth. (Shopping pictures will come in another post.)

You can order a small or large crepe with a choice of toppings both savory and sweet. The crepes are made as you watch. I wonder how long you need to practice with that "rake" before you can make a perfect circle??

Renée ordered nutella, bananas, and strawberries as her fillings. Yum! The small size was huge! I got a savory crepe filled with swiss cheese, bacon, and fresh mushrooms. They fried the bacon while the crepes cooked. They were delicious and Renée gave them the authentic French flavor stamp of approval!

We enjoyed sitting outside while we ate. Free wifi for our iPads. Coffee for Renée and tea for me. A very enjoyable way to spend a morning!

Pasta with Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Fresh Herbs

2011-07-02T07:52:00.001-04:00

I made this summery pasta last week. The recipe is based on one that was featured in the newsletter from The Splendid Table a few weeks ago. It was a great way to utilize some of the fresh herbs that are now growing in my garden!

The smell from the garlicky tomatoes as they roasted was amazing! (Sorry, didn't get a good picture.) I think this mixture would be yummy just spread on bread for an appetizer. The bread crumbs and parmesan cheese made an interesting crunch that was just a little different from the way I usually make roasted vegetables.

I found this garlic olive oil at Trader Joe's in the new product section. It seemed to work perfectly with this recipe.

Pasta with Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Fresh Herbs

1 package grape tomatoes - rinsed and cut in half
4 - 8 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (the recipe called for fresh bread crumbs)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 ounces penne pasta (I used whole wheat)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly chopped herbs (I used basil, oregano, and parsley)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (could omit, but added a nice little kick)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and garlic in a baking dish and mix.

2. Mix the panko, parmesan, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Spoon over top of the tomato mixture. Drizzle with the olive oil.

3. Roast the tomatoes for 30 - 40 minutes. The mixture will be bubbling and slightly browned.

4. During the last 10 minutes of roasting, cook the pasta in salted water. Drain.

5. Combine the pasta, fresh herbs, and tomato mixture. Tastes best if eaten immediately!

Note: I added a bit of smoked salmon to the pasta. I think grilled chicken would also taste great!

Fresh Berry Tiramisu from Maggianos

2011-06-29T20:32:00.000-04:00

Ladyfingers, marscapone cream, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, a chocolate star lemon cookie, and $1 donated to Make-A-Wish. (It was yummy! I think doing a good deed cancels out calories!) Apologies for the dark picture.

A few years ago I made a similar recipe by Giada De Laurentis that was featured in Bon Appetit. Excellent recipe and pretty easy to make. Here is the link to the recipe: Strawberry Tiramisu

Bits of Antique Bling

2011-06-28T19:42:00.000-04:00

Over the past few weeks, I had a chance to wander through several antique malls. I was looking for old keys and blingy bits of old jewelry that I could remix into new necklaces. I have strict price guidelines when I antique - no more than a dollar for keys and no more than 5 dollars for a bag of broken jewelry pieces. I didn't have any luck finding skeleton keys, but was able to get a bunch of old keys in interesting shapes and some old sparkly earrings.

I have wanted to experiment with chandelier crystals as pendants
for necklaces, and found these:

Couldn't resist these sparklers!
One for a necklacefor me and one for a friend.
In great shape, usually ones like these cost a lot more:

Two boxes with old earrings and pins, four dollars each:

In box number one:

In box number two (sorry, a bit blurry):

These clip-on earrings are missing their mates.
No problem, soon they will become pretty necklaces! Really love the one on the left!

Stay tunes to see what becomes of these old earrings and keys!

Antique Market of Williamston
Harvest Antiques and Collectibles of Holland

Hot Rock Pizza - Troy

2011-06-26T08:31:00.007-04:00

A few weeks ago my friend Jenni had a $20 for $10 voucher for Hot Rock Pizza in Troy, so we met there to try out this interesting pizza place. The place has an Tuscan decor with lots of brick and a comfortable seating area perfect for families or groups.

You can order items individually, but they also have a wonderful buffet that has salad, soup, pizza, pasta, bread, and desserts. If you are thinking CiCi's pizza, think again! This is excellent pizza with a choice of deep dish with a crunchy crust and thin pizza which is baked in a wood fired stove. They have your normal cheese, pepperoni, and sauage pizza, but also interesting varieties such as Chicken Alfredo, Pesto, and Hawaiian. The buffet is $7.49 for all you can eat. Drinks are not included. I thought they kept the buffet stocked with more varieties of pizza than you could ever try!

You may know that I love bread! The cheesy bread and the garlic knots were good enough to make an entire meal out of them. I thought the salad bar had a nice selection as well (if you desire to be a bit more healthy). The desserts were brownies and apple pie pizza - nothing to write home about, but who cares if you have stuffed yourself with pizza!

Hot Rocks Pizza is located on Big Beaver in Troy near John R.

Sweet Summer

2011-06-22T14:34:00.001-04:00

Last week I ran into a friend who mentioned that she still checks in here every so often, hoping that maybe something new had been posted. I have been a deep disappointment to my one loyal reader!

But joy, sweet summer has arrived! It has been 2 busy years of adjusting to new teaching positions and a year filled with many visits with a sick friend. But I am hoping and praying for God's grace to have a bit of a breather from change and stress. Right now I am still involved at school teaching photography for kids camp, so it doesn't quite feel like summer vacation yet. And at home I am fervently cleaning the depths of my closets, so no time for playing yet. But I'm hoping for time for some gardening, making some jewelry, sitting outside, drinking ice tea, and reading on my iPad. And maybe I will actually cook a new recipe. So my goal is at add a few new posts each week this summer and hopefully you will be able to join me as I attempt to restore my creative musings during this summer.

-Picture enhanced using MobileMe app
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Royal Wedding Breakfast

2011-04-29T07:02:00.001-04:00

Pastries from Ackroyd's Scottish Bakery.

-- Post From My iPhone

The Mobile Learning Experience and Me

2011-04-06T10:18:00.003-04:00

I mentioned yesterday that I would be sharing why I am in Arizona this week.
Well, a few weeks ago I entered a contest where I wrote a blog post about "My Vision of Mobile Learning" where I shared some of the exciting things that we are doing with our new iPod touch devices in the elementary school. I feel very blessed to have been selected as one of five winners. Today my blog post is being featured at the BrainPop Blog!

Fostering Creative APP-titutes in Children using Mobile Devices

Because of this contest, I am able to attend the Mobile Learning Experience conference this week in Phoenix, Arizona. I am looking forward to learning from some of the top educators about using mobile devices like iPods and iPads! Thank you to BrainPop and the Mobile Learning Experience for providing this wonderful opportunity!

Arizona Sunset from my Hotel Window

2011-04-05T22:24:00.002-04:00

Fun in Phoenix

2011-04-05T19:41:00.007-04:00

I am spending my spring vacation in Phoenix to attend an Edtech conference. I arrived a day early to give me a chance to relax a bit after a very busy month of March (report cards, yearbook, art fundraiser, MACUL presentation - all now completed)!

I am am staying in a ridiculously HUGE room in the Wyndham Phoenix. It was the only place available in the vicinity of my conference. I'm enjoying relaxing on the cushy bed and then switching over to the couch if I get bored. I can see a bit of the mountains between the buildings from my hotel window.

For dinner last night I had a wonderful grilled salmon salad at Marston's Cafe, the on site hotel restaurant. It was loaded with blue cheese, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, and little crunchy things. HUGE salad!

This morning, I lazed in bed, did some odds and ends on the free wifi. For lunch, I hit Focaccia Fiorentina which is right across from the hotel. Had a calzone - again HUGE (seems to be a theme on this trip), filled with mozzarella cheese, ricotta, sausage, and grilled red peppers. This had to be the best calzone I have ever had! I wish they were open in the evening so I could get dinner from there.

The Phoenix Light Rail station is right next to the hotel, which was convenient for doing a little exploring. I headed to the Heard Museum to view their collection of Native American art. OK, this museum wasn't huge, just a nice size to stoll for an hour and a half. I especially enjoyed their large collection of colorful kachina dolls.

Afterwards I sat in their lovely courtyard and sipped some blackberry jasmine iced tea under a shady tree. Lovely 80 degree weather. Ahhhh. I so enjoyed reading on Facebook that it had been snowing in Detroit. Sorry, folks!

On my way back to the hotel I came across a cute shop called Charming Charlie's. I have never heard of this chain - filled with all kinds of affordable bling like jewelry, scarfs, shoes, bags. Everything is arranged by color in the 2 floors of the store. I resisted buying any jewelry but actually ended up getting a couple cute sundresses!

So I've been enjoying my time in Phoenix. Tomorrow my conference starts. I'll share more on another post about how the blessing of attending the conference came about!

Earrings in Red and Blue

2011-03-12T20:34:00.002-05:00

Love making earrings - instant bling in about 10 minutes or less. Here are some simple glass bead earrings that I recently made.

Brighton Charm Bracelet

2011-03-08T20:40:00.000-05:00

I have drooled over those Pandora bracelets for quite a while. After Christmas I had a few gift cards, and decided I would buy a similar style bracelet and a few beads at Brighton. A bit cheaper and still beautiful!

I found a great way to add to my stash of beads. Munro's has colorful wide beads - $6 for a dozen. Of course they aren't silver, but pretty just the same!

Here's one combo of beads that I like!

Manchego Stuffed Dates wrapped in Proscuitto

2011-03-02T20:29:00.000-05:00

An easy appetizer or snack.

Cut manchego cheese in tiny wedges. Stuff into the dried dates - cut tiny slits in the end of the date if the cheese won't fit (sorry about the blurry picture above).

Cute each slice of prosciutto into quarters - once across and once long way so you have 4 strips. Wrap the date in the prosciutto.

Serve as is, or you can warm it up in an oven or toaster oven for a few minutes until the prosciutto is a bit crispy.

Vintage Pin Necklace

2011-02-28T20:21:00.000-05:00

I found a crescent shaped pin with some opalish stones in a bag of broken jewelry. I turned it into this necklace - I added a couple of chains hanging down - one with a large milky stone and two with some opal colored crystals. Then I added seed beeds to the pin back to hold the dangling chains in place. Finally I looped a long chain at the ends of the pin and closed it. Voila! Pin is now a necklace!

Trader Joe's Mac 'n Cheese

2011-02-26T08:12:00.000-05:00

My latest comfort food is this frozen Mac 'n Cheese from Trader Joe's. Creamy cheesy yummy in just a few minutes in the microwave!

I like to add in a bit of fresh spinach and a bit of chopped prosciutto.

Great for a cold winter day!

Cosi - Sweet Curry Chicken Sandwich

2011-02-24T09:04:00.001-05:00

Really love this new sandwich at Cosi!! Has a mild curry flavor, and has pistachios and dried cranberries mixed in. Yummy!

-- Post From My iPhone

Winter Blues Necklace

2011-02-23T09:03:00.002-05:00

The snowfall on Sunday was an unexpected way to start my winter break, especially after our 50 degree weather on Thursday and Friday that had melted most of the snow. I spent a lot of time on Monday digging out my driveway. During breaks, I decided I needed a little jewelry therapy. I made two necklaces - shorter and longer - using up some blue and white glass beads in my stash.

The glass beads got icy cold while I photographed them outside.

I haven't made any jewelry in a while - I enjoyed making this little project!

Early Spring in Michigan?

2011-02-22T13:09:00.001-05:00

Well, at least the sun is shining today. Here's a view showing the 10 inches that fell yesterday.

Elementary Art Masterpieces

2011-02-22T08:56:00.008-05:00

Ah, Clever Karen hasn't found much time to be clever at home. So I thought I'd just share a few of the clever projects my students have been creating, just so you know what has been occupying my time and energy:

Pretty Peacocks by 2nd and 3rd graders (love these, they turned out beautiful!)

Tropical Birds by 4th and 5th graders:

Funny Chickens by Kindergarten and First Grade:

I have been enjoying seeing the creative work of my students! Their beautiful work blesses me and I am constantly thankful for the talents that God has given them.

Black Forest Pancakes

2011-01-16T13:40:00.001-05:00

Layer:

One pancake, made from favorite mix, with pecans added.
Nutella
Cherry preserves from Trader Joe's
Repeat

Even the cat thought they looked good! (Don't try unless you like things that are very sweet.)

Photos taken with Hipstamatic app on my iPhone.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Magic Crayons

2011-01-04T19:02:00.000-05:00

I've been collecting bits of crayons from my art room in an old muffin tin.

Finally had time to work a little magic. About 7 minutes in a warm oven melts them. (Watch them carefully, the aroma of melted crayons in your kitchen will not put you in a holiday mood!) Let them harden slightly, then stick them in the frig for about a half hour. Then tip the tin over, give it a firm tap, and the crayons will easily flip out.

I plan to use these for some fun crayon rubbing projects.

Hello, Cupcake!

2011-01-02T07:56:00.000-05:00

My friend Gail recently has been taking cake decorating classes. Gail is more into baseball than baking, so her friends have been entertained by her new hobby! For my birthday, she gave me her "homework" from one of her classes, this gorgeous cake topped with sugar lilies.

So when I saw the book Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make! I knew it would be the perfect gift for her! It is filled with cute and clever ideas on ways to decorate cupcakes. Some of the unique ideas include these darling fishbowls:

Or how about spaghetti and meatballs?

And these Christmas ornaments are so pretty!

If you are looking for some fresh ideas for decorating your cupcakes, this book is a gem!

Holiday Jewelry Creations

2010-12-31T06:57:00.003-05:00

So here are some of the necklaces that I made as gifts for Christmas:

I found these orange beads at a bead show last spring and knew they were perfect for my friend Sally.

I made a bunch of these colorful dangle necklaces.

For Isabella and Elleanna

And a little sparkle to decorate a package.

Chocolate Toffee Caramel Corn

2010-12-30T07:17:00.004-05:00

I made another variation on caramel corn over the holidays, and this recipe is definitely my favorite! This recipe uses more brown sugar than the Orange Pecan version, so it takes a little longer to bake. Be sure to watch it carefully so the glaze doesn't get burnt.

I tossed a bag of Heath Bar pieces over the caramel corn when it was done baking. It didn't look too great when I added it, but it really made a nice light chocolaty coating with the bits of toffee. When I made a second batch I mistakenly got a bag of Heath Bits of Brickle which I discovered is NOT the same thing! No chocolate! I ended up tossing the caramel corn with some semi sweet pieces, but I didn't like the end result as well.

I also tried this recipe with cashews, but I found that they burnt if they were added to the caramel corn at the beginning. Next time I would add them midway through the baking process.

Be sure to check out my list of caramel corn hints that I posted earlier - I discovered a lot of other helpful suggestions that can help make the process easier!

I put the the caramel corn in cute Christmas food bags labeled with tags from the dollar store and then put several different varieties into a larger gift bag as a tasty gift!

Chocolate Toffee Caramel Corn

12 - 13 cups popped corn
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
1 package Heath Bar Pieces (not the Brickle Bits)

1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Make your popcorn and lightly salt it. Line 2 heavy pans with tall sides with parchment paper. Spread the popcorn into the two pans, being sure to remove any unpopped kernels. Sprinkle with the nuts.

2. In a large heavy saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to a full boil, then boil for 2 minutes (I use the timer on my iPhone!), stirring every so often. Remove from heat.

3. Add the vanilla and baking soda. Stir thoroughly- the baking soda will make the caramel foam up and turn a light color.

4. Pour the caramel over the popcorn. Turn the popcorn gently with a spatula - it works much better than a spoon. Don't worry if the popcorn isn't totally coated. The caramel melts in the oven and as you turn it, it will continue to coat the popcorn.

5. Put the pans in the middle of the oven. Every 10 minutes, turn the popcorn. Use your spatula to scrape the glaze off the bottom of the pan so it doesn't burn, and gently flip the popcorn over, distributing the caramel over all the popcorn. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. It is very important to turn the popcorn frequently, or the caramel will have a burnt flavor.

4. To check if the caramel corn is done, do a crunch test. Take out a piece and let it cool completely. Then taste. If it is chewy and sticks to your fillings, give it a bit more time. If it is crisp and crunchy, it is done!

5. I made a large "pan" out of heavy foil to cool the caramel corn. I turned up the sides of the foil to create edges and sprayed the foil lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle the caramel corn with the Heath Bar Pieces. Then turn the caramel corn onto the foil and spread and separate the chunks. Cool. (You may need to put it in a cool place to get the chocolate to harden - either the frig or stick it outside for a bit if you live in a cold place.) Store in a covered container.

Winter Window

2010-12-23T18:58:00.000-05:00

So this is what adorns my kitchen window - my collection of antique bottles. I've filled a few with Christmas berry picks and topped a few with vintage ornaments as stoppers.

Ah yes, that is not a dirty window in the background, rather an artistically blurred effect!

All Aglow

2010-12-21T21:56:00.001-05:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Orange Pecan Caramel Corn

2010-12-21T05:43:00.002-05:00

This summer during a layover and delay at O'Hare airport, I grabbed a bag of Garrett's popcorn. It was love at first crunch and kept me happy during my wait for my flight.

This December, I wanted to make a few food gifts to give away and decided to see if I could replicate that buttery crunch. I tried (and sampled) several recipes found in magazines and online (most are similar), and this recipe is my mix of all of them.

There are a few hints I discovered as I experimented that I didn't find in any recipe:

Use pans with tall sides to bake the caramel corn instead of a cookie sheet. A heavy broiler pan is the perfect size and the thick bottom prevents the glaze from burning.
Line the pans with parchment paper! It keeps the glaze from sticking to the bottom of the pan where it will burn and turn to a sticky mess.
Pour the caramel glaze over the popcorn in the pan, rather than in a bowl. Less messy! Ignore the picture above where I am pouring into the bowl!
Use a spatula to turn the caramel corn. It is less messy than a spoon, and allows you to scrape the caramel off the parchment paper so it doesn't burn.
I tried yellow, white, and microwave popcorn, and really didn't have a strong preference. If you use microwave popcorn, I'd suggest the unbuttered kind. I don't have a hot air popper, but I think that would work wonderfully for this recipe. I cooked my popcorn in peanut oil, although one recipe I read highly recommended coconut oil.

This orange flavored version has a light flavored caramel. I will also share another recipe that has a deeper flavor. The recipe should turn out fine if you choose to leave out the orange.

Orange Pecan Caramel Corn

12 - 13 cups popped corn
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup whole pecans
1/2 cup candied orange peel

1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Make your popcorn and lightly salt it. Line 2 heavy pans with tall sides with parchment paper. Spread the popcorn into the two pans. Be sure to remove any unpopped kernels. Sprinkle with the pecans.
2. In a large heavy saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to a full boil, then boil for 2 minutes (I use the timer on my iPhone!), stirring every so often. Remove from heat.
3. Add the vanilla, orange extract, orange juice, and baking soda. Stir thoroughly- the baking soda will make the caramel foam up and turn a light color.

4. Pour the caramel over the popcorn. Turn the popcorn gently with a spatula - it works much better than a spoon. Don't worry if the popcorn isn't totally coated. The caramel melts in the oven and as you turn it, it will continue to coat the popcorn.
5. Put the pans in the middle of the oven. Every 10 minutes, turn the popcorn. Use your spatula to scrape the glaze off the bottom of the pan so it doesn't burn, and gently flip the popcorn over, distributing the caramel over all the popcorn. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. It is very important to turn the popcorn frequently, or the caramel will have a burnt flavor.
4. To check if the caramel corn is done, do a crunch test. Take out a piece and let it cool completely. Then taste. If it is chewy and sticks to your fillings, give it a bit more time. If it is crisp and crunchy, it is done!
5. In the last 5 minutes, add the candied orange peel and toss gently. (I found mine at Market Fresh on Southfield Road). You definitely can leave this out, but it is an unexpected little bit of orange taste that I like.

6. I made a large "pan" out of heavy foil to cool the caramel corn. I turned up the sides of the foil to create edges and sprayed the foil lightly with cooking spray. Turn the caramel corn onto the foil and spread and separate the chunks. Cool. Store in a covered container.

Vintage Earring Snowflake Ornaments

2010-12-19T16:31:00.008-05:00

These delicate snowflakes started with some plastic snowflakes and this bag of junk jewelry.

About a month ago, I scored this plastic bag of broken bits of junky vintage jewelry when I took quick jaunt through a local antique store. I love a find like this - I pick out and pull apart all kinds of bits to remix into new jewelry creations. There was a handful of old clip on earrings in the mix.

Flash forward to today - I had a package of plastic snowflakes that I had purchased at Michaels intended for a different project I had seen online. The snowflakes had a neon green glitter all over them, so I sprayed them with white paint and gave them a tasteful sprinkle of Martha Stewart glitter.

When I brought them into my "craft studio" and started playing around, I noticed the bag of jewelry. As I experimented, I discovered that the clip on earrings could simply clipped on through the holes in the snowflakes! Easiest! Ornament! Ever! I used a few dabs of hot glue in a couple spots, but the earrings can be easily removed to be reused in other projects - not that I will tempted to undo these beauties!

It felt amazingly good to do something pretty and clever again. I hope you enjoy them as much I have and find a bit of inspiration for yourself. SERIOUSLY - pull out your grandma's box of costume jewelry that you put aside because you'd never wear any of it. You may be surprised how pretty some of it might look in the center of a snowflake!

Christmas Time is Here

2010-12-18T18:45:00.002-05:00

I haven't been here in quite a while. I have been enjoying, but been kept very busy, by my new role as an art teacher. I do a lot of posting at my school blog Pixels and Paintbrushes, but alas, not much leftover time or desire to be clever here. I also am still spending a lot of time with my friend who had a stroke last May, which brings me a blend of joy and sadness in each visit.

But school is out for 2 weeks, horray, horray, and I have a little extra time to play around and be clever. So hopefully over vacation I can post a few new recipes and projects. I have had time to decorate my tree in silver and red again like last year, adding a few new bits as I go along. I do love to sit by the light of the tree each night!

So hoping that although you may be going through a cold season of circumstances, your heart may be warmed in the love of God's Son and by your circle of family and friends.

Treat Dreams

2010-10-26T19:01:00.002-04:00

The warm Indian summer weather gave me an excuse to have some ice cream at my new discovery, Treat Dreams on Woodward in Ferndale. They make their own ice cream in lots of unique flavors.

They have lots of yummy looking baked goods as well.

For $3.50 I had this big cup of ice cream. This time I had "Trick-or-Treat Bag" with 4 kinds of candy bars mixed in. On the bottom something more adult - Cardamon Pear. I've also tried their Salted Caramel and Mounds of Pink - both amazing!

I heard they sometimes have German chocolate - I love that flavor and hope sometime I can try their version. It would be nice if you could check their updated daily flavors on their website.

-- Post From My iPhone

Earrings Remixed

2010-10-14T19:40:00.001-04:00

And here are the earrings that I promised in my last post. I got two pairs from the necklace - a larger pair that I put with smokey pearls....

and a smaller pair that has gray blue crystals.

These are some of my new favorites - I wear them all the time! I think I managed quite nicely to get both a necklace and 2 pairs of earrings from one piece!

Another Jewelry Remix - Newb's - Holland, MI

2010-10-13T19:19:00.001-04:00

You know I just can't leave jewelry that I purchase just the way it is. Here is a cute little necklace that I bought a while back at a shop in Holland called Newb's:

Now this is a perfectly cute necklace. I think it originally came from American Eagle. I bought it for around three dollars. I liked the chain and the design on the charms. I decided I wanted to use the charms to make earrings. (I'll share them in the next post.) This is how I reused the chains to make a new necklace:

I mixed in some quartz, a crystal, and a variety of silver beads. It's an interesting mix, I think!

If you are in Holland and like discounted jewelry, you should check out Newb's. They recently moved into the downtown on River Avenue. They have brand jewelry from places like Chico's and other cute accessories all marked at crazy discounts. Last November on Black Friday, they had a sale where most pieces were 3 for ten dollars. I bought quite a few items, and many that I didn't even remix!

Stay tuned - the remixed earrings are coming soon!

Eiffel Tower Necklacee

2010-10-10T19:03:00.003-04:00

I made this Eiffel Tower Necklace using a charm that I found at Michaels. (I do love their 40 % off coupons!) I made a dangle out of it so I could clip it onto my dangle chain. More examples of how I use the dangle chain here. I like this necklace, because it reminds me of my favorite city in the world!

Mango Salsa Couscous

2010-10-03T19:12:00.004-04:00

I love mango, and especially love it in salsa! Several years ago I was playing around with making mango salsa and I got the idea to combine it with couscous. This colorful dish has ended up being one of my top ten favorite recipes - one that I make over and over again. It is fresh and tropical and goes great with any kind of chicken, fish, or shrimp that has a citrus base. I will eat it even as my main dish, it is that good!

I make this dish with Israeli couscous (sometimes called maftoul in the Middle Eastern section on the market) which has a larger grain than regular couscous. This can be difficult to find, but recently I have found it at Trader Joes. If you live in the Detroit metro area, you can likely find it at one of our many Middle Eastern markets. I'm sure it would work with regular couscous, but I love the texture of the larger couscous.

Mango Salsa Couscous

To make the couscous:

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Combine the broth, juice, and water in a pan and heat until warm. Meanwhile, in another large shallow pan (I use a Dutch oven), heat the olive oil. Add the couscous and toast it, stirring it constantly, until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Add the warm broth and stir. Reduce to medium heat and boil until the liquid disappears. Set aside to cool.

To make the salsa:

2 0r 3 mangoes
1 red pepper
1/2 sweet onion
1 bunch of cilantro
juice of one lime
salt to taste

First cut the mango into pieces. I like to score the mango in 2 directions and turn it, so the mango pops up in cubes that you can easily cut off.

Cut the red pepper and onion into medium sized chunks. Cut the tops off the cilantro. Stick it all into a food processor. Use the pulse to chop it all together. Remove from the processor. (If you don't have a processor, you could chop it all by hand.)

Combine the salsa and the couscous together. Add salt and the juice of one lime and blend.

Serve chilled.

Rustic Quartz Necklaces

2010-09-21T20:32:00.004-04:00

Last spring, I stopped in at the Bead Bonanza show at the Southfield Pavilion and did a bit of browsing and a bit of buying. One of the strands of beads that I bought was a rustic quartz that was cut in a rough crystal shape. I liked these beads because they looked worn and vintage.

I combined one quartz bead with some turquoise and a neat mixture of seed beads that I also picked up at the show. This has been one of my favorite necklaces to wear this summer.

I also combined some quartz and a cute little silver dangle into a pendant that I have been wearing on a chain. This goes with everything, so it also has gotten quite a bit of "wearplay."

The next Bead Bonanza is on October 10, 2010 at the Southfield Pavilion. If you like beads, they have a great selection from vendors from all over!

Oxford Shirt Art Smocks - Tutorial

2010-09-17T20:30:00.006-04:00

When I found out I was going to be teaching art this year, I knew I needed to come up with a easy way to make some smocks that could protect my clothes! I decided to use striped men's oxford style shirts as a short cut to quicky sew something together. Once I figured out what I wanted to do, it took less than an hour to make each smock.

I picked up a bag of 11 men's shirts at Encore, our school's new resale shop. They were having an end of season sale, so I got the entire bag for six dollars! I bought large sizes so I could get maximum coverage.

I found two shirts that I wanted to combine that were similar in size. For the top, I decided to cut off the collar so that the smock would fit comfortably over my clothes. (You could choose to leave the collar on, if you wished.)

I rolled the edge under, and used a zigzag stitch sew it down. Nothing fancy, just fast and durable. This is how it looked when I was done:

Then, on the top section of the smock, I drew a straight line across the bottom edge and then cut it to even out the edge.

Be care to avoid running into the buttons when you draw the line- try to trim either a couple inches above or below the button so you have a clear area to sew your seams.

For the bottom part of the smock, take your second shirt and draw a line just under the sleeves. Once again, be careful that you don't run into any buttons.

Put the right sides together, and sew the top and the bottom together. If the sizes of the two shirts don't exactly match, make little tucks along the seams - no one will notice!

I pressed the seams down, and then top stiched along the edge of the lower shirt.

Then I had to figure out an easy way to make a pocket! I used the cuff and part of one of the sleeves. I carefully took it apart at the seams, and pressed the edges underneath. Then I sewed the cuff onto the smock to make a pocket. I did two lines of stitching to help make it durable. It is a cute and practical touch! I sewed the buttons back on top the buttonholes because I thought it added a cute touch.

So that's all it takes to make these smocks. They are now my signature art room look, and provide my clothes with lots of protection from paint and mess!

Oxford Shirt Art Smocks

2010-09-14T21:40:00.001-04:00

I am a new art teacher.
I also am a slob.
My clothes need protection from the dangers of the art room.
I needed a
quick,
easy,
inexpensive way
to create some art smocks
that I could wear in my new classroom.
I needed them to be big enough to cover me completely.
My clever solution was to make these clever smocks out of stripey men's shirts!

I cut off the collars.

I even recycled the cuff of the sleeve to make a pocket! Pockets are a must!

I made a short sleeve version, too.

In my next post I will give a little tutorial on how to put these fun little art smocks together!

A New Identity for Clever Karen

2010-09-12T18:57:00.001-04:00

If you are a regular follower of my blog, you may recall that around this time last year I found out that I was going to be teaching 5th grade. It was an unexpected and a totally new teacher assignment for me. Being a new fifth grade teacher seemed to consume every moment of my life last year and I did not find much time for many extracurricular clever pursuits or the time to blog about them.

Well, my life as a teacher has taken another interesting twist. I was asked to return to my position teaching K - 8 technology in the computer lab - a job that I always loved. But in early August, I was also asked if I could fill in for our art teacher, who had a stroke, and teach elementary art. Now, I have never taught art, other than what I have done in my third grade classroom. But hopefully, all my clever genes will serve me well in this new position. I spent several weeks in August cleaning and organizing all the materials and treasures in the art room. Now I am busy finding all kinds of interesting project ideas for the students to create.

So I'm not sure if I am going to have much time for Clever Karen blogging over the next few months. But if you are interested, you can check out my new tech/art blog Pixels and Paintbrushes. There isn't anything much there yet, but I promise there will be lots of clever work from my students throughout the school year!

Dining in and around Glacier National Park

2010-09-10T18:06:00.007-04:00

For my final post about Glacier, let me share a bit about dining during our visit. If you are staying at the historic inns located in the park, there are limited options. Here are some of the places we ate:

Lake McDonald Inn - we ate dinner at Jammer Joe's Grill. Meals were casual - burgers, pizza, and pasta. I had a delicious bison burger with onion rings. We ate breakfast in the dining room in the main lodge. Most of the historic inns have a breakfast buffet for around 10 - 12 dollars. Nothing fancy, but it typically includes coffee, tea, juices, and a variety of pancakes, French toast, fruit, pastries, and eggs. Usually it was plenty to hold us until dinner (with some kind of snack during the afternoon).

Prince of Wales Hotel - we ate in Royal Stewart Dining Room and it was a big disappointment. Expensive, with mediocre food. I think you might do better having the high tea at the Prince of Wales if you arrive in the afternoon before 4 pm. The town of Waterton is nearby and there are a number of local restaurants. We ate breakfast pastries at a coffee shop called Pearl's so we could take advantage of their free wifi. We got sandwiches for lunch at another place in town near the boat dock. It was fine, but overpriced.

Glacier Park Lodge - We had a huge pile of nachos at the Empire Bar one evening. Really good and cheesy! The windows look out at the mountains - great view!

There are a number of family restaurants in the East Glacier area near Glacier Park Inn. Almost all of them feature huckleberry pie, cobbler, and ice cream. I say get the cobbler and the ice cream together!

And you don't want to miss the Red Jammer Huckleberry Cream Soda. (They also have a Red Jammer Rootbeer.) My brother liked combining huckleberry ice cream to the soda to make a float.

We had this THICK fried stuffed French toast at the Whistle Stop Restaurant. It was almost too much!

Many Glacier Inn - The inn has a Swiss theme and features a cheese fondue. It came to our table very runny and the cheese wouldn't stick to the bread, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower that came with the meal. We asked if they could heat it up a bit - much better when it came back. Very filling - I was disappointed that we didn't have room for the chocolate fondue!

When we got back to Calgary, we ate at a Canadian chain restaurant called Joey Tomato's that was very good!

So that tells you a bit about what we discovered about dining in Glacier. If anyone out there has any other good tips about dining in Glacier, please add them into the comments! Thanks!

Many Glacier Lodge - Glacier National Park

2010-09-02T22:28:00.001-04:00

Our last night in Glacier was spent at Many Glacier Lodge. It is tucked in a valley next to a lake with gorgeous mountains in the background. This was my favorite lodge location of the four historic lodges that we stayed at in Glacier. We had misty rainy weather during most of our stay.

The lodge looks like a Swiss Chalet. The lobby is small and has a great fireplace in the center that is very cozy on a rainy afternoon.

Unfortunately, the rooms are very deary. We had a shared balcony again, with an unfortunate view of the road to the parking lot. I had a peak at some of the lake view rooms and they were very tiny. We heard that the lodge and the dining room are scheduled for some refurbishing next year. Good news.

We did some hiking around the lake and there are lots of trails that start by the lodge. I was very nervous while hiking because of all the recent bear activity, including Jack Hanna being charged by a grizzly bear about a week before our visit. We did watch a couple bears on the north slope - but they were very distant and we viewed them through binoculars.

Here are a few more shots of the Many Glacier area:

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Wildflowers of Glacier

2010-08-30T21:15:00.001-04:00

Personally, I thought the wildflowers in Glacier were even more spectacular than the mountains! The roadsides and meadows were carpeted with color, and provided a good distraction for me when there was a high edge on the roadway. Here are a few of my favorite shots:

These puffs are called "bear grass" - Glacier is famous for them!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Red Bus Tour - Glacier National Park

2010-08-27T19:17:00.006-04:00

One of the unique and charming parts of Glacier National Park is the "Red Bus Tours" that explore various parts of the park. These refurbished ecofriendly buses from the 1930's let you visit the park with the help of an entertaining bus driver.

We took the "Secret Valley Tour" which left from the Glacier Lodge. We enjoyed the open air bus, but unfortunately we had several bursts of rain that required putting the top up twice!

Our tour took us to an area called Two Medicine where we took a boat tour on another historic boat.

We also took a short hike to Running Eagle Falls. On the way our guide pointed out the grizzly bear claw marks on the trees.

I enjoyed the trip and the buses are very cool. However going with a group means you are at the mercy of everyone who needs to take a bathroom break or forgets something along the way. Those guides have to be extremely patient! It was a fun way to spend an afternoon!

Glacier Park Lodge

2010-08-19T20:26:00.006-04:00

After our overnight stay at the Prince of Wales, we headed back south into Montana along the east side of Glacier. We stayed for the next two nights at the Glacier Park Lodge. This spectacular inn was built almost 100 years ago by the Great Northern Railroad and was located directly across from their railroad station. The gardens in front are quite lovely!

The hotel and lobby is held up by immense timbers that still retain their original bark. There are skylights in the ceiling which makes the interior seem more open and roomy than many of the other national park inns that I've stayed in. There were lots of comfortable chairs and cozy corners to relax in.

Our room was on the second floor. Here I am right outside our door. I can barely put my arms around the logs.

The room was a bit more updated (early 80s??) than previous ones and was quite large. We had a shared balcony that overlooked the gardens in front of the inn. (Too bad we didn't have a mountain view.)

I spent a lot of time on the balcony in the back of the lodge that overlooked the mountains. We discovered that there was an area of about 30 feet where you could pick up a VERY ssslllllooooowwww ATT signal. I would log into my email and then sit for about 10 minutes while my email would download. While waiting I would enjoy the view and pray and relax.

One really can't complain about a slow signal when you get to enjoy a fiery sunset like this!

I enjoyed our stay here. It was relaxing to find a cozy corner with a view and read. I hadn't had much down time this summer, so I appreciated having time to take it easy.

Prince of Wales Hotel - Waterton Lakes

2010-08-16T15:17:00.008-04:00

After driving the "Going-to-the-Sun" road, we headed north towards the Canadian border. Glacier is an International Peace Park that is merged with Water Lakes National Park in Canada. I enjoyed this part of the drive immensely - it was LOW (re: see fear of heights in previous posting) and wound through the most gorgeous meadows of wildflowers.

Our home for the night was another historic inn - the Prince of Wales. Our first view (through the smudged windshield) shows it standing on a high hill with the mountains in the background. It looks like the place is in the Scottish highlands.

The lobby definitely has a Scottish flare with men decked out in kilts and lots of plaid.

The view in front of the inn is breezy and breathtaking! But the room was small and worn. It looked like the windows had recently been replaced with vinyl windows. The woodwork was pretty but need some touch ups to remove lots of dings and smudges.

The best feature of the room was the spectacular view!

We ate dinner in the dining room - it was ok, but I had mushy pasta and my brother's wild rice was crunchy. (Not worth the high price.)

Next morning we took a boat ride across the lake to a secluded spot called the Goat Haunt. Beautiful views (no goats, however)! We crossed the border again, and I even got this nifty stamp on my passport.

Going-to-the-Sun-Road - Glacier National Park

2010-08-14T07:45:00.006-04:00

It is sad that predictions say that in about 10/15 years all the glaciers in Glacier National Park will have melted. Actually, unless you hike deep into back country, you can only see a few small glaciers from the road. If you have been to Alaska where there seems to be a huge glacier tucked between the mountains around every corner that you turn, the glaciers in Glacier will be disappointing. But the gorgeous lakes and mountain passes that were carved out by the glaciers are the true highlight of the park.

We left Lake McDonald Lodge in the morning and took "The Going-to-the-Sun-Road" that intersects through Glacier. This spectacular 50 mile long road was carved through the mountains about 75 years ago. I hate heights, and the passenger side was right on the edge of the road. I opted to sit in the back seat (wise decision) and spent a large part of the drive looking at the wildflowers and waterfalls on the opposite side of the road!

We made frequent stops to enjoy the views. The drive was slow in spots because of construction. We finally reached the highest spot, Logan Pass. We were lucky to score a parking spot during the busiest time of the day!

We were also lucky to find a sweet mama and baby mountain goat right outside the visitor center. My biggest wish during this trip was to see a mountain goat, so I was a happy traveler!

The wildflowers along the road were unbelievable! Below is a mountainside covered with fuzzy bear grass.

It was too bad that it was gray and a bit drizzly during most the ride, so no pretty skies in my pictures of Big Sky country. But it certainly was a lovely drive and I am glad I braved it!

Lake McDonald Lodge - Glacier National Park

2010-08-10T20:56:00.005-04:00

After two delightful nights at Lake Louise, we took the long trek (about 7 hours drive) from Banff down across the border into Montana and into Glacier National Park. Our first night was spent at Lake McDonald Lodge, one of the historic lodges in the park. We stayed in a cabin that was just down the walk from the main lodge.

Now I have stayed at many of the National Park Lodges over recent years. And I know that there are costly maintenance issues involved in the upkeep of buildings from the early 1900s. And I realize that they are advertised as having "historical features as a charming and quaint departure from everyday conveniences". But the fact that the decor in the cabins has not been updated since the early 70s really isn't all that charming. It was disappointing that such beautiful locations with lodges that look so wonderful on the exterior and have such incredible lobbies, just look so sad and tired and shabby when you go into the rooms. (I'm not asking for flat screen tvs and whirlpool tubs, but just something that looks fresh and cute.) Yes, I know you are paying for the location, but the price of the rooms is not like Motel 6, so I wish the rooms looked a bit better. Enough said.

Alright, the main lodge is very cool in the lobby. Timber inside with levels with lots of stuffed animals. (Ok, the animals got to be a bit creepy.) The hanging lights with the Native American paintings were exceptionally cool!

Outside is a dock on the lake with a lovely view into the mountains. The back of the inn has lots of benches where you can sit and relax and enjoy the view. So that is how I spent my evening, reading and looking at this. Yes, THIS is not shabby at all!

High Tea - Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

2010-08-09T07:07:00.009-04:00

The culinary highlight of our trip was having high tea at the Chateau Lake Louise. Tea is held in the lounge next to the big windows that look out over the lake and glacier. We made reservations in the morning, and even though the lounge was very busy when we arrived, they had a perfect table reserved for us right in front of the window.

It was pouring rain when we arrived....

But eventually it cleared

and we enjoyed a lovely view.

The Fairmont has their own band of tea and there was at least a dozen varieties to choose between. I selected a flowery jasmine tea.

Tea begins with fresh fruit in a light flowery syrup. I liked the way the fruit was cut into tiny pieces - it made for an interesting blend of flavors in one bite.

Then this huge tiered tray arrives. The scones were good, but I've had better. But everything else was exceptional!

The sandwiches included bruchetta and a roasted vegetable sandwich. Both delicious!

Three desserts - I especially loved this flourless orange cake!

A perfect relaxing afternoon!

Poppy Brasserie - Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

2010-08-08T12:00:00.007-04:00

Well, I am back from Alberta and Montana where I enjoyed a week of lovely mountains, waterfalls, wildflowers, and relaxation. I was able to get one blog post uploaded during the trip, but let's just say that the ATT signals and the free wifi that I found was less than robust! I hope that this week I can get in a few posts about some of the things that we did on the trip.

I was able to post a few pictures from the lovely and plush Fairmont Chateau at Lake Louise while we were on the road. We enjoyed a couple of excellent meals there during our two day visit. The first evening we ate on the patio of Poppy Brasserie (the name comes from the many gorgeous poppies that are in the gardens that surround the hotel). This restaurant is considered their more "casual" restaurant, but still was "pricey" according to my typical dining budget. Above is the wonderful view from our under our umbrella - the view was definitely worth a few $$.

I am a bread-a-holic and always love a restaurant that serves interesting breads.

We both had smelled something wonderful outside the restaurant that smelled like seafood chowder, so we both had to order it. It was wonderfully rich and creamy!

My brother ordered this Indonesian stir fry with shrimp puffs and vegetables. Great blend of flavors and not too spicy!

And I got this pizza. Perfectly crispy with really good mushrooms and wild boar ham and bacon that had a wonderful flavor salty flavor.

We also had the breakfast buffet in this restaurant in the morning. Nice flaky pastries, smoked salmon, and a variery of eggs, pancakes, and waffles. Service was attentive, and of course the view couldn't be beat!

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

2010-08-01T21:05:00.000-04:00

This has been my home for the past 2 days.....

This morning I snuggled in the soft pillows and comforter on the window seat and drank my morning tea and read....

Later, we walked to the end of Lake Louise...

And looked back at the chateau.

We took a gondola to the top of the world. Lake Louise is the tiny aqua dot in the center of the picture.

This afternoon I wandered the gardens. I' m now listening to a harpist as I blog over the wifi in the lobby.

After a summer spent mostly in hospital rooms, I feel blessed to have a few days to be bathed in God's beauty. I am blessed to have a brother who spoils me. I am blessed.

From My iPhone

Panoramic View of My Garden

2010-07-25T17:36:00.000-04:00

Playing around with the PanoLab app on my iPhone.

-- Post From My iPhone

The Baker's Deli - Beaumont Hospital

2010-07-24T12:51:00.000-04:00

My friend Andrea has now been in the hospital for two months - going through surgeries, rehab, procedures, progress, and set backs. This week she had what we hope is her final major surgery, so we hope and pray for steady progress over the next few weeks. She still cannot walk or talk, but her cognition is good, so we have faith that she will make many gains with therapy.

So I have been spending much time dining at the hospital. And my downfall has been The Baker's Deli which is located in the atrium of the south tower of Beaumont Hospital. It truly is worth a visit, even if you aren't at the hospital. Some of my favorites:

These chocolate almond ganache bars have a gooey layer of almond paste.

Cupcakes decorated with pretty frosting flowers

The sugar cookies are amazing! Thick and soft with just the right coating of frosting glaze. Pretty too!

They also have nice fresh sandwiches on good breads. I don't like mayo, but I've been told the chicken salad with almonds and dried cherries is excellent.

So if you stop in to visit Andrea, you might also want to get a little treat from the bakery!

-- Post From My iPhone

SciFi Dine In - Disney Hollywood Studios

2010-07-11T13:08:00.001-04:00

Dining Fun in a car while watching old scifi movie clips.

Cherry coke

Post From My iPhone

Location:Buena Vista Dr,Southwest Orange,United States

Bongos Cuban Grill - Downtown Disney

2010-07-10T21:33:00.001-04:00

Photos from our delicious meal:

Appetizer platter

Cuban Fried Rice

Skirt steak with fried plantains. Tangy sauce on top with parsley, onions, and lime.

-- Post From My iPhone

Guess Where I Ate Breakfast

2010-07-09T08:42:00.001-04:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Retail Therapy

2010-07-04T06:47:00.005-04:00

MANY weeks ago I was feeling a little blue. While wandering through Anthropologie (dangerous when you are feeling a little blue), some cute little bowls (that I didn't need) caught my eye. I bought them anyway and asked the clerk to wrap them as a gift. (For me.) I was coveting their cute boxes and tissue paper, too.

It was therapeutic to open the box...

and unwind the tissue...

and now I have 3 cute little bowls....

that somehow make eating cereal or pasta just a bit more enjoyable!

And the reason I am making this post now is I need to clear my memory
card on my camera and discovered these forgotten pictures!

Sunset at Ottawa Beach

2010-06-20T22:35:00.002-04:00

I miss living near Lake Michigan! It was nice to spend an evening with relatives at the beach tonight and as an added bonus there was a spectacular sunset.

Post From My iPhone

Bedside Blogging and Believing

2010-06-12T13:12:00.005-04:00

It's amazing how your life can quickly twist in a new unexpected direction. Three weeks ago, all I was thinking of was surviving until today, when school would be done, and I would be free to blog and be creative and catch up with life. Three weeks ago I was dreaming of gardening and stringing beads and shopping and reading.

And then three weeks ago my dear friend Andrea had a massive stroke. Over the past three weeks she has had 3 emergency brain surgeries and various other procedures. This generous and creative teacher, who was able to do more things in a day than most people accomplished in a week, now lies in a hospital bed. Today, and each day, I sit by her bedside, holding her hand, praying, and rejoicing in each small step of improvement. She responds to the things we tell her with a strong grasp on her left side and a half smile, so we know she hears and understands. So now I am spending time trying to find clever and creative ways to encourage my friend and help her communicate with us. My summer looks much different than I had planned.

If you are a person who prays, would you please say a prayer for Andrea? She still is battling many health concerns and faces long months of therapy to help her restore some functioning to her damaged brain and body. We are not sure how much can return, but we are trusting our miraculous God to heal and help her (and us) to walk through this faith journey.

If you are interested, we have set up a Caring Bridge webpage to keep people updated on her progress and how they can pray.

So I don't know how much blogging will return this summer. Perhaps some reviews of the hospital cafe food (!), or a few projects. We'll see......... Just wanted you to know where I'll be.........

Clever Karen

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