DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

    Strap on your helmet,  because here comes some very scary road trips.  So sit back, read on, and be prepared to get some more frights put up you! 10. Ghormley Road/Fayette County, Ohio    This one is at the number 10 spot for many reasons, but the most prominent reason is, perhaps, my bias towards it. I visited this road the night before I wrote this list and it was definitely a strange place to be. I saw nothing clear, so I dare not say it’s haunted (of course, I am almost entirely a skeptic). The road has an S curve with a bridge over a very fast moving creek. This is far and away the creepiest bridge I have ever set foot on! But, that’s my paranoia talking again, I suppose. Anyway, many cars met a foul end when taking the unexpected S curve too fast, and many ghosts are said to roam the area. On my visit, I saw strange movements and my friend heard whispering. Fellow Ohioans, I would recommend a trip to Ghormley next time y...

   Here's another great recipe I have found while surfing the net.  It comes from www.aspicyperspective.com .  Enjoy it with your family and friends> Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake Every time I take the kids berry picking, I think to myself, “I could totally do this. I could farm …it’s hard work, but peaceful and gratifying.” Then I imagine us buying a large piece of land and reinventing our life. I envision myself in overalls and work boots, driving a tractor. That thought always makes me chuckle! Of course, I know nothing of farming. I’ve never even had my own garden! This year is the first year we are going to give it a whirl–that is, be involved in a communal garden. I’m hoping to learn a thing or two. I’ll let you know how it goes! I still like to pretend, as we’re picking berries, that I somehow had a part in cultivating them. I also like to believe that I’m honoring the berries by putting them in such lovely treats! (If that makes me...

   Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts to make and eat!  I don't make it very often (because of the eating part), but when I do everyone enjoys a piece or two (especially my daughter).  Here's a great cheesecake recipe from www.themodernapron.blogspot.com .  I hope you have as much enjoyment eating it as I would!! N.B. It was brought to my attention that if this recipe is made with regular salt, it is WAY too salty. I always use kosher salt. Don't use table salt or this will be truly inedible. My apologies to anyone who may have tried it already without that caveat! Here it is at last. I’ve been trying to get a picture of a single slice of this for months. And you know what happens? That’s right—every time I’m ready to photograph it, I look for the slice I saved as my “model” and it’s gone. Someone has eaten my model. So you’re just going to have to content yourself with the picture of the whole cheesecake that I happen to have snapped onc...

   How many of us have different types and kinds of tapes laying around?   How many times can you find them when you need them?   Anyone?  Anyone?   I know there have been time I would be looking for a certain tape and can't find it!  Well stay tuned, because I have found a way to keep all of those different kinds and types of tapes together in one easy to use container!  Be it duct tape, masking tape (of many different sizes and colors), electrical tape, packaging tape or just your ordinary scotch tape. Jumbo Tape Dispenser Jumbo Tape Dispenser    I have five or six different kinds of tape in my shop, and last weekend I got fed up with rooting through a drawer to find the one I wanted. To solve the problem, I built this tape dispenser that holds a variety of tape widths and types.    I made my dispenser from scraps of 3/4-in. birch lumber but plywood will work. Almost all regular-size rolls of tap...

    Gawai Day or Gawai Dayak is a festival celebrated in Sarawak on June 1st every year. It is both a religious and social occasion. The word Gawai means a ritual or festival whereas Dayak is a collective name for the native ethnic groups of Sarawak (and neighboring Indonesian Kalimantan): the Iban, also known as Sea Dayak and the Bidayuh people, also known as Land Dayak. Thus, Gawai Dayak literally means "Dayak Festival". Dayak would visit their friends and relatives on this day. Such visit is more commonly known as "ngabang" in the Iban language. Those too far away to visit would receive greeting cards.     It started back in 1957 in a radio forum held by Mr Ian Kingsley, a radio programme organiser. This generated a lot of interest among the Dayak community.     The mode of celebration varies from place to place. Preparation starts early. Tuak (rice wine) is brewed (at least one month before the celebration) and tradition...

   This recipe comes from www.leannebakes.blogspot.com .  Tell me one person who doesn't like a warm, fresh donut first thing in the morning???    Anyone??   Anyone??  I did'nt think so!!  Make a few dozen of these and enjoy them with your morning coffee or juice! A few months ago my cousin had a fiesta-themed baby shower, and we got to make some really delicious desserts. One was lime cupcakes, which were great, but the other was churros. I love fried food, and I love churros. They remind me of Disneyland, of the PNE, of fun childhood summers where you get to eat those iconic fair foods in context. And sure, context is everything, but why not bring the fun home? So this week I did, and made cinnamon sugar-coated and glazed donuts. Although the churro-making experience was really fun, and the end result amazing, we didn't properly ventilate the kitchen and the smell haunted me for days. I took that lesson ...

   This diy comes from www.ellinee.com .  This would/could be adaptable for all sorts of flowers (I'm thinking something in the line of poinsetta for Chrsitmas time). Good luch and happy crafting! Paper roses are one of my favorite paper crafts. I use them on gifts, wear them in my hair and make them to compliment a Papier Couture dress I create for the runway. Since my typical paper rose is made on the fly, this last week I noodled over how to make a template for you that is simple to recreate and beautiful. I think this is it! I love this rose and am quite giddy about sharing paper rose inspirations for weddings, gifts and decor in the coming weeks. Give it a try! ~Lia {for a printable PDF version of these instructions, click here }

    Home to the infamous " Jackalope", Douglas Wyoming is a popular stop when traveling in the Wild West! The town of Douglas ... is small town America at its best!     In fact, we were rated "One of the Best small towns" in America!     This area of east central Wyoming is the home of many historic trails rich in their history and rugged scenery. The mountain ranges and foothills offer refuge to elk, bear and deer with herds of antelope foraging on the the diverse landscape.    The town of Douglas sits on the banks of the North Platte River, on the path from/to Denver, Colorado, Yellowstone National Park, or the Black Hills of South Dakota. Other attractions of the area are: the Wyoming State Fairgrounds, the Wyoming Pioneer Memorial Museum, Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center, Oregon Trail and Historic Marker, Fort Fetterman, Ayres Natural Bridge, Sir Barton Memorial Statue - the First Triple Crown Winner in ...