Sharing Etsy

Strawberry macaroons, yum!  Beautiful, sweet, lovely.  But not sized for sharing…

I committed to sharing yesterday and I do have things to share.  As a matter of fact,  a lot of things!

I have officially launched my Etsy site, Pixie Goes 2 Market, and I am inviting you to take a peek! 

I am a collector, hunter and gatherer extraordinaire of all things vintage, precious and curious and I finally have a place to share those things with you.

Not familiar with Etsy?  Etsy is the place for all things handmade.  Beautiful, beautiful things.  Simple and crazy ornate.  It’s also the place to go for vintage goods of all kinds.  That’s my niche:

“Vintage collectibles, precious curiosities, pre-loved, repurposed and "worn-in", just right kinds of things”. 

My big release today are 2 Royal Wedding vignettes.  A timely nod to the British phrase “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue…”.

I had fun putting these 2 collections together.  Vignettes are related objects that can be displayed as they are or used as a kit to make something wonderful from my inspiration to yours!

Will you be up to watch the Royals take their vows?

Best wishes to these two.

Here are some other Pixie items I have to share:

 

Just a few things.  Lots more coming soon!

Antique Alley Success?

Just want to say, right out of the gate, (if you get the opportunity) Antique Alley is where you want to be!  Stuff aplenty and at great prices.  There was so much fun for the getting that I forgot to take pic’s until we were way down the road.  Sheesh. 

Driving the packed road,  our peepers peeled for the best stops. 

The parking and driving is a little sketchy.  For the record, I wouldn’t hold any fevered hunter responsible for another hunter that lacks the ability to step out of their parked car gingerly. 

Travel? Texan?  Show it!

Sometimes I forget what my words need to be to the teen chilies that live with me.  Subtle reminder…

Clean restrooms AND free water!  That’s what they call a conflict of interest.

A little, fried, Mennonite pie luv!

HANDMADE!

Nice shop at the end of the trail.

What did I get?  There should be pic’s, right? 

One word.  “Alas!” 

People, friends, I’m doing the best I can and I just haven’t gotten around to those yet.

I’ve got other things to share. Bigger things.  Better things.  Perhaps even fantastical. 

I’m committing to tomorrow.

Looking for something to do this weekend?

Road trip! Road trip!

Who doesn’t enjoy a road trip?! 

Weekend activity… road trip… sounds like Antique Alley, Texas style. 

Check this out:  http://www.antiquealleytexas.com/ 

Just a little “somethin’, somethin’” to get you into trouble this weekend.

I’m heading out tomorrow morning, bright and early, with a fellow hunter to see what I can find. 

Can I hope for something in particular? 

We’ll see.

Happy Friday!

Ever feel like Rip Van Winkle?

Geez Louise!  Well, something like that happened minus the idleness, nine-pins and liquor.

Let’s see…

Somewhere back yonder, in a different life, there was a girl who had a blog.  And apparently I still do and I’m here to say I’m back!  Back to blogging, creating, making, thrifting, baking and playing.  And sharing too! 

Let’s jump right in.

Got a call today from a family friend requesting the infamous Banana Pudding recipe.  The last one I made met the floor in an unfortunate incident that is rumored to be preserved in photos somewhere.  I really don’t need to see 4 lbs. of “pudding love” memorialized on a Facebook page and so we’ll just pass on the recipe here  and save the world one bowl of Banana Pudding at a time!  Prepare to be raptured in a fluffy cloud of pudding goodness.  Just be sure to use a sturdy bowl!

Very Good Banana Pudding

1 can sweetened condensed milk

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 cups cold milk

1 large box Instant Vanilla Pudding

1 large tub (the big one!) Cool Whip, thawed in fridge

3-4 bananas, sliced

1 box Nilla Wafers

Freshly grated Nutmeg

Use a mixer to thoroughly combine the sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese.  Add the cold milk one cup at at time and mix after each addition.  Add instant pudding and mix thoroughly.  With a spoon, fold in most of the Cool Whip.  Reserve a small amount to decorate the finished pudding with, if desired. 

Line a large bowl with wafers and place a layer of bananas on top of the wafers.  Top with 1/3 of the pudding mix.  Repeat 2 more times and finish with the pudding mix.  Line the edge of the bowl with wafers to decorate.  Top with the reserved Cool whip and sprinkle with a light dusting of nutmeg. 

Oh, and one more thing...  a big THANK YOU to Monroe and Nanny Maz  for providing us fine company and accommodations and feeding us good food  on our East Texas visit!  It was a beautiful weekend. 

Weekend Field Trip Part II

Tra, la, la.   Flying or floating into Dallas…

So, this is why you have to go hungry if you’re going to Fm 1410 B(see previous blog).  Jimmy’s is on the same corner and they have the best sandwiches! And just like the sign says, they have all kinds of imported goodies: fresh meats, sausage, pasta and entree’s to take home.  But if you can’t wait till you get home- order a sandwich.  Jimmy’s was voted “Readers Choice”, Best Sandwich in D Magazine this month.  Our favorites?  We love the Jimmy sandwich with spicy sausage and peppers.  They have a great Muffaletta and a lovely Prosciutto Panino too.  The latter is served with thick slices of fresh mozzarella, thin slices of prosciutto, basil and sliced tomato.  Both of these sandwiches are huge and a small can easily serve 2 people.  All the sandwiches are served on wonderful bakery bread and not some kind of Wonder Bread fluff.  Grab a bag of chips and select a drink from their vast selection of sodas and vino.  You can then sit outside or at tables at the entrance of the store.  Or, our favorite place is in back.  Way back.  Pass the restrooms, back.  It’s kind of a secret and you’ll probably feel conspicuous the first time, basically, walking through the kitchen and into the back to a “secret” room.  There are tables, paper plates, napkins and plastic ware for your convenience.  Bring your laptop or your friends as this is the Starbucks of the sandwich world. 

 

 

Here’s Lovey enjoying the nice weather last spring.  The view is “interesting”. (this is downtown Dallas, mind you)  But this is forgivable for the “we’re not in Texas anymore” experience and the food.

 

 

You can pick up some great imported foods like these crackers.  These little cracker Diva’s are a favorite and fly off the shelves and are out of stock till Mike can get them in again.  Apparently they come from some far away place, New York or Italy, and people buy them by the box.  Curse them when they don’t leave any for us!You know what they are?  Really, they’re just  saltines with olive “flakes” on them.  Sounds simple enough but they’re so tasty.  And inside the above package are individual packs so you can pop them into your purse or backpack for a “little taste of Italy”  anytime.   I think I’ll christen them the 2010 version of “Calgon, take me away!”.

Jimmy’s Food Store is located at 4901 Bryan at Fitzhugh in Dallas.

Photo of a pretty door in Dallas.

Shouldn’t you be gone already?!

Technorati Tags: Jimmy's Food Store,FM 1410 B,Muffaletta,Panino

Weekend Field Trip

I remember one of my first fieldtrips in kindergarten.  We went to the fire station. It must have been close to the school as we walked there.  Every one had a “buddy” that we were partnered with.  We all held hands with our buddy and walked down the sidewalk two by two. 

I remember my kindergarten teacher too.  She wore frosted lipstick and had a platinum, perfectly coiffed, beehive up do.  She was so shiny.  She wore dresses and sensible heels and looked like she stepped right off the “Cakes and Pies” page of a 70’s Betty Crocker cookbook. 

It was probably a great fieldtrip.   There’s this one thing, though, which I remember more than the red fire trucks, awesome fire pole and real life firemen.  That “one thing” was the kid who was my buddy.  He was the boy in our class known for nose picking.  This boy was also my hand holding buddy.   Icky.

I still love field trips and these days, since I’m all grown up, I get to pick my buddy.  Me and my buddy’s (Lovey and the youngest and eldest Chilie) took a fieldtrip into Dallas last weekend and found ourselves at  FM 1410 B.  Tommy “Spiceman” Spicer sells an eclectic assortment of veggies and herbs to local restaurants.  He even grows some of them himself in a garden out back in the shadow of downtown Big D.   He’s a Delta swamp musician too and impromptu melodies from his custom, self-made “guitar” are an additional treat. 

He’ll sell you a bag, half a pound or so, of a beautiful  assortment of mushrooms for $10 cash.  He’ll also give you some ideas for preparing them if you ask. 

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(I’m back from a brief interlude to catch and liberate the cicada that was bouncing off everything in the kitchen.  Momma Cat brought it in and you could hear it pinging off the hanging copper pots and ricocheting off the ceiling fan.  It was like magic gone mad in a scene from Nanny McPhee.  Whew!)

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Here are the beautiful mushrooms, haricots verts (French green beans), fettuccine and tomatoes.

We like the mushrooms prepared simply. 

Sauté sliced garlic in olive oil just till fragrant.  Add  a couple tbsp.’s  of butter and heat till melted.  Add a glug of white wine.  Add the mushrooms and sauté momentarily.  Add the sliced tomatoes and sauté just till heated through.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over prepared fettuccine.  Serve good bread to sop up the sauce.

The verts were sautéed in butter with orange slices (orange zested and pith cut off), zest and toasted pine nuts. Salt and pepper to taste.

Beautiful food - simply.

Do you want to go on a fieldtrip to see Tommy?  Look for this place, FM 1410 B, in the corner shopping center of 4901 Bryan at Fitzhugh in Dallas.

The boys will greet you at the door.

That’s just the kind of place it is.

And make sure you go hungry.  I’ll tell you why later…

Technorati Tags: field trips,mushrooms,FM 1410 B

Monday, Monday on Tuesday

We’re going to skip all the chatter and go right to a few of my favorite things in the backyard…

Hummingbird at the Cypress Vine.

Red ladybug, pink rose

 

 

 

 

 

Hungry Swallowtail caterpillars filling up on parsley

 

 

 

 

 

Baby Anole lapping up a water droplet                               

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“The fragrance, my friend, that floats to you this moment, streams from the tent of the secrets of God."      - Rumi