Jennuine

10:41 TUESDAY MORNING: TV was on. Laptop was on. Nearly every light in the house was on even thou gh we were all in the living room. Wasteful! Shame on us! Well, Mother Nature sure taught us a lesson. "Enjoy your precious electricity, do you?" she whistled through a blustery wind. "Well, let's just see how you like this!" she trilled as the lights cut abruptly out (and the rain went horizontal for over-the-top dramatic effect). So there we were, the Erickson Girls: Unplugged ~ transported to the pre-electric light age in which our old Victorian home was built. Would we rise to the occasion, or had technology completely rotted our brains for good? Well, we started out by lighting a fire ~ cozy. I took out my stack of magazines that had been piling up for months. As I clipped recipes, craft ideas, and useful articles, the girls cut out pictures and made Halloween collages. It's surprising how many macabre and unintentionally creepy things you can f

Her recipes: FABULOUS . Her style: UBER-CHIC ! Her entertaining ideas and creations: INSPIRING ! She's witty, fun, and generous too! Holly at 504 Main , you're like "buttah". And now, YOU'VE really gone over the top by bestowing upon me not one, but two awards! My eyes are welling up; throat feeling tight; indeed, I'm faklempt! Thank you Holly! The first award is "One Lovely Blog". Here are the rules: Accept the award, post it on your blog along with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award along to several other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award... It was hard to choose just a few, but here goes... 1. Whisker Graphics ~ check out her "FREE Owl Editable Printable Download " ! 2. Helene at " I'm Living Proof That God Has a Sense of Humor " ~ her " Memo to the Bosses " is a must

I found a great new service for posting slideshows http://www.slide.com/ I was able to upload my whole portfolio from Flickr and create this new slideshow in a flash. Yippee!

FIRST, CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE: I OWE MY INSPIRATION FOR SHARING THESE UPLOADS TO KAREN WHO IS BETTER KNOWN ONLINE AS THE GRAPHICS FAIRY . SHE HAS THE MOST AMAZING COLLECTION OF VINTAGE IMAGES ANYWHERE ONLINE. PLEASE PAY HER A VISIT. Next, I have two people to thank for my personal collection of vintage postcards and ephemera~ My grandmother, Catharine, who was a scrapbooker and collector; and my husband's Great Aunt Roey, a consummate entertainer, creator, and family historian. From Roey, we have hundreds of incredible postcards, photographs, and cards ~ I look forward to sharing my favorites over Christmas and Valentine's especially. Catharine inspired my own love for things of the past, which started me collecting when I was only about twelve-years old. Please enjoy these old treasures and feel free to share. These images are free to use for non-commercial purposes. BROWNIE BOOKPLATE This first piece comes from the book "Brownies Around the World" from

Just a little somethin' for SITS SUNDAY SHOUT OUTS … One winner will be drawn at random on Sunday, November 1 Your choice of 100% Cotton, made in the USA, babygags onesie, black “I suck, therefore I am.” Size 6 mo. –or- 12 mo. Retail: $22 ~OR~ 100% Cotton, made in the USA, babygags Toddler Tee, black “TRASHTALKER In his contemplations on what is real Plato uttered: “If a baby talks trash in the crib, and no one is there to hear, did the baby really talk trash?” 450 bc, Greece, Diaposium” Size: 24 mo. Retail: $22 TO ENTER: FOLLOW ROOK NO. 17 (PUBLICLY), THEN COMMENT BELOW TO LET US KNOW YOU DID IT. EASY AS THAT. IF YOU'RE ALREADY FOLLOWING (THANK YOU), JUST POST A COMMENT.

If you haven't already read about the wonderful "take-action" group " CARDS FOR KIDS ", please read the post below. The girls had some friends over today and I decided that it was a perfect opportunity to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak (i.e. make some cards... for kids). Here's the "recipe": 1 very worthy cause 2 8-year old girls 2 4-year olds, assorted 6 glue sticks 1 glue gun 1 Martha Stewart ballpoint-tip glue pen for fine glitter detail cardstock and scrapbooking paper glitter, buttons, doodads and plastic spiders muffin cups & doilies Halloween printouts (thanks to Matthew Mead , Martha Stewart , and my favorite: Emily at Inside a Black Apple ) Miscellaneous ephemera (old sheet music, schoolbook and dictionary pages) The kids had a great time creating from the craft table smorgasbord, and were excited about the fact that their creations are going to other children.

I HAD SEVERAL INSPIRATIONS come to mind for articles today. My head was thinking, “TGIF! How about a weekly Happy Hour post featuring seasonal cocktail recipes?” I was getting all toasty just thinking about my favorite Fall beverage: The Hot Apple Pie. But my heart was thinking something entirely different. And I felt pretty warm and toasty thinking about it too… …Despite a genuine desire to get involved and be an agent of change, we’re sometimes discouraged by the magnitude of the worlds’ problems. Personally, I often get so wrapped up in my little world and mini-dramas that I forget the power of the butterfly effect ~ that often a small, good gesture can have potent results. I was delighted yesterday, when my dear friend Sara forwarded me some information about a cause called “CARDS FOR KIDS”. The goal of “CARDS FOR KIDS” is to make and deliver cards, goodies, etc. to children who are in the hospital or living in shelters at holiday time. Their latest drive is for Halloween che