Nouvelle Adventure In Cooking

I have had a passion for cooking for quite some time. I love to try new recipes, to peruse the cookbook section of the bookstores, visit kitchen shops and stock my pantry with unusual ingredients. This passion,some years ago, was fueled by the purchase of an AGA. It is a stellar cooking machine. It requires a new approach to cooking as it has no temperature controls. An added bonus living here in MN, is the fact that it is always on, generates a bit of heat, and therefore is a perfect warm-me-up on a cold morning.

This months issue of bon appétit Magazine had an article with recipes for eggs. Go figure, since it is the Easter season.  Joe and I have been following the South Beach diet for some weeks now with eggs for breakfast daily. Needless to say, the repetition is tiresome. The article was timely to us from that perspective and so I tried several of the recipes. Here in lies the crux of my post. Like Julie in the movie Julie and Julia, I have had the inherent fear of tackling certain perceived difficult cooking techniques. Well, this morning I made my very first soufflé. Armed with the magazines advice about using really fresh eggs and the right amount of stiffness to whip the egg whites, I went to task.  Voila, you have my very first souffle!!!!

Craft Group Creations

Our second craft group gathering was held at Rachel's darling cottage chic home last night.
Each hostess decides on the project for the month. Rachel decided that we should use miniature tart pans and little figurines to crate a mixed media piece.


I was at loss for a figurine, so I decided to use my Frozen Charlotte head in a whimsical way. I have saved this little can since living in Ireland. I had the idea to use it as the body. As you can see there is my version of the miniature tart pan, a large bottle cap for the base. This I covered with decorative card stock.  I glued two wooden disks under the tin to provide a solid base and covered the bottom rim with decorative trim. I drilled holes for the two arms and attached them with brads. Attached to one arm is the tinniest of glass bottles with a few stars inside. The head was mounted inside a red bottle cap. I  gave her a necklace of rhinestones. Her hat is my favorite part. It is a tiny tea pot charm tied with a bow. This, to me gives it that fantastical feel you get from Alice in Wonderland type adventure.

The second project involved a small cardboard box. Here we painted the box and covered it with decorative card stock and ribbons or trims. Kate offered me this darling little feathered chick to mount on the top.

Our first craft group meeting was held in my studio last night. We decided to host the meetings once a month at each others homes. The hostess for the evening chooses the craft to be made by the group based upon their particular skill or interest.

I thought it would be fun to use my Character Construction stamps(www.characterconstructions.com) to make paper dolls. I was curious to see how each would embellish their doll. The concept is to learn from each other by sharing ideas, tips and techniques....while having fun of course.  Our first group consisted of six talented ladies in various craft mediums.

Poised for a working photo

My finished doll

I baked and decorated Valentine's day themed cupcakes for refreshments and time to get to know each other over a cup of tea.

Where I Create

There are times in your life when you meet someone with whom you feel a real connection. If you read my last post about my roommate in Brazil, Kristie, she is one of those folks.

A few years ago I decided to nurture a passion I felt for creating. There was a large unfinished room in my basement that was just right for an art studio.  With some money that my Dad left me, We turned that space into a really great space for crafting. 

Having this great space I had a desire to share that space with other crafters. I looked onEtsy for crafters that lived in Woodbury. Of those I sent an e-mail to, only one replied, Rachel.

We set a time to meet at a coffee shop... and that launched our friendship. We found we had many interests in common.

This Friday, after about two years, Rachel and I will finally bring to fruition our desire to get a craft group together. We decided to host each monthly meeting at one of the group member's home. We thought it would be fun to have each host plan a craft project for the evening that highlighted their particular talent and to instruct the group. 

This is the sitting area that faces the fireplace

This is where I keep my fabric and sewing supplies

This is the table that my husband Joe made. It now is used for sewing, book making  and cutting paper.

Here is my computer station where I opereate my Etsy shop.

This is my Belfast sink. Here is where paint brushes get washout. 

Here is the Island.
You can see the storage closets and shelves in the background.
Joe laid the tile floor.

Another view of the island.
I like to stand when I work. It is a good hight and size for stamping, painting, etc.

This Friday we will be at my home. I decided to use my Character Construction stamps( www.characterconstructions.com) to create a paper doll.

Here is one of the dolls that I made with a set of the stamps.

Can’t wait to see everyone’s talent and to send you the photos of our creations.Where I create

International Honor

I am the granddaughter of Italian immigrants to the USA.  Visiting them, where Italian was spoken,Old World cooking and traditions were kept, instilled in me a pride in my heritage. Unfortunately, our family lost our Italian language in one generation. I have always felt a loss over this. My father spent 30 years in the Navy. There wasn’t a place on earth that he could not tell you where it was.  I never was a great speller, but if you put me in a geography bee, I would be the last one standing. I’m sure these early influences in my life fostered an intense interest in European culture and a quest to be bilingual.I have to say that I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunities to travel. Being a tourist has not satisfied my quest to experience the cultures at first hand.

In 2002-04 and in the summer of 05 I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work in my field of Speech Language Pathology at The National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire,Co.Dublin,Ireland. Here for the first time, I got to live a European life style. 

I learned small space management, living without a car, walking, taking buses, and trains to get to my destinations. And, yes that involved buying a Target Dry wet suit to wait for the bus in the legendary Irish rain. I worked with brain injured patients on the locked behavioral unit. I loved every minute of it. Walking to the village butcher, flower shop and vegetable shop were highlights of my week. The people were so very welcoming too. I was frequently welcomed in their homes in a way that we here in the US can not rival.  

Here is a journal entry form my time in Ireland. Opened the journal and there was my ticket to see Paul McCartney

Approximately 4 years ago I received my first invitation to represent my field of Speech Pathology as a diplomat with the People to People Ambassadors program. I was humbled and honored. I wondered if my experience working in Ireland had not in some way influenced my selection. Well, financially, it was a large commitment. 

I have for some time wanted to do something humanitarian in my field. I signed up for Doctors Without Boarders years ago. Difficult to offer aid in my profession without a through knowledge of a foreign language. I started taking French ( as I loved France and I never could read those French passages inserted in my novels).

Well this past year, I finally took the plunge and accepted going on a Speech Pathology Delegation to Brazil. I was paired with a roommate that was so fortuitous. Kirstie, from Oregon. She was amazing!!! She spoke French fluently. She served two years in a French speaking nation in Africa. She had taught high school French. Here was a Speech Language Pathologist who had international humanitarian experience and, lest I say it again, spoke French. We vowed to see each other again, spend time in France and work on a humanitarian project.

Here I am in Rio, 

Beautiful Rio

Saturday’s mail brought yet another surprise to me. It goes something like this...

You were selected as a top Speech Language Therapist in Saint Paul, MN by the International Association of Healthcare Professionals. The Association spotlights professionals that have demonstrated success and leadership in their profession. It provides an opportunity to network, collaborate and share information with other medical professionals from around the globe.

Again, was I selected because of my international experience? I don’t know. But, given the chance, I would love nothing more than to have a collaboration in an international/ cultural capacity. 

 All along the way, I have journaled my experiences.  Some entries are in the lovely handmade journals featured in my Etsy shop at: valburgesscollage.etsy.com

Hand finished wood journal cover with Coptic binding

Japanese rice paper covered book-board

Anticipating Spring

Well, Old Man Winter gave us a bit of a reprieve for a few weeks. But he has finally awakened and we here in MN are gripped in his grasp of snow and cold. This usually lends itself to nesting by the fireplace, fixing some hot chocolate, and dreaming of a time when we once again can get back to the out-of- doors. The garden industry knows how to capture our attention with glossy catalogs of the newest and best perennials, bulbs and vegetable garden seeds. I must admit to idling away a Sunday afternoon dreaming of what exotic vegetable to plant and how to add color to the garden. Invariably I am drawn to my library of garden books collected over the years to revisit classic garden design, English cottage garden design, and my favorite, herbal garden design.

On holiday I will frequently add to the itinerary a visit to one of these classic gardens. 

By far the most outstanding garden that I have visited is Chateau Villandry.  www.chateauvillandry.fr   I will share with you at this point just a few of the outstanding vistas in le chateau jardins. 

One of the techniques I employ when gardening is to keep a garden journal. When I visit gardens I record items that capture my interest. When planning a garden I draw my plot with plants listed in position in the plot. Another, helpful strategy is to list the plants names when you bring them home from the nursery or from your seed packets.

Below, is one of the beautiful coptic bound blank journals that you can find in my shop at :valburgesscollage.etsy.com

This journal has acid free paper which has been hand torn to give it a lovely natural decal style edge.

Series 2 in the Holiday Workshop. 

Attending the Christmas Workshop was a bit of a whim for me. I had designated 2011 to going on a People To People trip to Brazil as an Ambassador for Speech Language Pathology. This was one of those events on my Bucket List. I wanted to do something humanitarian in my field. Needless to say it was a very expensive trip. Budget wise there were no more trips planned for 2011. However, upon my return from Brazil in August, I was seeing posts on my Facebook that the group with whom I had attended Ann’a Collage workshop in 2010 had not yet gone. Additionally, this year they were going to what looked like a luxurious chateau. My loving husband, alway the pragmatist, gave me the rationale that put the plan to attend in action. A frequent flyer airline ticket  sealed the plan. 

Well, little did I know that when I arrived, the curriculum involved sewing workshops. 

2010 saw me purchase a basic Singer sewing machine with birthday money given to me by my mother-in-law ( who is an excellent quilter).  Seeing strait line stitching and non-concentric circles s on gift tags and vintage book pages in issues of Somerset Magazine, I thought, “ I think I can do that”. This was the extent of my sewing upon entering this worksop.

Under Roz’s (our instructor) tutelage, I endeavored to muster up the courage to actually produce a sewn product. I labored all of at least one day to produce a number of these delightful lavender sachets. I also made a Christmas stocking ( not fit for showing ).

I must say, like any class, there were others with significantly more sewing experience. Their creations were truly inspiring, some of which are featured above!

                        Here is one of my lavender sachets made with vintage French linen fabric and lace.

Using this motivation, I came home with an interest in incorporating more sewing in my creations. This week I created a sewn paper bag photo album.  

                     You can find this Valentine’s offering in my Etsy shop:valburgesscollage.etsy.com

One thing that happens when you buy yards of material, you can make multiple items.

I had the idea to offer a kit so that others who like to craft and sew can make their own. This needless to say, involved preparation of a PDF for instructions for completing the book kit.  The kit includes the majority of materials to reproduce the je t’aime photo album.

If you want to use your own materials, I’m offering the PDF instructions and materials list separately.

These two items are also available at: valburgesscollage.etsy.com