St Charles

Deb has spent the week here in California since we had two teaching events here; one last weekend in Fresno and another in Brentwood, up in Northern Calif.  We have been busy this week working on another kit for the Etsy shop for next month.  We'll have some more information about that later next week (and yes Robin, you are already on the list). 

I wanted to do one last post on my St Louis trip to tie up some loose ends.  One of our readers left a comment for me to put St Charles on my short list of places to visit while on my trip.  I did (thank you very much) and my sister and I took the short drive across the river.  The weather was beautiful and the historic downtown quite lovely.  I am not really sure why I did not take many pictures.  Oh yes, now I remember...I forgot my camera!  My sister got a few of the streets and sidewalks, all brick.  I have never had such a bouncy ride as driving down the main street (and I thought Camp Bowie in Ft Worth was bad, not even).

We did find a lovely store called Rock, Paper, Scissors right on the main street that had beautiful paper, stationery and many rubber stamps.

After our visit to Rock, Paper, Scissors we headed down the main street on foot (I wish I would have worn good walking shoes!)  and had lunch at this cute restaurant.

After lunch, we headed out for more site seeing along the street and a view of the Missouri River just beyond the town. 

We just couldn't have asked for better weather!

Now just one final note on St Louis before I sign off for tonight.
I went to St Louis for a reason.. and it had nothing whatsoever to do with shopping or site seeing.
My Nephew Adam was getting married.
I thought I'd share this photo of him that I took back in 2005 in Brazil just across the border from Uruguay.  By far my favorite photo from the entire 2 week trip traipsing from Natal in north to Jaguarao the south.
Love this photo.
Old world meets new world.
Texan meets Gaucho.
Adam had yet to see a real Gaucho so this was a perfect moment in time, finding this young man walking on the street.  My husband (who speaks Portuguese) asked if we could take his picture and he was so nice to let us. 

You have to know that after this picture was taken we drove directly to back to the city and he used all his souvenir money to purchase a matching outfit, right down to the boots.

And now today...graduated from college, on to graduate school.
So proud of you Adam.

As many of you may know, Blogger was having technical difficulties from Wed to sometime on Friday so I was unable to post before Deb and I had to leave for Fresno on Friday morning.  I have to hand it to my husband for always coming through with a post for me once Blogger was back up and running.  I admit we are all crazy for Brazilian BBQ around our house.  It's a super fun way to BBQ for parties too.  I know it may seem strange to BBQ using only rock salt but the taste in the end is fabulous and our friends and family love it.  In fact we talked about a Memorial day gathering tonight and that's what everyone decided on (who knows, maybe it was the post talking).

So on to the post that should have gone up Friday. 

I am a big stamper...always have been.  Even thought I use A LOT of clear stamps, my heart will always lie with red rubber stamps.  The image a red rubber stamp gives is always superior to clear stamps yet we all know that clear stamps are much easier to use since you can see exactly where you are stamping.  That fact does not deter me in buying red rubber...I guess for me it's more about the strong image than ease of use.
On the trip to St Louis I was able to buy a few stamps to add to my collection.  Most were red rubber that are not mounted on wood, but with a cling mount.  The challenge for some may be, "How do I store them once I get them home and out of the package?"   
I'll show you how I do it (I am quite sure there are many great ideas out there for stamp storage, but this one works for me).  Easy, cheap and accessible is the name of the game here.

I got some great stamps at Red Lead, all cling mounted.  When I got home I peeled off the backing paper that protects the static cling cushion.  Now the stamp is ready to be temporarily mounted on the acrylic block.

This stamp happens to be one of Red Lead's custom photo stamps - Dottie and Debbie. 

Here is the stamp inked up.

And here it is stamped on a piece of cardstock...amazing right?
When I get a new stamp I always stamp the image on  a piece of cardstock so I can see what it really looks like and also to have a sample I can keep for reference.

 Here is another stamp I bought - Artist Trading Card Pixie (2 1/2 x 3 1/2")

 And the final image.

I use the Tim Holtz Unmounted stamp pocket refill pages to store my stamps.  Each page is 7 x 8 1/2" and made from a heavy plastic.  Each refill page is also a pocket.
I take the image that came with the stamp and tape it to the INSIDE of the pocket so I always know what stamp goes in that space.  Then I secure the stamp over that image.  The image that I stamped on the tag goes inside the pocket so I always have a reference. 

 Just like this...

I also bought this cute phone stamp from Unity/Websters pages.  It's called an Itty Bitty stamp but it's not that small (2 x 3")

Again, I cut up the packaging to get the image and adhered it to the inside of the pocket.

 Love this Statement rubber stamp from Red Lead (4 x 5") - worn polka dot.

 Both stamped images go into the pocket for reference.

 Another Statement stamp (4 x 5") - Musical Background stamp from Red Lead.

Once I have my new stamps ready to go.  I make stacks of pages (5 pocket pages come in one pack for $2.79) and bind them with black rubber binding rings from 7gypsies.  As you can see the pocket refill pages are the same exact size as the Stampers Anonymous stamp sets so I can combine these sets with the page I put together myself.

As for my mounted red rubber stamps...I store some in drawers and many that I use frequently are out where I can see them in a shelf unit my husband made me and I painted.  It is super shallow and fits on the unused wall behind the door in my work room.  This collection rotates in and out depending on what I am into at the moment or the season.  I have already asked for a second shelf unit that can be installed under this one.  No movement on that request as of yet though.

Well I hope this give you some ideas to get your stamps out and organized for very little money.  I know if I can see my stamps and get to them easily I am more apt to use them.
cheers!
paula

Hijacked....

Yep, Paula and Debbie are off in Fresno, CA teaching this weekend so I thought I'd hijack the blog and do another post.  This is where I have to confess that I had an entire post written and just deleted it because it was nothing more than me on my soapbox ranting about BBQ.  So I decided to implement the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle, and write another post.  It's still about BBQ but with less ranting.

One of my very favorite styles of BBQ is Brazilian style.  In Brazil, and Portuguese for that matter, it's called churrasco [pronounced shoo-HA-scoe].  Without getting into a history lesson, let's suffice to say that the Brazilian cowboys (gauchos) started the tradition of putting big slabs of meat on, what amount to big skewers and roast them over an open fire. 
 

Brazilian BBQ restaurants, called Churrascarias, are sprouting up all over the USA and maybe many of you have been to one of them.  If you get a chance, go.  It is a carnivore's paradise, and there's plenty for those that don't eat meat as well.  If you're not familiar, you start by loading your plate up at a very well appointed salad bar/buffet type of self serve station.  It's not uncommon to have 20-30 dishes, hot and cold, to choose from.  Make sure you get the traditional rice and beans.  Most of the restaurants offer a price for the buffet bar only, which is plenty of food.  But that's not why I go to a churrascaria, it's all about the meat.

Personally, my trip to the buffet is to get rice and beans and then back to the table.  This is when the fun starts.  Servers, often dressed in traditional Gaucho costume, commence a parade of meat.  Each one with a giant skewer with one of the 10-15 types of meats you'll be offered.  If you would like some, they'll cut off as much as you want and move on.  CAUTION! Don't take too much of any one type to begin, you'll want to sample them all.  As you dive into the perfectly roasted and seasoned meats, the parade of meat continues.  Pace yourself.  CAUTION #2: Don't get more than 2 or 3 types of meat at any one time or they'll pile up and get cold before you get to them all.

I've been to Brazilian BBQ restaurants (churrascarias) all over the USA and throughout Brazil.  Most are very good, a few I'd never visit again, and a couple have been SPECTACULAR.  One, was in the Plaza Sao Rafael Hotel in Porto Alegre in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.  This is in southern Brazil and is where this style of BBQ originated.  I ate there 26 years ago and I don't know if it even exists any more but the flavors are emblazoned in my brain.  The very best has locations in Brazil and the USA.  It is called Fogo de Chao (fire in the floor).  I ate at the Beverly Hills location but I'm sure their other locations are as fabulous. 

If you've never been to a Brazilian steakhouse, search one out, most major cities in the USA have one.  Go with a group of friends and you'll enjoy the experience even more.

If you'd like to have a Brazilian BBQ in your own backyard, let me give you some tips.  It's pretty simple and the internet is full of recipes and suggestions. But, this what I do.
 
Here's what's different about basic Brazilian BBQ.


1) The traditional seasoning on beef is VERY simple...salt.  That's it.  In fact to be more specific ROCK SALT.  Yep, that same rock salt you use in your hand-crank, homemade ice cream maker.

2) I then cut the meat it to equal size and chunks (about the size of a softball) place them on big skewers, okay they look like swords, that I bought in Brazil. Roast them over hot coals, turning frequently.

 There you go, it's that simple.  You'll notice that I've added some linguiça and pineapple for this particular churrasco.  It's common to have skewers with chicken thighs, pork loin, all sorts of cuts of beef and even lamb.  There is a classic traditional Brazilian staple that I don't include, ever.  First, they are hard to find and second I don't like them, and that is chicken hearts.









ENJOY!  Let me know your favorite Brazilian steakhouse and if you want to try it at home, I'd be willing to give you some tips.

Thanks for letting me hijack the blog again.   Paula will be back with her promised post on Monday probably.

Red Lead inspiration

I actually visited Red Lead twice while I was in St Louis.  Once with my sister during the week and again on Sat to meet some of the ladies that were in the store for a make and take.  Chris and Sharon were welcoming and super enthusiastic about everything altered.  The store was just how I imagined it would be; full of charms and treasures, tons of alterable surfaces, custom rubber stamps (just what I was looking for), as well as a ton of inspiration for a girl like me.

see all the white bags hanging on the wall?  All custom rubber stamps made by Chris and Sharon.

Trinkets, trinkets...

and more trinkets, I love it!

lots of 7gypies bottles, labels, tags, paper packs and tissue.

do you not love this lamp shade made with old baby shoes?

As you walk to the back of Red Lead there is a stairway down to the classroom area.   Wish I had that room for my everyday creative space.  Flooded with light from the windows on the left, it is the perfect space to find your creative mojo...all I would need to add was some good music and I'd be set.

I brought a couple of my journals and the blog samples from the past few months to share.  We talked about what you do when your on a design team and the ladies asked some questions about 7gypies products.  At the end I asked if anyone had any questions and a very nice lady said, "Do you know Tim Holtz?"  I said I did and that he was a very nice man.  It is my one claim to fame...I know Tim Holtz! :)

I love all the boxes lined up on the back wall with old cameras, clocks, books and such. What a great way to fill up a big wall.  Makes me want to rethink a few walls in my house.

A surprise was waiting for me in the classroom.  It was my friend Lesley from California.  I first met Lesley at Gypsy Caravan a few years back and we continue to visit each year at the trade show.  When I saw her at CHA in January she told me she was moving to Missouri so I didn't know if we would meet up ever again.  Well, guess who stopped by to say "hi". 

thanks Sharon for the photo!

 Chris and Sharon gave me a fabulous gift for stopping by on Sat which was not necessary but very, very nice.  It was tied with beautiful hand dyed seam binding and inside was a couple more custom cling mount rubber stamps to add to the ones I purchased when I visited the store with my sister earlier in the week, as well as 4 tiny custom wood block stamps, trinkets and the fabulous patina metal swallows and disks that I totally missed on the first trip through.  I feel some creative time may be necessary in the near future!

As we were leaving we stopped to watch a local artist paint a street scene of the block that Red Lead sits on.  We chatted away for a few minutes and then found our way back to the car passing other artists along the way. 

 What a beautiful morning.

 Thanks again Chris and Sharon!

Lets Start at the End

Bet you thought we fell off the face of the earth...we didn't, but travel has cut into the blog schedule.  I thought about blogging from St Louis but then I decided the trip was about family time and that just didn't include blogging (it always takes longer than you ever expect when sitting down to write).    Anyway, the trip was great...I have lots to share, the visit to Red Lead (fabulous), historic St Charles, and some other fun shops.  

I have to start at the end of the trip and the visit to the St Louis Arch.  I have visited many monuments from Washington to Rio and the arch stands up to my personal litmus test.  Which is, "when you walk up to the monument does it take your breath away".  
It does.

A visit to the downtown waterfront park was on my short list of things to see in St Louis.  I wish I would have known to bring a blanket so my husband and I could lay on the grassy hill in the shadow of the arch and watch the clouds go by.  

The weather was warm, the clouds were moving fast, children were running and laughing, a bride was having her photo taken, a school group with bright yellow t-shirts crossed the lawn. 

All in the shadow of the arch.

We took the ride to the top in a pod of sorts (not too good for anyone who is claustrophobic) since there are no windows to see where your going. 
But the view when you get there...fabulous.

It was a great day at the park and the perfect end to a week in St Louis.