Splendid, you are here! I'm Michele. This is my blog about food, things handmade, and daily inspirations!
Please don't hesitate to say hello!
Last Sunday was when we brought our newest addition home. She is very tiny, (probably only about 7 weeks) but has instantly won a big place in our hearts. Even though baby kittens require special care, our little one has been through a lot in just one week of being away from the shelter. She spent all of Monday night sneezing next to us in bed, and looked at us in the morning with a gooey nose and an expression that brings tears. Stephen took off of work to bring her to the vet, and I am so thankful he did. We found out that instead of being 8 weeks old (like the shelter said) she was probably only about 6. The vet identified the sneezing as part of an upper respiratory infection, and also discovered a parasite lurking inside of her and fleas that were giving her anemia. As heart breaking as all of this is, we were lucky to find out that she tested negative for FELV and FIV, which means she is treatable. She received two shots for the infection, medicine for the parasite, high calorie food, vitamins, and was given a flea treatment. We’ve been taking very special care of her to nurse her back to health, desperately hoping that she receives a clean bill of health when we go back for the recovery check up in a week.
We are in better spirits now than we were a few days ago. The sneezing is gone, she’s eating, and seems more playful. She is sleeping a lot, but don’t we all when our bodies are fighting hard? She a wonderful cuddle buddy, and likes to sleep on top of her mamma and daddy.
Since taking care of her has been the priority, getting nice shots of her hasn’t been so easy. However, I did manage to capture this funny face on my iPhone!
Gift for little sister via CraftedwithZeal
Mousepad for new desk via Zazzle
Graduation gift from the boy via Felted by Rickke
Graduation gift #2 from the boy via iammie
Life is good! School is over, I have a wonderful new job, and I’ve had some free time for the first time in months. What have I been doing with myself? Gawking at things online of course. I’ve been excitedly looking for fun little items for my new desk, while also looking for some nice work outfits. Stephen was also kind enough to buy me two new miniatures for my collection! Pictures of that soon to come!
Happy Weekend!
So Stephen and I have built a strong relationship with our neighbors’ outside cat. Her name is Whompus and she is the biggest sweetheart. Every night, she usually spends 1-3 hours in our apartment where she is cuddled, given food, water, and lots of love. Last night she was curled up in her usual spot on top of the couch while Stephen was playing video games and I was in the bedroom working. After some time went by, Stephen came to me asking where she had disappeared to. After not much searching we found her…
I had been doing laundry and left the door open with some clothes still inside waiting to be folded. How could this warm place not be cozy for a kitty? Luckily I managed to grab my camera and snap a few shots amidst all the laugher.
My bookmaking class is by far the best art class I have ever taken in all my years of schooling. It’s like arts and crafts time except a little more sophisticated. We’ve been learning book binding techniques that have been around for hundreds of years and how they are used in today’s modern practices. (Does it make me feel privileged?) Why, yes it does! It’s almost as if I am being let in on a huge secret.
We’ve also learned how to make decorated papers, sketchbooks, and marbled paper! I feel incredibly lucky to be soaking up all this knowledge and I can see that creative possibilities are endless!
Later on in the semester we will delve into more advanced practices and start using a letterpress! But for now, I thought I’d share a bit of my homework. Our assignment was to create a blank book using the Japanese style of stab binding. I made a little booklet for jotting down recipes.
It’s refreshing to have a class where I always leave feeling inspired and excited about art making. I feel like I haven’t felt that way in a while. Paper crafts have quickly become my favorite art form!
***Also, I am making a vow to take better photos of projects in future posts.
1. The new stamp I purchased from Skull&Crossbuns’ Etsy :)
2. Paper cut cards
3. Breathtaking paper installations
4. This image! Stephen showed me this and I couldn’t stop laughing. I think it’s Emma Watson.
5. OneSheepishGirl’s Valentine’s Day crochet project!
6. Terrariums! Making one of these babies is on my to do list.
Happy Weekend!
A strawberry cake in the middle of winter? Usually strawberry desserts are made in the summer, but that all goes out the window when strawberries are on sale at the store! Also, berry anything makes my mouth water.
I followed SmittenKitchen’s Raspberry Buttermilk recipe, but substituted raspberries with strawberries and buttermilk with a mixture of heavy/skim milk. A strange combo I know… however, buttermilk expires pretty quickly and my nearly untouched supply went bad ages ago. My cake came out great anyway! As much as I hate to admit it, this cake was gone the very next day after its creation. That’s a success in my book!
