A New Name

So I have move on, yet again to another blog name. You can now find me at kflickstudio.blogspot.com. All of the post from this site have been moved over!

Hope to see you there.

Big Boy Dinner

So my husband turned 30 and jumped out of a plane. In honor of being such a big boy I thought that it would be super cute to do a candy themed birthday dinner. It turned out to be a great way to inexpensively add color to the table and send everyone home with a little something.

The table was set with some great linen homespun, I am obsessed with this and can't seem to pass it by when I see it nicely priced while antiquing. It provided a neutral background for all the colors and food. The plastic army men were a great find a Target. Perfect for the color story and the previous day's events! It took the man a bit to figure it out, but his little brother, who is 7, got it right away.

I used a combination on vintage ball jars, I have them on hand from our wedding, another obsession, and new mason jars. (I love to have these on hand to give gifts, and store food. We are trying to move away from storing in plastic and these are a great and more economical alternative) The flowers were a steal at Wegmans. My first choice would normally not have been roses but the price was right and they played nicely into my color story.

I love it when I arrive at a party and find a little something at my place. But let's face it that really never happens, at least not outside of my dreams. So in honor of this big occasion I decided to go the extra step and make a little goody bag for every guest. Inside they found childhood favorites like candy necklaces, dot candy, lemon heads, and bubble gum. I printed a black and white picture of the birthday boy on packaging labels and tied them to each bag. It was a nice touch that everyone really enjoyed.

We had a great night with friends and family, and the man has enjoyed eating the left overs since his big day.

Jumping from a Plane

My husband decided that for his 30th birthday he wanted to go skydiving. He invited our friend Ben, of Make Things Studio to join him in the adventure. We all piled in the car on Sunday morning and set out on the two hour drive to Skydive Delmarva in Laurel, Delaware.

After waiting for a few hours, the boys finally loaded in the plane without even a wave goodbye... We only had to wait a few minutes before everyone came floating down. It was so nice to see that everyone was making it down safely and such a site to see all the multi colored parachutes fluttering down.

The boys had a great time and each earned their first time jumper certificate. We then all piled back in the card for the long drive home. Fortunately I offered to drive because the boys fell asleep about 5 minutes after we hit the road. It was an exhausting, but great day.

Getting Ready

Now that I have been accepted, with my amazing friends, to all of these prestigious shows I am trying to get all my ducks in a row. Last year, and this winter were great learning experiences. Taking what I learned and being organized enough to implement it might be two different things.

For my wedding I purchased a mini Russell and Hazel, my absolute favorite, binder. It was my center point for everything wedding and small enough to carry around. So I have decided to take the same strategy with my business. I am using the same binder, ordering a few new inserts and making it my information center once again.

Today I'm off to a new jewelry resource in Baltimore, and then home to organize, organize, organize!

Spring has Sprung

It is still early in the Spring but I am so excited that it is finally here. I have already purchased a new pair of flip flops and been able to wear them a few times! This Spring is shaping up to be packed full. I applied to three different craft shows with two of my great friends. We were honored to be accepted at all three and are beginning to build up our inventory.

The first show will be Art Star Craft Bazaar in Philadelphia. This will be May 15th and 16th from 11-6 both days. This will be my second year at the show with Melissa of PaperSatchel.

A week later is Handmade Mart in DC. Sunday, May 23rd from 10am-5pm. Katie, of Churchtown Chapeau Co, and I participated in the holiday version of the show which had some weather challenges. We are hoping that this round is better!

Melissa and I applied to the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn because many of our friends who we met at Art Star last year recommended it to us. We were thrilled beyond belief when we were accepted. This years fair is June 5th & 6th from 11am-7pm.

I will be updating information as I get more.

Happy Spring!

Pretty in Pink

Recently I have been working on a few new products for my line outside of jewelry. Here is a sneak peak of a wallet made from a 1940's era tablecloth. I am really excited about where this project will be going and would love for any suggestions or ideas you might have based on wallets that you have liked or disliked. Thanks!

Baltimore Magazine Spring Fashion

Red Tree, where I work, was asked to design, build and create 8 sets for Baltimore Magazine spring fashion shoot. It was a ton of fun, and reminded me of my years as a Visual Manager with Anthropologie. Below are the images from the shoot as they appear in the magazine.

What a Limo!

I am not really a limo kind of girl. Sure they were fun in high school, and last year when my best friends fiancée surprised her, and a few of her friends, with one to go wedding dress shopping. But it is not something that I wish for in my life, or it was not until I found these...

Buck Horn Limousine in Durango, Colorado is home to these amazing stretch Grand Wagoneers. Oh yes! I have loved these cars, in their original form, for years. We did not require a car service for our wedding, in Telluride, Colorado but now I wish we had. I really wish that there were some interior pictures on their site. It does mention mood lighting, which I think is a bit out of the character of the car. Oh well everything can't be perfect!

New Goods on The Way

I just placed a big supply order and am so excited to receive it. I have taken a small break from my line after stocking up big time for the holidays. Everything is pretty much gone and I am ready to replenish and come up with some new designs.

Be sure to stop by my new shop if you have not already!

Judith & Julia

As with most people I saw the movie Julie & Julia last year and decided that I too wanted to cook from Julia's cookbook. My lovely husband was kind enough to give me Mastering the Art of French Cooking for the holiday's this year. I think that it was 40% a gift for me, and 60% a gift for himself... I thought that I would try the Beef Bourguignon recipe on New Year's Day. A hearty dish that I could put on and have mid afternoon. As it turns out we were out and about on New Year's Day and I never got around to making it. I did make it sometime over the next week and it was scrum-diddly-umcious. One of the serving suggestions is over potatoes, which I hate, or buttered egg noodles, which is a bit to German for my taste. We had some good rustic bread which I toasted. I placed half of the slice in the bottom of the bowl to absorb broth, and the other half I just placed along side to enjoy whenever. We both really liked this serving option as the stew was really heavy enough on its own and did not need a full helping of anything else along with it.

On a side note, I have been taking a lot of pictures recently with my iphone. Mainly because that is what is always with me, and it is really quick and easy to upload them to my computer. I really like the images that are produced, and wanted to mention that all of the photos on the blog recently are iphone photos.

A Cozy Morning

After a fun and low key New Years Eve we returned home around 1:30am, and eventually crawled into bed around 2:30am. While for many this was not a late New Years Eve, it was for us. We slept in really, really, really late and were ready to stay cozy and warm on the overcast Baltimore day.

My husbands Mother and Step Father gave me I Know How To Cook by Ginette Mathiot, the French equivalent of The Joy of Cooking for the holidays. The first page that I opened to was for Pork Rillettes! One of my favorite restaurants in Baltimore makes a version and I love it so I thought why not. While I was enjoying a day off on the 29th I decided to make the recipe and bring it to a few of the parties that we were going to for New Years. It was incredibly easy and super yummy. It is not quite as creamy as the restaurants version, and I found out the hard way is considerably better at room temperature then right out of the fridge. I should have known this, but could not wait.

So we had the first part of our breakfast on New Years Day. Yum, it made waiting for the other dish tolerable.

I did not grow up eating casseroles and have not made many, or possibly any as an adult. The idea of a breakfast one that I could make the night before and them pop in the oven has been on my mind for a while. I did not make it the night before, but it was really easy to make in the morning. I have to tweak the seasonings a bit, but it is a great base for just about anything. It's also a one pot meal, easy to make, and easy to clean up!

In an oven proof pan cook turkey sausage, making sure to break it up really well. Add cubed sourdough bread to pan. Beat 6 to 8 eggs and some milk, probably a little over a cup. Add a dash of salt and pepper, and pour the mixture of the bread and sausage, making sure to push the bread around to absorb the egg. Place the pan in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes. Enjoy! Again, please add more seasoning and veggies or cheese. This will be my base from now on, but the the final product.

Holiday Shopping

The holidays are just around the corner, really they are. Katie, of Chelle Paperie and I will be participating in the Holiday Shop-n-Stroll in Silver Spring, MD on Saturday December 5th from 10am to 3pm. There will be over 50 vendors and lots of goodies for all the gift worthy people in your life. We have big plans for our booth so mark it on your calendar now! Here is a sneak peak at one of the items I will be bringing.

K. Flick Studio & Paper Satchel

Melissa and I participated in our first art show at the end of May. I am horribly tardy posting about it.

We had a fantastic time, the weather could not have been better and our booth was overlooking the Delaware River, and of course New Jersey. Our items ended up working together better than we could have planned, and the weekend was hugely successful. Melissa created soft sculpture, no die, terrariums which were breathtaking, and the hit of the show. All of them were sold my noon on the second day, much to my dismay. {I hope she is hard at working making one for me!} There were also meat grinder lamps, amazing. Gorgeous plaster sculpture lights which she cast and lit, and other found object light sculptures.




Melissa also created the best signs ever for the booth. Making chalk board flags that can be used for almost any event she successfully caught the attention of many passers by. Below are some other shots of the booth.

My jewelry did really well. I made a few custom pieces on the spot, and picked up another wholesale account. It was so nice to share the booth with another artist and have our items compliment the others so well. We hope to apply to more shows next spring and will keep you posted.

Fancy Feet

As I was wondering around my Target the other day I decided to check out the shoe section. In general I am not a Target shoe buyer simply because the ones that I think are acceptable to wear are always sold out in my size, or are exceptionally uncomfortable. But this week was different. While my size was sold out, I miraculously fit into one of the three pairs that they had left. I am definitely not going to be wearing these shoes everyday, but they are a great addition to my summer wardrobe. And at $19.95 even if they are a one season wonder I'm sure I will have gotten my money's worth. Much better than spending a few hundred on a pair that are not a go to shoe!

Quick Brunch

Last weekend we had a small dinner party and two of our guest were in from out of town. The next morning was Easter and we were all off to family functions in the early afternoon. I rose early and made a quick brunch, well breakfast, that was filling and exceptionally easy. The menu was simple, coffee, tea, orange juice, rosemary wrapped bacon, and three cheese frittata. Both recipes were from Donna Hay. If you are not familiar with her, you should be. She is a fantastic food editor and cookbook author from Australia. Her recipes are simple, easy to follow, and fresh. I absolutely adore her and these recipes are small reason why.

{Donna Hay, Three Cheese Frittata}

three cheese fritatta

• 8 eggs
• ¾ cup (185ml) milk
• sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 30g butter
• ¼ cup shredded basil leaves
• 1¼ cups (250g) ricotta, drained
• 1 cup (120g) grated aged chedder
• ½ cup (60g) grated Gruyère
• buttered toast, to serve

Heat a non-stick frying pan with an ovenproof handle over medium heat. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Place the butter in the pan and melt. Pour in the egg mixture and sprinkle over the basil, ricotta, cheddar and Gruyère. Cook for 3–4 minutes or until the frittata is starting to set around the edges. Place the pan under a preheated hot grill (broiler) and cook for 8–10 minutes or until the frittata is set. Serve warm or cold, cut into wedges. Serves 4.


{Donna Hay, Crispy Bacon and Rosemary Ties}

crispy bacon and rosemary ties

• 8 rashers smoked bacon, rind removed
• 8 sprigs rosemary

Preheat oven to 180°C (355°F). Wrap each bacon rasher around a sprig of rosemary and place in a baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Serves 4.

Happy eating!

Woo Hoo!

Today my great friend Melissa and I were notified that we were accepted to be two of the 150 vendors at this springs Art Star Craft Bazaar in Philadelphia at the end of May. We are both thrilled and a bit giddy! This will be the first show for both of us and it is a bit overwhelming, at least for me. Fortunately we are sharing a booth so there will be lots of moral support and laughter! I have oodles of work to do over the next month so wish me luck! Some of my favorite crafters from Baltimore will also be at the show, so if you are in the area, or are looking for an inspirational day trip make sure to pop it on your calendar!

Stair Runner

When we moved into our house at the beginning of January our poor dog had a rough time. The previous owner has recently refinished the floors and they were, and still are very slippery. Porter, our dog, is small, fuzzy and has hair between his toes. The poor guy does not have traction anywhere in our house. He has done alright navigating on the first and second floor but getting between the two has been a doozy! In the beginning we would have to carry his toys up and down because he could not manage both, and in that dark, he would sit at the top of the stairs and cry because he was scared to go down. So sad...

Immediately my husband and I decided that we were going to have to install stair runners a bit sooner than planned. Fortunately I knew exactly what I wanted. For years I have been looking at Dash and Albert rugs. I first came to know them at In Watermelon Sugar in the Hampden area of Baltimore. And last year I was working on a small design project and the client had fallen in love with one of their rugs. So here is the rug that she loved, and now I love and hope to install in our house.

{Dash & Albert Rug, Plain Tin Wool}

The wonderful thing about this company is that most rugs come in a variety of sizes so if you like a pattern in most cases there is going to be a piece that works for you. Also, I find that their prices are extremely reasonable, which is nice because rugs seem to be so expensive! Who knows when we will get around to ordering and installing it, but at lease we are done with the search!

Also, if you have not been and are in the area, I highly recommend visiting In Watermelon Sugar located at 3555 Chestnut Ave. in Hampden. It is one of my favorite stores in Baltimore, Leslie, the owner does a wonderful job with buying and display. Everything in the store makes sense and is always inspirational. This Friday is the First Friday event in Hampden and would be a wonderful time to stop by. Most stores are open late, until about 8-9pm. Many have food and libations and a few might have live music. Just a thought!

A New Home

Recently, my husband and I purchased our first home. After years of living in small apartments, and being separated from many items due to lack of space we are beginning to unearth treasures that we have long since forgotten about. But that is not really what I am writing about today.

For a long time, a really long time, I have been tearing inspirational images out of anything that I could tear them out of. All for the one day when I would own my own home and I could reference these images to create my dream. So now I have all these images, semi organized, depending on when they were collected, and I have started a laundry list of "things I need for my new home". {need being the important word here, I do not really need any of them at this point, need is a word that I freely interchange with want, this is important to know about me} So on my list I have many things from paint colors, and stair runners, to fancy kitchen ranges, and walk in showers.

However there is one very small item, one that I have been excited to purchase from the time that my husband and I became engaged and were becoming a family. It is really very simple, but seems to mean a lot to me for no apparent reason. At the top of my list right now is an address stamp. So I have been on the hunt. I think that I have found some really good choices on etsy and I can't wait to make a decision and order one.

Here is what I have so far...

{from sweetpaperie}

{from rubberstampress}

I still have to weigh in with my significant other on his preference. I think that I am going to continue to look around, just to keep my options open, but hope to make a decision soon.

To be continued...

Open for Business

{Melissa earrings}

After many years of talking about it I have re-launched my etsy store. Please come and visit me at www.kflick.etsy.com. For the time being I have listed a small sampling of the jewelry that I have been making, and selling, for about 6 months. In the future I hope to post more goods such as vintage fabric buttons, tea towels, perhaps a clutch or two, and some floral brooches. And, if you are in the Baltimore area, stop by Red Tree in Hampden to see the jewels first hand.

{Gwen Earrings}

{Alexis Earrings}

Woodland Creature

{deer head from johnnyandstacieon on etsy, and can be yours for $25}

I have a small love of woodland creatures. This love mainly centers around mounted deer heads and antlers. I am not certain where I picked up this fascination, and sometimes I do question it. Sadly, at the present time I do not own any deer 'parts', and leave my obsession to figuring out the best 'parts' to acquire. But please do not dismay, there is a glimmer of hope in the future. There is a coat rack, wall mounted with hooks, that has mounted antlers as its decorative feature and it is headed my way. I have been waiting a while for it, and the wait is not quite over, but I am sure it will be worth it. At any rate, I came across this cute little flocked guy on etsy and think that he will make a great addition to someones home.