a little bit me

May 4, 2013 · 10:14 am

My New Obsession – Tophatter

I have found a new obsession – outside of my crafting; however it ties directly into my crafting! Tophatter!! Have you checked it out yet?

Tophatter is the world’s most entertaining live auction site featuring gorgeous items at exclusive prices. It’s also an AMAZING place to find all of your crafting – jewelry, fabric, paper, etc. needs.

Tophatter is the world’s most entertaining live auction site featuring gorgeous items at exclusive prices.

This is a place where not only I’ve met an amazing group out people (shout out to the Angels!) but a place where I feel welcomed. People from all over, all over the world, come to this pretty new start up auction site to chat, sell, and buy awesome goods – from handmade items, supplies for those handmade items, brand name items, and more! They have featured auctions which run every day through the main Tophatter folks and community auctions that are put on by sellers directly in the marketplace and a part of community.

According to the Tophatter website - Tophatter is the world’s most entertaining live marketplace. We conduct live online auctions every day where buyers can interact, chat & bid on items in a wide variety of categories. Tophatter members can customize their avatars in our live auction rooms and connect directly with other members in real time. Tophatter is based in Palo Alto, CA and is backed by leading Silicon Valley venture capital firms.

As I mentioned above, I have met an awesome group of folks through Community Auctions. Don’t just check out Tophatter the website – http://www.saintsbeadboutique.com – where you can meet some of these awesome folks but more importantly check out the online auction events that are put on by this team of awesome folks.

Saints has the greatest mascot as well – her beloved St. Bernard, Harley David.

I’m also a featured pinner (love pinterest) for Tophatter so check out my Pinterest board too for my great finds

So in the end – I encourage you to check out Tophatter and if you haven’t already….

Click here to accept the invitation.

And don’t forget to check out – www.saintsbeadboutique.com

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Filed under Creative Stuff, Home

Tagged as Auction, Saints, Shopping, Tophatter

April 12, 2013 · 2:50 am

National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

April 12, 2013 is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

It’s National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day! Although it only requires three ingredients (bread, cheese, and butter), grilled cheese is one of the most popular comfort foods in the world. Send a free eCard for National Grilled Cheese Day to spread the word about this holiday!

The Ancient Romans were the first civilization to make a cooked bread and cheese sandwich, but many cultures have invented their own take on this ancient dish. In France, people enjoy Croque Monsieur (a grilled ham and cheese sandwich) while in Switzerland it is customary to melt the cheese and toast the bread separately before combining them. The classic American grilled cheese sandwich emerged in the 1920s when inexpensive cheese and affordable sliced bread became available. It is now a staple in cafés, diners, and school cafeterias across the country.

To celebrate National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day, enjoy a grilled cheese sandwich cooked your favorite way and served with a side of tomato soup!

My favorite drilled cheese recipe is from the Food Network:

Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
8 slices potato sandwich bread
8 ounces sliced Cheddar cheese
8 slices crisply cooked bacon
4 scallions, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 inch pieces
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375degreesF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

2. Butter one side of each piece of bread. Place 4 slices, buttered-side down, on prepared baking sheet. Layer half of cheese slices on bread followed by bacon and scallions. Place remaining cheese slices on top. Cover each sandwich with remaining 4 slices of bread, buttered side up.

3. Bake sandwiches until bottoms are a toasted golden brown, about 10 minutes. Flip and continue to bake until cheese melts and other side is toasted, 8 to 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Info (per serving):
Calories: 675

Total Fat: 45 grams

Saturated Fat: 25 grams

Total Carbohydrate: 42 grams

Protein: 26 grams

Sodium: 1072 milligrams

Cholesterol: 123 milligrams

Fiber: 2 grams

What’s your favorite way to make a grilled cheese?

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Filed under Recipes, Recipes - Main Meals, Recipes - Weekend Warriors

Tagged as bacon, bake, cheese, Cheese sandwich, Cook, dinner, Food, Food Network, grilled cheese, Recipe

April 2, 2013 · 4:24 pm

BFDR Needs our Help!

I’m writing this post because of my absolute need to help all furry animals out there who are sick and/or don’t have homes; those furry friends who have been hurt and abandoned by others. One of my favorite rescue groups – Big Fluffy Dogs Rescue desperately needs all of our help. Every little bit helps. I hope you can find it in your heart to help out even if it’s just a little. It all adds up.

This was written by one of the moderators of the Big Fluffy Dog Rescue Group and I’m just passing it along in hopes that more people will see it and help. They did not ask me to pass this along – this is me passing it to you on my own.

Big Fluffy Dog Rescue is a non profit rescue and you will be able to print a donation receipt for taxes. You can check them out here - http://www.bigfluffydogs.com

Fans, we need help again. This rescue gets an A+ in giant heart for dogs, but it gets an F- in timing as we have no business taking on a massive case right now. Since we don’t listen to reason, we have six dogs coming now from a God-awful hoarding case in Mullins South Carolina, that are lovely, sweet scared Great Pyrenees mixes. Ordinarily, not a big deal. However, all six of these of these dogs are seriously heartworm positive and need immediate treatment. The picture below is where they came from and it’s just lovely of course.

We are facing $3000 for the heartworm treatments for these dogs alone. Add to it, the geniuses in our pharmaceutical industry have manufactured a shortage of a baseline drug used to treat it so that what cost $4 for a month’s work of doxycycline now costs $200 and you have a very expensive endeavor. I am sure they are congratulating themselves on their ability to make serious money on a generic drug, but I digress. Then tack on the boarding of these dogs since we have no room anywhere. If you want to know how to make me hyperventilate, call me and tell me we have six heartworm positive dogs due for treatment immediately. This is all on top of last week’s $6000 shelter dog rescue from starvation event with Warren County and we are very poor now. These are the days when I wish we rescued only healthy happy animals. I’m sure they exist. Right next to the unicorns at the shelter.

If you would like to donate, you can do it here: http://bigfluffydogs.com/pay-online.php. If you would like to foster any of these dogs or others, email jean@bigfluffydogs.com (or katia@bigfluffydogs.com in New England or melissa@bigfluffydogs.com in Chicago/IL). Thanks.

Foster homes help retrain dogs (toledoblade.com)
Sabo needs a super home (critters.blogs.starnewsonline.com)
Heartworm Myths and Facts (agentlevet.wordpress.com)

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Filed under Furry Friends

Tagged as big fluffy dogs, Dog, dogs, donation, Family, foster, Great Pyrenees, help, Pet, rescue, Rescues and Shelters, tax deductible

April 1, 2013 · 2:47 am

April Fools’ Day

April Fools’ Day.

April 1, 2013 is April Fools’ Day

Today is April Fools’ Day! Beware of practical jokes, pranks, and tricks! Although it’s been celebrated for hundreds of years, no one really knows how the tradition of April Fools’ Day began. According to one theory, when France officially adopted the Roman calendar in the 1500s many rural communities continued to celebrate New Year’s Day in April. The people in these small villages became known as the “April fools.”

There are many famous (and infamous) April Fools’ Day jokes. In 1957, the BBC ran a very successful fake documentary that explained to viewers how spaghetti is grown on spaghetti trees. Many people actually believed it! In 1996, the Taco Bell Corporation took out full-page ads in six major newspapers announcing that it had purchased the Liberty Bell. Hundreds of enraged citizens called to protest the newly named “Taco Liberty Bell.” The company waited a few hours before admitting that it was a practical joke.

To celebrate April Fools’ Day, send a free April Fools’ Day eCard, play a trick on someone you know, and watch out for pranks played on you!

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March 14, 2013 · 1:12 pm

HB621/SB865 would regulate pit bulls in Tennessee

Reblogged from Bless the Bullys:

Amendments to bills currently pending in the Tennessee House and Senate would regulate the ownership of and automatically label “pit bulls” as vicious dogs at the state level. House Bill 621 is sponsored by Representative Gilmore, and Senate Bill 865 is sponsored by Senator Tate, and proposed amendments to those bills came to light earlier this week. Please note, the addition of the breed specific language is a…

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February 25, 2013 · 9:43 pm

Friendship Bracelet – Love

Finally – I was able to create something worthy of blogging. I can’t take 100% credit for this bracelet as the design came from Prima Bead but I loved it so much I had to make it. As I was making it – the millions of other creations using this basic design flooded me! I’m so excited.

Here is a little bit on how I created this bracelet.

Tools Used:

Round Nose Pliers
Bent Nose Pliers
Scissors
Ruler

Materials Used:

Suede Cord
4mm Jump Rings, 4
Cord Ends, 4
Silver Plated Heart Toggle
Love Charm Connector
Heart Charm Connector
GS Hypo Cement

Basic Instructions:

Cut 4 lengths of cord measuring 2.5 inches each for about a 7 1/4 inch bracelet.
Taking a pair of cords attach a cord end to each of the set of ends. Repeat for the other pair. I like to use a little bit of the GS Hypo Cement when attaching the cord ends to the cords.
Attach a jump ring to one end of both cord.
Attach a part of the toggle closure to the jump ring.
Attach a jump ring to gather the love connector and the heart connector to a set of cords.
Repeat for the other end of the connector and set of cords.
Voila – Bracelet created!

What do you think? Do you like it? There are endless possibilities with this simple design and I’m very excited!! Can’t you tell??