Clare Davis Etheridge

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I nearly popped with excitement when I managed to secure my ticket this morning at 11.06am, for the Altitude Summit to be held in New York City in June. The Alt Summit is a bloggers conference which concentrates on design and lifestyle blogs and bloggers.
Tickets went on sale at 11am and yes, I set my alarm, but goodness knows why as I spent all morning watching the clock in butterfly anticipation.
I was on the website before 11 and as soon as the ‘registration’ blue button popped up, I clicked. All I got was the spinning wheel of doom.

Error message. Error message. The system crashed twice in the short time I was on there. Error message.

I assume the system was bombarded by equally enthusiastic bloggers ready to stick out our elbows, barge onto the registration system and may the best person win.

After a killer 6 minutes, I got the form up. Fill it in quick but accurately I was thinking. I didn’t want to get o the bottom and have been too late. Type type type. Check check check.
‘You are not connected to the Internet’ flashed before me. I nearly had a heart attack. By the time the Internet gets itself back up off the soggy ground, I might have lost out. There might not be any tickets left. Come on. Come on.

As I was having a nice little panic, I got an email with the magic words ‘you are registered’. In fact it said ‘Yay’ and ‘Go you!’. What a nice registration system. My little computer must have gone for a coffee break after everything had already gone through, authorized and done it’s thing. Phew.

So, now I am super excited to visit New York again and see some wonderful friends who live there. I will fill my head, my notebook (yes, I still write things down in an actual old fashioned notebook!) and my camera with new ideas and new friends at Alt Summit NYC 2013.
In equal measure I am super terrified as I am not the worlds most confident person and I going by myself and I know no-one at all at the conference. I am sure that will change on or before June 20th.

When I went back to the website an hour later, it was sold out. I wonder how long it took to sell out?! All tickets gone, in 45 minutes.

I am not scared of Little Miss Scary, so I am not scared of this new adventure……little bit……

February Photo a Day 2013

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

Another month of daily photos complete! I must say, I do like to look back over the month and see what I took. Some of this month’s have been a struggle and resulted in a quick snap and done, like ‘fork’ and ‘where you ate your lunch’. On the other hand I am really happy with some of the photos like the ‘hope’ mittens and the last one ‘upside down’. Nothing like a mess about with a few apps to make a boring prompt a bit more interesting, which I suppose is the whole point of the challenge.

If you fancy joining in, here are the March prompts – Fat Mum Slim photo a day.

Day 1. Fork

Fork in a cake at Handmade Happy Hour in Home Wine Kitchen which is a fabulous local restaurant and venue.

Day 2. Pattern.

Close up of the pattern in some vintage fabric I bought from Miss Ohio Vintage, I plan to make a summer infinity scarf with it.

Day 3. Something beginning with e.

A school art project with a ‘painting’ filter applied.

Day 4. Hope.

These mittens had been lost, hopefully they got found.

Day 5. Something you smelled

Banana bread with peanut butter and chocolate chips and my favourite oven gloves.

Day 6. Soft.

Our French Bulldog, Pablo.

Day 7. Your Name.

We bought these vintage letter stamps at a local antique, salvage shop.

Day 8. Something orange.

My friend sent me a sweater with this gorgeous fox on it!

Day 9. Guilty Pleasure.

Vintage and chocolate, two of my guilty pleasures. In fact this is a vintage chocolate tin!

Day 10. 3 o clock.

Making Valentine’s for 2nd grade Valentine’s Day.

Day 11. Entrance.

Toy castle guarded by tanks and trucks!

Day 12. Where you ate lunch.

Soup at my table.

Day 13. Walking.

Day 14. Love is…

Valentine selection from the 2nd grade.

Day 15. In your fridge.

Day 16. Perfect.

Reading matter for the weekend!

Day 17. In your hand.

Learning to crochet.

Day 18. Something you don’t like.

I don’t like that I mixed paint on my pin tin while I was at art college.

Day 19. I am.

Going to fill my new sunshine yellow sketchbook up with words and pictures and ideas.

Day 20. Where you stood.

Day 21. Full.

A seed pod full of snow.

Day 22. Makes you smile.

Purple wellies and green cords in the snow!

Day 23. A word.

A vintage flash card in my favourite antique/junk shop. I haven’t bought them, yet..

Day 24. Cloud.

No clouds in the blue sky today, so I took a photo of the sky and Bodhi drew me a cloud.

Day 25. On your bedside table.

Day 26. Quiet.

Reflection of a winter tree in a winter puddle.

Day 27. Playing.

With a new mix for a new necklace.

Day 28. Upside down

Trees in puddles, reads and granola.

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

I snapped some tree reflections this morning on the way to school. I flipped them and popped on a filter in Camera +. One of the many advantages of walking to school every day, we get to spot the cool stuff and I get to photo it. Bodhi assures me that walking to school gets his brain working every morning! Who am I to argue?!

#52lists ‘Great Things I have read lately’.

I liked this weeks list, I will read anything which stands still long enough!

‘The Vanishing of Katherina Linden’ is an audio book I picked up from the library because I liked the cover! Yes, I do choose books by the cover quite often! I always choose wine by picking the label I like best, because I am a wine expert…… Anyway, I have just started to listen to this book and I like it so far. In the first few sentences someone explodes, so that’s a promising start. Dark humour is one of my favourites.

www.abeautifulmess.com, written by sisters Emma and Elsie is one of my favourite blogs. They take great photos and make stuff and bake stuff and always look gorgeous. Well worth a read and a look at their inspiring ideas for life in general.

‘The Dinner’ by Herman Koch is a great book, I have nearly finished it and I am enjoying the story and the writing.

My Mum and Dad got me a ‘Mollie Makes’ subscription for Christmas. It is one of my favourite magazines and one of the few I keep rather than handing over to the YMCA or recycling (depending how much I have hacked out of the mag) when I am done reading and cutting. Usually I cut any interesting bits out to keep and stick them in my notebook, but this one is chock full of greatness, so the whole thing is kept and piled up.

Meet Me at Mikes is another fab blog and the home of #52lists. Go see.

I like to read the WSJ at the weekend, especially when it is the edition with the magazine. I can pretend I am reading a newspaper like a grown up, but really I just want to get to the magazine!

‘Extra Yarn’ is a wonderful kids picture book, amazing illustrations and lovely story about a little girl who finds a box of never ending yarn.

‘Wonder’ is a book written for kids and young adults, but everyone in the whole wide world should read this, it is excellent. Makes you think about the world and people in it, but it is not sappy, just a thoughtful book.

Craftwhack is not a craft blog, but it certainly is a brilliant blog, funny, acerbic and fabulous. Well written and well worth a visit.

‘What Katie Ate’ is my new love in the kitchen. Her salads are full of great ideas and ingredients. I just made the granola from the book and it is the best.

Granola (adapted from Bob’s Granola in What Katie Ate)

5 1/2 cups oats

3/4 cup ground flaxseed

3/4 cup shredded coconut

3/4 cup sunflower seeds (I used Trader Joes salted and roasted sunflower seeds)

1 cup pepitas

1 cup almonds

1 cup pecans

4 tablespoons canola oil

4 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons maple syrup

1 3/4 cups raisins

1/2 cup chopped dates

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini chips, but chunks would work well I think)

Makes about 12 cups.

Preheat oven to 300F and line 2 baking sheets.

Mix the oats, coconut, flaxseed, nuts, seeds and cocoa powder. Separate about 1/3 of the mix to add later.

Heat the honey, oil and syrup until it is runny and melted together. Pour the hot mixture over the oat mixture and mix well until everything is coated but not clumped together.

Put the mixture into the baking trays and bake for about an hour, regularly checking to make sure that the granola isn’t getting too dark. Keep moving it around on the trays to keep it baking evenly.

When it is done, remove from the oven and let cool completely. Add the fruit, chocolate and the reserved oat mix.

Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Snow days

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

Second snow day making it a four day weekend! I hope that turns out to be a good thing and not a cabin fever crazy thing.

Just in case you ever need a refreshing cup of snow! It took from about 10am until 3pm to fill the mugs. They make good snow castles.
The snow came yesterday and is hanging around even though we have had none today. The sun has not graced us with it’s presence, so there is not much ice melting going on, more ice forming.
We have ended up with a snow pie effect, crusty on the top and soft underneath which rather confused Pablo this morning. The seconds between him taking a step and his paw breaking through the snow pie crust blew his little brain. He even seemed to spread his little paws out as much as possible to make little doggy webbed feet to enable him to walk on the snow. Didn’t work. It was still a case of step – pause – sink – step – pause – sink!

It also made walking to the library this afternoon quite a workout as we had to take big horse steps to walk in and out of the snow pie.

Today we were up and at em, dressed and ready to shovel! I messed about with this photo in Laminar Express (iPhone app) ‘vintage’ section.

Great new book for a day off school, it is a Mega Mash Up book called Aliens v’s Mad Scientists Under the Ocean and is a cool book where you get to draw some of the illustrations as you read. Might need to get more of these for the summer break.

Bead soup, a list and a necklace

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

I am participating in my first Bead Soup Blog Party this year and so far, it is going rather well.

I have a wonderful swapping partner all the way down in sunny Florida and I have received a fabulous mix from her, so thanks to Charis Designs Jewelry for my treasures!

I have to use a focal and the clasp, which should not be a problem at all, now I need to get my thinking head on and make some jewels! Our ‘reveal’ where we have to show (here) what we made is in April, so watch this space.

#52lists
‘Messy things I like’. I am enjoying writing these crazy lists! This one is the first in my new notebook which I intend filling with writings and lists and cut outs from magazines and lots of interesting stuff until it won’t close properly!

I made the random necklace!

Remember I had a pile of random lovely beads picked out by my friend to make a necklace for her? Well, here is it is! I love it and will be making more. Single strands and multi strands. Yipee!

I have been adding new jewels to my Etsy shop and my Meylah shop – go see!

Crochet list…

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

Things I have learnt about crochet and the learning process of this noble art.
1. I want to be good at it so badly.
2. I’m not. Yet.
3. I need to practice and not give up because I can’t do it well.
4. Crocheting friends help a lot, even over the interweb.
5. I stick out my pinky when I am manipulating the yarn.
6. I want pretty yarn.
7. I pull my best concentrating face while making my crochet attempts.
8. Swearing is involved but doesn’t help much.
9. I crochet way too tightly. Need to loosen up man…
10. Even though my first ever crocheted item I have made in my life is a bracelet which is barely 6inches round, I am a proud beginner!
11. I want to buy sweaters at goodwill to unravel for the wool.

#52lists

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

List number 5

My workout/run/gym playlist.

What is on your playlist? What do you use playlists for? Any absolute must songs? Which song always features?

I must say that Marina and the Diamonds is my song of the moment. It makes me want to pirouette, smile and run all at the same time!

Hearts, Owls and Clouds.

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

I thought today was going to be a non starter. I didn’t go to the gym this morning as I usually do. I had big plans to use the extra time wisely and get a feeling of work well done by 11am. When I got home from school, I wasn’t feeling it, I almost wished I had just gone to the YMCA and done a class to get me started.

I thought it would be a treat not to go, but at 8am, I was feeling a little lost. You know, the rabbit in headlights feeling, what to do, where, how? A bit like when I get to the Y and my locker is being used by someone else, a momentary and mild panic, something is wrong, all is not as it should be. It techically isn’t ‘my’ locker of course, just the one I usually use. If I use another, heck, I might not find my non gym clothes, and I have a strict rule about wearing gym clothes outside said gym. I don’t.

Routine is hard to break and maybe it should be easier. I like routine, I am not a big suprise person. I don’t like being surprised by other people’s clothes in ‘my’ locker, I like to be in the same spot whichever class I attend at the Y, I like frothy milk with my coffee (imagine the panic when my frother broke last month!).

Are you better with a routine or do you fly with the wind? I wish I was more of a flyer, but when I try, it usually doesn’t go well! I need a plan and a map preferably.

Thankfully the day got onto it’s tracks and off I went after I had got over my rabbit feeling. Coffee on, homemade rosemary syrup in mug, milk frothed and off we go.

I started with the clouds, the stuff I don’t want to do, but have to. There is a grey boring cloud over my head. It is my old friend taxes. Out came all my adding up equipment along with the relevant forms, and the filling in was done. Yes, I know I need to get them on the computer, maybe this year I will! I surrounded myself with paper and a calculator and got down to it.

All done now! Bye bye cloud number one.

Onto another cloud. While I am chasing them away, I might as well carry on.

I am opening a new online store powered by Meylah and Handmadeology. I am at the starting it up stage at the minute. Biography – check. Policies – check. Making the darn banner – check (eventually I realized I could resize my Etsy banner to fit). I am giving myself plenty of time to do it so I don’t have a little panic and give the whole thing up.

Off I go outside to my photography studio (on the sandbox) and take lots of new photos of jewelry ready to put in my new shop! Cyberspace shelves are dusted and ready to receive.

My Handmadeology Marketplace shop is now open and being stocked up, have a look, see what you think. I am not mad about the layout, but maybe that is because I am used to Etsy. I am willing to give it a go and see where it takes me though.

These wonderous little owlys came in the mail today from The Beadin’ Path. I can’t wait to use them in some Spring/Summer jewels.

Ten on Sunday the 10th. February 2013

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

It is raining today, but getting 10 photos shouldn’t be a problem.

This morning started off with a big thunderstorm and lots of rain.

I found about 10 pairs of 3D glasses in the drawer, so Bodhi decided to put as many on as would stay!

‘Snack packs’ of Custard Cremes with a cup of tea.

My first cookery book ‘My learn to Cook Book’ circa nineteen seventy something. I love the illustrations and 1970’s ingredients like cochineal! Yum, beetles…

I remembers making lots of recipes from this book with the cooking cat and dog. A Knicker-bocker Glory was a birthday must.

New gym togs is always motivation. I can’t wait for step class tomorrow!

A montage for a guest post I wrote today. Link to the post coming this week! Very exciting and quite an honor being allowed to write for someone else’s blog.

The boys of the house watched the rugby this morning. When it had stopped raining they went out to play. They came back a bit muddy.

Batman looks a bit cross to be sitting on a Dinky toy truck!

Grapefruit and olive oil pound cake. The recipe is from the Smitten Kitchen book. I have to say that this is the lightest pound cake I have made and I think it would work well with lemon or orange as the citrus element.

Monday tomorrow, have a great week!

Rainbows and unicorns

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

Ok, I lied about the unicorns, but the rainbow was real! A double rainbow at that.

We walked into a fabulous rainbow one morning which almost made us late for school such was it’s wonder.
The first thing most people I met that morning asked me was, did you see the rainbow? What a wonderful thing to start the day with!
So, I had to take a few photos. I know, shocker!
I have taken full advantage of the rainbow and my iPhone 4 photo apps and I have made some cool rainbow pictures.

This photo is cropped using the square cropper in Camera +. I cropped it to highlight the rainbow and frame it with the winter trees.

I added the Vibrant filter. On top of that, the Clarity ‘scene’.

I used Camera+ to crop out the rooftops. Then I added Clarity in ‘scenes’. There, the second rainbow becomes clearer. Into Filters and add Vibrant at 80%. Don’t forget to save!

I know this is a cheesy filter effect, but I like it!

Crop in Camera+. Vibrant 100%. Save. Re-open in Laminar Express. Go to Filters, Stylize, Watercolor. Ta-Dah!

Three of the photos on this picture were taken by friends of mine who are local and took photos of the rainbow too. So I swiped the snaps from Facebook with a screen shot and added them to mine in a quadruple rainbow montage.

Open PicFrame and find the 4 square frame.
Add each rainbow and adjust in the square to get the rainbow positioned.
Save and reopen in Overgram.
Add text and change to font to Goon.
Size the text and position so that it can be read.
Save and reopen in Camera + and add the Instant Frame.

I am an Orla Kiely fan and I do buy the ‘printed’ Method products. I am also a fan of the smell of green houses full of tomatoes. Takes me right back to my Grandad’s garden and picking the tiny tomatoes off the vine and eating them, warm from the sun.

Imagine my joy at seeing not only a new Orla Kiely for Method range in Target today, but that the range is Tomato Vine smell! Love.

What is your favourite smell? Are you seduced by pretty packaging like me? Favourite photo apps? Do share.