The Ancient One

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 by Alyice

I call this one “The Ancient One” because it reminds me of something left behind in the ruins of Greece. My daughter says it looks like something that would have been found in the tomb of a Greek God. (I’m sure she’s just trying to pump up my ego—but hey, I’ll let her have that one! It’s a nice compliment.)

This was made from an old food jar. Sometimes the labels on food jars are very difficult to get off and no amount of soaking in soapy water will remove the tacky glue and left over paper. That’s when I pull out my trusty spray bottle of Citrus De-Solv-It®, by Orange Sol—just a tiny squirt goes a long way. Spray, let sit for 30 seconds, scrape residue off with a little rubber scraper, and rinse. Couldn’t be simpler.

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Thanks For Being My Kitchen Friend

Monday, August 4th, 2008 by Alyice

Yesterday my husband and I tried out a new church in Sioux Falls. At this church the pastor touched on the subject of “Kitchen Friends” and how every person on the face of the earth needs a few good kitchen friends.

He said that kitchen friends were people who knew the deepest, darkest secrets of your soul and loved you anyways. Kitchen friends were people who lifted you up when you were down, gave you praise when you deserved it, offered a lending hand when it was needed, told you what you needed to hear even if you didn’t want to hear it, and most of all stuck by you no matter what.

He said that kitchen friends really show the heart of God because they never give up on you. When other people turn their backs and walk away or when other people become too busy to care, your kitchen friends are the ones who stick around. They laugh with you, they cry with you, they work with you, and they play with you. They give you a shoulder to cry on, they give encouragement during both the good and the bad times, and they offer hope when you don’t feel there’s any left in the world.

When the pastor said this, my husband turned to me and jokingly said, “Where’s our kitchen friends?”

We’ve had many friends over the years—some good and some bad. But since moving to South Dakota, we still haven’t met anyone we could call, “Kitchen Friends”.

This morning, on the 18th anniversary of our marriage, it dawned on me that WE ARE EACH OTHER’S KITCHEN FRIENDS!

So today, as we remember the day we first said our vows, I want to take this time to publicly thank my husband for being more than just the father of my children and the bread winner of the family. I want to thank him for being my lover, my confidant, and my “kitchen” friend.

Happy Anniversary Baby!

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Wooded Adventure

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 by Alyice

I call this Wooded Adventure because it’s reminds me of the bark of a tree. The vibrant colors (oranges, greens, reds, and yellows), along with the whimsical pattern, make me feel as though I’ve entered a mysterious, magical place filled with fairies. As I run my fingers along the sides of the jar, I can’t help but wonder where my next adventure will take me.

I used Judi Kin’s Diamond Glaze™ to add a high definition gloss over the hand painted paper strips that were added to the vase. The Diamond Glaze™ shines even brighter than the glaze I used for the rest of the vase. I really like using the Diamond Glaze™, but you have to be really careful with the stuff because it tends to get a lot of air bubbles as it dries. And if you don’t use a hot air blow dryer or heating tool to help set the top layer of the glaze, it tends to run off the area you want to keep it.

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