TX Vacation - San Antonio Riverwalk

We loved everything about the San Antonio Riverwalk!  We stayed at Hotel Contessa, which is located right on the riverwalk.  We liked that it was located in a quieter area, but still within easy walking distance to all of the action! 


All along the riverwalk were great places to grab some excellent food and drinks. 

Don't you just love the colored umbrellas!  

We took a cruise along the river the first night.  It was a nice way to learn the history of the area and see the sites.

The Hotel Contessa had a great bar in the atrium of the hotel, which was just steps away from the riverwalk.  We got used to afternoon mojitos to cool off.  Yum!

TX Vacation - The Alamo

I was browsing vacation pictures and came across recent pictures of our TX vacation.  I thought I'd share my favorites.  It was our first time to Texas and we spent several days in the San Antonio area.  First up is The Alamo.  My hubby is much more of a history buff, so this was very educational for me.  It was within walking distance from our hotel and we enjoyed walking the grounds and learning the history. 

The architecture and natural landscaping was stunning. 

If you are ever in the San Antonio area, you must make a stop at The Alamo!

Next up,  Riverwalk!

Soccer Mom Sterling Silver Necklace

A great gift for your favorite Soccer Mom!  Now available in my ETSY shop.

New Pandora Style Charms

A few new Pandora-style charms recently listed in my ETSY shop!

New Pink and Smoky Quartz Jewelry

I recently listed new jewelry in my ETSY shop.  I love the combination of pink and smoky quartz!

Recipe ~ Pasta with Garlic and Asparagus

This really isn't a recipe - just simple ingredients tossed together to make a light and quick dinner.  We have pasta with garlic and oil - once a week.  My husband and I both grew up on this and I like that it's a quick weeknight meal.  It can also be 'doctored up' to be something special.

It's easy!  We usually use angel hair pasta, but use your favorite shape.  While your pasta is boiling, heat olive oil in a saute pan.  Chop a few garlic cloves and add them to pan.  Be careful to not burn the garlic.  Just cook a few minutes on medium heat to infuse the oil with garlic.  When the pasta is done, drain and add to the saute pan.  Toss to coat, adding a bit more oil if necessary.  Top with grated parmesan cheese.

It's delicious just like this, or we like to add one or more of the following:

• asparagus (just steam it a bit beforehand)
• artichokes (especially the ones marinated in oil)
• sun-dried tomatoes
• tuna (yes, tuna!  try it!)
• cherry tomatos
• feta cheese is also good and adds a bit of a mediterranean touch

Enjoy!

ETSY Seller ~ Homegrown Creativity

I'm so excited to share one of my new favorite ETSY sellers with you.  I recently purchased new jewelry and business cards from Homegrown Creativity.  Here is a link to their shop, run by Marie and Heidi:    Homegrown Creativity

I bought plastic backs lips in their shop which I used to hang my earrings on my new display.  They stick on to the back of the earring cards for hanging.  Pretty cool, huh?  

You'll find a a variety of business cards, tags, jewelry cards and stickers in many pretty designs and cardstock options.  My experience with these ladies was fantastic - a great product and fast turnaround.  I love how my new cards turned out!

Thanks Marie and Heidi!

DIY Craft Show Earring Display

A couple weeks ago I posted a few tips for selling at a craft show.  You'll find that post here.  I needed something to display my earrings on and didn't want to spend a lot of money.  I wanted to make sure that my display didn't distract too much from earrings themselves.  I also needed something that had some height to it.  After searching and not finding anything I liked, I decided to make my own. 

Supplies:

• 2 framed cork boards.  Mine were 11x17 inches  (I purchased them at Joann Fabrics.  With a 50% coupon, it was less than $6 for both)
• 2 sets of hinges
• ribbon (mine was 1/2 inch)
• staple gun

 (1)  Attach the 2 boards with the hinges.  Make sure you decide how you want the boards to fold before attaching the hinges.

(2)  Cut strips of ribbon and decide how far apart you want them.  I measured the space between the ribbon and taped them temporarily to the boards.

(3)  Use a staple gun to attach the ribbon to the boards. 

Here is the board lying flat. 

The nice thing is that it can be folded for travel and storage.  I kept the background as the corkboard, but you could cover it with paper or fabric before putting on the ribbon if you want a different background. 

The finished display:

And here's the final display at my show!  It's the perfect display to use with my new earring cards.

This was a quick project and something I can use again!

Wordless Wednesday