Phyllo success!

A few years ago I had a little phyllo "incident" and have been afraid to make anything with the stuff since. While grocery shopping the other day, I spotted the long awkward box in the freezer and was determined that I should have another go at conquering this bitch. I would make some kind of simple savory meat pie, nothing too layered or fancy. Well this time it worked and I'm very proud to show off my little masterpieces! 

I also made a little tzatziki type sauce with Greek yogurt, sour cream, garlic and tiny bits of cucumber. A quick tomato, cucumber and onion salad was perfect with it (tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a little garlic salt)

The Balkanesque meat roll turned out so good that I decided to try a little dessert...triumphant again! I filled it with sliced bananas and little crushed bits of a dark chocolate bar that I smashed with a mallet. Drizzled butter on all the edges to seal it up and cooked at 325F until it started to turn a nice golden brown. Served it up with some whipped cream and sliced strawberries...so easy and SO good!!

Colorful towns throughout Munster: a mini Irish holiday!

I just wanted to take you on a quick trip through the southwest of Ireland, the region also known as Munster. These colorful street scenes were taken throughout Co. Cork and Co. Kerry. The top photo is available in my shop, the rest are just here for your viewing pleasure :) 

Some new earrings in the shop...

My summer decoupage course in Ireland...

I'm super excited to share the info on my Irish summer course...Creating an Heirloom Box With Ruby Clover! I'll be teaching a 3 day decoupage class at The Art Hand in beautiful Bunmahon, Co. Waterford. It's a brand new modern art school that just opened their doors on St. Patrick's Day and they're offering courses in painting, ceramics, photography, decoupage etc. It's going to be a great time in a stunning location, right on the Copper Coast overlooking the Irish sea! We'll also be spending evenings together like a big ol' family...having dinner, going to the pubs, down to the beach etc. I'll be teaching students how to make one of my collaged boxes, providing everyone with the techniques and info they'll need to continue making items once the class is complete.

SO EXCITED! Please check out the details of my class on The Art Hands' website and have a look around their other pages to see photos and videos of their gorgeous location along with the works of the other artists tutoring there. And maybe if I'm lucky, I'll see ya there this summer :) 

XOX

Click on the photo above for a slideshow of my boxes :)

Spring arm candy ... new handmade bracelets at Ruby Clover!

Some new colorful yet simple one strand beaded bracelets I've added to my shop :) There's ruby jades, cloisonne, turkey turquoise and Czech cathedral beads ... so pretty!

Making homemade Irish Creme Liquer with Ms. Ryan...

A few years ago, my friend Amy brought over a bottle of her homemade Bailey's that she makes with her mom. Ever since, I've been bugging her to come over and show me how to make it...it was REALLY good! I honestly didn't even care for Bailey's until I tried her version, my drink preference is vodka with nothing too fruity or sweet added to it! Anyway, I finally talked her into coming over last week and this is what happened...

 This is a small portion of the ingredients, we also had 12 dozen eggs and about 4,000 cans of sweetened condensed milk...

 We saved plastic bottles and then ran them through the dishwasher to give them a good cleaning. My plan was to make super cute labels for our homemade liquer, but once I started drinking...it just didn't seem that important anymore!

Amy in action...

  ...and then the dog and I had a wee Ulster(ish) fry!

One of the prints in my Irish photography shop... it's because of Amy that I was drinking Bailey's on my last trip over! PS: the mint Bailey's...kinda creepy. I'll let you know if I make a homemade version of a Grasshopper that can be kept in the fridge...because apparently my favorite drinks are ones that you can only get at funeral luncheons.

 So I'm forbidden by Mrs. Ryan to give out the exact recipe for her delicious creamy nectar of the Gods! However, I've found some online that are very similar...I'm pretty sure that they're going to be very close in taste. One good tip...go for the cheap blended whiskey! And you may as well buy enough to make several bottles to give away as gifts. Slainte! ♣

From COOKS.COM:

1 3/4 c. Irish whiskey
1 can Eagle sweetened condensed milk
1 pt. whip cream
2 tbsp. Hershey's liquid chocolate
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs 

OR:

1 c. Irish whiskey
1 can Eagle Brand milk (14 oz.)
4 eggs
2 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. chocolate extract
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1 tbsp. powdered espresso instant coffee
1 c. whip cream 

WITHOUT EGGS:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 2/3 cups Irish whiskey
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Bracelets on a Spice Grinder...

Just a few of the newer beaded bracelets in my shop. Some are all Czech glass, while others have semi precious stones like Watermelon Tourmaline, Labradorite and Tiger's Eye

COLLECTIONS...

I assume people probably think I'm exaggerating when they always hear me saying how much old "stuff" I have. I know I've said so many times, "you would die if you saw my spare bedroom/hoarding compound". But...I actually do have a ridiculous amount of stuff! Especially photos, there's thousands probably.

I have a monster collection of old postcards, stamps and vintage photographs. Lots of photos of Victorian babies with big bows on their heads and female couples (sisters for all I know), I've got a whole box filled with a travelling Vaudeville troupe and then another envelope filled with old creepy priests and nuns, another with antique class photos and some funerals etc. 

See I've always sort of hoarded these things and want to keep them secret and all to myself...but then sometimes I'll dig through them and see some stranger in a photo who is just begging to be added into a collage...giving her or him a whole different life from the one they knew before. I know it's really just me, being a weirdo and making up a pretend life for this unknown person...but, it's somehow comforting to me, since I sort of feel like I'm holding all their little paper souls captive inside of a wood box.  

So...that's just some of the weird stuff that goes on in my head and now you know. Here's a smidgeon of my photo collection, I think I'll show you my postcards next. Or maybe my beads. And I'll also link some of the collages I've made using these lovely people in my next post too, I hope you enjoy looking :) (each one of these photos I listed is a different bag of photos, none are duplicates...just so you realize the problem we're dealing with here!)

Just a quick drive through Tralee and Killarney :)