Heidi Daus “Pretty as a Peacock” ring

Peacock ring Originally uploaded by gardenwife Mom and went to Caribou Coffee last night and visited with a couple of friends. Before our friends arrived, I took some photos of the ring I got mom for Christmas. This is just a cellphone shot, but I liked how it came out. I’d like to take some [...]

Garden photos slideshow: Minolta DiMAGE A1

I ran across this group of garden photos taken with my Minolta DiMAGE A1. That camera had quite the story behind it, a testimony to good customer service. Sometimes I miss that camera. My Sony Alpha A300 is wonderful, but I don’t have the lenses yet which would allow me to get some of the [...]

Inadvertently erotic produce

Yesterday, while putting away a new bag of white potatoes, one caught my eye. I laughed out loud. all by my lonesome near the hanging wire basket in the pantry. She, for it’s obviously a she, sports a potbelly. She even has a belly button (it’s an innie). She’s a potato with a pannus…Or a [...]

Handmade card using stenciling and reverse stenciling technique

Juan’s 2010 bday card, inside spread Originally uploaded by gardenwife This last weekend, I tried something different. I stamped an image, cut it out, and used both the cut out image and the remaining cut-out left in the cardstock as stencils on a card. I like the masking technique and am happy with how this [...]

Dante the PT Cruiser GT

My folks were out driving our van last week when a deer decided to dash out in front of it. Mom and dad weren’t hurt, but the deer was and so was the van. The radiator was crunched into the engine and the grill and headlight assembly on one side were history. Our insurance company [...]

DIY French Press Cozy

My favorite gift this Christmas was the French press coffee pot Howie gave me. The reason is twofold. First, I’ve wanted a French press for years. They make a fantastic cup of coffee. Second, he got it for an insanely low price. I love a bargain, and he found this Bodum 12-cup model at the [...]

How to cut onions without tears

Through the years, I’ve read all kinds of suggestions for making the process of cutting onions less tearful. People suggest everything from running the onion under cold water while you cut it (Hello! Awkward!)  to freezing it first. Some suggest slicing it only in a certain direction. None of those methods worked for me. I [...]