Bartlett & Craft

Ok, ok, so I realize that it is April, and almost the end of April at that, but I wanted to write an update on my New Year's resolution for 2012.  I am hoping that I will make some kind of goal for my self each year to grow my online business (if you have checked it out yet,  click here ).  This year I made it my goal to work on my street cred.  That is, I wanted to work on making my shop more visible in the local area, to have a physical location, not just a virtual one.  While at this point I am not willing to take the jump to opening up my own storefront, I was willing to open up in someone else's shop.  So, I researched a couple galleries in the area, found one I liked and set up an interview.  And....I GOT IN! So, I am set up to having a gallery show for the entire month of June 2012.  I'm super excited and definitely nervous.  I am one that usually thinks of all the possible ways I could fail and often talk myself out of doing things ...

There is nothing like moving from side of town to the other to distract you from posting stuff on your blog.  But figuring that the new place has hardwood floors, lots of sunlight and a beautiful garden...I am NOT complaing.  Nope, not one bit. I just went outside today (brr!!) to take a few picture of the flowers.  I have not planted a single thing...and yet this is what the garden has brought forth since we moved in: They are the most wonderful shade of pink!  I am debating whether or not to cut them and bring them inside.  They would look so beautiful on the dining room table.

Ingredients 1 bag frozen shelled edamame (3 cup) 1 can 11oz corn or 1 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels 4 - 6 medium radishes sliced 1/4 c each chopped cilantro and scallions (or green onions) 1/2 c rice or wine vinegar 1 TB oil 1 TB wasabi powder (optional - I don't use it) 1 tsp minced garlic Directions Cook edamame (I don't - I just thaw them) as package directs - omitting salt. Cool under cold water. Drain. Toss with warm corn, radishes, cilantro and scallions in large bowl Whisk together vinegar, oil, wasabi powder and garlic and toss into salad. Serve room temp or chilled

This is taken from www.365daysofcrockpot.com . I was looking for a delicious soup recipe after sampling a flight of soups at Soup Spoon Cafe in downtown Lansing for Valentine's day.  It was so yummy, and exactly what I needed for these cold winter days.  And on top of that, it is a crockpot recipe, so a lot of the work can be done ahead of time. picture taken from 365 Days of Slow Cooking blog  but I plan on taking my own picture as soon as I can Ingredients: 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice ~1 cup finely diced celery ~1 cup finely diced carrots ~1 cup finely diced onions 1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano (have some extra in case you want to add more seasoning later) 1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil (have some extra in case you want to add more seasoning later) 4 cups chicken broth ½ bay leaf (dried or fresh) ½ cup flour 1 cup Parmesan cheese ½ cup butter 2 cups half and half, warmed 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp black pepp...

A recipe passed down from my grandma.  My mom uses this recipe to make delicious cinnamon rolls. Directions: *½ c warm water *4 t sugar *3 pkg dry yeast (not rapid rise) *Mix above ingredients and set aside to proof 4 c hot water 3 tsp salt 1 ¼ c Crisco shortening 1 c sugar Mix previous 4 ingredients until sugar dissolved and Crisco is partly melted and partly in very small “chunks” When Crisco mix is cooled to lukewarm then add yeast mix and stir together then: Add 4 eggs – beat in one at a time Then add about 12 –14 cups of flour. Knead to make a dough that is soft but not sticky. You will likely have to knead it on a board to get all the flour in. Don’t add so much flour that the dough gets stiff – should be spongy and “stretchy”. Put in one or two LARGE tupperware containers with cover – put in fridge until needed. Check it every few hours to make sure it hasn’t “sprung” the cover. This will last about 3 days in the fridge. When you want to make r...

I recently discovered the website SpoonFlower.com and I am going to have fun with this!  It is a website where you can design you own fabric and order it and sell it.  I've decided to start with my designs from my 2012 calendar and go from there.  Should be fun!  Here is a sample of my calendar print...can't wait to see the fabric.  More pictures to follow I am sure! copyright Rebecca Bartlett 2012

The journals that I sell on Etsy have been one of my most successful items.  I recently created a new design for my journals including extra features like a reinforced book spine and ribbon bookmarks.  I love the yellow plaid color! Visit my etsy shop  if you are interested in seeing more designs!