New Upcoming Show - Patchwork!!!

Hi Friends! I have great news. I will be participating in a neat event - Patchwork!!! I will be show casing at the Santa Ana event on June 15, 2014. For more information on this event and others, please go here.

I'm so excited to participate in this fun event and I hope you will too!!!

The Emerald Island - Ireland

Hi Friends! It's been a crazy month...and it's still going. I recently took a lovely trip to Ireland with the hubs. Ireland has always been on our bucket list, so off we went! I thought it would be almost the same as jolly ole' England, but its completely different. The beer is not warm, almost all pubs have live music, not as fast-paced, the food portions are huge (we gained 5 pounds each), and you can experience all four seasons in one day (rainy, sunny, windy, cold..I'm not kidding)!

We stayed in Dublin for the entire trip and took a lovely day trip to The Wicklow mountains on the "P.S. I Love You"(yes, the movie!) tour. I think the hubs enjoyed it, not! We saw beautiful rolling hills, Lake Guinness, a Monastic Church with two lakes, and the Avoca Mills.


Here are the beautiful and fun places we visited. Enjoy!!!!

Avoca water mill, Avoca, Ireland

 

 

The River Liffey, Dublin, Ireland

The husbands favorite place, Temple Bar Pub, Dublin, Ireland

 


Guinness Storehouse, Guinness Beef Stew Dublin, Ireland


Guinness is a big deal in Ireland. Everyone and their mama drinks this stuff. We drank Guinness almost everyday. I couldn't handle full pints so I downsized to half pints instead.

Monastic Site, Glendalough, Ireland

 

Avoca Mill, Avoca, Ireland

This was the highlight for the day tour, The Avoca Mill. They still hand weave Irish wool from sheep, dye them bright colors, and make blankets, totes, scarves, and more! We were able to tour the mill and see the weavers in action.

Queen of Tarts Tearoom, Dublin, Ireland

This was lovely spot in Dublin. Cobbled streets and food markets were upon this way. We even had a yummy Irish Coffee!

Trinity College, The Long Library

Trinity College is the oldest college in Ireland. It houses the largest library, The Long Library, with 5 million books and counting. The old relic The Book of Kells is here. Truly amazing!



Mr. Bear and me!


I hope you had fun viewing my trip to Ireland. I'm off and away to another island but this time, East....I'll be back soon, and this time, I'm coming back with 3 suitcases full of Japanese fabric for my upcoming shows! Yay!

Your friend,
CreamCraft

Summertime at The Vintage Marketplace!

Hi Friends! The summer edition of The Vintage Marketplace is coming up in June! Here are the official dates and information:

I will have new products to showcase and hopefully will give you a sneak preview in the upcoming weeks. Here is a new bag I've been working on:

 

It's a large cross-body bag with adjustable straps. It can hold a netbook, ipad, magazines, books, etc. It's a pretty roomy bag, so it can store an ample amount of stuff! I'm thinking of adding a doily on the side or I may just leave it simple.

Do you remember these?

 
They are my vintage honey cup pin cushions that I have via my Etsy store. If you were at the last Vintage Marketplace, you may recall that I planted flowers in them.

Well, my plant is still alive from the last show (probably because I have a green thumb)! I'm thinking for the summer show of planting small succulent plants instead to accommodate for the rising temperatures! Can't wait! 

Till then, stop by your local bookstore and check out the latest Spring issue of Haute Handbags! You can read all about it in my recent blog posting here. I have some cute bags printed in the zines lovely pages!

 
On another note, I'll be on the other side of the pond and then some, which I will share with you once I return. I'm coming back with suitcases full of fabric, so stay tuned! Bonn Voyage friends!


Your Friend,

CreamCraft

Haute Handbags Feature! Yay!

Hi Friends! I have the best news ever...I'm published in a lovely magazine - Haute Handbags Spring 2014 issue. Ahhh!

Haute Handbags is a lovely magazine from Stampington & Company. It showcases creative and lovely artists who specifically make bags, purses, totes, and more.  I just stopped into Barnes in Nobles today (a weekly routine of mine), and long behold in the magazine craft section, it was staring back at me! So if you want to check it out, it's available where books are sold or you can order a copy directly from Stampington here!

I can't believe how the pictures turned out, pretty, cute and fabulous!! I had so much fun contributing to Haute Handbags and it's such an honor to be featured along with amazing artists. The entire Spring issue is just lovely. So go out and pick up an issue if you can! I can't wait for you to scroll on and take a peek!

Haute Handbags Spring 2014 Cover -It's me, "Karen Pratt"!

Haute Handbags Spring 2014 - Table of  Contents

Haute Handbags Spring 2014  - Dainty Floral Bag

 

Haute Handbags Spring 2014 - Creamy Floral Tote and Cute Little Bagette

Haute Handbags Spring 2014 - Cute Dainty Purse and Cute Lace and Linen Tote

Haute Handbags Spring 2014 - Pages 14-15

Haute Handbags Spring 2014 - Pages 16-17

Haute Handbags Spring 2014 - Pages 18-19

If you are interested in any of the bags published, they are available in my etsy store here. 

Thanks for stopping by dear friends!


Yours truely,

Creamcraft

Springtime Vintage Marketplace Recap!

Hi Dear Friends! Sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I just cleaned up the last of my craft room from The Vintage Marketplace event. It looks like a pinata full of craft supplies exploded in my room. I have a lot of new things going on (which of course I will share with you dear friends), but first, here is a recap from the show a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy!

Me and my sister's (Kathleen) booth - Cream Cottage Chic

Cute displays in our booth. I made the pink fence (yes I am handy with a hammer).

Cute products - my sister's lovely painted mason jars, tins, and clothes pins, herb markers, bags, and fresh flowers in our booth.

Cute products - Tissue Pouches, Lavender Pouches, Pin Cushions

Our infamous "Water Station". Apparently, we were known for our free water.

Cute display of fresh flowers

Kathleen's lovely painted tin cans and my vintage honey cup plants.

Me and my sister Kathleen worked really hard on designing our booth this time around. It took us six hours to set up, but it was well worth the time and effort. We really felt it was cute, pretty, and girly. I sewed the banner with vintage and Japanese fabrics. All of the display pieces (desk, bookcase, wire rack, etc.) are from my craft and guest room, so you can understand why it took me a week and half to put it all back! Overall, we had soooo much fun and met a lot of wonderful people. 

I can't get over how nice all of the vendors were and the gals who run the show - Christy and Rita. They're support and camaraderie definitely makes the event lovely and fun!  Here are some of the lovely vendors at the show:

Entrance to The Vintage Marketplace

My dear friend Earth Cookie featuring Jessica

My lovely neighbor Liz @ My Little French Boutique

 

The Shabby Chateau, Le Petit Boudoir, Moras, Junque Yard Dolls

Pretty springtime displays

The next show is June 6th-8th at "The Oaks" in Fallbrook, CA. You can find more information here or you can follow on the gals Facebook page here. Hope to see you there!!


Creamcraft

Springtime At The Vintage Marketplace!

Hi Friends! The Vintage Marketplace is back for the Springtime! Me and my sister will be there along with lovely vendors showcasing their wares! The theme of the show is "Through the Garden Gate" and we have been working on lovely springtime themed items. The show is March 7th - March 9th rain or shine!

Here is a sneak peak of what me and my sis have been up to:

Handmade French Lavender Pouches

Handmade Tissue Pouches

Re-purposed coffee tins and jars (made by my sis!)

Re-purposed Jewelry Box and Lovely Glass bottles

Handmade Herb Markers

Lovely Vintage Vignettes (made by my sis!)

If any of you dear friends are in the area March 7,8, or 9th, please stop by The Vintage Marketplace in Fallbrook, CA. I believe it's going to be a lovely spring day. Oh yes, we skipped winter and went straight into Spring out here in California. How do I know, I saw butterflies flying around the other day!

See you real soon!!

CreamCraft

Happy Heart Day!

Hi Friends! Happy Valentines Day to you!

Image from Free Pretty Things for You

Me and the hubs celebrated valentines the weekend before (to avoid the craziness and high priced dinners!), but he still got me roses today and I baked him the best Chocolate Chip Cookie ever. I got this recipe from the browneyedbaker, which is sourced from The New York Times. I've scoured books, online, everywhere for the best chocolate chip cookie and I swear, this is the holy grail of them. Try it for your sweetheart or heck eat it for yourself (I've been...oops). 

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever (via The Brown Eyed Baker/New York Times)

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8½ ounces) cake flour
1 & 2/3 cups (8½ ounces) bread flour
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1¼ cups (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 & 1/3 cups (20 ounces) dark chocolate chips, or semisweet (I used these) or milk chocolate chips
Sea salt, for sprinkling - optional

DIRECTIONS:

1. Sift together the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and set aside.

2. Cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed until very light, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then add the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low, gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Place the dough in a large plastic zipper bag and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, up to 72 hours. I actually didnt follow this step because I couldn't wait that long! I did however refrigerated for about an hour and they turned out fine and yummy.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

4. Scoop gold sized balls of dough and place on the baking sheet. Repeat until you have six mounds of dough on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 12 minutes ( recipe says 18 minutes, but I found 12 minutes is the perfect chewy texture I prefer). Transfer the parchment or silicone sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough (or keep some of the dough refrigerated for up to 3 days, and bake cookies at a later time). Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Browneyed Baker noted she used all-purpose flour instead of the cake flour and hers turned out great. I bake a lot, so luckily, I had cake flour. I probably wouldn't replace the bread flour though, as I think this may be why the cookie is magical (probably to do with the higher gluten content than in regular flour).
 

Enjoy with a nice cold glass of milk!

Next up, I'm working on a lovely quilt for one of my friends soon to be bundle of joy. I'll post the preview soon!

Hearts,
CreamCraft