Etsy Preview!

I have updated my etsy site. You will notice that I now have two etsy sidebars. I am slowly converting over to my new site name (http://www.mariegabriel.etsy.com/). When I first discovered etsy, I was just a buyer and didn't think about my name on etsy. Well, of course once I started to sell, I didn't want cathmom as my store front name. Etsy doesn't allow you to change names, so I needed to open another shop. I think you will like some of the new designs. I have three bracelets on the new site. One is pictured above. It is called the Nevada City bracelet. The price tag is more than most of my bracelets, but the beads are fantastic and costly.

This is my Napa Valley bracelet. I love the play of green and purple. The lamp work beads are really pretty. I take the worst pictures as you may have already noticed. The pictures definitely don't do the beads justice.

I have also added two new rosaries to my old site (http://www.cathmom.etsy.com/).

They are really unique and I love the old look of the medals.

Happy Easter

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY BLESSED EASTER!

Extreme Chair Makeover!

This poor chair has seen better days. We originally bought this chair and dining set when we first were married. Now with three kids and 19 years passing by, this chair needed a desperate makeover. So, my favorite Auntie came down for another visit and spent a couple of days with us so we could work on recovering these chairs. The original Queen Anne chair had a mauve velvet covering. As we started to rip out the staples (Oh Boy! were there tons of staples) we found that the compressed board had a hole in the middle. I am not sure if that was supposed to be for comfort, but it did make it an interesting challenge.

I think the fabric looks great and I love how the stripes complement the bench cushion we did earlier.

Once again, my fabulous Auntie. She can stitch like no other!

Voila! The finished chair.

We made reversible chair pads for the other chairs. One side is the stripe and the other is the roosters that were from the bench seat.

Here is how the room looks all together. I still want to get a picture for over the bench seat and it will be done. Yeah!

New Found Places!

Today, my friend Lisa and I went out to try to get donations for our school fundraiser. This is not one of my favorite things to do. I dislike going around and asking for donations, so we thought it might be easier to do this together. We started off a Tupelo Coffee . Absolutely fabulous coffee! If you happened to be in the Sacramento area, this is a must stop for great coffee and tea. Lisa had a Thai Mocha, it was a delicious mocha with vanilla and cinnamon undertones. YUM! I had there "Bowl of Soul", which is a vanilla soy chamomile tea latte. Fantastic!!!! I have found my new favorite coffee/tea house! It puts Starbucks to shame. Our next stop was in midtown and boy did we have fun. I haven't walked around midtown Sacramento in quite a while and what fun we had discovering new shops. We drooled in the windows of Le Petit Paris, a beautiful shop featuring lovely french purses, scarves and clothes. Unfortunately, they were not opened, but we had our noses pressed to the window looking into that beautiful store. As we walked around, we discovered the Old Soul Company, a coffee house and bakery. They had the neatest dog biscuits at the counter. I will definitely come back to try out their coffee. We also happened upon a new chocolatier called Ginger Elizabeth. OH MY GOSH! You must, I say, must try her Parisian macaroons. They are luscious, delicious morsels that are absolutely addicting. They are not dry and full of coconut. They were delicate morsels that teased your palate. The filling was a delicate cream that just melted in your mouth. She had vanilla and chocolate macaroons. I bought two of each and I admit they did not make it home. Upon first bite, it was euphoria. Lisa felt the same way and we both knew that this place would become our guilty pleasure. Oh the sacrifices we make for our school.

Some of My Favorites

I have updated my blog to reflect some of my favorite places I visit for inspiration. I love seeing what other people are doing and creating. They reflect a wide range of interests. Everything from crafting, cooking, knitting and home keeping to educational. Once upon a time I home schooled my kids, so I listed a few that I still visit often to get ideas for my kids projects.