For my Fashion Over Forty posts please CLICK HERE.

For Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday monthly challenge please CLICK HERE.

Something Beginning with "B"

It's Saturday and that means it's the start of a new theme at Allsorts challenge. Brenda is hosting this week and picked the theme of "I Spy Something Beginning with B".  I always enjoy this theme, it's fun to see what everyone is coming up with and I love searching through my stamps to see what I can find!

We have another prize by Chocolate Baroque, a beautiful tree stamp that will go to one lucky randomly selected winner!

Please note, this post does include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, as always this is at no cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting this blog.

Can you spy all the B's on my card?

There is the obvious bicycle, but then I noticed the black berrets and the basket on the bike, then used a brick stamp and some blossoms, and even inked the edges with blue ink 😎. 

All stamps are by Penny Black, the girl on bike is called Fluffy Passenger. Stamped on Xpress It Blending card (I purchased mine from Amazon, but can't seem to find a link to it now) with Memento Tuxedo ink and colored with Copic markers. The flowers on two of the corners are Penny Black's stamp At Grace, inked with distress markers and stamped with the help of my stamp platform (options). 

I wanted to add the impression of a brick wall so I used Penny Black's brick wall stamp on the background. Finally stencilled a design to mimic a road using Penny Black's Oscillations stencil. The sentiment is also by Penny Black from the set Happy Wishes. And I finished off by adding a sticky sentiment to the top left from Tim Holtz's Quotations Metallic Sticker Sheet

All stamps by Penny Black:

Fluffy Passenger // At Grace // Happy Wishes // Brick Wall

Inks:

Memento Tuxedo // Black Soot Distress Ink (stecilling) // Antique Linen Distress Ink (Brick Wall) // Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink (inked edges) // Worn Lipstick Distress Marker // Tumbled Glass Distress Marker // Crushed Olive Distress Marker // Several Copic Markers

Tools and Extras: 

Stamp Platform (mine is no longer available - alternative options HERE) // Penny Black Oscillations Stencil // Tim Holtz Quotations Metallic Sticker Sheet // Ink Blending Tool

Thanks so much for visiting!!

Linking up here:
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - PB stamps 

Misfits Market Box No. 6 - Contents and How I Used the Produce

Hello and welcome! I'm sharing my Misfits Market Box no. 6 contents today, what I received and how I used the produce. 

Also, In case you read about the stray pregnant kitty (I mentioned in a previous post) that came to us, I wanted to update. We first had kept her in the garage and thought she could have her kittens there, but we were hit with a heat wave and flies kept swarming around the garage the minute we put cat food in there, so we allowed her inside in the daytime, even playing with the thought of helping her find a place inside the house where she would have her kittens, then take the kittens to the shelter (when they are old enough and keeping the stray cat). Our female cat felt so threatened by her and would not come out of hiding. After talking to our vet and a second vet, a privately owned animal shelter was suggested to us that would not abort the unborn kitties. So we decided to drop her off there and we know they will find good homes for her and the kittens once they are ready to be adopted. 

On this evening when we took the stray cat to the shelter, our female cat, Fussy did not come home and remained missing for a few nights. I was worried sick as it was the Indepence Day weekend which was much louder this year due to all the privately done (illegal) fireworks all around us (due to the cancelled traditional fireworks show), which seemed to last throughout the night. At the same time a heat wave had arrived with temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If you're a pet owner then I'm sure you can imagine my sleepless nights and worries. But I am sooooo happy to say that she return happy and healthy after 3 nights of being gone!! During my worries I did read that bringing a new animal into a house might cause a cat to run away. I felt like the worst "cat parent". Thomas, my orange tabby seemed to tolerate the stray cat and probably would have gotten along well with her. But I think we did learn our lesson! 

 

But now onto the reason of my post - my Misfits Market box no 6. For those of you new to my blog or if you're not familiar with Misfits Market, I am sharing this from their site as they explain it best:

"It's a subscription box of sometimes funny-looking, always delicious produce, designed to break the cycle of food waste. Think of us like an online grocery store, except one that specializes in rescuing food that is unnecessarily thrown away. We source high-quality organic produce that has a few quirks—onions that are too small, potatoes that are shaped like your favorite celebrity, and carrots that fell in love and got twisted together. It may sound like a joke, but billions of pounds of this fresh and delicious food is tossed each year because grocery stores only want "perfect" foods on their shelves. We step in and buy this food from hundreds of farms across the country and bring them to your doorstep, saving you money and helping you save the world." 

Misfits Market does give every subscriber a discount code to share with their friends for 25% off their first box. If you would like to try this service, you can use this code: COOKWME-TT0TPG.

While this post is in no way sponsored by Misfits Market, I too would receive a 25% discount off of a future box when someone is taking advantage of this code.

Just a note, they do not yet deliver to all States, you can take a look here to see if your state is one of them.

Box No. 5 -What I Received:

2 Cucumbers

7 Limes

4 Mangoes (2 large, 2 regular)

4 Red Beets

1 Jicama

6 Apples

8 Plums

9 Roma Tomatoes

5 Purple Potatoes

13 Fingerling Potatoes

2 Boxes of Grape Tomatoes

1 Butternut Squash

1 Celery Stalk

How we used the produce:

Most of the Fruit was eaten fresh (Minus the Limes) 

3 Limes were sliced and added to carbonated water made with my sodastream.

All Potatoes were boiled and used as a side to meatloaf.

1 1/2 Cucumber, 2 Roma Tomatoes and 1/2 Onion were used to make Cucumber Tomato Salad. I use only simple vinegar, salt and fresh dill leaves from my garden as a dressing.

Some of the Tomatoes and the rest of the Onion were used sliced as topping for grilled burgers.

More Tomatoes and 1/2 Cucumber were used to make chef salad with lettuce from my garden. 

The Celery Stalk was eaten fresh as a snack. 

1/2 Box of Grape Tomatoes was used in a side salad, again with lettuce from my garden. 

Still left:

1 Squash (and 1 from a previous delivery...I really need to roast these, they are so good roasted but somehow I never seem to get it done!)

4 Limes (I will continue adding them to my carbonated water made with the sodastream as it's so refreshing with a touch of lime).

1 1/2 Box of Grape Tomatoes (My daughter and I will probably snack on these and will make another side salad with lettuce from my garden.)

1 Large Mango (this will most likely be eaten this afternoon before my new box arrives.)

4 Beets (Ok, I'm not a huge fan of beets and could have done without these, although the red velvet cupcakes I made last time were pretty good. But I might figure out how to make pickled beets...) 

1 Jicama (Not sure how I will use this yet. Maybe I'll roast it again with a squash.) 

Disappointments and Thoughts

For this order I added on Red Grapes, but they were not included. I think they may have instead sent grape tomatoes but maybe they were just part of my regular misfits market box. I did email them and they refunded the money for the grapes. 

I also didn't really need or want any more beets!! In fact 2 of the yellow beets from my previous week ended up in the trash because I didn't store them right and they got moldy!!

The good news is, Misfits Market is now offering customization, so I can pick what I want. I could have had that option with this box, but was too late to make picks and most of what I would have wanted had been sold out. But last Thursday when my "customization and add-on  window" opened, I made sure to log in right away to make my picks, even though I was sitting at the dentist's office waiting room :-)

Amazon affiliate links are included in this post, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the amazon links. Thanks so much for your support! 

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Linking up with these wonderful blogs.

Hello Monday // Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // Little Cottage Linkup // Anything Goes with your Hosts (Mondays) // You're the Star Blog Hop Link Up @ Stonecottage Adventures // Love your Creativity Link Party // Hearth and Soul (starts Monday night) // The Happy Now // Tuesdays With a Twist // Myriad Musings // Tuesday Turn About  // Effortlessly Sophisticated // Wonderful Wednesday // Classy Flamingos // Welcome Wednesdays // What's Up Wednesday? // Little Things Thursday // Thursday Favorite Things // Slices of Life (Encouraging Hearts and Home) // A Morning Cup of Joe // Fridays at the Fire Station // Shelbee on the Edge // A Little Bit of Everything // Dare to Share //

Penny Black and More - July Challenge

Today is the start of a new theme at Penny Black and More challenge where our theme for July is In the Garden and hopefully you'll come join us for a chance to win one of our prizes. We have Penny Black and Blade Rubber Craft prizes to give away this time.

Please note, this post does include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, as always this is at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support.

To make my card today, I used a mix of cute and floral stamps from Penny Black along with one of their newer sentiment sets.

The older hedgehog stamp - Asking the Flowers -  has been heat embossed then colored using distress inks.The flowers -Dancing Daisies - were inked up using distress inks and markers and stamped with the help of my stamp platform. Mine is no longer available but there are several available on Amazon. 

I used Tim Holtz's Rays stencil to add some sunshine to the card and inked the edges. To add some interest to the design I used an old stamp from Stampin Up along the bottom edge. The sentiment is from the set Blooming Sentiments, which has become one of my favorites to use with floral stamps.

Penny Black Asking the Flowers // Penny Black Blooming Sentiments // Penny Black Dancing Daisies // Distress Inks //  Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink // Clear Ultra Fine Embossing Powder


Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Linking up here:
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Nature

Summertime at Allsorts Challenge

It's Saturday, meaning time for a new theme at Allsorts challenge. It's Helene's turn to host and she picked the theme of Summertime. There is a stamp from Chocolate Baroque to be won this week so hopefully you'll join us! Also, if you are able to watch Hochanda TV, Lesley of Chocolate Baroque will be sharing a new and very exciting collection of stamps on Hochanda TV on Tuesday July 7th at 10am and 3pm (note: these are UK times), I heard that these stamps are something really different so you may want to check it out if possible! I don't think it's possible here in the US to watch...



Please note, this post does include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, as always this is at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support.

I got out another oldie but goodie stamp for this card - Lazy Days by Penny Black (I found one available on eBay), heat embossed and colored using distress inks. Using a hand cut mask and distress inks with a blending tool, I made some hills and used more stamps from Penny Black (Sprigs, Snow Blanket) to add some trees and other plants for an outdoor scene. I hadn't planned on using pattern papers but messed up when I tried stamping a border around the card so decided it was best to trim off the edges and use what I could. This old pattern paper from my stash was a perfect match, I think it was a freebie package from Bo Bunny out of a stamping magazine. 

Butterflies were done using an old Martha Stewart punch, and the sentiment is from Penny Black's set Sweet Wishes. I tried to add some stencilled sun rays (this was done before I messed up), and now it really doesn't look much like sun rays after I added the sentiment strip. 

That's all for today, thank you so much for stopping by! Hope you're having a good weekend! I will be back again tomorrow with my card for the July Penny Black and More challenge theme. 

Fashion Over Forty: Flutter Sleeves in Coral

Happy Friday! I think this may be my first and only fashion post in July, my husband will be on a vacation soon and while our travel plans aren't happening, we will do a little work around the house,  little things that are always being put off somehow. And the fashion posts do take the longest to write up and work on, so it makes sense to take a break from them during this time.

We also had a young stray cat walking up to our house, pregnant and it's a quite stressful situation as we already have two adult cats so we can't easily let her inside. She'll be going to the vet next week for a checkup and they should be able to check if she is microchipped but nobody in the area has currently reported a missing cat and our neighbourhood is full of strays. One of our neighbours said she's been coming to her house for food along with the other homeless neighbourhood cats. (She always puts out food for the animals.) I wish everyone would get their pets spayed/neutered, it's just so sad to see so many cats without a home!!! My daughter absolutely loves this young mother cat but honestly I don't know if our house is equipped for another cat especially since my other 2 cats are almost 10 years old now and I know they won't take it easy. We pretty much have no idea what to do ... especially with the babies on the way, but right now she is staying here in the backyard and garage and we are taking turns keeping an eye on her so she doesn't escape while in the backyard. 

Please note, this post does include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, as always this is at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support.

But anyway, I'm here to share another summer outfit where I am styling a new flutter sleeve blouse in a color named "Hibiscus".

I picked  this top up when they had a special on all of their clearance prices and I think I paid around $10 for it. 

The top is still available in Petite sizes. The fit is true to size, I have the petite small. But it is a final sale item, meaning no returns or exchanges on this item.
PS: If you're shopping at LOFT this holiday weekend, you can use code HBDUSA to get 50% off 1, 60% off 3 or 70% off 4 or more items. 

The other items I purchased (and love) in the recent months from LOFT are this Mixed Media Shell, this Red Floral Top and these Chambray Crop Pants. The tops run true to size but the pants run a size too big, so definitely go down one size if ordering. 

My crop jeans are by Kut from the Kloth Lauren style in the mid rise with a 24" inseam. My usual size 25 fits well but they do loosen up just a big with wear and I could have fit the 24. 

Still loving my new Straw and Canvas Bag by Sakroots straw and canvas bag. There is a little bit of pink on the print perfectly matching the pink of this top, but it's hard to see on these photos. And I love that I can carry it as a crossbody bag, shoulder bag or clutch. 

These wedge heel sandals are a few years old and purchased at Kohl's by Natural Soul but they are no longer available. This pair from DSW is a comparable option. 

These wedge heel sandals are a few years old and purchased at Kohl's by Natural Soul but they are no longer available. This pair from DSW is a comparable option. 

Necklaces are both part of a Lucky Brand Layering Necklaces (old). Since this blouse is cut higher at the neckline, I decided to add longer necklaces. They just seem to work better than a shorter necklace for this style. 

Mixed Media Ruffle Top (use code HBDUSA to get 50% off 1, 60% off 3 or 70% off 4 items) 

Crop Jeans (use code SUMMER20 to get 20% off)

Straw and Canvas Bag (also  available here) 

Similar Sandals

As always, thank you so much for taking the time to visit!

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I'm linking up with these wonderful blogs:
Friday: Fancy Friday hosted by Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style // Lizzie in Lace //  Friday Favorites at Penny's Passion // A Little Bit of Everything // Friday Favorites // A Fireman’s Wife // Shelbee on the Edge //  Fabulous Friday Link Up with Lucy

Saturday: Dare to Share

Sunday: Style Splash linkup

Monday: Away From Blue // The Queen In Between (first Monday) // Claire Justine Creative Mondays // Glass of Glam // Mutton Style // Inspire Me Monday // Ageless Style Linkup (1st Monday) // Hello Monday // Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // You're The Star Blog Hop Link Party @Stonecottage Adventures

Tuesday: The Fashion Canvas // Shelbee On the Edge Spread the Kindness // I Do deClaire // Elegantly Dressed and Stylish // Myriad Musings // Jenerally Informed Happy Now Blog Link // Style Splash linkup // Tuesday with a Twist @Stonecottage Adventures

Wednesday: What's Up Wednesday? (last wed. of month) // The Queen in Between Style Six // Straight A Style // Jersey Girl, Texan Heart // Fashion Frenzy at Seeking Sunshine and Rosy Outlook // Is This Mutton? Wow on Wednesday // Effortlessly Sophisticated // Wonderful Wednesday //  Welcome Wednesdays
Thursday: Fashion Files at Doused in Pink and Curly Crafty Mom // Elegance and Mommyhood // High Latitude Style // A Labour of Life // Mummabstylish // Thirty Minus One // Mutton Style // Thursday Favorite Things //  Little Things Thursday

Misfits Market Box No. 5 - Contents and How I used the Produce

Happy Wednesday! I am sharing another Misfits Market box today from my latest delivery which arrived last Wednesday. 

For those of you new to my blog or if you're not familiar with Misfits Market, I am sharing this from their site as they explain it best:

"It's a subscription box of sometimes funny-looking, always delicious produce, designed to break the cycle of food waste. Think of us like an online grocery store, except one that specializes in rescuing food that is unnecessarily thrown away. We source high-quality organic produce that has a few quirks—onions that are too small, potatoes that are shaped like your favorite celebrity, and carrots that fell in love and got twisted together. It may sound like a joke, but billions of pounds of this fresh and delicious food is tossed each year because grocery stores only want "perfect" foods on their shelves. We step in and buy this food from hundreds of farms across the country and bring them to your doorstep, saving you money and helping you save the world." 

Misfits Market does give every subscriber a discount code to share with their friends for 25% off their first box. If you would like to try this service, you can use this code: COOKWME-TT0TPG.

While this post is in no way sponsored by Misfits Market, I too would receive a 25% discount off of a future box when someone is taking advantage of this code.

Just a note, they do not yet deliver to all States, you can take a look here to see if your state is one of them.

Box No. 5 -What I Received:

7 Fingerling Potatoes

3 Yellow Beets

1 Butternut Squash

6 Apples

2 Mangos

2 Cucumbers

2 Red Onions

2 Romaine Lettuce Hearts

6 Limes

4 Roma Tomatoes

6 Nectarines

5 Peaches

How we used the produce:

• 5 Limes and 1 Peach were used to make Limeade. I used this recipe but half of the ingredients and I added a couple slices of a peach to my glasses.

• 1/2 Lime was used as garnish to fish. 1/2 Lime is still in the fridge. (I should have added it to the limeade but forgot it was there.)

• 2 Cucumbers, 2 Tomatoes and 1 Onion were used to make Cucumber Tomato Salad with a simple oil and Vinegar dressing, salted and fresh dill from my garden.

• Most of the fruit (minus the limes) were eaten fresh, but still have 3 apples and 1 Mango left.

• Both Romaine Lettuce Hearts, 2 Roma Tomatoes and 1/2 Red Onion were used to make a side salad (again with simple homemade dressing ).  1/2 of the onion is still in the fridge.

• I Still have not decided how to use the Yellow Beets. I've never tried it and am considering trying  this Roasted Golden Beets recipe. 

• I Still have 1 Butternut Squash left (will probably slice and roast as I did with the other squashes I received).

• I still have the Fingerling Potatoes left and these aren't enough for all of us so I might throw them in the oven when I roast the squash or the beets. 

Disappointments:

Ok, so last week I said something along the lines of needing to rename this part as there aren't really any disappointments so far. But honestly this box left me a little bit underwhelmed.....I don't know, it just seemed like something was missing, something like a sort of cabbage, broccoli, beans or cauliflower that I can use to make a warm vegetable side dish. I know there were beets that I could have done something with instead.

But we did receive a good amount of fruit and it was all delicious.

Also, this box seemed like it wasn't packaged carefully enough as one of the cucumbers arrived pretty bruised to where I had to cut and throw away quite a bit from part of it. 

On a good note though, last Thursday I realized I was invited to customize my box, however by the time I got the chance to look into it (evening hours) much of what would have been my picks was already sold out so I decided to get another surprise box which will arrive this afternoon. Then hopefully tomorrow when the customization window opens (which is at 3pm my time) I will remember to visit their site right away to make my selection and see how I like this option. I don't mind receiving a surprise box and it's fun not to know what will be in the box, but being able to choose some of it sounds like a great idea too!

Thanks so much for visiting!!

If you'd like to see my other boxes and read about how I used everything, you can take a look here (first box), here (second box),  here (third box) and here (fourth box).

Amazon affiliate links are included in this post, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the amazon links. Thanks so much for your support! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Linking up with these wonderful blogs.

Hello Monday // Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // Little Cottage Linkup // Anything Goes with your Hosts (Mondays) // You're the Star Blog Hop Link Up @ Stonecottage Adventures // Love your Creativity Link Party // Hearth and Soul (starts Monday night) // The Happy Now // Tuesdays With a Twist // Myriad Musings // Tuesday Turn About  // Effortlessly Sophisticated // Wonderful Wednesday // Classy Flamingos // Welcome Wednesdays // What's Up Wednesday? // Little Things Thursday // Thursday Favorite Things // Slices of Life (Encouraging Hearts and Home) // A Morning Cup of Joe // Fridays at the Fire Station // Shelbee on the Edge // A Little Bit of Everything // Dare to Share //