Spring Cleaning: Two Years Later

So a few of you may have noticed that I suddenly stopped posting mid-spring cleaning. Believe it or not, we actually followed each day, and I took photos and all that jazz to share with my readers, but...

Life decided to hand us some big news and it didn't slow down! Many of you are already "in the know", but I needed to get back here to give some explanation for my disappearance from the blog.

One, my husband accepted a position at new company and we moved to Pennsylvania. We live in Kennett Township, home of the sweet little historical town of Kennett Square. Our home sits nestled in a more rural area near the Delaware border. It has been quite a change from our life in Dearborn, Michigan. As you can imagine, life here, settling in two teenagers, trying to shift gears for business, and many other changes have been all-consuming.

Two, after years of being quite ill, I finally found a doctor who would treat my illness properly. As I started to get better and found a doctor here in PA who would continue treatment on the same path, something I had come to accept as my reality, infertility, suddenly reversed itself.

So, at 41, I found myself pregnant.

As I sit here with a darling sleeping 5 month old in my lap, I am overwhelmed with appreciation for all the changes that can happen very suddenly in life that can bring more joy than ever imagined.

But I am still a little sleep deprived, so please accept my apologies if my blog suffers for it.

Much Love!

Faith

Adventures in Gardening: Stevia (not Truvia)

On my forever quest to find healthy alternatives to refined sugar for the family and for my guests, I have definitely found one that I have fallen in love with over the past couple years after I grew it in my herb garden for the first time in 2011.  The name of the plant is Stevia, and it is very likely you have heard of it before since it is mentioned in commercials for a product called Truvia.  I am not recommending Truvia in any way. I have not used it. I have since purchased stevia packaged by Trader Joe's, and am pleased with the product, however, there is nothing like growing it in your own yard.

I have started to grow it in my butterfly garden section of my yard instead of the herb garden with even better results.

One very cool way to sweeten coffee calorie free is to add the dried leaves to the coffee beans in the grinder, or the crushed leaves to your coffee grounds.  Same goes for tea.  While I know it can be purchased in highly processed form from the grocery store under the name Truvia, I am always hesitant when something is processed to the point of unrecognizable.   I still have dried leaves, and have ordered the plants from Michigan Bulb and purchased from our favorite local nursery, Schwartz's Greenhouse.

Happy Gardening!

Faith

Re-think Pressed Pennies

Okay, so if you have kidlets, you probably have a bunch of these little flattened pennies from travel, amusement parks, and field trips.  They are inexpensive, and even us stodgy adults love to watch the process of a penny being smashed and pressed into a pretty little souvenir. But then you get them home...well, then what?

Over the years I have looked at the stashes of these shiny little mementos, and wondered what the heck I was going to do with them.  Put them in a jar? Nope. Then the jar became the change dumping ground, and they became mixed together.  After that, they end up all over the house in various areas. My favorite irritation was finding them clunking away in the washing machine.

Many of you know that we usually take an annual road trip around the US.  We started collecting ornaments for each special location.  A few years back, I decided to use our smaller artificial tree (purchased for displaying my ornaments at local shows- remember when I did those???) to also display all of our travel ornaments and special handmade or colorful keepsake ornaments that don't match the silver, cream, and white decor of our living room tree. We set it up in the sunroom and surround it with all our fun Christmas creations.

That's when I had a flicker of inspiration....

So I shouted to the kids to find all the pressed pennies they could from our trips. I grabbed my thin hemp twine, and my crop-a-dile, and voila!

Just one more crop-a-dile miracle ;)

Merry Christmas!

Faith

This Year's Teacher/Staff Gifts

Kids are home from school and it is officially winter break- Yay!

Today I sent the kids to school bearing gifts and since I have been so bad about blogging, I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to get back on track.

The great thing about this post is that it still can be used as quick, but thoughtful last minute Christmas gift ideas.

Jonathan, who is in middle school, was sent with two plates of home baked cookies- one for the teacher's lounge and one for the office.  I used my vintage seam binding, and handmade tag, and the cookies are on a (parchment lined) silver platter. The platters are a great find from the dollar store.

Bekah's were a little more involved. We bought glass mugs from the dollar store, Nestle hot cocoa mix, ultra mini dark chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows. I also found adorable (individually wrapped) candy cane spoons that I ordered from Oriental Trading Company.

Unfortunately the spoons sold out so no link. I can see why....they're so awesome! Hopefully they will have them back in stock for next year.  The cellophane food bags were purchased from Jo-Ann Fabrics. They came with the silver food grade ties as well.  In one bag I put the cocoa, mini chips, and marshmallows. Then added the spoon and the wrapped cookie. Add the vintage ribbon and the personalized tag, and voila!

Have an Inspired Day!

Dollar Bin: Paper Mache' Fruit

Dare I admit that my paper mache' sculptures are sometimes dollar bin finds from Michaels?  Of course!

When I first purchased the paper mache' fruit, I think it sat in my "future use" storage for a few months. Which is actually pretty good, because the average is a couple years unless I am incredibly inspired about something. Sad, I know.  But I have accepted that my inspiration for things can be very overwhelming since I see an idea or tweak in most everything around me. These fun fruits found their way onto my design table faster than most because I was working on cupcake gift boxes.  I had a lot of extra glaze (a special mix I make) so I grabbed the fruit and some vintage paper and got to work.

I have a method to my madness in covering pieces to enhance shape and form and the text from the book I am using, and it does take a lot more time than just slapping on pieces willy nilly.  But willy nilly would work nicely too for those with a little less patience than me.

I haven't made any in a while, but just looking at the photos again reminded me that there are a few more lonely fruits in storage....banana anyone?

My Black-eyed Peas Recipe

Today we are having one of my favorites meals of homemade comfort food heaven: Southern style barbecue pulled pork, black-eyed peas, collard greens, and macaroni and cheese.  By far my husband makes the best mac and cheese I have ever had in my life. And sorry, he doesn't give out the recipe ;) So I am stuck with giving you my black-eyed peas recipe, which the whole family loves as well. (At least, that is what they say....haha) It is surprisingly healthy- unlike that macaroni and cheese that makes you gain five pounds just smelling it- and can optionally be made with more liquid added along the way and some favorite veggies to make a yummy soup.

What you will need:

1 Bag of dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and soaked.
10 cups Water
1 Smoked ham hock
1 Green tomato, quartered
1 Small Jalapeno, halved and seeds removed
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and halved
8 Fresh sage leaves
3 Sprigs of thyme
1/4 Large red onion, halved
1-2 tablespoons Salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon White pepper

Bring first 8 ingredients to boil all together in a large pot or dutch oven.  Turn down burner to low and let simmer for one hour. Stir occasionally and check water level to make sure water is always above the beans as they cook. Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue simmering on low until beans are tender and soft with no graininess, always remembering to stir occasionally. Remove ham hock from the pot, and cut of all meat from the bone and chop up into small pieces. Remove garlic, herbs, pepper, and onion (or leave them in and just avoid them when serving). Add ham hock meat back in, and stir. Serves 8-10 as a side dish.

Enjoy!

Quick Upcycle: Cork Board

Hello to all!

It has been an insanely busy Summer so far, but one of the things we have been working on is our home renovations (Yes, still going...but the end is in sight.)  Here is a quick revamp of an old (and ugly) cork board that is now hanging on the wall behind the door in my daughter's room.  It's a tight squeeze for photographing so photos aren't magnificent, but hopefully you will glean a little inspiration of your own from it.

To achieve this look, I covered and taped off the cork board then spray painted the frame.   Once dry, I carefully inked up a large corner stamp (Fancy Pants).  I actually did two trial stamps on the back of the board to get a feel for it- it's hidden, so I highly recommend it so you can get a feel for the ink and pressure you will need :)  A stencil and paint will work fine for the corners as well. Once this is done, attach the hangers that go with the board (if you don't have any, they can be purchased at any craft/hobby store.)

I doubled the twine and tied it off a few inches off to the side, and tied the ribbon and tags to the twine using a bow from the long hanging ends.  You certainly could just do it in the center, but I love the look of offsetting, and am playing with the idea of adding a paper blossom arrangement later.  

Materials you will need:

White paint (I used spray paint)
Large corner stamp or stencil
Ink or paint for stamp/stencil
Thick twine or thin rope
Decorative ribbon scraps
Tea stained and stamped tags
Painters tape and covering for the cork

Have an inspired day!

Faith

Custom Recipe Boxes

I often have customers ask me how the process works, and I thought it about time that I blog about the wonderful way I get the opportunity to create something uniquely beautiful for each customer.

The first thing I do is get an idea of my client's style and color theme.  My favorite way of do that is to send them over to design-seeds.com where they can pick color palettes that suit the look they want.  I also have them go to my facebook page to look at my different created boxes and my pinterest boards for style ideas and inspiration.  Knowing what catches their eye give me wonderful insight into their bent of artistic style.

Once we hit that point, I might ask a couple clarifying questions.  Sometimes, clients tell me to just do my "thing" from there, but usually this is where I send swatches for the client to pick from, reminding them that this is probably a paper from a line of many patterns.  Their box will generally not be exclusively the paper swatch chosen unless requested.  Here is an example:

A client picked the far right swatch-

These three paper swatches I sent were based off of this design seed pick:

Her recipe box turned out to look like this:

As you can see, I use finite cutting techniques to add additional layers to the patterns from papers that are in or match the same line, as is also exampled here:

And sometimes a customer asks for a special personalization: 

The time to create can differ from one box to the next but generally takes a week from start to finish including a painted interior. Each is made to order.  Lead times vary by the amount of custom orders I am already working on, so sometimes it can take a bit longer. 

This is truly one of my favorite parts of my business- creating these special recipe boxes for others.  It's even more heartwarming to hear back from my customers with stories of the way it has been used or gifted. I even get photos of the box in use every once in a while and that just tickles me pink!

So a huge "Thank You!" to my many customers who have given me the opportunity to create a recipe box, just for them!  

Faith

PS If you are looking to have one made as well, just click here.

Great interior design tool!

So while in the midst of designing the boys' bedroom, I came across this FREE design tool by Autodesk.  I love using it!  Even though the selections are somewhat limited, it still gives me a basic understanding of my space.  It also helps me give my dear husband who struggles understanding my inspiration for designs no matter how well I describe them, a tangible visual of what I am trying to accomplish. Several times it has helped pull us from the brink of an avoidable argument. How's that for Awesome?

So here is a snapshot of the basic layout I designed in the attic room:

Because we had to gut the attic after the extensive storm damage,  (See blogs: It Could Happen to Anyone and Trying to Play Catch-Up) we reconfigured a couple of areas like the stairwell and closet to make them safer, more efficient, and get them into code.  Just building up the floor at a bizarre drop allowed us to push back a wall and add square footage to reduce the overall pieced-together feeling of the space. I am so grateful that this CAD program was available for free..it saved us from many headaches.  Hope you enjoy using it as much as I have!

And as a little extra holiday weekend bonus- A fun curation for your Friday viewing pleasure:

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!


Faith

Decoupaging Clothespins

I haven't done a "how-to" in a awhile, so thought I would do a small one today while the house is still relatively quiet.

Many of you have seen my decoupaged clothespins. They are pretty easy to make, but there are a few tips to make sure you are creating something that isn't going to fall apart on you and will look their best for years to come no matter how you use decide to use them.

(Click Here to Pin on Pinterest)

What you will need for this project:

• Plain wooden clothes pins
• Decoupage 
• Matching printed  paper selection 
• Small bowl of water
• Sponge brush
• Paper towel or rag
• Trimmer
• Distress Ink/Chalk (optional)

Directions:

Measure the flat side of the clothespins. Cut the paper strips to the measurement. Using your lightly dampened brush, apply a thin layer of decoupage on both the side of the clothespin you will be placing the paper on, and the backside of the paper. Adhere together.  Make sure placement is as exact as possible.  Gently wipe off excess decoupage, trying to avoid getting decoupage on the printed side of the paper.  Set aside with paper side upright on paper towel or rag and let dry.  Repeat with all the clothespins for your project.  Let them dry completely (see the directions for dry time on your decoupage bottle).  Optional: distress ink/chalk edges.  Once dry, put another layer of decoupage on top of the papered side and let dry.

Here are some important tips:

Measure the flat side of your clothespins and cut to size as exactly as possible.  This is very important.  Paper that is too big or too small on the clothespins looks shoddy, and larger strips will not stay adhered as well. 

Heavier stock paper works much better for this project.

Do not use xyron, zipdry, or other adhesives instead of decoupage.  For something as small as a clothespin, it does not work as well. The firmness of the top protective layer causes the paper to eventually lift off the clothespin.

I do not recommend homemade decoupage because is yellows and is more likely to crack on this project.

I like to boil (about 15 minutes) and dry my clothespins to breakdown the wood sealant a little.  Clothespins that you buy at the store for laundry use typically have a bit of weatherproofing seal on them that can make it more difficult for a good initial adhesion.

The final seal on top of the paper can be done a second time to make sure it is well-protected.  Just remember to allow the decoupage to dry completely between coats.  

Using high-gloss for the top coat process gives a very unique look. I usually use matte, but using gloss, glimmer, outdoor, or another sheen is totally fine.  

Have an inspired day!

A Time to Create

I have been very inspired lately, which is a wonderful thing!  However, my business has been keeping me so busy (a very good thing too!) that the opportunities to delve into producing new designs and invest that level of attention and time has been diminishing greatly especially since we are still in the midst of construction in our home.  Because of this, I have decided to thin out my store a bit and limit my stock availability for a month while I create.  What I have realized from this incredible increase in business, is that I burn out very quickly when I don't make time for inspired creation. It begins to show in my work and my attitude towards the business side.  I love what I do and I love the business, but like a marriage, I need to work at it and keep falling in love with it, or it starts to becomes almost a burden touched with resentment- I don't ever want to feel that way about something I am so passionate about.

For the next 2 days I will have a store-wide sale of 30% the entire purchase. This is a huge sale, so if there were pieces you have been keeping an eye on, this is the time to buy.  I will not be re-listing anything until February, and some items will not be returning, so I encourage everyone to take this opportunity to check the store out. Make sure to go to my facebook page and grab the 30% off coupon code for the 2 day sale.

I look forward to being able to share with all of you the new designs that I have been working on.  I hope you will be inspired right along with me.

Have a wonderfully inspired day!

Faith

A Family Production

Today's entry needs to be dedicated to my amazing husband and children.  I could not have survived this holiday season without them.  To bring everyone up to speed, I was given the rare and wonderful opportunity to have one of my Pride and Prejudice novel ornaments featured in the National Post.  It created a whirlwind of business that no one expected and I desperately needed the help of my family to fulfill orders and stay on top of all the holiday shopping madness going on in my online shop.  My vintage novel ornaments and french script candles were an incredible hit this year, and I am immensely grateful and humbled.  A few of the ornaments are still available at Paint Creek Center for the Arts locally in an exclusive large glass bulb with opalescent finish that I don't yet sell online (as well as some of my frames, french script candles, cupcake gift boxes, and covered wood boxes.) If you would like to grab a few ornaments at a discount, my shop will be selling the Sets of 3 10% off in the month of January.  I will re-announce the sale in my next blog and on facebook.

The infamous Pride and Prejudice novel ornament.

I finally decided to join twitter.  I am still getting used to the idea of trying to remember to "tweet" things, and find the balance between not enough/boring and over the top/obnoxious.  I lean to the former out of fear of the latter.  The whole concept of putting something out there in cyberspace that I may never be able to take back makes me a tad nervous...oh wait...this is a blog, right? haha

Thanks to the lovely invitation by an long-time friend, Christine Martinez, creator of Miles to Style, I am now on Pinterest as well. (Thank you, Christine!) This is a sloooooow process since I am still juggling home/work/construction/holidays, but I think I am getting the hang of pinning much more quickly than tweeting.  Afterall, I am skimming through the pages of Etsy and the net all day looking for beautiful things to feature, buy, and inspire me. Being able to pin them into a virtual book totally rocks!  No more word docs of links in barely organized categories (yes, I actually have been doing that for over 5 years).  I really enjoy looking at the pins of my friends as well.  You all have great taste!

Well that's my update in a big flowery basket of newsy goodness.  Looking forward to chatting into the New Year...

Have an inspired day!

Faith

Recipe: Potato Leek Soup

Okay, so if you have never used leeks before, you must try them...and this is the perfect way to lose your leek virginity. (Yes, I know that sounds wrong, but it made me giggle, so it stays. ;P)

One quick mention is that preparing leeks is easy, but you might be surprised by finding the pockets with sand and soil among the layers if it is your first time using them, so I am going to give you a link to help with prep: How to prep leeks. Now I do use more of the greens than is shown in the video, but that is just preference. Also, as much as I think lavender adds a beautiful flavor to this, it can be left out- especially if you don't live close enough to steal some from my herb garden.

Now to the fun part:

Ingredients 

2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp chopped fresh lavender
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
2 leeks, sliced
7 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
Gorgonzola cheese for garnish (optional)

Directions

In a soup pot, melt butter, add leeks, salt, peppers, and lavender, then saute for 10-15 minutes at medium to low heat.  some light browning from the butter is fine, but do not brown the leeks or caramelize, just let them become soft and tender.    Add white wine and stir, releasing any browning from the bottom. let cook down for about 5 minutes.  During this time, add the cornstarch to the stock and stir. Add stock and potatoes to the leeks, and bring to a boil.  Turn down stove to low heat and add milk and cream.  Let simmer for 30 minutes. When you are ready to serve, you can leave as is, or blend half in the blender and re-add to create a thicker, more velvety soup.  Garnish with Gorgonzola cheese if desired.

It tastes incredible, and is even better the second day...the perfect comfort food on these cold dreary days :)

Enjoy!

My German-style Split Pea Soup

Another Family Favorite we can't live without that goes perfectly with cold, gloomy weather. I usually make a double batch to freeze because it is so popular with the kidlets. While it does take about an hour and a half cook time, total prep time is actually about 15 minutes, so is a very easy recipe. Usually I serve it with a loaf of pumpernickel bread or hearty multi-grain on the side. And if you have the inclination to make homemade butter to spread, I added the instructions after the soup recipe :) Cheers!

Ingredients:
1 Hamhock
1 bag of Dry Split Peas
6 Slices of Bacon chopped
Water
5 carrots, sliced in coins
1 red onion Chopped
4 stalks of celery chopped
2 Tbsp. Sea Salt
1 Tsp. freshly gound Black Pepper
2 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme Leaves
1 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 cup White wine


First, in a large pot/dutch oven, Place hamhock, pour in split peas, salt, and half of the pepper, and cover with water. Bring to Boil at high heat on a back burner then turn down heat to medium to allow for a rolling boil. With a large skillet, brown bacon until crisp, then add chopped onion, carrots, and celery and the remaining pepper. Let brown and caramelize over medium heat, then deglaze with wine. Once all of the browning has lifted from the bottom (you can help it along with stirring), pour the contents of the pan into the pot of boiling lentils. Add 4 cups of water, cover and and turn down heat until at a nice simmer. Let simmer for 1-11/2 hours, or until peas have fully softened. Stir occasionally to make sure there is nothing sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add a little water as needed to make sure all ingredients are covered with liquid. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add lemon juice and thyme.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Fresh butter

Ingredients:
1 pint Heavy cream
1/4 tsp. sea salt (optional)

In a mixer, whip cream and salt until it forms a pale yellow creamy butter. Great way to show the kids where butter comes from...well besides taking them to a farm to milk a cow, etc. ;)

Pork Chops with Lavender

Just created a new recipe last night that I wanted to share with all of you. Everyone in the family loved it (score!) and it made my taste buds dance. It has just a little bit of a spicy kick, so be forewarned.

Ingredients:
4-6 Thick cut pork chops
2 Cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Small red onion, thinly sliced into rings
1/4 tsp. Coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
Pinch ground Cayenne red pepper
2 tbsp. Lavender leaves
2 tbsp. Olive oil
1/2 cup White wine (Can be substituted with chicken broth)

Directions:
In a large lidded frying pan, heat oil between medium and high until the edges of one grain of rice begins to sizzle in pan. Remove grain of rice and place pork chops in pan.  While pork chops begin to brown, sprinkle the following evenly over the pork chops: cayenne pepper, garlic, lavender leaves, and half of the ground black pepper and salt. Once the pork chop is browned on the bottom, flip over to brown other side, and sprinkle the rest of the salt and black pepper evenly.  Once both sides are brown, lift pork chops and slide onions under them to saute for about 5 minutes, letting them caramelize a bit, but not burn. De-glaze with white wine, turn heat down to lowest setting, cover with lid, and let cook for 10-15 minutes depending on thickness of pork chop.

I served the pork chops with with steamed rice and salad. If you start the rice just before starting the pork chops, and make your salad while the pork chops and rice cook, you can have your entire meal done in roughly 25 minutes. Those of you who live locally can hit me up for fresh lavender from my garden anytime :)

Enjoy!

Recipe by Faith Swientoniowski © 2011

Paper Posey How-To

I wanted to start out this year of blogging with one of my most popular items right now- paper posies. I use them to embellish several different types of items, including cards, wreathes, topiaries, scrapbook pages, and more.

Here is a list of items you will need:

Large flower or scallop punch or die cut (avoid ones with skinny petals)

Inspirations by Faith Color
Wash in Aquamarine

Paper piercer

Small container of warm water

Cotton swab

Protected surface

For this project, I am going to use an old Chinese newspaper as my paper base, but any paper will work well. You can use other types of color washes also. If you would like to purchase from my stock of specially formulated color washes, vintage papers, and Chinese papers, click here. You will note that I am not using protective gloves in the pictures. This is because I do not handle the flower during the dying process, but I highly suggest that protective hand wear be used to prevent staining whenever you are using color washes.

First, punch out your flowers for the project.

 For this posey, I have punched five, but any number, more or less, can be used.

 Pierce a whole in the center and insert your brad. 

 Dip posey in water, face down into the water. Hold there for about 3 seconds.  

 Starting with center flower, begin crumpling petals gently towards the center.  

 Repeat this with each layer until you have a crumpled wad of
layers.

 Gently unfold each layer from last to first, making sure not to flatten the posey or over release. You should be able to see the center brad.  

Spray color wash to create desired effect.

Clean center gently with cotton swab to remove excess color wash.

Let dry, making sure not to touch it during this process.

Here is a picture of the final product. I can’t help but smile whenever I see these sweet little flowers. I hope you enjoy making your own as well!

Celebrating Love

This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing a very dear friend marry the love of her life. Sadly, I hadn't the chance to visit her since my move from the Dayton, Ohio area to Dearborn, Michigan three years ago, so I was terribly excited to be there.  Her and her husband have not only experienced the greatest of joys together, but also have withstood the test of time, uncertainty, and struggle for those precious moments we had the sincere honor of sharing with them Saturday.   I honestly can say, seeing her for the first time in so long, coming down the aisle as a bride, touched me deeply.  Her smile was truly the brightest and most lovely light in the room. And I admit, I was just a tad emotional at that moment. 

I also had the supreme delight in seeing two other wonderful women in my life who came to share in the celebration.  All three are friendships built together during my time designing and teaching for a local scrapbooking store.  We all agree, that the best thing that ever came from our time there is, without a doubt, our relationships with one-another.  It certainly reaffirms in me that LOVE, be it romantic, friendship, or family, is the greatest gift of this human existence.  

Love you Carol, Maribeth, and Kayla!

New Blog for a New Era

Not terribly fond of re-inventing the wheel, I sit here annoyed that I have not been able to pick this blogspot thing up right away. Seems simple enough, but my dependency on the ease of using MySpace left me defiant.  So here I am. Finally.

I had so many wonderful intentions about this year of blogging...and still do.  But the death of my grandmother has definitely rocked my world. My business has been increasing significantly, and I had forgotten all the little quirks about living as balanced as possible despite the need to continually run a business for which you are the sole provider of its content.  I am not complaining, just explaining.  And well, rejoicing in suffering a bit.

I find myself curious as to what will become of me and this blog.   Will it become just another one of my unfinished pieces, or will I see this one to completion.  Will I become dissatisfied with the product, or simply abandon it all together.  I sincerely hope I will stick it out which in turn leads me to the hope that some how some day I will look back and see others who have gleaned a little inspiration from it as well.  So there you go- I dare to hope.

Let's see where that dare gets me...