It is easy to make and always special this time of year.

Have fun baking!

xox lisA

Super Easy!

9×13″ pan, butter it up

Bowl 1
Five stalks of Rhubarb diced
1 cup of sugar
Toss in a cup of mini marshmallows
toss

Bowl 2
Yellow box cake mix, make according to directions

Layer Rhubarb on bottom of pan
Pour cake batter over the top

Bake 350 according to box cake package

Serve while still warm, scoop out each piece and flip it over on the dish…to show the Rhubarb.

Top it off with cool whip or vanilla ice cream.  OR put it in the ice box and serve it cold.

Annabel says, everything old is new again, of course with a new twist. Here are some tips:

1. Draping will make you look skinny

2. Ice cream and rainbow colors are back

3 . A-line skirts are playful

4. Think vintage and texture

Want to look skinny, fashionable and feel good at the same time?  Try  a draping Cowl Neck Tank. This style has a Grecian influence.

(Oooo, channel your inner greek goddess!)

It is very flattering.

Color?  Think ice cream ,sherbet, and rainbow…with a vintage twist.

(That makes it modern.)

Pair a strawberry Cowl Neck Tank  with vintage off white and muted rainbow skirt.

An A-line skirt is playful…so therefore very “frosty”.

Try vintage inspired shoes.  Annabel says, “think texture”.

Thank you Annabel. I feel good and I’m ready-to-go out for ice cream…wanna come?  I’ll treat!

xox lisA

Want this look?  Visit www.modcloth.com

For my large pitcher shown here, I used 1 can of Bacardi Rum Runner frozen concentrate mixer, 2 cans of cold Black Cherry Citrus Fresca, 2 cans of Pinot Grigio wine, 1 1/2 c cold water, lots of ice, fresh raspberries, blueberries and mint.

Oh, and I served it in my fancy LFC wine glasses.

Cheers!

xox lisA

My intern, Allyson Miller took these pictures.  She has a great eye.  Thank you Allyson!

Need a helpful way to keep track of all of your plantings?  Well, I found a solution!  The local garden store had all these tomatoes and the Home Depot had the plastic plant ID Tags with 7″ Wood Sticks, they came in a pack of 6 for $4.79.  The empty seed packets fit perfectly in the sleeve.

Now, you can take this a step futher by creating your own ID Tag…like shown here.  A hand created tag will give your garden a little more personality.  I then took the plant tag and placed it in the back so that I have the planting information at hand.

This year, I planted a flight of heirloom tomatoes, sunflowers, beets, radish, colored carrots, basil, cilantro, red, yellow and green peppers.

I hope to have a tomato tasting party in August.  Kind of like a wine tasting but with salt.

I am so excited!!!

Happy planting!

xox lisA

Frost & Friends is a holiday show that I produce with my friends, which takes place in Rockford, Illinois every November.  Our mission through Frost & Friends is not only to feature talented artisans and entrepreneurs but to raise money to support art students that are passionate, talented and deserving of the Northern Illinois University Summer in the Arts Camp.

Why?  Well, I am a former art teacher and know first-hand how much this means…I know this can make a difference and add value to a creative life, it gives the student the opportunity to experience college-life which may affect their decision to seek a college education/contemplate a career in the fine arts, it helps families.

The NIU Summer in the Arts Camp is a full-week, college-level art making experience at Northern Illinois University premier school of art.  Check it out at www.artscamps.niu.edu Regional 9-12th grade students are nominated by their art teachers through a written recommendation, examples of their work, and a personal essay written by the student.

Thanks to the community support from this past year Frost & Friends… we are so proud to award 13 kids this opportunity.  Our very own, Kari O’Connor organized a school visit on May 15th, 2012.  We surprised each student with the scholarship letter and awarded them a DREAM BIG sketchbook. To date, we have given 57 scholarships over the years.

Congratulations to all our recipients!!!

xox lisA

Darya Chuveron- Rockford Christian High School. Art Teacher- Kelli Saban

Skye Cox, Erika Geraldino, Haran Lopez- Guilford High School. Art Teachers- Lisa Doll, Lizzie Woodyatt

Anna Girgenti, Derek Droessler, Monica Skzypczak, Jennifer Peters, (not pictured Paul Boguszewski)- Boylan High School.  Art Teachers- Becky Pelley & Tabatha Dougherty

Veronica Ciastko- Auburn High School. Art Teacher- Margret Hynes

Jesenia Perez and Dalton Thompkins- Jefferson High School.  Art Teacher- Lynn Stockton

Katie Draves- Winnebago High School. Art Teacher- Lisa Jimenez

Guess I’m just showing the blues how to have a sunny time.

My little way of saying, “Everything is going to be alright”.

Painting is feeling liquified.

xox lisA

I thought you’d get a kick out of this creative card that came home in my daughter’s back pack last year.

She sums it up with, “I Love you for Loving Me”…

Priceless.

The message is simple…the more love you give- the more love you get.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there…you are so loved!!!

Enjoy your special day.

xox lisA

“I’ve got so much honey the bees envy me.
I’ve got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees…”

Honey.

I met a beekeeper along the way.

He told me that honey may actually help with my seasonal allergies.

He said you must get the honey from your area.

I sought it out.

Found a beekeeeper near my home. (Dawson Creek Trail in Poplar Grove, IL)

Went to his honey harvesting abode.

He sold me a jar full of honey.

Said the queens are aggressive this year.

He has been doing this for eight years…has been stung more this year than all the other years combined.

But the bees are taking in all the pollen from the plants that surround me and that their honey may be the secret ingredient to helping my allergies.

I’m going to try it.

A spoonful a day.

Have a great day Honey.

xox lisA

I mean, I have always liked biking…it helps  accentuate my carefree spirit. I like to ride with friends and family.  It is good old fashioned fresh-air fun.

I even put a basket and a bell on the bike…which can be a little annoying from time to time.

But what I have come to realize is that as gas prices continue to rise…biking is a growing mode of transportation.  Bike lanes are going in everywhere!  Including my own city.  It is a revolution.

So in my quest to  promote this revolution…I have designed a fabric.  I painted a picture of my own bike. I had it made into a piece of Kona cotton fabric. I made it in two styles…Large bike and small. And my friend Peggy Giannageli worked with me on design and did ALL the sewing. We made a wrap-skirt and a fitted skirt with pockets.  Once I throw on a pair of bike shorts for underneath, it is very easy to ride the bike.  OR if biking in the skirt doesn’t appeal to you,  it makes for a great piece to wear to a city council meeting discussing bike lanes.  Or how about a lunch date? A picnic? Ahhhhh…

Want to go for a bike ride?

Let’s do it!

xox lisA

What does it tell me?

It tells me there is a whole lot of life and love out there.

Aim for passion.

Have a great day!

xox lisA