Archives for 2012

Process: Making of a Choose Joy Necklace

August 29, 2012 by Ashley Hackshaw

When Erin of The Vintage Pearl decided to make the first Choose Joy Necklace…..I was ecstatic……she’s good people. I told Erin that I wanted to try my own design from start to finish with her blessing…..and I finally finished it. I started with a sketch, had the master made, and then made the long trek up to Northern California to meet the team that would make it for me. You see…..when something has this much meaning for me…..it’s important who has a hand in making it. (I want honest, positive, hardworking energy going into these pieces.) Robert Snell and his team at Snell Casting opened their doors wide open for me…..and I soon knew that they were good people too. I spent the day at Snell Casting as Robert walked me through each and every step in the process to make my Choose Joy design. We made little changes as we went until it was just as I imagined.

So you can see my finished piece at the end of the video……perfectly imperfect. I wanted it to be a distressed and worn piece…..accepted flaws….just like life. Handmade by hardworking employees in the U.S.A.

And now you can watch the process from start to finish….because you know I had to film it so I could share it with you. I spent most of yesterday editing the video and adding the perfect music. Enjoy!

The finished piece measures is around 7/8″ and they are available in the shop. Thank you so much for supporting handmade.

P.S. If any of you are interested in having something cast, please consider Snell Casting. Robert has an amazing team of artisans…..and he and his team are good people. When you call…tell Frankie I said hi.

DIY Suede Fringe Handbag

August 28, 2012 by Ashley Hackshaw

I see so much suede at the thrift store….I have a few jackets, a skirt, a few pairs of pants….it’s all outdated and just waiting to be cut up and made into something amazing. Here’s my first suede remake project……an old pair of suede pants and a thrift store belt into a fringe handbag. It was actually a fairly easy project. The key is to not cut the fringe until the handbag is finished. If you can’t find suede at the store you can also check Etsy and Ebay for remnants. You can also use leather or microfiber. Here are the original pants:

And here is the finished bag: [Read more…]

Boo Bites: International House of Pancakes

August 28, 2012 by Ashley Hackshaw

Last night Boo wanted me to make pancakes for dinner. I mentioned IHOP as a possible alternative and she had no idea what I was talking about (how is it that I’ve never taken my kid to IHOP?). Taking notes on her first experience at IHOP, I’ve written the review from her perspective. I thought about using a 30 point rating scale like Zagat, but since Boo can barely count that high….. let’s stick with stars. So here’s the first “review” from Boo:

IHOP Palm Desert: A hidden gem. At first I couldn’t figure out what all the hype was about…..why had such a place gone international? (IHOP stands for International House of Pancakes ya’ll…sorry if I’m late to the party.) What does international even mean?!

I was nervous as I sat down. It was eerily quiet because we were the first customers of the night. The ambience reminded me of Daddy’s office but with comfy, cozy booths. I saw gum under the table top as I laid down to ignore the story Mommy kept trying to tell me about this breakfast buffet called Shoney’s from the olden days.

As soon as I opened the menu I KNEW that IHOP was going to be 4 or 5 stars. It’s definitely going to be a foodie destination for the 13-and-under-crowd once the word gets out. Breakfast for dinner? Brilliant (said with a British accent.) I ordered the Rooty Jr. and Danny, our waiter, never once balked at all my usual substitutions.

My meal arrived….it looked Photoshopped…….finally a kitchen that understands the often under appreciated art of batter. The glazed strawberry-whipped-topping-smothered pancakes deserved a standing ovation. And then there was the bacon…..perfectly crisp….one piece was folded into the shape of a 7, or maybe it was an L. It was the best bacon I’ve ever had. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the array of syrups line up. Four different kinds of syrup? For reals?

Plates such as “Create-A-Face-Pancake” feature artistic flair…..but man cannot live by pancake alone. IHOP is definitely more “diner” than “pancake house” in my opinion. For anyone that finds pancakes too pedestrian, there’s a wide variety of French cuisine: French toast, crepes, French fries……indeed adding international flair.

The reason for only 4 stars? Well, my fruit bowl was kind of a disappointment. The photo on the menu had watermelon but I only got honeydew. That’s a half star deduction. Honeydew has to be the lamest fruit on the planet. I don’t even eat green vegetables…..so I’m definitely not eating green fruit. The other half star was because I only got 2 crayons with my menu: red and green……what new colors could I possibly make with those? What if I needed to draw a lake? Or a ray of sunshine? Or a blueberry?!

All in all…..it was a great meal. I left feeling full. There was no need for dessert. The only thing that could have made it better would have been Daddy…..but he was glued to the computer at home doing his draft picks.

Stay tuned for more restaurant reviews soon!