New Designs for Spring!

Finally! Spring is here and I've got some new designs to share. Both designs were done for a friend and they turned out wonderful! What do you think?!

When 'n' Where Save the Dates: 20/$0.00 + Shipping
Cards printed on smooth white paper with paper-bag colored envelopes.
Card Dimensions: ~5.5 x 4.25"

Two Hearts Engagement Party Invitations: 20/$30.00 + Shipping
Cards printed on smooth white paper with paper-bag colored envelopes.
Card Dimensions: ~5.5 x 4.25"

Good Eats: Bacon Wrapped Dates

Bacon makes everything better am I right?! It has to be a saying for a reason; a'la my You're Just Like Bacon card. Have you ever had anything wrapped in bacon and it didn't taste great? I think not. The 'recipe' below for bacon wrapped dates is amazing. Definite crowd pleaser, even if the crowd just happens to be my husband and I for our holiday dinner, but I've also taken this appetizer to other events and it's usually the first to disappear.

Ingredients

• Bacon (I went with what's on sale, but feel free to go regular or thick-cut)
• Gorgonzola crumbles (bleu cheese would equally as great)
• Dates (~32-36)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cut dates length-wise to the center, pull out seed and set aside.
3. Place 3-4 crumbles into the center of dates
4. Cut bacon strips in half
5. Wrap half strip of bacon around cheese stuffed date
6.  Use rimmed backing sheet, bake until bacon is crispy (about 10 minutes)
7. Flip each date and bake for another 10 minutes

This recipe is definitely why good 'cooks' never lack friends. Enjoy!

DIY: Magnetic Spice Rack

It is times like these when I realize I'm too crafty for my own good when I start dragging others into my schemes.

A co-worker sent me a link to this magnetic spice rack from amazon. She loved the idea but was interested in my thoughts on if it could be done any cheaper. Immediately, I myself was in love with this idea and knew it could definitely be made for $85 or less ... so our little adventure started.

Supplies Needed:

• Magnet Board - Ikea $12.99
• Glass Jars - Container and Package Supply $0.50/each x 24
• Metal Lids - Container and Package Supply $0.16/each x 24
• Strong Magnets - Amazon $8.00/35 pack x 2
• Clear Round Labels - Amazon $7.00
• Gorilla Glue - AC Moore $2.50 (50% off with coupon)

For a grand total of $54.34 (even less because I had a few supplies already) which is almost half the cost so I'd say this is a great DIY project. You always get the added bonus of saying, 'I made that myself!'

Instructions:

1. Glue (3) magnets onto the top of the lid
2. Wait 2-3 hours until glue is dry
3. Pour spices into respective jars
4. In a word processing program, type up labels, and cut down to size
5. Using the clear circular stickers label the glass jars
6. Enjoy!

Notes:

• My initial plan was to place the magnets on the inside of the lid. However, the pull force was weakened because of of having to go through the lid then attached to the magnet board. 
• Also, you might want to consider doing this with a fellow DIY-er. When ordering from Container and Package Supply for orders less than $50 there is a small order fee of $10; we bypassed this by ordering together and getting (36) jars/lids each instead of (24).

Good Eats: Super Bowl Edition

The Super Bowl has come and gone, but really for me the game is the least exciting part of the night (sorry football fans). I really am 'that' person that would rather watch the commercials; I like advertisements and seeing how creative companies can get. This year's 'theme' was much more sentimental than humorous. Have to say I enjoyed the Budweiser 'Puppy Love' commercial the best. 

But let's get real, the most important part of Super Bowl is the F-O-O-D! This year's menu included:

• 'Skinny' Crab Dip
• Curried Crab Ragoons
• Homemade Jalapeno Poppers
• Curried Mussels
• Beer Sampling

In no way did I mean to go 'theme' with the seafood and curry, but I thought to myself what recipes from the past few months have the husband and I liked the best and this is what I came up with.

This is my second time making this mussel recipe and it is by far my favorite of any mussel recipe I've made myself or tried in a restaurant; with the plus side being it's really not that complicated to make. Below is the recipe with a few 'healthier' changes (here is the original).

Ingredients

• 3lbs fresh mussels, cleaned
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp
• 1/4 cup shallots, chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
• dash of ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Cook shallots and garlic for three minutes. Add curry powder, salt, red pepper flake and black pepper. Cook for another two minutes.
2. Add white wine and cook for another three minutes. Add coconut milk, cream and cilantro and stir.
3. Add mussels and cover. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Shells will pop open when ready.

Serve with your choice of bread.

To enjoy throughout the evening, we stopped at a local craft beer store and picked out a 6-pack sampler. Not picture was a beer from Evil Twin Brewery called Justin Blabaer; one of the husband's favorite so it didn't quite make it to the next day. This weekend's lot was:

1. PILS (Czech Style Pilsner) - Lagunitas: GREAT!
2. Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale - Atlantic Brewing: too sweet
3. Snapshot Wheat - New Belgium Brewing: GREAT!
4. KoKo Brown - Kona Brewing: interesting
5. 1554 Enlightened Black Ale - New Belgium Brewing: just okay

New Year ... and it's already February

Happy New Year (err ... + one month)! Took a little holiday the month of January to get myself back on track and of course give myself a little rest and relaxation. Let's re-cap what's been going on so far this past month:

Was quite excited to get started on this project. I love sending out holiday cards, but I'm not one to write a year-in-review letter. However, this infographic style card let me get super creative and also incorporate a little bit of what my husband and I did over the year.

Even though this was a labor of love, I'm incredible happy with how it turned out and not sure if I'll be able to top this next year! Be sure to keep an eyes out on my Etsy store, because for the 2014 holiday season this card will be available!

I was also determined to get a few new, fresh designs into my Etsy store which was accomplished. This year's holiday customer favorite was The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer, followed by last year's favorite Merry Christmas Ya'll.

This year has also thrown another great opportunity my way; I'm now a member of the L Bee and the Money Tree team. Lauren found me through my Etsy store, I've done a few personal projects for her over the past few years and now I'm happy to be assisting her during her blogging endeavors.

Here's my bio, what do you think?!
Colleen Flynn Crutchfield (Graphic Designer) is a full time art director at an internet retailer and part time freelance designer for the whimsical. She's been a graphic designer for the better part of a decade and during that time transitioned her passion for typography and beards into a satisfying side business, A Sea of Ink. Lauren found Colleen through her A Sea of ink Etsy shop while looking for change of address cards. Lauren appreciates Colleen's very particular set of skill; skills she has acquired over a very long career. Skills that make her a nightmare for people ... that don't know Photoshop. When life hands her a spare moment she's usually hanging out with her (beautifully bearded, glasses adorned) husband and her (hipster) dog Louie, while trying out the newest craft beers the world has to offer.

Most recently (as in this weekend) I helped my brother out with a logo for his camp's sports league. Got to love when the directions are 'it must say Central Jersey Sports League, be one color, and it has to include a basketball, soccer ball, and baseball bats' otherwise ready, set ... go and give it your best shot.

Seems we're both happy with how it turned out so that's a win/win in my book. In the (near) future, the hope is to get a website up and going for them; going to have to brush up a little bit on my coding skills.

And lastly, very excited to have had another great Valentine's Day season. Last year I sold just shy of (50) cards and this year was a solid (75) cards! I love that other women out there admire and adorable their beautifully bearded men and want to tell them so. This year's best seller was Please Do Not Shave off Your Beard (pictured) and a new design this year, Second Base Beard, was a customer favorite.

Another large order of cards also went off to Ellwood Thompson's in Richmond, VA. They carry the full line of beard cards, plus a variety of other designs.

Holiday Mixed Tape

I love myself some Christmas tunes; however like all good things there is a time and a place. Pre-December 20th holiday music is strictly for getting ready for any holiday parties/outings, while doing some holiday baking, or wrapping presents. Any non-stop holiday music playing in the car or 'insert store name here' can frankly get on my nerves. However now we're at the sweet spot where I can listen to holiday music for extended periods of time. I've put together my Holiday Mixed Tape (which will be playing on our trip back to NJ).

Colleen's Holiday Mixed Tape

1. Baby It's Cold Outside - She & Him
2. Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Bruce Springsteen
3. Maybe This Christmas - Ron Sexsmith
4. Just Like Christmas - Low
5. Christmas Wrappings - The Waitresses
6. Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight) - The Ramones
7. Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
8. Christmas Is the Time To Say I Love You - Billy Squire
9. The Christmas Song - The Ravonettes
10. Father Christmas - The Kinks
11. Merry Christmas, Baby - The Beach Boys
12. Run Rudolph Run - Chuck Berry
13. Last Christmas - Jimmy Eat World
14. Linus and Lucy - Vince Guaraldi Trio
15. Christmas is Going to the Dogs - The Eels
16. Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helm
17. Winter Moon - Mindy Gledhill
18. Getting Ready for Christmas Day - Paul Simon
19. Sock it to Me Santa - Bob Seger
20. What are You Doing New Year's Eve - Zooey Deschanel & Joseph Gordon-Levitt

And does Xmas Curtain by My Morning Jacket count? If so we'll add that as a bonus track!

Enjoy! Happy Holidays!

Gift Guide for the Graphic Designer/Music Lover/Hipster

'Tis the Season! I love the holidays ... and let's be straight here who doesn't love getting presents. I've put together my gift guide for the holidays. Need last minute ideas? Any graphic designer/music loving/hipster would love any of these items:

1. Letter Initial Necklace - $26 Etsy.com
2. Letterpress Keychain - $12 Etsy.com
3. Wilco Hoodie - $65 Wilcoworld.net
4. Vintage Clock - $24 Amazon.com
5. Wes Anderson Book - $27 Amazon.com
6. Typodarium Calendar - $13 MoMa.com
7. The Band - Live at the Academy of Music 1971 - $62 Amazon.com
8. Grammer Mug - $11 TheLiteraryGiftCompany.com
9. Citrus Water Bottle - $20 Amazon.com
10. Pantone iPhone Case - $35 Pantone.com
11. Illustrated Plates - $8 Anthropologie.com
12. Paste Magazine Subscription - $36 PasteMagazine.com

Good Eats: Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash

Talk about my new favorite dish; since making it the first time I've had it every week since. Surprisingly easy to make, just needs about 30 mins prep time. I'm in love with spaghetti squash and using it for an alternative to pasta.

This recipe made me think of a 'health' book I read awhile back. When it first came out I read Bethany Frankel's first book, Naturally Skinny. It's been far too long, but I can recall that there was some sort of top 10 list and the only one to really stand out for me was 'Know the Differential'; which I've started calling it 'Love It/Fake It'.

There are certain foods that I love and there can be no replacements for them. I love ice cream, give me 1 cup of Turkey Hill Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream over the 2 cups of some diet substitute; not worth it. I'll take a Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout over some light beer any day, calorie saving be damned.

Now on the opposite side of that there are certain foods that I've found substitutes for and now they've become the standard. I've mentioned how I've given up peanut butter because I find it hard to comprehend that 2 tbsp is 180 calories. Now I use PB2, and I can't tell a difference. Same for spaghetti squash; now I'll substitute any type of pasta in a heart beat.

Know the Differential or Love It/Fake It: If it makes a difference then go ahead and eat a healthy portion size of your favorite meal. But if you can't tell the difference between the regular and substitute, save the calories and enjoy your food all the same. This is particularly why I love this recipe, the flavors are bold and mix well together. You also just saved yourself a few hundred calories.

2 cups of spaghetti squash is 65 calories vs. 2 cups of spaghetti pasta is 442 calories.

Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash
I've made minor edits to the recipe, original recipe is here.

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion (chopped)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes (chopped into fourths)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2-3 handfuls of spinach (or baby spinach)
• To taste - red chili flakes
• To taste - salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Microwave squash for 2/3 minutes (depending on size) to make it easier to cut
3. Cut squash in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds
4. Season squash halves with pepper and salt
5. Place spaghetti squash with cut sides down and bake for 30-40 minutes (depending on size)
6. Remove squash from oven, let cool
7. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; add onions until tender
8. Add garlic for about 2-3 minutes, then add spinach until welted
9. Stir in tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are warmed.
10. After squash cools, use a fork to scoop out and 'shred' the inside.
11. Toss with cooked vegetables, feta cheese, and chili flakes. Season with salt and pepper.
12. Enjoy!

Good Eats: Berger Cookies

Even though I've lived in Maryland for over 3 years now, it wasn't until just a month or so ago that I heard about/tasted Berger cookies. A co-worker had brought them in, and I had to find out where I could get them ASAP.

What are these cookies you ask? I'll tell you. Made in Baltimore, MD these are the most amazing 'cookies' I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy. I say 'cookie' because really it's more fudge then cookie. Imagine a bunch of fudge dumped on a petite little shortbread/sugar cookie; that's a Berger cookie.

For the Thanksgiving holiday, I gave my mom a gift basket that included: a Christmas cactus, Bailey's Irish Cream, and some Berger cookies. They only lasted 2 days in the Fisher/Flynn household.

With the holidays right around the corner, if you live in the Baltimore area pick some up and bring them to whatever holiday party you'll be attending this year. Trust me, everyone will love them and they'll be the first to go ... sadly this means no leftovers to take home.

On a side note, I love anything with great typography; so I'm particularly keen on these treats.

Holiday Cocktail: Hub's Spiked Cider

Just got home after a looong weekend in NJ for the Thanksgiving holiday. Had a great time just sitting around and hanging out with everyone. Especially enjoyed this new cocktail my Mom made; we'll call it Hub's Spiked Cider.

Very few ingredients, simple to make, and incredibly delicious.

Hub's Spiked Cider

If you're in Central Jersey I'm going to suggest Halo Farm or Terhune Orchards apple cider.

• 1 gallon - Apple cider
• 1 liter - Spiced rum (yes! the whole bottle)
• 1 cup - Cinnamon simple syrup (recipe below)
• To taste - Lemon juice

This is how we do Thanksgiving: Spiked Apple Cider
and friendly family betting on the football games.

Cinnamon Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

• 1 cinnamon stick, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water

Preparation:

1. Bring the water to a boil.
2. Add in sugar and stir until completely dissolved
3. Add in the cinnamon stick and let simmer for 5-7 minutes
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool
5. Strain out the cinnamon stick, and pour syrup into cider/rum mixture