Mermaids of the Lake Blog

Let's Get Creative: A Button Ring Tutorial

Let's get creative together. The Mermaids love to create together! We'll show you how to make adorable little button rings. They're super easy and fun. Add a bright pop to your spring and summer wardrobe!

They are all so cute. It's hard to choose just one!

So pretty in shades of blue and brown.

Bright and fun!

Get your girlfriends, daughters or neices together and have some button bling fun!

Supplies

• Variety of buttons in different sizes and colors. (We found that Joanne Fabrics and Walmart both have great selections of these big, bright buttons)
• E beads in various colors. (E beads are bigger than seed beads and are available most places that sell beading supplies)
• 1mm. stretch string. (We love Stretch Magic and often buy it at Michael's. It is strong and high quality)
• Scissors
• Hypo Cement glue to secure knot. (We buy ours at Michael's. This is the glue that we use on all of our stretch string beading projects. It is super strong and will not make your stretch string brittle)

Let's Get started!

Snip a length of stretch string at approximately six inches.

Thread a bead onto string. (Three beads is a cute alternative)

Thread ends through holes in the smallest button. Layer with the next size and so on.

Thread beads on each side of stretch string. (A ring for an average size middle finger is approximately 21 beads. You will need to add or take away beads depending on the size of your finger)

Tie in a knot and secure it with a tiny drop of Hypo Cement. Immediately tie another knot into the drop of glue.

Let dry for approximately five minutes and snip ends close to knot.

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Thai Fruit & Vegetable Salad

By Mermaid Shelley

Spring is the season of color, energy, and new life! It's so exciting with all the color bustin' out everywhere. And, I love extending this feeling to my food. I get so inspired to try new things, especially something that is colorful and fresh. This lovely Thai salad is presented with the main course of a meal and serves as a cooler to counteract the heat present in many traditional dishes. I just think the colors are Spring on a plate! 

Thai Fruit & Vegetable Salad

Small pineapple, peeled and cubed

1 small mango, peeled and sliced
1 green apple, cored and sliced
6 lynchees, peeled and pitted
1 cup green beans, trimmed and halved
1 red onion, sliced
1 small cucumber, cut into short sticks
1 1/3 mung bean sprouts
2 scallions, sliced
1 ripe tomato, quartered
Romaine or iceberg lettuce leaves

Mix all ingredients except the lettuce leaves and toss with Coconut Dipping Sauce. Place leaves on individual plates and arrange with a portion of the salad. 

Coconut Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons coconut cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons boiling water
1/4 teaspoon chili sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
juice of one lime

Make the coconut dipping sauce. Spoon the coconut cream, sugar and boiling water into a screw-top jar. Add the chili sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice; close tightly and shake to mix.

It's always good to have fun and colorful food. 
Enjoy the delights of Spring on your plate! 

For more great recipes and food ideas, see our Feature Recipe Collection on the our Mermaids of the Lake on-line magazine

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Rise and Shine!!!

Rise and Shine! Make beautiful things happen today!

Creative Pasta Salads

By Shelley Hepler

Who doesn't love the old-time picnic fare of deli macaroni salad. You know the one, cold macaroni slathered in mayonnaise with bits of pickle and onion. But, hold on! Add a little creative spirit to granny’s recipe, and you’ve got the perfect spring or summertime meal!

Revamping a Picnic Favorite

This can be as easy as trying a new kind of pasta. Macaroni is wonderful, but don't limit your creativity by just sticking with the classic. There's a whole world of colorful tubes, shells, twists and twirls in the pasta department.  

 

Types of Pasta for Salads  

For the best salad, use what is called Short Form Pasta. It's small in size and can be sub-categorized into tubular pasta and shaped pasta. Tubular pasta can be of any size, smooth or ridged, straight-cut or diagonally cut. The twisted or curled varieties of pasta are included in shaped pasta. The variety is so fun!

See how many of these you know:

Acomo Pepe tiny, bead-shaped pasta
Bucatini thick, hollow straws of pasta
Bumbola bee-shaped pasta
Campanelle meaning "bells", small cone shape with ruffles
Conchiglie seashell-shaped pasta
Cavatappi tubular, corkscrew or spiral shaped pasta
Cresti di gallo curved-shape pasta, brown in color
Ditali/ditalini short pasta tubes, similar to macaroni
Farfalle crimped center and pinked edges, bow tie shape
Fusilli long, thick corkscrew shaped pasta
Gemelli medium-sized pasta, two tubular pieces twisted together
Gnocchi small dumplings, made from potato, flour or semolina
Igomiti short and curved, tubular pasta with semi-circle shape
Lumache snail-shaped pasta shells
Mostaccioli diagonally cut, tubular-shaped pasta
Macaroni long or short cut, pasta tubes
Orecchiette small, ear-shaped pasta
Orzo shaped like a long grain of rice, also used in soup
Penne rigate diagonally cut, tubular-shaped pasta 
Radiatore short, chunky, ruffled-shaped pasta
Riccioli curled, ridged pasta
Rotelle type of pasta resembling wheels with spokes
Rotini corkscrew or spiral shaped pasta, about 1-1/2-inches long
Tortellini - little pasta 'hats' with meat filling
Tortiglinoni narrow tubes of ridged pasta
Tripolini tiny bow tie shaped pasta
Ziti traditional tube shaped pasta

 Jazz up your next salad with one of these fun Italian pastas!

 

Here Are a Few Things to Note:

• Dried pasta works better than fresh pasta
• Increase fiber by selecting a whole wheat pasta, rather than the traditional semolina based variety
• Add visual interest by choosing a mix of colors. Colored pasta has a small amount of an ingredient like spinach (green), tomato (red) or squid ink (black)
• Make sure the shape you select works with the salad. Pastas with curves and ridges like shells, rigatoni or orecchiette tend to pick up small additions like chopped scallions or bacon bits. Smooth pastas like elbows or farfalle work well with a vinaigrette-type dressing.

Al Dente!

 

Regardless as to how you want to serve your pasta salad, hot or cold, you will need to cook your pasta. The best way to cook pasta is to use a lot of water. In order to cook two cups of pasta, follow this process:

• 2 cups of pasta
• 1 gallon of water (or more)
• 2 tablespoons of salt

Bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and stir to dissolve. Add the pasta and stir it. It's best to stir the pasta for the first minute or two as it cooks or it will clump up. The cooking time for the pasta that is listed on the package is only a guideline; test the pasta after about 4 minutes. Thicker pastas take more time to cook. The pasta is done when it gives slight resistance when bitten. This is al dente. Rinse the pasta under cold water. This will wash off some of the pasta's starch, which becomes slimy once the pasta has cooled.

 

Go Wild with Fun Ingredients!

 

Mama mia, this isn’t your typical macaroni salad! A creative pasta salad can be as elaborate as you like with several pastas tossed together with vinaigrette and a variety of fresh, preserved or cooked ingredients. These can include vegetables, legumes, cheeses, nuts, herbs, spices, meats, poultry, or seafood. Broccoli, carrots, baby corn, cucumbers, olives, onions, beans, chick peas, peppers, parmesan and feta cheeses are all popular ingredients.

 

Here are more recipes from our Featured Recipe Directory for a fun and memorable pasta salad: 

Creative Pasta Salads

Beef Pasta Salad
Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad

Cavatelli Salad with Artichokes and Goat Cheese
Chicken Pasta Salad in Creamy Curry Dressing
Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad
Orecchiette Pasta Salad
Orzo and Pine Nut Salad
Pasta Salad with Nuts and Gorgonzola
Raspberry Fusilli
Shrimp & Orzo Salad

Tuna Pasta Salad

For more exciting and creative recipes, please check out our Feature Recipe Directory.
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Courage in the Face of Adversity

By Mermaid Shelley

"Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway."  ~John Wayne

I probably should have majored in Women's Studies when I was in college, particularly focusing on women who contributed to the development and formation of the America of today. I am fascinated with the stories of women who had the courage to step up and out of their social norms. I would like to share with you a few women who made a positive difference in our world, for women and men alike.

Ruth Elder
American pioneer aviator. Inspired by Charles Lindbergh, she attempted but failed to fly the Atlantic in 1927. Nevertheless she was treated as a hero and went on to successfully promote women in aviation.

Sarah Winnemucca
Native American rights activist. She gained fame as a translator and negotiator for the U.S. Army. She traveled extensively and lectured on behalf of her people and later established a school for Native American children in Nevada.

Zora Neale Hurston

American novelist. She was an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. Her fascination with folklore, magic and dialect are reflected in her study Mules and Men and her novels Moses, Man of the Mount and Seraph on the Suwanee.

Julia Morgan
American architect. Most famous for her design of William Randolph Herst's castle at San Simeon, California, she was the fist woman ever to gain a certificate in architecture from the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman
American philosopher and author. Arguably most influential woman thinker of her generation, she was most noted for combining socialism and feminism to provide a coherent theory of women's oppression and for adding intellectual backing to the fight for women's rights.

Think Positive!!!

Being a "Pollyanna" does not have to mean being naive and silly. We need the positive thinkers to stand up and be proud! It takes courage to overcome negativity!

It takes but one positive thought when given a chance
to survive and thrive
to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts.
~Robert H. Schuller

Today is Pink Saturday! This just seemed like a perfect PINK THOUGHT to share for Pink Saturday! Please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound and see all the other pink things in Pink Saturday's blog world.

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Pink of Perfection!

Love this quote, still commonly used today from Oliver Goldsmith - Essayist, Poet, Novelist, and Dramatist from the 1700's!  

Enjoy this fun video from Disney's movie, Summer Magic, 1963

 

She's the Pink of Perfection, sung by Hayley Mills and Eddie Hodges

Today we are linking with Beverly of How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday!!!

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Passion!

By Mermaid Debbie

Are you passionate about something? Many things? NOTHING???? My co-publisher of Mermaids of the Lake (women's e-zine) and I were recently discussing our personal issues of late.... sort of the dulldrums due to LIFE and all of it's ups and downs. Without getting into the details, Shelley and I realized that we had temporarily lost our PASSION. Oh how grateful we both were to realize it was temporary! Without passion, life is dull. lifeless, no sparkle, no hope! Ugh...

"Passion, it lies in all of us, sleeping... waiting... and though unwanted... unbidden... it will stir... open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us... passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love... the clarity of hatred... and the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion maybe we'd know some kind of peace... but we would be hollow... Empty rooms shuttered and dank. Without passion we'd be truly dead."

~Josh Whedon

 

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Diligence

No matter what it is, exercise, organization, pursuing a hobby, painting a picture, mastering cooking, learning a new job, playing a sport..... Diligence is one of the most important keys to SUCCESS!

What we hope ever to do with ease,
we must learn first to do with diligence.
~Samuel Johnson

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Let's Get Creative: Grandma's Chandelier

By Mermaid Debbie

I inherited my Grandma's beloved chandelier and I am incredibly grateful and happy about it! Grandma loved her chandelier for a number of reasons. It was especially beautiful and elegant for the era in which it came from! The 1970's was certainly not a time of crystal chandeliers; more likely a big pendant lamp in the shape of a "harvest gold" colored mushroom!

It was 1976 and my adored Grandpa had been diagnosed with cancer. He went through treatments and we dared to hope, but sadly, we knew that Grandpa would pass within the year. While he was still healthy enough to make decisions, he and Grandma decided they needed to sell their home in beautiful Hauser Lake, Idaho and move into town. Grandpa wanted Grandma to be in a safe, cozy place, knowing she would soon be alone.... So, they purchased a small, adorable mobile home and moved into a beautiful setting on the Spokane River in a 55 and over community. That is where Grandpa and Grandma spent their last three months together.

My family wanted to bring Grandma something beautiful to have in her new home. One Sunday afternoon we knocked on their door with a big box in our hands. Grandma truly squealed with delight when she greeted us. She usually did! She loved nothing more than being surrounded by her family. Grandma was an amazing and adventurous cook and hostess. She loved to entertain. This was the perfect gift; something beautiful to adorn her favorite place in her home, her dining room table!

I will never forget this day. Grandpa lay on the sofa, covered up in a blanket, his head surrounded by pillows. He was comfortable and peaceful. Grandpa cried sweet tears of joy as he watched Grandma open the big box. My dad immediately got out his tools and istalled the chandelier above the dining room table and there it hung, for another 34 years, illuminating the love of family and friends gathered around the table for a meal, conversation, laughter, and fun.

Grandma passed a way a couple of years ago at the age of 95. Her chandelier had been in storage, as Grandma had spent her last year in a retirement home. I brought her chandelier home and was disappointed to see that it really was in bad shape; dusty, tarnished, and a few crystals missing. And, it really didn't look as pretty in my dining room as it did in hers. Knowing that Grandma was my original role model for crafting and creating, I knew exactly what to do! PAINT it!!!! Grandma would approve!!!! I also inherited Grandma's wonderful antique dining room table and chairs. A perfect match.

Before

 Carefully take apart and pay close attention to what crystals and beads go where, so putting it back together isn't a guessing game. I separated the pieces in groups.

Wash and dry each piece

 I then spray painted it a beautiful, soft yellow.

Thank you, Grandma. I love it!!!

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