Last minute gift!

Bessie here.





















Just wanted to show you
a last minute gift
I put together yesterday.
It's a small heart-shaped wreath
in red and silver
~ it's for my mother-in-law.

Hope she'll like it.

I wonder what Bea is doing these days ...? Love, Bessie x0x

Christmas is for Sharing

Memories, gifts, our time and our favorite recipes are all things we like to share at this time of year. It doesn't matter if we can't afford the biggest or the best. When we share what we have, and add our talent and a lot of love, Christmas can live in our hearts all year long.




I hope you're enjoying the season and sharing your hearts with those you meet and those near and dear. If you aren't in the Christmas Spirit, go see a child's Christmas production, even if you don't know a child playing a part.



It's good for the soul to see little ones singing their hearts out about the baby Jesus. Better yet, volunteer to get involved and help with the production. It's not too late to print programs or hand them out at the door or shake a strangers hand and wish them a Merry Christmas.

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
Plato

Only 10 more days till Christmas!

Love, Bea

We love Christmas!

Bessie and Bea are still here folks! I know, I know. We do deserve a swift kick in the behind for being so fainéant in blogging as of late. Sure we have a thousand excuses for not keeping up here, but we know you don't want to hear all the silly little self-justifications.

Now we turn our attention to the Christmas season. It is one of our favourite times of the year. We have some snow in our neck of the woods ~ just enough to make it feel a little more like Christmas, and we are busying ourselves with baking, making homemade gifts and decorating our homes while listening to Bing and Nat on the radio. Bessie is trying to get her Christmas gift together for her dear Bea. Now if only Bea would show up at Bessie's to collect it, everything would be fine.

Here's hoping Bea will post something on here too so that we can get into the grove of talking to our dear faithful readers once again. She has a nice camera, so maybe she will upload some snapshots of the sights around her home. Ta-ta for now and we look forward to your comments over the Christmas holidays!
Love,
Bessie
oXo

Keeping in touch

Sincerest apologies from Bea and moi. We've been so very busy preparing for the Wild Blue Yonder Gift Show and hosting and attending Canadian Thanksgiving celebrations, we have had very little time for blogging. Although we have had plenty of time to increase our waistlines. Oh dear. But that's another post altogether.

Dear, dear neglected readers; we hope that you'll enjoy this blast from the past. Here is an advertisement from an old The National Geographic Magazine.

When Bea and I were young, we remember picking up the telephone, and occasionally hearing someone else having a conversation because we had party lines back then. I always felt sorry for the folks who were on our party line ~ especially when my mother and her friend Edna got on the phone! Our family's telephone is like the black one shown here. I also recall many people didn't have the luxury of even owning a telephone. That may explain why the Bell Telephone System ran this advertisement in the November 1958 edition of National Geographic.

Can you just imagine Bessie and Bea without telephones? Perish the thought! We're modern gals and we need to talk with each other to plan and scheme about wonderfully creative things and writing letters to one another just wouldn't do! Thank you Alexander Graham Bell!

Remember when ...

Mercy me, Bea! Look at the lovely vintage children's books I acquired last week.
I can't find a copyright date on them.
The only thing that's on the books, aside from the stories and rhymes is: PURNELL Printed in England No. (C.5., C.6., C.7. and C.8.).
If anyone knows the circa date of these books, I'd love to know. Look at the page shown here on the right. It has a poem on it, called October. The poem reads:

October days are full of fun,
For leaves keep dropping fast,
So sweep and burn them every one,
You'll tidy up at last.

Ahh ... the good old days when you sent out your children to gather all the leaves in the yard and burn them!

Bessie
xOx

The post where Bessie gives you a sneak peak

Here are a couple more tantalizing goodies that will be available at our Wild Blue Yonder (Christmas) Gift Show on October 24th & 25th.
As Bea once said: "Our objective [is] to find a few tired, sad and lonely pieces that we [can] rescue and rehabilitate with some tender loving care. We just have so much to offer to the forgotten treasures of yesterday! It has been said that we put the

"F-u-n" back into Funk-tionality!" That Bea, what a way with words.

So at the show (which, by the way, is less than one month away now ~ yikes!), we'll showcase spiffed-up goodies repurposed (Bea and I love that word!) from cast aside items as well as original art of several local artisans. We're hopin' and prayin' for good weather so that many of you good folks will take the only opportunity that you'll have this year to find purely unique gifts.

Bea is still gone on her lovely holiday to the mountains, (no envy here!) and I'm thinkin' I will have plenty of jobs for her to complete by the time she gets home. She's definitely been shirking her responsibilities. Seriously though, she is missed and I'm sure our good readers are looking forward to her return and hearing some amusing accounts of her adventures. Until next time, stay cozy and do something artisitc!
Love,
Bessie

While Bea's away, Bessie will play!

That Bea! Can you imagine? She knows how close we're getting to the Wild Blue Yonder Gift Show (October 24th & 25th) and what does she do? She takes off for a get-away with Mr. Bea to the mountains. Hmph! I can imagine though, that she'll claim that she's spending the entire time doing "research and development".

Today I just want to share with you a little something that will be on sale at Bessie & Bea's big live event. These beauties are sturdy gift cones. They'd be pretty as Christmas decorations on a tree or a lovely way to present a small gift. Each cone is entirely unique and handmade with love by yours truly.

On another note, Dawn of ART of Humungous Proportions fame is painting up another Faux Gogh chair. This one, although another tribute to Vincent Van Gogh, is entirely different than the
one she painted for her friend Art De Me's Arlene. So far, Dawn's almost finished two parts of the chair, and she was gracious enough to allow Creative Sandwich to give our readers a peek at the chair's progress. Pretty, eh?

Well lovely readers, I hope you all have a marvellous day. Get outside and enjoy some of the wonderful fall sunshine!

Love, Bessie
(who really does miss Bea)

Bea and the Blue Jay

Blue Jay's are common in my back yard here at Creative Sandwich. I have many large spruce trees that drop all kinds of yummy cones that they adore. They are such a beautiful bird. The brilliant flash of blue is such an uplifting sight as they glide from tree to tree outside my kitchen window. It almost makes doing dishes pleasant. Almost.
With such gorgeous plumage, it sometimes seems like a cruel joke when they open their little beaks and that comes out! Honestly, they sound just like a rusty gate, squealing on it's hinges! They have often awakened me with their noisy arguments in the treetops. Just get along already!

Early this morning I was deep in dreamland. There I was, tucked in my fluffy comforter and lavender scented pillows, enjoying a lovely, somniferous trip to the prettiest of imaginary cities. I was leisurely perusing exquisite shops chock full of pretty, dreamy offerings, when a rude tapping brought me back to Alberta...and not happily at that!

I pulled my covers over my head and tried to ignore it. Tap. Tap, tap. Tap, tap, TAP.

Arrggh! Who was that? I crawled out of my covers and stood, confused, in the middle of my room, trying to place the source of the sound. Was it from one of the boys rooms? They are never up that early, and it sounded like it was in my back yard. In fact, it was right outside my window!

I pried my eyes open a little further, and opened my window wider. I was pleased to see the sun shining on a scene of breezy autumn colours. No construction crews, but I could hear it. Tap, Tap. TAP!
A movement, a little streak of blue above my window caught my eye. There, in the eaves trough above my now wide awake head was a blue jays tail. Bobbing up and down in time to the banging noise.
I kindly and politely asked him to stop. (I'm always kind and polite around the crack of dawn. Really.) I can't say the same for the Blue Jay, because he ignored me completely. I asked again, perhaps a wee bit more forcefully. Tap. Tap. TAP, tap, tap.

Finally I banged on the window and insisted he cease and desist. The tail disappeared, replaced a second later by and upside down Blue Jay's head. There we were, eye to eye, each as surprised as the other. Then it happened. He opened that deceptively tiny little beak and let out a shrill shriek loud enough to curl my hair! Yikes! On and on he went, telling me exactly what he thought of me bothering him. Imagine the nerve!

Speaking of nerves, there was no going back to sleep after that. I had to go curl up in the sun in my favorite chair with a cup of tea. Far away, on the other side of the house.

*sigh* I think I prefer this bird. After all, a girl needs her beauty sleep.


Love,
Bea

Saturday is Play Day!

Bessie is setting out this morning for the Wild Blue Yonder. It is a perfect September morn here. The sun is shining with that early Autumn glow that only September in the Northern Hemisphere can match. We're going to throw the big doors open at Wild Blue Yonder Studios, (formerly known as The Art Barn), and let Mother Nature inspire us with the crisp, fresh air, blue skies, and magical newness of the season.

Bessie and I have the whole day planned. Mr Bea is working, (as he does most Saturdays), so we are free to get a lot of fun and funktional projects accomplished.

First on my list this morning: Muffins!

Bessie always appreciates it when I bake up a little something sweet. It's just too early in the day for cupcakes...though, on second thought, is it ever the wrong time for cupcakes?? Hmmm...I think not.
But muffins are on the menu, for the first course at least. (Who knows what we may have later for tea!?)

I also picked up a little something for Bessie, as a surprise, when I was out perusing the used book store yesterday. Do you think she will like it? We all know how obsessed she is with Vincent. And really, who can blame her? Not Bea!


Now I really must be off to open up the studio, organize my art supplies, and of course, have a muffin! Mmmmm....Lemon Poppy Seed.
Blue skies, my good friend, art en plein air (that's for Kim!) What more could I ask for?

Love,
Bea - enjoying the sweet life with all her heart.

xo

Cupcakes: always masterpieces

It's no secret. Bea and I dearly love our cupcakes! Would you just take a gander at these beauties! They're from the inspiring book entitled Hello Cupcake by Karen Tack.

I can just imagine Bea licking her chops when she sees how much icing is on this Starry Night Cupcake Cake. And she will probably demand that I reproduce one for her birthday. Good thing I don't have to think about that until next June; maybe by then she'll settle for some nondescript cake from her local supermarket.

Until next time, sweet friends ...
Bessie
x0x

Oh, by the way, I'll tell Bea that you're missing her and that it's about time for one of her long posts. After all, I can't do all the hard work around here!

Millineries make a come back

Don't they look like cakes? Like they'd be perfect with a nice cup of tea?

Well, they'd be nice to wear to tea but they're not edible. They're hats, created by Bessie for an upcoming 60's themed party.
Well, the blue one was created by Bessie for Bea, just because...even though Bea will be off in the mountains enjoying the scenery and the crisp autumn air when the party happens. Maybe it would go with Bea's hiking ensemble. It's not as if she'll be scaling any precipices. A little stroll over to the tea house and a saunter along the streets of Whistler and an amble along the mountain trails...I think a polka dotted hat would blend right in, don't you?

Aren't they wonderful? The blue one is created from paint chip samples...and it features the colour "Wild Blue Yonder".

There it is, turning up again! It's a sign I tell you!

Bessie posts: Out of the Wild Blue Yonder

Bessie here. I just sat down a few moments ago to look at some paint samples I picked up at Canadian Tire recently and have myself a nice cup of Chocolatey Chai Tea (with a dollop of cream on top, of course). As I was sipping the "fragrant herbal blend of rich chocolatey taste and chai-inspired spices",
I pondered about what I should share with you all, my friends, today...

Poor Bea seems to be busier than a bee these days homeschooling, homemaking and making hallo-peno jelly, so I didn't want to bother her by phoning her for post ideas. Anyway, I thought I'd just make a mini announcement ~ while Bea's not looking. (Bessie smiles broadly)

We are planning our very first live event! You heard me right folks! For the past few weeks the two of us gals have been creating and conjurin' up some wonderfully artsy, shabby chic-ish, trash-to-treasure items. What for? I'll tell you what for! We're holding the first ever Wild Blue Yonder Christmas Gift Show at the Wild Blue Yonder Studios! You will have the opportunity to purchase some amazing one-of-a-kind items at ridiculously low prices, there'll be door prizes and you'll get to meet and greet the lovely, the talented, Bessie and Bea!
I shan't tell you anything more, other than the date for this event which is October 24 &25, 2008. Do watch for further particulars, right here at Creative Sandwich in the coming days. Now excuse me while I go work on some pretty, pretty items for the show!
Love,
Bessie
P.S. Take a very close look at the beautiful paint sample names ~ can you spot the ironic surprise?

What do you get when you cross pizza with cough syrup?

Hole-y pizza pan Batman! It was a supper to remember. Bessie went out of her way to make a delicious and wholesome meal for her menfolk Saturday night. She toddled off to Sobey's and purchased two yummy looking pizzas to go along with the ears of fresh corn on the cob that she got from her brother's garden.

The story goes something like this: Bessie places her fresh pizzas on her hole-y-er~than~thou pizza pan and turns the timer on for the usual 10 minutes. She takes extra care to lovingly place the pizzas under the broiler for two additional minutes just to give the cheese an extra melt and brown up the crush ever so slightly.

Apparently Bessie's been busy ~ somehow her mind seems to be elsewhere these days. She's been doing her artwork in her kitchen lately so half the kitchen table is taken up with paints, an easel, markers and glitter, lots and lots of glitter. But the boys don't care one spit as long as they can inhale the grub set before them.

Mr. Bessie so kindly helps his dear wifey set the table and he goes to open the bottle of Dr. Pepper which Bessie refers to as Devil's Brew. She insists that the soda tastes just like Jack and Jill Cough Syrup! Of course her family thinks this is an outrageous claim. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, the mister places the pop bottle on the table and opens it. Swoooosh! Suddenly there's Dr. Pepper EVERYwhere! Bessie screams as she starts to wipe up paint samples and fabric swatches.

Mr. Bessie and the boys are licking their chops when the pizzas eventually arrive on the table along with the corn. After the last "Amen" and the first bite of the pizza, there's a sudden cry: "Argh!" everyone looks at the poor sucker who's taken the first bite. "This is doughy! The dough isn't even cooked!"

The mister doesn't think this possible, (the pizza looks so good and so cooked). He bravely takes a mighty huge chomp off his pizza slice. Sure enough the dough is completely gooey still. In fact, it's hard to tell what's pizza and what's melted mozzarella. So! the pizza is quickly swept away and placed back into the oven. Bessie suggests that maybe the pizza is still goey because it's Rising Crust Pizza from the Deli; a type she's never tried before. Folks, it's a well known fact that Bessie never reads instructions ~ 'cept this time it's got her in trouble.

So the family decides they'll devour the corn on the corn slathered in butter while they wait until the pizza is really cooked.
When the pizza pie comes back to the table the second time, the crust is almost done, but everyone's just too tuckered out to complain. Everyone just wants the disastrous meal to end, especially poor Bessie.

But on a brighter note, these are the Sunflowers that Bessie bought for the mister to give to her. He's such a romantic!

The Post where Bessie and Bea go Thrifting

Recently Bessie and I headed out into the wild blue yonder on a thrifting adventure. Our objective was to find a few tired, sad and lonely pieces that we could rescue and rehabilitate with some tender loving care. We just have so much to offer to the forgotten treasures of yesterday! It has been said that we put the "F-u-n" back into "Funk-tionality!"

The wild blue yonder seemed like a great place to start, though truth be told I'm still a little fuzzy on the concept of where exactly that is. Maybe Bessie and Bea need to open a place and call it "The Wild Blue Yonder". What do you think? Would you set out there?? There would be great stuff and plenty of fun and funk-tion there! And probably cupcakes! And we couldn't forget glitter. We must have glitter.

Well, we did indeed find some fun and exciting treasures, junque and "Aunt-eeks". hehehe (Yes, my Aunt would surely "eek" if she saw some of the stuff I carted home!) But Bessie and I love the old and unloveable. The silly and the discarded call out to us, "please, please, take us home!" (Well, maybe that's our kids on their cell phones, calling from the car where they're sitting, waiting as we dig through every nook and crannie of the store). Still, we feel a real affinity for the used and well worn items of another day. Maybe we relate.


I got a new globe for my collection. (Mr Bea thinks I should use a new fangled GPS when I travel, or even an old fashioned map, for goodness sake! But I love a globe and have found myself in many interesting situations and met very interesting people while navigating by this tried and true tool of the past. "It it was good enough for Christopher Columbus and helped him discover the new world, then it's good enough for me" I always say!)
Also, notice the wonderful old album covers. I love the graphics. These will be bound into journals, that we affectionatley call "Re-Bounders." Recycling at it's most creative.

We also listen to them on this thrift store score:

It's "Symphonic"!! Oh, the sound that comes out of its tiny, tinny built in speakers! How marvelous as a soundtrack to our adventures here at Creative Sandwich.
It takes a while to warm up, but when it does there's no stopping the groove!





This trestle table needs a little love a la' Rachel Ashwell, don't you think? Look at those legs! Beeea-utiful!



Now don't turn up your nose at this. It has potential. Use your imagination.
I am. I'm imagining all the elbow grease it will take these old elbows to whip this baby into shape. Whew. It makes me tired just thinking about it. But just you wait and see...it will be worth it. I see it in a little girls room, all white and pink and pretty. It's very well made, with solid wood drawers...none of that particle board here.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little jaunt into the world of thrifting with Bessie and Bea. Come back soon and see what our treasures look like today.

See you soon, in the Wild Blue Yonder!
Love,
Bea

The things you can put into a soup pot according to Bessie

Well folks, you won't believe the marvelous soup I made up for the mister for supper tonight. Since I'd bought 3 bunches of celery the other day at the market, I decided I should start using them up. I found a recipe from Canadian Living called Curried Apple and Celery Soup. Well now, doesn't that sound like an interesting combo?

I followed the recipe fairly closely, and when the soup was almost ready -- at the last moment -- I figured I should add some sort of meat-ish ingredient. Well I've been told you can put just about anything into a pot of soup and come up with some yummyliciousish results. In my freezer the perfect ingredient awaited: Flake Style Crab Flavoured Seafood. I thawed it, chopped it, and added it to the simmering soup. There were no complaints at the supper table tonight.

And if you leave a comment and ask real nice, I just may share this "Secret Family Recipe".

That's what we had for supper tonight ~ wonder if Bea will tell us what culinary delight she created ....
x0x
Bessie

Bessie sweetly steps back into history

My stars, Bea! If you think these pretty pastels look good enough to eat, you're right, at least half right. They are good enough to eat, but their not pastels. They're some of the old fashioned Edinburgh Rock Candy we purchased on our trip to the local historical park today.


It was overcast and cool this morning when we headed to the fort. I'm thinking that a lot of people assume that the park is closed for the season because there weren't very many people there, which made our visit all the more enjoyable. We quite enjoyed the refreshing rain showers mixed with glorious sunshine. And the candy. Did I mention the candy? Mmm ... Bessie does love her sweets, especially the old fashioned variety.


Remember Chicken Bones? Mmm!



and Fruit Drops, anyone?



We had a ride on the old train which was completely rebuilt (the interior) in 2005 when Brad Pitt and company rode into town to film the movie, 'The Assassination of Jesse James'. New seats and sleeping bunks were installed. The front part of the car was designed as a posh parlor car for the movie.
Well dearies, that's about all for now, I have to go eat some more of the sweets that I acquired today on our little day trip. Until next time ...
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks ~
Love, Bessie
0x0

Where Dessert is Eaten First (and life is as it should be)

There was a wedding on the weekend. (Yes, I know it's already Wednesday, but there was a lot of business here at Creative Sandwich the last few days).

The drive out into the country side was spectacular, with fall harvest in full swing, clear blue skies and a hint of a Autumn in the air already.

It was a wonderful day, and the bride and groom were the sensible sorts who invited the whole family, young and old, and asked if everyone could bring a little something for the celebration dinner. My favorite kind of wedding!! They didn't go broke on providing a meal to a hundred people, they had a wonderful assortment of homemade goodies and traditional Ukrainian food, and Bea was in heaven!!

I made a Tiramisu, because one can never have too many desserts, especially the rich and creamy kind! Would you like the directions? Recipes are far too restrictive, don't you think? I need scope for my imagination, just like Anne Shirley.

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful, creative week. And I hope you remember, the next time you attend an occasion, that life is short, so you should eat dessert first.

The Post Where Bea Gets New Socks and Life is Full of Wonder

First I would like to offer my sincerest apology for the horrific formatting of this post. Blogger is intent on causing me a migraine today, and rather than fight it, I decided to choose the zen way and just let what is, simply be.


The best thing to do of a rainy day is have tea with a friend. Especially when you're wearing brand new, polka dot and striped socks. (Who even knew there was such a thing??!) These beauties are a gift from Bessie, the dear heart.

Bessie arrived at the Art Barn very early this grey day.

First we relaxed over a nice cup of Chai and cupcakes (blue; my favorite colour) and browsed through some inspiring books. Big City Junk by Mary Randolf Carter is a great book to get your Mojo going. The Creative License by Danny Gregory has also been very inspiring here at Creative Sandwich of late. It teaches you how to "give yourself permission to be the artist you truly are". Go Danny! Go Bessie and Bea!

After all that inspiration we couldn't even help getting busy with some of the amazing materials that abide out in the Art Barn. Serendipity happened! Bessie had started work on a painted shirt back at Phap Farm day in July. That shirt still needed a little something, and as we walked into the Art Barn the answer presented itself. A silk fabric panel, in the exact hues of the paint Bessie had randomly chosen for her shirt was sitting there, in plain view. We remembered picking it up at our favorite Secret Art Source a couple weeks ago, with no particular use for it in mind. Here it sat, perfect...in size, in colour and in theme! Don't you just LOVE it when that happens?!
Of course I had to sew it to the back of the shirt with a funky stitch and bright thread. Wonderful!
But still that shirt needed just a leeetle bit of jazz. Of course Bessie went rummaging in the Barn and found a bag (also found at Secret Source but in no way connected to first amazing piece of material) stuffed full of little scraps that seemed sure to be too small for any serious project. The bright, colourful scraps happened to be oriental silks in dazzling colours that (of course) look wonderful next to the paint and the patch on the shirt.

The muse, the Spirit, the universe, all cooperate in the most delightful ways when we have our hearts open to joy and wonder, don't they?

Here is evidence of our blessed day!

By the way, Bessie's shirt says, " Now, Go Do Some ART!"

What are you waiting for?

Love,
with a thankful heart,

Bea