Bessie & Bea's Easy Rag Wreath

Well bless my soul! Christmas is fast
approaching and Bessie and Bea are busy as
beavers or maybe you could say Bea is a Busy Bea!

The girls are planning all sorts of handmade Christmas presents to give their friends and loved ones this year. Here is one idea that Bessie offers. It is simple and takes very little money or time to create.

It's the perfect gift to give someone who is a little klutzy perhaps and cowers at the idea of having a wreath on their wall with breakable bulbs. It also makes a great idea for a seamstress or a senior!
All you need for this project is a thin, pliable clothes hanger and lots of colourful fabric scraps. First you shape the hanger into a circle shape, and make a loop out of the hanger part. Next, cut the scraps about 1.5 inches (4 cm) wide by 8 inches (21 cm) long. Finally, you tie the fabric scraps all around the hanger, interspersing the colours to give it a beautiful scattered look. You could also make a monochromatic wreath if you wish.

Such colour!
Such warmth!
Such love!

Happy creating this Christmas season ~
Bessie & Bea x0x0

Spaghetti Spaghetti

Bea has been busy, busy, busy lately ~ babysitting her dear little grands all this week. As her grandson says: Grandma's house is so funnilarious! They've been having the time of their lives, I'm sure.

Hi folks! Bessie here. I had a chance to have some fun when I was caring for my great nephew and niece. We had a rip roaring time. The poor souls didn't know what "playing hooky" was until I was in charge! Don't worry dearies, I didn't actually allow them to play hooky while their Mama and Papa were gone, but we got into plenty of mischief anyway.

One day when they got home from a long hard day at school, I announced that it was Spaghetti Spaghetti Night. We started off the festivities by having a lovely sit down dinner: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Garlic Toast, Peas and Green Salad. To drink we had the finest wine (Kool-Aid) available this side of the Rockies! The little ones were thrilled to be treated to such a grown up dinner.
For dessert, I served them a Spaghetti Cake. If you can believe it, all the ingredients came from the Dollarama! At the end of the meal, my nephew gave me a big compliment. He declared: "You're a good cook! Your food tastes better than restaurant food!" That's high praise from an 11 year old.

Alas the week passed quickly and soon it was time to say so long to the kids. We survived the week quite nicely ~ I mean, there was the obligatory visit to Chuck E Cheese, and the little tooth fairy incident, but really nothing too bad happened.

Love,
Bessie Poppins

As English as a cuppa tea

Bessie here.
Put on a pot of tea dear ones!
I wanted to tell you about a rather charming and amusing book I happened to read this summer entitled Watching the English: the hidden rules of English behaviour by Kate Fox. Here is a wee quote from the book, I hope you'll enjoy it: "The central 'core' of Englishness. Social dis-ease is a shorthand term for all out chronic social inhibitions and handicaps. The English social dis-ease is a congenital disorder, bordering on a sort of sub-clinical combination of autism and agoraphobia (the politically correct euphemism would be 'socially challenged'). It is out lack of ease, discomfort and incompetence in the field (minefield) of social interaction; our embarrassment, insularity, awkwardness, perverse obliqueness, emotional constipation, fear of intimacy and general inability to engage in a normal and straightforward fashion with other human beings. When we feel uncomfortable in social situations (that is, most of the time) we either become over-polite, buttoned up and awkwardly restrained or loud, loutish, crude, violent and generally obnoxious. Both out famous 'English reserve' and out infamous 'English hooliganism' are symptoms of this social dis-ease, as is our obsession with privacy. Sorne of us are rnore severely afflicted than others. The dis-ease is treatable (temporary alleviation/remission can be achieved using props and facilitators - pubs, clubs, weather-speak, cyberspace, pets, etc. - and/or ritual, alcohol, magic words and other rnedications and we enjoy periods of 'natural' remission in private and arnong intimates, but it is never entirely curable. Most peculiarities of English behaviour are traceable, either directly or indirectly, to this unfortunate affliction. Key phrases include: 'An Englishman's home is his castle'; 'Nice day, isn't it?'; 'Oi -what You looking at?; , Mind your own business'; 'I don't like to pry, but ....' - 'Don't make a fuss/scene'; 'Don't draw attention to yourself'; 'Keep yourself to yourself'; "Ere we go, 'ere we go'; 'Eng-er-land! Eng-er-land! Eng-er-land!."

If you know an English person or are English yourself, take a sip of tea out of your china cup and down a few biscuits and read it!

Love, Bessie

Our gift to you

Goodness gracious, we are busy gals!
Happily though, we found a moment to share an ice cold glass of homemade lemonade together a few days ago.
You see, we had to raise our glasses to each other, in celebration of Creative Sandwich's very first blogoversary!

In honour of our blogoversary, we would like to share one of our favourite recipes with all you dear faithful readers out there. It's our little gift to you all. Bessie often prepares this recipe for her guests when they visit her cottage, and since she cannot invite each and every one of you to her house, we will send this recipe out to you all with our love and affection.

Dutch Baby
1/3 c. Butter
6 Eggs
2 c. Milk
2-3 c. Flour
Sprinkling of Nutmeg & Icing Sugar
Fresh Fruit (your choice)
Whipping Cream
Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place 9"x13" baking dish in 425 degree oven with nutmeg. Beat eggs. Remove baking dish once butter has melted. *Make sure whole baking dish is coated with melted butter. Slowly pour batter into the dish and bake for 20 minutes and reduce to 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until puffy and well browned.

Serve immediately with fresh fruit and top with whipping cream and a dusting of icing sugar. Dutch Baby goes lovely with piping hot tea or coffee. Use your prettiest china to make your guests feel extra special.
Serves: 4

So dearies, here's to another great year ahead sharing together our creativity ...
Remember, that's what Creative Sandwich is all about: creativity. Creativity schmeared over around and in between the ordinary white bread of our sometimes dry and boring daily journeys. And if you feel you need a little help along the way, when you just can't take another bologna on white, come see Bessie and Bea. We'll cook you up something fresh and tasty; spicy, and dripping with taste and savoury messiness. And we'll remind you that you can do the same, only better! Better because what excites you is special and unique and individual. One of a kind!

Lovingly,
Bessie & Bea
x0x

Garage Saling

Summer's here, and that can only mean one thing ... It's garage saling season!

Hello dear ones, Bessie here.
Even though the skies looked ominous, my first born and I went out garage saling (accidentally, on purpose) this weekend and found some special treasures. CDs for Junior. At 50 cents a piece, he was grabbing them to beat the band. Being a music major in university, he can never get enough music to listen to. For me, a huge bag of vintage buttons including some button cards (only a small portion of the buttons are shown in this photo). The asking price was $2, but I snagged em for $1. A mail & key holder for 50 cents and finally, an authentic black rotary telephone for a buck.

Ah, the joys of summer!

Love,
Bessie x0x

Bessie does some rearranging

Well hello dearies ~ Bessie here. It's just been the longest time since we've talked, hasn't it.

Just every once in a while, we all have to rearrange our things. Some people call it cleaning, but I prefer to call it rearranging. Goodness knows, I'm not about to purge. Perish the thought!

Today is a rearranging day.

I tackled my dresser today. Oh the delights of looking at all those glittery earrings, and my bottles of French perfumes.

Glancing at my hats, I'm thinking it's just about time for a day trip with Bea in her old jalopy real soon. I must get on the tele and see when we can arrange one. Perhaps we'll take a ride in the country to take in all the sites, sounds and scents of springtime ~ and perhaps a thrift shop or two. Oh that would be fun!
Love,
Bessie

Did somebody say aprons?

Bea love aprons.
Bessie loves aprons.
Much to their delight, the Mother-of-all-Aprons Swap hosted by Canadian Chickies has provided them with some utterly wonderful creations for them to swoon over. This swap has produced all sorts of beauties including flowing, flowery, formal and fantastic!
(Bessie and Bea also adore alliteration)

Here are some snapshots of some of the aprons...

Believe it or not, a repurposed shower curtain!


Look at the fine embroidery work on this pillowcase turned apron!


A hand-painted caricature ...
and a mermaid inspired creation.

Love,
Bessie & Bea
(who are so inspired they're thinking of creating their own aprons!)

Bessie cooks a pizza (gasp!) from scratch

Feeling rather domestic lately, I decided to make pizza from scratch for Mr. Bessie and Junior. I found a lovely recipe for pizza crust. Now I admit, bread making is not my forte. All that kneading and waiting and kneading and waiting is just too much for me. Happily I found just the right recipe for bread maker pizza dough.

Once the dough was ready, I coated it with olive oil, minced garlic and tomato sauce, then combined red pepper, tomato, cilantro and freshly rubbed oregano over it to make a hearty veggie pizza.

This pizza was more than filling for three of us. We were stuffed to the gills with homemade goodness. My! Bea's going to be proud of me, cooking real food like this and all. Who knows, next thing you know I'll be making Yorkshire Pudding or Jambalaya. No, no ~ Jambalaya's Bea's specialty! We'll leave that delicacy entirely up to Bea dearest.


Bessie's Hearty Veggie Pizza

Put ingredients in bread maker in this order:

1-1/2 c. water
2 T. olive oil
2 tsp. each salt and sugar
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. rubbed Oregano
4 tsp. fast rising yeast
2 T. cornmeal

Select dough setting on bread maker. When timer beeps, remove the dough to lightly floured surface. Cover with clean dish towel and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes. Sprinkle cornmeal on large pizza stone and press dough into pizza shape. Let rise another 30 minutes, unless you're like Bessie and can't wait that long.

Spread dough with tomato sauce, toppings and seasonings ~ you pick!

Bake 425 for 20-30 minutes. Once out of the oven, let cool for 5 minutes because it will be very, very hot. Enjoy alone or with a leafy green salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Love,
Bessie

Where were you when the lights went out?

Bessie here ... It hasn't happened in the longest time, but last night the power went out at the cottage.

Isn't it funny how when this happens everyone looks at each other and doesn't quite know what to do. It was just after 7 p.m. and it was still light out, although an incoming storm was making it not-so-bright out there. I sprung into action, finding a candle and matches. Mr. Bessie pulled out his old transistor radio ~ just in case.

There we sat lookin' at each other thinking of all the things we couldn't do because the power was out. Junior went out for a walk, tryin' to see how far down the lane the power was out.

Within an hour, the power was back on again and our electrical powered life returned to "normal", but not before we thought ~ hey, it's quiet and peaceful, a person could get used of this! Maybe it would be fun to flick the switch for a weekend sometime. Do you think we'd all be shakin' to get back on the Internet?

Until the next post ...
Love,
Bessie

What do you collect?

Bessie and Bea love to collect things.
Bea, for instance collects old books and ...


glass marbles as well as many other delightful items!


Bessie got all domesticated yesterday and cooked up
some homemade cookies for Mr. Bessie.

Here you see Tropical Rhubarb Cookies (recipe at the bottom of this posting) placed on one of Bessie more unique collections.

Bessie, you see, likes to collect (and use!) anniversary and souvenir plates.
These plates were once the solution to the question ~ what do I give a special someone for a special anniversary or birthday?

We wonder ... do they even sell these things anymore?


Bessie's favourite plate was a gift from Bea. It's a North Dakota plate!
Who wouldn't want a lovely North Dakota plate saluting
cows, peasants, dams and badlands???


Speaking of collections, if you happen to collect recipes, here is one from Bessie's kitchen ...

Tropical Rhubarb Cookies

1-1/3 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
3 Tbsp. milk
2 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. shredded coconut
1 cup chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
1 cup walnuts

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg; mix well. Sift flour, spices, baking soda. Add this to mix ~ alternate with milk. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 13 minutes. Particularly yummy with a hot tea served in a china cup.

Place warm cookies on your favourite souvenir plate
and share with a friend on a cool spring morning!

Bessie & Bea
x0x

Rejoice!

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Bessie & Bea send their best wishes to you and yours for a very joyful Easter!

Go outside ~ breathe deeply.
Listen to the bird's spring chorus.
Take a stroll.
Hug someone you love.
Rejoice!

Love, Bessie & Bea

Good enough to eat!

Bea is the cook in the Bessie and Bea combo, but I wanted to share this with you today ...

You know how you we see a recipe in a magazine that really catches our eye and think to ourselves: I'm going to make that ... someday, but we never do?

As you know, I've been going through my stacks and stacks of magazines, harvesting what I want and recycling the rest. I came across a deliciously healthy looking Avocado Salad that I wanted to make from Mr. Bessie.

This salad is so simple, but it is also simply delicious and full of nutrients as well. Avocados are one of those rare things that actually have healthy fats and it is a cholesterol lowering fruit.

All you need to make this is romaine lettuce, avocados, juice of a lemon or lime, coarse salt, white onion, tomatoes, ground pepper. I think next time I make this for the mister and my young'uns, I'll add some chuncks of cucumber and fresh olives! I look forward to making this salad during tomato season, it'll be even more delicious.

Oh! if you don't know how to properly pit an avocado, watch this video. Bon appétit!

Love,
Bessie

A Smile

A smile can be as lovely as a prayer,
If there is understanding in the eyes;
A smile that says: "I'm glad to see you there,"
A look that whispers something sweet and wise.
Old people often smile like this when they
Have special love and kindness to convey.

A baby's smile, a wee three-cornered thing,
A bit uncertain of its right to be,
Can lift your heart clear up where angels sing
And show you realms unguessed, eternity
Come down and held in crumpled rosy hands,
Frail in themselves yet strong as iron bands.

The smile of friendship where two eyes unite
In friendly gossip o'er a cup of tea,
Where little happenings of the neighborhood
Are told with relish and a kindly glee;
A lover's smile bent to his lady's face
Can make a palace of the meanest place.

The smiles between a husband and a wife
Across a room can tell the world so much
Of living shared and love's redeeming grace
As intimate and tender as a touch.
A smile can be as lovely as a prayer
If there is love and understanding there.

~ Edna Jaques
Back-Door Neighbors

A cup of tea and a stack of magazines

Bessie and Bea are ever on the look out for ideas to inspire them in their creative endeavours, and as a result, they have magazines by the truckloads in their cottages.

This morning, Bessie sat down with her Earl Grey Tea and started going through a stack. Anything that caught her eye ~ anything inspiring ~ she clipped out and put them into protective sleeves, which she is going to put into a large binder (or two, or three).

Wish her luck because looking through some of these magazines can be somewhat distracting, and you don't want to distract the ever-distractable Bessie and Bea!

Now what was I saying?

Bessie & Bea
x0x

Bessie's Saturday adventure

Saturday appeared bright and sunny. There was a March wind blowing but that didn't deter Bessie and Mr. Bessie. They headed out for an adventure to Tim Horton's, an Antique Mall and the local Farmer's Market. They even had a picnic in the snow ~ that Mr. Bessie ~ what a romantic. Oh! And since it's the couple's wedding anniversary tomorrow the mister bought Bessie a dozen beautiful pink roses. Now that's even better than sharing a hot dog on a park bench.
































Wonder what Bea did today ...?

On second thought ...

Okay ladies and gents ~ today we will conduct a little test
to see if you are a creative person or not

First of all, we present you with a photo...

What is your first thought?
(Music from Jeopardy plays)

If you're like Bessie,
you think: Oh dear! I loved drinking tea out of that teacup!
Almost immediately, Bessie has another thought.
Can you guess what that is?


Bea + Hammer = Creative Bliss!
Bea is coming over to Bessie's cozy cottage this very day.
Bessie is very excited to present the precious pieces of one
of her very favourite teacups
(that would be the one shown above)
to see what Bea can create out of the shattered pieces.

Stay warm today ~ think creative thoughts.

Bessie & Bea
x0x

How Fame Seeks Us Out.

Perhaps fortune will follow??

Maybe that's asking too much, but what with the big interview over at Art of Humungous Proportion, it won't be long before we'll need to don dark glasses to go out in the streets! Goodness, all the attention is making me blush!

You can read the interview here. I hope Bessie isn't getting her knickers too twisted, she's such a shy thing, really.

Thank you dear, dear Dawn, for taking the time to make us feel so very special. And thank you to all who stop by to see what we've been up to.

Tah- tah for now!

Love,
Bea

A letter from one of our winners ...

Dear Bessie & Bea,
My pendant and treasured bits of lace, music, tea and sparkles were waiting for me today when I got home from spending extra time in my classroom. Thank you, thank you so very much! Please check my blog on Sunday when I'll post photos and of course, link back to you and your wonderful blog!
Greatest appreciation,
Michaele Sommerville

Dearest Michaele ~
Thank you ever so much for letting us know that you have received your little prize from our recent giveaway draw. We look forward to going to your blog to read a post about your winnings. Thank you for visiting us and we look forward to seeing you drop by many more times in the future.
Bessie & Bea
x0x

P.S. check out Michaele's blog here.

Wonderful OWOH winners announcement

Well dearies it's official:
Michaele won the Granny's Pendant!
Latharia won the Beach Babes Pendant!
And Suzy won the Sharing Pendant!

We have heard from the first two lovely ladies and their prizes are going into the Post this very afternoon (with a couple extra little goodies!). We hope Sweet Suzy will soon contact us so we can mail her prize to her soon.

This has been a lovely, lovely event and we do thank all you wonderful folks out there in Blogland for stopping by the Creative Sandwich. We do hope you will make it a habit to stop by and see what delightful adventures Bessie & Bea go on in the days ahead.

Yours as ever ~
Bessie
x0x

P.S. Bea sends her love. Now if she would only post something!

It's a giveaway!

Glory Be!! Bessie and Bea have joined the Gypsy Caravan! The One World One Heart 2009 blogging event is well underway, and the old girls don't want to be left out! We're giving stuff away, folks.

To win the prize, all you have to do is leave a comment ON THIS POST ONLY, with your name and email address and you'll be signed up, lickedly-split ~ your name will be put into one of our pillbox hats for a chance to win.

And just what are we giving away? We're proud as punch that you asked. See the snapshots? We will send out not one, but three prizes to three lucky readers!
If you know Bessie and Bea at all, you know that they're are a couple of tree huggers, so they made two pendants (Beach Babes and Granny's Pendant) and one brooch (Sharing) out of re-purposed materials. Something a little funky for the prize winners to wear to a morning at the BINGO Hall; for an afternoon out at the Antique Mall, or a romantic evening with the Mister.

Now, please be sure there is a way for Bessie & Bea
to contact you. (Leave your info in your comment). We will be making the draw on February 12th
and will contact the winner(s) at that time.
We look forward to hearing from our lovely readers all over the world, and we sincerely hope that you will all take the time to look around our blog!

Giddily yours,
Bessie & Bea
x0x