Friday was humming....

Literally! On Friday afternoon a humming bird decided to visit our production staff in the warehouse. It became tangled in a large spiderweb and couldn't fly well. In trying to save it, the little bird lost some tail feathers. Full of fear, panic and webs in its feathers, feet and beak - it couldn't return home.

I brought it into my office, removed the webs and gave it a little TLC. Because it couldn't fly normally or maintain loftiness when it flew, it didn't seem wise to return it to nature yet. I contacted Sarvey Wildlife Refuge; they agreed to take it the next morning on their route to keep it secure while the tail feathers regrew. So, it stayed with me for the remainder of the afternoon. During it's short flights in my office, it came to visit me and check out my keyboard. Maybe this adorable little thing wanted to blog?

new things on the horizon

As many days go, the schedule of tasks at the start of the day was not the same schedule that ended the day. It was a 'go with the flow' day.

While it can be frustrating in that some paperwork things did not get crossed off my list ... it was exciting that I was able to cross off another step in our testing process of a new product that we are working on. Would you like a hint? Sorry, my lips are sealed tighter than Duke's (the cute talking golden retriever on Bush's baked beans). http://www.bushbeans.com/ is their site, just incase you aren't familiar with Duke (for the record,the Holton household's favorite is the "Bourbon and Brown Sugar Grillin' Beans").

Speaking of grilling, I have to switch gears for a moment and tell you about a new citrus taste I created: Yesterday I gave Chuck the night off (he usually cooks our dinners during the week) and tried a crazy idea that came to mind... I named it "Citrus Crusted Cod" (but it would be fabulous with Halibut too).

I used a food processor and pulverized some corn flakes and (are you ready for this...?) and a day-old unfrosted lemon cupcake together into very fine crumbs. I added salt & pepper and then some freshly grated lime zest to the mixture. Next I dipped the cut pieces of cod (about 4" square) into a bowl of milk and dredged them through the crumbs. I dipped them one more time (in egg & milk mixture) and back into the crumbs. I made sure my grill was hot - and the hot tray was amply sprayed with a cooking oil to prevent sticking. I cooked it a few minutes on each side. My citrus crusted cod turned out beautiful and very tasty! The citrus crust gave a lightly sweet-tangy flavor and a delightfully "non-fishy" aroma - with a crispy crust (and flaky tender fish). To make good use of the grill I also added some fresh marinated eggplant and zuchinni slices. Healthy, and out of the ordinary - dinner was a wake up to the taste buds.

Now I'm getting hungry again.... (sigh)

Ink Potion #9

Just a quick note....
Monday was a great day off! I started creating recipes for Ink Potion #9 ~ and as soon as I can get some photos taken of them...I'll give you a sneak peak. Creating potions is fun - and addictive!

A quick note for the evening....

Looking for a splash of spring-summer color for your beautiful blossoms? Look no farther than VERSAMAGIC ink! This beautifully rich and colorful ink is opaque because its 100% pigment ink (unlike other chalk-finish inks). Fast drying and easy to work with, it's available for 'ink dabblers' in the unique Dew Drop shape - or for ink lovers in the full-size ink pad. Inkers to refresh the pads are also available. Check out Tsukineko's website for the myriad of colors in the color chart!

Remember, since it's a pigment ink, it's also embossable (don't dilly-dally though). And for a white ink that's the best coverage on black cardstock - Cloud White simply can't be beat! Here's the bottom line: Tsukineko provides the ink colors of your life, and quality you can trust.

Stamp Credits: Memory Box Co.

VersaMagic ink colors: ##011 Mango Madness, #014 Red Magic, #033 Persimmon, #035 Spring Pansy, #039 Key Lime and #055 Purple Hydrangea.

PS - I still have my thinking cap on for Ink Potion recipes.......

Looking forward to a long weekend!

Good morning, it's Friday! And it's a long weekend! Two things that just can't be beat :)

I have 6 spritzer bottles on my desk and am contemplating the creation of
"Madame LaRue's Special Ink Potion #9 Recipes". It's going to be fun! Let's see... eye of newt, toad wart... oopps, wrong ingredients ~ how about... xx drops of Memento RoseBud Inker plus xx drops of Opalite Inker plus xx drops of Ink Potion #9 - shaken, not stirred....

I'm really looking forward to the eventual launch of our new Tsukineko website. We'll be able to add things like the recipes, feature projects, and eventually, "how-to" videos. We're hard at work on it...

Giving it another try...

Hi there!

After much time has passed I thought I would try the blog idea again. I have finally gotten my Twitter account going (TsukinekoSusan, if you want to give that a try).

A few days ago I returned from a 2 week 'trip of a lifetime' in Japan. What a fabulous trip it was! I'll try to add some thoughts about my trip a little later. Now it's time to get back to work. I'm back in the real world - at my desk, at Tsukineko - in Redmond, Washington. Sometimes normal is good. Susan