Make and Take Gals Head to Milwaukie!

On a sunny May morning in Portland, the Make and Take Gals piled into MJ's car for her Make and Take on the road! MJ planned our journey to Milwaukie, Oregon with a variety of factory stores and beautiful local boutiques. Our first stop was the Dave's Killer Bread Breadquarters, were we filled our sacks with all the favorites!

Across the street... Bob's Red Mill and rows upon rows of freshly ground grains, fresh baked bakery items, and all you need for healthy eating! As we prepared to leave Bob's, it was clear we brought too small of a car :)

It was time for the surprise Make and Take that MJ lined up for us. Heading onto Milwaukie's Main Street we pulled up to KMarie where our eyes rolled back in our heads as we entered this enchanted store. Kelli, the owner greeted us with a introduction of all the fun mischief one could get into in her paper play land.

We entered the workshop in the back and knew we had found paradise. Kelli had a beautiful farm table in the middle of the workshop all prepped for our project we would be making.

This Spring box was our goal and when complete would be the vessel for our next surprise stop 2 doors down from the KMarie!

Kelli's workshop, filled with every doodad invited us to explore every nook.

She provided nourishment for the crafting angels stright from chocolate heaven!

As Kelli guided us through our project, it was not long before we were all producing fluffy pink paper flowers for the top of our Spring Box.

After a wonderful 40 minutes of glitter and glue we finished our little treasures and regretted having to pack up and bid Kelli are gret big thank you and good bye.

The only thing that made it possible to skip out of Kelli's charming shop was that we were headed a few doors down to her sisters shop, Enchante
it was now time to fill our blooming Spring Boxes with chocolate treats. This sweet haven is a Parisian candy store for adults. Bobbles and sparkles surround a seemingly endless selection of homemade chocolates!

It was no easy task to select just a couple treats, but our time was growing to a close in Milwaukie. We left the enchanted sister's and their stunning boutiques and headed to Cha. Cha, Cha across the street for lunch, where we do what we do best, catch up on all the news in each others lives and ooogle over our treasures.

As we left Milwaukie downtown we made one last stop at the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store. It was a fun filled day of friendship and discovery!

Until next time...

Make and Take, May 6, 2010

Make and Take ~ May 2010, A Purse Full Of Chocolate!

April was skipped over for our meeting last month as our members were pulled in other directions, so when I saw today was finally another Make and Take, I was filled with joy!  We gathered at Poh's this morning and lingered over tea and carrot bread while we caught up on all the news.  Then Poh had a little something extra to share by roasting garlic.

Roasted garlic Recipe:

Cut tops off garlic, making sure all cloves have top cut off.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, sprinkle with fresh Thyme, and then drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for one hour, or until golden on 400 degree oven.  Serve as a spread from the garlic head or remove roasted cloves and serve in your favorite recipe like mashed potatoes!

The house smelled divine as we worked on our main project.  Favors, and darling ones that we would be making for an event that Jean's mother was sponsoring.  Knowing we would be happy to produce the little satchels, Jean laid out a gorgeous array of pre-cut papers for us to get to work on.  Soon the table filled with one cuter than the next, purse favor filled with mini-chocolate bars!

 It wasn't long before the smell of the roasted garlic and Poh's cooking beckoned us to lunch.  Once again Poh created a delicious selection for us to enjoy...and we did!

Purse Favor How To:

To make your own chocolate purse favors, which I think would make cute place card holders as well, take a decorative strip of 1 1/2 in wide x 6" long.  Trim corners on one side and cut a solid complimentary color rectangle to glue behind the end where corners are trimmed.  Rectangle and be 1/2" long by 1 1/2 wide.  Then poke small holes 1 inch from layer end and 3/4" from the straight end.  Fold the bottom straight end up under the layer end and secure with a colorful brad through the 2 holes.  Insert 2 mini-chocolate bars that you double-side tape together and then again tape to bottom of purse.  Pinch the top to form the triangle shape of the purse and cut a complementing piece of ribbon as the handle.  We used double sided tape for all the securing.  That's it!  Enjoy as treats for Mother's day or your next party!

Thank you Poh and gals for another wonderful Make and Take!

~ MJ
Copyright 2010 MJ's Table Talk

Make and Take, May 19, 2009

May Make and Take!

Make and Take was a production of huge proportions this month! Pam was our host and strawberry jam was our mission. Three hours and four batches later, the toil and trouble was well worth the result! As the rich strawberry goo bubbled away, we took turns stirring and preparing jars. It is so true that many hands make light work. In between stirs we cut out darling strawberry seersucker fabric for jar wraps and lid covers. Pam had a whole table of wrapping options laid out for us. By noon we were tired and ready for lunch. Pam had a delicious artisan pizza cooking away, a Greek salad with praline pecans she had made for the topping, roasted asparagus, and for dessert Strawberry Shortcake and Peanut Butter Bars! As we loaded our jam up to leave, moans could be heard from each member as we descended the stairs on the front porch. Another successful gathering!

~ MJ
Copyright 2009 MJ's Table Talk