8241. Do Paper Embroidery

 I loved going to Make and Mingle at Kaukauna Library every month. It was a great way to get out of the house and try my hand at various crafty projects. Then my work hours changed it was more difficult to get there. I was able to make it work in May and I dragged Danielle with.

May's project was paper embroidery which is almost like regular embroidery but on paper instead. My aunt used to do counted cross stitch while my mom the just regular cross stitch. I found both tedious and never picked up the craft. 

To start the project, we had to decide if you wanted to make a card or a picture. I opted for a picture. I don't send cards. I just needed one piece of cardstock type paper. Otherwise I would have used 2 (the second to hide the stitching inside the card.

Then we had to punch the pattern on the paper using a needle. This was a bit of a pain because the needles weren't very sharp. We were all doing the same flower pattern. 

Once we were were done with punching the pattern, it was time to start stitching. It was simple line stitch for the most part. We started at point 1 and then went to point 2 and back to point 1 and repeated until the flower or leave was done. 

The hardest part was pulling the floss apart into 2 strands. I cut my strands too long so it would not up. Danielle found if one of us held one end while the other split the threads apart, it worked much better. 

My picture didn't turn out too bad except for the one of the petals of my flowers is going in the wrong direction. I guess that's what makes it mine.

Like cross stitch, paper embroidery is not my thing. Definitely too tedious. It was a fun project and if it wasn't so tedious, it is definitely a project I could master. Even Danielle agreed with me. Maybe one day I'll attempt Macramé. 

5649. Go to Vern’s Cheese in Chilton

 Last year while I walked when the hubby had a tournament at Chilton High School, I wandered past Vern's Cheese. This year, I decided to check it out. 

Vern's Cheese is located just off of downtown in Chilton. It is open Mon-Fri 9-5 and 8:30-2 on Saturdays. It is within easy walking distance of Chilton High School.

I wanted cheese curds. They had no fresh cheese curds when I was there. It was all packaged sealed cheese curds. They definitely did not squeak. I was disappointed. 

Despite not having fresh cheese curds when I was there, Vern's does offer a wide selection of cheese including mozzarella whips which were very good.

They also carry cheese from other cheese stores. 

 I do like they have options to make your own gift boxes with the sausage, wine, and other gifts. 

I would definitely go back for the mozzarella whips and to try some of the other cheeses. If you ever find yourself in Chilton, go check out Vern's. 

5274. Go to Cleo’s in Appleton

 After Danielle and I browsed the closing exhibit at the Trout, we decided we should get a drink. We debated between Dirty Snowballs at Cleo's or Limoncello at the Latin Fusion place. Since I was never to Cleo's, Dirty Snowballs it was. 

Cleo's Brown Beam is a cocktail lounge downtown Appleton famous for it's year round Christmas decor. It opens at 2 pm every day except Sunday when it is closed. Unlike most bars in Wisconsin no minors are allowed even with parents. 

Since it was a Friday, they also had Old Fashions on special. It was a toss up for me between the Dirty Snowball and an Old Fashion. I decided to go with the Dirty Snowball.

Cleo's dirty snowball is 1 part vodka, 2 crème de cacao and 2 parts coffee liqueur topped with a splash of cream. It was told it tasted like a boozy milkshake. It really did.

If I didn't know there was coffee liqueur in it, I would have not known. It was definitely good but not something I would probably order again. I would definitely do an old fashioned again.

The Christmas themed bar was just fun to hang out in. The Christmas lights made it nice and cozy. They had a nice collection of nutcrackers. 

It may have taken me 20 years to get to Cleo's but it was worth the wait. We said we should drag Janis with us next time. I may have to take Stacy in the future. 

If you have never been to Cleo's, you need to go and check it out. It is definitely a fun place to get drinks. 

Closing Exhibit at The Trout

 The Trout Museum of Art is moving from it's current location at the Houdini Plaza down the road near Lawrence University. Since they plan to open in the new location in October, they had to close the current location in order to pack everything up and move it down the road. They had a closing exhibit, free to the public. 

Since it was free, I wanted to go and I convinced Danielle to come with me. 

The final exhibit was called A Creative Place. It is, according the Trout Website "With a range of mediums, styles, and themes, this exhibition explores how local artists have responded to distinct cultural and environmental influences."

The exhibit was mainly paintings. A lot of them were boring -- small town America paintings. They are just not my type of art.

My favorite was the one that reminded me of Red from Shawshank Redemption. 

The random black circle was odd. I could do that.

The random cows were also a favorite even if the background was unusual.

I did like the statues even if they were completely random.

I kind of felt of place. It was full of artsy people most of them dressed up. We definitely were not dressed up. We browsed the exhibit navigating around people just chatting. I guess I am not cut out to rub elbows with art people. I will stick to baseball games.

I can't wait for the new museum to open. Stay tuned for another post later this year about the new Trout.