Be still my heart

I have this unexplainable desire to place unnecessary objects about my house...dust collectors. Let me explain. I have no home phone. We use our cell phones, makes more sense and costs less. But for some reason I am always tempted to buy vintage teles...oh and metal fans, I loves them! I like to dream about them when I am thrifting and visiting antique shops. I think it goes back to when I was little, my grandma had a rotary phone. My finger seemed to fit perfectly and I would dial random numbers and listen to each click as it rolled back around. It was one of those fancy ones with the large handle and gold metal. Here are some lovelies that have captured my heart...

Just spotted on Apartment Therapy.

Source

Source

Source

Source

Source

I always picture the old fans in all black sitting on the dresser by the window of the bedroom. I can picture the light peeping through the curtains kissing the tips of the blades. The room is white with silk sheets and linen curtains, with light pink girlies things and beautiful cream doilies lying around...that would be nice.

♥ ♥

I'm so lazy...

I've been meaning to blog...

• about seeing Where the Wild Things Are and how much I ♥ it!
• about finally buying a new sewing machine!!!
• about my weekend photography workshop and how much I learned.
• about fall and Oh, how I love fall!
• about cleaning up the garden and having nearly ripe brussel sprouts!
• about making this and making that.
• and about my halloweenie costume...

My name was Lois (grandma's name). I made my name tag out of shrink plastic (too bad it is too small and sadly pixelated to see), my apron with my new machine, my hair piece from 2 layers of sticky back fabric and my polyester button-up dress is oh so vintage!! Oh and so is the little sparrow pin on my apron..another detail that you can barely see. I won first place at the costume contest at the mettttaaallll show I went to.

My long time friends are in a band called Monolith...they released their 4th CD. It f'ing rocks!

Check them out on their myspace!

Buy their CD!

Image by another long time friend Matthew Lofton and amazing photographer

matthewlofton.com

♥ ♥

Sunflower butter -I mades it.

A few weeks ago I made sunflower butter...I took photos for you but totally forgot about blogging it. It was a pain in the behind and took a long time to make, but it was delicious!

We had several different species of sunflowers growing in the garden. Many of them with the small seeds, like thistle, that fed all of our little finches and even brought in a large family of gold finches! We were all very happy about it, "we" includes the bird-watching kitties. If you live in a subdivision like me with many small trees only a few years old you will have a lack of wildlife and song birds. Planting sunflowers will welcome many birds, bees and butterflies!

I had only a few of the larger sunflowers and the seeds were too large for the finches to eat. If you read often you know I don't like to let anything go to waste. So I thought hard about baking the seeds, saving them for next years garden, but then something inside said, "Make Butter!" And thus I did.

These large sunflowers were actually the first to bloom and the first to die off. The seeds begin white but once they dry out and are ready for harvest they will turn black. I just left them in the garden until the seeds had turned black.

Then I cut off the heads and threw the rest in the compost pile.

I cut the heads in half to make them a bit more manageable. Then I rubbed the seeds right out of the head and into a strainer.

I rinsed them with water to get off any creepy crawlies, dirt, etc. and spread them out on a towel and let them dry overnight. If you want to bake them you would salt before drying or soak in a salt/water bath for some odd hours and then after they dry you could just spread them onto a bar pan and pop them into the oven.

After they were dry I put them into a paper bag and hammered them with the rawhide mallet that I use for hardening sterling silver wire. You can use a regular hammer here, just try not to hit them so hard that you are smashing them. The goal is to open the shell of the seed not smash the seed completely.

Next was the longest process. After hammering the heck out of them, I put them into a bowl of water. The shells should float and the seeds should fall to the bottom of the bowl. Should. But you may find that a handful of seeds do not come out of their shells. I had to pick through the shells on top of the water and crack them open one by one. Blah.

When I was done I scooped out the seeds from the bottom of the bowl, trying to get as little water as possible, and put them in another little bowl to dry a little.

Then I put them into the small cup that goes with my Magic Bullet. There is really no science to the measurements that I used. I cracked some sea salt into the cup...probably only a few cracks since I really only had a small batch of seeds. Then I added some honey, maybe a tablespoon or two, for flavor. I really like honey.



Then I added the flat blade and blended until it was smooth and slightly chunky...

and put it in a cute little jar. I love these little jars. They are the perfect size for little bits of jam or dressing. Keeps in the fridge for maybe a few weeks.

I enjoyed some of mine right away, with Cascadian Farm Blueberry fruit spread and whole grain bread. It was good!

Have a great weekend! ♥

Bird Watching

I spotted my first red-tail of the season this morning in it's usual winter stomping grounds! The weekend before last when we took the railroad we spotted 3 golden eagles, 1 huge eagle's nest and hubby spotted a bald eagle, though it was really far away. That makes me feel better about not being out on the open car and instead stuffing my face. :p It was a nice day, perfect for a train ride. I do wish that the leaves would have been a bit more in change. Last weekend must have been the peak because it was a beautiful ride when I drove to visit my grandparents.

This weekend I am taking a nature photography workshop at Cacapon State Park through the Potomac Audubon Society. It will include early mornings and late evenings so I am excited to experience all of the colors of the day. I'll share what I capture. In the meantime, enjoy a few photos from our train trip. (Click on each image to view a larger version.)

And my personal favorite...

See the golden eagle at the top right corner?

♥

You need to do this...GIVEAWAY!

Go to Flapper Girl's blog and enter to win one of her fabulous handmade coffee cozies! She's giving away one of the new Halloween Vampire Bat cozies... click HERE!

While you're clicking, click here and visit her shop. She's got everything from Pinup Witch cupcake toppers...

Vintage inspired aprons...

and O-Mi-gah! I just spotted these ruffle bum knickers! AH!! A-friggin-dorable.

What are you waiting for? Start clicking!

♥

It's my birthday!

I am 24...just kidding. But I have decided to no longer have birthdays...ever. =D

1. Spicy Rhubarb Cupcakes, 2. Male Birthday Cupcakes, 3. Peppermint Twist Cupcake ICE Challenge December, 4. Cinnamon Vanilla Wedding Cupcakes with Mexican Hot Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing, 5. Tuesday Toppers: Cupcake, cupcake, 6. margarita cupcakes, 7. christmas cupcakes, 8. Coconut Birthday Cupcakes for Gala Darling, 9. Minty Chocolate Cupcake (CT4), 10. Mixed Pastel Vanilla Cupcakes Boxed, 11. Adzuki Bean Paste Filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Matcha Green Tea Frosting, 12. Strawberry Cupcakes, 13. alice in wonderland cupcakes, 14. Plate of felt cupcakes, 15. pastel cuppies, 16. Hey There Cupcake


I heart cupcakes. Especially when they are super decorated like mini cakes or made from unlikely ingredients or with the icing piled and swirled on top like nobody's business. Yum! If I were a cupcake I would be a swirled chocolate brownie, cheesecake topped with whipped green tea icing and chocolate chips. ♥ ♥ What kind of cupcake would you be?

Friday, friday, friday

Doing the happy dance of course! Fridays are my favorite day of the week besides Saturdays. Not a fan of Sundays....it's like the night before you have to go back to school and you have a test on Monday and forgot to study for it until midnight Sunday. Blech. But Fridays on the other hand are fan-tas-tic! Tonight I am going home to do some decluttering to prepare for tomorrow...I will be getting down and dirty with some major fall cleaning. My sister in law will be coming in to town so we are going to get together tonight and run around and then on Sunday hubby and I will be taking the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad with his family. Rather excited about that...I have always wanted to go and this time of the year should be amazing!

To celebrate the end of Summer and beginning of fall I wanted to share a few photos that never made it to the blog this summer. Have a great weekend!! ♥ (Click on image for a larger view.)

Sleepy Creek WV

Sleepy Creek WV

One of many garden harvests... note to self: plant less tomatoes next year

Sleepy Creek WV

Flowers on my deck

First birthday party: Baby Alyssa vs. the Cheetos. I think she won!

Harvesting Basil

I love basil...I like to cut leaves in half and toss them into my spinach, tomato and cucumber salads and add a little Italian dressing. This year I had several plants in my garden and I will be growing it indoors during the winter as well. But since I had SO much from the garden I thought it best to dry some and save the seeds. Here are some tips on harvesting basil...I am by no means an expert, this just works for me. =)

When choosing your fresh basil for drying or freezing you want to make sure to choose unblemished leaves. The ones pictured below have dark and damaged spots on them. You could still use these by trimming off the blemishes but sometimes they are just beyond saving.

There are several ways to save your herbs. Here are two:

• Drying using a drying screen (like the one I showed yesterday), bundling and hanging them to dry and even using a dehydrator. For the drying screen: remove the leaves from the stems and give them a good rinse to remove any creepy crawlies and dirt. Spread out your clean leaves onto the screen and they should be dry in about a week. Then just crumble, or leave whole, and put them in a sealed container or plastic baggie.

• Freezing by chopping them up and adding them to an ice tray with water. When you need fresh herbs for soups and such just pop out an ice cube and drop it in. Running them through your Magic Bullet or food processer does the job great! Just make sure they are dry to they will stick to everything in the processer.

You can also save your seeds from many herbs by harvesting the buds where they flower. I purchased my organic basil seeds from an online supplier in CA. They only cost a few dollars but I think I might have used them all. I'm a careless sower. No worries though because I just cut off the budded part of the plant, making sure to leave plenty of stem and removed any leaves...

Then I gathered them all up and wrapped a rubber band around the end...

Next I slipped them into a brown paper bag, with the stems at the opening, and closed the bag up...Oh and yes it is a Panera Bread bag...they cherry vanilla bagels is to die for!

Then I put another rubber band around the top of the bag and the stems to hold them in place. After that I just hung the bag, by the rubber band, onto my herb dryer (in a cool dark place) and left them to dry. As they dry the seeds should fall out and collect at the bottom of the paper bag! Make sure that you store your seeds in a cool place away from direct sunlight.

And there you have it! You can find a plethora of information online about harvesting herbs. And remember that your herbs only keep at their best for about 6 months...so why not grow and dry your own every season?

♥

Upcycled - Herb Dryer tutorial

So I had this garden...and I planted all these herbs...then I completely slacked off and did not cut the majority of them in time for drying. (sobs) So long German Chamomile, Apple Mint and Spearmint. I enjoyed you while you lasted. =( But on the brightside I do have tons of basil and oregano left that I can still save. I wanted to make something that I could hang from the ceiling and that I could just walk away from until the herbs are dry. I decided to make drying screens that I could connect together with chain to hang from the ceiling and then easily tuck away when not in use. So I hunted out some old frames from a thrift store and here is how I made my drying screens... (click on each image for a larger view)

Materials:

• Old frames...the number depends on how many levels that you want.
• Screw hooks -4 for a 1 level dryer, 12 for a 2 level, etc.
• Fiberglass screen or whatever kind of screen you have lying around. Screen from an old door would work great here, upcycle, upcycle, upcycle! You could also use a super thin cloth for this I suppose.
• A plant hanging kit -chain and S hooks (found at Lowe's in the garden section)
• Scissors
• Staple gun
• Pliers (2 pairs needed)

Step 1: First off if you picked up your frames at a thrift store or flea market then more than likely they are dusty and possibly splintered. Clean then off with a damp rag and sand them smooth if necessary. Flip them over and remove the staples from the back with your pliers.

Step 2: Then lay out your screen and place your frame on top. Cut out the shape of your frame.

Step 3: Flip your frame back-side up and staple your screen on. Starting in the middle and working your way out so that you have a nice taut screen. You could also use small nails/tacks if you do not have a staple gun. **The hubby came home with this guy a few months ago and I've been itching to use it...I ♥ power tools!

Step 4: Flip your frame front-side up and screw your screw hooks into the corners. Take advantage of the separation of the corners here for starting off your screw hooks. You could also use a drill to make the starter hole.

Screw hooks in all 4 corners...

Step 5: Take your chain and shorten it if necessary...test it out to make sure that you are happy with the length. If you are using the same packet of chain from Lowe's (2 chains, 4 S hooks) then you will want to split the 2 chains in 1/2 for a good length...about a foot or foot and 1/2.

**Open the links like you would a jumpring...side to side, with 2 pair of pliers.

Step 6: Now take your 4 chains and hook one end of each chain to each of the screw hooks on the 4 corners.

Step 7: Then take one of your S hooks and connect the other end of all 4 chains in the middle.

Step 8: Give the S hook a good squeeze so that you can keep all chains hooked up.

Step 9: Hang and add your herbs!

No flipping necessary...just spread your herbs out and walk away. The air will circulate through the screens and allow for quick drying time. Just make sure to hang your dryer somewhere dark and cool. I put mine in the cubby hole under the stairs in my basement...I keep potatoes there also.

***Go a few steps further and add on a couple of levels. All you need to do is add your screw hooks to both the front and back-sides of the frame, in all 4 corners. Add your chain to connect the levels with an S hook or just by opening the chain links. If using the S hooks, make sure to squeeze them closed so that your levels do not come apart when you are moving or rehanging.

Next post I will have a few quick tips on drying basil and saving the seeds. GO HERE!

Happy crafting and flavor-filled eating!! ♥

Currently crocheting...

Capelet Swing Cardi from the new Nov/Dec 2009 Crochet Today! mag.

In Naturally Caron Country, shade Foliage.

I will be doing a shorter version...possibly some wooden buttons? Maybe something similar to one of these I spotted on Etsy...what do you think?

Anyways. Next week I'll have a few new tutorials for you! Have a nice weekend and happy crafting! ♥

Happy Campers <3

Today it has been 3 years since my hubby and I were married. We were married on a dock over the lake at his parents. The day started out much like today...a little chilly, slightly windy and cloudy. Unlike today it was also raining and at this very moment 3 years ago I was convinced that our day would be ruined by the weather. The ceremony was at 2pm and when the pastor began to read the psalms we chose the skies opened, the sun shone down and the birds began to sing. Guess he was happy with our decision. =) Thought I would share a few photos...

Oh yea and I was d.i.y.ing it back then too. =)

p.s. I just wanted to thank all of our family and friends that helped with our little ceremony. We love you all so much!!!! ♥

Feather Headband Tutorial

Feather headbands...you've seen em all over...in the shops, online, busting down the doors at Etsy. They are oh so adorable and total vintag-ie goodness. Here's my tutorial on makin' your own! (My apologies in advance for the lighting in some of the photos. It was either super windy or raining out this weekend so I had to use window lighting.)


Supplies:

• 1 fabric headband -Walmart (set of 2) for a few bucks.


• 1 feather pad -I got mine at Michaels in the aisle with all of the feathers and boas. They carry them at both Michaels in my area so they should have them at yours.


• 2 clothes pins or clips to secure while the glue is drying.


• 3 little feathers -I just trimmed down some that came in a multi pack.


• 1 button or brooch or cabochon, whatevs


• Size 10 crochet thread


• Size 1.30 mm crochet hook


• Hot glue gun


• Fabric glue


• Scissors


• Nail file (metal for metal buttons and manicure version for plastic buttons)

Step 1:

Lay out your embellishments beforehand. Decide on your placement of the feather pad and all embellishments, so that you are ready to go when gluing! When you are ready, put a line of fabric glue on the back on your feather pad, straight down the middle.

Step 2:

Place the feather pad onto the headband and secure with clips/clothes pins. Allow to dry for specified time on glue directions.

Step 3:

Now you can add your embellishments. Add a bit of hot glue to the bottom "point" of the feather pad. Careful not to touch the feathers with the glue gun tip or you may have a feathery glue gun on your hands! Next add your feathers...



...then trim off the excess stems of each feather.

Step 5:

Then you can add your button or whatever you decided on. If you are using a button with a shank just trim that off with either a wire cutter or scissors (depending on the material) and give it a quick file to ensure that the back is flat.

Step 6:

Add on another bit of hot glue and place on your button.



Step 7:

Now you could totally rock it like this...or you could take it one step further and give it a more finished look. Here is my pattern for the little crown-like crocheted embellishment to wrap around your button:

• Ch 20 and join with sl st. Make sure this slides over your button and Ch more or less depending on the size.
• Row 1: SC in same st as joining. *Sc in next st. 2 sc in next st. Repeat from * 6 more times. Ch 6, turn.
• Row 2: Sk 2 sc. Dc in next 2 sc. *Ch 3, sk 3, dc in 2 sc. Repeat from * 1 more time. Ch 3, sk 3, dc in sc. Ch 3, turn.
• Row 3: (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in first ch 3 space. (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in each ch 3 across. Fasten off.

The embellishment looks a little wonky in the photo and yours will too. You could always block it with an iron but since I am gluing it down it will smooth itself out. Then just slip it over your button and add a little fabric glue to the back to tack the "crown" down.

***You could also use a vintage doily and cut a hole in the middle, or even fabric or felt. Just outline your button before gluing so you know how big to make your hole.

And Voila! You have fancy-pants new headband to rock!! You could also add little flat-back crystals or beads here and there to really dress it up. I want to be able to wear mine with jeans and a blouse so I didn't want to get too fancy.

Make many, give them as gifts, wear them to weddings, enjoy! Happy crafting! ♥


p.s. Sharing for Get your Craft on Tuesday and Do it Yourself Day!

Oh bamboo, how I heart thee

New bamboo hooks...got them a few weeks ago. Forgot to share. I loves them. You can get some too at eKnittingneedles.com. The set of 12 is on sale for $19.99!! Believe me, you will not regret the purchase.

Feather headband tutorial coming tomorrow...look up and stay tuned!!

♥

Convertible Cowl on the Interweb!

A few new happs concerning the Convertible Cowl pattern...I had my third and final session of my very first crochet class on Tuesday. It went very well and the pattern proved to be successful for beginners. I had only 2 students but they were both beginners so it worked out great!

I was contacted last week by FaveCrafts, a website stuffed full of goodies for DIYers, and they were interested in adding my pattern to their website! You can find it here, or by clicking on the image below. {grins}

I am also very thrilled to say that my pattern made it to the "new and popular" list on the patterns page of Ravelry. It's not like I had to do anything special. It's just rated on how many people have began the project and how many WIPS there are for a new pattern or something like that. So far there are 14 completed projects, 5 wips, the pattern is in 117 queues and has been favorited 300 times!!! It's really neat to see everyone's different yarn choices and to read their opinions!

However I have been working on some tutorials for you including: modernizing a vintage pendant, making an herb screen, a feather headband and a couple more projects still in the works. Stay tuned!

That's all I gots...just a little gloating and late night rambling. =D

ciao ♥

Coincidence?

I just happened to go to the post office at lunch...I just happened to hear the new Death Cab for Cutie on Alt Nation for the first time, Meet Me on the Equinox. Today just happens to be the Autumnal Equinox...coincidence? meh...just listen!

Meet me on the Equinox
Meet me half way
When the sun is perched at it's highest peek
In the middle of the day <---another co-ink-E-dink??


p.s. Yah for fall!! ♥