Storybook Woods

Spring Yellow

 

Just like with my paper bowl server, sometimes using the bag something came in is the easiest and most charming way to do it xoxox

Paper Bag Server

 

We eat a lot of raw veggies. A simple way to serve them, just take the paper bag you used to buy them with. I roll down the sides and have a quick bowl, Easy, cheap, reuse. Buy the way I served these veggies with a cucumber dip .

 

Thank you for the kind comments to Chloe, it means so much to both of us and encourages her. I also wanted to let you know I have opened an Etsy shop (there is also a link on the right side of the blog) and put my jewelry in it. Thank you xoxoxo

I Am So Stupid

This is a note I sent to a friend of mine and I thought I would share it with all of you. Although, after you read it you may think I have no right to ever write about homemaking again. But hopefully this will encourage someone and remind all of us to clean the mess when it happens, not 3 months later xoxoxox

   "Okay I am warning you this is a negative note where I will be hard on myself. But I need to vent, lucky you. So feel free stop here. I have just spent 2 1/2 solid hours cleaning my fridge. There was soo much black, sticky, gross stuff on the bottom of the fridge and other sticky stuff on the door. I kept having to pour hot water on it, let it sit, then whip it up and then do it again. Over and over and over. Luckily all the shelves fit in my big tub so I could soak them and scrub them in the tub (Chloe is now scrubbing the tub for me and Aubern'e is cooking dinner, since I will be in a comma. Thank you girls) Why do I do this to myself. You would think after 46 years of living I would know better. I HATE cleaning, so I ignore it, instead of dealing with it at the time. Then by the time I do get to it I have such a huge mess, aggggggggggggggggg. I could just slap myself. I was smart enough to use rosemary and lavender oil in everything. So the aroma therapy, keep me from killing someone. I am sitting here with a bright red face, boarding on purple. I am so hot, tried and frustrated with myself. Well at lest I got my aerobic workout. Well, when I cool down I am going to cut an herb bouquet for my fridge and take a picture for the blog. That and a piece of chocolate will be my reward. But please remind me in future not to be sooo stupid. Thank you for listening to this rant. You are tooo sweet to me, love Clarice "

Pantry Love

From Zamborski Emporium

Okay I am pantry obsessed and have been searching around for some pantry ideas. I thought you might like seeing them.

You have to read Warm Pie, Happy Home  post  "A Little Gumption Goes A Long Way" . It is not exactly a about pantry's but it is sooo charming and inspiring. I tell you Ruthann needs to write  a book. It was so much fun, I did not want to end. More please Ruthann !!!! 

From Jo-Anne Coletti

I really enjoyed this pantry post from French Kitchen In America

 From Treehugger

 

From Cantonrep

Another pantry article I enjoyed !!!!

Gallery of pantry pictures 

I really love The Pantry Book (I got it for Christmas), well Catherine has a lovely blog with lots of encourging posts.

Sorry I did not save were I got this image from. I hate it whene I do that xoxoxo

Some Helpful Hints

We are really feeling the gas prices, as I am sure all of you do. David has a very long commute, so it is really hitting us hard. I am trying to make what we have really last and not leave the house. Here is a few hints that have helped me. I would love to hear yours xoxoxo

 

1. With all my bread baking, I am having lots of ends and leftover small pieces of bread. I keep them in a zip-lock baggie in the freezer. Then when I have enough I make bread puddings. Last week I made a savory one with roasted garlic and grated Gruyere cheese, Yumm.

2. Aubern'e and I have been washing our face with honey. We both love it. The wonderful thing about honey is it is very good for breakouts but also is very moisturizing. So it helps Aubern'es teen skin and my (old ;-) dry skin both. I am needing a lot less moisturize and my skin is so soft.

3. For breakfast I am make a simple muesli. In the mourning I put rolled oats (not instant, I like the thick rolled oats) in a bowl and cover with milk and let sit half an hour. It softens then add nuts, dried and fresh fruit, a splash of maple syrup. I also add ground flax seeds and flax oil.

4. For lunch I have been having raw veggies with a simple tapenade dressing. Just take a small spoonful of tapenade and thin it out with some olive oil and drizzle over veggies. I am lucky my grocery store has an olive bar, so I can get  a small scoop of tapenade and make it last.

5. You know when you have those really greasy messes and it is nice to have something to clean it and throw away. I took some old sweat-shirts  and flannel sheets and cut it into squares for a throw away rag.

6. Simple dinner we had last night. Pasta tossed with saute' zucchini, lots of garlic, toasted sliced almonds, feta cheese, (I would have liked to added fresh mint, but I do not have any right now. But added chopped chives). Thats it and chocolate bread pudding * for dessert.

* This is for Christine. It is the closest I can find to my recipe. I tell you, they have to make recipes so much harder then they need be. I will post my recipe soon. But I wanted to say, with bread pudding you are basically baking custard with bread in it. Most of the recipes I saw were 350 temp. with no bain marie and that is too hot for a custard. So either turn your temp. down to 325 or add the water bath. Or better yet, do both. It will take a bit longer to cook but you will have a nice soft, luxurious pudding. Instead of burnt edges and raw center.

 

A Cheap Trick

The Christmas House is having their spring sale this weekend and as usual there was plenty of eye candy and inspiring ideas. Carolee had a black, white and red section. I loved it. I thought it was so simple and stunning all at the same time. One of the things she did, that I wanted to share was her shelf-liner, scalloped newspaper. The red dots are only finger prints made with red paint. The gold dots are thumb tacks. Notice how this is just an old cabinet (bet Carolee painted it red) and took off the doors. There is even a black and white calico apron. I have more pictures to share, when I can. I have the primer (3 coats) painted on the pantry and now maybe we can get to painting some color. By the way, shocking enough, I did not buy myself one thing. But got a killer deal for Aubern'e. Will share xoxoxoxo

Coco, Tea or Me !!

 

The NW is gray and drizzly a lot, but I find that February and March are really long, hard months. The holidays are over, there is much going on, it is too cold to go outside and the weather really can get to you. I am always looking for little ways to entertain and brighten these days. Since we drink so much tea and coco, I thought I would make it a bit more special. I set up a little tray in my kitchen, I got a fun, cheery cup-cake towel at Target. I added our coco mix, tea, strainer, a mini-tea pot, sweetener, mini-marshmallows, a scoop, spoons and cups.

We have over 15 different types of tea. So each morning I set out a new tea and have a little tag in the bowl saying what tea it is. All day I keep a thermos filled with hot watter and I plan once a week to change a treat for the coco. Maybe candy canes, chopped chocolate, cinnamon, ect. It is inviting to see everything all set out and ready to go. A cheery spot on these not so cheery days.

Hot Chocolate Mix

I have looked at a lot of coco mixes but the problem with a lot of them is they use produces like chocolate drink mix, pudding mix or non-dairy creamer. These items have a lot of things in them I do not want to give to my family. So I decided to just keep it simple. Dried milk, coco powder, sweetener and a pinch of salt. Salt always makes it taste sweeter. I wish I could afford organic dried milk, but at this point I am still looking for an affordable option.

1 cup dried powdered milk

1/4 cup coco powder

1/3-1/2 (depending on your taste) cup vanilla sugar or plain sugar, I use evaporated cane

good pinch of salt

Mix and store in a air-tight container, I make at lest 3 times this amount at a time.

To make coco, add 1/4 cup of mix to 1 cup of hot water.

Lavender Antibacterial Spray

 

One of my goals this year is to focus on teaching the girls to do more themselves. I want them to approach life with a "I can do this myself " attitude, instead of a "I will just buy it". Things are getting so expensive and of course one can not make everything and needs money to live, but I rather have them learn to live with less money. I have lived on both sides of the coin and actually I am happier now, then when I could just buy anything (well almost anything) I want. There is a wonderful feeling in knowing you can do it yourself. So this recipe for lavender antibacterial spray, is something the girls will learn to make themselves.

I will probably be posting some more make-it-yourself recipes. I also plan soon to do a week on how I save grocery money. It may not work for all of you but hopefully you will get an idea or two.

Also did you know the lavender linen spray makes a wonderful room-freshener spray too. I am now freshening my house all the time.

Isn't the towel above charming. Angie made it. She is so good to me, she lets me wander around her house, looking at all her cool old things, taking pictures and feeds me well too xoxoxo

Feel free to click on the image and save

Note

You could add some alcohol, like vodka, to make the spray last longer, but I am afraid it would burn on cuts and scrapes. I plan on doing some experimenting and will let you know. If you have any feed back, I would love to hear it.

Smelly Sponges

                

Smelly sponges, now there is a nice topic. But maybe I am the only person in the world who has problem with her sponges always being smelly. They get stinky long before they wear out. I was complaining to Angie, who told me her trick. She soaks her sponges overnight in water with some oxiclean. Well she is right it works great. I also add a drop or two of lavender oil, to sweeten the non-smell. If you have a sponge cleaning tip, I would love to hear it.

Mixer Cover

I got sick of cleaning dust off my mixer all the time. I use my mixer a lot and wipe it down but it still seemed to get dusty. Especially the top and back. Maybe because I have no carpets in my house and everything is dusty ;-) I saw a cover for a mixer in a catalog but it was $50. Sooo my mind started thinking, what could I use that I already have. Yeahhh for reusing. A vintage pillow case seemed to fit my kitchen-aid mixer perfect, only it was to long. So I measured the hight and added an inch extra. Cut off the excess and stitched it closed. Added some pretty seam binding and wha-la. Make sure if you use some ribbon it can be something you can throw in the wash. Also you can see my pillowcase has satins. I did not want to use something to precious. Like I said I wanted to use something that I could throw in the wash. I think I will make a second one as a back up.

PS. Look at my 50 cents bark cloth !!!!!!

                                                               

More Labels

I have been looking for ways to organize my baking section. I have a large selection (as you can see) of lots of different dried fruits, nuts, sugars, ect. I found these small totes at Target. I love them because they are flexible and have handles. I buy most of my baking supplies in the bulk section so I have lots of small bags of this and that. I labeled each one chocolate, dried fruit, nuts, sugars, miscellaneous. I may get more.  I love it because I can pull out a tote and easily find what I am looking for. Even thought there is a lot in each tote, it looks a lot cleaner now having a row of them with the same label. If you like the labels, click on the image below and save them for you to use. I covered them the same way as I did these lables.

Also you will see all these papers on the cabinet doors. I keep taped to the inside of both doors basic baking recipes I use all the time. I found it was the only I could keep them, without loose them :-)

                                                                              

    

Prrretteee Lables

 

                            

I think I have already confessed this but if not, I HATE cleaning. I mean what is the point, it only looks dirty 20 minutes later, uggg. But of course one has to clean. Since I love decorating I try to think of it as part of staging my house. This helps (but I still hate cleaning). So I play these little games with myself. I treat myself once a month to something small. If I have a big job I think of some creative task I get to do with it. Please tell me I am not the only one like this  <:-o

So my kitchen needs a spring cleaning. I have been wanting to make my kitchen feel more Victorian but still keep the pastels I have. Well these labels fit the bill. I just love them. As I have said I am on a fairly tight food budget. One of the ways I save money is to buy in bulk. My grocer has a large bulk section and that saves me a lot of money. But I then have lots of jars. For items I use a lot of, I have peanut butter jars a friend gave me. I painted the lids a pretty lavender, gray. Then made these labels.

                                 

One of the problems with homemade labels is what do you do when you have to wash the jar. I tried several ideas, like tying them on (that is why there are holes punched in the corner). What I ended up doing was cover the labels completely on both sides with packing tape (I did not want to pay for laminating, then I could buy good chocolate instead). So then when the labels were covered, I just used another strip of tape and taped the top to the jar. It will be easy to pull off, clean jar and re-tape.

If you want to make labels yourself, click on each picture and save. I gave you a blank one and you can write what you want on it. Enjoy, by the way price I had to pay for these pretty labels was to take apart my cabinet and scrub it down and clean all the jars !!

  

Oil Cloth

I wanted to say a couple of things about oil cloth. It is bit different from plastic table cloth fabric. It has more weight to it. So it lays flatter and I think it is easer to cut. Which is nice for things like lining a drawer. Also the back has a slight web pattern, as apposed to the fuzzy back. It does not slip around. So when looking at cloth keep the weight and back in mind. Here is some info about oil cloth.

What is oilcloth?
Today's oilcloth is a vinyl that is bonded and supported with a coven cotton mesh. The surface can be wiped clean. The fabric has been tested and passes the National Fire Protection Agency 701 classification for commercial and residential use.
Oilcloth is waterproof and stain resistant. Fading may occur under direct sunlight for extended periods of time since the oilcloth does not contain a UV inhibitor.

How do I care for oilcloth?
You can wipe oilcloth clean using a warm, soapy sponge then dry it off with a soft cloth. Machine washing is not suggested. Store folded or rolled. Any creases from folding will smooth out over time-- faster in a warm environment. If you want to speed the process up you could use the steam setting on an iron with a pressing cloth between the iron and the oilcloth (DO NOT TOUCH THE IRON TO THE OILCLOTH).

What can I use oilcloth for?

Here are just some ideas-- table covering, lunch bags, dog food mat, high-chair mat, book cover, beach bag, shelf liner, apron, wallet..... what ever you would like to be pretty and waterproof!

How wide is the oilcloth?
The oilcloth is 47" wide.

What if I need a piece that is wider than 47"?
Oilcloth can be sewn using a size 16 sharp needle on your machine. If you are going to sew it by hand, I would nice heavy duty needle and a thimble. To strenghen your seams, you may want to seal them with a bead of silicone glue (available at most art supply or hardware stores). Silicone glue dries clear and flexible. How do I hem oilcloth?
One of wonderful qualities of oilcloth is that the raw edges will not unravel or fray. If you are doing a tablecloth you can just cut a nice straight edge, or use pinking shears for a slightly decorative edge.

 

Thanks to Jody and Kim here are links to order on-line. I looked for you Canada ladies but did not find anything. I noticed a few on-line stores ship to Canada. Good luck !!!

Mendels

Spipinecrk

Denver Fabrics

A Bainbridge Island favorite Esters

Check out thier project page

Ahhhh, clean drawers

      

I think I have found the perfect liner for my drawers (boy that does not sound good, does that !) I tried that peel and stick liner, hated it. It was hassle to cut, it only stuck in parts. It did not all lay flat and wrinkled. So it was hard to clean. I found in one draw melted butter and I really could not get it cleaned out of the wrinkled liner. I decided to try oil cloth and love it. My cabinets are hand made and not your typical size. But oil cloth is really wide so I could cut a piece to fit. It is easy to cut. I was able to write on the back side what drawer it goes with. Now oil cloth is not cheap, $8.00 a yrd. But it is wide yardage and I think it will last a long time. So every few weeks a I will buy 2 yards till I get all my drawers and cabinets lined. I mostly like it because it is easy to pull out and set in. That will make clean up so quick. Plus it looks so pretty. I also lined my medicine cabinet with it. Hopefully it will be helpful to some of you.

 

Lavender Linen Starch

                  

I was at Mrs. Wilt's Sparrows Nest and read her post about using laundry starch. I have never used starch before. But dear Joanne sent me some yummy linens and they were so beautifully starched. I was thinking I would like to make my own and make it smell yummy. Plus it would be cheaper and I aways want to do things myself. So I looked around the internet, played with some recipes and came up with this one. I was thinking how a bottle of this and a bottel of Linen water would make a lovely gift. You could use any essential oil. I just like to use lavender. It seems to work well.

Lavender Linen Starch

Dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 1 pint cold water. Add 6 drops of lavender essential oil. Place in a spray bottle. Shake before using.

 

Young woman Ironing By Louis-Le'opold Boilly

Homemade cleaners

 

For my sisters birthday I made her a little cleaning kit. I embroidered a Rooster dish towel.  I found a wonderful apron with chickens on it, and I made her homemade cleaners. I love to give gifts that have a theme. I sadly I did not have time, but I was hoping to wrap the gift in chicken wire. I love making my own cleaners. They are easy, cheap and fun. I can not handle most cleaners. They are to strong and set off my allergies. I also like to make my own, so I can play with the fragrance. I use orange, lemon, lavender, rose, rosemary. I did lemon verbena for my sister, it is her favorite. I encourage you to make you own cleaners. They are very quick to make and are good for our lovely world to boot.

 

All Purpose Spray

In a spray bottle add 2 drops dish soup, 1/8 cup vinegar, 8-10 drops of essential oil, and fill with distilled water. If you use up your cleaners fast (like a couple of weeks) you can use tap water. Shake and spray away.

Surface Scrub

I take a pretty jar and make layer of baking soda and a couple of drops of essential oil. I keep layer till I near the top. Then I put the lid on and shake it up. Use a couple of TBS. to scrub skinks, heavy duty grim, ect.

Picture above from art.com

My Laundry Room

Well I have shared before how I hate to clean. But I am trying to embrace cleaning and make it fun. My laundry room is in my large 1000 square foot basement. We use it mostly for storage. I have to tell you it hate to go down there and it had gotten so messy. Here is a before shot. It is actually an after shot. This is my husbands area and I do not touch his stuff. But the rest of the basement was even worst. At lest you can walk through this part.

 

I spent weeks cleaning the basement. I started off just 15 minutes a day and worked my way up when I started to see progress. After numerous trips to the dump and good-will. I could finally see a floor. And start making my laundry area pretty and hopefully a place I would want to go to. And here is is all done.

I was going with a vintage theme. Since I live in an old house and have that cool old cement zinc sink. I started by taking this table with all the glass carboys (for DH beer making) under it. I repainted the leg white. I covered the table in pretty fabric and then covered that in clear plastic. I just stapled gunned it to the underside of the table.

Then I took my ironing board and covered it.

I redid this yucky old rusted card table I used to hold my laundry soap. I repainted it white. I coved the top in white fabric and plastic. I made ruffled skirt. I glued velcro on the underside of the table top and now I can pull off the skirt if I want to. And I can store all the big ugly bottles there.

I took a vintage rose postcard blew it up and make an iron on transfer. To add a little something-something to the top. And this is a close up of the fabric I chose.

 

Here is my cabinet at the bottom of the stairs that holds all my Costco bulk stuff. And my huge freezer !!!

 

I have to tell you this has made a huge difference. We all enjoy going downstairs now. Do laundry is soo much nicer and we do not break our neck trying to get to the washing machine. David added more lighting. We are hoping to paint at lest one wall white and I think I will paint the 3 small windows a raspberry red to match the fabric. The girls even painted my clothespins for me. They are getting into the spirit of the whole thing. I have dried lavender I keep in a jar for the dryer. I have tried to put what cleaning products I can in pretty containers. All this motivates me. And now I am not doing laundry only once a month like before.

 

Small Medow Press

I got yummy mail this weekend. Angie and I order from Small Meadow Presscame. I can not find words enough to express how much I love Small Meadow Press and Lesley. Who I really do not know but can just tell we are kindred spirits !!! If you have not looked at her site please do. Also she has added some wonderful new things. I got her "token of my esteem", as you can see in the picture and love them. I am looking forward to tucking in little "Esteem Tokens" in notes for those that I love !!!!!

Lesley has wonderful  stationary, cards, garlands, notebooks, ect.

She also has a lovely newsletter called the Bower.

Napkins and lavender water

 

Well I have a confession to make, although all who know me know this. I hate cleaning. Mostly because I feel like I work so hard and in only hours it looks like I did nothing. But I have discover that I like the results of cleaning ;- ). So I am trying to embrace cleaning. I do love decorating, staging my home and have started view cleaning as part of staging. This has helped me greatly in not viewing it as drudgery. Also I have decide to make cleaning fun and pretty. Because if it is not fun, then I will not do I. So you will see posts here on little things I am doing to make cleaning enjoyable.

I have deiced to organize all my linen draws. I have taken all my table clothes and hung them in my closet. Then I took all my antique napkins and ironed them with my lavender linen water.

 

Lavender Linen Water

 

2 1/2 cups distilled water

1/2 cup ethyl alcohol (or isopropyl or vodka)
15-30 drops essential oil of lavender

Mix in spry bottle.

 

Then I set tied them in bundles with pretty ribbon. My drawer looks so lovely and there is my lavender sachet. Thank you Miss. Joanne !!!!

 

But it is practical too. When I need to get out a napkin it is easy to grab the ribbon and it keeps all the napkins together. I also tied my napkins rings together to make it easy. This Easter it was so nice to not have to dig out little waded wrinkled napkins !! So make some lavender water, put on Pride and Prejudice, make a cup of tea (ohh or watermelon margarita !!) and iron away.