Sleeping Cap

 

I spent this winter knitting a lot. I found it really soothed my nerves, helped me keep calmer. I love the rhythm, how it slows down my brain and helps me decompress, easy to take to doctor appointments, it has even helped my dyslexia (my math skills are so much better). One of the projects I knitted was a wool cap. I was looking for something to sleep in that would help keep my warmer. I did not want something so cumbersome as a hat, but more then a headband. I found A Cap For Nessa's Mother, it is perfect. Very easy to knit. I used a wool and bamboo blend. I knitted one for Auberne` and she wears it with the strap in the back under her hair. On very cold nights, it has keep me much warmer and my ears to. Plus doesn't Chloe just look beautiful, sorry I had to be a braggy mom for a second.

By the way this sweet doll is handmade by Paula. I named her Wren Bay, isn't she beautiful. I knitted her a shawl and made her a pinny. I have a whole story in my head about her life. She is a newlywed, whose beloved is off fighting in the war. She grows herbs to make extra money to get by. One day I may get the story out of my head and share it with all of you. Thank you soo much Paula, I love Wren and hope you start a shop soon xoxoxo

 

Winterizing

In trying to embrace winter I am,

Making these AMAZING cereal cookies (bacon, orange, grape nuts). I thought these would be a strong bacon flavor but they are not. Really the orange is what stands out. But everyone is loving these. I made them with spelt and whole wheat pastry flour, fresh orange juice and rapadurah instead of brown sugar.

Beautifying my pantry for winter baking, love it Tracey xoxoxox

Make gloves from socks

Making homemade bouillon for soups, this is sooo brilliant, I am kicking myself for not thinking of it first ;-)

Keeping my skin soft

Dieing buttons to jazz up sweaters

Instant Vanilla Sugar

 

Winter will be going for us for a while. It will probably not feel like spring till April, so I always try to embrace this time of year. Which is not always easy to do. I do it by winterizing my home, cozening things up. I always set up a little beverage corner. It is nice to have everything together, handy, ready. I have honey, lavender honey, sugar, agava, vanilla sugar, candy canes, marshmallows and coco mixon-hand. I keep a thermos of hot tea or water going. It does seem to cheery a cold, gray, veryyyyy rainy days.

I wanted to let you know for the next month or two I will only be posting once or twice a week. I have decided I need to get my act together if I am ever going to get my next issue of my petite-magazine done. I can not do posts for the blog and the petite-magazine at the same time. Sorry, but hopefully if I really focus on it, I will get through it fairly quickly and be back. By the way it is called HandnHand. I will share more later xoxoxo

Instant Vanilla Sugar

1/2 vanilla bean * note below

and 1/2 cup of sugar.

 

Put vanilla bean in a coffee grinder (or a food processor, but coffee grinder works better) and process till vanilla is finally chopped. Then add sugar and process a few seconds, till all is blended. Your sugar will be more like powdered sugar. Pour through sieve to catch any large pieces.

*note,

make sure you use a dried vanilla bean. I know some of you readers store your vanilla beans in brandy or vodka to make extract like me. But you can not use the wet bean in this, the liquid would melt the sugar. So I keep a few beans also dry, for recipes like this. I hope you like it xoxox

 

Happy Valentines Day

 

Happy Valentine's day xoxoxoxo

Well in a perfect, "not crazy" week I would make and send to each of you this Valentine. But that is not possible. So I will share this Valentine tutorial  and you can make one. I plan (when life is not so crazy) to make and frame one for me. I wish each of you dear readers a day full of love. Your love and support of my blog, fills me. Thank you !!!!

 

Both images are from Little Acorn, thank you for the tutorial, I love it.

Akkk, my in-laws just called and are coming to visit this week. So I am going to have to extend my blog break another week. But soon I will have some fun things to share. I have been busy crafting and cooking. But for now I am off to try to get my house clean before my in-laws (who are sweet as can be) show up. You all know how much I hate to clean, pray for my {;- P

Valentine Tree

 

I have been wanting a white tree, but I am trying to be good about money (like all of you xoxox). So I was at Target (of course) and on the clearance rack was a $4.00 tree. Well I could not say no to that ? 

 

I decided to set up a Valentine Tree. My topper is this amazing Valentine made by Mrs. Staggs. I can not tell you how much I love this valentine. Thank you Mrs. Staggs xoxoxo

I found this hand-painted valentine in the pages of a very old book. I love to think who it was for and who painted it.

 

I added some vintage Valentine's and some made by you readers from a valentine swap a few years back. The beautiful fabric heart at the bottom of the tree is made by Paula. Isn't it perfectly, beautiful ??? She is a very talented seamstress and hopefully one day will open a shop. So as you can see this is a tree full of love !!!!

 

Creative Love 2

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Dee Ann                                            Mary

? this card had no signature or       Kelli

return address    

Susan                                           Angie

Leigh Ann                                     Lisa 

Thank you, you ladies are the best xoxoxx

PS. To answer a few questions about the violet sugar.

1. It is violet sugar, not sugared violets. They are two very different things. With violet sugar you use the sugar. Eventually the violets dry up and you throw them away. With sugared (or candied) violets, they are done with a totally different process and you can eat the candied violets.

2. How to use them. We are BIG tea drinkers and love to use the sugar in tea. Especially a delicate tea. Also it is good sprinkled on fresh fruit, on sugar cookies or on scones. Lastly in making a chocolate sauce the violet sugar add a flowery touch. 

I am creating a cookie recipe for the sugar. I will post it tomarrow evening.

3. You just mix violets with sugar and should be ready to use after 2 weeks. But will keep for a year or more.

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Winter Corners 5

 

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For Valentines day I made a ribbon cake. I was so inspired by  Deco Diva Debbie  and   Amy at Inspireco. Mine is not quite as lovely as theirs. But I was determined to use what I had around the house and not spend money. The wedding topper is my parents. This was a lot of fun. Sort of like playing with ribbon blocks. Thank you Debbie and Amy for the inspiration.

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Winter Corners 4

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Here are some of the Valentines we made. They did not quite turn out a wonderful as I imagine but I am trying to set that aside and just embrace them. My idea was the radicchio would look like a peony and the endive as rosettes. The radicchio just more like a pink mess but I am really happy with the endive. I cut the radicchio in half and cut the tip off the endive. The endive made the most charming small roses.

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Winter Corners 3

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Hello I thought I would share my mother's winter corners. She decided to use purple for her inspiration. The picture does not do justice to these amazing glass hurricanes. They are stunning. (when she is not looking I am taking them !!)

 

Look at this beautiful handpainted bowl it was done by a great aunt I have never meet.

 

 

My mother got some wonderful tins and a sign at Michele's. If you get a chance check it out.

 

 

So if you are at a loss on decorating, try picking a color and look around your home for everything in that color and see what you come up with. Thank you for letting me share mom xoxx

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Winter Corners 2

 

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I am playing with the look of the blog, so things might be changing for a while : -)

Well this is the dead zone of my home. Do you have one of those were nobody seems to use it. Nothing seems to fit. That is how it is at this end of the living room (which use to be the front porch and is now the back of the house). So over the years living here I keep playing with ideas for the space. This is my latest and seems to maybe be the fit.

 

We have been busy crafting and sewing gifts. I tried to keep the furniture light and open with lots of flat space to work. Having the sewing machine set up helps a lot. I moved the green cabinet from the library to here and temporally set the bar next to it. It is hold books, stereo and craft supplies. I even brought the ironing board from the basement.

 

Jody had asked about how I store my craft supplies around my livingroom. I do have a room over the garage to store stuff I do not use often. But I have found keeping things boxed in groups help me and make easy to find. I like to stack boxes and keep things together. For example one box for random bits of ribbon and buttons, a box for all my paint bottles, one drawer for paper, a basket for yarn and suitcase for all my wool and wool felt. Cigar boxes for embroidery thread, sewing kit, scissors.

  

I know not all of you have an extra bedroom or whole end of a room. But I encourage you to think about an area of your home you could set up a small table and a stack of boxes for a creative corner. This does not have to be forever or hold all your crafting item. Just think about what you would like to work on over the next few winter months and gear your space to that.

 

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Winter Corners 1

I am going to do something a little different with winter corners. Instead of showing decorations with snowman and winter scenes (although I will do a little of that) I thought of something completely different. I do not know about your winter but here in the northwest is cold, rainy, grey, rainy, rainy. It is a down time. A time for sitting around the woodstove and drinking tea. A slow time, which I enjoy. But as I expressed at Christmas time there is too much fun, too much giving crammed into three weeks. One can not do it all. And sadly to say I was not able to bless all my girlfriends like I would have like to. So I have decided to claim January and February as my girlfriend blessing months. So I will be sharing ways to bless those around us who listen, who understand why the dishes left on the counter will throw us over the edge, the one who will cry with you when your dear children use half the jar of hazelnut butter especially bought for you from Italy for their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (yes this happened to me ladies), and the one who gets how you could love your dear hubby one moment and the next moment need to be reminded why you married him.

So here is a little teaser. Thank you cards I made to send to dear friends. I was inspired by Charlotte Lynos cards.  Did you know Charlotte Lynons has a new blog ??? It is fabulous !!!! These were so fun to make. I hope Charlotte does not mind me copying her. Thank you for the inspiration Charlotte

So I enourge you to make a list of anyone in your life who you feel has supported you and you would like to bless them !!!