Etsy Weekly Wants #6: Bluegrass Festival

I have been terrible about posting lately- blame it on work, extra work, camping, and my new sewing machine!  But here's one for now (probably the only time I'll be posting this weekend because...)...

We're going to be at a bluegrass festival this weekend and the weather will be lovely!  Here are a few of my favorite bluegrass-themed Etsy items:

This epic patchwork dress by FamilyOfLightDesigns.  It's already sold, but I love it too much to not include it in this post!  Great detail and beautiful work; I'd totally wear it this weekend. And to every festival!

Mandolin print by ashleysilvernell.  I bought my dad a pick case with the same print on it, and he really liked it.

A mandolin brooch from VintageDiehls.  Something miniature that I naturally love!  A little detil to wear on a cardigan while sipping beer and listening to some sweet tunes.

Another print from itoaillustrations- this one is an owl with a banjo!

Bluegrass instrument magnets by SweetWaterSprings.  I'd definitely put these on my fridge!

Well, off to finish the day and then we'll be gone!  I'm hoping to miraculously fight off this illness I've had for a week now because it's going to be a perfect weekend for camping, music, friends, and maybe even a little whiskey.  ;)

Etsy Weekly Wants #5: Autumn Camping

We're leaving for one of our last camping trips of the season after work today. It makes me sad, but it's also getting chilly pretty quickly, so I'll be more than happy to stay in the house this winter curled up under a blanket. After a summer of HOT camping, I forget what it's like to be in the woods in the autumn, so I'm under-prepared... and under-dressed. 

Here are some things I'd love to have in the forest when it's cooler out: 

A poncho! I'd love a soft, comfy knitted one to wear for hiking or sitting around the fire. This one by Mychicaccessories looks cozy and comfy for a camping trip!

A Thermos for early morning hikes and coffee. Sitting in the woods with a big cup of warm coffee sounds perfect! This one is from vintageretros. Plus, those metal camping mugs aren't exactly functional; I seem to burn myself every time I use them!

I really like this wool blanket from aneedleinthehay. It looks warm, comfortable, and good for spreading out on the ground while drinking that hot coffee!

A camera case by janinekingdesigns. Because who needs to lug around a whole purse while hiking? Not me! BTW, I love owls.

Travel Scrabble!! I'm a Scrabble fanatic, so sometimes it's hard to get people to play with me... but if it rains and you're stuck in a tent, this is perfect! Hours of fun (at least in my opinion). This one's from LaneEndVintage.

Alright, off to finish my last hours of work, and then away for the weekend! 

PS It's the last day of summer today!

The new addition to the craft space

Mark got me a sewing machine!!



My sewing projects have been pretty limited due to my lack of hand-sewing skills and my pile of "things to do when I get a machine" has been multiplying. I kept talking about getting a Singer or something after I found a job, but now that I'm working again I'm also behind where I need to be... financially. There was no sewing machine in sight. AND to add salt to my wounds, a friend found a $3 machine in mint condition at a garage sale. But now, all is better and I can sew my life away! I've already finished one project and have many more planned! So thank you, Mark! You're the hero to this crafting lady! <3

Home-dried Thai chili peppers

Recently we went to the Hmong market near our house for some produce.  We weren't sure what we were looking for (aside from some basil), but found a huge cup full of Thai chili peppers for $5.  They're less spicy than a habanero (which we usually use for cooking) but hotter than a jalapeno, serrano, or cayenne.  Since we couldn't use them quickly enough fresh, we decided to dry them. 

I tied them with string and hung them on the porch.  This picture shows just a few of the peppers; the string was about 5 feet long, plus a few added strings hanging down- probably around 100 peppers altogether. 

We left the string hanging for a month to be safe, and the dry weather we've had the summer helped speed the process.  The peppers slowly shriveled and lost their tenderness.  After we thought they seemed ready I took the string down and popped the peppers off their stems.

We put most in a jar for later.

We took the ones Mark's holding in the bowl and ground them with a mortar and pestle for cooking. It's like homemade crushed red pepper... but better!  And spicier!

I can't wait to use these peppers in our cooking!   

Etsy Weekly Wants #4: Home Brewing

We brew beer at home (and by "we" I mean I sit on the porch with Mark while he rocks the propane stove and I occasionally stir).  I love the beer we make and have been looking at some different things that reflect this. 

First, I love this print by SHarperDesign.  I think it's cool and simple and really like the stylized hops (& the roots & the trees & the mountains!). I think it would be a great addition to our wall art, but must resist since I have a stack of prints that need to be framed and hung before buying more. 

I've been trying to think of a way to organize and save the bottles we have for our beer.  And we have a lot.  I hate using old six-packs from beer we've purchased because I think it's confusing and the cardboard doesn't wear well.  I've been eying and researching alternatives for storage all around the webz and this is what I've found:

This one from CRAP is great- recycled malt bags and super affordable (we'd need a lot of these six-packs for storage).  

I've also found this one by timogiles.  It's totally different from the other one, but still really practical and sleek.  Maybe I'll splurge on one (or both!) of these someday!

I really like this subtle beer tribute in jewelry form by feralstrumpet: it has a hops pendant and beads in a beer-flight style bead pattern.  Love it!

And lastly, what's beer without a way to serve it!  I love handles, so I usually drink my beer out of a coffee mug (since most beer steins are too heavy).  I love this vintage mustard colored mug from HighPointFarm201.  It has a unique image and seems more appropriate for beer than my mugs. 

Cat dentistry

Well, Mr. Jake went to the vet today for some much-needed dental attention. 

 (Clearly unimpressed, and also has a transparent head?!)

Mark has had him for years, and I think as his stinky breath got worse, Mark's nose just adapted.  Now that I've known Jake for almost a year but still can barely sit on a couch with him, we decided it was time to figure out what was up.  He went in last week for the check-up and the vet suggested an intense cleaning and maybe pulling some teeth. 

He went in today for his big appointment.  All four canines- gone.  And as you can see above, they were quite impressive.  All together the vet pulled 8 teeth. 

He's pretty drugged up now, and we're going to have to make some dietary changes to accommodate his less-toothy grin/ prevent him from needing more taken out, BUT... I think he's going to be much happier now.  Plus, now I can cuddle with him and his breath won't force me to move him away.  (Seriously, I'm a cat person, but it was that bad!)

So, goodbye lovely grin, and hello much happier and healthier old man cat!

(I realize this picture makes him look crazed, but it was too funny to pass up!)

Home meals of the week #22

Nothing too exciting this past week, aside from keeping up with cooking even being back at work for the fall.  (I do hope to share a really great recipe for breakfast on the go very soon though!)

Green beans with baked potatoes, peppers and onions.  We've really been loving eating fresh green beans from friends and farmer's markets; this week's post really reflects that!

Super good soup with a broth Mark made.  I really can't tell you what's in the broth, because I had no part in it's creation, but the rest of the soup is jalapeños, tomatoes, onion, bean sprouts, potatoes, and rice noodles.  Yum!

Then, a pasta tossed with green beans, red onions, and a store-bought red pepper pesto.  We generally don't buy sauces and the like, but this kind looked good, so we gave it a try.  Unfortunately, it is very oily, so I doubt we'll buy it again.  We are making a healthy step to decreasing the amount of pasta we cook and adding more veggies to the mix, or on the side.  I feel much better full off a meal of veggies and pasta, instead of just pasta!

And another shot at pasta with that sauce.  This time we threw in some tomatoes and herbs from the garden, which kept it fresh, but again too oily.

Well, be back soon, and like I said, I really hope to share my awesome breakfast recipe soon!  Trust me, it's been a life (and time!) saver this past week before work!

Changeable scenery terrarium pendant

A few months back I saw some great terrarium necklaces on Etsy and Pinterest, and decided to make my own.

I looked all over online for pendants that would work for this project and wound up buying a set of two shadow box pendants from HHHdesigns for around $11. They're copper and big enough to make some cute little scenes inside.  They're a little bigger than a typical pendant, but despite that, it was still a challenge to find small enough figures to put inside.  I had a little owl that I thought would be perfect, but, like, one claw on his tiny foot stuck out too far to fit. 

Initially, I put Velcro in the back and bottom of the box and on the felt I used for the scenes, with the thought that it would make it easier to change scenes out.  Unfortunately it was too bulky.  I ditched that and sewed the felt into little L shapes, connecting the back and bottom pieces so they'd sit in the box without any support or adhesive.

First I made this little duck scene (although I did redo it before this picture, after the Velcro idea failed).  The ceramic duck was $1 at the Mall of Saint Paul.  The water is felt and beads, sky- felt, cloud-batting, sun- felt, and the reeds are felt and sticks from the end of incense.  All I bought for these scenes were the animals, the rest was from around the house with felt as the main medium. 

I got this glass cat at a bead store for $1.50.  I used some rhinestone beads for stars and felt for the rest.  The great thing about the cat bead is that it has a hole. I used wire to attach it to the felt.   

Now, this elephant is probably my favorite and cost a little more ($5 at the Mall of Saint Paul), but I love it.  It's pewter and pretty heavy.  I put felt hills behind it and a bead for a setting sun.

And last is this cute little ceramic bluebird from an antique store for $1.  I used twigs from the yard and star beads.  This is the only one that doesn't have a felt base at the bottom of the box, but the twigs fit snugly and hold it all in place. 

I think this pendant is going to be great to switch up and wear, especially to work for the kids in my class!  I  want to find a chain or cord that matches better than my typical silver chain.

Honestly, when I first took on the project, I thought it would be something I could duplicate and sell on Etsy, but it took so long to find the tiny animals for my own necklace, that it would be a pretty time-consuming.  I'm happy with this being a personal project that maybe other people can try out and have fun with!  I'd love to see other ideas and results, so please post anything that you make!

Summer 2012 in review

Well, now that tomorrow is my grand return to work and routine, I suppose my summer is over.  And that's okay!  I'm ready for the change.  So here's what I accomplished from mid-June through today:

I moved into Mark's house and we're gradually working to meld our styles and make it our home.  It's been so much fun, but hard work as well.  I love it, and I love living with Mark.  (P.S. Our four cats are adjusting well too!)

A big road trip to Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.  See our adventure:

Part 1: SD Badlands

Part 2: Boulder, CO

Part 3: Backpacking (the ascent)

Part 4: Backpacking (the campsite)

Part 5: Backpacking (the descent)

Part 6: Backpacking (the flowers)



Music festivals (River's Edge & Weekend at Harmony), camping, and a wedding.

We put in a craft room!  See our space and the organization we've done so far.

After a summer of applying and interviewing, I got a new job!

Biking.  My stamina definitely improved and we did some longer rides that I never would have contemplated trying in the past!

Plus crafts, cooking, dining out and so many other things I haven't had time to blog about yet!  I can't wait to share the rest of my summer over the next few weeks and get into autumn.  (And wish me luck for the new job I'm starting in just 12 hours!)

Home meals of the week #21

Somehow, after the serious slacking on cooking earlier in the summer, I now have an excess of meals to blog about!  Since my next few weeks will be pretty intense (starting my new job and all), I'll be staggering some of those meals out. 

So, first this week, stuffed zucchini.  Since we were still dealing with our overabundance of these guys in the garden, we were getting creative with our meals.  This was stuffed with ricotta and herbs and topped with roma tomatoes, mushrooms, and breadcrumbs.  I liked it, but I didn't love it.  It would have been better with a mix of ricotta and a more melty cheese and probably smaller servings; it was a HUGE zucchini. 

Baked green beans and potatoes.  Simple but yummy.  We tossed everything in olive oil and added some herbs: rosemary, cayenne, oregano and then baked.

Gnocchi with roma tomatoes and basil.  This gnocchi looks a little darker than normally, so we must have gotten a different variety, but honestly, I don't remember.

And finally, one of the last big weekday breakfasts of my summer: french toast.  I love when we get baguette that gets hard before we eat it all with cheese or hummus because that means the best french toast!  I soak the bread in a mix of egg whites, soy milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon before frying it up.  I also like to roast some walnuts or pecans in the pan for a few minutes.  I top the toast off with the nuts, butter, and some honey and it's the best!

Pinterest Project 1: bird's nest pendant

While this may not be my first attempt at a Pinterest project, it's the first I'm documenting via blog.  This one is a bird's nest necklace.  I found the project on Pinterest (obv.), and the link to the original tutorial is here.

It was super easy to follow, and only took about half an hour to get it looking the way I wanted.  A cute, simple project with things I already had lying around!  I used some basic thicker wire and wooden beads.

Dexter helped me model my new necklace.

Give this a try for a simple wearable craft or maybe a gift for a friend!