DIY Cozy Luminaires

This year my dining room table is looking like a frosty woodland scene- with ( to quote Laura Ingalls) "store-bought" birch candles, vintage reindeer, and cozied mason jars perfect for tea lights.
The mason jars are VERY easy to create.  I cannot stress this enough. VERY easy.  Just pick up a pack of jars from the grocery, some old sweaters from the thrift store, and some yarn, and you're ready to get started.
The sleeves of the sweaters work great, but the whole sweater can be utilized, you just need to stitch up the back with some of the yarn.  Simply lay the jar on its side on the sweater, so you have some idea of how much to cut.  I suggest using fabric scissors in order to make life easier.  The sweater swatch can be pulled as tightly as needed, while it is around the jar when loop stitching it all together.  They can then be topped off with a felt snowflake (as above) or, if using fair isle sweaters and colored yarn, an ornament or light string bulb.  The result is a wonderful warm glow.  They make a great party favor or inexpensive gift!
Happy Holidays to all!

You Would Be Great, If You Could Make, A Figure Eight

I woke up this morning with an inkling to go skating, but I made an Etsy treasury instead...
 Figure 8 Etsy Holiday Treasury
...maybe later I'll dig my ice skates out of the closet and find a pond, however, it's not nearly cold enough here as of yet.  Curses, This global warming!
Anyway, here is some background music for your web browsing:

School House Rock!

There will be nothing left...

...of your Thanksgiving leftovers after you make this.
Here is the recipe for my very favorite Pot Pie.  I procured this gem whilst a member of church choir.  After the service each week there would be a potluck gathering in the social hall, and one of my fellow choir members, a very nice lady from the south, would sometimes bring this dish.  It is delicious.  An honorable end to your majestic Thanksgiving bird.
Enjoy!

Pot Pie

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cups chopped, cooked chicken or turkey
pastry for one 9" 2-crust pie

Saute onion,celery, & carrot in butter for 10 min. Add flour, stirring well, cook for one min., stirring constantly.  Combine broth and milk, gradually stir into vegetable mixture.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly.  Add salt, pepper, and chicken (or turkey), stir well.  Line a pie plate or baking dish with the pastry.  Pour in filling, top with pastry.  Cut slits to allow for steam to escape.  Decorate if desired, and brush with beaten egg.  Bake at 400F for 40 min., or until crust is golden brown.

Above- Pie Filling, ready to add to the pastry.

Red Owl

I happened across the most adorable logo the other day, as I was randomly typing words into google search.  It's for the Red Owl grocery store...

 So of course this made me want to find one and shop there, but alas, I think I may never have this opportunity.  I'll let you read the Wikipedia definition:


Red Owl was a grocery store chain in the United States, headquartered in Hopkins, Minnesota. Founded in 1922, it was initially owned and operated by Gamble-Skogmo,^[1] opening its first store in Rochester, Minnesota that year^[2]. It eventually had stores throughout the upper Midwest, opening a store in Bismarck, North Dakota in 1927^[3]. The chain briefly expanded into the Chicago area starting in late 1959, but in 1963 sold its Chicago area operations to National Tea Company. In 1980, Gamble-Skogmo was acquired by Wickes Corporation, which sold the chain to three executives of the chain in January 1986.^[4]. At that time, the company operated 441 stores in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and North and South Dakota. In December 1988, the rights to the Red Owl name were obtained by grocery wholesaler Supervalu Inc.^[5]
As of November 2010^[update], there was one Red Owl Grocery stores remaining: Masons Red Owl in Green Bay, Wisconsin.^[5]
The start of the Mary Tyler Moore television show has the lead character in a Red Owl meat department.

I don't think I will find myself in Wisconsin anytime soon.  The photograph below is of a Red Owl in North Dakota, back in the day.

I hardly ever tire of looking at images, particularly old family snapshots, with their candid nature and hidden truths.  Among my favorites of those are photographs of cakes.  The cake itself is a completely frivolous food, in fact, I hesitate to call it food, (Marie Antoinette may agree) because it is so nutritionally void.  Don't get me wrong, it's delicious, but so impractical.  When someone takes a photograph of a cake, to me, it's as if the cake becomes anthropomorphized, it becomes a doomed guest at the party, it becomes a personality, and the image of that personality I find very amusing.

These two are from my own family's archive, and I thought I should share them.  They are responsible for feeding my fascination with this type of image.  The first was taken at a wedding.  I couldn't tell you whose wedding, it was before I was born.  I am drawn to the juxtaposition of the elaborately decorated cake, complete with swans and pink roses, and the support column and clock in the background, obvious props from a drab beige basement.
The second photograph is of my great, great grandmother.  I have always known this woman in rare pictures of her to have excellent posture, a collar all the way buttoned, and the slightest hint of a smile.  This image is no different, apart from the celebratory cake she holds on her lap.  I enjoy the light leaks around the edges of this photograph, and the overexposed cake which doesn't allow for me to make out the decorations on it.  Some pictures want to be turned over:

If any of you would like to share some old pictures of cake with me,  I would be overjoyed :)

Apple Cobbler

This is perfect for fall.  The recipe is very simple, so feel free to add extras (...sometimes I like to use cranberries or oats or cinnamon.)  There is almost never any leftover.  The recipe is from the book Cobblers from Hachette Illustrated Press. 
I made this yesterday as the only side dish/dessert for a duck.  We hardly ever have duck, so I was at a loss as far as accompaniments, but this way I was sure to have room for dessert. ;)

Filling:
6-7 cooking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into pieces
2 oz butter

Topping:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
pinch of salt
7 oz unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar  -the original recipe calls for only granulated sugar (1 cup) but I LOVE the chewy texture you can achieve from incorporating brown sugar.

Preheat the oven to 350.
Brown the apples in a pan in the butter.
Prepare the cobbler topping by putting the flour, salt, and butter in a bowl and rubbing them together with your fingers to form large crumbs.  Add the sugar and mix well.  (I like to grease my baking dish with butter even though the recipe doesn't call for it.  It allows for some of the brown sugar to caramelize at around the bottom. )  Spread a thin layer of cobbler in the bottom of an oven-proof dish, cover with the apples, then sprinkle the rest of the cobbler on top.
Bake for 40-50 min., or until the top is golden brown.
P.S.  I like to serve this warm, with some sort of cream on top.  Last evening it was this:

In the Works

Currently I am creating a simple cowl that slips over the head.  I am using a nylon-wool blend yarn that I picked up at Joann Fabrics, and it practically knits itself. 

If you would like to make one, the directions are super easy....(I am lousy at following directions so I usually make my own patterns.)  You will need size 10 1/2 knitting needles and a 5 (bulky) type yarn.
Cast on 90 stitches, and work in a ribbing of 5 knit, then 10 purl.  Keep going until you use practically all of the yarn, finish off, then sew up the ends.
I know, lousy instructions, right?  Let me know if it's unclear, and hopefully I can elaborate where necessary.

It's Official...

Fat Bunny Tea Cozies have arrived in my etsy shop, (so far) in a small range of colors, Russet, Turquoise, and Gray!  They are made from wool felt (link) and are lined with a coordinating fabric.

First Roll

Recently I decided to treat myself and purchase a Holga TLR (twin lens reflex) camera.  I already have one Holga, a 120s, and it's almost too Holga-esque.  The light leaks are significant, and are in a geometric box shape, and I haven't come up with any ideas (or subjects) to best utilize this camera.  Much of the frame ends up being way overexposed, and I end up being disappointed.  So it sits among my vintage cameras, usually, looking a bit sad.
Anyway, I'm getting off track...the new camera is fantastic!  Below are some of the results.  There is a vignetted edge, and a dreamy depth of field, and it works with 35mm film.  So overall, I highly recommend it if you happen to be looking for a plastic camera, either for fun or as a stepping stone into the world of happy accidents.
Holga 135BC TLR:

Rainy Day Muffins

As I awoke this morning I was lured into consciousness by the radio weather announcer warning of heavy rain, strong winds, and flash flooding.  What better day to bake?
This recipe is for a quick bread loaf, but since I still have a potato gratin dish leftover in my fridge contained in my bread pan, I decided muffins were in order.

Cranberry Orange Bread

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup orange juice

grated rind of one orange

2 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp hot water

1 cup raw whole cranberries

Combine dry ingredients, flour through  sugar, in a large mixing bowl, set aside.  Mix beaten egg with orange juice, rind, butter and hot water.  Fold flour mixture into egg mixture until blended.  Do not beat.  Gently fold in cranberries.  Spoon into a greased loaf pan (or muffin tin.)  Bake 325F for 60min. 

(Or 35-40 for muffins)  Test with toothpick.  Cool on rack 15 min. before removing from pan.

I love the subtle orange flavor of these, and they are so good warm with some butter.

The perfect rainy day pick-me-up.

Hedgerow

There is a magical place created at the end of every summer on the path to my local Starbucks.  This 7' high hedgerow blooms in fantastic blue, pink, and white.  Every year I take dozens of photographs with my 35mm and digital cameras, I find it hard to stop.  These are a few from my iphone, manipulated through the picture show app.

Favorite Cookie

Hello out there.  Tonight I made my favorite Lemon Sugar Cookies.  Usually I wait to make these little gems until the holidays, but I was organizing recipes the other day, I came across this one and thought, "Why the hell not?"  Especially with boyfriend out for the night, as he is trying this thing where he limits his carb intake (silly.)  I also thought it would be nice to share this recipe as well as any recipe that I try while writing this blog.  This one is near and dear to my heart.
Warning: if you try this, YOU WILL BE HOOKED.  They are chewy and lemony, and soooo good dipped in tea, or by themselves for that matter.

and P.S.  Don't be afraid to be generous with the lemon zest.  I like a little more than what the recipe suggests.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 F

3 cups of flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Sift into a bowl, set aside.

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 tbsp lemon zest

Put in a bowl, mix with electric mixer a few seconds, then add

2 sticks of unsalted butter

Mix until fluffy, then add

2 eggs, one at a time

and 1 tbsp lemon juice

Reduce speed of mixer, gradually add flour mixture, mix until combined.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper, scoop the dough into about 2" balls, place them 2" apart on sheets.  Flatten them slightly.  Sprinkle the tops with additional granulated sugar.

Bake until golden, about 15 min.  Let them cool about 1 min before removing them with a spatula.

20-25 cookies :)

Prototype

I was so inspired by the felt that I received (in yardage!) from woolfeltcentral.com, that I decided to make fat bunny tea cozies. After creating a pattern from trusty graph paper and cutting out the bunny from the felt, I paused.   I suspected that the ears my present a problem...how do they stand?  I decided to add a layer of stiff felt on the inside (with the help of a little heat and bond) before sewing it all together...and voila...

Overall I am pleased with this first model.  I plan to make a few adjustments, like the bottom cut, and I want to line the interior with a coordinating fabric.  Hopefully, I will have a few to add to my etsy shop in time for fall, because I know I, for one, will be drinking more tea then.

Front Page!

Woo Hoo!
Made the front page as curator on Sunday with the Deco Wedding collection...

Good Morning

Unusually quiet day here...lack of songbirds this morning.  I noticed the robins massing last evening.  Ho Hum.  I love fall, but I am not eager for it. 

While making myself an espresso, I regarded what the Drunk Chef made last night...

Looks like pretzel omelette. 
Bunny asked for two carrots.

So now, on with the rest of the day, and a fun project, for my felt has arrived from woolfeltcentral.com, and the new colors look lovely.

Time to make custom owl mobile cozies!

The Eye

Last night, between thunderstorms, we managed to fit in a walk...

 

Through the Viewfinder...or not

My newest obsession in the category of alternative photography techniques is TTV, or through the view(finder).  To some purists, this can only be described as a photograph taken through the viewfinder of another camera, usually a vintage camera, resulting in a dusty, vignetted, dreamy image.  I, however, happened upon a group on flickr, (http://www.flickr.com/groups/ttvdust/) made up of photographers who strive to produce ttv screens which can be applied to images in photoshop to achieve this look.  I decided to try both. Here are the results...

 The above image is my very first attempt.  There is a fantastic hedgerow in bloom in a nearby park that I thought would make a great subject.  I decided to use as my vintage camera a twin lens reflex Ricoh Super 44, and I took along my Canon Sure Shot digital camera to take the picture.  The Ricoh has a very nice,four-walled pop up around the view, which helped to block a lot of glare.
Long story short, this is not how I prefer to shoot.  The Ricoh is considerably heavy, which made me feel bogged down with equipment.  The other drawback would be the visible rings on the resulting image, which are more evident after the fact, as opposed to when you look through the view with your eye.  

This image is a fake.  I used a screen from the helpful folks at the above-mentioned flickr site to construct this one.  I have to admit, once I got the hang of this in my antiquated photoshop version 7.0, I found the process to be quite fun.  However, I miss the depth that you can achieve by actually taking a photograph through the viewfinder.  
So, I decided to build a black umbrella around the view of another vintage camera, a TLR Kodak Duaflex, and try again.

So this is how I've been doing things lately.  I think the view on this camera is a little too fuzzy for my taste, so I'm on the lookout for an alternative.  Until then, I'm happy playing around with this process.  Below are a few pictures of the black umbrella and the vintage Kodak, which simply slides into it.

First Thing's First

The first thing I should tell you about is my dream to one day own a bunch of goats and a donkey.  You may wonder how this happened to a girl who did not grow up on a farm and has virtually no experience with livestock (apart from a few rabbits).  Truth be told, I wonder myself.  Maybe these photos will help to shed some light.  There are just too many ridiculously cute animals out there.  I am posting them also because I want to keep looking at them,  and this will get them off of my boyfriend's laptop.