Amber's Ambry

A new long-term knitting project

2012-01-24T10:30:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, a Ravelry friend and I had a "little" swap -- some of my soaps for some of her extra Juniper Moon Farm yarn.

It turned out to be more than a little yarn!

I thought of some small projects to do with some of the colors, but I kept wondering if I could really break it all up. Even though it didn't all "match" necessarily, I loved the way it looked all together.

I stewed over it for a while and it came to me. A blanket. Something big enough to use up and showcase all of these glorious colors (and a few hanks of alpaca-y heaven that my friend Susan had sent me as part of a HUGE box of yarny goodness before Christmas).

Once I saw them all wound up together, I knew I was making a good choice.

Something about the bold colors seemed that they would really lend themselves to a free-form, very geometric plan, and I found myself thinking about some of my favorites of the Gee's Bend quilts.

So I decided on a Log Cabin style, but with a more relaxed feel (aka: I don't want to have to follow a pattern for this).

It knits up really fast and easy. And since it is totally a free-form knit, I can take it anywhere and stop and start at any point without getting messed up. Perfect project-between-projects!

I am expecting more yarn today, and some more at some point later this week. Gotta love swapping! So expect periodic blanket updates. I am thrilled with this project and can't wait to see how it progresses.

Speaking of expecting, here is last week's gratuitous belly shot. I am taking them every week now and this one was at 23 weeks. Hard to believe how far I am already. Seems like I've already been pregnant for so long, and yet not long enough at all again.

That's all for now, but I'm sure I'll come back soon with another blanket update. :)

Soap swap!

2012-01-14T13:34:00.000-05:00

I was contacted a little while back by a wonderful woman in Australia interested in swapping some handmade soapy goodness with me.

Her soaps came wrapped in this adorable fabric bundle (inexpertly retied by yours truly for a photo), and the fabric square is the perfect size for a kerchief, which I am actually wearing as I type this.

So without further ado, I give you Soapchunks!

I can honestly say they are even more amazing in person than in these pictures -- not only do they smell amazing, they lather beautifully and leave my skin feeling so soft. Check out all the website has to offer. So many wonderful things to choose from!

Finally, a baby quilt for Noah

2012-01-11T22:11:00.000-05:00

Four years ago (as of the end of next month), I sat down at a sewing machine again for the first time since middle school home ec. After piecing together some patchwork quilt blocks I had sewn by hand about five years prior to that (nothing special, I am just really sloooooooow with the hand-sewing), I decided I was head-over-heels in love with machine sewing and dove into a thousand little projects.

It was around this time that my Etsy obsession was really flourishing, so when I came across Kelly McCaleb's shop of amazing goodies, I HAD TO HAVE one of her baby sized quilt kits! I mean come on. All awesome fabrics, vintage and modern, neatly bundled in a little package deal ready for you to lay out and assemble-- could not resist.

And so my first fully completed quilt was born, in the form of a baby quilt for young Ethan, who was already 17 months old at the time...

Hoping to break my Worst Mom Ever record by being even worse, I just now got around to making Noah's.

Yeah. He is three and a half now. Thanks for reminding me.

Done! I love it. Like super love.

And I got to use my brand spankin' new assorted safety pins,

which live in this awesome box my friend Greg gave me a little while back.

The best part of course is that Noah loves his quilt and it now has a proud place on his little bed every night.

Apple Butter

2012-01-09T09:02:00.000-05:00

A million years ago, or a few months, one of those, I decided to finally make some apple butter. I had a bunch of applesauce in the freezer that was okay but not great, and wanted to make way for a new season's apples (and hopefully a better batch of sauce) but I was also sick of paying too much in the store for something that proudly boasted two kinds of corn syrup in its ingredients list.

I had no cider and no apple juice on hand, so I looked up some tips online for making apple butter with applesauce only and found a few ideas. So I'm going to share what I ended up doing, because it turned out great!

First off, because my BIG slow cooker went to live in soap making land long ago, all I have for actual cooking is this 4.5 quart one.

Applesauce frozen in 18 oz increments creates little bricks that only comically fit into my medium crock pot. Rather than thawing them, I just shoved in as many of the sauce bricks as I could and added the rest (thawed by then) the next morning after the first round had reduced.

So without further ado, here is what I did.

I had on hand 4.5 quarts of homemade applesauce (8 18oz containers in the freezer). Whatever amount you start with should cook down to half its original volume, so I ended up with about 4.5 pints of apple butter.

Also, I make our applesauce with only a dash of cinnamon and about a 1/4 cup of sugar (if any) per huge batch, so if you are using sweetened applesauce to start, you may want to taste test before you add the amount of sugar I am about to suggest.

Okay, so once your crock is full of applesauce just itching to get going (and again, these amounts are for a batch made from 4.5 quarts of applesauce; if making different batch size, please adjust accordingly!), you can add 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp ground allspice, and one cup sugar.

Stir well, set slow cooker to low, and prepare for the long haul. (note: I left the lid on mine to start so it would help thaw the frozen applesauce. Once it had thawed, I placed the lid slightly askew so it could vent and facilitate the reducing process but still keep any splattering down to a minimum.)

Because my crock pot is pretty new, it heats very evenly and doesn't have any hot spots yet. Still, I did scrape the sides and stir mine down every few hours before I went to bed just to incorporate the edges into the main mixture. I kept mine on low overnight, but again, use your judgement. If you have an overzealous cooker, turn even lower or do not leave overnight.

After about 13 hours total on low, my first round of sauce had reduced enough for me to add the remaining applesauce and the rest of the sugar and spices.

In went 2 more tsp ground cinnamon, another 1/2 tsp ground cloves, and one more cup of sugar.

Because it was morning, and because I was feeling especially feisty, I turned my crock up to high for a few hours to really get things going, but I also stirred more often.

Progress was made.

Throughout the day, it darkened and reduced more and more.

This is what the whole pot looked like by the evening of the second day: cooked down to half the original volume and nice and dark.

After a good stirring, I had a sample and found it to be delicious! The consistency was perfect with a vigorous stirring, but if yours doesn't come out as smooth as you like it, you can also put it through a food mill.

The flavor is very similar to any commercial brand you can buy in the store, but a little tangier and less cloying as it contains no corn syrup or other excessive sweeteners.

For storage, I chose freezing (my usual method of choice). My hat is off to all you devoted canners, but I just can't do it. I used small jars and other containers so we wouldn't have any go to waste in the fridge. Storage time/safety are up to you. Our containers, once thawed, have all been eaten within a week, so I haven't had to worry about it. Upon poking around online for storage time suggestions, I came across anything from "I dunno, a week? Two months?" to "Heck, I don't even have a refrigerator! Mold is medicine!" so you can understand if I feel safer leaving that part up to your judgement...

Anyway. If you try it, let me know please! I'd love to know if you're as happy with it as I am.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-12-30T21:28:00.000-05:00

Well sure. I don't post for a month and then I post too much, but I had to.

Today is my four year blogging anniversary! Hooray!

One funny parallel to my first year of blogging would be that I am again pregnant as I type this (only a month farther along with this baby than the one I was expecting four years ago at this time). In fact, when writing my very first post, I was about two weeks away from finding out that Noah was a boy.

I have met so many amazing people through the blogging community. I have learned new hobbies, been introduced to new music, learned new ways of cooking, cleaning, gardening -- everything about me has changed for the better in some way thanks to the friends I've made over these past few years.

I wanted to have a giveaway ready for this post, but I am forever running behind lately. I have two soapy swap packages to bundle up and send on their way first, but when that is done, let's ring in the new year with a little something from me to who knows who. I owe it to the universe for all the amazing goodness that comes my way, thanks in no small part to the community I stumbled into through the world of blogging.

Thank you all so much.

And the verdict is...

2011-12-29T13:30:00.001-05:00

One healthy, perfect baby girl. :)

I think am still in shock, and we are all thrilled!!! Our little family will be taking on a whole new feel come the middle of May!

Catching Up!

2011-12-28T11:05:00.000-05:00

Between the holidays and everything else, I seem to have disappeared for twenty days!

I have so much to catch up on, and so many pictures to share, so how about a little bit of everything, okay?

Let's see. I made some modern day pomanders,

which turned into a garland with bay leaves and cinnamon sticks.

Started knitting up some of that yarn I dyed at some point over the summer I guess? It is looking lovely, but the indigo powder is coming off on my hands like crazy.

The weather has occasionally turned a little colder, but for the most part, it has been unseasonably mild so far!

There were enough frosty nights to get some requisite lawn and garden pictures.

I couldn't stop, sorry.

There was so much more. Mr. Ambry ran his first race since he started running this year.

I think he got a good reception at the end.

Of course, then there was Christmas.

I won't try to cram in the yarn photos here -- between a HUGE surprise package from my amazing friend Susan and a swap with another wonderful Ravelry friend, I have enough of a yarn stash built up to make anything I want for a while. That deserves its own post, believe me.

Two other things coming up first though. TOMORROW MORNING, at 10:00 my time (EST), I go in for the 20 week ultrasound where we will obviously make sure everything is still moving along properly in there, but with the added bonus of attempting to figure out exactly who we are looking forward to! I'll be updating tomorrow by early afternoon, after the family calls have been made. I cannot believe I am at the halfway mark already!

Another thing (but slightly less exciting at the moment to me) is that I am coming up on my four year blogging anniversary in a few days!

But I'll be back tomorrow with baby news first. :)

The "new" loom has been used (finally)

2011-12-08T09:16:00.000-05:00

Remember the loom I got all the way back in October, mentioned in this post?

Well, I finally used it.

And the same person who traded the loom to me spins gorgeous yarns, so I thought, "What better way to christen the loom than with some of her beautiful handspun?"

Off the loom, and ready for some reshaping.

Done.

These pictures do not do it justice, believe me. The scarf is absolutely beautiful in real life, and I have been wearing it constantly, even around the house.

Currently on the loom is a Christmas present scarf, and I have two more lined up after that. I am really, really, in love with weaving.

Random things, and some Sweet Pine Soaps

2011-12-05T16:02:00.000-05:00

There are so many different things around my house and yard making me smile, I just had to share a bunch of them.

Second-to-last herb harvest was dry enough to put away. I think we're good on rosemary for, uh, several years maybe?

Stocked up on tealights and gave them a home in this very old cigar box. It wanted to be used, but gently, so this is a perfect fit.

Oh how I love dill.

Clementines. I only really buy them in the winter and I just adore them.

Some of my mourning dove friends.

Seriously. So much rosemary.

Love that corner right now.

A small bunch of basil seed heads that I dried. I intend to grow enough next year to make a bathtub full of pesto...

Two beautiful boys in their homemade straw bed.

"Tom Thumb" popcorn, dried and in a mason jar.

Never enough thyme... (hyuk, hyuk, hyuk)

So much sunshine here lately.

And we still have some pumpkins outside.

Aw, snuggled up so close now.

And the grand finale...

Some amazing soaps by Jess at Sweet Pine Soaps.

We arranged a private little swap not too far back, and I have never been more thrilled to rip into a swap package as I was the day I opened this one.

The fragrances are both exhilarating and nostalgic, the bars are rock hard to touch and silky smooth on your skin. They lather beautifully and rinse clean. Just perfect in every way. And the shower smells so very good when I use them, it is like having my very own spa right there in my bathroom.

I made a cider vinegar rinse to try with the shampoo bar, and sprinkled in a few drops of some complimentary essential oils and some calendula petals, 'cause why not?

I strongly encourage you to explore Jess's blog, and Etsy shop. Her products are so expertly conceived and created, down to every last detail, it sort of makes me not want to make soap ever again. But, in a good way, if that makes sense.

Her products, labeling and photography are everything I love about a company, and I cannot sing their praises enough. Try something! I guarantee you will fall as hard as I have.

Keep it up Jess. You are amazingly talented, and a huge inspiration to me!

Fade into Christmas

2011-12-02T23:35:00.001-05:00

Things have been busy here, to say the least.

I feel like a million bucks as I get into the second trimester here (16 weeks yesterday!!!) and I am putting all this energy to good use, a small portion of which has been holiday decorating.

Some things are newly made, including a winter holiday appropriate curtain for the pantry door, made out of fabric that I just LOVE.

Seriously, this fabric. 50% vintage-y, 75% almost tacky, and 100% wonderful.

I FINALLY redid the living room curtains I had made and never liked. I tolerated them only because I couldn't figure out what I would rather do. Finally I decided on some basic tie backs and although you'll never be able to tell why from these really lousy pictures, I am quite pleased with them.

Ah, here we go. Much better.

There are so many other things I've been up to, but not a lot to show for most of it.

Still, I have a few more posts lined up, including one with an apple butter recipe using only applesauce (easy!), some random happy things around the house, and a soap making book review!

Feeling so busy, but in such a nice way. The holidays do that to me every year. :)

That time of year

2011-11-17T10:29:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin oatmeal

2011-11-15T15:20:00.001-05:00

By now, everybody in the universe knows that I am obsessed with pumpkins, and that I like to "invent" recipes that have pumpkin in them.

So I'll skip all the talking stuff and just share my favorite way to make pumpkin oatmeal -- something the whole family loves as a meal or a snack at any time of the day.

Pumpkin Oatmeal

(serves 4)

1 c water

1 c milk

3/4 c pumpkin puree

1 egg, beaten

1/4 c brown sugar

splash vanilla

ground cinnamon and cloves to taste

1 heaping cup dry oats

Whisk together all ingredients, except oats, until well blended.

Add oats.

Cook over low heat until thickened. Serve however you like (but I love mine with a splash of milk and a drizzle of honey on top).

That's all for now! Have a nice breakfast/snack/whatever. I'm off to give my apple butter another stir. Going on 24 hours of cooking down and it should be done soon!

A Great Idea - Updated!

2011-11-02T12:17:00.000-04:00

So it is no secret that I love mason jars.

I love them for storage,

and all parts of them for decoration.

But when it comes time to use the contents, especially the pre-measured oils for soap making, pouring and transferring can be a drippy mess. Actually, everything down to the grains would be much easier to get out with some sort of spout controlling the flow.

And while I don't usually do this sort of thing, that desire for an easier way to use my precious mason jars is exactly why I am writing this post. I know a lot of you also use jars for various things around your houses, and I think you will flip over Karen Rzepecki's amazing idea for a mason jar lid -- with a pour spout!!!

I encourage you to check out the short video,

and the page on Kickstarter for additional information.

Karen is SO CLOSE to her goal and I would love to see it happen for her!

And, you know, there's a little selfish interest there too, because I want these lids in my life!

UPDATE:

She did it!!! She met her goal and now these caps will become a reality!

Fall Shearing at Juniper Moon Farm

2011-10-25T22:36:00.000-04:00

I returned Sunday evening from one of the most amazing trips I have ever taken. Juniper Moon Farm was hosting its annual Fall Shearing celebration, and I was fortunate enough to not only go down for the shearing festivities, but my friend Susan (who owns this beautiful farm) opened her home to me so that I could spend the entire weekend there.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the weekend, and there are many, many more in the Flickr set here.

Not only did I come home with a million pictures and the memories that go with them, I also got some goodies. :)

Some I bought, like this wonderful mug by Anna Branner:

Bees on the back!!!

And PERFECTLY holds one french press worth of coffee -- and even leaves room for milk!

I also finally bought this yarn, which I have been coveting for Deco for quite some time now.

And as a bonus for buying things, you could grab some scrap yarn to put out for your bird friends' nesting efforts. I just loved the shades of green in this ball.

And would you believe that I won THREE raffle prizes???

This pattern book and these skeins of yarn,

MORE yarn, in a project bag,

which also came with this lavender heart sachet:

and a full set of the three Juniper Moon Farm pattern books which were written for their first yarn line.

I also brought home some fresh goat's milk for some special soap I've been thinking of making for a while now.

More on that when I actually get around to making it...

Perhaps the best thing though is the gift Susan found for me. My Ravelry name, "HowdyPandowdy," is based on some lyrics from a song I used to enjoy on satellite radio when we still had it at our old house. Well, some awesome print shop on Etsy just happened to use those same lines on this gorgeous letterpress print:

As soon as I find the perfect frame for it, it will be hanging on my kitchen wall. For now, I propped it up on top of the white hutch in there so I can enjoy it in the meantime.

I don't know what else I can say to do this weekend justice. It was just what I needed in so many ways, and to meet these friends in "real life" was an absolute joy. So, so wonderful, and I only hope it can happen again some day.

October

2011-10-17T15:14:00.001-04:00

Have I mentioned lately how much I love October?

The summer plants still alive,

the fall colors starting to show more and more...

And the weather is PERFECT.

Yesterday I just wandered around the yard and took it all in.

Soooo, guess what?

2011-10-13T14:56:00.000-04:00

Like any good slowing-down blogger, I always have an excuse...

This time it's a good one.

#3 is due in May!

Announcing a little on the early side but I am too excited not to share, and I've seen and heard all good things so far, so... here we go again! :)

Everything

2011-10-07T21:22:00.000-04:00

I feel like I haven't had much to say lately. Not too many fast-moving projects happening means not a lot to share. I have so much going on right now and not a lot to show for it, but I do have a few things for now.

Knitting is still happening a lot it seems.

The plants are still blooming and even pushing new growth in many cases...

I finally cut back the clary sage and decided to infuse it in the rest of the rice bran oil I had in my soap room.

It has been sitting in the window sill and getting shaken several times a day and it is almost ready to strain already!

But perhaps one of the most exciting crafty things lately was a swap I did with one of my Ravelry friends.

My little Ashford "Knitter's Loom" for her four harness vintage Rasmussen table loom.

For storage, it sits on that cedar chest there in my knitting nook (that I never really knit in...) but when I want to use it, I'll be setting it up on the dining room table like everything else I'm sure. :)

The big let down is that I haven't attempted to warp it yet. Too many other things happening right now to devote the time to it, but one of these evenings or weekends I will have some time and I cannot wait to get my hands on it!

Five years old

2011-09-28T11:30:00.000-04:00

Ethan,
Happy birthday, my biggest big boy. I can hardly believe you are five years old already!
Love you to pieces, always,
Mom

Yarny Things

2011-09-20T16:27:00.000-04:00

It seems to be a week of few words for me on here. Enjoy it while you can...;) We are gearing up for a certain biggest big boy's fifth birthday party this weekend, so there is much to be done to prepare for that. So for now, some quiet, happy yarny pictures.

Winding Down

2011-09-18T19:54:00.000-04:00

Checking in...

2011-09-11T11:15:00.003-04:00

...with some mostly crappy pictures I'm afraid.

The vintage apron, flowery skirt I bought in middle school, and linen-look placemats from a flea market dollar bin (as seen above) all came together to make:

The "after" picture is not a great representation of the finished skirt, (it's a lot more flowy and kind of bouncy at the bottom in real life) but I got lazy and didn't feel like taking any more pictures.

I have another one lined up as soon as I finish a few projects I have to do.

I'm thinking the fabrics above will be the skirt part and then I will slap on this little apron I started a few months ago.

Oh, another terrible picture, but I just had to share my progress on my Harvest Moon sweater. Both sleeves done and chipping away at the length now! I'm a little nervous about the pockets and I think I might cheat (shhhh) and do them a different way, but we'll see. ;)

And the shirt under the sweater-in-progress? A special surprise from my friend Michele!

A thrifted, vintage top she thought I might want for fabric,

but I might enjoy it as is!

I haven't decided what to do with the bag of awesome buttons yet, but I'm thinking, thinking, thinking. :)

Anyway, as happens from time to time, I have been working on things more practical than pretty, including finally making a tiny bit of headway in the basement of doom. Since I have nothing else to share at this exact moment, I leave you with a picture I found in one of our boxes of photos. This is John and me in our dorm, right after we first met in 1998. Awwwwww...

Gardening, projects, and a dash of rambling

2011-09-03T13:25:00.000-04:00

Well, let me start by saying how truly amazed I am at all the wonderful comments on my last post. Thank you. I still need to answer everybody individually, but for now: thank you all.

I have a few new things to share, plants and projects, including this neat plant my neighbor put in her yard along our fence.

It is Thunbergia, commonly, "Black-Eyed Susan vine" or "Clock vine."

I am in love with it, and had thoughts of collecting some seeds to plant in other places next year. I came across this fascinating post and am now having second thoughts about trying to collect too many, but wow! Interesting!

My garden is still going, despite the tropical storm that whipped up through here last week. The greens bolted like crazy, so I'm looking forward to some lettuce seeds soon!

Now for a project.

A little while back, Sherrie and I arranged a swap. Among other things, one of the items she requested was a full apron, something I am always VERY happy to make!

I loved it so much, I made a "pattern" out of it and plan to make a similar one for myself soon. Probably more greens in mine, but who knows? I have a few more apron skirts to finish first though, and two other apron commissions, so it might be a while...

Now, some quick plant before-and-afters?

Remember the little coleus I found growing between the patio bricks last year?

I put it in an outside planter this year and look at it now!

And the herb bed?

Here it is in early July:

And now -- DESPERATELY in need of some cutting back!

This summer turned out to be great here. It started raining again, and cooled down enough for everything to really get some more good growing in. So thankful!

Okay. Continuing to jump around now. I just had to share this trash-picked storage seat I grabbed on our last trash day. It needs some repairing, but overall is pretty sturdy. Score! More on that soon I hope.

But now for a finished project that I am so happy with.

A few days ago, Linda gave me this clipping from one of our local papers about a gardener in our area. One of her little accent pieces was this hanging window frame "planter."

Linda knew it would be right up my alley and it was! I thought about it that night, and the next day, digging out some supplies I knew I already had -- an empty window frame from when my parents replaced their windows, some chain from a light fixture I hung in our living room but didn't need the chain for, and some wrapped picture hanging wire.

What I didn't have was any small pots.

As I was getting a jar out of the cupboard around dinner time the next day, I came across the small jars that came with the yogurt maker I was given to review. I didn't end up using the small ones again as it was just easier to make the yogurt in large jars, so an idea was born.

Add some tiny (battery operated) votive candles,

And voila! Safe and pretty at night, and something we can enjoy all year long.

It hangs between our back stoops so we can both enjoy it. :)

And after all that rambling, I leave you with some morning glories that Teresa gave me the seeds for last year.

A little more soap? And more than you ever needed to know about me.

2011-08-25T15:33:00.000-04:00

It felt so good the past few days to make soap.

I have missed it so very much, and probably would have made even more if I hadn't run out of coconut oil.

And of course I finished up my spree with an old standby.

Nothing beats a coffee kitchen soap. This one also has essential oils of peppermint and lemongrass. The lemongrass was a sub for my usual Valencia orange, and I like it so much, I think it will be the new blend!

Now the heavy stuff.

•

•

•

There are so many things that went wrong last year, and my business went down when I did (so to speak). It makes me so sad, because I was actually doing really well; selling more and more, getting more repeat customers, you name it. But all the stress I was feeling (buying a house, trying to find work, moving, money just generally trying to do too much at once) combined with a healthy dose of depression/anxiety (which I foolishly thought I had "beaten" a few years before) was too much for me and I cracked. Big time.

I don't talk much about this stuff here. My blog is my one, true happy place where I can share the good things and come back and look at them whenever I am feeling down. But making soap again was such a big deal, I just had to blather on a bit.

When I really started to crash last year, the thing I was most embroiled in, my business, became the biggest association with all the bad feelings going on. Logically, I knew making soap wasn't causing all of my problems, but emotionally they were linked, and I couldn't turn that part of my brain off for a long time. At first, I could barely plan a batch without starting to panic. As it got worse, I couldn't even walk into my soap kitchen downstairs, let alone think about making anything in there.

I failed. I lost my sales, my customers, my small but growing bit of income -- but most of all, my confidence, not only in my products, but in myself.

I fell back into an old and despised pattern of second-guessing everything I made or did. I was afraid to send stuff off to people -- afraid it wasn't good enough, or that someone would call me out as the poseur I felt I must surely be.

And you know what? I was finally able to come out of all that enough to accept that none of that made any sense at all. It took a good fifteen months to start feeling a little more normal, but I'm getting there. And if I try to get back into selling my products, it will be very gradually and very carefully. I can't stand the thought of losing it all over again. I already have a plan in place for certain changes I'll be making. And I think I can do it, as long as I can keep my head above water in the rest of my life.

•

And if you made it down this far, I've saved the prettiest batch of soap for last. I'd hate to leave you with something as crappy as the state of my brain, so here goes: Topped with juniper berries and sprinkled with cranberry seeds throughout, this soap has a fragrance like a sweet concord grape wine.

And thanks for letting me talk. :)

Holy cow, soap!!! edited

2011-08-22T11:54:00.005-04:00

It's true! After far too long of a break again, I finally made a batch of soap last night!

I can't unmold until tonight, but I was too excited to wait to share pictures.

I am hoping to make a lot more soon and use up some supplies so I can "start fresh" as it were. I have two master recipes (one regular, one milk) that I have settled on after all the experimenting I've done and I must use up some oils (and maybe offer up some fragrances I no longer want?) before I order anything new.

But more on that when I share some cut pictures. I'm feeling a scary talky post coming on, so I'll save that for when I have some beautiful pictures to ease the pain a bit. ;)

Anyway. Another happy thing was this baby quilt I made the other day for a friend's party.

I adore all of these fabrics SO MUCH.

And finally, this is what I can't stop staring at this morning, on this breathtakingly gorgeous day:

Clear blue sky, freshly painted shed, everything green and lush again, and of course, the tiny sunflower patch.

I can't stop loving these things. They fill me with such joy.

*Edit*

Ha ha, I couldn't wait to cut the soap after all. It's okay, it was ready. :)

Scented with a butt load of essential oils and topped with chamomile, lavender, lemongrass, and poppy seeds.

This and That

2011-08-17T10:08:00.004-04:00

You know the score by now. I get all hyper and make a bunch of stuff and take pictures around the yard, right?

The least exciting thing is the sad little grapevine wreath I made a few weeks ago. It was hanging in the shed to dry and I thought it was finally dry enough to hang.

It is lumpy and has lots of sharp angles instead of smoothly curved vines, but it is my first, and I made it with my own grapevines, so I still love it. I hung it in a place of honor above the shed doors.

I was torn for a few days about hanging stuff back on the shed now that it was all freshly painted. But the novelty of having one surface fresh, clean, and unadorned quickly wore off and I filled it with crap again.

Last night, I was hanging that little red gourd bird house I bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool last year and I remembered I had dried two gourds myself for the same purpose.

A little drilling and some scraping and they were ready for business! Well, I am going to clear coat them and sand around the openings, but I couldn't wait to hang them.

One of the slightly more exciting (for me) things is that I made some candles for a friend who needed some special gifts for a few people.

I haven't made soap in a long, long, long time again (although I am whipping up a batch very soon for a swap!) so it felt good to be puttering with waxes and butters again.

Found some old zinc lids that fit these jelly jars perfectly,

and my tester proved to be very nice.

Other than that, I've been spending most of my spare moments pacing around looking at everything actually growing again (now that the heat broke and we've been getting real rain again).

But one of the most exciting things the other day was stumbling upon this little one in the grass.

I was so grateful for the chance to get such a good long look at it. So beautiful!

Mittens! Mittens!

2011-08-16T12:15:00.007-04:00

Mittens!

As with everything I share, there is a lengthy back story to these mittens. Well, it wouldn't have to be lengthy, but I like to talk. You ready?

I spend a lot of my online time on Ravelry, ogling patterns and projects, drooling over various yarns, and talking to friends.

Back in March, I joined a group for fans and supporters of the Juniper Moon Fiber Farm. I had been a long time lurker on the blog, but hadn't ever gotten involved any deeper than that.

Susan Gibbs (the owner of the farm) and all of the "Aunties," (as the shareholders and other supporters are called) are all so warm, friendly, and all-around amazing that I am kicking myself for not getting to know them sooner.

In any case, during the past few months, Susan has been hard at work designing and releasing her own line of yarns. They are being produced in Italy, from fiber sourced from various small-operation shepherds (like what Susan does). She originally intended to use American fiber, but did you know that the US Military has dibs on the majority of the wool produced in the US? The things I never knew!

ANYWAY, some of the fast-knitting Aunties volunteered to test knit the patterns (designed by Tanis Gray specifically for the new yarns), and one of my Auntie friends was kind enough to share some of her "wages" with me in the form of two balls of Chadwick, which is the yarn I had my eye on!

Pictures cannot do this stuff justice, really. Made with 60% Merino Wool and 40% Baby Alpaca, it is so soft and smooth, it can be worn right next to the skin with no itchies!

Proof that I was really eager to try Chadwick: I ordered this pattern book before the yarns really started trickling into the stores, knowing full well I might not get to actually knit anything from it for a while.

LOOK HOW SOFT.

Anyway, mittens? Mine have only two colors since, yanno, I only had two colors, but here's what one of their finished products look like.

This yarn is magic to work with -- super soft and smooth, never splitty (despite being a single ply) and with the perfect amount of twist. Seriously wonderful.

And a generous worsted weight, so it knits up fast!

So. Comfy.

I am looking forward to a day cool enough to wear these outside.

Oh, and if you're interested in fondling some of this stuff for yourself, it is available through some online retailers, but there are also quite a few stockists across the country.

Seriously, you need to at least touch the stuff.

As soon as I can afford to buy enough yarn for a new project, I want to make this amazing cape in Chadwick, but I haven't decided on the perfect color yet. :)

That's it for now. I have another knitting project nearing completion that I am SO. EXCITED. about, and a few others I'm plugging away at, but I wanted to give this yarn and these mittens a post of their very own. Tis the knitting season, apparently!

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And the disclaimer: My review is of my own free will simply because I adore this yarn and the people who have created it.

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Projects!

2011-08-13T12:50:00.003-04:00

I have been going nonstop for days now. The weather changed just enough to remind me that fall is coming, then winter, and that I had several things I wanted to get done before the cold weather.

First up was the gate-sprucing-up project. The star and finished path were nice, but not enough.

I had two landscaping timbers leftover from the raised blueberry bed, so I sunk them beside the gate a little (and braced them from behind with some studs -- which will be painted soon so they don't look so crappy).

Then I got to work on the top piece, which I had been drawing and re-drawing until one night, when inspiration struck and I had what I thought was an ingenious idea. You can decide that part for yourself when you see it. ;)

Anyway, I started with four boards, all the same size, two for a top piece and two for the sides.

The top piece needed to be a board and spike sandwich, so I made some divots the size and depth of the spike heads in the bottom layer,

and drilled some holes the width of the spikes all the way through the top layer.

Then I clamped 'em up tight and screwed them together securely.

Pretty scary looking, huh? There was a reason for it though. I figured if I had those spikes sticking up, I could securely display various items up there throughout the year, and not have to worry about the wind knocking them down, or having to do a ton of work to get them up and down as the seasons change.

The summertime display? Tiny potted morning glories.

If I am lucky, they will start to trail down a bit soon. I've already had flowers up there every morning since I built it.

The solar lanterns were an awesome find at Lowe's, and a great price for a four pack.

They have plenty of panels on the tops so they are getting tons of light during the day and glowing well into the night. The best part is that they each have two settings, clear or amber, so I set the ones on the street facing side to clear, and the ones in the yard to amber. Love them!

I still have to stain the top and paint the studs so they don't stick out like the sore thumbs they are, but overall I am so pleased!

And the most exciting part? As soon as fall comes and I take the pots down, I am putting PUMPKINS up there!!!!! ARGH!!!!! I can't wait.

Anyway, next big thing was tackling the shed.

I loved the miniature barn look, but it needed a paint job and I started to think about changing the color. Looking around the neighborhood, all these little barn shaped sheds are red or brown, red or brown. So take one last look at my little red barn/shed...

Because now it looks like this:

Side Before:

Side After:

Back before:

Back after:

I totally made tiny shutters for the back window,

Later today I am making a window box. I have plenty of the trim paint left and I'm going to stick some mint in there. Yay!

So that's that I guess. I'll leave you with a gratuitous shot of my intentional sunflower patch at dusk, which is doing nowhere near as well as all the volunteers over by Linda's bird feeders, but still makes me smile.

My Neighbor's Yard

2011-08-12T10:22:00.002-04:00

Tons of projects happening here, but nothing finished enough for pictures yet, so I thought I'd share some snapshots from around my next door neighbor's yard. :)

We were just wandering around and chatting while I snapped a few pictures when Linda mentioned how she hadn't seen any hummingbirds yet this year. I was just saying that I had seen one or two over a month ago when Linda spotted one coming around her honeysuckle. Talk about timing!

Be back soon with a finished arbor, a repainted shed, and who knows what else?

More garden??? The heck you say!

2011-08-08T10:14:00.004-04:00

It's true. I have a few new things to share, and a few same-old-plants, new growth pictures.

First thing is my sad little chain link fence gate. I always hated the entrance to the yard. It looked very drab and uninviting. So bit by bit, I added plants to the tiny corner "beds" that were here when we moved in. I expanded them, made a path, you name it.

But what I really wanted was something to hang on the gate to make it look more like an entrance. I found it the other day.

Under five dollars on clearance, that little rusty star made all the difference for me. Now for an arbor, but that's for later this week...

The path is coming along nicely now. I laid it out as sort of a preliminary thing with materials I already had here, but now I'm ready to finish it. Just needs some sand and smaller pebbles and some creeping plants and I'll be a happy gal.

This is one of the little corner beds beside it. Late last night I added two sickly looking plants from the main flowerbed -- a white bleeding heart and a white echinacea. They looked better already this morning, so I'm hoping they really take off there!

The logs in the corner are part of my most exciting weekend project -- a new raised bed for my blueberry bushes!

The poor things were decidedly not thriving in the ground and I've been toying with some sketches for a few weeks now and yesterday I finally went for it. All I did was drill some 1/2" holes through the (super cheap!) landscaping timbers, line them up (little bit of trial and error there) and sink 3/8" rebar down through them. The ends are screwed in place from the outside and the whole thing only took a few hours from first drill/cut to final bag of soil. Sturdy as can be too!

And after some good soaking rain and the big transplant, they look perkier already. I hope it lasts.

I also shoved some marigolds in there as an afterthought. They needed to be thinned out front and I thought they might want to hang out with the blueberries. And the little trellises were back beside the shed when we moved in.

Other side of the path is pure happiness in the form of rudbeckia:

Speaking of flowers, when I was thinning and weeding the big bed, I saw some mums! Happy day! If I ever had any kind of nursery, I might be a bit of a mum-pusher. I love them so much.

And in the edibles, the tomato plants are really filling up now!

The two smaller plants are starting to ripen.

And the orange mint is going to town!

All the tiny potted things made a comeback now that we've had some rain and some less awful temps.

And the new herbs are really starting to take off, like this silver thyme.

Zinnias soon!

Chamomile. :)

And WOW clary sage! I wasn't even sure if it was going to make it, but it sure showed me!

I think that's it for now. The banjo song is coming along verrrrrrry slowwwwwwly , so don't expect that anytime soon. But I'll have some lovely mittens to share soon, and some pictures from around my neighbor's yard.

The weather is gorgeous today, so I am off to enjoy it, and maybe even get started on that arbor for the gate! Have a great one. :)

Catching Up

2011-08-04T21:52:00.000-04:00

There's been a little more weaving.

And a cool present from my dad.

Apparently some friends of one of my mom's aunts used this for their business way back in the day.

A lot of knitting on this amazing sweater,

Now even longer and with over half a sleeve done.

Got a postcard book of some of the Gee's Bend quilts and picked out two groups of my favorites to frame.

Started cutting for a quilt of my own.

Another present from my dad.

This conch shell was used by his mother's father's parents on their canal boat in the late 1800s.

Spent a long time "enjoying" the outdoors like this -- through a crack in the curtains to escape the heat.

But took a few fun trips, like up to Rickett's Glen,

And Knoebel's Grove.

And the heat did break eventually. In fact, today was the coolest, calmest day we've had in I don't know how long.

I have so many projects going on, and so many things to keep track of, I don't know how I'm going to keep up much longer, so if I randomly disappear like I did for two weeks after the giveaways, know that I am busy and might have interesting things to share when I return.

Or not. But at the very least, I'm working on a new banjo song and if nothing else, I can always talk a good bit. ;)

The giant sunflower saga comes to an end

2011-08-02T10:07:00.003-04:00

The huge sunflower that grew and grew and grew in my herb bed finally gave its all in the last hot stretch. It drooped lower and lower, but only a little ahead of schedule. After all, it would have done the same to drop its seeds, just not so soon.

Here are some of the last pictures.

It is just packed with seeds, so I'm hoping I can get a few to plant next year before they all get eaten.

Some other garden items maybe?

A few cukes persisting despite the beetles and the relentless sun.

These poor grapes didn't know what was going on so they ripened small and promptly got devoured by birds.

They are starting to perk up again though.

A nice number of Romas are growing bigger every day.

Everything pretty much still hanging on.

The popcorn was getting pretty dry.

So I pulled the stalks with no green left on them and got a nice little pile of ears.

Time will tell if they're good poppers...

The weather is taking a positive turn at the moment, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pretty beaten down right now, and a huge part of that is thanks to yet another miserable summer.

But more on that some other time. Today is beautiful so far and I intend to use that to my advantage.

A Weaving Post

2011-07-19T10:09:00.000-04:00

It's true. I have added another hobby to the mix.

My friend Aimee, one of the most kind and generous people I have ever known, bought a loom a while back and never ended up getting into it.

So she gave it to me.

I set it up the same night it got here with some leftover bulky yarns I had from my very first attempt at knitting. How symbolic, I thought.

Unfortunately, my practice strip is nothing to brag about.

So for my next attempt, I used sock yarn. Single strands for the warp, five for the weft.

MUCH better.

All rolled up.

Requisite hanging shot.

So bright!

Feeling somewhat bolstered (and realizing I am enjoying working "small" on the loom), I warped my next project with laceweight yarns, hoping to do a plaid.

It worked.

This scarf is going to be worn so much this winter. I am head over heels in love.

More to come soon, as I am warping for a special surprise for someone today.

Plants and Sky

2011-07-15T12:57:00.004-04:00

Winners!

2011-07-11T10:16:00.004-04:00

After much tiredness and disorganization last night and this morning, random number generating has occurred!

The winners, in order of posts, are as follows:

Day One:

Yay for state fairs! So happy for you that you're back in MN in time to enjoy some of your favorite things!

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Day Two:

Vickie! How exciting that you've started making soap! And it looks like you will indeed get a chance to try my soaps.

Oh, and wine and campfires are two of my favorite ways of relaxing too. :)

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Day Three:

How fantastic that the gardening bug has officially bitten! And your neighbors sound like a fantastic resource to have as you begin your journey. I hope you enjoy Tim's book and that it inspires you even more!

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All winners: Please email your shipping info to me at amber { at } ambersambry { dot} com as soon as you get the chance.

Angie - make sure you include an email address where your Baker Creek gift certificate can be delivered.

And to everyone who entered: I think this was my best turnout yet! Thank you all so much for your wonderful stories and for stopping by!

Old Plants, New Plants and Banjo

2011-07-08T10:48:00.007-04:00

This has been a really nice week. Between a relaxing holiday weekend with lots of food and some visitors, a day all to myself on Wednesday, and the awesome comments on the giveaway posts, I am feeling pretty mellow.

Seriously, I am reading the nicest little stories and they make me smile. Thanks for playing along!

In garden news, all the popcorn has tassels now,

and I'm seeing a lot of this!

The zinnias are doing well in here, but a squirrel keeps digging in the middle planter (not shown). Jerk.

The seeds I planted out front are absolutely flourishing, and I am starting to get some poppies now!

My favorite birdhouse in my neighbor's yard has some little wild morning glories growing around it right now.

And some of the convolvulus I dug up to move some stuff around are really happy in this pot.

So, day to myself happened Wednesday. It was a great day. I took a tiny trip to a local greenhouse that my neighbor recommended to me. I will not go off about how wonderful it was, because I'm planning on going back soon and doing a whole post about it. It is that wonderful.

Anyway, they were having a sale and I STOCKED UP on herbs!

Most of them ended up in the herb bed:

The exciting plantings happened in a little project I started the other day and was super happy about.

I had these two old matching chairs, one was antique white, and one was sort of a dark turquoise-ish, and two baskets, one red and one unpainted, but falling apart.

I found some old spray paint in the basement and did one chair white (and gave the red basket a refresher coat), and planted --clockwise from top left-- pineapple sage, orange mint, golden sage, and pineapple mint.

The other chair turned red and ended up with the white basket on it, which was filled to the max with sweet basil.

I'm just delighted to see them out there every time I go out or look out the windows. And the baskets are just lined with a double layer of newspaper.

And finally, because it has been a while, here is the most recent banjo song I've been working on:

See you Sunday night or Monday! Remember that comments are open on all three giveaways through Sunday!

{ Giveaway One }
{ Giveaway Two }
{ Giveaway Three }

Comments now closed on all three giveaways. So many wonderful stories, thank you!

Three part giveaway -- Day Three!

2011-07-07T09:30:00.005-04:00

SOMEBODY got a late start this morning. Sorry. :)

Here she is. Number three! This one is very much gardening related.

First up is a super great gardening apron, made by me.

And what you saw peeking out of the pocket in the top picture is your very own copy of Tim Stark's book, "Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer."

I had the absolute pleasure of hearing Tim speak a few months back, and I have read this book six times now since I first got it. Something about the way he writes just pulls me in -- and a great deal of the stories take place right around where I live!

Finally, you will also receive a Ten Dollar (email) Gift Certificate to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, savers of extremely high quality seeds, and makers of the seed "catalog" I have paged through and drooled over about a million times since I got it.

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Now for the bummer: Due to the high cost of shipping overseas, I am restricting this giveaway to US and Canadian residents only. Sorry. :(

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To enter:

Leave a comment on this post and tell me what your garden means to you (if you have one): food source? Cut flowers? Force of habit?

And if you don't have one currently, what do you love about the idea of gardening? Or what do you miss about it?

One winner will be chosen randomly on Sunday 7/10 or Monday 7/11 (depending on how late we get back from our day trip next Sunday!)

** And don't forget that the comments on all three posts will remain open until Sunday, so enter all of them if you want! **

{ Day One }

{ Day Two }

Comments now closed. Thank you all SO MUCH for the wonderful comments and stories!

Three part giveaway -- Day Two!

2011-07-06T05:00:00.007-04:00

Lest you think I have forgotten my bath and body ways, I am pleased to have some washing-up treats for the second giveaway.

We have:

Sweetgrass & Cedar and Carrot Tea Tree soaps,

One jar of Super Sugar Scrub! with poppy seeds, calendula petals, and essential oils of Bergamot, Lemon, and Texas Cedarwood,

two different scents of hand balm,

and a hand-knitted, mercerized cotton washcloth (which will, yanno, be done when you receive it)...

There it is! A small bounty of bathing and pampering needs, just for you. Well, maybe. If you win I mean. ;)

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Now for the bummer: Due to the high cost of shipping overseas, I am restricting this giveaway to US and Canadian residents only. Sorry!

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To enter:

Leave a comment on this post and tell me this: What is your favorite at home way to treat yourself/reward yourself for a job well done/unwind? Could be a special food or drink, a bathtime routine, reading by a fire -- anything goes!

One winner will be chosen randomly on Sunday 7/10 or Monday 7/11 (depending on how late we get back from our day trip next Sunday!)

** And don't forget that the comments on all three posts will remain open until Sunday, so enter all of them if you want! **

{ Day One }

{ Day Three }

Comments now closed. Thank you all SO MUCH for the wonderful comments and stories!

Three part giveaway -- Day One!

2011-07-05T05:00:00.009-04:00

For the first of the three giveaways, I am offering up a copy of one of my favorite eye-candy filled cookbooks,

a vintage gingham apron,

and a jar of locally made rhubarb jam, from a Mennonite farm stand.

The apron has a few flaws in the stitch work, but nothing drastic. Otherwise, it is bright and cheerful and oh-so-summery!

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Now for the bummer: Due to the high cost of shipping overseas, and the nature of some items included, I am restricting this giveaway to US and Canadian residents only. Sorry :(

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To enter:

Leave a comment on this post and tell me something special about summer where you are: maybe a regional treat, a county fair -- whatever. If it makes you happy, and it happens in summer, I want to hear about it!

One winner will be chosen randomly on Sunday 7/10 or Monday 7/11 (depending on how late we get back from our day trip next Sunday!)

{ Day Two }

{ Day Three }

Comments now closed. Thank you all SO MUCH for the wonderful comments and stories!

The big 3 - 0 - 0

2011-07-01T15:51:00.000-04:00

This is it. 300 posts. Seems like so much, and yet not a lot when I mentally stretch it over three years of blogging.

I am going to share a few of the usual sorts of things today, but after the US holiday weekend there will be three giveaways, one each day, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

A few more details, but first some more random stuff.

A few years ago, my dad made himself a little strand of things he found on the beach in Florida. Shells, rocks, and driftwood.

He gave me a bag of his treasures so I could make one for myself too.

Mine is actually meant to hang from both ends like a garland, but I haven't found the perfect spot for it yet. So on the shed it went.

The other day, the boys and I went to one of my favorite stores, Weaver's Hardware. On the way back, we stopped at a little Mennonite farm stand for some goodies.

The black raspberries got a little squished under a bag of potatoes, and I had a half a can of pumpkin to finish off, so between the two of them (and a whole bunch of eggs) a pumpkin custard pie was born.

But not until after dinner of course.

Now, about the giveaways. Each one will be something different and you can enter as many as you'd like, but only once each.

There are no fancy things you have to do, just leave a comment on the appropriate post, probably telling me a little something about something, 'cause I like to hear stories. All winners will be chosen randomly and announced next Sunday, the 10th, or Monday the 11th at the latest.

Okay? Okay. Thanks for being here for all these posts. :)

Some garden and some sunset

2011-06-28T13:58:00.005-04:00

As we all know by now, this time of year finds me settling into a habit of posting mostly garden related pictures.

I've been doing some knitting and a few sewing projects (that I can't share yet as the person they were for has not yet received them), but mostly I am outside puttering -- always puttering.

Baby cukes are starting to form. Now if I can only keep ahead of the cucumber beetles this year.

A mystery plant in the flowerbed proved to be cleome, and is now in bloom.

And the convolvulus, which I had never heard of before this year, proved to be the most intense and wonderful shade of blue I have ever seen on a flower in my life.

Last week, we had a lovely sunset:

But it was no match for the one we had a few nights ago. The colors were so intense that of course the pictures cannot do it justice, but they are close.

It got better and better over the course of about ten minutes, during which time I just stood open mouthed in the alley behind our house and soaked in the soft, pink glow.

It stretched so far across the sky I couldn't possibly catch it all.

Sometimes I cannot believe how much beauty there is all around me, on so many levels.

Some things make me pause and smile and some take my breath away, but I am grateful for them all.

In progress, everything, always

2011-06-25T15:33:00.000-04:00

So many little projects going on lately.

My friend and neighbor Linda inspired me to use some old screens as garden objects.

I just happened to have three of those lightweight plastic deck boxes from our old house that I hadn't used here because we have no porch railings to hang them from.

So I screwed them right to a screen door frame my parents gave me.

They have since been filled with potting mix and zinnia seeds.

Next up was the screen part of the amazing pantry door, which turned into an outdoor shelf/backdrop for the herb bed, thanks to some scrap wood and some L brackets.

Filled those puppies up quick with some tiny pots and various knick-knacks.

I've even accomplished a few inside things. the best so far is the long overdue living room re-re-rearrangement.

Sadly, I have no decent before pictures because I hated it so much the way it was, I actually avoided taking pictures of it I guess...

The two book shelves used to be in this corner together:

But it looks so much cleaner now with them flanking the couch.

And the top of this one proved to be perfect for hiding some electronic items (well, except for the phone charger that you can plainly see).

Big one from yesterday: Ceiling fan in the kitchen!!! I grabbed a cheap one at Lowe's and put it up yesterday afternoon, with some excellent tool fetching help from the boys I might add.

What a difference it makes to have some air circulating out there! This summer gets more and more bearable all the time.

Still in the kitchen, I finally painted the outside of the back door. I used the same red that I used on the inside many months ago, which is the same red that covers the inside of our front door, and the bottom halves of our dining room walls, AND several small objects around the house!

Never have I gotten so much mileage out of a clearance rack "mistint" gallon of paint.

Last up is a shelf I put in the kitchen window. As tacky as it might be nowadays to display a cobalt jar/bottle collection in a window, I still love mine, and have been wishing for a sunny spot to admire them in.

So I painted up everything around the window -- trim, sides of cabinets, underside of soffit -- and slapped up a little shelf just for my glass. I find it so soothing to see light coming through that perfect shade of blue.

So many more things to do, but bit by bit, I tackle the little stuff.

Befores and Afters

2011-06-22T13:13:00.006-04:00

May 31st:

June 19th:

June 19th:

Today:

May 26th:

June 19th:

June 6th:

June 19th:

Today:

May 30th:

Today:

May 30th:

June 6th:

Today:

May 14th:

June 19th:

May 31st:

Today:

I don't think I will ever tire of watching the miracle of life unfold before my eyes.

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And now for a question.

That is a bucket of tulip bulbs. My mother in law gave them to me after her place of work dug them out and got rid of them.

I love tulips, but I have never messed with bulbs of any kind before. What do I do with these? Do I have to store them and plant them in the fall and then dig them up again? Or can I stick them in the ground and leave them in there year round? I have no idea what kind of tulips they are. Any tulip-y help would be much appreciated. :)

Steady as she goes. I guess.

2011-06-16T22:49:00.006-04:00

Not much happening here right now. I seem to have gotten into a bit of a funk again. I've been doing some little projects here and there, but not much that is picture worthy, you know?

One big thing is done though. Remember this from a year ago?

No? That's okay, I didn't expect you to. ;)

Anyway, it is done.

And HUGE!

And super comfy.

Because it is vaguely butterfly-like, I will use it as an excuse to awkwardly segue into this next photo, okay?

Check this out!

Fake butterfly in a jar! And it flies!

I saw them for sale online, but didn't want to pay twenty bucks + shipping. My neighbor saw them in a store for twelve, but I didn't want to pay that either. But when I found one on clearance for six, I couldn't take it anymore. The kids love it as much as I do and we have been having tons of fun watching it flit around the jar. Super neat.

More knitting:

It is a hooded cowl, designed by a friend of mine, and I am thisclose to starting the hood. Probably in the morning actually.

And the same neighbor who found the butterflies in jars in the store has all these little plants on her stoop and I just had to get a quick shot of them before she cuts her herbs back.

It makes me so extra happy to have a fellow gardener living next door. We even water "together" in the evenings sometimes. It mostly consists of shouting across our yards over the noise of the water at each other, but it is nice to have the company.

Did I mention gardening? Huh! Imagine that.

I cut some lavender buds today and hung up a nice little bundle. I hope they push more for me!

And the other herbs were ready to cut too.

I may have an oregano problem, especially considering I hardly use it. The flavor is a little too strong for me in large amounts, so I will try to pawn most of this off on somebody who can't get enough of the stuff...

But I can never have too much thyme. It may be my all-time fave.

That's about all there is for now. I did a little more blog housekeeping in the way-back posts (removed some dead linky posts and a few other things) and now I am officially only a handful of posts away from the big 300. There will be a giveaway -- maybe even a three parter, if I can get my head together well enough to do it up right.

In the meantime, I am enjoying the last of this glorious cooler weather, and fussing over my plants more than is necessary, but I know they appreciate it.

Three years old

2011-06-13T05:46:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Noah. I love you with all my heart and can hardly believe what a big boy you've become.

Love, Mama

Still growing

2011-06-11T23:20:00.000-04:00

Swapping! and a few things around the house

2011-06-10T14:48:00.009-04:00

I was recently talking to some friends about their favorite ways to clean their cast iron cookware. having only recently purchased mine, I figured I'd ask some seasoned pros. (Heh)

My incredibly awesome blogging buddy Sherrie uses some brushes she swears by, but lives in Canada. So we got to talking and decided to do a little swap. Some brushes and assorted goodies for some things I can't share here until she gets them.

Not only did she send those AMAZING brushes -- which clean my pans like nobody's business, with very little elbow grease -- she also included an assortment of the most perfect and heartfelt items.

This wonderful fabric is going to become a cushion for an antique chest that recently moved from the dining room to the living room during the big rearranging (pictures of that as soon as I finally get all the toys put away).

And these blank cards, six altogether, featuring prints from her extremely talented photographer husband, Adam.

And this... I almost swooned when I unwrapped it. She said she found it in an antique shop and I wonder if it may have been a toothbrush and cup holder originally? But now it will be the most unique and wonderful soap dish ever, thanks to Sherrie's ingenious idea (complete with one of her bars of soap to christen it)!

We also share a love of tiny bottles, so she sent me a fantastic skinny bottle, only the length of my hand,

which is now sitting in my kitchen window with some freshly cut lavender blossoms in it. Perfect!

Sherrie, I cannot thank you enough for all the wonderful presents. You really know me so well and I cherish each and every item. Thank you!

Jumping around a bit, but I just have to share this.

A little while back, I had the opportunity to order a limited run lap blanket from Juniper Moon Farm. They were only offering six to start, each one natural wool from three of their sheep, blanket-ized by a mill on Prince Edward Island. And each blanket offered a different accent color.

Mine came in the mail the other day and it is even more wonderful than I had imagined it would be.

The same day I opened it, I got an idea. What if I were to embroider the names of the sheep whose fleece was used to make the blanket on it somewhere? So that is just what I did.

And just so you know, the colors in the embroidered picture are much truer to real life than the first two shots, which were taken while it was very bright in the house...

Winding down, I just had to share this little bundle of yarrow I hung up to dry:

And this basket I found on clearance the other night, which proved to be perfect for storing some small knitting projects out of reach of curious hands.

It smells like a campfire, which is what made me fall in love with it. Well, that and the five dollar price sticker. ;)

That's all for now. Have a wonderful weekend!

All Sorts of New Stuff

2011-06-04T21:35:00.006-04:00

Last weekend I hit the mother lode, really. My Dad had a few bags of sewing machine things he brought home from work for me, only some of which is shown here:

Then my friend had some exciting things for me too!

Like a ZITHER!

It is missing one string, and is comically out of tune, but it is still so neat to have one of these. He said he got it for incredibly cheap and thought the kids would get a kick out of it. I think we all love it.

There was also a little pile of free fabric waiting for me to go through. These are my faves:

This one is hilarious.

Now there was one thing I knew about, because he had mentioned an upcoming craft supply "estate sale" of sorts that I wasn't going to make it to. I told him to keep his eyes out for a serger that looked like it worked and that I'd pay him back for it if he found one.

Dudes. Guess what? He totally found one.

And this part might make you hate me, but try to remember that I am occasionally a nice person who deserves nice things happening to me, okay? Anyway, guess how much it cost me?

Twenty Five Dollars.

As usual, I have not gotten it threaded and running yet (in all honesty, I haven't even cleaned it yet) but it is on this week's agenda because I have a project coming up that will be infinitely easier with this bad boy.

As always, I am amazed (and grateful!) that people find such awesome things for me. And if any of you need any vintage Singer machine parts, let's talk. really. I might be able to hook you up.

And one last item. Yesterday a friend came over. We spent the whole afternoon and evening together, made an awesome dinner and finished the night with a campfire.

Now, I've only been playing a few months and don't really know many songs, but I felt compelled to give my banjo-playing-by-a-fire a test run.

This first song is what I'm working on for the next Cold Antler Farm submission. It's called "Cluck Old Hen" and while I certainly could stand to practice a bit more before I submit my video, I just had to share this, mostly because of the fire really.

And a bonus song, "Poor Wayfaring Stranger." A lot more choppy, but still made automatically awesome by the crackling fire. (Joking.)

Just for fun...

2011-06-01T22:32:00.004-04:00

The day I recorded my Willow Gardens video, I also did another song. It is supposed to be "Cumberland Mountain Deer Chase" but I butchered it pretty badly and have since come to think of my version as, "Cumberland Mountain Train Wreck."

Enjoy.

I Guess It's Summer Now...

2011-05-30T23:36:00.006-04:00

The days are hot and often humid, with no end in sight. It feels so much like the middle of August it is hard to believe we are just entering June.

The plants aren't complaining yet though, and are taking full advantage of the "warmth" and sunshine.

There are some new additions to the flowerbed.

The nasturtiums in the ladder planter are all sprouted now.

And my purple clematis is nearing the shed roof. I hope it goes over this year.

The raised bed is planted.

The hanging baskets are a new addition. I bought them several years ago and haven't done much with them, so this year I put strawberries in them. The pole was in the shed when we moved in. It used to be a clothesline pole. All the properties surrounding ours have them still in the ground, but our house only had one, and it was in the shed. Huh.

I am watering like crazy in the heat we're having, but so far the little plants look happy.

I finally fixed the old bench I found under the porch at our last house and now I have a place on our stoop to putter and start some seeds.

They must like it there, because those sunflowers sprouted overnight so vigorously they were pushing their little lid off the next day.

At the bottom of the steps is my hodge podge collection of pots.

The ones on the wooden table are convolvulus, and the ones on the metal cart below are morning glories. A lot of them sprouted the day after I took that picture. I can't wait to see if they make it there!

The accidental salad was picked and swiftly consumed.

Along with a beautiful piece of bluefish fried to perfection in one of my new cast iron skillets.

Let me pause for a moment to say how enamoured I am with cast iron cooking.

Okay.

More signs of summer. Looking through the screen door

at the lights all strung up under our tree.

And finally, if it isn't summer, how do I explain this?

Attack of the FrankenApronSkirts!

2011-05-24T17:39:00.004-04:00

So I was digging through my fabric stash the other night and came across some old skirts (for like the eighty thousandth time) and thought to myself (see previous note), "Hey! I should do something with these!"

They had been set aside for various repairs, mainly waistband problems, but as most of my not fun projects go, they sat neglected for a long time.

That same night, I was going through my aprons and trying to decide what to do about the fact that a lot of them don't get worn very often.

Terrible inspiration struck. Like really, really bad.

What if I sewed the aprons right onto the skirts and made new, horrible skirts? With aprons always on them! It would make an easy fix for the waistband problems if I just used the apron ties as the closures for the whole skirt. And it would get some good, non-messy use out of some of my cutest, but not-so-practical aprons.

So I did it. The pictures that follow are before and after shots of the four pairings I've made so far. Up next are two different denim skirts with some gingham action on the front. But I had to get a pattern and some material for the skirts, so I didn't get started on them yet.

Anyway, first up is a skirt I got at Walmart six years ago for 99¢. The waistband proved to be just a little too big and I had trouble keeping the skirt up. So I only wore it, pinned, like two times and swore I'd take it in...

The apron is from the flea market last year and was much too delicate and pretty to be of any use to me in the kitchen.

Some alterations, many strong seams, and a little extra rick rack later:

Love it! (Oh, and please forgive the facial expressions in these. I was kind of in a hurry to take the pictures and apparently was having some trouble looking pleasant.)

Next up was a white skirt that I ended up with because it came with a beautiful patchwork apron I bought a few years ago. But it was several sizes too big and I never quite got around to gathering the elastic to make it fit.

When I saw this happy pink apron, I immediately wanted to put them together.

Rick rack is my friend!!! I just happened to have two shades of pink that matched the apron, and some yellow of course.

And the back shot.

The next one was the easiest and made me the happiest, because this was my favorite skirt of all time that I have ever owned. I bought it in 1999 and wore the crap out of it for years. Sadly, it came through the wash a few years back with a completely relaxed elastic waist. So onto the pile of procrastination and indecision it went.

The apron was from Renninger's from like eight years ago. It has some moth and/or rot damage, but it is so pretty. But because it is such a delicate wisp of a thing, I never wore it while cooking.

I didn't change either piece in any way, just attached the waists together (well, and fixed the skirt's waist in the process obviously).

Now, my "pose" here... I am not sure what I was trying for, but I didn't achieve it, whatever it was.

The back view actually shows you how nicely the skirt falls, unlike the deranged curtsy shot before it...

So those all kind of flattered each other in some way, right? I mean, you can see why I chose to put them together. Well, this next one only has one thing uniting apron and skirt: floral print.

There is no red, yellow, or black in the skirt. There is no brown in the apron. Even I thought they looked terrible when I first held them up to each other. But something told me to give it a try anyway. The skirt was from high school and got a lot of wear over the years, but wasn't really my style anymore.

The apron was from Renninger's and was cute, but kind of dull.

So I ended up shortening both by several inches. I changed up the rick rack on the apron a bit, and used the scrap from the bottom of the apron to make trim for the bottom of the skirt.

And you know what? I think it turned out to be my favorite. :)

Down In The Willow Gardens...

2011-05-16T15:05:00.005-04:00

Here is the latest video for Cold Antler Farm's "Banjo Equinox" play-along lesson fun.

While I swapped the potty chair for a step stool, I did end up recording in the kitchen just 'cause I liked the brightness today. :)

Here goes!

Oh spring

2011-05-15T00:39:00.002-04:00

This spring could not have been any more perfect so far if I planned it myself. The weather has been loving me, and I have been enjoying working outside so much, and obsessing over all things gardening and plant related.

The past few days have been positively glorious, for lack of a less over-the-top word.

I did some cleaning up and transplanting out front:

All the shrubs were there, but I took out some carpet juniper and moved the blue star juniper to the ends. I just put the ferns, irises, and lilies in, stealing them from other places around the house. I also scattered the adorably packaged zinnia seeds, along with Monarda, mixed Poppies, Borage, Cosmos, Marigolds, Baby's Breath, and Job's Tears. Let's hope some of it comes up! I would love to have some more color out there. I have a vision of it being all lush and full and spilling over the edge onto the grass.

Back in the back yard, I just bought my first rosebush ever this year, a "Knockout Rose." It is so pretty, and smells so good!

Now, this next thing is like a quadruple cliché, but I had to do it, okay? Anyway, after a light Saturday morning rain, I ran right out to take a closeup picture of an open bloom with raindrops all over it.

I couldn't help myself. Besides, I'm not positive, but I think it's a rule for those hobbyists who dabble in nature photography: One must take as many close up pictures of wet plants as one can manage, all the time, forever. No exceptions.

So I'll keep doing my part.

The little lettuces and carrot above are part of my accidental salad bed. It seems the seeds I put in for a failed attempt at a fall planting managed to not only survive the winter, but also lived through the dirt in the raised bed being dug into and moved around a million times while I did some repairs and trim work. Heirloom seeds are tough!

So now I am waiting on them to get a teensy bit bigger and then I can eat them and plant things the way I was originally planning.

Oh! This was too adorable not to share. My Clary Sage is finally showing some signs of growth, but the leaves are not even as big as my smallest fingernail. So cute!

On Friday, we planted the boys' dwarf sunflowers outside.

They started them from seeds in some grow your own kits they got for Easter. Now they can happily grow next to the giant sunflowers as soon as they're ready to be put in the ground. But the giants have some catching up to do:

These were the first newspaper pots I've ever made and I love them! Near-future greenhouse will be loaded with these little puppies.

And moving on to my perfect Saturday...

Presents from my neighbor and her daughter!

Present from my expert spinner Ravelry friend that came in the mail today!

Just LOOK at the colors!

Now smoosh your face up against the screen and imagine how soft it is!

So beautiful. I am perusing patterns for it, but right now I am content to enjoy it as is. :)

Today also gave us 2 lbs of tea in the mail -- a Houjicha,

(which I enjoyed as soon as I ripped the box open) and a Lapsang Souchong, which I am euphorically enjoying right now.

Gardening, yarn, and fancy tea. Really, truly a perfect day.

And to end on a ... different note, I have to share this picture my husband took of me Friday night.

When the kids are in bed, I have found the best place to practice my banjo is in the kitchen. It is not under either of their rooms, so the noise doesn't disturb them, even if I play at full volume.

Usually there's a step stool out there and I sit on that, but there weren't any there the other night. I wasn't planning on playing for long, so I sat down on Ethan's potty chair to go through the latest song a few times. I also didn't bother turning any lights on, since I wasn't going to be long and the dining room light was bright enough to see by.

So John walked in and found me in the dark, just like this and immediately ran to grab the camera:

I think I know where I should record my next video...

Big Plans

2011-05-12T10:40:00.001-04:00

Remember this?

Last year when I made it, I really liked it. The mismatched pots and unfinished wood really tickled my fancy back in the skinny spot beside the shed there. It was a fun accent in my little hidden garden.

As I mentioned before, a groundhog emerged from under the shed and decimated all the plants back there. He left the honeysuckle alone, but it got infested with I don't know what and I got totally fed up with the whole thing.

This spring, I relocated the honeysuckle to the side of the house and it is thriving. The bluestone slabs became a small path beside the patio at the back of the house.

But what to do with that space beside the shed?

This is where the big plans come in. I am building a greenhouse. I saw some ideas for using old windows and doors and I am going to do it.

I don't have the money for all the lumber and hardware right now (and the forty thousand tubes of caulk I assume it will be needing) but I have a bunch of old windows from my parents' house, and more are on the way, so that's a good start! Throughout the season, I'll get what I can when I can, and maybe by fall I will be underway.

In the meantime, I started a little enclosure for our firewood. As usual, it is made entirely out of scrap wood -- hence, the "interesting" look to the top at the moment (which will be fixed soon, I swear). All I need now is a tarp, and we will have dry wood!

But anyway, before I forget, here's the ladder's new look:

A quick coat of white paint that I found in the basement here when we moved in, and some metal containers from a Target bargain bin impulse buy last year, and it looks much fresher.

Late last night, I stuck some nasturtium seeds in all the pots, so we shall see what happens next!

Now onto random happy things!

I grabbed a copy of Country Living at the grocery store last week and it came with a small pack of "giant" sunflower seeds.

I removed a thin strip of sod along the fence to the right of the ladder and hopefully will be planting them there soon.

On the subject of seeds, my next door neighbor gave me this pack of zinnia seeds that is so freakin' cute I can hardly stand it:

I mean, come on! A sleeping zinnia with a pillow! I'm gonna toss them out in the sad, neglected front bed, along with several other things. Hopefully we will have some color out there by summer!

A few new things are opening up, including this columbine that was here when we moved in,

The irises,

And I couldn't resist some more pictures of the King of the North grapes, which are doing beautifully on both arbors.

Blue skies galore here lately! It has been an amazing spring so far.

Okay, really? An entire post about an old stove?

2011-05-11T00:05:00.001-04:00

Yeah. Sorry. I have been so out of it lately and just barely doing (some of) my housework and pacing around the yard and occasionally doing some knitting, so I have no exciting projects going on.

I did build a... thing... for my firewood, but I didn't get a tarp for it yet and it honestly looks almost comically terrible right now. Sturdy as heck and made entirely out of scrap wood, so it is really great, but it looks ridiculous. Luckily it is back behind the shed sort of, so we don't have to stare at it unless we want to. Anyway, all that is for another post, because I have BIG plans for the area beside the shed but I am not quite started on them yet. Soon!

Anyway. Today is all about the "new" stove. Remember my excitement over my latest amazing Craigslist find? It is at the bottom of this terribly long post. Well, on Friday I got the call.

By the end of the evening, it was home.

The whole thing was pretty clean except for the knobs and entire backsplash behind them. Everything up there was caked with years old, baked on grease. An hour of rubbing with some Goo Gone and some diluted dish soap ate through it all like nobody's business.

I still cannot get over how clean the inside is.

Or the fact that I now have TWO SIDE BY SIDE OVENS!

And it has this extra awesome fluorescent light for soothing nighttime cooking.

The next morning, it was all ready to make us some food.

We used the burners during the day, but saved the big oven christening for dinner.

One of my favorite things about it, that came to me as I made dinner, is the work space right there at my cooking area!

All those apples became a crisp in the big oven,

and the small oven made some chicken:

I am in love.

{ Untitled }

2011-04-30T13:58:00.004-04:00

I promise to not bore you with a million dyeing posts, but I had to share this one thing.

Out of all six of the orange skeins, the one that had previously been taupe did not dye as nicely as I originally thought. So I had some fun.

I put it back in the pot with some strategically sprinkled-on Kool Aid mix and indigo powder and let it sit. Then when I rinsed it, lo and behold, I had all sorts of colors!

I already found the perfect pattern for it, and it happens to be one a Ravelry friend of mine designed!

And speaking of Ravelry friends, another one of them sent me some amazing goodies yesterday.

They fit perfectly and will look super cute with a summer dress. All I need now is to get those sad winter feet freshened up a bit and I'll be good to go.

Also in the box was a little bag of delicious coffee from her CSA,

and some adorable fabric:

Thanks again Squiddy! I love it all. And my morning coffee today was extra special. :)

And just when you thought I was putting up a post without plant pictures, well, here they are.

I couldn't resist, because I was comparing some pictures and was amazed (like I am every year) by how quickly things grow. What a difference a few weeks make!

March 19th:

April 28th:

March 19th:

April 28th:

That's it for now. I have grass to cut and a kitchen floor just begging to be cleaned, so I am off. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Banjo song number two

2011-04-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

Finally got a little video of my second song for Cold Antler Farm's Banjo Equinox.

"Sugar Hill"

(more or less)

On Dyeing (edited)

2011-04-27T17:37:00.005-04:00

I have been wanting to dye some yarn for ages now, but never seemed to have the time or energy for it.

Today I finally took the plunge.

The stuff I showed yesterday, while tasteful and lovely, just wasn't doing it for me.

Are you a little sad? Seeing it all pretty and tasteful and knowing that I have destroyed it with my own terrible twist and penchant for bold colors?

See, I bought it ages ago for a specific project, but I never ended up making it. I used a little bit of the yarn for other things, but the rest of it was just sitting around and taking up space.

So I thought, why not have some fun with it, right? The green stuff got turned a dark bluish-green (blue and green food coloring, indigo powder, and citric acid):

And the lighter colors got dyed with yellow and red food coloring, annatto powder, ground turmeric, and citric acid:

Some of the orange is going to become a Pogona, and the green is going to be a second cabled wrap, provided I finally finish the first one soon...

The browny-orange one on the far left was the taupe yarn, which dyed darker than the yellow and natural ones. It looks pretty nice in real life, so I'll have to find a small project just for that one.

This was so much fun, I think I am ready to try a little hand-painting next. And I that will be a family activity, because the kids are both dy(e)ing to try this. (You see? You see what I did there?)

Yeah. I need to get out more...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edited to add a few pictures of my newly dyed yarn all wound into cakes:

The usual fare

2011-04-26T15:25:00.003-04:00

Spring,

and yarn!

(This stuff is waiting to be dyed, and/or overdyed as the case may be.)

One of the magnolias a few blocks down the street is in full bloom.

I started a new project. Meet "Citron."

Lilac! So close!

When I was winding the yarn for Citron, I decided to just wind all the hanks and skeins I had sitting around.

Now whenever starting yet another project seems like a good idea, I am ready to go!

All three grapes looked like this a few days ago, but two of them are now totally leafed out as of yesterday.

Love, love, love my dappled Nishiki Willow. LOVE.

A little more progress on the cabled wrap. I am hoping to get some pattern testers soon so I can see if anybody else enjoys knitting this as much I am. And so I can see it in some different yarn weights and whatnot too, of course. :)

Oh hi little Purple Smoke Bush!

Some beautiful yarn. The fiber was dyed by one friend and spun by another. Makes it doubly special, doesn't it? :)

The leaves have fully opened now and we have shade again!

And some odd balls in a tiny basket ended up on the rocking chair and made me smile.

Chalkboard!

2011-04-18T10:38:00.000-04:00

Because it apparently takes me several years to warm up to a trend, I just now tried chalkboard paint for the first time.

We have this wall in the kitchen that had a few square feet of empty space, which seems to be a sin in my kitchen. (I have a bit of an over-decorating problem in there. Not sure why, but there it is.)

The small chalkboard already hanging there is for grocery lists, appointments, notes, whatever. But as you can see, some small people in the house like to get in some drawing too.

So I got to thinking about this little tub of chalkboard paint I got on clearance a few months ago. And an old picture frame. And the gears turned for a few weeks and formulated a plan.

Because that wall is not only a shared wall (we have a twin house), but also has the chimney inside that section, it is almost impossible to drill into. So I did the unthinkable and used an old tube of Liquid Nails to hold up the frame. The horror!

After it had sufficiently dried, I painted the frame with some old "bone white" gloss paint that was here when we moved in. And over the course of several hours, I did three coats of the chalkboard paint.

After almost making it past the 24 hour cure time, it was christened and deemed a smashing success.

A Tiny Little Banjo Post

2011-04-17T20:58:00.003-04:00

This is just a quickie to share my first ever banjo-playing video.

There are a lot of wind chimes and rambunctious children noises in the background, but you'll get the idea anyway. :)

I'm excited to see how I compare to this a few months from now!

This and That

2011-04-13T21:47:00.000-04:00

If I inherited my love of gardening from my father, he also passed along his love of constantly moving semi-established plants around a yard from season to season.

Hi Dad! ;)

Last year, I planted a brand new red honeysuckle behind the shed, hoping to train it up the ladder plant stand.

But between the groundhog and various other things, nothing was doing well back there.

So I moved it to the side of the house, where it will hopefully grow vigorously so it can be trained up over our side living room window. How nice will it be to have the light, lovely scent of honeysuckle wafting in the open window?

Anyway, it looks really happy so far.

In other spring news, the Japanese maples are really close to leafing out.

And the lilac has some teeny flowers starting.

But the most exciting thing right now is this gift from my friend Karen.

I had the opportunity to work for Karen and her family at their local nursery not-quite-many-but-slightly-more-than-several years ago and it was, hands down, the best job I've ever had.

We stayed in touch and became Facebook friends not too long after I moved back to the area.

Recently, after I went on and on about my love of magnolias on a status update somewhere, she offered me a Star Magnolia of my very own, as a gift.

How could I say no?

I can't wait to see what kind of growth I get this year!

Bad segue: A while back, a different friend (see? I told you it was bad) gave me some pretty glass knobs for my white kitchen cabinet, and I was supposed to make her a certain apron. She picked some fabrics from my stash and chose a vintage apron I have here that she wanted hers to be shaped like.

Shortly thereafter, she found out she was pregnant, so I put the apron on the back burner and started working on a baby gift.

I finally had the chance to meet her baby and give her the gifts on Sunday, so I get to share them here too.

First up is the little stripey baby sweater (pattern here).

And then the eight million years in the making apron.

It was all lovely and ironed when I folded it and wrapped it, but since I had forgotten to take a picture of it, I had to take one after it was unwrapped and a little wrinkled.

And this flow made sense in my head: aprons, kitchen, baking, bread.

This was a doomed batch. The dough, even when fresh, did not have much oomph to it. The yeast was brand new, so I suspect the flour. I get bad bags from time to time now that I no longer can afford King Arthur brand.

Anyway, after I made a few small but nice loaves, I had a lump of dough left in the fridge for almost a week. I didn't have high hopes for it, so I mixed in some brown sugar and spices and who knows what else and topped it with the star anise just for pretty.

It came out dense and dry and generally not great. Edible, but not great.

So I chunked it up and turned it into bread pudding. That came out just fine.

Now this next thing is super exciting and has to be shared right away -- so much so that I am putting up some tiny, low-resolution Craigslist photos instead of waiting until I can take my own.

Last week, I was killing some time on Craigslist, idly looking at pianos, pellet stoves, and appliances, when I came across an old stove for only fifty dollars. The listing was a month old, so I figured it was long gone. I emailed anyway.

An afternoon of emailing led to an evening appointment to see it in person, and I was hooked.

I have to wait to pick it up until the end of the month. They're having their kitchen gutted in the beginning of May and won't start moving stuff out until the very end of April, so I must be patient.

But it is worth it! Look!

The right side oven is only an inch or two less wide than my current oven, and the one on the left is ten inches wide inside. It fits perfectly in the space where our current stove is. It is clean and rust/scratch/dent free and they use it every day with no apparent issues.

The big thing for me is a desire to go back to a coil top range. I've been using a flat top now for several years and I'm not a fan. Sure, cleaning is nice, but I don't like being limited as to what sorts of pans I can use and all that. To celebrate the new stove, I will be throwing away all the killer non-stick pans I am forced to use on occasion and getting a small set of cast iron. I have wanted this for years for so many reasons, and now I will finally get them!

I can use an enameled tea kettle again without the fear of a mishap like our last flat top range (now my basement stove). Basically a kettle boiled dry and fused itself to the glass stove top, pitting the glass on the back burner and making it unsafe to use. Unless we wanted to shatter the entire top piece. :(

I can use a pressure cooker without fearing that every little noise is the stove top creaking and groaning and getting ready to explode into a million pieces.

I can use one of those awesome two burner skillets that I have always wanted. Because, you know, they're really cool.

I can do killer self-portraits with my wanna-be vintage stove and all sorts of fun outfits.

Most of all, I can make two different things, at the same time, at two different temperatures. (Dinner and dessert anyone?) And when we need to reheat small items, I'll be saving time and energy by heating a tiny oven instead of a big one just to warm up one little thing.

Yeah.

That was a lot of rambling. I'm cutting myself off now. Good night. :)

Winner!

2011-04-08T11:20:00.002-04:00

I was so happy to read all the wonderful comments and see what spring means to all of you. Thanks so much for all of them.

Trusty old Random.org picked 9, so that means "tlb81003" is our winner!

As soon as you get a chance, email me your info (plus any favorite colors, scent aversions, or allergies you might have -- it will make sense, I swear) and I will have something special out to you by the end of next week!

A little spring-inspired drivel (and a giveaway)

2011-04-04T23:47:00.004-04:00

Every year around this time, I run outside with a camera and take the same pictures I did the year before. Sure, the plants and yards have changed over the last few years, but still...

I can't help myself. It makes me happy to poke around the new life coming up. I feel a thrill every day when another sprout peeks through the soil,

or another bud opens.

Tiny leaves will give way to bigger leaves, and spring will ultimately give way to summer.

But right now I have this season, and all the symbolism and promises that go along with it.

It's hard not to feel hopeful in the face of whatever is going on in my head when I see new green leaves and that special sunlight that signals the true end of winter.

No matter how I feel, this constant proof that yes, life really does go on no matter what provides much comfort.

I like to think that each year I get a fresh chance to find a way to change the things I am not happy with in my brain -- a mental spring cleaning I suppose.

One of my needs for improvement is the unfortunate obsession with how all of my actions and decisions are perceived by others. Do they see this the way I do? Can they understand why it moves me? It makes me happy, but is it worth sharing if it also runs the risk of boring people to tears and turning them away?

This year I decided to really be done with that. Now, I'm not talking big things. I would certainly never intentionally do something that would hurt or offend someone just to please myself. I'm just not going to fret over the innocuous anymore. Sounds so simple it probably shouldn't be an issue at all. But it is. For years I second-guessed everything I ever did because I hated feeling judged, or worse: rejected based on my interests and tastes.

You know what saved me and allowed me to make this year's "cleaning" choice? Blogging. Writing about the things I love and having people comment and share their love of the same things has helped me more than I can ever say. I feel lucky to have so many friends all over the world who love and make and grow so many things in common with one another and of course, with me. Amazing stuff, all of this. I am almost (but obviously not quite) speechless.

So once again this spring, I took all these same old, same old pictures. And you know what? It makes me happy. And I am going to let it make me happy. The more pictures I take, the more I see and the closer I get to the ground and everything growing there.

And I especially like to sift through my Flickr Gardening Set throughout the year and watch the seasons change back and forth over and over and enjoy the memories as I see each subject. The "memories" tend to be pretty abstract, as I really couldn't tell you what I did the day I took each picture, or what I was wearing or anything like that. But I remember things like the temperature, and the smell and feel of the air, and for a moment I can feel how I felt when I snapped whatever it is I captured.

Now. If you made it through all that, congrats.

~~Time to enter the giveaway! I am putting together a special surprise package with some goodies you will like, I promise.~~

Simply leave a comment and include something sappy about spring if you are so inclined, and I'll randomly select a winner on Friday the 8th -- either by name-in-hat method, or random number generator (depending on the number of entries).

Giveaway has ended and "tlb81003" was the winner! Thanks so much everybody!

And thanks for being you and liking me for who I am. :)

One of my local yarn stores

2011-03-31T12:33:00.003-04:00

Two Saturdays ago, I ran over to West Reading to finally check out Yarn Gallery.

They have all sorts of different yarns,

and notions,

and plenty of finished object samples.

I couldn't keep my hands off this stuff (photo does NOT do it justice):

The famous (or infamous, depending on which camp you're in) Noro was abundant.

And I just loved the look of this sock yarn display.

There are a few more pictures here, but I didn't get many this time. Lots of other customers that day, which is always great to see in a local business! But, ya know, not easy to take pictures around. :)

If you find yourself near West Reading, make some time to check it out. Not only can you get your yarny fix, but there are a ton of other great little shops (and food!) up and down the street.

Knitting and freezer paper stencils and banjo, oh my!

2011-03-25T21:01:00.004-04:00

Finally took a picture of the growing i-cord spiral. At this rate, I will not finish it in time to make my Easter-y centerpice bowl idea. Ah well... Next year maybe.

And this?

I started this not long after I started knitting (over two years ago) and never finished it. It was supposed to be a baby blanket, but I lost interest. Plus the cables are pretty ugly. What do I do with it? Should I frog it? Or can I make something useful out of it?

It's worsted weight organic cotton held double. Very soft. Hmmm... I got nothing. Thought about a wrap of some sort, but I'm just not feeling it I guess.

Anyway. Freezer paper stencils! Yay!

I've been reading about how amazing they are for a few years now and I have to admit: I was very skeptical.

How could something supposedly adhere so perfectly without leaving a residue? And then be able to be moved and re-ironed and used again several times?

Well, they work.

Like awesomely.

I am hooked and see many more projects in the future.

I took a cheesy self-portrait of me awkwardly holding my banjo as I picked at it with some help from my lesson book the other day. Despite looking like a non-banjo playing fool, it feels good.

I tried to learn the guitar a few times in the past, but the strings hurt my fingers and it just felt wrong in my hands. Not my banjo though. It feels nice. :)

Jenna at Cold Antler Farm is in the middle of lambing and a thousand other things, but she still managed to get the Banjo Equinox started. Upon reading the post, I realized I had accidentally ordered a beginner's bluegrass banjo book, whereas she is using the clawhammer method for the lessons. Amazon loves me right now, because I ordered the other one too.

To my utmost amusement (and my husband's) the series is called "_____ Banjo for the Complete Ignoramus" (by Wayne Erbsen), so John made sure to point out that I had the ignoramus part down. Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk.

In other news, I realized that I had fifty-one pictures of yeast breads in my Flickr photostream, and since I'm sure I will never stop taking them, they now have their very own set. Yanno, in case you ever feel like killing twenty minutes staring at pictures of bread.

And I've been doing a lot of staring out my back window, daydreaming about all the green stuff that will soon be visible out there, and all the flowery, symbolic stuff that goes along with spring.

I even started a post about all that, but I chickened out before I could publish it. I think I need to pare down the introspection a bit before I unleash it here.

Hey. Have a fantastic weekend. it's going to be chilly here, so I have no idea what we'll be doing, but I'm hoping it is productive.

A few random things

2011-03-21T22:10:00.000-04:00

I realize the post content has been a bit lack-luster lately. I have been so busy with so many things, but most of them are not good fodder for a post. Not that an air conditioner box filled with clothing destined for donation or finally washing the couch covers aren't captivating...

This weekend we made a campfire and roasted marshmallows while we watched Supermoon rise. Then we welcomed the official start of spring the next day. Pretty good weekend, I'd say.

John's mother brought me some daffodils (which I wish I had every year and never get around to ordering).

And I finally took some pictures of the recent dining room rearrangement. It was long overdue as the placement of things in there was infuriating, but I never could quite figure out a better way to do it. I guess I have the new cabinet to thank for it, because that's what spurred me into action.

Before:

After:

New cabinet in its perfect little corner:

The dishes we actually eat every meal with are now in a direct line to the kitchen. Putting dishes away is now so much easier and less time-consuming. It's the little things...

I really like that corner now. That huge platter is from Ikea. I think I paid like twelve dollars for it. It's enamelware, so it is nice and light for hanging on the wall.

New cabinet! I love old glass.

The glasses and dishes aren't arranged yet, but it still is so nice to have them in their own home, instead of crammed in the same cabinet with our dinner dishes.

That's it I guess. I'm working on a boring spring post with some not-so-great pictures of all the little plants poking their heads up and buds opening and all that -- pretty much the same pictures I take every year around this time, actually.

I'm ready for it. I just hope it stays a while instead of leaping full force into summer right away. Fingers crossed.

Tea. Miscellanea.

2011-03-17T14:10:00.008-04:00

I like tea. I'm honestly more of a coffee drinker, but tea has a very special place in my heart.

Many moons ago, I bought a loose tea blend at Borders (we didn't have a Barnes and Noble in our area at that time) and fell in love. It had black tea leaves and a whole bunch of herbs and spices and was delicious hot or cold, plain or with milk and honey. Loved it.

Like all things I love, it changed in a bad way and ultimately disappeared from the shelves.

I have recreated it to some degree of success and mentioned it before in this post, and the other day I decided to mix a big batch of it instead of making it pot by pot.

I even got to use one of Kimberly's adorable little hang-tags to label the jar.

In the vein of kitchen stuff, I grabbed this awesome little double boiler for ten bucks at the farmer's market on Saturday.

I've been looking for one for years, but they are usually so stupidly expensive. This one is in great shape and was a price I could handle.

Also found at the farmer's market was a small group of simple wooden hangers for a dollar, and an intact, printed feedsack for five.

This was super exciting, because it is the first printed one I've ever found on my own. Like, not shopping online, you know? They had some print prints too, but they were ten bucks and not awesome enough for me to spend any more money.

That one is going to be an ankle length half apron with some sort of cool fabric border. I wanted to use more of the fabric from my bedroom curtains, but I can't seem to find it. I didn't think I used it all for them, but I could be wrong. :(

Biggest farmer's market score? This baby:

It is newly built, but entirely from salvaged wood. Somebody started wiring it, so all I have to do is grab a cord kit and I can have a little light in the top.

The picture here is from when we just got it inside. It has long since been put in its home in the far corner of the dining room, but I have not gotten around to taking pictures yet. Has dishes in it and everything, I swear!

Lastly, I made myself a bouquet from some buy one get one grocery store flowers and I can't help but realize that it won't be much longer until I can cut flowers from my own back yard and do this. Spring is really coming!

Also? ~~I am still waiting patiently for one measly machine head for my banjo since I have not been able to rig the broken one sufficiently to keep my high D string in tune.~~ Also also? I am still waiting for my lesson book. *Ha! Right after I posted, the mail came and guess what got here today! Now for the book to magically appear.*

They should both be here soon, but not soon enough, as Cold Antler Farm is having a "Banjo Equinox" starting this weekend, where all sorts of us can tune in and have a virtual lesson group, using the very book I had already ordered as a guide (lucky me!).

Anyway, she said the details will be posted soon, so check it out with me. I am so nervous about getting started, but I also cannot wait to make some music!

One little dream came true

2011-03-10T08:55:00.001-05:00

On February 6th, I saw an ad on Craigslist from the 24th of January about a cheap banjo for sale.

With the way they get snapped up so quickly (and the prices they usually go for) I thought it must have sold already and was just left up by accident.

Not the case at all.

The gentleman selling it lives a little over an hour away and my car was not running reliably for a while there, so I spent an entire month corresponding with the seller via email, trying to arrange meetups and all that.

At some point, he offered to just hold it for me until we could make things work, because it was obvious that I really wanted this thing.

Finally, last Sunday was perfect for both of us, so I drove down and bought myself a banjo.

It was in need of a thorough cleaning, some refinishing, and some repairs, so of course I loved it even more. You may or may not know how I am about projects. ;)

Here's the head after a gentle cleaning. Stickers and residue gone, but some areas were too tough to get without risking damage.

And the owner opened for and had it signed by David Bromberg back in the early 80s, so I had to avoid that area entirely.

Parts of it were really dirty...

So here are some before and after shots, with a few in-progress shots for good measure.

First up was stripping off that black paint, refinishing the wood, and shining up the metal the best I could.

Next up was the broken neck which had already been properly repaired several times and was now in need of a good rigging. I am always the woman for those kinds of jobs. :)

A little wood glue (and a lot of clamps),

And a few screws, nuts and bolts, and some wood putty and we were back in business!

Before anybody cringes in horror about me filling in the access to the tension rod -- it was already glued over so heavily from previous repairs that I couldn't even budge the nut, and since I'll probably be replacing the neck in a few years anyway (even I am not cocky enough to think my repair will hold up forever) I went ahead and filled it in.

Anyway, I cleaned things up the best I could on the rest of the neck, and stripped the heavily glazed, 1960s Brown wood on the back of the neck, but the wood under it was just stained too deeply to brighten much.

So I mixed up some more of that vintage-y turquoise I used on my little cabinet and I LOVE what I ended up with!

The finished back view:

The wee pillow inside was made while I waited for various paints and glazes to dry.

The previous owner had kept a kitchen towel jammed in the back to dampen the noise, but I wanted something a little snazzier.

Once I had decided on the neck color, I instantly thought of this feedsack fabric I had picked up a while back and I just love it! And it really does cut down on the noise nicely.

Here's the front:

The night before I went to pick it up, the seller sent me this brief history and I just had to share.

"The banjo, probably made in the early 1960s in Korea, was bought by a 14 year old kid in 1977, who locked himself in his bedroom for two weeks straight with it. He came out picking 22 notes per second in the three-finger Scruggs style.

In 1978 or 1979, banjo hiked through Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, was offered summer employment in Yellowstone Nat'l Park bar, but owner was still a teenager, and folks didn't go for that.

Banjo hitch-hiked across country a few years later, arriving in Yellowstone yet again. Owner landed summer employment on the grand piano in Mammoth Hot Springs dining room, but banjo did appear from time to time.

Banjo abandoned [stored] in basement of house just outside Yellowstone, in Montana, retrieved seven years later and was still in tune!

It gets murky, but somewhere the neck broke yet again, this time in a crippling manner. I was playing in a bunch of different groups.

The body and broken neck seemed to tag along with me as I moved from apartment to apartment, finally to my house here..."

One of the things I love most about older, used objects is the fact that each and every one of them has a history. While I do a lot of daydreaming about what an individual object's past might be, I don't usually get to hear what it is for real. Knowing about all its travels makes me love my banjo even more.

Now the big let down at the end of the post: I don't know how to play. I'm really, really hoping I can learn.

Playing the banjo has been a dream of mine for so many years now and I cannot believe I finally found one of my very own.

Yarn, projects, and presents

2011-03-04T21:24:00.000-05:00

I recently treated myself to some exquisitely hand-dyed yarn from my friend Hamstergal's shop.

The names are the best. The red, orange and yellow one is called, "Scrambled Eggs and Ketchup" and the next one is called, "Hulk Smash!"

And that gorgeous alpaca yarn from my friend Jennigma? I came up with my own pattern (my first real pattern!!!) and started knitting it up. I love this stuff!!!

It is a wrap and it doesn't look like much all bunched up, but stretched out it is looking quite nice. And I imagine a good blocking will really do the trick.

Random cool stuff from my Dad Edition # 459:

Hand drills!

The big one has a screw top handle.

And storage space for bits inside!

Okay, the best thing about the past few days is that I may finally be getting some project mojo back and I did something I have been thinking about trying for about two months now.

Our house has hardwood floors, and the living room and dining room connect seamlessly. At one point in the past, this was all carpeted, but it was pulled up before we bought the place.

The thing is, they didn't refinish when they did it, so there are a lot of carpeting stains and other marks (paint can rings for one) and I just don't have the energy or money for a good refinishing right now.

I will do it in the next few years, but right now, spot cleaning is all I've been able to manage.

Long story short (too late), I have been day-dreaming about a transition from the living room floor to the dining room and I decided to just go for it yesterday.

I masked off a checkerboard design in the doorway and lightly stained some of the squares the same color as our dining room table and the living room end tables.

I let it dry a while and lightly waxed it so it would hopefully blend in a little with the extremely dirty floor around it.

I failed. ;)

I LOVE how it turned out, but now I really, really can't wait to clean the rest of the floor...

Other project was finally painting an "old" jewelry cabinet I had sitting in storage for years now.

A friend did a college art project about eleven years ago and used this cabinet that she bought at some craft store or something. She never liked it, so after the grading was done, she gave it to her packrat friend. uh yeah. That would be me.

I never knew what to do with it, but I kept it all this time and finally thought of a use. I am making a charging station for all our batteries and cell phones and whatnot.

I mixed up an awesome vintage turquoise color and went to town.

Next up is some cubby holes on the inside for easy storage of chargers and then there will be one more tiny thing finally organized around here!

Last thing is an awesome surprise from my friend Tiggy, creator of all things wonderful at Future Primitive.

There are bath salts,

and sugar scrub,

and three bars of her amazing soap!

I can't wait to try everything out! In fact, I have a date with a hot shower later and some of that amazing scrub. My disgusting winter skin thanks you Tiggy!

That's all for now. I'm feeling a sewing phase coming on again soon, so hopefully there will be something to show for it.

Everything. Really.

2011-02-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

This one of those everything posts where I try to catch up on a million things as fast as I can. Ready? GO!

First off, my group of Ravelry friends designated the month of February for Finishing, so I have been trying really hard to make more progress on the projects I already have on the needles.

Noah's sweater is almost done.

This...

Actually got finished!

Next up is a present from my dad, who is always finding cool old things.

He brought me this great old paper cutter the last time my parents came to visit.

Tons of cool details and still very sharp!

And it still has some of its original info on the bottom.

Still on the subject of gifts...

Beer soap. Wonderful, wonderful beer soap. Some friends came into a large amount of the stuff and wanted to give some away. I said I was interested and was told I'd get "some" soap.

"Some" soap turned out to be a 2 lb log! I am loving this stuff and should probably share some, but I don't know... I do so love having all those little round bars to myself. ;)

And speaking of round things? (Yeah, that was bad. I know.)

Holy crap! It's the moon!

I do realize it is not a clear, crisp picture, but still. I have always wanted the capability to take a picture of the moon where you could actually see the surface details and by golly, I am getting closer!

The excuse-making part of me wants you to know the following: I don't fully know my way around my new camera yet, it was very windy and cold and between the tripod shaking and me shivering, I could not get a perfect shot. But next full moon I will be out there again. Well, as long as it's a little milder outside...

Oh! Did I say "new camera?" The short story is that I got a new camera last Saturday (an Olympus E-420) to replace my dying Fuji. I saw some groups on Flickr for people who use manual lenses from other Olympus systems on their 4/3 system cameras (which is what my new one is) and I thought, hey! I have an OM10 that my parents bought at a yard sale that came with a few lenses!

I can use those! So I ordered a cheap adapter and oh my gosh!!! They work. I have a lot of practicing to do, but I am feeling really excited about all this. Might finally take my "photography" to the next level. Much more on that some other time when I am feeling long-winded.

But not now.

Abrupt topic change (and a plug for an awesome website I have the honor of blogging for), I recently reviewed a DIY organic chocolate kit over at Grow Indie.

The actual review post is here if you want to check it out. These chocolates were so easy to make and really tasty!

And last, but certainly not least is a swap I just did with my new blogging buddy bambinosteps.

It all started with her awesome post on roasting your own coffee beans -- something which never would have occurred to me to try in a million years.

I mean look at those things!!! And they smell as good as you think they do. Anyway, I had left a comment about swapping if she was ever interested and she said yes!

And in true blogging-community swap fashion, she threw some extras in, like her personal blend of Italian seasonings:

And some of her adorable, hand stamped gift tags!

Thank you Kimberly!!! I had so much fun and hope you love what I sent as much as I love everything you gave to me. :)

Amber's Ambry

A new long-term knitting project

Soap swap!

Finally, a baby quilt for Noah

Apple Butter

Happy Anniversary!

And the verdict is...

Catching Up!

The "new" loom has been used (finally)

Random things, and some Sweet Pine Soaps

Fade into Christmas

That time of year

Pumpkin oatmeal

A Great Idea - Updated!

Fall Shearing at Juniper Moon Farm

October

Soooo, guess what?

Everything

Five years old

Yarny Things

Winding Down

Checking in...

Gardening, projects, and a dash of rambling

A little more soap? And more than you ever needed to know about me.

Holy cow, soap!!! *edited*

This and That

Mittens! Mittens!

Projects!

My Neighbor's Yard

More garden??? The heck you say!

Catching Up

The giant sunflower saga comes to an end

A Weaving Post

Plants and Sky

Winners!

Old Plants, New Plants and Banjo

Three part giveaway -- Day Three!

Three part giveaway -- Day Two!

Three part giveaway -- Day One!

The big 3 - 0 - 0

Some garden and some sunset

In progress, everything, always

Befores and Afters

Steady as she goes. I guess.

Three years old

Still growing

Swapping! and a few things around the house

All Sorts of New Stuff

Just for fun...

I Guess It's Summer Now...

Attack of the FrankenApronSkirts!

Down In The Willow Gardens...

Oh spring

Big Plans

Okay, really? An entire post about an old stove?

{ Untitled }

Banjo song number two

On Dyeing (edited)

The usual fare

Chalkboard!

A Tiny Little Banjo Post

This and That

Winner!

A little spring-inspired drivel (and a giveaway)

One of my local yarn stores

Knitting and freezer paper stencils and banjo, oh my!

A few random things

Tea. Miscellanea.

One little dream came true

Yarn, projects, and presents

Everything. Really.

Holy cow, soap!!! edited