{scissor variations}

mellow yellow

 

this once a year modeling gig is hard work

 

36 months

 

favorite summer pasta

 (within 10 seconds of this photo being taken there were many, many missing tomatoes...you cannot stop eating them)

one of my favorite summer pasta dishes is the Summer Garden Pasta from the Barefoot Contessa.  

 

the leftovers served at room temperature are tasty too. sometimes i don't like to eat a warm dish cold. but this one is an exception for me.

 

the pasta comes together in minutes BUT you need to remember to marinate the tomatoes for 4 hours at room temperature beforehand--the garlicky-basil mixture is to die for!

 

 

 

poolside snacks + summer haircuts

 

We have a few small pepper plants on our deck. They had been producing quite nicely with the peppers almost ready to pick. Last week I noticed the peppers were gone-except for 2. I could also see some teeth marks on one of them. I figured something must have come into the yard in the evening and made off with them.

 

Piper loves red peppers and we do give her pepper pieces for a reward from time to time. I guess the pepper plant smell was a bit too alluring for her. I got to witness her trying to get at the last pepper on the plant--she definitely has a picking 'technique'-which explains the teeth marks I was seeing. (the second to last pepper she graciously bounced at my feet a few days ago officially solving the pepper picker mystery).

 

We'll have to plant a pepper tree just for her next year and fence off the others. My mother in law taught Piper how to snap off asparagus at the farm so she could have a snack whenever she pleased...so there is a bit of history to this vegetable picking.

 

(just pretend there is a photo here*)

 

Yesterday I had a much needed haircut + decided to go a bit shorter by 2 inches so that I could donate a 10-inch ponytail to an organization that makes wigs for cancer patients.

This is my 3rd time donating and it is easy to do--here are some links if you are getting your back-to-school haircut and might like to do the same:

 

Wigs for Kids (US)

Pantene (US)

(The American Cancer Society recommends the above 2 links and redirects you there from their FAQ page)

Canadian Cancer Society (hair donations/guidelines--with several links for donations)

Pantene (Canada)

 

*I took a photo but thought it had a bit of a gross-out factor considering the pony tail was no longer attached to my head.

what i'm buying at the thrift store now

velvets!

 

don't just scour the fabric shelves---the cool retro green velvet in the above photo (3rd from the bottom) is the ugliest curtain panel, but i could see the potential for future craft projects so i got all 4 panels.

 

grey grey grey-i love using grey for the holidays with another solid color

 

 whenever i spot velvet and/or suiting
yardage and remnants at the thrift store i know better than to leave them
sitting on the store shelf.

 

thrift stores offer great pricing, often have 50% off sales or scale sales ( a set price per pound for fabric/clothing/linens) --so take advantage when you are scouring for fabrics.

 

and don't forget to look for upholstery shop sample books too.
often the books will make their way to the thrift shops when the "decor seasons" change. my local shop charges 10 cents a swatch. i look for velvet, wool and linen swatches (+ anything green!). there is often enough in a swatch for a smaller project--- you can make a small change pouch or a sachet or a few fabric tags with a swatch piece.

 

 

if you have taken the time to stockpile these richly textured fabrics in the summer, you will have a head start to your holiday crafting.

 

DIY: ombre string 3 ways

 

1

this method produces subtle color variations reminiscent of tie dye

 

 

• you will need some dye (i used a powdered Dylon dye left over from a previous project)
• cotton kitchen string (2 balls for $1 @ the bargain shop)--not the skinny one, you want to be able to see your color gradations + they show up better on thicker string
• bamboo skewers (or a pencil or piece of dowel)-long enough to rest on top of your bowl
• glass bowl, aluminum pie plate/dish or an old yogurt or sour cream container

 

1. add cold water to the dye (or warm water according to directions on pkg) leaving about 1/4" - 1/2" from top of bowl
2. insert bamboo skewers through string ball + suspend over bowl, so that 1/2 of the ball of string is submerged
3. submerge for 10 minutes
4. rotate string ball to the other side + submerge for 50 minutes
5. unravel + hang to dry
6. once dry, you can submerge again for 10 minutes if you want to dye any white sections of the string.
7. experiment with "dipping" times for desired color hues. typically for ombre the first dip should be for the least amount of time, then keep dipping for longer periods to develop the color gradations that are typical of 'ombre'.

 

 

• let dry completely + rewind into a ball or onto a spool, card or bobbin

 

 

when i was unwinding the "dipped" string to allow it to dry i could see how saturated the color was and when it started to fade that is where i cut the length off.

 

then i dipped the string ball in the dye bowl a second time

this time i let it sit for 50 minutes almost entirely submerged except for a small section. then i dipped that section for 10 minutes.

 

2

 

this method is not a true ombre, but will give you a small ball of string with a distinct color variation on both ends.

 

unravel your string in a bunch

submerge half in your dye bowl for 10 minutes

 

remove + squeeze out excess dye under running water.

then submerge the other half for 15-20 minutes.

remove from dye bowl-do NOT squeeze out the excess.

let drip dry overnight ( i left it outside to dry on a metal fence)

 

3

dye color makes all the difference--choosing lighter colors such as orange + pink will produce a lovely ombre effect in this quick dip method.

 

 

unravel string into a long coil

 

with a small piece of string, tie off in the center, so you have 2 loops.

 

using the tied off center as your guide-dip one half of the string loop into your dye bowl for 10 minutes.

remove + squeeze out excess dye under running water.

then submerge the other half for 15-20 minutes.

remove from dye bowl-do NOT squeeze out the excess.

let drip dry overnight ( i left it outside to dry on a metal fence)

 

 left bundle is half way through method 3; the right side is the two halves dipped in method 2.

 

experiment with dipping times + colors.

no matter the outcome you will have some lovely, solid color string for craft projects such as pom poms, tag ties and gift wrapping.

mrs beetons cookery

 

i have wanted an early edition of Mrs. Beeton's for quite some time.

 

 

and like everyone else who wants a Mrs. Beeton's you want it for the color plates.

 

(my favorite page, after the color plates, of course)

 

an early edition (pre-1905) of Mrs. Beeton's often sells for between $75.00 and $125.00 on ebay. so, while i wanted a copy, i decided to just admire it from my computer screen.

 

it was my lucky day at the thrift store a while back:

i got my Mrs. Beeton's

 a 1901 edition.

for $1

the color plates are beautiful-especially the cake + pastry ones. but the cheese "plate" may be my favorite.

+ i love that you can find boiled tongue on the same page as treacle candy.

you know. for quick reference.

no.59 interlude

weekend favorite

 

 

 

i made lemon curd using the Barefoot Contessa's recipe + paired it with Anna Olson's lemon ripple ice cream recipe-delicious.

i recently found an ice cream maker identical to the one i have, at the thrift store for $10-i wanted a 2nd ice cream bowl so that i would always have another bowl in the freezer waiting if i was using the original one. 

great savings that will equal more homemade ice cream experimentation.

 

human kindness, thankful for

 

i am not one to get too personal here.

 

i like to share craft projects + let you see a glimpse into my interests in vintage collecting. or tell you about a recipe you might enjoy. i love taking the photos i post here and i am always happy to "see" you stop by. i like things to be positive + light.

 

but, today is different. 

 

 

 

 

one of my younger sisters lost her home to a fire this week.

 

 

we are so thankful that she and her family had left for the day a few hours earlier and that everyone including my young nephew are safe. living in a small community has its many challenges, 4 rural fire departments fought the fire, however the home was not able to be saved. the firefighters had some difficulty coaxing out their beloved family dog, but thankfully he made it out, unharmed.

 

my sister works in health care. she is not used to asking for help. she is used to providing it. on the morning of the fire as she was driving frantically back to her house she was met at the driveway by a neighbor who had been waiting for her arrival. although the area was teeming with people and fire trucks he did not want her to go onto her property alone. he said to her, "i'm going to take care of you, just like you took care of me in the hospital."

 

the amount of support that her tiny community has extended has been incredible--from gathering clothes and school supplies for her son, to acting as 'security guard' watch overnight on their property.

 

my sister volunteers a lot of her time for public events, festivals and concerts when nurses are needed. she has been a volunteer firefighter. she has a compassion for her patients that is often commented upon. i often tease her that thank goodness i am 9 years older than her, so she can look after me when i get to the geriatric stage. she says i should be careful what i wish for.

 

i speak with everyone several times a day, lots of tears have been shed. sometimes unbearable silences. but we know someone is on the end of the line.

 

as you may imagine we are all still processing this week's events and know there is a very long road ahead. school is about to start in a few weeks, accomodations need to be found, a soon- to- be 9 year old has a birthday to celebrate.

 

we are doing what we can as a family but i am so thankful for the community support and the kindnesses that have been extended to her and her family.

 

it is very difficult to live far away when tragic life events occur to those we love and in light of some things that have made the news lately there are some smaller positive feats of human kindness that often go unnoticed but certainly deserve a headline or two.