Deal on Leaf Hair Clips // Brickyard Buffalo

Boy, has this space been quiet the last month. Life has been crazy busy, but I'm hoping to get back into a somewhat regular blogging schedule again soon!

Just wanted to pop by and let ya'll know that I'm running a deal with Brickyard Buffalo this weekend! If you still need some leaf hair accessories to get you in the mood for Fall now is the time to snag some! I love these clips: they are my go-to when my bangs are bugging me. Layered leaf hair clips are on sale for $7.50- that's a huge savings of 37.5%! You'll never see them for this price again! Find them here.

Brand New Leaves Just in Time for Fall.

The leaves are starting to change color, just around the edges. I'm not going to lie, Autumn is my favorite time of year! 

A couple of nights ago as I was falling asleep, I had a vision of a lovely leaf dancing in my head. It was a fleeting moment, and dissolved into my unconscious on my way to sleepy land. 

Often those design ideas are lost forever, but the following afternoon something jogged it into my memory. And wouldn't you know, I had the pattern drawn to scale in one shot! I love it when a plan comes together.

These felt cookie-cutter leaves are framed in a pop of color, and the veins are double stitched (in two different colors) to add interest. They are really unique and so much fun! 

Now available in the shop: pumpkin and golden moss.  

Sugared and Spiced Walnut Recipe.

These walnuts are a perfect snack when you need something sweet! And because of the protein in the walnuts, you certainly make better use of your calories than you would eating cake. This recipe is very simple and very quick! Keep walnuts in the pantry for when you have unexpected guests pop in, especially during the holiday season, so you can whip up these sugary treats lickety split.

(This recipe has been adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.)

Sugared + Spiced Walnuts.

INGREDIENTS.

1 pound of shelled walnuts

1 egg white
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt


Heat oven to 325. Grease the bottom of a 15x10x1 baking pan; set aside. Be sure to grease it well to discourage the sugar from sticking as the walnuts bake.

In a large bowl whisk the egg white and 1 tsp of water together. Add the walnuts and toss to coat.

In a small bowl stir the sugar, spices, and salt together. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the walnuts and mix to coat.

Spread the walnuts in the prepared baking pan and bake in a 325 oven for 20 minutes.

When the walnuts come out of the oven, spread them on wax paper to cool. They only take a couple of minutes to cool enough to eat them! Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Keep this recipe in mind at Christmas for those to whom you give baked goods; it's a nice change of pace from cookies. These walnuts also make a nice hostess gift when packaged in a pretty container!

Butternut Squash + Bartlett Pear Soup Recipe.

I love comfort food. When the days cool down and the nights are crisp, there's just something about a mug of hot soup. Following is my original recipe for Butternut Squash and Bartlett Pear Soup.

INGREDIENTS. 

large butternut squash (mine was about 6 pounds)
1-2 bartlett pears
2 onions
clove of garlic
1/2 cup of milk or cream (plus extra for pureeing squash)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbs. parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Wash and cut the squash into quarters. Remove the seeds. Place on a baking sheet or bar pan skin side up and bake for 30 minutes. Flip squash, cover with foil, and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool until it is cool enough to be handled.

Meanwhile, wash and peel the pear(s) and the onions, and then chop. Mince the garlic. In a large soup pot, saute the pear, onion, and garlic in 1 Tbs. of butter until soft. Turn off the heat. Remove from pot and place in a blender. Blend until pureed. (It may need more fluid to be able to blend smoothly; if so add a bit of milk.) Return to pot.

When the squash is cool enough to be handled, cut away the skin. Chop the squash and put it in the blender to be pureed. Due to the size of the squash it will likely need to be pureed in batches and not all at once. Add a little bit of milk as needed to the blender to help it process the squash.

Add the pureed squash to the pot with the pear and onion. Also add the stock, milk, seasoning, and cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.  

Cook over medium heat until warmed through and the flavors meld. Serve hot! I'm not sure, but my best guess is that this recipe should serve 6-8.

This soup pairs well with crusty bread and apple cider. Happy Autumn!

Crafting with the Kids :: Paper Leaf Garland Tutorial.

The leaves are just starting to turn colors here, and when outside there are a few leaves here and there that can be picked up. So exciting! As our arts + crafts project last week for our home school, the kids and I made a fun paper leaf garland. This exercise is also a great way for young children to learn about and identify the different trees that all of the leaves come from.

SUPPLIES.   variety of fallen leaves        
                     card stock
            pencil
            scissors
            cotton twine or yarn
            ruler
            sewing needle
            plastic yarn needle (not pictured)
            colored pencils

Start by tracing the shape of your leaves onto card stock. Trace as many as you like! Cut them out. If your child is old enough, you can have them help you.

Let the kiddos color them! I added quick vein lines with the pencil.

Score each leaf along the center using a ruler. This adds just a bit of dimension to the leaf as opposed to leaving it flat.

Using the needle, poke holes about one inch apart down the center of the leaf.

Thread the yarn needle with the twine or yarn and "sew" the leaves together using the pre-punched holes. (My kids had a blast doing this part! Even the two-year-old baby got in on it.)

Find a fun place to hang your new creation!

The Daily Galette.

polenta with sauteed mushrooms and onions. 

Well, it's Friday again! It is promising to be absolutely lovely here in Pennsylvania this weekend. We'll be having some of those wonderful Autumn days where the sun is hot, but there is a slight nip in the breeze and the sun reflects off of the leaves as they begin to turn orange, yellow, and red. 


I wanted to take a minute to introduce you to my sister, Bethany's, brand new food blog, The Daily Galette! She loves to cook (and grocery shop), and if her dog stays out of mischief long enough, she seems to find plenty of time to have fun in the kitchen. So stop by and take a peek. That photo up above is from her last post, and it makes my mouth water every time I see those perfectly  browned mushrooms.


Also, as per the random number generator, the winner of the flower hair clip is Jeanine of The Crafting Fiend! Thanks to everyone who stopped by.


Have a happy weekend!

Sweet Paul Magazine :: Fall 2011

Just in case you haven't heard yet, the Fall issue of Sweet Paul Magazine is now available for viewing online! As always, it is full of pictures and recipes that make your mouth get all watery. Definitely a drool alert! Perhaps for the first look-through you should be sure to find a quiet corner where no one will see you staring with your mouth open. My favorites are John's Pretzel recipe and the Maple Syrup Baked Pears. Both of these recipes are super simple, and that's important around here! There's plenty of other goodness too; more recipes, stories, and tutorials, so be sure to check it out!

Etsy Favorite Things :: 9.13.11

kallisto bag. 

Today's finds are all about Autumnal colors. I'm so excited for fall! I love the crisp feeling in the air, being able to wear my cardigans again, and the fact that it's cool enough to bake cookies with the kiddos! The holiday season especially, is what I look forward to. We are big lovers of the old Christmas songs and classic Christmas movies; so much so that come August we start to watch and listen again on cooler overcast days.

autumn fern print.

natural linen pumpkin.

ty wallet.

vintage white standing letters.

DIY :: Fabric Wrapped Candle Tutorial

Hello, lovelies! Now that there's a bit of a chill in the air in early morning and late evening, it's the perfect time to start burning candles again. We're (still) in the middle of painting and doing some redecorating, and when I put my Yankee candle on the newly hung kitchen shelf it just felt wrong. It needed some sprucing up! So here's what I did:

SUPPLIES: jar candle 

          fabric 

          pinking shears

          twine

          glue gun

          cutting mat, rotary cutter, ruler - optional

1. Start by cutting the fabric into two strips of different widths that are long enough to cover the jar candle and overlap about an inch on the end.

2. Lay your larger piece of fabric wrong side up, place the candle in the middle, and wrap the fabric around, gluing it in place. Continue to roll the rest of the fabric around the jar and glue the loose end in place.

3. Repeat with the smaller fabric piece.

4. Wrap several lengths of twine around the center of the candle and finish with a bow.

Ta-da! Your candle is now pretty enough to blend seamlessly into your cozy space.

NOTE: the next time I have a candle to wrap, I plan to cut the bottom piece of fabric a wee bit shorter and not have it quite up to the neck of the jar.

Jump In!

Just in time for fall, I've updated the look of my leaf clips (now bigger and better), and revamped the color combinations a bit! Be sure to stop by the shop and have fun customizing your very own leaf pile.

Maple Leaf.

I've wanted to design some Maple leaf themed accessories for quite some time now. I'm terrible at drawing, so if a design seems tedious to me I tend to put it off indefinitely. But earlier in the week, what with all of the fiery foliage around me, I felt a pressing and urgent need to have a maple leaf for my hair.

I really am pleased with the way the template turned out. 

{Brown Sugar Maple Leaf}

When choosing color combinations, I draw inspiration from the stunning displays around me and try to capture that breath-taking appreciation one feels while in the middle of Autumn.

 
{Fiery Maple Leaf Headband}

I hope you love them as much as I do. Make sure to take some time to enjoy God's beautiful creation before all of the vivid fall colors give way to gray winter! 

Take a Trip to the Orchard.

I've been longing to go apple picking. I haven't done it in forever, but I think it would be a blast with the kiddos! Until then, I invite you to come along on a virtual trip to the orchard.

Comfort me with apples - Fine art photograph

Organic Red Delicious Apple Earrings

Country Girl Dress

Red apple necklace in silver and concrete

Great Vintage Orchard Baskets

Apple Jacket - Hand Knit Natural

apple pie for delivery

For more orchard inspired finds, take a peek at my Apple Pickin' Time treasury on Etsy.

Things I Love Today - 9.21.2010

Left: Autumn Love by nineteenSixFour

Right: Woodland floor...Freehand Machine Embriodery by ThreeRedApples