I wanted a red hair accessory, but couldn’t find one in the color or design I needed (a vibrant red that took up a pretty good amount of headspace).

Doing some research I came across a very cool tutorial for a Mother’s Day Brooch that fit perfectly for what I needed. But rather than make a brooch, I converted the back to hold a bobbypin so that I could pin it in my hair.

Here is the result. Not too shabby. The technique wasn’t difficult and the color possibilities are endless. I think I will be making more of these in future. Perhaps, I’ll make that brooch after all.

until next time … speak softly and keep a stash of felt.

Estate sales and the finding of simple treasures

Over the summer I went to my first estate sale. It was interesting to say the least as I believe the previous owner was an artist, a kindred spirit. This was evident by all of the art supplies, gorgeous paintings, sculptures and the like up for sale. For me it’s strange to go to such things. Roaming around and sifting through someone else’s history … makes me sad yet happy that I can give some of the items new and appreciative homes.

Liquor Decanter labels

One such item—or items—I found were these lovely decanter labels, or tags, as they are also called. One label reads “BOURBON” and the other “SCOTCH”. They were made in England and are silver-plated.

Decanter labels date back as far as the 1700s and were used to decorate and label high quality liquors, usually wine. Some are highly sought-after collectibles, works of art, or used to display family names in sterling silver, gold or silver-gilt. Some of the more fragile and priceless pieces were made of handpainted enamel.

Bracelet to necklace

I wore them as bracelets at first, but the chain is small and I didn’t want to run the risk of breaking it. Instead, I had a few old necklaces with chains that matched the patina on the labels, so added them to create two necklaces.

I really like the way they turned out. My favorite is the bourbon label, simply because I love the shape of the letters. I think I will add added the scotch necklace to my Etsy shop, so be on the lookout >_<

What do you think?

A simple solution which resulted in quite a fashionable piece.

Until next time … Speak softly and carry a pair of needle-nose pliers.

Trying out a shabby chic style

This DIY time around, I worked on an old Ikea shelf that I’ve had for a few years. The original color was a golden faux wood. I decided to brighten it up a bit and added some stenciling to match my work room walls. It will go in the closet to hold supplies.

It turned out pretty well

Until next time … Speak softly and carry a big can of paint.

Sometimes it’s good to play with your food

I’ve been in the mood for lasagna of late—even though I’ve never made any before. But I decided that this time is as good as any, so played with a few ingredients and came up with this vegetarian recipe for you.

Vegetable rigatoni lasagna

Serves 2-4

2 cups rigatoni pasta
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can pasta sauce
2 medium or large fresh tomatoes
Broccoli
Cabbage (1/2 ahead if your grocer has available)
1 package of Shredded cheese
Green onions
Basil
Cottage cheese
Baking pan with lid or Metal Bowl with aluminum foil
Mixing bowl

1. Boil pasta according to manufacturers directions.
2. Thinly slice fresh tomato.
3. Chop broccoli, cabbage (into strips), green onion and basil.
4. Add stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce in mixing bowl.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F.
6. In baking pan, layer ingredients accordingly (2 times):
   • Sliced tomato
   • Shredded cheese
   • Pasta sauce mix
   • Noodles
   • Cottage cheese
   • Broccoli, cabbage, green onions
   • Sliced tomato
   • Shredded cheese
7. Top last cheese layer with sliced tomato and chopped basil.
8. Cover pan with lid or aluminum foil.
9. Place in oven for 30-45 minutes.

Enjoy

Until next time … Speak softly and carry a big baking pan.

All grown up

It’s been a while since I posted pics of my backyard dinosaurs, Ethan and Gracie, my sebastopol geese. And since my most popular post is Building a pallet geese house, I figured it was time for an update. They’ve grown quite a bit over the last year.

Gracie is the shy one now, whereas Ethan is more social, and fancies himself my protector. Overall, both have grown into beautiful adults who fiend for fresh dandelion leaves.

Toddler Gracie.

Teenaged Ethan.

Adult Gracie.

Adult Ethan sleeping in the shade of the oak tree.

Until next time … Speak softly and carry geese-delicious dandelion leaves.

Bleach is some strong stuff—even for its own container!

The washing powder box was soaked.

We suspected that one of the cats had gone haywire with a potty spree, but luckily that wasn’t the case! On closer inspection and a few suddenly white items that were once full of color, we realized the bleach bottle sitting atop the dryer had sprung a leak. It had eaten away the lining of its own plastic container.

Alternative storage needed stat!

Using some old blue glass (my favorite kind of glass) Mason jars given to me by my father-in-law, we were able to salvage the remains in a way that turned out pretty decorative. The jar in the far back even has a glass top, which I’m not used to Mason jars having.

Overall, if I could hang these jars, I certainly would. In person, they are so mesmerizing. They’d make an awesome chandelier. Hmm … future project, maybe … ? But minus the bleach, of course >_<

Another one for the “XXX Ways to Use Mason Jars” list

Until next time … Speak softly and carry extra Mason jars.

Thankful for little gifts

This little gem was a gift that I was eager to get my hands on even though it reminded me of a happy spider (Is it the angle of the shot?). A nice solid wood Queen Ann side table with a small drawer. The structure was sound, only the legs were a little wobbly—nothing a good wrench couldn’t fix.

Getting down to sanding business

Taking the legs off, the bracings and screws were a little rusty (which I later used my dremel to polish). I wiped them off then got down to sanding.

The legs were the easiest by far. The subtle curves of the table top proved a little difficult for my sander, so I hand-sanded the more detailed areas.

In my painting prime(er)

Two thin coats of white primer later and I was ready for painting. Bright teal and white were on the menu. Nice soothing colors but still cheerful.

I added a stenciled bird, flowers, vines in varying opacities, a semi-gloss finish and—wah-lah! It turned out pretty well

I imagine this table would work well in a little girl’s room.

What do you think?

Until next time … Speak softly and carry a big orbital sander.

Need a quick meal in less than 20 minutes?

Experimenting over the weekend, I whipped up a nice vegetarian dish that works as a meal or side.

I dubbed it Tomacogar. Why? It was an attempt at word-smooshing tomato, corn and garlic grass. Yeah … Yeah, I know—but it does call to mind exotic places

Tomacogar pasta salad

Ingredients:
1 can sweet corn
1 diced medium/large tomato
1/2 cup chopped garlic grass (or basil)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon apple vinegar
2 tablespoons mayo
2 cups of whole wheat penne or bow tie pasta
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Mixing bowl

Serves 2-4

1. Set noodles to boil according to manufacturer’s direction.
2. Mix mayo, olive oil, apple vinegar and salt and pepper in mixing bowl. Blend until smooth.
3. Add cooked pasta, tomato, garlic grass and corn to dressing in mixing bowl.
4. Set in refrigerator for 30 minutes then serve.

Do you have a favorite 20-minute dish?

Until next time … Speak softly and carry a big mixer.

Remembering September 11, 2001

Keeping you warm

The dog days of summer are on the way out with Fall just around the corner.

Although my house is home to a few voracious vegetarians, we still like to keep our merry meat-eaters happy too.

So here’s one of my easy and tasty dishes that will help keep you and your loved ones warm this Fall—feel free to add your own favorite ingredients!

Beef, tomato and chickpea stew

Serves 2

1 can chickpeas; rinsed and drained
1 can tomato and sweet onions
1 package of cubed beef
2 cups water
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 teaspoon pepper
2 quart saucepan (or slow cooker)

* If using a slow cooker, be sure to allow enough time for stew to simmer.

1. Add meat, chickpeas, tomatoes, water, soy sauce and pepper to saucepan or slow cooker.
2. Stove: Set stove to medium heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.
   Slow cooker: Set slow cooker to 4 hours.
3. Let cool and serve.
4. Enjoy!

Speak softly and carry a big mixer,