A Lovely Life

It's a beautiful time of year here in central Texas, at least for the main part. Already we're having some record-breaking temps, but it's cool enough in the mornings to work in the garden. This morning, my Maxie cat and I were doing just that. I took a break and while we wandered the back yard I thought about what a lovely life we have here. So I wanted to show if off.

This was taken earlier this month. Isn't it gorgeous? This is my cross vine. It's several years old and only blooms in the spring, but it's magnificent when it does. The trellis is at the back of what was our original lot. We've since bought the one behind us and expanded so it's now pretty much in the middle

This is one of my favorite parts of the back yard. It's a big old post oak tree. I didn't want any competition for the roots so I planted only a couple of things in the ground. Half of the tree, though, belongs to the next lot, which is undeveloped, and weeds and such grow on that side. Poor tree!

A closer look at my caladiums. They're only just sprouting but they'll look gorgeous soon. (I have them in all four of those bigger pots.)

My herb garden and the hub's itty bitty pond. (He has it covered to keep the raccoons from making off with the fish.) Some herbs I plant in the ground, some I confine in pots. The catnip, the plant that's closest to the sprinkler in the middle, is in a pot in the ground. That makes it easy for Max to roll in it.

I love the bucolic feel of this area.The line of rocks behind the copse of trees is the back edge to the part of our property we maintain. The rest we've let go to pasture.

This is my studio. I've shown it before but I think it's a darling little building, and I love spending time out there. The building you can see behind is the hub's work shop.

 

For the past couple of years we've grown honeysuckle on this trellis. For several years it was morning glory, which I dearly love, but there's an insect around here, can't remember the name, that dearly loves the morning glory. Someone told me to use insecticide soap on it, but as hot as it can get in this part of the yard, I feared it would burn the plant. So I switched. Doesn't the honeysuckle look lovely?

Hope you enjoyed the tour of my backyard. Isn't it a lovely, lovely life?

Heirloom Jewelry

I'm a great lover of, though not a great wearer of, antique/vintage jewelry. Some things I've collected are in my Etsy stores, but others I won't part with. Some of those I thought I'd share with you today.

This Victorian brooch/pendant I found in an antique store in Richardson, a suburb of Dallas, some twenty years ago. It's from the latter part of the 19th century, is about an inch wide with a small diamond in the center and pearls on each of the rays, and has a pendant bail that folds away.  I think it's gorgeous! I used to wear it, back when I held down a job, but it kinda doesn't go with t-shirts and jeans. 

Tooling around on the 'net, I found several pieces similar, though none that were exactly like.

This first has a larger diamond; they're asking $595 for it. 

This one has more pearls, a larger diamond and more detail at the center. They're asking $585 for it.

This one is most like mine, but with more pearls and a larger diamond. They've dated it to 1870 and are asking $775.

I found others ranging from $295 all the way to $895. Apparantly this was a popular design of the period.

For a second or two, I  considered selling mine, but I don't need the money, and while I don't wear it now, that doesn't mean I mightn't someday. I sure as heck wouldn't spend the money to buy one at these prices! (I think I paid something like $50 for it.)

Now on to the other heirloom stuff I wanted to show y'all:

This filigree birthstone ring belonged to my mother-in-law; it dates to the early 1900s. Isn't it lovely?

A closer view of the filigree detail.

These earrings are not as old, but I consider them lovely. I found them in an antique store in New Braunfels in 2003 and paid as much for them as for the sunburst brooch. Because of the similarities to Mum's ring, I had to have them. Besides, they were in a price range I could afford.

Here I've shown the earring and ring together. They're similar, yet different. The earrings aren't any older than the '70s or '80s, but they're sterling with gold filigree, and I consider them worth every cent of what I paid.

The final piece today is my mother-in-law's engagement ring. After she died, my father-in-law gave it to me, which meant a great deal to me. I've been proud to wear it ever since.

Poor, pitiful me never had one of my own, which may be why Dad made sure I had this. What he didn't realize is that it was my choice not to have an engagement ring. I wanted just a band. Even then, I worried about money. Starting out, we were so poor we barely had enough to set up housekeeping. I couldn't see spending the money for an engagement ring. Over the years, though times got better, there's always been something else to do with money. I know lots of women would beg, borrow or steal for a diamond ring, but not me. Even now, when we can afford it, it seems a waste. So when I wear a ring, I wear Mum's.

Here it is as I wear it, with a wedding band I found at an antique store in downtown Dallas ages ago. I like the two together; they look as if they've been passed down through generations, as they have and as they will be.

Isn't that what an heirloom is?

Me, again

I've become so random at posting I'm not even going to apologize. So, this is me, moving on.

The pillow I planned to finish two weeks ago I finally completed a week later. I tried some new techniques, which were a little more involved than I thought they'd be. Still, I think it turned out rather well.

 

The next one didn't take quite so long, though I still haven't managed to do one a day.

Both these were made from samples of high-end fabric. Embroidered in wool on a hand-woven cotton base, they're to-the-trade only fabrics in the $150-$200 a yard range. On the first I used an ultra-suede type fabric for the back and on the second I chose a natural-colored raw silk.

So what does one do with the remnants of fabric this expensive? In my world, one improvises.

This is a set of small sachets, one 3.5"x5", the other 4"x5". Inside each is a muslin packet filled with dried lavender from my garden. I have several more sets under construction. Gotta use up all those bits!

With that I'm gonna sign off. Time to watch a bit of telly with the hub. So 'bye, y'all!

It's Been Awhile

How easy it has been for me to ignore this blog! Life happens, and my life since last November has left me enervated. (Or maybe just lazy.)

The hub had his surgery the first of December, and for a while it was a rough road for the two of us to hoe. He's all better now though, much better than before. (Somewhere in there my computer died, but better it than he.)

I have been doing things, just not recording them with pictures. Sorry. I made a bedskirt for my sis, pre-surgery, and a trio of Euro shams, post. I meant to take pictures in situ but somehow always forget my camera when I visit.

This is the only thing I've completed and photographed, and that's simply because I listed it on Etsy. That will make me get my camera out!

Then I had the brilliant idea of turning vintage earrings into wedding shoe clips. I still think it's a good idea, but I'll leave it to someone who doesn't respect the workmanship of old jewelry the way I do.

Instead I've added the earrings to my Etsy shop so that that other someone can use them for crafting--and I need never know. Aren't these gorgeous?

And these? They're a brand I never heard of before: Sphinx. Seems Sphinx was a jewelry-maker out of Chiswick, England. (Doncha love how they pronounce Chiswick? Chizzick. Or dictionary style: /ˈtʃɪzɪk/.) They were in business from 1948 until 2000 and made high-quality, upscale costume jewelry, sold at, among others, Saks 5th Ave., Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdales.

These are unsigned but look at the quality! I love them, just think they're a bit large to wear as earrings. But wouldn't they look great on a headband or as part of a fascinator? Or even as shoe clips.

Lastly, what I'm working on right now, and hope to finish today is a throw pillow. I bought several gorgeous pieces of decorator fabric from a lovely Etsy shop Fabric Samples. The one I'm working on today is crewel.

Isn't it lovely! I'm using a beige ultra-suede for the back. At first I considered serging the edges of the crewel, but, as always, I have to do things the hard way. I've decided to do a Hong Kong finish on the crewel, serge the edges of the muslin I'm lining the front with, and leave the ultrasuede as is.

I'm hoping to get most of it done today. We'll see.

So that's sorta kinda bringing things up to date with me. 'Til next time....

Crispy Crust Pumpkin Pie

This Thanksgiving was a quiet day for the Hub and me. But, side benefit, it seemed I could do nothing wrong while cooking. The roast chicken was yummy, and I think the stuffing might have been my best ever. That, along with mashed potatoes, gravy, and fruit salad, made up our meal. I know, there wasn't a green thing on the menu, if you discount the grapes in the ambrosia.

Oh, and for dessert we had pumpkin pie, the subject of this post.

I've long hated the way the bottom crust on pumpkin pie so often turns out soggy. Seems I could never truly get it done; it was just bleahh! So last Thanksgiving I tooled around the internet until I found a lovely article at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, which paper I must say, has some of the best recipes I've ever found. (Perhaps I think that because I spent ten years of my youth in Pittsburgh and found a number of recipes in that newspaper that I still treasure.)

The Post Gazette article agrees with my contention that keeping the crust crisp is the biggest challenge of making pumpkin pie. They say the problem is caused by proteins in the milk and eggs, which denature and exude water.

So now we know what the problem is, the question becomes how do we fix it?

What it boils down to is baking the shell first--yes, I know, you already do that--then making sure the filling is warm when you pour it into the crust.

Here are details from the article?

"Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. (Some recipes bake for a short time at a high temperature, but that can cause the pastry to shrink.) Use your usual pie pastry recipe, transfer it to the pan, fluting the rim higher than usual to contain the filling. Put the raw shell in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm it up. (I think this helped immensely.) Put a piece of foil directly onto the cold pie shell pressing it to conform to the shape, and pour in the pie weights or beans. (I use weights.) Bake the shell for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the weights or beans and continue baking until the crust is light golden brown and cooked through, another 15 minutes or more. Let cool on a rack.

"When ready to bake the pie, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine room temperature filling ingredients (pumpkin, eggs, sugar and spices) and mix well. Heat milk or cream until it is hot but not boiling. Slowly whisk the heated milk into the pumpkin mixture. It should register about 100 degrees on a digital thermometer, no more, just beyond lukewarm. (Poke your finger in to take both a temperature reading and a taste.)

"Pour the filling into the baked pie shell and bake about 30 to 40 minutes depending on your oven. The pie is done when a knife, inserted off-center into the pie, comes out clean. (This was new to me. I've always stuck a toothpick in the middle of the pie.) The center of the pie will continue to cook after the pie is removed from the oven. Do not overbake.

"The pie crust will stay crisp until the pie is gone, even the next day. That is, if it lasts until the next day."

I have to say it actually does stay crisp that long, longer actually cuz between us it takes several days to eat a whole pie.

As a sidenote, I make the filling with Splenda. I'm not that crazy about using artificial sweeteners, but I also can't use sugar, and I do like pumpkin pie this time of year. So sue me. ;^)

I'll be pulling this recipe back out again come Christmas time. It's a given that we have pumpkin pie both holidays. But give it a try, whydoncha? It really does work.

I'm linking to Hope Studio's Tutorial Tuesday.

Button Icicle Tutorial

The other day I was in a hurry to find a little thank you gift to include with an item someone had bought from one of my Etsy shops. Quickest thing I could think of was to whip up a small button icicle ornament. I didn't take a pic of that one, but thought I'd create a tutorial to show how I make these ornaments. They're fast and easy.

Some in the pic above were made with vintage plastic buttons. The one I'm showing is vintage MOP (mother-of-pearl).

Materials needed:

Heavy duty thread/string (I use crochet cotton; I didn't care for waxed linen.)
Buttons of varying sizes
Scissors
Sheer Ribbon
Some kind of dangle--I'll be using a bead charm on this one.

First lay out your buttons in diminishing size. I try to do two of each size. The quick thank you I made only had about eight smaller buttons, but I usually do fourteen to sixteen in these larger ones.

Cut a cord at least six inches longer than the length of your buttons.

Tie a loop in one end of the cord; trim the short end. (If you're a jewelry maker, a crimp bead would work well here. I've made some using such, but am not sure where I stashed those beads so I had to improvise!)

Begin stringing the buttons. I don't use a needle since the size of the holes vary and a needle with a hole large enough to thread the crochet cotton doesn't always fit into the smallest button.

Be sure to string the buttons back to front. (I'm sure you already knew that, but believe me I had to work it out.)

Continue stringing buttons, laying back sides together.

Once all buttons are strung, tie dangle tightly onto the bottom (or use a crimp bead). Here you can get creative. I've used dangles from old earrings, old pendants, the beads from beaded fringe, plastic beads from Walmart. Practically anything goes.

 

If you tied rather than crimped the dangle on, thread the tied end back through the bottom few buttons and tie off. Clip the end.

Loop a length of ribbon through the beginning thread loop.

Tighten.

The one I showed in the tutorial is the third from the left.

While I'm at it, I'd like to show another ornament I made yesterday--not that it took that long to make. In the early '90s, while garage sale-ing with my sis Betty, I found this hand-painted pendant. I meant to give it to my mother but never got around to it. Never found anything else to do with it either and it's been stashed in a button box ever since. I think the painting is nicely done so I tied a ribbon on, sewed on a button and Voila!

Truly, I think it makes a better ornament than pendant. What think you?

I'm linking to Hope Studio's Tutorial Tuesday.



That's all for today. Take care, y'all.

Shop Additions

I will get past this dearth of posts eventually. That's a promise.

Lots of things happening here. In my last post, I mentioned Hub had been in the hospital. What we feared was heart-related turned out to be pneumonia, although while in hospital the docs found his stenotic (narrowed) valve has narrowed even further. Which means heart surgery. (This is probably TMI, but valve narrowing has a completely different cause than artery blockage. As it was explained to me, or rather as I understood what was explained to me, valve blockage is similar to scar tissue, caused by a number of things, one of them being strep throat. Who'da thunk?) He doesn't see the surgeon until next week, had to have time to completely get past the pneumonia. So we're in a holding mode here.

Enough about that. Since I've hardly done anything creative in the past month, I thought I'd share with you some of the things I recently listed in my shops.

I found several old sugar sacks at a garage sale a couple of years ago. Couldn't think what to do with them; they were too small and the graphics went the wrong way to make even a small pillow. So I cut one up for Christmas ornaments.

I love these next brooches, picked them up for next to nothing. I've listed all six in the vintage shop.

These are actually a lot larger than the photo makes them appear. The scarved lady--doncha love her!--is 2.5 inches long. (As a side note, the pink marbled stone brooch is much prettier than it looks here.)

Those who love blue and white--and who doesn't?--might appreciate this dessert plate by Mason in a pattern called Romantic. It's hard to tell from the mark exactly when it was made, but it was at least before mid-last century.


Another thing I've been working on is button hair clips.

I've put together a mixture of old and new buttons and attached them to hair clips. Personally, I think they're gorgeous!

Love the colors of these!

And these.

But I think of all of them, these are my faves.

Hope you've enjoyed the pictures. I am working on a few more projects: new pillows for my living room sofa, a new euro-sham for the master bedroom--we traded our queen bed for a king--and I just finished a new bedskirt for my sis. I'll get photos of them in situ in the next few days and will post then.

'Til then, y'all take care.