Waxed Leaves - SaturDIY October 29th, 2016

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Beeswax Dipped Fall Leaves.

In the midst of preserving the harvest, we took a break to preserve some of the stunning colors.

Our maple trees have been in glorious color and full display.

One way of preserving the color of fall leaves is to dip them in beeswax, this seals in moisture and the beautiful colors so that they turn to brown much more slowly. 

Supplies:

Melted beeswax, clean and dry fresh fall leaves, and baking parchment paper.

Directions: 

1.) Melt the wax.

WIP Wednesday - Harvest

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Creating is my passion, my sanity, my sense of being "up to something", my way of contributing a little bit. I always have a few projects going, many left to the side for months or even years before I pick up the best and carry on. Here's some of what I'm working on this week:

Flower crowns (green band for a gift without its flowers)

Let's work together, you and me.

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Early this summer I sent out a couple of pitch letters to companies I respect. One responded positively, and coming soon, I'll post a review of some new products of theirs.

In recent months I've traded paintings for a marvelous double stroller, a hat for a birthday bike (shh. don't tell C), and arranged to trade a painting for a big-girl carseat. 

In most of these cases, we each would have happily given the other what we traded.

Extra Together-days.

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Last week my husband took a few days off. *GASP* Apparently, he can actually survive a bit of downtime. Because of all the extra hours he's put in over the past months, he only had to take one day of leave for us to have the whole week together. That means he'll HAVE to take more time off soon. Oh darn. 

We definitely didn't just lay around.

We designed, built, stained, and hung a new mantle.

For Halloween: The Teal Pumpkin Project

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We moved into our new home last year, in the week before Halloween.

Almost a year later, we are thick in the daydreaming and planning for halloween costumes at our house. 

Halloween is lauded as being one of the most inclusive "holidays" we celebrate here in the states. Kids of all faiths and non-faiths can join together. Unless they have food allergies or other medical conditions that prevent them from participating. 

Navigating halloween treats, trick-or-treating candy, and even activities can be a minefield waiting to explode, at best. Food allergies, medical conditions, and more, prevent many kids from being able to enjoy this holiday.

Did you know that small sized versions of many popular candies actually have different ingredients than their well-marked larger counterparts? This makes it very difficult to navigate what a child can and cannot enjoy. 

 The Teal Pumpkin Project. 

From their own website:

Satur-DIY - Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

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Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce - Satur-DIY

It's been a long time since I've purchased tomato sauce - not that we don't eat or enjoy it, just that canned, processed stuff from the store is such a paltry substitute for homemade. Throughout the years I've made big batches for canning or freezing - often with a glut of gleaned seconds. So many almost-over-ripe tomatoes have such a marvelous flavor, if you're willing to cut out a few bad spots. 

In recent years I've discovered roasted tomato sauce. Instead of a bubbly, splattering, molten liquid in a pot on the stove top, you can roast the ingredients in the oven and then blend them up. 

Roasting them in the oven brings out a depth and sweetness to the flavors from heating them to a higher temperature than possible when boiling them in a pot. 

How to:

1.) Cut.

Chop your veggies (all of them!) Pictured below are tomatoes, onions, and peeled garlic cloves. You can add carrots for sweetness, peppers, eggplant, squash, and so much more.

WIP Wednesday, October 5th, 2016

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Creating is my passion, my sanity, my sense of being "up to something", my way of contributing a little bit. I always have a few projects going, many left to the side for months or even years before I pick up the best and carry on. Here's some of what I'm working on this week: