Solitary bee condo

If Mason bees could read 

(and actually used part of their short 6-10 week lifespan doing so),

I would place this ad in the OSMIA Gazette:

_______________________________________________

Absolutely Stunning Arts and Craft Homes

available for your Spring, 2016 brood.

Enjoy urban-living at its wilderness finest 

as you fly into your individual nest cells.

No processed paper products. 

Only hand gathered trail branches

placed in a frame of untreated, recycled wood.

Loaded with totally tubular, smooth, 5/16" 

holes, 4" long for your egg depositing comfort.

Nearby water and clay mud.

The high cathedral roof line offers overhanging 

protection from rain.

The South facing entrances will warm you each morning,

 as you overlook

quiet grounds, rich in organic, gourmet pollen and nectar.

Join this exclusive community of docile, solitary, yet

friendly neighbors

in a bio-diverse location.

With on-site security as you provision your 

egg chambers. 

FREE RENT

in exchange for open flower pollination

and viewing rights.

_________________________________________________

This is what Duke made for me for my recent birthday.

I've spent hours reading about Mason bees. 

More about them in a future post.

t.t.f.n. ~ Carol

Reducing guilt and fat one apple at a time

Apples

Apples make me think of

pie

back to school

the height of a Smurf

keeping the doctor away

Johnny Appleseed

and

that twinge of guilt I used to feel whenever I threw away an old apple.

You know, the very ones that kept being passed by.  Who's going to choose the soft, mealy, bruised fruit when sitting right next to it is a crisp, juicy, and firm beauty?  Not me.  (Oh dear, I suddenly see an analogy here between youth and old age!)

So those less than desirable apples in my larder used to roll around in the bin until they were so wrinkly, I could finally send them to the mulch pile.  I looked the other way when I tossed them to minimize the remorse.  Food waste denial.

I have a dear friend who told me years ago that she made applesauce from her "old" apples.  This sounded both very frugal and a lot of work.  Despite her insistence that "it is so easy",  I continued tossing apples and buying jarred applesauce.  I double-downed on my regret whenever I threw out leftover applesauce gone fuzzy.

A few years ago for some unknown reason (too much time on my hands?),  I decided to make applesauce from some poor old apples.   It WAS easy and I continue to do it. 

 I have an apple peeler/corer, which makes a snap out of the prep work. 

  

The peeled and cored apple slices go into a pot all by themselves. No water, sugar, or seasonings. 

I turn low heat under the pot and the apples cook while I do something else.

I stir the pot occasionally and smash the softening apple pieces with my wooden stirring spoon to create a puree.  The puree is sometimes chunky and sometimes pulverized, depending on my mood.

When all the apples are soft and mashed, I turn off the heat and let the sauce cool.

Then I measure the sauce into 1 cup packages and put them into the freezer.

6 apples made 1 1/4 cup applesauce.

The frozen applesauce thaws quickly.

That's the reducing guilt part of the story.  Now here's the reducing fat part, which further reduces guilt.  Really this is a win-win effort.

You can reduce the amount of fat in baked goodies by substituting applesauce for some of the fat.  

My favorite recipe for doing this is for Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins.

Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup butter is what is called for, but I only use 1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

1 egg

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tea. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup applesauce is what is called for, but I increase it to 1 cup applesauce

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup oatmeal (not instant)

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Cream butter, gradually add brown sugar and cream until light and fluffy.  Add egg and beat well.  Mix well next 5 ingredients and add alternately with applesauce to creamed mixture, stirring well.  Add next 3 ingredients and mix well.  Spoon into 12 baking cups which are lining muffin tin cups.  Bake in preheated 350○ oven for 25-30 minutes.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

This works deliciously. I have used this method successfully for Gingerbread, 

Zucchini Bread, Pumpkin Bars, Chocolate Cake, well, you get the idea.


I guess this is proof that I am getting saucier as I get older.

t.t.f.n. ~ Carol

from the desert to the ocean

posted by jennifer:


so, i have been a busy little beaver in the craft room the last month or so.... with nothing to show of it as of yet on this here blog.... but i am determined to start sharing again.

i think things are starting to settle slightly on the whole back to school/get more responsible with time management front.  slightly.  

i actually cleaned the kitchen table off today, did the laundry, vacuumed the 1/4" of dust off of the blades of our ceiling fan.... in our room at least. the living room fan will get done someday.   and i didn't go down to my craft room once.  yet.   but my point is, i have been spending too much, and often disjointed, time working on multiple (fun) projects while the house suffers.  

but look what i have to show for it!!!

these beauties  were made from found items collected from the desert to the ocean.  i am a collector you know... i come by it honestly, and i am raising a brood of collectors.  which i think is a good thing.

you can check out the entire collection here.

 the shells, sea glass, barnacles, and sand dollars were found on the beaches of san diego. mostly coronado, because, well, it is our favorite beach.  and there are often sand dollars to be found.  even really small ones.  so cool.

the metal pieces are mostly from the imperial valley desert.   my father-in-law and his wife have a house on the colorado river, which runs through the desert.  most of the year it is too hot to go treasure hunting there, as it often hits triple digits... but at least once each winter, we go out when the weather is cool(ish).  there are rocks and crystals to be found... and thanks to people dumping their trash out in the back country many moons ago, pieces of metal and glass that have weathered perfectly for a girl like me.

here are some pictures from our last winter hunt:

i had a collection of so many bits and pieces that were just begging to be brought back to life.  i spent enough time mulling things over, and came up with these ornaments.  i think they are just lovely. 

 it is amazing that a piece from an old tab top beer can get together with some shells from across the way, and something beautiful comes from it.

                                                                    ....becomes......

most of the additional sparkle comes from my collection of "jewels" that i have collected mostly from estate sales.  just to put a little extra shine on the matter.

and speaking of extra shine... 

behind the scenes of the photo shoot:

lest you think that all is sparkly and beautiful.... trying to keep it real here.  and that's just the deck ;)

well on that note.  

cheers!

Peeking through a key hole

We have inched our way a little closer to finishing a kitchen/buttery update, which began in October, 2013.

At the end of these two adjoining rooms is our back door, which opens to the tomatoes.

Years ago a neighbor put an eight-window-pane door in his trash and I had the Duke of Earl pull it out to be upcycled for our back door.  It took considerable patience and skill to rework the "free" door, but it was a splendid addition to our house when it was finally swinging in place.

Au contraire, it has had the same door knob since it begun gracing our doorway some 20 years ago.  And it was looking rather shabby...and not shabby chic either.

See.

I wanted a new door knob!

The Duke objected, based solely on the fact, that he didn't want to buy a new "Made in China" piece of deficiency.

Practicing good lets-use-this-as-an-opportunity-to-strengthen-the-marriage skills, we talked about it.

From this conversation, it came to light that he had stored, in his new "old stock", an old mortise lock set.  He had purchased it himself, right off the shelf, at our local hardware store in 1970.  The original box has the trusty price tag of $5.95.  Remember the days before bar codes?

There were 2 issues with using this old entrance lock set.  

#1 it uses a skeleton key

and 

#2 it required that a pocket be cut into the door into which the lock would be fitted.

Security was the first discussion.  We decided that our backyard is secure enough to allow a skeleton key wielding old lock set on the door.  Plus I figured that the door has 8 panes of glass, so it is not going to keep someone one, who is bent on entering, anyway.

(I wonder what our insurance agent would think of such a door and lock?)

The Duke was confident in his ability to install the mortise lock.

(Wikipedia states that, "The installation of a mortise lock cannot generally be undertaken by the average homeowner since it is labor intensive and requires a working knowledge of basic woodworking tools and methods.")  I'm glad that the Duke of Earl is above average.

Here's the Duke using a Sawall to do the delicate job of cutting the pocket into the door.  I don't think this is the type of woodworking tool Wikipedia was talking about.

Ah, here's the fine wood working part...via hammer and chisel.

The mortise lock set came with brass knobs, but would accept many different styles of knobs.  I had a few to choose from.  (There are some advantages to having a man cave jam packed with old stuff.)  I love glass anything, so went with the glass knobs.

Here's the new "old" door knob fully installed.

What do you think?

I love it.  I love the way the new glass knob feels in my hand and in my home.  The outside knob has a slight yellowish tint to it.  The inside knob is clear.  Perhaps it will purple with more exposure to the sunlight.  

One thing I did not anticipate was the key hole.  You can see right through it!

I eased this drawback by sticking the skeleton key into the key hole, closing most of the open space.

Now to finish the base boards.

t.t.f.n. ~ Carol

okay, so it may not be 100% practical, but it is pretty awesome

posted by jennifer:

the other day i overheard a couple talking.   they were on a walk, and had stopped in front of our house to look at my oh so chic wine bottle border.  the conversation went somewhat like this:

her:  "i love that.  what a great idea."

him: "yeah, until you weed wack near it and the bottles break."

ugh!  men can be so annoyingly practical sometimes.

i decided to start saving wine bottles a few years back.  i initially thought it would be cool to make one of those great houses... think small...  tool shed/art room.  you know the ones where the bottles are inserted into the walls so from the outside you just see the bottom of the bottle... all the light coming through those circles of glass.    however, i knew that that project would be nowhere near the top of the to do list... i am practical sometimes, no?  but i did want to use the bottles for something.

enter the wine bottle garden border.

we tend to have gopher problems in our neck of the woods.   therefore, i am always trying to make raised beds... that i can line with hardware cloth... or some other hard material that can't easily be chewed through.  i thought that building up the ground a bit, and holding back the dirt could be done by wine bottles.  and i was right! i love the way it looks, it is free and i feel good about the three r's:  reduce, reuse, recycle.

i have had a couple of comments from people about the amount of wine that was consumed to make the said borders.  i have them throughout the yard...   but that is the thing with wearing things on your sleeve.
  i don't go through life hiding my whiskey bottles at the bottom of the trash can, so i am a target for these comments from judgy people.  but that's okay.  and anyway, you will also find many green,  square bottles....olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  the big ol' hard core bottles that will set you back a few bucks.  which just goes to show that wine is just a part of my healthy mediterranean diet.  

but in all fairness to the husband mentioned above.... you should be careful.  because a weed wacker will send shards of glass flying. 

( i no longer have my husband weed wack in the garden.)

cheers!

a new purpose found...under the gazebo

posted by jennifer:

i am a collector or random objects.   if i am attracted to something it comes home with me... well, if it is to be had; if it is free or at least close to it; and if i can physically move it.

sometimes it is a leaf i found on the ground. 
sometimes it is a sweet score on some glasses from an estate sale.
sometimes it is a piece of rusty metal.

i was cleaning up under the gazebo and noticed that many objects that have found their home there are just this type of find.

that cool rusty ring?  it came out of the ocean in laguna beach.  i remember clearly the look on this woman's face as i took it out of the breakwater.  like she either thought i was stealing something...or that i was insane... i am not sure.

the stand that the metal star is hung on?  a garage sale 15 years or so ago.  i am sure i paid only $2.00 for it.  i think it was intended to be used for a bird cage.  

the glass light shades?  both garage sale scores.  all i did was added some wire and beads so that i could hang them.  they look great with a tealight added in the evening.

even the chairs were a sweet target 75% off clearance find.  i think i have had them for about 5 years. all i did was add some fabric to spruce them up.  the canvas was looking a little sad and washing wasn't doing the trick any longer. 

when they are all put together.... along with the apple crate table and the spray painted silver plated tray,  all of these random things come together quite nicely methinks.  

all that is missing is a refreshing drink.

cheers!

a frugal and fabulous way to frame fine art

posted by jennifer:

  

about a year ago i found a fun way to frame art.  traditionally, when i have bought, or been gifted with art, i have had frames made.  while these are lovely, and i am perfectly happy with these frames... it is expensive.  like, way more than the prints themselves.   however, i usually don't like the empty frames available in the box stores.  so i would suck it up and pay up.

then, my beautiful sister bought me a print i had marked as a favorite on etsy.  it was done by artist cathy mcmurray.

i was struck with inspiration.  

i frequent estate sales.  years ago, i went to an estate sale where among other treasures, i found a old print in a great frame.  the picture itself, while nice, was a bit washed out, and it never made it up on my wall.  

i decided i would use the estate sale find as a mat and frame for my newly acquired art print. i loved the results.

and i probably paid one dollar for the frame with artwork at the estate sale.  

while i love my professionally framed art, i think that this one stands out from the rest.  my eyes are peeled for another vintage framed piece of art that i will have on hand the next time i need something framed.

cheers!

Champion Bag Co. Clothes Pin holder

My favorite "antiques" are the functional kind: an interesting old serving spoon, an end table, a storage jar from years long passed, a rocking chair, bookcase, my Grandmother's typewriter, or
a 1950's clothes pin holder.  

Because I use clothes pins frequently, I was excited to find the perfect clothes pin bag in an antique shop in Branson, Missouri last May.  Well, it was almost perfect.  The metal frame and hook were in fine shape, but the cotton bag with its vintage graphics hanging on the frame had seen better days.  It was ugly...dirty and very stained.  I bought it thinking it might wash up o.k., and thought, if it didn't, I'd sew a new bag for it.

And, oh dear, it looked as if a cat had clawed its way out of it, after I had washed it.
So it was time go to plan B.

My intention was to buy some cute fabric and use the shredded bag as a pattern to make a new one.

I never made it to the fabric store though.

During a purging session a couple old quilt squares, which I had been saving for years to use to make a toss pillow with, surfaced.  My coconut suddenly swirled with inspiration.  I would use Mrs. Hill's quilt squares to make a new bag for my clothes pin holder.  It seemed to be a union made in a time machine: 1950's quilt pieces upcycled into a pouch for a 1950's clothes pin bag.

Mrs. Hill was a friend of my grandmother's.  Mrs. Hill was old, much older than my grandmother. Being that I was a pre-schooler at the time, who knows how old Mrs. Hill really was though. Mrs. Hill spent hours each day hand stitching quilts.  I can still see her sitting in an overstuffed chair with fabric draped around her, needle in hand, and a peaceful, not-in-a-hurry countenance dropping into each stitch.

Those 2 Dresden Plate squares were all that remained of Mrs. Hill's many quilts.  I cherish my memory of her and them.

I kept the labels from the original Champion Bag, and sewed them into the new bag I made.

I am pleased with my vintage clothes pin holder.  The design of the metal frame is what makes it so efficient.  It holds the bag open, so it is easy to reach in and grab the clothes pins. The metal hook is sturdy and glides easily along my clothesline. The long hook brings the opening down low enough for short me to reach the  clothespins, even the ones at the bottom of the bag.  Important stuff for a repeated action.

 I see that there is a Champion Bag Co. clothes pin holder for sale on etsy for $48.00.  I paid about ten for mine.  But it has gone beyond a good buy with its repurposed quilt bag.  I think about Mrs. Hill and my grandmother each laundry day now.  I like to be reminded of positive, happy people and the place they hold in my life.

t.t.f.n. ~ Carol