Natural Wood

Although I'm fond of white washed furniture I'm equally fond of wood in its natural state. The picture above emphasises how mixing textures with a touch of modern retro and natural wood compliments each another in a modest way. The table becomes a focal point in the basic design. I prefer clean lines in decorating.

My home is filled with vintage wood pieces. Most of which have been passed down from generation to generation. For instance, the pie safe you see in this picture once sat in my Great Grandmothers kitchen. I can only imagine the variety of pies she baked and placed in the hutch to cool. The young children would probably sneak a chair and climb up to trial the treat by poking a finger through the flaky homemade crust as they anxiously awaited a piece of their own.

What about you? Do you like old furniture in its natural state?

Warmly,

Jill 00

Herbal Vinegars as gifts...

You may have traveled here by way of Bittersweet Soap blog. If you did this is the homemade gift idee that I wanted to share with my readers. If you jaunt over to Bittersweet you'll see the other ones. 

Years ago I purchased pretty glass bottles and made herbal vinegar to give as gifts. The bottled vinegar was well received.

It's a fun easy gift to make but you will need to begin the process now for it to be ready by Christmas.

I'm going to purchase gallon size containers of vinegar and then add my herbs. I'll allow the mixture to season and brew a couple of months and then pour into glass vessels. I'll probably label them with contents and tie raffia or ribbon around the stem. If I have time I'll share some pdf vinegar labels with you. 

I purchased this book a long time ago when I became interested in the idee.

You really don't need a special book though to make herbal vinegar.

I'm picking rosemary, basil and parsley from my garden and then adding gourmet garlic I purchased from my friend Peg, (aka garlic lady.)

Did you know there are tons of varieties? I like the spicy hot ones to put in vinegars. I also prefer hard neck garlics over soft neck. Most supermarket garlics are soft neck variety.

If you don't have access to gourmet garlic, store bought garlic is just fine to use.

The herbal vinegar blend is a wonderful staple to have on hand. It's herbal infusion may be used to make special salad dressings and marinades.

Warmly,

Jill 00 

Drying Hydrangea's

I posted a tutorial on Bittersweet's blog about how to dry hydrangeas. I have received a number of requests for the information.

Warmly,
Jill 00