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

Sundries & Haberdasher

I just launched a new Etsy shop called Sundries & Haberdasher.

You may remember how I offered a  few vintage items on Calico Petals blog.

Realizing how much time it takes to list new items every week, I decided the least time consuming venue would be Etsy!

Seriously, who doesn't like Etsy?

Sundries & Haberdasher will offer unique one of a kind items such as packaging, merchandise pieces, sundries and haberdasher notions.

Most items offered were or used in my shop.

Since I've been a shop owner for over fourteen years, I have a large loot!

If you're interested in something particular, drop me a line. Most likely I have what you're looking for within my collection.

00 Jill

Sweet Applesauce

I remember growing up watching my grandma Lola make homemade applesauce. I'm certain if my grandmother were still around she'd have already picked her plump juicy apples in anticipation of making a large bowl of the sweet Autumn treat. 

I also remember right after she cooked and prepared the apples and added the perfect amount of cinnamon and sugar to the naturally sweet fruit she would spoon me a bowl of the delicious warm treat. 

Sometimes she would add a few drops of red coloring and make it pink.

The pink applesauce always seemed to taste better than the plain colored one!

Grandma Lola owned a cafe for many years in small town America. Lola's Cafe.

Although I was too young to remember those restaurant days friends and family stories have been kindly passed down as well as pictures of my dad as a young boy sitting at the counter with his best friend. My grandma and grandpa are in the background.

grandma Lola and Grandpa Homer

my dad and his best friend

Homemade Applesauce

a recipe from the internet

I would increase apples. Doesn't seem that this would make too much.

Ingredients


4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1.In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.

Jill

painted floors

Have you ever considered painting your wood floors or linoleum? Maybe they're in less than perfect condition and you would like a cost effective way to spruce them up. I would suggest painting them!
It takes little time, more prep work than anything, and the finished result should have you smiling.

 First you need to decide on whether you want an all over color or a specific design.

Designs take a bit more time, but worth it. All over floor painting can go pretty quick.

Start with an enamel paint. Depending on the color you choose, you may need to apply more than one coat of paint. Allow the freshly painted floor to dry completely, usually 24 hours is recommended and then apply 3 to 4 coats of varnish. If you want a shiny floor like the picture above you will need to apply a high gloss varnish. If you prefer a more satin finish then you need to cover with a satin or matte varnish.

After you've applied the varnish, allow to dry for another 24 hours.

Place a fan on the completed floor to speed up the process.

Painting old wood floor white is one of my favorites.

If done correctly, they will last for many years to come.

Jill

Calico Kitchen

Someday in addition to the calico cookbook I'd like to publish a "Calico Kitchen" idee book. The books pages would be filled with charming calico's and gingham's like the picture above. A different take on the norm you see nowadays in all the magazines. An original Calico Kitchen.

Color pallets of pink, green and blue would suffice with floral touches here and there.

White washed wood floors and floral motif wall covering would fit the bill.
Vintage appliances similar to this one.

When I dream of my Calico Kitchen those thoughts come to mind.

Jill

Autumn Packaging

I've had a recent obsession lately with faux wood idees.

Recently I stumbled upon a nifty crafty blog that had the cutest gift wrap idee.

I'm making every attempt in between soap production and open house preperation to get ahead of the seasons and share some of the great tutorials and autumn recipes recently discovered.

Check out Bugs & Fishes and check out the wonderful tuturorial on how to achieve the faux wood packaging.

Jill 00

Getting you in the mood even more!

It's almost apple picking time!
Seems an appropriate time to share with you my apple dumpling recipe.
This recipe is the old-fashioned one with real thick gooey caramel sauce drizzled over the dumpling, YUMMY!
Easy to make too. Takes a little while to prepare the dough but worth it, I believe to serve this special autumn treat to family and friends.

Amish Apple Dumplings 8 servings


Prep: 40 minutes

Bake: 45 minutes

Cook: 14 minutes

Cool: 10 minutes

Stand: 10 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 cups shortening

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup cold water

1 tablespoon vinegar

8 small cooking apples (about 2 pounds)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup butter, cut up

2 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup whipping cream

Directions

1. For pastry: In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are the size of small peas. In a small bowl, combine egg, the 1/4 cup cold water and vinegar. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture until all of the dough is moistened. Form dough into a ball. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. (Dough will be slightly sticky.)



2. Divide dough in half. Turn one portion dough out onto a well-floured surface. Roll to form a 12x12-inch square. Using pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut into four 6-inch squares.



3. Peel and core 4 apples. Place an apple on each pastry square. Fold corners to center over apple. Pinch edges to seal. Place dumplings in a greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Repeat with remaining pastry and apples.



4. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender and pastry is golden brown. Cool at least 10 minutes.



5. Meanwhile, for caramel sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, 2/3 cup whipping cream, and corn syrup. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to medium. Boil gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Transfer to a bowl; cover and set aside to cool slightly. Makes 8 servings.



6. To serve, in a chilled small bowl, whip 1/3 cup cream to soft peaks. Serve warm dumplings with caramel sauce and whipped cream.

to get you in the mood...

summer and then...

The original plan was to offer my collection of vintage prop items once used for displays in Bittersweet shop.

All too often plans get tossed to the side simply because there's so much going on in our lives.

Design work and Bittersweet Soap takes up most of my day.

If I'm not making soap, I'm designing web sites and logo's for clients.

I know, I know, lucky girl! I really do count my blessings each and every day!

so....

The plan of sharing those vintage goods has been placed on the back burner for awhile until further notice.

Autumn is my busiest time of year and preparation's have already been put into place to get ready for the holiday season.

It's always exciting at Calico and Bittersweet around the holidays. We host a holiday open house and our signature scents of the season premier both on the web site and studio.

Calico Petals blog posts will be going back in time reflecting on the real life stories that unfold. Possibly down the road, we will begin listing our vintage goods again, but for now it's business as usual. Well, if you're familiar with Bittersweet or Calico and are an avid reader you know business as usual is what we do best!

I'm really looking forward to fall!

Enjoy caring and sharing days.

Jill 00

Welcome to Calico Petals
Extended summer break until Autumn


I have been a shoppe owner for over 14 years.
My vintage collection offers a variety of items that were once used as merchandise props or displays mostly.

The vintage goods available are a calico blend of essentials some quite rare while other's more common, but nevertheless your choices range from cute, shabby, cottage, prairie and antique.

Each piece that I offer holds a special place in my vintage loving heart, but having said, there is no way I can keep everything! My lower level of my home also functions as a studio and merchandising area and the space is small so every little inch matters. It brings comfort to know that each treasured piece I offer will find a lovely new home!

This is how it works...
Each week I will add new pieces to the offering. An individual item will remain on the blog for 1 week only and will display final showing date below the item. After that, it will no longer be available.

I have installed Pay Pal buttons for ordering and shipping charges are added into the price of each item.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Happy Hunting!

Warmly,

Jill 00