Run Lori Run!

Draw Every Day

Hello readers!  Is summer in full swing around your way?  I've loved seeing photos of your gardens, backyard BBQs and the cool things you are creating.

I want to be creating things too.  And God knows with all the time I spend pinning great ideas on Pinterest I could find some time to make some of it. The ten million things I do during my week includes plenty of cleaning, cooking, laundry, my day job, weeding, running errands...but not much creative going on there. Sound familiar? Then my pal Pam of Yoborobo fame, says the following to me:

Sneak in some art time.

What a revolutionary idea! 

So I'm trying to squeeze it in.  Trying to drawing something- however small and mundane- every day.

Hope you are enjoying the sun where you are!

Watercolor Spring

The sun is finally shining, flowers blooming, lettuce sprouting in the garden... It was (briefly) like a haze had lifted and the colors finally shone through. 

Then it started raining again... Hey, it's Portland, what do you expect?

So I've taken up watercolor painting!  As with most things, I should probably take a class to learn how to do it right, but instead I wing it.

Works for me...

This is a painting I did for my brother's birthday, based on many of my photos from Italy. Can you tell I'm ready to go back?  

The Year In Review

What I've cooked.

What I've grown.

What I've made.

Another year is winding down. And this post makes me appreciate all my friends in blog land- thanks to you I always have great ideas for projects at the click of a mouse. I have enjoyed seeing what you all have created, grown and cooked over the years. You help me keep the creative juices flowing- whether I need a good book suggestion or a a recipe- I always know where to go. You guys rock! 

So here's to another creative year!

DIY Holiday

Ever since I saw this post on Ella's blog, I knew this was something Beanie would love. Using this pen she created an awesome keepsake mug! Care to give it a try? Look at this for some cool ideas....

Other crafty things we have going on include:

Felt ornaments...

Felted sweater fingerless gloves...

Felt bookmarks...

One more felt ornament for a dear friend.

And to top it off, a felt Tardis ornament (albeit a bit wonky) for Beanie because she is a completely insane Dr. Who fan!  Can you tell what the fabric of choice is around here? It's a theme.....

We're on a roll!

Bird's Nest Christmas Ornaments

I save everything.  Bottle caps, wine corks, plastic flowers, beads, paperclips, wire...birds from the dollar store...I never know when I'm going to need this stuff! Pack rat? Yes, but I always have junk when I need it!  

So I knew I had to get these nests when I saw them in the thrift store the other day. My grandmother made the nest there in the center and I always loved it. Mine, however, are bird's nests on steroids.

Glittery plastic flowers. Check.

Spray glitter. Check.

Butterflies and Birds. Check.

Hot glue gun. Oh baby. Check.

Things are starting to feel festive around here.  Glitter always helps!

I'm so inspired by all you crafty people, making such cool things this season. I love visiting you guys and seeing what you're making! So if you're in need of some crafty holiday inspiration yourself try this list.  And if you want to sneak away for a moment to recharge that warm & cozy holiday feeling, go here. Liesl's collage of photos makes me want to quit my job and move to rural Montana.

Cheers!

Crafty Holiday

Hello my crafty friends!

Did you survive Thanksgiving? Did you eat your body weight in candied yams? Did you deep fry a turkey and almost burn your house down? The fire department wasn't called this year so I have nothing of real interest to report.

All was good but I am just completely unable to get every dish out on the table, hot and at the same time. I kept thinking Gordon Ramsay was going to jump out and start screaming at me because my mashed potatoes were cold and the rolls weren't out of the oven yet...

But alas, the Crack Pie made up for everything. Mmmmmmmmm. Crack.

The best part about the Thanksgiving holiday is the four days off alone with my sewing machine... making Christmas gifts!

You know, Christmas has been different for me the last few years. Less pressure. Even though I am scrambling to pack and be ready to for a blissful Christmas vacation here on December 17th, I am still relatively stress-free. Why? Because I am not paying one bit of attention to the ads on TV. I had no interest in Black Friday or any other occasion where I need to be at Walmart at 4am or any other time. 

I am creating, crafting, canning-- making stuff.  I am seeking small, meaningful gifts for people I love. I am avoiding the stress, the Christmas rush and the crazy expectations I inevitably set for myself.

How are you staying sane this season?

20 Crafty Ways to Reuse Glass Jars

1. Bath Salts

2. Drinking glasses

3. Bulk food storage

 
4. Votive candle holders

5. Breakfast On The Go

6. Craft Storage

7. Salad dressing

8. Food gifts- homemade salsa, cookie mix, pickles or my world famous tomato jam!

9. Store cotton balls or Q-tips

10. Terrariums

11. Seed Saving 

12. Hanging Lanterns

13. Ribbon storage, slit the top for ribbon dispenser

14. Homemade cleanser dispenser, poke holes in the lid

15. Store tea bags or loose tea

16. Hold silverware, napkins, picnic supplies

17. House your beach memories

18. Bookends

19. Pincushion

20. Flower vase

The Good and The Not-So-Good

Marinated tomato salad (minus the mozzarella) with Lemon Boy tomatoes and my very own basil: good.

Watching the epic crashes in the Tour de France : good. (And gnarly)

Tempeh bacon, cucumber, hummus and a four dollar tomato sandwich: good.

Turning our bedroom into a kitty nursing home: not so good.

Canning season: awesomely good.

Crappy, rainy weather = puny veggies: not so good.

More pickled carrots: good.

And other random good things we've eaten recently:  

• These Spicy Peanut Pinto Burgers  were really good. I have had terrible luck finding a good veggie burger recipe that isn't dry and tasteless. These were awesome.
• Orzo Super Salad- are there any mediocre recipes from 101 Cookbooks? I didn't think so.
• Roasted Apricots with Mascarpone and Honey-  Make this tonight. Seriously.

So what's cooking in your neck of the woods?

It's That Time Again

Finally we have some action in the garden.

The carrots are in!

We decided on a rainbow blend this year...but didn't get too many other than orange.

We also planted twice as many as last year because we wanted to make more of these insanely addictive pickled carrots.

We had some mutant specimens this year too...interesting...

And I was sad to tear these two apart...

But they had a purpose. And it was delicious.

How 'bout you guys? How does your garden grow this year?

It Is Now Confirmed That I Don't Have The Back of A Teenager

I am now laying on my sofa...wishing I had a heating pad or an ice pack or some bourbon or maybe a masseuse.  I now understand that I have the back of a near-forty year-old person and when a near-forty-year-old person digs up a bunch of sod in an afternoon, that body is going to be feeling it later. Big time.

Remember this photo I posted a couple months ago?  It is from the latest issue of Flea Market Gardens and my ultimate goal for this part of the garden.  We bought some Blue Star Creeper in hopes that it will eventually fill in and look like this:

This is how much I have left.  Not too bad considering this is what it looked like a few weeks ago:

That strip of lawn was covered in mint- it jumped out of the flower bed by the fence and just took over.  It had to go.

Things are coming along.  A couple Tylenol and I'll be able to head out there again...