treasure hunting

We were spooking up our yard today and I found quite the exciting burried treasure in my back yard! Old glass javex bottles and glass laundry detergent bottles. I found pretty perfume bottles and makeup jars... here are a couple available in my shop, but there are so many more gorgeous bottles hidden in my forest. Its like a magical place, quiet and hidden and now I know there are hidden gems.

I am guessing they are 25 + years old, but can anyone tell just by looking? the biggest one on the top right is a Bayer's Asperine bottle, but not sure about the others.

♥

This recipe is NOT for Melissa

We had a great weekend. Got lots of work done, leaves raked, ballet class for the kiddo, a scary-movie-marathon for Angus and I. Saturday night Miss Amber went to bed early after a very busy, fun filled day outside, and Angus and I had a late dinner just the two of us.

Part of our adventures included a stop at Pete's Frootique, a great spot for fresh, organic and local veggies and stocked up on lots of leafy green veggies and over a pound of a variety of mushrooms. We pick up fresh shitake, Oyster, regular button, cremini and some some dried porcini and other dried mushrooms and I made Jamie Oliver's Real Mushroom Soup

Adapted From Jamie Oliver's Real Mushroom Soup

ingredients
• a small handful of dried porcini

• olive oil

• 600g mixed fresh wild mushrooms (chanterelles, girolles, trompettes de mort, shitake, oyster), cleaned and sliced: I used cremini and button as well to save some extra money. Still delish!

• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

• 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped

• a knob of butter

• a handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock, preferably organic: I used turkey broth, that I made at Thanksgiving and froze. A bit stronger flavour, still delish.

• a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped

• 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

• 1 lemon

optional: truffle oil

Place the porcini in a small dish, add boiling water just to cover, and leave to soak. Get a large casserole-type pan nice and hot, then add a good couple of lugs of olive oil and your fresh mushrooms. Stir around very quickly for a minute, then add your garlic, onion, butter and thyme and a small amount of seasoning. After about a minute you'll probably notice moisture cooking out of the mushrooms and at this point add half of your porcini, chopped up, and the rest left whole. Strain the soaking liquid to remove any grit, and add it to the pan.

Carry on cooking for about 20 minutes until most of the moisture disappears.Season to taste, and add your stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20 minutes. I removed half the soup from the pan and puréed at this point, then pour it back in, adding the parsley and mascarpone, and seasoning carefully to taste.

You can serve this soup as you like, but there are a few things to remember when finishing it off. Mix together a pinch of salt and pepper with the zest of one lemon and the juice of half of it, then spoon a little of this into the middle of the soup. When you go to eat it, stir it in and it gives a wonderful flavour. We did this, so good!

Other things you can consider are little slices of grilled crostini put into the bottom of the bowls before the soup is poured over. Or you could even quickly fry some nice-looking mushrooms – like girolles, chanterelles or oysters – and sprinkle these on top of the soup. If I was going to use truffle oil, then I would use it on its own – a few drips on the top just before serving.

Quick Break and a bit of a breather

Well, we've been in and out of the attic all week, and today was the day. The big cleaning day.

We've got tons of empty boxes and I'm sorting. To sell. To donate. Party decor. New Years party decor. To give to Amie. I-have-too-much-emotional-attachment-to-this-to-let-go box. Wedding gifts we've yet to use, but promise we will. Chairs that belonged to my great grandmother but my aunt wants them? Well, she's gettign them. Today!

I've rearranged the studio area and am beggining to sort my craft supplies, fabric stash, two and a half massive bins of yarn, craft books and patterns... the list goes on and on, but its coming. And its already 100 times more functional than it was when we started.

We've also turned an otherwise useless corner, to cramped for me, too hard to use for storage area into a play area for the kiddo to use while I work. She found a castle and some of her "baby" toys that are still rather age appropriate for her now, and a child-size rocking chair that was mine, and now has her own space up there as well.

We've rid ourselves of a lot of broken and useless items. Moved the "Dogs Playing Poker" and "Mother Bear and her Babies" to Angus' space down in the basement. Recycled boxes and boxes of notes and papers from university. Found some really cool uber vintage ornaments of my great-grandmothers to help add to the decor of my space.

I'm so proud that we're making this happen. And so excited to buy the paint. We'll be there by the end of this long weekend. Oh yah! Happy Thanksgiving Canada. I sure am thankful for my ambitious little family today. And thankful for the extra vacation day giving us four days off. And thankful that we have this much stuff so we can never say we are without. And thankful that maybe another family will benefit from the baby clothes we're donating, and maybe the books another family will enjoy that we are donating to the library (you can do that you know!).

I'm also thankful for the time and love my great grandparents put into building this home, with this amazing space they've given me to have of my own. This will be my own piece of serenity and calm, of creativity and craft.

I've got turkey soup cooking on the stove for supper with my dad this evening. He'll be ok with us and the dust we're tracking through the house from the attic. We're heading to Angus' parents for a delicious meal tomorrow and Monday another fabulous meal with my Mum, step-dad and his children and my neices. We've got a busy weekend. Lets hope I can find a few extra minutes to sort through my stuff to finish up my space.

Have a fabulous weekend, and if you don't hear from me for a while, I'll be in my attic.

♥

April

My dream craft room

We have a cute little home, little is key as it is approximately 800 square feet. Two bedrooms, small living room with a door on each of its four walls, but it has a spacious kitchen perfect for entertaining. There are fold down stairs from the attic, and we have a small study/spare room up there, but I have a highly irrational fear of being locked in that attic. And I'm quite certain we have ghosts visiting up there as well. We've become quite accustomed to our guests, but the thought of actually sleeping, as cozy as it is, gives me shivers up and down my spine.However in an attempt to gain space I'm pondering the idea of making better use of our attic. If I moved my sewing machine table upstairs, it would leave a space under one of my bedroom windows. If I moved my white craft supply dresser to the attic and used one of our night stands to hold our tv** That would open up a LOT of space. I've already got a desk up there, and lamps and artwork on the walls from our first apartments (not the most classy artwork, but interesting none-the-less).

The slanted roof does cause a few bumps in the head, but I think with a coat of paint, and new cutains for the windows, maybe take down the bead and put in a couple of chairs, shelves and new lighting and I could really make great use of the space.

I saw this craft room from CraftyIntentions on ApartmentTherapy and I think I've found the inspiration I need to finally start changing the space and add an extra 200 square feet of usable space for my ever growing collection of craft and art supplies.

**I do know how unromantic it is to have a tv, but even though we DVR half of the shows we watch, I'd never get to see the end of Grey's or Amazing Race if it weren't in the bedroom!

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Out for a hike

style rookie

style rookie

I am blown away by this girl!

I Need this. I will make this. Maybe even tonight.

Oh and if you know you are one of the girls on my immediate, most important, know you are getting something homemade for Christmas, close your eyes now!

This oh so fabulous tutorial is here, thanks Design*Sponge. Have I told you lately that I love you?

P.S. Amie, because I know you probably disregarded my disclaimer at the top, do you love this? what word dude?