Special Kneads: Hull and Oats

I tried this bread as a recommendation from Lisa in my comments section of this post.  It looks like they have an amazing selection of bread recipes (and recipes for tons of other stuff) on their site!

It was delicious, and made excellent toast.  Thanks so much, Lisa!  I'm still interested in your favorite loaf (that you've made, or just eaten).  If you fancy, let me know what it is!

Yolk Dress, Miniaturized

I know that, despite having a craft room of my own, there's been a distinct lack of craft postings of late. That's not for lack of trying. I made a dress recently. It was Vogue 8468 and it was terrible. The fit was bad, the fabric was wrong for the dress, and the style was really unflattering.


I made a resolution a while back to make muslins of homemade clothes, but I was so excited by the pattern, and I loved the fabric so much that I went right in there, simply because I wanted the dress. It could have been another epic waste of time/money, until I decided to repurpose. Enter another yolk dress pattern, for a smaller person:


I cut the front from my own dress, and the back from the rest of the fabric I had left over. I love how it came out. It's the dress I wanted, which I'm sure will be much more flattering on its recipient.


I had these sweet buttons in my collection, from that job I did a while back. I matched the stripes on the front, but connected them in a different way on the back.


And yet again I find myself promising to do practice runs in muslin, come the next garment. There is a list of next garments, and lots of work to be done.

Wilderness: 20 Minutes Away

We discovered a new place, a place we've been hearing a lot about, that is only 20 minutes from home. A place where you can pick your own fruit, buy farm fresh veg, see wild heron (and snakes, sorry Mr. Jones), go for a hike, get in a kayak, and be home again for an afternoon nap. That is what I call a very good weekend outing. See for yourself:

Special Kneads: Rosemary's Baby

I'm expanding my bread baking experiment called "Special Kneads". This time, I made rosemary cheddar bread, a combination of a cheddar cheese bread recipe I found in my book, with the addition of rosemary, because, why not? Rosemary and cheddar go great together! I also included some whole wheat flour, and took out/added ingredients as made sense to me from my last bread baking success.


I made two loaves, and gave one to friends. Then I made another loaf, and gave that one to a friend. All reports came back positive, so I think we have a winner!


So that I don't forget what I did, and you can partake in the fun as well, I've made a PDF version of the recipe for Rosemary's Baby. You can have it by clicking HERE.


I hope you'll make a loaf, or three. And once slightly stale, one friend commented that it would surely toast up for nice croutons. True! I've used this bread for french toast, a sort of savory kind, made the usual way but with a bit of ketchup on the side instead of syrup all over. Try it...delish!

WTF Crafting: Stitch Yourself Thin, Giveaway!

I'm introducing a new segment to my blog called "WTF Crafting". You all know I collect craft books, mostly from thrift stores and used book stores. Well, sometimes I come upon craft books and pamphlets that I can't believe exist. They're somehow so great, and so horrifying, that I have to purchase them. Our first one is "Low Calorie Stitchery" from Sabra Publishing, 1980:


I mean, who in their right mind would spend time stitching tapestries of dieting slogans. Would you? (Ok, I might...)


Where are you going to put these things? Stitched in frames in your kitchen? In your living room, for guests to see you referring to yourself as a pig?


I love, and hate the whole idea: that you might take up stitching to forget about food, then spend your time stitching diet slogans! It's as wacky as the idea of dieting itself, I'd say.


If you'd like this pamphlet, for whatever reason, leave a comment below. I'll pick a winner by the end of July, and send it you, where ever you are. I really wouldn't be surprised if there were no comments, but I'm not one to talk. I couldn't resist buying it for $.99, afterall...


Good luck with the contest everyone, and good luck with the dietary crafting! I mean, WTF??

Fourth of July: At the Rodeo!

I spent July 4th...at the rodeo! We went to St. Paul, Oregon (population 447). It was glorious, and the suede fringed jacket I found at the thrift store worked out perfectly! I know, any reason to thrift/dress up and I am in, but the event (and the company) was great, too! I'll let the photos speak for themselves:

White House, Beef Tea, and Cooling Salad

Happy Holiday weekend, everyone! I'll be going to the Wild Wild West (details to come), and crafting and baking lots, I hope. To celebrate our country, I'm posting a link to this online cookbook from the 1887 White House with hilarious recipes like:

BEEF TEA.
One pound of lean beef, cut into small pieces. Put into a glass canning jar, without a drop of water, cover tightly and set in a pot of cold water. Heat gradually to a boil and continue this steadily for three or four hours, until the meat is like white rags and the juice all drawn out. Season with salt to taste and, when cold, skim.

and many practical and good sounding ones, too.

I'm also loving these joyous illustrations from a 1950s Good Housekeeping booklet on Summer entertaining (click to enlarge).


I wish you a heat wave, a cooling salad, and lots of fun. Happy America Day to you!