More Photos

My photography gallery has been updated with some recent pictures as well as some older photos. You might be able to tell that I am really enjoying taking pictures of all the various birds returning to the area.

My Green Tea Recipe

I have been making my own tea for about one year now. I searched and searched for an alternative to our previous main beverage experience which was a national brand of green tea sold in gallon quantities using a cheap sweetener called high fructose corn syrup. I have worked hard to remove this ingredient from our diet which is not a really easy thing to do because it is in just about everything. This was the last product containing this ingredient on our weekly groceries list. Then I found agave syrup in our local health food store. This is a great alternative sweetener and just the thing I needed to begin making my own green tea.

The recipe I have come to make almost daily is as follows:

• 2 TBSP (heaping*) Bancha Green Tea Leaves
• 5/8 - 1 cup honey
• 3/8 cup agave syrup
• 2 capsules powdered ginseng or 20-30 drops of liquid ginseng
• water

Right now, I make tea using a 3 quart Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker however, I would love to acquire this teapot sometime in the future to heat the water and steep the tea. I measure the tea leaves and pour into the brew basket. Fill the machine full of water. Pour the honey and agave syrup into the bottom of the tea pitcher. I do not measure out the honey so the above amounts are estimated and will need to be adjusted based on your taste. Occasionally, if I run out of the agave syrup I find that just adding more honey makes the tea sweet enough to drink. I brew and steep the tea in the pitcher. When the tea leaves have cooled to a reasonable enough temperature to handle I squeeze the remaining tea out of the tea leaves and discard the leaves in my compost pile. Be careful not to let the brewed tea cool down too much. You want the brewed tea to still be warm so you can stir the honey at the bottom of the pitcher so it blends with the tea; the honey is easier to blend when the tea is still hot. Pour mixture into 1 gallon sized container or 2 half gallon containers (preferably glass or other pitcher made of inert materials). Fill pitcher full with ice cubes and/or cold water. Enjoy!

If this recipe doesn't make you want to drink some then here are 7 seven more reasons to enjoy a nice cup of green tea.

* I chose the amount of tea leaves to brew based on the fact that the tea syrup it brews can be mixed with enough water to make 1 gallon of very delicious "iced" or cold tea.

Doll Craft

Here is a baby doll that was a project commissioned by my mother in 1978. A co-worker of hers at the time made these baby dolls (the exact name or kind of craft I am not sure of) and my mother had her make them to announce to relatives she would soon give birth to me. She had a blue one made for my Grandmother Lucy and this purple one was made for my Grandmother O'Neal. When I became pregnant with my first child, I became the lucky recipient of this lovely doll. She has arms and legs that are attached with large buttons. Her clothes for the most part are all sewn on. She has an embroidered face. I feel very lucky to have received such a great family heirloom and am very proud to be able to pass this down to my daughter when her time comes to start a family.

Snow in Mid-April?

Well, it is sort of looking like spring up here in the mountains. The spring flowers have bloomed and the native birds are starting to return to the feeders more often. I caught some pics of some American Goldfinch that were tweeting up a storm in our backyard yesterday. However, these are the only pics I could get as they were staying mostly in the trees and underbrush, then periodically indulging in our neighbors' feeder. I would have loved to get a better/closer shot of them, unfortunately though, they didn't seem to want anything to do with our feeders. There are also many critters emerging from their winter slumber as well. However, our area is expecting some light snow today.

Spring Blooming

Daffodils: first flowers of spring.

Art Escape

I have been experimenting with my new camera, the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTI or EOS 400D. I have uploaded two new photos to my slideshow. Check back often for new and upcoming additions while I learn about photography. The painting of the photographer is a portion of a piece in Brian's painting portfolio.

My Star Mouse

Here for you today is another craft done by my very talented and dearly missed Grandma Lucy. This is a door stop dressed up to look like a mouse. My grandmother found this craft on a trip she and my mother took one summer. My grandmother copied the craft but improved upon the original design with a few minor modifications.

The original craft she found was about 2 ft tall. The body form and main weight of the object was made with a 2 liter bottle. My grandmother filled it about a little more than half way full with sand and then stuffed the top with plastic bags. She then covered it with a sock. To the bottom she applied a piece of felt. The top head piece is one large styrofoam bottle with a small hole on the bottom where it fits onto the bottle cap. The cheeks are made with smaller size styrofoam balls. My grandmother would then sew the dresses for the mice. She and my mother came up with all different kinds of themes for the mice. Sports teams, birthdays, easter, christmas, halloween theme material lined her closets. My mother enjoyed helping by applying all the facial features and accessories of the different mice. I still remember our trips to the craft store to find the tiny eyeglasses and hunt for more special trinkets for them to each hold. They held such things as footballs, basketballs, baskets, presents, teddy bears, and flowers.

The project I have pictured here was a special theme designed just for me. This version is quite a bit smaller than the original. It measures to just short of 12 inches, was made with a 32 oz plastic bottle and is more suited to being a decoration. My grandmother also made a smaller version using an 8 oz plastic bottle.

Bamboo Anyone?

Green Daily published a story this past saturday about some really cool and sustainable spectacles. The story claims they are really flexible so it is hard to break them but I wonder how the material will hold up to the rigors of everyday wear? They are also affordable as I have routinely paid at least $150-$200 if not more for frames in the past. I have bamboo growing in my yard. I wonder if they would cut me a deal if I donated some bamboo? 

 I also posted this over at the More Hip Than Hippie Forum.

Macrame Plant Hanger

I learned how to macrame not too long after my daughter was born. I used to make plain beaded jewelry in junior high and high school using string or fishing line but didn't discover this method of decorative knotting till in the course of shopping at a local bead store, that a friend of mine owned, I observed a necklace she was making to be sold in her shop. I asked her to show me a couple of basic knots. I then bought some hemp twine and went home to make some jewelry. I made several pieces for both myself and Brian, my husband. I make necklaces, anklets and bracelets combined with various beads when I was first learning. This twine can also be used around the house being that I utilized it as clothesline for along time. The 3mm rope is rated at 170 lb. test.                          

After exploring this technique using a .8 mm and 1.0 mm twine, I experimented with 2mm and 3mm twine. I had seen necklaces made with this thickness of twine but they seemed too bulky. I began to wonder what other things I could make with this twine using the macrame technique. One day at my friends shop, I noticed a plant hanger made using macrame but with a different kind of twine. I noticed the beauty and sturdiness of the items and decided to to try to make one to hang my plants up in my window. 

 I wrestled for a long time with what to use for the top hanger. I finally decided upon using a brass ring. I found multiple sizes in the local craft section of a big box retail outfit. I made my first one concentrating more on how to make the plant hanger itself. I eventually experimented and decided that the whole piece would look much better if I wrapped the brass ring with the hemp twine. It gives the plant hanger a nice, finished, even look. I liked them so much I asked if my friend would accept them as consignment in her store. I sold several of them and mostly used the proceeds to buy more supplies of beads and twine.  

 After you complete this you need to cut 16 very long pieces of twine. Feed them through the hole in the ring to the middle of the cord making sure that each end of each string meets the other. Use an Alpine coil knot to bind the strings together near the top closest to the ring. Then divide the stings into four groups of four cords. Use the half knot and the square knot making different patterns as you go. Experiment to see what you like best. When you get to your desired length it is helpful to have ready a lightweight round object to simulate the plant circumference in order to make the bottom basket holder. Take two strings from two neighboring groups of strands. Join them together about four to six inches below the stopping part of the your macrame chains using the square knot until all the strands are connected to each other. Repeat again joining two strings from two neighboring strands 3-4 inches below the previous square knot until all the strands are connected to each other. When you have reach the desired depth of your basket holder, join the strings together and bind them tight with another Alpine coil knot. My friend no longer owns that particular store (nor do the current owners offer consignment currently) but a new outfit has just started business and they have three plant hangers handmade by me for sale in their store. I have three more in progress at the present time.  Some other macrame plant hanger instructions are here. 

Not only have I made plant hangers but I have put the art of macrame to use with other crafts as well. I made a guitar strap for my husband, Brian, years ago where I took a burlap strap and covered it with patchwork material of an old tie and corduroy using macrame for each end of the strap. I have made baby teethers with it recycling old baby toys or using non-toxic wooden beads as a rattle. Keychains are a favoite of mine to make with macrame because they can be made quickly and I can get really creative in decorating them with beads. I am currently working on making a pattern for a Kleen Kantean carrier with shoulder strap.

If you found this post helpful in your crafting endeavors, please leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you if you used these instructions to make your own plant hangers.

Quilt Love

Now it is time to share some of the crafty goodness from my husband's side of our family. Brian has many crafty people in his family one of which is his Grandmother Mae. She has been making quilts for a very long time and has supported her family at times by selling her crafts. She also makes them to give away as presents for her family members as she gave me my daughters at my baby shower. I find the two quilts she made for my son and my daughter to be the most treasured gifts I have ever received, however, she is very modest about her work. These quilts hang on the wall in each of my children's bedrooms and I hope that they value these quilts as much as I do and pass them down to their children as a family keepsake. The amazing detail that she achieves with each quilt is just breathtaking.