Art Journaling: Whimsical Watercolor Flowers Hand Painted on Newspaper DIY How To Tutorial

 Whimsical Watercolor Flowers Hand Painted on Newspaper

Today I had a bit of an art day and created these watercolor flowers.  I plan on using them in my journals to add a little bit of artistic whimsy to my pages.  I thought I would share how to make them.

 Art Journaling - Making Watercolor Flowers

Supplies are minimal and basic!  

Watercolors (inexpensive watercolors, even children's watercolors work just fine for this)

Wax Paper to protect your surface

Newspaper

Watercolor brush

Gel Pens - I used white

Sharpie Pens- I used black

 Newspaper and Watercolor Flowers

The directions to make these whimsical cuties is simple as well!

Spread out your newspaper.  I used wax paper underneath the newspaper to protect my working surface.

Paint random round shapes in various sizes with the watercolor paints all over the newspaper.  You will need various sizes so that you can stack the flowers if you want a dimensional flower.  I mixed my colors up but you could paint them in a solid color if you prefer.  

Next choose some paint for your leaves and paint random leave shapes on your newspaper.

Allow the paint to dry and cut out the shapes.

Watercolor Flowers, Doodles, Art Journaling

With a black Sharpie I drew lines and doodles on the flowers and leaves.  Next I added white dots / and or lines with a white gel pen.  You can use whatever colors you would like to doodle little designs on your flowers.

I wanted some of the flowers to be dimensional so all I did was scrunch them up so that they were all crunched up.  Then I opened them up.  I chose various sizes so that I could make a layered flower.  I glued them on layer by layer beginning with the largest flower on the bottom and adding smaller flowers as I went along until I had what I wanted.  Next I glued the leaves in place.

So there you have it!  Whimsical watercolor flowers for your projects, scrapbooks, journals, etc.

I hope you enjoy these little flowers and I hope that maybe, just maybe, that I have inspired you to create your own!

What have you been creating lately?

Frugal Handmade Gift Idea - Crochet Slippers and a Free Pattern Link

Crochet Slippers

I LOVE it when I find cute, simple patterns that are suitable for gift making and giving!  I think these adorable crochet slippers fit the bill perfectly!  And better yet is that there is a FREE CROCHET PATTERN made available thru the Redheart website! You can find the pattern by clicking here!

I changed up the trim around the slippers just a bit by crocheting a picot border instead of that in the pattern.  I really like how these slippers turned out.  So much so that I made another pair in a colorway similar to that on the website! 

It takes less than a skein of yarn to crochet the slippers.  You can even use yarn scraps to make the flowers, leaves and border using yarn stash that you have on hand.  That is a pretty frugal and thrifty gift idea in my book!  And they are SUPER CUTE! 

I am happy to add these slippers to my gift stash! 

Do you keep a stash of handmade gifts on hand too?

Lemon Chicken Soup

 For cool fall days not much beats a pot of homemade soup to warm you to your core. This week is one that called out for something hot, soothing and delicious, so Lemon Chicken Soup is what I cooked up for the family.

Lemon Chicken Soup

 

 

8 cups of homemade chicken broth is best or substitute with store bought

2 cup Orzo

3 cups shredded chicken

2 - 3 lemons for juice and jest

3 large eggs

salt and pepper to taste

 

 

Parboil one whole chicken and shred or pick up a precooked rotisserie chicken at the grocery. You will use approximately three cups of shredded chicken.

 

Pour eight cups of chicken broth into a large pot and let come to a boil.  Add two cups of  Orzo and allow to cook for about five minutes.  Reduce heat to simmer and add the shredded chicken to your pot.  In a separate bowl break open three large eggs and whisk.  Juice 2 - 3 lemons (remove any seeds) and add to the eggs and whisk mixture together.  Reserve some of the lemon zest from the lemons to add to the soup.  Temper your whisked eggs by taking one cup of the hot chicken broth and add it slowly to your egg and lemon mixture a little bit at a time whisking as you add the hot liquid.  Now you can slowly add your eggs to the pot of soup.  Allow to simmer for about 25 - 30 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.

 

 Enjoy your hearty bowl of lemon chicken soup!

What is your favorite soup?

Chicken Mull - A Southern Favorite Comfort Food

Graphic Courtesy of FPTFY

 

When I was a child we lived in the city and most of my father's birth family lived in the country.  They lived a couple of hours away but we visited often.  I loved going to my uncle Ed's and aunt Ethel's house around meal time because my aunt Ethel was a wonderful southern country cook and you were bound to be fed delightful, made from scratch, home cooked meals.

I giggle when I recall how she would busily, but happily, be running all around in the kitchen and would bring out about every pot, pan and dish she owned in preparation for her feasts.  There would be multiple runs to the root cellar and to the pantry, which was filled with her home grown and home canned fruits and vegetables. She was delightful!

Cast iron or stainless steel pots and pans and skillets filled her kitchen.  And her kitchen cabinets held mostly common ironstone dinnerware.  She had no fine china or silverware.  But every inch of her home was filled with love and her kitchen was filled with the best home cooked food you would ever want to put in your mouth.  And when you were there you knew you would not leave hungry!  

Most of the rest of my father's family lived near to my aunt and uncle and sometimes they would all just gather there when we came to visit. Come mealtime all of the women folk would gather in her huge country kitchen to help prepare the meal. It was a wonderful time in the kitchen and some of my fondest memories of my father's family were made right there in my aunt Ethel's kitchen. 

One of my favorite dishes that my aunt Ethel made was a dish called Chicken Mull.  I know that this is a southern dish and many of you may have never heard of it.  I also know the name of this dish is not a very appetizing sounding kind of name!  But it is a really good and satisfying and is a simple dish with not a lot of ingredients.  It's a family favorite comfort food for a cool weather, snuggle up kind of day. 

Chicken Mull

my version of my aunt Ethel's chicken mull

 

Ingredient list:

 

1 whole chicken (cooked and shredded) and the liquid that you cooked your chicken in

1 12 ounce can of evaporated milk

12 - 16 ounces of whole milk

if more liquid is needed add an additional quart of homemade or store brand chicken broth

2 tablespoons of butter or margarine

1 - 2 stacks or sleeves of saltine crackers

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

In a large pot cover one whole chicken with cold water and add some salt and pepper and cook until tender.  Once the chicken is done and fall off the bone tender, remove it from the pot and place it  on a plate.  Save the liquids left from cooking the chicken.  Allow the chicken to cool enough to handle so that you can remove the chicken and shred it.   Once shredded, place the chicken back in the pot

and add 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine, and if needed add a quart of homemade or store bought chicken broth, a 12 ounce can of evaporated milk and 12 to 16 ounces of whole milk.  Allow to come to a rolling boil.  Once a rolling boil has happened, take your stack (or two) of saltine crackers and break them up and add them to your pot.  Allow to boil for just a few minutes and then turn down to low heat allowing the crackers to cook a bit and absorb some liquid into them.  Season to your taste with salt and pepper. 

 

This recipe is very forgiving.  If you want it thicker add more saltines or less liquid.  Want it not so thick?  Just add more liquid.

 





Vintage Vera Neumann Linens and Tablecloths

I love vintage linens and have a few pieces that I have collected. Not only do I love all of the handiwork of hand crocheted or hand embroidered pieces, but I also love the colorful and beautiful prints of vintage linens from Wilendur, Vera Neumann, and others. Today I thought I would share some of my vintage Vera Neumann collection with you.

I love the beautiful bold designs of Vera Neumann!

 

 

 

Vera Neumann famous ladybug logo

Vera logo with the little lady bug.

 

 

Notice that the ladybug is not present on this set of napkins.

 

There are still Vera Neumann linens, scarfs, fabric and dinnerware available on the market today, so if you love her designs you may find something that you like on the internet at places like Ebay and Etsy. 

 

I am including some links for those who may be interested in learning a bit about vintage Vera Neumann linens.

 

Collecting Vintage Vera Neumann by BohoBetty on Ebay

 

Vera Neumann on Wikipedia

 

 

Do you collect vintage linens?  What are your favorites?



 





Dehydrating Oranges

                                                           

Dehydrated Orange Slices

 

My new found kitchen appliance love is my Nesco American Harvest Gardenmaster dehydrator! Talk about a space saver for food storage! I had been researching and trying to decide which dehydrator to purchase and my decision was narrowed down to an Excalibur and a Nesco American Harvest dehydrator.  When I found a brand new unused Nesco on craigslist for $40, that became my decision breaker and so I purchased it and brought it home.

One of the first fruits that I dehydrated was some organic, seedless navel oranges.  Preparation was easy. I simply soaked the oranges in a water / vinegar / salt solution for about 15 minutes, rinsed them well and sliced them with my mandoline slicer approximately 1/4 inch thick.

How to Dehydrate Oranges

 

I arranged the orange slices on the shelves of the dehydrator in a single layer and dried them for about 12 hours. Drying time can vary according to the size of the load, the thickness of the fruit and the moisture content of the fruit as well as the moisture in the air.  It's helpful to keep a written journal or record of your dehydrating times for future use.

Lemons and Limes can be dehydrated using this same method.

 

Do you dehydrate any foods?  What is your favorite?

Seed Saving: Harvesting Heirloom Yellow Crookneck Squash Seeds

 

Fall is here and our garden is coming to it's end.  If you are a gardener you are probably like me and are already thinking about next year's garden!

One thing that I do is to observe varieties that did well for me so that I can replant successful varieties next year!  At the end of the season I allow some of my best producing heirloom vegetable plants to grow their vegetable well beyond their maturity in order to harvest some mature seeds to save for next year's planting. 

So here I will show you how I harvested some heirloom yellow crookneck squash seeds. It's a simple process and saving heirloom seeds allows you to grow free food next year.  Isn't that a great thing?  Free food! I love that!

Heirloom Seed Saving:  How to Harvest Heirloom Yellow Crookneck Squash Seeds

Choose a mature squash that is well beyond it's picking peak for consumption. It will be large and bumpy and will therefore contain lots of seeds.

Slice the squash into sections and remove the seeds.  I try to go thru and choose the most mature, plump seeds for harvesting.

Heirloom Yellow Crookneck Squash Seeds

Work thru the gooey membrane and pull out the seeds.

Seed Saving Heirloom Yellow Crookneck Squash

Lay the seeds in a thin layer on a paper towel and allow them to dry out completely. It will take several days for this to be accomplished.  You want to make sure they are dried out completely because you do not want any moisture left remaining so that the seeds will not mold.

Once you are sure that the seeds are completely dried out, place the seeds into an envelope.  Clearly mark the seed variety and the date that they were harvested on the outside of the envelope. Store in a cool, dry place until time to plant next year!

Do you harvest your heirloom seeds too?

On the Spindle - Polwarth and Silk Blend

Spinning Polwarth / Silk Fiber

 

 

I recently purchased some 85 percent Polwarth /  15% Silk blend of fiber.  Polwarth is a breed of sheep that is a cross between merino and lincoln sheep.  Polwarth fiber is next to skin soft and has a nice staple length  that makes it easy to spin even using a hand spindle.  It has been a joy to spin!  I am hoping to get around five hundred yards of two ply yarn off of this four ounces of top roving. 

 

 

 

 

 



 Do you have any experience spinning polwarth? I would love for you to share your handspun so you are welcome to link in the comments!