Book Page Wreath

I had decided that this fall I wanted to do some projects with book page leaves.  I started with a wreath.  I had a straw wreath that I pulled the moss off of and recycled for this project.  I first took strips of burlap and wrapped the whole wreath.  When the wreath was wrapped I just pinned the burlap in place.

The perfect ribbon for the book pages seemed to naturally be a black and white check.  I wrapped the ribbon around the top of the wreath to create the hanger.

To attach my book page oak leaves I needed a "vine.'  I just created it with pipe cleaners.

I took the oak leaves and just taped them to the pipe cleaners.  I created the oak leaves from a child's coloring page.  You could simply trace a real oak leaf and get the same effect.

I really like the texture and pattern of the book page leaves.  It's neutral but definitely portrays fall.

 Sherry

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Cottage Style Link Party  at Lavender Garden Cottage

Sunday's Best Party  at My 1929 Charmer

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Sunny Simple Sundays  at Sunny Simple Life
Mod Mix Monday  at Mod Vintage Life
Share Your Cup Thursday  at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Pinning on Pinterest Party  Debbiedoos
Before and After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick
Autumn Link Party  at Southern Hospitality

Home Sweet Home # 81

Hello and welcome to Home Sweet Home!  This week has been all about cooking.  I have a new found interest in Recession Era Cooking and have a Pinterest board set up for all of the recipes that are family friendly and thrifty.  Today I am showing off one more recipe like this.  I found a large chicken last week on sale for 75 cents a pound, so I decided to get out the vintage Le Cruset Doufeu and roast it.  

 It was a 5 lb. chicken so it just fit in the Doufeu.  I placed some lemon wedges in the cavity after I washed it out and sprinkled it with thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic.

The Doufeu is a special dutch oven made by Le Cruset.  It has a concave lid made to put ice in so the condensation on the underside of the lid will roast meat moist and tender over a period of time.

So does the design of the roaster work?  Yes!  A fabulous tender roasted chicken.  Now let me say a little about a roast chicken being a thrifty meal.  If you get a large bird, you can get three or four meals out if it.  We sliced the breast off the night we roasted it and had chicken with rice.  I saved all of the rest of the meat in the fridge and used it for other meals.

 Here I am using the chicken for the chicken noodle soup we had for Sunday lunch.  We  also made sandwiches with it.  So I would say it lasted us three meals.  That is pretty good to get a $4 chicken to last three meals. 

Home made chicken noodle soup recipe here.  Next week I will be beginning my fall decorating but I will continue to add a Recession Era recipe each week on my blog, look for more to come!

Now I would like to highlight some of the posts that caught my eye last week.

Courtenay at The Creek Line House showed off a cute back-to-school fall "fantel."  

Jill at Sew a Fine Seam showed off a really great photography themed party she threw for her friends!  

The Decorating Diaries showed off several great vignettes she created with some "picked" drawers she found at an old electric company.

Anne at Design Dreams by Anne showed off a gorgeous vintage door headboard she made!

Kat at Boulder Dam Cottage showed off a lovely vintage couch makeover using upholstered vintage table cloths.

 There are many great links each week!  Thank you to all who join me at Home Sweet Home!

 Sherry

I will join these ladies today:
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground 

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Home and Garden Thursday  at A Delightsome Life 

Creative Things Thursday  at The Vintage Farmhouse
Thrifty Things Friday  at The Thrifty Groove

Potpourri Friday at 2805
G'Day Saturday  at Natasha in Oz

  Guidelines for Home Sweet Home Party:

Attention: To link up with inlinkz you must have a permalink back to this party in your post or they will not allow you to link.  

Link up anything in your home or garden.  I love seeing neat shops too!

My button is on my sidebar for the party, if you want to use it.   If you are new here I hope you will become a follower. Please don't link up more than two posts.  No Etsy link ups or direct advertising, please.  Please visit some of the other blogs and get some great inspiration.  Thanks.:)

Now let's see your beautiful homes!

Finding Large Scale Botanical Prints

So, as you may have noticed, I have a thing for botanicals.  Small-scale botanicals are fairly easy to find- in books, on etsy, ebay, calendars, flea markets, antique shops, etc. (they're usually all bookplates or copies of bookplates so the size is no larger than the book) but large-scale botanicals aren't always as easy to come by. 

 

 

{Reproduction Cowslip & anemone botanical charts in our family room by The Evolution Store}

 

I've managed to get my hands on a few & when Erin @ The Impatient Gardener asked me where I'd found them, I thought I'd share some of my sources in a post.   (I hope you won't think I'm a one-trick pony when you see how many botanicals I've used in projects!!  I just have a serious passion for them!! ;)   The reproduction German education charts in my family room (above) are from The Evolution Store.    They have a wide (and gorgeous!)selection of botanicals, and in particular, a lot with black backgrounds, which are higher-contrast and feel bolder and more modern than those with light backgrounds.   I wanted my charts quickly & I needed a  pair, so going vintage wasn't really an option for me this time.  When I got the charts, I spent some time beating them up- I roughed up the edges a little and rolled and unrolled them a bunch, wrinkling them- so they'd more resemble my vintage ones.  I also splurged for the wooden dowels vs. the plastic dowels.  (ps- it's ridiculous that I spent all of this time making my new charts look old when I'm so careful & gentle with my old ones. hahaha  irony.)

 

The charts can be hung on nails like mine (above) or framed like these:

 

 {Room by S. Gambrel and the botanicals look like framed charts to me....  The Evolution Store carries all of these exact prints.}

 

The vintage botanical chart that sparked this post (below) is in my laundry room.  I found it at an antique store.  Any time I see rolled up vintage educational charts in a store, I go digging.  I unroll every single one and buy all of the ones that I love.  I keep them until the right project comes along. 

 

 

 

...And it always does. 

 

I found the mushroom chart in my middle son's nursery (below) at German Favorite Antiques, a local antique store in Leesburg, Virginia.  They have a nice selection of charts, though most that I've seen in the past are industrial / machine parts charts. 

 

 

 

Some of my favorite overscale botanicals are actual pressed botanicals or copies of actual pressed botanicals.  If you plan on buying actual pressed overscale botanicals, then get your wallet ready for it because they're not cheap (but OH MY GOSH THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL & I looooooooove them & do think it's worth the splurge if it's something you're passionate about...  Did you just hear me give myself an excuse to get one some day?? ;) ;))  BUT, there are a few posters around of overscale pressed botanicals.  Allposters.com carries these ginko leaves and they are so perfect:

 

 

 

 

Actual pressed plants will eventually fade over time whereas copies of the plants won't.

 

I wanted to do something similar but a little more personal for some clients of ours so, their kids & I went outside & found some pretty leaves from their back yard (from tulip trees.)  I took the leaves home and laid them out on my scanner and scanned them in.  Then I sent the images to an online company to have them blown up and printed on stretched canvas.  (below)

 

 

 

I came across this botanical (below) out at the Old Lucketts Store in Leesburg and I think it's a framed chart of a marsh marigold.

 

I found these two prints for a client's dining room (below) at Natural Curiosities, whose art work I love.  They purchase & acquire the rights to antique & vintage prints and reproduce them, often in large scale.  Everything from Natural Curiosities is even better in person than in photos because they "age" their papers and try to painstakingly replicate the originals. 

 

{Natural Curiosities}

...Another great source for overscale botanicals (mostly charts) is etsy.  There are sellers selling actual vintage charts & there are a bunch selling new charts in the vintage style.  (Many of the new educational charts are actually being made on the very same machines that the originals were made on...  they are just 2012 versions of the originals, kind of like reprinting of books.  The vintage charts found online are typically more expensive than the new ones.)  It's sometimes hard to tell if a seller is selling vintage charts or reproductions so be sure to ask if  you're unsure. 

Anyway, I'm off for the day, but have a great one!!


 ps- My blog was recently redone by my blog friend Carolyn V of Life in Graz Pittsburg & she is amazing!!!!  I've had such a great experience with her and you need to check out her adorable nursery!!!  (for her brand new baby, Alexander!!!)  Also, my other talented blog friend, Emily Thompson of Indie Shopography, did my online store (www.purestylehome.co) and she is awesome too!!  I can't recommend both of them enough!!

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Pork Chop Stew

This recipe was something I found on cooks.com, but, I have reworked it to include inexpensive cuts of meat and best of all, it is a crock pot recipe.  The recipe called for 1 1/2 lbs. of boneless pork. I used pork chops on sale for $1.99 lb.  I had the pork chops thawed out and ready to cook and no one wanted to eat them!:(  So I improvised.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. pork chops
5 large carrots, quater inch slices
2 large onions
2 stalks of celery, quater inch slices
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. sage or 1 tbsp. chopped fresh leaves
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large potatoes, cut in 3/4 inch cubes
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. Port wine
1 can of cream of onion soup
1 can of cream of celery soup

In a large heavy bottomed skillet over high heat, brown the pork in the olive oil.  When the pork begins to brown remove from skillet and set aside.  Reduce heat and add one chopped onion.  When the onion begins to brown, add the Port and deglaze the pan. 

Add the remaining ingredients except one onion and flour and place in slow cooker.  Cook on low setting for 8 hours.  Two to three hours before it's finished strain the soup with a colander and remove all pork chop bones (please don't forget that step).  Add the second onion thinly sliced and return all meat and veggies to the broth. (If it is not possible to add the second onion here, just add it from the start of cooking).  Whisk in the flour and add the soups stirring well, turn the heat setting to high for the final hour of cooking.  Serve with French bread.

Since this is a frugal family recipe, I am pinning it to my Recession Era Cooking Pinterest Board.  It is a new board I created this week I will be filling with budget friendly recipes.  Come by and check it out!

Enjoy!

Sherry

I will link this to: 

Friday Food at Mom Trends

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
Thriving on Thursdays  at Domesblissity
On the Menu Monday at Stonegable 
Rooted in Thyme Simple and Sweet Fridays
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
A Pinteresting Party  at Tutus & Tea Parties

Our Laundry Room & Some Goodness

Since we're leaving so soon (we close in 8 days & move soon after!) I thought I'd share a few before & afters of some of the few spaces in my house that I haven't taken a million photos of.  Today it's the laundry room & I've never taken "after" photos of it because it's never been neat enough to take pics of.  oh well. 

Enter staging your home to sell and it gets there.  (We left our house with laundry the day of our open house!!)  SO I've been enjoying it for the past few weeks :)

Here's what it looked like when we moved in 3 years ago...

We didn't really change much at all.  I added curtains & a jute rug & some storage pieces.  I was proud of myself for making the little cafe curtains out of a ferny fabric.  They remind me of something my Grandma Maestranzi would have made for her lake cottage.

  I hung a botanical chart over the washer & dryer to hide the electrical box, which made the bggest difference to me:

Before the open house I had a glass collection on the countertop but I packed it all up and switched it with a laundry basket.

{My little bird print left too}

The shelves are filled with random things...

{wrapping paper & potting stuff}

My laundry is pretty much caught up (but it's the FOLDING OF CLEAN LAUNDRY (!!!)  that we're behind on.)

{see how empty this thing is??  You should see my bedroom though!! argggg}

... About a week ago I received a beautiful package in the mail from Gracious Style full of laundry goodies by Le Blanc & The Laundress.  Let me start by saying I don't like doing laundry. 

At all. 

 I have the strongest sense of smell though & I am for real when I say that I've actually kind of enjoyed doing laundry since I've gotten my goodies. 

The packaging is so pretty and the SMELLS-  OH MY!!!!!!!!

{LeBlanc Linenpress...  haven't used it yet.  Sadly, I rarely iron.}

The SMELL of the LeBlanc stuff is HEAVEN!!!!! Just sooooo good!!!! It's crazy.

They sent the Blue Violet scent and I am totally loving it!!!  The dryer sachet (not sure if that's the right name!!  good for 16 washes) is CRAZY.  My laundry smells sooooo good & I can't stop going in there to take whiffs!!!  (It's right near my office) 

I also sprayed some of this (below) on the things that I'd hung to dry for more goodness:

And I poured some of this in with my regular detergent:

  I can't believe what a difference all the goodies have made so far in my once-dreaded chore!!!  I am not just saying this...  This stuff is crazy good.  I'm scared I'm addicted and won't be able to go back to the regular stuff.  I think it's going to have to go on my Christmas wishlist. Thanks so much to Gracious Style for letting me try out these yummy products!!  To get some of your own, go here.   ...But I still need a little elf to come fold at night while we're sleeping...  
ps-  I normally shy away from doing any sort of product reviews because it usually feels like homework and I don't want to have to worry about writing a review of something I don't like, but I'd been wanting to try some different laundry products for a while now so I said yes.  So glad I did!!   
If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Fall Parties

I am trying to get my fall decorating on this week.  I put the candles out first and they smell so good.  This is getting me in the mood, mulled cider, and pumpkin spice.  Are you taking note of the fall parties?

Here are two sets of parties to get on your schedule.  The Inspired Room.

These will inspire you with lots of fall ideas!  Centsational Girl. 

Check them out and mark your calender!  

Sherry

I will join:

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life 

A Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life

Cottage Style Link Party  at Lavender Garden Cottage

Recession-Era Cooking: Apple Crisp

This week I am focusing on a new Pinterest board I have created Depression/Recession Era Cooking.  I have a keen interest to reduce my grocery bill and I have taken too the cooking skills I have seen used by the women who have lived through tough times before.  There are many thrifty ideas that make a lot of sense.  I will turn first to my MIL who raised 7 children on a very thrifty budget.  She has a lot of great recipes that feed a crowd and are nutritious.    This is the one recipe that my husband requests the most, it is a very simple recipe for apple crisp.

Ingredients:

4 cups apples, sliced thinly

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup water

Topping:

3/4 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup margarine

Place apples in a greased 8 x 8-inch baking dish with cinnamon and water.  Mix flour, sugar, and margarine until crumbly and sprinkle on top of apples.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50minutes.  

Here is the finished product.  No complaints when anyone walks by the stove and steals a bite!  

 

This was Sunday's Lunch at my house, chicken noodle soup and apple crisp. 

I haven't shown off this Hoosier cupboard yet, it was my Great-grandmother's.  It lived through the Depression.   There is no natural light where we keep this cupboard so the pictures are a little harsh on it. 

Arriving in our grocery stores now is this year's crop of potatoes.  I have seen a 15# bag and a 50# bag of potatoes this week in the stores.  This 15 # bag I have was $4.50, that is 30 cents a pound and they are so filling.  My kids will not complain if I have a meatless meal and serve potatoes.  When you consider potatoes are 30 cents a pound and meat can be $ 3.99 a lb. on up, potatoes make a great main dish replacement.  

So, what did people in the Depression or a recession era do to save on their groceries and feed a family?  They ate frugally, often making meat a scarce thing on their table.  When our children were small (3 and 1 year old boys)  I could feed us on $75 a week.  We now have two teen boys and a 7 year-old and we are spending almost $250-300 a week!!  I have had it with the pricey food costs and this house is turning to a recession-era cooking plan.  I am going to start with a use less meat formula that I got from a thrifty website years ago.  

I am taking the formula and tweaking it a little:

Sunday: meat

Monday: casserole

Tuesday: pasta

Wednesday: meat with crock pot

Thursday: casserole 

Friday: fish, eggs, cheese, or potatoes

Saturday: soup & sandwiches

You can change these up to fit your schedule.   But, right away you can see where making a pasta dish or casserole can fill up the family and you can avoid the pricey cuts of meat.

So, I will be pinning my recipes from this onto my Depression/Recession Pinterest Board.  There are a few resources on there already and I hope to have a lot more to add if you follow along.   If anyone would like to join the board just let me know.  The drought has been tough on our area and food costs can't help but rise, maybe, using this formula it might help save dollars on food .  

 Sherry

Cottage Style Link Party  at Lavender Garden Cottage

Sunday's Best Party  at My 1929 Charmer

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Sunny Simple Sundays  at Sunny Simple Life

On the Menu Monday at Stonegable