Fun Times at the Renaissance Festival

Last weekend Lover, my brother, my other brother's girlfriend and her sister and I (are you confused yet?) went to the Sterling Renaissance Festival. We also brought along some other friends, their parents and the friends' kids. What a crowd! However, the friends didn't make it into this picture. :-)

The festival is so much fun, there are tons of shows to watch, shops to browse and impromptu skits in the middle of all of the people.

We love the glass blowing exhibit (so much so that I forgot to take pictures of it!) and this wood shop was pretty cool. Here's my brother looking cool as usual in a chair carved from a tree trunk.

Then I did my best impression of a garden gnome that was also hanging out in this shop.

Dead on, right? I could totally moonlight as a garden gnome. :-) Well, except for the beard. Our favorite show by far is Johnny Fox. He is a sword swallowing- sleight of hand - magician turned comedian. While the sword swallowing is impressive, he is just genuinely funny, and we always laugh our heads off.

Of course, there are beautiful horses at the festival, and most participate in the jousting tournament. Here's my new friend that Lover wouldn't let me bring home. :-)

I was also chosen to be the queen in a Human Chess Match, and we won! My move was the one that checkmated the black, which I am very proud of :-)

And lastly, the obligatory self portrait that we always take on trips. We had such a great time, a great way to spend the weekend!

Ball's Strawberry Freezer Jam

Have you ever wondered how to make freezer jam? Well, you won't have to anymore because I have come to your rescue! Starwberries are dirt cheap right now, so I thought I would take advantage of the sales and whip up a batch of freezer jam. And you get to benefit from my newfound knowledge!

Here's what you will need:

- Four pounds of strawberries, rinsed

- One package of Ball's Freezer Jam No Cook Pectin

- Sugar

- 4 cup glass bowl

- Large bowl

- Sharp Knife

-Strawberry Huller

- Mixing Spoon

-Potato masher

-4-5 Freezer jars

- 1/2 cup measuring cup

-Timer

-Ladle

First things first, wash out all your jars and set them out to dry

Hull and slice your strawberries into small, bite size pieces You don't need to have blurry vision for this :-) Put them in your four cup measuring bowl.

Once all your strawberries are cut up, use the potato masher to smush the strawberries into a nice consistency. The key here is personal taste. If you like your jelly with chunks, don't mush too much. I smushed mine until there were no large pieces left.

Add one and a half cups of sugar to the large bowl. Try not to be disgusted by the amount of sugar that this recipe calls for. :-)

Add the pectin to the sugar, then stir it all together.

Add the berries to the sugary pectin, being careful not to splash red berry juice on yourself.

Set timer for three minutes, stir berries, sugar and pectin together until timer goes off.

Carefully ladle the berry mixture into your clean jars up to the fill line, or fill to about 1/3 inch from the top of the jar. Once again, be careful of splashage.

Screw lids on securely, then label jars with contents and date. I used regular old masking tape, but you can get fancy, if you feel so inclined.

Set your timer for 30 mintues, and go relax and read a magazine or something. You've earned it!

When the timer goes off, put the jars in the freezer.

Voila! You have just made strawberry freezer jam!

Instructions courtesy of Ball No Cook Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin, with embellishment by me.

Dashing Green Door

I loved the transformation of this door so much that I had to link it up to BNOTP's Met Monday! Please go check out the other great before and after's on her blog!

Project Curb Appeal continues with a freshly painted front door. You've seen the back of this door, now painted a lovely blue gray that goes perfectly with the rest of our first floor. The front is now just as pretty, if not more so.

The hardest part was picking out the perfect shades of green for the door and trim. The stucco is a warm yellow (like the yolk of an egg) and the trees are a lovely evergreen, so I knew that the green we chose would need to be a warm, not cool, green with yellow undertones. I ended up choosing Valspar's Native Henna for the trim and Tarragon for the door. I had them colormatched to Olympic and Glidden paint and they came out perfectly. For the door I chose an exterior satin finish, and for the trim an exterior semigloss. I like the subtle difference in textures right next to each other like that.

Painting the door wasn't too difficult, although it did take three coats. If you are going to paint your front door, here is what you need to do:

-Wash the door with warm soapy water, and rinse to make sure all the soap is off.

- Remove hardware if possible. If not, tape as closely as possible to the door so the old color won't show through.

-If your door has windows, tape off your windows as closely as possible

-Begin painting the door from top to bottom, making sure to paint as thin a coat as possible while still getting even coverage.

-Allow recommended drying time before next coat.

-Alternate the direction of your brushstrokes on your next coat to get even better coverage

- Allow drying time again

-When last coat has been applied, remove masking tape. Before removing tape, take a craft knife or razor blade and run it along the seam of the tape to cut the paint from the tape. This helps ensure a smooth finish. Remove the tape, then touch up any spots where the tape pulled off the paint.

-Allow door to cure for 30 days before cleaning.

Now you know how to paint your front door!

Here's what the front door looked like Before:

and After:

Darling Dresser - A refinished beauty!

I'm linking this post up to Between Naps On The Porch for her Metamorphosis Mondays. Make sure to go and check out all the other great transformations!

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Remember a few months back when I mentioned that I wanted to refinish the dresser in the living room? This one?

Well, I finally had the money to order the new glass knobs, and some time to work on the dresser itself. It took me two separate weeks when Lover was out of town traveling to get it done, but now it is beautiful!

Here's the process I used:

Step One: Strip it baby!

I used one application of wood finish stripper to remove the glossy finish. This stuff smells bad and is tricky to work with, but it saves a lot of sanding time, so I went ahead and used it. Make sure to use gloves, and follow the directions to the letter, as this stuff is tempermental.

Step Two: Sand away!

I spent quite a bit of time sanding down each drawer, and the dresser body. For this project I sanded by hand, although a power sander would have made my life easier. Alas, my brother had borrowed our sander, so I had to resort to elbow grease. I gave special attention to the top, as it was scratched, had some holes and was just messed up in general. I didn't sand off all of the original stain as I wanted some of the color to show through the dark stain I was going to put on top of it. Always be sure to sand in the direction of the wood grain (the lines in the wood) to ensure a smooth finish.

Step Three: Staining on purpose.

To stain the dresser I used MinWax's Dark Walnut wood stain, applied with clean rags. I just dipped the rags in the stain, and then rubbed it over the wood, again in the direction of the grain. It took three coats to get the deep, rich color I was going for. Make sure to allow the stain plenty of time to dry thoroughly before going on the the next step.

Note: Do not attempt this step during cottonwood season. I spent more time picking cotton out of the stain than actual staining!

Step Four: Finish it up

I chose to use Rustoleum's Clear Spray Lacquer to cover the stain. I like the smooth glossy finish that this product has. Make sure to spray evenly and slowly, and be patient! This method takes a lot of coats to get an even, smooth finish!

Step Five: Nice Knobs!

Once everything is completely dry, you can put everything back and screw the knobs on. I ordered these reproduction glass knobs off of Ebay and they are lovely. I think it cost me about $20 for the eight knobs.

And there you have it! Five easy steps to customize any piece of wood furniture, or repair a well-loved piece. Now you know how to refinish a wood dresser!

I put the dresser in the dining room, instead of the living room this time. I liked how much more open the living room felt once the dresser was out of there. We'll see if it stays there.

In the course of refinishing the dresser I discovered a penciled note on the back of the dresser that said " Rosenthal 6/22/50 Maple" So, once the dresser was finished I added my own note with our last name, the date and a note saying we refinished it. Maybe down the line someone else will buy this dresser for $25 off Craigslist and will want to fix it up again!

P.S. Now that the dresser is refinished and back in the house, I'm wondering if glass knobs were the right choice. Do you think an oil rubbed bronze, or even black would look better?

Something to keep you entertained

Working on a lot of projects here at the castle, but none are ready to blog about, as they are all projects in the making. If I finish the dresser today I will post about that. :-)

In the meantime, here are some interesting posts I have read lately in the blogs that I frequent.

Benita at Chez Larsson has a recipe for homemade bubbles (and wands) that sounds like so much fun!

Holly at In the Fun Lane did such an amazing job with this china makeover that I am looking at Craigslist furniture in a whole new way.

And to wrap things up, Jen at A Thousand Words did a great job making a cute little tray even cuter.

Can you tell I am a sucker for a good makeover? I'll be back with a few before and afters of my own soon, I promise!

Made from Scratch

I'm part of a blog carnival today on making things from scratch,

http://gottalittlespacetofill.blogspot.com/2009/07/make-it-from-scratch-carnival.html

and I'm so excited to have my little earring frame tutorial featured!

Head over to the carnival and check out the other great links that Rina has up there!

Thanks Rina!

Luggage and Life

Once again I am packing Lover's suitcase. Something that I seem to be doing awfully frequently the last few months.

Go ahead, ask me how I really feel about it. I dare you.

Anyways, Lover travels light, so it is always a cinch to pack for him. There are a few things I try to make sure always go with him;

• Fiber One bars. He is notorious for not eating well while he is gone. While he won't always eat the bars while he is traveling, it makes me feel better, kind of like I am taking care of him while he is gone.


• Extra change of clothes. Oftentimes his travel is last minute, and there have been innumerable delays and extra, unplanned for, nights. So I always send some extra stuff to get him through.


• Web cam Neither one of us is big on the phone, and while we do still use it when he's gone, we'd prefer to see each other. Every once in a while the hotel internet connection is fast enough that we can web cam. It's always a special treat.


• Love notes for each night This is a tradition I started the first time he had to spend nights away for work. Since then I don't think I've missed a night. They're always short and sweet, something akin to "I love you and you're the best," but they help us feel connected when we are so far apart.

And yes, his suitcase is ridiculously small. If it were any bigger I totally would have tried to stowaway on one of his many trips to New York City. Come to think of it, maybe that's why he doesn't have a bigger suitcase. He's a sly one! ;-)

Lover travels so often that it has become a habit to keep the suitcase half packed to make my life easier. He has extra toiletries that stay in the suitcase, along with a few other necessary travel things. I've found that it really simplifies the process. I'm applying this principle in other areas of my life such as;

• A ready to go bag of toiletries in our overnight bag to make last minute trips a breeze.


• A plastic tote full of our camping supplies, with a list on it of additional things to pack for camping, along with some menu ideas.


• My latest project, a small box for the living room, with pens, bookmarks, stamps and return address labels for easy note writing and magazine marking.

What do you keep prepared ahead of time? I'd love to hear about it!

Project Curb Appeal: Part 1

Part one of our curbside renovation is complete! If you recall, the plan is multifaceted and includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Have the stucco professionally powerwashed to get rid of muck, dirt and mold. Eww!


• Paint the door, windowsills and gables in a soft forest-y green to coordinate with the yellow stucco. (No more orange, hurrah!) Paint the front porch floor too.


• Replace the porch light fixture


• Replace the old, broken down, mostly dead evergreen bushes.


• Repair the concrete stairs.


• Add some nice landscaping to the front.

 

Part one was replacing the bushes with fresh pretty ones.

Here's the before:

And the after:

Updating the bushes meant tearing out the mostly dead evergreen bushes, which my very strong lover accomplished in about an hour. Seriously people, this would have taken me a few days if I had tried to tackle this part of the project. He attacked those bushes with vigor, and one hour later there were no bushes to be seen, and the only casualty was an old shovel. :-)

Next up was some fresh dirt mixed in with the old stuff, to give the new bushes a head start. We have a planter in the backyard that we're working on removing, so we simply transplanted the dirt from back to front.

Then we laid out our new bushes to ensure proper placement. Five in the back, two in the front, clematis by the trees, and some daylilies for color and interest.

You may be wondering how we decided on these particular bushes, and where we purchased them.

We actually ordered the boxwoods off of ebay. This was my first time sending away for plants, so needless to say I was a little worried about the results. But, this reno was on a strict budget, and there was no way we could afford $30 a bush when we had to purchase 7 bushes. Do the math people, that's like a lot of money. :-) For bushes. Enter Ebay.

I scored 10 Wintergem Boxwood plants for $20.00 plus shipping. A week later, a box was on my porch with not ten but 12! plants inside, all carefully packed and healthy and green looking. :-) We selected the five biggest and healthiest to put in the front. The extras will replace some other scraggly bushes we have around the yard. And, they were all cheaper than one big plant from a garden center! Now, obviously, they are much smaller, but I specifically chose these bushes for their fast growth rate so it shouldn't be a problem.

I also ordered the Elegantissima Boxwoods from Ebay. These were a little more expensive at $5 each, but we only needed two, and they were still $30 a piece everywhere else.

Both the Wintergem and the Elegantissima keep their happy green color year round, with lighter green leaves showing up in the spring. The Wintergem will grow to be about 3 ft high and across, while the Elegantissima will be a little smaller. We placed the Eleg. slightly in front of the Wintergem as they have pretty little ivory and light green leaves and are slightly more interesting than the Wintergem.

Next up were the daylilies. These guys are just a fun flower that are great for filling in bare spots and adding color and interest. We planted two directly in the ground, and two in large metallic looking pots on the sides. We purchased all four plants from Lowes and we are hoping that we won't need the 1 year guarantee!

Bringing up the tail end of this planting frenzy are the clematis. We planted a clematis by each tall tree on the sides, and gave it a bamboo pole and some wire to climb. The plan in for these little vines to grow up into the trees, where their flowers will add some spice to those old evergreens' lives. The flowers are a pale purple, and they look really nice so far.

In other news, my hanging baskets of petunias are doing wonderful. They have the most heavenly scent, and tons of blooms so far. I hope they keep spreading out so they're even more dramatic.

Hate Mail

Dear Neighbors,

Would it be too much to ask for you to keep your pet cat indoors? He has roamed the streets since we bought this castle, and it has always been annoying. When we first moved in, he would pee on our house to "mark" it. We certainly did not enjoy the lovely smells he left behind. Then, when we dog sat for a year, he would taunt our dog knowing that she could not get to him. This contributed to her mental demise, and we ultimately had to give her back to the owner so that her mental health could be restored.

Your fiendish cat is constantly in our yard and on our porch or deck. While I understand that you want your cat to experience the freedom of the great outdoors, it should not be at our expense. I have tried to tolerate this tresspassing on my property, but I no longer have the patience.

Your demon cat has crossed the line. I can put up with the tresspassing, and being awoken in the middle of the night to feline territorial screams. I cannot, however, tolerate a murderer walking free through the neighborhood.

I submit to you that your cat is well fed and cared for. (Evidenced by his fat stomach and satisfied expression.) There is, therefore, absolutely no need for this feline of yours to murder my helpless, innocent and beautiful little baby bunnies. That is correct, your wicked cat helped himself to a tasty breakfast of my four little wild bunnies.

I hear that animal control is quick to respond in our area. I am sure they would be swift to pursue a dangerous and uncared for feline that endangers the innocent of our neighborhood.

Do not be surprised if your evil kitty is suddenly and mysteriously missing. Perhaps next time you will be more careful and keep your pets indoors. I assure you, no one will miss him, and we will all sleep more soundly. Especially the bunnies.

Signed,

A devastated and fed-up neighbor

P.S. Rest in Peace little baby bunnies. You were so sweet and cute. :-(

Tutorial by Request

CheL asked about my method for displaying and storing my earrings. You can see the frame we made in this post about my glitzy glasses, it is the last picture. Lover and I made this little frame back when we were dating. I think it took us about an hour or two to complete. It's very simple, and it is such a great way to show off all of your lovely jewels.

This is by no means my own original idea, I initially got the idea from a jewelry stand at a craft show, and have seen many variations of this since.

I have seen a lot of variations that start with using a wooden picture frame in the size that you would like. We just bought moulding and mitered the corners and then nailed them together to form the frame. We only had a miter box at the time, so the cuts are not the greatest. Then we took a piece of window screen, cut to size and stapled that onto the back of the frame. We nailed some thin strips of wood over the screen on the back to stabilize the screen and push the frame away from the wall a bit, so that the earring hooks wouldn't run into the wall. The next step was to sponge gold paint onto the frame, and a little onto the screen for some sparkle. We sponged a little black paint over the gold to add depth and drama. Voila! In an afternoon I had a stylish way of displaying my many earrings.

Note: These are only a fraction of the earrings I own. I am in the process of switching all of my hooks over to sterling silver and 14K gold as my ears are...picky about the jewels I hang from them.

For a great tutorial on how to make your own, check out this link for instructables.com You can also add little hooks screwed into the frame to display your necklaces, if you do not have a lovely set of glasses like I do. ;-)

The Long Weekend

Our long weekend was filled with...

crops from our garden

pictures of my little niece in the daisy patch out back

baby bunnies (from our yard!)

pictures of flowers

monopoly and finger puppets

time together

and an impressive fireworks display

What did you do for the fourth?