Artisan Picks: September 2017

Belinism Ceramic Hanging Pots
Ceramic hanging pots © Belinism
I don’t know about you but I love anything and everything small batch and hand crafted. There’s just something so great about stumbling upon an exquisitely crafted artisanal find, snatching it up and then marveling in it’s specialness each time a friend or family member asks where you got it. I’m such an artisan junkie that I’ve managed to curate a pretty significant list of wonderful that I thought I’d share with you. With the holiday’s approaching I think the timing couldn’t be better. Here’s hoping you find something fantastic for everyone on your list, but most importantly, I hope you find something extra special for you!Continue Reading

Jams And Syrups And Fudge, Oh My!

Assorted Jams

Not only did I spend a lot of time in front of the TV knitting this holiday season, I also spent a lot of time cooking in the kitchen! Thankfully, sitting and knitting was the perfect respite from all that standing and cooking!

I made pear and vanilla bean jams; pear cranberry cardamom jams, apple butter; lavender, rose, apple, jalapeño, ginger and mint flavored simple syrups; chai, mint, floral, and fruity tea blends; chocolate walnut fudge, toffee, chocolate truffles, a spicy nut mix; and chai spice, floral, orange clove, and allspice fir needle scented candles.

I know… I sound insane… perhaps I am, but I had a blast doing it all and surprisingly none of it was terribly hard or time consuming! All of my recipes and instructions were found on Pinterest and then I tweaked a few things to make them my own.Continue Reading

Great Expectations!

Christmas Gifts Handmade By Katie

Soooooo… Christmas is officially over and though I didn’t accomplish everything that I had hoped to in the handmade gift department, I did accomplish a lot and I’m pretty happy with how it all turned out.

I’m not gonna lie, I stressed myself out completely trying to finish everything at the 11th hour and breathed a huge sigh of relief when it was all over and done with! But hey, what’s Christmas without a little self induced, set my expectations way too high, kind of stress?! Despite the mad rush to get everything on my list done, I had a lot of fun with these gifts. I loved the creativity of making everything by hand and was incredibly proud of each finished project, flaws and all!

I wasn’t able to do five different crates as I had hoped (again the high expectation thing can be a bit of an issue for me!), but I did do the ones I was most excited about. The tea lovers crate, the mixologist crate, and the chocolate lovers crate. The rest of the crate ideas I can save for birthday gifts, hostess gifts, or even just an I’m thinking of you gift!

My next post will include all the recipes, patterns and shortcuts I used to create my gift crates, so if any of you are feeling inspired you can get cooking and crafting!Continue Reading