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Category Archives: community

THE Carpenter Christmas Tablescape

25 Sunday Dec 2016

Posted by Julia Monroe in All Sparkled Up, Christmas, community, Craft Fail, encouragement, family, Inspirational, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Christmas, Christmas tablescape, tablescape

Carpenter, as in not someone’s name, but rather the vocation. The wood worker that cuts down trees and uses sharp gouges to make houses and three-legged stools.

And not just any carpenter, but THE carpenter. Jesus could have been any profession in the world. But he was a worker of wood, a simple carpenter by trade. When I volunteered to do a tablescape for the Christmas brunch event at our church, the first thing I thought of was Christmas trees and wood, and how significant wood is in relation to Christmas and Jesus… and me.
1-christmas-wood-tablescape-front
2-christmas-wood-tablescape-1658
Jesus worked in a wood shop. He used logs and blocks of wood. He used saws and gouges.
3-christmas-wood-tablescape-tools-1657
At the end of a day he would have had the glorious smell of aromatic sawdust and curly wood shavings clinging to his garments.
4-christmas-wood-tablescape

As an apprentice, one of the first pieces of furniture he would have made would be a three-legged stool.

6-1-legged-stool

Three legged stools can sit firmly on uneven surfaces.

6-3-christmas-wood-tablescape-favor

And if one leg is a little longer than the other, the stool still works so it is the perfect beginner’s project for making furniture.
6-2-3-legged-stool
7-legged-stool-ornament

8-christmas-tablescape-setting
My dad enjoyed wood working as a hobby but he didn’t build furniture. He built his own house, he loved cutting down trees and chopping wood, and he loved carving.
9-dons-wood-carving
I learned to carve by watching him. “Never fight the grain of wood,” he quietly said. “Work with the grain, not against it. Take tiny cuts. You can’t put wood back but you can always cut away tiny bits. Take your time.”
10-dons-wood-carving
My father had incredible patience and I watched in silence as he made tiny cuts in the wood.
11-dons-wood-carving
12-dons-wood-carving
I was 22 when I married and moved away from home. All I learned about woodworking was during my childhood but I never forgot my father’s skill. My father passed away just a couple days before Christmas, two years ago. But instead of having the memory of his passing be something hard, it is beautiful this time of year. Because my father worked with wood and so did Jesus. My dad never got to see my carving. But somehow, I think he knows and is glad.
14-my-wood-carving-1772
15-my-wood-carving
Wood workers mark their tools and their woodwork. It’s called a “maker’s mark.” My dad carved his name into the gouges he made from nails.
16-dons-tools
17-dons-tools
18-dons-tools
He carved his name and date in his carvings.
20-dons-carving
He sometimes carved the location where he made his piece.
19-dons-carving
Jesus knew all the details of woodworking.
21-christmas-tablescape-details-1656
His first contact with wood was being laid in a wood manger, a feeding trough for animals. It was rustic and rough.
22-christmas-tablescape
As he grew, He learned how to shape wood and smooth wood, remove tiny bits to make something functional and beautiful. He knew which trees were strong, which had the best grain, which smelled aromatic. And he would have known about maker’s marks.

As I put together my Carpenter tablescape, I included two wood cross beams leaning against the back of the creche.
23-christmas-wood-tablescape
After spending a life working with wood, Jesus’ last contact with wood was being nailed to it.
24-christmas-wood-tablescape
And there, in the cross, was Jesus’ “maker’s mark”, the nail prints.
25-christmas-wood-tablescape
This Christmas, what is precious to you? To me, it is the memory of my dad, the wood carver.
26-dons-self-portrait-wood-carving
And being blessed with the ability to work with wood like my dad and Jesus, The Carpenter.
27-christmas-wood-tablescape-manger-1655
28-christmas-wood-tablescape

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It’s a BFN Day! Yay!

27 Monday Jul 2015

Posted by Julia Monroe in All Sparkled Up, baking, Baking for Neighbors, BFN, community, food

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

baking, Baking for Neighbors, BFN, bread, community, food, Sourdough Grain Bread

You can read more about Baking for Neighbors Day on this post. Today was BFN for the 4th neighbor and I sure enjoyed it!

It has been a long time since I baked for neighbors. I got a bit derailed when we got an anonymous note in the mailbox over a year ago. An anonymous neighbor put a pretty blue envelope in our mailbox. Inside was a cute card with dogs on the front. And inside the card was written “Keep your #$%&* dog out of our yard. We’re tired of it dragging your recycled beer bottles into our yard too. You’ll be glad to know that we’re moving because of you. #*#%@ “… etc.

If that neighbor knew us, they would have known that we’ve never owned a dog. They would know that we don’t drink and we do our own recycling so there are no bins of bottles. If our neighbor knew us, they would have known that I broke my back and was doing a great job of recovering. And they would have known how much I love to bake.

So instead of being discouraged and scared of meeting that anonymous neighbor that hates us, I decided to keep going with Baking for Neighbors. Today I handed the fourth neighbor a loaf of steaming hot, fresh from the oven, Sourdough Grain Bread.

Sourdough Grain Bread

Sourdough Grain Bread

When I handed her the foil-wrapped bundle, she was surprised and delighted. That made me so happy! I guess she’s not the neighbor who put that note in our mailbox.

All wrapped in napkins and foil, tied with string - a big loaf of Sourdough Grain Bread fresh from the oven for neighbor 4.

All wrapped in napkins and foil, tied with string – a big loaf of Sourdough Grain Bread fresh from the oven for neighbor 4.

I’m all encouraged now to keep going with BFN Day! Four neighbors down, 67 to go. ::big smile::

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Shelle Hill’s bird

16 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by Julia Monroe in art, community, crafts, Etsy, home decor

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Tags

bird, crafts, decor, Etsy, home decorating, little bird, Shelle Hill

The eggs got put away and I had a little nest with no bird. Then I saw my friend Michelle’s sweet little birdie, all bedecked with a beaded crown. I can almost hear bird song from the tree now!

An adorable little bird from Shelle Hill on Etsy.

An adorable little bird from Shelle Hill on Etsy.

Shelle Hill birdie 1b
The bird was going to perch on one of the library shelves in a different room. So I will have to visit Shelle Hill on Etsy again and get another bird for the library. A bird with words is the perfect bookshelf visitor.

Thank you, Michelle.

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BFN Day – To the Third Neighbor I gave Sourdough Grain Bread

07 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by Julia Monroe in baking, Baking for Neighbors, BFN, community, food, recipe

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Baking for Neighbors, BFN, bread, bread machine, bread machine recipe, food, recipe, sourdough, Sourdough Grain Bread, sourdough starter

I was determined to get in a third Baking For Neighbors day, despite the cold, the rain, the busy holiday and especially my pain.
So I set my will and did it before anything could stop me.
I took Sourdough Grain Bread, a beautiful crackly-topped loaf, hot from my oven to the third neighbor.

Sourdough Grain Bread

Sourdough Grain Bread

The process is simple but time consuming. It takes 1 hour 50 minutes to make the dough in the bread machine, another 45 to raise and another 50 minutes to bake, plus other minutes for prep. So to make this bread, I have to start the loaf 4 hours before giving or serving. It’s an amazing bread and well worth the effort.

I made up this recipe. It took trial and error to get the texture just right. The crust is awesome, crisp and crackly. The interior is the perfect combination of hearty and soft and makes great slices for sandwiches or french toast. It keeps very well too and is good even two days after baking, although the crust will be more chewy than crisp at that point.

There are two specialty items needed to make the bread – a good sourdough starter and a baking cloche. These are explained further down this post.

The recipe:
SOURDOUGH GRAIN BREAD
1 cup water
1/4 cup good aged sourdough starter
2 tsp yeast
1/2 Tablespoon honey
2 1/2 cup bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil

The process:
Place all ingredients in the order listed in a bread machine.
I use a sourdough starter from King Arthur Flour. I can’t remember when we got it, perhaps 4 years ago? 5? It stays in a stoneware crock in the refrigerator door all the time. It’s an excellent starter. I’ve forgotten to feed it for over 10 months but it stays great, even with neglect.

Sourdough starter

Sourdough starter

3 Sourdough Grain Bread
Use the standard dough setting to make dough. We use a Zojirushi Bread Machine that takes 1 hour 50 minutes to make the dough on a standard setting. We’ve had this machine for over six years and use it three or four times a week. Best bread machine we’ve ever had!
4 Sourdough Grain Bread
When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, the dough is ready. It fills the bread machine pan.
5 Sourdough Grain Bread
The dough is smooth on top but rough on the bottom when it is turned out of the pan.
6 Sourdough Grain Bread
I fold it over a couple times on a floured surface.
7 Sourdough Grain Bread
Cornmeal is sprinkled in the bottom of the cloche and then the smooth, floured ball of dough is placed in the center of the cloche. There are a variety of cloches available for bread baking. I picked this one for the size and good reviews. You’re not supposed to soak it before using or it may crack in the oven. It is to be used dry. After baking the bread, all I have to do is wipe out any remaining dry corn meal with a paper towel and the cloche is ready for another loaf.
8 Sourdough Grain Bread
The cloche lid is placed on top.
9 Sourdough Grain Bread
The cloche is placed in a cold oven and the oven door shut.
I turn on the oven light to provide a small amount of warmth in the oven and set the timer for 45 minutes for the dough to raise.
10 Sourdough Grain Bread
And then… without opening the cloche or removing it from the oven, I turn the oven to 400 degrees.
That is right, the cloche goes from raising the dough in the oven, straight to baking in the oven and the cloche is never moved! As the dough is baked, it makes steam inside the cloche, emulating a professional steam-injected oven. That’s what makes the crust so amazing!

I watch the oven temp and as soon as it reaches 400 degrees, set the timer to bake the bread for 40 minutes.
When the timer goes off at 40 minutes, the cloche lid is removed from the oven and the bread continues to bake for 10 more minutes to crisp the crust.
Here is a finished loaf.
11 Sourdough Grain Bread
My favorite way to enjoy the bread is hot, with butter and honey and cinnamon powder straight from the spice jar.
12 Sourdough Grain Bread
I’ve made mistakes with this dough, forgetting it was in the bread machine, raising it too long, forgetting to set the timer when the oven reached temperature, and still the bread turns out. Here is a loaf where I did everything wrong. I love the cragginess of the crust.
13 Sourdough Grain Bread
Here is the loaf torn open, steam arising.
14 Sourdough Grain Bread
I don’t have a photo of the loaf I took to Neighbor 3. My back hurt so bad that night that I didn’t want to carry a camera. As soon as the loaf came out of the oven, I wrapped it in paper towels and then foil and walked down the street. Neighbor 3 came to the door in a wheel chair and I handed him the still-hot loaf. He held the warm bundle as he thanked me. I was so very glad I went to the effort to take the loaf to my third neighbor. May he and his household be blessed!

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The first BFN Day… To the First Neighbor, I took Butterflake Herb Rolls

04 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in baking, Baking for Neighbors, BFN, community, food, Inspirational, recipe, Uncategorized

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

baking, Baking for Neighbors, BFN, bread, community, food, neighborhood, neighbors, recipe

And also to the Second Neighbor!

It started several weeks ago. I don’t like admitting this, especially to myself, but my recovery seems sooooo s. l. o. w.! sigh. (I actually sighed after typing that sentence.) I broke my back on July 16th, 2012 and got scoliosis surgery in October. It’s been over a year. So come on, what’s with this tedious recovery? Alas, my research proves that I’m normal and doing well. But it still takes me days to recover from a simple outing because riding in a vehicle is just not friendly to my concrete spine. Not yet.

On the plus side, my stamina is better than it’s been in years. I’m tackling long overdue tasks, such as sorting through bins of old papers and organizing shelves. I’m rearranging rooms and overseeing remodeling. And I’m back in the kitchen cooking and baking. But I want to do more. I want to be involved in Community.

Since I can’t get out easy, I’ve decided to serve my own neighborhood. I call the service …

BFN – Baking for Neighbors.

Instead of bye for now, my BFN is Baking for Neighbors. I think there are 71 houses in my neighborhood. I barely know four of them so just one or two at a time, I’m going to bake something for all my neighbors. Baking for Neighbors will give me an excuse to bake, encouragement to walk outside (which is still slow and painful), and I’ll get to meet new people. It’s a win-win situation!

Several days ago I declared my first BFN Day. I took Butterflake Herb Rolls. This recipe has been in my family for decades. It was from an old Pillsbury Bake-Off cookbook my mom had. I wrote up the recipe on a blank card, which is now all stained from use.

Butterflake Herb Loaf recipe

Butterflake Herb Loaf recipe

Herb Butter Recipe

Herb Butter Recipe

I rarely make these rolls so I’m not sure why I started with them. It just seemed like the right recipe and I was at peace. And they are delicious! With each recipe I pick, I’m going to pray that it will be ok with the neighbor and perhaps even be just what they need.

Butterflake Herb Rolls

Most yeasts no longer needs proofed but I did it anyway. 4 1/2 tsp (two packets) of yeast are softened in 1/4 cup warm water.

Dry yeast is sprinkled on warm water.

Dry yeast is sprinkled on warm water.

In a large mixing bowl, place 1/3 cup shortening, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp salt and 1 cup hot scalded milk. Cool to lukewarm.
BFN 1 Butterflake Herb Rolls-2

Blend in 2 eggs and the softened yeast. I also mix in two cups of the flour at this point and beat till the batter is smooth. Gradually add 2 1/2 to 3 more cups of flour.

BFN 1 Butterflake Herb Rolls-3

The first two cups of flour are beaten in, making a nice smooth batter.

On a floured surface…. And here I pause. I wonder if all bakers enjoy sprinkling a surface with flour. There’s just something magical about scattering that soft powder over the counter and then spreading and smoothing it out with your bare hands. I love the dusty flour on my hands.
BFN 1 Butterflake Herb Rolls-4
Knead the dough on a floured surface till smooth and satiny. This was the first time in over two years that I kneaded dough so I ran out of steam fast. I wasn’t able to get it to “smooth and satiny” but it still turned out.
BFN 1 Butterflake Herb Rolls-5
I put the dough in a greased bowl and place it in the cold oven. Then I turn on the oven light. The light from the lightbulb is enough heat for the dough to rise. While the dough is raising, I make the herb butter. I usually leave out the onion and just used fresh or dried garlic. Sometimes I add a little more of everything if I want a stronger herb roll.

BFN 1 Butterflake Herb Rolls-6

We were out of Cayenne Pepper so I scraped the last little bit of Chipotle Pepper from the jar. There was about 1/8 tsp. We were out of fresh garlic too so I ground up dried garlic with a mortar and pestle.

I used to use a saucer and cut around the rolled-out dough with a sharp knife to make nice tidy circles. But it’s a lot faster to just use a bench knife to divide the dough up into little pieces. I cut the dough in half, then half again, etc until the lumps of dough are about the size of a small egg, about 32 rolls.
BFN 1 Butterflake Herb Rolls-7
Each piece of dough is rolled out flat. It doesn’t matter if the piece is perfectly round or not. Herb butter is spread on half the dough piece and then it is folded in half.
BFN 1 Butterflake Herb Rolls-8
Herb butter is again spread on the top each folded roll and then they are slightly overlapped on a parchment covered baking sheet.
BFN 1 Butterflake Herb Rolls-9
The loaf is left to raise. Again, I put them back in the oven and let it stay warm with just the oven light on.
BFN 1 Butterflake Herb Rolls-10
After they raised about double in size, the loaves are taken out of the warm oven and the oven is preheated to 350F. Then they are baked for 20 to 25 minutes.
BFN 1 Butterflake Herb Rolls-11
For giving, I placed a hot loaf, fresh from the oven, on a paper napkin on a sturdy paper plate and wrapped it in foil. And then I carried it next door. :)

I asked the first neighbor if I could take a picture of her holding the plate and she didn’t mind. The reason the foil is left on is because the rolls are keeping warm. But most important of all, it’s NOT about the rolls, it’s about the neighbor. The hands in this photo are more important than what’s on the plate. I want to keep it that way.
BFN 1 Butterflake Herb Rolls-12
Blessings to you, Neighbor 1!
And here is the second neighbor. Blessing to you too, Neighbor 2!
BFN 1 Butterflake Herb Rolls-13

I don’t know if they’ll ever see this blog. But I was so happy to finally be able to do something for my neighbors.

I shall be posting all my BFN days. 2 down, 69 to go.

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“You’re reaching the wrong way”

21 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in community, crafts, God, Inspirational, Scoliosis, sewing, Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

community, crafts, God, hands, helping, inspiration, Scoliosis, sewing

“What?” I asked.

I was standing in the middle of the room with my arm up in the air but those words abruptly stopped me.

“You’re reaching the wrong way.”

It had been a rough week. Someone had said cruel things. A big and unexpected bill arrived. And there was never enough light in the room, never enough light. Everything came crashing down at once so I got mad. I was angry at others. I was mad at the never ending bills. I was mad that my back wasn’t strong enough for me to get a job and how stupid was that! I was mad that I was mad. Life wasn’t fair.

So I stood in the middle of the room and puzzled all of this. There seemed to be no solution. Slowly, the anger drained out. Anger takes a ton of energy and I didn’t even have enough energy to sustain anger so I had to let it go. I forgave the cruel words. I decided to trust God that the finances would somehow work out, and maybe there could even be a solution for the poor lighting. God helped calm me down and I was aware of Him. But he was invisible and I wanted desperately to see him. Friends hug friends, don’t they? And when Jesus walked on the earth, just a touch of his garment healed disease. So I stood there and reached my hand toward the ceiling and waited to touch the hand of God.

Nothing.

How soon we forget sometimes. It was just a couple minutes before that I decided to let go of anger and now it started to bubble up again. Only this time, it was against God.

I stood on my tiptoes and said “Do I have to be higher to touch your hand?” I kept my arm up, rigid. I looked across the room and eyed the chair. “Do I have to stand on a chair?” I stretched on tiptoes as high as I could and felt the old adrenaline surging again, for all the wrong reasons. “Do I have to stand on my bed? Huh??? How high do I have to go to touch your hand, God???”

I started toward the bed, my hand still held high, but God interrupted my thoughts.

“You’re reaching the wrong way.”

His voice wasn’t angry, it wasn’t impatient or disgusted. It was calm and honest.

I let my arm drop and stared at my hand. What on earth did that mean “You’re reaching the wrong way?” If holding my hand up was the wrong way, then I had to lower it. I slowly lowered my hand, lower, lower, until it was held out down by my side, palm up. Then I looked at my hand and waited and wondered. And God answered.

God said “What you do to the least of these, you do to me. So if you want to touch my hand, you have to reach down to someone else.”

My eyes brimmed over. Yes.

This week, my hands sewed.
1 sewing tote bags
A group of helping hands gathered together to sew tote bags to tie on walkers for patients at a rehab center.
2 sewing tote bags
I volunteered to take some unfinished bags to sew at home. The smooth fabric moved through my fingers as it fed through the machine.
3 sewing tote bags
Despite the pain in my back, it felt good to be using my hands for someone else. Why should my hands be limited just because my back complains?
4 sewing tote bags
It was just a couple months ago that I still needed a walker. Back then, it took great effort just to cut socks into strips to wrap the bars. It was such an effort that I could only wrap one. One of my sons finished the other. I know what it’s like to take fifteen minutes just to walk across a room. The fabric tote bags to tie on walkers are such a small contribution. But it’s the little things that make a big difference.
5 my walker
I won’t be there to see the bags tied to the walkers. I won’t see the struggling hands tuck tissues or a pen or prescription into the bag pockets. But that’s ok. I don’t need to stand on tiptoes and reach up. God said I only had to reach down to someone else.
6 sewing tote bags

“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:40
What you do to others, you do unto Me.
If you want to touch the hand of God, reach down to someone else.

It’s not so hard.

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Spoonflower!

10 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in community, crafts, fabric, home decor, projects, sewing, Spoonflower

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Tags

crafts, custom fabric, fabric, print your own fabric, printing on fabric, sewing, Spoonflower

Last year I had the wonderful opportunity of touring the Spoonflower facility, located in Durham, North Carolina during their Open House. I love that place! The minute you walk in there is a rush of “Eau de Cotton”. For anyone who loves to sew, there is nothing more inspiring than the smell of cotton. Mmmm…

Spoonflower is a small company that prints fabric on demand from your very own designs, by the yard. Such an awesome idea. I discovered them online while doing a search for “print your own fabric.” I’d been trying unsuccessfully to print my own designs on fabric with my home printer. I managed to print on muslin taped to cardstock with masking tape but that nearly ruined my printer, the sheets were just 6″ x 8″ and the colors were washed out so I gave up. What I wanted was yardage so I was thrilled when I stumbled upon Spoonflower.

The process is simple. You set up an account and upload your own design file to Spoonflower. There are ten different beautiful fabrics from which to choose, from silk to organic cotton to upholstery weight linen blends. Spoonflower prints your design on the fabric of your choice and mails it to you. It’s that simple. If you don’t want to design your own fabric, you can purchase fabric from thousands of other designers. They also print Wallpaper and Wall Decals so you can paper your whole house with your own design if you want.

I snapped some quick photos during the tour through the facility but would love to go back to get more. Seriously. I didn’t get a fraction of all the beautiful scenes. I’m sorry I didn’t take any photos looking up – even the ceiling was dangling with fabric delights. That place is filled with creative people and every part of the “factory” is a visual feast.

The first item I saw was this terrific Giant Stuffed Unicorn, made by some of the staff members of Spoonflower for a staff competition. You can read more about it here.

Spoonflower - Giant Stuffed Unicorn

Another staff-created project is the terrific Chevron slipcover for their office sofa, which you can read about here.

Spoonflower - Chevron Revolution Sofa

One area of the office featured projects using Spoonflower fabrics.

Spoonflower - Items using Spoonflower fabrics

Old spools were wrapped with strips of fabric printed by Spoonflower.

Another staff-created project was this reupholstered chair. What a terrific idea to update a piece of furniture. The pillow, the picture against the window, the giant “S” … all done with fabrics from Spoonflower designers.

Spoonflower - Reupholstered Heirloom Chair

Reupholstered chair pads, each a different pattern and color. I would love to do something like this for our occasional chairs, perhaps using fabric featuring my own children’s drawings, or fabric designed from one of my mom’s floral paintings!

Spoonflower - Guest Seating

I realize that this item doesn’t feature fabric, but it DOES have to do with Spoonflower… they fashioned a sofa from the leftover tubes that their rolls of fabric come on. That is SO ingenious!

Spoonflower - Recycled Cardboard Tube Sofa

Spoonflower - Recycled Cardboard Tube Sofa detail

I was quite fascinated with the actual printing room. Mist was piped down over the machines as the print heads zipped back and forth printing fabric.

Spoonflower - Fabric printer in action

In another area of the facility was the steam setting machines. Fabric was slowly spooled through the machine as the fresh ink was set with steam.

Spoonflower - Steam setting machine

Once a roll of fabric was printed and set, it was then moved to the cutting tables. Each order was cut from the roll and folded and placed in cubbies. The fabric was then carefully packaged for shipping. There are several large shelving units of cubbies filled with hundreds of folded pieces of fabrics waiting to be sent out to designers from all over the world.

Spoonflower - A glimpse of the cutting tables through the cubbies

I love this design printed on wallpaper on one of the walls.

Spoonflower - Wall covering

Fabric panels are stretched over canvas on an art wall

The tour was wonderful and inspiring and I went away with new ideas to use my own Spoonflower fabric designs. Best, I got to meet the great creators of the company and staff.

As I was leaving, I noticed a pillow on a sofa in the guest area. It was made with Granny Square Fabric. I was thrilled to see the pillow because, unbeknownst to my tour guide, I was the original creator of the Granny Square fabric! Someone from Spoonflower had purchased the yardage and made a pillow of it. What an honor to see the end result of my fabric.

Pillow made with Granny Square Fabric

If you want a custom fabric that is truly original, consider having your own designs printed by Spoonflower. Most of the fabric I designed has deep personal meaning to me, such as Granny Square fabric, Julie 1971 fabric, Vintage Snowflake Wallpaper and more. Having your own designs printed on fabric is a terrific way to create a unique heirloom.

And Thank You Spoonflower and Stephen! I loved the tour, you have a terrific company and I hope to stop in again this year.

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Vintage Glitter Cloche

27 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by Julia Monroe in community, crafts, projects

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christmas ornaments, table centerpiece

This glittery little scene was supposed to be the table centerpiece for Christmas Day but I didn’t have time to finish. It is one of the projects taught in Christy Tomlinson’s “The 12 Artsy Ornaments of Christmas” workshop collection by various artists.

After signing up and paying a small fee, I had access to a special site online where there were 12 different Christmas ornaments and decorations featured over the span of one week. The website will be available for six months so I can go back any time I want to view the classes again. Each decoration has videos, printables and instructions by teachers along with community connection. The video classes online were a great way to join other artists creating pretty decorations. I learned a bunch of new craft techniques and hope Christy repeats the workshop next year too. It was a lot of fun!

This Vintage Glitter Cloche was taught by Shea & Debbie of A Gilded Life. It was easy and fun following the class video to create this scene. I still have to finish it but even unfinished, it’s already brightening the table this rainy day.

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Christmas Cookie Trays

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by Julia Monroe in baking, Christmas, community, food

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Christmas cookies, cookie tray, cookies, food

We delivered the first two cookie trays of the season to business associates yesterday. That was fun!
On the tray: Scottish Shortbread, Polish Nutrolls, Springerli, Dutch Speculaas, German Gingerbread Boys, Spritz Trees, Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies, Sugar Plum Pies, Russian Tea Cakes, Peppermint Sticks, and a Snow Globe Cookie.

I have been baking these same Christmas recipes for at least 20 years, except for the Snow Globe cookie which is new this year. We’re not done baking yet so other trays will have a different assortment. Cookies yet to be made: Viennese Sacher Bites, Chocolate Hazelnut Crescents, Dutch Fruit Bar, Rum Raisin Diamonds, Peppermint Patty Bars, Cherry Stars, Orange Frosted Brazil Nut Bars and Italian Fig Cookies. We probably won’t be done with the baking till the New Year.

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