fur ball friday - Rainier loves a good hike

Rainier all enjoying her hike... and lovin her backpack.

eating in - fall time in the kitchen

there is something about fall, the air turns crisp, the leaves change color, and i start to cook like there is no tomorrow.

i think it has something with subconsciously relating autumn with harvest which translates to me in the kitchen.  it doesn't hurt that it's cool out and the roasting oven warms the house.

this sunday it was one of those days so while watching the awesome steelers i stuffed a small chicken and put it in the oven to roast.  after spending a few hours outside in the drizzle doing some much needed heavy  pruning we came inside to a house that smelled wonderfully of cooked chicken and herbs and stuffing.... mmm.

while getting warm i whipped up quite literally some mashed potatoes and broccoli then JD and i sat down for a beautiful dinner.

it was delicious.

eating in - homemade applesauce goodness

nothing could be easier than homemade applesauce while the apples are at their peak.  i don't care if you are a good cook or not everyone can make and store this yumminess.

i had a collection of organic apples and pink apples i picked up at our local sunday farmers market which i used to make mine.

this is how easy this is.

1.  peel the apples and slice into the pan.
2.  add a cinnamon stick
3.  begin cooking the apples down
4.  add sugar to taste (depending on what type of apple you choose you might need more or less to even out the tartness of the apples)
5.  cover
6.  stir occasionally.

 

yep that's it.  i canned some of my applesauce last year which has been wonderful.  i had some room in my freezer when i made this applesauce so i decided to freeze this batch.  just spoon the amount you want into a freezer bag, make sure there is no air left inside, flatten, and freeze.
(sorry i don't have finished photos i was helping a friend design an invite! opps)

since the applesauce has a bit chunkier texture than store bought it is great warm on ice cream for a sweet treat!

rain, rain, is here to stay

image via marthastewart.com

the rain has come and it seems that it isn't going away... we have officially begun the rainy season.  oh how i wish we could rewind two weeks and pause on the crisp, clear, cool autumn that i love.

here in seattle, with the fall come the rain and the leaves are forced from the branches early falling to the ground with the rain drops.  the city has been wrapped in its grey blanket of clouds since we opened our eyes this morning and i have already started longing for the sun.  we have lived here 6 years and the winters have become progressively harder for me each year.  i want the sun to shine even if it is cold but here it is moderately temperate and grey.

thanks for the warm wishes.  we had a wonderful visit with my parents.  i have loads of pictures to share from the visit.  i really miss living close to them.  i am super close with my family and it is always so strange when they leave.

on the other hand our lives are returning to normal and i am looking forward to a week of sewing, blogging, and cooking.  i started cooking this weekend and i don't think it is going to end anytime soon, but more on that later.

tomorrow night we are headed to a pumpkin carving contest... what to do what to do?  i am thinking of doing a raven carving.  hmmm.  also this week i need to get jd and i's Halloween costumes together... what to be?  what to be?

last year we were rainbow brite and speed racer... wanna see photos?  i will have to think about it.

whew

so my parents are flying in today, which means that we had to start a major project two weeks ago (furring out the fireplace, extending it to the ceiling, and mounting the tv).  needless to say we took it down to the wire again with this project.

even though the project seemed small the mess was not.  framing, drywall, taping drywall, sanding drywall, then painting all caused different messes.  then there was trying to organize and clean a house while dry-walling - IMPOSSIBLE.

we are leaving here in a few moments and i have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get everything in order.  urgh.

anyway i am glad this part is over, now for the fun - seeing my folks.  we are off to the airport soon.  hopefully i will be posting all week, but you will understand if i don't.

etsy shop - graphics / banners

thought i would share with you some of the banners i have done lately.  these graphic banners are either for etsians, bloggers, or web pages.

1.  before i settled on this new look for chicpea studio i tried out many looks.  the banner below is one of the ideas i had for a new look.  even though i really do like it, i didn't feel it conveyed the feel of the new shop well so it was back to the drawing board.

2.  this banner is for my newest idea.... blue poppy seed is going to be my latest etsy shop.  hopefully i will have it up and running in a few weeks... more on that later!

3.  Corrie found my shop via Etsy forum about shop critiques.  she had opened her new shop on Etsy but was looking for "her look" to be put together on a banner... happy i could help.

4.  sometimes in the process of getting somewhere you end up with cool ideas and graphics.  this banner was part of the process of learning what another client would like.  i love this retro lady.

5.  my latest banner was for Living The Suburban Life a blog that focuses on simple living.  She has tons of great shopping tips and coupons daily.  in my new quest to live life on a budget she is certainly helping.

i LOVE doing these graphic banners.  it is so much fun to help people realize their ideas in graphic form.

happy thursday.

pine needle baskets

saturday i took a class that taught me how to weave a pine needle basket

(as if i need another hobby)

 image from here

this isn't my basket but closely resembles the one i am making.  i will have to take a photo of it for you but haven't had the chance.  it was a crazy class.  i didn't even know you could use pine needles to weave a basket.  we used pine needles from north carolina that were about 12" long and sewed the pine needle bundles with sinew (which is like raffia but stronger).  several of the ladies took photos of the class because i forgot my camera, can you imagine!  hopefully they will get them to me soon so i can share.

all i can say is that people who do this all the time must have seriously strong hands because my hands were sore for two days!  i must have been holding the basket and needle with a death grip because i left the class with two claw like hands from working so hard.

i still have a long way to go before my basket is finished.  i will take some photos so i can share my process (it is sure to be a long one).  these baskets have been used for thousands of years and are so beautiful.  wonder what else i can weave?  hmmmm.

blog down blog down

i apologize if any of you tried to pop over to my site today and found it down... we are all over it.  (me and JD) i have asked him to handle it...  is way better at all the technical stuff.  so, if you are reading this we are up and running again.  whew....

sorry!

xoxo wren.

Rainier's Birthday!

friday our little girl turned 3!  

i can hardly believe it.... oh how fast they grow.  for her birthday treat rainier was allowed to pick anything she wanted from the pet store.  we wandered the aisles... she sniffed this and that.  in the end she chose a 95 cent meat chew of some kind.  who knew?  i thought for sure she was going to pick the $15 dollar huge bone.

one chew later... she was happy and carried her new selection back to the car to enjoy her treat.  happy birthday rainie!

Etsy - chocolate creative

this morning i was very surprised to see that chicpea studio was being featured over at Chocolate Creative!  (my tea towels, how exciting!!!)  i found their blog in the etsy forms yesterday - i love how the handmade community can really pull distant parts of the globe together!  if you haven't seen their etsy store you should go check it out.  the pillow shown above is one of their pieces... also check out the stag!

you all know how i feel about stags.  lord, maybe one day i will get past this but for now...  birds and stags are where it is at.

update here in blog land and in our world too!

so i owe you an update or two.

1.  the wedding story.
yeah i know i never finished it.  but that is because i am waiting on electronic files from the photographer.  alas i have yet to receive them, but when i do i will wrap that up complete with some awesome photos of our handmade wedding.

2.  house renovation
we have been working non-stop on the house over the past few weeks.  there has been lots of changes, most of which are ready for photographing.  we are sort of in a purging and cleaning phase right now which means there is crap everywhere and everything looks a hot mess.  i know that it is all coming together somewhere under the piles of magazines and art supplies i just need more time to find it!

3.  chicpeastuidio at etsy
we have been putting a lot of time into the little etsy shop.  a lot of what we have been working on hasn't even shown up in the store as it all takes time to develop properly.  i love all the items that are in the shop now and have plenty more planned.  i have a few new colors of stained glass starts to solder together before posting and JD and i have lots of new upcycled wine bottle tumblers and carafes to finish and post.  i also have napkins, to match the hand towles currently in the shop, that need finished up.  lots in the hopper - lots to complete.

4.  visitors
my mom and dad are coming for a visit not this weekend but next.  i am so missing them and excited about their visit.  this will be their first trip out here since major changes have begun on the house... can't wait to hear what they have to say.  but if you are anything like us there is a list of items that must be complete before we pick them up from the airport.  JD is going to try and squeeze in one more renovation project before they arrive so stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed. 

5.  blog
i sorry if i sometimes don't post everyday.  it's not that i don't care, cause i really care.  i just have my fingers in a lot of pots these days.  as we settle into the fall and winter months i think we will be taking a break from major renovation work at the house and i will be able to focus a bit more.  anyway, keep your comments coming - i love reading them all.  and stay tuned big reveals to come!

thanks all,
wren.

the barter system

i have been giving the barter system a lot of thought these days. 

it seems no matter how much we work or how many raises we we have received over the years, we never have enough cash. as we get a raise, we do more work on the house or have to get a new car and there is no more wiggle room in our budget then there was before. we have been working hard though, to try and simplify things and and get back to the basics, but there is always something coming up that keeps increasing our cost of living.

(i must interject here that i wrote this opening paragraph several months ago and since then, due to the economic slow down, we have had to really, really look at our finances and decide what is important.  examining your finances, looking hard at spending, and making deep cuts is a hard lesson to learn but one that we are now having to face daily.  but enough of this on with the post.)

even though we have tried to do all of the work on the house ourselves there are still materials to purchase or tools to rent. sometimes, when doing all the work yourself and trying to master several different trades at once i day dream about being able to hire someone and come home to a completed project. alas hiring someone isn't even an option but what if there was an easy way to trade skill for skill:
for example we have designed a picture rail system that is going to require some metal work to complete. we need to cut some steel angles and do some welding to get the look that we want. JD could surely do the welding, if only we had the equipment but we don't. now what?

but what if there was a welder out there in need of some homemade jams or jellies or a quilted lap blanket? he or she could do the welding for us and we could give them things they needed!  wouldn't that be so much better? we would both be getting something that we needed or wanted but wouldn't have to spend money to get it.  brilliant!

my sister recently traded work...paul, her boyfriend cuts trees during the summer as a side business. my parent's neighbor, a carpenter, needed a few trees removed on his property but didn't have the funds to hire someone so they made a trade. paul would cut down the trees on his property and the neighbor would build a brick charcoal grill at my sister's house. the arrangement worked out perfectly. my sister and paul got the grill they had wanted to build but didn't know how and my parent's neighbor had his trees removed. it was a win win situation.

a few weekends ago i taught a photographer friend how to make jam in exchange she took some photos for my etsy shop and showed me some tricks of the trade.   we both walked away with more knowledge than we had before.  i know there are all sorts of talented people out there... just how do we set up these trades?

so who's up for the barter system? what would you trade?  what do you need?

(yep the pin up girls have nothing to do with this post but i thought they were fun.  you can see lots more of them here.)