Antiques in Sandwich

I’ve debated on how to start this entry… “Dear Penthouse…”, “To You Who Love a Good Hunt…”, “Guess What?! OMG!! ANTIQUES!! 3 Antique Malls in One Day, and My Husband Was Okay With It!!!” Can you relate?

Mom and Dad are serial antiquers. As a kid I remember spending hours in antique shops, wandering the aisles finding all the depression glass Grandma had in her china cabinet and the rusty metal traps Granddad had in the barn. From time to time there would even be a Garfield mug – the very same mug I had sitting in the kitchen cupboard at home. Someday that $8 mug would be worth millions!

During lonely Saturdays in college, 5 hours away from Mom and Dad, I’d make the trek downtown to the only antique shop in town and spend hours walking from booth to booth. The shop wasn’t big by anyone’s standard, but it let me escape to Northern Wisconsin, wandering the aisles of Mom’s favorite shop.

Present day, antiques are both a reminder of my wonderful folks and an addiction that might just need a 12-step program! I’ve even managed to evangelize antiques to my childhood friend who, after going to Junk Bonanza with me this past October, is now completely hooked!

Today’s trip was great! I visited 3 shops in Sandwich, IL: Sandwich Antique Mart, Olde Timers Antique Centre, and Prindi’s Antique Mall.  Had to share with you the photos...

The floral design instructor in me had to take a photo of this Pave-esque arrangement.

Cast iron "Steer Barn"

Children's beaded mukluks - I love all things Native American!

Paper mache Christmas houses - adorable!

A new find - canvas water bags.

Beautiful airplane quilt - if I had $450 it would have been mine!

Another new find - an over-the-fire popcorn popper.

I love the finds that bring to light an old memory. 

Grandma kept one of these in her closet.

For my close friend, the copper kettle she was looking for at Junk Bonanza!

For Mom, a Norwegian pewter necklace.

For me, a pair of $3 "feather" earrings.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, happily at home surrounded by the warmth and love of the season!

Oreo Truffles

Oreos, cream cheese, and chocolate - what's not to love?! 

Plan for plenty of time in the kitchen when you make these truffles - dipping and drizzling chocolate takes up most of your time, or simply forego the chocolate altogether and roll the truffles in nuts, sprinkles, crushed Oreos, etc. If you're a want-to-be chocolate pro like me, instead of drizzling chocolate over the truffles with a fork to get those pretty little ribbons, make a small cut in the corner of a plastic sandwich bag, fill with melted chocolate, and pipe over the truffles. These stay perfect in the freezer for 2 - 3 months in an airtight container - if you can make them last that long. Enjoy!

This recipe for Oreo Truffles comes from evelyn/athens at http://www.food.com/.

Cinnamon Roasted Nuts

When a man stops eating and asks for the recipe, you know it's good!  It's a wonder we even had any  leftover last night after my husband's men's group met at the house.  Your guests are sure to have the same reaction!  This recipe for Cinnamon-Roasted Nuts is from BJ at AllRecipes.com.

Water, sugar, nuts, salt, cinnamon, and an egg. 

The brown sugar snuck into the photo - not used in this recipe!

Beat egg and water until frothy but not stiff.

Add nuts and...

...toss to coat.

Mix together sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

Pour over nut mixture and...

...toss to coat.

Spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat, and

bake for 1 hour at 375⁰F, stirring occasionally.  Enjoy!

Homemade Potato Chips: An Experiment Worth Trying!

Ever eat homemade potato chips dipped in barbeque sauce?  If not, drop everything and do so.  Your world is guaranteed to stand still!  After our first trip to the new bbq restaurant in town, I was determined to create these yummy treats at home.

On my old mandolin, I thinly sliced the potatoes.  Tried frying apple slices... didn't work out very well!

A handful of potato slices in vegetable oil for just a few minutes until they turned golden brown.  Don't let the temperature gauge fool you, I had no idea what I was doing!

Voila - Potato Chips! Now, where's the bbq sauce?

Thanksgiving Arrangement

Mums and Sunflowers need not be the only flowers we use in Thanksgiving arrangements.  This design incorporates turkey feathers and wheat with baby blue eucalyptus, dahlia, and spray roses, making it a fresh approach to a classic holiday design.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Personalized Christmas - Birdseed Bags

Since Thanksgiving is not at our home this year, my mind has shot straight to Christmas - gifts in particular.  Did last Christmas catch you off guard too?  The things I brought home from the stores... ufda!  This year, Christmas preparations began in August.  Hopefully the gifts this time around will be a hit!

This year's Christmas gifts will be all things homemade.  Green tomatoes from our garden cooked and canned into Green Tomato Relish.  Sunflower seeds grown just outside our back door will mix with bird seed for each family's personalized bird seed bag which were also homemade.

The first of many, I had to try out the hair-brained idea of birdseed bags with our last name.  After that first bag, I listed them in my Etsy store Wildwood Floral to see if anyone would buy them.  Wouldn't you know it, the next day I had an order!

Ready, set, GO!

Seventy-nine bags cut out - an accomplishment worthy of a photo!

Mom's old sewing machine still going strong!  A gift from her dad when she was my age, this is one of my favorite gifts from her.

The weekend was spent holed up in the basement, covered from ears to toes in burlap fuzz.  Seventy-nine bags and fifteen orders later, I still love them!

Now instead of counting down the days until Christmas in fear of finding the perfect gifts, I can't wait for it to come!

Baked Pumpkin

Now that Fall is winding down, it's time we bake the pumpkins from our Autumn displays to use in soups, pies, pumpkin-orange-cranberry cookies (my favorite!), desserts... The list goes on and on!  Cooking down a pumpkin is a simple but rewarding process:

Cinderella pumpkin - grown in our garden this year!

Cut in half so it fits on a baking sheet, and de-gut.  Save the seeds to roast or plant next year.

Place each half cut-side down on a baking sheet, and pour 1/2in of water in the pan.  The water prevents scorching and keeps the pumpkin moist while baking.

Set your oven to 350⁰F.  Baking time varies by the variety of pumpkin - 45min to 1hr for what I call a soft-skinned pumpkin (those that can be easily carved with a kitchen knife - Cinderella, Jack-O-Lantern), 1hr to 90min for a hard-skinned pumpkin (those that only surrender by way of a hand saw or a strong husband - Blue Hubbard Squash, Young's Beauty).

Out of the oven, the soft-skinned varieties will deflate.

Lay out one layer of cheese cloth over a mesh strainer.  Ours has expandable arms, allowing it to fit over the sink.

Scoop out the innards, which at this point should lift out easily.  With hard-skinned varieties, the pumpkin may give in completely by separating from the skin before you're able to turn it over.

Allow to drain for at least 1hr to remove excess water.

Puree in a food processor if you prefer a smooth texture.  Happy baking!

Green Tomato Relish

What to do with all those green tomatoes that refuse to ripen before the frost?  Green Tomato Relish!  Linda McDaniel's recipe is perfect for the beginner - little to no intimidation factor!  The tangy relish gets it's bread-and-butter pickle flavor from the spices - mustard seed and celery seed.  Canned in small Ball jars, these will be great Christmas gifts!

May look questionable, but boy does it taste good!  I went a little crazy with

a new food processor... let's all admit it, we've all been there. 

  These little Ball jars were perfect!

*tink* *tink*  Ah, the sounds of success!

Follow the link for Linda McDaniel's Green Tomato Relish recipe

Chic Antique

The best client is one who gives the florist free creative reign - thank you Sue!  There is nothing better than walking into the wholesaler's cooler without limitations.  Being an old soul, I lean towards vintage combinations of pink, ivory, and green, and can't resist the opportunity to abstract sunflowers, include artichokes, and add setaria and pepperberry.  Much love to you Sue!

Harvest Scene

Two weekends ago my sweet husband brought me a surprize - 3 bails of straw!  I love him!!  With our new scarecrow form and our garden about to burst, the straw made the perfect foundation for a harvest scene during our Autumn get-together.  The pumpkins, indian corn, and corn stalks were harvested directly from our garden that same day, and the "Rusty Gold" came from our trip down to hubby's family farm. 

 

Early Autumn Wreath

The Autumnal Equinox this year falls on September 23 - not soon enough in my book! For me, Autumn encompasses all things warm: plaid jackets, knit sweaters, apple cider, pumpkin pie, and the roar of the fire on a chilly night. Thank goodness the unofficial start of Fall begins this weekend! Chocolate Zucchini bread and casserole recipes are already out on the counter, oak leaf garlands are strung, and I just finished designing our Early Autumn wreath. Tomorrow will be spent at a fall festival where ideas from over 300 craft booths will become my obsession for this coming season. Here's to the celebration of Autumn!

Summer Wedding Unity Candle

Yesterday, our Weddings & Events class came together to create H’s wedding flowers. Each of us worked on a different set of arrangements, and after I finished teaching my morning Floral Design III: Silks & Drieds class I arranged her unity candle design. This design included Roses, Germini’s, Wax Flower, Stock, Spray Mums, Statis, Hosta, Leather Leaf, English Ivy, and Veronica.