Assorted Crafty Bits - a photo post

Well, as you may have gathered from my nonexistent posts, my babysitter plan hasn't exactly worked out...  I have a few more interviews in the coming week that I can only hope will produce a more reliable arrangement.   Although that is unfortunate and I cannot really get into detail today, I will at least post a few pictures of some of the things I have made.  If you see anything that interests you, feel free to ask for a tutorial...

A Peg Fairy in a Rosemary & Mesquite Cottage.

Chocolate-Dipped Caramel Pecan Turtles

Poured Beeswax Candles Scented with Orange, Eucalyptus, Patchouli, and Ylang Ylang Essential Oils.

Espresso-Nut Toffee Swirled with White & Bittersweet Chocolates.

Rolled and Decorated Beeswax Candles.

Mr. Jubilant Nest's Birthday Delight - he loves chocolate with peppermint.

My First Four Batches of Cold-Process Soap.

A Flying Pig for my Father - "Oink" by Spud & Chloe with assorted yarns.

More Homemade Soap!

If I cannot do a "real" post soon, I will at least do another of these - there is a lot more!

The Beauty of Doing Less

A Parenting Truth - Mom's bed is always more comfortable.

As you read in my Hiatus post, I have been doing less.  I feel oddly expectant, like I must rest and ready myself for a task ahead.  I have been working less and have guarded my time from consuming commitments and it is beautiful.  Surprisingly, I hear that it improves physical beauty as well; so I guess there is an obvious upside to laziness!

In my pursuit of "readiness"  (I know of nothing that lies ahead) I feel as if I must make my life easier, simpler.  I have a number of things in process at the moment and am excited for the time I will share with you how I am moving forward.  Look for my future posts on Saturdays - I have hired a sitter and committed to turning on my computer only during that weekly four hour window.  How grand it is to consolidate my tasks to a single period and rid myself of time wasting!  What would happen if I dared you to do the same?

Reflecting

on the beauty of perfect design,

the hidden wisdom of natural processes,

the energy that flows through all of creation,

and the miracle of new life

Kitchen Towels & Pot Holders

These are now hanging on Kathy's authentic 50's oven in the prettiest kitchen I have ever seen. 

These were made for my Aunt Sue.  Happy birthday!

These were made for Toqua's kitchen, which is full of lovely blue and white Mexican tile.

These were made for Margareta, whose children like to come visit for the holidays.

Except for Toqua's embroidered flour sack towels, all of the above towels were made by me out of premium woven cotton and decorated with bands of cotton prints.  The pot holders were made with two layers of insulation and were both my first machine quilting project (I've always done it by hand) and my first machine binding project.  (EEK! I should have done it by hand!  Sorry, Aunt Sue.)

I love you all!  Now, I'm off to yoga.

An Old Favorite

One of my treasured recipes - Apple Pie

After years of thinking of how to go about it, I finally developed a workable gluten-free pie crust recipe.

How exiting to reintroduce an old standby!  I love to refrigerate leftover pie and eat it cold for breakfast - it is my "Breakfast of Champions" and it pretty much guarantees a great day.

What are some of your breakfast favorites?