Review of Etsy Store ~ Southern Glory Goods Co

Southern Glory Goods Co is a store on Etsy (here) carrying vintage feedsack purses, totes, clutches, aprons, pillows, slow poured candles, potpourri, and soooo much more from North Carolina artist Lisa Vann.  I stumbled across her store while searching for a replacement of my faux leather Chinese production purse.  No hate here.  My China made purse has served me well, got loads of compliments and wore well considering the price paid, but it was time for a change.  I have never been happy with traditional purses, so it was time to turn to a talented fiber artist to make me happy.  And let me tell you, Lisa did NOT disappoint... And ask my family, I am crazy picky about handcrafted quality.  She combined my love of collecting vintage feed sacks (also her love too!) with a nice size purse/tote and kept it stylish.  Her sewing skills blew me away!  Just look...

My first love was obviously the feedsack / sturdy tote combo.  I always have dreamed of the perfect marriage of a purse with vintage muslin feedsacks.  Well, here is the answer to my wishes.   This wonderful snap closure tote showcases two feedsacks that double as pockets on the outside and inside... tons of storage!  This blue side was the first feedsack to win me over... not sure why... it just did.  (Although she has a blue tote with a sugar feedsack still calling to me. ;) Drat!! )

Here is the other side.  Painstakingly vintage patched feedsack.  It sings to my heart friends!  Since seeing it in person, I am now favoring this side.  Hmmm... Well, I can always flip it back and forth depending on the outfit. ;)

A peek at the inside.  Loads of small pockets with a snap closure.   Flawless!  :)

Can't buy a purse without a clutch!  This was purchased to keep my check book and smaller items in. 

Zipper closure, padded and lined!

Both sides are equally impressive!

Mr. Hollow was just as amazed as myself about Lisa's skills as a fashion designer and creator.  This purse/tote is expertly sewn and pieced together.  Well worth the money paid.  I commented to Mr. Hollow about my intentions of purchasing more in the future.  My hubby never argued.  Although he did mention this morning, about contacting her to make a DeKalb one for our area.  We could even locate a bag to send her... After the conversation, I got on Etsy and nearly fell over.  Look what Lisa listed today!!!  She must be able to read minds as well. LOL   I still love that darn blue sugar feedsack tote (still available in her store), but I had to purchase this one to represent the area.  Alas, the blue sugar tote will wait for another day... Unless another one catches my eye first! ;)

  
If you want a beautifully crafted tote with some vintage snazziness or some of Lisa's other eye catching creations, check out Southern Glory Goods Co..  Lisa Vann is living her dream, as I am sure destiny intended.  Her love and her God gifted talent lives in every detail of her creations.  Check out her charming store on Etsy here.

***  My reviews from the past to current have never been based on items gifted to me for review.  I simply believe in taking some of my hard earned money to make purchases from a wonderful world of talented artists and sharing with my friends those individuals who shine extra bright.  :)

Review of the Instant Pot



Other than my obsession of finding the perfect baking pans, I have been very diligent in not purchasing kitchen gadgets.  The criteria for letting one through the door is set extremely high.  A house only has so much storage space.  So if the gadget doesn't fill a strong need, I leave it on the store shelf.   So where did this Instant Pot come from you ask?  It was a Christmas present from the kids.  I know!  I was surprised.  My daughter in law was sure I wanted one.  She couldn't have been more wrong.  This is going to sound strange, since you all know how much I love canning and food preservation, but here is the truth of the matter:  I am horrified of pressure cookers!!!  Okay, now it is out there for everyone to read.  And I do mean horrified.  So much so, that it took 3 1/2 months for me to give this baby a whirl.   I just wanted to get my original feelings out there prior to this review.  Maybe it will be important to someone else not wanting one of these contraptions.

 

The instruction manual for this machine is very brief and to the point.  I thought it was a little scant.  But honestly, there really isn't a whole lot to this gadget.  For real!   The main points are:  listen to the sounds of the lid locking, keep your hands and face away from the vent, make sure the dial is set on seal for pressure cooking, and know if you either need to do a 15 minute natural release or a quick release prior to opening.  The rest is simply pushing a cooking cycle or setting a time when working with a recipe.  It was ridiculously simple.... Well except for my innate fear of  being steam burnt  or having the appliance blow me up into pieces that is! ;)   Which is why I chose to do a quick release AFTER my recipe had me do a natural release for 15 minutes... Better safe than sorry, I say!

 

Alright, alright.  What did I really think of this cooker?  I can honestly say, "It is one of the coolest machines in my arsenal."  Trust me, I am not saying this to make my daughter in law happy.  She isn't the kind of girl that weeps over the truth.  I am just floored at how fast this unit can cook meat crazy tender in minutes.  It would be an asset to any busy household.  Although I must be strong in saying, this IS a seriously dangerous device if you do NOT respect the pressure cooking release procedures.   Plus, it is not a machine to leave in the reach of children, as with all kitchen cookers.  (Please accept this advice from an experienced cook who ignorantly gave herself a second degree burn in her childhood when removing a lid in the wrong direction over a boiling pot on a stove.)

 

This machine has been designed to be user friendly.  The digital settings and instant settings make pressure cooking a breeze.  It creates some wonderful food entrees and makes me forget about being blown up.  LOL  I cannot believe that I almost didn't own one of these fine machines. 

 

The recipe book included with the machine did not impress me at all.  It wasn't for me.  But if one goes out on the web, there are literally hundreds of great recipes out there.  My first dish was corned beef and cabbage.  It took a little less than a hour and a half for the corned beef to be completely finished (includes the pressure build and release.)  The potatoes, carrots and cabbage took only an additional 16 minutes... start to finish.  Plus to Mr. Hollow's delight, the smell was kept to a minimum. :) 

 

 

 

Here is a chuck roast fresh out of the Instant Pot.  It is falling apart.  Exactly how I love it.  I would have let this go in the oven for 3 to 4 hours.  In the Instant pot, it cooked start to finish in 96 minutes. 
And again to my hubby's happiness, no smell wafting through out the house.  Although I personally never minded it!

The gravy was flavorful too!

Now this just knocked me off my feet,  a six pound chicken cooked from start to finish in 50 minutes.   Holey Toledo, I can have baked meat in the summer without sweating profusely in my kitchen.  :)  If you follow the recipe and sear the top of the chicken, it is hard to make out that this bird didn't come out of an oven.  It was flavorful, juicy and falling off the bone.  It was at the moment this bird was done that I realized... This appliance was a keeper!! 

The Instant Pot is also a steamer, slow cooker, yogurt maker, sautéing device and rice cooker.   It also can be put on a timer.  Or if you have to leave, the contents can finish and keep warm for hours.   I know, this is nothing revolutionary.  It is a pressure cooking device, but the new digital bells and whistles are a whole lot more appealing.  So if you are on the fence about this machine, you might want to give it a try.  I am certainly going to do some serious food experiments with it for years to come.  I am hooked!

Got to go... Mr. Hollow will be home in an hour, and I have a whole chicken to cook.  Gotta get the Instant Pot cooking!  :)

Kitty Kickerz Cat Toys ~ Etsy Store Review

Such a busy time!  Farmerboy's shearer decided to arrive last Friday to kick off the weekend.  I have been frantically listing last year's fleece in an effort to make some Shetland space.  (Okay, I got rid of some of my hoarded stock purchases as well... only a little!)   Now, I have to get a game plan for this year's haul.  *Yikes!*

Then it occurred to me, Easter is right around the corner.  Luckily, I made a pact with a fellow coworker to give up packaged candy.  No reason to trot down the candy isle for me! ;)  I will eventually pick up something for the kids and something small for Mr. Hollow and myself.  But holy smokes, I almost forgot about the fur babies!   I decided to go to an Etsy store that is very popular with Gabby and Izzie:  Kitty Kickerz Cat Toys.   The shop is operated by a wonderful lady named Tara.  She creates an assortment of fabric cat toy Kickerz filled with organic catnip.  They were a huge hit with the little ladies at Christmas.  :) 

Santa brought each of them and their nephew Elliot a 12 inch kicker.
 

 

 

 

Here are the photos after they were wore out from playing.  I must congratulate Santa on being savvy enough NOT to put them under the tree!  LOL

 



The Kickerz are put up on a shelf in between plays.  The ladies know where they are at and call out their request looking fondly up at them.  These Kickerz have taken a beating and no rips yet!

Tara is currently running a 10% sale off of purchases of $25.00.  I took full advantage of the discount and was surprised to find she had some play mats, too.  Of course, I had to get a few of them to try out.  If your cats are crazy for catnip like mine, these Kickers are a great deal at $7.95 a piece.   I am not going to lie.  I was skeptical about how well they would hold together.  My ladies still have their back claws and can bunny kick up a storm, but they seriously have withstood several play sessions. If you are looking for a last minute gift for your darling little feline, check out Tara's store KittyKickerzCatToys on Etsy.  Tara's creations definitely get a shining review from myself and the ladies, too... Well, once they get done with their afternoon nap anyways!  ;)

October is here!!!

Aaaah October... My favorite month of the entire year.  I always make sure to take a week off from work to enjoy the glorious weather and scenery.  It doesn't matter if it is windy, cold, gloomy and/or rainy... I LOVE IT!!  :)

September and October are really busy months for me at work.  I have to put in some long hours.  So to make the hours seem a little less daunting,  I decided to take some of my extra revenue and invest in a lovely spun cotton creation from artist Flora Thompson over at Bone Head Studios.  If you have never visited her site, you can skip on over and check her wonderful art out by clicking here.    Flora is an amazingly talented sculptor.  If you haven't been to her site before, take the time to go through all of her early posts.  Her whimsical creations are from the most enchanting world of her imagination.  The sketches of her creations, prior to being sculpted, are equally as fantastic! 

I have admired Flora's work for years and began following her blog after falling in love with her impish elf creatures.  I just cannot say enough about my admiration of her talent.  A quartet of her latest creations, recently revealed on the blog for Bone Head Studios, were too cute for words... They were a little group named the "MushMellies".   All I knew when I saw them was:  One of those little guys needs to come live with me!   So I got on Flora's  waiting list...

Look at the package that just arrived in the mail. I didn't know it was on its way.  So, I almost passed out from excitement when I saw this guy on the side of the box!   It screams Bone Head Studios...

Flora's attention to precise detail and decoration is unmatched...

It makes me smile looking at this photo.  I cannot believe he is mine!!  His expression is absolutely priceless...

Can you see his little teeth?  I am in love... My own little slightly toasted marshmellowie "MushMellie". 

 
Even Mr. Hollow was impressed with this little guy.  He told me to arrange him, so he could stay safe in his wonderfully decorated bag.  My little "MushMellie" will be taking his place of honor in the display cabinet with his "soon to be" Halloween friends.   What a lovely handmade creation... *sigh* 

Flora's work is as impressive in person as it has been in the photos I have marveled at over the years! :)

Memories of the Fall ~ Kitchen Aid Fruit & Veggie Strainer Review

I thought I would reminisce about the last apple harvest with a review of Kitchen Aid's Fruit & Vegetable Strainer.  A perfect topic for today as I sit with a cold and slight case of laryngitis.  Could be worse right?  On the bright side, my mug of chamomile tea is being sweetened with some local honey purchased during the summer.  This unfortunate affliction has given me  a reason to test out the home remedy property of the honey.   I am finding the taste is wonderful combination and will get me away from white sugar as my "go to sweetener" in the future. 

Okay, back to the topic... My mind has always been drawn to a faster way to do applesauce.  Okay, faster and a whole lot cleaner way to make applesauce!    The Kitchen Aid Fruit & Vegetable Strainer has been on my wishlist at Amazon for a long time.  So when Farmerboy and his lovely wife purchased their farm complete with two gorgeous apple trees, I knew the time was right.  Here is a pictorial review of my first harvest season using the Kitchen Aid attachment.

The farmyard has two unbelievable apple trees.  One is some strain of Golden Delicious and the other is possibly a Snow apple mix.  The trees ripen about a month apart which is perfect for processing the apples.  Many families benefited this year.  The harvest was so huge that Mr. Hollow and I did not bother visiting any orchards this year; although, I did miss my Macintosh apples with melted caramels!  *sigh*   There is always next year.  ;)

The prep work was minimal for making the sauce.  I cored the apples, quarter them and boiled them with a little bit of water until soft.  (Next year I may use the trick of using a little cider instead of water for an extra kick in some of the batches!)

 

 

 I let the bowl cool as the next batch of apples began to cook.  It was a really efficient production line.  :) 

I did purchase the top feeding platform separately.  It holds a lot more apples to feed into the tube of the strainer.  Definitely a must have add on for me, since it kept the work area free of spillage.  I would highly recommend it.  The small area the unit comes with is just asking for a ladle to over shoot the mark.  :(

 

 

 

The apples (skins and all) are funneled by a spooled device down a metal cone with holes all over it.  The apple sauce is forced out of the holes and runs backwards out the bottom flute.  The skins are extruded from the whole in front into its own bowl.  How easy is that?  Instant pig or chicken feed!

 



Dark skins make for a pink sauce with these particular apples.  The sauce is beautiful and smooth.  I do like to add sweetener to my sauce.  So, it was popped back into a pot, sweetener added, brought up to a boil and canned.  No splattering-- No sweating-- No mess!

Seriously, this is all that was left from the apples! 

The process was a fraction of the time from the old way.  Clean up was a breeze.  It made me wonder what took me so long to try the strainer attachment.  The Kitchen Aid Fruit & Vegetable Strainer is a complete winner in my book!

Review of a Fancy Kitty Mini Bench Picker for Wool

The sub zero temps in northern Illinois are finding me held up in the house, and I couldn't think of anything warmer to do than pick some wool. :)  For those new comers to my blog, below is a shearing from our ram Brick.  He is a busy guy that taught Farmer Boy to never turn his back on him, even when there was a fence between them.  YIKES!  (You can read about Brick here.)  As you can see by the vegetation, our sheep do not wear jackets.  They live their lives without the hassle of keeping their wool clean... That job is left to me!

 

There are a few in our flock (in my opinion)  that apparently must love to roll profusely in their bedding.  Those little beasties' fleeces are always hard to pull apart after being cleaned.  A few have been left unprocessed in their holding tubs.  I honestly cringed at the thought of trying to get them fluffy enough to run through the drum carder. (Please check out the Baby Brother Drum Carder here.)   After much research, I decided to break down and buy a wool picker.  After checking out several reviews, I opted for a Fancy Kitty. 

 

 

 

All I simply have to do is push the wool up through the left, make a few passes over it with the sharp projectiles ( located under the handle and on the base) and viola fluffy fleece gathers up at the right.   This piece of fleece went through a few passes, and it was amazing the amount of vegetable matter (VM)  that fell out.   For my high vegetation beasties, the Fancy Kitty will save me hours of picking and pulling by hand.  Makes me wonder how I lived without it!  :)

 



A matted looking section of Brick fleece before picking...

A fluffy picked cloud of Brick fleece, after the Fancy Kitty Picker got done with it!

 

 

 

A few passes through the Brother Manual Drum Carder, and I have some spinning material!

 



I was very impressed with the construction of the wool picker from Fancy Kitty.  It really did perform like a dream and will be getting a work out over next few weeks...   I signed up for Amy King's  "Foundations of Spinning" class on Craftsy and am in desperate need of some fiber to spin. ;)

***Note*** If you have the winter humdrums, check out the classes on Craftsy.  They have Quilting & Embroidery, Drawing & Painting, Wool Processing & Knitting/Crocheting, along with Cooking/Baking & Decorating...  Supplies/ Patterns and so much more!   Their classes do not disappoint, and the new ones are currently 50% off.  What better than to learn and ask questions at your own pace?  And your classes become yours to view... even after completion!!

Kitchen Aid Pasta Roller & Drying Rack Review

I have to do a review of the Kitchen Aid pasta roller with spaghetti and fettuccine attachments that arrived just in time for Christmas.  Santa did not have a very big list from me this year.  Not sure if I am really content with my life or am just a boringly lazy individual... I am going with option one! ;)     Anyways, these attachments have interested me for years.  They made the perfect "What the heck" gift.  I needed to channel my inner Julia Child who was a huge believer in embracing new devices for the kitchen.  Well, this is about as new and crazy as I get. LOL

 

My first batch of egg noodles went very smooth.  It makes me nervous to have such a weighty attachment hanging off my beloved Kitchen Aid.  I was sure her motor would blow to pieces, but she rolled out the dough like a pro.  The motor was placed on the #2 setting (which was fast enough for me), and only bogged slightly when the folded over dough was put in for a second pass.   The pasta roller was positioned at #2 for the first three passes.  A necessary flour dusting was given between each pass.  (My dough was a tad sticky!)   Then, the roller was set at #4 for the final run through.  The whole process went smooth and relatively quickly; even though, I was working through an obvious learning curve.  The final pass yielded some flawless dough-- very thin and even.

 

On to the fettuccine attachment...  Once all of the strips of dough were dusted and lined up on my kitchen island, the fettuccine attachment was locked onto my Kitchen Aid.  A simple lining up of the dough, a pass through the slotted rollers and I was catching sheets of egg noodles.  Not all of the noodles were cut free in strips, but they fell apart easily upon drying.  Okay, I am impressed with these attachments!    They not only get the job done but are durable, weighty and built to last.  Just as solid as my beloved hand crank machine.

 

To dry my egg noodles,  I invested in the Kitchen Aid drying rack.  The legs pull down and out like a tripod, and a twist of the top knob sends a flourish of acrylic arms to transfer the pasta onto.  The unit is space friendly and could hold up to two batches of my noodles.  I draped the noodles over the arms by hand, but inside the center of the rack hides a pasta wand that can be pulled out from the top.  The pasta dryer is exactly what this pasta maker has wished for.  Makes me wonder how I got along without it!

The Kitchen Aid pasta roller and attachments are going to be a great addition to my kitchen.  They will be seeing a lot of action during the soup making season and beyond.  While turning some of our left over prime rib into beef and noodles tonight, I noticed how thin the noodles were. The cooked up quickly and were just the right thickness after boiling.  Even Mr. Hollow was impressed.  I would say this gift was a huge success!

Dehydrating Bananas with the Nesco Snackmaster Pro

Farmerboy wanted a dehydrator for Christmas.  I researched all the different kinds on Amazon.  The Nesco Snackmaster Pro seemed to be the best fit for his current dehydrating needs.  On Christmas morning, the new appliance was brought into our kitchen; and as soon as he could gather his seasonings, Farmerboy put the machine through a workout by mixing up some deer jerky and dehydrating it (which was extremely good).  But after the jerky craze was over,  the dehydrator sat.  Meanwhile during a family trip, I purchased some dehydrated bananas for a snack.  They tasted awful and were coated in a heavy sugar.  When we got home, we gave a couple to Davey (the pet rat), and he seemed to like them.  Unfortunately, the unhealthy amount of sugar did not make them a suitable snack  him or us.  Then I got to thinking, why not try to dehydrate my own bananas.  How hard could it be?

 



Now, I can answer that question.  It is not hard at all!  Dehydrating bananas is so simple.  Farmerboy's Snackmaster came with five tiers.  I purchased two extra, bringing the total to seven which seemed like a nice size.  It takes 29 bananas (fully ripe with maybe a few brown flecks) cut into 1/4 inch slices (minus the ends) to fill all of the trays.   The slices should be arranged on each tier without touching. Once arranged, a spray head screwed onto a lemon juice bottle can be used to spritz the slices from the top and bottom.  (I purchased a $1 spray bottle from the Dollar Store.  The spray nozzle fit the lemon juice bottle perfectly!)  When all the trays are filled and stacked, the lid with the motor and fan enclosed can be placed on top.  The setting should be set for Fruits and Vegetables 135 degrees.  Then, the dehydrator can be left to work its magic for 12 to 13 hours.  How uncomplicated is that? 

After allowing the slices to cool in the dehydrator, this is how they looked. They have a consistency of fruit leather, and the lemon gives them a slightly tangy yet sweet taste.  Delicious! 

Here is my jar.  Davey's sits next to his cage.  Well actually, he got a quart and a half, but the half a quart is long gone. ;)   Yep, 29 bananas yield 2 and a half quarts dehydrated.  They make such a great snack.  And the best part...  they never get brown and mushy! :)

Microwave Potato Bag ~ Gift for Under $10 & Pattern Links

For a quick lunch or a last minute side dish, the microwave potato bag makes the most moist delicious potatoes in 9 minutes or less...

 

Back in August, I happened upon a crafter at the Baraboo Steam and Engine show that was selling handcrafted sewn items. An assortment of bags in varying fabrics on her table caught my eye.  The vender and fellow customers told me that these bags were the best for making microwave potatoes. Right then, I new that I would have to buy one (or in my case 2!).   The table was filled with all kinds of farm themed fabrics, but the potato design was my favorite and would be the most easily recognizable in my kitchen cupboard.  ;)

 

How do you use one of these bags?  It is so easy.  Just wash and dry 1-4 medium potatoes.  Do not prick them!  Wrap them in a paper towel and place them in the bag.   While using a microwave with a turntable to prevent scorching or hot spots, microwave potatoes approximately 6 to 8 minutes.  If this is your first attempt, check the potatoes periodically by pressing on the bag for firmness.   (The instructions caution to never leave the potatoes unattended and do not keep reusing the same hot bag for additional batches.)  After cooking is complete, let the potatoes sit in the bag for 5 minutes. 

 



Viola, the perfect baked potato! 

They were so moist...  the skins, too.  Mr. Hollow even commented on how great they were.  THAT was a monumental moment since he is not big on spuds.  I LOVE them.  Back in my College days, I had baked potatoes with butter and a little cheddar cheese about every day for lunch.  Unfortunately, there were  many days then and since that the potato turned out dry.  This will NOT be the case anymore!  :)

Can you believe that I purchased my two bags in Baraboo for $6.00 a piece.  I mean really?  Why would I even think about going through the crafting trouble to create these for that much.  Plus, this is one sure way to buy a true quality made product and support my fellow artisans at the same time.  Talk about a great gift idea for under 10 bucks! 

Since most of my blogging friends will not be at Baraboo this August, I suggest checking your local craft shows.  If you don't get out much, pop over to the Etsy website and type in potato bag to search.  You can get your own bag for $5.95 and up, plus shipping.  Or if you have some left over fabric, create some bags of your own.  (Remember to use all cotton fabric and thread!  Polyester will cause a meltdown!)  Lyn Brown has a free pattern in her Craftsy store here.   (Her bag has an open top that folds over for easy loading.)  Or if you want to create a bag similar to mine, pop over to the Stitchin' Tree  for a free PDF here.   Whatever you choose to do, this bag will not disappoint.  I am even thinking about creating some gifts of my own... Or maybe, I will just wait and pick some up in August!! ;)