Holiday Fairy Garden

 I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!  We had warm weather here in Northern Illinois.  It certainly made the travelling less stressful.  Not the "White Christmas" that we sing about, but a few evening snow showers on the way home brought some smiles.  All the relatives are healthy and happy... What more can one ask for?   I absolutely LOVE this time of year!  :)

The Christmas holiday for me has always centered on the reason for my nativity being displayed and  spending time with loved ones... not so much the gift giving.  In fact, my only shopping  was for Farmer boy and his fiancé... Okay, a few for Mr. Hollow too!   It is funny, since I absolutely loved working in retail and enjoy finding gifts that hopefully will make the recipient smile.  While finding their presents, it is well known that I shop for my "gifts" as well for under the tree.  Trust me, this is NOT a bad thing.  They don't even require wrapping! LOL  Although my want list is really short, I usually have a few dream items I fulfill for the holiday.  Yes... I could buy them during the year, but Christmas has always been a time for me to do some self reflection.  The season is a time of looking forward to the coming year and realizing what frivolous or useful items will help realize some of my new resolutions.  I am very excited about a few of my items and will share them over the next month, but this post is about an unexpected gift from the newest member of our family... my soon to be in 2016 daughter-in-law... The gift of a charming fairy garden. 

Instead of buying a premade garden, she made this little scene for me.  I pride myself on being hard to buy for, but this little forest is absolutely perfect for me. :)  It is green, rustic and contains a rendition of two little critters that make me laugh to watch in nature through out the year... Squirrels!  Look at the little squirrel on the front of the log whistling as he prances across.  It makes me smile every time I glance his way.  Very symbolic of the carefree nature of the animal in the wild. LOL  And of course there are two of them!  Trouble will always run in pairs. ;)

I had to show this overhead shot.  There is a moss base in the front and back.  Hopefully, I can find a way to keep the moss healthy... Yikes!  In between the moss is a little path of tiny pebbles.

To the back of the garden, there is a wee trellis.  A tiny little vine is climbing it.

Look at the pot... orange, my favorite color!  It is such a lovely and inspiring little garden -- right out of the pages of Beatrix Potter.    Makes me wish that I had a large well lit studio area to keep it in.  *sigh*  But for or right now, I believe that the best spot is in my work area to the front of the house.  That particular work area is where I do most of my writing and idea formulating.  It will be a little magical garden of ideas... Especially, when the days DO decide to become wintry!  :)

A Gift from ImagiMeri's Studio

Where did November go?  The time is flying by so fast, and I have so much to share.  I wanted to begin with this spectacular gift that I received from Meri of ImagiMeri's Studio.  (Click on her site name to visit her blog!)   She is a wonderful contributing artist of the Creative Paperclay site.  (You can enjoy one of her tutorials on their site by clicking here.)    Meri took part in a blog hop promoting Gina Designs laser cut outs.  She made three enchanting Halloween scenes and gave them away to three lucky Creative Paperclay followers!

 

 

As if I wasn't excited enough to be gifted one of her detailed creations, Meri also surprised me with a goodie bag! 

Meri generously gave me enough supplies to inspire a Halloween creation of my own.  I cannot express to her enough how happy I was to receive both gifts.  She is such a generous artist, not only with her giveaways but with the immense amount of time she spends making tutorials.  As a fellow blogger, I know how long it can take to create a regular post.  I cannot imagine how long she must spend in preparation to share her knowledge on the use of paper clay creations in step by step fashion.

Meri's gift has given me the push to get me off the couch and back to rummaging through my potential Paperclay projects.  Following the arrival of my Spooky Graveyard with that darling little bat bouncing around, I spent a glorious day organizing gourds and accessories in my storage room.    All of them have been waiting patiently for me to get by rear end in gear and get them turned into the little characters they were destined to be.  I am thinking with all of these spooky doo dads, a Halloween creation is in my future!  :)

I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason.  I was so blessed to receive one of Meri's creations.  It will be displayed proudly in my curio cabinet, and I will think of her as I begin shaping a few new creations out of gourds and paper clay.  Please check out the Paperclay website above.  These artists have a wealth of info on the subject that they generously share.  Also, check out ImagiMeri's website and take a trip over to her Etsy store here.  Meri's creations capture the holidays in such a nostalgic fashion.  They are absolutely delightful. 

Thanks again Meri!  :)

Happy Halloween! :)

The jack-o-lanterns are glowing bright...  keeping the evil spirits at bay.  The little ghosts and goblins have come and gone.  All is quiet...

 

Happy Halloween!!

 



 

 

Apple Pie with a Caramel Streusel Topping ~ Recipe

The fall weather in Northern Illinois has been absolutely beautiful.  The colors are a little late in the trees, but the temps have been comfortably cool.  My hubby left for a trip back in September and returned with a bushel of McIntosh apples.  He was passing through Gayes Mills and picked them up as seconds for $20.00. 

 

Since then, our family has definitely eaten our fill of caramel apples!  :)  So this weekend was perfect cool weather for canning some applesauce and making some pies.  I started with the sauce and worked my way through 25 jars.  Then, I decided to make 14 half circle hand sized pies.  With the apples left over, I decided to try a new pie recipe.  It was an apple pie with a streusel topping.  The pie was a big hit here which is great since I froze two for later. ;)

 

The recipe calls for a one crust pie shell... bought or homemade is your preference.  I made my pie in a 8 inch tin and the apples cooked down fine.  McIntosh cook down a little more than other varieties.  I made some alterations to some recipes that I found on line.  So here is my version:

 



 

 

Apple Pie with a Caramel Streusel Topping

7                      medium sized McIntosh apples (any tart apple would do)
2 T                  flour
1/2 rounded t  cinnamon
1/4 rounded t  nutmeg
1/4 c               white sugar (could use 1/3 c if the apples are really tart)

When the pie crust is ready in the plate, peel and slice the apples into a bowl.    Mix the apple slices, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and white sugar together.  Add them to the pie crust arranging them into a mound. 

Streusel Topping

3/4 c                 brown sugar
1/2 c                 flour
1/2 rounded t    cinnamon
1/3 c                 butter softened

Mix all the ingredients with a fork to combine.  Break up the topping and evenly cover the apples.

Put the pie in a 350 degree preheated oven.  I had the pie tin sitting in a glass 13x9 cake dish situated half way down in the oven,  and it baked for 60 minutes.  Since all ovens differ and my dish had sides that hindered the distribution of heat, check your pie at 40 minutes and decide from there.   I kept checking by pushing on the crust to make sure it was firmed up.

We didn't eat our pie until later in the day.  Mr. Hollow likes his warmed up a little, and mine was straight from the pan.  The one thing we agreed on was a caramel drizzle topping. For that, I unwrapped 6 Brachs caramels  and placed them in a small bowl with a couple of teaspoons of water.  The caramels were microwaved in 15 second intervals until bubbling.  Then, it is simply stir and drizzle.  The pie was absolutely delicious!  Packed with the best flavors of fall.  :)

127 Yard Sale Finds for 2015



I found a few photos on my camera with some of my 127 Yard Sale finds for 2015 to share... 

 

Although most of our stops are large flea market areas, this Limited Edition Project Runway sewing machine was found in the morning of our second day at a local garage sale.  It was brand new.  The previous owner purchased it and never got around to using it.  Mr. Hollow found it being unloaded on the first day of a garage sale, and the gentleman was asking $30.00 firm.  Although I am not a big fan of plastic body machines, I decided to give this unit a home.  It's test run went impressively well.  :) 

 

Every once in a while, I make an odd ball purchase.  While at my favorite Amish hosted stop, this postal scale from 1969 caught my eye.  I bundled it with some other items to purchase it for $7.00.    Mr. Hollow never saw it until our arrival home.  ;)

  

Where ever I am, the fabric calls to me!  For a few dollars, this assorted grouping of John Deere yardage made its way into my stash.  The yardage is destined to become some microwave plate and bowl holders.  If only Minneapolis Moline would come out with some licensed fabric... *sigh*

Next to the fabric remnants is a cutter quilt.  Some previous owner had added a new border to this old feed sack quilt.  It is hand sewn and suffers from a few blown out areas.  My intention will be to tea dye the vintage area and preserve the quilts handcrafted beauty in Christmas decorations.  

 

 

 

 

While I was purchasing some old yarn spindles, Mr. Hollow was busy buying from a military surplus vendor.   He called me over to check out the gentleman's wool blankets.  I walked over a little reluctantly, until Mr. Hollow told me that they were $10.00 a piece.  WOW!   I rifled through them and picked out six perfect blankets... A great deal at $60.00.   To Mr. Hollow's astonishment, I turned to the dealer and asked if he could do better on six.  Hey, it doesn't hurt to ask. ;)  He said that he couldn't.  I said that I completely understood.  As I turned to get my money, he said, "You must be a quilter... Just give me $50."  How sweet is that?   I still marvel over the purchase price of $8.35 a blankie!   

 



There were a few other deals here and there.  At another one of our favorite spots, some local tobacco farmers had bundles of tobacco sticks.  (They were used to hang the tobacco during the drying process.)  After my purchase, Mr. Hollow was kind enough to carry a large bundle to the truck for me.  The sticks will be used to hang wool in a future studio space... a rustic reminder of our trip.  :)

Thrifty Find ~ Pfaff 130 Sewing Machine

It feels like autumn here in Northern Illinois.  Great weather for hitting the weekend flea markets.  I know that my vacation finds still need to be posted (Plus, our semi annual jaunt to Baraboo Gas and Steam Engine show... Yipee!), but this little beauty had me so excited that its story must be told first...

 

Mr. Hollow and I rose early for a 2 hour drive on Sunday to a small weekend flea market in Wisconsin.  Usually, we find one or two small items and some produce.  I shudder to write that  my first extremely, and now a little regretting, "tempted to purchase"  pass was on a spinning wheel at a great price...  Hmmm... Do I really need two?    Then, I talked myself out of some cool jars.  (Makes you wonder why I got up at the crack of dawn doesn't it?)   Finally, my hubby waves me over to a pile of goods laying in the grass in front of a pickup truck.  He must of asked me three times what I thought of the item in the farthest corner.  Maybe it was the sun glare, but it took me all of the three times to see this Pfaff 130 sewing machine.  Did I really need another sewing machine? ;)

 

I skeptically walked over while the vendors, a man and his teenage son, stood watching.  Wow!  This machine was really clean.  Definitely someone's baby.  The decals shown absolutely perfect with the paint smooth and shiny without a  single chip.  The man nodded to his son to walk over and do the haggling... Yep, me versus a very sweet teenage boy. 

 

The young man assured me the machine worked.  Pointed out that the handle was broke on the cover.  (Hard to believe that the case belonged to this pristine machine!)  He also stated, the machine was very heavy to carry, since he was the one who loaded it in the truck to take to the market.  Poor kid... After that confession,  I am sure Mr. Hollow was afraid he could talk me into any price! :(   I decided at that moment to just ask the price, figuring it would be hideous, making my  polite get away a little easier.  So, I did.  The young man replied 5 dollars.   Seriously, how do you bicker over that?  I really do not need another machine but are you kidding me 5 DOLLARS?   I looked over at his Dad.  He was smiling -very proud of the job his son was doing- nodding in agreement.  What kind of heartless quilter would say "let me think about it" to such a duo for that price?  Long story short, I have a new machine in the fold!  :)

 

We arrived home by afternoon, and the Pfaff was humming away an hour later.  I consider this heavy duty machine a "he" that until a few minutes ago was yet to be named... And yet to be cleaned!    I am just floored by the immaculate shape of this machine...  His previous owner's address label was still adhered to his under carriage, along with the shop that he was purchased from in Janesville, Wisconsin.   

 

I have had to do some research on the Pfaff 130.  The sites say it is from the 50's and can plow through 4 layers of leather.  Now that my friends is a work horse!  Not really sure if I need this kind of a machine... But my projects are continually changing, so it could very well be a future life saver.  You never know with me! :)

 

 

I notice that only a few have the "Made in Western - Germany" decal.  Most are Germany.  Talk about a blast from the past! 

While adding captions to the photos, I was reminded that his previous owner's name was Fred.  Being the spur of a moment kind of gal that I am (which explains all of my pets' weird names!),  this Pfaff is going to have the name Friedrich in honor of his previous owner.  Sounds very distinguished doesn't it?  Welcome to the Hollow, Friedrich Pfaff.   :)

127 Corridor Yard Sale 2015

The 127 Corridor Yard Sale is over for another year.  *sigh*  Mr. Hollow and I ran solo, since Farmerboy decided to stay home and house sit.  Our starting destination... the tip top of Kentucky.  (While planning our trip, we decided to run for 2 days -- ending near Crossville, Tennessee.)

 

During the week, the weather forecast called for warm temps, possible storms and 40% chance of rain.  Mr. Hollow and I remained positive.  If there is one thing the weather has taught us this year, it is to make the best out of a wet situation.  So... we arrived filled with optimism at our motel in 80 degree sunny weather and woke up the following morning to rain... A torrential downpour actually. 

 

Taking advantage of our dry room, we delayed our departure.  When the rain suddenly turned to mist,  our search began!  :)   A few sales had to be passed, since the proprietors decided they did not want to greet the morning weather.   No worries though... There were plenty other venues open.  The mist let up periodically, and we had blessed overcast skies with temps in the mid 70's!  Yippee!!       

 

 

 

The first day would see us arrive at our motel around 4 o'clockish, which is not out of the ordinary.  After having a light supper, I made use of my Kindle loaded with newly purchased episodes of "Flea Market Flip".   Kind of appropriate,  right?  ;)

On the second day,  the weather man promised skies of blue with temps in the 80's.  This pic is the only sun our travels would see for the day...  The very last venue attended.  I am not complaining though, the temps stayed in the 70's under overcast skies.  Beautiful mild weather that mocked Fall.  Our hunt lasted until 6 o'clock and was an absolute blast. :) 

If you have not attended a 127 sale, I highly recommend it.  One little tidbit of advice:  Around mid afternoon, figure out the town you would like to end in, call ahead and book a room.  The motel stays are few and far between. 

Today, I am finishing my unpacking, cleaning some finds and getting some groceries.  With a quick peek at the local thrift store thrown in!  ;)    It is always nice to be home and unwind a little before heading back to work.  I feel like I have been gone for months!  A post will follow soon with some of my finds for this year.

A huge thanks to all the vendors, old and new,  who endured the torrential rains.  You are all the greatest!  And to the fellow scavengers that we laughed and talked with at breakfast and met along the route, we hope to see you all happy and well next year!  :)