Why diy?

DIY is not without effort.  Often times, taking it upon yourself to figure something out is a challenge and it can be frustrating when it doesn’t work out. There have been many times that I have tried something, spent a lot of time, and in the end it didn’t work out.  People have asked me, “How do you do all of this?” Truth, if it doesn’t work out, I keep trying and changing things until it does.  No one is without fault and while I offer many instructions for “how to” projects, mine don’t always come out perfectly.

It is so easy these days to walk into a store and buy anything you want.  The biggest personal satisfaction most of us get is purchasing something on sale.  Over the last few years I have found that if  I put in the effort to make something special, I receive the satisfaction of looking at it every day and being proud of what I could actually do. I can smile knowing that each project I have done has given me self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment. 

The biggest hurdle for most people is actually trying things.  It’s easy to say, “It’s too hard” and walk away. Put in the effort and try!  DIY isn’t about making knick-knacks. If you just want lots of “stuff”, you can buy it.  It is about learning that you can do so many things you thought you couldn’t and feel great about it in the process.  Use your creativity and you will receive amazing personal satisfaction!

Here are some pictures of DIY’s I have done over the years. If you are interested in any of them, please post a comment and I will be happy to share how I did them!

Striped wall

Garden Markers

Rainbow cupcakes

Homemade Gingerbread House

Stamped Tea Towels

Beaded Necklaces

Concrete "stone"path

Inviations

Party Decoration

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

Homemade Play dough

Painted Pattern Wall

Personalized Pillows

Painted Chandelier

Magnetic Boards

Painted Animal Print wall

Picnic Table Mr. Practical Made (I do not have instructions for this one but they can easily be found on Google)

Carmel Apples

Water Bottle Labels

Napkin Rings

Homemade Fruit Leather

Homemade Tortilla Chips

Homemade Freezable apple pie

Homemade Grape Juice

Handmade Costumes

The Un-papertowel

Handmade tote bag

Party centerpieces

Class Clown

I completed my 5^th and final beginner’s cake decorating class this week.  Although this was not my favorite cake (clowns…I hate clowns) I really learned a lot of valuable skills.

Using tootsie pops, we constructed the heads first and then the bodies followed after.  It is amazing what you can do and it looks far more complicated than it actually is.  I can see using this method to make many other things such as animals.  Implementing straws is an amazing way of making your characters come to life, and edible things such as marshmallows help stabilize your creations so you can really work in the 3^rd dimension.

As the beginner’s class comes to a close I am looking forward to the advanced class.  We will be learning all sorts of new things such as airbrushing, basket weave with cascading flowers, transferring images on edible photo paper, royal icing flowers, and much, much more.  I very much enjoy doing this and as with all things I enjoy, I am thirsty for more knowledge. I wish the class would go on forever but maybe I will have some cake orders soon and be able to do them from my home. Until then I will be busy making Halloween costumes for the kids…blog coming soon!

Homemade Grape Juice

Yum! As far as I am concerned grapes are one of natures most marvelous candies! I have been updating you on the progress of my grapevine all summer and I am happy to say that some of them are ready for harvest!

The smell, even when you are just walking by the vine, is so heavenly.  It reminds me of being a kid and drinking grape juice or eating grape candy. Today I picked over 5 pounds of these delicious concord grapes and there are still many, many, many more bunches to go.  For this first round I decided that I wanted fresh grape juice.  It came out so utterly delicious that I just can’t help myself from sharing the recipe.  It’s extremely simple and has zero added sugar or water. Just pure, wonderful, grape juice.

What you need:

·      4-5 lbs of concord grapes

·      Large bowl

·      Colander

·      Potato masher

·      2 stock pots

·      2 large rubber bands

·      Cheesecloth or an unused cloth diaper (the really cheap thin kind none of that double ply stuff)

Step 1:

Wash and take all of your grapes off of the stems. Typically homegrown concord grapes have a few undeveloped green grapes on them.  Be sure to remove them from your mix and throw them away.

Step 2:

Once all of your grapes are thoroughly washed and taken off the stems, place them in your large bowl.  Using your potato masher, get to mashin’! Squeeze as much of the juice as can from them until your have a bowl full of pulp and juice.

Step 3:

Pour your mashed grapes into a large stockpot and slowly bring them to a boil over medium heat.  Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure they do not stick to the bottom. After simmering, use your potato masher and break up any of the remaining grapes.  Simmer for another 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Step 4:

Place your cheesecloth over another stockpot, using the rubber bands to keep it in place.

Step 5:

Ladle the hot mixture onto the cheesecloth and allow it to drain and cool.  Once it is room temperature, place your pot in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight allowing it to drain completely.  Once your remove it from the fridge, strain it though some clean cheesecloth once more to remove any sediment.

Viola! You have amazing, healthy, homemade grape juice and it is just so darn simple!

BONUS TIP: Make some juice pops for the kids.  They will love them!

Share the love!

I feel so fortunate to have wonderful neighbors where I live.  Everyone is very kind, helpful, and giving.  At times we need each other for anything you can imagine from an extra egg to a weed whacker, and we are always there for each other. If I need help with the kids, my neighbor is there.  When we were the last home on the block with power during a snowstorm, everyone was here. We take care of each other. Sharing the love with your neighbors can give you a very strong sense of community, offer protection and security, and produce life long friendships.

This summer, each of my neighbors has a garden and it seems as if we have all grown different things.  Now that it is harvest time, we’ve been visiting each other’s gardens and swapping fruits and vegetables.  Just today I was given some lettuce, blackberries, raspberries and tomatoes. I gave grapes, apples, and peaches in return.

Believe it or not, close bonds with your neighbors can make a large impact on your budget.  We share our home grown foods, we borrow tools so we do not need to buy them, we help each other with home maintenance and gardening, we lend each other ingredients so we do not have to make an extra trip to the store (which is a blessing when you live in the middle of no where) and we come together when things are rough to help in anyway we can.

So go on out and meet your neighbors! Share the love and give. You will receive so much more in return!

Fruits and veggies I got today from around the neighborhood

Mr. Practical and one of our wonderful neighbors.  He is just about the most handy guy you have ever met.  He can fix pretty much anything and he is a master gardener!

A Birthday cake I made for another one of our neighbors

Seasons

Fall is coming again and I am finding that I am rather impatient awaiting its arrival.  I suppose I need to slow down because this year has gone far too quickly as it is. Living in the mountains and at 5500 feet, we see the changes in the seasons that are rarely seen anywhere else in Southern California.  Winters are relatively cold and we get a decent amount of snow.  Spring produces magnificent wild flowers, including fiery orange California poppies that cover the hillsides. Most summers are mild and sunny with occasional thunderstorms. Fall is rather blustery, chilly, and completely magnificent with the colorful changing trees and fragrant air.

Sometimes we must take moments to remind ourselves of all that we grateful for and we cannot let all of the difficult things in life overwhelm us. Today, through all the stress of daily life, I stopped and took a deep breath to clear my mind.  I stepped outside and the warm summer breeze brushed my skin. I listened to the leaves rustling in trees, and I realized that I am so incredibly blessed to have beauty the surrounds me all year. It made me feel so wonderfully peaceful that I figured I would share the love and post some of my photos for you.  Everyone has a favorite season. No matter what yours is, I hope these photos of the beautiful place I call home fill you with warm fuzzy feelings. Enjoy.

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall