Field Tile Pumpkin

  In this little project I use an old piece of clay field tile I found in the barn and create a fun and festive fall decoration for the home.

Tile drainage is the agriculture practice of removing excess water from soil subsurface. Back in the day farmers used clay tile such as these. Clay field tile is no longer used by most farmers, instead today's plastic tile serves to reduce the cost, as well as labor involved in tiling a field.  

But lucky me we still have piles of the clay tile in the barn "just in case" 

one of the old clay tiles in the field breaks.  

These clay field tile are the perfect shade of orange for a pumpkin.  

So I cleaned a few up and painted pumpkin faces on them.

Next, I hot glued a piece of felt to the bottom to keep the clay 

from scratching the surface where the tile is placed.

To get the look I wanted, I stained over the entire tile with a 

walnut colored stain.

  

Finally I sprayed the tile with a clear satin sealer.  

There you have it - a fun pumpkin tile perfect for decorating your country home.  I added some Sweet Annie sticking out the top, but I also think bare branches would look adorable popping out the top or you can just keep it plain and simple.

Bag of Blocks

Last week I had the best time going to garage sales with a friend.   One of the many treasures I found was a bag of old blocks.  

Remember playing with these when you were a kid? 

*  making roads and houses

*stacking them as high as you could before they all came tumbling down 

*clapping them together to make noise and marching around the room

I knew with a bottle of Mod Podge and a few scrapbooking supplies I could transform these old blocks into something wonderful.

One of my favorite craft supplies is Mod Podge.  

Everyone needs to have a bottle on hand at all times - it is a must!

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love to antique almost everything I make. So  I have a bottle of "antiqued"  Mod Podge in the cupboard as well.  

To make "antiqued" Mod Podge just add a couple of tablespoons of instant coffee to your bottle.  Let the coffee dissolve, adding more until the desired consistency has been achieved.  

The "antiqued" Mod Podge  will give your crafts a slightly aged look.

See what I did with a few of the blocks......

I simply printed quotes with my printer and Mod Podged them onto the blocks.  Tip: before using Mod Podge  I sprayed the words with a thin coat of clear acrylic sealer.  The printer ink will smear if you don't seal it first.

Embellishments can be added by wrapping wire, ribbon or jute around the block.
This gives a nice dimensional look to your block.

Here I mod podged the paper onto the block.  After it dried completely I sanded the edges and then stained it with a walnut stain.

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Quick, easy and simple  

Makes a perfect little gift

Here are some ideas:
* a quote about sportsmanship for your child's coach
* a quote about teaching for a teacher's desk
* a quote about hope for a friend or family member with cancer
* a block with just a simple word or two can have an impact on someone 
* you can rip pictures and words out of the newspaper or a magazine
* use photos to make it even more personal
* set them on a bookshelf, windowsill or dresser

The possibilities are endless.....

The Secret to Amazing Pasta Sauce

My family thinks I make amazing pasta sauce using fresh tomatoes from the garden (the secret is I get a little help from Mrs.Wages..... shhh don't tell!) The sauce is full of robust seasoning and has a punch of flavor in every bite.  My husband and kids love it and you will to -  it is super easy.  

You can freeze it, can it or serve it fresh.  

All you need is 18 medium tomatoes and a bag of  Mrs. Wages Pasta Sauce tomato mix.  







Step 1: Wash your tomatoes and scald a few minutes in boiling water.  Just long enough for the skins to crack. 

Step 2: Place the tomatoes in cold water. Once cooled, remove skins, cut out cores and squeeze out excess juices.

Step 3: Puree in blender until smooth

Step 4: Combine puree, Pasta Sauce Mix,1/4 c. sugar  and small can tomato paste (I add this to make the sauce thicker) in large pot and bring to a boil.  Stir occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

When your sauce is done you can serve it immediately, freeze it or can it in a hot water bath for 40 minutes (directions are on the bag).

I can my sauce using a hot water bath.

The taste of FRESH tomato sauce is amazingly delightful  in the middle of winter.

The sauce is a bit thinner than store bought sauce, but it is full of fresh flavor - something you can't get from a jar.

Basil & Cilantro - my favorite garden fresh herbs!

I just love when my garden is overflowing with fresh produce.  Last week I froze sweet corn with a couple girlfriends.  Something we do every year together - more hands make less work, besides it gives us a chance to catch up on each other's busy lives while doing something productive.  I think we put up about 100 quart bags stuffed to the brim.  Last night my son and I made 10 pints of salsa and I have been making zucchini muffins and bread like crazy, sticking some in the freezer to enjoy when the garden is no longer thriving.

Some of my favorite garden herbs are basil and cilantro. Basil Pesto and Cilantro Rice (like Chipolte) are two of my favorite recipes using these fresh herbs.  Perhaps you have an over abundance of basil or cilantro in your garden this year.  Give one of these recipes a try -  I am sure you will love them.

Basil Pesto
It took me a while to figure out if I liked pesto, but once I decided I liked it - I loved it.
In our house we use Pesto on panini sandwiches, in pasta salad and tossed with a little cream to make a sauce for pasta.

I love, love, love fresh basil.  It smells and tastes heavenly. Besides, one ounces of basil will give you half your daily dose of vitamin A.

Gather your supplies: grated Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic cloves, salt, water and of course basil leaves.

Basil Pesto

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2/3 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves

3 TBSP cold water

1 TBSP lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in food processor.

Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Stopping to scrap down sides as needed. Once smooth, I fill a couple containers with the pesto.  Keeping one in the frig and freezing the extra. It's that easy.

Cilantro Rice - just like Chipolte

My family loves rice with fresh cilantro and lime.  This recipe is a copy cat of the rice at Chipolte restaurants.

Cilantro Rice

1 tsp canola oil

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

2/3 cup white basmati rice

1 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

2-3 TBSP lime juice

(The rice in this picture has browned pieces because I toasted them in the oil and lime juice a little too long.
but it still tasted yummy)

In 2 quart saucepan, heat oil over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add rice and lime juice.  Stir for 1 minute.  Add water and salt, bringing to a full rolling boil.  At boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender and water absorbed (about 25 minutes)

While the rice is cooking, rinse and chop the cilantro.

1/3 cup is a good amount.  My daughter Hannah loves cilantro so if she is making the rice she will add 1/2 -1 cup of cilantro. 

Once the rice is tender gently stir in the chopped cilantro.

This Cilantro rice is the perfect addition to any summertime meal.

Basil Bruschetta
Another great dish to make with garden fresh basil is Bruschetta. It is fairly easy.  You can use any kind of bread. If I am at the grocery store and know in advance I plan to make Bruschetta I will buy the little slices of French bread they have in our deli section.  Today however, I had a loaf of sourdough bread at home so that is what I used.  Since the bread slices were large I cut them in half to make a nice size for the Bruschetta.  

To begin with brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet on 350 until toasted.

While the bread was toasting cut up garden fresh tomatoes and basil, add a tablespoon of garlic (more or less depending on how much Bruschetta you are making) and tossed together.

When the bread is done toasting pile the tomato basil mixture on the bread and sprinkle with mozzarella.  Bake on 350 until cheese is melted - about 10 minutes.

It's that simple!  -  Delicious!

Mason Jar Citronella Lanterns

I saw these cute mason jar hangers on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/listing/94788194/hanging-mason-jar-garden-lights-diy-lids and then these homemade citronella mason jars http://pinterest.com/pin/270849365060278473/on Pinterest and decided to combine the two ideas and make my own hanging Mason Jar Citronella Lanterns.  Follow my DIY directions and make some for yourself.  They are adorably fun and will look oh so cute while keeping mosquitoes away!

 First, gather your supplies.  It doesn't take much especially if you 

already have some jars & lids laying around.

You can use any size jar with lid.

Each hanging jar will need at least 1 foot of chain.  I chose the smallest size chain I could find  at Home Depot.  I bought  10 feet of chain and was able to make 10 hanging jars.  The chain is really inexpensive., something  like 64 cents a foot.

You will need 2 - S hooks for each jar.  3/4 "  works best for this project.

A 12 inch piece of an old 100% cotton t-shirt.
You want a piece that is  about 1 1/2  inches wide because it curls when you rip it.

Tools: hammer, hole punch (I use my Crop-A-Dile which is an awesome hole puncher, eyelet & snap setter all in one.),  pliers, and something to punch a hole through the top of the lid.

To begin -  punch 2 holes in the lid, as close to the lower edge as possible.
 Line the holes up so they are directly across from each other.

Measure and cut a 12 inch length of chain. You may want it longer, depending on where
you are going to hang your lantern.

Once your chain is cut you need to attach the chain to the lid using the S hooks.

Loop one end of the S hook through the chain. Close the S using your pliers

Next, attach the other end of the S hook to the lid

Again, close the S with the pliers

To make a hole in the lid, set the lid on the jar and use a sharp object to punch a hole in the top.
 I used an old ice pick, but a nail will work fine.

Make sure the hole is big enough to thread the t-shirt through.

You want the piece of t-shirt to fit snugly and not fall out.  The t-shirt will serve as your wick

Now you can fill your jar with Citronella oil.  If you don't have a bug problem,  
you can  also use olive oil from your pantry to give a nice flame.

Here is my lantern hanging on a hook on my back porch.

 Love it! 

NOTE: Be sure to use Citronella Oil not Tiki Torch Fuel.