Apple Butter

This weekend I took my first foray into canning. It was tons of fun and super easy... with the exception of figuring out to get the jars in and out of the boiling water when you don't have the right kind of tongs. Nothing a trip to Sur La Table can't fix. I got my recipe over at the blog A Fly Through Our Window, http://www.flythroughourwindow.com/2008/10/apple-butter/.

I halved my batch because I didn't have enough apples and everything went fine, but I should note that the cooking time was only about 4 hours since I had less mass. My hubby and I were up until midnight canning because of the unexpected time difference so plan accordingly if you make a small batch. The half batch yielded 6 8oz. jars. Not bad but not as much as I hoped. All in all not bad for my first time.

Here is the recipe:

16 peeled, cored & chopped apples {I used several varieties}
1 1/2 C white sugar

1 C light brown sugar

2 T cinnamon

1/2 t ground cloves

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1/2 t kosher salt

Place all ingredients in crock pot and stir so all apples are coated. Cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Reduce to LOW for 8 to 10 hours; stir occasionally.

I got the label template over at The Inpired Bride: http://www.inspiredbride.net/2009/08/17/do-it-yourself-project-sweet-treat-favor-tin/

I recovered this chair a while ago and unfortunately forgot to take "before" pictures. It was originally a gold velvet and light brown wood. I used a "lacquer" spray paint called Rust-Oleum Gloss Lacquer http://tinyurl.com/yz3s5d4 and it worked fabulously. Make sure you sand really well as I ended up with some bubbles that I had to go over because the paint wasn't sticking in that section.

If you want to know how to recover a chair I followed this tutorial: http://www.mormonchic.com/crafty/wingback.asp I recomment getting a pneumatic stapler with a compressor. It will go much faster and your hand will be a lot less sore.

Happy uhpoholstering!

Clippies

I've recently realized that all the clips out there for little girls are the same. So with that thought I got out my ribbon and glue gun and went to town. Here are a few of the fun clips I came up with.

Toothfairy

Ok, so what does it say about me that I saw this on another blog and I want to buy it. I am so obsessed with all things that are designed well, that I'm actually considering buying a formal "Tooth Fairy Kit." The thing that really cracks me up is that even though I clearly know it's not real, I kinda wonder about who the design genius' are at the Official Tooth Fairy Office. They obviously are very creative and clearly have too much time on their hands and yet at the same time I worship them. I'll stop obsessing now. I just wonder how many other people think this is genius and will admit to having bought it. Makes you wonder....

Tooth Fairy Image courtesy of www.officeofthetoothfairy.com