The Poppies

To all my wonderful supporters a big ~ Thank You ~  the votes.. are so appreciated.

To all you funny cuties who gave me a such a chuckle with your tweets and convo's asking me
"who will you be voting for,  yourself or ethanollie of Trampoline?"

Hmmn... seeing as I lay claim to passing down a large part of the amazing talent she has (said with a very smug smile)
She on the other hand constantly inspires and raises the bar on me.

So  after much deliberation....  I  solved the problem.... I  ..........

voted for both of us  :)

Seriously, no matter who your favorites are

If you haven't voted  for your favorite artist, designer, photographer or seller yet.   Go Do It!  
They all work so very hard to add a little beauty to your world,  they deserve a little pat on the back.

Now go have some fun and vote!

Sue

my best of...

I hope everyone had a chance to relax a little new years day.

I managed to catch up on a little reading of my favorite blogs .  Thought I'd chirp in with a  few of my own "Best of 2009." 

One of the things I found to be a 'best' was holiday shopping on etsy.  Oh, and a few, were gifts I received!  Awesome items from amazingly talented sellers and the personal service could not be beat.

 

Antique stencils from findingfabulous

 

Vintage Tea Cups with Lids from UptownVintage

 

Beeswax taper candles from OneHoney

Embroidered Kitchen Towel from Simply Lodge

 

Vintage Poster from trampoline

 

Set of Catch-All pouches for stocking Stuffers (kept one for myself) from jpatpurses

 

   

White branch tabletop tree set from enhabiten

i was soooo happy to receive the tree's..they were on my favorites for 2 years :)

Tote bag and storage box from bookhouathome

what a sweet surprise gift this was for me 

Awesome finds..weren't they?

Thank you to all you wonderful sellers, who made my shopping a little bit easier and much more fun!

If you haven't visited them yet..you really should!

Enjoy

Sue

I'm hooking this post up to a party, want to come?  Melissa's "Best of Party"  

Happy New Year!!!

Hope all your sunsets are beautiful

Happy 2010

Sue

ssh...a winner

There is something special about Christmas night.  The hustle and bustle is over. The Presents are wrapped, opened and enjoyed.  The cookies are baked and eaten.
Finally, a night you can sit back and enjoy the lights of the tree,  and the quiet that surrounds it.

Before I  grab my blanket,  a cup of tea and curl up on the couch..

I have one more thing to do...announce the winner of the Winter Solstice giveaway...chosen by the highly scientific method, "pick a number."

With no drum roll please (it will spoil the quiet) The winner is ......

The lovely Julia from "Hooked on Houses".  So, Julia if your reading this, congratulations, I will be contacting you "tomorrow" for the address to send your pillow. 

I also want to thank all of you for your wonderful comments and the warm welcome back to blog land

 

I hope your holiday was merry and filled with love and you are now enjoying the beauty of this night ~

Sue

Strugfoli

The baking of Christmas cookies is a large part of the holidays for my family.  We have certain ones that have been handed down through the generations and are still baked every year.  The recipe's may have changed slightly,  but the feeling and memories are as strong each time.

For as many Christmas's that I  remember, my mother would talk about a cookie she always had as a child. She could not remember it's name, just what it looked and tasted like.  Shaped like a cone or tree, it was bits of fried dough stuck together with honey and sprinkled with bits of candy.  A centerpiece on a plate, everyone would simply break off a piece.

This year I did a little searching to see what I could find.  In "The North End Italian Cookbook" I came across a recipe for Strugfoli.  Sounded just like what I was looking for.  So I gave it try.

Here's the recipe, if you'd like to give it a try.
2 cups peanut oil
2 cups sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup honey
1 tbsp sugar 
1 tbsp multicolored sprinkles
Mix the flour &  salt in a large bowl -make a well in center of flour - Add the eggs, one at a mix slightly after each using a fork or tossing with your fingers. Add the vanilla- mix well to make a soft dough
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface & knead for 5 mins. - Divide dough in half and lightly roll into 1/4" rectangle- cut the dough into 1/4"wide strips - use the palm of your hand to roll the strips to pencil thickness- Cut each strip into pieces about 1/4" long.
Heat oil in deep saucepan to 365 degrees.  Add enough pieces to hot oil so they float uncrowded- Fry 3 to 5 mins until lightly browned, turning often during cooking. - transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain - Finish frying all the pieces.
Meanwhile cook the honey and sugar in a separate pan over low heat for about 5 mins.
Remove from heat and add the deep fried pieces. - Stir to coat all the pieces with the honey sugar mixture
Put the Strugfoli on cookie sheet and put in refrigerator to chill slightly
Transfer to serving platter and arrange in a cone shaped mound -**Note..wet your hands first, this part was tricky**
Sprinkle with multi colored candies 
Chill in the refrigerator to set the shape desired and cool the syrup. Serve by breaking off individual pieces

Maybe kept in a box for up to 2 weeks. 

**My take on it...good not great..but being my first time making it..it definitely could be the cook.
**I thought it could have used more flavor but the kids loved it!

**I've since found a few slightly different versions of this recipe here and here


If you've made this or have another recipe for this dessert I'd love to hear about it. 
I plan on trying to improve on it myself.

Happy Holiday Baking and Don't forget there's still time to enter my holiday giveaway



Sue

Happy Winter Solstice ~ Thank You Giveaway

I have been wanting to get back to this long lost blog for awhile now.  Each morning, I put it on my list of must dos. Each evening, it seems that is the thing that is not checked off  (well, one of the things). I find lately there are so many thing I'd like to share with you, my mind gets cluttered with all of it.

What better day for Solsticehome to start, but the Winter Solstice. A celebration in recognition of rebirth, gatherings are valued for emotional comfort,  and having something to look forward to at the darkest time of the year.

To celebrate this rebirth and to thank you...my followers.  I'm having a winter solstice giveaway!

 

A handmade vintage fabric lavender filled pillow

made with vintage linen fabric and button it is 6x6 & filled with wonderful dried lavender.
Tuck it on your bed.. or in your closet..it will be a treat for your sense of sight and smell.

To enter..just leave me a little note & hopefully you will visit often...

winner chosen Dec 25th Christmas night!

 

Happy Winter Solstice & remember the days can only get longer now

Sue

The Great Crate Caper

by solsticehome

As you can probably guess by my shop, I have a weakness for all things vintage. I confess to losing quite a few hours getting lost in all the great vintage shops on etsy and poppytalk.

One of the most useful trends happening now, is the growing infatuation with vintage crates. The primitive almost earthy look to them seems to work with all but the most formal home decor. Both the soda & milk crates in particular lend themselves to so many clever uses. With so many great colors on crates it's fairly easy to find one to match your look.

I have a few ideas to share with you.

Storage.. the deeper crates are great for toys & books

Divide & conquer... some of the many storage needs in the studio, office, kitchen.

One of my favorite uses for the divided crate is to use them in the kitchen as a spice rack.


Serving ..used as a tray, it sets a casual mood, that says, let's hang out & enjoy ourselves.


Need more ideas..

Cityvintage, another sweet etsy seller has an interesting vintage DIY listing on
CONVERTING BOXES and MILK CRATES ...

Do you have other ideas on how to use crates?
I'd love you to share them here with all of us.  If you need help with sharing the photos, just give me a shout.

I'm Hooked on these crates..so we're heading over to Julia's Hooked on Blog party...join us!


<3

Sue