Sumer Spruce Up Project - Slip Covers #1

Don't worry. It actually gets slightly more exciting. . .

Summer Spruce Up Projects - Table

This is really how all my grand slip covering craziness started. We got a new counter height table for our kitchen. We really needed a more comfortable place and more space to eat.

The table and stools were much more economical unfinished. So I painted them white. When the paint dried, I placed some brown kraft paper down the center to fashion an impromptu table-runner. And that simple piece of paper on the white table inspired me to make the decorating scheme more casual and neutral for the summer months.

Me and my bright ideas. . .

Summer Spruce Up Projects

So we have how many things going on? And I decided to add one more thing to the chaos. I decided a few weeks ago that it would be a good idea to change curtains, slipcovers, etc for the summer months. The only problem is I didn't actually have these items to just "switch out." And because our furniture is old and oddly shaped, I just can't purchase a standard slip cover. See where this is going?

Sunday Brunch #2

Speaking of design. . .Yikes. I'm not sure if this is comfortable? Surely it's not practical. It certainly would be a conversation piece.

Sunday Brunch

A couple of snapshots from our last visit to the Baltimore Museum of Art. Here, the sculpture garden. It backs up to the Hopkins Homewood Campus and is close to a busy street but still seems peaceful and serene when you walk through it.

Good Morning from Home ECK Wreck!

Spring, Summer, and Fall Sunday mornings mean Farmer's Market under the JFX. As the season progresses, there are more and more home-grown and home-made goodies available. Supporting local small farming operations, enjoying a lovely morning, and getting some good eats. It's a no-brainer!

There are several other farm markets in the Baltimore Area. Check out http://www.localharvest.org to find markets in your area.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 14

Loaded everything into baskets for easy transport.

The bake sale ultimately raised a lot more money than I ever expected possible. Big thanks to all our hungry supporters!

I'm glad I had the opportunity to participate this year. We have lovely neighbors and there's a real camaraderie on our block.

In this world where everything moves so quickly and often feels impersonal and callous, taking time to slow down and bake something from scratch and to share it with your neighbors, offers a sweet reminder or how fulfilling the simple things truly are.

Consider baking you neighbor something yummy.

Consider stopping by with some coffee so you can chat for 20 minutes.

Consider a supper club. Meet up at a different neighbor's house once a month to every two months for a pot luck dinner.

Considerr a community garden plot.

Consider offering your skills. If you're good at gardening, offer to help a neighbor. They can return the favor by helping you with another chore or project.

Consider a heartfelt note during the holidays. Not just one of those obnoxious "I'm bragging about my family" letters. Let your words convey the spirit of the season and your gratitude for having great neighbors.

Consider acknowledging a birthday or important anniversary with sidewalk chalk. Sneak outside late at night to deliver the message. What a great surprise for them the following morning!

Consider shoveling, sweeping, weeding, and mowing more than your share.

Consider taking some photos of the exterior of their home and their landscaping during the various seasons. You can present it to them in a beautiful album if they are moving or when they reach an anniversary of living in the home.

Consider your own block party.

Consider outdoor screenings of classic movies.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 13

If you like my elephant or owl and would like info on how you can make your own. . .Or if you'd like me to make one for you, please comment. I'm happy to share.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 12

I figured since I was on a roll, I'd put out a couple of my mixed media children's wall art just to see what kind of response it might receive.

I later only offered up the elephant and I somehow I lost complete track of it. I hope he found a good home. I really did love that elephant!

Mother's Day Bake Sale 11

I used the same tag idea as I did for the bakery boxes. I layered several tags. One contains a description of the product and for the flower pins, suggested uses. The other is intentionally left blank and can be used as a gift tag.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 10

So I figured I might make a few flower pins to offer at the bake sale. They aren't expensive and people seem to like them. So in the midst of all the baking, I quickly glued some pins on a few blooms I picked up at the craft store. (How to previously discussed. Check the April Archives).

Mother's Day Bake Sale 9

Amassing Mother's Day goodies in the living room. I didn't think about it at the time, but it really is rather miraculous none of the packaging or goodies met their demise at the hands (or paws) of the cats or dogs.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 8

Lemon Chamomile Shortbread.

This recipe is super easy and seems to impress folks. I got the recipe from the Real Simple website.

This could become one of my go-to summer dessert recipes. Lemon is very refreshing. And these little triangles while not exactly light as air, aren't overwhelmingly heavy. Another plus? They bake in a 325 degree oven so your kitchen won't get sweltering in the summer heat.

I used a 9 X 9 Pyrex glass baking dish. When the shortbread cooled sufficiently, I cut so there were 4 large squares. I further cut each square diagonally resulting in 8 triangular pieces. Two triangles fit perfectly in each of these lovely window-topped baking boxes.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 7

I used deeper more square boxes without a window on top for the chocolate, chocolate chip cookies. Before I loaded the cookies into the boxes, I lined each box with butcher's paper - heavy white paper that is waxy on one side. I figured this would reduce "greasy" spots on the boxes and help keep the cookies fresher.

I still struggle with getting cookies the right amount of crunchy and chewy in our oven. Some of these cookies felt a little too crunchy for my taste. I decided they still probably tasted just fine so I included a serving suggestion on their tags: Microwave for a couple seconds, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and make a sandwich!

Sooooo good!

I learned an interesting baking tip from this recipe. I typically line my cookie sheet - I don't have any of those fancy silicone liners or air-bake sheets cause I don't bake enough to justify that type of gear - with wax or parchment paper. For whatever reason, the paper sometimes makes the smoke alarms ring. I can't figure out why this happens as there is no smoke and no burning smell. Using the vent hood doesn't seem to help. At any rate, this recipe recommended lining the cookie sheet with aluminum foil. It worked like a charm and no blaring smoke alarms! I'll definitely try this tip from now on!

Mother's Day Bake Sale 6

Sugar Crusted Raspberry Muffins packaged up all pretty.

I found these girly looking tags in the scrap-booking aisle of the craft store. I always keep plain tags in white and cream on hand in case I need to label something or to use as gift tags.

I decided to use one of each tag. On the plain tags, I wrote a description of the baked good. In a wine-encouraged moment of shameless self-promotion, I also included my blog's URL. I then layered the printed girly tag on top. I left these tags blank intentionally in case someone wanted to use it as a gift tag. . .as in "To Mom, Love your Darling Son." :)

I opted for feminine colors for the ribbons in keeping with the Mother's Day theme but these boxes would look gorgeous with simple hemp cord or kitchen twine and craft paper or plain cream colored tags.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 5

Boxing up the bake sale goodies. As I mentioned, my baking skills are average so I wanted my packaging to really make a good impression. Of course C said I was going way overboard. Needless to say I felt quite smug when I learned one lady on our block baked 60 pound cakes. . .That's right 60. Compared to that effort, I look like a slacker!

I have never explored the baking aisles at the national craft store chains (Michael's or JoAnn's) because I typically don't bake. However, I was very pleased when I started looking around. One of my concerns was how to package the goodies. Luckily, they make these very professional looking bakery boxes in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

And yes, I probably did go a little overboard in terms of purchasing packaging. . .but I didn't want to be stuck with too few. This you will find, is a common theme with me. . .If 12 boxes are good, 20 would be better!

I won't let them go to waste. Just yesterday, I baked the shortbread again for a friend. She appreciated the packaging.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 4

Both recipes were relatively simple to follow. These are the Tilghman Treats. You roll the dough into a log, refrigerate for a bit and slice little rounds and bake until they are golden and crunchy. I was tempted to try these myself. They reminded me of a cheesy whole wheat crouton.

I mixed up the batter for the muffins and I used a mini muffin pan figuring these would be easier to feed a dog. A whole muffin might be a little much. I specifically went to the store to purchase mini muffin cup liners so they would be all cute and individually wrapped. They seemed to bake just fine and I packaged everything up and went to bed. . . .

The following afternoon, I decided to let our dogs taste test the extra dog treats. That's when I noticed the error of my ways in terms of the muffins. The paper liner cups were impossibly stuck to the muffins! This of course was quite disappointing since I had already packaged up a bunch of treats. Ugh. There was some debate about how much a dog would care about a little paper stuck to their banana carrot muffin. But C and I ultimately decided we would hate for that paper to be somehow detrimental to a dog (thinking intestinal obstruction) so only Tilghman's treats made it to the sale.

I would make the muffins again but obviously omit the paper liners. The dog muffin batter isn't quite the same consistency as a typical muffin batter or cake batter and I suspect that's what contributed to the major malfunction.

If you'd like the dog treat recipes or any other bake sale recipe, post a comment with an email address or other contact info and I'll pass them along.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 3

Paw prints on the "Doggie Bags." It's not extremely original but still seemed very appropriate.

So my plan was to load these bags with a combo of both types of treats. I thought I'd use these clever little printed cards with Molly and Tilghman's photos on them to remind folks the treats are all natural and contain no preservatives so they should be enjoyed quickly or frozen for later, etc.

My plans seldom ever go according to plan. . .

Mother's Day Bake Sale 2

I opted for two types of dog treats. One was a banana carrot muffin. The other treat was a cheesy biscuit. I can't take credit for either recipe. I located both online. I opted for these two treats because they seemed relatively simple to prepare. I was surprised to see how many dog treats require yeast and a more involved baking process.

Mother's Day Bake Sale 1

Every year on Mother's Day weekend, our block has a bake sale. We use the proceeds to help fund our summer block party. Unfortunately, in years past I've been unable to participate because we have been out of town. This year everything worked out. I have a tendency to over-commit but it typically works out.

I made an ambitious list:
Lemon Chamomile Shortbread
Sugar-crusted Raspberry Muffins
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
and. . .
DOG TREATS!

I figured the folks in our neighborhood are pretty wild about their pets so perhaps homemade dog treats would be a good item.

You should understand I don't find baking that enjoyable. It's much too precise for my skill set. I can typically crank out something average however. So in order to set my goods apart I went with something I'm much better at: Presentation.

Here you see some of the packaging for Molly's Muffins and Tilghman's Treats. These never actually made it to the bake sale unfortunately. . .