Door County Continued

Today we took a drive along the bay side of Door County. Our first stop was Peninsula State Park. It was a beautiful drive with many picturesque views of the bay and Lake Michigan. We took a tour of Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, one of 10 lighthouses located in Door County. The boys were most impressed that the innkeepers raised 7 boys in the lighthouse which had no running water. The only water source came from the bay and in order to get water up to the lighthouse, the boys had to carry water up a staircase with more than 100 steps. Once inside the lighthouse, I was impressed with these beautiful wood stoves and also the pretty china that belonged to the innkeepers.

Next stop was Eagle Fire Tower. I couldn't convince the boys to climb the 75 feet to the top of the tower with me. The views from the top were breathtaking.

After leaving the fire tower we drove to the very tip of the peninsula, Gills Rock and then back down again. On the way back we stopped in Sister Bay which was settled by Norwegian immigrants and it's Scandinavian heritage is still very evident today. We stopped at one of the Swedish restaurants, Al Johnson's to take a picture of the roof of the restaurant which was covered in grass and there were goats lounging on it.

Our last stop before heading home was in Ephraim. We stopped at Wilson's for ice cream. I had caramel explosion and I have to say it was probably the best ice cream I've ever had. Sorry Ben and Jerry's and Brusters!

Door County Vacation Day 1

We are in Door County, Wisconsin vacationing for the week before heading up to the cottage on White Lake. This morning we took a long walk down to the harbor and beach. After the kids enjoyed time playing in the sand and collecting rocks we headed back into town where we stopped at the local fudge shop and sampled a few different kinds of yummy fudge. Tomorrow we'll have to go back to try the homemade ice cream....yum! After lunch we took a trip to The Farm. The kids had a great time feeding and chasing the lambs, milking a goat, and playing with kittens. It was hard to get them away. On the way back to our condo in Egg Harbor we stopped to take a picture of this tractor made out of hay bales. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the swimming pool......we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Jewelry Pouch

I'm still having fun sewing from the book Pretty Little Purses and Pouches. I've been working on end of the year teacher gifts and decided this little travel jewelry pouch would be perfect for the teacher who has it all, likes to travel, and owns a LOT of jewelry.

The pouch has two pockets and a nifty little ring roll that snaps on and off. The pattern was more user friendly then some of the other patterns in the book, and it only took me about 2 hours to complete.

Dish Towel Handbag

I made this nifty handbag using two coordinating dish towels. The bag is reversible and can carry all your necessities, plus more! It was relatively easy to make; the hardest part for me was sewing around the handles. It turned out cuter than expected and I was very pleased with the end result as was Esme who received it as a birthday gift.

Reversible!

Polka dots

or squiggles!

Whimsical Teacup Wristlets

I found this teacup wristlet pattern in a book called, Pretty Little Purses and Pouches, and fell in love with it. Given that I'm not a quilter, the pattern was difficult for me, even with help from my mom who's a wonderful seamstress. Needless to say, I was determined to figure it out -- I really wanted to make this wristlet for my friend's birthday gift. It took two days to make my first one but the end result was well worth the time! And by the time I finished with the fifth one, I could sew without referring back to the pattern.

One of my favorite things about sewing these, is creating fun color pallets with the fabrics. A few of my friends have been recipients of these and although I haven't made one for myself yet, it is on my to do list.

These are not only whimsical but practical too!

Fits on your wrist
and has a zipper and lining

Wednesday's Surprise

Wow! Esme and Steph left me speechless this afternoon when they presented me with this patchwork tablecloth and napkin set, a collaborative effort from the both of them. I don't really know exactly what I did to deserve such a generous, beautiful gift (it's not even close to my birthday) and words can hardly express my gratitude for this true labor of love.

My friends know me well; well enough to know that I really wanted to make a blue patchwork tablecloth for my table but that I probably would never get around to making one. They also know me well enough to know that blue is may favorite color and this tablecloth is filled with wonderful blue tones that look lovely in my dinning room.

I'm so honored that they would take time out of their very busy schedules to make such a beautiful and thoughtful gift for me. I will treasure it forever.

Sugar Flowers

Here's my first attempt at making sugared flowers. I wanted to use violets because they are edible and they were right size for my mini Easter cupcakes. I used pesticide-free violets that I bought from the farmer's market.

To sugar the flowers, I combined 2 teaspoons of egg white powder with 2 teaspoons of water. I used a small paint brush to brush the entire flower, front and back with the egg white; it is important to coat the entire flower with egg white, any part that's not coated will decompose. After coated with the egg white, I then sprinkled super fine sugar over them. I didn't have super-fine sugar on hand but it can easily be made by putting regular sugar in the food processor for 60 seconds.


After the flowers are sugared they need to be set out to dry. It's best to dry them on a mesh screen so the air can get around the entire flower allowing them to dry faster. If you don't have a mesh screen you can place them on parchment paper, occasionally turning them so that they dry completely. Once dry, they can be stored for weeks in an air-tight container. Finished carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing and sugared violets.