Nothing To Do and All Day To Do It In

I used a photo of the Finding Bigfoot cast on my page. There is hidden journaling on the pull-out tag.

I decided to play along at

 CSI Colors-Stories-Inspiration

this weekend and got my scrapbook page photographed and uploaded for the challenge in the nick of time! CSI has new challenges regularly, so if you miss one there is always another one to inspire you. For this layout, I used the following as my guideline: Case File No. S365-7

CSI requests that you use all five colors in the file, two things from the Evidence list and something from Testimony on your page. (I also used a tiny touch of brown). When I saw that there was a hot air balloon in the Evidence list I was delighted! I was working on a layout using an April sketch from Page Maps and it included a hot air balloon. Notice that the sketch has string, scallops, and clouds too? Serendipity! Instead of using two small pictures, I chose to use one 4" x 6" photo.

I decided to make a layout about the fun things we did this summer. We are homebodies and enjoy unscheduled time, and the months College Girl isn't in class are perfect for stay-cations. Everything on my page is symbolic of our summer activities. 

I used Scrapmatts laser cut chipboard clouds and winged bird

I misted, stamped (branches and vacation quote), and sewed on the background page before I got started with paper layering.

I used Crushed Olive and Peeled Paint Ranger inks to distress the paper edges.

I used a photo of the Finding Bigfoot cast because College Girl and I watched an episode almost every night after Handyman went to bed - she and I are night owls! Speaking of owls, one night a large Great Horned Owl perched at the very tip of our Norfolk Pine in the front yard and we took a picture of it.

 Notice the owl button I included on my layout?

On the pull-out tag (left) I listed the fun things we did over the summer break, which included listening to music from the 1940's and watching 1940's movies. We also tried new recipes, went to Charming Charlie's and Ulta for the first time, had backyard fires, read books, and did ceramic painting. 

One scrapbook page done, a few thousand to go- haha!

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Blue Skies and Birdseed

"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come."

Chinese Proverb

We have a corner in our backyard that is set up to welcome wild birds. There is food in shallow dishes, a birdbath, an Oriole feeder, and a hanging seed feeder, as well as a little bird swing. Boy, can the birds eat! With White Crowned Sparrows, House Finches, Towhees, Mourning Doves, Black Phoebes, Black Headed Grosbeaks, and a California Thrasher regularly visiting, we have to restock the bird food every few days. In order to make the food last longer, we started buying large cylinder-shaped seed "cakes" at our local wild bird supply store. The birds enjoy it and lots of birds can eat at the same time, but they can get expensive at $13 apiece. So we decided to make our own!

We used the same ingredients as the seed cylinder we usually buy: sunflower seeds, almonds, and dried cherries. Birds all over the United States like sunflower seeds, but you can check online for other items to include for your local birds. Our birds don't like millet, so we don't include it. We used a Craftster Video as inspiration for our cylinder. The video gives directions for molding seed cakes with cake pans, if you want to make them small. We doubled the recipe and used a plastic pitcher for our bigger seed "cake."

you can find vegan recipes online as a substitute for
 unflavored gelatin, if desired

Stir the gelatin into water over a low flame. I made the mistake of dumping all the gelatin in at once, then had to stir like mad to get the lumps out. 

Gradually pour the gelatin into the water while whisking. Once the gelatin mixture is clear (not milky), remove from heat and stir in birdseed.

  

Stir to coat all the seeds and nuts - children can help with this part.

If the mixture is soupy, add more nuts. Then place into molds of your choice sprayed with non-stick spray. Our seed cake hanger uses a rod through the center so we packed the seed around a dowel that we could remove later.

Our home-made seed cylinder next to the store bought version

Place mold(s) into the fridge to set up and harden for 6 to 8 hours. Remove the seed cake(s) from the mold and hang outside. These seed cakes make a sweet gift for bird loving friends!



Our birds seem to like our home made replica better than the store bought version - it's probably fresher.

If you don't have a stand or hanger you can run string through the center to hang it. 

Or place the seed cake in a shallow dish and put it in a secure place high enough that wandering cats won't be able to ambush the birds.

The sky above the Bird Corner in our backyard~

With winter coming, it'll be nice having these on hand for hungry birds. 

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Queen's Seagull

I'm so excited to share my newest teacup with you! Handyman actually bought it for me a few weeks ago, but I've been waiting until we went to the beach and I could photograph it in sand to post about it. 

As soon as you see it you'll understand why.

Did you know these seagull facts?   

• Seagulls are clever. They learn, remember and even pass on behaviors, such as stamping their feet in a group to imitate rainfall and trick earthworms to come to the surface.
• Seagulls can drink both fresh and salt water. Most animals are unable to do this, but seagulls have a special pair of glands right above their eyes which is specifically designed to flush the salt from their systems through openings in the bill.
• A small claw halfway up their lower leg enables them to sit and roost on high ledges without being blown off.
• Many seagulls have learned to conserve energy by hovering over bridges in order to absorb raising heat from paved roadways. onekind.org

We spotted this cup in an antique shop in Old Towne Orange and I fell in love with its unique motif and colors. It has seagulls on the saucer and on the inside rim of the teacup.

Notice the lighthouse in the background? 

There is a yellow boat in the water, too. 

The cup and saucer rim, as well as the shapely handle, is a lovely shade of blue.

This teacup is a Queen's bone china set from the Centenary Year 1975 Seagull series.

picture from blogofgreengablesdotblogspot

Ever the romantic, I can picture using this charming cup sitting on the beach while a loose tendril of hair is swept back from my face by the onshore breeze - a la Anne of Green Gables having a seashore tea with her bosom friend Diana. I'd definitely wear puffy sleeves!

Can you imagine the cries of the gulls wheeling overhead and the salty scent of the ocean?

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The Climb From Balmy Spring

Handyman and I went to a local farmer's market recently. One of our finds was this delicious jam made without pectin. We bought the Pucker Up Berry and finished off the jar within days! Here are some of the other goodies we enjoyed seeing there.

fresh herbs

organic berries

I've found that the best way to store berries is to place them inside a wide, flat container lined in paper towels. Give the berries enough room so they are not touching, if possible. If your container is deep enough, you can place a paper towel over the berries and gently put a second layer of berries on top. I finish off with another piece of paper towel, then seal with a lid. The berries should not be crushed or squeezed against one another. Don't rinse them until you're ready to eat them. 

gourmet ice cream

I tried the dark chocolate sea salt ice cream bar
 and it was delicious!

artisan loaves of bread

The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first week of August is motionless, and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much color. 

Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting

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