TAST week 14 ~ satin stitch

 

 i have been so very hungry for spring greens lately~! not just the pretty flowering kind but crunchy green romaine, tiny spring onions,  fluffy sprouts~!
since i'm doing my own cooking now (:-D) i decided to make myself some lettuce rolls with the above ingredients. once i had layered it all into those lovely romaine 'boats' i drizzled a homemade balsamic vinaigrette over the mix and floated them right into my mouth.
mmmmmmmmmmm, so very good.
i recommend several of these a day to anyone with the same craving. make them the main course or use them as a side dish. eat them as snacks. eat them as desert. breakfast lunch AND dinner~!
the 'filling' can easily be tailored to just about any vegetable as long as it's cut up into small enough pieces and you WILL feel better. i promise.
if you don't have these ingredients in the fridge go get them. do not pass go. do not collect $200. just go get them. maybe you even live somewhere where you can pick them fresh right out of your garden . . .

i'll share my simple vinaigrette recipe with you:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
a clove of garlic (i press mine through a garlic presser)
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup (scant)  olive oil

mix the first group of ingredients into a small jar or container with a tight fitting lid. put the lid on and give it a good shake.
add the olive oil in three separate 'doses' and give that container a good shake after every addition. this is best at room temperature but will store in the fridge for a few days.
always give it a good shake before each use.

enjoy


there was no stitch given for week 13. it was a catch up week for those who needed it. as it turned out last week was so insanely busy for me that i was happy to count that as a blessing.
the stitch for week 14 with TAST is the satin stitch.

i don't use the satin stitch very much because i'm not very good at it. i'm not very good at it because i don't use it very much.
this one is all about practice.



it's fairly simple to do but if you don't work carefully it just looks sloppy. 

i've gotten a bit better while practicing/using it this week but i am uncomfortable showing these ultra macro shots of my work.


however, i LOVE what i came up with and as a whole it doesn't look too bad. after all, most of us don't have microscopic sight~!


i used anchor pearl cotton (sz 8) to stitch the lights and aurifil lana (12/2) to stitch the cord. i used the pearl cotton (sz 8) to stitch the prongs at the end of the cord.


i'll be adding more to my string of lights but as this one is fairly time consuming i'm showing what is completed for now.

these are on the wonderful husband's stocking.
it always seems like he is the one who gets stuck untangling those strings of christmas tree lights every year. poor guy.

there are several fun and well done examples of the satin stitch shown within the comments section of the week 14 post on Pin Tangle.   

i found a beautifully done castle  (!!!!) using the satin stitch this week as well as a whimsical flower garden, a beautiful sunset and a fabulous three tiered cake that really does look good enough to eat~!

there are some really great imaginations and creative hands enjoying this TAST challenge~!

recent gifts include:

• spring greens in the kitchen and on the table 
• spring greens in the garden (wait until you see the next post's 'featured' photo)
• a really tasty vinaigrette

if you haven't entered my giveaway yet and you would like to try to win a few of my photo art note cards click here.

i will draw a winner on april 9th.

Texture Tuesdays

this week on TT the challenge was to use the layer (free) "golden" by kim klassen.

this is the original image i shot. we had some blackberries in the house so i used a handful of them and some mint sprigs to create a quick still life. i used a small white shell shaped dish and the contrast was so great between the blackberries and the dish that i felt the shot was harsh . . . i shot a lot of images, using a variety of settings/adjustments within camera, but just couldn't really overcome the problem. so . . . it was textures to the rescue . . .

Blackberries A La Mint

this was the result. i think it has a much softer look now. i would be interested to know: which do you like better? what suggestions do you have regarding the original problem of contrasts and harshness? do you like blackberries?

today's gifts include:

• homemade blackberry syrup
• the discovery of rosebuds within the garden
• a recount on the goldfish: there are 15 rather than 14

come sit a moment and watch my summer garden grow.

this is a new combination of plants i'm putting in: liatris (the purple) and coreopsis (the yellow). i'm finding them a wonderful pairing and really like their contrasts in color and form. the tags optimistically put their cold tolerance at -40 degrees. we'll see . . .

the daisies are happiness incarnate.






the peppers are going gangbusters which isn't usually the norm . . .

so far just a few tiny green tomatoes so i won't bother showing those off just yet.



but the snow peas are yummy and plentiful . . .

i love this rose. it's a climber called jacob's coat (i think) and is new to our garden this year. i hope it does well and survives the winter (aka: hardiness test) to come back next year. i figure if a plant comes back three years running it's here to stay. only the toughest make it.

i'm getting little else done.

other than watching the garden grow . . .

i have no reason to be overwhelmed by depression and yet i am. it is such an ugly state to be in and i find myself knee deep in it with the waters rising dangerously fast.
my current ammunition of choice is to hunker down and look for the gratitudes within my life until it lifts. i do not give this information in an effort to elicit sympathy. i don't want sympathy. what i do want is understanding for whatever may come. i'll continue to share what joy lies in my life in an effort to stay focused on the positive because if i don't, the negative will darken my life like the worst kind of dark storm. these things may or may not be things that you feel grateful for and i will totally understand if you decide to mosey elsewhere while i get through it.

i am grateful.

for lunch i enjoyed a toasted parmesan cheese bagel with a slice of muenster on top and a few slices of a deliciously ripe nectarine on the side. as i prepared and ate it i kept in mind how much i enjoy this tasty meal and how lucky i am to have virtually whatever i might like to eat at any given time. i live in a wealthy country and can enjoy a simple, nutritious and beautiful meal whenever i feel motivated enough to prepare it. never do i cry because there isn't enough to nourish myself or those that i love. this is a gift and not everyone is able to enjoy it.

wandering through the garden this evening while my daughter was preparing dinner and when i seen this dandelion seed caught in the growing dill my impression was of organic laces . . .
then i make it over to the roses and the sun is behind these red thorns creating a dramatic scene all of it's own . . .

the garden is beginning to yield a few things. the tomatos are throwing some fruit. both the early girls and this cherry tomato have some tiny green gems.

and there is one very small strawberry just beginning to form. these were just planted about a week and a half ago. i feel pretty good that they are already showing signs of a yield.

i discovered this ant enjoying a sip of nectar from the bloom that has formed on the ornamental rhubarb.

and then i went inside and discovered these beautiful salads that my daughter had put together as part of our own dinner. she is an excellent cook and has a way of preparing healthy, simple food in the most elegant and tasty ways.

it's always a treat when she comes to visit because she likes to cook and we reap the benefits~!~of course, we also have to do the clean-up, but it's usually worth it~!!~ tonight there was a baked asparagus tart as part of the meal but it was greedily consumed before any photos could be taken. yummy~!~

and here's where i ended up getting in trouble.

i held up one of the cucumber slices to the light coming through the window and took this macro. (yes, even food is "victimized" by my macro addiction.) well, the wonderful daughter thought that it was rediculous for me to be picking the food apart and investigating it in this way and i was ordered to "put that back down in the bowl" and be sure that it was my own so that i didn't contaminate someone else's food~!~ sheeeesh~!~who raised this kid anyway~!?!~

hard to believe that she is a biology major when she behaves in this manner . . . whatever happened to curiousity . . . i was probably lucky that i didn't get sent to bed without my dinner~!~

we made apricot, chocolate chip scones for breakfast this a.m. and they turned out wonderfully~!!~used a Test Kitchen recipe and made a couple of modifications.

from this . . .

to this.
still needs to be sandwiched up and bound but i've almost got another birthday card done~!~