Ever wanted to be a part of a flash mob? The energy of being involved in the 2010 Olympic Flash Mob was unlike anything I can describe. There is really something special about dancing with a large group and here is your chance to give it a try.
To celebrate the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival the VCBF is putting on a Cherry Blossom Umbrella Flash Mob Dance complete with pink umbrellas! Part Bollywood and part Singing’ in the Rain, this upbeat flash mob is sure to be a blast for those who participate! Sign up at: www.vcbf.ca .
Tags: community events, Flash Mob, Vancouver, Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
January 25 2012 | Flowers and Vancouver | 1 Comment »
Cotton flour sack tea towels are my absolute favorite in the kitchen but they need a bit of pizzazz too. With the help of some fabric paint and a lino block or stamp, this simple project adds some sunshine to kitchen chores. For this weekend’s project, grab some materials and make some of your own. WARNING: printing is addictive. Soon you will be doing napkins, placemats, table cloths, curtains, clothing….
Materials:
- Flour sack tea towels (ironed)
- Fabric Paint
- Paint roller / brushes
- Linoleum block or rubber stamp
- Old towel and large plastic bag (freezer bags are good, plastic shipping envelope used here)
- Paint tray (top of a salad box used here)
- Iron
Directions:
1. Mix up your paint colour using fabric paints which are intended to heat set to withstand washing and use. Roll jus
t a wee bit of paint onto your stamp or block. A little goes a long, long way but too much paint will make your print gloopy (i.e.: bleed outside of your intended design).
2. Set up your printing area by folding the old towel over a few times and covering it with the plastic bag. This is so there is a bit of give below the fabric you will be stamping, ensuring a nice even transfer.
3. On a piece of paper or some scrap fabric, do a test print on your bag/towel block to ensure you get the color and the amount of paint needed right. I didn’t like the double stem on my original design so I adjusted the top before printing the fabric. Like the results? Then on to the next step.
4. Time to print your fabric! Stamp it like you did the paper and set aside to dry.
5. The final step is to heat set your beautiful creations with a dry iron for about 5-10 minutes. Once that’s done, your tea towel can be used, washed, and dried.
Here is the final design from the linoleum block that I carved (which by the way is also addictive!):
And here is the result from a rubber stamp:
The sunny yellow color is very much a theme for January. Despite the weather being grey, there is something about a new year / optimism / yellow that connects for me. Also Citrus Celebration has been a theme now that we have so many amazing citrus fruits in season. If that wasn’t enough, here’s another dose of sunshine for you from the shop:
This project may very well get included in the following wonderful parties. Thanks for visiting!
Tags: craft, printing, tea towel, weekend project
January 21 2012 | Projects | 11 Comments »
These DIY draft socks are super simple to make, inexpensive, and work well to stop the chilly drafts from under doors or from window sills.
Oh, and they are freakin’ adorable too! Here’s how to make your own.
Materials:
- Socks – pick nice long ones. Men’s woolly work socks are shown here, but knee socks would also be a great choice
- Dried popcorn
- Stuffing from old pillows, an old sweater, etc
- Fabric scrap
- Sewing machine or needle and thread
Directions:
1. Measure the length of the doorway or window you would like to use the draft sock on. Cut a length of fabric that is 1 inch longer than your measurement and 10 inches wide (you want the sock just slightly longer than the doorway, so it fits in snugly). Fold the fabric in half and pin. Using your sewing machine or needle and thread sew one end and the length of the fabric so that you have a long tube that is open at one end.
2. Fill tube alternately with dried popcorn and the stuffing you have chosen. Popcorn is used for weight, but it is also inexpensive and won’t go rancid like some other dried goods. The stuffing helps to give the sock a nice shape and insulates against the cold air. When the tube is really packed full all the way to the end, pin the end and sew it shut.
3. Turn socks inside out and sew the heels straight so that when the sock is covering the tube, the heels don’t protrude.
4. Pull the sock over your hand still inside out. Grab the end of the filled tube with your sock hand and unfold the sock over the tube.
5. Add the second sock of the pair to the other end, and overlap the first sock.
That’s it! An easy, cheap, effective, and stylish door sock in no time at all.
I’ll be linking this post to these wonderful parties.
Tags: crafts, door socks, weekend project
January 15 2012 | Projects | 9 Comments »
Continuing with this month’s Citrus Celebration theme, this morning we made the flakiest whole wheat blueberry lemon scones for breakfast. With a perfectly balanced aroma of lemon, sweet blueberries, and buttery goodness, these are hands-down my favourite scones. The scone is shown here with Meyer Lemon Marmalade that was made earlier this week (stay tuned for the recipe). In the meantime, try them with this Blood Orange and Raspberry Jam.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, very cold and cut into cubes
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- Zest of 2 organic lemons
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup cream
- Juice of 2 organic lemons
- 1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking pan with parchment and sprinkle it with flour. Measure out and combine the milk, cream, lemon juice and vanilla. Stir and let sit while you measure the dry ingredients, it will become thick and a bit separated – that’s OK! Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the butter and gently cut the butter in using a pastry knife until it is somewhat mixed in and chunks of butter are still visible. More butter chunks = flakier scone. Add lemon zest and milk mixture to the flour mix and gently combine. Gently fold in frozen blueberries. Pour dough out onto a floured surface and very lightly knead only about 5 times being careful not to melt the butter or blueberries. Dough will not be completely mixed, but if it feels equally moist all around, and not overly sticky, it’s ready to shape.
Shape the dough into 2 equal balls and flatten to 3/4″ thick on the floured parchment or pan. Using a knife slice each circle into 6 wedges and carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them to 1/2″ space around the outer edges. Bake until golden about 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
Makes 12 extra large scones
Tags: Baking, blueberry, citrus, citrus celebration, lemon, scone, whole wheat
January 14 2012 | Baking | 9 Comments »
Some things seem to be drawn together organically, like the flavors of blood orange and raspberry. It’s citrus season here now – the only time of the year blood oranges are available. Since raspberries are abundant in late summer this jam recipe has been in progress for 6 months. Despite having very different seasons the tie between these two fruits is undeniable. When I first tasted the blood orange juice it was kind of, well, blah. Not as sweet and vibrant as an orange, albeit the juice is beautifully rich to look at the flavor lacks punch. But what I did taste was a slight hint, a murmur maybe, of raspberry. It was immediate and undeniable that these two fruits must go together. Hence this blood orange and raspberry jam recipe was born.
First made last winter, the jars were quickly gobbled up as it is my all-time-favorite jam of all time. Then in the summer when raspberries were ripe and ready, I hunted for blood oranges. In this day and age of abundance I though someone might stock a few. Nope. I settled for making the recipe with cape gooseberries and it was good. Just not my all-time-favorite of all time.
But now it’s time, my friends, time for blood orange and raspberry jam. Finally. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
- enough blood oranges to get 4 cups freshly-squeezed juice
- 4 cups raspberries
- 3-4 cups sugar (this really depends on your preferences and how sweet the fruit is) I used 3 cups and my jam is perfectly sweet and tart
- cheesecloth
Directions:
- Put a couple of plates in the freezer.
- Juice those bloody oranges until you get 4 cups. Take all the membrane and seeds out of the peels and tie into a square of cheesecloth (I used a 4-ply thickness of cheesecloth, i.e. a large square folded in half twice). Tie the ends of the cheesecloth around a large wooded spoon. This is your pectin bag.
- Add juice to a large pot with the raspberries and sugar and bring to a boil on medium-high. Stir frequently. Hang bag of orange guts from the edge of the pot. I rigged up something with a chopstick and a clip on the side of the pot, but the large wooden spoon works great too.
- When boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and continue boiling and stirring until reduced. Remove pectin bag and let cool. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the bag so that a creamy gel comes out of the pores of the cheesecloth – that’s your pectin! Scrape the pectin back into the jam and stir. Then you can discard the bag and membranes.
- Jam is ready when it passes the gel test: put a spoonful of the jam on a plate from the freezer. When the jam has cooled, drag your finger through the middle of the glob. If it spreads back into a puddle, it isn’t gelled yet. If your finger mark stays put, then your jam is ready to be canned.
- Process 125ml (aka 1/2 cup) jars for 5 minutes, or 250ml (aka 1 cup jars) for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.
In other news, just as these flavors came together organically, it seems that right at the same time I’m all ramped up about citrus, I have a few new Garden Therapy Handmade pillows to launch. This one seemed particularly fitting to announce today, given the citrus-y color of the crocosmia blooms. For those of you who haven’t yet, please visit the Garden Therapy Handmade shop and take a look at all the bright-colored blooms. Hopefully they will bring some cheer to your winter’s days.
I’ll be linking this post to these wonderful parties.
Tags: citrus, citrus celebration, Garden Therapy Handmade, Jam, preserves
January 14 2012 | Canning and Garden Therapy Handmade and Harvest and Projects | 7 Comments »
If you haven’t yet tried preserved lemons, now is the time. Primarily used in Moroccan cooking, this unique salty citrus flavour quickly makes an amazing dish out of chicken or fish and adds lift to sautéed vegetables or beans. This recipe has only two ingredients, so choose them wisely. Organic lemons are the only ones I ever use for preserving as the rind will have less junk (pesticides, etc.) on it.
Ingredients:
- 12 organic lemons
- coarse Kosher salt
Directions:
1. Scrub the lemons under running water with a vegetable or nail brush to get the rind nice and clean. Then cut the stems and ends off the lemons.
2. Score each lemon into a star: start by making a cut through the lemon from the top down to almost the bottom, but don’t slice all the way through. Leave enough remaining so that the lemon stays attached. Cut again twice more, to get a star shape.
3. Pack the insides of the star with lots of coarse salt. Don’t be afraid of the salt it’s not going to become overly salty if you use too much. Just go for it!
4. Now pack the lemons into clean, sterilized jars. Really squish them in there so that the juices start to cover the lemons. Add extra fresh lemon juice if you need to top each jar up so that all the lemons are completely covered. Keep squishing down the lemons over the next couple of days to get more juices out and covering the fruit.
5. Let sit for a month in a cold place like the fridge until the rinds soften.
To use the preserved lemons, rinse under cold running water and remove the pulp. The pulp can be squeezed for it’s juice, but generally the rind is what is used. Slice or dice the rind to add to recipes like this one: Chicken Tagine with Green Olives and Preserved Lemon. Yum!
Tags: canning, citrus, citrus celebration, lemon, preserves, projects, Recipes, weekend project
January 07 2012 | Canning and Harvest and Recipes | 10 Comments »
2011 was without a doubt an exciting year full of garden therapy. It all began with some Proposals for a New Year which really launched the Weekend Project series of tutorials that go up each and every week. It took a little while to get a groove going, but now Garden Therapy is loaded with crafty/garden-y/foodie projects that will hopefully inspire you to dig in. After all of the blood, dirt, and paper cuts it was hard to choose the best of 2011. Nonetheless, here they are.
1. Garden Therapy Handmade Shop Opens!
Opening the new Etsy shop to sell a hand crafted line of floral throw pillows was by far the most exciting thing that happened this year. The Studio Blooms line of throw pillows started from flowers grown in my gardens which were then photographed in macro, blown up to mammoth proportions, and printed on fabric using the giclée technique. Each pillow represents a piece of artwork for your home, yet artwork you can cuddle up to and read a book on. Every step was carefully (obsessively?) planned out and executed, so the final cushions are truly show-stopping.
A labour of love that took well over a year and a half to launch, it’s been a great success so far and I have very high hopes for 2012. Look for new designs, new products, and new locations where you can buy Garden Therapy Handmade in the coming year. And remember, each design is a limited edition so please snap them up before they are all gone.
2. Free Printable Canning Labels
It seems a shame to put so much love into a a jam, jelly, or pickle to then just label the lid with a sharpie. These printable canning labels are also meant for the canning jar’s snap lid so it get’s recycled when the lid does with no sticky glue to soak off the glass jar. Oh, and did I mention they are free? Yup, just download and print ‘em on label paper. You’re welcome.
3. The Natural Skincare Series
While making bath and body care products isn’t technically gardening, these projects all honour nature by using only natural essential oils, colourings, and other ingredients. Tutorials for handmade cold process soap, bath bombs, sugar scrub, bath salts, and lip balm were incredibly popular and made amazing holiday gifts. Good news, there will be more recipes and tutorials to come in 2012!
4. Candles in Many Shapes and Forms
The first candles to be posted were these Citronella CAN-dles. And while no bugs bit me while they were alight, I was bitten by the candle-making bug! Soy and beeswax jar candles followed which were beautiful in their simplicity. The real star of the show, however, was the beeswax flower jar candles, where a 3-dimensional beeswax surprise hides under the lid of these. A perfect holiday gift, although so far, those who have them have not wanted to burn them and watch the flower melt away. To that I say, light away and make more…and here’s how.
5. The Grinch Tree, Whoville Party and & Holiday Decorations
Speaking of the holidays, the Grinch tree was the singing Who’s that warmed up my Grinchy demeanour this holiday season. Feeling a little blue and growly before the holidays, I didn’t want to put up a Christmas tree this year. The compromise was to decorate a tree that mirrored the feelings, and the Grinch tree was born. And just like the movie, my spirits warmed up and the true meaning of Christmas was revealed: to make festive holiday planters and decorate the house and throw a Whoville-themed party! Thanks, Grinchy.
6. Wreath Making
There is always a wreath on the Garden Therapy front door, and maybe another few scattered around the garden. Tutorials for Making an Evergreen Wreath, Lavender Wreath, and Halloween Hop Wreath were easy and fun projects that didn’t cost a penny. Love!
7. Halloween Planters, Jack-o-Planterns, & Rock Spiders
Now that Hop Wreath wasn’t the only Halloween decoration this year. Scaaary planters with severed hands, witch’s brooms, and kale (OK, not too scary) were unique natural decorations. But nothing was as fun as the Jack-o-planterns and DIY Rock Spiders (sorry, Elisabeth, I know they freak you out).
8. Concrete Garden Projects
Being lucky enough to receive a review copy of Concrete Garden Projects: Easy & Inexpensive Containers, Furniture, Water Features & More
meant a fun afternoon making modern planters and leaf-print stepping stones. I’m totally addicted now!
9. Jammin’ Recipes
Not as much canning happened as normally does, but there were still some fantastic recipes this year: Winter Marmalade, Black & Blue Berry Jam, and Bourbon Cranberry Sauce topped the list.
10. Tangerine Tango
The final highlight of 2011 was the announcement of Pantone’s 2012 colour of the year, Tangerine Tango which will undoubtedly be a popular colour in fashion and home décor (already seeing it everywhere!) but there are also some pretty cool plants that can spice up your garden. Also cool, a set of Studio Blooms pillows rocks out in Tangerine Tango. Hmmm. That is a really great way to start of 2012.
Thank you to everyone who has visited in 2011 and I so very much hope that you will be back this year. Happy gardening!
I’ll be linking this post to these wonderful parties.
Tags: Best of, Garden Therapy Handmade, projects
January 03 2012 | Canning and Garden Therapy and Garden Therapy Handmade and Gardening and Growing Food and Projects | 22 Comments »
This weekend’s project is a going up a little bit late. With New Years Eve 2011 just now behind us, perhaps we are all moving a bit slower than usual. Nonetheless, this pinecone birdfeeder project is super simple & family-friendly and will get you outside for a little garden therapy, even in the cold. It seems like the right way to start off the year.
Materials:
- Dried, open pinecones
- Peanut butter
- Garden wire, twine or ribbon
- Mixed birdseed
- Plastic containers or plates, spoons, and scissors
Instructions:
1. Pick out a pinecone that has dried and opened up.
2. Tie a length wire or twine around the perimeter of the top third of the pinecone and secure firmly. Close the loop at the top by tying a knot or twisting securely, so that the pinecone feeder won’t fall out of the tree when birds are sitting on it.
3. Using a spoon, spread/smoosh/smear peanut butter into the crevices of the pinecone. You don’t need a whole lot of peanut butter; just enough glopped around it will allow the birdseed to stick.
4. Pour birdseed into container. Place the peanut butter-covered pinecone in the seed and toss the seed over top and all around. Really get in there and pack the seeds into the crevices and stick it to the outsides. The finished product will look like a little seed ball.
5. Decorate with ribbons if you would like, then hang them in the trees and wait for the birds to come. It won’t be long.
I’ll be linking this project to these wonderful parties. Happy New Year!
Tags: bird feeder, family, pinecone, weekend project, wild birds
January 01 2012 | Gardening and Projects | 15 Comments »
If you are having a New Year’s Eve bash this year, infused vodkas make a festive basis for some fabulous cocktails. Or perhaps you are lucky enough to be attending a soiree held by someone else? A fruity infused vodka makes a perfect hostess gift and is much more original than wine. Start them now and they’ll be perfectly flavour-infused by the big night.
Berry Infused Vodka Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of berries such as blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry
- 1 lemon
- 1 whole vanilla bean
- 1L (750ml) of inexpensive vodka
Directions:
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel off 3-4 strips of lemon rind. Use the back of a paring knife to remove as much pith (white stuff) as you can. Pith = bitter. Add rind to a large mason jar.
- Add berries to jar and mash lightly. Spilt vanilla bean in half an add it as well.
- Pour the entire bottle of vodka over the mixture, seal with a lid and shake. Leave in a cool, dark place for 3 days.
- After 3 days, strain the infused vodka through a fine strainer or medium cheesecloth into a bottle. Repeat straining in a finer cheesecloth for a clearer liquid (optional).
New Year’s Eve Cocktails
Blueberry Nights
- 1 oz blueberry infused vodka
- 1/2 oz brandy
- 1/2 oz ginger syrup
- 3 oz soda
Blackberry Royale
- 6 oz champagne
- 1/2 oz blackberry infused vodka
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- garnish with floating cranberries
Strawberry Refresher
- fresh mint leaves, muddled at bottom of glass with…
- …the juice of 1/2 a lime
- top with 2 oz strawberry infused vodka
- 3 oz ginger beer
- 3 oz soda
- 1 1/2 oz Midori melon liqueur
- 1 1/2 oz raspberry infused vodka
- 1/2 oz elderflower liqueur
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- sugar for rimming
- melon ball for garnish
I’ll be linking this project to these wonderful parties.
Happy New Year!
Tags: blackberry, blueberry, cocktail, infused vodka, new years eve, raspberry, strawberry
December 28 2011 | Projects and Recipes | 14 Comments »
Inspired by the festive Grinch Tree that graces the Garden Therapy house, we threw a Whoville-themed holiday open house for friends and neighbours. A little kitchy, with many natural elements, and a retro vibe all rolled up into one makes for this theme.
The party table was loaded with retro ribbon candies, scotch mints, nuts in the shells, colourful shortbread cookies, and lots of nibblies. Vegetables were served in vases, and the cheese, of course, was accompanied by a selection of homemade preserves.
Old Grinchy took center stage.
Natural yew, cedar, and ivy decorated the mantle with a simple string of lights, a few pinecone balls, some scrabble tiles, and a dried Schubertii Allium seed head.
The final decorations were crystal ornaments hung from our bare bulb chandelier. Inside some of the glass balls were mini pinecones, mushrooms from past foraging, and owl feathers from the Snowies at Boundary Bay.
It was a wonderful party with plenty of laughs.
Here’s to happy holidays all around. Merry Christmas and sleep well with the thoughts that gardening season will is just around the corner.
Tags: Christmas, party, projects
December 25 2011 | Projects | 9 Comments »
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