Tea and Shortbread on a Late Autumn Afternoon

Hello, Dear Friends - Autumn is moving along

and the days are getting shorter and shorter,
 here in the north-woods of Washington State. 

Won't you join me for a walk in the golden forest,
 then come inside for a hot cup of tea,
with some home-made shortbread? 

The foothills have a new dusting of snow, 

but there is still some fall color among the 

evergreen fir, cedar and hemlock. 

We've had fierce winds the last few days, 

which has blown the leaves off lesser trees, 

but our native maple and black cottonwood

are just coming into their prime. 

A sturdy raincoat and warm scarf are in order - 

this beautiful hand-knit was a gift from 

my dear, talented friend, Pat, who blogs at Lily, My Cat. 

It's so soft and warm.

Temperatures are dropping into the 40's now. 

The ground is a tapestry of color. 

Nature's beauty. 

The sun hangs low, even at high noon. 

Vine maple illuminates the gloom of the forest.

A late afternoon sunbeam as we step inside. 

xoxo

Let's make some shortbread! 

My pretty spatula is a gift from my sweet Sis-in-law <3 

Here's the easy recipe:

Lemon-Vanilla Shortbread

Preheat oven to 325 degrees 

Lightly spray an 8-inch shortbread pan 

with nonstick cooking spray. 

(or an 8-inch round cake pan)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 tsp lemon extract

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

pinch of salt 

In a large mixing bowl, 

cream the butter and sugar together. 

Add remaining ingredients and mix until 

soft dough forms. 

Pat dough into prepared pan. 

Bake @ 325 degrees for 35 minutes. 

Remove from pan after cooling for 10 minutes. 

Cut and enjoy! 

These are so buttery, light and delicious! 

These beautiful Johnson Bros., 'Friendly Village'
plates were once my dear Mother-in-law's,

just sent to me all the way from New Hampshire,
 from my sweet Sis-in-law for my birthday. 

We lost my dear MIL last December. 

These will be so treasured. 

A covered bridge scene. 

When I was a child, my family vacationed 

at 'Butler's Cabin' - a log cabin in the 

White mountains of New Hampshire.
(I grew up in Massachusetts)

Mr. Butler was my Father's friend and boss. 

The cabin was located at the base of Black mountain, 

in Jackson, N.H. and we had to travel 

over a covered bridge to get there. 

Those lovely days were the best memories of my childhood.

I had this little dish already :)

I've used my 'new' vintage Kate Greenaway tablecloth 

that I just found at Virginia Retro - etsy

I had seen this tablecloth on Pam's blog
 (Virginia Retro) months ago, 

when she featured it in one of her wonderful table-scapes,

and I promptly fell in love with it. 

When she opened her Etsy shop recently, 

there it was for sale and I couldn't believe my good fortune! 

Kate Greenaway was a wonderful children's book

illustrator in the late 1800's and I have a few of 

her lovely books reprinted in the 60's and 70's. 

Lemon tea and shortbread. 

xoxo

Some lovely pages from 'The Language of Flowers'.

Time to clean up <3

Ramblin' Man will be so happy tonight!
Shortbread is a favorite!

xoxo

Thank you for joining me, Dear Friends!

If you are interested in buying one of these
beautiful shortbread molds, you can find
many examples for sale, Here.

xoxo

Wishing you a lovely week! 

Tansy - Garden to Sachet - Part 2 - Tutorial

In a previous post (the one before last), I wrote about growing

 and harvesting the herb, Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare).  

Now I would like to share with you a tutorial on creating 

Moth Repellent Sachets using Tansy

 mixed with equal amounts of Lavender. 

A good source for both of these herbs 

can be found at Mountain Rose Herbs

I was inspired to create these by similar ones on Pinterest and in books and magazines. 

To create these shabby - chic sachets,  you will need soft cotton fabric that easily frays.

I used cotton dish towels, but you can use unbleached cotton muslin fabric, also.

You can find flour-sack dish towels Here

I tea-dyed the cloths first to give them a vintage look, but this is optional.
You can find directions for tea-dying Here.

You will also need an assortment of stamps with a 'moth' design,
script stamps, and alphabet stamps.

I also used a floral stamp that I thought depicted 'Tansy'.

I used a Walnut Stain Ink pad, to give it a 'vintage' look.

Embroidery thread in a natural color,
wooden buttons, brown thread,
and a tiny bit of cheesecloth (optional) complete the supplies.

Begin by tearing off the hemmed edges of your dishtowel.
Simply take a snip with scissors and then rip.

Alternately, tear off the selvages
of the muslin fabric the same way.

Save these torn edges,
as they will be used as 'hangers' for your sachet.

Next, tear your fabric into the size that you want your sachets.

I made mine 8 inches by 8 inches.

Fray the edges a bit.

Now the fun begins!

Use the script stamp first to create the 'background'.

Then stamp your 'Moths'.

Make a little 'label' out of frayed scrap fabric
and stamp this with the word 'Moth'.

I used  a tiny bit of cheesecloth cut to size
 to back the label, giving it added 'shabbiness'.

Sew the label to the sachet using embroidery thread
 and simple, rustic stitches.

Sew a backing to the decorated fabric, using 'messy' seams,
 about 1/2 inch from the frayed edges,
leaving a 3" opening on the side for filling your sachet.

I went over the 'messy' seams several times.

Add decorative buttons or charms at this point.

If you would like to add a hanger,
 simply cut your torn fabric edges to size
and sew in place using buttons or embroidery thread.
 (I used large X's instead of buttons on some sachets)

You can also add a bit of color to your design
using crayons! Here I added a bit of blue to the 'label'.

Fill your sachet using the 50/50 mix of dried Tansy and Lavender.

A paper funnel and the eraser end of a pencil
to push the herbs through works well.

Pin the opening and sew closed.

Now you have a sweet and 'shabby' scented sachet to repel those nasty moths!

I had lots of fun making these.
This one has a separate 'tag'.

This sachet has 'X' stitches for the hanger.

A pink label sets this one apart.

I left the hanger off a few to tuck into drawers

These will stay effective for several years.
To reactivate the scent, massage the sachet with your fingers.

They make useful gifts, too.

Perhaps with the gift of a pretty sweater
 or some lovely wool yarn for someone who knits or crochets.

These sachets can also be used in the pantry.

I hope you will consider adding Tansy to your herb garden.

A useful and beautiful herb!

xoxo


Hello, Dear Friends, I hope you are well and happy to start your new week.
This is a post that I originally posted a couple of years ago
and then took it down to 'save' it and add to it later. There are a few comments
from that time, so if you see yourself already in the comment
section - well, there you are! :)

We are expecting a storm today with heavy rain and high winds,
so I may lose my electricity.
I will try and visit you all before then, but if I don't,
that is why.

Thank you for all of your lovely visits.
You always brighten my day!
xoxo