a little halloween stop motion

Here's a quick stop motion movie I made with my phone. Hope you all had a sweet Halloween!

Fall Crafts

A reenactment of my previous experiences with wreaths: "Oooo, pretty!" "Want it!" *Looks at price tag* "Yeah, no way. I could totally make that myself for waaay less than that." *Goes home, forgets about it, repeat*
I've seen a lot of gorgeous homemade wreaths on pinterest(how cute is this one?), so I finally decided to give it a try. Here's my result.

Bryant's Butternut Squash & Pear Soup

I've got pears coming out of my ears at the moment so, I've been scouring the internet for new recipes. This soup was something new for me. I've never had pears in soup before but, the recipe is from Bryant Terry so I knew it would be a winner. The lovely orange color comes from the butternut squash and the pears and coconut milk give it a creamy, slightly sweet finish. I think it's gorgeous.

The soup has a lot of prep time but, if you are only serving a few people you will have plenty left over for more meals. 

You will need:

• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 medium leeks, white and tender green parts finely chopped (3 cups)
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 lb.)
• 3 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces (11/2 lb.)
• 5 cups low-sodium veggie broth
• 1 14-oz. can light coconut milk (I used a little less than this)
  
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• Pumpkin seeds for garnish, optional

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the leeks for 10 minutes.

2. Add squash and pears, and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in veggie broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, and stir in coconut milk. Purée soup in batches in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan, and stir in thyme. Reheat over medium-low heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until warmed through. Season with salt and white pepper, if desired. Serve garnished with pumpkin seeds, if using.

recipe via Vegetarian Times

Vintage Finds & Link Love

Yep, more paint by numbers. I never get tired of them. I spotted this one at Savers thrift store last week. How could I resist an American history themed pbn?  I absolutely love the shiny gold background even if it has seen better days. I think it looks swell on my turquoise wall!

The bearded unicorn (tray? wall hanging? no idea) was thrifted in Nashville and the pelican diorama brooch was a recent estate sale find. That estate sale was really fun. The homeowner ran an antique store and had all sorts of lovely things. From comic books to primitives to German weather houses it was quite the eclectic collection. I was really taken with this little brooch, and I believe it might be bakelite. So kitschy and charming!

Link Love:

Other fun finds include the art and comics of Dylan Meconis who wrote the adorable fairytale comic Outfoxed. Read it here. (thx to my buddy cara for introducing me!)

Smart Phone app Scoutmob -"Deals for the local curious." It isn't in every city yet but, it's a great way to save money and find local stuff to do. It also has a mustache function photobook and fun facts about your city. Hooray!

Hope you're having a lovely Monday!

Some FO's

I've got a couple of fo's to share. I have a few ongoing projects, too. I picked up my needles on my Americano vest again. And I'm still making thousands (an exaggeration, maybe) of granny squares for Zach's mario blanket.

Here's a quick project -Berroco's Wink -that I made while watching an episode of Glee. Talk about instant gratification. Although I think an hour is really all I could stand knitting with size 35 needles. They're like broomsticks. Really. The yarn was a total splurge but, I think the result is really cute and I love the earthy colors. Will I look like a crazy knitting lady if I wear this huge chunky scarf, though?

 

 The husband requested a slouchy hat but, not just any hat -a beard hat. Don't know what I'm talking about? I reminded him that I was slaving away on granny squares but, he pulled the cute puppy eye thing and I was powerless. So, he purchased a pattern from By Laura Design and it was another fast project. I haven't completed the beard yet so stay tuned.

The Fall season seems to increase my crafty productivity. Summertime makes me lazy! Whatever it is -I've got the crafty bug again. Is there a particular time of year that makes you feel crafty?

My week in photos

I had a few days off this week so I really tried to make the most of it

Vintage Finds: Paint by Numbers!

 As a kid, I loved art (still do!). My mom would buy me all kinds of art supplies from pastels and fancy oil paints to paint by numbers from the craft store. I loved how all the weird swirls with tiny numbers would become a neat little painting. It was almost always of a horse! I was pretty fond of horses (still am!). Now, every time I see a painting at the thrift store or an estate sale I snatch it up. I think the colors and subjects are delightful. I also like giving a home to something someone spent time on! So now I've got a little collection and these p-b-ns are my newest additions. I picked them up at that estate sale last weekend. We entered the house in the garage and I saw just a peek of color in a cardboard box. I dug through it and found several paint by numbers. Score! I love the colors in these! I'm not sure of their age but, they're very vibrant.

How sweet is this winter scene with the doe and the buck?