Homespun Alchemy ™: Creative Re~Use and Garden Magic...Sort of...

" We're sprouting new ideas all the time...."

-Richard Cook

I was wandering through the Blogosphere...looking for inspirations and happened upon a great site called Sprout People ...they generously offer an abundance of knowledge regarding the basics of "growing everything"...a veritable font of ideas, information and inspiration on the art of growing...thus...I made the decision to take action and cultivated some magic of my own!

Here's how:

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I gathered my sprouting seeds...an old canning jar with lid...a fry~screen bought at the 99~cent store to make the screened lid (so that I could wash and strain the sprouts each day)...along with a pair of scissors and a marker.




Using the canning~jar~lid~insert as a pattern...I traced circles atop the new fry~screen and then cut them out using the scissors. Hint: I cut out as many as I could from the screen at one time and saved them in an envelope for future use...reserving one for this project of course. :)




I tucked the circle of screen inside the lid.

Here's what it looks like.




I measured a tablespoon of mixed sprouting seeds into the jar...


...added about three inches of water and let it soak overnight...the next day I poured off the water and left the jar upside down to drain.


To prop it up for drainage, I snipped about 3 inches from a recycled plastic drinking straw and tucked it underneath the upside down jar (screen side down). After that I rinsed the beans daily, always leaving them upside down once I finished...I think next time I'll lie the jar on its side to get a better yield.




After five days of rinsing and draining!

Sending love and good thoughts to all...as always!
Warmly,
Tracey and Family x0x

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Here's some good advice from the lovely Sprout People:

The Basics of Sprouting

• Seed Storage: Keeping your dormant seeds happy.
• Soaking: Turning a dormant seed into a nutritional powerhouse.
• Rinsing: Water is the key ingredient in sprouts. Use it liberally.
• Draining: It is essential that sprouts be drained thoroughly after rinsing. Sitting in a puddle is the most common cause of crop failure.
• Air Circulation: If your sprouts can’t breathe while growing - they can die. Don’t put them in a closed cabinet.
• Greening: Photosynthesis is cool, and so is Chlorophyll, but not all sprouts are into it, nor is it necessary. Sprouts of all colors are packed with flavor and nutrition!
• Cleanliness: Your seed should be clean and your sprouting device should be sterile. Wash your sprouter well between crops. Sterilize when necessary.
• Storage: Properly stored, fresh sprouts will keep for up to 6 weeks in your refrigerator but fresher is better. Never refrigerate wet sprouts.
• Eat More Sprouts! Grow More Often!

P.S. For the record, I am NOT affiliated with the Sprout People in any way!

Abundant Wishes for a Happy and Blessed New Year to All! xxx000xxx

Sending love and good thoughts to all for a happy, harmonious, healthy 2012 full of peace, liberty and wisdom.


Love,


Tracey and Family x0x

Image Source

Frugal Luxuries for the Freezer

Hello my sweet friends! I pray you all enjoyed a lovely holiday!

I've been busy this week catching up on things I put off before the holidays.

Today I thought it was past time to process those cute little pumpkins we gathered (free!) from our local pumpkin patch...in November. I'm embarrassed to tell you they have been looking so autumnal in their woven basket...in my garage...for well over a month! Luckily, the weather has been cool and they stored beautifully.

Thus, today found me in the kitchen making my long~overdue pumpkin pack (to stock the freezer).

Here's how.

I baked the pumpkins in a 350 degree oven for about an hour (until very soft...you can see my fingerprint on the bottom right pumpkin where I touched it to see if it was done...not recommended by the way ;). They were allowed to cool. Next I scooped them out of their peels into a large bowl (the peels just fall right off).

Set~up the cellophane bags...



inside a set of drinking glasses for easy filling and...

Scooped the pumpkin pack into the bags (about 1~1/3 cups per bag)



Once they were all full I...

Cut twine to close the bags for the freezer then...

Tied them closed and set them inside the freezer for future use in pumpkin breads, puddings and pies...finally...

I washed and air dried the pumpkin seeds for the squirrels to enjoy!

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I'm off now, to feed my kitties and get ready to call it an evening.

Sending good thoughts and love to all, as always!

Love,

Tracey and Family x0x

P.S. Please call Patricia and me if you get the chance! xxx

Kindling a Simple Christmas

"That is best which is capable of producing the greatest degree of happiness."
~George Mason





I'm feeling very simple this Christmas...in a very "use what we have" mood.


A stack of green shopping bags become wrapping paper...garnished with vintage ornaments and simple white ribbon.


Looking around the house, I find a rumpled wad of tulle (leftover from one of Katie's long~ago projects) and cut it into strips. I then tie them...one at a time...onto a simple strand of white lights...while watching Cary Grant and Loretta Young in "The Bishop's Wife".


I finished before the movie so...I folded the remaining tulle piece fan~style and tied it in the center. After cutting the folded outer edges, it sprang to life in it's new incarnation...an ethereal...pom~pom style tree~topper.


I draped the tulle/light garland around a mirror...and tied the tree~topper onto the highest bough...

After setting up an imperfect little tree (its only ornaments, tiny white lights and muted silver dragon~flies suspended from raffia) I relax...knowing that these simple tasks are enough to evoke the spirit of the season...we are happy.



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Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and holiday season that's been kindled by kindly, loving hands...and good thoughts.


Happiness, harmony and grace to all during this hallowed and gracious time of year...and always.


With love from,


Tracey and Family x0x

Sharing Frugal Luxuries with "Life and Beauty" Magazine: Holiday Decorating~On Any Budget

"Happiness is a sort of atmosphere you can live in," notes the writer Adele Rogers St. Johns, and I can think of no festival that encourages us to devote ourselves to creating an attractive, happy atmosphere as much as the winter holidays.


The decorating of houses as part of winter festivals harkens back to antiquity. The creative slight of hand that transforms your ordinary home into a visual celebration of the season can be surprising simple and economical!



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"Life and Beauty" magazine kindly asked for my contributions to an article on easy, budget~friendly holiday decorating and, as always, I'm brimming with an over~abundance of ideas and opinions on this (one of my favorite) subject! If you'd care to take a look simply click the highlighted link below!

Click HERE to read the article and to discover fresh as well as time~honored ideas on how to...


Re~Purpose Household Items for Budget Holiday Decor;


Display Edible Decor;


How to Shop Smart;


Let Nature Inspire You...and more!



Sending out happy thoughts that each of your kind~kindred souls are savoring all the blessings of the season thus far!

As always sending love and good thoughts to all.



Warmly,


Tracey and Family x0x


P.S. Sending a shout~out and special "thank you" to Catherine Ryan, the writer of the article!

Guest Post: The Lovely Luxury of a Foot Massage!

"Marie Antoinette", Sony Pictures 2006

Amy Wilkins, a writer for FrugalDad.com is guest~posting today and sharing easy steps for creating our own foot scrubs...while enjoying a homespun version of that soothing frugal luxury...the humble foot massage!


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6 Steps for a Great Foot Rub

Are your feet tired? Do they hurt? Foot scrubs are a wonderful way to relax and pamper yourself as well as get rid of rough spots on the feet. It will help your feet feel wonderful. In fact, they’ll thank you for making this product. Your wallet will also thank you, because you will also have saved by doing it yourself! Take these steps for some fresh feet.

1. Collect and/or Buy the Ingredients: {Look about the house and pantry first, before buying anything.} You will need about a cup of sugar, 3 lemons, 3 limes, sweet almond oil, 15 mint leaves and a dash of baking soda. Hints: {You may substitute olive or coconut oil for the almond oil, and essential mint or lavender oils for mint leaves if needs be.} Refuse to pay the whole price by using coupons found in newspapers, magazines and online. Make sure and comparison shop. Make stores live up to their price match policies if they have one. :)


2. Make the Foot Scrub: Put 3 tablespoons of sugar into a blender. Add ¼ cup baking soda to the sugar. Then, add one tablespoon almond oil. Next add the 15 mint leaves. Finally add the lemons and limes. Put the whole lemons and limes in the blender. Blend until crushed. It should look somewhat like oatmeal.

3. Massage massage the scrub into the feet. {Home Reflexology} Take each toe and press firmly, but gently, on the tip of each toe. Hold the pressure on each toe for three seconds. Next find the small round area just behind your little toe on each foot. Press here for 20 seconds. Then move to the ball of your foot. Put pressure here firmly but gently. Lastly, put pressure on the bottom of the foot just below your ankle.

Free Printable Reflexology Foot Chart

4.Bathe the Foot: Using a clean wash cloth and warm water, wash off the foot scrub. Your feet are beginning to feel better, aren’t they? Applying pressure to these points will help your whole body feel better. Scientist do not quite understand why, but they know that it works. Believe me, you will not care at this point!


5. Use a Golf Ball: Take a golf ball and run it under the ball of your foot for twenty seconds. This will help your feet feel even better. Again, think about the pressure points and try to hold the golf ball there. Have you put yourself into heaven yet? Your feet sure do feel better! {This is also a lovely way to give yourself a homemade foot massage while watching your favorite movie or television episode...if you haven't the time or energy for the entire ritual.}


6. Apply Lotion : The last step is to rub some wonderful smelling lotion into your feet. This is the finishing touch. Knowing that you saved even more money by making the foot scrub at home will make you feel even better. The whole process will take only a few minutes. Go and try it now, as you deserve it. Women in particular do not spend enough time taking care of themselves. This is an easy recipe to follow and you will save lots of money over the expensive foot scrubs that you find in stores. Relax for a few minutes.


Amy Wilkins likes to write about home remedies, massage & Buy.com Coupon Codes.