Unappreciated?…..not anymore.

The mulberry that is.  For some reason, this bag jumped out at me  at one of the local food marts…….it’s a very small bag mind you, with about  30 dried mulberries covered in dark chocolate….they come all the way from Peru…..and they were $4.69/bag

I really have no idea what I’m trying to say or where I’m going with all this …. It was just one of those ‘hmmmmm’ kind of moments…

and got me thinking about ….marketing.

Is this what it takes to get people excited about something … to really take notice….’super’ labels and actors?

(Image from Kopali Organics ‘In the Media’ page)

http://www.kopaliorganics.com/files/images/Slide2.jpg

 Year after year I look at the Mulberry trees that are EVERYWHERE in this area and laughingly think, “man this berry gets no respect” and could never understand why….

I bet we have 10 of them in our own backyard…I see them all along the roads…they’re just as plentiful back by my parent’s place…yet year after year, I never see anyone besides myself and the birds ever get too excited about them….such a waste of something that just naturally grows all around us especially in a time where we’re getting more and more conscientious about our food supply……You rarely hear of anyone purposely PLANTING a mulberry tree….

Could this possibly become a ‘crop’ here in the midwest in the near future?  All I know is that we have a heck of a supply of these berries around here and always have had,  (without even trying) yet the ones people are ‘buying’ around here are having to come all the way from Peru and at just under $5/bag…(again…a very small bag)…….crazy.

Just think of the bushels of berries that are left to fall to the ground each year around here because no one seemed to want to bother with them….or maybe they just didn’t see the ‘value’…nutritionally or lucratively speaking…..

Food for thought?

michele.

WhooHoo…..We’re offering some more workshops the month of February.  Check out the deets below:

http://store.couragetocreate.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=Workshop_Creative+Retreats

We promise LOTS OF….

artful repurposing

creative r & r

colorful projects for you to take home

creative freedom

playtime

and most importantly,

A BIG DOSE OF HEALTHY FUN!

Hope to see some of you there…Cheers!

michele.

We have a handful of Black Walnut Trees in the yard and we did a proud job of harvesting them this last year (ashamed to say that we never really did anything with them before…what a mistake…they are delicious!)

But we are just NOW getting around to shelling them.  They’ve been sitting in trays since september (outside even…thank goodness it has been a mild winter)

I was like 38 weeks pregnant when we were out collecting, so I stuck with picking up the fallen ones and Jon did all the climbing.

Baby came and let’s just say life has been FULL and the walnuts didn’t get any more attention until this past weekend.

We simply took at them with a hammer and a pick.  It was actually one of those relaxing, mindless kind of jobs that I find rather refreshing. I also love the smell of them.

Most of the nuts are still in good shape, others are a bit more shriveled and kind of past their prime, (but still have great taste)

Have a lot more to do, but we’re getting there.

Will store them in the fridge and put ‘em to use in baked goods and salads…..will also try out a batch of the Walnut Milk we did on one of our shows (only we had used English ones)….I’m thinking it will have even more flavor with the Black Walnuts.  I’m also thinking a batch of Walnut meal/flour….It’s just fun to play around with things, isn’t it? It’s even more fun playing around with the things that you have growing right in your backyard.. Oh, and then there’s walnut stain we could make….this year, this year….

On a whim, found an interesting company here in the midwest that built its’ business around the Black Walnut….thought it worth sharing.

http://www.hammonsproducts.com/default.asp?ie_key=F74B3DE72D0A42EF8B3969B2681FE9BA

Cheers my friends to the Black Walnut!  Any good uses/recipes you want to share?!

michele.

If you’re looking for a fun, healthy way to dress up those fresh veggies once in a while, I highly recommend this dipping sauce.    My friend Sheree Clark shared this one with me a while back and I absolutely love it.  It’s a great one for kids lunches, too!  I find myself making it all the time and the only other recommendation I have for the recipe is that I usually need to double……..or triple…. it! lol.

•  1/2 Cup Raw Tahini (I used roasted)
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 2 Tablespoons Agave Nectar
• 2 Tablespoons Tamari (I used an organic soy sauce for this batch because it’s all I happened to have at the time, but the tamari is even better…not as salty…very similar, but better)
• 1 Teaspoon Freshly Grated Ginger
• 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Add water as needed, if needed, to reach a thick sauce consistency. Serve as a dipping sauce for raw cut veggies. (Tastes great with some fruits, too!)

Give it a try, my friends! She calls it her ‘Bon Bon Dipping Sauce’ and it’s a good one. Quick & easy, too.

Cheers to good, wholesome eats in 2012.

michele.

We recently discontinued our garbage service and can’t say that I’ve missed it, yet.  We found that we really weren’t putting much trash out anymore each week and decided it was just a waste of $50/month.

Between composting, recycling and paying attention to the things we’re buying, we really got to a point where we weren’t generating very much ‘landfill’ trash each week.

Feels good.

One less bill…One more way to force ourselves to continue being more conscientious about waste.  We’ll see how it goes.

Anyone else out there find that they don’t have much need for home garbage service anymore?!

Cheers to less trash!

michele.

that this is a healthy staple at my house.

I use it to cook and bake with, for skin care, hair care and baby care.  It’s even a good product to have in the medicine chest as it has antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial properties.

Also a great value.  For $9-$11…that’s a lot of skin care.

It’s just lovely, internally and externally.

If you’re wondering…virgin, cold-pressed, refined, unrefined? I find myself using both the organic expeller pressed/refined and a virgin, unrefined…..Sometimes budget comes into play, sometimes it depends on whether I’m using it primarily for skin/hair care or more for cooking……I try to stick with organic, quality brands either way…the unrefined has the stronger coconut flavor/aroma…the refined is more neutral and usually less expensive……avoid any that are hydrogenated.

Cheers to finding those single, simple products that can benefit us in numerous ways.

michele.

This handmade gift idea was also a result of coming up with creative ways to present gift cards this holiday season and this one catered to a restaurant type gift card — It celebrates getting out for the night, having fun with the girls or guys, going to watch a game, having a date night, etc…..

You’ll need:

a dry erase magnetic calendar

a wooden frame to fit the size of calendar you’re using

magnetic paint (optional)

some people have inquired about the toxicity of specialty paints like these and you’ll be happy to know that magnetic paints are lead free and a safe paint to use

scrap wooden pieces or precuts from hobby stores

adhesive back magnets

paint

Add magnetic paint to the wooden frame so you can store the extra pieces and then paint over it in desired color. You could also just add a cup hook and put the pieces in a little drawstring bag, as another option.

Gather small wooden squares to use as the dates. (I cut down strips of lathe into squares but you can also buy precut wood pieces at any hobby/art store.)

Paint them in vibrant colors and add the numbers 1 – 31.

Attach adhesive back magnets to each square and place on calendar.

If you are throwing a gift card into the  mix, simply add a magnet to the backside and attach it to the front.

I used longer wooden strips for the twelve months and a few other shapes to mark special occasions..you could personalize for people’s birthdays, art classes, gardening dates, starts of the seasons, etc.  The next one I do is going to cater to things like seed starting, farmers markets, harvesting, workshops, canning/preserving, outdoor parties, maybe pull a few things from the farmer’s almanac. You can really have a lot of fun catering them to the person you’re giving it to and it’s a calendar that doesn’t every expire.

Screw your calendar into your frame, add your pieces and you have a beautiful gift.

Cheers to vibrant, colorful days!!

michele.

My friends over at gift card mall recently asked me to come up with some creative ways that people could give gift cards and really personalize them this holiday season.  I called upon nature and did a lot of repurposing to create five inexpensive, unique projects that with or without gift cards are pretty cool gift ideas that could be used in a variety of ways.

Did you know…..a recent study showed that around 60% of consumers out there would prefer to get a gift card for the holidays.  Have to admit, I was a bit surprised by this number actually.  You can learn more by visiting them on Facebook. 

a quick note on recycling gift cards: when your card has zero value…before letting it just get tossed in the trash…ask the retailer if they send them to a recycler…if not, send it yourself…there are recycling companies out there that will take every one you have and make good use of it.  You can also recycle them yourself and use them in art projects or as a painting tool.

I Love, Love, Love this first one.

A handmade fishing pole.

(It could also be turned into a sweet cat toy by adding some feathers or that to the end… Or….. put a magnet on the end and make some homemade felt fish with magnets sewn in to create a fun fishing game for kids.  So many playful options.)

You’ll need:

• A branch about 36 inches long and half an inch in diameter
• Wax
• Screw Eyes
• String
• Empty wooden thread spool, buttons, beads, fishing tackle, or other embellishments

Wax your branch for a smooth, finished look (not necessary, it just makes the branch look more polished)

Add small screw eyes every 6 inches starting at the top and working your way toward the bottom.

Wrap the handle with string and run string through your screw eyes leaving a couple of feet or so coming out the end.

Paint the handle for a pop of color if you like.

Add handmade ‘bobbers’ and other embellishments.  (I painted up an old wooden spool and a lure to add to the end of some wooden beads that acted as the ‘sinkers’)

You can hang a sporting goods type of gift card from the end of it, or simply finish it off with a handpainted fish or like I had mentioned earlier, add some feathers and it serves as a fun cat toy.  Heck, if you finish it off with some true fishing gear, you may even be able to toss it in the pond and catch a real fish or two!

Cheers to all the creative possibilities that come from a rustic, handmade fishing pole.

michele.

….with a Single Hand!

Today, my daughter wanted me to share one of the handmade gifts she’s been working on this year.  They really do make sweet gifts for people and it’s so fun to watch the little ones put their giving list together and get into the handmade spirit as well. Read the rest of this post »

For those of you who like to give ornaments as gifts, give this idea a whirl.

Every year we have an ornament making day.  Each year, we work with a different material.  Last year was the dough kind, the year before that was natural elements…and before that it was gingerbread. Read the rest of this post »