Birthday Caramel Apples

            My little sister’s birthday was a couple of days ago, and we made caramel apples instead of the traditional cake.  Allie always likes being different!

            We got the recipe from the new Martha Stewart magazine.  It suggested putting cute little twigs in the apples for handles.  We used apples from our own tree.

The karo syrup and sugar bubble away until brown.

Then adding the cream makes it into caramel.

  

We melted white chocolate and chopped up dark chocolate for decorating.

           

The caramel stuck well after a couple of coats.

My apple looked disgusting, but tasted great.

Allie’s looked beautiful.  Fitting for the birthday girl.  What a fun way to celebrate!



Phyllida the Faux Fox

I just found a fun way to use some of my leftover scrap material.  When I was younger, I used to make “rag boas” out of old bits of fabric, and I decided to try it again.  I had lots of bits of red left over from recent projects, and I had just been to the Pendleton Woolen Mill outlet store, where I picked up some gorgeous scraps of wool, including a lovely brick red, so I decided to make a faux fox stole.

          I cut strips of fabric and tied them around a long piece of red ribbon.  

         I made the head and tail out of wool scraps and used a blanket stitch to attach the pieces so it would look a little fancier. 

        Button eyes, and embroidered eyelashes, and Phyllida the Fox was born. 

          It was really easy, and required no pattern or machine sewing. It didn’t take long either.  I made it in one evening at a friend’s house while we watched Bride and Prejudice and two episodes of Sherlock.

 

Very fun!  I’m sure I’ll make another one someday.

More Regency Picnics

Yesterday the Emerald Valley Regency Society had another lovely picnic, this one at the Owen Rose Garden in Eugene.

We enjoyed an alfresco luncheon under a tree.

We had a spirited game of Bocce.

We strolled among the roses.

  

And posed for pictures under a 150 year old cherry tree.

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I just realized I never posted any pictures from our vineyard
picnic in July.  Every year (well at least for the last three) I
have my Regency friends out for a picnic by our winery.

We always practice our archery skills.

This year we ate under cover because of a slight drizzle.

But the weather cleared when it was time to go to the lake.

We had all seen the BBC’s Regency House Party and
thought that bit where they throw rocks at little ships
looked like fun.  Wonderful member Lynn made these
lovely little French and Spanish boats for us to attack.

We launched them on the water.

Then we watched as they sailed away…

…before pelting them with rocks, both thrown by hand and
shot with a slingshot (which is harder than I imagined). 
It is more difficult then one would think to sink a little
milk carton boat, but also lots more fun.

I’m so lucky that I have such lovely friends and routinely get to
escape into the world of Jane Austen’s England.  This is indeed,
as Jane would say, “good company”.