Ok, I promised a post about mason jars for today, but sadly my day has been a little chaotic. So I will visit this subject again on Wednesday. But I want you to participate then, so let me tell you what I am thinking about....and then get your ideas together to share in the comments area on Wednesday.
I have always had a thing for mason jars....I have done some of the simple stuff, put my buttons, ribbons, other sewing notions in them.....even some scrapbooking items. I have made lamps out of them with rosehips and cinnamon sticks in the jar part. But now I am doing some new things courtsey of some great blog ideas I have found. I am going to look for the links so I can share those with you Wednesday...but I have found great ice tea syrup ideas, a great coffee syrup recipe, salads in a jar....as well as small pies in a jar!!! I just love all the possiblities!!! So let me have a little more time to get all the info together to share....and I would love to hear your ideas too!
And I tweeked the coffee recipe for us and I love, love, love the result....and I will go ahead and share with you. The original idea came from Mommy's Kitchen.
What I did was take a wide mouth quart jar....add to it one cup of coffee (not instant..but the regular coffee grounds). Then fill the jar with water to about 3/4" from the top. Then I put on the lid (after shaking it around a bit) and set it on the counter overnight. The next morning I strain the mixture through a wire mesh strainer with a coffee filter placed in it....I put the "coffee syrup" into another jar for the fridge. I do this for a couple of days in order to fill the jar with syrup...or you could just have 2 or 3 jars going.
Now the original recipe had you use 4 ounces of coffee syrup, 4 ounces of milk, sweeten to taste and you could add a flavored coffee syrup....then pour over ice. it is ok, but I needed more punch for it to taste like my favorite Frappachino....sooooo.... I use 4 ounces of coffee syrup, 4 ounces of my favorite coffee creamer (french vanilla or southern pecan)...now this I water down a bit for my taste...and sometimes add a splash of caramel coffee syrup. Pour over ice....ohhhh baby!!! love this stuff and it is addictive!!!!
Now for the next idea....
I have been wanting to do a swap for awhile....I have loved the Friendship Swap I am participating in...and the Kitchen Swap I finished awhile back....so tell me what you think of this idea....
I found this great canvas tote at Walmart and it started me thinking..... I would love to fix this up to carry to my craft shows (or for carrying library books, crafts I am working on.....whatever works for you). These totes came in canvas, denim...and a few other colors and different styles. What better way to decorate than with pins!!!! What I love about pins is that you could change them out for different looks...or for the seasons or holidays. And I love having things that are handmade from my friends to just remind me of them. (NOTE; Just wanted to clarify, you don't have to use the same tote I am..it was just an idea. You could use something you already have or make your own great tote!!!)
In thinking about working this into a swap....I thought of a swap we did for several years on one of the groups I had. We did a handmade swap, this was a swap where everyone made something in whatever craft medium they worked in...they would make enough for everyone to have one. Send them all to me, along with money to ship it back. I would put together a box for everyone with one of each item...so you got back a wonderful box of treasures. The beauty is, you don't have to worry about someone not sending something as they wouldn't receive anything unless they sent theirs in.
Are you with me so far?????
So I thought this might work with pins....we would see how many are interested....if the group got too big we could divide it up by groups of 10 or 12.....your could sign up for more than one group if you wanted. And we could possibly have groups by... Everyday Pins, Halloween/Fall pins, Christmas/Winter pins.....
I would love to know what you think about this before I do a sign up.....and I would give everyone a month or two to do this so that no one is rushed.
What do you think?????
Have a great evening....I am off to finish painting my bedroom...(btw, there are extra paint brushes if anyone has the urge to paint!!! LOL)
Hugs,
Debbie
Well, you already know I'm in on the pin swap! I found exactly what I want to do. Would we do one for each person in the swap?
ReplyDeleteI can't wait till your post about the mason jars, I'm always up for great ideas and LOVE mason jars!! The only idea I've actually incorporated here at home is to put cotton balls in a smaller one for the bathroom. I use them constantly and couldn't stand the thought of them not being in an airtight container getting all yucky in the drawer lol
The pin swap sounds interesting. I love mason jars too. We have some really old blue ones that were my husband's grandmother's.
ReplyDeleteI am learning to love, or maybe they are growing on me, mason jars. I am slowly seeing their versatility and usefulness, not just for canning food!
ReplyDeleteI'll "play" in your pin swap! I'm looking for fun swaps and this sounds great!
ReplyDelete