The Apple Street Cottage

I've been looking at my empty mayo jars for awhile now and finally, it occurred to me - perfect for storing rice!   If you buy your rice in a bag, you know pouring it out can be tricky - yes, I've dumped it on the counter a few times and then there's the issue of the bag sitting on the shelf.  A 30 oz. mayo jar is the perfect solution.  It holds a lot of rice, is a great fit for your hand, and the lid makes a great seal. The only drawback?  It's not very pretty. The easy solution is scrapbook paper.  A 12" x 3" strip fits perfectly around the jar.  I even used the adhesive that was leftover from removing the original label.  It doesn't get any easier than that! To 'pretty-it-up' a little more, I wrapped some Baker's Twine around the jar and added a button.  I punched a 2&1/2" circle for the lid and glued it on.  The jar was done!  Prettied-up enough, but not too much that it makes it difficult to handle. Th...

You may have heard about all the snow in the northeast.  Fortunately, we didn't get as much as some areas, but the white stuff is still EVERYWHERE!  Since Mother Nature seems to be off her meds again, I created a wreath to encourage her to deliver some Springtime weather. Last month I bundled up and trudged through the snow to grab some of the vines that were growing wild.  If you missed it, you can read about it HERE .  In addition to the grapevine heart, I made this wreath.   It was an easy process that involved about 9 lengths of vine that were about 6' each.  I started by making a circle with one and winding the vine around it.  I kept adding, winding, and wrapping vines...  ... until I got to a size I liked. The finished wreath is 18 inches in diameter. I bought 4 bunches of tulips for $2 each and some burlap ribbon for $1.  That's right, the total cost was $9! Since I want to use this wreath for several seas...

We've been doing some 'experimenting' at the Cottage after my husband seemed to develop a sensitivity to cheese.  He noticed it a few months ago after eating certain dinners that contained cheese.  About a half hour after eating, his skin became itchy and he had hives.  At first, we thought he was developing an allergy to dairy, but as we started tracking what he ate we noticed that he didn't react to cheese slices or cheese cut from a block.   At this point, I started reading labels and discovered some interesting ingredients like  powdered  cellulose and natamycin .  Powdered cellulose:   minuscule pieces of wood pulp that coat the cheese to keep it from clumping by blocking out moisture. My husband found this additional information about cellulose: Cellulose comes in various forms, each with a specific use. Beyond powdered cellulose, two other modified forms are common in food. Microcrystalline cellulose is either listed as such ...

This may qualify as a "DIY Fail" and I've been laughing since I (almost) finished the project.  This napkin holder has been in our home for almost 30 years and was definitely in need of a remake.   So, it got a good cleaning, two coats of pink chalk paint, and a little distressing on the edges.  It was at this point that I discovered painting facial features in NOT my forte! Things went fine with the nostrils, the highlights on the ears, and, OK with the mouth.  Then came the eyes...I immediately started laughing when I added the big round white eyes and added pupils.  He looked shocked.  Then I added the eyebrows.... and he immediately looked angry.   The laughter continued as I showed my husband, who immediately said, "He needs a moustache".  Seriously?  Where the h*ll am I going to paint that????  He decided, right under the snout and since I didn't want to add it with paint, I cut one with my Cricut for 'trysies'....