A Freckled Lip

Week 5 and 6

2011-09-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a few photos from around the house.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Week 4: Finally feeling settled in

2011-08-27T16:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been here in the hills of rural Appalachia for four weeks now. It's starting to feel like home and my cat has finally settled in. I have to say it's quite different from Oregon. For one thing it is politically and religiously very conservative, which is an adjustment for me. I live in a small coal town. The area has some funny quirks that I'm getting use to, but one thing I still have not gotten use to are the insects. They're huge, they're noisy and I'd prefer not to see them. We have cicadas, giant crickets and these weird beetle looking bugs. There's one outside my door that has been sitting there for days. Totally gross.

I found this cicada carcass near my doorstep. Very gross.
Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Week 1: Trying to get my bearings

2011-08-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what I expected Kentucky to look like, but it is beautiful! It's so green. The kudzu plant has really taken hold on the hills and seems to have taken over. Although that's not great for the ecosystem it's beautiful.

Living up in the hills in southeast Kentucky has been quite the change from Portland. I live in a coal town and the layout of the town has made if difficult to find my way around, but I think I'm starting to get a hang of it. I drove to work yesterday for the first time without my GPS! Here's a few shots from an evening walk around my neighborhood.

Till Later,
Tonya

52 Weeks in Southeast Kentucky

2011-08-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy year. I got an internship in rural Southeast Kentucky so I thought I was change things up here on my blog, not that I've actually been blogging at all lately. Since I will be here for a year I thought I would document my time here each week, which will help me get out and explore the area. On the drive out to Kentucky I passed through St. Louis and thought I would check out the Gateway Arch (not something I would recommend in 100 degree weather). The arch was beautiful, but it was so hot and humid I only lasted an hour in the heat, plus I had my cat with me. I don't think he enjoyed it, but people seemed to be entertained by the sight of me carrying my cat with me.

Till Later,
Tonya

I'm a Terrible Blogger

2011-01-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been two months since I blogged last. It's been a busy and stressful two months, but not there is a lull in my schedule. For the past three weeks I have been interviewing for internships for my final year of school, which included some travel across the country. I did some clever scheduling of my plane tickets and found a day (was suppose to be two whole days, but the airlines ruined it) to enjoy the beautiful beaches in Florida. I took the weekend, well turned out to just be one day, on Sanibel Island on the west coast of Florida. I would definitely recommend going there if you like beach combing. I thought I would share a few photos of my trip with you all.

I will definitely be back again. Maybe next time with my Mom who loves beach combing as much as I do.
Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

View From My Desk

2010-11-18T17:02:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a while since my last post. I've been crazy busy with internship applications. It feels like I haven't had time to do anything for myself for the past month, which is probably true. About a month ago I decided to clean up my garden for winter and I stepped in a hole, and ended up fracturing my ankle, so I've been stuck wearing a boot for the past month. Who knew gardening could be so dangerous. Anyways, I was sitting at my makeshift desk (my kitchen table) working on my next application (okay, that's a lie, I was looking at wool blankets on Etsy) when I saw a beautiful view out my window that I thought I would share. We've gotten our first winter storms this week, which consist of heavy rain and lots of wind (I wish I was at the coast watching the storms). Anyways, there was a short break in the rain and a rainbow appeared.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

From Country blah to Modern

2010-10-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

I thought I would show you an easy makeover I did this summer. I found this ugly bench on Craigslist for $25 with the plan of changing it. I spray painted it white and found this cute modern fabric at Calico Corners and used a staple gun to attach the fabric over the old one. So in total it cost me roughly $35 dollars. I ended up putting it in my bathroom. (I'm currently renting so I did not choose the paint color on the walls. Why anyone would choose such a dark color in a room where you need good lighting is beyond me.) I also used some of the leftover fabric to cover a cork board for my office.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Fall Colors

2010-10-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the sporatic posting lately. I've been working on applications for internships for my final year of school. There are more people applying than their are positions available nationwide so the competition is pretty intense. I absolutely love fall, but haven't been able to spend much time enjoying it this year so far. I'm hoping to get my applications in early and then will hopefully have my weekends back. I would love to be spending my time going to the pumpkin patch, baking and hiking instead of writing essays but I guess I've gotta do it. I often go to a nature park near my house to exercise or just to get from fresh air and enjoy the Pacific Northwest. Here's what I've been missing while stuck inside.

(photo taken last year at said nature park)

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Makin' Ketchup

2010-10-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

In my current obsession with canning I thought it would be fun to make my own ketchup. We did finally get some ripe tomatoes here in Portland, though not very many. I made tomato ketchup and tomato-peach ketchup. I was a little surprised by how little it makes. I haven't tried them yet so I hope they turned out well. They do look pretty in those jars though.

I used the recipe from Canning for a New Generation book I bought recently (sorry I haven't figure out how to link it to amazon or powells yet).

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Salsa

2010-10-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

Over the course of this harvest season I've canned 3 kinds of salsa; Peach Salsa from Canning for a New Generation, Spicy Tomato Salsa and Zesty Salsa from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. I like my salsa hot so I used hot peppers in place of mild peppers. We just opened a jar of zesty salsa and I have to say it turned out great. The only change I would make for next year is to use hotter peppers as it still is fairly mild.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

New Refashion Project

2010-09-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

After about two months mostly focused on food preservation I thought I would show you a small project I recently completed. I found another Goodwill dress that was too big and too 80's, but I did like the fabric pattern. I cut off the sleeves, cut the neckline down and shortened it. I have a couple of caveats with this post. The before is ugly and I don't just mean the dress. I tried to do my hair curly and ended up looking frumpy and old. The second thing I wanted to mention is that I don't have a photo of the finished project by itself. I've been working on losing weight and did not feel the photos were flattering, so you'll have to just use your imagination. Lastly, I'm putting the after photo first as I hate having an ugly picture be the one people see when they are notified of a new post. That said, here ya go.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

It's Officially Fall!

2010-09-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of fall. I love everything about fall, the cool crisp air, the sweet smell of turning leaves, pumpkins, apples, and layered clothing. Fall has arrived here in Oregon. The nights are getting colder, the leaves are beginning to turn and pumpkins are now available from the local farms. I'm still waiting for my tomatoes to ripen. I don't think it will happen, but we have had some sunshine in the afternoons. I planted heirloom tomatoes and the few that have ripened were so good. I haven't decided if I will use them green or wait for them to ripen on my counter. It seemed like a waste of such wonderful flavor to use them green, but we'll see. I decided to plant a fall garden as well. I've never done this before so we'll see how it turns out.

I keep checking on my garden every morning, either to check for slugs, or hoping I'll find magically ripened tomatoes or a big pumpkin. I went out a few days ago to check for slugs as they are coming out again with the rainy cool weather. I was excited to see rain drops on the large spider web with the sun shining through. I probably should have grabbed my tripod, but the sun was quickly going behind the clouds.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

My Little Helper

2010-09-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I posted. I've been pretty busy lately with school, work and some more canning. I made three kinds of salsa/hot sauce in the past two weeks. Anyways, my busy schedule has also led to putting off some household chores till later. My little cat Princie follows me around the house and has to be in the middle of whatever I'm doing, so I've should have known that if I left some laundry to be folded later that they would end up with cat hair all over them.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Watch your step!!

2010-09-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

Here in the northwest spiders seem to come out in droves during late summer and fall. In the summer they stay outside, but if hiking you have to watch so you don't walk through a spider's web. In the fall the spiders tend to seek warmer areas such as my house. Today I was tending to my garden (hoping my tomatoes will ripen before fall arrives) when I nearly ran into this large spider.

mmm tasty!
Thanks for stopping by,

Tonya

First Heirloom

2010-08-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

This year I found five heirloom tomato plants at my local grocery store (I love you New Seasons). After a cool, wet spring my tomatoes are finally starting to really grow. Hopefully they will have time to ripen before the cooler weather hits, or I should say stays as the next seven days are suppose to be in the low 70's. I finally picked my first tomatoes of the year.

Paul Robeson and Yellow Pear tomatoes

I wanted to enjoy the flavor of the tomatoes so I made a simple salad by slicing these tomatoes. I added a few lemon basil leaves from my garden and drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar. These have so much flavor. I must say after eating these its hard to buy grocery store tomatoes.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Preserving Summer's Bounty

2010-08-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

I've had the past month off of school and had wanted to do a lot of sewing during this "break", but I've found myself working on other projects instead. Earlier this summer I picked local strawberries and made homemade jam. It was my first time canning as an adult and I couldn't get any of my jars to seal. I purchased canning supplies also hoping to make some pickles as well. However my interest, and LeMont would say obsession, has gone beyond strawberry jam and pickles to many other canning projects. I love the idea of eating something I've preserved myself. Equally important to me is knowing when my food came from, especially in our current food system. The egg recall has only increased my desire for healthy, local food. Plus its great to know that by using reusable canning jars it also limits the amount of resources I'm using.

Over the past month I've made dried peaches, peach jam, kiwi jam, dried kiwis (very sour, I may not keep them), dried blueberries, pickled green beans, pickles, cucumber relish, spicy pickled carrots, blueberry lemon jam, blueberry lime jam, and blueberry meyer lemon marmalade. I've filled up a whole shelf in my pantry with preserved goods.
Here's a few pictures of what I've been doing.

I would love to hear what you've been working on lately.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Crater Lake National Park

2010-08-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

I know I've been absent for a while. I've been a little stressed with my school projects. I've also been working on some fun projects as well that I will post soon. Tonight I'm spending my evening with my fiance BBQ-ing and watching Whale Wars. My kind of Friday night! LeMont and I have been dreaming of a vacation but haven't been able to make it work this summer, but I thought I would post pictures of a trip we took in 2008 for my birthday. We went camping at Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon. It is so incredibly beautiful. I would definitely recommend it.

If you ever visit, definitely hike up the mountain to see the amazing view.

Take some silly pictures of yourself.

Hike through still melting snow (in August no less).

Hike down the the water edge.

And be sure to take the boat trip around the lake. (Look how clear that water is.)

Man I need I vacation.
Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Oversized Floral Silk

2010-08-09T23:41:00.000-07:00

So far 30 feels pretty good. I had several friends over Saturday night to celebrate my birthday. I had such a wonderful time and feel lucky to have a great group of friends. Today I thought I would share a quick project that I had mentioned last week. I found this silk jacket at Goodwill for 4.99. It was too long in the length and the sleeves and the shoulders were too low. I loved the fabric and hoped that I could alter it to make it fit better. Here's the before..

I shorted the length, shortened the sleeves, added pintucks to the shoulders and sewed the button back on.

Although the pintucks aren't perfect, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I think it will be perfect for late summer and fall. I can add layers under it and can also add a sweater or jacket over it.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Berries, Peaches and a Dehydrator

2010-08-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a family that was incredibly resourceful. We grew an organic garden, baked our own bread, canned produce during the summer, and sewed much of our own clothing. During the 80's this was very uncool. We would often get the question, "Did you make that?" in a tone that meant it wasn't cool to do that. I told my Mom many times that when I was an adult I would not be doing any of these things, but she always told me that someday I would thank her. I seem to have gone through a change over the past year. I have started gardening, sewing, and yes even canning. In this past year I have noticed that I appreciate those things I've spent time making much more than something I bought, and now when I'm asked if I made something the tone is one of interest and appreciation. So I guess my was right (I hate when that happens).

For my birthday during the day I went to the island to pick blueberries. Yesterday I went on a walk to pick wild blackberries along the road and today I went to the island to pick peaches. I just bought a food dehydrator and dried most of the blueberries, as well as some of the peaches. I think tomorrow I might make some jam with some of the peaches. I think next week will be pickles.

This morning I had banana-blueberry bread and wild blackberries for breakfast.

mmmmmmmmmm peaches

Tryin' out my new dehydrator!

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

My Little Garden

2010-08-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

This spring was very wet and cold so it was pretty late in the season when I was finally able to plant my garden. This time last year I was picking cucumbers, zucchini and cherry tomatoes, but the first of my harvest is at least a few weeks from now. Here's how it looks right now.

Here's my zucchini plant with a few little squashes starting to grow.

Here is Oregon we have Himalayan Blackberries that grow wild. They are incredibly invasive and often choke out native plants, however they taste great.

One of my jalepeno plants with so many yummy peppers growing!

Beautiful heirloom tomatoes finally!

My cabbage has been attacked by cabbage moths.

One gross photo, sorry. My garden is often overrun with slugs. I can handle slugs in while hiking, or really anywhere but my garden. They especially love newly sprouted plants. This is the solution I found that works wonders, though it rather disgusting and you need many throughout the garden. You start out with a plastic container and add beer. The slugs crawl in and drown. Another option I've read that works in copper around the garden but that can get expensive. I might have to do that as these little buggers are everywhere!

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

The Big 30!

2010-08-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

So I'm officially 30! My little sister and I are two years and one day apart and throughout childhood we shared our birthday parties together and always wanted the same gifts, including our cabbage patch kids. My Mom always wanted us to have our own day, but we insisted on sharing. I was thinking about her today and missing her, wishing she didn't live so far away. So in this spirit I thought I would share a photo of the two of us from childhood.

(I was six years old in this photo)

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Floral Silk

2010-08-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends, I wanted to thank all those who are following my blog and those who have added such kind comments. Over the weekend I finished a project from my stash of thrifted clothing. I wanted to share it with you today, but I worked too early this morning and just woke up from a nap, sooo I thought I would wait until I am showered and my hair is not sticking straight up. Anyways, I cut shortened the item and used the fabric for another project which I will share with you. I got my idea from many sources and those of you old enough may also remember these necklaces from the 80's. Here is my inspiration

www.shopruche.com

www.anthropologie.com

I found this plastic bead necklace at Goodwill for $2.00.

I cut the necklace apart and cut fabric strips of a beautiful floral silk fabric.

To make this I tied a knot, then wrapped the fabric around the bead then tied another knot. Another way to ensure the bead stay in place is to fold the fabric in half and sew a seam, but I was feeling lazing and didn't do this.

I cut several petal shaped pieces, stitched them together in the middle and sewed them to a knot.

And here's how it turned out. I'm pretty pleased with it, although I cut the ends fairly short so i added a clasp. I think next time I will leave them longer so I can simply tie the fabric.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tonya

Pineapple or Peacock?

2010-07-30T21:39:00.000-07:00

With all of the crocheted jewelry out there right now I thought I would take a stab at making my own. Here's what I did. I took a crocheted pineapple table topper from a thrift store costing me $2.99.

I cut out two of the peacock feather looking shapes. I used glue to harden the pieces (I originally used fray check, but it keeps it soft) so I then used craft glue mixed with water to harden the pieces.

Then using my jewelry pliers I added a jump ring to the center and added a earring hook. So easy!

Till Later,
Tonya

80's Polka Dot Remix

2010-07-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

Before I started my blog I began finding clothing with some potential at thrift stores and change a few details. Today I wore one of the first dresses that I remixed. Here's how the dress began..

So it was 80's with shoulder pads and an ugly lace collar, (sorry for the poor quality photo)

I took out the shoulder pads, cut off the collar, took off the sleeves, made a waistband from excess fabric from the length and shortened it about a foot.

My silver necklaces are from the yard sale I posted about earlier, and the turquoise necklace is from a friend, and as you can see the sun is out and so are my freckles!

Till Later,
Tonya

Ghost Flower

2010-07-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

Today I though I would share an interesting find. Yesterday I took a walk in my local forested park and saw this strange, yet beautiful flower along the trail. My plant identification book lists this plant as very rare, so for me it was great to see.

This one is older, hence the blackening of the outer edges. This plant lives off the roots of nearby coniferous trees.

Till Later,
Tonya

Anthro Inspired

2010-07-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

I love Anthropologie and often go there to get inspiration. I went there the other day and saw the cutest aprons and thought I might be able to make a similar one at home.

Anthropologie

I also found this one at Pier 1

Here's my version using another thrifted Ralph Lauren paisley pillowcase, a blue paisley button down shirt and sheet fabric.

When I was finished I showed my fiance'. He looked at me, laughed and said, "You're such a girl". I suppose I am. He said it's cute, but I don't think I'll catch him wearing it.

Till Later,
Tonya

Vintage Treasures

2010-07-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

Although I've always loved antiques and vintage things it wasn't until recently that I have begun to seek them out. Growing up we could never afford anything new and I think after moving out I went through a phase where I really enjoyed feeling when I could afford something new. Luckily that phase in my life has passed. I am always on the lookout for great finds. I look for beautiful items for decoration, for use in my home and for future projects. Here are a few of my most recent finds.

Last weekend I went to a yard sale held by an older woman cleaning out her home after 30 years (always a good sign of treasures). I found these cute little mushrooms for $1. The curtains are a Goodwill find for $10 for three panels.

I also got these Scottish wool fabric samples from the 70's or 80's, that are the perfect size for pillow covers, great for fall (50 cents a piece).

I also got this adorable jar from Japan for $1. I also bought a four necklaces, and a pair of large clip-on earrings that would be great as a ring. In all I spent $8.50. Not bad for a days work.

Till Later,
Tonya

Ralph Lauren Apron

2010-07-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

I have been thrifting fabric for the last couple of months and have found some cute Ralph Lauren bedding that I decided to use to make a ruffled apron. I love aprons mostly for their decorative value. I think they're adorable. I used a pattern (well instructions) from One Yard Wonders and think next time I will make my own pattern, as it didn't quite work at is was suppose to. I have been inspired by aprons at Pier 1 and Anthropologie lately and will be making more soon. I feel there are so many projects I want to do and so little time to do them. Oh well, at least I am doing some of them. I would love to hear about projects you are working on, or where you get your inspiration.

Till Later,
Tonya

Mourning the loss of cheese and ice cream

2010-07-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

I'm allergic to milk and if I eat too much of it I get eczema, but for a few years I didn't have any effects. Last weekend I went to a friend's wedding and apparently ate something with milk, I got the worst outbreak of eczema that I've ever had. It covered my hands and even my lips (so gross, painful, and embarressing). So once and for all I am acknowledging that I cannot under any circumstances eat milk products again. It's funny, but I feel as though I'm mourning a loss, no more real cheese, real ice cream, grilled cheese sandwiches. After allowing myself to mourn such a loss I found some beautiful spots around my home to photograph and thought I would share them with you. I've noticed I don't have a bare windowsill in the house. I hope you enjoy!

Till Later,
Tonya

From tablecloth to shopping bag

2010-07-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

During a recent trip to Goodwill I found a vintage tablecloth. I liked the fabric but was unsure what I would use it for. I think I found a good project. I used a pattern from One Yard Wonders, by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins, but could have just as easily traced a plastic bag or reusable bag. I used fabric scraps for the patches to add some decoration.

Engagement Weekend Trip

2010-07-14T01:24:00.000-07:00

About two months ago LeMont and I took a weekend trip to Longbeach, WA. We had a great trip and got engaged during the weekend. Here are the highlights of our trip. We went to the lighthouse overlooking the mouth of the Columbia River, but I don't remember the name of it. We also drove out to Oysterville. It is definitely worth the drive if you are near the area. The town is on the historic register and driving through it felt as though we had stepped back nearly 100 years (minus the cars). The homes are so beautiful, with cute white picket fences, covered in lichen from the moist sea air. We stopped by the church which is open to visitors. I loved the doorknob to the church. We also went to the pioneer cemetery and saw several gravestones from the late 1800's. The whole little town has a strange vibe to it. We almost expected to see a ghost in the church or in our photos. My favorite house in the little yellow house with the green door, so cute.

Rust and Barnacles

2010-07-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July LeMont and I planned on doing a difficult hike that required good sunny weather (for the views and for safety) and as of the night before it was suppose to be perfect, but as we began to drive there, typical of Oregon weather it began to rain. The hike was on the way to the coast so we decided to drive out to see the Peter Iredale shipwreck that had run aground in 1906. I loved the rusted steel hull and the barnacles growing on it. Photos by me, and LeMont.

2010-07-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to figure out blogger this week. I finally got a photo to the size I wanted so I thought I would give you a preview of my 4th of July. LeMont and I went to this awesome shipwreck on the coast.

Thrifty finds

2010-06-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

I frequent the local thrift stores and thought I would share a recent find, as well as a quick project using a hand embroidered linen table runner.

On Wendesday I went to the Goodwill Outlet and found several vintage sheets that I will use as fabric. I also found this linen hand-embroidered table runner and thought it would look cute on a pillow, so I made a white pillow envelope-style pillow cover with a white thrifted sheet, but the runner and hand-stitched the sides. What do you think? How do you use your thrifted finds?

Strawberry Wine (or is that Whinin')

2010-06-20T23:22:00.000-07:00

Strawberry season is upon us. I decided to drive out to Sauvie Island, pick some berries and make some fresh jam.

I didn't mean to match my shirt to the strawberries. So about the whinin'. The jam turned out great but somehow none of the jars sealed, even when I reprocessed them. So I have many quite tasty jars of strawberry far in my fridge and freezer.

Finally some sunny weather!!

2010-06-15T16:26:00.001-07:00

It's my first official post!! I have been wanting to start a blog for some time but didn't get around to it until now. I am a nearly 30 something graduate student looking for an outlet for my creativity. I love thrift store shopping, vintage clothing and decor, shopping locally and handmade as well as just enjoying all that Oregon has to offer.
Oh yeah, I have tons of freckles, including one on my lip which people tend to point out as if I hadn't noticed it yet, so yes I do know that I have a freckle on my lip.

It's been such a rainy spring this year. We finally had some hot summer weather (in the mid-70's maybe lower 80's) this weekend. My fiance, LeMont and I did some hiking in the Gorge. We hiked to Wahkeena Falls, then up past the falls to the creek that feeds into it.

Till Later,

Tonya