Freezer Paper Stencil

Freezer paper stencil is the coolest thing.  Well, it's the coolest thing I could come up with to craft on Saturday which was bitterly cold on the outside and warm on the inside.  I started with a bargain tank but have done this with everything from regular t-shirts to dish towels.  I found the item in which I wanted to trace and today it was feathers.  I used one guinea feather, one crow feather and one owl feather.  I placed them on my shirt to get an idea of where I wanted them then put them on to a sheet of freezer paper on the dry side, not the shiny side.  Then I traced the feathers with a pencil. 

I taped the piece of freezer paper to a cutting board and cut out the shapes using an Exacto knife.  I have also just cut out the shapes with scissors as that works just as well.  Next I took my tank top and two pieces of freezer paper, one with the stencil, to my ironing board.  With my iron set on cotton high, I placed the solid piece of freezer paper shiny side up inside the shirt and the stenciled pieced shiny side down on the front of the tank where I wanted the design to go.  Then I ironed the top piece.  The heat makes the shiny side stick to the fabric.  Make sure to stick all pieces now especially if you have a more intricate design. 

I used regular craft paint and went over my pattern several times then let it dry for an hour or so.  When it is dry, peel the freezer paper off gently to reveal your design.  Take it back to the ironing board.  Place a dry rag or piece of scrap fabric inside the shirt and another one of top.  Go over the top towel that is on top of your design several times with a hot iron to "set" the paint or sort of burn it to the fibers so it doesn't wash out easily. 

This is an easy, fantastic way to make a solid or drab shirt your very own, one-of-a-kind design.

Layout out objects of inspiration.

Use this stuff.

 Trace objects onto non-shiny side of freezer paper.

 If you are doing a harder design you have to envision what to cut out.

 Cut out stencil.

 Shiny side up on the inside, down on the outside.

 Iron on freezer paper stencil.

 Paint using craft paint. 

 Use several coats and allow to dry completely.

 Peel off freezer paper stencil.

 Heat set with scrap fabric inside tank and on top of design.

 Laurie is wearing a tank that she seems very proud of. :)

 Finished and Fabulous!

Trust me.. once you get started it's hard to stop!

 This was a different weekend when I was crafting with  my sister and niece.

 Recognize this logo anyone?

 On a tea towel.

I love my camera dish towel.

It's a lot of fun and so easy to do!  Haave Fun!

Where am I Looking

I think everybody has their own special sites and blogs that they follow.  Here are two sites that I have been following for simply years.

The first is a Baking Accessory site that I adore.  I first found them in what I am pretty sure was a Martha Stewart magazine but could have been Country Living.  It was the Christmas edition and it had a back part that flipped over.  I saw kitchen bakers twine and had to have some of my own!  I bought red/white and tan/white from Layer Cake Shop.  That was about three years ago and since then I have enjoyed finding unique and vintage items for cakes and cupcakes, flavorings and colors for icing and I have especially enjoyed the fun twist ties and have used them for one million and a half uses.  Their products are at such a reasonable price and shipping and service is fast and friendly.  Sometimes I like to visit just to look around and get inspiration.  Thanks Gals! 

One of my many home decorating websites that I like to visit is PapaStour.  This site I also found in a magazine where they were featured.  The company is compiled of artists from Scotland and they are based out of Scotland.  I desperately want one of their deerskins and love these teeny baby booties.  When I need a different sense of decorating and need inspiration this is definately one place that I turn.



Country Ham Cookin 101

I don't really know what the 101 means but I think it's basically "how's it's done."

As you should know, because I believe country ham is sold in all parts of the country and if it isn't it should be, country ham can be bought by the whole ham or by the slice or slices.  Around here you are likely to come across one maybe around Christmas because people like to give the hams as corporate gifts.  But here at our house... we grow 'em ourselves.  Not all of them of course but as you already may know from previous posts, the part of the pigs that we raised over summer 2011 were smoked in order for us to get bacon, hog jawl, lard and country ham. 

Here is a sample of the easiest and best way to cook up a slice at our house.

Take the slice of country ham and trim the fat.  Be sure and leave some of the healthy fat on there mainly because you don't want it to stick.  Discard the fat and cut the ham slice in to several slices, cutting around and discarding the bone.   Please pieces in a skillet and cover with water.  Bring water to a boil over medium heat.  This will kind of soak the salt out of the ham.  Don't skip this step even if you are a lover of salt like my sister that licks her finger to pick up the left over salt at the bottom of her popcorn bowl.  Boil just for a few minutes until the meat turns a bit whitish looking.  Drain water in to sink.  Put skillet back on the burner and cook ham on each side until brown and yummy pressing down on the pieces with your spatula so they don't curl.  Take off when done and put on a paper towel to absorb grease if any.  Place on a hot biscuit with cheese and egg.  Perfect country breakfast... or supper!

Y'all ready for this?

 This photo is by Shaun.

 Oh my.

 The be Texas Pete hot sauce.  Just a dab.  I think it's smiling at you!

 On work mornings I use the frozen kind.  Pillsbury.  Good as Ms. Winners.

 As Shaun would say "now that's a six dollar biscuit!" 

 DANG IT!  I can't wait until breakfast!

Now wipe your mouth and go get some country ham.  

Give Away Time

This Christmas, same as last Christmas, I had calendars made with my lovely photography of life here on our farm for my Mother and sisters.  I normally order enough to give to other family members and friends too.  This year I ordered them good and early but I ordered them from a different company than I did last year.  Big mistake.  When I got the calendars they were not good quality, my pictures looked big time enhanced and you couldn't even write on them without the ink going through.  Luckily, the place I ordered them from gave me a full refund and I will continue to order some things from them, just not calendars.

I turned around and ordered my calendars from a source that I knew had good, thick, quality products which is Lulu.  Christmas was on Sunday this year and my calendars arrived on Friday afternoon.  Whew.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to hand them out to all the people that I normally would have. 

Needless to say I have a couple left and I know it is already February and everyone probably already has their yearly calendars hanging up but what else am I to do with them but offer them up.  They are my work of art for crying out loud! 

I have two of them and would be more than happy to find them a good home.  After all.. there are ten whole months left that you could be enjoying new snapshots each month.  The first two peeps to leave a comment or email me at peppysis1973@yahoo.com with their address will be the wonderful recipient of a genuine Hulsey 2012 Calendar!

Skinning and Cooking Quail and Feather Usage

I am pretty pumped about this.  This is my first video to make... ever.  I did guest star in a couple of videos that my nieces and nephew made that were pretty cool... here's one  .

This video is a little different as it shows the process of skinning a bird.  A Tennessee Bob White Quail to be exact.  Shaun has gone bird hunting a couple of times lately and I think it is interesting and could be useful to some. My loving husband is the demonstrator in the video and also the narrator.  If I only had actual video footage with the way he explains things.  You'd love it.  I tried to put it into his words as much as I could.

*Please excuse the imperfections on the breast.  One of the hunting dogs brought this one back and looks like she held it a little hard.*

After you skin and clean the quail, it needs to soak in a cold, salt water bath in the refrigerator at least over night.  After that, rinse off the legs and breast in water and dry them on paper towels.  In a bowl, add one egg and 1/4 cup milk and a few drops of Texas Pete hot sauce and stir rapidly with a fork until combined.  In a separate bowl, prepare a mixture of flour and add a bit of Butt Rub and black pepper or whatever kind of spices float your boat, but not too much... the quail is too fine to over spice.

Dredge breast and legs in egg mixture then toss in flour mixture and place on a plate or directly in to your skillet with about a quarter inch of hot fat or lard or oil.  Allow to cook turning after several minutes until brown all over.  The legs will be done before the breast.  The breast take about 15 minutes total time at medium heat.  You can also check their internal temperature to 160 degrees or just cut one open to check for doneness. 

Roll that beautiful Quail footage.

Throw some of the flour from the pre-fry into the skillet and work around with a whisk.  Then add milk and whisk while you pour.  Keep pouring until you get it to the right runny consistency to your likings. This'll be your gravy.  I use between a half cup and a cup depending on if it's just me and Shaun or if Otis stops by because he smelled the quail cooking at his house.  I swear I don't know how he knows but I am always willing to share.

You can also use the beautiful feather from the quail for just about any craft you can come up with.  This dream catcher necklace is what my niece Jessica made for us for Christmas.  She was smart to call me for feathers as I plucked these myself.  Aren't they gorgeous?

Tub O Lard

A few weeks ago we sent our piggies off to be "processed" a little differently.  Different as in Shaun got to go through the entire process of seeing first hand each step of take our pigs from field to freezer.  Let's just say I was green with envy when he came home telling me all the details.  Next time I will be taking a vacation day from work, you can bet on that. 

Tonight we got our smoked meat back.  The rest was brought home after they processed it and went into the freezer.  We now have one huge country ham, two slabs of bacon, hog jawl and one huge Tub of Lard!  I had asked for the lard and knew they were cooking it down.  I really didn't expect the entire thing.  I guess I'm the only coocoo bird that wants it to make biscuits and suet and who knows what else! 

Feeding My Soul

Sometimes I don't even think we realize what is missing.  It might be something we enjoyed doing years and years ago that was simply put aside or an activity, like mine, that takes up so much time only certain times of the year.  On Saturday I tapped in to the canning part of my soul and realized just how much I miss it and how much of a part of my soul it has become.  It may sound odd if you have never canned food that you spent time with.  From seeds saved or bought, I planted it and watched it grow, worrying at times if there was enough water or not enough fertilizer.  Then took time to do something with it.  Saving for winter by learning the art of putting by, putting up and savoring flavors of summer.

Last year I grew black beans for the first time.  In my mind, I judge the quality of a Mexican restaurant by if they serve black beans as a side dish.  Not many do.  The experience of growing the beans was very satisfying and we wound up harvesting about... well more than a my largest Mason jar full from five plants.  I loved sitting on our porch on hot summer nights shelling beans.  There is just something about shelling beans and breaking beans that is very therapeutic.  Sometimes I will take them to summertime family gatherings to have help.  Plus I have a sister who loves breaking green beans.

I have gone through the whole process of letting the dried beans soak overnight or trying the quick soak method.  I've let them cook in the crock pot for hours at a time and don't mind that process if I know what's for supper tomorrow night and think that far ahead.  It wasn't until I read The Barefoot Farmer, as seen in a previous post, that it hit me and I could not wait until the weekend.  I had something else to do with my dried beans.  He said that they take their dried beans, fill a hot jar only half full of beans and the rest of the way with boiling water and a tad of salt if you wish.  Then process them at 10 pounds pressure in your pressure canner for 40 minutes.  That's it.  Easy as breaking beans and at the same time so extremely therapeutic to my canning soul.  The pride of what I made came rushing back in when those jars came out of the canner.  So beautiful and the next time we are having tacos or burritos for supper, all I have to do is open up a jar of summertime black beans and they are ready to heat up and season. 

I was so amazed at how the beans expanded.  Just like I had let them soak all night long and cook after that.  They may still have to cook for a bit when the jars are opened.  That is yet to be seen.  We are still eating left overs from my other suppers from over the weekend.  Canning just feeds my soul.  The fact that I can make something myself and put it away for several suppers to come and not have to worry about picking it up at the store just tickles me. 

 I couldn't even wait to to take a picture.  I should have wiped the jars off first!

 I also canned three parsnips and one big turnip that my boss had given me while the pressure cooker was out.  Might as well!