~ fruit can may baskets ~ Happy May Day friends! Do you celebrate the first of May? I do. Ever since reading the beautiful, haunting story of the May-pole of Merry Mount by Nathaniel Hawthorne when I took my first college literature class, I’ve been enchanted by this holiday. It’s such a gorgeous tribute to…
Here are some scenes from the last creativity evening with my friend Clare. I decided on the pattern I want to use for my wooly quilt and started cutting the pieces out on Tuesday. Very excited about this project! This weekend I’ll be felting a bunch of wool sweaters and making some felted mittens and…
~ chantelle hat ~ I’ve been having so much fun writing, testing recipes and working on illustrations for my tea book. Other than that, I’ve been knitting and crocheting like crazy! And now that there’s (finally!) snow in this Mississippi river valley town, the urge to snuggle in under a quilt by the fire and…
My hubby is a romantic, no doubt about it. I love this idea he came up with as part of my Valentine’s gift back in 2001. We had been married for 6 years at that point, and were spending our second Valentine’s day in our Victorian cottage here in Red Wing Minnesota. I love the…
~ rose ylang ylang massage oil ~ “All thoughts, all passions, all delights, whatever stirs this mortal frame, are all but ministers of love, and feed his sacred flame.” ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge Did you know that I wrote a “home spa” book? Yup. I did. It’s called Chin Deep in Bubbles and on pages 35…
~ heart strings ~ It’s that time of year again my friends! A week of Valentine treats here at ChinDeep! I’ve been feathering our nest with my favorite valentine things… Hearts, flowers, vintage linens and lace, romantic books, movies and music, vintage valentines, candles, vintage candy boxes, red…white…and, of course, pink! I’ve also been busy…
McSorley Monarch by Melissa Placzek “Following all the rules leaves a completed checklist. Following your heart achieves a completed you.” ~ Ray Davis Well, it’s the end of our “summer in January” here in Minnesota. We had a really good run though! To be able to walk uptown to get a coffee without bundling up…
I made a bunch of these for Christmas presents and they turned out so pretty. I used all sorts of different yarns including wool, worseted weight and homespun. If you can double crochet and do the “fan” stitch, you’re in business. It takes me about two hours to crochet one of these pretties. I used…
~ penelope’s rosemary-mint sugar & salt scrub ~ I just love making homemade pampering products for family and friends. They add a personal touch to any gift basket, and you can let your imagination run wild while dreaming up new scents in your little kitchen “apothecary.” Today I decided to get the ingredients together to…
Welcome Home ~ Simple Tips for Turning Your House into a Luxurious Retreat by ~ Melissa Placzek page 17 I don’t know about you, but I love having fresh herbs for my cooking. One of my favorite ways to use fresh herbs is in tea sandwiches… herbes de Provence mixed with cream cheese makes a…