The Garden is a Go!

I'm in heaven! Well, on earth. Since April you guys have been hearing about my dreams for a raised-bed vegetable garden. Well, as you may have seen from my Facebook post... It happened!

Hunk of a Hubby Fulfilling My Gardening Dream. {Thank you, Newmans, for the truck!}

Ta daaaaaa!

What late-Summer/early-Fall goodness did I decide to plant? Brussel sprouts, red onions, year-round strawberries, sugar snap peas, broccoli, a variety of lettuce, carrots {by seed}, and two types of squash by seed: butternut and "pink banana squash" {an heirloom winter squash that weighs 10 lbs each!}.

We've enjoyed a lot of lettuce already, but we're waiting on everything else. A pesky worm is invading my Brussel sprouts and broccoli. Any organic ideas on how to get rid of them??

And what about that little garden spot that my dog was using as her daytime lounge?! Well, it's now a thriving herb garden with "Melissa" lemon balm, thyme {yum!}, parsley, "pesto perpetuo basil", and tricolor sage! 

We did find Ellie, our dog, sitting on the parsley the first day after we planted it. {"Bad dog! Bad!"} We devised a little decorative plan to deter her from lounging in our herb garden by laying our rakes in her way. 

My heart is happy and my tummy is eager to enjoy our backyard garden delights. What are you growing this season?

Welcome to "The Color Room"

I'm is super excited to announce the first store in Santa Barbara carrying Cookie+Curly! Next time you are in Santa Barbara, stop by The Color Room on {3003} State Street where you can find an assortment of Cookie+Curly rings!

And please tell your friends and family so they can have a place to shop and refer people. The word is spreading... It's so fun!

They're pretty great at hair too, so should you need a little sprucing up, they're your peeps.

Welcome, The Color Room! We are happy to have your support and look forward to decorating up your customers with you. 

Wild About Sea Life!

A good friend of ours bought a bright-colored bird mobile for her newborn son's room, but when her first-born saw the mobile, he wanted one for his room! "Too cool" {at two years old} for birds, the mom asked if I could make something to match his marine-themed bedding. I jumped at the chance to make something new.

Thus came the new Sea Life mobile.

 

It's been up on the website for a little time now and getting lots of fun feedback from friends of Cookie+Curly.  

When I asked what other creatures I should make, one Facebook friend suggested a Crab. Any other suggestions?

The mobiles are made to order as I can't keep pre-made ones on my website - a fun problem to have. It takes about 2-3 weeks, depending on my workload, so think ahead for showers, birthdays, or decorating weekends and invite some new Sea Life into your home.

On another note, I finally got a chance to make a bird mobile out of some fabric I got a few months ago. What do you think?

I love the fabric's sophisticated femininity.

This mobile is housed at "vintage, etc." along with some more mobiles - Go check them out, and all their other goodies!

Fall Into New Ring Colors

I couldn't figure out which ring to wear yesterday so I put them all on. Didn't work out so well, but my kids thought I looked "sooo mommy pretty" that I had to take a picture.

Rainbow of Ring Goodness

You might notice there are a few new colors in the bunch. Every one should be up on the website. 

Some really fun new Fall colors...

Are you missing your favorite color? If so, let me know and I'll try to bring it to you.

And, some of you have asked perspective between the ring sizes. Here's a pic to help you.

Does your daughter need a little send-off ring to help her remember mama's always thinking of her while she's in her new grade?

New Reusable Bag Sizes - ON SALE NOW

Think about how much money you spend on Ziploc bags each month. Then think about all those bags sitting in a mound in a landfill for years... and years. 

On a happier note {!}, Kasey Sews is now offering a 4-pack of reusable bags including a sweet little "treats" bag measuring 3"x4.5", due to popular demand.

"Girl" 4-Pack

And to celebrate school coming back in session, the 4-packs are on sale for $20.40!

"Boy" 4-Pack

But think about it... It's not just the kids that use the plastic Ziploc bags {although these do make great bday gifts for the young ones - at least, their parents will appreciate them}. We ALL use them. So get some for yourself {and a friend} as well.

A new little detail is that each bag now includes a little tag that lets you know about it's "former life": a doll's dress, a pair of pants, drapes, skirt. Isn't re-using great?

We use ours every day... I love them!

Fruit Crisp, Any Time

I looooove this Fruit Crisp recipe. {It's another one I did for Arts in the Kitchen}. It's super versatile and can be used with any fruit - fresh or frozen. And the topping can be frozen too, so now you can bust out an awesome dessert when last-minute guests show up for a fun evening together, or any time you'd like!

The recipe also uses a butter substitute (Earth Balance) to avoid saturated fat, whole wheat flour & multigrain oats to help you get in your whole grain goodness, ground flax for omega-3 fatty acid love, and agave nectar to lessen the sugar content. Not to mention all the great things that come in fruit.

With this particular crisp my kids and I picked fresh blackberries {"moras" en espanol} from an over-flowing bush on our usual walk. It's our favorite time of year!

Hard to keep some for the crisp!

Enough about us. The recipe...

Filling:

3-5 cups of seasonal fruit cut into 1-inch pieces

¼ cup agave nectar (optional: depends on sweetness of fruit)

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional: use your judgement with which fruit you choose)

¼ tsp kosher salt

(if using apples: 1 ½ ground cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg)

Topping:

½ cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread (more if needed to get “sticky”)

¾ cup light brown sugar

¼ tsp kosher salt

2/3 cup whole wheat flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour)

1 cup multigrain oats (rye, barley, oats, wheat) or rolled oats

¼ cup ground flax (store out of light, air-tight, in freezer)

Directions:

1) Preheat over to 350 F.

2) Combine the filling ingredients in a baking dish and mix well. Set aside.

3) Bring Buttery Spread to room temp and mix in brown sugar and salt.

4) Add the flour, oats, and ground flax just until incorporated.

5) Crumble over the fruit filling. It should resemble floury cookie dough. If not, add more Buttery Spread. Don’t overwork.

6) Bake until golden brown on top: 40-45min.

Notes:

Topping can be made earlier and stored in the fridge (3 days) or freezer. Bring to room temp and crumble when ready to bake. Do not store filling and topping together.

Buon Appetito!

Farewell Birdies

A new friend is leaving town, but in good company. Alongside her she brings three little tweeters to keep her company.

But only temporarily - They are a gift for a friend in her new destination.

Many well wishes to you, Jen. Please keep me in the loop on your wedding & new job details!