Claiming Our Space: November 2012

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Happy Tuesday!

I hope everyone here in the US had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a great day with our families and ate waaaaay to much. Of course, going back to work yesterday was a bit of a let down after the long weekend. I enjoyed sleeping in a bit though Willow never let us stay in bed too long. Funny how shed is the one that wants to sleep in on work mornings but when we can sleep in, she has to get up. Silly dog. Good thing she is so sweet!

Something else wonderful happened this weekend, my MIL moved into her new house and hopefully, I will be able to show how she is transforming her home into her own unique space in the coming months. It is an older cap cod that hasn't been updated since the 1970s. So there is lots of possibilities for a great transformation.
Now onto this week's Features!

Courtney from the Polivka Family shared Tandoori Butter Chicken. Indian food is one thing D and I have never made at home but this recipe makes me think we can do it.

Can you stand how fab these feather trees from Laurie's Little Bits of Creativity are? I can see a forest of these scattered throughout my house.

D loves chicken and dumplings but I am awful at making actual dumplings so this recipe from The Hill Hangout looks like the perfect recipe for me.

Rena from Jewelry Making Journal shared how to make an absolutely gorgeous Rustic Foldover Copper pendant. I haven't yet tried making my own jewelry but this makes me what to get some supplies since I love.love.love jewelry of all types. Wouldn't this look great in the open collar of a crisp white cotton shirt?

Make sure to grab the featured button!

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This week's Fan Fav is compliments of The Crafty Blogger.

She created the cutest snow globe ornaments and her post has a instructional video. I love that her family does an ornament exchange. I would love it if my family wold do this but, alas, I can't see anyone else getting their craft on.

Make sure to grab the Fan Fav button

I can't wait to see what people will be share this week and know that I will be inspired by everyone's projects and recipes.

Just a few rules/guidelines.

1. I would love it if you would follow through GFC or Bloglovin'. It would be great if you would also follow us on Twitter and Pinterest.

2. Please do not link shops or link parties that are not related to a project, photo or recipe challenge. Everything else is accepted.

3. Linking to Claiming Our Space isn't required but I would appreciate it if you would grab my button and either display it with the post you are linking up or under your list of parties.

4. Don't forget to click on the "like" button on your favorite project or recipe so I know which one should be the week's Fan Fav.

5. Please try to visit at least two posts for each link you submit and leave a comment. Comments make everyone happy!

With all that out of the way, let's Tout It!

Monday, November 26, 2012

Scalloped Corn Casserole

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had seven for dinner, including us. Of course, we made way way way too much food. Isn't that always the case on the holidays? Here is what our spread looked like. You can see the scalloped corn casserole at the far end.

One of the wonderful things about combining D's family with mine is learning about the dishes that are part of his family's traditions. This casserole is one that his grandmother made every year and now his mom makes it. I don't think D would believe it was Thanksgiving without it.

If you try it, I hope you enjoy it as much as much as he does.

Scalloped Corn Casserole
Source: My Mother-in-Law

Ingredients
2 whole eggs, well beaten
1 can evaporated milk (sweetened condensed milk can be used if you wish)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 Tsp. garlic salt
1 Tsp. black pepper
2 cans creamed corn
1 sleeve saltine crackers, finely crushed
3 tablespoons butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large glass bowl, mix eggs, evaporated milk,onion, garlic salt, and black pepper well.
Add creamed corn, making sure mixture is combined completely.
Mix in finely crushed saltines until thoroughly incorporated.
Butter 9 x 9 deep casserole dish with 1 tablespoon of butter, leaving some butter at corners.
Pour corn mixture into dish. Add two tablespoons of butter on top and finish with additional garlic salt and black pepper.
Bake approx. 45 mins. to one hour.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Gallery Wall Pt 3 - Wall Shelves

Check out our Gallery Wall Shelves! I decided that we needed to jump on the wall shelf bandwagon since I loved the idea of being able to swap art work in and out at will. Plus, the reality is that I was being too pokey about figuring out the layout to actually hang the art and this seemed like a way to actually get something on the wall before 2013.

You can see that the coin art and the sea biscuit shadowbox are included in the mix. I also added some family photos, a silhouette of me from kindergarden, a rubbing from a church in London and some state love art (tute coming for that soon).

I used Ana White's Ten Dollar Ledges as the start for my project. Though I modified it to fit our needs.

Our ledges are 5 feet in length and I used 1x4's, 1x3's and 1x2's. While I used cheaper wood for the 1x4's and 1x3's, I splurged on 1st quality 1x2's so I wouldn't need to worry about knots.

I used our Kreg jig so I could hide the fasteners making the finishing that much easier.

Some wood glue, screws and caulk - and I had 2 gallery wall shelves. (it is the table that is wonky crooked, not the shelves)

I gave them each several coats of white semi-gloss paint and then they were ready to hang.

Some help from D to get a couple of long wood screws into the studs and we were ready to go.

It fills up the space perfectly.

We hung it high enough so that we can put chairs, a bar or a small bookcase underneath without any problem. There is space on either side soany pieces that need to be hung, like shadowboxes, can easily added.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

Source

D and I wish you and your families a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Willow Wednesday

Sunday afternoon naps in the sun are the best!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Tout It Tuesday - #33

Happy Tuesday!

It is Thanksgiving week and we will be hosting at our house again this year. We will have a smaller group, only 7 of us this year. I still haven't totally finalized our menu (yikes!) but it will all come together. Everyone is bringing something and we are in charge of the turkey, the dessert and the potatoes (garlic mashed and roasted sweet). D is making some sort of brussel sprout dish. I am sure I will be sharing several of the recipes in the coming weeks. Plus, with the amount of food, I am sure I will have to come up with some creative uses for leftovers. :-)

Onto our Features!

Kayla from Anatomy of a Craft shared her tote transformation. I love the after - so chic.

Lisa from Lazy Budget Chef has come up with a tasty gluten free apple crisp. This is a perfect thing to bring for a potluck since you never know who may have issues with gluten.

Southern Chic Love shows how to upcycle a 1990s tray into something amazing. I think the colors of the tiles are gorgeous.

Rachael from The Rehomesteaders shares her Apple Cake. I love apples so thought it was only appropriate to feature two apple desserts.

Make sure to grab the featured button!

Make sure to grab the Fan Fav button

I can't wait to see what people will be share this week and know that I will be inspired by everyone's projects and recipes.

With all that out of the way, let's Tout It!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Spicey Peanut Salmon Salad

On Sunday afternoon D decided that he wanted to make something healthy for lunch. We had been out to dinner Saturday night and had overindulged a bit. So something light and healthy was a good thing. It was delicious! The spiciness of the peanuts coupled with the salmon salad was just about perfect.

We think that it may need a drizzle of something. But we just couldn't come up with any ideas. Do you have any ideas? Even without the drizzle, it was a great lunch!

Spicey Peanut Salmon Salad
Source: D's Brain

Ingredients
1/4 c dry roasted peanuts
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t chili powder
1/4 t Bankok Blend (from Penzeys) though you could use an Indian-type seasoning blend
1 T vegetable or canola oil
12 oz canned salmon (we used canned Sockeye Salmon from Costco)
1/2 c plain lowfat yogurt
3/4 t Northwoods Fire seasoning (from Penzeys)
3/4 t Sandwich Sprinkle (from Penzeys)
Chopped lettuce

Directions
Mix cumin, chili powder and Bankok Blend in a small bowl.
Heat oil in small pan.
Chop peanuts into small pieces.
Add spices from small bowl to oil, stirring to combine with oil.
Place peanuts into heated oil, stirring to coat.
Heat until the spices darken.
Turn off heat.
In a separate bowl, combine salmon, Northwoods Fire, Sandwich Sprinkle and yogurt; stirring to combine completely.
Place salmon mixture in fridge for 30 minutes to let flavors mingle.
Serve a scoop of salmon on a bed of lettuce, sprinkle with spicy peanuts

Friday, November 16, 2012

Thanksgiving Treats & Fall Fun Features

It's Time for Our Features!!

Thanks for Linking to the
Thanksgiving Treats and Fall Fun Link Party!

Today it is time for all of us to share our features from the the Thanksgiving Treats & Fall Fun link party!

Claiming Our Space along with Love and Laundry, House on the Way, One Creative Mommy, Mamal Diane, Jane's Adventures in Dinner and 4 You With Love each have selected our two most favorite link ups! Since each of us has our own favorites, you need to stop by each co-host to see you were featured.

It was so hard picking out which link ups were my favorites. There were so many amazing projects and tasty looking recipes.

I have two great projects I will be featuring - one craft project and one recipe. Both are going on my To Do list for sure!

First up is an easy and tasty looking apple hand pies made using corn tortillas from Crafty Journal. How clever. I bet this would be delicious with other fruits too. I have some sweet cherries in my freezer that I think would be prefect for this.

Better Organized Living shows how to make a beautiful DIY Fall Leaf Bowl using artificial leaves from the Dollar Store. Gorgeous and so I love the colors.

Grab the button if you were featured!

Mark you calendars for Friday, December 7! That's when the Winter Wonders & Holiday Happenings link party starts. Just like this party, each of the hosts will have our own projects we will be sharing.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday! Wahoo! I am mumble mumble mumble years old today. :-D

Southern Living

D surprised me last night with what could be a totally cool present. Unfortunately I can't share it just yet. I will keep you posted if everything falls into place.

I am giving myself a present with some of my birthday money - a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens. I have been wanting one of these since I got my camera. I am so excited to try it out but sadly it won't get here until next week.

No big celebration planned but we will be going out to a local Irish pub this weekend with my BFF and her beau to celebrate. I am looking forward to having a couple off pints of hard cider, lots of laughs and some good food. I am hoping there will be some traditional Irish music. I would love to hear some pub songs.

Hope everyone else has a fun and possibly music filled weekend!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Willow Wednesday

Sometimes when I am really tired, I tuck my feet under my chin.

That way they work like a pillow!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Tout It Tuesday - #32

Happy late Tuesday!

We survived our wood chopping this past weekend! D and I came out of the adventure with all our appendages but holy cow were we sore by the time Sunday night rolled around. We have a 4 foot high by 18 feet long stack of wood in the backyard with about the same amount still piled in the front yard. We just couldn't carry another piece by the time Sunday afternoon ended so there the big pile sits. We will finish hauling it to the backyard this weekend since we get home after sunset and neither of us wants to haul wood in the dark.

I was able to lift my arms above my shoulders today - a great success! I am also able to type without wanting to cry. I pulled a couple of muscles in my hand so grabbing things and moving my thumbs has been a struggle. BUT next winter we will be able to have a fire whenever we want without worrying about having enough wood. Woot!

Now onto our Features!

It isn't too early to get ready for Christmas and holiday decorating and this tutorial on how to make paper trees from Wesens-Art is the perfect way to get started.

Need a sweet treat? Mary's Kitchen shared Yummy Cheesecake Brownies. I love the swirlyness!

Marty's Musings gave us a great idea to put into practice for next Thanksgiving. A Blessing Jar. Check out her post to see how it works.

Make sure to grab the featured button!

Make sure to grab the Fan Fav button

I can't wait to see what people will be share this week and know that I will be inspired by everyone's projects and recipes.

With all that out of the way, let's Tout It!

Don't forget to stop by on Friday to see which projects were featured from the Thanksgiving Treats & Fall Fun link party. Claiming Our Space along with Love and Laundry, House on the Way, One Creative Mommy, Mamal Diane, Jane's Adventures in Dinner and 4 You With Love will each be featuring our two most favorite projects! So you make sure to stop by each co-host to see you were featured.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Homemade Holiday Party and Celebration

Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is just a couple of weeks away. That means that Christmas, Hanukkah, and other winter holidays will be here before we know it.

As crafters, we all like to give gifts that we have created: in the kitchen, on our needles, out of clay, you name it. We all give not just gifts but we put love into everything we create. The downside is that this all takes time.

So, although those of us in the USA have not celebrated the pilgrims yet, we crafters need to get busy creating all those hand made goodies or we'll be up until midnight Christmas Eve trying to finish up all our gifts (or we are wrapping them half done with notes promising we'll finish them soon!) I find that I love creating but creating with friends is even better.

So, I have joined up with Marilyn from 4YouWithLove to throw a party for all of us to enjoy.

We would love it if you would grab the button to help spread the word!

This party has many parts to it because we all like to celebrate in different ways.

Here's what you'll find.

A chance to sign up for 3 gift exchanges (you can sign up for one, two or all three). There will be a handmade ornament exchange, a gift from the kitchen exchange, and a holiday decoration exchange.
Marilyn will run 20 days of posts showing projects that she have been working on to inspire each of you!
I will be posting recipes and project to get everyone ready for the holidays (though I can't promise 20 days worth of projects).
There will be some link parties to link up what you made for your gift exchange buddy. There will also be some link parties so you can link up other projects you have done.
There will be a chance to vote on everyone's projects that they linked up and then there will be winners who will win goodies Marilyn and I have created over the 20 day of the series.

So, what do you think? Does this sound fun? You'll have inspiration from us, you'll have inspiration from others, you will get presents in the mail (as you are creating presents for others) and you will have a chance to win goodies when you showcase your work.

It sounds like a win, win, win, win, (did I include enough wins there?)

To get signed up for the Homemade Gift Exchange, click on the link below to head over the 4 You With Love.

Homemade Holiday Party and Celebration - Homemade Gift Exchange Sign Up

I hope to see you all over at Marilyn's!

I will be keeping you updated on all the signups, projects, link ups and everything else over the coming days.

If you haven't already, I hope you stop by to link up to the Thanksgiving Treats & Fall Fun link party. Claiming Our Space has joined up with Love and Laundry, House on the Way, One Creative Mommy, Mamal Diane, Jane's Adventures in Dinner and 4 You With Love to bring you our own Thanksgiving Treats and Fall projects!

Apple Spice Cake with Honey Ginger Buttercream Frosting

Several weeks ago my aunt and uncle were visiting from Oregon so we put together a little dinner party. Since they only make it to visit once a year, I wanted to make something special for dessert. I was looking for something that incorporated some of the usual flavors of Fall - apple, ginger, honey, molasses, cloves - it doesn't get more Fall than that.

Now, I have to admit that this recipe is a bit time consuming. So I would suggest making the filling, which ends up having a consistency like a a chunky applesauce, the day before so it can cool completely. Also, be careful when separating the layers, I ended up breaking one into pieces so I ended up one layer short.

The cake was not too moist and held up great with the chunky saucy apple filling. The frosting added just the right amount of sweet zing. Of course, I adore ginger so I may be a bit biased.

Everyone loved the cake, with a couple of people asking for seconds. However, I have to say it was even better the next morning with a cup of coffee. :-D

Four-Layer Appalachian Stack Cake
Source: Modified from a recipe from Martha Stewart
Ingredients
5 cups apples, pealed and rough chopped
2 cups apple cider
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 dark brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1 large egg
1 cup unsulfured molasses
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

For the filling:
Bring apples and cider to a boil in a large pot. Reduce to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until apples begin to break down and liquid has reduced 30 - 40 minutes. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup water; simmer until apples are very soft, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper, and butter parchment. Set aside.

Put butter and the remaining cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; mix in egg, molasses, buttermilk, baking soda, flour, spices, and salt.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean and tops spring back when lightly touched, about 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans to loosen; invert to unmold. Remove parchment; reinvert onto racks. Let cool.

Using a long serrated knife, cut each cake in half horizontally. Place 1 bottom layer on a serving platter. Top with 1/3 of the apple mixture, spreading to edges. Stack 1 top layer on top of apples, and top with another 1/3 of the apple mixture. Repeat with remaining cake bottom and apples, and top with remaining cake top. Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour before serving. (I ended up only having 3 layers because I broke one into 3 pieces when trying to get it on the cake plate...whoops!)

Honey Ginger Buttercream Frosting
Source: Laura's Little Kitchen
Ingredients
3/4 C softened butter
1 to 1 1/2 C powdered sugar
1/3 C honey
1 T powdered ginger
2 to 3 t frsh grated ginger
1 t vanilla extract

Directions
Start with softened butter in the bowl of the mixer.
Beat until creamy.
Add powdered sugar until it reaches desired stiffness.
Beat on high until smooth.
Mix in honey, powdered ginger and fresh grated ginger.
Beat for a few minutes until smooth again
Mix in a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Add additional powdered sugar to adjust the thickness if needed.
Use an offset spatula to front just the top of the cake.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Willow Wednesday

I wanted to thank everyone that voted!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Tout It Tuesday - #31

Happy Tuesday! Did everyone here in the US vote yet? My plan is to head off to the polls first thing in the morning to try to beat the rush. Here's hoping my plan works. But just in case, I will have my phone so I can read posts in my Google Reader and I will have my travel mug of coffee. It is important to say caffeinated in the mornings you know. :-D

Oh, I want you all to wish us luck. Why? Saturday we will be renting a wood splitter to chop up the oak and maple we had cut down last week into pieces small enough to fit in the fireplace. I have never used one of these, and D used one once about 20 years ago, so it it going to be an experience. I am hoping the only thing chopped is the wood. We also will be stocking up on the extra strength pain relievers because I am positive we will be moving like an couple of 80-year-olds on Sunday morning. Fun times!!

Now it is time for this week's Features!

Woven Home shared the creepiest (and coolest) paranormal portraits. These kind of give me the heebie jeebies but doesn't change the fact that I so want to make these for next year.

Who else loves Butterfingers? I think they may be in my top three favorite candy bars so when I saw Couponing & Cooking's Butterfinger Fudge, I was thrilled. This looks so delicious. Mmmm, Butterfingers!

We have a lack of lamps in our house so I am always on the lookout for great lamps. This glass bottle lamp from The Concrete Cottage fits the bill. How gorgeous is this lamp? I love that the glass will work with any color scheme.

Finally, if you love chocolate and berries as much as I do, you will need to whip up a batch of Atlas Findings' tasty looking chocolate cupcakes with blackberry butter cream frosting. Yup, these are definitely going on my "To Make" list.

Make sure to grab the featured button!

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This week's fan fav comes compliments of Sister #5. She repurposed a coffee can into a fab container. I love the embellishment. It adds the perfect touch.