Bottle Chimes: a whimsical project you can make with recycled wine bottles!

Repurposed wine and beer bottles can be transformed into personalized wind chimes... They make great gifts, and add a wonderful bohemian touch to any porch decor. Try with black and white photos, seed catalogs, or any other special image for a fun family project!

No time? Contact Mary or Eddie and we will whip one together for that special person on your gift list:)

Materials:

A clean wine bottle, rinsed and will all labels removed

A cork

Two eye hooks - 1/4 inch each

Jewelers wire

Glass and/or stone beads

A flat bead or pendant as a wind catcher

Images printed on plain white paper

Modge Podge decoupage from a craft store

A bottle cutting kit (about 20$) from a craft store

Small wire cutters

Instructions:

-Using the bottle cutter, follow the provided instructions to remove the bottom from a clean wine bottle.

-Cut your special images and decoupage them onto your bottle. Be sure to use a thick but even coat of decoupage both under and over your images. Images can be layered and overlap each other.

-When the bottle is dry, screw an eye hook into both the top and bottom of your cork, and attach a long (18 inch) piece of wire to each by twisting it tightly,

-Thread one length of the wire through the hole in the top of the bottle and secure the cork back in place. A dab of clear epoxy is useful but not mandatory to secure the cork in the bottle neck.

-String beads along each wire. As you thread them on the wire inside the bottle, be sure to push them up to the top, and make your flat pendant the last bead on the line so that it hangs about 2 to 4 inches below the bottom of the bottle. Form a loop of beads with the wire above the cork to form a hanger for your bottle. Secure both the top and bottom wires by twisting them tightly; to the eye hook for the top loop, and around the wire itself just above the pendant on the bottom.

-A clear coat of spray acrylic is optional for protection, but not necessary.

Hang your personalized bottle in a protected area and enjoy the gentle chime sounds!

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Butternut Maple Parfaits

Instead of the same ol' same ol' (aka "sweet potatoes") this year, we are serving winter squash in a fresh and funky way: as parfaits. Tradition meets whimsy for a bohemian delight...
I like to cube butternut squash and cook with a blob of coconut oil in a large pan on the stovetop. A fat free option is to bake halves on a cookie sheet lines with foil - but hey, it's the holidays and I love the sweet coconutty undertones from this healthy oil...
Once the squash is cooked and mushy, mash in a dash of pure maple syrup. Spoon the squash into a parfait glass until about half way full. In a small bowl, whisk together plain greek yogurt and more maple syrup, then spoon over the squash. Layer more squash, and top with a dollop of the yogurt mix. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or granola.
Wala! A way healthier option for your holiday (or any day) meals than the marshmallowy stuff of yesteryear!

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Hand crafted gift wrap from ordinary kitchen schtuff

The challenge:
You have gifts to wrap and really don't want to run to the store one more time. The kids are home from school and are dying for a project so they can contribute to the holiday festivities. You want your gifts to have a 'wow' factor, but you don't want to spend a fortune decorating them...
Hypothesis:
Everything you need to create beautifully wrapped presents is right inside your kitchen, dear!

Gather:
-a few potatoes
-a paring knife
-a plate
-craft paint
-twine
-paper bags
From your garden:
-pretty trimmings of evergreens, dried herbs, pine cones, seed heads
You might also toss in:
-candy canes
-tree ornaments
Method:
Cut a potato in half and blot it well. Let the kids draw a simple shape on the cut surface using a sharp pencil or marker. Using the paring knife, cut along the edges of the design and remove the excess, creating a potato stamp – stick to simple shapes for the best results: starts, trees, or bells work well.
Pour some craft paint onto a plate and use your cut potato to stamp a pattern on an opened and flattened brown paper bag.
Once the paint has dried, you have a wonderful handcrafted gift wrap! Tie it up with natural brown twine for a simple, old fashioned look, and add ornaments, pine cones, candy, or bunches of fresh or dried herbs as adornment.

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