A new avenue...

My latest and greatest endeavour! 

I have opened an Etsy shop! Soon to be filled with many crocheted goods!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheSongBirdsNest1?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Please check out my shop!

Soon to be featuring hand crafted home goods to brighten your day!

The first featured item! This beautiful dish cloth holder brightens your kitchen while keeping those dish towels handy! 100% cotton fiber with button accent.

Drop by today!

Sylvester the cat.

There have been a lot of exciting things happening around our household! From pies, to new soup recipes, crafts, and weddings, there has been all manner of excitement! The latest and greatest of them though is the addition of our new kitty cat, Sylvester. I LOVE cats, my husband is not their biggest fan, he would rather have a dog. BUT recently he finally caved in and got me a kitty.

 It happened at a Petsmart, my husband said "lets go in and look at the adoption animals" it was an adoption weekend. We walk in and immediately see the cats but there are no dogs to be found, too bad for my husband. So we walk over and look at the cats, they had kittens and older cats  they were SO cute. My husband knows how badly I've wanted one, I would always jokingly ask or tell him what I wanted for my birthday or Christmas was a cat, to which he would retort with a funny joke about cats... This time was different, I'm there looking at the cats and he says to me "Do you want to get one?" OF COURSE I DO!!! It was the best thing ever! My husband is so sweet and knew I loved them. So we spent the next like, two hours in Petsmart playing with different kitties trying to decide which one to get. You had your typical orange tabby kitten, and two wild brother and sister kitties, but there was one that stuck out. A funny little kitty with a funny looking face. 

He had a cute smushed looking nose, I initially thought maybe something was wrong with him but it turns out he just has a furry face. I just could not get over his cute little face. We held him and played with him and he just purred and let us hold him, I had a feeling he was the one.

We told the man we wanted him and that we'd like to apply to adopt him. WHAT A PROCESS. It wasn't awful, it's for the animals safety, making sure they are going to a good home. We could not wait to get our kitty though! We spent the whole, 4 days we waited, thinking up a name for him. It was my husband who came up with the perfect name:  Sylvester. When we got the call to go get him, we were elated! Like crazy new parents we were busy buying out Petsmart of it's kitten supplies. We did get pretty good deals on everything though, bed, carrier, and collars on sale! Boy, when we got that kitty he was PERFECT. He rode in my lap the whole way home and just purred.

It did not take him long to get adapted to our little place, I had work so he hung out with my husband on my day off and boy did he take to him.

Talk about instant best buds. Sylvester was just such a cutie! 

Sylvester has since gained like, 2 pounds had his first couple vet visits and passed with flying colors! 

He is totally one of those youtube-vine cats that runs around on two legs with an arched back. He.is.hilarious. He is super talkative and loves to snuggle. He also is fascinated with the birds that attend to my bird feeder. Pretty much the coolest cat ever.

He's even had his first road trip to visit his auntie in the mountains and literally slept the whole time... no whining or anything. It was awesome.

For now, Mr. Sylvester is busy growing, hunting, getting into things he shouldn't and just being an awesome cat.

We're thinking he takes after his fur daddy and naps a lot. 

We look forward to having Sylvester around for a nice long time :).

Strawberry Pie

So, I have recently baked a new and delicious pie! I thought my pumpkin pie from fall time was good but this summer treat was just the thing! I found a recipe for a strawberry filling that did not use any kind of gel or syrup and that you actually bake. A lot of recipes I saw either called for gel loaded with corn syrup and fake stuff or you just didn't bake it. I was looking for a wholesome, made from scratch, BAKED strawberry pie. I found it. 

Pinterest is where I find most of my recipes, that and sites like allrecipes.com.

I really enjoy the challenge of making something totally from scratch. I enjoy baking and cooking in general so this was a real treat, a chance to work on my pie crust skills. The recipe for the pie filling came from this blog: "Try anything once", here is the link to the pie filling.  http://www.tryanythingonceculinary.com/bucket-list-strawberry-pie/ This blogger gave a step by step tutorial for preparing the pie filling and when to prepare your crust. I used my trusty Betty Crocker pie crust recipe for one, 9" crust and just doubled it. I also got adventurous and attempted a lattice pie topping, it worked out alright.  UNFORTUNATELY for this pie I had run out of foil so my edges got pretty crispy, but it was still delicious. My husband's words were: "You need to make this again" he really enjoyed it!

There is my lovely pie, crispy on the edges but fresh and delicious!

I love that this filling was made from simple and fresh ingredients. My family is trying to steer away from overly- processed foods, they just don't make you feel good. This recipe also called for using something I had never heard of before, "Turbinado sugar". I had no idea what that is, turns out it is just minimally processed cane sugar, it was used to sprinkle on top of the crust to caramelize;it was a nice touch. 

My verdict is that this is a great recipe! A little sweet so follow closely to the sugar amounts called for, or even use a tad less. I will definitely be making this pie again!

Summer Splash Crochet

So, not to trump my post about my AMAZING wedding but I must share this blanket I just completed!

I call it: "Summer Splash/Flower Power" a long name for an intricate piece. This blanket started as a couple different things before it actually became a blanket. Initially it was going to be a table runner, and then a blanket completely of flower squares, and finally evolved into this beauty! 

I finally decided on a design idea and went with it. This blanket is comprised of multi-color granny squares with varying square patterns. I used triple crochets and DC. The flower squares were from a pattern I found on pinterest, they are very good just make sure you read them carefully. Here is the pattern link: http://beacrafter.com/crochet-wild-daisy-granny-square/

I modified this pattern to match the size of my sunflower squares.

http://beacrafter.com/crochet-sunflower-granny-square/

That is the link for the sunflower square- make sure you read it carefully.

After making tons of flower squares I was ready to begin the granny squares. I just used colors I already had from previous projects, I did not buy any specific colors for this project except the flower square colors, the rest I had just happened to have. It was fun coming up with color combinations and patterns. 

Once I had my squares I arranged them in some order, alternating flower squares and color block squares. I ended up with the featured pattern above! Next task was putting them together.....

It is always interesting when joining squares... there are so many methods to choose from. I ended up using a new method I discovered on pinterest, it allowed you to continuously join squares in rows. This was a very convenient method! 

Here is the link: http://fantasticmio.com/2013/07/25/continuous-join-as-you-go-tutorial/

I love this method!!!

Here is the beginning of my join:

 

From this point you just go row by row until you have joined all your squares together, I think crocheted around my whole piece to begin the rest of my blanket. The next part of this blanket was inspired by yet another pinterest post about a Granny Square blanket, a continuous project.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/167759154845669512/

From there I just began adding colors and varying between 3DC cluster shell and a variation on that which actually looks like a shell with a gap in it... I'm not sure what it's actually called. It is very pretty though! When working in a continuous square... it takes forever it seems to get around to where you began to start a new row. I was glad to finish this one up.

This was the majority of my squares joined before beginning my border.

This blanket was a lot of fun to make and definitely is a nice and colorful addition! A super fun, and creative project.

A Dream Wedding...

So we got married......

It was a warm June afternoon and the weather was perfect, my Mr. Right and I said "I do". After three years of dating and being engaged we finally tied the knot.

 We got married in a little gem called the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh. It is a beautiful location with numerous gardens, all different themes and most available for rent! Here is the link to their website so you can check it out yourself!

http://jcra.ncsu.edu/

These gardens are part of NC state's campus and are definitely a must see! We had such wonderful weather and everything was perfect. We got some great candid photos from friends and family who had their phones with them. Our ceremony was just perfect, full of humor and sincerity; a perfect combination. We had AMAZING photographers for our wedding and for my bridal shots. They were so professional and went above and beyond our expectations! I highly recommend them if you need any kind of photos made! The photographers name is Christi, here is a link to her website: http://christiannphotography.blogspot.com/

Christi was absolutely phenomenal, she is highly rated on wedding wire and is definitely the best package for your money, plus she is a very talented and sweet lady! Speaking Christi, she found the perfect location for my bridal portraits! It is a new venue in Holly Springs, NC called the Leslie-Alford Mims House. If vintage/classic is your thing, this is your place! It is a BEAUTIFUL old house that has been restored and re-opened as a bridal/wedding venue. Each room in the house has it's own theme and is beautifully decorated, it's like a trip back in time. Here is a link to their page: http://www.mimshousenc.com/

If you are in the area, you must pay a visit to this beautiful place!

We got our cake from Cup cake Bite in Fuquay and our flowers from Broad Street flowers, here are their links:

http://www.cupcakebite.com/

http://www.flowersonbroadstreet.com/

They did wonderful work with the cake (pictured above) and the bouquets and boutonnieres were just beautiful!! They totally fit with our vintage theme!

 Local businesses are the way to go! 

I believe we stayed in a reasonable 10,000 ish range, probably more but it was so worth it! We saved money by buying some things in bulk from BJ's Members Warehouse such as, dishes, napkins, utensils, and even the guest cake for $35.00!! What a steal! We also hand made a lot of decorations, I made ceiling decorations using hemp string and modge podge, creating hollow orbs. We also hung table cloths from the dollar store to create the hung-fabric effect on the ceiling. IT was beautiful. The Dollar Tree is the place to be for weddings. BEFORE YOU BUY go to the tree, they probably have it. We bought all our vases there and they were beautiful! 

You don't have to spend a million dollars to have a million dollar wedding.

The beauty is within!

Wedding Bells

  It has been AWHILE since my last post! Believe me, a lot of crafting has happened in between!

We have been Oh-so busy with upcoming wedding planning! It is all very exciting and coming very quickly! We chose to have a simple wedding, with plenty of DIY goodness. My mom and I have been crafting away creating wedding decor left and right. A couple things that have been really cool to create are centerpiece bowls and a chandelier. That's right, I -made- a chandelier. It was so easy and SO fun! I looked on Pinterest for some ideas on chandeliers, buying one was definitely out of the question... talk about pricey. I found one woman's post about going and just buying strands of crystals and something to hang it from and just going town.

Here is the link to my inspiration:

 http://www.thehappyhomebodies.com/2011/08/tutorial-diy-faux-crystal-chandelier.html

So, needless to say I took a trip to Michael's and spent way too much money, as one does when they take a trip to Michael's. I ended up buying two strands of 12 ft, faux crystal garland and about 10 or so little strands of crystals from the beading section. To hang my creation, I just bought a simple, flat, wooden ring. I found that in the floral department, it was like 3 bucks, compared to a 12 dollar fancy hanger thing.I made this thing in one whole sitting, once I start a project sometimes I just can't put it down! 

The supplies I used:

-2, 12ft beaded garland

-Fishing line to string beads

- Strands of beading crystals (pick any you like)

- One medium wooden ring with pre-drilled holes

-Ribbon and lace edging for finishing touches

The tools I used:

-Glue gun

-Beading pliers

-Scissors

You can totally make this!

It is very pretty in the light.

I painted my wooden ring white, added lace for some depth, and used coral ribbon to suspend it. This wooden ring also had pre-drilled holes in it which was a great help. I'll tell you a secret, I used white paperclips to suspend each bead rung and just closed them around the wooden ring.

Here's the chandelier pre- ribbon and lace. I used fishing line to string the beads together. Using some simple knots and looping I created the individual hanging strands, simple beading. I was SO glad I bought the two 12ft strands, I used them as the skeleton for the chandelier. These strands also had metal rings I ended up using to create the shape of the chandelier by connecting the strands at certain points in the chain. All in all, I did not use very many tools to create this: beading pliers, hot glue gun, scissors, and paperclips! 

*I just noticed you can see the orbs I have been making using balloons, burlap twine, and modge podge. They are so neat!*

Here I began threading the ribbon in to hang my creation.

I used the holes on the underside to create a stable, even-weighted hold for the chandelier so it would hang flat in the air. One challenge was getting the center strand to hang evenly, I remedied this with metal rings to hold it in place. Notice it is still pre-lace. I originally wasn't going to add lace but after looking at it I felt it was a little flat, lacking depth. Luckily! I just happened to have some lace from the table runners I am making! 

*You can see my white paperclips in this picture*

What a difference a little lace can make!

I had to use a ladder to work over top of the chandelier, I worked on it suspended to ensure it would look right. I think it turned out very well and I am super excited to display it at my wedding!

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

This is a little late for Thanksgiving/Fall but I had to share this recipe I found on Pinterest! This is for Pumpkin pie made from homemade pumpkin purree. It.is.awesome. The recipe I found came from this blog: http://windowontheprairie.com/2010/10/14/pumpkin-pie-from-real-pumpkin-part-2/ it is an awesome recipe, it even has a recipe for an oh-so-easy made from scratch pie crust. This caption from her blog right here is what sold me on making my own crust. Way to go Betty Crocker.

The tutorial I used to make my own pumpkin puree came from this blog here: http://unsophisticook.com/how-to-make-pumpkin-puree/

This again, was an awesome tutorial. I found that when choosing what they call "Pie pumpkins" it really does make a difference, and they is a difference in pumpkins. The pie pumpkins have a thicker inner flesh that is white on the rind, they also smell sweeter when you bake them. When I baked my pumpkin rinds for the pie they turned out very well, I think the next time I cook them I will cook them for a shorter time to see if it brings out more pumpkin flavor.

I first began by making my crust, I found it took longer to make than the batter.

I made this while in college so I had to come up with some pretty creative ways to roll out my dough... I did not have a rolling pin so my giant nalgene bottle sufficed as a rolling pin. I rolled my crust between two sheets of plastic wrap in lieu of wax paper, this made it easy to peel off and place into my pie dish. I used a Pyrex glass dish which I greased with Crisco. Next I made the batter.

The recipe calls to either use milk, or evaporated milk, I replaced this with condensed milk. My grandma says if you're gonna make dessert you might as well go all out, this also added some sweetness to the pie. There is not a whole lot of sugar in this recipe and I would say this pie ranks a 5 in sweetness. I do not like super sweet desserts so I think this was a happy medium, it was very rich. I found that the measurements of spices used in the blog recipe were perfect, after the pie was baked it had wonderful flavor and texture. The tutorial above says to strain your pumpkin puree to remove excess water and refine the texture but I just put my pumpkin in, as is which resulted in a nice texture for the pie.

*Note: the most difficult part about baking this was ensuring you got the right shape of tinfoil to place over the crust midway through baking to keep it from burning. Cutting a perfect circle that isn't too thick or too thin takes a couple tries.

The finished product:

I made this pie to take to my future in-law's home for Thanksgiving, it was a hit. I did not know how it would taste honestly, not ever having made a pumpkin pie before, especially having never made a pie before, and definitely not from scratch! Thankfully it was delicious and I was happily surprised. I definitely recommend this recipe to everyone!

Miraval Tunic

 The Miraval Tunic

This is a tunic I crocheted using the free Miraval pattern that I found on Pinterest, I pinned it on my Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kaleebird/ I used worsted weight yarn, the pattern called for DK weight but I just could not find any there is only a slight difference between worsted and DK weight; my tunic ended up being a little bulkier because I chose worsted.

 I bought a pound skein and I used the majority of it for the body! For the edging I used a yarn from the Vanna's Choice collection. I bought my yarn at Jo-Ann's, this was a rather inexpensive project, just time consuming. I had never made anything like this before so this was my first time with an apparel crochet pattern. I have been crocheting for about a year now so this was a nice challenge. 

This is the beginning of the yolk of my tunic, crocheted in a round using a mix of dc shells. (You can see where my rounds joined, not too pretty) The tunic itself is crocheted as one whole piece and you go back later and crochet the sleeves onto the body.

I added a tie to my tunic using leftover Vanna yarn to give the tunic a little more shape. The project definitely was a challenge! I learned all new kinds of stitches and garment shaping techniques, the pattern I used also needed a little deciphering but I was able to figure it out. I altered some of the finishing because the worsted yarn made the decorations a little too thick for my liking so I simply reduced the number of rows for the fringe to make it less poofy. I love this tunic and think it would great in any combination of colors, I preferred a nice neutral taupe and brown with color flecks in it. This is definitely a great project which I highly recommend to anyone looking for a challenge!

A Fresh Start

       With the beginning of a new chapter in life I thought it would be fun to document what  happens!

                           This is my first blog and it will be a journey in figuring out how to blog
                                    and documenting exciting events that occur along the way.

      My first official post is about figuring out how to format and set my blog up just right so I can        begin sharing!