Monday, September 16, 2013

Life Between the Posts



I wanted to share a little bit more about pawpaws today.  The flesh is generally a bright orange, though some fruits have a paler, more yellow color.  They have many large seeds, covered in a casing which is also edible.



I've not found an easy way to work with the fruits.  It's just one of those messy jobs.  I peel them first, then cut away the flesh as close as I can to the seeds, as in the photo below.  The casing which surrounds the seeds is tougher than the flesh, and pretty slippery.  Sometimes I take the time to collect it along with the remaining flesh; other times not.  It depends how much time I have to devote to the task.  Today I've got my eye on a pawpaw pudding recipe, similar to a persimmon pudding.  If it ends up being a keeper, I'll be sure to share it.



Some time earlier this year, I took a class in stamping.  It was a simple, kind of elementary school version of making a stamp.  It was a great way to get my feet wet, and let me know I wanted to do more.  Last week, I created a stamp using the tutorials here.  As far as I can tell, she never did get around to posting Part 3, but with the photos in Part 2, you can pretty much figure it out.  The one mistake I made, which she does not mention, is the need to create the stamp in the inverse of what you want to stamp.  That's a sneak peek of my stamp below, along with the first stamp I made.  That stamp puts the heart on the left side of the image, which you can likely picture when you turn it over.  That was not what I was after, so I created a mirror image of what I did want.


It's been six months since I've made any new garden flowers.  I had put together several combinations of plates, but only got around to beginning them yesterday.


This time, I decided to create a few with winter themes. As you can see, they're not put together yet.


I'm loving this sweet snowman. It was Joseph's idea to use a button instead of a cabinet knob.  Love it!


As it turned out, I broke two plates during the drilling process yesterday. It happens.  Sometimes you can figure out a reason, and try something different the next time. Sometimes you can't.  Do you see the amber and copper collection in the photo below?  That was the flower I was most excited about making.  Deviled egg plates can be hard to come by, especially in colored glass.  They're typically the most expensive plates I buy for garden flowers.  The amber plate was one that cracked. It didn't break all the way across, but I'd be scared that with the first really cold days, it would finish the crack and break. So, I won't be selling that one.


Not long ago, I was asked if I would make a flower using someone's sentimental plate.  I pondered it, but it's one thing to break a plate I've purchased, another thing entirely to break someone's treasured piece.  Everything about it made me nervous, and the main reason I create things is to have fun, so I turned the job down.  I was sorry to disappoint, but sometimes you've just got to listen to that small voice inside, you know?  I know this post is a bit of a ramble here and there, but that's my life between the posts.  Have a great week, friends!

4 comments:

JLK Jewelry said...

Looks like you are having fun! Good call on the sentimental plate. those little voices know exactly what they are talking about:)

Laurie said...

I did struggle with that decision, Jennie. After yesterday, though, I was sure I'd made the right one.

cookingwithgas said...

The pawpaw fruit is interesting.
I had just a bit of a problem getting past the smell of the pawpaw.
It was interesting and reminded me of mango in taste and texture.
I now know what the seeds that animals are leaving in their scat is.
I knew it was not persimmon, too early. We must have these somewhere on the property.
It is a busy time.

Laurie said...

The pawpaws are quite fragrant, M. They can get to be a bit much when they're very ripe, for sure. Lucky you, to have them on your property. Look for them in the same places you'd expect to find persimmons... near the wood's edge.