Friday’s Pintresting Things…

This blog has had a heck of an evolution…. personal to health coach to fertility to yoga to wedding to health coach to yoga to life coach to crazy crafter to whatever happens to be be running through my mind at the moment. Most of the successful blogs I come across or subscribe to stay pretty much on topic.  It’s hard for a Scanner to stay on topic in relation to the rest of the non-Scanner world. It’s like adult project ADD.

I’ve given up on trying to keep this blog on topic.  This blog is really just me. Some days I want to be a wedding planner. Some days I want to make my own furniture. Some days I want to be an academic scholar. Some days I want to run a marketing company.  I’m always a tree hugger. I am always a politics junkie.  I’m always and Adirondack mountain girl caught up on the Jersey Shore. Little bit hippie. Little bit glam.

Lately, my brain has been occupied with phd programs, home buying, nesting, environmental politics, feminism, upcycling and of course, all things burlap.  It has been two years since I started planning our wedding and I am still obsessed with all things burlap and lace.  I love the contrast. The rough and the dainty. The sturdy and the delicate.  It’s a exactly like an Adirondack Jersey Girl. Two opposites, blending together to make something unique and awesome.

I have a few Burlap & Lace projects up my sleeve. I ordered a new ream of burlap and I still have a significant amount of vintage lace left over from the wedding (not to mention the doilies!). Here are some Pintresting things I plan on getting to…now that I’m not running a business. 🙂

First is the burlap wreath. This project I need to get done this weekend if I plan on putting the wreath to use for the Christmas season!

burlap monogram wreath

Second, a burlap Christmas tree!  This is going to look so cute by our entertainment center. I just pray that Stella doesn’t try to eat it!

DIY Burlap Christmas Tree

And last by not least, the Doiley Table Runner. I have been meaning to do this since Hubby and I got married.  Throughout our wedding planning process, I became vintage/antique obsessed. I knew I always had it in my, I think it’s genetic, but planning a wedding truly brought it to the surface.  I started collecting ball jars, carnival glass, lace scraps, boxes and crates and of course hand crocheted doilies. I collected close to 100 vintage doilies. Most of them are white, ecru, cream or tea dyed, but there are a few blue, orange and pink ones as well.  Currently, they’re tucked neatly away in a box in my father’s garage…that’s a pretty pitiful place for them to be! I finally went to the LBG offices to pick up my sewing machine so after December 20th, there’s no excuses left!  I should be able to make at least 10 table runners with what I have. I will be able to gift them or revive my etsy.com shop and sell them!

Wedding Doily Table Runner

I also plan on making some burlap and lace bunting/garland. If I get it done in time, it will go on the tree. If I don’t, I’ll find someplace else fabulous to display it.

P.S. don’t forget to   to see what I am obsessing over at the moment!

Four for Friday

I just decided to start a new thang.

Four for Friday.  Every Friday I’m going to post four things that I’m loving for the week.

Bliss Chaser. I got bliss!

First up is this crazy cute hat. It comes from a pretty amazing woman, Jac at ❤ All Things Bliss ❤  She’s a Vegas chick that is on a one woman mission to share bliss around the word one day at a time.  Her energy is infectious….like a bliss disease spreading positivity.  The amazing thing about Jac and her bliss movement is it isn’t just online. It’s out there in the real world! (Notice moi, wearing one of her got bliss? hats).  You should get a little bliss in your life. Check out her facebook page, follow her blog and get some bliss gear and tag yourself on her map.  The world needs more bliss!

Next up is my Mind Body Online Iphone App.  I literally check it every. single. day. morning, afternoon and evening trying to figure out where I’m going to sneak my next yoga class in. It has a few bugs, it’s not the most perfect app out there, but it’s the best to find local yoga classes. The one thing that I find frustrating, is studios that don’t use Mind Body software (they’re a yoga studio/spa scheduling software company) don’t come up in the ap. Usually I am not a fan of monopolies, but for the sake of my yoga practice, I wish every studio used this software so my app listings would be complete!

Juice it, blend it, sautee it, EAT IT!

Ok so number three is nothing new. We’ve had a love affair for a few years now. I’ve even introduced him to a few friends of mine. They mostly have a love hate relationship with him, it’s not the passionate love affair that we have. Yep. I’m talking about kale. Kale is one of the most healthy dark-leafy greens around. It’s almost like the super food of the cruciferous veggies. It’s packed with vitamins A, C, E and K, high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous and zinc. You may find him bitter, if you’re not used to eating him, but keep trying. You’ll learn to fall madly in love with him, just like me 🙂

Lastly, PINTREST. Don’t tell me you don’t know what it is. It’s vision board crack! I manage two accounts (it’s like having double the addiction), the ADK Jersey Girl pintrest boards (my own personal board) and the LBG pintrest board. When I first signed up for my ADK Jersey Girl account on Pintrest I had two thoughts….”why the hell didn’t I know about you when I was planning my wedding?!!?!!!!” and “wow, dudes actually use this?”  While I’m still a little bitter over the lack of pintrest during my wedding planning, from a social networking and marketing perspective, it’s brilliant. If you have a business, you should be on there.

Becoming a ‘Semi-DIY Bride’

I thought there were two types of brides in this world, the Do It Yourself Bride and the Buy It Yourself Bride.  I didn’t realize there were other options available until I started planning my own wedding and began to turn into Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee.

I love and hate Sandra Lee all at the same time. Her Semi-Homemade theory combines 70% ready made products with 30% fresh to make everyone believe you did it all from scratch.  How dare she fake fresh, home cooked food with packaged additives and preservatives?  The Health Coach and the traditionalist in me hates her for that. Then I see her cute little smile,  her carefully chosen menus, her perfectly coordinated colors, impeccable table scapes, and her pension for creating potent yet delicious cocktails and the wedding planner in me has to love her for it. Ultimately the wedding planner in me wins out over the health coach, just don’t tell the other Healthy Chicks.

I have these grandiose plans of DIY-ing everything. I am in awe of people like Mrs. Poodle and Mrs. Sewing wedding planning bloggers on The Wedding Bee. They blow my mind with their amazing hand made gowns, invitation designs, and hand crafted fabric bouquets (to mention only the tip of their ice berg of projects!).  I stay up late at night, scouring images of DIY projects and dreaming of how to incorporate them into our wedding.  Then I get anxty about the follow through.

I am  what I would like to call a hobby crafting collector. I like to start new, exciting and different crafting projects thinking it will become the hobby of choice only to move on to the next best thing. I move on for various reasons, most of which involves patience the other involves boredom. So far I’ve tried my had at paper crafting (even purchased a Criciut!), embossing, stamping, beading, jewelry making, paper making, card making, knitting, sewing, calligraphy, hoop making (started a business, turned a profit, then got bored with it and let it drift off into cyber neglect), chocolate making…. the list is truly endless.

This all adds up to me being the third type of bride out there, the Semi-DIY Bride. I almost have the skills, patience and follow through to be a true DIY bride, but not quite, I need to actually buy the hard stuff. Maybe as I move through my Semi-DIY projects I will gain more confidence and test the waters of the traditional DIY Bride. Only time will tell!

Are you a DIY Bride, a BIY Bride or a Semi-DIY Bride?

Sprouting Something!

I recently shared how to grow your own Sprouts in my Sprouting Wellness newsletter. The little article got such great reviews, I thought I would share it here! If my newsletter or this blog post prompted you to try growing your own sprouts, sent us an email so we can share it on the blog!

Growing Your Own Sprouts….

Bean Sprouts. I love them. While they’re mostly used in Asian cuisine, given their nutritional value I would like to advocate for their consumption in all cuisines including homemade soups and salads. Mung Bean Sprouts are power packed with pure forms of vitamins A, B, C, and E, in addition to an assortment of minerals including Calcium, Iron, and Potassium. One cup of mung bean sprouts contains only approximately 30 calories, 3 grams of protein, only 6 carbohydrates, and only .2 grams of fat. Sprouts also contain a high source of fiber, are easily digestible and contain a high concentration of enzymes facilitating the digestive process. Mung bean sprouts have a delightful crunch and mild flavor, which makes for an enjoyable snack experience, and are a welcome addition to many meals as an accompaniment or ingredient. While mung bean sprouts are available year round in the grocery store, it’s less expensive to grow them yourself!!

Growing sprouts in a jar

The easiest method is to grow sprouts in a glass canning jar. I have a collection of antique blue ball mason jars that I like to use. Any size jar will do. Sprouts need fresh air, cover the top of the jar with muslin, cheese cloth or nylon mesh screen and secure with a rubber band.

Step One: Soaking

For a quart-sized jar, put 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of small seeds (up to 1 cup if using larger seeds like green peas or garbanzo) in the sprouting jar. Cover top of jar with cloth or sprouting lid and rinse the seeds in warm (not hot) water. Drain and refill so that water is about an inch above the seeds. Let the seeds soak 8-12 hours (overnight). Protect from light by covering with a dish towel or placing in a cupboard.

Step Two: Rinsing

Rinse 2 to 3 times per day for 2 to 3 days. After thoroughly draining the rinse water, lay the jar on its side to spread out the seeds. Do not expose to light. After 2 to 3 days the sprouts should be filling up the jar.

Step Three: Removing Hulls

After 2 to 3 days the sprouts will have thrown off their hulls. To remove the hulls, place the sprouts in a bowl and run cool water over them. Most of the hulls will either float to the top or sink to the bottom making them easy to remove. (Note: not all seeds have hulls.)

Step Four: Harvesting

Rinse sprouts in cool water and remove any remaining hulls. Drain in a colander but do not allow the sprouts to dry out. Place in an air-tight bag leaving room for air circulation. If your sprouts need to develop chlorophyll or carotene there is one final step. (The seed package directions should tell you whether greening is necessary.)

Step Five: Greening

Once the hulls are removed, place the sprouts back into the sprouting jar or into a clear plastic airtight bag. Put the sprouts in indirect sunlight. It takes about a day for the chlorophyll and carotenes to develop. Once the sprouts are ready rinse, drain, and eat, or refrigerate.

Storing:

Sprouts will keep for about a week in the refrigerator if you rinse them once every day or two. Be sure to keep the sprouts from freezing as they are frost sensitive.

Seeds are easy to store. Put them an a glass jar with an air-tight lid and keep them in a cool, dark storage area. They will keep for a year or more. Now get sprouting! 🙂