Crow's Nest Primitive Shoppe

So much for barn cats...

2012-02-03T13:52:00.000-08:00

I have spoiled these kitens so much....warm fire, organic food and run of the house...so much for "barn cats"!!

Here's Bunny (no tail)

Here's Cocoa....they love eachother sooo much!

Sweet-Heart Gifts~

2012-01-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

Fun to make & Even better to Receive :)
crowsnestprimitiveshoppe.com
crowsnestprimitive.etsy.com
Happy Valentine's Day Shopping!!

Organic Eggs :)

2012-01-10T19:01:00.000-08:00

All five hens are finally laying.

2 Ameraucana's with blue eggs & 3 Wyandotte's with brown

So proud of my girls :)

New Goodies~

2011-12-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

Having fun coming up with new creations~ Here's my "Travel-size" Pure Candles.

Made with Pure Essential oils only.

And my New Amber-Patchouli solid perfume~ Also made with Pure Essential oils

Love how these came out too :)

Kittens for the Barn (yeah right)

2011-12-11T17:42:00.001-08:00

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon we decided to take a break from working at home and go for a nice drive to Cummington for lunch. We returned home with 2 free kittens that I convinced (myself) they would be "barn cats"Cocoa the "chocolate" kitty and Bunny the kitty with no tail.......it's amazing how little creatures can enrich your life :)

Bunny had wiry hair when we got her, but not anymore after a diet rich in omega's

Cocoa discovered my pumpkins and Bunny is always willing to get involved

They LOVE the wood pile~ so much fun :)

They LOVE the christmas tree even more!!

Can you see Both kittens??? Look hard :)

Where's my Pumpkins??

2011-11-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

The October storm hit us hard~ luckily we moved quickly and got the chicken coop located under the barn overhang and finished stacking our firewood in the garage. I'm still not ready for THIS tho!

Just because he loves to ski, still doesn't make this ok! tee hee

Cottage Garden 2011

2011-09-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

My Cottage Garden has turned into a Butterfly Garden!
The Monarch's love these purple flowers (wish I could remember what they were)I just sprinkled the seeds all over from last year~~ Whew! Got lots of them now :)

Here's what the garden looked like last month (the picture doesn't do the flowers justice)

I'm going to miss Summer~

Chickens in the Garden~

2011-09-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today the chickens found out where their beloved Broccoli comes from!!

I was putting in some fall crops when I thought I heard "Here it is guys!!!" coming from one of the chickens :)

Good thing I left these spent broccoli plants in the ground so they could have the leaves~

Guess they are finally tall enough to see what's edible.....I better hide the tomatoes :)

Chickens Love Tofu!

2011-08-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm a little obsessed with my birds~

Here they are at 12 weeks old, eating Tofu & Tomatoes from the garden~

Wondering why I'm taking pictures of them :)

Getting ready for bed

Sadly, "little Jerry" and "Pretty" are no longer with us......they'll be missed :(
"Pretty" suffered from crooked-beak and we had to make the decision to put her down and Jerry was killed by a coyote or fox when he wandered over the stone wall and into the woods......Horrible experience and now the girls are in "lock-down" unless they are by my side~

Chickpea & Hummus Salad

2011-08-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

The chickens are 10 weeks old now and for the last 10 weeks I haven't been able to cook chicken for supper!! Here's a chickpea salad recipe I came up with last night to go on top of our veggie burgers :)

Chickpea Hummus Salad

1 can Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) organic
8oz container Garlic Hummus (organic)
1/2 Cucumber -chopped (organic)
2 Celery stalks- chopped (organic)
1/4 Red onion- chopped (organic)
Season with black pepper & parsley

All my recipes are available on my RECIPE page of my website

http://www.crowsnestprimitiveshoppe.com/

My hubby can't wait until I start making him roasted chicken again, but as far as I'm concerned if I can get creative with "vegetarian" food then that's what we are going to have!
Enjoy eating w/out the guilt :)

Chicken Chat

2011-07-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

The chickens are going on 7 weeks old now and spend as much time as they can (if I'm home) exploring the yard!

Here's all 10 of them :)

They spotted me taking pictures and had to come check it out.

Here's "Angel" on the right....one of the sweetest and loves to be held

Now they're getting way to comfortable!

Notice Spooky way over to the right "Babysitting" They could care less that she watches them :)

Here's "Little Jerry" on the left. Pretty sure he's a boy :)

Here's Jerry trying to keep his balance

And now he's trying to escape the camera :)

Who invited YOU?!

2011-07-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to do a "photo-shoot" here and your not invited!!


Angel~ Get out of the picture!!!

The race is on.....there's Jerry on the right (or Gerry if he's a she??)

So much for getting my photo's done....these girls (and one boy) are too much :)

If I'm not taking pictures of them- I'm feeding them. They love broccoli from the garden. Good thing they're too short still to know where it is :)

And here's the Chicken Run

2011-06-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

The girls spent their first night in the coop~ Whooohooo!
Now MY house is "Chicken-Free"!

Built by THESHEDSMITH.COM in Wendell Mass


The run is fully wired, even on the bottom


The girls love it!! But wait...where's Sunny?

Here she is~ Taking her sweet time coming out of the coop

Maybe even "showing off"

So Cute :)

Chicken Coop

2011-06-24T06:19:00.000-07:00

We put the chicken coop in place under the birch tree for some shade. We had it built so that we could move it around with the tractor. The run will be attached and also be removable.

My coop was custom built by the owner of theshedsmith.com
A company in Wendell Mass that uses locally milled lumber and reclaimed windows for coops, sheds etc. Wonderful to work with and would highly recommend!

More pics coming soon :)

Chicks First "Run Around on Your Own" Outing

2011-06-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

The girls were behaving themselves...enjoying the freedom of green grass without any confinement until one of them found a Worm!
Then it turned into "Chase the Chicken with the Worm!!!"

Watch Out!

Another close call!

Aw!!! Gray chick swiped it and now they're heading for the front of the house

Where did she go? Hiding in the ferns maybe?!!

Busted! Now the worm's been swiped from her too.......Back around the house they go!

Too Funny :)

Chicks First Outing

2011-06-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

All the girls went outside today to enjoy the sunshine :)

Even Spooky!

Spooky & the Chicks~

2011-06-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

Spooky is enjoying her new sisters too!!!

Here she is giving one a big smooch :)

I wonder what she's REALLY thinking!

Baby Chicks

2011-06-03T08:05:00.001-07:00

They're HOME!
I just picked up my new chicks from the post office! After a lot of research I decided to have my chicks hatched from a company called insideyolk.com I didn't want anything to do with those large hatcheries that horrifically kill chicks in ways that I won't mention....

So here they are~

5 Blue laced red Wyandottes and 5 Americana's (they lay blue eggs)

Soon after they went in our homemade brooder, I took each chick and gently put it's beak in the water. They all got the hang of it after that. Because they've been in a box for 2 days, I put a few drops of flower essence "rescue remedy" in the water to help them recover from stress. They also have organic chick starter with some dried nettle leaves. This is sprinkled on the paper towels as well as in a dish so they have things to pick at :) So far so good!

Here's some pictures of the brooder~

I don't know how I'm going to get any work done today~~~~ So exciting :)

Backyard RAINBOW

2011-05-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

I just snapped a shot of this beautiful rainbow in our backyard......

it's a sign of encouragement, especially after all this rain :)

Bee Skeps are Back in Stock~~~Again!

2011-05-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

Just received another shipment~ Boy are these popular!!


Not sure how long I'll be able to order these...Get'em while you can :)

http://www.crowsnestprimitiveshoppe.com

Cottage Garden Potpourri

2011-05-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

I just finished making a large batch of Cottage Garden Potpourri that's heading to Australia!!

This customer wants so much of it that I had to use one of my super large antique bowls to mix it all up~ So much love and attention went into these organically grown flowers.......so nice to see them travel to Australia to bring even more joy! It's the little things that get me choked up :)

POTTERY SALE

2011-04-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

We're building shelves in the new barn to store the pottery~ which is a good excuse to have a POTTERY Sale!! All in-stock handthrown primitive pottery is 15% off~
http://www.crowsnestprimitiveshoppe.com

Offer good until May 14th
doesn't include special orders or backorders-
just the pottery in-stock.
http://www.crowsnestprimitiveshoppe.com

Bee Skeps

2011-04-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

My Bee Skeps are back in Stock!
BUT, I just found out that they will be unavailable soon. So, I'm stocking up for my customers~ Bee Skeps are not easy to find!!

If only I had fields of straw~ I'd weave these myself :)
Just Kidding~ think I have my hands full as it is!

Spooky are you Nuts?!

2011-04-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

Look who jumped INTO the wood stove when I turned my back to get more kindling~~

and then she made herself at home in there...........and had to be pulled out!!

Chosen for Country Sampler HOME Tour Edition~

2011-03-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

My hand-thrown primitive pottery was chosen to be featured in Country Sampler Magazine HOME TOUR Edition ~ AGAIN this year!!

YEAH!!

Strawberries Anyone?

2011-03-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

Here's my New Strawberries & Cream Soy Candle~

Guess I'm jumping past Spring and going straight for Summer :)

Hand-thrown Colander with Strawberries of course :)

My favorite fruit~ I plan on making a raised bed to grown my own organic strawberries this year. Can't believe we just paid $6 for a container at the supermarket~

Spoiled Spooky

2011-02-23T17:16:00.000-08:00

Normally Spooky doesn't come into my office/workspace but tonight she was desperate for my attention~ So she did all her cute little tricks that got her noticed and after she climbed onto my drying racks (good thing I just emptied all my dried flowers into a jar or she would be in big trouble) I took these pictures.

My white roses that I got for Valentine's Day are drying~ can't waste good flowers :)

my new kraft labels on my herb jars~ now I can read what's in there

I was soo excited when I found these circle kraft paper labels on-line. They are the perfect size for my herb jars! I just printed the names on the labels and added a cute bee skep and now my herb jars aren't an "Eye-Sore" anymore. YEAH!!

New Baby Powder Candle

2011-02-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

My New "BABY POWDER" candle was actually a request from my aunt. The scent of baby powder reminds her of my late grandmother and she asked me to make her a candle so that she could remember...... My pleasure Deb :)

BABY Powder Soy Candle

Roasted Tomato & Sausage Casserole

2011-02-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

Being cooped up in the house has gotten me caught up on my candle & tart orders~~~yeah! I've also come up with a few new recipes that I've shared on my website's RECIPE page :)

Fire Roasted TOMATO & SAUSAGE Casserole

1lb Sweet Italian Sausage (remove casings)
28oz can Fire Roasted diced Tomatoes- organic
4 Potatoes- organic (diced)
1 medium Onion- organic
1 green Pepper- organic
4-5 mushrooms- organic
6 cloves chopped garlic- organic
Italian spices (oregano, thyme, fennel, basil) organic
salt & pepper
1 Buttermilk Biscuit container (found an all natural one at whole foods)

Cooking Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350
On stove-top, start browning the sweet Italian sausage in olive oil
Add diced onion, pepper, mushrooms & garlic
Add 1/3 of the seasonings plus some salt & pepper
Stir and finish browning meat mixture
Layer the diced potato on top
Add 1/3 of the seasonings plus some salt & pepper
Layer the entire can of fire roasted tomatoes on top of the potatoes
Add remaining seasonings
Cover and place in oven for 1 hour or until the potatoes are tender

Remove from oven and layer the biscuits on top. Sprinkle with a little seasoning and return to oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the biscuits are browned.

*I turn the broiler on in the last few minutes to get the biscuits golden brown- just make sure you watch them so they don't burn!

ENJOY~~~ We Did :)

New England Recreation

2011-02-01T17:02:00.000-08:00

His job is to shovel 3 feet of snow off of the car barn....

My job is to call 911 if he falls off....

All Natural AMBER~

2011-01-30T16:25:00.000-08:00

Been working all weekend on some Huge orders (thank-you) and there seems to be a "Pamper-Yourself" theme. Besides the typical candle orders, my bath salts, splashes & perfumes are Really popular lately! I think with all this cold & snowy weather, we're craving something that makes us feel good :)

Amber & Vanilla SPLASH

For me, that scent is Amber. I can remember being in a health food store with my mother when I was a kid and she let me pick out whatever perfume I wanted....I chose Amber and still LOVE it!


Amber Body Butter

Pure Amber Perfume

The reason I made my Amber bath salts, splashes & perfumes is because I have made them for myself for years and wanted to share.

Patchouli Amber Bath Salts

Don't wait until Valentine's day to pamper yourself.
You deserve it everyday :)

Buffalo Shepherd's Pie

2011-01-25T18:45:00.000-08:00

I created a new recipe tonight that came out so Yummy I added it to my RECIPE page on the website!

Organic Buffalo Shepherd's Pie

1 lb ground Buffalo (or grass-fed Hamburg from a "happy cow")
1 chopped organic onion
1 chopped organic pepper (optional)
1 chopped organic carrot (optional)
5 chopped organic garlic cloves
1 eight oz. carton cream of mushroom soup-organic (or canned)
1 bag organic frozen corn (or 2 cans)
3-4 handfuls organic shredded cheddar cheese
5 small organic red potatoes-slice 1/4 inch (or fewer large ones)
organic spices: parsley, thyme, onion powder,pepper, sea salt (whatever you like)

In casserole dish, saute onion, pepper, carrot and garlic in olive oil until slightly tender. Add ground buffalo plus 1/2 of seasonings and saute everything together until buffalo is browned. Add cream of mushroom soup, stir. Layer the frozen corn on top of the meat & veggie mixture. Then layer the potatoes on top of the corn neatly so they cook evenly. Sprinkle the rest of the seasonings on top of the potatoes. Cover and cook for 1 hour or until the potatoes are done. Remove from oven, take off lid and put under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top of the potatoes. When the potatoes are brown, sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top and let that broil until the cheese bubbles and is slightly browned.

Serve with a fresh tossed salad......mmmmmmm

I like to feed my family buffalo instead of hamburg because the buffalo are free ranged and are able to live a healthier life...which must make them "happier" and I'd rather be part of happy farming :)

Flowers in the Dead of Winter~

2011-01-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to posting my globe amaranth and celosia on my website. Guess I don't want to part with them :)

Sweet Annie, Celosia, Peonies, & Pink Globe Amaranth

My dried Zinnia's Peonies & Globe Amaranth

Here's some extra flower bunches that I use for my melting tarts & potpourri. Looking all "nice & neat" just waiting for me to get my grubby (beeswax & spice caked) fingers on them :)

Hearts & Potpourri

2011-01-22T13:44:00.000-08:00

Been working on a big (fun) order all day and I thought these cottage garden hearts came out so pretty that I should take a picture of them~

In the summer I try to dry as many blossoms so that they can be enjoyed even in the DEAD of winter :)

Here we go Again!

2011-01-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

More SNOW plus freezing rain....lovely.

I stuck my arm out of the house to get a shot of the wild turkey's flying in from the trees.
Poor things can't walk in the snow so they roost in the trees, fly down for some seed and then fly back up again. It seems like so much wasted energy!

Blizzard

2011-01-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

Looking out our windows today, I've counted over 30 wild turkey's roosting in the trees, gobbling and waiting for their lunch. Every once and a while one flies down to the bird feeder but can't get to the seeds (there's over 20 inches of snow on the ground) they stand there dumb-founded and then fly back up. Hubby can't stand it anymore, he's off to the barn to get the tractor out and plow some trails for the bird seed. Even the wild turkey's are spoiled here :)

ps. I never saw that many turkey's roosting in the trees before........pretty freaky!

Home Office Re-Do

2011-01-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

It's been a wonderful year at the Crow's Nest Primitive Shoppe and I've had to make some changes to keep up with my Retail & Wholesale orders~ Yeah!

Besides doing paperwork in my teeny tiny home office, I've had to utilize this space to work on my candles, tarts, soaps, and everything else that I can make while I'm home~ Here's some pictures of my work space~


Cabinet Closed

Cabinet Open


Love my Jingle Bells

And my Fabric

Twine, Twine, Twine

Teeny Tiny doorway~

Notice the doorway is only 18 inches across.
What were they thinking in 1783 when this place was built :)

New Herbal BATH SALTS~

2010-12-15T18:51:00.000-08:00

Aaaah made some new Bath Salts today.......of course I'll have to make more tomorrow because I'm keeping them All for myself :)


Patchouli-Amber bath salts

Rosewood-Lavender bath salts

Eucalyptus-Mint bath salts

Tis the Basket Season~

2010-12-09T15:47:00.000-08:00

I'm the dedicated "Basket-Maker" at the shop. Both the Herbarium and Crow's Nest shop. I've been making gift baskets for years & love it! Each one is unique and usually has its own challenges. Most of the time I'm in the back room, a frenzy of tissue, ribbon & blow dryer in hand, getting the basket just right while the customer is browsing the shop :)

I Love my Job :)

Refresher Oils

2010-11-30T18:54:00.000-08:00

Refresher Oils are now available on all my Potpourri's

Vanilla Bee Potpourri

Forest Potpourri

Primitive Pear Potpourri


Noel Potpourri

Orange Pomander Potpourri

After requests from customers, I'm offering my blended oils in 5ml bottles on the potpourri pages of my website. Why didn't I think of this sooner :)

Bulbs Have Arrived!

2010-11-22T05:32:00.000-08:00

Soooo excited to get my fall bulbs delivered!!
Most of these will be planted in the new cottage garden~ The tulips are in different shades of purple with reds, yellow & salmon blended in. There's tons of purple & red alliums too. Plus I'm going to do a mass planting of crocus's in the front lawn~ Whoohoo!

Can't wait until the "show" this Springtime :)

New Candle Lights~

2010-11-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

I've come up with a few new designs for my Candle Lights~ One of my wholesale companies requested a variety....so here they are :)

Lavender CandleLight

Prim Holiday CandleLight

Spice Cupboard CandleLight

Plus a Primitive CandleLight, Sweet Annie CandleLight, Pumpkin CandleLight & Winter CandleLight are on my website~ Enjoy :)

Scented Geranium Harvest

2010-10-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

I harvested the last of the Rose Geraniums!

All this from only 2 plants. I got 7 large bunches hung in the barn. When they're dried I'll strip the leaves and store them for my Geranium Potpourri.
Love, Love, Love Scented Geraniums :)

BEAR!

2010-10-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

Look who came to visit~

New Double-Wick Candles~

2010-10-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

Just made these large soy candles that take 2 wicks. Here's my Vanilla with Sweet Annie blossoms sprinkled on top~ Smells Wonderful!

Holiday Votive Candles

2010-10-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

These are my new Holiday Votive Candles. So far I've made them with my Winterberry scent, Pine Needle, Noel & Country Christmas. LOVE THEM!

Sweet Annie Harvest

2010-10-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

I harvested some Sweet Annie & Coxcomb from the gardens tonight~ Mmmm smells Wonderful!

Looks like the deer are bedding down in the Sweet Annie patch.
I don't mind tho, they must love it too :)

Primitive PEAR~

2010-10-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by these sweet little gourds to create my New PRIMITIVE PEAR goodies~

Primitive PEAR melting tarts

Primitive PEAR Potpourri


Packaged Primitive Pear Potpourri

PHEW......Beautiful to look at, but hard to say :)

Bunches in the Barn

2010-09-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting to do this for many months....hang the bunches of herbs & flowers in the new barn. Ahhhhhhhhh finally :)

I took this shot on the upper level


Here's the view of the lower level of the loft-the trees are just starting to turn colors~


Drying are Hydrangeas, Sage, Basil, Anise Hyssop & of course More Mints!

Falltime Flower Bouquets

2010-09-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a collection of flowers & herbs that I just cut from the gardens and started bunching. A mixture of Mints, Rudbeckia, Sweet Annie, Artemesia & Zinnias~

Now I'm off to put a bunch of nails in the new barn and start hanging these beauties :)

Busy as a BEE!

2010-08-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's only half way through the week and I've made Hundreds of Tarts & Cakes already~ AWESOME :)

GIVE-AWAY~

2010-08-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

Out-Of-The-Box Sampler is having a GIVE-AWAY with my Crow's Nest Goodies!

You Could WIN!!!

Details at outoftheboxsampler.blogspot.com

New FALL-TIME Candles~

2010-08-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

Still making Lots of Candles :)
Here's some of my Newest Scents~

~ FALL-TIME BITTERSWEET Soy Candle~

~ BONFIRE MARSHMALLOWS Soy Candles ~

~BONFIRE MARSHMALLOWS in both sizes ~

Sponsoring "Out of The Box Sampler"!!

2010-08-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

The Crow's Nest is the proud sponsor of "Out of the Box Sampler" for the month of August!

I made hundreds of goodies that go into the sampler boxes!
Plus dozens of Large Size Products as well!
Go buy your box before they've sold out~ http://www.outoftheboxsampler.com

Here's some of the items I made for Out of The Box Sampler :)

Brown Sugar Scrub

Black Cherry Melting Tarts

Blueberry Muffin Potpourri

Natural Pillow Sprays

Organic Lavender Salve

Plus MUCH MORE!!

Herbal PILLOWS

2010-07-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

Made with a blend of organic herbs including Lavender, Lemonbalm, Mugwort, Chamomile, Mint & Rose.

My "Herbal Pillows" are the perfect size to tuck under your pillow at night. Enjoy the wonderful aroma of soothing herbs~

Crazy making Candles!!

2010-07-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

Whoohoo~ This week has been FUN!!
Web Orders, Gardening & LOTS of Candle Making :)
I get so excited about my new scents & I'm trying really hard to get into the "Fall" mood. I can't believe I'm selling NOEL candles in July :)

There's more candles & tarts coming soon~~

Snazzy Zucchini Bread

2010-07-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

I was just about to bring one of my freshly baked zucchini breads over to the neighbors when I decided it needed a little "something". So I snipped off a tansy leaf and turned it into a stencil~ Sprinkled on some powdered sugar & now they are Pretty too :)

Zucchini Bread

2010-07-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

It happened again!! I went out into the lower field to weed the Pumpkin & Squash Patch and found some GIANT zucchini's lurking under there! How did they get away from me? They were tiny just the other day :) Thank goodness it rained today and I am able to make a bunch of Yummy Zucchini Breads!

Here's my ZUCCHINI BREAD recipe~

• 3 1/4 cups organic white-wheat flour (king Arthur brand)
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground organic cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground organic clove
• 1 teaspoon ground organic ginger
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger root chopped very fine
• 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups organic sugar
• 1 cup organic canola oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 1 teaspoon organic lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, clove, ginger powder & chopped ginger, plus sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Spray your choice of pan with nonstick spray. Loaf pans will take about 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Muffins take about 25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

Stevia can be substituted for sugar. Stevia is an herb that doesn't effect blood sugar and has 0 calories. Just follow the directions on the package to substitute for sugar~

New Cottage Garden

2010-07-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

We had this patch of grass near the driveway that was "Calling-Out" to be a Cottage Garden.

(Of course I was the only one that heard this calling)

To me this area was just an ugly, useless piece of grass that had to be mowed every week and did nothing for me~ So when the escavator was here finishing up work for the new barn I tossed out the idea of scraping up that grass section for me. After that was done, my sweety took the tractor on many, many trips to the neighbors farm. He filled this space up with composted manure~ and then tilled it. YIPPEE!!!!!
(I should mention that we discovered the old gravel driveway under here..yikes)
And of course I did the dirty work of picking out a gazillion (or more) rocks and spreading all that manure~ Yes, I was still very excited!!

Here's a picture of the patch being worked on ~

Here's one month Later~

My pictures don't do the flowers justice, but it gives an idea of how it looks. I love to come sit here for a few minutes in the morning before work. Spooky usually follows me and munches on the assortment of cat mints while we both watch the barn swallows swoop into the car barn.

I'll take more pics as the seasons change and everything gets full~ Just wanted to share this garden because I know there's lots of us that have patches of boring grass that we'd love to turn into something Magical, but just need the Gentle Push :)

Baby Barn Swallow

2010-06-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

After returning this little guy back into the nest TWICE already, (with gloves) I was minding my own business, watering the garden when I looked up and here he was "attempting" to fly right towards me, with his mother chasing him!! He zig-zagged back and forth and then ended up in the radish patch.

Soooo cute!!
We love having the barn swallows live here every year! They are very amusing :)

Late PEONY Harvest

2010-06-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

Just harvested these "late" Pink Peonies~ All of these blooms are from only 2 plants (and there's over 40 left) that are growing on the north side of the house so they bloom much later than the other peonies. I'll make bouquets with most of them and dry the rest~

Mmmmmmm they smell Wonderful!!

Monarchs

2010-06-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

The Monarch Butterfly's are hatching in the back field and flying all over the yard~~ Love them!

Green & Lush

2010-05-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

Just got home from work and thought I'd take a pic at how GREEN everything is!

And in my planter near the mailbox I've got a "Red theme" going on with this large dahlia and red verbenas~

Soooo Happy Spring is Here!!

Patchouli Power

2010-05-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

Must be the "Flower Child" in me!!
Here's some of my NEW Patchouli Goodies~

~Patchouli & Amber Soy Candles~

~Patchouli, Lavender & Orris Root Bags~
PEACE :)

Trial size PERFUME

2010-05-08T19:15:00.000-07:00

While the sun briefly came out today I was able to get a few shots of my new trial size Perfume~ Love Em!

New "Cottage" Candles

2010-05-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

Finished my New COTTAGE Candles today!
I made these in Cucumber-Melon scent~ Yum :)

Here's my larger sized Cottage Candles

NEW "Cottage Collection"

2010-04-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

I decided to put together a collection of natural products that I've been making for myself for years and thought it was time to share~

I gave the packaging a soft, clean, more personal look and call it my "Cottage Collection"

So far I've got my Natural roll-on Perfumes & my Natural solid Perfumes posted. Soon I'll be posting my Pure Pillow Sprays, Herbal Pillows & New Cottage Pottery Candles.

I Love em All & am super Excited to offer them!!!

Catnip MICE ~

2010-04-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

I recently had these Catnip MICE made with our own Organic Catnip. They came out ADORABLE!!

Spooky Loves hers!

Amber Rose Roll-On

2010-04-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

Working on some of my NEW "Cottage Collection" items today. It's much more peaceful to be working out of my home office~ Thought I'd give a "Sneak Peak" of what I'm doing~

Here's my New Amber Rose Roll On Perfume. They'll be available in Sample & Regular size. Made with Pure Amber oil, Rosewood & Rose Absolute oil! Very Feminine & Beautiful~~

Much More to Come within a few weeks & I'll be supplying samples to the Out of The Box Sampler Company again!

Primitive Pottery VOTIVES

2010-04-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

Just finished pouring these Soy Wax Votives in my new Primitive Pottery!
They came out GREAT!

Promise of Spring~

2010-03-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

The Snowbells are popping their little heads up. Even in this dreary freezing rain. THANK-YOU!

~~FROSTY~~

2010-02-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

This guy better not come to Life!

I keep checking out the window to make sure he's still where I left him :) He's HUGE & Very HEAVY~ but sooo Adorable!

Snowed In!

2010-02-24T12:16:00.000-08:00

HOMEBOUND in the Hilltown!!
Almost 2 feet of snow has fallen here! Phew~ Besides the never ending Shoveling & Bringing in Firewood, I had time to take some pics of my new (old) mini hutch for the living room~ We found it in Vermont a few weeks ago.
Love it!

Old & Beat Up- Just how I like it.

And Here's a shot of the Dining Room with my "Newer" plate rack.
Love that too~

Good to be Home :)

Handmade CATNIP CAT BEDS~

2010-02-19T18:04:00.001-08:00

I got my New Catnip CAT BEDS in today & they Look GREAT!!
Sprinkled with our Organic Catnip~
Your cat will Thank-You :)

Berry Cobbler~

2010-02-10T10:23:00.001-08:00

I've had this "Cobblers & Crumbles" book for a few years and finally I took the time to make one of the Recipes in the book~

~*~Blueberry & Lemon Polenta Cobbler~*~

Made with Organic Berries, Lemon Zest & Polenta, came out SUPER YUMMY!!

This book is worth getting!! Even if you just look at the Pictures :)

NEW 16ounce Soy Candles~

2010-01-29T16:17:00.000-08:00

After Many requests~ I've finally started making Bigger Soy Candles! Thanks for the "Pressure" I'm so glad to be able to offer a choice in candle sizes!!

I'm burning my New "Country Cupboard" in our Living room right now~ Wick is burning great, wax is melting perfectly across and the "Throw" is Strong! Yeah!!!

Think I'll offer the most popular scents for now and eventually offer All the scents that are available in the 8oz. Here's Vanilla & Primitive Home 16oz.

Here's Vanilla~ Super Yummy!

And here's "Primitive-Home" a Very Popular scent at the Crow's Nest!

~New PRIM Valentines~

2010-01-26T18:44:00.000-08:00

I'm Excited about my NEW "Prairie-ROSE" Collection!!

A blend of Antique Rose with a touch of sweet Vanilla in each of my new "Prairie-Rose" Goodies~

Prairie Rose Cakes

Prairie Rose Soy Candle

Prairie Rose Melting Tarts

Sunflowers in January

2010-01-20T19:01:00.000-08:00

After a Long day at the Shop~ I came home to a Wonderful Surprise of SUNFLOWERS!

Aaaaaaahh :)

Dried Clementines~

2010-01-12T07:24:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year for Clementines~
They are abundant in all the grocery stores now and pretty reasonably priced. Besides being Yummy, Clementines are very easy to dry. I dry the peels on the ones that we are going to eat, and for the fruit that's gotten older, I will dry them whole.

I'll layer the clementines on a tray and place them near the woodstoves. Very rustic! Once they are completely dried, store them in a glass jar.

These look beautiful in my NEW Lavender-Mandarin Potpourri!!

Wild Turkey Invasion

2010-01-01T12:15:00.000-08:00

And there they Go...

I counted 32 this visit. They were close to the house a few minutes ago and of course the battery died in my camera....didn't take long before their bellies were full and they were running across the field again.

Besides eating all the Sunflower seeds in the yard, these wild turkey's have discovered their reflection in the truck bumper and they can't get enough of themselves!!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T10:28:00.001-08:00

After a dusting of snow, this turned out to be a Beautiful New Years Day! And a Beautiful Anniversary for me & my Honey :)

A Perfect day to light the wood stoves and stay indoors~

The fire has been lit in our new Bedroom wood stove and of course I had to fill the Melting Pot w/ my Forest Melting Tarts. Spooky has made her way to the fire too and now she's in her little bed right in front and I don't expect her leave that spot all day :)

Happy New Years Everyone!

Christmas Trees are Up~

2009-12-06T19:19:00.000-08:00

Now I have to fill the bottom up w/ Presents!!

This one came out Really Cute~

1st SNOW!

2009-12-06T16:36:00.001-08:00

What a Winter Wonderland!

I hung the last of the Cedar Garland over the front door yesterday~ just in time for the snow to arrive!

I went with minimal "fresh" decorations but lots of twinkle white lights~ Looks spectacular at night :)

Where's the CatMint??

2009-12-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

Where's my CatMint ??
After laying around for a few weeks in the house, Spooky ventured out yesterday to get a "bite" of her favorite plant. Boy was she shocked to find nothing but a bunch of brown sticks! Winters coming Spooky!

She's all about being in the spot-light :)

Black Friday SALE

2009-11-23T19:29:00.000-08:00

~BLACK FRIDAY SALE!!!~
SAVE 20% off your ENTIRE Web Order
November 27th thru November 30th

Type in the COUPON CODE
BLK09
and Receive 20% off!
crowsnestprimitiveshoppe.com

Plus FREE Gift Wrap~ Just Request it when checking out~

Rosehip Harvest

2009-11-22T13:06:00.000-08:00

It was a Beautiful Sunday here at the Homestead! Between the chores of stacking wood & clearing brush, I snuck off to harvest some Rosehips~ That can be a painful job too...but rewarding in the end :)

Here's what I collected and bunched today. I thought the color of the Rosehips look great against the ornamental Kale on the table~ Here's another Kale that has gotten HUGE!

Love the Color~

New Home for White Sage

2009-11-18T12:40:00.000-08:00

Harvested the last of the White Sage today and it looks beautiful drying on top of my old Herb Hutch.

When the Sage is dried I'll just lay the bunches loosely on top of each other inside the hutch. The smaller pieces will be placed in jars and used as needed.

White Sage is a sacred herb used by the Native Americans for purifying and cleaning. The leaves are burned like incense and wrapped in bundles called "smudge sticks". At our herb shop we've sold smudging herbs for years and used them in our homes as well. My White Sage is grown without chemicals and is harvested respectfully in my garden. I always give thanks to the plants and appreciate their healing qualities.

Here's a jar of Pineapple Mint on the left and White Sage on the right~
I'm considering selling some bunches of white sage on my website, I can't possibly use all of it myself :)

Black Friday SALE

2009-11-17T20:06:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in "Black Friday Cyber Sale" on November 27th thru November 30th
The Crow's Nest is offering 20% OFF your Entire Web Order plus FREE Gift Wrapping!
Just type in the code BLK09 when checking out to receive this Discount!

My RED Saltbox

2009-10-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

I found the PERFECT red for our Saltbox house! Old Century paint makes a beautiful deep historical red called Savannah red. We're trying to get the house finished before it gets too cold~ running out of time! It actually snowed here yesterday- yikes! I took some pics today when I was doing yard work. The windows aren't finished, they will be red also and we have some hardware for the doors that was made from a local blacksmith. Here's the house so far~

This is the side of the house and the windows still need to be painted red.

When we moved here three years ago all that was growing near the back door was a few daffodils and grass. So here's my temporary "Herb Garden" that I started as soon as I got the keys to this place :) I dug the grass out and planting sages, lavenders and lots of foxgloves. It gave me the feeling of HOME and the hope of what was to come~

Outside my backdoor~ I leaned a bunch of corn stalks with the husks pulled back to expose the corn (I don't know why more people don't do that~ you get to see the golden kernels...looks so much better) and then I tucked some bittersweet in and plopped a few large pumpkins at the bottom. Very simple but looks great against the house :)

Lots and Lots of work outside this time of year. Today I was the leaf blowing queen! I love that job - it's like vacuuming outdoors and I get obsessed with it! LOL I've also been trying to keep my gardens going. I planted lettuces and swiss chard early this fall for salads and to keep the garden looking colorful as long as I possibly can. The snow didn't help my zinnias and squashes tho. They ended up in the compost today. I should have cut the zinnia blossoms a few days ago when I was tempted, but I'm throwing a birthday party for my sweety next week and I thought the zinnias would still look beautiful. Not so beautiful now :) Here's some zinnias and other flowers I am drying in my racks up in my home office. The doorway to my office is tiny and I had some shelves put in from our old barn boards to hold my drying racks. The perfect place- dark with plenty of air circulating.

Walk thru the doorway and these racks are to the right~

Fall Decor at the Homestead~

2009-10-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

I've been Fall Cleaning and doing some Prim Decorating at the house~
Here's the Dining room

And here's one of my Kitchen walls. These jack-o-lanterns are really cute with my flicker lights in them~

Waxed & Spiced Corn Cobs

The Mud Room hutch with an adorable Spider & Spooky jar made by Art Pod Studios on Etsy~

Front Hallway~
I have my Bird nest & egg collection in this hutch. Looks great w/ flicker lights inside :)

Gotta have the Candycorn & Sunflower Ornies displayed too~

Keeping it simple in the Master Bedroom~

Since when has Spooky been camera shy??

Sweet Annie Time!

2009-10-07T18:22:00.001-07:00

Aaaah the Sweet Annie is ready to ship~ Lots of customers waiting for this very important "Prim-Staple"

What a Day! I was outside in this crazy windstorm cutting and bunching Orange Mint and Pineapple Mint, trying to get it in the house before the sky opened up :)
All of a sudden I've got all these requests for cut herbs~

Tomorrow I get to cut the Rose Geranium for an order (the jeeps going to smell awesome on my way into the shop) and I also need to start filling orders for Bittersweet & Rosehips. Better wear long sleeves, those Roships are brutal :)

Straw BEE SKEPS with Hole

2009-09-10T14:31:00.001-07:00

I just had these straw Bee Skeps made with a hole in the front. They came out GREAT!
Here's some pictures I took tonight when I got home. Think I'll keep one for my own Garden~

Orange Mint

2009-09-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

Heading out the door this morning I gathered some Orange Mint for a Customer's order
Looked so good in my canvas bag that I had to take a picture :)
Smells Incredible!!!!

Pumpkin Candle Lights

2009-09-02T19:14:00.001-07:00

I just made these New Pumpkin-Spice Candle Lights~ Super Cute!!

They run on two AA batteries and have an LED flicker light. I dip them in beeswax and Prim them up with tons of spices and then scent them with my Pumpkin Spice fragrance. I also add a sprig of Sweet Annie and a mini "pumpkin" tied w/ homespun.

I like displaying these "No-flame" candles in my cupboards and window sills. Don't have to worry about anything catching on fire :)

Globe Amaranth Harvest

2009-08-20T17:51:00.001-07:00

The Globe Amaranth is Looking Good! I grew a variety of colors this year~ maybe I'll just sell them as "mixed bunches" Much easier than having to separate them:)

As I was picking these tonight, 6 large male turkey's came out of the field and were walking around the yard. Here they are in this top picture. Guess they aren't threatened by me being out here!

These Globe Amaranth are going to be used for potpourri, the rest I'll bunch & hang to dry.

Sweet Annie & Beeswax Melts

2009-08-18T15:14:00.001-07:00

Made LOTS of Sweet Annie goodies today! They are all made with dark beeswax, vanilla fragrance and Sweet Annie blossoms~

It's that time of year again & everyone wants Melts and Candles! Besides my Retail orders, my Wholesale orders are Keeping me super busy! Looks like people are starting to stock up and get excited about the upcoming fall :) I really enjoy making all of these goodies for everyone! I completely loose track of time~

I've also donated to September's Out of the Box Sampler
outoftheboxsampler.com
For a low price you can get samples of handmade goodies from all different artists and craft-people :) That's a lot of fun too~ I make stuff for a hundred boxes!

Ps.
I'll have lots of dried Sweet Annie bunches available in September too~ Stay tuned:)

Snapdragons

2009-08-13T16:55:00.001-07:00

Maybe Someday I'll Have an Entire Field of Snapdragons ~*~

Nacho's Anyone?

2009-08-12T16:44:00.001-07:00

Another drive home with supper on my mind....something easy, something yummy, something comforting....Nachos!! And of course Fresh guacamole goes PERFECT with Nachos!

The first time I made guacamole was just a few months ago. My step-dad was going on vacation and he gave me a few avocados that he didn't want to go to waste...So I came up with this recipe (all on my own ~~ ok, its ridiculously easy) and I think it's worthy of sharing :)

Andrea's Guacamole Recipe

2 Avocados
1 Medium tomato
1 Lime ( Key Lime if available)
1/2 Red onion
Handful of fresh Cilantro
Crushed Sea Salt & Pepper

Peel, pit and Mush up the Avocados. Chop the tomato, onion and cilantro. Squeeze the lime and gently mix all together. Season with crushed sea salt & pepper. Super Easy & Super Delicious!

Cilantro is a beautiful herb that I grow in the vegetable & flower gardens. I'll use the fresh leaves when the plant is young for cooking and I also enjoy the delicate white flowers that it has as it goes to seed. The seed are called "coriander" seeds. Those are used in pickling spice~ It's really Two Herbs in One!

And of course this is the time of year to make salsa because the tomatoes are ripening. I have a few golden cherry tomato plants that reseeded themselves from last year. They decided to grow in the White Sage section and of course when they are "surprises" I let them grow where they want :)

Easy Nachos to go with your Guacamole~
Brown hamburg or ground turkey w/ taco seasoning, place in the middle of a plate, top w/ cheddar cheese and then surround that with chopped lettuce and tomatoes from the garden. Scoop everything up with blue organic corn chips and top with sour cream, salsa and that Yummy Guacamole you just made! They'll think you slaved over this dish :)

Crunchy Dill Potato Salad

2009-08-10T18:49:00.001-07:00

Lots of Dill, Celery & Lots of Cucumbers in the Garden~ so I decided to come up with a potato salad recipe that uses all of them :)

Crunchy Dill Potato Salad

8 Medium Gold or Red Potatoes (please use Organic-lots of pesticides are used on potatoes)
1/2 cup Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
3 tbsp Vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
2-3 Celery stalks,Diced
1 small Onion
1 Cucumber,Diced
Handful Fresh Dill Weed, Chopped fine
Crushed Black Pepper (I like lots)

Boil Potatoes, drain, cut into bite size pieces and then set aside to cool
Mix Sour Cream, Mayonnaise, Vinegar and Mustard together and then pour over cooled potatoes. Combine Celery, Onion, Cucumber, Dill Weed and Pepper. Gently Stir

Chill for at least 2 hours~

My Family LOVED this! I served it w/ Barbecue Ribs & local Corn on the Cob~ WOW!
I'm going to have to fast for a few days LOL

Lip Balms are Ready~

2009-08-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

I created this Lip Balm recipe and have been using it for a while and I LOVE it!
It's very soft and also stays on my lips for a long time. Last month when we were at the beach, my lips got really burnt & windburned. When we got home I used this Lip balm and I was amazed at how quickly my lips healed. So I decided to make up a bunch & offer them to my customers :)
They are made with a base of beeswax plus I add organic Calendula oil and Shea butter. I don't put any scent in there~ Didn't think the guys would want to smell like fruit :)

Crow's Nest Primitive Shoppe

So much for barn cats...

Sweet-Heart Gifts~

Organic Eggs :)

New Goodies~

Kittens for the Barn (yeah right)

Where's my Pumpkins??

Cottage Garden 2011

Chickens in the Garden~

Chickens Love Tofu!

Chickpea & Hummus Salad

Chicken Chat

Who invited YOU?!

And here's the Chicken Run

Chicken Coop

Chicks First "Run Around on Your Own" Outing

Chicks First Outing

Spooky & the Chicks~

Baby Chicks

Backyard RAINBOW

Bee Skeps are Back in Stock~~~Again!

Cottage Garden Potpourri

POTTERY SALE

Bee Skeps

Spooky are you Nuts?!

Chosen for Country Sampler HOME Tour Edition~

Strawberries Anyone?

Spoiled Spooky

New Baby Powder Candle

Roasted Tomato & Sausage Casserole

New England Recreation

All Natural AMBER~

Buffalo Shepherd's Pie

Flowers in the Dead of Winter~

Hearts & Potpourri

Here we go Again!

Blizzard

Home Office Re-Do

New Herbal BATH SALTS~

Tis the Basket Season~

Refresher Oils

Bulbs Have Arrived!

New Candle Lights~

Scented Geranium Harvest

BEAR!

New Double-Wick Candles~

Holiday Votive Candles

Sweet Annie Harvest

Primitive PEAR~

Bunches in the Barn

Falltime Flower Bouquets

Busy as a BEE!

GIVE-AWAY~

New FALL-TIME Candles~

Sponsoring "Out of The Box Sampler"!!

Herbal PILLOWS

Crazy making Candles!!

Snazzy Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread

New Cottage Garden

Baby Barn Swallow

Late PEONY Harvest

Monarchs

Green & Lush

Patchouli Power

Trial size PERFUME

New "Cottage" Candles

NEW "Cottage Collection"

Catnip MICE ~

Amber Rose Roll-On

Primitive Pottery VOTIVES

Promise of Spring~

~*~FROSTY~*~

Snowed In!

Handmade CATNIP CAT BEDS~

Berry Cobbler~

NEW 16ounce Soy Candles~

~New PRIM Valentines~

Sunflowers in January

Dried Clementines~

~~FROSTY~~