How To Make a Christmas Wreath

Let's face it, there's something special about stopping at your favorite Christmas tree stand or green house and buying a festive wreath. The scent of fresh pine wafts through the car, and you're tempted to find the 24-hour Christmas station on the radio.

I do believe there's something equally special as making your own wreath. Every time I make a couple, I shake my head in amazement at the thought of those that actually make a living from this craft here in Maine. These are true Mainahs', and they're experts at what they do. So listen, if you're not planning on making a wreath, then please consider purchasing a wreath from Maine.

If you'd like to make your own wreath, here's what you do:

"GATHER"

We recently had a pretty hard wind storm here in Maine, and we had a ton of evergreens and pinecones on the lawn. so it was easy pickings for me this year. To keep organized put your greenery, pinecones nuts, berries, etc. in individual piles. (I used 3 types of greenery, winterberry and pinecones).

You'll also need green florist wire, wreath ring, wire cutters, branch cutters and gloves. My wreath ring was 12 inches. I also pre-cut a bunch of wire about 10" long.

"WRAP"

Take a bit of material from each of your piles and bundle together, wrapping securely with green florists wire. I made about 24 of these bundles for 2 wreaths. I wrapped some pinceones with wire as well, and add those in last.

"ATTACH"

Wrap your first bundle onto the wire, starting in the middle of the bundle and working your way to the end of the stems.

Place your second bundle on top and about half way up of your first bundle and wrap. Just keep going like this all the way around the ring.

"FINISH AND HANG"

When you are finished, you can wrap your pinecones into the wreath. Use another piece of wire, or pretty ribbon as a hanger for the wreath.

Voila!

Article & photos by Jessica Moreau-Berry, Maine Girl.

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Swingtail Farm's Cream of Fennel Soup

Maine Farm Girl, Nancy Lee jars her garden-picked fennel so she can enjoy all winter long!

 Simmer 6 cups of chopped fennel until tender. Run it through the blender until smooth. Make a light rue and add two cups milk or half and half. Add back the fennel, simmer until thickened. Thin with more milk if necessary. Stir in chopped fennel greens. Season with S & P to taste. Top with Greek yogurt or sour cream and toasted fennel seeds. If you are a fan of fennel, you'll love it; if you're not, than - not. But ya never know, it might change your mind!

Recipe contributed to Handmade Maine by Nancy Lee, owner of Swingtail Farm.

FRESH BASIL PESTO WITH LEMON THYME

Our basil has had a wonderful summer, and therefore, so haven't we. We've used it all summer long in recipes, and since basil likes to be constantly trimmed, here we are in late August with huge plants. It is supposed to be hot and dry here in Maine this week, so I decided to cut enough to make batches of Pesto for us and friends. Hopefully we'll get one more good spurt from it this week so I will have some left to dry for the winter.

Our Lemon Thyme is going crazy as well, so I threw 5-6 sprigs in each batch, but you can omit the Lemon Thyme if you don't have any. You can experiment with other herbs like parsley, or use baby spinach in place of some of the basil.

I learned a new trick with the garlic, so this pesto is mellow, and wont leave you with the garlicky after-bite. I also use toasted sliced almonds instead of pinenuts, but you can experiment with any nut you like.

My husband didn't think he liked Pesto, well he ate an entire plate of angel hair pasta and Pesto last night. Again, it's because this Pesto didn't have a sharp bite to it.

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups packed basil leaves. (I use my salad spinner to wash these, and they dry quicker as well)

5-6 sprigs lemon thyme

1/4 cup grated parmesan

3 medium dry-roasted garlic cloves, skin still on (directions to follow)

1/4 cup dry roasted sliced almonds (directions to follow) 

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

black pepper to taste

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a dry pan on med-high heat. Dry-roast 3 garlic cloves with skin on for about 5-8 minutes, turning them occasionally. Lightly smash the cloves with a big knife, and peel off skins. Roughly chop your cloves, and set aside. In same pan, dry-roast your almonds for just a couple of minutes, tossing them occasionally so they don't burn.
2. In a food processor add all of the ingredients EXCEPT for the olive oil and pulse 7-8 times, scraping down sides with a spatula a couple of times.
3. Slowly stream in olive oil, pulsing and scraping down sides, so mixture is rich and semi-creamy. If you feel your mixture is too dry, slowly add in a little more olive oil, until you get the consistency you like.

Makes about 12 ounces.

STORING:

• I do think fresh is best. Since basil is effected by oxidization, and can blacken quickly, I cover pesto with plastic wrap, and press onto top of basil, then screw lid tightly over that.

• To freeze or not to freeze? I do freeze it. Some folks believe the taste is not as good freezing it with the parmesan cheese in it. It never lasts long here, so I haven't noticed a difference. But if you're looking to freeze for a while, then you may want to omit the cheese and add it later after it's thawed. 

WHEN TO USE PESTO:

• Pesto is a great base for salad dressing.
• Slather onto hot bread and top with a tomato and mozzarella slice.
• As a sandwich spread.
• In scrambled eggs.
• PIZZA!
• As a seasoning to any dish.
• Pasta.... there's nothing like tossing sauteed veggies, hot fresh pasta and pesto together. Add a little pasta water to your pasta if it seems to dry. I like to use 2 Tbs. of pesto to 4 oz. of pasta. 

ENJOY!

Please feel free to share this recipe!

Original recipe by Jessica Moreau-Berry from Handmade Maine

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How to make your own "Farmhouse Chic" sign.
Yes, you can do this!

 We've decided to freshen up our old farmhouse kitchen. Foot traffic, entertaining, and two new labs in the past few years have really left it's mark on what is already a pretty rustic space.

But I know you really want to know how to do this, so I'm going to get right to it.

This is easier then you think! Don't worry about being picky, or painting outside of the lines. It's supposed to be imperfect, that's what makes it so chic!

Find and old wooden-something.... it's imagination time. Flea markets, free piles, lawn sales or maybe it's been hanging around your own space and you didn't even know it! I had this old door panel in the gardening shed. It's very light weight. I like using door panels because they look like they've already been framed out.

I gave it a rough sanding, and wiped it down with a damp cloth.

Then I slapped some watered-down acrylic black paint on the board. No really, I wasn't fussy! I let the first coat dry, then added another coat. I watered down the paint to a milk-like consistency.You can go thicker. I wanted the paint to seep into the wood so I could see some of the grain. it's really up to you!

While the paint is drying, it's time for a little computer work. I opened up Microsoft Word, and scrolled around until I found a font that I liked. You'll need to highlight your font and make it large depending on the size you will need. I went up to 250 for this size. At first, I went too large, so play around, experiment, measure if you like. (I'm not much into measuring I admit.) I made the font a light color so I wouldn't use a ton of ink. After everything was printed, I taped it all together so it made one long banner, centered it onto my board, and taped the top edges of the paper onto the board so it would stay put.

Slide some tracing paper under your letters, and start tracing!

Before you remove the paper, peek under the paper and make sure all of your lines are clear. When it looks good, remove your banner.

Now you can start painting! I use acrylic paint and a round brush and I am constantly dipping my brush into water before I load it with paint. I like the paint to flow. I also have a little puddle of brown, and every so often I add a touch of brown to the white for a more vintage look. If I paint a bit outside of the lines, who cares? I'm pretty sure the paint police wont come knocking at my door.

Let it dry, then sand. I like to sand the corners and edges here and there.  I also pass the sandpaper over the letters in spots.

Once you've got the look you want, water down some brown paint, or use a brown antiquing gel, and brush it on to the sanded parts, wiping it away as you go. You can coat your sign with some acrylic poly, or rub some Minwax over your entire sign. (follow directions on the Minwax.... you will need to buff once it dries, but it really gives a great warm look).

Of course, I couldn't leave it alone from there, and mounted my sign onto an old shutter. We screwed the sign right to the wall, but you could use any type of hardware to put on the back if you'd like. Or, you could drill a couple of holes to the top corners and run rustic rope through them.

If a large sign like this seems too daunting a task at first, start small. You'll be making your own signs in no time!

xo Jes

While searching "Maine yarn" on at Etsy, I cam across this lovely lot of goodness.

1. Roundwood Gallery
2. Ugly Mugwump Designs
3. Hilltop Handspun
4. 44 Clovers

 

Every Thursday I post a new "FEATURED ARTIST OF THE WEEK" on our Facebook page.

Go check out CHART metalworks story here!

 

We are smitten with the works of Maine artist Betsy McLellan.

 

While searching "Maine cottage" on Etsy, I came across this beachy loveliness by 

Cobalt Sky Studio.

Hello and welcome!

Handmade Maine began life as a FB page, and I decided that it was time for a blog, so we can easily share recipes, gardening tips, junking ideas and craft projects with you.

I'll be loading up some of our more popular Facebook posts to start. Please stay tuned for a Blueberry Ginger Cooler recipe, a tutorial on how to make your own hand painted sign and a Chive Blossom Vinegar recipe... and so much more to come!

xo Jes

FEATURED ART STORY OF THE WEEK 

 

...Many moons ago, six girls met online through artful blogging. Jes from Maine invited the girls to her home in Whitefield for a full on sleepover and art retreat. As the years have passed their correspondences have slowed down, but the memory of that special friendship with kindred-art-sisters lingers on, and probably always will. Once in a while a sweet surprise will rekindle the bond and friendship, as did recently when Mindy from Mass. sent Jes from Maine a lovely little piece of her art.

...So the search for photos began this morning. I saved, edited, resized, made a collage, hit "save" again, then hit the garden for a bit of weeding therapy. As the heat settled into my limbs, causing me to work in lazy circles, I thought about how best to write the story. It occurred to me that I don't need to give you every detail of a weekend spent making, chatting, flea marketing, eating and enjoying a few good bottles of wine. What I should be doing is encouraging you to gather your own artful friends from near and far to do the same. The only part of this tale that can be replicated is the actual "doing" of the event. The experiences you'll share (and always will remember) will be unique to you and your gang of Art Pals.

...It's easy! Send the invites and make a space to work in. Ask your friends to bring supplies for sharing. (leave your prized paintbrush at home, this isn't the place). Make sure you have a table ready for everyone to unload and spread out their offerings. Ask everyone to bring a simple dish and a beverage. If they're spending the night, don't worry about where they will stay, pull together some air mattresses and have an old fashion pajama party. If folks are coming from "away", plan an afternoon visiting a place in your area that will inspire them. (In our case we went to Wiscasset, then on to the Montsweag Flea Market on Rt. 1). (We also share the love of junking, so this was simple). The last step... HAVE FUN and get creating! Just let the energy roll off of each other and please don't take yourselves too seriously, just live in the moment, and be.
article by Jessica Moreau-Berry

 

We adore these Shell Wreaths by Rough Magic Creations!

How does your garden grow?