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End of Summer Party Watermelon Appetizer

9/16/2014

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I'll have to admit I made this watermelon appetizer back in July, but I've made it again since and it's been a proven winner recipe. It's an easy hors d'oeuvre made with four simple ingredients. Take this to a barbeque or football watching party while there's still time and watermelon is still in season.

I found this treat when I was invited to a Bastille Day party with some French friends. It was a potluck backyard party and guests were assigned a certain part of the meal according to where their last name fell in the alphabet.  Mine fell in the hors d'oeuvre category. Now, I could have bought a hunk of cheese and a baguette (which was my original lazy thought) but I knew everyone else the category would too. And once I arrived at the party I was proved right. There were about a gazillion baguettes and almost the same number of hunks of nice smelly French cheese.

I had waited until the day of the party to decide what to take, so it would have to be one of those fast and easy meal kind of things. I perused online et voila, mes amies, I found the answer.

People went nuts for these, and that was before they tasted them. They make a lovely presentation, which garnered a lot of talk and excitement. I tried them at a barbeque that I hosted in August and the results were the same. A crowd pleaser.


Watermelon and Herbed Goat Cheese Hors D' Oeuvres

Ingredients:

    -1 large Watermelon
    -4 oz Goat Cheese
    -up to a tsp of coarsely ground black pepper(to your liking)
    -About 1 and a 1/2 - 2 Tablespoons of fresh herbs of choice- I          used basil, but mint would be absolutely delicious.

Cut the watermelon into slices with a sharp knife. In the floral business and in the kitchen, I've learned what a difference a sharp knife can make in your life. Trust me, a sharp knife is safer and sooooo much better to use. You will thank me, I promise.

Cut the slices about 3" deep or to match the depth of your cookie/vegetable cutter...more on that below.

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I couldn't find the right cookie cutter, which I was sure I had...but I had already bought the melon and the goat cheese and sliced the watermelon (giant watermelon) and time was running short. So, like we always do at the flower shop I improvised.

You know those plastic scoops that come in a coffee can or a container of protein powder (yuck) or powdered lemonade? I found one of those and popped it into the first slice of watermelon. (Never throw anything away!) It worked great, except for one small detail. The bottom of the scoop made it impossible to get the melon out without totally smashing it. So I took a nail and hammer, made a hole in the bottom of the scoop, then cut out to the edges with some garden shears until I had a cylinder. I also used the shears to cut off the scoop handle. Now i could just sink my cylinder into the melon and pop it out with my finger cleaned everything very thoroughly after handling the hammer and nail of course). I would recommend just having some cookie/vegetable cutters on hand though, especially cute shaped ones like stars or hearts.

Watermelon hors d'oeuvre recipeThese are already very curious shapes, which really attract attention.


Next I used a melon baller to scoop out little divots.
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The goat cheese was easier to work with when it was firm, just out of the fridge. I discovered this by accident. The recipe said to let the cheese get to room temperature. The second time I made the recipe, I followed the directions and found the cheese too warm to work with easily. So experiment, but take your goat cheese and mix in a liberal amount of black pepper. Again, another happy accident, at the store the quantities of goat cheese that were the fancy kind from a special farm came in a limited choice of sizes--and let's be honest--prices. I chose a 4oz goat cheese that had cracked black pepper already mixed in (read I went cheap). Best cheap-o decision I ever made. The second time I made it, I used plain goat cheese and my pepper grinder wasn't working so I used ground pepper. It didn't turn out nearly as good as the first time (in my opinion--no one else had a comparison at the second party so they still raved).

Moral of the story, if you can find the goat cheese with black pepper already in it, buy that. If not, a liberal amount of coarse ground pepper.

Cut your choice of herb (I used basil, since I had some growing in a pot on my deck) into small pieces. I wouldn't say fine pieces, just small.


I used the small end of the melon baller to scoop (affiliate link) the cheese/pepper/herb mixture into each divot.

Top with little sprigs or leaves of the same herb for a beautiful garnish and sprinkle with more pepper over the top of the whole thing. Done!

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Burlap Pillow with Heart Stencil

1/21/2014

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Picture of DIY stenciled heart pillow burlap pottery barn knockoffPottery Barn Knockoff pillow.
I absolutely LOVE <3 this heart stenciled burlap pillow by 2IY, A Blog by 2 Sisters. It's a perfect DIY project, just in time for Valentines Day! All of the instructions for making this simple and easy project are on their blog, with step by step photos.
Happy DIYing!

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How to Clean a Wool Rug with Snow-Borrowed from another Blogger

1/6/2014

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When I came across this blog post by Regina Yunghans of the Apartment Therapy blog, I just had to repost it!
How to clean a rug with snow (Images: Regina Yunghans / Apartment Therapy)
This blogger has excellent step by step instructions with pictures included and they are easy to follow. Try it yourself, and let us know how it went--now is the perfect time of year to give it a try!

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Moss Covered JOY Lettering

12/11/2013

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This project's inspiration was drawn from the Uncommon Designs Blog which took inspiration from the Garnet Hill catalog. I love how my project turned out. I used loose sheet moss rather than what was used in UD's example because that's what I had on hand at the shop. I think the rough moss gives a more rustic feel to the lettering, which matches the other decor I chose for the porch. The "J" is crooked in this photo, and I definitely recommend using the Command adhesive Velcro hangers as used on the Uncommon Designs' blog. The snow was starting to fall as I took this photo, so the "J" will be straightened soon, once the weather improves!
Command Adhesive Velcro Hangers
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This is the sleeker design done by Uncommon Designs, using sheet moss which is attached to a fabric backing and cut out with scissors.
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Supplies:
  • 18" tall wooden letters from Hobby Lobby
  • Forest Green acrylic paint by DecoArt
  • Sphagnum moss from Your Local Florist :)
  • Sponge paint brush
  • Tack 2000 spray adhesive
  • Finishing spray like Dresden Clear Glaze from Design Master
  • Florist wire
  • Lime green bouillon wire from Your Local Florist 
  • Red mesh garland from Hobby Lobby

Step One
I used the DecoArts acrylic paint with the sponge brush and painted all sides of the letters.
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Step Two
Following the instructions on my spray adhesive, I sprayed the surface of the letter and the back of the moss. I let each item sit for 30 seconds to 1 minute to encourage the adhesive to get really tacky/sticky. Then I pieced the moss together until it covered all surfaces. I use Tack 2000 for just about any craft project (at home or in the store) needing spray adhesive.
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Step Three
This is where I used my own flare for the project. This bouillion wire is decorative and functional. I used it to bind all of the moss together, and to sparkle and bling when the light reflects off of it.

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Step Four
I decided the moss was too brown in places, so I hit it with a little Fresh Green Just For Flowers from Design Master. The color turned out just right! This is the paint color of the century as far as my flower shop goes, I absolutely love it.  And here's a tip: use Fresh Green paint to liven up the colors on your silk flowers. It sounds crazy, right. Just try it. If you have some tired old silks, touch them up with the Fresh Green, you'll thank me later!
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Step Five
Since I used the loose moss, I wanted to make extra sure it would stick together, so I sprayed with Dresden Clear Glaze.
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Step Six
Since I have plenty of florist's wire on hand, that's what I used to hook all my lettering together.
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You can thread the wire underneath of the moss on the front side, so that it doesn't show.
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My letters happened to come with these screws in the back of them so they could hang them in the store display. If yours don't come this way, use little screw hooks and suggested by the Uncommon Designs blog.
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Step Seven
I snaked the final long length of wire from top to bottom, behind the red mesh, so you don't see the wire from the front of the project. I twisted the long wire on to each wire loop that I had made (like on the picture above), so it took some good laying out and measuring of the wire to make sure I had enough to go from the bottom letter to the top, twisting around each loop on the way.  Be sure to finish off the tail of the red mesh, I hadn't measured my porch before I started the project, so I left it plenty long so I could cut it later instead of having it too short. Like they always say: Measure twice, cut once! In my case, I measure 3-4 times because I have a tendency to forget! :)


I hope you liked this project! Do you think you could tackle this? Email or call the shop at 801-540-5999. I would love to hear your ideas for making the project better!
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Terrariums!

4/21/2013

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Picture from www.homeologymodernvintage.com
I love terrariums and today you aren't stuck with the heavy wooden based, flimsy glass panel numbers from the past. Now you can put a terrarium in any container, which puts you on the cutting edge for style. Besides all that, terrariums are low-maintenance ways to keep plants in your home.

Check out this blog post from {Home-ology} modern vintage blog, where the author lists the easy steps and a recipe for success at creating your own terrarium.

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    Author

    Annie is the owner of Annie's Main Street Floral and the author of "The Final Arrangement," part of the flower shop mystery series. Annie is Immediate Past -President of the Utah Professional Florist Association, a native of Layton Utah, and alumna of Layton High School.

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