Linda Nelson, Author at Linda Nelson - The Createaerie

THE NESTING INSTINCT

October 6, 2015

I don’t know about you, but when we get bouts of consecutive rainy days I go right into craft, clean and purge mode. Nope, one does not need to be an expectant mother to take on the nesting instinct. In addition to hormones, rainy days and the change of seasons can trigger it, too. I’ll bet that many of you can identify. Anyway, after some tidying, laundering, scrubbing and tossing, I broke out my crafting paraphernalia.

To start, I whipped up two decorative pumpkins, one from a remnant piece of plush velour, the other from a zebra print upholstery fabric sample. These diva-worthy pumpkins are for my friend; she loves glitz and glamour. I think she’ll love these, too.

©Linda Nelson 2015

I also began production of select items I designed, which will be offered for sale at our town’s local(and fabulous!) garden center come November. If you happen to live near the east end of Long Island, NY, or will be visiting the area this coming holiday season, be sure to visit Lynch’s Garden Center.

Aren’t these mushrooms darling? They’re perfect for fairy garden aficionados or anyone who appreciates the cross-pollination of the natural with the surreal.

©Linda Nelson 2015

Yes, I will be making my painted pine cones, too. And, lots of them!

They’ll be available in ornament form………..

©Linda Nelson 2015

as well as clutched in little, one-of-a-kind handmade nests. Did you know that finding a bird’s nest in a selected Christmas tree was once symbolic of luck and good fortune? This traditional belief is said to have originated in Iceland or Germany. However, I don’t think one needs to be a traditionalist, nor from one of these countries, to appreciate such a “lucky” find, or to simply see the beauty of a perfectly nestled nest amongst tinsel, garland and baubles.

©Linda Nelson 2015

There you have it.

I’ve been creative.

What about you?

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SEPTEMBER SNIPPINESS

September 15, 2015

I woke up this morning feeling a little snippy. No, not that kind of snippy, but snippy in that I was very inclined to fetch my pruners and do some playful harvesting. I had spent the weekend catching up on much needed seasonal yard work; therefore, a little creative puttering time was well earned.

There’s quite a menagerie of things to choose from and decorate with at this time of year, perfect for segueing into autumn. I always enjoy making floral bouquets. This one is a combination of fresh cut flowers, shrub foliage stems, various floral seed pod stalks and succulent cuttings.

©Linda Nelson 2015

Abelmoschus manihot seed pods make wonderful decorative jarred specimens…..

©Linda Nelson 2015

….. and Crocosmia’s spent flower stalks make for September sprays of loveliness.

©Linda Nelson 2015

Snipping and scavenging seem to go hand-in-hand for me; my favorite finds from the forest floor are feathers and pine cones.

©Linda Nelson 2015

Did I mention that I woke up feeling somewhat squirrely, too? The simplicity of gathered acorns showcased in a vessel is a timeless look for any home’s style.

©Linda Nelson 2015

Well, that’s enough snipping, scavenging and squirreling around for today.

©Linda Nelson 2015

Now……. it’s time for a little cat nap.

©Linda Nelson 2015

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HELLO FOLKS, IT’S ME, LINDA………..

August 30, 2015

………..the gal who would rather avoid culinary crafting at all costs. Well, I stepped out of my comfort zone yesterday and wowed my guests with a few homemade summertime treats.

©Linda Nelson 2015

We started the evening off with hand shook margaritas poured over ice. The recipe provided on the Cointreau’s back label is excellent. I tweaked it slightly by adding one teaspoon of Goya’s blue agave organic sweetener to each serving, and the consensus was to forego salting the rims of the glasses. These winner cocktails were the perfect accompaniment to a fabulous guacamole and chips starter, courtesy of one of my guests. My other guests, a fantastic husband/wife team in the kitchen, whipped up the makings for some gold star worthy tacos.

After another round of “Linda’s Margaritas” we finished our festive meal off with my homemade peach-mango granita accompanied with lemon-lavender shortbread. I divided the shortbread dough into sixteen equal pieces, rolled each into a ball, and then flattened them into mini pancake shapes. I found this method easier than trying to slice through a four-inch log.

The granita recipe is a combined variation of quite a few that I researched via the internet. Here’s my version –

LINDA’S PEACH-MANGO GRANITA

Dissolve 1/4 cup sugar in 1/2 cup hot water to make a “quickie” simple syrup. Puree syrup with 2 large ripe peaches (peeled and chopped), one jumbo very ripe mango (peeled and chopped), 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour puree into an eight or nine-inch deep dish casserole and freeze for four hours, scraping and stirring the puree with a fork every forty-five minutes. Be sure to thoroughly scrape the sides of the casserole dish each time, so as to prevent an undesirable texture to the icing process. Serve and enjoy!

©Linda Nelson 2015

The summer is not over, folks…….. it’s still a very granita season.

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THE GARDEN GIFTS OF AUGUST

August 22, 2015

Here are a few garden gifts the month of August has brought to the createaerie, like…..

leafy growth to the water lotus I started from seed back in June…..

©Linda Nelson 2015

lots of big leafy swiss chard…….

©Linda Nelson 2015

plenty of colorful dahlias to harvest…….

©Linda Nelson 2015

……..and fertile fronds of the sensitive fern. They’re great for drying, and will retain their gorgeous emerald green color for many months to come.

The garden beds are showing no signs of exhaustion (despite the horrid, humid heat!)……..

……..especially not the Stella D’Oro daylilies. Well, that’s actually because I cut them back completely to the ground just after their first flush bloom. They were up and growing again within a few weeks.

Some gifts of harvest, such as my ornamental corn…….

and other little curiosities from my garden, like…..

dried golden yarrow……..

dried poppy seed pods………

and those gorgeous fertile fronds, will become lovely little decorating accoutrements for the fall.

Ahh….., the gifts of August!

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