Inspiration from Obession

Yes.  Sparrow is just as obsessed with Pinterest as the rest of the western world.  Searching for help on this matter.  Strangely, can't seem to find any local therapy groups for Pinteresticism.  ...

Found this the other day via the-site-which-shall-not-be-named:

From http://girllovesglam.blogspot.com/2012/03/organization-board-tutorial.html

It's the 'Get Organized Board' from Girl Loves Glam blog.  Anyone who knows Sparrow know's her love of Organization.  Within 20 minutes of seeing this post, Sparrow set out to make her own.

The challenge?  Incorperating the following onto one board:

• Grocery List
• Meal Planner
• Two Seperate places for receips (one for home, one for the Band)
• A billing schedule
• To-Do list(s)
• Pen Storage
• Cleaning Schedule
• Temporary Document Storage

The other challenge?  A budget of $50- meaning at least some of this junk would come from the Nest.  Fortunately, the Nest always has some junk to spare in these cases.  On hand, Sparrow had the World's Uglist Cork Board (3x5) and leftover paint in white and Sea Glass, along with hanging items.  After an hour's work, the Ugly cork board had a new outlook on life. 

Then it was off to the store, where Sparrow purchased the following:

• Two Black 8x11 frames
• Three Black 5x7 frames
• One black bird wall hook
• One paper pencil box
• One small metal pail
• One small chalkboard
• Polka-dot craft tape
• One box of four clips (in blue)
• One box easy-remove mounting strips

This all came to $46.00.  Not bad (thank you Dollar Isle).

Where the most money was saved was in the organizers themselves.  Sparrow had a hangalbe grocery list on hand already (pink, but replacible in the future).  The to do list and weekly menu was available for free via glam girl's blog, and the rest where created by Sparrow. No need to buy calendars here!  The best part?  All the lists are framed and covered with glass so they're easy to write on and erase. 

After a little creative fussing, the board is 90 percent done.

See that big, empty space? There's still one empty frame left....something great will go there....eventually...stay tuned.

The pail holds extra tacks, stamps, tape- extra stuff.  While the little box has dry erase markers and an eraser.  Lovin' it.

More glamour shots:



Happy Birth..Week and Half?

Sparrow is so blessed to have loving friends and family.  SO loving, in fact, birthday gifts have already been popping up at the nest.  This came today:

A lovely collection of happy things from Casey in Texas.  Look closely, you'll find:

• Stuff Christians Like, by Jonathan Acuff (a funny, witty, often thought provoking humor book that takes note of American Christian Culture)
• Swedish Fish (the best candy on earth, duh)
• One robot Tea infuser (what every tea lover/robot enthusiast needs)
• Four LOVELY little stainless steel/enameled bird bowls (of which Sparrow is head over heels in love)

A pretty nice haul for a Monday Morning.  But that's not all on the birthday front.

Sparrow's wonderful Poppa sent a very generous envelope to the nest last week.  Huzzah for Poppas!  With cash in pocket, Sparrow and Husband set off for Ikea to start the MONSTER DESK PROJECT. 

Since moving day last May (hey that rhymed!), the extra room has been a junk room, a badly needed extra storage space while the other rooms in the nest became more functional.  Now that other storage spaces have opened up and the orphaned junk has moved to their new homes, its time to turn the junk room into the home office the nest has been lacking.

Since the room is rather narrow, two facing desks were out the question.  Sparrow set out looking on the web for inspiration:

From Lovelyish.com

From Younghouselove.com



The YHL wall to wall desk was particularly inspiring.  They used recycled hotel night tables and stained wood planks to cut costs.  Sparrow figured we could do something similar, but without space or tools for woodworking, the options were a little more limited.  Ikea provided come cost effective options that could be easily tailored to the nest's extra room, a room that is exactly 140 inches long. 

As usual, the As-Is area was the first stop.  Husband, bona-fied genius, picked out a white melamine table top measuring 68 inched long by 29 inches deep.  After some poking around in the ikea catalog, Sparrow discovered the origin of the table top:

The Ikea Meltorp Dining Table.  Fortunately, they had more in stock.  Even better, the top and the undercarriage are sold separately, saving $30 right off the bat.  With the As-Is top and a new one picked up the in warehouse, the total desktop length came to over 136 inches long (remember the wall length is 140 inches even).  Perfect!  The second phase was finding the legs.  Sparrow came prepared for this.  With the Ikea catalog in hand, there were several legs to choose from.  We chose Three kinds of legs.

The Vika Alex.  There is one of these at each end of the wall.  These units provide some nice storage for office supplies, Wallings JR CDs and even the cat box.

The Vika Annefors.  This is the center leg that holds up the other end of each table top.  This will store printer paper and printing supplies.

The Vika Adils.  Because the table tops are so long and heavy, they tend to sag if left unsupported.  There is one of these supporting the center of each table top.

Over the weekend, the whole desk  came together, along with some further de-junking and re-organizing of the closet.  The desk, despite being huge (too huge to capture in one picture), the office still feels roomy and open.

The desk has completely has changed the room.  Even without a "completed" look, the office feels homey and peaceful.  Even better, the work and hobby projects have a home.

So what did this HUGE DESK cost?

-As is Meltorp top    $9.99
-Meltorp New top    $49.99
-Two Adils Legs      $3.99 (one already owned)
-Two Alex Legs       $49.99 Each
-Annefors Leg          $40.00
---------------------------------------
Total:                        $203.95

Compare that to other deaks of the same size and built in look, and thats pretty good.  Happy birthweek Sparrow!

Let the Knitting Begin

Some of you may know sparrow is exactly one half of the folk-blues duo, The Wallings Jr.  We've been working on recording an album with a great Nashville producer, Vince Emmit.  Last year we raised some significant funds using IndieGoGo, a site that provides fund raising space online for charities and artists.  As part of the efforts we offered various gifts in exchange for certain levels of donations, two of them involving a knitted something from sparrow.  Naturally, the "Knit and Caboodle" level totally sold out, so now sparrow has 16 knitting projects due this summer. Les sigh.  At least knitting is fun.

Yesterday, the first knitting project began:

The Baby Sack, aka The Baby Snuggie

This is for a lovely couple from OKC who are about to head out to Europe as missionaries (thus the first on the list status).  They have a friend who is very pregnant, so they wanted a handmade gift to present to her before they leave.  Here is what they initially sent:

Cute, right?  Sparrow set out to find a (hopefully) free and fun pattern to match.  This is what came up:

Very cute!  This is called the 'Owlie Sleep Sack' from a great site Comfort Wool.  Here's the sack sans bebe:

 Notice the little scallops on the top that form the stretchy band?  Those are little owls that go all the way around the top.  This is a nice addition because (A) it provides a little give in the top to help hold the baby in and (B) it gives the knitter a little something extra to break up the monotony, otherwise you're basically knitting a hat.  Win!

This was started yesterday in grey (as requested).  So far, the project is about 20 rows in, and that's after about 6 hours of work.  The sack is 85 stitches in the round on size 3 needles....this is going to take a while.

Welcome to Spring

Spring has sprung in the nest.

Here, you see our seedlings.  Hopefully, with tender care, these little seedlings will grow into this year's urban garden.  Gardening in small spaces can be tricky, so sparrow has been relying on a few handy blogs and books for tips on container and small space gardening.  If you're up for the urban garden challenge, here are some helpful links:

http://www.urbanfarmonline.com/

http://www.container-gardens.com/

http://www.yougrowgirl.com/

http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/edible-gardening-in-small-spaces/index.html

Sparrow will be updating you periodically on the state of garden throughout the season.

Happy Gardening!

The Backlog

Hey folks,

You may notice posts popping up from the last months here in the nest.  There are around 30 posts backlogged from the past five months that sparrow just didn't have time to put up.  Now that there is a plethora of time to devote to all things crafty/cooky/cleany/painty/planty, expect lots of new things.

Check back often.

much love,

sparrow.

I Can't Believe I Made Real Butter!

Sparrow saw something on Pinterest today that brought up sweet (cream) memories of a childhood in Pennsylvania- making home-made butter!

The ingredients are so simple:

-heavy cream (best if raw...good luck finding that)
-salt

That's it.

The directions are almost as simple.

1. Add the desired amount of cream to a mixer or bowl.
2. Salt the cream to taste, if desired.  For unsalted butter, leave the salt out.
3. Whisk or beat until the cream separates into milk fat and buttermilk.
4. Separate the butter and buttermilk (the milky water in your bowl) using cheesecloth, a strainer, or (like sparrow did) a thin metal kitchen utensil. 
5. Refrigerate until use.

Note: there is a point where you'll see a familiar sight...whipped cream.  Keep whipping!  You're not done until you have a big ball of butter stuck in your whisk and pool of buttermilk in the bottom of  your bowl.

You can make any amount of butter and buttermilk like this.  Sparrow used a pint (16 oz) of heavy cream and came away with roughly 8 ounces each of buttermilk and butter.

This experiment brings up so many options for the future- add herbs for savory herb butter, or sugar for a sweeter breakfast option.  Stay tuned for future butter ideas.

White Chocolate Creme Brulee: Easier Than you Think

Monday nights in the Nest are typically family nights.  With having two full time ministers in the family (Father-in-law and Husband), its schedule those nights or lose 'em to rehearsals, meetings, or who knows what else.  Mom-in-law (she's sparrow's favorite!) always makes a fabulous dinner and we top everything off with a movie or cards.  Its a great night to relax and catch up on everyones' week.  This past week, Jeff attempted to talk sparrow into making a few creme brulees for dessert, which did not go over well with anyone else (we made brownie waffles instead).  Last Monday,  Jeff was surprised with White Chocolate Creme Brulees for family night.
Brulee has an undeserved reputation for being finicky.  Most custards are a little challenging, however, creme brulees are surprisingly easy to make and even easier to customize. The recipe comes from an adapted creme brulee recipe found online.

White Chocolate Creme Brulee
Modified by paper sparrow

Ingredients

8 tablespoons white sugar, divided (6 tablespoons and 2 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

6 egg yolks

5 oz white chocolate bits, chopped   

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and assemble all the ingredients.
2. Beat egg yolks, 4 tablespoons sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy. Set aside.
3. Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to boil. Remove the cream from heat immediately.   
4. Slowly add the white chocolate bits to the hot cream, whisking until completely melted and combined.                 
5. Pour a little of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture and whisk briskly.                     
6. Pour the cream/yolk mixture into the rest of the cream and whisk. DO THIS SLOWLY to avoid cooking the egg mixture.                 
7. Skim any foam that has collected on the top and toss.
8. Pour the hot mixture into shallow ramekins and place in a large, steep sided pan.  Carefully pour boiling water into the large pan, avoiding the ramekins.  This is your water bath to ensure even cooking. The water should come about halfway up the ramekins.
9. Bake 15-30 minutes, or when the centers jiggle slightly in the middle (like a jello jiggle, not a liquid jiggle).  Remove from the oven and let cool in the water bath for 20 minutes.  Chill until serving.
10. Just prior to serving, dust the tops lightly with the remaining white sugar then torch until the sugar caramelizes.  If you don't have a torch, place the brulees on the top rack of the oven and use the broil setting.  The sugar should melt in  a matter of minutes.  Serve.

Makes 5 individual brulees

In the Studio

The Wallings Jr. was in the studio last week, finishing up the vocal tracks for this summers' album.  Check out the studio video:

The featured song is a rough cut of "On the Edge of Morning", to be included in the album.

Eco Love: Make Your Own Dishwasher Soap

For your pleasure, another dose of earthsaving (and pocketbook pleasing) eco-love.  Today, learn how to make your own dishwashing detergent for just under $0.05 a load.  Yes, you read correctly.  Five cents.  It only takes a few ingredients:
-Vinegar
-Borax
-Oxi-Clean (or another inexpensive active detergent)
-Baking Soda (or washing powder)

I keep all of my basic cleaning products in labeled glass jars so they are always ready for mixing.

Making a batch of detergent is easy:

1. Mix equal parts baking soda and borax.  Typically, adding a cup at time until you have the desired sized batch works well.  In the nest, we make batches of two cups each soda and borax.
2. Add another equal part of your active detergent (Oxi-clean works best) and mix again.
3. Store your mix in a well labeled sealible container.
4. If you have hard water and/or you're concerned about spotting, add two tablespoons of white vinegar to the "finishing liquid" hole in your dishwasher.

To use, simply add two tablespoons of your mix to the dishwasher, along with the vinegar if desired.

The mix should run for about a month's worth of loads (if you cook as much as sparrow!).

Thats all!


This receipe was originally spotted at thesimpledollar , then modifed by paper sparrow.

Happy New Year

Hope your New Year is Blessed one!

Che's Christmas Present, or "The Gift that Nearly Drove our Downstairs Neighbors to Call the Cops"

Sparrow's been keeping a secret....Husband's Christmas present!

Now that Christmas is passed, and Husband has his present, we can let you in on the secret too.

Before sparrow tries to describe it, here's a little peek:

So...what is it?

It's Thread Typography (of course!).  Or, for normal people- thread art.  No this isn't like your Mom's string art hanging in her shag-carpeted rumpas room.  This is tactile.  Modern.  And it took months to make in total secrecy.

Here's a closer look.

Yes, those are nails, wire nails actually, holding all the thread in their little patterns.  And yes, sparrow had to tap every single nail, which might be around 350 or so, into very specific places.  When the project started, back in October,  the work room was the nest, where the first few dozen nails were tapped into place.  This quickly became a problem however, when the downstairs neighbors began wandering around outside the nest, wondering where that strange tapping noise was coming from. 

Fast forward a few weeks later, and sparrow found a new workroom, one in isolation where no one would be complaining about that silly tapping.  Ironically, this place was Husband's office.  Since Husband has band or music rehearsals at night at least twice a week, that left sparrow at least four hours each week to tap tap tap away in secret.  As Christmas day drew close, the workroom was once again relocated to the In-Laws where work could continue later into the night.

So why put one's self through so much work for so long for one little gift?  Simple!  Sparrow loves Husband.  Husband loves typography.  Sparrow is crafty.  Add all of these things together and you have your reason.  Also, the project, in terms of supplies was very inexpensive.  Here's a breakdown:

-One 26x40(ish) piece of particle board, actually a cut down shelving unit from Home Depo- $12.99
-One bundle of red embroidery thread (the very large kind)- $5.99
-Five packs of wire nails -$1.99 each
-Tools from home: Hammer, Needle nose pliers- already owned
-One reproduction Map of Italy, from a local art store- $4.99
-Modge Podge and Mounting glue- already owned.
= Just under $30

Folks, for hand made art, $30.00 is a steal!  But the look on Husband's face when he finally received his gift Christmas eve, that was priceless.

For a look at how this was made, tune into the blog later for a to-do on making your own Thread Typography art.

Pie Ogling...We'll Allow it

Whats that?  Oh, you know...

Just a lemon meringue from scratch with a braided butter crust.

Yeah.  I know.

A Song Trade: Brianna Gaither

Recently, we arranged a good ol' fashioned song trade with a great friend and fellow artist Brianna Gaither. The rules were few:

1: {Pick a song you love by the other artist.
2: {Keep it a secret.

Ladies and (most likely more ladies), our song trade:

Brianna covered "On the Edge of Morning".

The Wallings Jr. covered "Harvest Moon".

For the original versions, check the artists' YouTube Channels.

A New Best Friend

Look who just joined the Nest...

World,  meet Thomas-Digby.

He would like you to know his favorite foods are Spinach and Kitty-Crunchies, he loves rainy days, and thinks you should feed him more often.

From Canada with Love

The blog has been on the quiet side lately, but as usual, that signals a wave of projects in the nest.  Stay tuned tomorrow for updates.  In the meantime, check out what Casey sent via Etsy all the way from Canada-land!  (Or I like to call it, Northern Montana).

What can I say?  She's got Sparrow pegged.

Attack of the Pies!

I came across some pictures of my pie handy work today, and thought I would share them.

You might be wondering why I put extra effort into the crust....because its the best part!

The Nest: Kitchen

Nest up on the Nest Tour, every grandma's favorite room, the kitchen.  It just so happens to be my favorite as well.

With that said, it needs work.  Even after the MAJOR scrub down it received after moving in (possible post on that someday).  Like most of the apartment, its dark and a bit outdated.  One feature I do like is the opening into the dining area, which you can see here:

 Notice my baby?  That is my Martha Stewart teal kitchen-aide mixer in the corner.  Thats right, mixing is serious business in the Nest.

I'm definitely not a fan of the honey colored cabinets or the (impossible to keep clean) white melamine counter tops.  The appliances (big surprise!) are also outdated and (!) bisque colored.  Ick.  Since painting the cabinets is out of the question, I'm considering removing the top cabinet doors and using colored contact paper on the wood to make the kitchen look lighter and less heavy.  As for the appliances, well, not much can be done for those, though I have seen some pretty transformations on similar appliances using stainless steel sheets...I dream.

I do like the layout, which you can see in the blue print I made below:

It's a relatively small space, large enough to move around in, but not so large that using multiple surfaces is like running a long distance marathon.  I've had to be a little creative with storage, though that's new to no one.  Here's some storage I added to the kitchen wall:

This represents about a third of the gadgets I have floating around.  You can also see my beloved pot rack, a holdover from our first tiny studio apartment.  I've now sworn allegiance to always storing my pots like this, so convenient!





Notice the earthy tile back splash?  That's the only kitchen upgrade the landlord had done.  Its not bad, but has noting to do with the look of the rest of the apartment.  Not sure what to do with it.  Ideas anyone?

As far as improvement goes, I've already done most of the painting, a cheery blueish-green color (Martha Stewart) and installed several wall storage options. 

There's still so much to do:
-finish painting
-remove cabinet doors
-cover cabinets with contact paper?
-upgrade cabinet lighting, think Ikea
-buy or crochet kitchen rug
-install stainless steel sheets on appliances
-install dish drying rack over sink
-hang art work or plates on wall above cabinets
-make eco-friendly cleaners
-replace ugly lighting fixture
-replace brown light switches

A Day of Baking

The Nest was cooking all afternoon, with two major baking projects (the joy!).

The first was a set of 24 rainbow cupcakes for our Children's Theater workshop cast party.  Why rainbow?  What else would you bring to celebrate a run of "Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dream coat"?!

While I typically make everything from scratch, I was seriously short on time today, so I compromised and used store bought batter and icing (colored in four different shades).

The other baking project, a large pie, was for the weekly family dinner with the in-laws (but really any reason to bake a pie, right?)  I used my favorite recipe, changed over the few years I've been alive to its present state.  I rarely measure but I'll do my best to boil it down:

Sparrow's Four Berry Pie

 You'll need:

-1 blind baked pie crust

-2 cups sugar

-2 tablespoons vanilla

-1 cup corn starch

-1 tablespoon cinnamon

-1 teaspoon nutmeg

-a splash of lemon juice

-1 lb strawberries, cleaned, capped and sliced

-12 oz raspberries

-22 oz blueberries

-6 oz blackberries

Blind bake your crust.  I chose to make a braided crust for this one.

While the crust bakes (8 minutes or so), mix together the berries in a very large bowl.  Add 1 and a half cups of the sugar, the lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch.

Once the crust has cooled a bit, spoon the fruit mix into the crust, filling right up to the crust.  You may add some of the juice, but be careful not to add it all (lest you get a very drippy pie).  Dust the top of the pie with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. 

Place the pie on a cookie sheet and set in the oven, set for 350 degrees.  Let cook for about 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cover the crust with foil to prevent burning.  Cook until the fruit mix bubbles, about 20-30 minutes (depending on the oven). 

Pull out, and let cool for an hour.  Enjoy!!







On the Road Again

Hey folks,

The Wallings Jr is on the road today, on our way to Ol' Louisville for a quick gig.  So, here's a quick taste of what we've been up to, the latest cover request from our fundraising efforts.

Thanks, Juanita from Oregon for requesting it.

Eco Love: Making Laundry Detergent from Scratch

I recently came across a fabulous idea via Pinterest, making laundry soap from simple household ingredients.  Its easier on the planet and your pocketbook (at under $4 for over 500 loads).  With out further ado, here's the process.

You'll Need:
-1 half bar of your favorite soap
-1 cup borax
-1 cup washing soda
-2 gallons water
-1 12 quart pot
-essential oils (if you like)
-long spoon
-cheese grater
-a 2+ gallon container

Start by grating your half bar of soap into your massive pot. I chose a wonderful goat soap that smells like cookies.  Note: you may add an entire bar of soap if you like a much much thicker detergent.  A half bar makes it very easy to pour.  Add one gallon (16 cups) of water to boil.  Stir often until the soap flakes dissolve.

Next, add the borax and washing soda, stirring thoroughly.  Add several drops of essential oil if you want a yummy smell.  I added tea tree oil. peppermint and lavender.  Let the mix boil up and keep stirring (watch for overflow!).

The mix will thicken slightly during the boil, but will likely not thicken much more for another 24 hours.  after boiling for 3-4 minutes, remove pot and place in the sink.  Add one gallon of cold water.  Continue stirring.  

Let the mix cool in the sink until you can safely pour it into your containers.  I used a 3 gallon water dispenser.  Once placed in the laundry closet, the tap empties directly into the washer!

Ta-Da!  The entire process took only one hour and six laundry loads later, no complaints!  The mix doesn't sud much but still cleans great.