Autumn Candles
- At September 28, 2012
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A sure sign of the changing seasons is the return of Rejuvenation candles to Nest. Made by our friends at Big Dipper Waxworks in Seattle, Rejuvenation’s blend of sweet orange and clove bud smells like childhood’s Thanksgiving. We only carry this scent in the fall, and it’s like welcoming back an old friend.
We’re also welcoming a new friend from Big Dipper – their new Balance candle. With calming lavender and enlivening peppermint, it really does strike a lovely balance. We’re also quite smitten with its gorgeous teal color.
Maruca Bags for Fall
- At September 25, 2012
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Season after season, the folks at Maruca work their magic and develop another line of exquisite fabrics for their bags.
This fall’s bags are perhaps one of the most beautiful offerings we’ve seen. The colors are vibrant, the patterns are unique. We think you’ll love them!
Europe to Your Kitchen
- At September 22, 2012
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This fall we have found several new sources of beautiful wood items for the home, the most recent arrival coming from Europe.
Europe 2 You has a network of “deconstructors” across the EU, and when they hear of an old building being demolished they arrange to go in first and carefully remove as much wood as they can. Usually this wood consists of wood beams and floor planks.
Woodworkers in Hungary then craft the salvaged wood into cutting and serving boards, finishing them by hand with natural beeswas and mineral oils.
It’s a lovely way to extend the useful life of this wood taken from trees likely cut down centuries ago. Sustainable in so many ways!
O Loves M Bags
- At September 18, 2012
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Our first ever shipment of OLovesM bags just arrived!
These terrific bags are made from yoga mat scraps and other textile remnants. Even the straps on the bags come from the webbing left over when a sandal company sold its business.
All the bags are made in the US and their various combinations of shape, color and pattern give them a unique personality.
Fair-Trade Wooden Bowls
- At September 15, 2012
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We are pleased to be offering these gorgeous hand-carved wooden bowls from South America.
The artisans who make them are based in the Yanesha community of Peru and are paid a fair living wage for their work. The wood is sourced from managed forests in the Amazon so that the biodiversity of their region may be preserved.
Beautiful Fall Clothing
- At September 14, 2012
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Our friendly UPS and FedEx guys have been delivering our fall clothing for a few weeks now, and it’s such a delight to see the burgundies, olives, purples and teals of autumn. The textures are so different from summer clothes – luxurious, cozy, and comforting. The clothing designers continue to evolve, and it’s great to see that warm clothes can also be feminine and flattering!
(Big thanks to Lisa, our model extraordinaire!)
The Rosalinda dress from Horny Toad.
The Astoria Dress from Mata Traders.
The Camille tunic from Yala Designs.
Embroidered Scoop Top from Echo Verde
Fair-Trade Tablecloths
- At July 12, 2012
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After many requests and inquiries this season, we are now offering an assortment of fair-trade cotton tablecloths to match many of our cloth napkins.
Like the napkins, these tablecloths are handmade in India using traditional production techniques in a region where cottage industries still flourish.
Machine washable, they come out of the drier looking great. You can iron them if you’re inspired (or if your Mom’s watching), but it’s not really necessary – they’ll bring a bit of loveliness to your table regardless.
John DeAmicis Artwork
- At July 07, 2012
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We’ve recently introduced John DeAmicis’ art at Nest, and we think you’re going to love it.
Based in New Jersey, John captures whimsical, humorous and meaningful moments from everyday life in his drawings.
We’re focusing our offerings on his nature images with inspirational quotations. They are available framed and unframed.
Dirty Dog Pottery
- At June 01, 2012
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We just received our first ever order from Dirty Dog Pottery. Created by Hil-Dee Bates in Brooksville, Florida, these pieces radiate personality.
In addition to their fabulous glazes and etched designs, each piece has a short inspirational phrase carved on the bottom.
The Homemade Pantry: Veggie burgers, fruit roll-ups, and flour tortillas, oh my!
- At May 15, 2012
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I’m a little excited about this new book… Okay, a lot excited. The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making, by Alana Chernila. Josie’s mother bought it for herself a few weeks ago, then let Josie bring it in to work to show the rest of us. Sent off to lunch with Josie’s half dozen reasons why I would like this book, I cuddled up with it at the tiny desk we use as a lunch room and promptly fell in love with Alana and her book (yes, we’re already on a first name basis). She had me at the homemade toaster pastries on the cover.
As someone who makes her own kale chips, kombucha, and occasionally cheese, this book is my dream come true. Not long ago I suggested to my pizza-from-scratch-making husband that we try making our own ketchup sometime. This book order arrived at Nest this week and not only does The Homemade Pantry have recipes for ketchup, fig newtons and crackers, but right there on page 103, in her intro to the ketchup recipe, Alana references Clamps, the tiny burger shack hidden in the hills of northwest Connecticut that has reached almost mythical status in our family lore.
Will you think I’m weird if I confess that my heart rate is up just writing these few paragraphs, and I’m wondering about playing hooky so I can start trying her recipes? Sounds like a serious crush, right? And I just met the book two weeks ago. Have I mentioned her recipes for sauerkraut, hamburger rolls, and coffee liqueur?
What is it about making these things ourselves that gets us so excited? What draws us to crafty homesteading books and blogs in our precious spare time? I know my fascination is fed in part by having read the Little House books more times than I will publicly acknowledge. If Laura and Pa could get their family through the winter by twisting straw into ‘logs’ for the fire, then surely I can become self-reliant in the realm of garlic production. If Ma could make pot pie from the fat blackbirds devastating their corn field, then I should be able to concoct a dinner from garden lettuce, half-grown radishes, canned garbanzos and last season’s frozen pesto. A little more self-reliance seems smart in so many ways.
I’m also inspired by the financial side of it all. In early December, after some online research, I filled a small jar with cheap vodka and added three vanilla beans, each cut in half lengthwise. By Christmas I had a jar of honest to goodness vanilla extract. Tah-dah! For little more than the price of a bottle of vanilla extract, I have a jar-full that I will continue to top off with vodka, because those three beans will continue to share their vanilla goodness for years. Now think of the fortune I will save by making my own marshmallows, peanut butter and pickles with the recipes in this book!
Before every recipe, Alana provides an introduction – the story of how this food item came into her life, why she started making it at home, or which picky eater it satisfies. Her essays are friendly and funny, encouraging and enticing. Based on her description of how easy it is to make yogurt, I can’t wait to try it myself. Her tone is spunky, realistic and kind. She won’t judge me if I indulge in a store-bought pie crust, and she’ll cheer for me when I make my own.
It turns out that Alana writes a blog, EatingFromTheGroundUp. Perusing her blog is like reading her recipe essays, although it’s probably the blog that birthed the book, not the other way around. In addition to recipes and foodie thoughts, she writes about her husband and daughters, good times with friends, and life as part of a community. I’m smitten. The Homemade Pantry has a place at my table… because the bookshelf is too far away and doesn’t let me read it over breakfast.
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Josie’s Half Dozen Reasons to Read The Homemade Pantry:
- Getting your hands on The Homemade Pantry feels like finding a bundle of letters from an old friend. Chernila immediately reads like a kindred spirit.
- In case you missed Anastasia’s subtle enthusiasm, a big part of creating these goodies by hand is that it can actually be really thrilling to do so. There’s magic in saving money and in making the food you like even tastier and healthier…all with your own two hands.
- Chernila believes that if we all play outside and eat good food, our bodies will find the shapes that suit them. Shame and guilt have no place at the dinner table.
- The Lentil Soup on page 132 is AMAZING, and I know lentil soup.
- The Homemade Pantry is a great resource for both vegetarian households like mine and more conventional eaters. Chernila never asks you to pick a side. Her book is aimed at a community of eaters that includes everyone from vegans, vegetarians and meat-lovers to time-strapped moms and picky kids.
- The photography in The Homemade Pantry is tasty and happy and fresh looking. If looking at pictures of pie and pickles makes you feel better when you’re a little blue, this is your book.
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