Hometown Girl

Links Galore, Ideas, Giveaways and More!

Ok, so I had to add "more" I thought it would be fun to rhyme!  Did I tell you there was a  mix up with my Country Living subscription (gasp!) I didn't receive my December issue until yesterday. I LOVE seeing it in my mailbox :) Ok, on to the links!

Ideas for more homemade / handmade gifts. Isn't this photo wreath just fantastic! This would make such a thoughtful gift for a loved one. The best part is they can use it all year round. From Country Living.

I whipped up a batch of these vanilla caramels last night. With only 5 ingredients they were a breeze. The only additional thing you need is a candy thermometer which I had on hand. If you do make these don't worry if the caramels are a little soft (at least mine were) once they were wrapped and I put them in the refrigerator they were perfect!

 

Take a look at this gift wrapping. I thought this was the cutest idea. I love that the wrapping is part of the gift. You could easily do this with a thrifted/vintage shirt & pin or new!

 
  

Seems to be lots of giveaways, here are a few I stumbled on.

Kasey from Lola B's is having a giveaway, a box full of goodies!

Pioneer Woman is giving away two sets of pots & pans.

Cup Of Joe is giving away a pretty Steve Alan dress!

French Charming is giving away $100 to the Pearl Necklace Source.

RikRak Studio is giving away $25 to spend in any one of her sponsors shops!

My lovely friend Kristina is having a giveaway, just tweet her your favorite item from her shop to enter.

I went to our local Michael's today, they had small wreaths on sale for only $1.99. I bought three of them and hung them from ribbon over windows in my mudroom and kitchen. It looks so festive!

 I also shopped for the ingredients to make homemade granola and caramel corn for gifts. I found the caramel corn recipe at Orangette. Granola from Country Living.

 

I truly hope you are enjoying this beautiful season. I am so blessed in so many ways. Thank you for stopping by. See you soon!

Susan
  

 

Happy Thanksgiving From Our Table to Yours

May you live a long life, full of gladness and health. With a pocket full of gold, as the least of your wealth.

May the dreams you hold dearest, be those which come true. The kindness you spread, keep returning to you.

May the friendships you make, be those which endure; and all of your grey clouds, be small ones for sure.

And trusting in Him, to Whom we all pray; May a song fill your heart, every step of the way.

 

 

See you soon!

~ Susan

what's for dinner? chicken noodle soup & homemade biscuits

Nothing says comfort food to me like soup. I made a pot of this homemade favorite in no time all. I almost always start with a goggle search or a quick look at my recipe books for the general lay of the land. Then I improvise based on what I have in my own refrigerator and pantry. I used Tyler Florence's recipe, it's easy and straight forward. My only change was dried herbs instead of fresh and Kluski noodles which I prefer to the wide noodles. You could easily turn this into a Thanksgiving leftover meal using turkey instead of chicken and your leftover carrots.

To accompany my soup I made the The Neely's biscuit recipe. I used dried herbs instead of fresh and less cayenne pepper then called for. These cheesy biscuits have a kick!

I have so much to be thankful for. For my sweet little family, my husband and children. My family near and far away. My friends, old and new that keep me going. For our home, all our little everyday luxuries that I sometime take for granted. So many blessings, too many to count, all from the Dear Lord.

Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving with all your families.

~ Susan 

the pinecone project continued ~ low cost gifts

I realize that some of you are probably growing tired of my pinecones posts so I'll try to make this one of the last ones for awhile (notice I did not promise!). I know that people are cutting back but you still like to do a "little" something. I made these thoughtful, low cost gifts for a breakfast get together at my friend's home. You can improvise with packaging, I had these items on hand.

I put about a dozen of the glittered pinecones in each bag, added a hand stamped tag with the quote "I get by with a little help from my friends". ~ John Lennon and a pinecone stamp from my stash. The tags are vintage luggage tags, I love the red stripe. I used some vintage red grosgrain ribbon that matched the tags perfectly and tied the top. I happened to have four sachet packets that I tied to it as well (in the back). Then I added some toile tissue and put them in bags with handles. My only cost for this was the spray paint. I know you might not have all these things at your fingertips but you can certainly look around and be creative with what you have, after all, it's the thought that counts.

A new what's for dinner post tomorrow! Thank you for stopping by, hope you have a beautiful day!

~ Susan
 

Time sure flies...

I'm sorry my posting has been a bit scattered lately. I'm trying to get my house in order for the upcoming Holiday.  I know most of you are in the same boat, jobs, families, shops, blogs it can all get a little overwhelming. Throw a Thanksgiving feast for 20+ in there and well that'll do it for me :)

Really I'm doing fine, got my menu, shopped for all the non-perishables I just wish there was one more of me some days.  (I'd make her clean the toilets). Ok, so after that thought the next picture might not be as appetizing but hopefully I got you to smile.

Photos from Country Living.

Thank you sweet friends for dropping by. I'm hopeful that I can get my act together and post some of the things I've been up to soon.

Enjoy your Friday!

~Susan
 

I Hope You Dance

The title of one of my favorite songs. My husband gave me a book based on the song awhile back. One of my favorite lines.

Give the Heavens above more than just a passing glance.

 

 

Have a beautiful day.

~Susan
 

dinner with friends

My husband's friend invited us for dinner. It was an intimate group of six. We had a wonderful meal and great conversation. His home is beautifully decorated. It was warm and inviting. I showed up  with my camera in tow and he was gracious enough to let me take some photos.  I took all these photos in the evening with no flash. I've got a long way to go but I think they turned out pretty well.

This was the beautiful detail on one of the mirrors.

Me in front of the same mirror. This one looks a little grainy to me.

I loved the simplicity of the silver tea set and the oversized artwork.

The table was so lovely!

 

The meal was divine. Osso Bucco, garlic chive mashed potatoes & asparagus.

 

I've mentioned before that I'd like to do our bedroom & bath someday. After seeing this beautiful bath, it made me want to do it all the more. The tile work was stunning. The mosaic in the shower was from Italy. 

I was trying to capture the pretty tiles on the floor, I think everyone's feet in there is kind of fun.
 

I knew everyone with the exception of Anna. It was so nice talking with her, she was so interesting and fun! Turns out her daughter has an Etsy shop. It always amazes me that people are so connected, in ways big and small. It truly was a wonderful evening with friends.

 

Thanks for visiting, enjoy your long weekend.

 ~ Susan 

it's black & white to me

I love black and white, it's classic, modern & always in style.  Some of my Etsy favorites this week.

How cute is this corset? By Innerversion.

 

From my dear friend's shop, Fringe. I LOVE this lariat, it's so versatile & chic.

 

I want to put one of these family name signs in our entryway by Susie Harris.

 
  
You can never have enough tote bags! I love the old camera on this one by The Craft Pantry

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by. ~ Susan
 . 

open for business, thank you Susie!

Susie Harris did a lovely feature on my shops, thank you Susie! Don't forget to stop her blog and leave a comment. I'm giving away two yards of fabric from Paperhillfabrics, your choice!

I've been busy listing all kinds of new things in the shop, here's a peek.

I'm so happy with the way this collar turned out. It's romantic and reminds me of another era.

I thought this would be lovely for an afternoon tea.

In it's former life this was a clip on earrring, now it's a fun ring.

I created this from dotted swiss material, formerly curtains in my mom & dad's first apartment. I made it to wear over a pretty slip. I handcut & sewed the petals down the sides using vintage muslin, added some vintage lace & muslin tie.

Happy Wednesday! Thank you for visiting. ~ Susan

etsy picks

You'll see there is really no rhyme or reason to this list, just things I love!

I adore this photograph, it would look great in my kitchen. By Hazy Daisy.

This hat is perfect for Fall by BKMHattitude. I couldn't resize the picture so be sure to check it out!

I'm think I'm becoming a foodie! I love these vintage measuring spoons from SadieOlive. I pretty much love her whole shop!

These are some of my all time favorite cookies by LaPrimaDolceVita.

  

I think this little cropped sweater is darling by mnemosynedesigns.

Before I go I wanted to thank my sweet friend Karyn from French Charming for a beautiful feature she did on my shop, thanks Karyn!

Last but not least, I tried Cindy's tomato pie today, it was ridiculously good! I'll post about it soon.

Thanks for visiting.

 ~ Susan