Etteam Cooks!

Here's a link to the first installment featuring a recipe from my friends and team members of Etsy Treasury Team.  Click on the picture for the recipe.   Enjoy! 

Holiday Gifts for Him and Her

These rustic Toothpick Cases for him double as needle cases for her.  Options with or without personalization. 

    

Star Dishes in various sizes are great for holding rings or tea lights. The tiny ones are cute party favors for holding one ring, chocolate kiss, incense cone, or for parking the kid's gum!       



Gourd Birdhouses and Feeders make lovely gifts for the backyard bird watcher and for the birds! Homegrown and handmade.



These little Coffee Spoon Rests hold a teaspoon or tablespoon. Keep one next to the coffee pot to hold your coffee making spoon.  Great stocking stuffer--- they'll never guess what it is!

 

Visit Midnightcoiler on Etsy for lots more Christmas gift ideas. Handmade and homegrown gifts from nature.  

Back from North Carolina Basketmakers Association Convention!

Hi All,  

I'm back from the North Carolina Basketmakers Association Convention and have posted photos I took in the exhibit room.  https://www.facebook.com/lynn.hoyt

I had a great time, as I do every year--- 4 days of weaving baskets, shopping, and fun at the largest basketry convention in the US.  Took 2 classes- a willow basket taught by Sandy Whalen, and a miniature gathering basket with felted fruit, taught by Tonya Cubetta. I had always wanted to try felting and we were taught both wet and dry felting in that class.  The classes I taught were Square to Round Florentine, a coiled basket with pottery start, and Splendorella (photo right,) a tall gourd cut on the bias with a sparkling beaded rim.  There are more photos on the NCBA Facebook page. 

https://www.facebook.com/NCBasketmakers

NCBA has members from all over the US and several other countries. I encourage everyone who can possibly attend our convention to join.  For me t's the most fun a basketmaker can have (and the most exciting event for brand new basketmaker wannabes,)  and I look forward to it every year. Here is the main website with all the details. http://www.ncbasketmakers.com/

lynn

midnightcoiler.etsy.com

NCBA 2014- Two Classes I'm Teaching

Hi, fellow NCBA members!  I'm Lynn Hoyt, and here's a good look at the two classes I'm teaching at NCBA in March, 2014.  With sign-ups ongoing, I hope you'll consider taking a class (or two) with me!  :) 
See you at Convention!

Square-to-Round Florentine
TH-6-66 Thursday 1:00pm-8:00pm

You'll use natural sweetgrass and pine needles to create this square-to-round coiled basket. It starts with my own pottery base with a delicate Florentine design. You'll learn the techniques and tricks for coiling around a square,transitioning from one material to another, and for pine needle and bead patterning. Color choices for pottery base and coordinating beads.
6 Hours 1”Hx5¾” dia

All Levels $60

Splendorella  SU-4-68 Sunday 8:00am-12:00pm

You'll create the crowning glory for this stately feminine gourd vessel. It starts with an organically grown prepared gourd from my garden. The gourd has been footed and painted with a black pearl finish. Learn to weave the bias cut rim with color coordinated beads. Bead color choices will be available. Gourd prep discussed and all questions answered. This gourd is enjoyable and relaxing to weave.
4 Hours 8½”Hx 4”dia(gourds Vary)

All Levels $50

Bio: Lynn Hoyt, Blounts Creek, NC
Lynn loves using, learning and teaching about natural materials. When she's not traipsing through fields, woods and swamps, she specializes in coiled baskets, and carved gourds, and wins awards for her work. Lynn is co-founder and President of the Natural Fibers Group, is editor of the newsletter, From the Ground Up, and maintains several basketry related websites. She's contributed articles to Reeders' Report and has served as a Member-at-Large for NCBA. Lynn enjoys encouraging creativity and sharing her enthusiasm and knowledge with both adults and children. Classes on pages 16, 34 of brochure

Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle

A family favorite at our house, peanut brittle is easy to make, if you have a candy thermometer.  Oh so addictive- you can't eat just one piece! 

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

2 1/2 cups salted peanuts

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon baking soda

Measure out nuts, salt, butter and soda and lightly spray 2 cookie pans before starting.

Heat and stir sugar, syrup and 1 cup water in heavy 3 quart saucepan till sugar dissolves. ( I use a stockpot to be sure it doesn't boil over.) Cook over medium heat to soft ball stage (234 on thermometer).  Add nuts and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Cook to hard crack stage (305) stirring often so it doesn't burn. (The color will darken to a deep amber brown.)  Remove from heat, quickly stir in butter and soda. Work fast! Mixture will lighten and change texture. Pour immediately into 2 sprayed cookie/sheet pans. Spread quickly with spoon.  
Break up when it hardens and cools- 1/2 hour or so. Makes about 1 1/2 lbs.      

My Latest Pottery

 

Midnightcoiler

Some of the latest pottery to come from my little kiln. I'm always excited to try new glazes and shapes.  The two bud vases were reglazed in burnt orange- I was amazed that they turned out.  Teaspoon rests, ring dishes, and a tiny dish for earring studs make up the rest.  

Tiny Star Earring Stud Dishes

Hexagon Ring Dish Set

King Snake

Spent a while observing this small king snake on the property.  It seemed to be digging a hole in the dirt with it's head.  Checked on that spot later and the hole was about 4" deep.  I've always heard that snakes don't dig holes.   Since this happened we have seen the snake again in the same spot, though rain had pretty much filled in it's hole.  We've also seen another much larger king snake, as well as a fat rattle snake, which was on our back steps.    

Wee Bindery: A Passion for Books

When I saw these adorable Leather Mini Notebooks in Wee Bindery's Etsy shop I couldn't resist! My first thought was what wonderful useful little gifts to tuck into stockings for Christmas or give to any number of people I would like to remember during the holidays. Of course, I've already tucked one into my purse for handy notes. I'm the proud owner of several of Wee's books in various sizes, and what strikes me about her work is her beautiful stitching, attention to detail and quality materials.    

 

 Mini Notebooks I bought from Marie, aka Wee of Wee Bindery

Just the right size for pocket or purse!

I asked Wee about what motivated her to create such beautifully crafted books: 

"Ever since I was very young I was creating something. I made several books when I was young and always found the library fascinating with it's interesting books with their pretty covers.

Anyway, I have dabbled in so many different mediums over the years, taking workshops in jewelry making, etching, painting, pottery, etc. I have always sewed which was imbedded in me as a result of my mother and grandmother having been seamstresses (I have their Singer sewing machines dating from the 1920's and 1940's)."

 

 One of Wee's Hardcover Notebooks/Sketchbooks, Florentine Flowers

"What I am getting at here is that bookbinding has allowed me to incorporate many of the learned mediums, especially sewing, into the process. I find it relaxing (not when I do a custom order tho) when creating a book and exciting once the book is completed.

I am obsessed with book arts and binding. I look at everything and wonder how it is made and how I can turn it into a book. My husband is afraid I am going to take apart the lovely, but old, brown leather couch we have so I can make books out of it (I could make about 100 books out of it)." 

One of Wee Bindery's Leather Journals 

Exquisite stitching on this Name Notebook/Journal

For more Wee Bindery creations, visit her Etsy Shop
Proud member of the Etsy Treasury Team

If you'd like a chance to be selected for a feature in this blog, please follow my blog and leave a comment here.  

Snakeskin/Reptile Skin Challenge on the Etsy Treasury Team

We do fun challenges from time to time on the Etsy Treasury Team.  Our August Snakeskin/Reptile Skin Challenge will go on through August 25th.  All the entries will be posted on our team blog when the challenge is over.  Here are my creations so far!  I have another in the works.

Snake Skin Gourd Vase Bowl in Red Black with Arrangement

Snake Egg Gourds Decoupaged Nature Inspired Bowl Filler Use for Crafts

Visit my Midnightcoiler shop for more gourds, baskets, pottery and other nature inspired artisan goods.  

Fig Newtons- Only Better

A friend gave me a bag full of ripe figs, one of my favorite fruits! These are a real delicacy as they don't keep well as a fresh fruit. After eating way more than I should have, I made homemade fig bars, starting with making fig preserves. See the fig preserve and bar recipe below.

A few for snacking on while I make the preserves

1 1/2 cups sugar to 2 lbs of figs, 1T lemon juice, cook stirring on medium low 45 minutes

Preserves are done when they're nice and thick. If you have too much for the fig bars it freezes well.

These bars are so tender and delicious warm from the oven.

Cake Dough
1/2 c soft butter

1 egg

1 T. milk

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 t. salt

1 t. baking powder

1 3/4 c flour

Mix all in processor or mixer just until a soft dough forms. Divide in half and press 1/2 into a very lightly oiled 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Top with the preserves and spread evenly.  Flour and roll out the remaining dough into a 9 x 13 square on a piece of floured waxed paper or plastic wrap. Dough is very tender, so hand forming will help. Transfer dough on the paper to cover the preserve. Some dough repair may be necessary to cover he figs.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cut into bars while still warm.

 If you can keep them long enough, they can be made warm again in the microwave. 

 ENJOY!  

Midnightcoiler