I Feel Sorry for People....

....who don't have access to the Farmer's Market.

I love the Farmer's Market!!!  

The produce is fresher, there is more variety, and it's usually less expensive.  I also like the fact that the produce is local and you can get to know the farmers.  I definitely like knowing where my food is coming from.  And I think it's important for us to know where our food is coming from.

It's one of the easiest green things to do as well; buying from your local farmer.  Less gas used to truck it and in many cases, there are no chemicals used on the crops.

I don't feel sorry for people who have access to the Farmer's Market and don't utilize it.  It's foolish to me. Maybe they don't want to make that extra stop.  But whatever the reason, I think if they went just once, it would change the way they shop for there food.

For instance, I love this time of year with the different variety of apples.  I was working with a woman recently and was telling her about these great apples that I made into one of the best tasting pies I'd ever had.  She had never even heard of them and said that she only ever made pies with Granny Smith or Cortland.  It's funny how something so common place for one person is so odd for someone else.

By the way, the apple was called September Wonder and it's an early Fuji.  This was the first year I had ever seen them.  I also really love Zestar, SweeTango, Honeycrisp, and Cameo.  Varieties you don't see in the supermarket, although I was pleased to see some convenience stores carrying them while they were in season.  We have several small towns that don't have a market nearby and so the gas stations in town are like super gas stations with fresh foods inside the convenience stores.  Smart move.

I would also suggest visiting your orchards directly.  Especially if that orchard doesn't set up at a Farmer's Market.  You will surely get even more varieties of apples, peaches, and other produce than you would at the market.

So while the growing season may be winding down for some of us, the Farmer's Market is still hoppin'.  I make a point to visit at least one every week and plan my meals around the produce I get that week.

Use What You Have To Decorate For Autumn

I like to reuse items that I already have in a new way as the seasons change.  One new item I acquired a little while back is this 8-pointed star that a former co-worker made and gave to me.  I love it, because I can do so much with it.

It even looks cool all by itself, but when going through the shed this past weekend, I discovered a bag of Indian corn I had gotten a few years back.  I've never really done much with it, but I thought it might be cool to attach the cobs to the metal points and I think it turned out pretty good.  I suppose I could spruce it up even more with artificial flowers or tie on gourds, but I think I'll just stop here for now.

I'm sure you might have something you could do something similar with....maybe an old grapevine wreath that has seen better days, or you could even tie them together to form a garland of sorts.  I still have a few short cobs left, so I might add them to the mailbox display.  Indian corn is about 3/$1 around here, so it's a pretty inexpensive way to decorate, don't you think?

Autumn at Onondaga Lake Park

After being stuck in the house the past few days with a cold, I decided to take a short walk at Onondaga Lake Park in Liverpool, NY to stretch my legs and to see the fall foliage before the rain destroys it all.

Winners of Elmer's Craftbond X-Acto Challenge

The Random Number Generator has just picked the three winners of the Elmer's Craftbond X-Acto prize packs. Congrats to Tracy from Sunny Corner Farm, Bobbie Phelps and Geri Apodaca.

If for any reason these people don't get back to me with their addresses within 3 days, I will have to pick a new winner.

Your name and address will be sent to Meghann Heft who is coordinating the Craft Challenge for Elmer's.  She will be sending you the prize pack directly.

As a reminder she will be sending out the following items in the prize pack.

X-ACTO:
4-pack Decorative Edge Scissors
Self Healing Mat
Retractable Craft Knife
Craft Swivel Knife

 

CraftBond: 

Scrapbooking Tape: Repositionable
Extra Strength Glue Stick
Wet & Dry Dual Tip Glue Pen
Permanent Tape Runner

Thanks to everyone who participated!  If my blog wins the craft challenge, I will donate the proceeds to the American Cancer Society!

Elmer's Crafting Challenge & Prizes for You

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about an Elmer's Craft Challenge.  The blog winner will receive $1,000 for the charity of their choice.  For my Elmer's Craft Challenge Project I chose to re-purpose a file box, since I'm all about recycling and bringing new life to old worn out stuff.

For this project I used the 9" paper trimmer to trim up the blue cloudy sheets of scrapbook paper for the sides of the box.  Then I used the X-Acto knife to trim around the curved parts of the box, using the self-healing matte to protect my work surface.  The circle cutter worked great for the decorations on top and the detail scissors were the perfect tool to cut out the little squares for around the bottom.  The paper was applied to the box with an Elmer's Extra Strength Glue Stick.  Putting the glue on both the paper and the box makes the bond even stronger and the stick was so easy to use and not messy at all.

Since I plan on using this box for either seed storage or small craft supply storage, I decided to seal the box with decoupage, but would have been better off using a spray acrylic, I think.  I should also mention that I primed the box so that the wood color wouldn't have a chance to show through the paper.

Now on to the prizes for you!  Elmer's Craftbond and X-Acto have graciously provided three prize packs, containing the following goodies:

X-ACTO:
4-pack Decorative Edge Scissors
Self Healing Mat
Retractable Craft Knife
Craft Swivel Knife

 

CraftBond:
Scrapbooking Tape: Repositionable
Extra Strength Glue Stick
Wet & Dry Dual Tip Glue Pen
Permanent Tape Runner

All you have to do to win is leave a comment on this blog post. Make sure an e-mail address is attached to your profile so I can get in touch with you or leave your e-mail address in your comment.  Your comment must be received by Monday, October 11, 2010, at 11:59 pm.  I will choose a winner the morning of  10/12/10 using a random number generator.  Only one entry per person, please.

There will be three winners, so encourage your crafting friends to enter to win as well.

And make sure you check out their website at http://www.elmers.com/crafters .