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Summer in Black and White

Cyn — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:50:55 +0000

This summer, part of my focus has been on a new found love — canning. It hasn’t manifested in the traditional sense. After creating paper goods for the people who “put up” (you can read about how that came about here), I’ve had a few experiences canning my own food from our CSA. While I’m proud of those jars, as my 5-year-old is proud of writing his name, the act of canning is not what has me jazzed.

I have found a way to marry a couple of my passions: paper goods and fresh, local, organic food. I am ecstatic to contribute to the homemade food movement through my business. And the success I feel has encouraged many more ideas that will support this movement and, in turn, me.

My summer in black and white was discovering the writing on the wall.

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This post is part of We Scout Wednesday this week on ScoutieGirl.com. Join in here.

My Canning 101 :: Butterscotch Peach Jam

Cyn — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:31:46 +0000

Happy Monday!
I’m excited to say that I’ve created my first jar (and a half) of jam. We scored a bag of peaches from our CSA last week and I’m not a big fan of eating them as is. Hubby and the boys have been enjoying them in their natural state, but I needed to zhuzh it up a little.

I saw a post on Facebook from Shae of Hitchhiking to Heaven about making Butterscotch Peach Jam and I was Sold! She was kind enough to share the recipe with me from a canning pen pal of hers and I went to work peeling, chopping, mashing and cooking. I had to do some math with the recipe, as I didn’t have the amount of peaches the recipe called for… I can say without embarrassment that I picked the right major in college (English). My yield should have been about 3 jars, but I ended up with a jar and a half. Another bonus of canning will be sharpening my sadly dull math skills.

Paper Nerd Alert:
I was just as excited to label my one full jar as I was to make it. I make so many tags and labels for other canners that I’m happy to use one set for myself. Pretty inside and out, if I do say so! (And I know how much of dork I am about something so simple, but it’s allowed on occasion.)

This weekend, I also asked my parents for the recipe of Pickled Cucumbers & Onions, that my Pennsylvania Dutch grandmother used to make. I sadly don’t remember her, but I do remember these fresh tasting slices from our refrigerator as a kid in the summer and fall. They have the lightest vinegar-y taste and a little sweetness that seems so fresh and clean as a side dish. Usually, the cucumbers are peeled. I left the peel on because there are some excellent vitamins in there. It’s your choice whether to peel or not to peel.
Enjoy!

Pickled Cucumbers & Onions (PD Style)
Ingredients:
4 cucumbers, sliced about 1/4″
2 sweet onions, sliced a bit thinner thatn 1/4″
3T sugar
3/4 cup vinegar
water
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Place sliced cucumbers and onions in medium/large bowl. Add sugar and vinegar, then add water to just cover the slices. Stand in refrigerator overnight.

Canning Crazy Fresh Colors

Cyn — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:10:38 +0000

Hello! Just checking in quickly to show off some fresh colors that I’ve added to the Scallop Design of Canning Labels and Tags. Aren’t y’all ready to start putting up some goodies from the farmer’s market and maybe your CSA? I know I am!

You can purchase these in my Etsy shop, as well as other designs made just for this canning season.

GNO and Mom Made That!

Cyn — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:54:36 +0000

I enjoy talking about my small business, but there is only so much my friends and family want to hear after awhile. Some of the aspects of an on-line business are fascinating to me and if I talk too long about it, I can see my loved ones’ eyes glaze over and they begin nodding, just to be polite.

The other night, I got some of my business nerdyness out of my system by attending Girls Night Out or #gno as it’s better known on Twitter. GNO is a chatfest every Tuesday night where you can tweet about various subjects pertaining to women (some men chat too.) As you’ve guessed, small business was the subject matter for my first GNO and it was terrific. You can lurk, you can network, you can admire, but stay sharp. The tweets come fast and furious. I would suggest using Tweetchat, or in the GNO I attended, a custom Tweetgrid was created. One of the panelists was Amy Bellgardt, who is @momspark and founder of Mom Made That! Not only was Amy informative, she kept the conversation going in a positive and humorous way.

Her site, Mom Made That!, gathers all things made by moms in one rich and supportive location. I think Amy says it best on her site. “Moms are the most innovative creators, writers, inventors and business owners I know. This site is my way of showcasing their amazing products, ideas, blogs and services.” How great is that?

If you’d like to shop or take a look around (perhaps buy some paper goods?), visit the homepage here. There are special discounts for Mom Made that! visitors. I’m listed on Mom Made That! and you can be too. Just click here if you’d like your business or blog to be part of moms supporting moms.

Tweaking RiverDog Prints dot com Again

Cyn — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:04:28 +0000

I don’t know if it’s the start of school or the upcoming change of season, but I jumped right into tweaking my website. I hope to be done today, but here are the subtle differences…

Current Version

New Version

Looks similar, but much more functional and clean. Once I get it set, I can add my new goods: Halloween goodies, customized tags and stickers and new save-the-dates. Stay tuned!

Blog Love Week – Lovely Laura Brown Art

Cyn — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:20:38 +0000

This is the last post for Blog Love Week. It’s been great to feature all these women (sorry guys!) and get to know them even better as I write about them. I hope you’ve enjoyed my go-to blog list. Let’s load up the last one…

I look forward to reading the blog, Laura Brown Art, for a bunch of reasons. Mostly, I dig how authentic she is, whether she’s writing about music, print-making, air-conditioning or life transitions. Laura recently made the big leap and quit her day job to open an Etsy shop of her art. I’ve enjoyed going along for the ride through her journey, as it’s similar to my own. Plus, she makes pretty paper. Those are her hand-colored business cards up there – love them!

In her honest writing about her history and family, I’ve discovered that we are tied to the same places – Wisconsin, Colorado and that space that you have to jump into because it feels right, practicality be damned! I think a lot of women can relate to making a leap into a line of work that they love. Just look around at all the talented souls sharing beautiful goods – it’s almost overwhelming. And Laura makes her trip seem funny and real and frustrating and joyous.

The card above is from Laura’s Etsy shop. I can’t wait to see more of her paper goods and she also has categories for housewares and supplies, that are empty for the moment. I’m just dorky enough to be really excited about what she’ll list in there. So, check out the lovely, self-deprecating blog here. And you can find her Etsy shop here.

I wanted to thank all the ladies I’ve featured this week for being so gracious about my sneak attacks on their blogs. It’s been a pleasure!