July 31, 2013

Picnic Perfect

Gourmet Central. WV LIVING magazine. Crazy Baker. Mountain Craft Shop. A is for Appalachia. ThistleDew Farm's. Fiestaware. All items are available to buy at WV Markets in Morgantown and Snowshoe. See the Market's Facebook page and website for more information.

Make a WV wine the perfect accompaniment to the rest of your yummy snacks. Try Forks of Cheat's Niagara white wine. It's their most popular, with "foxy character and full body". It can be purchased through various wine vendors and retail locations throughout the state.

And if for some reason you don't finish the bottle, cap it with a hand-crafted wooden wine stopper by Holcomb's Woodworking . Beauty and function - what more could you ask for? You can buy them at WV Markets in Morgantown and Snowshoe.

July 26, 2013

Smells That Should Be Candles

by Rachael in List, Images

Mountain Oak Candles are made in Bridgeport.  They're soy, which means they burn longer and more evenly and aren't bad for you (Who knew the regular candles were?  They are apparently.).  You can buy them at WV Markets in Morgantown a… — Mountain Oak Candles are made in Bridgeport. They're soy, which means they burn longer and more evenly and aren't bad for you (Who knew the regular candles were? They are apparently.). You can buy them at WV Markets in Morgantown and Snowshoe.

If there were such a thing as qualifications to judge candles, I might actually have them. I’ve worked at the perfume counter at Macy’s and have sold candles at a store. When I worked at Macy’s, the most popular perfume was Britney Spears’ “Fantasy”. Everyone who tried it loved it and just couldn’t put their finger on what the smell was. It smelled like cotton candy. They liked it because it smelled like cotton candy. . .

We kept a can of coffee behind the counter because, if you’re sampling perfumes, you can sniff the coffee beans in between scents so they don’t run together. I sold WV-made candles at WV Market and they’re wonderful. They were one of my favorite things that we sold; they make great small gifts, especially when you don’t know what to get someone. They come in awesome, unique scents. My favorite is Lemon Meringue (which no one else ever got to experience when I worked there because I would buy them all). Here are some candle scents that I have never seen, but which would be awesome.

Smells that should be candles - hot copier paper, apples & cinnamon oatmeal, and boy hoodie

Smells that should be candles - leinenkugel, guitar, ozone

Smells that should be candles - eau de cruise ship, bourbon creme brûlée, autumn in wv

Madeleine's Restaurant in Morgantown bourbon creme brûlée

"Madeleine's Bourbon Crème Brûlée Scented Candle" is definitely fake, but you can grab the real dessert version at Madeleine's Restaurant on High Street in Morgantown. Check out the restaurant's Facebook page for info on specials and Thursday live music. Madeleine's uses locally-sourced ingredients and when they serve their bourbon crème brûlée, it's made with WV-made bourbon from Smooth Ambler Spirits in Greenbrier County - making it even more special and delicious!

Here are some unusual scented candles that do exist. They're pretty and probably smell amazing!

Cannabis, Cedar, Coffee, Fresh Baked Bread

If you could have any scent candle, what would it be? A lot of people say baby head (the, uhh, fresh smell I guess babies have?). I don't think the science is there for that yet.

July 15, 2013

Screen Print T-Shirts

by Rachael in DIY

There are a lot of internet tutorials and DIY blogs on “screen printing” t-shirts. Here are a few I read up on before trying:

craftgrrl

DIYFashion

instructables

Here are the steps I did:

1. Make/find an image you would like on a t-shirt. Simple, angular images work best. You use the negative space, so the image needs to have negative space. I tried to replicate a colorful image, but had the best luck with one- or two-color images.

2. Print image.

3. Use light-colored or sheer hose to stretch across an embroidery hoop. I bought really cheap, as-large-as-I-could-find (or as large as I could ascertain since hose sizes have names like “QQQ” and “AZ1”). Even with large hose (you can’t use the top part of control top hose – the mesh is too closely-spaced together) and cutting the leg part apart to make the largest flat surface, it was still a bit of an ordeal stretching the mesh across the embroidery hoop and securing the clamp-thing. I thought this part would be the easiest, but it was the hardest. Maybe if I had ever used an embroidery hoop for anything before buying one for 99 cents at Walmart the day before I would have been more savvy. Live and learn.

4. Put embroidery hoop covered in hose over image print-out (with hose side touching the paper). Trace image onto hose using marker/sharpie.

5. Paint around image with Mod Podge. I’ve read you can use tape, too, but even on an image that seemed to have a lot of straight lines, when I tried this way it was time-consuming and boring, plus painting is fun. Also the whole reason I was doing this was to use up a giant thing of Mod Podge I had had for a year, so, Mod Podge.

6. Allow Mod Podge on hose to dry. Once dry, lay embroidery hoop (hose side touching fabric) on the shirt you're using. Paint the un-Mod Podge-ed areas with whatever color you choose. Peel away the embroidery hoop. Hang shirt to dry.

Ta da!

July 2, 2013

How to be a good wedding guest

by Rachael in Images

Here is some wedding guest etiquette I have picked up from family members, websites, friends, and personal experience as a not-so-good wedding guest.

Definitely

If the invitation says your name “+ guest”, you’re only supposed to bring a date if it is someone you are dating. The bride and groom should have met the date you are bringing or at least know your date’s name. A +1 invitation isn’t an opportunity to bring a random person so they can get drunk with you, even though it’s tempting (and awesome). If you’re bringing a date just to bring a date, you’re just costing the bride and groom money and guaranteeing a guest they don't know appears in the background of all their wedding photos.

Unless you know the bride and groom really well and know something specific they want or are super-crafty and can make something amazing, it is really appreciated when guests buy wedding presents off the registry. Brides and grooms register for items for a reason (probably because according to movies you get a scan gun at a Bed Bath and Beyond and get to go wild and it’s awesome), so help ‘em get the stuff they want and need. Plus there will always be older guests who don't shop from a couple's registry, so if you’re under 60 and can use a computer, you should do so. Even if you find it pretentious that your friend who can’t cook now apparently needs two stainless steel cherry-pitters.

Probably

Most wedding guest etiquette guides say that a guest should not wear white to a wedding. This is probably a good idea so as not to upstage the bride, but a cute white eyelet dress with a cardigan or a man wearing a light seersucker suit could be appropriate at a casual summer wedding.

Depends

A wedding guest etiquette tip I have read recently says to refrain from posting Facebook photos of a wedding until after the bride and groom and their families have posted some and that doing so is like "scooping" the married couple on their big day. Tons of people post facebook photos of a wedding even while the wedding is happening and, honestly, the bride and groom won't get to see their official photos that were taken by a paid photographer until weeks after their wedding, so they may appreciate getting to see a few candid pics their friends took at their wedding in the meantime (also they will be on their honeymoon anyway, so shouldn't get too mad).

Wear

Semi-Formal Afternoon: Dress, Shoes, Clutch, Earrings. Dress code from theknot.com.

Beach Formal: Dress, Sandals, Clutch, Necklace. Dress Code from theknot.com.

Black Tie: Dress, Shoes, Clutch, Scarf . Dress code from theknot.com.

Buy

How to be a good wedding guest - what to buy

Gifts Made in West Virginia: 1. Handblown Glass Pitcher and Matching Tumblers by Ron Hinkle 2. Blenko Water Bottle in Cobalt 3. Blenko Tangerine Bowl 4. Large Platter by Anna Brown (you can find all these things and more beautiful pottery by Morgantown potter Anna Brown at WV Market in Morgantown). Check out WV Markets in Morgantown and Snowshoe for more made-in-WV stuff!

Pricier Gifts: 1. Le Creuset Cast Iron Set 2. Pottery Barn Vintage Blacksmith Pot Rack 3. Fiestaware Large Oval Platter (also made in West Virginia) 4. Pottery Barn Hotel Silver-Plated Champagne Bucket (you can make this gift extra-special and get it engraved with the couple's initials)

Budget Gifts: 1. Pottery Barn Caroline Frames (This is a cheaper but thoughtful gift because you don't have to get an expensive frame, but you can put a little extra time into the gift by putting a photo of the couple in the frame. This way they can display it immediately upon opening instead of putting it in a closet somewhere and waiting to get prints of their wedding photos and finding the right size to fit in it.) 2. If you really don't have money to spend on a gift and it's someone you're close to, volunteer to watch their dog while they go on their honeymoon or help assemble dreaded wedding favors.

When in doubt just get drunk and have fun. The bride and groom will probably be too busy worrying about everything to notice a single person. Anyone have a funny wedding etiquette tip they learned the hard way?