New Tastes // mesquite bean coffee

Last Saturday, at our town's annual Fiesta de la Paloma ( festival of the dove ), I bought a new kind of "coffee". The bean-like pods which grow on the mesquite tree are harvested, roasted, and ground for some Texas style coffee! 

It definitely doesn't have your regular coffee flavor, but rather a strong, woodsy taste that took me back to sitting around a campfire in northern Michigan during our camping trip last summer.

It was also neat to drink coffee that grew locally and gave me a feeling of loyalty since it came from my home state instead of Arabia or some other foreign country!

I like it best with a dash of almond milk.

Do you enjoy any coffee substitutes?

blank pages // a booklet diy

A blank page is no empty space. It is brimming with potential... it is a masterpiece in waiting -- yours

// A. A. Patawaran 

Ah, there is something about making something with ones own hands, that is very relaxing and therapeutic. Especially simple things. Like a booklet that came together from a piece of cardboard from who-knows-what, a watercolor painting of a feather, and paper given to you by your grandmother years ago.

supplies: piece of cardboard, paper, stylus, ruler, scissors, stapler, artwork or something to embellish the cover

Take the cardboard you'll be using as your booklet cover and mark the center. Run a stylus along the ruler to make the cardboard easier to bend.

Cut out pages that are slightly smaller than your booklet cover. Each piece of paper will be folded in half, so if you want twenty pages you would cut ten pieces of paper.

Lay the pages on the cover and staple into place along the center. 

Now enjoy your little book: give it to someone special or keep it for yourself. A book that you have made will become more a part of you than one you could buy. Fill it with thoughts, designs, dreams, sketches. Make it your own.

refashion friday // hat & scarf set

Hey y'all!

I found this winter hat, scarf and mitten set on sale last week. I loved the cable designs, plus it was one of my favorite colors - mustard yellow! (I apologize for the wrong coloring in some of the photos. My silly little point and shoot has some defects.)

After a little refashion treatment to the hat and scarf I like them even more. I added a pom pom to the hat and turned the scarf into an infinity scarf! Both are easy refashions. Keep reading to learn how.

We'll start with adding the pom pom.

You will need:
a hat, yarn, scissors, tapestry needle

1. Start wrapping the yarn around all your fingers. The more you wrap the yarn, the fuller your pom pom will be. I wanted mine to be really poufy so I wrapped mine a lot.  2. Slide the yarn off your fingers and tie it in the middle with a long piece of yarn.  3. With the scissors cut through all the loops taking care not cut the longer strands of yarn .  4.Trim into a nice ball shape. This isn't the most professional way to make a pom pom and it will be pretty shaggy at first, but after giving it a trim it will look quite cute!  5. Thread the long strands of yarn into the tapestry needle.  6. Pull the needle through the top of your hat.  6. Knot the yarn on the inside of the hat.

For the scarf you'll need all the same supplies.

This one is really easy! Just bring the ends together (right sides together) and stitch! I just sort of wove my needle in and out of the knitted stitches.

This is a great way to personalize your winter accessories without knitting them yourself! Hope you enjoy this project. :)