Terra cotta hen, Antique tea cups & DIY plate stand

Many Years ago, I fell in love with terra cotta chicken. The Captains Nan  had 2 Terra cotta hen's {one named Henrietta which The captain has childhood stories of}. I have hunted for one in the same look & size which has proven a bit fruitless. These hens are so charming & captivating even a non chicken owner would love. I have seen a few painted or formed with clay but none satisfied the look of hen I desired. Then while looking to add to our array of Antique tea cups, I spotted her. Sitting upon a shelf as though she were calling out "I'm over here!". The look I was after, maybe half the size then I originally wanted but beautiful in form.

I have yet to decide on what shall be grown in the strawberry pot design. Most likely an herb I can snip from often for use in the kitchen. It's funny how one can look and look, forget about it for a while then that something just pops up out of nowhere. I did find a few tea cups for adding to our collection. Yes, we do use them. What delight would there be to not enjoy it's intended purpose of a hot cup of herbal tea? Such things are fragile to which I do not withhold our children from using. Accidents do & have happened but never a harsh word or scorn is used. I am sure their upset of the incident is enough to remind them of the fragile state and always share "You did not mean for it to break. No tears honey. We will find another to enjoy".  

They look forward to their afternoon tea time{in place of an after school snack} which can cause a bit of upset should something prevent them from it's time. As of late, a peppermint Chamomile blend seems to be the favorite.

 I am sure most if not all of you have seen cake platters made from antique plates. Tiered or not. Another moment that browsing in thrift stores brings unexpected finds. I would like to share the inspiration one can find from a simple trip to thrift stores such as The Salvation Army or GoodWill. I spotted this lovely wide candle holder {made from Yankee Candle co.} and this rustic blush color plate{from World Market} during such a trip. Total cost $1.98 for the pieces.

Very simple to make with superb results. I used Quick Grip All purpose Permanent Adhesive{water &  weather proof} for putting them together. Place the pedestal of your choice onto the underside bottom of the plate, eye centering at first.Measure to be sure it is the same distance from the edges all around before gluing. Let it dry over night and it's done.

Perfect for cakes, finger foods & of course to place that glass dome of which has no bottom.{I am still on the hunt to find a larger dome from the thrift store. As I have mentioned with many things you seek with purpose, C'est la vie... Such is life.

Sweet Dreams,

~Tammie

My " King Arthur Scone mix " Giveaway!

In honor of my upcoming Tisane blends, King Arthur Flour Company has so generously participated in the first of many giveaways right here on The Unusual Farm Chick site.
I truly love their flours which is all I will use for my Artisan breads. I am so thrilled to share with you the taste of exceptional quality one finds with King Arthur's products.

"Here at King Arthur Flour, we believe “value” still refers to the worth of something, not how cheap it is. So while our flour may cost a little bit more than some of the other brands you see on supermarket shelves, we know it’s a good value, because you get what you pay for: the consistent performance of King Arthur Flour yields exceptional results whenever you invest your time and ingredients in baking.
All flour is not created equal. King Arthur Flour is subject to the most precise specifications in the milling industry, and the resulting purity and consistent performance has made it the trusted flour of baking enthusiasts and professionals for over 200 years. We put that care into our products because we believe you deserve exceptional results, every time you bake.
We believe it’s best to offer pure, natural flour free of unnecessary chemicals that may be hazardous to your health. In particular, we avoid adding any bleaching chemicals – such as benzoyl peroxide, commonly found in acne treatment products – as well as potassium bromate, a suspected carcinogen banned in Europe in California.
What’s more, we back our superior flour with a host of resources developed from our more than two centuries of baking experience."

Pick one from the many delectable choices of scone mix from their site here. (There are so many, it will be hard to choose just one, so take your time and browse around!) Then come back to leave a comment including what Herbal blend Tisane ( tea) you would enjoy sipping to compliment their delicious scones. This extra step where you include what herbal blend would go best with the flavor of Scone, helps me know what you enjoy in your herbal tisanes which just might result in a new blending experiment.

It's that easy!

Be sure to check out their FREE Traveling Baking demo's too! They are coming to the Firestone Country club here in Akron Ohio November 6,2009. I know I will be there to benefit from the knowledge of experienced bakers! Heres a direct link to see if they will be coming close to you*.

The deadline is Midnight on Friday November 6, 2009. One entry per person. Two Winners will be chosen from all commenter's to this post. King Arthur Flour Company will mail your choice of scone mix directly to your home. Be sure your comment/blog link has a current email address so I may contact you for your mailing information. I reserve the right to disqualify anyone who does not fully participate with the comment qualifications.

I will announce the winners chosen from a random generator, on Saturday November 7, 2009.

Be sure to keep watching for the next giveaway. After checking out all those scone mixes, the next giveaway will give you even more reason to give King Arthur's dry mix items a try!

Best of luck to all! And be sure to spread the word to your friends about the Unusual Farm Chick giveaways. So many more prizes and well worth the wait.

Sweet dreams,

~Tammie

Solar pit greenhouse update and tea samples

I swore this day was never going to come. But here I am feeling rather satisfied with myself. Or rather I should say, The Captain, for all his hard labor of love which was put into getting things to this point. Poor guy has concrete burn on his fingertips from not wearing the plastic gloves I insisted he wear under his work pair. He learned after the first time and did finally succumb to my mothering ways. I bandaged up his fingertips after applying Kim's Extra moisturizing lotion all over his hands. (The main ingredient is Aloe Vera).

His hands were so dry and sore, he was amazed there was no "burn" like the other lotions I have put on him. Duh! It's all natural you silly boy! Why do you think Frog lets me put it on her eczema without a fuss?

Anyway, all 4 walls are finished! We have 1 more sunny day which is Monday so I need to get the big window section cleaned up and secure so I can start assembling the A frame roof. Or as The Captain likes to call it, "The bomb shelter"...

He always jokes that when we sell we could advertise it as a solar pit greenhouse -slash- Bomb shelter. I of course do not bother pointing out how that was not possible as one but instead just laugh at his goober comments. He tries. He really does. But I still have a lot of work ahead of me. Example being he suggested we use "tar" to coat the inside of my pit greenhouse( he was thinking waterproofer and heat absorber) since I mentioned painting the North wall black... he was confused by my disgusted look and I had to explain why.

Now as to Tea Samples. I need 4 participants who would be willing to allow me to mail out a few samples of our tea blends next month. We have just 2 tried and true as of this posting but I am working on another for mid day enjoyment so it may be 3 kinds of which I would send 2 samples, each variety. (Enough for 2 cups of tea.) So "Sweet Dreams" blend and the "Panda's Belly" would be a part of the samples for now.

Our Sweet dreams loose Tisane

I need HONEST opinion input. Others who are willing to share what their taste buds speak while sipping them. What comes to mind and if/ how it makes you feel. Your input will help produce a well rounded tea. I have a neighbor friend who is my willing guinea pig but more opinions would be so much better.

These would be loose teas (Tisanes), pre measured into a glassine envelope so all that is needed will be a tea ball or such for preparation. Brewing instructions will be included along with ingredient list and a little info I collected on them. FYI- the Sweet Dreams does not include Chamomile so those with a sensitivity to the plant due to allergies can enjoy a relaxing cup as well as the colicky baby or infant).

My sewing machine is down so I have some tinkering to do before I can finish up a few things. Actually it has been down for a week. I do believe someone small must have played with a few dials and ran the machine. I have thread which just today have successfully removed from the gutting's. Now I am playing with dials to get it back to where it will run smoothly.

So many delays have been in my life as of late. In the end I get over it and move on.

So those who would like to test out the teas, please leave your interest in a comment. I will let Frog pick out 4 if there is more of which show interest.

Speaking of who... Someone just woke up and wants to cuddle so I bid you....

Sweet dreams,

~Tammie