New Trims, Ribbons and Velvet Ric Rac

This week we're busily adding more trims to our shop -- velvet ribbon, miniature pom poms, and, as pictured above, velvet ric rac! So far, the new colors of pom pom trims are listed, as are the new hues of velvet ribbon. The velvet ric rac however, will be listed tomorrow afternoon (except for this lovely navy, which can be found here). Stay tuned!

Recipe Thursday -- Something Sweet Minus the Sugar: Carrot Cake

Baking without sugar has, for the most part, yielded some delicious treats and things like oatmeal cookies, banana bread, cornmeal blueberry pancakes, and peach cornmeal upside-down cake have all made their way into the rotation of regular favorites. While substituting honey for white and brown sugar is usually pretty seamless taste and texture wise, every so often it's really hard to bake without good, old-fashioned sugar. Case in point: cake frosting. There's no denying powdered sugar when it comes to making frosting... until now. Here's my sugarless version of classic carrot cake with cream cheese frosting:

For the Cake --
3 c. grated carrots (about 4 medium carrots)
2 c. wheat flour
3/4 c. honey
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350˙.
1. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
2. Lightly beat eggs, add butter and honey. Mix well. Add olive oil in two portions, stirring well after each addition.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until blended evenly.
4. Distribute evenly in two 9" cake pans and bake for 30-40 minutes.
5. Cool completely on wire racks. Frost and refrigerate immediatley.

For the Frosting --
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 packages of cream cheese, softened, 8 oz. package
2 tsp. vanilla
approx. 2/3 c. of honey

1. With electric mixer beat butter, vanilla and cream cheese on high until creamy and combined.
2. Add honey in two additions and combine well on low speed.

A few observations --
• I used the head of a 24 oz. honey bear for the frosting.
• Don't let your frosting sit out too long before frosting the cake -- the closer to room temperature it gets, the runnier and harder to control it gets.
• I added a few minced walnuts to the top and middle layer.
• This cake was quite well received, especially by my mom, who has lovingly dubbed a few of my sugarless creations "pioneer style."
• Pioneer style means the wagon train ran out of sugar so the ladies made something with the ingredients they had on hand and the outcome tastes "close" to the original.
• Carrot cake and a cup of Constant Comment = great breakfast!

6 New Patterns of Florentine Papers from Italy

We've added six new patterns of Florentine paper to our website, just in time for holiday crafting. Three are gorgeous Christmas prints featuring holly, poinsettias, and mistletoe; the other three are irresistible floral patterns.

All have delicate golden accents and are made in Italy.

From elegant gift wrap to lining shelves and drawers, card making, scrapbooking, even making pendants. these papers have tons of applications. They are even printer-friendly!

They go beautifully with our new selection of velvet ribbon trims when used as gift wrap.

The patterns above and below have stunning orange hues, perfect for Halloween and fall projects.

Be sure to stop by and check out our selection of Italian papers. With over 20 patterns in stock, there's really something for everyone. And our specialty supply section is not to be missed!

The Incredible Bulb & New Etsy Shop Additions

This assortment of blues includes the prettiest blue and white Delft iris.

Planting bulbs in autumn has been a yearly tradition my mom and I have kept for as long as I can remember -- something excitedly discussed and planned for weeks in advance and looked forward to with near-uncontrollable anticipation. This time of year means frequent trips to Home Depot and local garden centers as we hunt for new varieties of daffodils, narcissus and Dutch irises. I think our record is planting something close to like 1,000 bulbs. This year we've come across new (to us) colors of Dutch iris to add to our gardens and have added a few to our etsy shop, too, for fellow bulb fans. Also new to our etsy shop this week are some velvet ribbon trims and delicate miniature pom pom trims in a TON of colors.

Plush velvet ribbon in Royal Blue.

We love this pretty Monet-esque mix of yellows and purples.

This beauty is called "Carmen."

Bright violet velvet ribbon trim does it's best iris impersonation.

"Rosario" boasts a beautiful lilac-hued blossom.

Miniature pom pom trim in Buttercream.

Garden Project: Painting the Porch Pale Yellow

Last week we had a run of ideal paint-drying weather as Santa Anas coaxed temperatures into the 80s. Having trimmed my plants back the week before, I spent the good part of Wednesday with brush in hand and ladder in tow taking advantage of the dry heat. Here are a few shots of my completed porch painting project.

The porch railing design was inspired by a tip in a 1980s issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

This hanging basket was lucky enough to have an impatien broadcast a seed onto the outside tip of the cone. It's been thriving for about two months now and has outlasted the plants that were actually in the cone.

I've had good luck with coleus this year (usually snails don't give them much of a chance) and this particular group is right outside my back door. My bench and porch swing are the same blue of the doors and I plan on touching up their paint when the weather heats up again.

Recipe Thursday: Vegetable Frittata

Hearty and easy to prepare, frittata is a favorite dish around these parts when hunger calls for something quick, fresh and satisfying. Here's a simple recipe for our favorite vegetable version:

1 tbsp. olive oil
8 eggs
1 1/2 c. chopped tomatoes, drained
1 c. chopped onions
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
2 tbsp. diced jalapeno
1 c. grated cheese (we like mozzarella)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350˙F. Heat olive oil in cast iron skillet; add onions and sautee until translucent.
2. Beat eggs. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, jalapeno, cheese, salt and pepper to eggs. Add mixture to skillet.
3. Cook on medium flame for 5 minutes.
4. Continue cooking in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until eggs are firm.

Summer into Fall

Summer passed in a whirl of beach days, gardening and, of course, creating new pieces for the upcoming Christmas season. As ocean temperatures begin to slowly drop and nights grow chilly, I'll fondly remember the summer this way:

Making Pine Cone Santas: A How-to Video

For those who like to make their own vintage-inspired Christmas decorations, we offer a small selection of craft project kits with the vintage enthusiast in mind.

A Pine Cone Santa Project Kit

A completed Santa.

Here's a clip showing a brief demonstration of how to make pine cone Santas using one of our kits:

Supplies included in this kit.

This kit arrives in a wooden box and includes:
• 4 silver-glittered pine cones
• 4 spun cotton Santa heads
• 8 red bumpy chenille stems
• 16 vintage silver mercury glass beads
• 4 small silver bells
• 30" of silver pennant Dresden foil
• sturdy paperboard for bases
• 2 1/8" circle template
• instruction sheet

Neighborhood Walkabout Part 3: A Little Structure

Continuing with photos from our neighborhood walk....

My mom moves in for a better view of an interesting statue as I covertly snap another "I'm taking a picture of you taking a picture" shots.

This house has always reminded me of a lodge, well, except for those surrounding palm trees.

This adorable cottage received a remodel some decades ago by one of our favorite people. I'm partial to the tree house platform in the avocado tree to the right.

Looking northwest over the tennis courts of a house with a grand view toward the blue Pacific.

We passed this little U-Haul conversion about a block from home packed to the gills with a gardener's stuff. Was just about to put my camera away and couldn't resist a last shot.

Neighborhood Walkabout Part 2: Flora

Here are a few more shots from the blustery spin my mom and I took around our neighborhood.

This stay of horsetails was the largest I've ever seen -- about 6 feet tall and packed stalk-to-stalk. I have a couple of these growing in pots (my grandmother had cautioned me against planting something so invasive in the ground, "They're horrible, they'll break concrete!") but mine are downright tame compared to these.

Up the road, an avocado tree had dropped the world's tiniest avocado -- poor thing was lime sized and probably all pit.

At the risk of shooting side by side and ending up with similar pictures, I took a sneakier approach and tried to capture my mom while she was occupied and unaware.

Past the farthest houses in the distance is the Pacific Ocean and a cliff that slopes about 100 feet down to the beach. Also in the distance down the hill are the train tracks and Coast Highway.

A short cut for pedestrians along a private drive led us to a fence covered in the most beautiful purple blossoms.

Tomorrow check back for a more structured view of our neighborhood.

Neighborhood Walkabout Part 1: Curious Creatures

Yesterday afternoon I invited my mom to walk on the beach while I surfed, but the winds blowing down from the north had other ideas. The waves were whipped into a mess and, despite the warm summer water still hanging around, stiff winds promised that even the most brief dip would be a chilly one. Instead we opted for a walk around our neighborhood with cameras in tow.

Despite living in crowded Southern California, pockets of agriculture dot our area. Behind the bushes below are rows and rows of greenhouses that have been there as long as I can remember.

This pretty butterfly caught my eye as I took the above shot. He landed just long enough for me to snap his picture before moving on to a more flowered yard.

Our neighborhood is a series of slight slopes and a few steeper hills. At the very top we passed this mailbox decorated with a modern art twist.

The honking geese are a favorite stop: it doesn't matter how many times we pass, they always honk and approach the fence. My mom moves in for the shot.

Remember

A Ride Through Town

Last week saw a run of cool, cloudy weather completely out of character for August in Southern California. Temperatures dipped, winds whipped and my usual beach routine didn't seem nearly as appealing when Saturday rolled around without the sun. Instead, a drive south to walk on a less-familiar stretch of sand (and a chance to be passenger instead of driver) provided plenty of time to appreciate our town's varied architecture.

Two generations ago the building above was the town train station (my grandfather worked there as a railroad telegrapher when he returned from WWII). At the time it was located a mile farther south across the street from this boarding house. Today, its practically unrecognizable as town's most popular coffee shop.

An afternoon train crosses a bridge into the heart of town but won't stop there -- the station today is no more than a concrete platform with a ticket machine for the local commuter train.

Heading farther south, the Self Realization Fellowship occupies a large plot of clifftop property and catches the eye with its giant golden lotus. Come Christmastime, the entire tower will be bathed in magenta light to celebrate the season.

A Brief History of the Advent Calendar

Tree and Children Victorian Style Advent Calendar

Advent calendars have been a much loved Christmas countdown for generations and have certainly taken many forms on their path to becoming the many-windowed printed versions we're accustomed to today.

Castle Rhinestein Victorian Style Advent Calendar

In the 19th century, religious families made a chalk line each day of December leading up to Christmas. Other early styles included the Adventclock and the Adventcandle with a candle for each of the 24 days and another chalk tradition of painting one stroke per day on the door up until Christmas Eve.

Checking the List Vintage Style Advent Calendar

There is a debate over the year of the first printed advent -- some say it was a 1903 insert in a newspaper, others credit Gerhard Lang in 1908 -- though neither had windows to open. Sadly, WWII brought the growing advent tradition to a grinding halt when cardboard was rationed and the production of calendars with pictures was forbidden.

Snowy Cottage Vintage Style Advent Calendar

In 1946, with paper purchased from the US Military Zone, the first post-war calendar was created and shown at an international fair in Frankfurt. Called "Little Town," (shown below) this first calendar had small windows to open and received an overwhelming response gaining popularity worldwide, particularly in the United States, and paving the way for the advents we know and love today.

Little Town Folding Advent Calendar

Still made by the same family who began production in Germany over sixty years ago, we're proud to stock more than 50 different styles of calendars including "Little Town" and a host of others carefully made with charming graphics, subtle glitter detailing and windows that open to reveal a picture or Bible verse.

Visit us at 32 Degrees North to see our selection of vintage and Victorian style advents featuring traditional family scenes, animals and children, gnomes, Santa and angels.

Summer Color

Summer is a tricky time of year to garden in Southern California. Long runs of sunshine and high temperatures mean more beach time, as opposed to more weed pulling time. In between, breaks of cooler days bring our coastal marine layer and ideal gardening weather.


These color packs are destined for a handful of terracotta pots and troughs to add color to the patio. Included are three long-time favorites -- impatiens, begonia and coleus -- and one new find -- melapodium. This sun-lover has petite, yellow daisy-like flowers that resemble miniature zinnias, should flower well into the fall, and fit in perfectly with the other bright blossoms they'll be sharing space with.