Since the snow melted in the Cascades this past April, I’ve been working on installing a veggie and flower garden in our backyard. For years, before we bought the home, this area of the property was a dirt patch that had been used as a parking area. The ground was severely compacted and had also been sprayed for weeds for sometime. I was determined to bring it back to life, and started with a huge dump truck load of garden soil and compost from Curb Appeal. I wanted both raised beds for veggies, as well as an in-ground pumpkin, squash and corn patch and flower garden. Bringing in lots of soil and compost was essential. Since the ground was so compacted I felt with raised beds I could at least count on getting some kind of crop this year. The squash and flower garden was going to be an experiment though for sure, since they were being planted in the existing ground, which was a very sad case indeed. I tilled up this area and added lots of wheelbarrow loads of compost, and while things are growing, it wasn’t as fruitful as I had hoped. I know each year will get better, and I’m trying to be patient as the soil improves. Here are some early photos from April when the snow melted, raised beds were in construction, and the compost was delivered. This is not a tutorial per say, just what I did at my home and what made sense for my space! I hope it helps as you plan or add to your own garden. Below is what came to life this summer: Four raised beds: I purchased 2x12x8 rough cedar boards from my local hardware store, and created four 4×8′ raised beds, for veggies. I used the 8′ pieces for two sides, then cut one in half to get 4′ long sections for the short sides. I screwed them together and used a 1″x4″ rough cedar board to make a trim piece along the top. I filled the bottom 6 or so inches with sticks, pine needles and leaves, following the hugelkulture method, and topped with 18″ or so of garden soil and compost. Below is a photo of the hugelkulture method, before I added the soil and compost. I layered cardboard, then twigs and sticks, leaves, and pine needles. Two corrugated and painted beds: These are…
Read MoreWest Seattle Home Renovation
In the Summer of 2019 we started a major home renovation and addition on our tiny 1940’s fixer upper home in West Seattle. We bought the house a few years prior with plans to add on someday. After several different plans were drawn, we decided on a 300 square foot addition, that was mostly new kitchen (yay!) and a 2nd bathroom, mudroom and laundry. The old kitchen became the new 3rd bedroom. We were going from a 2 Bedroom/1 Bathroom to a 3 Bedroom / 2 Bathroom – a major upgrade by any West Seattle standards. We had previously remodeled the original bathroom which prepared us (kind of) for what was to come. Had I known we’d be living with no kitchen for a full year (not to mention during the lockdown at the beginning of the Pandemic and in my 2nd and 3rd trimesters of being pregnant with our second child, oh and did I mention we adopted a puppy too?!), I’m not sure I would have done it. I cooked on a hotplate for an entire year! Let’s just say I would make a great camping chef, now that I’ve been through all of that. The whole experience made me more resilient and realize that you CAN and DO get through things you don’t think you can. Things got real ugly before they got even close to looking good and I’m positive I have way more gray hair now than I did before. Not only did we add on to the existing house, but we replaced all the old windows, re-sided, added all new insulation, wiring, plumbing, a massive retaining wall, fencing, landscaping – the works! It has been gratifying to see our vision for this sweet home come to life and finally get to enjoy it. Anyways, I digress – following are some crazy before and afters. Enjoy! Kitchen Range – The old and original kitchen still had an oven from the 1960’s – and for the first two years we lived in this house, it did just a fine job! Amazing! As someone who loves to cook and bake, it was definitely time for an upgrade. I chose a Bertazzoni dual fuel range in a matte white finish that is a workhorse. The fifth burner in the middle is a real plus, and for a 30″ range this feature is much appreciated. The range hood was…
Read MoreFall Wreath Making with Friends
Fresh wreaths are a fun (and beautiful) way to get into the spirit of the season – whatever season that may be! I love using natural materials as much as possible and many items you can likely find in your own yard. The best way to make wreaths? With friends! Grab supplies, have guests bring items to share, fix up some quick snacks and it’s a party! This post specifically talks about Fall wreaths, but the same ideas apply when using materials from another season. Photos taken by the incredible Ali Vrbas of Sound Roots Photography. Here’s what you need for a wreath making party: Outdoor location or a garage (there will be lots of bits to clean up afterwards) Large table Baskets or other vessels for your dried items Metal hoops (for simple modern wreaths) OR Wire Wreath Bases (for traditional style full wreaths) Thin gauge wire Florist tape 2 foot lengths of ribbon or twine (this is for hanging your wreaths or for adding a bow) Foliage, branches, dried flowers, pinecones etc. Garden shears or clippers Hot glue gun (for attaching items that are hard to wire) Instructions: Have all of your supplies out and ready for your guests. I like to spread things out on a table with shears, tape and wire spaced every couple of feet. Put all of your branches and dried items in baskets or metal vases for your guests to easily grab. Most likely folks will be moving around to grab what they need. Give a tutorial: I like to give a brief tutorial at the start of the gathering and then I walk around and help as needed. There are a few ways to make wreaths, but I like to make several bundles of the items I am using and lay them out in front of me. Then I wire the groups together, before attaching them each to the wreath base. Another way is to use one or two base materials and wire them all around your wreath base. Then you go back and add filler and accent pieces as you see fit. This is where a glue gun can come in handy, for those hard to wire items. Honestly there is no wrong way to make a wreath, but just make sure you are tightly securing each bundle or piece, as once the wreath is outside, wind can wreak havoc on…
Read MoreMy Italian Great Grandmothers’ Biscotti
Every year of my adult life I’ve made my Italian Great Grandmothers’ Almond Biscotti around the holidays, and before then I would make it with my mom, along with a long list of other cookies, each Christmas. It’s a tradition that warms my heart. As a kid I thought they were a weird, adult cookie: hard and with no icing – gross! Of course (maybe because I am an adult), I now love them. Eating them as they are and dipping them in coffee (where they really shine). I add my own Pacific Northwest twist – fresh roasted hazelnuts instead of almonds, and they are so dang good. I love wrapping them up with twine and gifting them each year. So much so that now they are expected, which means I’ll have to make them forever, which I am okay with. This year I had some help in the kitchen from my L, only 20 months. She stands on her Ikea step stool and it is the perfect height for her to watch me and get her hands dirty too (which she does!). Without further ado, the recipe and a few photos too. Great Grandma Toia’s Italian Almond (Hazelnut) Biscotti 4 – 4 1/2 Cups Flour 1 Tbs. Baking Powder 1/2 tsp. Salt 1 Cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter 1 Cup White Sugar (I use raw cane sugar) 1 Cup Brown Sugar (I like dark brown) 4 eggs (room temp), 1 egg to be separated yolk/white and set aside 1 Tbs. Vanilla, Almond or Hazelnut extract (I use Vanilla, because I always have it on hand) 2 tsp. Cinnamon 1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves 1 Cup finely chopped Almonds or Hazelnuts (really any nuts) TOPPING OPTIONAL: Crushed Peppermint Candy and Nuts OPTIONAL: 1 Cup Dark or Milk Chocolate Chips DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 325 F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In large bowl mix 4 cups of the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Set aside. In bowl of electric mixer beat butter, both sugars, 3 eggs (one egg at a time), until well mixed. Separate remaining egg white and yolk, and set white aside. Mix in small bowl the yolk and vanilla extract – then add to butter mixture. I don’t know if this pre-mixing vanilla is necessary, but I just follow the recipe from my Grandma! Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture…
Read MoreCookie Decorating 101
I’ve been decorating cookies for a loooong time (Hi, Mom and all those gingerbread boys!), but honed my skills in college while working at the amazing Fancy Flours – a direct to consumer baking and decorating supply store, once brick and mortar (gah- miss that store) and now only online. It was started by an incredible baker and entrepreneur, Nancy Quist, for whom I owe much of my love for baking. Since my days at Fancy Flours, it’s been cookie decorating parties with girlfriends, late nights decorating gobs of cookies for friends’ weddings and now sprinkles everywhere while decorating with my two young daughters. There is truly nothing better than a iced sugar cookie, made with love! This style of cookie works great with buttercream icing, but here we will focus on Royal Icing, as that is where some serious magic (and creativity) happens! Note: These cookies are great for gifting, as they hold their shape well and look amazing boxed up the holidays or on a platter for a party as well. Make them for a kids cookie decorating party too – just put a rimmed tray under each childs’ decorating area to catch all of those sprinkles! Here’s what you need: One recipe No Fail Sugar Cookies, from Fancy Flours (also below) One recipe Royal Icing (below) Lemon or Almond Oil (or clear vanilla extract) for flavoring icing Squeeze bottles and tips Gel Food Coloring (or other food coloring, but gel gives great colors) Sprinkles and sugars of your choice Parchment Paper Pan with a rim (like a jelly roll pan) for catching all those sprinkles! Directions: After letting your cookies completely cool, prep your icing. Royal Icing Recipe: To get the best flow out of the squeeze bottles, your royal icing consistency needs to be somewhere between the thickness of heavy cream and ketchup – not too liquid-y, not too thick and globb-y. After you get a consistency you like, separate the icing into bowls or cups with spouts (spouts make for easier pouring into the squeeze bottles). You’ll need as many cups as colors you are making. 3-4 colors (plus white) is typically enough options. Pour into the squeeze bottles and put the lids on. Next grab several heavy drinking glasses (pint glasses work well!) and put a small piece of damp paper towel at the bottom of each. This will prevent the icing in the…
Read MorePhoto Shoot in Portland
I headed down to Portland, Oregon a few weeks back for a photo shoot of my new goods by the amazing Wendi Nordeck of Nordeck Photo. Wendi is a friend of mine and our husband’s have been sailing buddies for quite a few years. She’s been in the photography biz for years and has several clients in San Francisco and Portland. Wendi is a pro. I always knew this, but I was able to experience her professionalism, energy and passion for photography during our two days of studio and location shots. From the get go with my new endeavor I knew I wanted Wendi to do the photography. I was blown away by her attention to detail in every shot, her commitment to the project and I couldn’t be happier with how the photos turned out. A huge thanks to Wendi! Wendi’s studio, PDX Studio 7 is a bright and cheery spot to spend the day in. It’s centrally located in close-in NE Portland and has several huge windows bringing in an abundance of natural light. There is a lovely lounge, kitchen, computer workstations, makeup stations and plenty of space. Wendi is currently renting the studio out and you can contact through either of these websites: nordeckphoto.com or pdxstudio7.com. A few photos from the PDX Studio 7 website are below.
Read MoreUnfinished Projects
After settling in Seattle I was dead-set on finishing some projects that have been a long time coming. For example, this August my husband and I will celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary and we had yet to get photos printed of our big day. Growing up, I loved looking at my parents wedding album (not too mention a gillion other family albums) and its just something I wanted to do. It’s been sitting, uncrossed off on my list. We have gorgeous photos thanks to our friends Kelly and Kyle (Hi guys!), who drove to Montana to shoot the epic event, so it was high time I made an album. THE PROBLEM WAS I COULDN’T CHOOSE – SO NOW I HAVE TWO, 300 PHOTO ALBUMS TO DOCUMENT EVERY LOVELY MOMENT WE HAD UNDER THE BIG SKY. Next, also wedding related, were the 4 dozen or so quilt squares we had guests sign at our wedding. The idea was that I would make a quilt with these squares and with the fabric left over from the 300 or so napkins I made for the big day in coordinating colors. Had I ever made a quilt before? No. Crazy? Yes, that’s me! I’ve sewn just about everything else though, so I was confident I could figure it out. THE GOOD NEWS IS, THE QUILT IS MORE THAN HALF COMPLETE. JUST A ROW A DAY, I SAY. Here are some images of the progress. Prior to the wedding I’d hand-stitched the middle piece and I have to say, it’s my favorite part, along with the sweet, funny and sentimental notes from friends and family. I get a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that our favorite people have touched and helped make this quilt the beauty that it is. I am looking forward to cuddling up and watching movies with this quilt and building forts with our kids someday. Also in the photos is my rock-solid Singer sewing machine from the 1940’s. I love this beast. It’s what I’ve used for pretty much everything – including the items for sale on this site! There is not a piece of plastic on it. It sews through anything. It’s simple. It’s beautiful. The silver-inlay detail, exposed belt, hum of the motor, and sporadic little power light make me grin. It was passed down to me from a friend of the family and along with the Singer my grandmother gave me…
Read MoreA little howdy, food love and making use of your “special” pieces
Howdy! My first post as Davey Handmade! Exciting times. I picked this photo for my first post as it signifies the beginning of my new chapter in Seattle. Here I am unpacking our storage after 9-months of travel. Funny how all of ones worldly-possessions fit into a 6 x 10 storage space. Good thing I found my tennis racket! Here goes… I am finishing up my first product prototypes (post coming soon!), so in the mean time I will write about something else near and dear to my heart…and stomach: local, yummy grub and kitchenwares! As I write this post, the weekly farmers market in Columbia City, Seattle is humming about 30 feet from my door. I’ve been taking advantage of this as much as possible – purchasing fresh flowers, homemade noodles, sauerkraut, tamales, brocollini, apricots and so much more. Here is a photo from the meal I made with my recent purchase of spinach linguini from La Pasta. I had just made a a batch of pesto from my bounty of basil growing in my Zipgrow towers (photo below) and tossed the linguini with fresh sautéed veggies, an onslaught of parmigiano reggiano, and some chunks of spicy sausage. Yum! THE GORGEOUS BOWL THAT HOLDS THIS TOWER OF PASTA WAS HANDMADE FROM A FRIEND OF MY HUSBAND’S AS A GIFT FOR OUR WEDDING. I hadn’t used it much in the seven years since our wedding and when we moved to Seattle I vowed to actually use all the items we had stored away for the year while we traveled (more on that way down below). The one thing I missed from our Tetris-packed storage unit (more cringe-worthy photos below – isn’t that nice? Glad I didn’t get squished!), was my kitchenware…and I have boxes of it. Previously I have saved these items for special occasions or dinner parties, but really, every night at our house is a dinner party! My husband and I eat dinner with each other just about every night, at the table, with cloth napkins to boot! We grew up that way and its something I plan to continue when we have children. We connect over the meal and catch up about our day. We laugh as our dog gives us sad “I am so hungry” eyes and waits to do give the pre-wash duty on our plates. By no means is every meal as pretty as this…
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