wine charms

So with all the lovely wine i've been making coming to fruition, i've started to get down to serving it. This poses a small issue in that i have used old wine bottles which we have diligently emptied and enjoyed (and then washed and sterilised of course) to bottle my homemade varieties, and so the wine label doesn't correspond to what is inside and very often there is nowhere to write clearly on the bottle what fruit was used...i have made a variety of types including blackberry, plum, grape, apple etc. I could stick a big label on them...but that kindof ruins the look in my opinion. So i made bottle charms!
These are little charms made from salt-dough using a cool rolling pin that my mamma has, that is supposed to be used for patterning shortbread. I'll have to make a lot more, now that i know that they work out ok.
I just stuck on the ribbon very messily with hot glue...nobody will see them back will they??!
Great...now to try them out properly, i'll have to hold a dinner party! yay!

What a suave "Cave" you've got!!

So have you seen this label around anywhere?? No??! You're obviously not dining at the right places! lolYup, it's finally time to start posting christmas pressies without ruining any surprises!! This one is for jo, wine-maker extraordinaire!! Since his family is French and actually have a Cave (pronounced "cav", i.e. a wine cellar) I thought i would make him up a little goodie pack of insignia emblazoned accessories for his new hobby!!!
Firstly we have the all-important recipe and procedure book for all his copious notes on what made each batch great/less than great. And i made up a little wine bottle label that he can casually sling round the neck of a bottle as he brings it to the table!
Then 3 fleecy demi-john cosies for keeping that wonder-working yeast warm and hard at work making alcohol!! I put the little insignia label on each one along with a little clear PVC pocket for the wine label to go, in case he gets them mixed up!
and then we have a bottle cuff for easy serving and a double-layer decanting cloth on a hanging ribbon, for catching any deposit that may be floating around!
The labels i just free-motion-quilted with gold embroidery thread...so it was good for getting a chance to practice my limited skills in this area!!
Look out for this name next time you're eating out in style!...lol

carboy cosies!

(the title is a bit of a cheat because we call them "demi-johns" in the UK, but carboys just fitted the alliteration!!)

Haha..well i managed to mix brewing and sewing! You see, the yeast in the demi-js needs to be kept warm and mine are stored in a pretty chilly utility room...so i made them little fleecey cosies!!
You probably can't read my labels in this tiny picture, but we've got Plum Perfection, Blackberry Bliss, Amazing Apple and Gorgeous Grape wines bubbling away inside those little cosies.
The pattern was simply 24"x12" with a layer of quilt batting on the inside, that will fit a 5 litre demi-j or a 1 gallon carboy for those across the ocean.

"Hey blackberry bliss! Get your cosy on!! I know this is your second feature online, but that's no way to gain lasting respect!! Have i taught you nothing?!"
oooh! now they're all at it!!!...but don't they look tasty!!!! mmmmMMmm!

Blackberry Bliss!

This is a bit of a different "craft", becuase usually i keep food and wine posts for my family and garden blog, but this one is just simply too good to miss out on!! And since a very kind person has posted an online tutorial it won't be very difficult for me to explain what you need to do! This is my new hobby which has kept me occupied since the summer (hence the slow rate of houseofspoon blog posting!!!)

Brewing your own is a lot of fun and surprisingly simple (when you keep it organic and shun the added chemicals, as we do!!) See the original tutorial for "Mighty Fine Blackberry Wine".

I tasted it last week and it was heavenly!!! And so easy, you can drink within the year!!!What a colour!! The best thing is, you can use almost any fruit!! Next time you're in the supermarket and there is something on offer....buy it...FERMENTING IS THE FUTURE!! (lol, that may be overstating it..but only a little)

...now i just have to think of a way of combining brewing and sewing...then i'd be really excited!