DIY Pumpkin Syrup

It's October. One of my favorite months. The leaves are changing, the weather getting a little cooler in the evening. The dew filled spider webs in the morning, and of course... pumpkin everything!

Me being allergic to practically everything, it's hard to just order something even as simple as a coffee without taking the risk of getting a rash on my hand or my sinuses stuffing up like crazy. So... I make my own versions of things.

Today I made Pumpkin syrup to add to my drip coffee, oatmeal, or add to steamed almond milk for a dairy/soy free steamer. It's a very simple recipe and if you are not a pumpkin fan, it makes a quick and easy gift for someone that does.

Here's what you need:

Simply mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil. Lower the temperature to a simmer for about 5 minutes while stirring to make sure all sugar get dissolved and doesn't burn.

I let mine sit for about 10-15 minutes so that it could cool and thicken then poured it in a small jar. You can keep it in your refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Have fun with it! I made a batch with 3 heaping tablespoons to make it extra pumpkiny. You can add cinnamon, honey, the options are endless...

Happy fall!

The room.

My knitting/craft/jewelry room is a disaster... so what do i do? Decorate it. Makes perfect sense. Why pick up the yarn up and organize it when you could just lean and bend over it to put crap on the walls? Because I'm a dork and have to feel inspired.. I know.. I know...

So here is the "Before" and I will post some "After" photos sometime this year but my goal is tonight. ;)

Wish me luck.

New in the shop

There are a couple new items in my knit shop!

These little lovelies are made with a purple/brown yarn with little flecks of color throughout.

I also added the first of many cowls. Fall is just around the corner!! I will be adding more styles and colors periodically this month so stay tuned..Visit my shop here :)

Summer lovin'

Wow! What a summer so far...

I took a break from my blog for a few reasons... It's summer, I didn't think I had enough of a following to keep it going, I was working on items for a farmer's market, did some traveling, and I have had a neck injury since May.

Excuses. Excuses.

So here are some photos from this incredible summer...

In June, Zach, his parents and I went to Alaska to visit Zach's dad's side of the family. I had never been to Alaska so I was pretty excited. We went to his cousin's beautiful wedding and... I caught the bouquet. ;)

One of the days was spent in Homer while the boys went Halibut fishing. I wanted to go but with a neck injury, it was pretty much impossible. So.... I went shopping! I found a ring that reminded me of Zach's tattoo.

.... and we saw Moose. All in all, it reminded me very much of my hometown (Greenwater) only the trees seemed smaller. Such pretty views everywhere and it never got dark! We lucked out on the weather and got to enjoy the sun the whole week.

When we got back I had a couple weeks to get ready for the Roslyn, WA farmer's market. It turned out great but was pretty windy. I wanted to keep myself busy that day because it was the one year of losing my best friend.

The next morning was MEXICO! Lots of firsts this summer... first Alaska, and then Mexico..

We lucked out on weather again. The first night was such a beautiful sunset!!

Oh yeah... I got engaged!!!!!
I couldn't believe it and EVERYONE KNEW... I wanted to hurry back to our room and Facebook everyone because we didn't have phone service. I looked back and asked, "okay... so who knew?" He blurted back, "EVERYONE!" Ha!! I have no idea how everyone kept their mouth shut but I am so glad they did! Such a great summer...

We will be married next summer so I have a lot of work to do and will probably be posting ideas, Diy's, etc. Don't be surprised if they are mostly wedding themed. ;) Being someone who loves handmade, you can only imagine what my big day will be like. We picked a place in the woods so there is your first hint.

How has your summer been? Please let me know in the comments. You can see more photos on my Facebook http://facebook.com/heatherfantello or follow me on Instagram.

-Heather

No more gluten for this girl...

About a week and a half ago, I went to my doctor to get results on my allergy tests to figure out my daily headaches and extreme fatigue. Well.... turns out I'm allergic to everything!!! Okay not everything, but most items I eat on a daily basis.

I'm allergic to...

DAIRY
-Casein
-Milk
-Goat milk
-Whey
-Yogurt

MEAT/FOWL
-Chicken eggs (white & yolk)
-Duck eggs (whole)

FRUITS
-Banana
-Orange
-Grapefruit

GRAINS/LEGUMES/NUTS
-Kidney bean
-Lima bean
-SOY bean
-Gliadin wheat
-Gluten
-Peanut
-Pecan
-Rye
-Spelt
-Whole wheat

VEGETABLES
-Spinach
-Zucchini, squash

I thought at first, "Oh this will be easy.. I was vegan for a long time." Wrong. I didn't realize how many things have wheat or soy!!! holy cow. I find myself eating more meat to take the place of the breads I would eat. It's sort of fun to find all the substitutes and if you think about it.. It's pretty much meats, fruits, veggies, and rice or potatoes. Simple.

Everyone keeps going on about how expensive it is to eat this way but in all honesty, it's been cheaper. I make my own food and pre plan it so that I don't run out. The downfall is if you are out somewhere and want something quick, it's pretty hard.

Anyways..... I'm planning to document my recipes and whether I enjoyed them or not. If you know anyone with food allergies maybe they can benefit from this or if you know any links or groups I could join to better educate myself, feel free to leave a comment. :)

Oh... by the way... I found gold..

Pottery

Spring has been off to a great start! I have been going every tuesday to Tacoma with a friend to a pottery class. Next week is the last class so I should be posting my finished products soon after. There is just something about clay is so addicting and relaxing. Just can't be afraid to get a little messy...

I have been working on making cylinders for mugs although I was told I'm not advanced enough. I'm stubborn... so I'm making them. The little push pots are quick and fun. I'm hoping to have all my projects done by Mother's day.

This tray was made with a rubber mold to make it look like pebbles. It was glazed in an olive green and I'm so excited to see how it turns out.

These button are made with wood mold I purchased online. I can't wait to see how they turn out. I'm planning to use them on a limited edition line in my knit shop!

Have you taken pottery classes? What is your favorite thing to make? Do you prefer throwing or hand building?

Trying something new...

So... last night I started my first of 6 classes at Throwing Mud Gallery in Tacoma, WA. It's been about 11 years since I last "threw" some clay and I'm a lot more rusty  than I thought I was. I'm sure by week 3 or 4 I will be back in the swing of things. :)

If your in the area you should check out the little shop or visit them online. I'm excited to soon post my final product of my creations from a new but old hobby.

This photo is courtesy of Http://throwingmudgallery.com