Chasing Cozy

by Leslie Claire

Archives for 2018

HOMEMADE CINNAMON MARSHMALLOWS


It’s kind of a running joke in my family about how messy of a baker I am. I can’t even argue with it because of how true it is. When I decided to make a cozy holiday treat, I jumped at the opportunity to make homemade marshmallows.

The memories of having a pot of hot cocoa with the family on Christmas Eve made this an easy choice. The only thing missing this year was the scent of a real Christmas tree decked in lights.
I scrolled through Pinterest and found a recipe that seemed totally doable, even for me. I spotted a one that did not need a candy thermometer and flavored the marshmallows with  vanilla and cinnamon (two of my favorites). The recipe I used is from Personally Andrea’s blog post. 

I totally botched the first batch. They were basically jello when I took them out of the pan. I tried again but whipped the mixture on high for a full 12 minutes, instead of 10. This seemed to do the trick! I would also like to note that I made this recipe with a hand mixer instead of the recommended stand mixer.


This was an easy and delicious addition to a normally cold and dreary Sunday afternoon. Plus, it gave me an excuse to have James light a fire while I snuggled with Archie.

For more cheery home finds, you can always shop my home!

HOW TO PAINT A DENIM JACKET

I always get a little craftier during the colder months, and with the wedding coming up in March, that just fuels the fire even more. Not Christmas related at all, but this weekend I took the time to paint an old denim jacket that I’ve worn for years, with my new last name. If anything, I figure I can at least wear it to the rehearsal dinner if it gets chilly outside. Although, let’s be real. Florida and chilly are not likely to happen together.


I put together a simple tutorial so you can see how easy the process really was.
 
  • paint brushes
  • acrylic paint
  • fabric paint medium
  • quilting pins
  • chalk pencil
  • cardboard or foam core

2. Wash and dry denim before starting.
3. Pin jacket to cardboard to give yourself an even surface
4. Sketch your design using the chalk pencil. If you mess up, just erase the chalk pencil with a damp towel.

5. Mix one part fabric medium with two parts of your paint. I mixed mine in a larger bowl since I was just using one color.


6. Paint your design. Do as many coats as you need to create the desired coverage.


7. Heat set the paint with an iron. Lay a fabric barrier between the denim and the iron to prevent transfer, and iron for three to five minutes using a constant and even motion.

TIP: I’ve heard it’s best to wait around two weeks before washing your article of clothing so your design can fully cure.

I loved how this jacket turned out. The uneven edges and imperfectness of the painted text were frustrating at first, but it went with the vintage feel of the jacket. This refreshed piece is definitely making it into my wedding weekend wardrobe!

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How to paint a denim jacket for the boho bride

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BOHO HOLIDAY- 2018 CHRISTMAS DECOR

This holiday season will be a little different for James and I. We will not be able to make it home to spend time with our families this season, which is obviously a downer. Who doesn’t love sharing a big meal and bottle of bubbly with family? Not having the luxury of going home really spurred us to concentrate on what we do have, and what we have to look forward to this holiday season and through 2019.

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DIGGING FOR QUARTZ IN ARKANSAS

In this post we will dig into our trip to Arkansas. We went on this tripn to dig for quartz crystals and scope out the best places for future mining. We went into this venture without any previous connections in the area, so we really had to search on our own to find the hidden gems. During our research we found two places that really stood out and were close enough together that it wouldn’t take us the better part of the day to get from one to the other.

We got in the car and drove east towards Arkansas form Oklahoma. When you cross the Oklahoma state line into Arkansas, the scenery instantly changes and turns to beautiful forest with hills and winding roads.

Arkansas is one of the most well-known locations to search for quartz. Since we had never dug in this part of the country for this type of quartz, we decided to be prepared for some hard rock digging, similar to the Dolomite you would find Herkimer diamonds in. With that in mind, we brought hand tools like our trusty pinch point crowbar, a couple of hand hammers, a sledge hammer, safety gear, garden picks and a few chisels. We have gathered these tools from a medley of spots, some even second hand from expert diggers.

When we arrived in Arkansas, we checked into quaint motel owned by a local family. When we went downstairs for breakfast the next morning, we were thrilled to see other couples and small groups of people who were getting an early start to their digging day as well. We chatted and all shared tips about the best local spots for maximum quartz payout. This, combined with a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch (real throwback there), had us giddy to start our trek.

The first place we went to had a few advertisements around town and even a crystal shop you could visit to pick up your digging ticket. We figured this would be the more touristy place, but an easy place to start.

This first mine is known to produce some amazing and massive quartz crystals, but all these are found in the commercial pit, which you are not allowed to go into for safety reasons. Since this site was purely tailings from the mine in soft clay-like dirt, no heavy tools were needed. To dig this site we mostly used gloves and small gardening picks for excavation here.

At the end of our day we walked away with a few good pieces but nothing that blew our socks off. We dug here for a few hours but did not find much. After talking with some regulars, they informed us that these particular places hire people to dig through the mine tailings, which means you can find some very high quality quartz, but they will most likely be fragmented or small.

 

After this initial dig we went back to the hotel for some research and some much needed hot coffee. We were determined to find a place that let us do what we truly love to do, dig into the actual crystal producing formation. There’s just something sort of magical about unearthing a crystal from its formation and thinking that it could be the first time it has seen the light of day and that you are the first person to find it. It usually requires a lot of extra work, but just thinking that the next little layer you crack off the wall could reveal a huge pocket of perfect crystals makes it all worth it. I like to think of it as a little natural treasure chest that’s all yours.

With all this in mind, we landed on the Twin Creek Crystal Mine as out next dig site. We found this place online after digging thorough a few forums.

Excited to get out there and explore this new place, we woke early the next day to grab some food from the lobby and headed out. We love being the first people on site so we can pick our ideal digging claim for the day. We followed some directions that were piecemealed from the forums we searched and we eventually found ourselves on a tiny, unpaved mountain road. We followed the road until we finally saw a small sign that pointed us in the right direction. After about twenty more minutes of driving through small streams and VERY bumpy roads, we got to the top of the mountain.