Paisley Ann Design

Some of you may have seen my post on Facebook last week declaring that I was finally ready to do the right thing. There are many “right things” in life. I am talking about buying meat that is grass-fed and humanely raised and processed. Doing the right thing is not as easy as it sounds.  I have been a blow-hard for things like organic food, avoiding processed foods, and turning your grass/water suck into a permaculture oasis. But the meat one… this one was difficult.

Truth be told I am quite proud that I only spend $500-$600 a month on groceries. Part of the reason for that is that I buy cheap food. I am a sucker for Winco. I tried my best to stick to the outside aisles and avoided boxed foods.  I also shop at Traders for a few specialty things, like Eric’s Icky beer, Tea-Tree Shampoo, the occasional artisanal cheese, and their Rare Red wine.  All of that is to say that I am still not perfect…far from it.  Sometimes we will eat at Super Burrito or Midtown Eats and other times I will buy pasta for Lauren just so that she doesn’t starve (she has not taken to the paleo style dinners s I had hoped). I will eat ice cream 3 or 4 nights in a row sometimes.  But all of that I could handle, that was about me not sticking to eating well. At least I knew that I wasn’t eating the right things. But the more I thought about the meat I was buying, the more it began to bug me. There was nothing healthy about the meat I was buying. I had convinced myself that I was eating meat and therefore it was good for me and my family–the quality didn’t matter. And last week when we had a “value pack” of New York steaks from Winco that tasted like cardboard–that finally sealed the deal. No meat was better than bad meat. But.. we love meat.  So off to Wolf Pack Meats I go.

The Retail Experience

What was Wolf Pack meats like? It was clean and sterile, just as one would expect a USDA facility to be. The little building is neither impressive nor designed to be a retail space. When you walk in you have to actually find someone to talk to and there are only two stand-up freezers side-by-side–each half-full of meat.  As you can probably tell I wasn’t impressed with the presentation.  Nor was I expecting the meat to be frozen.  I think I was expecting a slightly less polished version of Whole Foods. I know–I’m a dreamer. What can I say?  What you will find, however, is a nice person who will write down the quantity of each of your packages of meat on a piece of paper and will take it to a back room to calculate the total. In spite of being completely underwhelmed with the buying experience,  I cautiously bought $79 worth of meat.

Here’s  what I got for $79:

(5) 1lb. packages of ground beef

(2) flank Steaks

(1) 4 lb. roast

(1) 3 lb. tri-tip

(1) large corned beef

Given that some meals will have left-overs I guesstimated that we will probably get 12 meals out of it. That works out to be somewhere around $6.50 (total) for the two of us to eat an organic grass-fed meal.  Is it worth it?  When we go out to eat we usually spend anywhere between $30-$60 on a meal.  So, yes, it was most definitely worth it, financially speaking.

Taste

So, now for the taste.  Last night I cooked the two flank steaks.  I started the meal late and only had about 20 minutes to throw something together before I keeled over from hunger.

I cut up some onions and mushrooms and sauteed them in unsalted butter. Then I pulled the flank steaks out of the package and threw them in the pan to cook with the mushrooms and onions.  I added a few pinches of salt and pepper. I had no idea what I was doing and wondered if I should be allowed to treat meat that way.  Well, let’s just say I was completely sold on Wolf Pack meats after this part.  When I bit into the flank steak and it was super tender and tasty I literally gasped.  This meat was insanely good. Now I haven’t tried the other cuts that we purchased yet (the corn beef is cooking now). I can’t wait!

Overall Review:

I highly recommend Wolf Pack Meats.  Get over the fact that it is like going to the butcher. The meat is worth it.  I can’t say I will be looking forward to shopping there every couple of weeks, but I will most definitely be looking forward to dinner! The best part is that it is much healthier and a more humane way to eat meat.  It’s a win-win.

Have you been there yet? What was your experience like? Would you recommend it?

Cheers!

Ashley

Location:

Wolf Pack Meats

(they sell lamb, beef, and pork)

5895 Clean Water Way

Reno, Nevada.

Hours: Tues-Fri 6am-3pm

Directions: Drive east on I80. Exit Right on S. Mc Carran. Turn Left onto Clean Water Way.

I will be leading this workshop and it’s gonna be the bees knees! I hope to see you lovelies there. And remember: like all Holland events, this is an all-ages affair! I can’t wait to hit the streets in some sweet new kicks, myself. I have three pairs of Keds awaiting a masterful reprise.

xoxo,

Ashley

What is Collective Desk?

(Mike Henderson’s account of how the idea came to be)

National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk Concert Series began around 2007. The concept is simple. Musicians of all levels, from superstars to indie bands to classical musicians set up behind a desk at the offices of NPR Music. The desk belongs to Bob Boilen, one time director of All Things Considered, now the director of NPR Music and host of Tiny Desk and All Songs Considered.

I love this podcast. It kicks ass. The videos are great too.

My idea was simple, so simple in fact that it’s hard to even call it an idea: create a cool recurring event at the Reno Collective that brought in local musicians and bands and copycatted the whole Tiny Desk Concert thing. One big difference. While you do have to work here to see the show, anyone can work here on Friday. Oh, one more big difference: we have beer.

It’s called Collective Desk. It happens at the Reno Collective once or twice a month. You can watch the videos here and subscribe to updates on the event on Facebook and Twitter.

Now you are probably wondering what the Reno Collective is.  The Reno Collective is a hip building outfitted in modern furniture, a Podcast studio, a printer, and a fridge full of beer. It’s the alternative workspace to the local Starbucks or your home “office.”  Eric and I have been working here on-and-off over the last two years and love the community they have created.  The members are pretty diverse and range from videographers, software engineers, and designers, to life coaches and copy editors.  Anyone who can take their work on the road with them will find the Reno Collective helpful.  Membership fees are comprable to workspaces in other cities and are much less expensive than having your own office.  In fact, the space is so great, that I will soon be announcing that many of the Paisley Ann Workshops will take place at the Collective starting in May.

It’s Spring time! I swear I saw the cherry blossoms start to peek out on a walk around the Old Southwest today. Come make DIY bike baskets with us!

DATE: Saturday, April 7th, 2012

TIME: 12 pm-2 pm

COST: $20 includes all of the supplies. Bring any decor that you would like to add to the basket. If you bring fabric we might have time to cook up a lining for the basket!

*Class limited to 6 spots.  Email me at ashley@leancrafting.com to reserve your spot.

*We request that you pre-pay via PayPal by April 1st.

I can’t wait!

xoxo,

Ashley

History Lesson

What is Redwork?

“The name Redwork is derived from the red cotton thread that was used to create this charming style of embroidery. The cotton processors in Turkey used a special dye process that made it colorfast, which was a novelty at the time and explains much of its popularity. Since the red color process came from Turkey, Redwork was also called Turkey Redwork, which is not be confused with Turkeywork. [1] Until the introduction of colorfast cotton, only silk was used in traditional colored thread embroidery. Colorfastness was critically important, because threads used to embroider linens needed to endure the rigors of washing and line drying. Until this point, only white and natural cotton were acceptable and affordable for such mundane work. The introduction of Turkey red marked the beginning of an era in which colorful decorative items were no longer restricted to clergy and the wealthy. Suddenly a whole new, colorful world of embellishment was open to the average person.

Redwork is believed to have originated in Europe in the 19th century and traveled to America prior to the War Between the States. Silk may have been a luxury item, but cotton was plentiful and with the failure of the Southern agricultural economy in the reconstruction period, it was certainly cheap. Redwork was extremely popular among people who were not a part of the fussy Victorian culture of “collect and embellish.” Redwork found a niche among peasants, immigrants and the middle class, especially in America. Much of its popularity was due to its economy, sublime simplicity and widespread availability. In America, dry goods stores sold 6 inch muslin squares marked with a variety of designs for a penny each. These “penny squares” are often seen incorporated into old Redwork bedspreads and linens. Not only were the materials relatively inexpensive, but the basic outline stitches meant less thread was required than in Blackwork or Whitework and they were easy to master. Penny squares were often given to youngsters to occupy their time, as well as improve their embroidery skills. Puritans were loathe to waste time, after all, “idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” However, hand work was more than just busy work in this bygone era. Even children in orphanages were taught to sew and embroider, because it would be invaluable to them in finding employment as a maid. It was an essential part of raising all young women, they might very well be expected to furnish their own linens as part of a trousseau. In fact, it was girls from the Kensington School in England helped popularize Redwork. The school’s name continues to be intimately associated with this style of embroidery, as is evidenced by the fact that the split stitch is also called the Kensington Stitch.

Most sources agree that penny squares were widely distributed in the early 1900s through the beginning of World War II, although their popularity had begun to decline even before that time. The simple designs were also made available in catalogs, newspapers and magazines. It would seem the interest in the designs outlasted the interest in penny squares. In fact, line drawing designs for Redwork were printed in publications like Work Basket throughout its publication and even in more modern magazines like McCall’s Needle Crafts. At various times it has been fashionable to work these same designs in other colors, for example indigo blue. However, Bluework is really best described as Blue Redwork, since the stitch and design elements are identical. As more colorfast cotton colors became available on the open market and as better threads were made available to a wider audience, stitchers moved on to more sophisticated styles of embroidery and Redwork languished. Actually, all embroidery languished, due to changing times and temperaments, until the resurgence of needlepoint and crewel work in the mid 1900s and the birth of modern cross stitch in the last few decades. However, no one style of embroidery has ever had as much of universal grass roots appeal as Redwork.” (Excerpt from “Redwork Embroidery Primer” by Rissa Peace Root)

What you need

Ten dollars buy you everything you need for weeks worth of embroidery.

• embroidery needle. ($1)*
• embroidery hoop ($1)*
• DMC floss (use two strands) ($.39 a skein)
• Linen or muslin fabric in white or ecru ($3-5/yd.)
• iron on pattern ($1-4)
• a fine point red permanent micron pen if you want to skip the pattern and draw your own. ($1.50)*
• Note: *= one time cost

Stitches

• backstitch
• outline stitch
• split stitch (Kensington stitch)
• stem stitch (S. Kensington stitch)

If you would like to learn more about Redwork and do a cute little project then sign-up for the class next Wednesday night!

Redwork Class

Date: Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 6:30 p.m.

Cost: $15

Session 1:  Redwork Lavender Owl Sachets

You will receive your own kit which will include:
-(2) embroidery needles
-(1) skein of red floss,
-(1) muslin square with a pattern on it
-(1) embroidery hoop
-Organic lavender
-A history lesson on Redwork

Click here to RSVP
-or buy now- (Class limit is 10)

Let’s get something out there straight away! I am not a hair stylist. I have on occasion tried to give myself a stacked A-line haircut using the medicine cabinet mirror. Needless to say, it wasn’t my best look. But I have always loved the idea of owning a salon. I have fond memories of going to the salon with my mom as a girl and the yummy smells and the crisp sound of the scissors chopping off split ends and of the stylists and their assistants buzzing around busily. So I began pondering what a salon would be like that I–an idealist–would want to frequent. Then I pondered how the salon would run if I owned it. And then I began to realize there is more to it than what one would think. I couldn’t just focus on finding stylists that are good at their craft, having excellent product, and chic decor. I would need to have special trainings for the stylists on the art of working with people. I would train them on how to have empathy and compassion and boundaries; how to do their art while being bombarded with all sorts of crap about people’s lives; and how to stay fresh and excited about what they do in spite of the mental and emotional exhaustion. This sort of training really could be given to anyone in the services industry, but hair stylists especially, because in spite of not having any mental health credentials, these people are doing caring work. Think about it. Who else can you pay for a service who knows as much about you as your stylist? Imagine the long mental Roladex of life stories these sweet souls have to keep track of. How many times a day they have to mull over the current events or the latest world tragedy with a client in the chair? Intense! Right?! You too might have a job that has it’s own set of emotional baggage. It doesn’t matter if it is your boss, co-workers or clients.

Below are two books that I suggest every stylist should read and take to heart. Not just to take better care of their clients, but to take better care of themselves. They are both fairly quick reads.

1. Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. If you can ignore the overdose of Biblical verses, the psychology behind it is superb and will teach you how not to carry your client’s baggage home with you.

2. Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh- Everyone knows that Zappos is the king of customer service. This tale of how they got there will strengthen any team.

Take care of yourself on your one beautiful, snowy day!

xoxo, Ashley

Things to consider: Whatever your profession, you could benefit from having healthy boundaries and focusing more on customer service. I would even argue that the former is what makes the latter possible.

Photo: Wallpaper, industrial bar stools, vintage bath stands, vintage basket, sofa

I stumbled upon this picture on Flickr.com. It is hand-made gift wrapping at its best. Gift wrapping has to be clever when you hand-make stuff. Since most of the gifts I give others are handmade, I am always looking for ways to wrap the gifts with creativity. I come across a lot of inspiring wrap jobs. This one stood out to me because it is so warm and lovely, in spite of being super simple, and the materials are easy to come by. The brown paper can be purchased at the dollar store. The satin ribbon shows up there too. Not of the quality that is in the picture, but in a pinch, it works. The vintage pictures can be found at any antique store. Vintage postcards would work great too. Like I showed you last week, even the Trader Joe’s bags that you have been saving under the sink have some vintage images that you can cut out and use. The flowers are super easy to make and you can refer to this great tutorial from Paper Paper blog for instructions. You can also use a muslin fabric for the flowers for more of a country-fried look.

Happy Saturday!
xoxo,
Ash

Things I am thankful for this week:

1. My closest friend ever came to visit from L.A. Soul mates are hard to find. I’m glad we still have each other as friends.

2. Ada, the 5 lb. Yorkie, my constant companion, and a source of an amazing amount of joy and love. She rounds out our family perfectly.

3. Life and breath, and movement and growth, and change. Yes, I am thankful for change.

Chickens are my friends

If you know me, you know that I love my chickens. One night last summer I had chicks living in a large grey tote in my kitchen. They were two of the most skittish chicks we haver ever raised.  While we were sitting out back around the fire, they were inside chirping away.  It was really quite annoying, actually (pardon my English bent when I write, I am still in mourning over the fact that I finished the second season of Downton Abbey and have to wait until next Fall for more episodes. <sigh.>) So I brought them out and put one on each shoulder.  They fell asleep immediately, which also meant that the shrill chirping noise stopped.  Those two chickens ended up being taken by raccoons, sadly.  But the fact remains, that I actually like to handle my chickens.  I like to hold them and pet them and hand feed them.  I love their fluffy tooshes that never seem to get dirty and that remind me that they were once baby chicks. I like coming outside and seeing them laying in the dirt on their sides, basking in the sun.  Somehow it reminds me of Central Park in the Spring time when everyone is so relieved that the sun has shown up that they will lay out in a bathing suit in 64 degree weather with a wind-chill, while I am shivering with a hoody on.

Why am I okay with eating chickens?

Now that you know how I view my chickens, you can imagine that coming across this picture on Tumblr would make me stop to think. Why do I think that they are so beautiful, yet I am still ok eating them?  And why I am okay eating them when I buy them in the form of “chicken breasts” in the grocery store?  I now know the conditions of those chicken farms and they are no life for a chicken (thanks to a youtube video from Mother Earth News). The answer to my first question comes in the form of experience. We have lost three chickens to racoons. And the reality is that almost all life (including plant life) is eaten and pooped out and eventually becomes fertilizer for new life. It’s how the eco-system works without the intervention of humans. If I wasn’t protecting the chickens by locking them in a coop at night, a predator from the wild would have them for dinner and so the circle of life would continue. So what’s the most humane way to go about being a chicken eater?  The next best thing is probably to raise meat chickens myself, in a yard where they can forage and be free and enjoy their life. How do I do that?

Well, first I have to buy broiler chicks.  These are chicks that get very large very fast and must be turned into meat with 4-6 weeks.  How do I raise broiler chicks? The same way I raise the egg layers, in my fairly large backyard foraging on nuts and seeds and bugs and a daily helping of organic feed.

Could I actually do the deed?

So then I got to thinking, how am I going to bare to slaughter these chickens? I mean it’s fairly easy to spend $10 on 4 chicks and bring them home, without thinking anymore about it. Do I load them up in the car once they are big enough and take them down to the butcher? Well, I could.  But that doesn’t seem very intimate. It would surely be easier on my heart-strings. However, I would be back at where I started– not knowing how my food went from having two legs, to being in a package in my fridge.

After thinking long and hard about this, I think I have a plan.  If I am to go through with raising my own meat, I have decided that I must also be willing to butcher and clean it myself.  And then it dawned on me that Tommie, my darling 70 yr.old neighbor across the street has done this before. I have talked to her and she has agreed to teach me.  And I must say, I am cautiously excited. Excited because I get to have a greater appreciation for the beauty of the life that was given up so that my family and I could be nourished.  I’m also scared shitless. So I’ll let you know how things progress.  As of now, I am waiting for a local chicken farm to get some broilers in. Meanwhile, the little egg-laying flock in the backyard in probably letting out a sigh of relief, that they aren’t broilers. Let the adventure begin.

Maybe our little urban homestead will contribute to the growing trend of people knowing where their food came from, and of having a heathy respect for the circle of life. Maybe somewhere down the road, it will no longer be acceptable to raise meat the way that we do. We have to start somewhere, right? Why not in our own hearts and homes? Of course there are people who also opt not to eat animals at all. I fully respect their point-of-view as well.

xoxo,
Ash

The costumes, the script, the history, the love stories. <sigh>.  It has been said that Downton Abbey is the “Days of Our Lives” for NPR listeners. I won’t deny that it is quite the drama, but those two shows are no more alike than a Jane Austen novel and one of those books with a picture of Fabio on the cover.  One of them is….well…you know– the other — a classic.  I just found out today that the season finale is on tonight at 9 pm.  I couldn’t be more delighted.  This shit is good. For me, this is saying a lot. I don’t watch T.V. often. Now I have to go crash at someone’s house to catch it on PBS.  I will probably bring with me the hand embroidery I am working on.  It would only be fitting. <wink>