Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2013-January 2014 i Country Living

To say that this magazine's subject matter dovetails neatly with my personal passions might just be the ultimate understatement. A few of my favorite things (in no particular order): junk shopping, decorating, DIY projects, comfort food, gardening, and, of course, puppies! I can't count the times I've uttered that tired old line about how I'd do this job for free. I've also joked that Country Living interferes with my life in the country. So I've decided to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk, taking time off to smell those proverbial roses. It has been my privilege to work for you these past five years. (Yes, the staff here understands that you—our 11 million intelligent, opinionated readers—are the boss, and we edit every page accordingly.) I'm confident the…

Rachel Pruett learned to cross-stitch at age 8, while visiting her grandmother in New Orleans. "I loved doing needlework with her," says Pruett, "but I never thought I'd use that skill to earn a living." Then, two years ago, the Austin native spied a small frame at a jewelry-supply store and—eureka!—imagined it as a pendant with an embroidered image inside. FIRST STEPS She decided to open a shop on Etsy called Poppy and Fern to sell her necklaces, featuring sweet florals, sly foxes, nautical motifs, and rabbits in natty attire. BRANCHING OUT Within six months, Pruett had landed an order from local boutique Parts & Labour and a spot at Austin's Renegade Craft Fair—which gave her the courage to quit her job teaching prekindergarten. DREAM COME TRUE In May, an…

Antiques and what they're worth—including a sled valued at $1,500! Consider using silver-plate servers to display photos. The late-1800s rack at bottom right is worth $75; the other two, from the 1930s and '40s, fetch $35 to $50 apiece. It turns out one thing can make a Brit's famously stiff upper lip tremble: soggy toast. Hence England's long-standing devotion to the toast rack, first seen across the pond in the 1770s. Such early examples—from an era when butlers ferried breakfast on fine sterling—can command over $1,000. But younger, silver-plate versions, like these collected by Marlys and Maynard Jones, start at only $35 on eBay and Etsy. Consider them stands that deliver the look, for less. CRUMB CATCHER Dating to the early 1900s, this unmarked Gothic holder could reel in $125…

Add dry humor to dainty handkerchiefs. Lend bespoke charm to basic cotton hankies ($12.99 for three; 12" square; bumblebeelinens.com). For each, handwrite the phrase of your choice in the bottom-right corner with a water-soluble marker (Clover, $6.79; amazon.com). Then embroider over the letters using a standard stem stitch (for a quick tutorial, check out countryliving.com/stemstitch). Remove any stray marks with a dab of water. Create a picture-perfect bracelet with CL's new kit! This project, the first from our DIY at Your Doorstep collection, contains everything you need to design your own jewelry: a bracelet blank, Mod Podge, ICE resin, and a paintbrush. The kit also comes with bird and butterfly images, but you can customize the bezels, as we did here, with family photos (kit, $39.99; diy.countryliving.com). STEP ONE If…

Church, school, mill, depot, firehouse—these historic CONVERTED homes come with a purposeful past. $498,500 Built in 1906, the "Little Stone Church" in Belfast, Maine, now functions as a 2,371-square-foot residence, with three bedrooms, a great room fashioned from the sanctuary, and a belfry that looks out on the harbor. The 1.8 acres also boast perennial gardens and a potting shed. AGENT: PATTY EDDY; 207-236-6171, CAMDENRE.COM $379,999 Set on three acres in Stanford, New York, this 1860 train depot houses the main dwelling on a mini-compound with two additional cottages—in total, 3,661 square feet. The station façade retains its sign; inside, 12-foot ceilings soar. AGENT: LEE GOSNEY; 914-475-0171, LEE4ME.COM $265,000 When it was erected in 1917, this 2,832-square-foot building served New Albany, Indiana, as Firehouse No. 4. Today, the two-bedroom abode…

Fluffy ornaments that recall pheasants and feather boas, pinecones lit from within, white porcelain globes, and origami-like poinsettias: These babies do rustic in a very refined way. Sage & Co. feather spheres, $12.99 each; Teters Floral, 800-999-5996. Kurt Adler pinecone lights, $18.99; 12'L; houseofholiday.com. Roost white orbs, from $17 each; Petal Pushers, 918-494-0999. Roost paper poinsettias, $10 each; SoLo, 858-794-9016 Botanicals become even lovelier in shades of blue, chartreuse, silver, and gold, while faux bois takes a photo-realistic turn in this luxe burl-wood wrap. Fern paper, $7 for two sheets; 19½"W × 27"L; smudgeink.com. Silver-leaf paper, $4.95 per sheet; 22"W × 30"L; paper-source.com. Gold-leaf paper, $5…

A Brilliant Move PAGES 70–77 Five ways to channel the Shillingfords' luxurious and bohemian bedroom LAMP A clear glass base and nubby linen shade brighten up bedtime reading. (Base, $49.99; 9"W x 18½"H; shade, $24.99; 14"W x 10"H; worldmarket.com) PILLOW COVER This polka-dot ikat case is crafted from weather-resistant fabric. ($38; 20" square; makingfabulous.etsy.com) END TABLE Ore's distressed stand could pass for an antique. ($90; 15½"W x 27"H x 11½"D; wayfair.com/shopcountry) WALLPAPER This supersize design gives walls a global flair. ($108 per double roll; 20½"W x 33'L; brewsterhomefashions.com for stores) BED This regal sleeper comes at a dream price. ($599 for queen; target.com) GET THE LOOK ONLINE! For more finds inspired by CL stories, go to wayfair.com/shopcountry. CL Giveaways DIY KIT CONTEST PAGE 8…

Wow! I got my Country Living in the mail this week and have been thinking about The Beekman Boys' dessert recipes ever since. Long story short, I stopped at the grocery store after work to stock up on baking supplies. The butter is currently softening for those oatmeal ginger-cream pies! —Tammy Wagner Eggleton, Wilmington, Ohio I must tell you that I just can't put down the October Country Living! There are so many wonderful articles. I want to walk through Sarah Gray Miller's home to glean more terrific ideas. Thank you for sharing! —Lori Peterson, Greenville, Michigan I love the spice rack above Sarah Gray Miller's stove in "More Is More." If you made the shelves deeper, they could hold crockery, too. And the oven itself is beautiful. I wish…

We're hung up on this handsome STOCKING, just $19! Reminiscent of a vintage French mailbag, this linen number also happens to be enormous. Translation: more room for presents, and at a jolly low price. (14"W x 24"H; save-on-crafts.com) TRENDLET A Cardboard Christmas Special delivery! 'Tis the season for corrugated chic: BUCK Glue a red pom-pom to this stag's nose to evoke Rudolph the reindeer. ($55; 24"W x 33"H; uncommongoods.com) TREE This laser-cut conifer offers a witty interpretation of the word evergreen. ($20; 9"W x 17"H; fabparlor.etsy.com) CHANDELIER Add New Year's flair anywhere with an ornate faux fixture. ($17.50; 17"W x 17"H; sayhelloshop.com)…

I discovered this sled in my uncle's attic. Could it be valuable? —L.L., Portland, Maine WHAT IT IS: 1900 FLEXIBLE FLYER I'll say. In the 1880s, Samuel Leeds Allen, a Pennsylvania-based farm equipment inventor, was trying to keep his workers busy during the winter season when he patented the first steerable sled, called a Flexible Flyer. The gliders didn't take off until 1900, when Macy's and Wanamaker's agreed to carry them. For the sleds' debut, Allen gussied them up with the logo and red scrollwork that adorn your model. Before long, the stores were moving 2,000 per day, and Allen's sideline soon rivaled his farm equipment business. When purchased 113 years ago, this beauty cost only $10 ($6, plus $4 for the optional boot rests). Today, your ride is valued…

Seaside getaways, advice from our country vet, and Real Estate Sampler The Sunshine State offers so much more than alligator attractions and airbrushed T-shirts. Discover the old-school charm of four sleepy Gulf Coast towns. More than 30 million tourists visited Disney World last year, but if you're after a more authentic "small world" experience—at a reasonable price—bypass Orlando in favor of one of these quirky towns located between Pensacola and St. Petersburg on Florida's Gulf Coast. Miles of empty beaches and nary a thong in sight? Fairy tales really do come true! Grayton Beach Considered the crown jewel of Florida's park system, Grayton Beach State Park boasts over 2,000 acres of wonderfully desolate protected land. WHAT TO DO Rent a kayak and glide through Western Lake, which is surrounded by…

LESSON No 1 Who says all trees need trimming? Put down the tinsel. Sometimes evergreens look best au naturel, especially when stationed outdoors on a porch or patio. Serena placed these minis in a galvanized tub and an orchard basket, then arranged clippings and pinecones on the table and in the old crate below. "Ask your local tree farm if they'll sell you surplus trimmings," she suggests. "You'll probably get them for a song." Bright Idea! Choose paper that coordinates with your holiday scheme, and gifts become part of the decor. Serena Thompson, the woman behind Spokane's legendary Farm Chicks Antiques Show, has always loved beautiful old things. Her books, The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen and The Farm Chicks Christmas, champion the art of upcycling vintage finds: turning a…

Red Benjamin Moore In December 2005, while other families in Bayfield, Wisconsin, trimmed trees and wrapped gifts, Mark and Jenny Bretheim donned dust masks to sand the wainscoting in their living room. A year into renovating their 1879 home, the pair still had a long way to go. "It was a pretty austere setting that Christmas," Mark admits. "We sat in folding chairs, sipped Champagne, and imagined what our house could become." The fantasy of a weekend escape from Minneapolis had actually taken root two years earlier, when Jenny and Mark attended a niece's wedding in the tiny town on Lake Superior. "We noticed a few 'For Sale' signs and asked each other, 'What if?'" says Mark. The couple, both of Norwegian descent, were drawn to the clean lines of…

Highland Ice Arena Shoreline, Washington WHAT The glass-enclosed rink opened in 1962 with light fixtures and ticket machines salvaged from that year's World's Fair in nearby Seattle. Today, its customers range from beginners taking their first lessons to elite athletes. WHO Founded by professional figure skaters Jim and Dorothy Stephens (she toured with the Ice Capades!), the arena is currently managed by the couple's children, Terry Green and Rick Stephens. But Jim and Dorothy, now in their 90s, still come to work almost every day. WHY "People say this place feels like home," says Rick. "They love that we know their names." Adds Terry: "Competitive skaters train here, but it's also where the whole community gathers to exercise and socialize." (highlandice.com)…

Why stop at marshmallows when candy-cane-shaped cookies perch so perfectly on mugs? Take things a step further by adding a drop of peppermint extract. (Cookie cutter, $2; layercakeshop.com) RECOMMENDED READING 75 New Reasons to Love Cheese In 1976, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith set out on a road trip from D.C. to California—a journey that ultimately led them to join the Bay Area's burgeoning food scene. The duo's legendary Cowgirl Creamery has since become cheesemaker of choice for Alice Waters's Chez Panisse and Mario Batali's Eataly NYC. Now, in Conley and Smith's first cookbook, Cowgirl Creamery Cooks ($35; Chronicle Books), the pair shares their go-to recipes. Our favorite? A soufflé loaded with bacon and blue cheese.…

Standout buys for everyone on your list—friends, family, even felines! Wrapping paper, $4.95 per sheet; 20¼"W x 29¾"L; paper-source.com. Ribbon, $5.98 per yard; 1½"W; mjtrim.com $1.50 EACH MATCHBOXES Adorned with 1950s French imagery, Marc Vidal's fire starters make striking stocking stuffers for adults. (1 ⅗"W x 1 ⅕ "L; pylones-usa.com) $4.95 EACH PENCIL SHARPENERS Honey, I shrunk the house! Wee pine whittlers bring unexpected humor to a quotidian task. (1"W x 1½"H; crateandbarrel.com) $4.95 VOTIVE This fragrance-free candle, in a très chic glass jar, delivers a whole lot of fancy for under five bucks. (2¾"W x 2¾"H; hm.com) $8 EACH PLATES Dressed in their best, the animals on artist Rachel Kozlowski's porcelain dishes will be welcome at any fete. (8½" diam.; westelm.com) $11 SOAP For every…

Treasures from trash, plus polished presents you can make yourself Humble cast-offs—think spent lightbulbs and paper-towel tubes—triumph as holiday decor. FROM Old bulbs TO Sparkling ornaments We jazzed up night-light bulbs here, but any size will do. Just brush on glittering glue, roll the bulb in glitter, and let dry for 15 minutes. Then hot-glue a loop of metallic embroidery floss to the bulb's base. (Glittering glue with brush, $3.65 for 4 oz.; dickblick.com) FROM Paper envelopes TO Awesome Advent calendar Count down the days until Christmas with little packets, sized to hold all sorts of surprises: candy, tickets, tiny toys. Use rubber stamps to ink the dates, and other motifs, on the envelopes. You can also embellish them by adding tags, string, washi tape, and clip art (at countryliving.com/adventart).…

Q Is chocolate really that dangerous for dogs? —M.M., Flagstaff, Arizona A Yes! It's among the top 10 causes of poisoning reported to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, substances toxic to canines; too much of either one causes vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, seizures, heart problems, or even death. The severity of a dog's reaction depends on three factors: the type of chocolate, the amount ingested, and the size of the animal. Unsweet- ened cocoa powder has the highest concentration of poisons, followed by baking chocolate, then dark chocolate, then milk chocolate. Big dogs can tolerate more than small ones; an ounce of baking chocolate may kill a petite pooch. So if you discover that your dog has eaten the stuff, call your vet immediately and…

A jingle-bell wreath and mercury-glass tree dress up the marble mantel. The burlap stockings are Etsy finds. Wimborne White Farrow & Ball (also used on dining-area trim and on all ceilings, except in the living room) Instead of single-note pine, this intricate FiftyFlowers garland incorporates fresh asparagus ferns and evergreen shrubs. The paper snowflakes are from Cultural Intrigue. Little more than a year ago, this 1830s farmhouse in Salisbury, Connecticut, languished empty and unloved. It had been bought and sold, chopped up, and scarred by fire before Pom and David Shillingford disregarded their realtor's warning: "You definitely don't want to look at that. It's a disaster!" But Pom, who was raised on a farm in the British countryside, saw the logic of swapping her family's Manhattan loft for a real…

Cinnamon-Sugar Lattice Cookies Makes 2 gifts of 10 cookies each (20 cookies total). Working time 1 hr. 25 min. Total time 2 hr. 10 min., plus chilling 7½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting parchment 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1½ teaspoons ground nutmeg 1½ teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon fine salt 3 large eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks 4½ sticks butter (2¼ cups), at room temperature 2¼ cups granulated sugar 2¼ teaspoons vanilla extract ¼ cup white sanding sugar 1. In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients; set aside. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and yolks together; set aside. 2. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in granulated sugar, then vanilla and…