The Mother of all Cutting Boards

Maybe you have noticed- 

wooden cutting boards of all shapes and sizes are in.

They come in the shape of animals and states and paddles and circles.

And I am not immune to their charms.

When we remodeled our kitchen last year, 

I had visions of layering the walls with warm wooden cutting boards like these 

at Patina Farm

And then, in a shop in Michigan, I saw this one...

The Mother of all cutting boards.

It was Expensive.

I didn't buy it.

I regretted that.

I agonized. 

I went back to buy it 

and it was GONE.

It was a one of a kind and there were no more to be had.

Curses!

I bemoaned the loss loudly to whoever would listen 

and might possibly be in need of gifts ideas for me.

I mentioned that someone could probably make one. 

Or have one made.

Nothing.

A year later, I was still obsessed with this cutting board.

I could envision it on my new island, 

groaning under the weight of fruit and cheese at a party, 

surrounded by friends who insist on standing around the new island.

It would be perfect.

So I went to a store that specializes in hardwoods 

and I found the perfect piece of teak.

It was 13' wide by 42" long.  

Here it is in it's raw state.

I took it to my friend Ed Dolan 

and beseeched him to make it into a cutting board.

Ed agreed to take the challenge.

You may remember Ed from this post

He's a talented guy.

We plotted out the shape and Ed got to work.

Today, he delivered.

It's awesome.

Here it is, before any finish is applied.

It fits perfectly across the island.

I put some special food grade cutting board oil on it 

and it's even prettier now!

Warm and rich looking.  Really gorgeous.

And when it's not in use, I'm going to hang it on the side of my oven cabinet.

I've been itching to put something there.

Here it is, leaning there, to show you how big this thing is!

It looks nice with this over sized wicker serving tray 

that I scooped up at the flea market last year.

Between the two of them, the island is ready for a party!

Me, too.

Linking to:
The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Wow us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Beaded Ball Jewelry

Beaded Ball Earrings

Seems like every winter, when the temperature drops and the snow flies, 

I start to hole up in my cozy craft/laundry room 

and make a little jewelry.

One year, I made bracelets out of vintage earrings. 

You can read about them here.

Then there was this icy collection.

I love using crystal pearls and liquid silver beads.  

They are inexpensive and so shiny!

And who could forget this festive bracelet???

Or this Beaded Leather Wrap bracelet?

Lots of fun to make and wear.

This year's project was to learn how to make beaded balls.  

My sweet friend Alice had given me this amethyst beaded ball pendant for my birthday 

and I wanted to try my hand at making one.

I took my Darling Daughter's advice 

and searched for directions for making beaded ball earrings on YouTube, 

and low and behold, there was everything I ever needed to know about making them. 

 And more, of course.

Let's forget about going down that rabbit hole that is YouTube...

Here's a closer look at the pendant Alice gave me.

It's basically a woven ball of beads.  

You can see the star shaped clusters woven together here in the first one I tried making.

You can just slide your favorite chain necklace right through the openings and you have a pendant.

I used bi-cone beads here instead of round, to show the star shape more clearly.

Then I made this one, using some aqua rondelle shaped beads 

And then I tried my hand at making a smaller version, for earrings.

I love these sparkly blue ones.  

They can dress up denim or play up some one's beautiful blue eyes.

These are an iridescent green and blue mix, my favorite color combo.

Then, for New Year's Eve, or any event requiring a bit of silvery sparkle, 

I made these earrings.

And this pendant to coordinate.

It's been fun learning how to weave with beads.  

This YouTube video was essential. 

The directions and supplies you'll need are described at the beginning. 

The steps are not at all hard, 

but they have to be done in the right order. 

Aren't they Just*Grand?

Linking to:
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style