Backyard BBQ Season!

With the Victoria Day Weekend, AKA May 24, coming up, folks will be on the patio or at the cottage enjoying the (hopefully) sunny weather.  Friends will gather and the drinks will be flowing -check my previous post for Adult Iced Tea ideas- and the BBQ will be fired up.  But before the steaks or burgers are grilled you’ll need to give your guests a little something to nosh on.  Salsa and Guacamole with Tortilla Chips are tasty and easy!  Don’t be boring use store bought stuff, make your own, trust me, it’ll be much tastier with way less sodium and all that bad stuff.  Whether you make one or the other, hey why not both, in a Molcajete, otherwise known as a Mortar & Pestle, brings out more flavour than just using a blender or chopping with a knife.  Apparently it has something to do with enzymes being released under pressure that bring out the flavours that make you go WOW!!

Now I have to admit that I don’t like avocados as they are but guacamole, yum.  There are a tonne of recipes for both Guac and Salsa all over the net, choose your fave and go for it…  The one thing that I do find is that a lot of them use the blender or chop method, I’ve tried them but and they are good but the mortar and pestle make the BEST!  Here are a couple of quick & easy recipes I’ve made and use over and over again.

How to Make Perfect Guacamole Recipe

Print

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Yield: Serves 2-4

Be careful handling chiles if using. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling and do not touch your eyes or the area near your eyes with your hands for several hours.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp of fresh lime juice or lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup of minced red onion or thinly sliced green onion
• 1-2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro (leaves and tender stems), finely chopped
• A dash of freshly grated black pepper
• 1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped

Garnish with red radishes or jicama. Serve with tortilla chips.

Fresh Tomato Salsa (Pico de Gallo) Recipe

Print

• Prep time: 6 minutes
• Yield: Makes 3 to 4 cups of salsa

When using fresh chile peppers always taste first before adding! Some peppers are hotter than others and you really can’t tell unless you taste them. Just take a very small taste. You’ll be able to gauge the heat of the pepper and will be better able to judge how much you need.

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 medium sized fresh tomatoes (from 1 lb to 1 1/2 lb), stems removed
• 1/2 red onion
• 2 serrano chiles or 1 jalapeño chile (stems, ribs, seeds removed), less or more to taste
• Juice of one lime
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch of dried oregano (crumble in your fingers before adding), more to taste
• Pinch of ground cumin, more to taste

Both of these recipes come from Simply Recipes so if you want to see the entire process, pop on over.

Bread Dips are easy to make too.  I carry these unique hand thrown pottery Garlic Graters.

They are so easy to use.  To make a simple but impressive Bread Dip just rub a peeled garlic clove, fresh or roasted, over the raised bits on the bottom… careful, they are sharp, pour in some extra virgin olive oil, a touch of balsamic vinegar and a fresh basil leaf if desired and poof!  Bread dip!  Play around with the proportions until you have found the perfect balance for your taste.  The bowl is pretty enough that you can serve it right in it.  Dip slices of fresh Italian bread and enjoy.

The Garlic Grater isn’t a one hit wonder either.  It easily grates ginger, chocolate, orange zesting, peppers, and who knows what else you may find to use in it!  It’s easy to clean too, rinse or just put it in the dishwasher.  Done!

To purchase either of these pop over to my Facebook Shop page.

Molcajete / Mortar & Pestle      Garlic Grater

 

TTFN

Sherry

Advertisements

Ah, Iced Tea!

For the long lazy days of summer, when it’s hotter than hades out, what is more refreshing than a tall cool glass of ice tea.  Some of you may say beer, but I don’t drink beer so I don’t know much about it other than I don’t like it… so, let’s talk iced tea.

Did you know that iced tea actually has many benefits?  Yep, it does.  Here’s a few.

1. It keeps you Hydrated… yeah, I know duh, but did you also know that tea is one of the best sources of hydration, second to water!
2. It boosts your Antioxidants… tea has about eight to 10 times the polyphenol antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables.
3. It’s better for you than pop… yeah, another duh moment but get this, A 12-ounce can of regular Coke contains 39 grams of total sugar, which is about 9 1/2 teaspoons of sugar and 140 calories. Twelve ounces of unsweetened iced tea has 0 teaspoons of sugar and 2 calories.
4. It may help your Teeth… drinking tea may help prevent tooth loss; tea changes the pH in your mouth, which may prevent cavities.
5. It provides a source of Manganese… you may be asking yourself, why do I want manganese, well I’ll tell ya.  Manganese promotes healthy wound healing, helps maintain the strength of your bones and supports your metabolism.
6. It helps your Heart…a comprehensive review study found a nearly 20 percent reduction in the risk of heart attack and a 35 percent reduced risk of stroke among those who drank one to three cups of green tea daily. Those who drank four or more cups of green tea daily had a 32 percent reduction in the risk of having a heart attack and lower levels of LDL cholesterol.

Pretty good huh, all that from drinking tea, and it’s tasty too!

Now lets get to the brewing of iced tea.  Yeah, I know, how hard can it be to make ice tea?  That’s the beauty of it! It’s not hard at all!!!

You can throw a couple of teabags into a pot, brew it then add more water and ice.  Since I prefer flavoured loose leaf tea I’ll tell ya how I do it.

The Cold Steep Method   This method creates a super smooth, flavourful iced tea with less caffeine.

Use about 1.5x the amount of tea you would per cup of hot tea. So, for 1 cup (8oz) of cold water, use 1.5tsp of tea. Let’s say you’re making a 1L (about 33oz)  jug of iced tea:

• measure out 6 tsp of tea
• fill the jug with cold water
• put the jug in the fridge for 4-10 hours (overnight is easy)
• strain out the leaves and drink!

My favourite is Bohemian Raspberry Green.  The flavour of the raspberry really comes through with the smooth green tea notes and personally I prefer it unsweetened.  Wanna be all swanky when guests come by and look like you are the perfect housewife, you know that June Cleaver look, add some ice cubes, toss in a few raspberries and a sprig of mint and you guest will be wondering, How does she do it?

The Hot Steep Method  Oh No!  The guests have arrived and I don’t have any iced tea made… not to worry, you can make almost instant iced tea by first making a double strength cup of hot tea. Just make sure you’ve got ice in the freezer.

• use double the amount of loose tea per cup of water. So, 2 tsp of tea per 8oz cup. Steep as per the tea’s normal steeping guidelines
• remove the leaves
• if you want it sweet, add your sweetener while it’s hot so it dissolves
• pour your double strength hot tea into a cup of ice and enjoy!

Number 2 on my list of favs is Long Island Strawberry Green.  Just opening up the bag gives you the fragrance of fresh strawberries.  Dress this one up with a strawberry cut and put on the edge of the glass with a sprig of mint and your guests will be all “Ooooh, yummy!”

And now for the really fun part…  Adult Iced Tea!  This is one you reserve for special occasions like, hmm, I’m thirsty, or a back yard bbq, or even those really special occasions, like say, an outdoor wedding reception.

Prepare your favourite tea with one of the methods above and simply add the booze of your choice.

• Blueberry infused vodka with Blueberry Green tea
• Chambourd Liqueur with a good quality vodka to really bump up the refreshing taste of Bohemian Raspberry tea
• Moscato with Oasis Mango White tea

Or just add whatever tickles your fancy.  Like bourbon? add bourbon, whiskey? what the h…  you get the idea

Garnish it the way you like and you’ve got yourself the perfect summer refresher.

I carry over a dozen flavours of loose tea and some hand tied artisan for any occasion and any tastebud.  Packages are available in 25, 50 or 100gm bags.  Call or message to learn about the different types and flavour profiles, or if you are local just drop in. As an added bonus, when you purchase any 100g bag you’ll receive a 25g bag of your choice FREE!

TTFN

Sherry

Wanna be a VIP?

Like most small businesses I offer lots of my items on social media, particularly on Facebook. This is my business page Sherry’s on Main Home Decor and Gifts . Since I have a very small store I have a limited quantity of individual items so that I’m able to have a wider variety of products to offer. Because of this items sell out quickly so I have a VIP group where i offer members **Steal a Deals**, first dibs, special sale prices and pre-buys that are just for my loyal fans. Sherry’s Super Sales VIPs. So come on over and join the fun and while you are there let me know what types of products you’d like to see me carry. **Steal a Deals** are short term offers so ya gotta be quick. Below I’m giving you a taste of what is available for my VIPs. If any of these offerings tickle your fancy, get on over and join the group, this collection ends on Tuesday May 8/18.

**Steal a Deal**

CAP SLEEVE PLEATED TOP

One Size Fits All Under 175 Lbs

Cap sleeve pleated top with multi print. Silk poly material.

Reg Price: $24.99 VIP Price:$19.99

To purchase, comment SOLD, QTY and COLOUR you want to buy, along with your email address, and POSTAL CODE (if you want shipping) or PICK UP for you locals. Back ups (wait listers) are welcome, if an invoice goes unpaid, you may get your wish! Invoices go out via PayPal, you don’t need a PayPal account. I must receive your payment within 24 hours. Putting your email under this items means you’ll follow through on payment. If you’re not 100% sure you want this item please DO NOT put your email under it. All sales final, no exchanges or returns.

Order will be placed on Tuesday and sent out within 1 week. If shipping is delayed notifications will be sent out. *SHIPPING* Shipping for 1st item is $15.00, for each additional item add $5.00. FREE SHIPPING on purchases over $80.00

**Steal a Deal**

A-LINE MIDI SKIRT

Midi skirts are a trendy style this season! A-line is perfect for curvy or pear-shaped body. Waistband fits comfortably and slimming at the hips. Length: 38″.Cotton/Poly Blend.

Reg Price: $24.99 VIP Price: $19.99

To purchase, comment SOLD, QTY and COLOUR you want to buy, along with your email address, and POSTAL CODE (if you want shipping) or PICK UP for you locals. Back ups (wait listers) are welcome, if an invoice goes unpaid, you may get your wish! Invoices go out via PayPal, you don’t need a PayPal account. I must receive your payment within 24 hours. Putting your email under this items means you’ll follow through on payment. If you’re not 100% sure you want this item please DO NOT put your email under it. All sales final, no exchanges or returns.

Order will be placed on Tuesday and sent out within 1 week. If shipping is delayed notifications will be sent out. *SHIPPING* Shipping for 1st item is $15.00, for each additional item add $5.00. FREE SHIPPING on purchases over $80.00

**Steal a Deal**

Rope Necklace Tree of Life Pendant

17″

Regular Price: $19.99 VIP Price: $11.99

To purchase, comment SOLD, QTY and COLOUR you want to buy, along with your email address, and POSTAL CODE (if you want shipping) or PICK UP for you locals. Back ups (wait listers) are welcome, if an invoice goes unpaid, you may get your wish! Invoices go out via PayPal, you don’t need a PayPal account. I must receive your payment within 24 hours. Putting your email under this items means you’ll follow through on payment. If you’re not 100% sure you want this item please DO NOT put your email under it. All sales final, no exchanges or returns.

Order will be placed on Tuesday and sent out within 1 week. If shipping is delayed notifications will be sent out. *SHIPPING* Shipping for 1st item is $15.00, for each additional item add $5.00. FREE SHIPPING on purchases over $80.00

**Steal a Deal**

Printed Canvas Tote Bag. Perfect for school, work, or the beach. Large compartment. Zip closure. Inner zip compartment.

Regular Price: $19.99 VIP Price: $12.99

To purchase, comment SOLD, QTY and COLOUR you want to buy, along with your email address, and POSTAL CODE (if you want shipping) or PICK UP for you locals. Back ups (wait listers) are welcome, if an invoice goes unpaid, you may get your wish! Invoices go out via PayPal, you don’t need a PayPal account. I must receive your payment within 24 hours. Putting your email under this items means you’ll follow through on payment. If you’re not 100% sure you want this item please DO NOT put your email under it. All sales final, no exchanges or returns.

Order will be placed on Tuesday and sent out within 1 week. If shipping is delayed notifications will be sent out. *SHIPPING* Shipping for 1st item is $15.00, for each additional item add $5.00. FREE SHIPPING on purchases over $80.00

**Steal a Deal**

Faux leather cellphone & mini purse. Comes with detachable & adjustable long strap. Can fit Iphone8 Plus. Super Soft with nice design.

Regular Price: $24.99 VIP Price: $14.99

To purchase, comment SOLD, QTY and COLOUR you want to buy, along with your email address, and POSTAL CODE (if you want shipping) or PICK UP for you locals. Back ups (wait listers) are welcome, if an invoice goes unpaid, you may get your wish! Invoices go out via PayPal, you don’t need a PayPal account. I must receive your payment within 24 hours. Putting your email under this items means you’ll follow through on payment. If you’re not 100% sure you want this item please DO NOT put your email under it. All sales final, no exchanges or returns.

Order will be placed on Tuesday and sent out within 1 week. If shipping is delayed notifications will be sent out. *SHIPPING* Shipping for 1st item is $15.00, for each additional item add $5.00. FREE SHIPPING on purchases over $80.00

**Steal a Deal**

Sarong Scarf

72″ X 44″

Large, printed, light weight scarf can be worn as a beach cover up, sarong, or scarf dress.

Regular Price: $19.99 VIP Price: $12.99

To purchase, comment SOLD, QTY and COLOUR you want to buy, along with your email address, and POSTAL CODE (if you want shipping) or PICK UP for you locals. Back ups (wait listers) are welcome, if an invoice goes unpaid, you may get your wish! Invoices go out via PayPal, you don’t need a PayPal account. I must receive your payment within 24 hours. Putting your email under this items means you’ll follow through on payment. If you’re not 100% sure you want this item please DO NOT put your email under it. All sales final, no exchanges or returns.

Order will be placed on Tuesday and sent out within 1 week. If shipping is delayed notifications will be sent out. *SHIPPING* Shipping for 1st item is $15.00, for each additional item add $5.00. FREE SHIPPING on purchases over $80.00

So there you have it, if you like what you see, or just wanna see what else I have, come on over, I look forward to meeting you

TTFN

Sherry

Ugh, where has our Spring gone

I’m sitting here at the store looking out the window at the grey sky and drizzle come down and I’m just feeling blah 😛  It’s just another, in a long line of days, that is good for staying in bed… BUT, I don’t wanna stay in bed!!  I want Sunshine, I want Colour, I want to be able to sit outside in the morning on my deck with my cup of coffee and listen to the birds.  In short I WANT SPRING! and I bet you do too.

So, I guess while Mother Nature has her little hissy fit, there’s not much else we can do except to make our own little corners of the world a little more colourful and springier 😀  In my store, I like to bring in items that make me smile and are things that I want to have in my home.  I’ve purchased like this for the 14 years I’ve been in business and it seems to be working, so let’s have a look around and I’ll show you a few pieces and we can both bring some spring indoors even if it isn’t outdoors yet.

First of all, it is April, and we all know that means April Showers (even though we are still getting snow right now).  So, to keep those raindrops from falling on our heads (admit it, you sang that part 😀 ) I have some sweet umbrellas to keep you dry.

Sweet Umbrellas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cute aren’t they?!  They have a large 40″ wide surface area to keep you dry.  $32.99 each.  Shop now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To get a quick POP of colour inside I’ve picked up a few everlasting flowers, Peonies, Hydrangea and Succulents.

Our everlastings can bring all the beauty of real flowers into your home without a high level of maintenance – or any maintenance at all!  The gorgeous blossoms are available in a wide variety of colours, much like their colours in nature. Our silk peonies comes housed in a vase complete with faux water, Hydrangeas in a Moss Pot planter and the succulents come in their own small white pot, each to fit your personal taste and interior design. Discover the ease and beauty of silk flowers, made to look elegantly realistic.

Hydrangeas in Moss Pots

 

 

 

Fabric hydrangeas display a lovely array of subtle colours. Nicely finished in a pot of moss and twigs.

$17.99  Shop Now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peonies in Glass Vase

 

 

 

Lifelike peony blooms in assorted colours in a small glass vase complete with river stones and faux water.  7″ High

$17.99  Shop Now

 

 

 

Mini Succulents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As if Succulents couldn’t get any easier, these are 100% maintenance free!  These little sweeties are 3″ high $7.99    Shop Now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So those are just a few bits and bobs for now.  As I have been sitting here writing the sun has been struggling to come through the clouds and it’s warmed up a touch.  The weather man is predicting freezing rain for this weekend, (NOOOOOOO!!! she shouts with a primal scream) so hopefully this has brightened things up just a touch for now.

I have some other goodies, that I’ll show off in a later post as it’s almost time to go home for the day.  Think Mother’s Day gift ideas 😀

TTGFN

Sherry

New Year, New Ideas!

Yeah, I know it’s been a while… well more than a while. I’ve been very remiss in this blogging thing and I promise to get better at it.  It’s a new year, and I’ve been doing things just a little different in the store and online.

As usual, I am always changing the store around, this last fall, there was yet another switcheroo and one of the more popular things I have done was to place a table in front of my big window.  I have been doing some of my sculpting, wire work, and soap making there for people to watch and see how I do things.  As a result of doing my sculptures in the window I had a request, well actually it was more of a demand, by a lovely lady, to teach her how to do it.  Sooo, I guess I’m a sculpting teacher now.  I taught this lady how to sculpt a Fae, that’s the old English word for Fairy, but they aren’t your usual type of Fairy 😀 and we both had a great time!

This little fella was my first Fae to come to life.

Since then I have also been asked to teach making Fairy Gardens and Wire Wrapping.  So I guess that will be on the agenda for this Spring/Summer season.

Now the other thing that, business wise, has happened is my Facebook sales.  During the holiday season I add fashions to my list of wares, Capes, Ponchos, Blanket Scarves and so on.  They are hugely popular sellers but since I don’t have a lot of room in the store to stock a lot of product and I sell out FAST!  I’ve had comments from some of my out of town customers that they don’t get a chance to snap up the goodies they see on my page.  So I’ve started a Pre-Buy Sale on Facebook.

Comfy Cosy and Bring on the Spring Fashions

My first sale started today and will end on Tuesday night.  Just pop on over to my FB page Sherry’s on Main all the pieces are individually listed in the posts.  You just Comment “Sold” the size and colour if applicable as well as your email address and a PayPal invoice will be sent to you.  All the info you need is in my “How to Shop” in Notes.  Any questions, just ask.

I’ve also started doing some Unboxing Live Videos on FB.  What is an Unboxing video you ask?  Well, let me tell ya.  When I get a new shipment of product, I open the box live on FaceBook so we can both see what comes out at the same time.  I may sound like a dork, the quality isn’t that great, (I do it with my tablet, and I’m all alone so…) but I really enjoy doing it.

I do have a website but I’m even worse at keeping it up to date than I am here.  I do most of my business on my Facebook page so to see what I’m really up to, pop over, Like and Follow me and let’s get to know one another a little better.

 

TTFN,

Sherry

Looking for Gemstone Jewelry?

I have always carried a variety of handcrafted jewelry pieces, Necklaces and/or Earrings.

Now I have recently acquired a consignment of Cultured Gemstone Necklaces, set in Sterling Silver with Sterling Silver Chains!

I am a horrible picture taker so let’s hope these photos do them justice.  Let’s have a look.

26 CT Tanzanite, 925 Sterling Silver Pendant 1 2/3″ Long

20 inch Sterling Silver chain

$89.99

 

 

 

24 CT Fire Garnet 925 Sterling Silver Pendant 1 1/3″ Long

20 inch 925 Silver Chain

$89.99  SOLD

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first photo of this peridot shows the detail better but the colour is much lighter as in the second picture.

22 CT Hand Carved Peridot 925 SolidSterling Silver Pendant 1 3/4 Long

20″ 925 Silver chain

$89.99  SOLD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stirling Silver wire wrapped Ruby

18 inch 925 Silver chain

$89.99  SOLD

 

 

 

 

Stirling Silver wire wrapped Emerald

18 inch 925 Silver chain

$89.99  SOLD

 

If you are interested in any of these pieces contact my at sherrysonmain@yahoo.ca

Shipping $15.00

Aromatherapy Pendants

Our aromatherapy pendants just arrived from Pixie Glass Works in my store!

These exquisite pendants were featured on Dragon’s Den.  Each piece is created by an expert glass blower in Vancouver British Columbia! Each one is unique making it a One of a Kind piece of art that you can carry with you.  Simply fill it with one of the essential oil aromatherapy blends and enjoy the fragrance that surrounds you.

They are available in a range of styles from Clear glass to Sand Blasted Designs in every colour of the rainbow!

The essential oil blends are:

Relax: soft, calming and balancing

Passion:  an aphrodisiacal blend that is sultry , deductive, deep and rich

Energize:  stimulating fresh and crisp.

Refresh:  uplifting and invigorating

Fortify:  cleansing and clearing.

Come by and choose your very own piece of fragrant art!