Wood Carrier

For my Dad's birthday this year he asked for a wood carrier to transport logs into the house to be burnt in the wood stove.  

He had one that my Mom had made for him probably 30 years ago...it definitely lasted a long time! I used his old one for size measurements and as a basic idea.  I also found one on pinterest that I used for inspiration, you can view it here. 

I used duck cloth as the main material and there are wooden dowels across the top.  

First step was to create the beige stripe.  The strip was only on the front but you could do it for the whole carrier.  I chose to make the stripe 1/3 of the carrier's total width knowing the beige handles would be equal widths on either side of the stripe.  I folded right sides together and sewed the length of the material, then flipped it inside out creating a pretty seam.  

 

Once the stripe was done I attached it to the brown material.  I sewed down each side of the stripe with that pretty seam I had just created hidden in the back. 

Next was to actually create the brown body of the carrier.  I chose to double the material to make it stronger and also eliminate any seams on the edges where the logs could catch.  

I sewed the brown material the same way as the beige stripe. 

Now it was time to sew the handles.  Following the same idea of sewing right sides together I sewed up from the bottom leaving 1 1/2 inches at the top for the dowel to go through.  

There are 4 handles total.  Once they were ready to be attached I folded the open edges of the brown carrier body tucked the handles in and sewed straight across!  

As a fun added touch I decided to add a T to the carrier.  

My Dad's initials are TTT so he can choose what the T stands for! I traced a wooden T onto the dark brown then used iron on adhesive to attach it to the beige stripe.  

This is a picture of the wood carrier's first load of the season! We'll see if this one lasts 30 years! 

Honey Apple Pouches

Have I ever mentioned how much I love honey??  Well I love it A LOT!!  I especially love when I have honey bought from a farmer as opposed to the food store honey in a bear...don't get me wrong, the bear is cute, but there is something about fresh farmed honey!

Anyway, fall is the perfect time of year to use honey as an ingredient because it goes perfectly with apples!  My Honey Apple Pouches combine honey, apples and puff pastry...how amazing does that sound?

Ingredients: 
(These vary based on the number of pouches you plan to make.  The corstarch, honey and cinnamon are based on 6 pouches)

Pastry Sheet(s) - 1 sheet makes 6 pouches

Cooking apples - each pouch uses approximately 1/4C apples

2 tbsp cornstarch

¼ cup honey

½ tsp cinnamon

Butter

Cinnamon/sugar mixture

Prepare puff pastry.  I will admit in my case it just meant thawing the frozen pastry.  I no longer feel guilty about using store bought puff pastry though since I saw an episode of Jamie Oliver where he said he uses store bought!  Cut each sheet into 6 equal squares.  Place the squares on a greased cookie sheet.  I prepared the honey "sauce" at this point so the apples would be exposed to the air for the least amount of time.  Mix the cornstarch, honey and cinnamon well.  Now back to the apples...

Peel and dice your apples.  I cut large chunks since they shrink when heated.  Place a good amount in the center of your pastry square.  

Once all your squares have apples drizzle the honey "sauce" equally among the squares.  

Fold up the pouches.  I simply pull the corners into the center and up, then cup the pouch in my hand pinching the sides closed.  Leave a little opening at the top of the pouch to allow steam out while the apples cook.  

Melt and mix your butter with a bit of cinnamon sugar. (this is really based on your own preference.)  Brush this mixture over each pouch.  

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 for 20 minutes. 

Eat warm or at room temperature...you could even go crazy and top with some ice cream!!