wine Archives – Fingering Zen

Posts tagged "wine"

No summer without Sangria

The last few days have been rainy, so I haven’t been able to do much in the garden except watch things grow. I have been interviewed for the Shop of the Month section on the Keepers of Enchantment blog, have created many a treasury on Etsy to celebrate the summer, and have made some new amethyst belly beads in a children’s size.

As I stepped into the fresh wet outside world this afternoon, right after the rain, took a deep breath and looked around, the sun that has finally come out reminded me that it is a warm summer. And every summer I rediscover the refreshing taste of Sangria.

I did not have orange juice and citrus fruit that makes up the traditional Sangria, and so I set off experimenting with some peaches, a lemon, a pinch of rose petals, and a raspberry liqueur. The result was surprisingly good. I now have two small 34oz pitchers of wonderfully light, fruity and refreshing Sangria chilling in the fridge (I make two pitchers to use up the entire bottle of wine). The recipe below is for one larger, 68oz pitcher. Adjust as needed.

Peach Raspberry Sangria

Ingredients:

1 bottle of light-tasting red wine (I used Chilean Pinot Noir we have made at The Wine Station)
splash of Chambord (red raspberry liqueur)
2 cups of water
1 large lemon
3 peaches or nectarines
1 pink lady apple
1 pinch of rose petals
1 tbsp of maple syrup

How to make it:

Cut up the peaches and apples into approximately 1 inch chunks. Put the fruit into the pitcher.
Slice the lemon and add to the pitcher.
Pour the wine and the water over top of the fruit.
Add a splash of Chambord (adjust depending on how strong you want the Sangria to be).
Add a pinch of rose petals.
Add 1 tsp of maple syrup.
Stir and refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavours infuse the wine.
Sip with a smile to good music.

Puzzle: Vineyard Terrace by Sung Kim

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67.9 cm x 48.1 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, The Art of Sung Kim series
Artist: Sung Kim – Born in 1940 in Seoul, South Korea, Sung Kim exhibited his artistic talents early in childhood. He entered and won various art contests and decided to pursue his passion for art by attending Seorabol Art College where he graduated with honors. Sung opened his own studio and worked as an illustrator for various magazines and children’s books. He traveled throughout Europe before immigrating to the United States in 1980. For the past 20 years, Sung has worked with various fine art galleries, producing over 400 original landscape paintings, and has sold his paintings to people from all over the world. [Puzzle box]
Painting: original

Puzzle: There is a wonderful book by Gerald Durrell called “My Family and Other Animals”, in which he describes life in Corfu – a Greek island to which his mother and three siblings have moved when he was 10. As a child, he explores the island gathering various animals (he has been an enthusiastic budding zoologist at that age), against the backdrop of the slow-paced life of the adults on the island. The olive trees, the sea, the tranquility of sunny afternoons, and the overall calm of the Mediterranean is what I remember vividly from the book. And this puzzle by Sung Kim carries that same quiet feeling of a light breeze on a vine-shaded terrace, on a lazy sunny afternoon somewhere in the Mediterranean.

This puzzle is not a trivial one to assemble, as uniform patterns such as leaves at the top, trees in the background, and bricks of the terrace take up large regions. It is a very calming scene, however, so I have found it quite relaxing, so I did not mind slightly longer time to find the pieces I needed. There are a few good regions to start: the boundary of the sky and the mountain, as well as the borders of the mountain and the trees, and far away trees and the fields. The table with white tablecloth, and the wine glasses and bottles is also easy to assemble. The window with surrounding bricks, and the chairs are also a different enough shade and pattern to not be difficult. The terrace frame is a little harder to complete, but when done it can serve as horizontal and vertical guides for the res of the puzzle. The lighter bricks of the wall are sufficiently different from the tiles of the floor. The leaves at the top can be fitted in between the horizontal guides of the terrace frame, and the rest of the puzzle comes together afterwards.

The assembly went very well with a glass of wine and the early spring sun coming in through the window, promising warm afternoons, if not in the Mediterranean.

Beading: TTC Custom Fertility Cycle Tracking Necklace – Pick your charm, cycle length, and ovulation day – Wild Roses – red, wine, and pink

Available for custom order on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/178491013/ttc-custom-fertility-cycle-tracking

Whether your goal is to conceive, to avoid pregnancy, or to get in touch with your cycle, this necklace is a stylish personal way to keep track of your cycle and your fertile days. Beautiful teardrop-shaped crystals mark the first day of the cycle, the infertile days following it, the fertile phase, the ovulation, and the luteal phase in different colours. A movable charm is used to indicate the current day of the cycle. You can wear this necklace or keep it on a bedside table, on your desk, or in your purse. Take a minute each day to move the charm and focus on where your body is right now in its natural rhythm. The necklace arrives with an instruction card on how to use it.

When ordering, please let me know your cycle length and ovulation day, and I will create a necklace based on your individual cycle. You can also pick a custom charm for your necklace from those pictured in the last photo. Please be sure to specify your ovulation day in a note to seller. Please allow 3-5 days for the completion of the necklace. See below for the shipping time estimation.

The sample necklace depicted above is based on a 28-day cycle with ovulation on day 14. First day of the cycle is indicated by a single red bead, followed by 6 more non-fertile days, then 9 fertile days in wine colour (7 days prior to ovulation and 2 post-ovulation), ovulation itself is marked by a larger crystal. The necklace is completed by 12 non-fertile days of the luteal phase. The smaller beads pad the necklace so it can be long enough for wear. The custom necklace will have the same design and colours adjusted for your cycle length and ovulation day, as well as the charm you have selected.

The sample necklace is about 15.5 inches (39 cm) long. The necklace length will differ depending on your cycle length. If you prefer a longer necklace, please message me and I can customize the length.

The following charms are available:
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Tree of Life – symbolizes immortality and fertility
1. Diamond-shaped antiqued pewter Tree of Life
2. Coin-shaped gold-plated antiqued pewter double-sided Tree of Life
3. Coin-shaped antiqued silver-finished pewter double-sided Tree of Life
4. Circle-enclosed gold-plated antiqued pewter Tree of Life
5. Circle-enclosed antiqued pewter Tree of Life

Birth Goddess – symbolizes fertility, birth and growth
6. Gold-plated antiqued pewter Birth Goddess
7. Antiqued pewter Birth Goddess

Butterfly – symbolizes fertility, rebirth, transformation
8. Small antiqued pewter Butterfly
9. Antiqued pewter open-winged Butterfly
10. Antiqued brass-finished steel Butterfly
11. Gunmetal-finished steel Butterfly

Turtle – symbolizes fertility, longevity, good fortune
12. Pewter Turtle with fleur-de-lis cutout
13. Antiqued silver-finished pewter round Turtle
14. Antiqued pewter double-sided Turtle

Key – symbolizes liberation, knowledge, initiation, way to one’s heart
15. Antiqued silver Key
16. Gunmetal Key
17. Antiqued gold Key
18. Antiqued brass-finished pewter Key
19. Antiqued silver-finished pewter Key with Maiden-Mother-Crone symbol

Horseshoe – symbolizes good luck ad protection
20. Antiqued pewter Horseshoe

Dragonfly – symbolizes joy, lightness of being, good luck, transformation, and harmony
21. Antiqued gold-plated brass Dragonfly
22. Gunmetal-plated brass Dragonfly
23. Silver-plated brass Dragonfly

Frog – symbolizes fertility, love, giving birth to new life
24. Antiqued silver-finished pewter Frog with crystals
25. Antiqued silver-finished pewter Frog

Elephant – symbolizes fertility and pregnancy
26. Antiqued brass-finished pewter Elephant
27. Antiqued brass-finished pewter black Elephant

Since the beads are fragile, I do my best to ensure that the packaging protects them appropriately. Do have a look at the other items in my shop to take advantage of combined shipping costs.

Sign up for Veddma Creations newsletter at http://eepurl.com/LKBOP and receive 20% off your entire purchase at our Etsy store.

There are more fertility items in my store: www.etsy.com/shop/veddma/search?search_query=fertility.

Beading: TTC Custom Fertility Cycle Tracking Necklace – Pick your charm, cycle length, and ovulation day – Earth and Gold – gold and wine

Available for custom order on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/178478530/ttc-custom-fertility-cycle-tracking

The sample necklace depicted above is based on a 28-day cycle with ovulation on day 14. First day of the cycle is indicated by a single red bead, followed by 6 more non-fertile days, then 9 fertile days in gold (7 days prior to ovulation and 2 post-ovulation), ovulation itself is marked by a larger crystal. The necklace is completed by 12 non-fertile days of the luteal phase. The smaller beads pad the necklace so it can be long enough for wear. The custom necklace will have the same design and colours adjusted for your cycle length and ovulation day, as well as the charm you have selected.

The sample necklace is about 18 inches (46 cm) long. The necklace length will differ depending on your cycle length. If you prefer a longer necklace, please message me and I can customize the length.