All Natural Homemade Caramel Sauce

Hello all!  I am almost done.  It has been such a crazy, but good, experience (see last post).  It has been a long and tiring experience.  But I can't complain.  It has been SO good!

The fall and spring are my favorite times of the year here in North Carolina.  Now that the weather is cooling down,  it is great reminder that the fair is right around the corner.  Fair food.  Mmm.  Caramel apples, deep fried candy bars, cotton candy, corn dogs - the list can go on.     A few years ago I shared this recipe, and I wanted to share it again here on the blog because it is simply fabulous, and since this is not a food blog, that is saying much.  It's not the kind of caramel sauce you would make for apples, but you definitely could dip your apples into it!  I wonder if cooking the sauce longer would make it a chewier caramel appropriate for apples.  Maybe I will have to try that.   It is a great sauce for desserts (cheesecake anyone?), dipping fruit, to add to hot chocolate or tea, and it makes a great little gift for friends and loved ones.   I found this recipe several years ago in a Better Homes & Gardens magazine. It's a great recipe, and I have not made any changes to it.  It's just perfect. Tastes perfect.  Looks perfect.  Cooks perfectly.

Here is the old post.

*The felt acorns wrapped around the canning jar can be found here.*

Homemade Caramel Sauce  

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TB water
1/2 water
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Oven mitt

In a small saucepan, heat on low the cream and 2 TB of water.  Do not boil the cream.  In another pot, pour the 1/2 cup of water in a 2 qt pan, and pour the sugar and salt in to form a mound in the center.  DO NOT STIR IT.  Make sure all the sugar is absorbed into the water though.  Turn the heat on medium.  Cover with lid.  Let water boil, and once all the sugar is dissolved, remove the lid.  Do not stir.  Continue to boil until the sugar syrup turns amber (light golden color).  I used a skewer and a white plate to test the color of the syrup.  Here you can see that it progresses to a golden color after the allotted time.

This process will take about 12-15 minutes, so do not get distracted and leave the stove.  In the meantime, occasionally stir the cream.  You should see steam rising from the top by the time the syrup is ready.  Take the syrup pan off the heat, and while wearing an oven mitt, slowly add the cream to the syrup and stir.  You will see LOTS of steam, so please wear your mitt!  Return back to heat and stir for 1-2 minutes.  Add 1 tsp of vanilla.  You can serve this after it cools for a little bit, and store it in the refrigerator up to one month. 

Happy Fall!

xx nancy

Name-Your-Sale SALE - Modern, baby quilts on sale right now

Hello!  Thank you for stopping in to check out my sale.  This sale is a little different for two reasons.  The money will be used towards my book instead of purchasing more fabric and supplies to replenish my shop.  The second reason is you pick the discount you want to use.  It's a name-your-sale sale.  :)  I'm offering you a discount of 0% - 25% off any purchase, and you get to pick how much you want to take off.  0% would be the asking price.  This lets people decide how much they can donate.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the costs of creating a book quickly add up!  Before undertaking this huge project,  I made quilts to sell to offset the costs of my creative pursuits.  I like to make things just to make them.  Now that I have to be a big girl and do grown-up work, I have more supplies to buy and more child care to pay for to meet my deadlines.

By offering a sale, I can move product faster in hopes of having a little more immediate income to use.   I rarely offer discounts because I highly value my quilts and the hard work and time that goes into them.    I am sure you will value your new quilt just as much.  These quilts are made to last and will add an heirloom piece to your home.

Thank you for looking!


How it works:

This is a first come, first serve sale.  When you see what you want to buy, email me at owensolivia@hotmail.com with subject line SALE.  The reason for emailing instead of simply leaving a comment below is because I have had readers mention in the past they were not able to leave comments.  To avoid any mishaps, emailing is the next best thing I can think of.

To play fair, here are the rules.

• Email me at owensolivia@hotmail.com with subject line SALE.  

1. List the item(s) you want 
2. List your discount amount.  It can be anything from 0% to 25% off.  
3. Leave me the email address you want my Paypal invoice to go to.  
4. If you are using layaway, let me know.

• If there is more than one person interested in an item, the next person in line will receive the item if the first buyer does not pay in time. 
• Buyer will have 24 hours to pay before item is given to the next person in line.  
• Once an item has been paid for, I will update the item with SOLD, so you may want to check back here if you have not heard from me within a day.

Other things to note:

• Smoke free, pet free 
• 100% cotton quilts.  All washed and line dried.  All new.
• Items shipped to the US is $17 (Priority Mail) and will require a signature.  I cannot be held responsible for lost or damaged packages.  If you want faster, more secure shipping, we can work something out.  As of to date, all my packages have arrived safely to people's homes.  
• Anyone outside of the US - we will work together on the shipping price.  My guess would be anywhere from $25-$50 depending on location.  
• Any sales placed in North Carolina will be charged a sales tax of 6.75%.
• Your package will be mailed out about a week after your purchase.    
• Sale runs June 12 - 30.  All quilts that have not sold will be placed back in my shop at retail price. 
• I also offer layaway.  You will be invoiced a month later from the time of the first payment.  A $15 fee will apply.   In the event you need to cancel your sale, a $25 non refundable restocking fee will apply.   The first 24 hour payment is still required.  

QUILT A

Black Cross on white background / white birds on the back

Retails $185

34" x 42 1/2"

QUILT B SOLD

Fish quilt / black stripe for the back

Retails $220

QUILT C

Red cross on white background / blue fabric for the back (4th of July anyone?)

Retails $350

53" x 54"

QUILT D

Petal Pod on white background / Navy blue fabric on the back

Retails $210

35" x 49"

QUILT E  SOLD

Polka dots on dark gray background / orange stripe for the back

Retails $230

40" x 47.5"

QUILT F  SOLD

Triangles on white background / floral on the back

Retails $200

36" X 46"

QUILT G

Gold Cross on white background / gray chevron on back

Retails $190

32" x 40 1/2"

xx nancy

FIND ME here too!  

Personal IG account - @owensolivia

Quilting IG account - @glasshousequilts

Facebook - owen's olivia

Pinterest - nancy@owen's olivia

owen's olivia UNIQUE quilt shop sale and Bobbie Lou's Fabric's new website

owen's olivia unique quilt shop SALE!  Modern, baby quilts at a discount.

Hello!!  I wanted to quickly let you know that I will be having a unique shop sale HERE ON THE BLOG.  I highly value my quilts and the hard work that goes into them, so discounts are rare.  If there's a quilt of mine you have been eyeing, this week would be the time to grab it.   It will be a first come, first serve sale, and the sale applies to all in stock quilts.  I should have the 7 quilts up above listed.

This sale is kind of unique because of the purpose behind it.  I'm offering buyers the chance to name their discount.  It can be anywhere from 0% to 25% off the retail price.  Some of you may know I have been working really hard these past few months.  Well, actually since October, and the word hard is an understatement!  I am working on my first quilting book, which will release next fall of 2015.  I could not be any more excited, but there are many costs involved - from batting, to fabric, to thread, to even child care so I can attend to the quilts that will make this book happen.  This was definitely not what I had in mind about how to announce such an amazing blessing, but it is what is.  Time to embrace it.

Through your purchase, you will be supporting my new endeavor.  There will be many more new quilts to add to the shop after all the craziness winds down, but discounts are rare because of the work and time involved in quilt making.  By helping me, I help you have something totally fabulous, special, and well made.  Handmade.  In the USA.  (Quilts are machine pieced, but all the cutting, ironing, and prepping and piecing qualify as handmade to me :)

It makes me happy to see an owen's olivia quilt in a person's home, and I want to see more of my quilts in people's homes.  Hopefully, this unique sale will provide a way for that to happen as well as help offset the costs of being a creative author.  A win win if I must say.  A new quilt?  Love it.  Use it.

How it will work:

All this information will be repeated the day of the sale.  

You will need a Paypal account to pay me.  It's free to sign up.  Once the post goes live, if you see a quilt you want, EMAIL me at owensolivia at hotmail dot com with the discount of your choice.  First to claim with a Paypal address and pays within 24 hours will get the quilt.  I'm more than happy to have a wait list on quilts if payment falls through with the first buyer.

I also offer layaway.  Say whaaat??  Who does that??  Me!  If you need to break up the price into two payments, I can do that.  You will be invoiced a month later from the time of the first payment.  A $15 fee will apply.

Quilts will ship about a week after your purchase.  Shipping in the US will be $17, and anywhere outside of the US, the invoice will be adjusted accordingly when I find out where it is going to.  Quilts are made in a smoke free, pet free home.  They are made from high quality cottons and are washed and ready to go!

The sale will go live here on the blog June 12th at 12PM EST and will run until June 30th.  That's a long sale!!

I also wanted to let you know that my wonderful sponsor, Bobbie Lou's Fabric Factory, has launched a new website that is worth checking out!

Here are some great features.

• Free shipping on orders $50 or more
• Search fabrics by color, style, manufacturer, designer, or new arrivals
• Cool new swatches available!  You can create a virtual design board listing the fabrics you have picked.  You can see how your selections look together.  

If you are a fan of graphic prints like I am, you will love her shop.  She has a great selection of fabrics from manufacturers you love.  

Have a great week!!

xx nancy