 Elizabeth
Holcombe’s Vintage Whimsy
When professional crafter Elizabeth “Beth” Holcombe earned her
master’s degree in art, she could not have guessed her medium of
choice would be...tote bags.
But when she inherited her beloved grandmother’s sewing table,
vintage fabrics, buttons, and trims in 1998, and her creative
juices yearned for a way to use them. Although in 1998
when she inherited her beloved grandmother’s sewing table and
all her
grandmother’s vintage fabrics, buttons, and trims, her creative
juices yearned for a way to use them. Beth was always creating
things, usually gifts for friends and family. She saw a photo of
a tote bag made from vintage barkcloth (a drapery fabric) and
thought, “I have tons of that fabric.” She’d discovered the
perfect use for all the treasures her grandmother had given her.
Beth found a basic tote-bag pattern and began making them as
gifts. After she had given one to nearly everyone she knew, her
best friend suggested she try to sell her totes on eBay. Beth’s
Bagz was born.
Beth’s signature style of whimsy, no-fear use of color, and fun
kitsch embellishments proved very popular, and her tote bags
were snapped up by eager buyers. That was eight years ago, and
Beth has since sold more than 1,000 totes, recently adding a
shop on
Etsy.com as well as
eBay. Her creations have been noticed by other expert
crafters, including
Charlotte Lyons, author of crafting books and a frequent
contributor to crafting magazines.
Beth’s first totes were simply two pieces of fabric sewn
together, with handles and a button-loop fastening. Using her
artist’s eye, she has honed her craft by combining fabrics in
unexpected ways, adding pockets, and using other textiles like
vintage handkerchiefs or tea towels. Beth says, “Each bag is
made on what inspires me from a particular fabric. I have also
made totes because I was inspired by a button or buckle.”
Beth’s totes now come in varying sizes and styles. Because it is
the creative process she enjoys the most, she rarely does custom
orders. If she receives a special request, she creates the bag
with the customer’s desires in mind then lists it on eBay or her
Etsy store, informing the customer it is there for them to
decide if they really want it. “They usually purchase it,” Beth
says.
Beth has expanded her love of vintage whimsy and kitsch into
creating one-of-a-kind pincushions and corsages. Her pincushions
were inspired by a friend’s antique pincushion, one with a
Scotty-dog figurine glued to the middle of a souvenir pillow.
Beth creates different shapes of pincushions and uses several
different fabrics for each one, stuffing the cushion with cotton
and lavender buds. The figurine is anything vintage and cute and
is surrounded by lots of vintage buttons, beads, charms, and
jewelry pieces.
Beth’s corsages give her another creative use for her extensive
collection of vintage buttons, vintage millinery, and plastic
flowers. Her corsages are primarily sold alone, but some are
partnered with a matching tote.
To replenish her supplies of vintage fabrics, buttons, trims,
and other embellishments, Beth scours yard sales, estate sales,
thrift shops, flea markets, antique malls, and quilt expos,
anywhere there are vintage-fabric vendors. “I am also very
fortunate to have friends who give me fabrics, too!” she says.
At the very core, however, are those fabrics and materials she
inherited from her grandmother.
Learn more about Beth from her very entertaining blog,
Elizabeth Holcombe’s Words and Whimsies, and from her
Web
site. Beth’s tote bags, pincushions, and corsages are
sold from her
Etsy shop and her
eBay store, but she also has sold her creations at craft
venues like the Maymont Herb Festival in Richmond, Virginia, and
her totes may soon be sold at a local boutique.
Diane Gaston, who owns two of Beth’s Bagz (so far), knows
Elizabeth Holcombe from Beth’s other life as a romance author.
Beth’s first book,
Heaven and the Heather, was a Holt Medallion finalist and
Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice nominee. Look for more books
from Beth soon.
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Pumpkin Recipes
by the Noodlers
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust:
3/4 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
3 eggs (at room temperature)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
Combine the ingredients for the crust and press the mixture into
the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for
10 minutes.
Mix pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar and spices. In a separate bowl,
beat the cream cheese, sugar and corn starch. Stir in the
pumpkin mixture and pour over the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for
50 to 55 minutes, until the centre is set.
Run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan as soon as the
cheesecake is removed from the oven. Cool at room temperature,
then cover and refrigerate overnight.
Before serving, drizzle with two squares of melted semi-sweet
chocolate. A few chopped pecans and a dollop of whipped cream
also make a great garnish.
Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
1 8-inch pie shell
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs, separated
1/3 cup milk
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar
This no-bake pumpkin pie is a great stand-in for the classic
version, especially if the turkey is already in the oven and
there’s no room to bake a pie!
Combine brown sugar, gelatin and spices in a small saucepan. Mix
together the pumpkin puree, egg yolks and milk, and blend into
the brown sugar mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat,
stirring constantly. Remove from heat as soon as it boils and
set the pan in a bowl of ice water to cool.
With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar
until foamy, then slowly beat in the sugar. Continue beating
until the egg whites are stiff (this is important). Blend the
cooled pumpkin mixture into the meringue. Spoon the mixture into
the baked pie shell and chill for 2 to 3 hours. Serve with
whipped cream.
Blueberry Pumpkin Loaf
This recipe makes two loaves. Great for a large gathering, or
freeze one for later.
2 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup shortening
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups pumpkin puree
2/3 cups water
3 1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups fresh blueberries (if frozen, thaw first)
Blend the sugar and shortening. Stir in the eggs, then the
pumpkin and water. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking
powder, baking soda and spices. Fold the dry ingredients into
the pumpkin mixture. Gently stir in the blueberries. Pour the
batter into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for one
hour and fifteen minutes.
Pumpkin Bean Soup
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 15-ounce can white beans (kidney, navy, etc.)
1 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 lime, cut into wedges
Combine the pumpkin, coconut milk, broth and sage in a saucepan
and heat until just boiling. Add the beans (drained and rinsed),
reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt
and pepper. Garnish with cracked pepper and serve with lime
wedges.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
I got this great recipe from fellow writer Beth Burgoon, who
will be writing for Harlequin Superromance as Beth Andrews.
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup pumpkin
Mix together pumpkin, eggs and butter. Add sugar. Stir in
spices. Add flour. Stir in chocolate chips. Put in a greased, 8
1/2x4-inch loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15
minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
Orange-glazed Cranberry-Pumpkin Bread
Contributed by
Merrillee Whren
3 1/2 cups flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 (16-ounce) can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 (16-ounce) can pumpkin
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans. Mix
flour, sugar, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking
powder in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix cranberry sauce,
pumpkin, pecans, oil and eggs. Add pumpkin mixture to flour
mixture, and stir just until ingredients are well mixed. Divide
batter between the two pans and bake 60-65 minutes. Cool on wire
racks for 10 minutes, then remove from pans. Drizzle glaze over
the tops.
Glaze: Mix 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1/4 cup undiluted
orange-juice concentrate and 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice with a
fork until smooth.
For metric conversions of the measurements above, consult any
of the following sites:
http://southernfood.about.com/library/info/blconv.htm
http://www.thatsmyhome.com/recipes/conversion.htm
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/conversions.htm
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