Chronicles of the Long Shot Farm

DIY

Polymer Clay Doll Food

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This year Jeff had the BRILLIANT idea of ordering polymer clay to occupy his many grandchildren (and daughters and wife as well).  Our goal was to create food for the 18in dolls that were the stars of Christmas.  Tina was inspired by someone who created a tiny deviled egg on Pinterest.  The clay arrived in many colors and with a variety of basic tools.  The experience ended up being fun for everyone.   The food was not too complicated because it was made with simple shapes and the scale is 1:3. We went through several pounds of clay and the dolls were thrilled.

Felicity could not believe her luck! At the Merriman General Store she found modern treats like Oreos, candy canes, and S’mores. Just in time for the holidays too! Possibly they were not sold out because other patrons, in 1774, did not know the true joy to be found in an Oreo.

Our Bitty baby is quite the entrepreneur.  She decided – at quite a young age – to open her own bakery, full of macaroons of every color, candies, white chocolate truffles, petit fours, and cupcakes.

Caroline enjoyed a hearty breakfast of monstrous bacon, a small egg, and an even smaller orange (kumquat?) before joining her father out on the skiff.  To think such unique proportions of food were to be found in 1812.

Tina made all the dresses in the above pictures as well, in case you were wondering!

Posted by Anja Weyant

Holiday Decorations at the Winery

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Our first winter at the Winery started off with decorating for the holidays in mid November.  We used a lot of greenery outside, including swags along our fence posts and a garland around the entrance way.  Left over pine branches were arranged in various containers,  ranging from flower pots to milk crates.  New light stands were wrapped around the grapevine garland along our fence rail so all the lights were brightly shining.

Inside the tasting room we kept decorations simple, since we don’t have very much space.   We hung red Christmas balls on gold ribbons in all our windows, and places battery operated candles (which are covered in actual wax) below.  Some candles were placed in wreaths, others on candleholders or in lanterns.

You may have noticed our arrow above the wine rack, which holds seasonal ornaments.  For the winter we chose a Red Cardinal and we strung a green garland through the top of the wine rack.  The music changed to holiday classics to help spread even more cheer.

Anja made festive bottle ornaments, complete with tags, transforming any of our wines into a perfect holiday gift.

Throughout the weeks leading up to Christmas, Rachel and Samantha were busy organizing various craft and painting activities at the winery.  Some were scheduled classes, others were “drop in” events to make bottle and cork crafts.

                

 

Posted by The Long Shot Farm

Andrew and Amanda’s Wedding

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Although the rest of the barn is not ready for the Winery to use yet, it has come along way in the last month. It was just enough space for a 45 person wedding. It’s amazing what you can do with fabric and twinkle lights! Eventually it will be a perfect size for private events at the Winery like bridal showers or painting events.

 

But for the Winery to use it we would need the proper inspections first.

Posted by Samantha Weyant Shaffer and Anja Weyant

What’s in the rest of the barn?

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Zach and his friends have been working hard on the center section of the barn.  They are preparing for a small wedding this weekend.  Zach leveled and secured the floor with insulation and plywood.  They also drywalled and primed several sections of wall.

For the wedding twinkle lights and fabric will be hung to cover the unfinished areas.  This will be a great practice run for when the Winery holds events in the future.  It will also serve as extra space when the weather is too poor to use the deck.

There is still a lot of work to be done before it is ready to use by the Winery but the progress is exciting.

Posted by Anja Weyant and Samantha Weyant Shaffer

Baby Doll Diapers

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Freyja is obsessed with her baby doll.  She loves to clothe her, change her, and take her to the bus stop in the stroller to pick up Leif.  In fact, we just wore out our second doll stroller.  Freyja is also into using scissors.  Unfortunately there are not too many projects for a 4 year old to go hog wild on with a pair of scissors.

So we decided to make baby doll diapers. I traced a diaper we had onto fabric (which she picked out).  I altered the pattern so it would curve nicely on the back of the baby doll and not be so gathered in the front.  Freyja cut out 4.  She also cut out 4 fleece linings for the diapers so they would be white and fluffy inside. I sewed them together, with a little top stitching and velcro and voila!

 

She was “sew” into this project we then made 4 matching spit rags for the baby doll.  These were simple rectangles I traced from an envelope and lined with fleece.  I also topstitched and sewed 2 lines down the spit rags to prevent them from shifting.  It was a fun way to expand Freyja’s baby doll accessories that she could also be part of.

Posted by Anja Weyant