Promos!!!!

I've been hard at work getting these ready!!! I'm involved in another craftster swap, but this time one with a business spin. I'm trading small promo items with other Craftster Etsy sellers . . . the idea being that we'll each have a small stash of each others items to send out with our own orders. My promos are business cards attached by a safety pin to a small note and either a mixtape pendant or a pair of vintage button stud earrings. I've got to admit, I was a little apprehensive about these when I started working on them. Now that they're done though (or now that about half of them are done, rather) I'm in love! I think they look adorable and I really hope they can help generate some interest for my shop!

Listening:  BrakesBrakesBrakes- "All Night Disco Party"

Pants . . . From a T Shirt?!?!?!

(Gratuitous Motley Crue shirt shot included because I haven't figured out how to take pictures of myself wearing pants without a mirror or some kind of contortion exercise)
I'd been wanting to try a t shirt to lounge pants conversion for a while now, and last weekend I finally had an hour to sit down and get it done. I followed THIS amazing tutorial which the author graciously posted on Craftster up until the waistband, at which point i decided to just wing it. I think I'm actually physically incapable of following any pattern or instructions to completion . . . at about 80-90% done I invariably abandon instructions and just go for it.
My main change was adding elastic inside of the waistband . . . the stretch factor in the t shirt I used just wasn't anywhere near enough to keep those pants up on my hips for any length of time. But it was a free t shirt to begin with, and elastic is cheap so I really can't complain. My pants turned out ok . . . and I have a few ideas for how to improve my results next time (a nifty one piece waistband idea comes to mind!). Hopefully by the time I make another attempt at this project I'll have figured out some way to photograph my own rear end.

Listening:  The Electric Soft Parade- "Kick In The Teeth"

Sammiches

I spent the weekend in San Francisco to see a few very cool bands (see Listening below). Had a great time of course, but didn't have much time leftover for cooking or crafting. I did quite a bit of crochet work in the car, but nothing thats ready to post quite yet!
Since I've got four more shows I'm planning on being at over the next four days, I figure this is a good time to post one of my most favorite SUPER fast and easy dinners of all time: the sammich. These take about 12 seconds to prepare and you can ignore them in the oven for however long you please. They're also, suprisingly, almost as good cold the next day as they are straight out of the oven.

White Cheddar and Tomato Sandwiches:

1 round loaf of sourdough bread, halved or quartered depending on size), or 1 sourdough baugette cut in half or thirds, or as many mini sourdough baugettes as you need sammiches
sliced white cheddar cheese
1 tomato per sammich, sliced and seeded
(optional: fresh cracked black pepper, parmesan cheese, arugala, etc.)

-slice down the center of each piece of sourdough and stuff w/ cheddar and tomatoes
-wrap each sammich in foil tightly (as you would a bakede potato) and toss in the oven at 375 or so until cheese melts (about 20 minutes or so, but they can be left in longer)

Listening:  The Electric Soft Parade- "If Thats The Case, Then I Don't Know"

Listening:  Ravens and Chimes - "Saint Jude In The Village Voice"

Listening:  Meho Plaza - "Your Future Looks Bright"

Take That Rachael Ray!

No, really, I love Rachael. But I'm still pretty proud of this meal that I threw together the other night in fewer than 30 minutes. Especially since I threw it together WHILE sewing a purse. Thats pretty advanced domestic diva-ism I think :)
I started by tossing the vegetable bird's nests in the oven. They're from Trader Joes and cook up in just a few minutes. They come with a sweet soy dipping sauce, right in the package, and they taste amazing.
Then I made a quick marinade for my tofu from soy sauce, teriyaki, ginger, garlic powder, lemon pepper and a bit of olive oil. I tossed my cubed tofu w/ the sauce and stir fried until browned. I removed the tofu from my wok and then stir fried a handful of snap peas w/ a sliced onion for a few minutes, then added the tofu back, removed from the flame and covered and set aside while my birds nests finished up. I served the stir fry over a quick pack of microwave brown rice, also from Trader Joes.
Lastly, I brewed two cups of jasmine/green/oolong tea. The whole dinner took about 20 minutes, most of which wasn't actual cooking but more waiting (which is where sewing the purse came in!)

Listening:  Wallpaper- "A Million Dollars"

Lentil and Vegetable Soup

When I know I've got a busy week ahead, I often make a huge pot of lentil and veggie soup to freeze for lunches. One big pot makes about 5 bowls which is just enough to get me through the week lunch wise. This soup takes a bit of time to simmer, but involves only the barest minimum of fussing while it cooks.

Lentil and Vegetable Soup:

10 cups water
an equivalent amount of veggie stock mix
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
5-7 carrots, sliced
5-7 celery stalks, sliced
2 large onions (or more), diced
1/2 a bag of frozen sweet corn
1/4 cup lentils
1/4 cup split peas
1/4 cup pearl barley
a handful of bay leaves
about 1/2 a tsp of allspice berries
1 tblsp old bay seasoning
a liberal dose of cracked black pepper

- place all ingredients up to the barley in a large stock pot and set at medium heat
- wrap the bay leaves and allspice berries in muslin and place in stockpot (or contain them in a metal tea strainer and dump the whole thing into the stockpot) along with old bay and pepper
- simmer stirring occasionally until lentils and barley are cooked through, about 90 minutes

Resist the urge to add more than 1/4 cup each of the lentils, barley and peas. they swell to a MUCH greater size when they're cooked. Any veggies would do in this soup, so you can use whatever you have on hand, but I think the sweet corn goes really well with the lentils so I'd suggest keeping that in. This soup is great served topped w/ shredded Parmesan cheese, and the lentils and barley make it filling enough to be served on its own, without bread.

Listening:  Division Day- "Tigers"

Surprise, Surprise

More wristlets. And even more made since this photo was taken! I've started working on a new idea - wristlets with matching coin purses. Those should be up in my shop soon. The top wristlet in this picture I kept for me (I swear . . . I'm one for Etsy, two for me lately!).


Listening:  The Electric Soft Parade- "If Thats The Case, Then I Don't Know"

Even Crafty Girls Like Lipstick

Makeup qualifies as a "craft", I think. Lipstick is technically a form of paint, so I figure a beauty product review or two wouldn't be completely out of place in this blog. Wearing lipstick is something I do every day . . . just like crafting and listening to music!
I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was when Target and CVS stores started carrying some Boots brand products. Boots is basically mecca, as far as I'm concerned. They have several of their own product lines, including Royal Jelly, No. 7, Mediterranean and Botanics, all of which are more on par with US department store brands than US drugstore brands. Since I go to the UK pretty much every year, stocking up on my favorites (like Royal Jelly bubble bath, No. 7 face creams and Mediterranean body butters) has become a yearly tradition. Now though, in the comfort of my very own local CVS store, I can try out a larger range of Boots' products whenever I want.
One of my new favorites is the lippy pictured above, No. 7 Sheer Temptation Lipstick. I first got my hands on a tube of this fantastic stuff through my friend Becca, who brought me over an AMAZING No. 7 product set as a gift. It has an absolutely perfect texture, precisely in between being a gloss and being a lipstick, so I get the benefit of a longer lasting color without losing any of the shine I love in glosses. The colors (I own two: Excite and Entice) are perfectly sheer and subtle enough that I can apply them on the go without the aid of a mirror. There is a bit of a sparkle element to the shades I have, but nothing too bubble gum-y or glittery. They're a perfectly grown up version of my favorite childhood glosses!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't make them often, and I never make them for me (I don't much like cookies . . . isn't that strange?). I have sort of a mental block to baking. I adore cooking, but pretty much everything I try to bake, save casseroles of course, comes out of the oven inedible. Or sets of smoke alarms. Or both. I do have one foolproof cookie recipe though, here it is:

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup brown sugar*
1/2 cup regular sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chocolate chips(I use Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips)

cream butter and mix in brown sugar and regular sugar add egg and vanilla and mix add baking soda, salt, flour and mix mix in chips drop tsp. fulls on a buttered cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 8-10 mins yields about 4 dz.

* Did you know that if you don't have any brown sugar (or if your brown sugar has fossilized) you can "make" some using 1 cup regular sugar to 1/4 cup molasses? Well, you can, and I did last night. I suppose this tip is only helpful if you're the kind of person who keeps molasses on hand . . . strangely, I am.

Listening:  Voxtrot - "Kid Gloves"

Ladies, I Present to You . . .

. . . reason number two to invest a little time, effort and money into learning how to sew. How often do you buy pants? I probably buy about 12 pairs a year, or one a month. Thats a conservative estimate (and sometimes I buy skirts instead), but lets use it as a base. I, being not short but neither tall, find that pretty much every pair of pants I buy has to be hemmed. Sometimes just a bit, but sometimes QUITE a bit . . . especially in the case of fancy schmancy jeans that are ALWAYS cut yards too long. Hemming at my local tailor costs $12 to $15 per pair of pants and takes a full week to complete. Hemming at my kitchen table with my sewing machine is free and takes about 30 minutes to complete.
Using my conservative estimates, thats $144 a year I've saved hemming my own pants. And in case that doesn't appeal to your thrifty side (don't worry, I don't really have a thrifty side either) let it appeal to your impatient side. I bought the pair of jeans pictured then took them home, hemmed them and wore them out the same night. Meanwhile, although my sewing machine was a gift (thanks mom and dad!), one years worth of pants hemming expenses could've covered the cost for sure. Here's how:

Hemming Jeans:
You'll need: A sewing machine with a zig zag and a straight stitch, an iron and ironing board, thread (you can use black, blue, whatever . . . special, extra strong "jeans thread" is available at sewing stores and is what I have used here), a few straight pins, sharp scissors

1) put your jeans on
2) put shoes on (this is important . . .try your jeans on with the type of shoes you intend to wear them with most often. Usually the lower the shoe heel, the shorter the pants should be.)
3) play around with the hem of one leg by folding the excess material under until you find a length you like. Pin the front and back at this length.
4) take your jeans off. careful. there are pins in them.
5) zip your jeans up, fold them in half evenly lining up the waistband and lay them on the floor with the pinned leg on top.
6) eyeball measure about 2 finger lengths from the hem you have pinned and chop the pinned leg
7) chop the unpinned leg using the first leg as a guide
8) turn the jeans inside out
10) iron a finger width hem on each leg (so that the folded up fabric is on the inside of your jeans, but towards you since your jeans are inside out)
11) zig zag stitch around each leg . . . be careful not to pull too much on the fabric, especially if your jeans have stretch. Just let the machine pull your fabric through for you, otherwise you'll end up with turning and puckering.
12) fold under and iron another finger width hem
13) straight stitch this time
14) turn them right side out
15) iron hems flat to finish
16) wear your new jeans out, shake booty, take over world, etc. etc.

Listening:  Maximo Park- "Girls Who Play Guitars"

Macaroni and Cheese

I'm not much of a measure-er in the kitchen. For the most part I just slosh things around in pots muttering to myself like that Swedish chef from the Muppets and hope things come out ok. Usually they do . . . but in the case of macaroni and cheese there are widely varied versions of "OK". I've had some results that were just "nice" and others that were mind blowing, almost religious experiences. And yes, I am quite fond of cheese, thanks for asking.
So, last night I measured. On a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being Kraft Easy Mac and 10 being coma inducing) my results were about a 7. This won't be the last time I post on Mac and Cheese . . . I'm on a mission to make a "10".

Mac and Cheese, Take 1:

1 lb whole wheat penne pasta
1 medium shallot, minced
1 small yellow onion, minced
1/2 lb extra sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup and 1/4 cup packaged shredded Italian cheese blend (Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, etc.)
2 cups milk
3 tblsp butter
3 tblsp flour
sprinkling of kosher salt for cheese sauce and lots of salt for pasta water
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

-boil pasta in very salty water for 2 minutes fewer than the package instructs. Drain and set aside.
-place butter, onions, shallots and salt in a stock pot over low heat and cook, stirring until butter melts and onions start to become translucent (about 3 minutes)
-add flour and cook for a minute or two more
-add milk and let simmer until the mixture starts to thicken (about 7 minutes)
-add cheeses (reserving 1/4 cup Italian cheeses) and stir until melted
-mix in pasta and tip into a casserole dish
-cover evenly with 1/4 cup each cheese and bread crumbs
-bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until top is brown and cheese sauce is bubbling at the sides of the dish
-try to let cool for a minute or two before shoveling into your face

Listening:  Band of Horses- "The Funeral"

Going a little greener

My carbon footprint is relatively small, for someone living in Los Angeles. I only drive 1 1/2 miles each way to work (using gas purchased at an eco friendly gas station), I recycle at the office and at home, I don't heat or cool my home using traditional AC or gas heat, and most importantly I don't eat meat.
Since I AM mindful of environmental issues, I've known for a while that I should switch to reuseable grocery bags. I do ask for paper and reuse those bags, but ultimately the best thing for the environment is to just skip the disposable bags all together and go with something that I can use long term.
I buy 2 bags of groceries every week at Trader Joes. And every week I eye the bright red reuseable bags they have for sale at the checkout counter. I haven't been able to buy them yet though because . . .well . . . they're ugly. I know its very fluffy, vain and materialistic of me. But its true. They are.
So last weekend when I went shoppping and I saw the bags pictured above I was thrilled! They're cute! They have pirate ships on them! And teapots! And chickens! I'm not sure why nobody thought of it sooner . . . but now that Trader Joes has I will GLADLY carry my new, greener, reuseable grocery bags with pride.

Listening:  Division Day- "Tap-Tap, Click-Click"

Mother's Day Present

Now that the gift has been given, I can finally post pictures of it!! For my mom for mother's day I made: a crocheted green shawl and a lighter green scarf, a set of 3 makeup bags, 2 pendants, a cupcake sachet and a matching crocheted coin purse and clutch. The shawl was the "big item" since it took so long to complete, but I'm happiest with how the makeup bags turned out. The pendants came out pretty nicely too I think: one made from a Tudor rose button and the other from a photo I took in the Hampton Court courtyards at night, both backed with UK coins. The light green scarf is done in Crown Stitch in a Peruvian highland wool.

One of my favorite things . . .

. . . about making purses is that they don't use up
much fabric. This allows me to scrounge around in bizarre places for
fabric finds that I can turn into wristlets (thrift store pillowcases, remnant bins at fabric stores, old clothing, etc.). Today downtown in LA's
garment district I found another new scrounging-ground. Across the
street from Michael Levine (probably the biggest fabric store I've ever
been inside of) is a little shop called the Michael Levine Loft. In all
of the times I've been to Michael Levine, I've never managed to find a
remnant bin . . . now I know why! All of their leftover odds and ends
end up at the loft . . . on sale for $2 a pound. Yep, a POUND.
regardless of fiber, size of remnant or pattern. I took home the
assortment above for $6.50. There are a few damask upholstery pieces, some fun seventies prints and a toile. Enough to make . . . gosh . . . I'll guess . . . maybe 20 wristlets? A pretty fruitful shopping trip!

Listening:  The Cinematics - "Keep Forgetting"

Bubble And Squeak

Bubble and Squeak is a traditional English dish consisting of mashed potatoes and cabbage mixed together and fried as patties in bacon grease. Not exactly diet or vegetarian friendly. Not to mention that every time I get anywhere near a pan of hot frying oil, smoke alarms start going off. So when I got it in my head that I NEEDED bubble and squeak last night, this is how I did it:

"Healthier" Bubble and Squeak:

1 1/2 lbs white potatoes, cleaned and diced
1/2 a head of white cabbage, cored and shredded
2 medium leeks, washed well and sliced
3 tblsp butter
1/4 cup milk
kosher salt
black pepper
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

-boil potatoes in salted water until soft
-meanwhile, saute leeks and cabbage in butter until they are soft and slightly brown
-mash potatoes with milk and a bit of salt
-mix potatoes with cabbage and leeks in a large casserole
-top with breadcrumbs and bake at 400 until breadcrumbs begin to brown

I think the butter in this dish adds a rich flavor that makes up a bit for the lack of bacon fat. And since breadcrumbs and an oven do a pretty good job of fooling me into thinking I'm eating something fried, I think this recipe is a pretty reasonable approximation of a true bubble and squeak.

Listening:  Trembling Blue Stars - "The Ghost of an Unkissed Kiss"

Good Salsa, Bad Salsa

Last night Paul and I went to El Coyote for dinner. El Coyote is a Hollywood institution. The restaurant has been serving American style Mexican food since the 1930s. So I find it amazing that in all that time, nobody has bothered to tell them that their "salsa" is actually spaghetti sauce. I'm not exaggerating here . . . it was even served hot! Fresh, slightly more authentic salsa is VERY easy to make at home. I usually make a big bowl of it on Sundays to use in snacks and dinner over the course of the week. Here is one variation I make (pictured above):

Fresh Salsa:

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
1 large shallot, peeled and finely minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
juice of 1 lime
sprinkle of kosher salt

-mix all ingredients together and chill.

See . . . wasn't that easy? Even easier than opening a can of Prego.

Listening:  Languis- "In The Fields of (Lonely Fences)"

Another night of sewing

and another pile of wristlets and makeup bags!!! The bottom one is for a friend, both pinstripe purses are lined in shirtless cowboy fabric (honest). The toile is lined with a victorian wallpaper type print and has a crown charm. The "changing of the guards" fabric purse is for me (but of course!) and is lined in simple, black and white gingham. This was my first time trying out bangle bracelets as wristlet handles. They were super easy to sew in and I like the look. I'm going to carry one tonight and see how they feel.

Listening:  Ken Andrews- "Secrets Of The Lost Satellite"

Crochet Stitch Bible

I bought the most amazing book a few weeks ago. I'd been hearing buzz about The Crochet Stitch Bible for months, and now that I'm starting to write my own crochet patterns, I figured the book would be a great asset to my collection of craft books. The sections area organized by type of stitch: from lace to textured stitches to boarders and edgings. There is a photographic index at the front of the book where I can pick stitches based on actual visuals of the end results. The book is also spiral bound, which anyone who has ever read crochet patterns (or recipes for that matter) from a book knows is a great thing! I've made scarves to try four stitches so far, including the checkerboard stitch pictured above. The directions (both written and charted) are clear enough that they're easy for even me, who has no patience for patterns. This book is truly a fantastic resource and I'd recommend it highly to anyone who might be bored with basic single and double crochet!

Listening:  The Electric Soft Parade- "Appropriate Ending"

Tofu Stir Fry

I noticed a new variety of tofu at Trader Joes this weekend. It's called "Extra Firm" and comes in a shrink wrapped package with a little water, but far less water than the standard tray-type tofu packaging holds. It held together much better than firm tofu usually does, but was almost a bit too firm . . . I suppose I'm just used to slightly mushy tofu by now! I marinated the it for a few minutes before cooking in a mixture of veggie stock, soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder, sugar, kosher salt and black pepper. Overall, it was really easy to work with and came out pretty nicely. In the future though, I think I'll reserve the extra firm tofu for things like grilling where I think the additional texture would be a huge asset (tofu chunks slipping through the grill, anyone?).

Listening:  Helen Stellar- "Panic Attack at Breakfast"

This world is a strange and wonderful place

When you can buy things that make
your laundry smell like Vanilla and Lavender and your perfume like
laundry. Both of these products are ones I use regularly . . . but the
irony didn't strike me until just now.




Listening:  Cut Copy- "Future"

Potato Leek Soup

As we're inching towards full blown summer in LA where the temperatures will reliably hit over 100 degrees daily, I'm trying to get the soup thing out of my system before its too late. Last night I made a really simple pot of potato leek soup. While this soup does contian 1/2 a stick of butter, it contains no cream or milk and makes 4 massive portions. Overall, I think the fat content isn't enormous and, in fact, is certainly way lower than that of most store bought potato and leek soups and surely lower than any restaurant varieties.

Potato Leek Soup

1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and roughly diced
4 leeks, white and light green parts only, washed well and sliced
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 tblsp butter
8 cups water
equivalent amount of veggie stock powder or cubes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked pepper
-shredded white cheddar for garnish

-place leeks, potatoes, onion, butter, salt and pepper in a stock pot and cook over medium high heat until the butter is melted and the veggies start to soften
-add water/stock and simmer for about an hour or until potatoes yeild easily to a fork
-remove from heat and puree with a stick blender
-serve garnished with shredded white cheddar cheese

Listening:  Bright Eyes- "Four Winds"

Tomato Soup

Tomato soup is one of the simplest but most delicious things you can make. Once you try a homemade version, you'll never want to eat the canned variety again. While the recipe below does involve opening a bunch of cans, it has a great homemade flavor due to the fresh onion and butter. The crushed tomatoes lend the soup a thicker texture than the syrupy, gluey stuff you might be used to getting in cans. If you'd like, you can substitute one can of crushed tomatoes for a can of diced or petite diced tomatoes for even more texture. You could also try using all diced tomatoes and blending the soup with a stick blender when its done simmering. This soup is great on its own, but it would also be nice dressed up with some cheese, torn basil or croutons.

Tomato Soup:

1 medium onion chopped finely
2 tblsp. butter
2 tblsp. olive oil
3 tblsp. flour
1/2 a can of tomato paste
2 big cans crushed tomatoes
2 cans veggie broth
-saute onions in butter and oil until soft
-add tomato paste and flour and cook for a few minutes
-add crushed tomatoes and broth and simmer for 20-30 mins.
-season w/ salt, pepper, basil, and whatever else you might have on hand (basil, parsley, Italian seasoning, etc.)

In homage to the show I went to last night: Listening:  Chris Cornell- "No Such Thing"

A Batch of Wristlets

I spent last night happily plugging away at my sewing machine while vaguely watching "John and Kate Plus 8" on TV (that show is so much fun to watch! Those little babies always make me smile!) I managed to get through 1 makeup bag and 3 wristlets. The bottom makeup bag and top wristlet were custom orders for friends. The middle two were meant to be for my Etsy shop, but I'm not sure now that I'm going to be able to part with them! There IS a value to keeping a few things for myself. Almost everything I've sold via word of mouth so far has come from someone having seen me wearing something I've made. I'll look at these two as an advertising investment ;)
The green wristlet is made from a fabric I got off of ebay featuring veggies and gardening tools. The zipper charm is of an owl and the lining is what can only be described as a green onion toile: it has the toile tonal outline thing going on, but the drawings are actually of spring onions and bulbs. The floral bag is lined with another Victorian looking floral and has a scissor charm. It reminds me of a little old ladies sewing circle.
I've got a few new ideas floating around for more wristlets, and cute names to go with them! So I expect another batch to be up in my Etsy shop in short order!

Listening:  Dogs- "Soilder On"

My First Swap!!!

My first Craftster swap is completed!! I'd been wanting to join a craft swap for a while and when I saw the posting for a swap called 'My Country Doesn't Have That' I knew it would have to be the one! The swap was ongoing, meaning that each person down the thread would claim the person above them, post their wish list and be claimed by whoever posted below them, so I sent to someone and received from someone else. My receiving partner was a girl from Switzerland who likes many of the same things I do like vintage buttons and postcards. I had so much fun putting her package together (pictures below)!! My sending partner was from Kent in the UK and she spoiled me absolutely ROTTEN (photo above!)! She sent me a bunch of things I had asked for including Royal Jelly bath products, cheese and onion crisps and Crunchie bars. She also picked out the most insanely fabulous tea towels for me, one featuring places in Kent and the other featuring BREEDS OF SHEEP! How fantastic is that?!?!? She also made the most adorable pink felted clutch which I can't wait to use!
Overall, I had a great experience with this swap and I can't wait to get involved in another. I'm keeping my eye out for swaps with themes I think I'll enjoy. Maybe next time I'll pick one that involves more crafting, since the crafted items I sent and received ended up being my favorite things about this swap experience!

Listening:  Division Day- "Tigers"