Sewing, Raw Fooding, Herbing.

Hello, hello! I know I haven't posted now for, officially, over a week, but please don't hurt me! I haven't exactly been inspired until this weekend; last weekend was so hectic and this past week was a mess as well. Hopefully things will go much better this week, though! :)

I finally got to try out my Christmas sewing machine, and it is soooo cute! I'm going to have to get used to it, first, because I  haven't used a sewing machine in years, and second, because it's so small that there is no foot pedal, only a stop-go button. I feel now as though I need about 4 hands to operate it, but I can see how I will be using it with ease later. In case you are wondering, my first project with it was a pot holder, because I need more pot holders, they still function if they aren't pretty, and it's simple enough to start with a small square. x-P

This week I'm also going to be trying some raw recipes, I think. I was really into this idea before I got my appendix taken out, but you know how a catastrophe can put everything on a standstill. Anyway, we will see if it goes, and if I can actually commit to this sort of thing. I hope so, and I especially hope that my first foray into nut-butter-making won't be a complete and utter disaster! ;) Don't worry; I will definitely let you know what I end up trying! :)

Today I started "making" herb jars--and by that, I mean that I am currently soaking old jars that have interesting shapes, after which I will scrape off the glue remnants and THEN start making them pretty. Interesting stuff, eh? ;) I doubt I will actually get the project done tonight, as I went to a ballet class and am EXHAUSTED (it went amazingly well, by the way, and I'm quite smug about today's barre performance :-P ). However, I WILL let you in on my herb jar vision; check out these little lovelies:

Harry Potter herb jars from Cognizant Dreamer
Potion Ingredient Jar Set from She Creates Stuff
Harry Potter Magnet Set from Entertainment Earth
Glass Potion Jars from Cydney's Antiques

Of course, mine will be much more cooking herb-oriented, and not quite as macabre as the last three, but they're a good start! At least you know the general genre I'm going for. Also, just so you know, this is going to be my first real "I can't find it, so I'm making do" project that is posted here. That's actually the majority of my crafting and cooking, but up until now, I haven't really discussed it much in this location.

Anyway, it's 9:30 at night (oh, my!), and I'm exhausted (how embarassing). I'll be sure to post the jars, once they're wonderful and done!

My Christmas 2011 Top 5

Hello, blogging world! Honestly, I haven't been so sure on what to write about for my first post--I have a sneaking suspicion that, unfortunately, it won't be so monumental. I wanted to get started on this last week, because I had a ton of baking and crafting projects for Christmas, but you know how it goes.

Since I missed blogging for Christmas, I suppose I could go at it the retroactive way; it IS only Boxing Day, after all. ;) So, without further ado, I present to you my top 5 activities-worth-mentioning from Christmas 2011!

5. PINECONE ORNAMENTS

I actually made these for my pseudo-Thanksgiving, back in the "Fall" (I put quotes because, where I live, there are two seasons--Scorching and Slight Drizzles of Rain), but I added loops at the top to add to my tree, which I've been trying (successfully? Unsuccessfully? I don't really know) to give a Black Forest sort of theme. The thought-process was that I couldn't find real pinecones anywhere; it's not like Christmas trees naturally grow in the desert! I ended up making only a few of these, but they worked wonderfully for both late "Fall" and for Christmas. I will definitely be making more next year!

I got the tutorial over at Salt Tree. 


4. TRADITIONAL SWEDISH GINGERBREAD

Now, I am not, by any means, of Swedish decent, and with recipes, I usually prefer to either stick to family recipes or create my own. However, when I came across this incredibly old recipe, meant to make literally hundreds of cookies (I cut the recipe in half), I couldn't resist.

It's been a while, so even though I did quite a bit of searching, I couldn't find my recipe source online. :( I'll be sure to post it some other time--sooner rather than later if there's enough interest. Let me know! :)


3. A BLIZZARD OF PAPER SNOWFLAKES

Like I mentioned in this blog in other places, I come from someplace that could, essentially, double as the North Pole, but I'm currently located in a desert. No snow for me here! Of course, I'm not a huge fan of being cold, but in my experience, there's nothing quite like a Christmas with plenty of snow--even if it's the handmade variety. ;) I decided to up my blizzard's ante this year, and ended up cutting out a TON of paper snowflakes, and hanging them from the ceiling in my little apartment's entryway. Trust me; these took a LOT of time!

2. GINGERBREAD COOKIE ORNAMENTS

I know you see these things everywhere, but in honor of my attempts to create a pretty traditional Christmas, not to mention (like I said before) a Black Forest-esque tree, I thought making a batch was in order. I made several to send to various friends, with whom I was engaged in a homemade-ornament swap, and of course I made some for myself. I decorated them with puffy paint to make them look more like the real thing.

I actually improvised on a recipe for these little guys, because I couldn't find one on the internet that I liked. As with the *real* gingerbread, I'll post the recipe after a while. The world could, after all, use my recipe--one that involves both baking AND glue (yes, it's completely safe)! Also, in case you are wondering, I used woodland creature cookie cutters from Ikea.


1. THE RECEPTION OF CRAFTY PRESENTS!

Of course, with all the above, it must be obvious that my Love understands that, well, I make things. I have to say, he is the BEST, because what did Mr. Santa Claus get me for Christmas? Well, among other things (including a new dance bag; possibly more on that later), he got me a mini sewing machine and a full-sized stand mixer--with a top that comes off to become a regular blender, if need be! I'm in love--with Love, of course, but also with my new prezzies! This shows how spoilt I am. ;)

If you are interested, the stand mixer is from Morphy Richards, and the mini sewing machine is from Jolly. :)

Of course, the presents above guarantee that, even though I'm fairly crafted-and-baked/cooked-out from Christmas, I won't stop because I want to try my new toys! Also, we still have New Year's Eve/Day to look forward to (I was brought up in a classy sort of way that honored the occasion on the "Day" rather than the "Eve), not to mention Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. However, that's enough from me for now; I hope you had a fabulously merry Christmas, as well as a laid-back Boxing Day. ;)