Friday, October 30, 2009

Pretty Pendants

Fun Fact #5: I loved horseradish when I was about 6 years old.

A few nights ago, I tried my hand at making pendants. I wanted them to look pretty, not cute, like th cupcakes.

I've been experimenting with miniature flowers. I think they are a bit messy, but I hope with practice they will look better.

Is a Rose, Is a Rose, Is a Rose



This rose was actually VERY simple. I just rolled a strip of polymers clay.






Purple Spaz and PurpPetals



Next are two yellow and purple pendents. I don't know how I feel about the shade of yellow I used....





Starfish Corsage corsage



This one I made by layering the spiky petals! Again with the dodgy yellow.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Cupcakes! But not the edible kind!

Fun Fact # 4: I like fruit and I like chocolate, but I'm not a fan of fruit flavoured chocolate. No Terry's Chocolate Orange for me!

I've been busy with polymers clay.

And unfortunately as with the edible baked goods, these cupcake can burn as well. And burn they did! It's a sad tale, but I think some of them can be salvaged. I just have to change their descriptive names of these little charms.

For example,



Exhibit A: Cappuccino Froth Cupcake
It was intended to have vanilla and chocolate (white and brown) swirled icing, with a mint leaf. However, due to the burnt nature of this cupcake, it is now a cappuccino flavoured icing with the coffee and froth flavours!



Exhibit B: Behold! The Barney Barf Cupcake!

This was suppose to be a toxic goo halloween cupcake. The 'toxic' green was a florescent green, that almost glowed! And now... the green is a darker green, a grass green. Kinda reminds me of Barney. Hense my name. Not the proposed effect!



Exhibit C: Muddy Moldy Blueberry.
Suppose to be a piped blueberry icing with red sprinkles. The burnt blue makes a muddy blue. It wasn't the bright bluetac colour i hoped for. But the red sprinkles were vibrant!



Exhibit D: Rancid Cherry Marshmallow

This one looked really really cute before I baked it. It was to be vanilla icing with a bright cherry on top! The white turned a little brown, so I covered it with white sparkles (helps if you squint). But my cherry still looks a little rotten with a brown leaf (once green)


Exhibit E: Grape Crush Gumball
This one worked out the best, in my opinion. The colours stayed the similar to the the pre-baked version. Its a Grape Crush with a pink Gumball! No need to alter that title!

I hope these tasty bits inspired you to go to the kitchen and bake yourself a batch. I was also contemplating making a photo tutorial oh how to make one yourself.... Something to consider



I will leave you for the night with this. My all-time favourite Tim Horton's Doughnut:

Scarf.....Finished!

Fun Fact Number 3: I am a stellar whistler! I has the skillz!

Well, I'm a believer! I actually finished a project last night! I finished the orange crocheted scarf! Believe it or not, I tied in all the lose ends as well! I'm almost a professional.

Soooo, here it is. My first project posting. Me and the orange scarf.


Pretty simple pattern.
ch24.
1. in third from hook, dc. and continue dc across (22st)
2. ch2 then (4fpdc 4bpdc)twice then 4fpdc, and dc in last stitch
3. ch1 then (4fpdc 4bpdc) twice, then 4fpdc, and dc in last stitch
Repeat line 3 over and over again, until you think your magnificent scarf is long enough

Abbr.
ch - chain
dc - double crochet
fpdc - front post double crochet
bpdc - back post double crochet

Here is a link to show you how to fpdc and bpdc

Note: This scarf is very warm!

I have to admit, I did pick up another ball of yarn an begin a new project instead of going back to another UFP (unfinished project). It's a sickness...

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Beloved Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Don't you love how the title has so many alliterations)

Fun Fact # 2: My favourite type of pasta is conchiglie...the shells. (Also, if you turn them inside out after they are cooked, they look like little helmets, perfectly sized for your thumb!)

This browned butter chocolate chip cookie recipe has replaced my regular chocolate chip cookie recipe. Permanently!

Now, I was partial to the regular type of chocolate chip cookies for years. My old recipe was from an ancient Laura Secord baking book that was my grandmothers passed down to my mother. It was a decent recipe, but sometimes the cookies would turn out puffy and cakey and the next they would spread-out thin and crispy. And I was fine with that! I never questioned it....until! The day I stumbled upon the notion of browned butter chocolate chip cookies!



My Beloved Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

The recipe can be found at Slice of Sueshe. A wonderful food blog that inspires me.

One thing I did differently: I added white chocolate chips along with my milk chocolate chips. But I definitely should have put more!

My own notes reguarding the recipe:
I have made these cookies three time since I found them at Slice of Sueshe, and I think the first time I burnt the browned butter (having no experience in browning butter). But, I was not disappointed! Being a lover a creme brulee, the burnt butter was reminiscent of the burnt sugar! Since then I have learned to brown my butter without burning it, but I must say, I might try it again ;)

Friday, October 23, 2009

The First But Not Last....

Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum!
I thought it would start the first few posts with an entertaining fact about myself. That way, if you don't care about the rest of the post, you can at least be amused by a silly fact, before you skip the rest.

Fun Fact #1: Pippy Longstocking is my idol. (I have included a handy dandy wiki link for those who are unfamiliar)

Ok onto the next bit. You know how when some people have a project to do, they start it and persevere until it is finished before they start the next?
Well that is definately not me. I'm probably the complete opposite. I like to start multiple projects, and juggle them over long periods of time. This results in endless UFP's: Unfinished projects.

For example: I have been working on a knitted vest. (In a really pretty lavender colour!) Well, the knitted part was done in about a week and a half. I was very dedicated to getting that done. But it sat, unfinished and alone for over a month, because I avoided the boring part of sewing up the sides, and started other projects in the meantime.

Perhaps by recording and sharing my projects I will be more motivated to complete my UFP.

To give you an idea of what I am up to at the moment, I have compiled a list, of said UFP.

UFP's (unfinished projects)

- bright orange crocheted scarf
- polymer cupcake charms
- cat in poppy's cross stitch
- embroidered image on a t-shirt
- christmas cards
There are more, hiding in drawers, boxes and closets.



Some things I would like to accomplish with the blog

- to finish my projects, so I can share them with you
- make tutorials and/or explain the process that I used to make these crafts
- to inspire others, and in turn be inspired by others
- and to share my sugary adventures in the kitchen