Sunday, March 29, 2009

third

i completed some projects this weekend. (see below)
i also attended the "craftacular" in bloomington, which was a VERY misleading name. i don't really want to go in to it, but i was HIGHLY disappointed, and hate bloomington even more now than i already did.

to make up for bloomington's complete and utter fail, we stopped by mass ave knits on the way home. whoa. i kept saying "i need to go, i need to go" and i am so glad i finally did! it was huge, they have a sale room, a button wall, and were selling girl scout cookies. i got some great soy/wool blend yarn, and picked up an entry for bags to riches 2009.

i completed the spring beret that i almost completed at the beginning of the week, but then dropped stitches, and failed at. well, this time i didn't fail! but, it is way too big for my head and not nearly as slouchy as i would like. it's definitely a pattern i think will serve as a good foundation for something awesome. i'll have to post a photo later...

i also completed a batch of buttons!! james cut these out at the beginning of the week for me, and they really turned out nice!



i had to sand them, and then it was time to give them some color!



next, they got some detail with an ink pen.



ta da! i think the first batch came out decent. but, i see things that can be way more awesome on the next batch. they're quite cute though! i am really pleased. now i just need things to put them on!

Monday, March 23, 2009

second

i guess saturday was the day for me to cook this weekend.
i cooked and cooked and cooked. okay, really, i only ended up cooking for 2 hours, but i made three fabulous dishes.

for dinner, we had sweet potato soup with a side of garlic brussels sprouts. i know what you're thinking "brussels sprouts? seriously? gross," and that's exactly what i would have thought a year ago. i promise, those little miniature heads of lettuce are quite delicious though! they smell a little funny, but they taste damn good.



so, you say you want to make these yourself? well, here's the recipes:

snappy sweet potato soup (adapted from creamy sweet potato soup recipe from simply recipes)

1 tbsp butter, salted
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 small chopped celery stalk
1 small chopped leek (be sure to get nice a clean!)
2 medium chopped garlic cloves
3 cups peeled and cut sweet potatoes
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 cup half and half
1 tbsp maple syrum
salt and pepper to taste (optional)

1. melt your butter in a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium high-heat. add onion and saute for about 5 minutes (or until lightly browned, be sure to stir often!). add celery and leeks, saute about 5 minutes more. add garlic, sature for 2 minutes.
2. add your onion/celery mixture to a soup pot. add sweet potatoes, vegetable stock, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and ground cumin. bring to boil. reduce heat, and simmer about 20 minutes, until tender (when you can easily moosh sweet potatoes with a fork).
3. remove cinnamon stick and discard. puree mixture in blender in batches (about 3 or so).
4. add half and half and maple syrup. stir over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. season with salt and pepper (if you would like).
5. place in serving bowl, bring spoon to mouth, say "mmmm!"

the tastiest brussels sprouts in the world

1 lb brussels sprouts
5 medium chopped garlic cloves
1 tsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable broth (enough to have brussels sprouts stand in)
salt + pepper, to taste

1. wash brussels sprouts. trim ends, and cut in half.
2. in large pan, saute garlic in 1 tsp of butter plus olive oil for about 3 minutes ( or until golden brown).
3. add brussels sprouts and toss to coat. turn heat to low and turn all brussels sprouts so flat sides are down in pan. add broth, salt, and pepper. cover and cook for 12 to 14 minutes, or until tender.
4. remove cover and turn heat up to medium-high. allow to cook for a couple minutes more, until bottoms of sprouts are slightly browned.

and for desert, yummy yummy delicious berry tapioca pudding!



yummy berry tapioca pudding

2 cups juice (part from canned pineapple, i used orange juice too)
1/2 cup tapioca
1/4 cup honey (use local, if you can!)
1 can drained and crushed/chopped pineapple
2 cups frozen berries (your favorite kind!)

1. put juice, tapioca, and honey in a 2 quart saucepan (a larger pan is okay, but smaller will be a problem). let stand for at least 5 minutes (longer is okay) then bring to a boil over low heat and cool until tapioca is clear, stirring VERY frequently.
2. meanwhile, blend crushed/chopped pineapple and frozen berries. chop, mix, smash, whatever you want to get those berries good and blended.
3. mix the two parts together and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.

yum!

Friday, March 20, 2009

first and 1/2

ooof! i forgot.

i got this beautiful debbie bliss stella yarn on sale while i was visiting the beautiful city of louisville at the knit nook. this store will easily become my favorite place to spend my time when i move there. i even picked up a frequent buyer card! (wishful thinking, i suppose)

i can't wait to do something with it! two of my favorite colors!!!



i also got these tiny guys...which kinda started the whole "custom button" idea.

first

hello, blogger, hello again.

this is my second attempt at a creative blog.
i had one before, with another girl, who decided to not renew our site, and lost all of my information. .

so, here we go again. maybe i'll do better this time.

expect mostly creative blah blah and the occasional auto-biographical spurt, if something is so exciting it really is blog worthy. i might throw in a few reviews of albums/films/books/people and whatnot as well.

i have so so many ideas popping about in my head, i hope many of them become a reality!


here is a current list of things i'm working on making real:

- designing some knitted pieces including cuffs, wraps, scarves, and hats that will include custom buttons made by myself and/or (more hopefully) my lovely boyfriend.

- seeking out the perfect vanilla cupcake recipe. i've got the best chocolate and vanilla frosting recipes down! (i'll post those soon!)

- clutches clutches clutches! i've only got 2 small ones made, but have about 6 more frames! i love these things cause you can find them cheap at goodwill and rip out the nasty design they've made and make it pretty!

- bags, in general. i'm about 1 hour away from finishing a cute gingham bag with some plain black handles. it was a clutch, but i made the pattern from scratch and it was just a wee-bit big.

- paper is fun! i just finished a clock for my parents anniversary, and have a bunch of scrapbooking paper left. i don't have a definitive idea for these yet, but definitely have ideas brewing.

- crochet is a new-old thing for me! i'm working on this heartfelt bicycle seat cover, well, minus the heart part. it's all green. i'm stuck at the sides, but i'm confident i'll figure it out. a friend asked me if i could make him one, and i'm determined to do it!

well, that's just a few things that i've got in the works.

for now, i'll leave you with a photo of the nom nom nom cowl i just finished, as well as the cupcakes i made for the the failures' union/cheap girls show last week.