Laura Amiss Illustration and Design: Gorgeous textile pictures and prints. The designs and colors are brilliant!
Friday, January 31, 2014
Etsy Shops to Love...
Here's another one of my faves:
Laura Amiss Illustration and Design: Gorgeous textile pictures and prints. The designs and colors are brilliant!
Laura Amiss Illustration and Design: Gorgeous textile pictures and prints. The designs and colors are brilliant!
Origami Double Heart
It's the last day of January...Hurray! With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I've been inspired to get started on some crafts to celebrate the holiday of LOVE. Today's craft is another simple yet elegant heart decoration that will be sure to delight!
I call it the Origami Double Heart:
I call it the Origami Double Heart:
I know what you're thinking....Origami? No, thank you! Trust me, these are easy to make in just a few folds :)
Here's what you need:
1. Origami paper- One large piece, one small piece. I used a standard large square (approx. 6") and a standard small square (3") which you can find in any good craft store (e.g., Michaels). The small square should be approximately 1/4 the size of the large square. Choose complimenting colors and/or patterns.
2. A little Elmer's glue or a glue dot to secure the hearts in place when finished.
3. Small hole punch to create a hole for hanging, etc.
4. Ribbon on baker's string for the finishing touches.
How to make it:
1. To make the basic heart:
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| Choose a 6" x 6" square |
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| Place square with colored side down and fold it in half (corner to corner) both ways. |
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| Fold one corner so that the point touches the middle crease. |
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| Fold the opposite facing corner all the way to the edge of the paper. |
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| Fold the right side of the paper over and up so that the bottom edge touches the center crease. |
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| Do the same on the other side. You can now see the heart shape starting to form :) |
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| Flip the heart over. |
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| Fold the two pointed corners in so that the sides are straight. |
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| Fold the top points down to touch the top of the colored portion of the paper. |
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| You've just made a heart! |
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| Make another heart with the smaller piece of paper and glue to the larger heart. Put a drop of glue on the inside of the heart to hold the two sides of the heart in place. |
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| Punch a small hole at the top, if you'd like to add ribbon on string for hanging. |
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| I used matching baker's string to make a bow. |
Ta-da!
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| I made a few to decorate our dining room hutch :) |
It's fun to mix and match different colors and patterns. These also make great embellishments for a handmade Valentine's Day cards and gift bags!
If you decide to give this craft a try, I'd love to see pics. Just send me an e-mail :)
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Etsy Shops worth checking out...
Here are just a few of my faves on Etsy (This is an ongoing list):
1. Towels by Mouse: Adorable embroidered towels for any occasion. I absolutely love these towels and own many of them. They make fantastic gifts!
2. Caribbean Scents: Deliciously scented lotions and other beauty products. Get ready to fall in love with this shop!
3. Clay By Kim: Kim makes these wonderful fairy doors...a perfect blend of whimsical beauty and craftsmanship.
1. Towels by Mouse: Adorable embroidered towels for any occasion. I absolutely love these towels and own many of them. They make fantastic gifts!
2. Caribbean Scents: Deliciously scented lotions and other beauty products. Get ready to fall in love with this shop!
3. Clay By Kim: Kim makes these wonderful fairy doors...a perfect blend of whimsical beauty and craftsmanship.
4. Fong Studio: Cute and cuddly owl pillows! I bought a set of mini-owl pillows for my daughter and I to share :)
The Shoe Bird
Just a brief recommendation...If you are a classical music fan and have kids, I strongly suggest a CD called The Shoe Bird by Samuel Jones. It's a lovely mixture of storytelling and classical music that people of all ages will find entertaining. Plus, this CD is made even more awesome by the fact that it's narrated by British actor Jim Dale whom I have adored ever since the unfortunately short-lived (but delightful) show called Pushing Daisies aired. I highly recommend checking out the CD and Pushing Daisies at some point in your life. You won't regret it!
Quote of the Day
"Crafts make us feel rooted, give us a sense of belonging and connect us with our history. Our ancestors used to create these crafts out of necessity, and now we do them for fun, to make money and to express ourselves."
----Phyllis George
----Phyllis George
A Little Love is All You Need...
My first "craft o' the day" to share is VERY simple and right on schedule for Valentine's Day. It's easy to make but still makes you feel all warm & fuzzy ;) I call it the Scalloped Heart Garland:
As you can see, I've lovingly strewn (is that a word?) the garland over our dining room chandalier :) Here's what you need:
1. Colored construction paper (I used red, pink, and white).
2. A scalloped heart paper cutter (or any other heart-shaped paper cutter) which you can find at any craft store.
3. Colorful baker's string or ribbon (I used red-striped baker's string).
4. A small hole punch.
How to make it:
1. Punch out equal number of colored hearts (depending on how long you want the garland to be). I made about 6 hearts of each color.
2. Punch small hole in the top middle of each heart.
3. String hearts in whatever pattern you like onto baker's string until you have the length that you need.
4. Leaving ends of string free, hand the garland around or across whatever you want (chandalier, entryway, mantle, etc.). Either tie ends together or afix ends to whereever you are hanging the garland.
That's it! This is a good craft to do with the kiddies :)
A Recommendation...
Just a brief recommendation...If you are a classical music fan and have kids, I strongly suggest a CD called The Shoe Bird by Samuel Jones. It's a lovely mixture of storytelling and classical music that people of all ages will find entertaining. Plus, this CD is made even more awesome by the fact that it's narrated by British actor Jim Dale whom I have adored ever since the unfortunately short-lived (but delightful) show called Pushing Daisies aired. I highly recommend checking out the CD and Pushing Daisies at some point in your life. You won't regret it!
A Must Try...
German Cherry Crumble Cheesecake
There's just something about a crumb topping that makes everything taste that much better! Here is the link to the recipe which came from a blog called Retro Mummy. Like all recipes that I try out I usually make my own little tweaks to i,t and this recipe was no exception. Here are my DO's and DON'T's for this cake:
1. DO Save the cherry juice! This makes the "cherry" in cherry cheesecake so don't waste it! I put the juice aside and drizzled it throughout- on top of the base of the cake, in the cheesecake batter, and on top of the crumble. Not only does it make the cake taste even better but it looks pretty, too ;)
2. DO Bake the base of the cake for 10-12 minutes before adding the cheesecake batter. This gives it a nice golden color and it makes a nice solid base. Also, the smell of it baking will make the mouths of everyone in your house water and wonder what culinary masterpiece you are whipping up in the kitchen.
3. DON'T use room temperature butter when making the crumble topping. Instead, add a couple tablespoonfuls of butter straight from the fridge to the portion of the crumble used for the topping. The best way to get the "crumble" effect is for the butter to be slightly hard (not softened).
4. DON'T use the extra sugar that the author recommended for the batter. The key to a good cheesecake (and I've made many throughout my illustrious amateur baking career) is not to make it too sweet because it takes away from the overall flavor of the cake. A little sweetness is all you need for a great cheesecake, especially when it's going to have a fruit mixed in with it.
5. DO add extra cherries on top of the cake. This makes for a lovely presentation and extra cherry goodness.
And voila! Those are my tips for this recipe. While I'm no expert I think you'll be pleased with the results. Happy Baking!
There's just something about a crumb topping that makes everything taste that much better! Here is the link to the recipe which came from a blog called Retro Mummy. Like all recipes that I try out I usually make my own little tweaks to i,t and this recipe was no exception. Here are my DO's and DON'T's for this cake:
1. DO Save the cherry juice! This makes the "cherry" in cherry cheesecake so don't waste it! I put the juice aside and drizzled it throughout- on top of the base of the cake, in the cheesecake batter, and on top of the crumble. Not only does it make the cake taste even better but it looks pretty, too ;)
2. DO Bake the base of the cake for 10-12 minutes before adding the cheesecake batter. This gives it a nice golden color and it makes a nice solid base. Also, the smell of it baking will make the mouths of everyone in your house water and wonder what culinary masterpiece you are whipping up in the kitchen.
3. DON'T use room temperature butter when making the crumble topping. Instead, add a couple tablespoonfuls of butter straight from the fridge to the portion of the crumble used for the topping. The best way to get the "crumble" effect is for the butter to be slightly hard (not softened).
4. DON'T use the extra sugar that the author recommended for the batter. The key to a good cheesecake (and I've made many throughout my illustrious amateur baking career) is not to make it too sweet because it takes away from the overall flavor of the cake. A little sweetness is all you need for a great cheesecake, especially when it's going to have a fruit mixed in with it.
5. DO add extra cherries on top of the cake. This makes for a lovely presentation and extra cherry goodness.
And voila! Those are my tips for this recipe. While I'm no expert I think you'll be pleased with the results. Happy Baking!
A Little Self-Promotion...
I decided to re-open my Etsy Shop (Storybook Silhouettes) yesterday so I thought I'd do a little self-promotion in case anyone would like to check it out :) I specialize in hand-cut silhouette pictures. Here are some samples of my work:
Feel free to favorite my shop and/or any items you like. Also, let your friends know about it! I do custom orders all the time and my pictures make perfect gifts for children, baby showers, or anyone who is a Disney fan :)
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