craft challenge

In between the daily tasks and client care at work (I swear I'm not neglecting my job duties!), I find myself perusing blogs here and there and bookmarking interesting finds. I wanted to share what I found with you today:

Yep, those flowers are made out of shredded cotton t-shirts. So delicate and lovely. I'm a big fan of hydrangeas and chrysanthemums, so this makes me want to drop everything I'm doing and make a dozen of these beauties. But the bad news? Not a single tutorial to be found! The Cotton brand website used to have one, but they took it down. How rude -- what a tease, right? So my challenge, when I'm done with a couple of pending projects, is to find out how to craft these lovelies. And if it's successful, I will post a tutorial and share the wealth!

For real. I am in love.

so fresh and so clean, clean

Friends, I am so ashamed that I have neglected this blog for over a month! A deadly combination of laziness and lack of new projects had me at a standstill. But I am back and with a long list of goals and projects for 2011; I can't wait to share them.

While I regain my bearings, though, I will make a post or two about old projects. First up: homemade laundry soap!

I discovered a recipe for homemade laundry soap a few years ago and haven't given store-bought detergent a second glance since. I L-O-V-E this stuff. Three ingredients. Each load of laundry costs me pennies. Specifically, about 8-10 cents per load. Cuh-razy, right?! Those are numbers I like to see. And if you're worried about if the homemade stuff delivers, don't be! With tried and true ingredients like Borax and Washing Soda, you cannot go wrong. This is a no brainer for me. I get to store my concoction in cute, reusable glass containers and pair it with vintage spoons for measuring - instead of bulky and unappealing plastic bottles. The only thing that might be a deterrent for some is that the grating of the bar soap takes a bit of elbow grease. But turn on your favorite show and in no time you will have a pile of grated soapy goodness.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2 cups grated Fels-Naptha soap*

1 cup Borax

1 cup Washing soda

2 tbsp for a light load, 3 tbsp for a heavy load.

*One bar yields about 2 cups. You could use other bar soap, but I've always stuck with Fels-Naptha.

season's greetings

Happy December, loves. It finally feels like the holiday season now, doesn't it? I've been slowly decorating our little house (and the office) with splashes of Christmas cheer for the past few days. I'll be sure to post some photos of a few holiday crafts and decor soon. In the meantime, check out this video. It's from the company Postcarden, who makes the most delightful greeting cards with a green twist.

I would not mind getting one of these beauties in the mail. Cough cough.

dirty shirley.

I was first introduced to this delightful drink when I visited a friend in Bellingham and went out to one of her favorite joints. Also called a "red dollar bill," a dirty shirley is basically a shirley temple with spirits. My oh my - this is a fair warning not to literally chug this thing.

1 shot of vodka + 1 shot of grenadine + sprite = fruity deliciousness

I'm slowly working my way into the arms of red wine, but I will always go weak in the knees for a drink with a fruity twist.

quidditch is for lovers.

So, as any self-respecting human should know, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 came out this weekend. And you bet your cornish pixies I was at the midnight showing with the thousands of other awesomely nerdy Potter followers. There were hundreds of Harry/Hermione/Dracos, even a Luna Lovegood and Rita Skeeter here and there, as well as nondescript Death Eaters and Hogwarts students. But the most creative costumes I saw included a female dressed as the Fat Lady (with huge picture frame, head wreath and all), and a pair of teenagers in shiny metallic get-ups. Right away I spotted the gold teen was a Snitch, but my housemates and I were baffled by the silver teen with the antlers. Then Gabrielle guessed that she was Harry's Patronus, a stag. AWESOME. I admire these folks and would not usually hesitate in joining them in full costume attire, but I decided to go the more subdued route. I set out to make some shirts that I would be proud to strut around in, not just at a Potter nerd fest, but any day of the week. I think I can confidently say I accomplished this task.

Supplies:

Acrylic paint + fabric medium*

Sponge stencil brushes

X-acto knife

Freezer paper

Stencil or graphic printout

Shirt

*You can purchase fabric paint as an alternative to the above combination, but the color selection is very limited with fabric paint.

Step 1. Trace your text or design onto freezer paper. Be sure to trace on the matte side. Using an x-acto knife, cut out your design. You now have your stencil.

Step 2. Lay your shirt out on a flat surface, preferably an ironing board. Place your stencil, shiny side down, on your shirt. Carefully iron on your stencil, leaving out the strips for letters like "P" and "R." Since freezer paper typically curls, it is best to wait until the main stencil is ironed down and then position and iron on the little strips second so that you end up with cleaner lines.

Step 3. Mix equal parts of acrylic paint and fabric medium. Then stencil away! Make sure you have either a piece of cardboard or an old magazine in between the front and back of your shirt. If you don't, the paint will most likely seep through to the other side.

I wanted a more vintage and old-school-varsity look for my shirts, so I only applied a light layer of paint. But if you want a more saturated look, you can reapply your paint a few times. But let your paint dry at least halfway before reapplying to protect the seal on your freezer paper.

Step 4. Wait patiently for the paint to dry completely before peeling off the stencil. This is the magical step - I always get so excited for the revealing! Sometimes, pieces of paper are stubborn and don't easily come off. Just be patient and slowly pick away at it; it should come off eventually.

Step 5. Admire your handiwork. And wear it proudly. Like Sam. :)

It might be a good idea to try your shirt on and make a couple of pencil marks or use pins to outline where you want your stencil to be. This way you can be sure you don't accidentally put the design too high or too low on the shirt. I may or may not have run into this problem. :)

And here's my two sentence review of DH: Part 1 - HARRY FREAKIN' POTTER was sooooooo good! Except for the completely unnecessary naked make out sesh, everything about that movie was incredibly well done. :)

a beautiful story.

Stop motion is probably one of the greatest artistic ideas...EVER. Especially when creative geniuses take a stab at it. Like this video below.



Beautiful, beautiful piece. I wish I could pull a Mary Poppins and jump into those pages and stay there forever. Maybe one day I'll get enough creative energy to attempt my own mini stop motion feature.

sushi time

My taste buds are a-changin'. I never would have admitted to liking sushi a few years ago. Seaweed? Eugh. But along with now having new cravings for PB&J all the time (I know - shock, right? I used to HATE jam/jelly), sushi has found its way into my life. And who knew how easy it is to make? It's also way easier on the pocket than buying it prepared. My sushi included carrot, bell pepper, avocado, and sprouts. Mmm mm. Add edamame as a side and mochi for dessert, it is a wonderful and light dinner meal.

See my favorite magazine's website for more details and an ingredient list.