Monday, March 05, 2012

Magazine Page Bows

I love making these fun bows out of magazine pages, they’re so easy to make, and add that unique finishing touch to your gifts!
1.You will need Scissors, a craft brad and, one magazine page, try to find one with lots of colour and minimal words (like a full page add) the colour it the first thing you will see!
2.Cut the page vertically into 2 cm strips, I just eyeball it and I get 7-8 strips. You can make these thinner for a different look.
3.Like the picture, hold one strip in the middle with the ‘wrong’ side facing you. Curve the top of the paper and hold in the middle. The ‘wrong’ side should be showing on the end of the strip.
4.Repeat with the bottom end. It should look like a figure 8.
1.Poke the brad through the 3 layers of paper.
2.It should look like this on the back.
3.Fold another strip the same way.
4.Put the new figure 8 on the bottom of the first, and poke the brad through.
5.Repeat for the rest of the strips, and spread the brad ‘legs’ out to hold.
6.Now you’ve made a beautiful environmentally friendly bow to put on your gifts!
Make a bunch so you’re ready for the next birthday or holiday!

Sunday, March 04, 2012

Pretzels and Scones

I was asked to make scones today, so I quickly looked up a recipe and landed on allrecipes.com and let me tell you, these were the best baked thing I have ever made. Hands down. I spilt the batch in 2, and added chocolate chips (and a little salt because the recipe didn't call for any) to half, and shredded cheddar cheese (and a bit more salt) to the other. at 400, they did not need 15 minutes, more like 10-12 so you got to watch them, but ohhhhh goodness. They were a little crispy on the outside and so soft and moist inside, added a little butter and they were heaven.
Before I made the scones, I also made soft pretzels from Two Peas and Their Pod. I've made this recipe before, just as the bites, so this time I wanted to try making full pretzels. I made 8, baked off 4 and froze the rest (after I boiled them). So good, I brushed them with butter and cinnamon sugar.

Top 10 Sunday: Lace

handmade dream catchers
Blue lace dress
Lace home goods
isabel and balmain
Shoe Daydreams
Elizabeth Fillmore Bridal
Elizabeth Anne Designs
Drink Parasols craft project
Lace lamp
Giant Doily Rug

Saturday, March 03, 2012

Pinterest and Projects

Yesterday was a free day, so I desided to make some projects I had tucked away on Pinterest.
First off, I added some hearts to a sweater inspired by A Beautiful Mess. So Cute!
Then I made some white chocolate peanut butter cups inspired by Julie Ann Art
Also I'm getting close to finishing my paint by number


What are you working on this weekend?

Friday, March 02, 2012

Hors d'Oeuvres

Vanilla Foam with Fingering Potato Chips:
6-8 peeled chopped potatoes, 3 vanilla beans (or 3 Tb of vanilla), salt, 1 cup cold water, 1 sheet gelatin, vegetable oil, 1-2 fingerling potatoes, unpeeled, kosher/coarse salt and finely chopped mint for garnish.
1. Boil potatoes 2. Mash potatoes, and vanilla and salt to taste 3. Bloom gelatine in 1 cup cold water, simmer in pot till melted (2 minutes) pour into potatoes 4. Strain through chinos 3 times 5. Chill and foam with a bar blender 6. Use mandolin to cut fingerings into chips 7. Pat dry and deep fry in oil till golden, add salt while hot 8. Each chip gets some foam and kosher salt and mint
Recipe from Amuse-Bouche
Chickpea Spoon with Feta and Roasted Garlic
1 cup dried chickpeas, 1 rib celery, chopped, 1 carrot, chopped, ½ onion, chopped, 2 heads garlic, unpeeled, ¼ cup olive oil, salt and pepper, 1 red bell pepper, ½ cup couscous, ½ cup chopped parsley, ½ cup chopped oregano, ¾ cup feta
1. Soak chickpeas overnight, strain 2. Put celery, carrot and onion in cheese cloth, tie to make a sachet 3. Chickpeas in pot, cover with 3” water, put in sachet, boil 5 minutes, skim, and reduce heat to simmer for 45 minutes to an hour 4. Strain, discard sachet, cool chickpeas in fridge 5. Cut the top off the head of garlic, pour oil on top and roast in oven at 300 for 1 hour. Squeeze out garlic and mix with olive oil till saucy 6. Char the red pepper, peel off skin and dice 7. Cook couscous in water for 3-5 minutes 8. Mix everything together and serve in endive and top with feta
Recipe from Amuse-Bouche
Smoked Salmon Crepes with Cream Cheese
2oz cream cheese, softened, 1 Tb lemon juice, salt and pepper, 1 Tb capers, zest of ½ a lemon, ½ lb smoked salmon, 5 crepes (see recipe below), ½ cup celery leaves, 1 Tb olive oil, 1 te chives
1.put cream cheese in a bowl with 2 te lemon juice,1/2 lemon zest, cappers, salt and pepper, mix 2. Spread cream cheese on crepes, layer on smoked salmon and roll into log. Cut the end of the roll off, then cut diagonally, the straight till the end of the roll 3. Toss celery leaves, 1 te lemon juice, the other ½ of the zest and chives together, sever next to crepes, or inside (as shown)

Crepes:
¾ cup flour, 3 te sugar, salt, 1 ¼ cup milk, 3 eggs
Mix everything together, heat a pan on med heat, spray with pan release (I find this works best for crepes), when the pan is hot, lift off burner, ladle in some crepe batter on the side of the pan, and swirl the pan so all the batter covers the pan evenly. Cook for a min, and flip, cook on the other side for another minute.
Recipe from Amuse-Bouche
Mini grilled Cheese with Apple and Mayo
Using a circle cutter, cut out 3 or 4 circles from a slice of bread. Cut circles of cheddar cheese and an apple slice. Spread mayo on each side of the bread circles. Sauté apple slices in butter and salt and pepper for 2 minutes. Layer a piece of bread, cheese, apple, cheese, bread. Cook in hot pan like grilled cheese, 2 minutes on each side.