Friday, May 15, 2009
MAKE My Heart Skip A Beat!
The new issue of MAKE Magazine is out and it's positively incredible! This issue, Re-Make America, should in the hands of every school, home, and workplace in the country. How inspirational! It's time to start thinking outside of the recycling bin!
Screen Printing For a Cause
Last week was the busiest I've had in a while. Per and I have been helping some friends on various aspects of an independent film they're making. In the film, Otis Under Sky, the main character is building a huge interactive light installation. Per has been helping to make the physical installation a reality since we met Anlo and Mandi (the film's parents) back in October of last year. This weekend was finally the unveiling of the light installation as well as a fundraiser for the film and a public sneak-peek. It was an awesome event and here are some of the reasons why it was particularly awesome for me:
*I screen printed shirts to sell at the event and also set up a live screen printing station on site. People could bring their own shirt to have printed on, or just give me the shirt off their back. Mandi said the shirts brought in the highest amount of donations out of everything at the event.
*Being in charge of the screen printing definitely made me feel ready to start offering my lessons more officially to the public. I decided to list my screen printing workshops on Craigslist and am already gaining some interest.
Here are some pictures of me screen printing at the event. You can see more on the photographer's Flickr page, along with some beautiful pictures of the light installation. Thanks, Don!
*The space where the event was held is called Co-Lab, an independent media art space and community center in East Austin. I talked to the proprietor, Shawn, and he was very enthusiastic about the Treetrunkwise mission and having me do some workshops there.
*In brainstorming about possible interactive installations to bring to the Co-Lab space, Per and I have unearthed the Beautiful Machine project and are working on several exciting new appendages to the photo collection. These will be interactive elements which bring the participant into the world in the photos. We are very excited about the possibilities and hope to have something to present to Co-Lab sometime this year.
Sometimes you just have to take a moment to step back and realize how lucky you are. I am thankful for the opportunities I've recently been given, and I hope to use the experience and connections I've gained to further advance the dream! Cheers!
*I screen printed shirts to sell at the event and also set up a live screen printing station on site. People could bring their own shirt to have printed on, or just give me the shirt off their back. Mandi said the shirts brought in the highest amount of donations out of everything at the event.
*Being in charge of the screen printing definitely made me feel ready to start offering my lessons more officially to the public. I decided to list my screen printing workshops on Craigslist and am already gaining some interest.
Here are some pictures of me screen printing at the event. You can see more on the photographer's Flickr page, along with some beautiful pictures of the light installation. Thanks, Don!
*The space where the event was held is called Co-Lab, an independent media art space and community center in East Austin. I talked to the proprietor, Shawn, and he was very enthusiastic about the Treetrunkwise mission and having me do some workshops there.
*In brainstorming about possible interactive installations to bring to the Co-Lab space, Per and I have unearthed the Beautiful Machine project and are working on several exciting new appendages to the photo collection. These will be interactive elements which bring the participant into the world in the photos. We are very excited about the possibilities and hope to have something to present to Co-Lab sometime this year.
Sometimes you just have to take a moment to step back and realize how lucky you are. I am thankful for the opportunities I've recently been given, and I hope to use the experience and connections I've gained to further advance the dream! Cheers!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Great Stamping Tips
This site covers everything from paper qualities to embossing techniques to markers for coloring. A great resource!
Gotta share this great stamp idea! The empty glass jar stamp has endless possibilities. Fill it with stickers, drawings, buttons, or whatever! But the funnest idea I've seen is to stamp it onto printed paper- all of a sudden it looks like your jar has a beautiful design all over it! I'll post a picture when I get my hands on that stamp!
Gotta share this great stamp idea! The empty glass jar stamp has endless possibilities. Fill it with stickers, drawings, buttons, or whatever! But the funnest idea I've seen is to stamp it onto printed paper- all of a sudden it looks like your jar has a beautiful design all over it! I'll post a picture when I get my hands on that stamp!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Blueberry Muffins and Vegan Mac (n' Cheese)
RECIPE SHARE!
I haven't shared anything in a while, so I thought I'd post the link to (and my thoughts on) the recipe for the blueberry muffins which were such a hit with the girls last night.
These were really very good, although I think we all agreed they seemed a little more like biscuits or scones- at least on the muffin-tops. I made only a couple of modifications:
1) I didn't have any fresh lemons for zest, so I added a little lemon juice to the yogurt instead. I think the zest would have been much more flavorful.
2) I used salted butter, so I cut the salt content down slightly. I also used sea-salt, which is a bit saltier than regular table salt, so I cut down to account for that, too. I cut the salt down to about half the amount in total.
3) This recipe says it yields 12 regular sized muffins, but this is probably for jumbo muffin tins. Several people commented that they had to put this recipe into two regular 12-count muffin tins. I made half of this recipe in two mini-muffin tins (24 mini-muffins), so I assume that the full recipe would indeed take TWO of the standard size 12-count muffin tins, as suggested by other reviews. For mini-muffins I baked for 22-25 minutes.
While I'm posting recipes, I'd like to share one that a friend shared with me. She made it for a potluck and it was gone within minutes. Even the real-cheese eaters couldn't resist the creamy, savory Vegan Mac (n' cheese) (-great for the lactose intolerant, too!). Now you should know, this recipe makes a family-sized (or potluck sized) dish of the stuff, so cut the recipe for fewer people- even if you want to have some leftover.
You'll need a blender to make the "cheese". Also, stirring and letting stand for at least ten minutes after baking is part of the key to the creamy consistency. Enjoy!
I haven't shared anything in a while, so I thought I'd post the link to (and my thoughts on) the recipe for the blueberry muffins which were such a hit with the girls last night.
These were really very good, although I think we all agreed they seemed a little more like biscuits or scones- at least on the muffin-tops. I made only a couple of modifications:
1) I didn't have any fresh lemons for zest, so I added a little lemon juice to the yogurt instead. I think the zest would have been much more flavorful.
2) I used salted butter, so I cut the salt content down slightly. I also used sea-salt, which is a bit saltier than regular table salt, so I cut down to account for that, too. I cut the salt down to about half the amount in total.
3) This recipe says it yields 12 regular sized muffins, but this is probably for jumbo muffin tins. Several people commented that they had to put this recipe into two regular 12-count muffin tins. I made half of this recipe in two mini-muffin tins (24 mini-muffins), so I assume that the full recipe would indeed take TWO of the standard size 12-count muffin tins, as suggested by other reviews. For mini-muffins I baked for 22-25 minutes.
While I'm posting recipes, I'd like to share one that a friend shared with me. She made it for a potluck and it was gone within minutes. Even the real-cheese eaters couldn't resist the creamy, savory Vegan Mac (n' cheese) (-great for the lactose intolerant, too!). Now you should know, this recipe makes a family-sized (or potluck sized) dish of the stuff, so cut the recipe for fewer people- even if you want to have some leftover.
You'll need a blender to make the "cheese". Also, stirring and letting stand for at least ten minutes after baking is part of the key to the creamy consistency. Enjoy!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Knitting In Front of the Fire
It's been a while! The cloak pattern is going great - I need more yarn! I'm so happy I chose a difficult pattern to start with because I've learned so much! I learned three different increases. I used the M1 for this pattern. I learned to wrap and turn- cool stuff! And I learned the Kitchener stitch! I can't believe I am making it! :)
Stitch n' Bitch Thursday's continue as usual, and tonight a new friend, Lisa, joined us. She learned to knit and took home a cute little hot pad that she'd made by the end of the night- good girl! It was a small group tonight- just Mom, Melanie, Lisa and myself. The weather had turned very cold, so I got a fire going before everyone showed up. We all sat in front of the fireplace with our wool Swedish house-socks on our feet, eating snacks and talking- and stitching, of course. Very cozy!
This week Melanie taught me the basics of crochet! I'm excited to learn a new craft, especially one that two of the stitch n' bitchers have been doing during the Thursday night gatherings. I'm still kind of clumsy at it and my hands feel cramped when I put down my work, but I'm hoping I'll start relaxing as I get the hang of it. There are some crochet-alongs on the web, which I've suggested we do together. A new project would be fun!
And lastly, I cheated a little and opened my birthday present from Sweden a little early- what! I've had a tough week and I needed some cheering up! Boy, was it overwhelmingly fantastic. I was speechless. Two more pairs of wool house-socks (one of which is a tiny one for our friends kids who come over-- or are they??!!), five beautiful skeins of wool yarn and two sets of double pointed needles to make the socks (project time!!), a gorgeous Scandinavian design needle and hook holder, and lastly... Per's mother's collection of knitting needles and crochet hooks- which are extra special because she died when Per was just ten years old. I cried. I felt undeserving and not a little spoiled... but now I just feel happy and incredibly grateful. I am very lucky to have such wonderful in-laws. When we go visit, I can't wait to knit with Per's step-mom (who makes us the socks) and her mom!
Knitting is truly bond-creating craft for women, and I'm so happy to have finally taken it up in earnest!
Stitch n' Bitch Thursday's continue as usual, and tonight a new friend, Lisa, joined us. She learned to knit and took home a cute little hot pad that she'd made by the end of the night- good girl! It was a small group tonight- just Mom, Melanie, Lisa and myself. The weather had turned very cold, so I got a fire going before everyone showed up. We all sat in front of the fireplace with our wool Swedish house-socks on our feet, eating snacks and talking- and stitching, of course. Very cozy!
This week Melanie taught me the basics of crochet! I'm excited to learn a new craft, especially one that two of the stitch n' bitchers have been doing during the Thursday night gatherings. I'm still kind of clumsy at it and my hands feel cramped when I put down my work, but I'm hoping I'll start relaxing as I get the hang of it. There are some crochet-alongs on the web, which I've suggested we do together. A new project would be fun!
And lastly, I cheated a little and opened my birthday present from Sweden a little early- what! I've had a tough week and I needed some cheering up! Boy, was it overwhelmingly fantastic. I was speechless. Two more pairs of wool house-socks (one of which is a tiny one for our friends kids who come over-- or are they??!!), five beautiful skeins of wool yarn and two sets of double pointed needles to make the socks (project time!!), a gorgeous Scandinavian design needle and hook holder, and lastly... Per's mother's collection of knitting needles and crochet hooks- which are extra special because she died when Per was just ten years old. I cried. I felt undeserving and not a little spoiled... but now I just feel happy and incredibly grateful. I am very lucky to have such wonderful in-laws. When we go visit, I can't wait to knit with Per's step-mom (who makes us the socks) and her mom!
Knitting is truly bond-creating craft for women, and I'm so happy to have finally taken it up in earnest!
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