no days like snow days

well folks, i’m shuttering up the studio windows for a couple of weeks to relax with the one i love.  

don’t despair…on monday, january 4, i’ll be back with bells on.  besides, you’ve probably got a million things going on between now and then and won’t even notice my little reprieve from the blogosphere. 

but if you do, thanks.  that’s real sweet.

2009 was a great year.  the studio is now re-organized, i created and sold a lot of goodies, found some new suppliers of fabulous items to incorporate into my work, and the ideas were-a-flowin’.

i look forward to seeing what comes out of me in 2010. be assured the new year will bring lovely crafty ideas, delightful recipes for food and libation, and more on the art of making merriment.

do come along!

’til then, why not join me and play in the snow? (the california way!)

have yourself a merry little christmas.

xoxo

jana

tomato and bread soup

 

like panzanella (bread salad), this soup is a creative way the frugal tuscans use up scraps of day-old bread.

most italian cooks feel that many foods, including most soups, taste best when they are neither too hot nor too cold. moderate temperatures don’t shock the taste buds and allow all of the flavors to come through. this soup tastes good at any temperature, fresh off the stove, at room temperature or in between.

 

ingredients:

• 4 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tender celery stalks, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 lb. fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 4 cups water
• 4 slices day-old coarse country bread, crusts   removed, torn into small pieces (about 2 cups)
• 4 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

directions:

in a large saucepan over medium heat, warm 2 tbs. of the olive oil. add the onion and celery and sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute more. add the tomatoes and water and bring to a simmer. cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.

pass the contents of the saucepan through a food mill placed over a bowl, or puree it in batches in a blender or food processor. return it to the pan. add the bread, basil, salt and pepper. cook until the bread is soft, about 10 minutes more. stir in a little more water if the soup becomes too thick.

serve hot, warm or at room temperature ladled into bowls. divide the remaining 2 tbs. olive oil among the servings, drizzling over the top.

serves 4.

tortellini and vegetable soup

 

for a traditional italian version of this hearty vegetable soup, garnish each serving with a spoonful of store-bought pesto. the pesto adds herbaceous notes to the simple soup.

round out the meal with a loaf of crusty italian or whole-grain bread.

ingredients:

• 2 tbs. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 2 carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 lb. fresh cheese tortellini
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

directions:

sauté the vegetables – in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the 2 tbs. olive oil. add the carrots, celery and zucchini and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. season with salt and pepper. stir in the broth and bring to a boil.

cook the tortellini – add the tortellini and cook for 5 minutes, or according to the package instructions. remove from the heat. stir in the tomatoes and parsley, and season with salt and pepper.

ladle the soup into warmed bowls, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the cheese and serve immediately.

serves 4.

felt christmas trees

need a last minute christmas present?  or just want to bring some cheer to your holiday decor?

check out these felt christmas trees! they’re fun and easy to create, and will put you in the holiday spirit in no time! 

simply glue layers of felt over a styrofoam cone, and voila!  cut the felt in an arch to match the size of the cone and trim edges with decorative scissors or rotary cutters with scallop, wave, or zigzag blades to add even more visual interest.  add as many or few felt layers as you like, and experiment with your favorite colors.  wool blend felt was used here, but any type of felt will do.

to decorate the tree, gather a collection of colored pearl head pins and various sizes and colors of sequins. stack a combination of the sequins on the head pin and push the head pin into the foam. scatter the “ornaments” as desired and you’re ready to sing carols and drink hot cocoa!

non-traditional colors for holiday decorations are so fun…pink, green and turquoise lend a different feel to holiday decor.  say, why not group an entire forest of these felt trees in various sizes on a mantel or cake stand sprinkled with glittering snow?!?

wait…you hear that?   chestnuts roasting on an open fire…

recycled milk

recycled milk

sounds gross, huh?  just talking about the carton, not the milk itself. quite a versatile container for altering, as they come in a variety of sizes and shapes.  half gallon cartons, 8 ounce containers, tall, skinny quarts…so much milk, so little time.

after using the contents, thoroughly wash the inside and outside of the carton with hot water and dish soap. be sure cartons are completely dry before altering.

once the top of the carton is removed, you’ve pretty much got a square, open-topped container that is water-tight so you can make little window box herb containers, crafting table organizers for small items such as markers, colored pencils, paint brushes, or pipe cleaner, candy containers, candle holders, and a whole lot of other cute things.

decorate one and fill it with birdseed, nestle it on the edge of a window and watch little birdies enjoy their treats! as long as you protect the outside with a few layers of sealant, your container should hold up well for quite some time.

here are three project ideas…a paint brush holder, party favor, and a flower pot.

paint brush holder

how cute is this?  decorate it to match your studio! to prevent the outside of the container from being damaged by water, cover it with a sealant and clear contact paper for added protection.

materials needed:

• milk carton
• patterned paper
• ribbon
• rub-on words
• self-adhesive mesh
• ink
• buttons and silk flowers
• x-acto knife, sewing needle, ruler
• adhesive

party favor

this small project is so cute, and uses 8 ounce cartons.  after washing and cutting the carton to size, add your favorite scrapbook paper and finish each one off with a glittered chipboard letter for the first letter of each guest’s name. stick a little bundle of treats inside so your guests can take something home as a parting gift.

materials needed:

• milk carton
• cello treat bag
• patterned paper and cardstock stickers
• ribbon
• chipboard letters
• glitter
• x-acto knife, scallop-edge scissors
• adhesive

flower pot

after cutting off the top of the carton, put 2” slits in each corner, fold down the tops and cover them with contrasting paper.  large sized eyelets are placed in each corner, and tied ribbon keeps the edges folded down.  to make your planter even more water resistant, you can cover it with mod podge matte or gloss finish sealer.

materials needed:

• milk carton
• patterned paper and letter stickers
• ribbon
• large eyelets
• x-acto knife, crop-a-dile, bone folder, ruler
• adhesive

these are fun not only for adults, but for young children as well…keep them busy during winter/summer vacations, or when they’re whining that they’re booooorrrreeedddd.

spirelli technique

in the spirelli technique, thread is wound around a cardstock or chipboard shape in a pattern to create a beautiful design. very easy to do, but the final results look like it’s something fairly complicated.  fool them all.

materials needed:

thread

cardstock or chipboard piece with indentations around the edge

how to:

the design pieces must have notches in order to keep the pattern in place. you can either use punches with notches, metal cutting templates, scalloped die-cuts or chipboard with hand-cut indentations. cutting the indentations with an x-acto knife or scissors allows the design to be used on any shape.

spirelli patterns will differ according to the shape of the design piece and the notch-to-notch direction you choose for threading.

here’s one way of creating the spirelli:

tack down the starting thread. use a glue dot to hold the thread in place on the backside of the design shape.

start threading…bring the thread from the back to the front at the top through an indentation.

now, choose an indentation to put the thread through next. the final design will change depending on where you chose to put your thread at this point. you can choose to skip as few as one indentation, which creates a tight pattern around the edge and leaves the inside bare, or you can skip all the way to straight across from your starting point, which creates a large pattern that covers the entire shape.

might sound intimidating, but there’s really no wrong way – just another design choice. you may want to experiment with various looks from threading it different ways. this example illustrates going straight across to the other side.

thread in an “over and under” pattern. wrap the thread around the back and bring it up just to the left of your starting point.

next, bring it over the front and then through the indentation just to the right of the first one.

go around the back again and continue until you have gone through every indentation.

in the example pattern, you would go through every indentation once.

in some patterns you go through every indentation twice, and you’ll know will know by the appearance of the pattern. keep the string taught and straight. it can be confusing so it is important to pay attention to which indentation you are doing and where you want to go next. if you get lost or confused, just unwrap a few times to get back into the pattern.

tack down the end thread when the pattern is complete. you will know when you’re done because the two threads will be poking out of each indentation. secure the end to the backside with glue dot.

embellish the spirelli. if your design leaves a hole in the middle you may choose to fill the hole with an object or create a hole by punching the middle.

adhere your spirelli design to the final project.

grab some thread and a cardstock/chipboard shape and enjoy this fun technique!

a sprinkle here, a sprinkle there…

it’s no mystery that i love glitter.  even the words “glitter” and “sparkle” put a smile on my face.  check out this Sugar Coating Glitter from Doodlebug Designs.  it’s a superfine glitter that comes in a variety of shades like rich chocolate brown and raspberry pink, and the 12 color assortment pack will make hundreds of projects.  just a pinch goes a very long way.

a quick and easy method for adding some sparkle to your projects is coupling the sugar coating glitter with Stick With It transfers, which are precut shapes and letters that can be adhered to your project. 

here’s how:  grab a transfer and stick it to the desired spot.  remove the top waxy paper layer, sprinkle with glitter, and use your finger to rub the glitter in a circular motion onto the tranfers—you’ll get better coverage this way, and you won’t have glitter falling off later on. 

sparkle on!

recession-proof crafting

the economy sucks, and many folks are doing what they can to stretch their dollars further than ever before.  if you’re trying to save money, sometimes your hobby suffers—it’s usually the first thing that goes on hold until you can afford to start it up again, and crafting is no different.

it can get quite expensive, particularly if you like to have all the new products on the market.  i’m very fortunate in that me and my honey have enough stuff to either open a store or keep us busy until we’re 100.  really.  years of buying and hoarding and buying more has filled our studio and closets me to the brim with every type of supply for every type of project that we want to make. 

we’re set. 

probably wouldn’t have to purchase anything else for years and we’d still be able to craft our hearts out every day for a very, very long time.  as this is how most crafty types operate (i.e. buy it, hoard it, buy it, make it, buy it…), chances are you really don’t have to give up your love of craft during these rough times…just adapt! 

there are many ways to save money until things pick up again, and here are some tips:

use what you have before you buy more: try to create 50 different projects from what you already have  before you allow yourself to add to that stash of crafting supplies.  you’d be surprised at the amount of products you’ve been storing and it’s a great way to use everything up before you get more.  it seems like a simple thing to do, but 50 projects can take a long time to complete…even if you completed one a week, that’s almost a year of projects!  yeah, continue your crafting, but save lots of money over the course of the year!

enter online competitions: there are lots of crafty sites that offer the chance to win great prizes in craft products just by making and entering one of your creations. what’s better is that they are free to enter! get to know where these sites are by talking to other crafters online.

share the cost with a friend or two: just like buying food in bulk, you can also buy crafting supplies in bulk. why not buy products with a friend or group of friends and share them between you all, splitting the cost in the process?!?  many paper collections you buy give you three or four sheets of each of the same designs that are really easy to split up.  yes, you can part with them. 

keep organized:  if you have a tidy studio and can see all of your products, you’re more likely to use them. keep everything in order so you know what you’ve got, and this in turn will stop you from buying duplicates.

plan your project before you shop: if you’ve really got NOTHING left to craft with and absolutely HAVE TO go shopping, plan your project out first and make a list of the items you will need to complete it.  take the list with you and STICK TO IT, not being tempted to buy other goodies as well.  for those of you that got it real bad, take only enough money for what’s on your list so you’re not tempted to buy more.

invest in good tools:  this is a crucial tip. without the right tools for the job, life becomes more difficult and you may end up wasting more money. do some research until you find the best price for what you’re looking for.

reuse and recycle things you have in your home: consider using everyday household items to embellish your projects.  look at things with a creative eye, and lightbulb moments will come…that disregarded bottle top could be transformed with a circle of paper and a die cut, and that cardboard cereal box can be transformed into little glittered houses!

lentil soup with pasta

 ingredients:

• 3 tbs. olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 tbs. minced fresh sage
• 2 cups lentils
• 1 cup canned whole plum tomatoes, chopped,   with juice
• 6 cups vegetable broth, plus more if needed
• 1 tbs. salt, plus more, to taste
• 1/4 lb. tubettini, ditalini or other small soup   pasta
• freshly ground pepper, to taste

directions:

make the soup base – in a large pot over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and sage and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes.

cook the lentils - stir in the lentils and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. increase the heat to high, add the 6 cups broth and bring to a boil. add the 1 tbs. salt, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until the lentils are nearly tender, 30 to 40 minutes. add more broth if the soup starts to dry out.

cook the pasta – add the pasta to the lentils. cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the pasta is not quite al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package instructions. the pasta will continue to cook in the heat of the soup. season with salt and pepper.

ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately.

serves 4.

miso soup with tofu and onions

miso soup and i have quite a history. 

it is the soup that me and my honey ate together nearly every weekend for over 15 years until our favorite japanese restaurant, miyako, closed.  we still rue the day.  (even got our picture in the paper as the restaurant’s last customers!) 

we fell in love over this soup, and in honor of my honey’s birthday today (happy birthday, my #1 yobo!), i thought i’d wax nostalgic on this delightful and quick to prepare soup.  

miso is a nutritious protein-rich paste made from fermented ground soybeans mixed with rice, wheat or barley. red (aka) miso or white (shiro) miso can be used to make this soup; the former has a heartier flavor. kombu seaweed, a form of sea kelp, is sold as dried strips in asian markets and health-food stores. keep the soup from boiling, which destroys its delicate flavors.

ingredients:

• 1 piece kombu seaweed, about 4 inches long
• 4 cups water
• 1/3 cup red or white miso
• 1 tbs. mirin or sake
• 2 oz. fresh enoki mushrooms and/or fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1/4 lb. soft tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 green onion, including tender green portion, cut on the diagonal into thin slices

directions:

using a damp kitchen towel, wipe, but do not wash, the kombu. in a saucepan over medium heat, combine the kombu and the water. slowly bring almost to a boil, then remove and discard the kombu.  carefully transfer all but 1/2 cup of the broth to another pan.

add the miso to the 1/2 cup of the broth, and stir until thoroughly combined. add the remaining broth and the mirin. if using enoki mushrooms, cut off the lower portion of the stems and discard. if using shiitakes, cut off the stems and discard. thinly slice the caps. bring the broth almost to a boil over medium heat. add the mushrooms and tofu. remove from the heat.

ladle the soup into warmed bowls, garnish with the green onion and serve immediately.

serves 4 to 6. 

(or 1 to 2 if it’s you and me, babe.  happy birthday!)

clunker for sale

she goes

from

mother

to monster

in 4.1 seconds;

a bold hybrid:

runs on mania

then kicks over

to depression

to save energy.

older model;

only thing “green”

about this baby

is her envy.

zero down,

60 year lease

o.b.o.

cards for a year

ever find yourself needing a special card and not having the time to make it? the thought of using gas to go to a card store and spending $5 on an impersonal card may be fine for some, but to crafty folk it’s just a waste of time and money. why not consider working ahead to create a stash of cards for the whole year?

what cards would i need?

since everyone’s life is a little different, each person will need a different stash of cards. here are some suggestions which can easily be modified:

thank you cards – everyone receives gifts and favors, and therefore everyone needs to send some thank you cards during a year. thank you cards can be used for a variety of occasions, can be any color or theme and don’t need to be specific to their recipient.

birthday cards – needing birthday cards is pretty much a standard, but some people—those with a large family, for instance, will need to send more than others. generally, birthday cards should be somewhat age- and gender-specific, so keep a variety in your stash. it’s also good to have some gender-neutral cards on hand.

take a look at the calendar for the upcoming year…while you’re at it, why not make some personal birthday cards for those closest to you and save the stash cards for everyone else.

gift cards/tags – find yourself in a panic looking for a card right before you leave the house for a party?  make a stash of tiny cards and gift tags that can be used on the fly. 

religious occasions – cards are often needed for religious occasions such as communions, bar and bat mitzvahs and confirmations.  if you expect to need cards for certain religious occasions, consider making them in advance. if you don’t use them, you can always keep them for the following year or whenever they’re needed.

congratulations – congratulations cards can be used for graduations, new jobs, winning awards, new homes, and similar events. you may want to consider making some general congratulations cards for unexpected events in this category as well. if you expect to need a lot of graduation cards in the next year, consider making some specific ones for your stash.

birth and sympathy – consider making some cards in either or both of these categories as well…it’s the circle of life.

no-occasion cards – cards not associated with any particular occasion can be very useful. they can be used to say hi, as thank-you cards, for birthdays, or even for certain holidays. these cards can be made without a greeting on the front so that one can be added later.  check out these chocolate-themed no-occasion cards:

here’s another card that can be used for a loved one for a variety of occasions.

what about holiday cards?

holidays occur every year and you probably send approximately the same number of cards for each holiday each year. for some holidays, you may send so many cards that you use a single design and replicate it many times or allocate time for making the cards. for other holidays, you may choose to send cards if you have them, but not if you don’t. consider making holiday cards for next year when you work on other art for that holiday.

go through your calendar and make a list of holidays, figure out how many cards you might need and then make them in advance. remember that no-occasion cards can be used as holiday cards as well.

designing the cards

some people are natural card designers and like to make each card different. if you’re not, consider using sketches. if you are going to make a bunch of cards, consider printing a page of card sketches and making one card for each sketch. alternately, consider re-using the same sketch to make several cards. since it is unlikely that cards based on the same design will go to the same recipient, you can re-use the same design to make several cards at a single sitting.

what about supplies?

the best supplies to use are already in your artsy and craftsy stashes. consider using scraps of patterned paper and small pieces of leftover ribbon.  however, if you want to purchase new materials specific for cards, Making Memories and Paper Source make some card kits that you may find inspiring.

making cards in advance, without the specific pressure of an occasion, can be relaxing and great fun.  don’t forget to sprinkle liberally with glitter!!! enjoy.

what a pinhead

ever use shrinky dinks when you were a kid?  i loved baking those things and sitting next to the oven to watch as they’d shrink and curl up.  even gave a few shrinky dinks to my honey as a gift way back in the day when we were courting…i believe i did some fairly detailed renderings of madonna, isabella rosellini, and marilyn monroe for him.  20+ years later, he’s still got them, i’ve still got him, and we and our shrinky dinks have withstood the test of time. 

why not crank up that oven and whip up some shrinky dink buttons or pinheads?  don’t try to melt the shrinky dink on top of a pinhead…it won’t work.

instead, stick a flat headed pin *through* the colored, cut out shrinky dink shapes and then put it in the oven together and voila!

instant loveliness! 

on paper trimming

making memories has come out with a paper trimmer.  let’s see if it’s all that meets the eye.

when you purchase it:

you’ll pay about $50 bucks for this trimmer, which only comes in one style…black and silver.

there are no parts to put together, and it’s ready to use with a straight-edge blade.  it comes folded in half for up to 6 ½” cuts, or you can unfold it for 12 ½” measurements. you will need to unfold the trimmer and reach underneath to use the magnetic ruler which keeps papers in place.

it’s appearance:

this is one of the most attractive trimmers out there. very gender-neutral and will probably look good in your studio.

on the front of the trimmer, when folded, you see dark black 90 degree notches for guided trimming of 3″ x 5″, 4″ x 6″, and 5″ x 7″ cuts. the measurements on top of the trimmer are small. it gives options for centimeters as well as inches, but they’re not very useful because they’re so tiny.

how it works:

place one to two sheets of paper underneath a clear plastic strip and position it at the measurement desired, and then secure your paper with a magnetic ruler. to cut the paper, slide the blade case across the rail until your paper is trimmed.

to fold your trimmer, just bend it in half…there are no clips or levers to play with. to change your blade, you pull on the red clasp and slide the old blade off and replace with a new one.  making memories claims the blade self-sharpens each time you use it, so you’ll rarely ever have to replace the blade.  of course you’d change the blade for a wave cut, if desired.

got to love it:

the detailed measurements are a great touch…you can even cut to 1/8 of an inch to make your own quilling paper!

the trimmer has little slip-proof “feet” at the bottom of it, which lift it slightly off the surface used and keeps it from slipping.

some things to consider:

if you’re used to the other trimmers on the market where there is a raised edge at the sides of the trimmer (which is used to make sure your paper is straight), this trimmer does not have that. yes there’s an edge, but it’s not straight. where the trimmer folds in half, the edge raises or drops just slightly, causing your paper to shift. you can fix this problem by using it only when it’s folded in half, but that’s not very practical.

removing the red clasp for a blade change can be pretty tough.

the trimmer is heavy and might not be travel-friendly for everyone.

the magnetic strip holds tight, but it’s not perfect. there may be some shifting of paper when you’re trying to keep it still.

the clear plastic piece used to secure your paper against the blade is about 1″ wide, so if you have a scrap of paper narrower than that, you will not be able to use it with the trimmer. the scrap will slip under the plastic piece, but you won’t be able to hold it still enough to trim it.  get the scissors and a ruler instead. 

if you do a hell of a lot of paper trimming and you’re satisfied with your current trimmer, then don’t bother switching.  but if you do occasional trimming and aren’t completely satisfied with your current trimmer, you might want to check it out.  beats the old butcher block and pull-down machete method any day.

stuck on stickles

i love stickles.  heard about them yet?  stickles are decorative glitter glues that come in a lot of different colors and textures, and you can write, paint, embellish, create dots, outline, and do a lot more with them. three types are available:  stickles glitter glue, distress stickles, and glitz stickles.  here’s a rundown on the basics:

stickles glitter glue:

 

 

 

 

 

35 different colors available

fine point, easy-flow applicator tip

acid free

tim holtz distress stickles:

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 different colors available

larger easy-flow applicator tip

acid free

variegated glitter sizes

gives a more distressed look

thicker and bolder than the regular stickles mentioned above

 

suze weinberg glitz stickles

 

 

 

 

 

6 different colors available

fine point, easy-flow applicator tip

acid free

extra sparkle to add lots of bling

differences:

so what’s the difference between all these?  a brief rundown:

the applicator tip is larger on the distress stickles bottle, so you can’t create fine lines.

stickles and glitz stickles have the same applicator tip.

the drying time is longer for distress stickles.

the colors can be very similar, but distress stickles are a bit chunkier.

the regular stickles are easier to use for painting.

the samples below show the differences.  check out the different sizes of the applicator tips.

and look how different the lines are when you try to write or draw.  they also have a very different look when applied with a paintbrush. 

depending on your desired finished look, there’s a stickles that’s just right for your project.  pick some up!