Thursday, October 4, 2012

I Could Be A Cowboy...

[Bought new boots on Ebay, (they're the "Muse" boot from Qupid in burgundy. I had to go out to the backyard to take a picture!]



I could be a cowboy
In my muddy worn out boots
I could be a cowboy
It'd give me the right to run like you

I could be a cowboy, but that'd mean leavin'
Where the stars above are the company I'm keeping
I could walk right out the door, and never come back home
Oh, I could be a cowboy but I don't like to be alone...

[The McClymonts "I Could Be a Cowboy"]
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Michigan Montage & Canvas

This photo is a mash-up of 2 different pictures taken on our trip to Michigan earlier this month. The first is a lighthouse at sunset on Lake Michigan and the second is of DJ and I at the sane dunes. What I did was I set the sunset photo as the background in Photoshop. I took the one of us and layered it directly on top, turned the layer black and white and bumped the opacity down to about 50% so we were semi-translucent. Then I added some text.

I found a great website (www.canvaspeople.com) after googling "free canvas photo print". If you go directly to the website, their canvases are normally priced. Google that phrase, and it'll give you a link to the site where an 8x10 is free, all you pay is shipping (about $15) It's a great deal since most canvases that size run you anywhere from $50-$80. I tried it out, and the day after I purchased it they sent me an email coupon for another free canvas (score!).

The canvas turned out really nice. They even included hanging hardware. The only difference is a slight variance in color. They warn about this, since computers use RGB color and their industrial printer is different, etc. So the sunset is slightly more yellow and a bit less vibrant. It was free, so it didn't bother me. All in all, I love it! Can't wait to find another photo to do it all over again with!
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Mason Jar Storage

I had way too many mason jars, so after decorating some, I've set up 6 of them to hold my pens, highlighters, scissors, Sharpies, and even one I converted to a mini sewing kit that has a pin cushion on top (and stores my button collection!) I need a life. lo


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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Archivers Craft Kit: Zoology - "It's a Jungle Out There!" Mini Album (by BoBunny)

I went to the Mall of America this weekend with my boyfriend (DJ) and his friend, Josh, so Josh could work on his first Photography assignment and get some help from DJ and I, since DJ used to sell cameras at Best Buy and I'm a photographer. I had wanted to browse Archivers for some scrapbooking stuff, but I'd decided I'd be nice and not put the boys through that... until they decided they wanted to stop at Sears to look at tools. (Hey, I had to get some payback!) So, I dragged them back to the store. It actually turns out Josh is kind of into the idea of scrapbooking, and I even caught him browsing papers at one point. Go figure. We were looking at some samples, and saw this cool junle-themed mini book. I started looking around for the papers and whatnot that I'd need to do it... and then the boys pointed to a pre-packaged kit that had everything I'd need, even an album. At only $28 I figured I'd give it a shot since it had some cool techniques like paper sanding and tearing that I haven't tried before. Plus, the kit came with full color instructions for each page. Sold! But then that gave me reason to go back through the store and pull out everything else that had caught me eye. If I'm spending $30, why not spend a little more, right? $70 and a free tote bag later, the boys finally got me out of there.

The pages were really easy, and I tried to only do a few each day to pace myself. It turned out like nothing I've done before, and I'm really proud. Plus, DJ likes it since it includes some giraffe print stuff lol


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Sunday, August 19, 2012

Converse Shoe Nails

I painted my nail to look like a converse shoe!

I used a nude color by OPI as the base coat, then painted the whole nail white. After that, I made the top 2/3 od the nail black. I used a detail set by KISS (these have the brushes witht he thin points) to make a detail black stripe, and then criss-crosses for the "laces".

Since the rest of my nails on that hand are broken off and not long enough to do that, I just used the black and white KISS polish to do a white/black french tip.


A warning: I tried to put a clear coat over the shoe a few hours later (when the polish was completely dry) and for some reason the KISS polish smeared...

BWW Asain Zing Sauce Attempt

 So, I attpempted to make the Asain Zing copycat recipe that I posted earlier.

Asian Zing
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup chili-garlic sauce (sriracha!)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder


.

First, I got all my ingredients...



Combined everything except the cornstarch...



Put over medium heat until boiling...



Then I lowered the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes....



 Once that was done I addes the cornstarch and whisked until it was dissolved...



I decided just to use some chicken microwaveable chicken bites from Rainbow...




Lastly, I put the cooked chicken and some of the sauce into a plastic cintainer, put the lid on, and shook it up until all the chicken was coated.



It actually turned out pretty dang close, but it just has a little less heat than the origional. You could probably add some more chili-garlic sauce to fix that. I'm planning on getting some canning jars to store these sauces if I plan on making them on a regular basis.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Champagne Cupcakes with Champagne Buttercream

I found this recipe and others buried in my email inbox, so I figured I'd share!  


Cupcakes:

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup champagne
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with paper liners (recipe yields about 22 cupcakes). 

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of champagne combined with vanilla. 

In a clean bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until they hold stiff peaks. Fold in about 1/3 of the egg whites to lighten the batter then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Transfer batter to cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full. Bake approximately twenty minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool about five minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar
3 T champagne

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium high speed until smooth and fluffy, about three minutes. Add vanilla extract and about three cups of powdered sugar. Mix on low speed to combine.  Add in champagne and mix on low to incorporate. Increase speed to medium and beat about one minute to whip frosting. If frosting appears to be thin, add additional powdered sugar as necessary to reach desired consistency

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Buffalo Wild Wings Sauce Recipes


Going through my mother's cookbooks, I came across her "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes" book, which included recipes for a couple BWW sauces. Since they didn't include my favorites (Asian Zing and Mango Habanero) I took to the internet to see if I could find more sauce recipes, and I did! This is going to be my newest cooking project, and I plan to make some of the sauces, and then bottle them for storage for when I've got a BWW craving! (Which happens a lot!) Here's what I've found so far, and I'll add updates and reviews once I've tried them!

The procedure or making these is to combine ingredients into a saucepan, heat over medium heat until boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Once the sauce is cooled (about 10 minutes) you can put wings in a covered container (my plan is to buy the prepackaged microwave kind - if you want to bust out a deep fryer more power to ya.) Add 1/4-1/2 cup of sauce, cover, and give it a good shake until the wings are coated. Or, just use it as a dipping sauce or marinade!

Parmesan Garlic
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Spicy Garlic
1 Cup Frank’s cayenne pepper sauce
1/3 Cup vegetable oil
1 Teaspoon granulated sugar
1 Teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon course ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Medium Wing Sauce
1 cup Frank’s cayenne pepper sauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Hot Wing Sauce
1 Cup Franks cayenne pepper sauce
1/3 Cup vegetable oil
1 Teaspoon granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 Teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
2 Teaspoons water
2 Teaspoons cornstarch

Blazin’
6 fresh habanero peppers (with seeds)
5 lemon drop peppers (or other small hot pepper)
8 jalapenos (with seeds)
2-3 garlic cloves
2 cups white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
fresh ground black pepper
salt

Mango Habanero
2 cups Mango Nectar (found in your local grocery store)
Any habenero hot sauce.  I recommend El Yucatan.  The amount is up to you, depending on how spicy you like your wings.
1 Tbsp corn syrup. (sugar works too)
1/4 cup Frank’s cayenne pepper sauce
1/3 cup melted butter

Asian Zing
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup chili-garlic sauce (sriracha!)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Carribean Jerk
3 Tablespoons margarine
2 Tablespoons minced onion (white and light green parts only)
1 Cup water
3/4 Cup ketchup
1/2 Cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons white distilled vinegar
2 Tablespoons Frank’s cayenne pepper sauce
2 Teaspoons ground black pepper
2 Teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Teaspoons lemon juice
1-1/2 Teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 Teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 Teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 Teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 Teaspoon onion powder
1/8 Teaspoon ground clove
1/8 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 Teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 Teaspoon rubbed sage





Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Giraffe Mittens

I bought some giraffe print blizzard fleece to make a body pillow cover (which will be another post) but when I was done I still had a strip of fabric leftover and had no idea what I would use it for in the future. Then, I remembered that I still had a pattern from my high school textiles class filed away for fleece mittens (Green Pepper F790).

So I took an extra half hour out of my day off work and whipped these up! Super easy, and they entertain me far more than they should. haha.

Only problem is that they're more for fashion, since snow would soak right through these while shoveling or playing outside -- I should know, I'm from Minnesota!



Maglite Kidnapping

Yesterday while with my cousin Amanda, we found that our younger cousin, Mitch, had left one of his moist treasured possessions in her car: His Maglite flashlight. So, being the caring cousin I am, I sent him a picture message with this:

"We have your flashlight. If you ever want to see it again, we need $100,000 and a plane out of the country.

Signed,
Kidnappers"

He responded saying he would do anything as long as we didn't hurt it. So, we decided to have some more fun. Throughout the day we sent him photos of his flashlight under a car tire, as the victim at a fake crime scene, in the oven and in the toaster.

Mitch now thinks we're monsters and "the essence of EVIL".

Isn't family the best?









Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Giraffe Quilt

Since Joann's was having their big coupon "Make Your Own Sale" sale this week, I went over on my work break and got some fabric for a new quilting project! (July 18, 2012)



I had the day off, so I started putting together the giraffe quilt. Then I ran out of yellow fabric, and the store is out too, so is the online stopre... So the project came to a standstill. (July 20, 2012)



I ended up buying a comparable yellow fabric, and piecing together my scraps to make enough yellow strips, and after a few more trips to the craft store, I was able to get enough materials to finish the quilt top. It measures 62x62 inches. Now all I have to do is add the backing sheet and the batting and do the actual quilting. I can't wait to see how it looks completely finished! (July 30, 2012)

Easy Mineral Makeup Home How-To

I was reading something online, and they had a brand of translucent mineral veil makeup, and listed the ingredients. It listed cornstarch as the main ingredient, some fillers, and then some additives for color.

So, here's what I learned you can do!

Take one of your old makeup jars, and fill the thing with cornstarch. VOILA! Instant, cheap mineral makeup. Then, if you like to have it tinted a bit, mix in some colored powder makeup, which you can get at the dollar store for cheap.

It works well for me, and i use it without any tint because im terribly pale. The only downside is that if you put even slightly too much on, your face looks powdery until some of your natural oils mix with it. And if you have dry skin, it will dry it out even more. Even those of you with normal-dry or just normal skin should watch out. Great for oily skin, though :)

Sunday, July 29, 2012

"Bruises" - Train

Giraffe Frame & Decor Tape

While I was at the craft store, I came across some giraffe themed "decor tape" (which I originally thought was duct tape...) I decided I might be able to do something with it, so i dropped it in my shopping cart. Then, I had an idea. I went into the frames section of the store and found a plain, cheap frame that I figured I could cover with the tape that could become the home of one of the photos of DJ and I in our giraffe hats. Turns out it wasn't that tricky, I just had to make sure I measured and cut the edges so they would line up nicely. The tape also was forgiving, and allowed me to peel it up if i set it down at the wrong angle. These photos document my crafting journey with it. Only took me about 15 minutes :)




















Giraffe Nails!


I found these nail strips at Walgreens, and since they were giraffe print, I figured my boyfriend, DJ, would get a kick out of doing my nails this way since he loves anything giraffe.

They turned out fairly well, but applying them was tricky. The first strip I tried, I forgot to peel off the top plastic covering (FAIL!). They don't rip very cleanly at the ends of the nails, so for the first day until they wore down the nails looked kind of ragged.

I also was able to cover 2 nails per strip because my nails aren't terribly long. The ends chipped a little, and also by the cuticles. I put a clear coat of nail polish over the strips on the nail just to protect it a little because I noticed they had a tendency to tear. 

All in all, I'm happy with them and the nails look cute. Not something I'd do too often because of the $10 price, but worth it for once in a while use :)


"That's How I'll Remember You" - David Nail

Saturday, July 28, 2012

The Giraffes Go Marching Two By Two

I figured this should be my first post on my new blog. The hats that started it all. I ended up learning how to crochet, and started making baby hats from any patterns I found online, and made a baby giraffe hat. Little did I know that was my boyfriend's favorite animal.
He asked me to make one in his size. ("I promise I'll wear it!!" Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of... My boyfriend is kind of a goofball and I worried he'd literally wear that silly hat EVERYWHERE haha) But I made it. And then I made myself one when he asked because he wanted us to match (but mine has a bow on it because I'm a girl!).

We also went to the zoo so he could see the giraffes and have a picture of him in his hat with them, and we ended up getting giraffe stuffed animals at the gift shop. Then, we even went to the portrait studio I work at and had a couple photos taken with the hats and giraffes. The entire giraffe craze has really taken off for us, so expect several giraffe-themed blog posts out of me!







So, that should explain why so many of my posts will be giraffe themed. It's just something new to inspire my craftyness :)

"Damn Right I Am" - Montgomery Gentry