Flowers!

Simon has been telling me to explore new hobbies for years. I've just never really been a "hobby" person. Growing up I spent all my time singing and acting, so much so that I never really found a need to kill time. When I moved to Boston I found myself no longer performing and a little lost. I tend to justify my wasting hours away in front of the TV as "relaxing" when I am, in fact, just wasting hours in front of the TV. I have spurts of diversions like when I ran the half-marathon or when I get caught up reading for hours on end, but nothing that I would consider a "hobby" that I could just come home to and pick up if I so desired. That is, until I started experimented with making book-page flowers for the wedding...

I spent Saturday making flowers.

And by Saturday, I mean ALL DAY Saturday. The whole day. Coffee to Sleepytime tea. Here is what I have to show for it:

I was completely content keeping my hands busy, having the TV off and good music on, drinking tea and trying not to burn myself with a hot glue gun. I found following origami directions calming and zen-like. I think I have a hobby : )

Some of these tutorials I found on Pinterest, some on other websites, but I'll link to each one below the picture.

Kusudama Flowers

3D Star (the actual tutorial is in some language I don't know...but the pictures are easy to follow)

Easy Paper Flower

Rolled Flower

Large Paper Flower

Storybook Rose (this one is my favorite - also the most time consuming)

Glass Etching!

Simon and I store a lot of our food in mason jars. Not only do they look good, but they do a great job keeping food fresh. I've always loved the look of labeled mason jars such as these:

or this (both images found on Pinterest):

Not too long ago I found this tutorial on how to use glass etching cream to make permanent designs on mason jars. I didn't even know glass etching cream existed. What a good idea! So I decided to do a test run on an extra mason jar we had around the kitchen. I'm really glad I did so because this is definitely a DIY that will take some practice to perfect.

First I made the stencil out of painter's tape. 

The lines weren't perfect but I was happy with the overall look and fit.

Applying the etching cream was awkward and nerve-wracking. This stuff apparently destroys skin if it comes in contact. I was also using a sponge instead of a paintbrush so the application was very uneven. When all was said and done, I did not burn my skin. 

I was a little uncertain about how long to keep the cream on, so I gave it 4 minutes before rinsing it off and removing the stencil. 

Here's what I learned:
1) the stencil can't have any wrinkles - the etching cream will seep in to them and ruin the straight line you spent so much time making
2) the cream really needs to be applied evenly
3) the cream probably could have stayed on for a good 6 minutes to get a really nice distinct etch

I actually pretty happy with the results. They clearly aren't perfect but I have four more sides to practice on before moving to the jars we actually use!

not-so-good boutineers

My mom got me the book "Handmade Weddings" for Christmas and it has some beautiful crafts and photos.

One of the projects that caught my eye were these beautiful felt boutineers: 

They looked pretty simple and I couldn't see any reason not to try it with book pages. Making the buds went pretty well with some practice. I couldn't get the tight spiral since unlike felt, paper creases. The biggest difficulty occurred when I attempted to put the buds together using floral wire and floral tape. Can I just say that floral tape is really, REALLY frustrating. It's more tacky than sticky and only wants to adhere to itself. The tape kept sliding off the paper leaving the whole project looking pretty messy.

I don't think I'll be making these for the wedding. So it goes though, right? I am going to attempt to make this boutineer next, which I found on Style Me Pretty:

I will use the directions found here. Wish me luck!

The Holidays!

Like much of the nation, I love the holidays. They're a happy time when everyone is smiling and singing and telling stories about the past. One of the things I love most about the holidays are Christmas Trees and decorations. Simon and I bought our first live tree this year from Whole Foods. It stands about three feet tall and just barely fits in the corner of our living room even at that size. Over the past year or two we've collected some ornaments on different trips we've taken and as presents from relatives, but one of my absolute favorite part of ornaments are the memories that come with unpacking them each year. So, I decided to make a few of my own inspired by some I've seen around the web:

They aren't anything terribly special, one is filled with green, red, and white buttons I had in my button jar, and the other is wrapped in twine; but these two ornaments will always remind me of the very first Christmas Simon and I traveled as a family unit instead of splitting apart. I'll remember the first Christmas we had a live tree; and the last Christmas in our tiny, but wonderful, apartment. I'll think of condo hunting, starting my new job, and the fact that it was unseasonably warm and everyone was thankful for that. They will remind me that this was the year Greg, Seiko, and Britta were all in the states from abroad and how happy that made our parents and us. For just some buttons, twine, and glass, these ornaments are well worth the time and effort spent making them.

That said, I also want to put up a list of my New Year's Resolutions (which I'll hopefully stick to):

1) Get in shape. This time last year I was at the peak of my half-marathon training and had never been in better shape - I had side-abs. I want side-abs again.
2) Continue taking care of my teeth. I had to spend $1,300 this year in dental bills once my insurance maxed out. That will not happen again.
3) Drink more water. It's good for me.
4) Stop chewing on my lips. It's gross.
5) Bring lunch to work. Healthier and cheaper.

Brie and Apple Tarts!

I honestly thought I had finished baking with apples until next fall, but then I found this recipe while browsing Pinterest one evening. OMG, these are delicious.

Things began neat and orderly. I defrosted my puff pastry and started cutting my green apple.

Things quickly escalated into a gigantic mess. Thank god for my newly sewn apron!

 This was my first time working with puff pastry. I was pretty nervous at the onset because puff pastry has a reputation for being delicate and temperamental; but I really had no problems at all. As long as it fully thaws before you try to unwrap it, you should be all set. If it isn't fully thawed, it may crack and then you'll have a crack through all of your puff pastry layers with no way to repair them. Also: flour. Flour is important with puff pastry. When it eventually did thaw (about 40 minutes after taking it out of the fridge), the pastry got very, very tacky. 

Once I floured, rolled, and cut the puff pastry, I loaded it up with green apple slices, chunks of brie, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. 

Then, fold up the puff pastry around the filling and brush it with an egg wash. This. got. messy. Real messy. 

Once lined on the baking pan, bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. They turned out amazing. The puff pastry was flaky and golden brown, the cheese was completely melted and gooey, and the brown sugar and cinnamon cut through the bite of the green apple.  They made a really great snack and looking back on it, they were pretty easy to make...I mean...I could fill these with anything. Blueberries and bananas? Chocolate chips and bananas? All sorts of cheeses? delicious. delicious. delicious.