MONSTERS!
Get them here....
Currently:
February 27, 2002..today is the 27th, he he he..
So,
while I was at the store yesterday I bought the new issue
of Vogue, the one with Gwenyth Paltrow on the cover. Vogue
is not one of my favorite magazines, but since it was new
and I love new magazines I couldn't help myself. Something
inside took over and before I knew it...the magazine was
in my cart. Anyway..there is an interesting article about
a woman that started a group called "Project Alabama"
She hire local woman to sew and embroider and bead T-shirts
she designed using re-dyed T-shirts from the Salvation Army
and Goodwill. In one year, she has gotten these shirts to
sell in places like New York, London, and Tokyo for prices
as high as $2000. Crazy.
I
received my ingredients I ordered from "From
Nature with Love" I am very excited and it was
like Christmas opening everything. I am having a hard time
trying to decided what to make and I think that the first
item will be bath fizzy cubes. I bought some cucumber
fragrance oil that smells wonderful, and I also bought
a sampler pack of colorants
like oxides, ultramarines and umbers. OH! It's going to
be fun! Of course...the best part for me is coming up with
a label.
February
25 2002
This
weekend I obsessed over my cluttered and unorganized kitchen
and bathroom cupboards. I didn't attempt to clean or organized
any of the items..I just fantasized about various boxes,
racks
and shelves
I would need to whip the mass of crap into shape. The problem
I have is the cupboards are very deep. The other problem
is that I want fancy and attractive
containers to house these items, yet I am unwilling
to shell out the bucks to buy them. I think a trip to Ikea
is in order. Or perhaps Cost Plus...I need to go there today
to buy a new press pot to replace the one I broke. Did I
mention that I also broke one of my Pyrex casserole dishes?
Let me just say this: Hot Glass Dish + Cold Water = Exploding
Glass Catastrophe.
February 21, 2002
Yesterday
I ordered more bath product making supplies. This time it
was from Sweetcakes.
I ordered some Capsicum
Herbal Extract. What the heck is that? It's hot red
pepper extract...and the description says "anywhere
a "rubefacient" or warming effect is desired " This
is very intriguing to me..and I am wondering if it would
work like some of the fancier items that are supposed to
warm when you use them...like Bliss's
Hot Salt Scrub. I looked up "rubefacient"
in the dictionary and it said something like "red,
irritated, and enflamed" This could be the greatest
bath product ever, or a horrible, horrible mess. I will
keep you all posted. I also ordered Tomato
Leaf and Green
Tea fragrance oils. I have only used essential oils
for far, so it will be interesting to see how the fragrance
oils are different. Sweetcakes also has what seems to be
quite a large selection of
flavored oils for lip balms. Chai flavor, and peanut
butter and jelly! I personally cannot stand flavors and
scents in my lip balms. Having it so close to my nose drives
me crazy. I also cannot give up my devotion to Carmex.
February
20, 2002
I
am going home to Wyoming in a few months and I have decided
that my mom and I are going to try felting. In my search
for felted purse instructions, I ran across Livia
McRee's site. She made purses out of regular craft felt,
and the picture
of them is pretty cute. She has written a book, Instant
Fabric, and the back cover has an interesting picture
of a wall hanging for bills using what looks like pictures
of stamps. I sort of like that idea...I may have to get
the book. Anyway...I have saved the issue of Martha Stewart
Kid's magazine that has a great article and instructions
for making felt purses. I can't wait.
OH
man...Megan
posted this site yesterday, Green
Girl Studios, also on Glitter,
....I LOVE THESE BEADS! They are so charming and fabulous.
Now I want to learn how one would make beads such as these.
I love beads. I used to have a large quantity when I lived
at home, but I don't wear jewelry so they just sat there.
I hoard them like I hoard fabric. I don't make anything...I
just need to have them. I am actually thinking of purchasing
one of these beads in the sterling silver, to add to my
charm bracelet. The hard part is choosing.
Loose
Ends is a great place. I heard about them through The
Christopher Lowell Show. I just ordered, or pre-ordered
I guess, their catalog. I really like this paper
mache dress from. I don't know why...I am wanting to
paint a white flowery dress on it and stick it in my bathrooom...on
the back of the toilet.
February
18th 2002
I
realized yesterday that I have been putting 2001 as the
year for most of these entries. Oops!
Okay..it's
the fabric covet list: From Reprodepot
Fabrics.
Fashion
Gals. I don't know why...really...this is not usually
my type of fabric, but I love the illustration. What would
you make with it?
Eames
Small Dots. This is the greatest fabric I have ever
seen. I am in love with it. The price KILLS. I may have
to order a 1/4 yard just to have it. I like the ivory with
black dots the best.
Nelson
China Shop. Almost as cool as the Eames dots.
Mambo
Barkcloth. I am SUCH a sucker for this 1950's mid-century
design aesthetic.
They
also have solid
ivory barkcloth. I wonder how easy it would be to print
on it using lino-cut blocks and fabric paint.
Robot
Buttons. Yes..I am a nerd. I love these. I bought some
Robot flannel from reprodepot a while back and I am hoarding
it...afraid to cut into it and ruin the glory that is...
Robot flannel.
Have
you all seen these purses
from Old Navy? That is a pretty darn good price, if I do
say so myself, but I am wondering how sturdy they are. They
are probably not lined..but for 13$ you can probably afford
to buy another one. These purses did get me thinking about
how easy they would be to make...AND this
place has a great selection of handles.
February
15th 2002
WOW!
Check out this
new tin...a window tin..from Stuff
Julie Likes. That is really cool. I am in a mood to
make bath products. I really have a hard time deciding what
to try next. I am thinking maybe bath bombs with some sort
of butter (cocoa butter, shea butter...) added to them using
my new ice cube mold. What else...oh! I have a recipe for
making a liquid soap using Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) but
that is a little intimidating to tell you the truth. I enjoy
looking at From
Nature With Love. They have the most interesting products,
(dead sea water!) and I love trying to think of things to
make with them.
HAPPY
VALENTINES DAY!!
Last
night J and I went out to Cafe
Sevilla. I have never had Spanish food before, and I
quite like the idea of Tapas....small portions that everyone
shares. (at least that's what we did) We started out with
a very yummy cheese plate. I really like eating cheese and
fruit together. I think in true european tradition, we were
supposed to have the cheese and fruit last, but oh well.
We had a pitcher of Sangria and they brought bread to the
table along with two sauces. They were both FABULOUS. One
of them tasted like spaghetti sauce and the other one was
an aioli. Oh..the aioli...it was so so yummy...I am going
to have to find a recipe for that. It was very garlicky.
I had tons of it, and along with a garlic soup I ordered,
I was a prime candidate for a serious dose of mouthwash.
Does
anyone watch the new show on Food Network called "A
Cooks Tour"? When I first saw the teaser commercials
for this I was very disappointed and pretty much decided
that Tony
Bourdain was an arrogant ass. "I'll risk anything...I
have nothing to lose." He acted like he was going into
combat or something...And to top it all off..the same day
I saw the commercial, I saw his book at the bookstore. He's
posing with his army
green sleeveless shirt with his tiny tattoo arm band and
his dumb little earring. Sheesh. I was very much prepared
to add him to the Bobby Flay list of "Chefs-That-Need-to-Get-Off-the-Television."
So...after watching the first and following episodes of
"A Cooks' Tour" I must say that it is now one
of my favorite new shows. Tony Bourdain overdoes it sometimes,
but overall I think it's great. This past weeks episode
had him and his sous chef, who is from Mexico, touring the
sous chef's hometown. They ate fried ant egg and worm tacos
and drank some homemade alcohol that looked like slimy milk.
It was funny. I am now thinking of buying the book.
February
12, 2002
So..last
night I was watching FoodTV, specifically "Chocolate
with Jacques Torres". It was pretty amazing. He
made a chocolate
champagne bottle using a mold basically made out of
jello. He then silk-screened the label onto a layer of white
chocolate using dark chocolate as the "ink"...
and THEN he made Champagne
Truffles in the shape of little corks. Did I say it
was amazing? I even had a dream about it last night. When
I moved to California from Wyoming 6 years ago, it was my
intention to eventually attend the Culinary Academy in San
Francisco to become a pastry chef. Watching that show last
night sparked that desire again.
February
11, 2002
There
is an interesting article in the San
Diego Union Tribune about growing a garden full of spa
plants. Things such as lavender, rosemary, chamomile, calendula....scented
geraniums...what a great idea. I mean, I know people usually
grow these things anyway, but for some reason it appeals
to me even more when it is lumped into the "Spa"
category. Now I am thinking..."Someday,..I am going
to have a Spa Garden." Here is a recipe for
a bath tea they supplied with the article:
Aphrodite's
Bath:
2
Tablespoons each: fresh rose petals, lavender, peppermint,
and scented geranium (or substitute 1 tablespoon each dried
herb)
1
quart jar filled with boiling water
Add
herbs to jar and steep for one hour. Strain the liquid and
add to a tub of warm water.
Unrelated
topic: The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show starts tonight
on USA Network! Yay!
February
8, 2002
Wow..I
didn't realized it had been so long since an update. Sorry
folks, I have been VERY busy..too busy. I have been chopping
a buttload of audio for work, and it was not fun. I am SOO
glad it's Friday.....
I
am not sure what is on my agenda this weekend...I may boogie
on down to the yarn store with my magazine in hand to ask
the gurus there what they think about The
Knit Throw Project. I have gotten great ideas and Megan
from Notmartha
sparked some more suggestions from her comments box. (Must
learn how to do those) I really want work on my bedroom
decor because right now it's the ugliest room in my apartment.
It's the dumping ground for things like J's golf clubs,our
broken stereo and stacks and stacks of magazines I need
to go through and throw away. J keeps his skivvies and socks
in a cardboard box and we have no tables to speak of. It's
just horrible. We need new everything and at the top of
my bedroom makeover wish list is horribly expensive white
linen sheets.
This
morning on Martha Stewart Living she showed how to make
lino cut, or block print valentines. Ever since my college
days I have been wanting to try that..it looks like so much
fun. I want to do it on fabric though. I can't seem to find
it on her "Program guide"..the topics that are
listed for today's date do not match what was on the TV.
Here is her kit
instead.
February 5 2002
I
got some GREAT suggestions (thanks ladies! you rock!) for
The Knit Throw Project as I will now be calling it. I have
a tendency to think of things I want to make and then never
end up making them, so we'll see if it happens. Just this
weekend I went to the craft store to buy felt and embroidery
floss to make funky sachets and there were so many color
choices of felt and floss that I got overwhelmed and ended
up leaving without the felt OR the floss. I panicked. I
did call a yarn shop in my area to see if they had some
supplies, and they do....but it would require me getting
dressed and leaving the house to drive to someplace I have
never been before, so I am not sure if it's going to happen.
Ahh..the perils of working from home..I am even lazier than
I was before. I REALLY want to make it, so the chances are
75% I would say. At least I called.
I
want a Lomo camera. I am not really sure
what it is, but I keep reading about it, and other cool
people want one so I want one too. I haven't figured out
were one would develop the film, or where one would buy
the film, but how cool is a Russian spy camera that takes
night pictures?
February
4, 2002
*Update*
I forgot to spell check this morning...I apologize to those
who read my horrible spelling/typing mistakes.
I
had a pretty good weekend....Saturday J and I went to Borders
and I bought a couple of decorating magazines. They are
both English magazines and they are GREAT! One of them is
called "Inspirations" and the other one is "Living
etc." There is a picture of a knitted throw that is
VERY cool. It's the largest, chunkiest, knit I have ever
seen. I really want to make this throw, it looks like it
would be easy because the yarn is so friggin big. Here
is a picture of it. Any of you knitters out there... what
kind of yarn would one use? I explained it to my mom and
she told me about something called broomstick crochet. Crocheting
with a broomstick....I forgot to ask her what one would
make crocheting with a broomstick.
I
was watching Epicurious
on the discovery channel this weekend and they were making
Mozzarella from curd. The co-host of the show mentioned
that they now sell curd on their site, but I cannot find
it. I have always wanted to make mozzarella. I want to make
the baby boconccini....you know the little balls. I have
seen them packed into jars with a marinade of olive oil
and garlic and red pepper....yum. I have cookbook called
"Rodales
Basic Natural Foods Cookbook" and there is a whole
section in there on how to make various kinds of cheeses,
including mozzarella. It looks fairly easy, but you need
something called rennet, and I have never seen rennet in
the stores. It's on the list of "things I need to scour
the internet for when I remember and am in the mood to do
it."
January-->
