some kind of weekend
A holiday weekend is upon us. We usually have something planned to celebrate since I can’t resist a holiday filled with bunnies and chocolate. This year, things will be a little quieter (I won’t be making an extravagant brunch like last year). We will be gathering with family at the restaurant my grandfather would take us to every Easter to do a little remembering.
Like I said, I can’t resist bunnies, so I molded a few out of marzipan. I wish marzipan here in the states was as delicious as the stuff I’ve had from Germany. I’ve been craving sweet almond things, so perhaps these bunnies will get little almond cakes to live on.
I’m hoping maybe we’ll have the opportunity to take a few photos with this Graphlex we bought ages ago. It’s just a matter of getting the film for it. Hooray for ancient cameras. I also found a roll of black and white film that I’d like to use. What sort of photos does one take with black and white these days? It seems like only portraits are appropriate for some reason.
I’ve started down the path of renovating things in our home that have been bugging me as I mentioned. I can see now, it’s going to be a long road.
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and enjoys an extra day off if you have one. Need some ideas for craft and treat projects? Here are a few from years past:
- How about some pom pom bunnies & chicks?
- You could also decorate a bunny cake
butcher block update
Since our apartment is from the 1930’s, there is only a small amount of counter space, a good portion of which is taken up by appliances (and often, dirty dishes). Our butcher block gives me much more room to work, to roll out pie crusts, chop vegetables and everything else (plus it holds all our dishes below). With a few years of use, and misuse, the counter wasn’t looking so hot. It was stained from a leaky coffee maker at our old apartment and burned from when I accidentally set a hot pan on it. These dark circle drove me crazy, always getting in the way of photos and otherwise just being ugly.
I finally bit the bullet and sanded the whole thing down, getting rid of the offending circles and stains. Such a relief. I topped it off with a few coats of butcher block oil and it’s looking just like new. I was thinking of adding one more coat of oil for extra protection, but I like the look of lighter, non-glossy wood so we’ll see.
Minus the time it took for the oil to dry (72 hours!) the whole thing took less than an hour to sand and coat with oil. I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to take care of something that drives me so crazy. So happy I finally did it!
This is the beginning of the making my kitchen exactly how I want it project, but I’ll save any further developments until it’s done. Exciting stuff!
toast quilt
Ever since I made our wedding quilt, I’ve wanted to make another. The truth is though, I was a little intimidated. While my first attempt turned out well in the end, it was quite the struggle, and was by no means perfect. The thought of making a larger quilt was even more frightening. Yet, the idea still festered in the back of my mind. Then somewhere on the internet I saw this idea of a tiny quilt made for breakfast and I knew it was the perfect project.
The toast quilt (which I guess is actually called a mug rug) is sort of like a pot holder, except rectangular. In theory you’d put your coffee on there with your toast but I really just wanted one for the toast. It drives me sort of crazy to put toast on a plate unless it’s totally flat, otherwise it slips around when you are putting your spread on. Yes, I’m extremely particular about my toast. Often I’ll just use a napkin, but a quilted coaster is even better.
I had a few fabric samples designed by Jenean Morrison that I scored at Alt Summit, which were perfect for this tiny project. For the rest I used leftover fabric and batting from the previous quilt. I probably should have picked a more appropriate binding but the tan was already cut and ironed so I just went with it. I still need to work on cutting my squares perfectly the same size and also on my binding but I am very happy with my tiny quilt and already want to make more. The truth is it only barely scratched my quilting itch. I’ve resigned to make a full sized quilt, but I should probably do a little more practice first.
April is here
I can’t help but jump on any opportunity for a new beginning, so with the first week of April, I’m starting new, with new goals and new aspirations. March was exciting with our trip to Austin, and our fabulous Mad Men party, but on a more personal level, it was an introspective time for me. Maybe because we had such highs, the other times, the normal times, I felt like I was treading water. So I’m greeting April with more of a plan.
April marks one year since we moved in to our current apartment. It’s hard to believe we’ve been here this long as I’m still in love with our place like it is brand new. We’ve decorated some of the rooms to our liking but there are a few larger projects I’ve been putting off. Mainly the kitchen. Since it is a rental, there isn’t a ton we can do, but the cabinets could use a fresh coat of paint and I’d love to install some shelves for all our appliances.
On the creative front, I want to remind myself to take more photos. To be honest, I don’t consider myself a photographer, it really is just a means of portraying other things, but I do think I need to start pushing myself. I want to be better. Sometimes I just need to take the time to set up a shot (which isn’t always as easy as it sounds when you’re in the middle of making a dish or about to eat it). Mostly though, I just need to get out there and shoot more things, to get past my nervousness of pulling out my camera. Also, I need to trust myself more when editing photos.
This photo is a million years old.
Another always persistent goals is to be more active. I love riding my bike, but I don’t do it nearly as much as I would like to. I know if I make the effort it would benefit me tremendously, physically and mentally.
My biggest goal, and this is more a life goal, is something in three parts. I just need to keep reminding myself of these things always.
1. Put myself out there – I am confident in the things that I do, but I’m not vocal about it. It’s easy to let things pass me by rather than just reaching for opportunities. I know partially this is because I’m really introverted by nature (you may not know this because of the blog but virtual life is a shield for real life). You have to ask for what you want or you’ll never get it. Part of this is that I want to collaborate with more creative people on projects. I do a lot of things on my own, (of course I work with this guy a lot obviously) but I want to branch out. I think working with others is the best way to learn to approach things differently and grow your own creativity.
2. Take risks – This is related to above, but it also means taking creative risks. I’m fairly comfortable with my creative endeavors, and it’s time to challenge myself. April is the time this will happen as I’m going to direct a short film. I’m excited and nervous and have tons to do. It also means trying new things on this blog, even simple things like a little more design in each post.
3. Follow through – I have tons and tons of ideas all the time. Some are big ideas and some are little projects. The sad truth though is that many of them remain only ideas. I’ve been working on at least writing them down so they aren’t forgotten but more importantly, I need to start and complete many of these projects.
I’m excited and hopeful for what is to come. Do you have any goals or plans for this new month or just for life?
apple butter
We had a bunch of apples and they were coming to that point where something had to be done with them. I knew they weren’t going to be eaten on their own as I really only like the tart green apples. As much as I enjoy apple pie, I just wasn’t in the mood to make one. It had to be something new. So despite the fact that it’s not really the season for apple dishes, I thought it was finally time to try my hand at apple butter.
I blended the apples into a sauce, and simply cooked it down with a bit of sugar and some spices in my slow cooker. 24 hours later I had creamy, delicately sweet apple butter. I didn’t get all fancy and preserve the jar, I just popped it in the fridge as there’s only enough to last about a week (less at this rate).
As a complement, I made some simple English muffins so I wasn’t just eating the butter out of the jar. I love the combination of the savory muffin and earth balance with the apple butter. I think it would also be great stirred into some oatmeal or in the middle of a layer cake. Yes please.
With summer fruits around the corner, maybe I’ll get daring and try my hand at some jellies and jams.
