HOLA! HOLIDAYS!

Pulla, tutu and magic top hat... all at once!  no i wasn't wearing this while baking.. although the sewing/baking did happen simultaneously!

All in good time!

Today was a fabulous day of making/working/playing!

I just got back from dancing the night away but after work and before going out to party, i:

-made 3 loaves of pulla

-finished the magic pop-top hat for my nephew

-made a fairy tutu for my neice

What a crazy busy, awesomely productive time...

now hopefully i don't crash at an in-opportune moment tomorow during family christmas!

I'll post pictures once i get back from new years'ing with my family in barrie.

zzzaaaaaaa

Tonight i homemade pizza... delish

Here's my favourite 'Yeast free' crust... its like an easy ass thin crust!

2 c. Flour

1 tsp. Salt 

2 tsp. Baking powder

2/3 c. water

   Mix together in a bowl until it gathers into a ball.

   Knead on a floured surface until workable and spreadable.. 2 minutes ish.

   Put on pizza pan, i use a stone but whatever is good for you.  Spread oil on crust.

1/4 vegetable oil

  (helps keep tomato sauce from absorbing into the crust)

  Add yummy toppings  

  Bake at 425 f. for 20 minutes.

Fleurs D'a Fare

A long schemed project of mine is finally filing my apartment and my heart with the happiness of success!  

I've just finished stenciling and cutting out all the 'fleurs D'a Fare' for the holidays... and as prototypes for something i might try to sell to some shops arround..

They are waxed fabric flowers that you we

ar as a lappel pin, and they fold up to hold fifty cents for a phone call or a transit token... hence the name. 

I am in love with them... and i know tha

t the first incarnation will be great as gifts and will help me work out the kinks... i'm going to draw instructions that i can 

photocopy and include with them... and i still need to make pinbacks for them.  

(This is me in my p.j.'s, behind me hangs the freshly stenciled cottons drying before waxing.)

Anyhoo, happy to be getting on with 

christmas making.

Pulla 2: Electric Boogaloo

Eh, Yo,... so i tried making GLUTEN FREE Pulla last night and well, i learned a lot.

No sequel is ever as exciting so i'll keep this short...

-I used KAMUT flour which you really need to knead better because it is a funny consistency. 

-I used about 1tsp of Xanthum Gum per cup of flour which helped make the dough feel light even though it didn't want to be.

Two things happened aside from the projected 'dryness' that is a component of gluten-free breads.  

#1: The dough rose really well before baking, but didn't seam together like the wheat bread and thus, my attempt at a braided loaf turned into a mess of three very thin peices trying to act as one but really not sticking at all.

#2: The bread tastes much better than it looks, but could use more 'sweet' to cancel out the 'nutty' taste of the Kamut. Man am i ever glad i put raisins in or i would just pitch this loaf altogether.

NEXT TIME:

-Use 1/4 cup more sugar for the recipie

-Only let the dough rise once for about 1hour and 15min's before baking.

-Skip the 'braiding' and make a loaf or 'pukkopulla-muffins' instead.  Less crust=more fluffy!

GRABSAC's!!!!

I have been pondering the design of reusable bags for some months now.  I use them almost every day... at least twice a week when picking up food and other fun stuff at the shops on my street. 

I have one 'reisenthal' bag, which is large enough for a whole trip and hangs nicely from my shoulder but has a silly little pouch that you're supposed to use to carry it in which is useless.

I started planning my pattern, wanting to make the most economy of the material i had, and intending to include an inside pocket that, like those on a k-way jacket would also serve as a little built in 'pocket-ita' to store the bag while it isn't being used.  

I think i've got it down now, after several failed attempts.

I'm just trying to decide what to print on the bags... something kind of fun and or witty would be great... but failing that, just something pretty would do.

I'm off to google quotes about sustainability.

I think my fall back will be 'Hold Me'

I'll be giving these as christmas presents this year... and as with the Fleurs D'a Fare, intend to use the feedback about them as fodder to perhaps start making them to sell in some of the shops arround town.  

Happy to be 'in production'!

This is the final design folded up into the inside pocket its about 5" square.  :) 

Hoorah Hanukkah

More than anything... this has been the marking of a deadline for one of my personal projects, my stepmother is jewish and i've been planning to make the table runners she requested last year for her hanukkah/christmas present this year. 

Its almost one in the morning and i'm glad to be finished. 

In the spirit of burning midnight oil, i'm also glad to have learned WHAT TENSION IS FOR on my sewing machine. 

Note to self:  Lower number = less dense/resistant materials!

I'll see if i can get a picture of them on her table and post that later on... for now i'd rather not look at any more blue silk for a while.

P.S. I think i'm a sucker because i made a storage/gift bag too...

Ok.  Sleepytime.

(two days later, my father phoned to say... 'we love them', i asked him to send me a photo by email so i'll post it when/if that happens.  either way, i'm glad to have done it!

I'm a Card...

Its funny all of a sudden to feel like 'I'm an adult and so should act like one!'  I'll be sending christmas cards this year, and will try to write in them too... What a great way to check in and let people know that you think of them!  I'm actually excited!

I printed sixty christmas cards on sunday... it was fun, and i hung them all along the walls of the living room like a garland!  

They're a lino engraving of my bike (wheezie) with a wreath on the basket in front of my building.... SO ME RIGHT NOW!

I got the idea from my mom 'a picture of that would make a great holiday card!'.

Now all i have to do is write stuff in them and send them out, i'm accumulating addresses as we speak!

I'm off to warm up my gold and silver ink pens!!!