Joy sent me a link to a whole bunch of jewelry projects made out of Barbie shoes. Since none of us could ever walk in them, we will have to settle for crafting with them!
The phrase "hard crack phase" makes me think of...
a. 1991 through 1993, then rehab
b. my time in Catholic school
c. walnuts
d. two or more of the above
According to my sister, "hard crack phase" is a candy-making term used to describe somewhere around 300 degrees. Certs me. I was just looking everywhere in this city for "toffee bits" in order to make a blondie recipe from the October 2003 Everyday Food, which Martha promised were "easy to find near the chocolate chips in any grocery store," with little success (Although my sister also says they are in fact easy to find near the chocolate chips. Ha! Maybe in Indiana!). So I decided to make my own toffee. You would not believe how easy it is! I made one batch plain to break up into bits, and one batch of chocolate-almond toffee bark. The whole process took about 10 minutes. Here's how:
INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet, but some like milk)
slivered almonds
DIRECTIONS
Heat the sugar and butter in a saucepan over medium low heat, stirring slowly but steadily. You will see the mixture go through several phases, sort of like a chemistry experiment. When it turns beige, after 7-8 minutes, throw in a few almonds, give it a stir to mix. Don't let the color get too dark - if it starts to accumulate little bubbles on the surface, it's overdone and will taste burned. I had to experiment with a smaller batch to figure out when it was done, but I'd say 7-8 minutes should do it on a gas stove at least. Remove from heat and pour the mixture out onto a greased cookie sheet or pyrex. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let them melt and spread them out with a spatula, then sprinkle with more slivered almonds. Let cool, then crack up into 2" pieces. Yum!
If you must do it the high-maintenance way, here's Martha's toffee recipe from the Food Network.
Don't you miss your Lite-Brite? I have a vague memory of them resurfacing a few years ago as a hipster toy, but anything hipster usually passes me by. Anyway, Cool Hunting has a few links on Lite-Brite Art. If you are into technology and design, you might want to check out Cool Hunting in general; the guy who writes it has a great eye!
I'm pretty sure sushi lip gloss doesn't taste like maguro, but it is quite witty!
Yesterday Chris and I got a tree, to which we gave default name in Chris' family, "Bob." Chris has two uncles and a grandfather named "Bob," and several other male relatives with "Robert" as a middle name. So we figured it was predestiny. This morning we and Bob all had a little drama, as we discovered that Bob was not drinking properly and had to conduct a major life-saving operation by taking him down and cutting an inch off his trunk using the teeny-weeny hand saw I use for cutting dowels for knitting needles. A lot of sweat and swearing ensued, but the patient appears to be doing fine now, and the apartment is good and smelly. For those of you who prefer not to do Christmas tree care by the seats of your pants, check out Martha's Christmas Tree 101.
What do you think of the nifty vintage tree topper I found at Village Thrift in NJ?
I saw an ad for this amazing human creation in the NY Times this morning... It's difficult to believe that 1) it exists and 2) it is intended as a flattering portrait of our president. So run, don't walk, to get your very own George in the Box before they're all gone, and remember, volume discounts, people!
Can you believe it? Martha has Channukah projects! True, it's lame stuff like "wrapping gifts" and making candles out of construction paper - not up to Martha's usual standards, methinks - but at least there are instructions on the dreidel game, because I always forget how to play.
Yes, the holidays are commercial. No, despite what you might hear I do believe in private property (unlike some of my pinko friends). The holidays are a great time for crafting, and provide a wonderful opportunity to buy gifts from handcrafters and other small businesses. Unfortunately, I don't have time to be very comprehensive, but here are a few ideas and resources for that special William-Morris-Influenced Someone:
Cut x Paste's Handcrafted Holiday Guide
A wonderful place to begin... and don't forget to check out the consignments on the main site.
I Buy D.I.Y.
A sprawling directory of D.I.Y. sites. Takes a little time to go through, but the people here are hard core craftspeople.
TrampLamps
Don't get too excited, boys. This light-up lingerie is for illumination, not wear. But it is lovely nonetheless.
Frecklewonder
Lovely handmade jewelry, handbags, accessories, and vintage goods.
Carol's Daughter
A Brooklyn natural cosmetics shop w/ the goods for every skin type.
Stop the presses, everyone - Fig and Plum is going to Movable Type! Now that I'm in law school, there is no time for this high-maintenance do-it-yourself crap. By the way, there are some good blogs on MT's website. I don't even have a TV, but Reality Blurred, a reality TV blog (aka "daily news from the TV whoredom") still sucked me in. Did you guys know that Ozzy Osbourne was in a serious accident?