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Friday, December 27, 2013

Pet Stocking

Growing up, all us kids had personalized stockings.  My parents picked out stocking for us with a cool design or character on it, and my mother wrote our names in glitter.  I always liked that tradition, and I would love to continue that tradition when my husband and I start our own family.  Right now though, our pets are our family.  And like kids, they each have their own personality traits and different looks.  I wanted to make truly unique stockings for my furry kids that captured their spirit.  

All of these stockings were made with felt and lots of love. 

Henrik: The crazy eyed, always excitable Australian Shepherd.   


Gordo: The happy ginger cat.
And Puffin:  The princess kitty.


 After creating these stocking and posting them on facebook, they were so well received!  People loved them!  So here's a few more that I've created...


Vegas: The pampered Mini Schnauzer.

Unfortunately, I don't have a complete picture of this stocking
 



Toby: The playful and doofy lab mix.
 


Lucky: The Cutie Yorkie.
               
This stocking was made with a combination of felt and yarn

Molly: The Poised Mini Poodle.
 


Kayto: The shy American Eskimo .
 


Cosmo: the playful American Eskimo mix (Kayto's brother).
Cosmo has light beige spots by his ears, I created that effect by using tea as a dye.  It worked well and it smells yummy!


Callie: The sassy and silly tortoiseshell cat.

So that's what I've been working on for Christmas and why I haven't been posting.  If you'd like one of these personalized stocking for one of your furry kids, let me know!  They are $20 a piece and I do require a week or so to create them, so place your orders for next Christmas now!

Hope everybody is enjoying their holidays!  Here's a bit of holiday cheer I made for my kitchen while making some Broccoli & Cheddar soup - recipe coming soon!   ;-)

Broccoli stem and carrot peels    Ho Ho Ho!

Stay crafty!
~The Craftmeister

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Honey or Sugar Banana Bread

Remember in the 90's when Bread Makers were huge?  There were infomercials, huge displays at the department stores, all promising a machine that could make a whole loaf of bread and not take all day!   The Maders had one too.  My parents made all sorts of bread, and it made the house smell awesome.  I thought about them the other day and so I was inspired to make some Banana Bread.  Well, that and my bananas were looking too sad to eat, but just right for baking.



Dan and I picked up some Wildflower honey from the farmer's market in Warwick, NY.  It's some damn good honey.  I wanted to find a recipe that used honey in it to give the bread an extra boost of flavor.  Unfortunately, when I had found a recipe I couldn't get the jar of honey open.  The honey got under the lid and made the top stuck to the jar.  So after looking at other recipes, I adapted the honey recipe to a different recipe - one with sugar instead.

I did and it was great!

Uhh... I should have taken the picture earlier.


Later that same evening, my wonderful strong husband opened the honey jar for me (some honey from my honey).  The first batch of Banana Bread was so good I figure I'd make the Honey Banana Bread too and let you know how they compared!

Watching me mix


Becca's Banana Bread 

 2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Sugar
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
Pinch of Salt
1 Cup Mashed Bananas (about two bananas)
2 Eggs
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/4 Cup Milk
1Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
Parchment Paper/Wax Paper

Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper (or wax paper).
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl, set aside.  In large bowl combine bananas, eggs, oil, milk, & vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients to banana mixture. Mix until moistened. Add chocolate chips.  Pour into parchment lined loaf pan. 

Bake for 60 min or until it passes the toothpick test.  Cool for 10 min in pan, let stand on wire rack for 30 min before slicing.


Honey Banana Bread 

1 3/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Honey
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
Pinch of Salt
1 Cup Mashed Bananas (about two bananas)
2 Eggs
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil 
1/4 Cup Hot Water
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
Parchment Paper/Wax Paper

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper (or wax paper).  Beat honey and oil together in a large bowl.  Add eggs, mix well.  Stir in bananas & vanilla.  Stir in flour and salt.  Add baking soda to hot water and add to banana mixture.  Add chocolate chips.  Pour into parchment lined loaf pan. 

Bake for at least 60 min or until it passes the toothpick test.  Cool for 10 min in pan, let stand on wire rack for 30 min before slicing. 
  

Honey Banana Bread


Craftmeister's Verdict:
Personally I liked them both!  The sugar banana bread had more of a spicy flavor to it, you could really taste how the cinnamon and nutmeg complimented the bananas. The honey bread was more moist tasting but I think the flavored honey may have extinguished the cinnamon flavor.  Don't get me wrong, they were both delicious!  But delicious in different ways.  If I were to make it again, I'd prob make it with the sugar.  I think with the type of honey I used - locally purchased Wildflower Honey - it didn't taste how I wanted, and the honey isn't cheap. 


I love baking in this weather.  It warms up the house and you don't have to put the heat on!  I got a recipe from my sister in law for Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Cider Donuts.  I may have to try baking those next!  

Stay Baking, 
~The Craftmeister

 

The bathroom is no place for...

I'm currently in the process of redoing one of the bathrooms in my house.  It's a small bathroom on the main floor; it's the one that gets used the most.  As some of you may know, I have a modest rubber ducky collection.  Hahaha, who am I kidding!?  I love rubber ducks!  I have devil duckies, cowboy duckies, sheriff duckies, graduation duckies, leprechaun duckies... and the list goes on.  So to match, I painted half of the bathroom a buttery yellow.  The bottom half of the bathroom is covered by white beadboard/wainscoting, so it's not too overwhelmingly yellow.  I was looking for ideas on Pinterest for additional bathroom decor ideas, something kitschy that would compliment the many duckies.  And what I found really, really put me off of bathroom decor.

What is with the passive aggressive signs for the bathroom?

Here are some of the best of the worst....

Wash Your Hands and Say Your Prayers, Because Jesus and Germs are Everywhere! 

If You Sprinkle When You Tinkle, Please Be Sweet and Wipe the Seat. 

My Aim is to Keep This Bathroom Clean, Your Aim Will Help. 

This Bathroom Was Clean Yesterday... So Sorry You Missed It

Changing the Toilet Paper Roll Will Not Cause Brain Damage 

Then there's the many rules on one sign trend that have basically all of the things listed above, but lovingly signed "Love, Mom".  Seriously?  Are people who use your bathroom that dirty that they need stupid reminders in the bathroom?  Or maybe people just think it's cute?  I really don't get it. 

I DO like cute signs in the bathroom.  Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Baths 5¢, Smile, Powder Room, or my personal favorite for a full bathroom.... Get Naked. All perfectly fine in my book!   But don't nag at me to clean behind my ears while I'm on the John.... 

Am I alone in this?

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

It's a Wrap!

When I did my internship back in 2004, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to work at a designer jewelry showroom in New York City.  I worked for the designer Chan Luu, she's made jewelry that was featured on the shows Charmed, Friends, and more recently, Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  All of her jewelry was beautiful and handmade with real gemstones.  One particular style really caught my eye, and I went home and played with my jewelry and string until I mastered how to make....

The Wrap Bracelet


Getting Started
You'll need
*Leather cord (Twice the length of your desired finished piece, plus 12 inches).
Cut the cord to twice the length of the desired bracelet size PLUS 12 inches. For example, a 7.5-inch bracelet will require 27 inches of cord. - See more at: http://www.fusionbeads.com/Wrapped-Cord-Bracelet#sthash.HDPFfPmY.dpuf
Cut the cord to twice the length of the desired bracelet size PLUS 12 inches. For example, a 7.5-inch bracelet will require 27 inches of cord. - See more at: http://www.fusionbeads.com/Wrapped-Cord-Bracelet#sthash.HDPFfPmY.dpuf
*A whole bunch of beads, similar in style (if this is your first piece, it's easier to use all the same size bead.  Once you get more advanced you can experiment with different sizes together)
*Nylon thread (or nylon coated thread) Non stretch **Craftmeister tip** I always use nylon thread, or nylon coated thread because over time natural fibers break down.  Items made with silk or cotton thread are very delicate and can fall apart if worn every day.  
*A needle thin enough to fit through your beads
*A button (optional, you may use one of the beads from your selection as a button if it's big enough)
*A clipboard for easy holding **Craftmeister tip** I don't have a clipboard at home, so I used a piece of cardboard and a hair clip.  Totally worked!
*An afternoon free

Fold your leather in half and make a slipknot at the top. Make it sized so you could fit your button through it tight.  This will eventually be your clasp.  For my example I'm going to use one of the beads from my project as the button. I'm also using contrasting thread and leather colors so it cold be seen easier on the tutorial.

Cut about 8 feet of the nylon thread for your project.  If you're not comfortable with working with longer pieces of string, you can use shorter lengths, but you'll need to attach it when you run out.  **Craftmeister tip** Your arm span should be about your height (unless you're Michael Phelps) so I always hold my arms apart as far as they could go and I know it will give me a string a little over 5 feet long.  Much easier than measuring.

Tie the nylon thread in a knot on the left strand of the leather, just under the leather knot.  Slide the knot up to the leather knot to hide it, and clip the knot to the clipboard for easy holding. Slide one bead onto the thread and place it in between the two leather strands.  The bead should be situated so both holes are horizontal. Wrap the thread around the right leather strand once, back to front.  Then thread back through the bead.  Wrap around the left leather strand, back to front.  Thread through the bead again.  This first bead has an extra stitch in it to hold it in place. 

The placement of the first few beads are tougher than the rest of the bracelet because you're setting it up and training the leather how to bend. 



 The thread should now be on the right side under the right leather strand.  Wrap the thread over the leather, strand a bead onto the thread.  Bring the thread under the left leather strand and wrap it over and through the bead. The thread should end up under the right leather strand. 





Wrap the thread over the right strand, thread one bead.  Wrap the thread from back to front over the left leather strand.   Thread back through the bead, pull the thread from under the leather and wrap over.  Repeat until it is the desired length. 



 Try not to lay the beads too tight next to each other, you want there to be room for movement.
You can do it all in one step!

Keep the under-over pattern going. If you switch to over-under your beads will pop and not stay in place.  Try your best to keep the leather straight.  If you stitch with the leater twisted, your finished project will also be twisted.

Continue threading the beads onto the leather until it's at a lenth that you like and that can fit around your wrist as many times as you'd like.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments!  I'll be sure to help you with any problems you have.


Feeling lazy? 
 You could order the bracelet seen in this tutorial from me for $60, or you could buy the "real thing" from Chan Luu here.
Please leave a comment if you're interested or if you've tried the tutorial yourself!  I'd love to see what you made out there! 

Happy Crafting!
~The Craftmeister



Thursday, October 17, 2013

Border Patrol

My first solo crochet project is almost finished!  


The color combination looks great, but the sides are a little sloppy.  So I've decided to add a border to the scarf after I'm done.  In order to finish the scarf I'm using up all the yarn I bought for it.  The yarns all came in a package of other yarn, so I really don't want to buy more.  In addition to the brown, pink, white, purple, and beige used for the scarf, I have green, lavender, and a soft buttery yellow yarn.

Which color do you think works best for the border?  I'm leaning towards the green, only because it's another favorite color of mine.  I'm not convinced that it goes with the color scheme of the scarf.  I could always use white to border the scarf, but that's so boring!

Let me know in the comments what you think, and of course I'll post picture once it's all completed! 

Stay crafty.
-The Craftmeister

Friday, October 11, 2013

I Love Yarn Day 2013


Happy I Love Yarn Day!  


In honor of this craftified glorious day, I want to share with you and showcase my awesome Picture-Afghan made for me by my mother a few years back.  It's by far the most impressive piece of crochet workI have ever seen.  It's huge - covers my queen sized bed - and it has my baby kittums, Gordo, featured on it.  Gordo was a stray cat, and he loved looking out the window at the birds when we lived in Queens.  He'd sit there all day... staring, plotting, and wanting to chase them.  My mother made this blanket with Gordo sitting on the grass looking lovingly (or hungrily?) at a mother bird feeding her chicks.   Here it is! 



The entire blanket is made up of small 'granny squares' in all different colors, and a few topically applied details (the faces, beaks).  For a total of 580 granny squares, I know for a fact that my mother worked on this blanket for months.  You know the expression 'Made With Love'?  Well, when you're working on a project for so long and you have a specific recipient in mind, something happens.... You keep in your mind  - for almost the entire time you're making the project - of the final awesome moment when the recipient opens it, or gets it.  So I know that my mother thought of me and Gordo for a long long time while making this. 

Gordo knows too.  Look!  Here he is, checking out himself.

Cat-ception



Now I'd like to share a few teaser pictures of some projects that I'm working on for some very very special ladies.  Pardon the vague pictures, but I don't want to give too much away! 

A Blanket I'm working on 
And some appliques for a blanket that I'll be starting soon

I'm also making some great progress on my chevron scarf for myself.  I used my favorite colors; purple, earth tone beiges, pink, and a neutral white.  I'm very excited about it, and I think I'll be able to finish it before the cold weather REALLY kicks in.  The yarn I'm using is so soft, and very thin.  It feels soooo nice as a scarf, but I have to use the smallest crochet hook and make very tight and tiny stitches so it's taking me longer than I anticipated.  But, let me tell you, the Chevron stitch is so much fun!  It's really really easy, but looks like it takes a lot of work.  Here it is so far... 

I love the depth of the rows,  and the texture created just by the stitch alone.  I still have another half to make, and I will post the completed pictures and the pattern when I'm done.  

What are you working on for this I Love Yarn Day 2013?  Please share in the comments below, I'd love to hear what you're up to!




Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Virgin Entry (Wait, that sounds dirty...)

Welcome to my blog! This is my first entry on any blog, ever.  Unless you count the Xanga pages we all had in Middle School.   Remember those?  Everyone was so interested in themselves back then... "Everyone wants to read how AWESOME I am!"     I don't want to get that disillusioned about this blog, so I'll try to keep it interesting for you all.

On this blog I'll talk about the projects I have going on around the house, and crafts, and cooking, and things I find interesting.  Of course if you haven't already, I suggest you follow me on Pinterest.  My boards are a mess, but they're usually the seeds to what you'll see on here.
http://www.pinterest.com/yodameister

So what kind of projects do I have going on now?  Well we're year two in owning a house and we haven't done as much as we wanted to in our first year.  But this past month, we've made progress!  We painted the bathroom downstairs from a dreary blue to a bright yellow.  It will match my rubber duckies so much better now!  I'll post before and after pictures once I'm done decorating and putting finishing touches on there.

Also, I recently started crocheting and I'm tackling about three different projects now.  A few baby blankets, and a scarf for myself with my favorite colors.  As some of you may remember, my mother was QUEEN of crocheting.  She'd make a baby blanket a week.  Even if she didn't know the person very well - if they were prego, they were getting a blanket. Even towards the end of her life she was crocheting and making blankets for people, even if the chemo drugs made her hands tremble and caused her to forget who the blanket was for.... So in her memory I'm teaching myself to crochet.  My mother and I made a granny-square vest when I was in high school, but I wasn't really good at it and got frustrated with it (High schoolers... amiright?) But now that I have the patience and appreciation that comes with age, I'm much better at it.  And what's even better is I think of my mom now every time I crochet, and it's a wonderful way to honor her memory.
 
One of my favorite pictures of my mom and me

And I'm cooking now!  I started a recipe book and everything.  And - get this - I'm pretty good!  My cooking experiments come out real tasty! Cooking, baking, frying, I have lots of tricks under my sleeves.

I know a lot of these "housewife" blogs have advice on how to deal with children.  Sorry gals, I don't have any yet.  But I do have some crazy furry four legged beings that are basically my children.   So I may have some entries about them and some advice if I find any valuable information for you all.   I have two kitties and a dog.  And since people with kids love to show you pictures, here's pictures of MY furry kids!

Gordo 

He's now 6 years old.  I found him in Rosedale when he was a kitten and saved him from being a matted flea-ridden skin and bones, into the fat happy cat he is today.  He was named Gordo because at the time he looked like a miniature version of my sister's cat, Pumpkin.  I figured a small pumpkin is a gourd, and since he was so skinny naming him Gordo would be like ironically calling a huge guy Tiny (Gordo means 'fat' in Spanish).  Now, he's grown into his name.... unironically. 

Puffin

She's almost 3 years old, and very small.  Dan and I got her from a shelter and she got very sick after we had her only a few months.  We soon found out she ate and swallowed a string that was caught in her throat and was severing her intestines.  She had emergency surgery and is now a healthy small kitty. She's also the most vocal cat I've ever known.  She meows every time you touch her, sometimes she meows if she sees you coming.  She's my little Puffin Muffin.  She's named after the arctic bird, the Puffin, because of her coloring.


 And...

Henrik 
The almost two year old Australian Shepherd puppy.  The first dog for both Dan and me.  Henrik is a really well behaved and very, very cute pup.  He fills every day with laughter just by being the loveable pooch that he is.  We named him after our favorite hockey player, Henrik Lundqvist.  He's the goalie for the NY Rangers, and his name is the Swedish version of Henry, which means 'King of his house'. 

So that's the introduction for this blog, I hope you all enjoy reading what I have to share!

Enjoy!