Saturday, February 23, 2013

Modern Baby Blanket



Look what I made!  It came straight from the pages of Printing By Hand by Lena Corwin.  I'm so happy with the result!  She has such hip, cool paint crafts in that book!  I highly recommend it!  Buy it here!

My next step is to create my own stencils, sew them up and sell to you and your friends!  Once I create, you know I'll share!  

More pics:



Tell me what you think! 

ciao!






Thursday, February 21, 2013

Write More Letters! - Nicely Noted

There is nothing like sending a letter...or better yet....receiving one!  Sifting through coupons and bills upon bills, you see a HAND ADDRESSED envelope and you know you have something special.  It's like a little pouch of love!

I love sending & receiving and so am thrilled to have found Nicely NotedNicely Noted is a stationary subscription service.  All cards are letterpressed and adorable.  They come from artists from all ends of the country right to your door. 


I love Nicely Noted because they take the hassle out of card shopping AND they encourage me to send hand-written gems to my far-away friends and family.  Stamps Included!  You can always count on Perry and her staff to set you up with hip, fun and beautiful cards. 

Get a subscription for yourself or buy as a gift for a friend...possibly one that lives far away.  If you do, tell them Samartiepants sent you :)



  
My latest collection!




Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Vegan "Calzone"






This weekend I was craving pizza so I chose a tart recipe I had made in January and adapted it to a calzone style dish.

The recipe I adapted is from www.cookstr.com and is their Italian Rustic Squash & Kale Tart.  It looks amazing and tastes so delicious too!  I doubled the recipe and made it for my brother-in-law's birthday and it came out quite well.  This calzone was a bit more of a challenge due to the sauciness of the tomatoes I added but was equally as delicious...maybe even more so.

I tried this last week with wheat flour and it just didn't roll out well.  If you are going to use wheat flour, find a wheat crust recipe that you love...do not simply substitute it with the white flour below.

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups White Flour (do not use pastry flour)
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/3 cup Ice Cold Water

Filling:
1tbsp olive oil
Green Olives
1/2 Red Pepper chopped
1/2 Green Pepper chopped
2 cloves Garlic
1 Medium Yellow Onion
1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes - no salt added
1 Bunch Spinach, Kale or other leafy green
1 block Italian Seasoned Seitan - I used Upton's Italian "Sausage"
Salt & Pepper to your liking
1 or 2 dashes of Italian Seasoning
1 or 2 dashes of hot chile flakes

Directions:

Crust:
1. Combine the flour and salt and whisk or mix with fork
2. Slowly add the olive oil and mix with hands or fork
3. Slowly drizzle the ice cold water
4. When it starts to stick, knead into a ball
5. Cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated for at least 30 minutes

Filling:
While the dough is chilling, start your filling.
1. Add olive oil to saute pan on medium heat
2. Add garlic and onion and let sautee until onions are tender
3. Add peppers and olives and saute until peppers are tender
4. Add tomatoes, seitan, seasoning, s&p and hot chile flakes
5. Let cook 5-10 minutes
6. Add Spinach at the very end.  Cook just until it settles into pan.  DO NOT let your greens turn to mush!





















Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly oil your pie dish or pizza pan with oil.  The dish works better for this recipe because the filling is looser.

After 30 minutes or more, take your dough out of the fridge.  Place a piece of parchment paper on your work surface and sprinkle with flour.

Roll out your dough to a thin 14" circle.  Your dough will be very thin.  Carefully transfer to your dish or pan.  Add your filling to the center of the dough.  Once your filling is there, start folding the ends of your dough over the filling, keeping the center of the tart exposed.








Brush a tiny bit of oil on top of the folded dough and place a bit of foil on top of the center so that the filling will not burn.  Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. (I cooked mine for around 40.  Next time I'll cook longer for a crunchier crust)



I served my "calzone" with a side of  "gravy" or tomato/pasta sauce (I used Cadia organic) that I mixed with a new local favorite - EIEIO Pesto!  It is a vegan pesto found in the deli at the Natural Grocer on Guadalupe.  You can also find her at the downtown farmer's market.  Soooo tasty!






Next time I'll have fresh basil to top and garnish with.  You could also mix the pesto in with the veggie saute. 

Serves 4.  Enjoy!



Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Revamp that Old Tramp!

I recently revived an old sofa table for my friends, the Stefani's.  They love the table and the detail, as do I, but were over the faded yellow and the leg wobble.



My Steps to go from "eh" to "ahhh!"


1. Disassemble 

It is waaaay easier to work with parts.  Especially on a piece like this one that has these pretty bowed legs.

2. Sand or Strip

I chose to sand...so will talk about that process.  You want to use a COURSE grade sandpaper (P60-P120) to remove paint.  I used my Mouse sander first and then decided to give my husband's Dewalt man sander a go seeing as though there was a lot of layers to get through.  I love my Mouse.  It's super small and perfect for a lady in the studio...but the Dewalt is more powerful, hands down.  After you've sanded the paint off, you want to sand it again with a FINE grade sandpaper (P500) to smooth everything out before painting your first coat.  Be sure to wipe away all dust before painting.
*Unfortunately, I don't have a pic.  I was beat after the sanding...my least favorite part.

3. Reassemble

I decided to reassemble.  I don't have the tools to prop up a leg piece while painting, so I thought it best to reassemble.  The leg wobble was a concern of the Stefani's, so I decided to glue those pieces together.  I used Titebond Ultimate wood glue.  It's the best!  I glued the legs in, screwed them back on and used C-Clamps to hold each leg together.

4. Prime

I had some spray primer left over from another project so I went with that.  You have to use primer if you want a quality job done.  Period.  No questions asked.  Otherwise the paint seeps into the wood and the color is uneven.  Trust me...



5. Paint

My favorite part :)  So...I used spray paint...and I'm sorry I did.  I was trying to save money but ended up paying just as much or more for 4 cans as I would've a half gallon of paint.  The Stefani's wanted a more neutral color so I chose Rust-Oleum in Espresso Satin.  If I would've bought a canned paint, I would've had so many more fun browns to choose from, but this one turned out nicely.

6. Seal

I love to seal, but you have to sand again between coats...aye yai yai!  I used Minwax Satin Polyurethane.  Lay your first layer.  Follow the directions and wait 3+ hours. Then use a VERY FINE grade sandpaper (P1200+) to flatten your first shiny layer.  Then reapply another layer.


7. Marvel at your work!






Heart Day Gifts for Your Lady

It's not too late guys!  Show her you love her, can't live without her!

Check out these AMAZING Etsy finds:

Neck Love: 


Ox Blood Red Geometric Necklace


Color Block Necklace


Gold Vintage Lily of the Valley Necklace




Wood & Stones:

 

Amethyst Druzy


Triangle Wood Earrings

Black Tourmaline

Rose Quartz Ring




Cuuuute:

Wooden Salad Bowl Set of 2

Dr. Who Daleks in Love

Heart Collage Art Series

Personalized Robots in Love Print

Lip Balm Lemonade

Air Plant Holders Made from Reclaimed Wood

Fox Print




Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Mardi Gras Madness - Fat Tuesday Hurricane Recipe

Gumbo Shmumbo!  I'll be drinking my calories this evening thank you very much! 

Happy Hurricane Day!  If you're out and about, be safe....and if you want beads...don't get them from just ANYBODY!  :)  


New Orleans Hurricane


Ingredients:

  • 2 oz light rum
  • 2 oz dark rum
  • 2 oz passion fruit juice
  • 1 oz orange juice
  • ½ oz fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tablespoon simple syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon grenadine
  • Garnish: orange slice and cherry


Place all ingredients in a shaker with ice.  Shake, shake, shake. Strain in a hurricane glass or other fancy glass full of ice. Garnish with a wedge of orange, a cherry or 2 and of course, a fancy straw.



Monday, February 11, 2013

Coffee Talk - Chemex Tutorial


 The best part of waking up....is NOT Folgers in your cup.  It's what this little guy creates.  No...it's not a science project...it's not a beaker...it's my love, The Chemex!


I thought The Chemex was thought up by some Alaskan mountain hippies.  I have no idea how that idea popped into my head.  But it was actually invented by a doctor of chemistry, a German by the name of Peter J. Schlumbohm in the early 40's.  Find out more HERE:

So...how does it work...and why does it taste SO much better than a coffeemaker or one of those horrible Keurig's?  I'll show you!


THE CONE FILTER



From the box: "It assures uniform extraction since the water filters through all the grounds on its way to the apex of the cone."

It is:
1. Oxygen Cleansed
2. Prefolded
3. Created with absorbent special fibers for quality



 When you unfold the filter, you will want one side of the cone to have a single layer and the other side to have 3 layers.  Place the thicker side at the spout of the Chemex like so:



 THE GRIND

When you grind your beans, you want them course.  Meaning...not ground too much.  You want your grinds a little chunky.  



THE BLOOM

Now you're ready to pour your kettle water over the course grinds in the filter.  

1. Boil water
2. Slowly pour the boiling water in a circle motion over the grinds.  
3. Make sure you cover all of your grinds with the water.  
4. A blooming effect will occur.  The grinds will rise with the water and then sink back down into the cones as the water seeps through the filter and turns to coffee in the Chemex.  
5. IF THERE IS NO BLOOM - either the grounds were too fine or your water wasn't hot enough.  

The Bloom in Progress

After The Bloom


The Chemex offers the most even and pure extraction from the bean.  No milk or creamer needed in my opinion!  

Where can you get one?  Go down to the Royal Blue Grocery on 6th & Congress and have Lycia, Tiffany, Tim or Abbey pour you one.  It does take about 5 minutes or so to achieve this perfection, but so worth it!  You can also buy one on Amazon or World Market and have a go at it yourself! 

Perfection in a cup from Anthropologie
Happy Monday Everybody!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Fun with Lasers


 I took an amazing class this evening through the Women Design Build organization.  They partnered with Kristen & Eve from MakeATX to introduce the laser-cut technique on food...chocolate no less!  MakeATX is known for their laser-cut paper and wood crafts and jewelry.  They have this huge laser named, Patty Princess of Power, in their studio space in East Austin.  By looking at it, you can see that it could laser through anything.  But to be so powerful and yet so delicate as to not blow our bars into smithereens was a sight to behold!  Most definitely a Princess!



Grrrr...sexy beast!  ha!

We first met with Eve and picked out an image or text and font.  Then Kristen took us over to another computer and uploaded our creation.  We took our Theo bars and placed them in the laser face down...Kristen pushed a button...and voila!  Easy peazy!

While we waited for our turn, the girls had all sorts of fun crafts for us to do.  They had a table overflowing with crafty goodness - glitter, pom poms, cute wood & paper cut-out hearts, colored pens and pencils, glue, felt hearts, colored hard-stock paper and envelopes...and my favorite....laser cut-outs to make our Love Monsters with.  I could have stayed at that table all night!

Monster Cowboy of Love
I highly recommend taking a class with Women Design Build.  Everyone and everything was lovely.

AND I highly recommend taking a class, becoming a member or buying some of the goods that MakeATX has to offer.  They are so creative and talented!  Go girls go!

Heart Day Gifts for Our Men

Let's hear it for the Boys!  Valentines are for men too, you know ;)

Amazing Etsy finds:

Beer Soap of course

Dr. K Soap Company Shaving Kit

Black Bird Tees

Animals on Bikes Tees
Longitude/Latitude Keychain
They're closed right now...but love this idea!  Geographical coordinates...of where you first met possibly?  Love. 

Love Ninja Plushie!

I Feel Lucky Print

Vintage Bar Set