My Bit of Earth

Daring Bakers: Julia Child's French Bread

In celebration of Valentine's Day, this month's Daring Bakers Challenge--set by Mary, from "The Sour Dough", and Sara, of "I Like to Cook"--was "Julia [Child's] eighteen page love poem to French bread."

This recipe (which I've reprinted below) just looks intimidating.  As I've said before, I get a kick out of making bread every now and then, but I tend to favor recipes of the ten-words-or-less variety.  Flour, yeast, water, salt, mix, knead, rise, bake--how much more information do you really need? 

I was so put off by the length of the recipe that I almost decided to just skip this one.  But then I got snowed in at home one day and just kinda decided, why not?

Why not indeed!  Once I got past all the whiffle-waffle, I quickly realized the recipe is exactly like the one for my favorite pizza dough.  The bread dough had to rise for longer and was shaped differently, but otherwise I could have made it in my sleep! 

And even though my bread didn't have quite the texture of a proper bakery baguette, it made lovely, rustic blue cheese and apple sandwiches all the same.

For the recipe (don't be scared) read on....

Pretty Paper Cut

I've got a file where I stick all of the fun looking ideas that come across my blog reader each day.  For a few weeks now, right there staring at me from the top of the list has been this tutorial on paper cut-outs by the lovely Ms. Skinny la Minx.  (Aside:  Isn't that the most fabulous screen name you've ever heard of?)

So, last night I picked out a little botanical drawing and got to work.  Less than five minutes later I realized the drawing I had chosen was waaay too complicated for a first try.

Tonight I surfed around for some simpler ideas, and found this one on etsy.  Much better! 

Since the paper I was cutting from (the patterned paper) was white on the back, I just inverted the design and printed it there rather than messing with tracing paper as the tutorial suggests.  Then, just a few easy cuts--I didn't even really stick to my lines all that well. 

I'm such a paper geek, I know, but I can't help but think of about a hundred different applications for this.  You could cut out names, different patterns, or even just doodles--it's endless fun!

Wednesday Poll: Hollywood Here We Come

I haven't seen any of the movies that were nominated for best picture, but nonetheless, watching the Oscars on Sunday got me in a movie kind of mood. 

So, for this week's poll:

What's your favorite movie?  And just to make it fun, pick at least one modern movie (say, post 1990ish?) and one classic movie.

Comment and discuss.

How To Make a Needle Felted Necklace, a "Scrapblog"

I made this needle felted necklace last week.  At about the same time I discovered this nifty site called scrapblog.  This post is a culmanation of the two!  (The text is kind of small, but if you click on the logo at the bottom right it will take you to the site where you can see it full-screen.)  Enjoy!

CUSS (With Stickers!)

I first came across "CUSS (Campaign For an Unshaved Snatch) and Other Rants", authored by Suzanne Reisman, via this post on BlogHer: 

"Picture it: New York City, 2005.

"A young girl leaves her office on a cold, rainy evening in October. She’s already angry and frustrated, as she often is after a day at work. Then what does she see when she sits down on the subway and looks up at the ads that line the sides? An ad for why she needs a Brazilian wax. 'Goddammit!' the young woman seethes. 'It’s bad enough that I have to put up with insane beauty standards that make me feel guilty about not wearing a size 2 while also carting around a 32D rack! Can’t they leave my damn crotch alone?!?!' And that’s when it strikes her: she should create a blog about this: this insane pressure women must deal with to have hot wax pouring into their vulvas so that normal hair growth can be ripped out by the root or to drag sharp razors over sensitive areas to slice off the hairs. This idea that one can’t be feminine or attractive if she looks like, well, an adult woman. That men will reject you and that you are a slovenly, smelly, embarrassment to your sex. That you are a man-hating feminist who will die alone with 27 cats (even though you are allergic to cats) and they’ll eat your face off before anyone traces the smell (since, ya know, you already stink from your gross unshaved cooter so the neighbors are used to it)."

Yeah.  Isn't she great?  And it just keeps going, from adventures in bra buying, to birth control, to some just good general thinking/questioning.  As someone who generally doesn't rant, I tend to appreciate people who do--and she's pretty darn good at it!

But the icing on the cake is the stickers.  Featuring a super cute pussy and beaver (what else?), Suzanne will send you a few for free if you drop her an email.  I got mine the other day, and have been enjoying passing them along and spreading the word about her blog.  (As a bonus it's kind of fun to watch people pick one up and go, "Oh, how cute....OH, WOW.")

While I can't give a sticker to each of you, dear readers, consider this your official advisory--go read!

Goodbye Hair

I was...maybe 15...when the first people I knew started growing their hair out to donate to Locks of Love.  I've always wanted to do it, but you have to have at least 10 inches of hair for them to be able to make a proper wig.  I've never had the patience/always wanted to do funky-short-hair-things/weird colors/yady-yada. 

Then I got my first grown-up job and forgot to get a hair cut for eight months.  By that time I had a good 7 inches, so I figured I may as well stick it out.  I officially had my 10 inches in November, but was in a love phase of the love-hate relationship I had with my long strands.  We started to get a little dicey again a few weeks ago though, sooo....goodbye (11 inches) of hair!  Hope you make some little angel happy!

A Cold Moon Eclipsed

I braved the frigid cold for just a few pictures of the lunar eclipse last night.  Some clouds rolled in so I missed the end, but I did get a few respectable shots.  Afterward I did some research on what kind of equipment it takes to get really good night sky shots, and apparently I need a stronger telephoto lens.

Wednesday Poll: The Only Thing To Fear....

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with some of my Nice Carpool Buddies about things we're afraid of.  Not super serious things--like nuclear holocaust or global pandemic--but rather, little things.  Things that might even seem silly to others.  I won't give too much away (well, aside from the picture) but it was nice to find out there are other people who share some of my irrational fears.

For this week's poll:

What's something you're afraid of that other people might think is silly?  Why do you think it makes you afraid?

Comment and discuss.

Because Soba Noodles Are Very Good

I love soba noodles.  Aside from being fun to say, they're nutty and slippery and delicious.  I've tried them what seems like a dozen different ways, but this latest incarnation is the best so far.  It's based on two Jamie Oliver recipes--Beef Carpaccio and Crunchy Thai Salad--but tweaked to make it a little easier and to scale it down for two people.  There is a lot of veggie chopping involved--I tend to find it kind of therapeutic at the end of a long day, but your mileage may vary.  I do promise it's worth it though!  Read on for the recipe.

Wednesday Poll: Ch-Ch-Changes

For those of you who don't already know, I started a new job this week.  I'm pretty psyched about it.  While I mostly liked the old job, the new place was where I really started out wanting to be.  (And I can now introduce myself as a bona fide "defender of truth and justice"--how cool is that?)

But with change comes, well, change. 

So, for this week's poll:

Are you a creature of habit?  Or do you like change?  In either case, why do you think that is and how do you make it work for you?

Comment and discuss.

Godspeed Little One

We had to have our Sweet Poppy put to sleep this evening.  She stopped eating yesterday, and by this afternoon it was very clear she was suffering so I made the call to our vet. 

I've never been through that before.  I've had pets die, of course, but this was the first time I made the decision myself.  I've often thought of it in kind of simplistic terms--if an animal is suffering and isn't going to get better you put it to sleep, right?  The ramifications suck, of course, but the decision itself...what's so hard about that?

Yeah, not so much.

I (Literally) *Heart* Shrinky Dinks

Remember that anatomical heart necklace I was waxing all "I want this" about a few days ago?  Well, after studying the pictures (and engaging Sweet Husband the Jeweler in studying the pictures) I determined a close replica of such necklace could be made with a shrinky dink.

I happened to have some ink-jet printable shrinky dink material around the house (from a failed experiment a few Christmases ago), so I found an anatomical heart drawing, printed it out, and shrunky-dunk it according to the package directions.  Lo and behold, it worked!  Yay!

Once the heart worked out, I went a little shrinky dink crazy.  Even the dogs got some new jewelry--a nice little family portrait to wear close to their (figurative) hearts.

A Thank You Note

Dear Bogart (Airedale Terrier and Handsome Devil),

Because we don't have our own blog like you do, we're hijacking Mom's blog to be sure you get this message. 

Thank you ever so much for the sample treats you sent!  We were only allowed to try the chicken chips tonight, but they were so tasty that Porter and I ate the entire package! 

If you ever need us to do more taste tests we will be more than willing to help out, and we wish you all the best in fulfilling your dream of providing your wonderful jerky to all dogs everywhere. 

Please let us know when you start selling--now that we've figured out this computer stuff, sniffing out Mom's credit card to place an order should be a piece of cake!

Thanks again,

Moe and Porterhouse

Wednesday Poll: Join My Etsy Insanity

It could be my rabid crafty kick.  It could be that it's nasty outside.  It could be that it's been a slow week.

Whatever the cause, I have spent the past 48 hours freaking obsessed with etsy.

For the uninitiated, etsy is a website where people can buy and sell handmade items.  Everything must largely be the work of the person selling it, and no mass produced items are allowed.  The result is a very artsy, fun, and neat little marketplace.

My very favorite local artist, Rachael Sudlow, has a little shop.  I'm getting some great ideas for felted bead necklaces here and here.  This little heart would be the most perfect thing ever for Valentine's Day.  And I just bought the pendant pictured above from Littleput Books.  (Her little recycled scrabble tiles are so pretty, it took me almost an hour to pick the one I wanted.)

I'm usually so against promoting the accumulation of stuff--'cause don't we all have enough?--but today I'm making an exception.  For this week's poll:

Do a search on etsy--you can search by category, location, or even color, but personally I'm a big fan of the "pounce" feature.  Leave a link below to one thing you absolutely love and tell why.

Comment and discuss.

Cupcake anyone?

This lovely cupcake pincushion is brought to you from the book "Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects."  It's kind of a neat little book, as the ideas are all ways to re-purpose old sweaters, i.e. the ones that mysteriously come out of the dryer five sizes too small. 

I actually just donated a ton of old clothes to goodwill so I didn't have a lot of sweaters to choose from.  Hence the outside of my cupcake is old sweater, but the inside is made from newly purchased felt. (And a cherry on top!)

For further inspiration, check out the Warm Fuzzies Flickr Group.  I especially like these little coffees.  (And if your library doesn't have the book, there's an instructable for the cupcakes here.  Just don't forget to felt (shrink) your old sweaters first by washing them in hot water and drying them.) 

"Lovely" Chocolate Wrappers

Another Valentines-y idea I've seen a lot in my rabid craft blog consumption is re-wrapping chocolate to personalize the wrapper.  I've had this idea--unwrapping a chocolate bar to write a love letter inside--in my tickler for a year now.  However, I ultimately decided I liked putting messages on the outside better.  (I can't find a link to where I found that picture, but for what it's worth that's where I got this idea.)

I bought some dark chocolates from World Market, pulled off the original wrappers, and measured them to get the size.  I set up a template in Word to match that size and filled in the words.  My printer wouldn't cooperate so I just used plain paper, but I think these wrappers would look even nicer on something a little glossy.  Once the wrappers are printed, just cut them apart, and use a little tape to get them to stay on.  (I tried rubber cement first, but it was more trouble than it was worth.)

The really fun part about these is deciding what to say.  If you follow the link above you'll note their messages are just ever-so-slightly suggestive--a very nice Valentine given the right recipient.  I'm planning to put these in my candy dish at work so I went with song titles with the word "love" in them instead.   

They're like little grown-up conversation hearts!

Felt Fortune Cookies and Other Fabric Food

The other day I stumbled onto one new crafting blog.  Before I knew it I had subscribed to it and thirty-three others, and for the past few days my head has been a-buzz with fun ideas.

One of my favorites by far is felt food.

I know!  How cheesy right?  (Pun intended.)  But seriously, check some of it out.  This etsy seller has eggs, mushrooms, and even a complete "squid dinner."  Here's a felt s'more, a plate of felt ravioli, and an entire felt Sunday breakfast.  Aren't they just so cute you want to eat them up?  (Again, intentional.)

But what does one do with felt food?  A majority of the people making it are advertising it as a children's toy.  Unfortunately, I don't know any children that are of an age to be interested.  Sweet Sister would give me a funny look and go back to her Hannah Montana.  Cutie Niece was way into pretend food six months ago, but the last time we visited she was all about Barbies.  She didn't offer me a single plastic Oreo.

However, just as I was despairing of my chance to take part in the felt food buffet, I found these adorable felt fortune cookies.  While they are clearly still felt food, I decided they're grown-up enough that my girlies might enjoy them.  And I always try to send a little treat at Valentine's Day anyway, so voila!