modern love

i mentioned these silhouettes just a few posts ago. the first one i did- of myself- was for a school project-- we had to do a couple of non-traditional self-portraits, so i did a paper collage profile cause i'm in love with paper.  and husband's came along when i realized i needed to come up with decorations for the table where guests left us little notes.  my sister re-purposed our invitation (which had black silhouettes of us on it) and turned it into a 3d piece of framed artwork; by chance, they all totally fit together.

funky chicken

my sister is a better knitter than i am.  it's true.  i took a beginner's class at a local knitting shop many years ago and showed her how to make scarves, and then i ran out of knitting juice and she just took off.  luckily, we have enough aunts and cousins who are expert knitters who could help her out once i no longer could.  and like my late grandmother, she knits whilst watching movies and television, a trick i may never pick up.  she's made a handful of these cuties and baby clothes and such, and it's so fun to see what she produces.  yay, b!

lost in (rob) france

 

now here's a guy you'd want to meet, if only he hadn't just flown across the pond for love. originally from wyoming but a resident of salt lake for a number of years, i discovered this gentleman because he was a friend of many acquaintances and somehow somewhere saw his work.  i was smitten at first glance.  he does pen drawings that more recently include a bit of flesh-toned watercolor, and they summon early 20th century fashion drawings and are pretty mannerist in style.... other than that, all i know is, this guy's got talent.  and a nicer, more genuine fellow he couldn't be.  i'm just sad my city has lost him.

a bench by any other name

here's how i ended up with this beauty.  i went to jeweler's school in san francisco over 6 years ago and have worked professionally since then.  i never had a space of my own to work (outside of my place of employment) and always knew i would eventually need one.  i had been looking into what it would take to build a jeweler's bench and was talking about it with my father-in-law since he is a carpenter by hobby and a pretty darn good one.  i think i said something like, "mason, if i were to build a bench, what kind of wood would you suggest?"  he immediately got all worked up about it and literally two days later- TWO DAYS later- i got a phone call from him saying that he was half-finished.  now the joke with my family is, "so mason, if you were going to build a china cabinet cradle sailboat, what kind of wood would you suggest?"

now all i need is a spaceheater.  and about 3 bajillion tools.

sew crafty

i have been scared of the sewing machine my whole life.  my WHOLE life.  my sisters all took sewing in junior high and i don't ever remember thinking, "oh come on, if they can do it you can too."  no.  i've always been afraid that somehow that scaryfreaky needle would sew my fingers together and i would have to go to the emergency room and they wouldn't be able to fix them and i'd end up like django reinhardt.  but then, this christmas, i asked for sewing lessons.  and i realized that i had been anxious for no reason.  (which makes me realize that probably most of my fears are like that.)  i went to the fabric store for quilting fabric, which is kind of like going to the candy store only much healthier for you, although maybe not so much for your wallet.  and then i cut out all the fabric according to the pattern.  and then i started sewing.  and it is SO MUCH FUN.  i haven't sewn my fingers together once.  (knock on wood.)  so my quilt, a crib quilt (modest goals, modest goals) is turning out quite nicely and with the scraps i've made pot holders, which i'm really quite proud of.  i even made them without a pattern.  maybe i'll sell them on etsy.

man cannot live by bread alone... or can he?

so maybe you've heard about this bread already. and maybe you haven't. but it might be one of the best things that will ever happen to you. husband's dad has been making two large loaves of  this boule pain weekly for several years, and it is so much cheaper and yummier than what you'd buy at the grocery store. it's perfectly chewy and crusty and basically just everything you could ever want in a bread. hailing from the famous sullivan street bakery, here is the recipe for oh-so-easy no-knead bread. the only thing you really need is a little forethought.

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour + more for dusting

1/4 tsp. instant yeast

1 1/4 tsp. salt

cornmeal or wheat bran as needed (i like cornmeal for ease and flour for taste)

see? easy.

1.  combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. add 1 5/8 cups water and stir until blended. cover bowl with plastic wrap. let it rest for at least 12 hours and up to 18, the longer the better, at room temp., about 70 degrees. (this is important. my apartment is colder than this so we have to find warm nooks to hide it, otherwise it doesn't rise as well.)

2. the dough is ready when the surface is covered with bubbles. flour a workspace lightly and place dough on it. sprinkle it with a little flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. (this is no-knead, remember? yay!) cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutos.

3. using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, gently and quickly shape into a ball. generously coat a cotton towel (not terry) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more of the flour, wb or cornmeal. cover with another towel and let rise for about two hours. (i usually do this for less than that. just be careful that the dough doesn't fall.) it should be about twice the size and should not spring back much when poked with your finger.

4. at least a 1/2 hr before dough is ready, heat oven to 450. put a 6 to 8 quart heavy covered pot in the oven as it heats. (this pot should be cast iron, enamel, pyrex or ceramic. i use my le creuset.) when the dough is ready, remove the pot from the oven. turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. it might look crazy so give the pot a shake or two to even the dough out. i had to do this a few times before i got a pretty-looking loaf. but it will mostly even out as it bakes. put the lid on and bake for 30 minutes, then take the lid off and bake for another 15-30 until it's browned and gorgeous. cook it on a rack.

warning: you might eat half a loaf as toast for breakfast.

for gigi...

so i'm kind of in love with papercutting. i've been doing regular scherenschnitte (usually black cutouts on white paper) for several years, and then this year, for my wedding, i did some less traditional profiles of husband and me which turned out pretty well. i'm currently working on a project for my mama. here's what i did: first, i found a picture online that i liked that worked with mama's theme.

then i did a simple sketch of the image in the size i wanted it. i used an exacto knife and self-healing mat and scissors to cut out each item in the picture using the appropriate color paper. then i glued it all together and mounted it on white cardstock with gingham borders. you can't tell, but all of it is mounted on foam core covered in brown wrapping paper.