Christmas crafting: more wreaths

I'm staying at my Grandma's through til Thursday and it's a Christmas crafting extravaganza. I didn't go Black Friday shopping, never have. The Christmas music is cranked up, the hot glue gun is out and I'm making goodies for the South Wedge Holiday Festival on December 7.

I really enjoy making these wreaths. It's fun sorting through the Christmas ornaments and coming up with the color schemes. There were two of these blue ones but my sister claimed one. She hovered over me the entire time I was working on it. rubbing her hands together.

Thanksgiving Success

My sister and I got up early yesterday and made the turkey with all the fixins.

At one point I started calling it "My Turkey". Oscar and Hugo liked to think it was "Their Turkey".

I had spray painted my roasting pan leaves and they went on the Thanksgiving table. I had to scooch them out of the way so they didn't get smooshed in the turkey frenzy.

We had good food and family for Thanksgiving which feels like all you need. Much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving

Babushka pugs wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Night Snow

We had our first significant snow last night.

I love it when it snows at night and lights it up outside like daytime. It practically glows.

Getting ready for Thanksgiving

Much of Thanksgiving dinner is falling to me this year. I interviewed my Grandma and wrote down all her recipes so I can recreate the meal my family is accustomed to. This is a giant batch of cranberry sauce. Nothing from a can for these folks. I didn't realized it would make so much. The walk from the counter to the fridge was a tense one. I am pleased because it looks and tastes just like Grandma makes. Now if I could only get the lid on the container.

The stuffing is one of my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving meal. Along with the turkey... gravy... mashed potatoes. Who am I kidding? I love it all.

By the way... do you call it stuffing or filling? My family says filling but my Rochester friends look at me funny when I say it. Is it a pop/soda thing?

Our family's stuffing cannot come from a box. In fact it has to come from home baked loaves of bread. Bake the perfect loaf of bread was on my 2013 to-do list so now seems like as good a time as any. I don't know that these turned out perfect but the house smelled great while they were baking.

Turns out the warmest spot in the house to raise bread dough is on the heat vent that Stewie frequents. He wasn't thrilled to have to share his vent.

It seemed a shame to tear up perfectly good loaves of bread to make stuffing. The pugs were certain I was tearing it up for them. At any rate, I'm sure the homemade bread will make all the difference and the recipe was followed to a T. We'll see how I did when it gets spooned out of the turkey.

It's not all baking and cooking for Thanksgiving. I made these leaves to decorate our Thanksgiving table. I saw the idea here. They were pretty easy to make and they come from inexpensive aluminum roasting pans.

Vintage Christmas Ornament Crafting & Janda Made at South Wedge Xmas Fest

I've been a busy little crafting elf. My mom has collected these vintage Christmas ornaments for me for years and I finally started making things with them. This wreath is made up of vintage glass Christmas tree ornaments including a few Shiny Brite ornaments.

It was a lot of fun to make. I enjoy picking out the colors and style of ornaments. It also scares the wits out of me. I'm so scared of dropping it because it would shatter into a gazillion pieces. I made the hanger extra sturdy!

I've also made a few of these hanging decorations from vintage ornaments that I call "Baublesicles". This one has a matching buddy.

You will be able to purchase these Janda Made ornaments and more at the "It's a Wonderful Life in the South Wedge" Holiday Festival on Saturday, December 7th. It starts at 11am and goes until 6pm. Tina, Aprille and I are sharing a table again.

We had a blast last year. I will have many of the same items... gourd bird houses, holiday jars, smashed spoon plant markers and bottle cap cufflinks...

... and more of my most popular item... Gourdon the Snowman ornaments!

I love the wreath so much... I hope I can part with it. I think I will take a nice high res picture of it and make prints so I can remember it always.

I love Rochester and I love Instagram so it only makes sense that I would join the @rocinstagram meetup at Lamberton Conservatory today!

Both Aaron and I stopped in to admire the flowers growing in the conservatory, take pictures and meet fellow local Instagramers. Aaron was snapping away even before me!

It was good to put faces to many of the handles I have seen on instagram.

It also felt luxurious to be in the warmth while it was bitter cold and snowy outside. Hopefully we can stay longer at the next meetup!

It was also a chance to wear my new cozy Nordic leggings. : )

Food Craze Hits Rochester: Cronuts

I am fascinated by food fads. When I hear that people are going crazy over a particular food I cannot help but constantly wonder how delicious it must be that such a large group of people agree on it's popuarity.

I remember back in 2006 Flaming Hot Cheetos were all the rage. Kids were "addicted" and schools were banning them. Even more interesting was the fact that they were squeezing lime juice over the cheetos before eating them. I would have no rest until I tried it myself. Yes... it was pretty tasty. They are still trying to ban them years later. Smart Cheetos came out with Flamin' Hot Cheetos with Lime.

It reminds me of the pickled limes in Little Women. They were all the rage in schools at the time. Amy, the youngest sister was crazy for them.

"Why, you see, the girls are always buying them, and unless you want to be thought mean, you must do it too. It's nothing but limes now, for everyone is sucking them in their desks in schooltime, and trading them off for pencils, bead rings, paper dolls, or something else, at recess. If one girl likes another, she gives her a lime. If she's mad with her, she eats one before her face, and doesn't offer even a suck."

I really need to try making them sometime. NOTE TO SELF: Pickled Lime recipe.

The current food craze is the CRONUT. They were invented by New York City chef Dominique Ansel, and when he first started selling them this year there were people waiting in line for hours to get them. You could only buy six at a time. Scalpers were reselling the $5 pastries for $40! Ansel trademarked the name in May so technically anywhere else they are not a "Cronut".

Oh, so what is a Cronut? It is a cross between a donut and a croissant. A magical combination of flaky layers and sweet glaze. Time Tech named the Cronut one of the 25 best inventions of 2013!

I heard they were making them at State Street Bakery this summer but everytime I went they were sold out. This morning I got a tweet-tip-off that there were cronuts to be had at Ridge Road Donut!

The classic hand-cut glazed is our donut of choice at Ridge Road but I had to try this! When we arrived at Ridge Road Donut I didn't see any signs for cronuts. I asked anyhow and the lady nodded, went to the back and came out with the beauty pictured above. They avoid the Cronut trademark issue by simply not advertising them! Hah!

It was, my friends, flaky and delicous. This is one food craze I can definitely get on board with.

Collecting: Vintage Stereoscope

I was going through some photos on my laptop and found this! My mom got me this stereoscope a couple years ago. According to an engraving on the bottom it is an H.C. White "Perfecscope" Stereoscope Viewer. I love it as I love all things vintage but I especially love the photographic aspect of it.

It came with a set of "Holyland Series" stereoscope cards/ stereo cards/ stereographs/ stereograms/ stereoviews/ stereo pairs. I would like to find some stereoscope cards of a subject I might find a bit more my style. I like these Niagara Falls cards.

I would also like to make my own stereoscope cards. I've found tutorials here and here. I like how these photographers were recreating scenes from old stereo cards. Stay tuned.

Also found while I was looking online:

I think it's interesting how some people are using stereo card images to create digital 3D images.

Did you know Hasbro's makes the My3D Viewer, a toy works with your iPhone and apps so you can view stereoscopic 3D images? A modern day stereoscope you might say.

UPDATE: Here are some of those stereo card images turned 3D images on Rochester Subway!

Social Media Thoughts: Video, Vine and Instagram

I have a love hate relationship with video. I love sharing and watching videos I have shot, edited and uploaded. But of all content creation, it takes the most time and work.

I also enjoy watching good videos. Cute animal videos like these puppies in pj's or sleepy bunnies. Funny videos like guilty dog or engineers and cats. Or amazing videos like octupus camouflage . But it has to be a really intriguing video to make me give up time to watch it. I get aggrivated when there is informaion I need, like how to fix something, and it seems "buried" in a video. Often times I just want to see a picture because I can look at it and be on my way with minimal time commitment. Video? I have to find my headhphones and plug them in! And if that video goes beyond 3 minutes... well. that is just too long.

When Vine came out in January, 2013 I sort of shrugged it off. Well, I signed up to get my username, but didn't use it. Video was so much work. And I didn't have time to watch it. Then one day, I think we were at a charity walk, and Tina shot one. It seemed pretty easy and quick so I did one. It WAS easy and quick. I was hooked. I was Vine-ing videos everyday. The pugs were the perfect subjects. I started using it for work too.

Then in June, Instagram rolled out video capability. I stopped using Vine. Intagram had a few nice different features, like being able to bring in video you already shot and adding filters. Here is a pretty good breakdown of those features. But that wasn't why I switched. Number one, I had more followers on Instagram. Number two... I didn't want to maintain a second app for video.

I felt badly for Vine. They came up with an easy to use, fun, successful app and someone came along and copped it. Luckily, Vine hasn't died off since Instagram started video, in fact they say they have gained 27 million users since then.

I haven't opened Vine in months. But I'm also not posting a lot of videos on Instagram. Did Vine force me to THINK video? What do you use?

Pet of the Week

Meet Dutch, 9 months old Male/Neutered Terrier Pit Bull Mix at Rochester Animal Services. Meet Dutch, he's an inquisitive boy who likes checking out new things during his walks. He likes to cuddle and enjoys tummy rubs and will give you kisses as his way of saying thank you. This handsome boy is easy to walk on a leash and appears kennel trained. Dutch enjoys playing with other dogs in the play yard and is quiet in his kennel. He can’t wait to curl up on the couch with you to snuggle while watching TV together. Please stop by and pay Dutch a visit so he can show you what a great dog he is, he might be the new best friend you've been looking for. Take the time to visit with this handsome guy at 184 Verona Street.

 

Dorian #21439250

Dorian is a 1 year old male Australian Cattledog mix who weighs 49 pounds. He's a cute, scruffy guy with short little legs and a long body. Unique appearance aside, Dorian is just a regular guy with lots of love to give. He'll do best in a home where any children are older. Bring the whole family down to meet him (dogs included).

Dollop Book of Frosting.... and dogs.

Two good friends had birthdays this weekend and I wanted to get them something special. I have been shopping local for birthdays and this time I found a gift that is unique and "local". Heather Saffer who once owned the Penfield Dollop Cupcakes, and winner of Cupcake Wars, wrote a frosting cookbook "The Dollop Book of Frosting". It's packed full of creative, delicious looking recipes for frosting.

Heather has a super cute pup named Donald that she adopted from Rochester Animal Services. She posts adorable pictures of Donald on her Instagram feed and blog. Donald's Happy Tails story is even featured in the Verona Street Animal Society newsletter! It got me thinking. Pups and sweet tooth cookbooks go hand in hand (in my mind).

After I gave my friends, Nancy and Tina, each their cookbook, I asked them to take a picture of it with their pooches. Here is Ace and The Dollop Book of Frosting.

Ziva and the Dollop Book of Frosting.

Oscar, Hugo and the Dollop Book of Frosting.

I haven't even made a recipe from the book yet, and I am enamoured. I like to flip through the pages like a magazine, admire the photos, think about which recipes I will make and how I will enjoy the frosting.

With the holidays coming up "The Dollop Book of Frosting" would make a great gift. Especially paired with a cute spatula or whisk! I love gift themes!

Greenhouse ready!

Remember the greenhouse Aaron got me for my birthday? We put it together a few weeks ago and I love it!

We had an unseasonably warm day today and I started filling it with plants.

I moved my celery from the garden inside and also planted some garlic.

My potted herbs will stay in the greenhouse over winter too.

I think I will try some other plants also, maybe lettuce? I really need to read up more on greenhouses. I'm dreaming about eating fresh homegrown veggies all winter which may be a tad unrealistic but we shall see.

Great Roc Derby bout & signed poster!

Aaron and I stopped by the Roc Derby tonight at the Dome Arena.

Number one - I was excited because the bout benefitted the 678 Program at Genesee Center for Arts and Education where I am a board member.

Number two - I did the poster for the bout and was able to get a poster signed by the members of the Rottenchesters, 5-H8-5s and Midtown Maulers. I love seeing all their unique names and can't wait to frame it!

To do...

Check, check, check and check.

Guess it's time to start a winter list.

May Designs Calendar Planner

Even though I love apps and technology, I have not been able to make digital calendars work for me. I still love analogue paper and pen/pencil when it comes to marking appointments, planning and making lists.

For years, I have struggled with the perfect paper calendaring system. I have used index cards/hipster pda and even made my own calendar planner before.

This year I think I have found the perfect calendar planner at May Designs. The books are small, thin, cute and among the layouts, have exactly the calendar design I like.

I made one with a fox design (totally before the "What does the fox say?" video came out) and my nickname LJC on the front. I was thrilled when it came and am looking forward to filling it in for 2014!

ROC City Roller Derby - The Anatomy of a Bout

This Saturday, ROC City Roller Derby returns to the Dome Arena and the bout benefits the 678 Program for kids at Genesee Center for Arts and Education.

I offered to do the poster and this is what I came up with. I had been reading about Alfred Hitchcock which led to looking as some of his movie posters designed by Saul Bass and I ended up with a Saul Bass themed poster for the bout.

It was a lot of fun to work on and I can't wait to see them printed! You can find the Facebook event here for The Anatomy of a Bout here and get tickets here.

Luggage speakers

My friend Joel can take a vintage piece of luggage and turn it into a speaker. My mom found this red Samsonite train case for me and he made this one.

I can connect my iPhone or iPad to it and play my music around the house or even outside. The battery charges up so it doesn't have to be plugged in. It even has bluetooth if I don't want to use the cable.

Joel started a Facebook page for his speakers so you can check it out if you're interested.