Photo Saturday: Pumpkin Pile

Taken at my favorite pumpkin patch within 100 miles of Los Angeles.

My Sarracenia Costume... Needs Your Vote!

Happy Almost Halloween friends! I barely finished my costume this year, but put in some heavy studio time at the Urban Craft Center last night and managed to get it done. I'm now officially entered in their handmade costume contest, and if you guys could head on over there to vote for me, I'd sure appreciate it! There's a gift basket of craft supplies I'm trying to win!

To vote for my Sarracenia leucophylla costume, please head on over to Facebook, "like the Urban Craft Center, and then "like" my photo. Thanks so so much! And I hope you all have a Happy Halloween!

Crafts Fail? Bake Pumpkin Coffee Cake!

It's almost Halloween and my pile of failed "spooky" crafts is growing with reckless abandon! Some of them had so. much. potential that I'm STILL tempted to post here. But I won't. That would be mean of me since the crafts I've been hiding from you seem to take pleasure in breaking when I look at them, or never fully drying...ever. I feel like posting them online might transfer some bad craft juju your way. In fact, I'm starting to think that Halloween is the craft season that I just can't get right. Last year, was also unlucky for creepy crafts. Boooo indeed.

Fortunately, when my themed crafts tank, I open the fridge... and start baking. 
I've been on a real pumpkin kick lately, and as a dedicated coffee-drinker, I decided that what I needed was some pumpkin coffee cake in my life. This recipe is quick, tasty, and if you made any of my other pumpkin recipes this month (yes, all results of failed crafts) you probably have some pumpkin in the house somewhere!

TOPPING:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped pecans
CAKE:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
In a small bowl, combine sugars and cinnamon. 
Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the sour cream, pumpkin and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream mixture. Beat on low just until blended. Spread the batter into two greased and floured 8-in. round cake pans. OR, as many cupcake papers as you can find for individual servings. Sprinkle with topping.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

I found this recipe online, and would make it again, but next time, I think I'd consider pairing it with something savory like rosemary and bacon. Since I baked mine in individual cupcake wrappers, the cakes were not overly sweet, and I think marrying them with something savory would produce fun and unexpected results... stay tuned. 

Nom nom nom nom... Back to the crafty drawing board!

Quilted Halloween Table-Topper... by my Mom!!

This just came the mail and I had to share- a spooky quilted table-topper made with love by my mom. (Yup- creative genes run in the family!)

What are you doing to decorate for Halloween this year? Are you dressing up?

xoxo

radmegan

Countrified Chalkboards for an Autumn Wedding

Over the weekend, I attended my niece's gorgeous outdoor wedding reception. The bride was beaming and looked downright adorable in her lace gown and cowboy boots. The reception was held in a backyard that looked like a page from a wedding magazine. The whole aesthetic was designed by the bride and executed by her and her mother, my insanely talented sister-in-law. For my part, I contributed a paper pom-pom garland and half dozen hand-made, countrified chalkboards. I've mentioned the garlands before, but the chalkboards were so cute and easy to make, that I wanted to share them with you here!

To make your own countrified chalkboards, you will need:

Chalkboard Paint

Press board, Masonite, or any other scrap wood you have lying around

Drill Press, Hand Drill etc.

Jute Cord
Scissors

Wood Glue

Sticks, cut to length

I loved these chalkboards in part, because I already had all of the supplies I needed to make them. I found the press board in my father-in-law's wood shop and used the chalkboard paint I'd picked up last year!

I placed some newspaper down on the back patio and evenly sprayed each board with a couple of coats of chalkboard paint. While my chalkboards dried in the sun, I used the last of a stash of willow branches my husband and I had cut down one inspired weekend. (You may recognize some of them from another post?)

Using a gardening pruner (you could also use a saw), I cut the branches so that they were just slightly larger than my drying chalk boards. 

Once the boards were completely dry, I used our drill press and made a hole in each corner of the board using a 1/4 inch drill bit.

After drilling the holes, I assembled the rest of my materials; wood glue, scissors, jute, and the drilled chalkboards...

I strung up the chalkboards by taking the jute cord through the TOP RIGHT hole (back to front), and wove it into the BOTTOM RIGHT hole (front to back), up and around the stick, then came BACK THROUGH the same BOTTOM RIGHT hole. I ran the cord across the back side of the board to the BOTTOM LEFT hole, and through the hole (back to front), around the stick and then back through the hole again- bringing the end of the cord out the front side of the BOTTOM LEFT hole, and up across the front of the board to the TOP LEFT hole. I wound the jute around the stick again, and through the TOP LEFT hole, and then tied the extra to the extra cord from the TOP RIGHT hole. Maybe this diagram will help...

I applied thin lines of wood glue between the board and the sticks, even though the cord, did a great job keeping my sticks in place when it was pulled tight.

When the boards were finished, I grabbed my chalk and got to work labeling them for the wedding!

Tasty, tasty Almond Punch...

The all-you-can-grab candy bar...

Assorted yummy waters...

The Polaroid guest book....

And jars of seeds as favors! 

The whole wedding was gorgeous and I was honored to be there.

And while these chalkboards were a great addition to an already picturesque setting, I think I'm going to use a couple of these in our home. I love how simple and clean they look combining the raw, natural feeling from the sticks with the functionality of a chalkboard! 

Friday Inspiration: Bad Things That Could Happen

Yesterday, a fellow crafter turned me on to a video that was so exciting, I decided to start posting "Friday Inspirations" here on the blog. I know by the end of the week a lot of us feel drained and ready to collapse. After watching this video, Bad Things That Could Happen by the London-based collective This Is It, I feel not only inspired by their work, but also energized and hopeful that next week will be one of flowing creativity for me (and YOU), and that several of my pending craft projects will finally get wrapped up! Hope you enjoy this video as much as I did! 

Bad Things That Could Happen from This Is It on Vimeo.

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins That Don't TASTE Vegan

Before 2005, I assumed vegans scavenged for wild berries in the forest, nibbled on tree bark and washed it all down with lawn clippings. I had no idea what they ate. Then I went to a Vegan/Raw Restaurant in Ventura that was so delicious I thought, "I could EASILY eat vegan food... at a restaurant." Making or baking a vegan dish (beyond carrot sticks) still seemed like more than I could handle, until recently. 


Last week, after I posted my pumpkin donut recipe, I got into a twitter convo with @admillerphoto who suggested I check out a specific recipe from the all-vegan website, Post Punk Kitchen. I was skeptical to say the least, but I am always up for a challenge so I went for it.


Let me just say, that these muffins were not only quick and easy to make, they happened to also be DELICIOUS. In fact, I brought them to a party and they were INHALED before the gourmet store-bought cupcakes were even touched. 


With that, I give you the VEGAN Post Punk Kitchen recipe for:
"The Best Pumpkin Muffins"

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup pureed pumpkin (Fresh or from a can; do not use pumpkin pie mix)

1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons molasses


Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a twelve-muffin tin.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, soy milk, oil, and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.

Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.


*Variation: Fold in a cup of either chopped fresh cranberries or chopped walnuts, or a mixture of the two. - I added a handful of chopped pecans and they were a fantastic addition.

Enjoy! Vegans, vegetarians and omnivores alike! And thanks again to my friends on Twitter for inspiring me yet again!

Weekend Craft Round-Up

This weekend seemed like it was over before it started. Nearly every minute was filled with crafting and cooking, yet somehow, I don't have a lot to show for the weekend as far as blogging goes, so I thought I'd do a round-up of the projects and events that kept me busy.

After meeting the awesome Aussies of Prints Charming on Friday night, I woke up on Saturday and made a big batch of rice crispy treats for a crafty birthday party I hosted that evening. Seven 12-year olds made wire tiaras, feather and yarn-wrapped barrettes, bead-encrusted headbands, and about a million yarn Pom-Poms that became necklaces, shoe accessories, ear muffs... you name it. The girls were a lot of fun, and it seemed like the birthday girl really enjoyed crafting with her pals at the Urban Craft Center. 

The next day, after a good long sleep, I woke up and baked my first ever batch of VEGAN muffins! They were crazy good, and I will share the recipe with you SOON! Seriously, I'm so not a Vegan, but these muffins... wow.

Then later that day, and for about 8 hours straight, I finished a project I'd been working on for my niece's wedding next weekend. I'd been asked to help make decorations ages ago. Quite honestly, this wedding garland took upwards of 40 hours to make, and while I'm so happy it looks adorable for her, I frankly cannot wait for it to be out of my house. I've been making pom-poms FOR MONTHS! Ha! GET OUT already!

I'm on my way out the door to host another crafty birthday today (with a Project Runway theme no less!) and then it's back to the grind for me- which will include trying to repair two Halloween craft FAILS that have been haunting me for over a week now! I need closure on these two craft ASAP! Wish me luck. 


Hope you all had a productive and satisfying weekend!

Photo Saturday: Prints Charming Fabrics

Last night I got to meet Cath & Kirsten of Prints Charming Fabrics. They are currently on tour from Australia, chatting about their new line of fabric (called Daisy Chain) through Kokka, and also teaching classes in screen printing and embroidery. I picked up their book Sew Charming and CANNOT wait to try out some of their projects. 

Their work is so very lovely; vibrant colors with nature-inspired patterns... plus they do everything by hand! The ladies could not have been nicer! It was a fantastic evening of crafty inspiration at The Urban Craft Center!

Pumpkin Donuts... Fresh From the Garden

Do you ever get obsessed with the idea of making something at home (a recipe or craft) and you KNOW it will take a million times longer to make it from scratch, than if you just bought it, but you hunker down and make it anyway? Most of the time I can tell these obsessions to quiet down.. but occasionally (marshmallows, and ginger chews anyone?) an idea pops into my head, sets up camp, and stays there until I see the project out. This week, my obsession was with pumpkin donuts. 

Have I ever tasted a pumpkin donut before? No. But don't they sound yummy? AND I grew SEVEN pumpkins in my garden this year, so using a couple of mini pumpkins instead of canned pumpkin... well, sure it ADDS a ton of work and time to the recipe, but it somehow makes me feel like the donuts are healthy... you know, because they came from MY garden. 

I wasn't the one who thought pumpkin donuts would be incredible. After a little internetting, I found a recipe on epicurious that looked delicious. It also looked like it used every item in my pantry... 

Here it is...
Pumpkin Donuts:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
Canola oil (for deep-frying)
Spiced Sugar Topping:
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

The epicurious recipe called for one cup canned pumpkin... but since I had two home-grown Baby Pam Sugar Pies, I HAD to use them. I washed and peeled off the skin, and baked them in the oven, (drizzled with just a little olive oil) at 400 degrees until soft. (about 35 minutes) 

Then I mashed them with a potato masher. Presto! Nearly an hour later I had the fresh version of canned pumpkin. 

Next up, I whisked first 8 ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda, ground nutmeg and ground cloves) in medium bowl. I beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl until blended (mixture was grainy). I beat in the egg, then yolks and vanilla. Then, I gradually beat in buttermilk; beating in pumpkin in 4 additions. 


Then, I covered with plastic and chilled the bowl in the refrigerator for 3 hours!


When the three hours are up, sprinkle 2 rimmed baking sheets with flour. Press out 1/3 of dough on floured surface to 1/2- to 2/3-inch thickness. Using 2 1/2-inch-diameter round cutter (I only had a 2-inch), cut out the dough rounds. Arrange on sheets. Repeat with remaining dough in 2 more batches. Press out dough and cut out more dough rounds until all dough is used.

Using 1-inch-diameter round cutter or shot glass, cut out center of each dough round to make donuts and donut holes. 

I found that the dough was pretty sticky, and while the recipe originally called for "lightly floured" baking sheets, I was thankful that I had been heavy-handed with my flour. 

Line 2 cooling racks with several layers of paper towels. Pour oil into large deep skillet to depth of 1 1/2 inches. Attach deep-fry thermometer and heat oil to 365°F to 370°F. Fry donut holes in 2 batches until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. 

Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry donuts, 3 or 4 at a time, until golden brown, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 1 minute per side. 

Transfer donuts and donut holes (again, with the slotted spoon) to paper towels to drain. Cool completely.


Whisk all ingredients spiced sugar ingredients together in medium bowl.

Add donut holes to bowl of spiced sugar and toss to coat. 

FYI, there was a glaze recipe for the donuts, but I opted to leave my donut holes sugared, and my donut RINGS, plain... I really wanted to taste the pumpkin. 


This recipe took a long time, what with the homemade pumpkin, and the batch frying (I move slowly and cautiously around a boiling cauldron of oil). But the recipe satiated my obsession for pumpkin donuts, and it really pleased all of the friends and family I shared them with.

And I do still have five Baby Bear and Autumn Gold pumpkins in the garden... I'm looking forward to more garden-fresh pumpkin recipes!

Felt Frankenstein Candy Bag for Halloween

This weekend, I made a trick-or-treat bag for my nephew. 

When I was little, my mom made me a trick-or-treat bag shaped like a pumpkin. I was so proud of it that I used it for as long as I can remember. The bag I made for my nephew is not nearly as spectacular as the one my mom made me, BUT, it's a quick afternoon project that uses little more than a few sheets of felt and some thread! If you have kids (or are an adult kid-at heart) read on... this might be a quick craft that makes you a Halloween hero. Or at least, a stand-out trick-or-treater.

When I set out to make a Halloween candy bag, I had my heart set on making a pumpkin as well. However, I own almost no orange fabric or felt sheets. I DID however, have 2 pieces of Kelly green felt, one black, one yellow, one moss green, one white, and one magenta. I sketched out a Frankenstein (above) and began deconstructing the pieces to make the bag.

I'm not amazing at sewing. Fortunately, Frankenstein's head is cylindrical, so I started by sewing two of the Kelly green pieces together at their longest side and already had the basic shape of the head done! Next, I cut out all of the facial features from the various colored felt sheets. 

I sewed the zig-zaggy pieces of black felt across the top of both green panels to create the hair. Next I folded a rectangle of magenta, and sewed that to the inside back of the bag (see above) to create a pocket inside the bag (for house keys or mini flashlights) and to cover the stitching of one of the hair pieces. 

After the inside pocket and hair were done, I sewed the teeth together, and then attached them to the lower-front portion of the head. I wanted to position the mouth first, so that I could recapture the same general expression of my original drawing. 

Next came the eyes. Each eye included a white oval (varying slightly in size), a magenta lower eyelid, and black felt pupils. Using green thread, I sewed them directly above the mouth.

Once the face was complete, I rolled up small (about 3x4.5 inch) pieces of yellow felt, and stitched parallel lines into them for texture. I made a small cut in the green fabric on both sides of the mouth, and then hand stitched the "bolts" from the back side until they were secure. Then, I cut the bolts down to a more proportional size. 

View of the inside panel

My last steps were to fold and pin the two Kelly green sheets together at their longest sides, closing the piece and making the bag shape. Using my moss green felt, I cut out a large oval that would act as the base of the bag. I was eye-balling the project, so I made my oval FAR larger than I needed.

I opened the cylinder as wide as possible, and pinned the moss green oval to the base of the head (just below the mouth.) Then, since I was guesstimating sizes, I cut away the excess from the base, stitched it up with the sewing machine, and then sewed the long side of the face. 

Finally, I turned the whole bag right-side out, and attached a length of scrap ribbon inside the head to create the handle. 

It's not the world's cleanest sewing job, but it's sturdy, comfortable and totally spooky.

Ok, and in my humble opinion, a little goofy-looking. But isn't that what being a kid at Halloween is about? 

Are you dressing up for Halloween? And if so, are you making any elements of the costume?