Holiday Jewelry Creations

So here are some of the necklaces that I made as gifts for Christmas:

I found these orange beads at a bead show last spring and knew they were perfect for my friend Sally.

I made a bunch of these colorful dangle necklaces.

For Isabella and Elleanna

And a little sparkle to decorate a package.

Chocolate Toffee Caramel Corn



I made another variation on caramel corn over the holidays, and this recipe is definitely my favorite! This recipe uses more brown sugar than the Orange Pecan version, so it takes a little longer to bake. Be sure to watch it carefully so the glaze doesn't get burnt.

I tossed a bag of Heath Bar pieces over the caramel corn when it was done baking. It didn't look too great when I added it, but it really made a nice light chocolaty coating with the bits of toffee. When I made a second batch I mistakenly got a bag of Heath Bits of Brickle which I discovered is NOT the same thing! No chocolate! I ended up tossing the caramel corn with some semi sweet pieces, but I didn't like the end result as well.

I also tried this recipe with cashews, but I found that they burnt if they were added to the caramel corn at the beginning. Next time I would add them midway through the baking process.

Be sure to check out my list of caramel corn hints that I posted earlier - I discovered a lot of other helpful suggestions that can help make the process easier!

I put the the caramel corn in cute Christmas food bags labeled with tags from the dollar store and then put several different varieties into a larger gift bag as a tasty gift!

Chocolate Toffee Caramel Corn

12 - 13 cups popped corn
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
1 package Heath Bar Pieces (not the Brickle Bits)


1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Make your popcorn and lightly salt it. Line 2 heavy pans with tall sides with parchment paper. Spread the popcorn into the two pans, being sure to remove any unpopped kernels. Sprinkle with the nuts.

2. In a large heavy saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to a full boil, then boil for 2 minutes (I use the timer on my iPhone!), stirring every so often. Remove from heat.

3. Add the vanilla and baking soda. Stir thoroughly- the baking soda will make the caramel foam up and turn a light color.

4. Pour the caramel over the popcorn. Turn the popcorn gently with a spatula - it works much better than a spoon. Don't worry if the popcorn isn't totally coated. The caramel melts in the oven and as you turn it, it will continue to coat the popcorn.

5. Put the pans in the middle of the oven. Every 10 minutes, turn the popcorn. Use your spatula to scrape the glaze off the bottom of the pan so it doesn't burn, and gently flip the popcorn over, distributing the caramel over all the popcorn. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. It is very important to turn the popcorn frequently, or the caramel will have a burnt flavor.

4. To check if the caramel corn is done, do a crunch test. Take out a piece and let it cool completely. Then taste. If it is chewy and sticks to your fillings, give it a bit more time. If it is crisp and crunchy, it is done!

5. I made a large "pan" out of heavy foil to cool the caramel corn. I turned up the sides of the foil to create edges and sprayed the foil lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle the caramel corn with the Heath Bar Pieces. Then turn the caramel corn onto the foil and spread and separate the chunks. Cool. (You may need to put it in a cool place to get the chocolate to harden - either the frig or stick it outside for a bit if you live in a cold place.) Store in a covered container.

Winter Window

So this is what adorns my kitchen window - my collection of antique bottles. I've filled a few with Christmas berry picks and topped a few with vintage ornaments as stoppers.





Ah yes, that is not a dirty window in the background, rather an artistically blurred effect!

All Aglow

-- Post From My iPhone

Orange Pecan Caramel Corn

This summer during a layover and delay at O'Hare airport, I grabbed a bag of Garrett's popcorn. It was love at first crunch and kept me happy during my wait for my flight.

This December, I wanted to make a few food gifts to give away and decided to see if I could replicate that buttery crunch. I tried (and sampled) several recipes found in magazines and online (most are similar), and this recipe is my mix of all of them.

There are a few hints I discovered as I experimented that I didn't find in any recipe:

• Use pans with tall sides to bake the caramel corn instead of a cookie sheet. A heavy broiler pan is the perfect size and the thick bottom prevents the glaze from burning.
• Line the pans with parchment paper! It keeps the glaze from sticking to the bottom of the pan where it will burn and turn to a sticky mess.
• Pour the caramel glaze over the popcorn in the pan, rather than in a bowl. Less messy! Ignore the picture above where I am pouring into the bowl!
  
• Use a spatula to turn the caramel corn. It is less messy than a spoon, and allows you to scrape the caramel off the parchment paper so it doesn't burn.
  
• I tried yellow, white, and microwave popcorn, and really didn't have a strong preference. If you use microwave popcorn, I'd suggest the unbuttered kind. I don't have a hot air popper, but I think that would work wonderfully for this recipe. I cooked my popcorn in peanut oil, although one recipe I read highly recommended coconut oil.
  

This orange flavored version has a light flavored caramel. I will also share another recipe that has a deeper flavor. The recipe should turn out fine if you choose to leave out the orange.

Orange Pecan Caramel Corn

12 - 13 cups popped corn
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup whole pecans
1/2 cup candied orange peel

1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Make your popcorn and lightly salt it. Line 2 heavy pans with tall sides with parchment paper. Spread the popcorn into the two pans. Be sure to remove any unpopped kernels. Sprinkle with the pecans.
2. In a large heavy saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to a full boil, then boil for 2 minutes (I use the timer on my iPhone!), stirring every so often. Remove from heat.
3. Add the vanilla, orange extract, orange juice, and baking soda. Stir thoroughly- the baking soda will make the caramel foam up and turn a light color.

4. Pour the caramel over the popcorn. Turn the popcorn gently with a spatula - it works much better than a spoon. Don't worry if the popcorn isn't totally coated. The caramel melts in the oven and as you turn it, it will continue to coat the popcorn.
5. Put the pans in the middle of the oven. Every 10 minutes, turn the popcorn. Use your spatula to scrape the glaze off the bottom of the pan so it doesn't burn, and gently flip the popcorn over, distributing the caramel over all the popcorn. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. It is very important to turn the popcorn frequently, or the caramel will have a burnt flavor.
4. To check if the caramel corn is done, do a crunch test. Take out a piece and let it cool completely. Then taste. If it is chewy and sticks to your fillings, give it a bit more time. If it is crisp and crunchy, it is done!
5. In the last 5 minutes, add the candied orange peel and toss gently. (I found mine at Market Fresh on Southfield Road). You definitely can leave this out, but it is an unexpected little bit of orange taste that I like.

6. I made a large "pan" out of heavy foil to cool the caramel corn. I turned up the sides of the foil to create edges and sprayed the foil lightly with cooking spray. Turn the caramel corn onto the foil and spread and separate the chunks. Cool. Store in a covered container.

Vintage Earring Snowflake Ornaments

These delicate snowflakes started with some plastic snowflakes and this bag of junk jewelry.



About a month ago, I scored this plastic bag of broken bits of junky vintage jewelry when I took quick jaunt through a local antique store. I love a find like this - I pick out and pull apart all kinds of bits to remix into new jewelry creations. There was a handful of old clip on earrings in the mix.



Flash forward to today - I had a package of plastic snowflakes that I had purchased at Michaels intended for a different project I had seen online. The snowflakes had a neon green glitter all over them, so I sprayed them with white paint and gave them a tasteful sprinkle of Martha Stewart glitter.



When I brought them into my "craft studio" and started playing around, I noticed the bag of jewelry. As I experimented, I discovered that the clip on earrings could simply clipped on through the holes in the snowflakes! Easiest! Ornament! Ever! I used a few dabs of hot glue in a couple spots, but the earrings can be easily removed to be reused in other projects - not that I will tempted to undo these beauties!










It felt amazingly good to do something pretty and clever again. I hope you enjoy them as much I have and find a bit of inspiration for yourself. SERIOUSLY - pull out your grandma's box of costume jewelry that you put aside because you'd never wear any of it. You may be surprised how pretty some of it might look in the center of a snowflake!

Christmas Time is Here

I haven't been here in quite a while. I have been enjoying, but been kept very busy, by my new role as an art teacher. I do a lot of posting at my school blog Pixels and Paintbrushes, but alas, not much leftover time or desire to be clever here. I also am still spending a lot of time with my friend who had a stroke last May, which brings me a blend of joy and sadness in each visit.

But school is out for 2 weeks, horray, horray, and I have a little extra time to play around and be clever. So hopefully over vacation I can post a few new recipes and projects. I have had time to decorate my tree in silver and red again like last year, adding a few new bits as I go along. I do love to sit by the light of the tree each night!



So hoping that although you may be going through a cold season of circumstances, your heart may be warmed in the love of God's Son and by your circle of family and friends.

Treat Dreams

The warm Indian summer weather gave me an excuse to have some ice cream at my new discovery, Treat Dreams on Woodward in Ferndale. They make their own ice cream in lots of unique flavors.


They have lots of yummy looking baked goods as well.



For $3.50 I had this big cup of ice cream. This time I had "Trick-or-Treat Bag" with 4 kinds of candy bars mixed in. On the bottom something more adult - Cardamon Pear. I've also tried their Salted Caramel and Mounds of Pink - both amazing!



I heard they sometimes have German chocolate - I love that flavor and hope sometime I can try their version. It would be nice if you could check their updated daily flavors on their website.

-- Post From My iPhone

Earrings Remixed

And here are the earrings that I promised in my last post. I got two pairs from the necklace - a larger pair that I put with smokey pearls....

and a smaller pair that has gray blue crystals.

These are some of my new favorites - I wear them all the time! I think I managed quite nicely to get both a necklace and 2 pairs of earrings from one piece!

Another Jewelry Remix - Newb's - Holland, MI

You know I just can't leave jewelry that I purchase just the way it is. Here is a cute little necklace that I bought a while back at a shop in Holland called Newb's:

Now this is a perfectly cute necklace. I think it originally came from American Eagle. I bought it for around three dollars. I liked the chain and the design on the charms. I decided I wanted to use the charms to make earrings. (I'll share them in the next post.) This is how I reused the chains to make a new necklace:

I mixed in some quartz, a crystal, and a variety of silver beads. It's an interesting mix, I think!

If you are in Holland and like discounted jewelry, you should check out Newb's. They recently moved into the downtown on River Avenue. They have brand jewelry from places like Chico's and other cute accessories all marked at crazy discounts. Last November on Black Friday, they had a sale where most pieces were 3 for ten dollars. I bought quite a few items, and many that I didn't even remix!

Stay tuned - the remixed earrings are coming soon!

Eiffel Tower Necklacee

I made this Eiffel Tower Necklace using a charm that I found at Michaels. (I do love their 40 % off coupons!) I made a dangle out of it so I could clip it onto my dangle chain. More examples of how I use the dangle chain here. I like this necklace, because it reminds me of my favorite city in the world!

Mango Salsa Couscous

I love mango, and especially love it in salsa! Several years ago I was playing around with making mango salsa and I got the idea to combine it with couscous. This colorful dish has ended up being one of my top ten favorite recipes - one that I make over and over again. It is fresh and tropical and goes great with any kind of chicken, fish, or shrimp that has a citrus base. I will eat it even as my main dish, it is that good!

I make this dish with Israeli couscous (sometimes called maftoul in the Middle Eastern section on the market) which has a larger grain than regular couscous. This can be difficult to find, but recently I have found it at Trader Joes. If you live in the Detroit metro area, you can likely find it at one of our many Middle Eastern markets. I'm sure it would work with regular couscous, but I love the texture of the larger couscous.

Mango Salsa Couscous

To make the couscous:

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon olive oil


Combine the broth, juice, and water in a pan and heat until warm. Meanwhile, in another large shallow pan (I use a Dutch oven), heat the olive oil. Add the couscous and toast it, stirring it constantly, until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Add the warm broth and stir. Reduce to medium heat and boil until the liquid disappears. Set aside to cool.

To make the salsa:

2 0r 3 mangoes
1 red pepper
1/2 sweet onion
1 bunch of cilantro
juice of one lime
salt to taste


First cut the mango into pieces. I like to score the mango in 2 directions and turn it, so the mango pops up in cubes that you can easily cut off.

Cut the red pepper and onion into medium sized chunks. Cut the tops off the cilantro. Stick it all into a food processor. Use the pulse to chop it all together. Remove from the processor. (If you don't have a processor, you could chop it all by hand.)


Combine the salsa and the couscous together. Add salt and the juice of one lime and blend.

Serve chilled.

Rustic Quartz Necklaces

Last spring, I stopped in at the Bead Bonanza show at the Southfield Pavilion and did a bit of browsing and a bit of buying. One of the strands of beads that I bought was a rustic quartz that was cut in a rough crystal shape. I liked these beads because they looked worn and vintage.

I combined one quartz bead with some turquoise and a neat mixture of seed beads that I also picked up at the show. This has been one of my favorite necklaces to wear this summer.


I also combined some quartz and a cute little silver dangle into a pendant that I have been wearing on a chain. This goes with everything, so it also has gotten quite a bit of "wearplay."


The next Bead Bonanza is on October 10, 2010 at the Southfield Pavilion. If you like beads, they have a great selection from vendors from all over!

Oxford Shirt Art Smocks - Tutorial

When I found out I was going to be teaching art this year, I knew I needed to come up with a easy way to make some smocks that could protect my clothes! I decided to use striped men's oxford style shirts as a short cut to quicky sew something together. Once I figured out what I wanted to do, it took less than an hour to make each smock.


I picked up a bag of 11 men's shirts at Encore, our school's new resale shop. They were having an end of season sale, so I got the entire bag for six dollars! I bought large sizes so I could get maximum coverage.


I found two shirts that I wanted to combine that were similar in size. For the top, I decided to cut off the collar so that the smock would fit comfortably over my clothes. (You could choose to leave the collar on, if you wished.)


I rolled the edge under, and used a zigzag stitch sew it down. Nothing fancy, just fast and durable. This is how it looked when I was done:


Then, on the top section of the smock, I drew a straight line across the bottom edge and then cut it to even out the edge.


Be care to avoid running into the buttons when you draw the line- try to trim either a couple inches above or below the button so you have a clear area to sew your seams.


For the bottom part of the smock, take your second shirt and draw a line just under the sleeves. Once again, be careful that you don't run into any buttons.


Put the right sides together, and sew the top and the bottom together. If the sizes of the two shirts don't exactly match, make little tucks along the seams - no one will notice!


I pressed the seams down, and then top stiched along the edge of the lower shirt.

Then I had to figure out an easy way to make a pocket! I used the cuff and part of one of the sleeves. I carefully took it apart at the seams, and pressed the edges underneath. Then I sewed the cuff onto the smock to make a pocket. I did two lines of stitching to help make it durable. It is a cute and practical touch! I sewed the buttons back on top the buttonholes because I thought it added a cute touch.


So that's all it takes to make these smocks. They are now my signature art room look, and provide my clothes with lots of protection from paint and mess!